If you have been losing the weight loss battle – for years, maybe decades — you know how frustrating it can be. All those fad diets, starvation diets, calorie restricted diets got you nowhere. You even resorted to diet pills a time or two. But as soon as you fell off your diet, the weight came back and brought 20 extra pounds with it. Now, there is a diabesity epidemic, and you’re scared you’ll be one of its victims if you don’t do something about your weight. Should you take diet pills to treat diabesity? Should you ask your doctor for diet pills?
NO!
There is a SANE way to permanently lose weight and reduce your risk of diabesity, and it doesn’t involve diet pills or counting calories or going hungry or eating diet food.
Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
It is understandable why you would consider taking diet pills to treat diabesity. After all, they’ve been around for a long time, but they won’t reduce your risk of diabesity. Even if everyone who suffers from diabesity took diet pills regularly, it wouldn’t make a dent in this epidemic.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes have been growing together at an alarming rate for the past few decades. Between 1980 and 2013, the number of overweight and obese people grew from 857 million to 2.1 billion globally. Between 1980 and 2014, the number of adults with diabetes grew from 108 million to 422 million globally. Today, over a quarter of those who are obese also have type 2 diabetes.
Experts have known for a long time that there was a connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes. After all, the fact that obesity was the number one risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes was undeniable. We know now that these two diseases are interdependent; they are both symptoms of an insulin dysfunction. Either the cells are resistant to insulin, or the pancreas is not producing enough of this hormone.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that around 90 percent of those who are obese will develop type 2 diabetes. The reverse is also true, however; for those who suffer from diabetes also increase their risk of obesity.
Health Complications of Diabesity
Diabesity can cause many serious health complications, including:
Cardiovascular disease
Stroke
Neuropathy (nerve damage)
Kidney disease
Blindness
Gallbladder disease
Altzheimer’s
Limb amputation
Will Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity Really Work?
If obesity is the biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, losing weight will reduce this risk. But taking diet pills to treat diabesity is not the way to do it.
Just like dieting in general, diet pills have not been shown to cause long-term weight loss. On the contrary, the majority of those who lose weight with diet pills gain it back as soon as they stop taking the pills.
Learn the exact foods you must eat if you want to finally lose weight permanently. Click here to download your free Weight Loss Food List, the “Eat More, Lose More” Weight Loss Plan, and the “Slim in 6” Cheat Sheet…CLICK HERE FOR FREE “HOW TO” WEIGHT LOSS GUIDES
Types of Prescription Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
The most common types of diet pills doctors prescribe are appetite suppressants and fat blockers.
Appetite Suppressant Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
Appetite suppressants to treat diabesity target the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates your appetite, and keeps serotonin and norepinephrine circulating in your brain longer. This tricks your brain into thinking you are full. By taking these diet pills, either you will eat less food, or you will think you’re too full to eat. This causes you to eat fewer calories, so you lose weight. That’s the theory, anyway.
There are health risks to taking appetite suppressants to treat diabesity, however. Because many of them stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, they can raise blood pressure and increase heart rate. This can be dangerous for anyone who suffers from a cardiovascular disease. These drugs can also cause unpleasant side effects, such as headaches, constipation, and insomnia.
Fat Blocker Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
Fat blockers don’t get an A+ for fighting diabesity, either. These diet pills stop lipase, an enzyme, from breaking down the fat you eat. Instead of breaking down and absorbing this fat, your body eliminates a certain amount of it through bowel movements.
The logic for fat blockers in treating diabesity is that fat has more than twice the amount of calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates, and these calories make you gain weight. The other reason could be the old “fat is bad” to eat; you must rid yourself of it any way you can.
Both of these arguments, by the way, are dead wrong. We’ll get to that shortly.
Fat blockers, too, have some side effects. They can keep your body from absorbing some fat-soluble nutrients. Also, they can cause intestinal discomfort and gas. You could even have trouble controlling your bowel movements. Is it really worth all this just to try to lose a few pounds?
Famous and Deadly Diet Pills
Those risks are minor compared to a couple famous cases.
Fen-Phen Diet Pills
Back in the ‘90s, people were desperate to find a reliable way to lose weight. They thought they found it in not one, but two appetite suppressants: fenfluramine and phentermine. Nicknamed fen-phen, this combo proved to be an effective weight loss aid for many people. More than 18 million people in the United States were taking fen-phen in 1996 – until many started developing valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. At least one woman died.
The following year, the FDA withdrew fenfluramine (the “fen” part of the combo) from the market because of its link to heart disease.
Ephedra Diet Pills
Ephedra is a powerful stimulant that was also a popular weight loss drug in the ‘90s. It was especially effective when combined with caffeine. The only problem was that it also significantly increased the heart rate, which upped the risk of stroke and heart attack.
More than 150 people died from taking diet pills and other products containing Ephedra before the FDA finally decided to ban it. There is a Chinese herb that is the same as Ephedra, and it is being sold online and in natural health stores.
A SANE Way to Prevent Diabesity
It might surprise you, but SANE eating can do everything diet pills can do – but much, much more and better. Plus, the only side effects of SANEity are health, vitality and permanent weight loss.
In short, anything diet pills can do, SANE can do better!
Permanent Weight Loss
Taking diet pills to treat diabesity will help you lose weight. But as soon as you stop taking these pills and start eating normally, you will regain every pound you lost, plus a dozen or so more pounds. The same thing happens when you cut calories on the latest fad diet.
This is because, contrary to popular belief, cutting calories does not lead to permanent weight or fat loss. On the contrary, it slows your metabolism. Research has shown beyond any doubt that if you eat more, you burn more; and if you eat less, you burn less. That’s the way your body was designed to work.
Hormones in your brain, stomach, and fat – yes, your fat has hormones – communicate with each other. The minute you slash calories, an emergency alert goes on in your body. Your cells panic, begging for nutrition. You become hungry. If you don’t respond soon to those signals, your metabolism slows to conserve energy.
It’s About the Setpoint Weight
If you’ve often felt your body was fighting your weight-loss efforts, you were right. For your safety and survival, your body tries to keep you at a setpoint weight it has determined – based on feedback from your hormones – that you are supposed to weigh for your health.
The hormones get their information from the quality of your diet and lifestyle. These factors have a direct effect on the hormones, which directly affects your setpoint weight and your metabolism.
Diabesity, Calorie Deficit, and the Setpoint
Since the 1960s, we’ve lived under the calorie deficit theory of weight loss that goes something like this: If you eat X number of fewer calories a week, you will lose X amount of pounds a week. Guaranteed. It’s a mathematical certainty. In other words, our bodies are like a scale, a perfect balance of calories in equaling calories out. If you want to lose weight, you have to unbalance the scale. It makes sense. Only, it never works out that way.
You know that from personal experience. Every time you went on a diet, the weight loss was fast in the beginning, and then it slowed waaaay down. Even if you starved yourself, ate rice cakes and tea, the number on the scale would barely move.
That’s because the calorie deficit theory is wrong. Thousands of studies have shown that the body is not like a scale; rather, it is like a thermostat. If you eat more calories than your body needs to maintain your setpoint weight, your body will adjust the calorie burn of its many metabolic processes. It will do the same thing if you eat less than your body needs to maintain your weight. It lowers your metabolism to keep you in range of your setpoint.
Calories are still important, and if you eat a low-calorie diet, you will eventually lose weight. But as soon as you start eating normal foods again, your weight will creep right back up to your setpoint weight. Only this time, you’ll gain an extra 10 or so pounds. This is your body’s way to protect you from future starvation.
The calorie-deficit theory of weight loss is what has led to this diabesity epidemic. But the SANE Solution is what can end it.
The SANE Solution: A Natural Appetite Suppressant
Most people who take diet pills to treat diabesity, do so to reduce their appetite. As discussed earlier, diet pills will do that, but they come with dangerous side effects. The fact is that you can suppress your appetite naturally by eating SANE foods.
You see, the reason you get hungry so often and eat so much food is because of the low-quality foods you eat. Our stomachs and hormones are designed to send satiety signals to our brains when we are full, but the processed and starchy foods many people eat bypass those controls.
The hypothalamus in the brain is the area influenced by high-satiety foods. It tells you when to stop eating, and it is dependent on three factors:
How much do the calories eaten stretch your digestive organs?
How much do the calories affect short-term satiety hormones?
How much do the calories affect long-term satiety hormones?
Science has shown that high-satiety is achieved by eating foods containing high amounts of water, fiber, and protein. Water and fiber influence the amount of “stretch” in your digestive organs. Fiber swells up in water, making the food bigger to give a bigger stretch.
Protein, on the other hand, affects both the short-term and long-term satiety hormones. This means that if you eat more calories from protein, you will feel full quicker and stay full longer.
When you eat a SANE diet, you are too full for inSANE processed foods, starches, and sugary foods. You will lose weight safely, easily, permanently – and you will reduce your chances of diabesity. Can diet pills do any of that?
How About Fat-Blocking?
SANE doesn’t block fat; it doesn’t need to. For one thing, it has been proven that eating fats do not cause weight gain. For another, as part of the SANE plate, you will eat whole-food fats at each meal. When you eat whole-food fats in place of starches and sugars, your body will start to prefer burning fats for fuel instead of sugars and starches.
Fat-blocking? Ha! That’s for amateurs. Your fat stores will simply melt away when you eat SANEly.
Again, can diet pills do any of that?
Leaving inSANEity Behind
Going SANE is not hard. All it takes is leaving behind the calorie-deficit theory of weight loss and embracing the truth.
The truth is…obesity is a disease. The struggles with your weight are not your fault. You have been led down the wrong path. But the truth can set you on the right path, the SANE way to permanent weight loss.
Using diet pills to treat diabesity is one of the most inSANE things you can do. Isn’t it time you went SANE?
Next Step: Avoid Diet Pills and Treat Diabesity by Going SANE
There is much more to the SANE lifestyle. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, reducing stress, staying hydrated, and performing eccentric exercises are other important factors in lowering your setpoint.
Ready to finally break free from the yo-yo dieting rollercoaster that can lead to diabesity? By balancing your hormones and lowering your body’s set-point weight, SANE is the solution you’ve been dreaming of.
Want to know the exact foods and serving sizes scientifically proven by over 1,300 peer-reviewed research studies to boost metabolism, burn fat and enjoy virtually effortless weight loss like a naturally thin person?
Begin your exciting journey to lasting, healthy weight loss today. Download the free SANE metabolism boosting food list, cheat sheet and “Eat More, Burn More” weight loss program by
Learn the exact foods you must eat if you want to finally lose weight permanently. Click here to download your free Weight Loss Food List, the “Eat More, Lose More” Weight Loss Plan, and the “Slim in 6” Cheat Sheet…CLICK HERE FOR FREE “HOW TO” WEIGHT LOSS GUIDES
Postmenopausal weight loss is probably something you haven’t heard much about. That’s because most articles focus on the problems with postmenopausal weight gain. They make weight gain during this time in your life sound inevitable. But it doesn’t have to be, especially when you are on the setpoint diet.
Postmenopausal Weight Loss and the Setpoint Diet
The setpoint diet promotes postmenopausal weight loss because it focuses on the underlying cause of weight gain during these special years. That means with the setpoint diet, you won’t be counting calories. You won’t be starvation dieting. Rather, you’ll be enjoying your fill of delicious real food scientifically proven to heal your hormones, stabilize blood sugar levels, heal neurological inflammation, and lower your setpoint weight.
The setpoint diet spurs menopausal weight loss in part by targeting the hormonal cause of menopausal weight gain. The easy dietary changes you’ll make with the setpoint diet rebalance your hormones, enabling your body to burn excess calories automatically. It also addresses the metabolism-lowering muscle loss that occurs with age and with menopause. With the setpoint diet, you’ll eat foods that prevent muscle loss and build new muscle.
Before discussing the exact way you can use the setpoint diet for menopausal weight loss, let’s take an in-depth look at menopause.
What is Menopause?
Menopause signals the end of a woman’s childbearing years. The average age that U.S. women experience menopause is 51, though it can occur much earlier. There are three stages of menopause: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
Perimenopause (Around Menopause)
Perimenopause refers to the years leading up to the cessation of your menstrual period. It usually begins a few years before menopause, typically when you’re in your 40s. The average length of perimenopause is 4 years, but it can last for 10 years or more. During perimenopause, your ovaries gradually begin producing less estrogen. In the last 1-2 years of perimenopause, levels of estrogen significantly drop, as do levels of progesterone and testosterone. These declining hormonal levels trigger the cascade of menopausal symptoms most women experience.
Menopause
For simplicity’s sake, most articles use the word “menopause” when referring to all three stages of menopause. However, menopause refers only to the moment when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. If you go most of the year without a period but then have a period in the 11th month, you must start over again, counting another 12 months. This length of time is required to ensure your ovaries no longer make estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that are absolutely essential for fertility.
Postmenopause (After Menopause)
As soon as a woman hits menopause she is in postmenopause, the years after menopause lasting the rest of her life. Research shows the symptoms of menopause may continue for a few years into postmenopause — four to five years is the average — but they become less frequent. They also tend not to be as intense as they were during the perimenopausal years.
The average length of perimenopause is four years but can be much shorter or last much longer. Perimenopause ends when you have not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.
Menopause Symptoms
Your entire reproductive system undergoes vast changes during menopause. Your internal reproductive organs, genitalia, breasts…all are influenced by hormonal changes that occur during this time.
Declining levels of your reproductive hormone levels — such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone — are responsible for a host of menopausal symptoms, including:
Hot flashes/Night Sweats. These are sudden, usually brief increases in body temperature. Though we don’t know exactly what causes them, they start when blood vessels near the surface of the skin expand to cool off. This causes a sudden feeling of heat along with sweating. Hot flashes are the most common symptom of perimenopause, experienced by about 75% of menopausal women.
Irregular Periods: You may skip your period for a few months and/or your periods can be heavier or lighter than usual. Irregular periods are more common in the final 1-2 years of perimenopause when hormonal levels take a huge nosedive.
Breast Tenderness: Fluctuating and reduced levels of estrogen and progesterone affect breast tissue, causing tenderness and even pain.
Vaginal Dryness: A reduction in estrogen causes the vagina to lose elasticity. Vaginal thinness and dryness is the result.
Reduced Sex Drive: Reduced levels of estrogen and testosterone can result in reduced sex drive for some women during perimenopause.
Mood Swings: Fluctuating hormone levels lead to often widely fluctuating moods.
Sleep Disturbances: Night sweats can interrupt sleep.
Weight Gain: Hormonal changes during menopause often leads to weight gain, especially in the abdominal area.
Most women experience at least some of the above symptoms during perimenopause.
Causes of Postmenopausal Weight Gain (or What Makes Postmenopausal Weight Loss so Hard!!!)
Though many of the symptoms of menopause are bothersome, many women regard postmenopausal weight gain as being the most frustrating symptom of menopause. Studies show many women gain an average of 10-15 pounds during perimenopause, at a rate of about 1 pound per year. The cute-sounding “muffin top” or “menopot” (menopause potbelly) is not a feature most women want, especially since it tends to stay around.
Is this something you’ve experienced? No matter what you do, the postmenopausal weight gain — that extra fat in your belly that seemed to just spring up overnight — will not go away. You’ve tried dieting it off, exercising it off, steam-rooming it off. Nothing works. It is this menopot that most people are referring to when they talk about menopausal weight gain. It is this menopot that we are referring to, along with weight gain in other parts of the body, when we discuss how the setpoint diet promotes postmenopausal weight loss later in this article.
There are many reasons for postmenopausal weight gain. Here are a few of the most common ones.
1. Hormonal Changes
Research shows hormonal changes during menopause can cause weight gain. However, hormone-related weight gain tends to occur mainly in the stomach area. Here are the hormones most responsible for weight gain during menopause.
Estrogen
Estrogen is the primary female hormone, responsible for many reproductive functions. It also has a lot to do with metabolism and regulation of weight. A few years prior to menopause, a woman’s estrogen levels begin to dip, making her body hold onto fat. Though frustrating, extra fat storage and weight gain is a symptom of your body’s efforts to retain estrogen.
You see, when your ovaries start producing less estrogen, your body has to search for other sources of estrogen. As fat cells produce estrogen, your body tries to increase your levels of estrogen through your fat cells. So, it converts more calories you consume into fat specifically to increase your estrogen levels.
Why the “menopot,” though?
Well…research shows declining estrogen levels cause fat cells in the abdominal area to store more fat. It actually redistributes body fat to your stomach area. Studies also show lowered estrogen levels also cause a drop in resting metabolic rate. Both of these lead to increased belly fat.
Progesterone
Progesterone is essential for regulating ovulation and menstruation. Unlike estrogen, progesterone does not cause excess fat accumulation. Low levels of progesterone, however, often cause water retention and bloating. This can make your clothes fit more snugly, giving you the feeling and perhaps even the appearance of weight gain.
Testosterone
Testosterone is commonly thought of as a male hormone, but both men and women need adequate testosterone levels to keep their setpoint low and their weight in check.
Most adult women have about the same testosterone levels as a 10-year-old boy. That’s part of the reason it’s harder for women to burn fat and build muscle than it is for men. Perimenopause causes testosterone levels to plummet, which promotes fat storage, inflammation, and muscle loss. This can cause insulin resistance and belly fat.
As you can see, having these hormones in the proper balance is so very important for your health and for postmenopausal weight loss. Fortunately, the setpoint diet helps rebalance these and other hormones so that you can safely and permanently lose weight.
2. Insulin Resistance
When you consume carbs and sugar, they are converted into glucose and absorbed into your bloodstream. The hormone insulin is then released to shuttle the excess glucose into your cells for energy or to be stored for later use. Your cells cannot open to accepting glucose without insulin. Insulin resistance is a condition in which your cells no longer recognize insulin and will not accept glucose. This results in higher blood glucose levels, weight gain, and almost certainly type 2 diabetes if it goes on long enough.
Many studies show estrogen optimizes how a woman’s body processes glucose. During a woman’s childbearing years, estrogen helps increase insulin sensitivity. Estrogen appears to help protect women from high blood glucose levels, consequent weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. But when estrogen levels drop significantly after menopause, just the opposite occurs — postmenopausal women are at increased risk of insulin resistance.
3. Age
When it comes to menopausal weight gain, it is not clear how much of it is due to menopause and how much of it is due to age. After all, it is a fact that most people tend to gain weight as they get older. There are a couple reasons for this.
The first is hormonal dysregulation. Weight gain and a slower metabolism as you age start in your brain with inflammation of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the part of your brain that is in charge of balancing calories in and calories out so that ideally the body never becomes too fat or too thin.
But as almost everyone has experienced, as the years go by, this balance becomes upset and the body packs on extra pounds because it is getting the wrong messages from the brain and the hormones. Specifically, the inflamed hypothalamus no longer receives correct signals from the hormones. Now, instead of working to keep you naturally slim, your hypothalamus and hormones work to hold on to extra fat, no matter how hard you try to lose the weight.
The other reason most people gain weight as they grow older is because of a loss of muscle. Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, affects everyone to a certain extent. Muscle is in a constant state of breaking down/rebuilding. Up until the age of 30 or so, the rebuilding process is quicker than the breaking down process. Sometime in your 30s, the reverse happens — muscle breaks down quicker than it is rebuilt. Consequently, you can lose 3% to 5% of your muscle mass each decade after the age of 30 if you’re inactive. (You’ll lose some muscle mass even if you are active.) Less muscle results in a slower metabolism.
Learn the exact foods you must eat if you want to finally lose weight permanently. Click here to download your free Weight Loss Food List, the “Eat More, Lose More” Weight Loss Plan, and the “Slim in 6” Cheat Sheet…CLICK HERE FOR FREE “HOW TO” WEIGHT LOSS GUIDES
Health Risks of Postmenopausal Weight Gain
Hormones, particularly estrogen, protect women from many weight-related health conditions during their childbearing years. When levels of these hormones significantly and permanently drop, as they do in her postmenopausal years, it puts her at increased risk of these same diseases.
Most of these risks occur because of the increased levels of postmenopausal belly fat.
Dangerous of Belly Fat
There are two types of belly fat: subcutaneous and visceral.
Subcutaneous fat lies beneath the skin and is located all over the body, not just in the stomach area. This is the fat you can pinch between your fingers. Though subcutaneous fat may not be aesthetically pleasing to some people, research indicates it is likely not that dangerous for your health.
Visceral fat is stored deep within your abdominal cavity, surrounding and even wrapping around the liver, intestines, and other important organs. Fat cells are not just storage lockers for calories. They are metabolically active, pumping out hormones, inflammatory agents, and other substances. Many researchers believe visceral fat cells send these substances through the bloodstream, via the nearby portal vein, which increases the risk for many serious and deadly health conditions, including:
If the above makes postmenopausal weight loss seem hopeless to you, that you’re just a victim to your hormones, think again. The setpoint diet helps you rebalance those hormones. And unlike other diets you may have been on, you’ll LOVE the setpoint diet.
Before discussing the exact foods that will rebalance your hormones, trigger fat-burning hormones, spur muscle protein synthesis and more, let’s talk about one of the main reasons for weight gain: hormonal dysregulation.
Hormonal Dysregulation
One of the main reasons most people cannot lose weight and keep it off is because they have what we call a “hormonal clog” that keeps their setpoint weight elevated. When you have a hormonal clog, your brain can no longer rely on signals from your hormones that would otherwise enable you to burn body fat automatically.
The easiest way to understand how a hormonal clog elevates your setpoint weight is to think about your body as functioning like a sink. If you pour water into a properly working sink, the water will drain right out. No matter how much water you pour into the sink, the water drains out. If you pour a lot of water in the sink all at once, the water level will rise temporarily. But the sink will take care of it. The sink is balancing water in and water out at a low level. You can think of a working sink, then, as having a low setpoint.
A hormonally healthy body works the same way, working to prevent excess body fat from accumulating. A healthy body, like a “healthy” sink, responds to more in with more out, and to less in with less out. When water builds up in sinks and fat builds up in bodies, it is because they have become clogged. Why do they become clogged? Because the wrong things are put into them.
When you have a clogged sink, any amount of water IN will cause the water level to rise and stay high. This sink now has an elevated setpoint.
Hormonal Clog and Setpoint Weight
Think of your body in the same way. When you put poor-quality of food into it, your body becomes hormonally clogged. This causes it to automatically balance you out at an elevated level of body fat. You become overweight or obese because hormonal dysregulation elevated your setpoint weight.
What is the setpoint weight?
Your setpoint is that weight your body seems to always want to keep you at or near. (Setpoint weight actually varies by 10-15 pounds.) Your brain, digestive system, and hormones talk to one another through various feedback loops to synchronize the activities that automatically maintain body fat and blood sugar at a specific level, known as your setpoint.
Think of the biological feedback system that establishes your setpoint like the thermostat in your house. Thanks to the thermostat, your heating or air-conditioning system respond to the weather outside and keep your home at whatever temperature the thermostat “thinks” it should be at. Similarly, your setpoint stimulates or suppresses your appetite and raises or lowers metabolism—your body’s food-to-fuel process—in response how much fat it “thinks” you should store.
Why Crash Diets Never Work
Your setpoint weight is the reason why crash dieting has never worked for you — and why it definitely won’t work for postmenopausal weight loss. When you slash calories, your body sends an emergency alert to your brain. It thinks you are starving, and it does everything it can to prevent that. The brain orders a release of hormones that make you hungry, tired, weak. It slows your metabolism and sends most of the calories you consume straight to your fat cells. None of this brings you closer to your goal.
Sure, you will lose weight on a crash diet. But research shows most of the weight loss comes from water and muscle. And your crash diet scared your body so much it raised your setpoint weight even higher, ensuring you’ll gain back all the weight you lost — and then some — as soon as you start eating normally again.
The only way to permanently lose weight is to work with your setpoint, not against it. When you lower your setpoint weight with the setpoint diet, you will effortlessly lose weight — and it will stay off.
Causes of an Elevated Setpoint Weight
We’ve already discussed one of the causes of an elevated setpoint weight for postmenopausal women — hormonal dysregulation. Here are a few factors that dysregulate hormones:
Poor-Quality Diet
Eating a steady diet of refined carbs, sugar, and highly processed foods cause surges in your blood sugar levels. It also causes neurological inflammation and a hormonal clog.
Stress
Most people live under constant stress these days. The problem is that when stress becomes chronic, your body constantly releases setpoint-elevating cortisol, which constantly triggers a release of insulin, a fat-storage hormone. Both cause weight gain, especially in the tummy, and much of it is dangerous visceral fat.
Sleep Deprivation
Research also shows a lack of sleep can cause weight gain. This is because sleep deprivation appears to dy-sregulate hormones dealing with hunger management, blood sugar control, and food cravings.
Postmenopausal Weight Loss and the Setpoint Diet
The great thing about the setpoint diet is that it focuses on having you eat MORE high-quality food rather than less low-quality food. The goal is to becomes so full of SANE setpoint diet foods that you’ll be too full of inSANE starches, refined carbs, sugars, highly processed foods, etc.
Why eat more high-quality food? Because if you get the quality right, the quantity will take care of itself. You see, calories are important, but it is not your job to count them. As previously mentioned, the hypothalamus balances calories in with calories out so that you never become too fat or too thin.
High-quality calories help clear the hormonal clog, allowing your hormones to send correct messages to your hypothalamus. These hormones tell the brain when you’ve had enough to eat, naturally preventing you from overeating. No willpower necessary!
When deciding on high-quality foods, choose ones that are “most alive.” For example, cereal that has been sitting on a shelf forever is NOT alive. Compare that to a bag of leafy green non-starchy vegetables that are currently alive…or delicious salmon that was alive a few days ago…and you’ll automatically know which one to choose.
Foods to Eat on the Setpoint Diet for Postmenopausal Weight Loss
Within the primary SANE food groups of non-starchy vegetables, nutrient-dense protein, whole-food fats, and low-fructose fruits, there are optimal options that will fast-track your progress.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
10+ servings per day
If you count anything in the setpoint diet, count your servings of non-starchy vegetables. How much is one serving? Here is a simple rule: If raw and leafy, a serving is the size of two of your fists. If raw and not leafy, a serving is the size of your fist. If cooked, a serving is a little smaller than the size of your fist.
The fiber content of non-starchy veggies fill you up fast and keep you full for a long time, for a relatively small number of calories. It also provides plenty of nutrition for your cells.
When starting the setpoint diet, be sure to gradually increase your servings of non-starchy vegetables. This helps you avoid gastrointestinal distress.
Optimal Choices
Optimal choices are leafy green vegetables and include:
Alfalfa
Arugula
Bok Choy
Barley Grass
Brussels Sprouts
Chard
Garlic
Greens
Kale
Kelp
Mixed Greens
Romaine Lettuce
Seaweed
Spinach
Watercress
Wheat Grass
Other great veggies you could eat raw or cooked to help get your 10 plus servings include:
Alfalfa sprouts
Artichoke
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Beets
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green Beans
Mushrooms
Onions
Peppers
Squash
Sugar Snap Peas
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Nutrient-Dense Protein
3-6 servings per day, 30-55 grams of protein per meal.
Protein triggers short- and long-term satiety hormones, which is the reason why protein is so filling. But protein does something else that is incredible…if you consume around 30 grams of protein at a sitting, it triggers muscle protein synthesis. This enables your body to preserve muscle mass while also burning fat.
A food is a nutrient-dense protein if it is found directly in nature and more of its calories come from protein than from fat or carbohydrate. (Exceptions include some low-sugar and low-fat dairy products and natural SANE approved protein powders/bars.)
You can determine whether a food gets more of its calories from protein than from fat or carbohydrate by following these three easy steps.
Look at the nutrition label and multiply the grams of protein in a serving by 4.
Divide that number by the number of calories in a serving.
Multiply by 100 and that’s the percent of calories in the food from protein.
But here’s a list to make things easier for you.
Optimal Choices
Oysters
Clams
Mussels
Liver
Salmon
Sardines
Anchovies
Sea Bass
Tuna
Other great nutrient-dense protein choices:
Catfish
Chicken
Cod
Cottage Cheese
Egg Whites
Flounder
Grass-Fed Beef
Ham
Lamb
Lean Conventional Beef
Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Pork
Shrimp
Snapper
Calamari
Tilapia
Trout
Turkey
Whole-Food Fats
3-6 servings per day
Ideal whole food fats actually come from whole foods, not refined liquids or spreads. As a general rule of thumb, a food is a whole-food fat if it’s found directly in nature and more of its calories come from fat than from protein or carbohydrate. You can determine this the same way you did for protein except multiply grams of fat per serving by 9 (since fat has 9 calories per gram…not 4 like protein).
A serving is about the size your middle and pointer finger side by side. If the nuts are mashed into butter (i.e., natural nut butter), a serving is the size of your thumb. Two whole eggs are a serving.
Optimal choices include:
Coconut
Coconut Milk
Cocoa/Cacao
Cocoa/Cacao Nibs
Avocado
Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
Macadamias
Olives
Other great whole-food fats include:
Almonds
Brazil Nuts
Chestnuts
Whole Eggs
Hazelnuts
Hemp Seeds
Pecans
Pistachios
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts
Low Fructose Fruits
0-3 servings per day
Low-fructose fruits are available only to add a little spice to your diet. You don’t need to consume any fruit. Non-starchy veggies can do everything fruit can do, with about 10 times less sugar.
Optimal Choices:
Optimal low-fructose fruits have the least sugar and the most nutrition. These include:
Acai Berry
Goji Berry
Noni Fruit
Purple Aronia
Mangosteen
Other good low-fructose fruits include:
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cranberries
Cantaloupe
Casaba Melon
Cherries
Coconut Water
Grapefruit
Guava
Lemon
Lime
Nectarine
Papaya
Peaches
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
The Setpoint Diet, Postmenopausal Weight Loss, and YOU
That’s pretty much it for the nutritional portion of the setpoint diet. As long as you concentrate on eating MORE non-starchy veggies, nutrient-dense protein, and whole-food fats, you will eat less of the inSANE stuff. The result? Postmenopausal weight loss will be a breeze.
Just remember the SANE motto: Progress, not Perfection.
As long as you’re moving forward, you’re doing okay. If you occasionally eat something inSANE — and who doesn’t?!!! — it’s not the end of the world…or your setpoint diet.
Next Step: With the SANE, Learn More Ways to do Postmenopausal Weight Loss with the Setpoint Diet
Ready to finally break free from the yo-yo dieting rollercoaster by balancing your hormones and lowering your body’s setpoint weight?
Want to know the exact foods and serving sizes that are scientifically proven by over 1,300 peer-reviewed research studies to boost metabolism, burn fat and enjoy virtually effortless weight loss like a naturally thin person?
Download the free SANE metabolism boosting food list, cheat sheet and “Eat More, Burn More” weight loss program by
.
Sodium butyrate andbutyrate supplementsderiving from this compound, is well-known for its immune-modulating characteristics. The systemic anti-inflammatory effects induced by sodium butyrate supplementation in humans has been studied. (1)
During one particular study, Butyrate supplements were measured to moderately affected some of the cytokine responses. Additionally, it was found that Butyrate Supplements taken per-oral, may play a role in reducing the inflammatory state of circulating monocytes in patients with Metabolic Syndrome.
Butyrate Supplements & Side Effects
TheMayo Clinicin March of this year, reported the side effects of Sodium Phenylbutyrate (Oral Route) and categorized them by:
More Common
Less Common
Rare (2)
Sodium Phenylbutyrate in this report, was indicated in treating urea cycle disorders as an adjunct to proper diet. Additionally, it is indicated in aiding the removal of ammonia or nitrogen, from the body.
Our Gut Biome & Best Butyrate Supplements
A large volume of research and study over the previous few years has made it abundantly clear that the microbial environment residing in thehuman gutplays a key part in maintaining human homeostasis. The microbial community pulls energy from our diets, supports our mucosal barriers, and even regulates immune responses. (3,4)
A singular and crucial microbial event has been found to have a hand in all of these protective functions and it is the production of Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) within the large intestines (5).
These SCFA’s are a result of fermentative metabolism by a group of anaerobic gram-positive bacteria located in the colon where their main role is to digest complex carbohydrates for us.
Butyrate Biochemistry:
Downstream, as we continue along the biochemical pathway, the benefits of butyrate SCFA’S (Postbiotics) play an obvious role in digestive health, bowel movement regularity, microbiome support, and much more.
To get these incredibly helpful postbiotics one can, of course, increase their intake of dietary fiber which will in turn minimally increase the amount of butyrate yield. Now, dietary fiber does indeed aid in forming postbiotics such as butyrate but the process lacks efficiency.
Taking in too much fiber in an attempt to increase levels of butyrate will cause painful bloating and increased unwanted flatulence. That is why the best postbiotic butyrate supplements are not actually a singular short chain fatty acid!
Can These Supplements Really Help Preventing Colonic Disease?
As SCFA’s go, the one in question here has a role in cell differentiation – a process that aids in colonic disease prevention. Specifically, when colon cancer cells are taken into consideration, butyrate has been proposed to modulate proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. That is to say – butyrate inhibits the growth of cancer cells and promotes healthy colonic epithelium. This scenario has been charmingly called, the “butyrate paradox”(6).
How Do These Supplements Modulate Immune Response?
Butyrate acts upon regulatory T cells to decrease TNF-alpha & IL-6 production. As a result, butyrate modulates an immune response. Additionally, this SCFA increases the levels of other anti-inflammatory immune cells such as M2 macrophages. It also inhibits pro-inflammatory immune cells such as M1 macrophages and neutrophils. (7)
As a quick summary; insulin sensitivity suggested that butyrate (remember, butyrate is a short chain fatty acid (SCFA)) works on resistant starch gut bacteria. The effect of butyrate as a good bacteria is to work on maintaining barrier function between toxins and our blood circulation!
Postbiotic Supplements? Enter Tributyrate & Viscera-3
The results of many years conducting research, scientists have now combined three Butyrate molecules with a single glycerol molecule to create an incredibly more effective version of this “optimal” short-chain fatty acid, butyrate. The benefits of no longer requiring prebiotic and probiotic ingestions a few times per day are numerous and obvious.
Until recently, fiber and probiotics were the only supplements that helped your lower colon create incredibly powerful health promoting gut nutrients known as Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs).
With Viscera-3, this superior form of TRIbutyrate is intelligently time-released directly into the lower portion of your colon – right in the region where the appropriate health benefits can take place.
Viscera-3 as a butyrate supplement is three times more potent than fiber alone. Additionally, it contains the SLIMGut Earth Minerals Matrix™ and the SLIMGut Garden Blend™.
Viscera-3 as a result provides a tidal wave of gut health without the constipation, bloating, gas pain, bloating, and tops the experience off with faster weight loss. The fiber supplements can retire from the shelves.
This patented nutrient is the fastest, easiest and most effective way to a more normal, healthier stool while enjoying a slimmer, less bloated waist in just 48 hours!
Dumping more probiotics into an unhealthy gut is like pouring gas in an engine that does not run, it is a waste of money! Leave behind the slow 5 step process and flip on your SLIM GUT SWITCH in one step!
Butyrate Article Definitions:
Monocytes:Monocytes are a type of leukocyte, or white blood cell. They are the largest type of leukocyte and can differentiate into macrophages and myeloid lineage dendritic cells.
Metabolic Syndrome:Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
Homeostasis:In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems.
Fermentation:Fermentation is a metabolic process. This process includes organic molecules (normally glucose) and they change into acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen or any electron transport chain.
Anaerobic gram-positive bacteria: Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC) are a heterogeneous group of organisms defined by their morphological appearance and their inability to grow in the presence of oxygen; most clinical isolates are identified to species in the genus Peptostreptococcus.
Human Colon Anatomy For Reference:
References For Further Research & Study:
Effects of oral butyrate supplementation on inflammatory potential of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells in healthy and obese males Maartje C. P. Cleophas,1,2 Jacqueline M. Ratter,1,2,3 Siroon Bekkering,1,2 Jessica Quintin,5 Kiki Schraa,1 Erik S. Stroes,4 Mihai G. Netea,1,2,6 and Leo A. B. Joostencorresponding author1,2,7
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/sodium-phenylbutyrate-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20066057, March 1st, 2020
D’Argenio V, Salvatore F. The role of the gut microbiome in the healthy adult status. Clin Chim Acta. 2015;451:97–102. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2015.01.003. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
Heintz-Buschart, A. & Wilmes, P. Human Gut Microbiome: Function Matters. Trends Microbiol, 10.1016/j.tim.2017.11.002 (2017).
Rios-Covian D, et al. Intestinal Short Chain Fatty Acids and their Link with Diet and Human Health. Front Microbiol. 2016;7:185. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00185. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
Cellular differentiation: Potential insight into butyrate paradox? Stacy H. Ryu,a Gerard E. Kaiko,a and Thaddeus S. Stappenbecka,b https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6150034/
Metabolic Functions of Gut Microbes Associate With Efficacy of Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonists in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Gastroenterology Vol. 157 Issue 5.
If you have had a hard time losing weight, you’re not alone. Studies show that the average adult tries four weight-loss diets a year. If they have to make several stabs at this dieting thing, they’re not doing any better than you are.
Prevent Diabesity By Losing Weight
But now, the threat of diabesity is making it more important than ever for people to shed those excess pounds. Doctors say you can prevent diabesity by losing weight, but statistics show many people have failed to do so.
There are more than one billion people worldwide suffering from diabesity, and suffering is an accurate term. Diabesity contributes to many serious medical problems, including:
Diabesity will ultimately take your life, but first, it will usually make you suffer.
Unfortunately, many experts don’t have any words of wisdom to offer because they don’t know what to do about this problem.
Experts Unite: People Can Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight
To be sure, there are many theories on how to solve the diabesity problem, which has become a global epidemic. They all hinge on losing weight. Research has shown that losing just 10-15 pounds can reduce your risk of diabetes significantly. So experts know people can prevent diabesity by losing weight. They just don’t know how to develop a plan that will promote safe, long-term weight loss.
Though these experts may be struggling with answers, SANE has the solutions. Yes, there is a SANE way to address this problem, a method that will help you prevent diabesity by losing weight. But before discussing this method, let’s delve into some facts about diabesity.
What is Diabesity?
The word, “diabesity,” is an amalgam of two words: obesity and diabetes. The fact that someone decided to combine these two words into one speaks volumes about the interconnection between these two diseases.
Obesity is the main risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and an estimated 80 percent of diabetics are also overweight or obese. The connection is so close, it’s like the chicken and the egg story: in this case, which came first obesity or diabetes?
Doctors have long known of the link between obesity and diabetes. They knew their overweight and obese patients had an increased risk of developing diabetes, but they didn’t know why. Nobody did until metabolic syndrome came to light.
Metabolic Syndrome and Diabesity
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increase your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. You must have three of the following five risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome:
Abdominal obesity
High Triglyceride level
Low LDL cholesterol level
High blood pressure
High fasting blood sugar
In studying metabolic syndrome, researchers discovered that obesity is a big risk factor for many medical conditions, including diabetes.
Learn the exact foods you must eat if you want to finally lose weight permanently. Click here to download your free Weight Loss Food List, the “Eat More, Lose More” Weight Loss Plan, and the “Slim in 6” Cheat Sheet…CLICK HERE FOR FREE “HOW TO” WEIGHT LOSS GUIDES
Obesity and Diabetes: Symptoms of the Same Cause
Eventually, researchers also discovered that obesity and diabetes are symptoms of the same underlying cause, metabolic dysfunction. They are both hormonal conditions in which the cells either become numb to insulin (insulin resistance), or the pancreas produces an insufficient amount of insulin. The pancreas may even stop producing this necessary hormone.
Causes of Obesity
Research has shown that there are three main causes of obesity: hormonal dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and brain inflammation. All of these are linked to eating poor quality diets of processed foods, sugars, and starches. When you eat a poor-quality diet long enough, obesity will eventually cause type 2 diabetes in the majority of cases. Let’s take them one by one.
Hormonal Dysregulation
Hormones regulate every bodily function, including metabolic processes. There are hormones in your brain, gut and fat stores that communicate with each other constantly. Their main goal is to keep you healthy and alive, and that means making sure you have enough body fat.
Leptin is a peptide hormone produced by your fat cells and released into your bloodstream in levels congruent with the amount of fat you have. This tells the hypothalamus whether you have eaten enough for your level of body fat, or whether you need to eat more. The main function of the hypothalamus is to keep the body in a state of equilibrium, called homeostasis. It is the control center of the autonomic systems of your body — including the cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic systems — and it manages the hormones.
Hypothalamus the Hormone Manager
If you aren’t eating enough, the hypothalamus will activate hormones that make you hungry or crave certain foods. If you eat too much one day, you will probably eat less a few days later. That’s your hypothalamus balancing things out.
Eating the wrong types of foods, however, dysregulate these hormones. They send incorrect signals to each other and become confused. They are not sure how much fat you have. But to be on the safe side — remember, their goal is to keep you alive — they tell your metabolism to slow down; they tell it to hold onto your fat stores.
How does insulin play into this picture? Well, it is a prime example of hormonal dysregulation.
Insulin and Obesity and Diabetes and Diabesity — Oh, My!
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. When you eat carbohydrates and sugars, your body turns them into glucose. Your pancreas then releases insulin in proportion to the amount of glucose in your blood, based on signals from other hormones. Insulin’s job is to open the doors of your cells to glucose, which your cells need for energy. Once it opens the cell doors and the glucose enters the cells, its job is done. Your blood glucose levels go down, and all is well. That is the way it’s supposed to work.
But in obesity and type 2 diabetes, the insulin is ineffective. The cells are numb to insulin. The pancreas keeps producing more insulin to push insulin into the cells, to no effect. Not only does your blood glucose level remain elevated, which can lead to a host of serious health problems, but it also leads to weight gain and makes your efforts at losing weight nearly impossible.
This is because along with glucose, you now have high amounts of insulin circulating in your blood. Insulin tells your other hormones that your cells have energy going to them, that you don’t need to burn fat. It also tells the body to store more fat. This is a result of hormones misreading the situation, all due to certain dietary and lifestyle factors.
Gut Diaspora
If you are having trouble losing weight, you might want to look at the balance of your gut bacteria. Research has shown that an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, called gut diaspora, can result in weight gain, digestive issues, and other conditions.
Your gut bacteria extracts calories from the foods you eat, stores them for later use, and decides how to best use them. Studies have shown that certain strains of gut bacteria contribute to weight gain and that overweight individuals tend to have an overabundance of those types of bacteria. The research into this area is so compelling that it spurred probiotic research and supplement market.
Brain Inflammation
Research has shown that eating certain foods inflame the hypothalamus, which then interferes with the proper operation of leptin and insulin. (Both of these hormones regulate appetite and eating patterns.) Do you want to guess which foods have been shown to inflame the hypothalamus? Yep, eating too many calories from inSANE sugary, high-fat foods cause this effect, as do eating a diet high in saturated fat.
This causes people to not only overeat but to overeat the very foods that caused the brain inflammation in the first place!
Losing Weight permanently is Impossible with an Elevated Setpoint Weight
Oh, and one more thing…hormonal dysregulation, gut diaspora, and brain inflammation raise the setpoint weight, which is the true cause of obesity.
Although about 50 percent of your setpoint weight is determined by genetics, the rest is totally under your control. You can manipulate it by making SANE dietary and lifestyle choices that will make losing weight permanently a breeze. In this way, you can prevent diabesity by losing weight.
The setpoint weight is the amount of body fat your body thinks you should have based on the three factors above. Your hormones regulate your calorie intake and expenditure. You don’t have to count calories. When you eat enough food, satiety signals are sent to your brain tell you to stop eating, for instance.
If your setpoint weight is low, you will automatically burn off any excess calories you consume, without any conscious effort from you. Your hormones simply adjust the calorie burn of several metabolic processes to get rid of calories.
There is even research to suggest that the body will make you fidget more after eating larger meals than usual, simply to burn off those excess calories. This is why thin people can eat whatever they want without gaining weight. Their metabolism is higher than an obese person’s metabolism, but that is because their setpoint weight is lower.
Low-Quality Foods Make it Impossible to Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight
If you eat a diet of starchy carbs, processed and fast foods, and foods with added sugars, it creates a clog in your hormonal system. Your hormones can no longer do the job they were designed to do. This raises your setpoint weight, which raises your actual weight, and makes losing weight permanently nearly impossible.
Why? Because every time you try to cut calories eating the same low-quality “junk,” the body fights against you. It does everything it can to keep you at your setpoint weight. The only way to win this battle is to work with your hormones, rather than against them. You do this by making SANE food and lifestyle choices proven to lower your setpoint weight. You will then prevent diabesity by losing weight — the SANE way.
Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight with SANE
Living a SANE lifestyle involves eating foods that will remove the hormonal clog, enabling your hormones to operate the way they should. It also involves being well hydrated, de-stressing regularly, performing eccentric exercises, and getting enough sleep. These things have been proven to lower your setpoint weight, which will help you prevent diabesity by losing weight.
We’ll cover the dietary principles in this article.
SANE Foods
There are three main food groups that will help lower your setpoint weight, especially when eaten at the same meal.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
To prevent diabesity by losing weight, you’ll need to eat plenty of veggies. Non-starchy vegetables contain loads of antioxidants proven to reduce inflammation, so they will help reduce brain inflammation and clear your hormonal clog. They also fill you up fast and slows the transport of glucose into your bloodstream. This keeps your blood sugar levels stable, which keeps your pancreas from over-producing insulin. Eat at least 10 servings per day of non-starchy vegetables. Fill half of your plate at each meal with non-starchy vegetables. Or, if you don’t like to eat veggies, you can drink them, instead. Having a green smoothie is an excellent way to get the vegetables you need.
Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, are your best choices. Other great choices are broccoli, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, green peppers, and cauliflower.
Nutrient-Dense Protein
Eating protein has been proven to send a signal to the short- and long-term satiety hormones. It fills you up fast and keeps you full longer. It also takes your body more calories to digest protein than any other macronutrient, meaning that eating protein boosts your metabolism.
Try to have 3-5 servings of protein a day, about 30-50 grams each meal. Some excellent choices include lean meat, grass-fed beef, egg whites, salmon, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese.
Whole-Food Fats
Eating whole-food fats are highly satiating and will not make you fat. Research has shown that when you replace starchy carbs and sugar with whole-food fats, your body starts to prefer fat as an energy source. So, when it needs some energy, it will take it from your fat stores.
You can also enjoy up to 3 servings of low-fructose fruits a day. Some good examples include grapefruit, acai berries, lemon, and strawberries.
Baby Steps to SANEity
If you’re freaking out right now, having inSANE thoughts about how overwhelming it will be to completely change your diet, calm down. You don’t have to make all these changes at once. Start by making a few substitutions here and there. For instance, vow to have a green smoothie with breakfast one day this week. Then extend the smoothies to three days a week. Or, decide to add protein to every meal this week. Once you see how that goes, then add vegetables. Every baby step you make toward SANEity lowers your setpoint weight, which will help you prevent diabesity by losing weight. And you’ll love every minute of it!
Next: Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight with SANE
Want to know the exact foods and serving sizes scientifically proven by over 1,300 peer-reviewed research studies to boost metabolism, burn fat and enjoy virtually effortless weight loss like a naturally thin person?
Begin your exciting journey to lasting, healthy weight loss today. Download the free SANE metabolism boosting food list, cheat sheet and “Eat More, Burn More” weight loss program by .
Learn the exact foods you must eat if you want to finally lose weight permanently. Click here to download your free Weight Loss Food List, the “Eat More, Lose More” Weight Loss Plan, and the “Slim in 6” Cheat Sheet…CLICK HERE FOR FREE “HOW TO” WEIGHT LOSS GUIDES
Vitamins to boost memory are big sellers today, and for good reason. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, one in 9 Americans aged 45 and older say they are experiencing memory loss.1
The good news is that having occasional or even frequent memory lapses does not necessarily lead to dementia. Rather, such lapses can be caused by nutritional deficiencies that can be addressed with brain-boosting vitamins.
Best Brain Supplements for Adults
Here are 4 vitamins proven to boost memory as you age.
Folate as a Best Brain Supplements for Adults
Folate or folic acid is a water-soluble B-vitamin. Folate (Vitamin-B-9) is crucial for proper brain function. Though commonly thought of as an important prenatal vitamin to reduce the risk of defects in the brain and spine, folic acid is important for proper functioning of the nervous system for all ages.2 In fact, numerous studies show a correlation between folate deficiency and mental symptoms, such as depression, cognitive decline and even Alzheimer’s disease.3 , 4
Folate is present in a wide variety of foods, especially dark green leafy vegetables. Nuts, seafood, eggs, and liver, and dairy products also contain impressive amounts of folate. You can also get folate by taking folic acid supplements.
However, it can be difficult to get enough folate through diet, as food processing and cooking destroy most of the folate activity. Plus, many people lack the enzyme necessary to absorb folate. To get enough folate, you’ll need to find a vitamin supplement that contains the most absorbable form of folate on the market.
Best Brain Supplements For Adults & Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids shown to be crucial for brain health. The two types of Omega-3 fatty acids most closely associated with memory are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association indicates that taking 900 mg of DHA for 6 months may improve memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Another study in Neurology showed a correlation between low DHA levels and memory impairment in otherwise healthy adults without dementia. Further, low levels of DHA and all other omega-3 fatty acids, such as EPA, have been linked to memory deficits. 5 , 6
The best source of omega-3 fatty acids is fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring. You can also get omega-3 fatty acids by taking fish oil supplements.
Citicoline
Citicoline (CDP choline) is present in every cell in your body and is especially vital to brain health. You may have heard of the brain-boosting power of it’s dietary precursor choline. (That’s the reason eggs are considered a good “brain food.”) It’s probably not surprising, then, that citicoline’s main job is to boost levels of choline in the brain.
And having enough choline in your system is crucial for your brain. Among other benefits, choline is essential for the creation and release of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter. (Acetylcholine is involved in memory storage.) Choline has been found to be so important for brain health that it is being considered for therapeutic use in traumatic brain injury!7
Foods highest in citicoline include liver, brain and other animal organs. Unfortunately, few people eat these foods regularly. To ensure you get enough citicoline, you’ll want to take a high quality vitamin supplement that contains Cognizin®. Studies show that Cognizin® may boost brain energy by a whopping 13.6%! This, of course, should improve memory. 8
L-Carnitine/Acetyl-Carnitine
L-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine are forms of carnitine known to improve brain health. Carnitine is an amino acid found in almost every cell of the body. Carnitine is the ONLY molecule in cells that can move fatty acids into the mitochondria to be used for energy. The supply of fatty acids L-carnitine brings to your brain cells may help improve your memory.
In addition, acetyl-L-carnitine mimics the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. As mentioned earlier, acetylcholine is crucial for memory and brain health! That’s because acetylcholine modulates the firing rate of neurons, which affect memory and learning. It also helps your brain stay mentally flexible. 9 , 10
The best sources of carnitine are animal products, such as meat, poultry, fish, and dairy. 11
Improve your Memory Today!
Taking these 4 vitamins, or getting them through your diet, can help support a sharp mind and memory for many years to come!
References
1-Reinberg S. CDC: 1 in 9 U.S. adults over 45 reports memory problems. United Press International (UPI). Published online July 13, 2018.
2- Reynolds EH. Folic acid, ageing, depression, and dementia. BMJ.
3- Reynolds EH. Benefits and risks of folic acid to the nervous system. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2002;72:567–571. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1737896/pdf/v072p00567.pdf
4- Clarke R, Smith AD, Jobst KA, Refsum H, Sutton L, Ueland PM. Folate, vitamin B12, and serum total homocysteine levels in confirmed Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 1998 Nov;55(11):1449-55. doi: 10.1001/archneur.55.11.1449. PMID: 9823829. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9823829/
5- Yurko-Mauro K, McCarthy, D, Rom D, Nelson EB, Ryan AS, Blackwell A, Salem, N,., Stedman M. Beneficial effects of docosahexaenoic acid on cognition in age-related cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 2010; 6 (6): 456 DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2010.01.013 https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.jalz.2010.01.013
6- Tan, Z.Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fact Sheet. Neurology. American Academy of Neurology.WebMD Medical Reference. February 28, 2012. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/omega-3-fatty-acids-help-brain-age-better/
7- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Nutrition, Trauma, and the Brain; Erdman J, Oria M, Pillsbury L, editors. Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Health Outcomes in Military Personnel. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 9, Choline. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209327/
8- Silveri MM, Dikan J, Ross AJ, Jensen JE, Kamiya T, Kawada Y, Renshaw PF, Yurgelun-Todd DA. Citicoline enhances frontal lobe bioenergetics as measured by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR Biomed. 2008 Nov;21(10):1066-75. doi: 10.1002/nbm.1281. PMID: 18816480. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18816480/
9- Duke University Module. Content Background: Acetylcholine Neurotransmission in the Nervous System. Accessed online October 19, 2020. https://sites.duke.edu/thepepproject/module-4-military-pharmacology-it-takes-nerves/content-background-acetylcholine-neurotransmission-in-the-nervous-system/
10- Rasmusson DD. The role of acetylcholine in cortical synaptic plasticity. Behav Brain Res. 2000 Nov;115(2):205-18. doi: 10.1016/s0166-4328(00)00259-x. PMID: 11000421. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11000421/
11- National Institutes of Health. Carnitine Fact Sheet. Updated: October 10, 2017. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Carnitine-HealthProfessional
If you’re looking for any easy way to improve your brain power, check out these brain-boosting beverages. They are quick, easy, and you probably have at least one of them in your cupboard or refrigerator right now.
Brain Drinks & Why are Brain Boosters Important?
Let’s face it…the brain is important. It is the control station of your body, keeping all systems — heartbeat, respiration, blood circulation, and much more — working perfectly. The brain is necessary for thinking, planning, emotions…everything. So, it’s important to keep your brain in perfect working order, and brain boosters can help you do that.
Here are 3 brain-boosting beverages scientifically proven to support cognitive function.
Coffee For Your Brain Drinks
If you’re a coffee drinker, you already know that there’s nothing like a strong cup of coffee to wake you and your brain up. A major reason for this effect is that coffee contains a powerful stimulant– caffeine. Caffeine intake has been shown to increase wakefulness and attention in numerous clinical research studies. It has also been shown to increase alertness and reaction time, and to counteract degraded mental performance caused by sleep deprivation.1,2, 3
And get this…coffee may even defend against Alzheimer’s disease. In a study with mice, researchers discovered that caffeine intake not only appeared to protect against age-related memory impairment, but also restored memory in cognitive-impaired mice!4
So, go ahead and pour yourself another cup of coffee. Your brain will thank you!
Green Tea is a Brain Drink?
Green tea is another powerful brain-boosting beverage you’ll want to drink regularly.
Green tea has gotten a lot of attention lately for its metabolism-boosting properties, which can enhance calorie burn and weight loss. But these same properties have also been shown to improve cognitive function.
The brain-boosting effects of green tea appear to be due to its l-theanine, caffeine, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) content. L-theanine is an amino acid known to promote relaxation, yet when combined with caffeine, it may increase focus and improve memory.5
EGCG is a polyphenols compound found in green tea that may also have neuroprotective properties. In fact, EGCG has been shown to modulate brain activity. In one study, participants given EGCG showed a significant increase in their alpha, beta, and theta brain wave activity. Participants reported increased calmness and reduced stress. This suggests that EGCG may promote relaxation and improve attention.6
These and other studies suggest that green tea is a great brain-boosting beverage!
Green Smoothies Can Be Brain Drinks
The brain-boosting properties of a green smoothie depends upon its ingredients. The most common ingredients of green smoothies are:
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
Celery
Cucumber
Yogurt
Protein powder
Almond milk
At least some of these ingredients have brain-boosting properties. For instance, several studies suggest that consumption of leafy green vegetables may prevent cognitive decline. A study published in the journal Neurology found that just one serving of green leafy vegetables per day may slow age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers believe this effect may be due to neuro-protective properties of some of the nutrients.7
A compound found in celery, called luteolin, has been shown to reduce brain inflammation in clinical research studies. This could reduce the risk of inflammatory brain conditions.8 And cucumber, another popular smoothie ingredient, contains the fisetin, a compound shown to enhance memory in rodents.9
These and other ingredients make green smoothies a powerful and tasty brain booster!
References
1- Wyatt JK, Cajochen C, Ritz-De Cecco A, Czeisler CA, Dijk DJ. Low-dose repeated caffeine administration for circadian-phase-dependent performance degradation during extended wakefulness. Sleep. 2004 May 1;27(3):374-81. doi: 10.1093/sleep/27.3.374. PMID: 15164887.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15164887/
2- Snel j, Lorist MM. Effects of caffeine on sleep and cognition. Progress in Brain Research
3- McLellan TM, Caldwell JA, Lieberman HR. A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Dec;71:294-312. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.001. Epub 2016 Sep 6. PMID: 27612937.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27612937/
4- Arendash GW, Cao C. Caffeine and coffee as therapeutics against Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S117-26. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-091249. PMID: 20182037.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20182037/
5- Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutr Neurosci. 2008 Aug;11(4):193-8. doi: 10.1179/147683008X301513. PMID: 18681988.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18681988/
6- Scholey A, Downey LA, Ciorciari J, Pipingas A, Nolidin K, Finn M, Wines M, Catchlove S, Terrens A, Barlow E, Gordon L, Stouch C. Acute neurocognitive effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Appetite. Volume 58, Issue 2, April 2012, Pages 767-770. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666311006453
7- Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL. Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study. Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214-e222. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815. Epub 2017 Dec 20. PMID: 29263222; PMCID: PMC5772164. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29263222/
8- Kelli M. Can Celery Help Cut Brain Inflammation? WebMD Archives. May 28, 2008. https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20080519/can-celery-help-cut-brain-inflammation#:~:text=May%2020%2C%202008%20–%20A%20compound%20found%20in,a%20potent%20antioxidant%20known%20for%20its%20anti-inflammatory%20properties
9- Maher P, Akaishi T, Abe K. Flavonoid fisetin promotes ERK-dependent long-term potentiation and enhances memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Oct 31;103(44):16568-73. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0607822103. Epub 2006 Oct 18. PMID: 17050681; PMCID: PMC1637622.
When you’re studying for school — or trying to learn anything new — it’s important to add brain foods to your diet. Here are 3 of the best brain foods clinically proven to boost memory and cognitive skills.
But first, let’s briefly discuss the miraculous power of your brain and how it makes learning possible.
3 Top Brain Foods For Studying: Introduction
The Brain Foods For Studying and Learning
The brain is a complex organ composed of a large mass of nerve tissue encased within and protected by the skull. Though the exact mechanism by which your brain learns and retains information is still a subject of intensive research, we do know that neurons play a huge role. An estimated 100 billion neurons make up the human brain. 1
Neurons are one of the most well-researched areas in neuroscience and are essential to brain function.
Neurons transfer signals to the brain from sensory organs and vice versa via neurotransmitters. Therefore, it is essential that you protect and strengthen your neurons and neurotransmitters, and your diet is a great way to do that.
Here are 3 of the best brain foods scientifically proven to help produce and protect neurons and neurotransmitters and support learning and memory.
Brain Foods to Help You Prepare for your Next Exam
Here are three of the best foods scientifically proven to boost brain function.
Fatty fish
Fatty fish — such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel — is a great brain food because it contains several nutrients known to boost memory and brain power.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Approximately 60% of your brain is fat, half of which is the omega-3 kind, and fatty fish is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. Clinical research studies show that omega-3 fatty acids affect blood flow to the brain and influence neurotransmitter levels, which is very beneficial for memory and learning. 2, 3
Numerous studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids slow cognitive decline, especially as you age. But what about memory and learning and studying for exams? Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help with all of that, too. In one study on more than 17,000 children, researchers found a positive correlation between fish intake and school performance. Specifically, an intake of 8 grams of fatty fish per day significantly improved these children’s grades in German and mathematics. 4
Coenzyme Q10 CoQ10 (CoQ10) is a substance that sparks energy inside your cells, especially the cells of your heart and your brain. This helps give your brain the energy it needs to tackle your next study session!
Carnitine is an amino acid that plays a big role in energy production. L-carnitine brings fuel into the heart and brain cells to be burned for energy, and it has been shown to improve cognition in clinical research studies.
So, if you want to boost your test scores, you may want to add oily fish to your diet!
Berries
Berries are another brain food shown to boost memory. That’s because berries are a rich source of flavonoid compounds called anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins fight brain inflammation, a condition known to interfere with memory and cause neurodegenerative diseases. Brain inflammation is also thought to be a key factor in memory and learning deficits. 5 , 6
And when it comes to mentally preparing yourself for your next exam, it doesn’t really matter which type of berry you choose to consume. Blueberries. Blackberries. Strawberries. All appear to have a positive affect on cognitive function in clinical research trials.
Berries are also a versatile fruit. You can eat them right out of your hand, stir them into a cup of yogurt, or blend them into a brain-boosting smoothie.
Eggs
Eggs are known as a “brain food” for good reason. They contain several nutrients shown to support brain health, including choline and folate.
Choline: Eggs are a rich source of choline, a nutrient your body uses to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter helps regulate memory, among other functions. And indeed, studies show that an increased intake of choline may improve memory and overall cognitive function. 7
Folate: Also known as vitamin B-9, folate is another nutrient essential for proper brain function. In fact, low levels of folate are associated with cognitive decline, especially in the elderly. 8
Brain Foods For Studying And Exams
So to help you study, maybe you should stock up on fish, eggs, and berries –and eat them regularly!
2- Wysoczański T, Sokoła-Wysoczańska E, Pękala J, Lochyński S, Czyż K, Bodkowski R, Herbinger G, Patkowska-Sokoła B, Librowski T. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and their Role in Central Nervous System – A Review. Curr Med Chem. 2016;23(8):816-31. doi: 10.2174/0929867323666160122114439. PMID: 26795198.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26795198/
3- Heim M. Are Omega-3s Good for your Brain? Time Magazine Online. Published JUNE 20, 2018. https://time.com/5316521/omega-3-brain-health/
4- Lehner A, Staub K, Aldakak L, et al. Fish consumption is associated with school performance in children in a non-linear way: Results from the German cohort study KiGGS. Evol Med Public Health. 2019;2020(1):2-11. Published 2019 Dec 23. doi:10.1093/emph/eoz038
5- Subash S, Essa MM, Al-Adawi S, Memon MA, Manivasagam T, Akbar M. Neuroprotective effects of berry fruits on neurodegenerative diseases. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(16):1557-1566. doi:10.4103/1673-5374.139483.
6- Kingsland J. Could reducing brain inflammation prevent memory loss in Alzheimer’s? MedicalNewsToday. Published online March 26, 2020. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-reducing-brain-inflammation-prevent-memory-loss-in-alzheimers
7- Nurk E, Refsum H, Bjelland I, Drevon CA, Tell GS, Ueland PM, Vollset SE, Engedal K, Nygaard HA, Smith DA. Plasma free choline, betaine and cognitive performance: the Hordaland Health Study. Br J Nutr. 2013 Feb 14;109(3):511-9. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512001249. Epub 2012 May 1. PMID: 22717142.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22717142/
8- Zeisel SH, da Costa KA. Choline: an essential nutrient for public health. Nutr Rev. 2009 Nov;67(11):615-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00246.x. PMID: 19906248; PMCID: PMC2782876.
If you’ve been battling your weight for years – and losing – you’ve probably heard about diabetes and all the health issues it can cause. But what you may not know is that you can have prediabetes for many years before it becomes diabetes, and you might not know you even have it. But just because it’s prediabetes doesn’t mean that it’s a minor concern. Prediabetes can start causing serious and irreversible damage to your cardiovascular system long before it officially becomes diabetes. To prevent these risks, it is important to eat SANE foods and nutraceuticals that promote proper insulin response, and that lower your setpoint weight so that you can safely and permanently lose weight.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are symptoms of the same metabolic disorder. Namely, both of them involve the body’s inability to use insulin properly.
Though doctors and researchers long-understood the mechanism of type 2 diabetes and that it was a symptom of poor insulin usage (whether or not they understood it to be insulin resistance in the early years), they were not as quick in understanding insulin’s role in obesity.
In the 1950s, researchers noted that upper body fat seemed to increase a patient’s risk of developing diabetes, kidney stones, arteriosclerosis, and gout. Researchers then conducted a study on six obese patients who had diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels. After putting these patients on a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet for a time, they noted that their diabetes, blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and had improved. They coined the term, “metabolic” syndrome to show the association between the factors that increase the risk for diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome became a commonly used term in the 1970s, used in various contexts to describe a constellation of symptoms that increased the risk for a disorder. The disorders varied and included obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis.
It wasn’t until 1988, that Gerald Reaven hypothesized that insulin resistance could be the causal link in all those symptoms. He called it, “syndrome x.)
Lower Setpoint Weight, Lower Obesity Rates, and Prediabetes
It is not a surprise, then, that obesity – driven by insulin resistance — is the number one risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Indeed, both obesity and type 2 diabetes are so interrelated, you’ll rarely find one without the other. According to the Centers for Disease Control, if you are obese, you have a 90 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes at some point in your lifetime. And 85 percent of diabetics are obese.
So if you want to prevent pre-diabetes and diabetes, lowering your setpoint weight so that you can safely and permanently lose weight is the best way to do that.
The risk of doing nothing is too awful to contemplate.
Facts About Prediabetes and Diabetes
There are usually no symptoms of prediabetes. The first sign that you have this precursor to type 2 diabetes will probably be that your blood sugar levels are abnormal. That is the definition of pre-diabetes, you see. Your blood sugar levels are higher than they should be, but not high enough to categorize as diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that around 84 million adults in the United States have pre-diabetes. That equates to one in three Americans having pre-diabetes. And 90 percent of those who have pre-diabetes don’t know they have it, according to the CDC.
If you don’t know you have pre-diabetes, that’s a big problem. Only by making diet and lifestyle changes can you prevent its progression to full-blown type 2 diabetes. Statistics show that without making necessary adjustments to diet and lifestyle, those with prediabetes will develop diabetes within 10 years.
Diabetes affects every major organ system in the body. The health effect of having diabetes can be terrible, and can include:
Cardiovascular disease
Blindness
Neuropathy (nerve damage)
Kidney disease
Gallbladder disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Food damage
Skin conditions
Diabetes will ultimately kill you.
Causes of Prediabetes and Diabetes
In most cases, type 1 diabetes is actually an autoimmune disorder, whereby the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Though researchers don’t know the exact cause of type 1 diabetes, they believe the patient might be genetically predisposed to this disease. Then an environmental trigger activates it. This could be a virus, toxin or something else. Only 5 percent of diabetics have type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can turn into type 1 if the pancreas stops producing insulin due to insufficient blood sugar management.
There are many factors that cause type 2 diabetes., the most common form of this disease. Some of these factors include:
Overweight and obesity
Inactivity
Family history
Eating a regular diet of inSANE foods
Foods that Can Cause Prediabetes and Raise Setpoint Weight
Obesity, pre-diabetes, and diabetes weren’t problems 50 or 60 years ago. Almost everybody stayed naturally slim. It seemed like everybody had a fast metabolism.
And then everything changed.
For instance, the global obesity rate has doubled since 1980; the number of adults with diabetes has also doubled globally since 1980. A coincidence? Not likely, considering the interconnection between these two diseases.
What caused these twin epidemics? The short answer is that the public started consuming too many starchy carbohydrates, sugars, and processed/fast foods. Consider this:
The number of fast food establishments has more than doubled since 1970.
Added sugars and solid fats make up 40 percent of the diets of 2-18-year-olds in the United States. Most of these calories come from soda (at the top of the list), fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza and whole milk. None of these are SANE food choices, and most of them have been proven to negatively affect blood sugar levels and setpoint weight.
A study published in Population Health Metrics found that more than one-half of the average American’s calories came from ultra-processed foods like soft drinks, cookies, doughnuts, etc. The more ultra-processed the food is, the less fiber, protein, and nutrients it contains. An inSANE food category if ever there was one!
These inSANE foods have been proven scientifically to raise setpoint weight and to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a number of other illnesses.
Here are some foods that can spike your blood sugar levels, raise your setpoint weight, cause obesity, and increase your risk for prediabetes.
Starchy Vegetables
Okay, one serving of corn or a potato here and there is not going to kill you or increase your risk for prediabetes. But if you eat starchy vegetables all the time, especially when you combine them with noodles or another starch, you’re just asking for blood sugar troubles. This can send your blood sugar levels spiraling, which over time can lead to prediabetes.
SANE Tip: Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, and celery are excellent choices. But be sure to add green, leafy vegetables to your plate. Kale, spinach, mixed greens and other are superfoods that have unique nutritional properties that supercharge fat burning.
Processed Foods
As already mentioned, eating a diet of processed foods is terrible for your setpoint weight. But what wasn’t mentioned is that it increases your risk for prediabetes and diabetes. In a Harvard School of Health meta-analysis, researchers found that eating a small amount of processed meat every day increased diabetes risk by 51 percent. Though the researchers couldn’t pinpoint the reason for this increase, one theory is that the levels of sodium and preservatives play a role.
Whatever the reason, processed foods are bad news for your diabetes risk. And we do know that eating them also raises your setpoint weight because they help create a hormonal clog. It’s best to avoid processed foods as much as possible and just prepare meals at home.
SANE Tip: Purchase foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. For instance, select vegetables that you could have grown yourself (although frozen is totally fine.) Choose meats that you could hunt. What does this look like in practice?
Simply purchase fresh or frozen vegetables, and stay away from the canned versions. Purchase packages of humanely raised, grass-fed beef and pasture raised chicken. Those are meats you could hunt. (Buying a package of breaded chicken fingers or onions or honey mustard bbq wings does not qualify as a meat you could hunt.)
Highly-Processed Carbohydrates
Highly-processed carbohydrates are white foods with their fiber, bran and most of their vitamins and minerals gone. Anything made with white flour, white rice, and white sugar qualifies as a highly-processed carbohydrate.
With their fiber removed, these foods are digested quickly. This means your body turns them into glucose fast and dumps it into your bloodstream. This causes your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike. A steady diet of highly-processed carbohydrates puts a continual burden on your pancreas, and the eventual result may be pre-diabetes. Is it really worth that doughnut or pastry or piece of cake?
SANE Tip: Replace highly processed carbs with non-starchy vegetables or nutrient-dense protein. Both of these will fill you up quickly and keep you full longer. Plus, they will decrease your risk for pre-diabetes and lower your setpoint weight.
Sugar-Sweetened Drinks
Drinking sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages are known to raise the risk of pre-diabetes and raise the setpoint weight. One of the reasons for this effect is that many of these sweetened drinks contain high-fructose corn syrup, which is metabolized by the body differently than table sugar.
When you drink a beverage containing high-fructose corn syrup, it goes to your liver, which turns it into fat and then sends the fat back into your bloodstream.
Many studies have shown that high-fructose corn syrup increases the risk of many diseases, including pre-diabetes. Not that table sugar is innocent. For instance, a 2010 study published in Diabetes Care revealed that drinking two sugary beverages a day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent when compared with having less than one a month.
SANE Tip: It is best to avoid sugar-sweetened drinks whenever possible. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and if that’s too boring for you, there are a few flavorful options. For instance, you can make your own flavored water by blending water and a strawberry or a few blueberries together. It’s healthy, tasty water that won’t increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Trans Fats
Trans fats are manufactured fats, made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Food manufacturers love using trans fats because they extend the shelf life of their products, and restaurants often use trans fats in their deep fryers because they can re-use the oil many times without it breaking down.
But trans fats have been proven to cause many health problems, including pre-diabetes. Trans fats can increase LDL “bad” cholesterol in the blood, which is a known risk factor for diabetes.
The FDA has instituted a ban against trans fats, but food manufacturers have a period of time in which to faze it out of their products. In the meantime, you are still free to eat this dangerous artificial fat.
SANE Tip: Since artificial trans fats are found in processed and fast foods, an easy way to avoid them is to avoid their sources. Turn your back on processed foods and start cooking meals at home. Shop the perimeter of the store, where you’ll find the meats and produce. (Processed junk is located on the middle aisles of the store.)
There is a SANEr Way that Will Prevent Diabetes and Lower Setpoint Weight
Over 13,000 peer-reviewed studies have shown that SANE eating is the best way to lower your setpoint weight and reduce your risk of a number of serious diseases, including pre-diabetes.
With SANE, you’ll eat foods that fill you up quickly and keep you full. In fact, you’ll be so full of SANE foods that you couldn’t possibly have room for anything inSANE. It is a complete lifestyle change that will make you healthier and happier. Guaranteed!
At SANESolution, we get really excited about smarter exercise because it really changes the game when it comes to how we think of moving our bodies in general.
So first, let’s make one quick distinction. That’s the distinction between activity and exercise because you’ll hear us say “exercise less” a lot and we want to be really clear about what we mean when we say that.
Just like when we say “eat more”, we don’t mean eat more garbage. We mean, eat more high-quality SANE food. When we say “exercise less”, we mean do less but of a specific very high-quality form of exercise and also staying active.
Eccentric Exercise: Activity vs Exercise
Activity is moving your body — walking, standing, playing with your kids, taking the stairs. We don’t consider that exercise. That’s just being a person.
If we want the ability to walk around when we’re 80, it’s a really good idea to walk around as much as we can before we’re 80.
Studies consistently show that the more active we are, the healthier we are. So let’s keep activity over here and let’s keep it up. But when we talk about exercise, how do we exercise less but smarter? And why do we want to?
What is smarter exercise? Is this Eccentric Exercise?
Smarter exercise is just exercise that’s focused on quality rather than quantity — just like we do for food. So, conventional exercise is all about more exercise — exercise more, exercise more. And why?
Well, it’s because it’s designed to burn calories and the more we exercise, the more calories we burn.
But you and I know that that is a “flat earth model” of weight loss. The idea that just burning more calories will cause us to burn more fat makes sense much like if you look out the window, it makes sense to think the earth is flat because it really looks flat.
But when we understand science, we know that’s not how the world works and not how our bodies work.
So our bodies don’t work like math and any time we starve our body, whether that’s from eating less or from exercising more, in one case, we’re taking fewer calories in and in another case, we’re burning calories off.
It’s starvation — just two different names.
Frankly, if we wanted to starve ourselves, eating less takes a lot less time than exercising more. But let’s not worry about either one of those horribly unhealthy practices. Let’s stay active and let’s exercise smarter.
Focus of Eccentric Exercise is Quality
When we exercise smarter, instead of focusing on the quantity of exercise that we’re doing and the quantity of calories that we’re burning, we focus on the quality of our movements — the amount of muscle fiber we’re activating and the hormonal healing response that causes.
Because, remember, just like with food, it’s not about starving a broken system; it’s about healing that system itself, healing our brains, healing our guts, and healing our hormones as science has shown that those are the underlying causes of obesity and diabetes.
Simply, a dysfunction in the brain, hormones, and gut that we can heal. But how do we heal those? We heal that through high-quality SANE eating and also high-quality exercise.
High-quality exercise — smarter exercise – is physical movements that activate all of our muscle fibers. So taking a step back, you know about the different muscle groups in your body.
So you have your biceps, for example, that work your arm muscles and your quadriceps that work your leg muscles.
Well, just like we have different muscle groups that do different things, we have different fibers within each of those muscle groups that help those respective muscles do different things.
For example, you have your Type I muscle fibers.
These muscle fibers allow your muscles to generate a little bit of force but for a very long period of time. They’re the muscle fibers that allow you to walk and talk all day — little force, long period of time.
Then you have your Type IIa, Type IIx, and Type IIb muscle fibers.
The further you go down towards your Type IIb muscle fibers, the functioning capabilities of these muscle fibers change.
Specifically, our Type IIa, x, and b muscle fibers generate progressively more force and have progressively less endurance. They’re the muscle fibers we use when we, for example, need to lift something very heavy for a very short period of time.
So again, your quadriceps move your legs, your biceps move your arms, but now your Type Ia muscle fibers within both your quadriceps and your arms and every muscle group on your body allow those muscles to do a little bit of force, long period of time.
Whereas your Type II — and Type IIb specifically — muscle fibers allow all of your muscle groups to do a lot of force but for a very short period of time.
So when we exercise smarter, what we’re going to do is we’re going to find specific modes of exercise that allow us as safely as possible to activate all of our muscle fibers — Type I, Type IIa, Type IIx, and Type IIb.
Eccentric Exercise Has 3 Simple Benefits (There’s more)
That is amazing for two reasons — actually, three reasons.
First, it’s really safe so you don’t have to worry about getting hurt. We’re going to talk about increasing the intensity of exercise and often when you hear that — and for good cause — you think, Ah, increased intensity; increased risk.
Because when you think of intensity, you think about throwing tires and running up stadium steps. While those are intense activities, those aren’t smarter exercises. So we’re going to do something that’s intense but extremely safe and sustainable.
The second reason this is very cool is most people have never activated their Type IIb muscle fibers, or their strongest muscle fibers. Think about how amazing it is.
You have an entire type of muscle fibers, possibly multiple types of muscle fibers — maybe your Type IIx muscle fibers as well — that have never been activated.
Could you imagine if you never used your leg muscles for your entire life and then today you started exercising your leg muscles?
Could you imagine the amount of impact and result and the speed of the results you’d see in your leg muscles? That can happen to your entire body when you exercise smarter and activate these, let’s say, Type IIb muscle fibers for the first time in your life.
So it’s safe. It’s activating an entirely new type of muscle fiber you may have never activated before. And finally, it elicits a hormonal response in your body that is literally impossible to elicit via lower-quality conventional forms of exercise.
And it’s a healing hormonal response. It’s a hormonal response that’s been shown in lab studies to literally immunize mammals against fat gain. In some pretty amazing rodent studies, they actually genetically engineered rodents to have more of these Type IIb muscle fibers and then stuffed them full of low-quality foods and found that these rodents were literally immune to becoming obese and diabetic.
It is incredibly amazing. And when you exercise smarter or with more force in a very safe fashion, you activate all of your muscle fibers and you elicit this hormonal response which, again, is not possible via any quantity of low-quality exercise.
Can I just do more exercise but as a lower intensity to get this hormonal response?
No. You cannot.
If you do one, boom, high-quality push on the pillow, you get the result you want. Same kind of thing happens here with your muscle fibers.
There’s no quantity of walking that will ever, (EVER) activate your Type IIb muscle fibers, just like there’s no quantity of bicep curls that will ever activate your quadricep muscles.
They’re different things. With eccentric exercise, we’re going to do is activate all of them, all of them — Type I, Type IIa, Type IIx, Type IIb. We’re going to do that very safely and sustainably.
You’re going to do it in the comfort of your own house, or if you’re more advanced or you become more advanced, you can go to a gym and dial it up there.
Safely and sustainably activate an entirely new set of muscle fibers and trigger a healing hormonal response that will do more for your body from a healing perspective to reset your set point, to heal your hormones, than any quantity of low-quality exercise would ever do. It’s literally like you’ve been written a new prescription.
You’ll get an entirely new result and we are so excited to see how you do!
Common Questions About Eccentric Exercise:
What are the benefits of eccentric training?
Faster muscle gains. Rep per rep, eccentric training is superior to concentric training at building both muscle size and strength.
Greater metabolic boosts.
Increased flexibility
Lower risk of injury.
Better overall sports performance.
Eccentric Exercise is good or bad?
In our humble opinion – it’s good! Safely and sustainably activate an entirely new set of muscle fibers and trigger a healing hormonal response that will do more for your body from a healing perspective to reset your set point, to heal your hormones, than any quantity of low-quality exercise would ever do.
What are eccentric strengthening exercises?
Eccentric exercise, or when the muscle is lengthened and an external force exceeds the force produced by the muscle, has been shown to be more effective than traditional concentric strengthening at minimizing muscle atrophy and improving muscle force production.
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Have Diabesity? Don’t ask your Doctor for Diet Pills!
If you have been losing the weight loss battle – for years, maybe decades — you know how frustrating it can be. All those fad diets, starvation diets, calorie restricted diets got you nowhere. You even resorted to diet pills a time or two. But as soon as you fell off your diet, the weight came back and brought 20 extra pounds with it. Now, there is a diabesity epidemic, and you’re scared you’ll be one of its victims if you don’t do something about your weight. Should you take diet pills to treat diabesity? Should you ask your doctor for diet pills?
NO!
There is a SANE way to permanently lose weight and reduce your risk of diabesity, and it doesn’t involve diet pills or counting calories or going hungry or eating diet food.
Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
It is understandable why you would consider taking diet pills to treat diabesity. After all, they’ve been around for a long time, but they won’t reduce your risk of diabesity. Even if everyone who suffers from diabesity took diet pills regularly, it wouldn’t make a dent in this epidemic.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes have been growing together at an alarming rate for the past few decades. Between 1980 and 2013, the number of overweight and obese people grew from 857 million to 2.1 billion globally. Between 1980 and 2014, the number of adults with diabetes grew from 108 million to 422 million globally. Today, over a quarter of those who are obese also have type 2 diabetes.
Experts have known for a long time that there was a connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes. After all, the fact that obesity was the number one risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes was undeniable. We know now that these two diseases are interdependent; they are both symptoms of an insulin dysfunction. Either the cells are resistant to insulin, or the pancreas is not producing enough of this hormone.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that around 90 percent of those who are obese will develop type 2 diabetes. The reverse is also true, however; for those who suffer from diabetes also increase their risk of obesity.
Health Complications of Diabesity
Diabesity can cause many serious health complications, including:
Will Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity Really Work?
If obesity is the biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, losing weight will reduce this risk. But taking diet pills to treat diabesity is not the way to do it.
Just like dieting in general, diet pills have not been shown to cause long-term weight loss. On the contrary, the majority of those who lose weight with diet pills gain it back as soon as they stop taking the pills.
Types of Prescription Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
The most common types of diet pills doctors prescribe are appetite suppressants and fat blockers.
Appetite Suppressant Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
Appetite suppressants to treat diabesity target the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates your appetite, and keeps serotonin and norepinephrine circulating in your brain longer. This tricks your brain into thinking you are full. By taking these diet pills, either you will eat less food, or you will think you’re too full to eat. This causes you to eat fewer calories, so you lose weight. That’s the theory, anyway.
There are health risks to taking appetite suppressants to treat diabesity, however. Because many of them stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, they can raise blood pressure and increase heart rate. This can be dangerous for anyone who suffers from a cardiovascular disease. These drugs can also cause unpleasant side effects, such as headaches, constipation, and insomnia.
Fat Blocker Diet Pills to Treat Diabesity
Fat blockers don’t get an A+ for fighting diabesity, either. These diet pills stop lipase, an enzyme, from breaking down the fat you eat. Instead of breaking down and absorbing this fat, your body eliminates a certain amount of it through bowel movements.
The logic for fat blockers in treating diabesity is that fat has more than twice the amount of calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates, and these calories make you gain weight. The other reason could be the old “fat is bad” to eat; you must rid yourself of it any way you can.
Both of these arguments, by the way, are dead wrong. We’ll get to that shortly.
Fat blockers, too, have some side effects. They can keep your body from absorbing some fat-soluble nutrients. Also, they can cause intestinal discomfort and gas. You could even have trouble controlling your bowel movements. Is it really worth all this just to try to lose a few pounds?
Famous and Deadly Diet Pills
Those risks are minor compared to a couple famous cases.
Fen-Phen Diet Pills
Back in the ‘90s, people were desperate to find a reliable way to lose weight. They thought they found it in not one, but two appetite suppressants: fenfluramine and phentermine. Nicknamed fen-phen, this combo proved to be an effective weight loss aid for many people. More than 18 million people in the United States were taking fen-phen in 1996 – until many started developing valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. At least one woman died.
The following year, the FDA withdrew fenfluramine (the “fen” part of the combo) from the market because of its link to heart disease.
Ephedra Diet Pills
Ephedra is a powerful stimulant that was also a popular weight loss drug in the ‘90s. It was especially effective when combined with caffeine. The only problem was that it also significantly increased the heart rate, which upped the risk of stroke and heart attack.
More than 150 people died from taking diet pills and other products containing Ephedra before the FDA finally decided to ban it. There is a Chinese herb that is the same as Ephedra, and it is being sold online and in natural health stores.
A SANE Way to Prevent Diabesity
It might surprise you, but SANE eating can do everything diet pills can do – but much, much more and better. Plus, the only side effects of SANEity are health, vitality and permanent weight loss.
In short, anything diet pills can do, SANE can do better!
Permanent Weight Loss
Taking diet pills to treat diabesity will help you lose weight. But as soon as you stop taking these pills and start eating normally, you will regain every pound you lost, plus a dozen or so more pounds. The same thing happens when you cut calories on the latest fad diet.
This is because, contrary to popular belief, cutting calories does not lead to permanent weight or fat loss. On the contrary, it slows your metabolism. Research has shown beyond any doubt that if you eat more, you burn more; and if you eat less, you burn less. That’s the way your body was designed to work.
Hormones in your brain, stomach, and fat – yes, your fat has hormones – communicate with each other. The minute you slash calories, an emergency alert goes on in your body. Your cells panic, begging for nutrition. You become hungry. If you don’t respond soon to those signals, your metabolism slows to conserve energy.
It’s About the Setpoint Weight
If you’ve often felt your body was fighting your weight-loss efforts, you were right. For your safety and survival, your body tries to keep you at a setpoint weight it has determined – based on feedback from your hormones – that you are supposed to weigh for your health.
The hormones get their information from the quality of your diet and lifestyle. These factors have a direct effect on the hormones, which directly affects your setpoint weight and your metabolism.
Diabesity, Calorie Deficit, and the Setpoint
Since the 1960s, we’ve lived under the calorie deficit theory of weight loss that goes something like this: If you eat X number of fewer calories a week, you will lose X amount of pounds a week. Guaranteed. It’s a mathematical certainty. In other words, our bodies are like a scale, a perfect balance of calories in equaling calories out. If you want to lose weight, you have to unbalance the scale. It makes sense. Only, it never works out that way.
You know that from personal experience. Every time you went on a diet, the weight loss was fast in the beginning, and then it slowed waaaay down. Even if you starved yourself, ate rice cakes and tea, the number on the scale would barely move.
That’s because the calorie deficit theory is wrong. Thousands of studies have shown that the body is not like a scale; rather, it is like a thermostat. If you eat more calories than your body needs to maintain your setpoint weight, your body will adjust the calorie burn of its many metabolic processes. It will do the same thing if you eat less than your body needs to maintain your weight. It lowers your metabolism to keep you in range of your setpoint.
Calories are still important, and if you eat a low-calorie diet, you will eventually lose weight. But as soon as you start eating normal foods again, your weight will creep right back up to your setpoint weight. Only this time, you’ll gain an extra 10 or so pounds. This is your body’s way to protect you from future starvation.
The calorie-deficit theory of weight loss is what has led to this diabesity epidemic. But the SANE Solution is what can end it.
The SANE Solution: A Natural Appetite Suppressant
Most people who take diet pills to treat diabesity, do so to reduce their appetite. As discussed earlier, diet pills will do that, but they come with dangerous side effects. The fact is that you can suppress your appetite naturally by eating SANE foods.
You see, the reason you get hungry so often and eat so much food is because of the low-quality foods you eat. Our stomachs and hormones are designed to send satiety signals to our brains when we are full, but the processed and starchy foods many people eat bypass those controls.
The hypothalamus in the brain is the area influenced by high-satiety foods. It tells you when to stop eating, and it is dependent on three factors:
Science has shown that high-satiety is achieved by eating foods containing high amounts of water, fiber, and protein. Water and fiber influence the amount of “stretch” in your digestive organs. Fiber swells up in water, making the food bigger to give a bigger stretch.
Protein, on the other hand, affects both the short-term and long-term satiety hormones. This means that if you eat more calories from protein, you will feel full quicker and stay full longer.
When you eat a SANE diet, you are too full for inSANE processed foods, starches, and sugary foods. You will lose weight safely, easily, permanently – and you will reduce your chances of diabesity. Can diet pills do any of that?
How About Fat-Blocking?
SANE doesn’t block fat; it doesn’t need to. For one thing, it has been proven that eating fats do not cause weight gain. For another, as part of the SANE plate, you will eat whole-food fats at each meal. When you eat whole-food fats in place of starches and sugars, your body will start to prefer burning fats for fuel instead of sugars and starches.
Fat-blocking? Ha! That’s for amateurs. Your fat stores will simply melt away when you eat SANEly.
Again, can diet pills do any of that?
Leaving inSANEity Behind
Going SANE is not hard. All it takes is leaving behind the calorie-deficit theory of weight loss and embracing the truth.
The truth is…obesity is a disease. The struggles with your weight are not your fault. You have been led down the wrong path. But the truth can set you on the right path, the SANE way to permanent weight loss.
Using diet pills to treat diabesity is one of the most inSANE things you can do. Isn’t it time you went SANE?
Next Step: Avoid Diet Pills and Treat Diabesity by Going SANE
There is much more to the SANE lifestyle. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, reducing stress, staying hydrated, and performing eccentric exercises are other important factors in lowering your setpoint.
Ready to finally break free from the yo-yo dieting rollercoaster that can lead to diabesity? By balancing your hormones and lowering your body’s set-point weight, SANE is the solution you’ve been dreaming of.
Want to know the exact foods and serving sizes scientifically proven by over 1,300 peer-reviewed research studies to boost metabolism, burn fat and enjoy virtually effortless weight loss like a naturally thin person?
Begin your exciting journey to lasting, healthy weight loss today. Download the free SANE metabolism boosting food list, cheat sheet and “Eat More, Burn More” weight loss program by
Postmenopausal Weight Loss with the Setpoint Diet
Postmenopausal Weight Loss and the Setpoint Diet
The setpoint diet promotes postmenopausal weight loss because it focuses on the underlying cause of weight gain during these special years. That means with the setpoint diet, you won’t be counting calories. You won’t be starvation dieting. Rather, you’ll be enjoying your fill of delicious real food scientifically proven to heal your hormones, stabilize blood sugar levels, heal neurological inflammation, and lower your setpoint weight.
The setpoint diet spurs menopausal weight loss in part by targeting the hormonal cause of menopausal weight gain. The easy dietary changes you’ll make with the setpoint diet rebalance your hormones, enabling your body to burn excess calories automatically. It also addresses the metabolism-lowering muscle loss that occurs with age and with menopause. With the setpoint diet, you’ll eat foods that prevent muscle loss and build new muscle.
Before discussing the exact way you can use the setpoint diet for menopausal weight loss, let’s take an in-depth look at menopause.
What is Menopause?
Menopause signals the end of a woman’s childbearing years. The average age that U.S. women experience menopause is 51, though it can occur much earlier. There are three stages of menopause: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
Perimenopause (Around Menopause)
Perimenopause refers to the years leading up to the cessation of your menstrual period. It usually begins a few years before menopause, typically when you’re in your 40s. The average length of perimenopause is 4 years, but it can last for 10 years or more. During perimenopause, your ovaries gradually begin producing less estrogen. In the last 1-2 years of perimenopause, levels of estrogen significantly drop, as do levels of progesterone and testosterone. These declining hormonal levels trigger the cascade of menopausal symptoms most women experience.
Menopause
For simplicity’s sake, most articles use the word “menopause” when referring to all three stages of menopause. However, menopause refers only to the moment when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. If you go most of the year without a period but then have a period in the 11th month, you must start over again, counting another 12 months. This length of time is required to ensure your ovaries no longer make estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that are absolutely essential for fertility.
Postmenopause (After Menopause)
As soon as a woman hits menopause she is in postmenopause, the years after menopause lasting the rest of her life. Research shows the symptoms of menopause may continue for a few years into postmenopause — four to five years is the average — but they become less frequent. They also tend not to be as intense as they were during the perimenopausal years.
The average length of perimenopause is four years but can be much shorter or last much longer. Perimenopause ends when you have not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.
Menopause Symptoms
Your entire reproductive system undergoes vast changes during menopause. Your internal reproductive organs, genitalia, breasts…all are influenced by hormonal changes that occur during this time.
Declining levels of your reproductive hormone levels — such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone — are responsible for a host of menopausal symptoms, including:
Most women experience at least some of the above symptoms during perimenopause.
Causes of Postmenopausal Weight Gain (or What Makes Postmenopausal Weight Loss so Hard!!!)
Though many of the symptoms of menopause are bothersome, many women regard postmenopausal weight gain as being the most frustrating symptom of menopause. Studies show many women gain an average of 10-15 pounds during perimenopause, at a rate of about 1 pound per year. The cute-sounding “muffin top” or “menopot” (menopause potbelly) is not a feature most women want, especially since it tends to stay around.
Is this something you’ve experienced? No matter what you do, the postmenopausal weight gain — that extra fat in your belly that seemed to just spring up overnight — will not go away. You’ve tried dieting it off, exercising it off, steam-rooming it off. Nothing works. It is this menopot that most people are referring to when they talk about menopausal weight gain. It is this menopot that we are referring to, along with weight gain in other parts of the body, when we discuss how the setpoint diet promotes postmenopausal weight loss later in this article.
There are many reasons for postmenopausal weight gain. Here are a few of the most common ones.
1. Hormonal Changes
Research shows hormonal changes during menopause can cause weight gain. However, hormone-related weight gain tends to occur mainly in the stomach area. Here are the hormones most responsible for weight gain during menopause.
Estrogen
Estrogen is the primary female hormone, responsible for many reproductive functions. It also has a lot to do with metabolism and regulation of weight. A few years prior to menopause, a woman’s estrogen levels begin to dip, making her body hold onto fat. Though frustrating, extra fat storage and weight gain is a symptom of your body’s efforts to retain estrogen.
You see, when your ovaries start producing less estrogen, your body has to search for other sources of estrogen. As fat cells produce estrogen, your body tries to increase your levels of estrogen through your fat cells. So, it converts more calories you consume into fat specifically to increase your estrogen levels.
Why the “menopot,” though?
Well…research shows declining estrogen levels cause fat cells in the abdominal area to store more fat. It actually redistributes body fat to your stomach area. Studies also show lowered estrogen levels also cause a drop in resting metabolic rate. Both of these lead to increased belly fat.
Progesterone
Progesterone is essential for regulating ovulation and menstruation. Unlike estrogen, progesterone does not cause excess fat accumulation. Low levels of progesterone, however, often cause water retention and bloating. This can make your clothes fit more snugly, giving you the feeling and perhaps even the appearance of weight gain.
Testosterone
Testosterone is commonly thought of as a male hormone, but both men and women need adequate testosterone levels to keep their setpoint low and their weight in check.
Most adult women have about the same testosterone levels as a 10-year-old boy. That’s part of the reason it’s harder for women to burn fat and build muscle than it is for men. Perimenopause causes testosterone levels to plummet, which promotes fat storage, inflammation, and muscle loss. This can cause insulin resistance and belly fat.
As you can see, having these hormones in the proper balance is so very important for your health and for postmenopausal weight loss. Fortunately, the setpoint diet helps rebalance these and other hormones so that you can safely and permanently lose weight.
2. Insulin Resistance
When you consume carbs and sugar, they are converted into glucose and absorbed into your bloodstream. The hormone insulin is then released to shuttle the excess glucose into your cells for energy or to be stored for later use. Your cells cannot open to accepting glucose without insulin. Insulin resistance is a condition in which your cells no longer recognize insulin and will not accept glucose. This results in higher blood glucose levels, weight gain, and almost certainly type 2 diabetes if it goes on long enough.
Many studies show estrogen optimizes how a woman’s body processes glucose. During a woman’s childbearing years, estrogen helps increase insulin sensitivity. Estrogen appears to help protect women from high blood glucose levels, consequent weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. But when estrogen levels drop significantly after menopause, just the opposite occurs — postmenopausal women are at increased risk of insulin resistance.
3. Age
When it comes to menopausal weight gain, it is not clear how much of it is due to menopause and how much of it is due to age. After all, it is a fact that most people tend to gain weight as they get older. There are a couple reasons for this.
The first is hormonal dysregulation. Weight gain and a slower metabolism as you age start in your brain with inflammation of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the part of your brain that is in charge of balancing calories in and calories out so that ideally the body never becomes too fat or too thin.
But as almost everyone has experienced, as the years go by, this balance becomes upset and the body packs on extra pounds because it is getting the wrong messages from the brain and the hormones. Specifically, the inflamed hypothalamus no longer receives correct signals from the hormones. Now, instead of working to keep you naturally slim, your hypothalamus and hormones work to hold on to extra fat, no matter how hard you try to lose the weight.
The other reason most people gain weight as they grow older is because of a loss of muscle. Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, affects everyone to a certain extent. Muscle is in a constant state of breaking down/rebuilding. Up until the age of 30 or so, the rebuilding process is quicker than the breaking down process. Sometime in your 30s, the reverse happens — muscle breaks down quicker than it is rebuilt. Consequently, you can lose 3% to 5% of your muscle mass each decade after the age of 30 if you’re inactive. (You’ll lose some muscle mass even if you are active.) Less muscle results in a slower metabolism.
Health Risks of Postmenopausal Weight Gain
Hormones, particularly estrogen, protect women from many weight-related health conditions during their childbearing years. When levels of these hormones significantly and permanently drop, as they do in her postmenopausal years, it puts her at increased risk of these same diseases.
Most of these risks occur because of the increased levels of postmenopausal belly fat.
Dangerous of Belly Fat
There are two types of belly fat: subcutaneous and visceral.
Subcutaneous fat lies beneath the skin and is located all over the body, not just in the stomach area. This is the fat you can pinch between your fingers. Though subcutaneous fat may not be aesthetically pleasing to some people, research indicates it is likely not that dangerous for your health.
Visceral fat is stored deep within your abdominal cavity, surrounding and even wrapping around the liver, intestines, and other important organs. Fat cells are not just storage lockers for calories. They are metabolically active, pumping out hormones, inflammatory agents, and other substances. Many researchers believe visceral fat cells send these substances through the bloodstream, via the nearby portal vein, which increases the risk for many serious and deadly health conditions, including:
How to Achieve Postmenopausal Weight Loss
If the above makes postmenopausal weight loss seem hopeless to you, that you’re just a victim to your hormones, think again. The setpoint diet helps you rebalance those hormones. And unlike other diets you may have been on, you’ll LOVE the setpoint diet.
Before discussing the exact foods that will rebalance your hormones, trigger fat-burning hormones, spur muscle protein synthesis and more, let’s talk about one of the main reasons for weight gain: hormonal dysregulation.
Hormonal Dysregulation
One of the main reasons most people cannot lose weight and keep it off is because they have what we call a “hormonal clog” that keeps their setpoint weight elevated. When you have a hormonal clog, your brain can no longer rely on signals from your hormones that would otherwise enable you to burn body fat automatically.
The easiest way to understand how a hormonal clog elevates your setpoint weight is to think about your body as functioning like a sink. If you pour water into a properly working sink, the water will drain right out. No matter how much water you pour into the sink, the water drains out. If you pour a lot of water in the sink all at once, the water level will rise temporarily. But the sink will take care of it. The sink is balancing water in and water out at a low level. You can think of a working sink, then, as having a low setpoint.
A hormonally healthy body works the same way, working to prevent excess body fat from accumulating. A healthy body, like a “healthy” sink, responds to more in with more out, and to less in with less out. When water builds up in sinks and fat builds up in bodies, it is because they have become clogged. Why do they become clogged? Because the wrong things are put into them.
When you have a clogged sink, any amount of water IN will cause the water level to rise and stay high. This sink now has an elevated setpoint.
Hormonal Clog and Setpoint Weight
Think of your body in the same way. When you put poor-quality of food into it, your body becomes hormonally clogged. This causes it to automatically balance you out at an elevated level of body fat. You become overweight or obese because hormonal dysregulation elevated your setpoint weight.
What is the setpoint weight?
Your setpoint is that weight your body seems to always want to keep you at or near. (Setpoint weight actually varies by 10-15 pounds.) Your brain, digestive system, and hormones talk to one another through various feedback loops to synchronize the activities that automatically maintain body fat and blood sugar at a specific level, known as your setpoint.
Think of the biological feedback system that establishes your setpoint like the thermostat in your house. Thanks to the thermostat, your heating or air-conditioning system respond to the weather outside and keep your home at whatever temperature the thermostat “thinks” it should be at. Similarly, your setpoint stimulates or suppresses your appetite and raises or lowers metabolism—your body’s food-to-fuel process—in response how much fat it “thinks” you should store.
Why Crash Diets Never Work
Your setpoint weight is the reason why crash dieting has never worked for you — and why it definitely won’t work for postmenopausal weight loss. When you slash calories, your body sends an emergency alert to your brain. It thinks you are starving, and it does everything it can to prevent that. The brain orders a release of hormones that make you hungry, tired, weak. It slows your metabolism and sends most of the calories you consume straight to your fat cells. None of this brings you closer to your goal.
Sure, you will lose weight on a crash diet. But research shows most of the weight loss comes from water and muscle. And your crash diet scared your body so much it raised your setpoint weight even higher, ensuring you’ll gain back all the weight you lost — and then some — as soon as you start eating normally again.
The only way to permanently lose weight is to work with your setpoint, not against it. When you lower your setpoint weight with the setpoint diet, you will effortlessly lose weight — and it will stay off.
Causes of an Elevated Setpoint Weight
We’ve already discussed one of the causes of an elevated setpoint weight for postmenopausal women — hormonal dysregulation. Here are a few factors that dysregulate hormones:
Poor-Quality Diet
Eating a steady diet of refined carbs, sugar, and highly processed foods cause surges in your blood sugar levels. It also causes neurological inflammation and a hormonal clog.
Stress
Most people live under constant stress these days. The problem is that when stress becomes chronic, your body constantly releases setpoint-elevating cortisol, which constantly triggers a release of insulin, a fat-storage hormone. Both cause weight gain, especially in the tummy, and much of it is dangerous visceral fat.
Sleep Deprivation
Research also shows a lack of sleep can cause weight gain. This is because sleep deprivation appears to dy-sregulate hormones dealing with hunger management, blood sugar control, and food cravings.
Postmenopausal Weight Loss and the Setpoint Diet
The great thing about the setpoint diet is that it focuses on having you eat MORE high-quality food rather than less low-quality food. The goal is to becomes so full of SANE setpoint diet foods that you’ll be too full of inSANE starches, refined carbs, sugars, highly processed foods, etc.
Why eat more high-quality food? Because if you get the quality right, the quantity will take care of itself. You see, calories are important, but it is not your job to count them. As previously mentioned, the hypothalamus balances calories in with calories out so that you never become too fat or too thin.
High-quality calories help clear the hormonal clog, allowing your hormones to send correct messages to your hypothalamus. These hormones tell the brain when you’ve had enough to eat, naturally preventing you from overeating. No willpower necessary!
When deciding on high-quality foods, choose ones that are “most alive.” For example, cereal that has been sitting on a shelf forever is NOT alive. Compare that to a bag of leafy green non-starchy vegetables that are currently alive…or delicious salmon that was alive a few days ago…and you’ll automatically know which one to choose.
Foods to Eat on the Setpoint Diet for Postmenopausal Weight Loss
Within the primary SANE food groups of non-starchy vegetables, nutrient-dense protein, whole-food fats, and low-fructose fruits, there are optimal options that will fast-track your progress.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
10+ servings per day
If you count anything in the setpoint diet, count your servings of non-starchy vegetables. How much is one serving? Here is a simple rule: If raw and leafy, a serving is the size of two of your fists. If raw and not leafy, a serving is the size of your fist. If cooked, a serving is a little smaller than the size of your fist.
The fiber content of non-starchy veggies fill you up fast and keep you full for a long time, for a relatively small number of calories. It also provides plenty of nutrition for your cells.
When starting the setpoint diet, be sure to gradually increase your servings of non-starchy vegetables. This helps you avoid gastrointestinal distress.
Optimal Choices
Optimal choices are leafy green vegetables and include:
Other great veggies you could eat raw or cooked to help get your 10 plus servings include:
Nutrient-Dense Protein
Protein triggers short- and long-term satiety hormones, which is the reason why protein is so filling. But protein does something else that is incredible…if you consume around 30 grams of protein at a sitting, it triggers muscle protein synthesis. This enables your body to preserve muscle mass while also burning fat.
A food is a nutrient-dense protein if it is found directly in nature and more of its calories come from protein than from fat or carbohydrate. (Exceptions include some low-sugar and low-fat dairy products and natural SANE approved protein powders/bars.)
You can determine whether a food gets more of its calories from protein than from fat or carbohydrate by following these three easy steps.
But here’s a list to make things easier for you.
Optimal Choices
Other great nutrient-dense protein choices:
Whole-Food Fats
3-6 servings per day
Ideal whole food fats actually come from whole foods, not refined liquids or spreads. As a general rule of thumb, a food is a whole-food fat if it’s found directly in nature and more of its calories come from fat than from protein or carbohydrate. You can determine this the same way you did for protein except multiply grams of fat per serving by 9 (since fat has 9 calories per gram…not 4 like protein).
A serving is about the size your middle and pointer finger side by side. If the nuts are mashed into butter (i.e., natural nut butter), a serving is the size of your thumb. Two whole eggs are a serving.
Optimal choices include:
Other great whole-food fats include:
Low Fructose Fruits
0-3 servings per day
Low-fructose fruits are available only to add a little spice to your diet. You don’t need to consume any fruit. Non-starchy veggies can do everything fruit can do, with about 10 times less sugar.
Optimal Choices:
Optimal low-fructose fruits have the least sugar and the most nutrition. These include:
Other good low-fructose fruits include:
The Setpoint Diet, Postmenopausal Weight Loss, and YOU
That’s pretty much it for the nutritional portion of the setpoint diet. As long as you concentrate on eating MORE non-starchy veggies, nutrient-dense protein, and whole-food fats, you will eat less of the inSANE stuff. The result? Postmenopausal weight loss will be a breeze.
Just remember the SANE motto: Progress, not Perfection.
As long as you’re moving forward, you’re doing okay. If you occasionally eat something inSANE — and who doesn’t?!!! — it’s not the end of the world…or your setpoint diet.
Next Step: With the SANE, Learn More Ways to do Postmenopausal Weight Loss with the Setpoint Diet
Ready to finally break free from the yo-yo dieting rollercoaster by balancing your hormones and lowering your body’s setpoint weight?
Want to know the exact foods and serving sizes that are scientifically proven by over 1,300 peer-reviewed research studies to boost metabolism, burn fat and enjoy virtually effortless weight loss like a naturally thin person?
Download the free SANE metabolism boosting food list, cheat sheet and “Eat More, Burn More” weight loss program by .
Butyrate Supplements
Butyrate Supplements
Sodium butyrate and butyrate supplements deriving from this compound, is well-known for its immune-modulating characteristics. The systemic anti-inflammatory effects induced by sodium butyrate supplementation in humans has been studied. (1)
During one particular study, Butyrate supplements were measured to moderately affected some of the cytokine responses. Additionally, it was found that Butyrate Supplements taken per-oral, may play a role in reducing the inflammatory state of circulating monocytes in patients with Metabolic Syndrome.
Butyrate Supplements & Side Effects
The Mayo Clinic in March of this year, reported the side effects of Sodium Phenylbutyrate (Oral Route) and categorized them by:
More Common
Less Common
Rare (2)
Sodium Phenylbutyrate in this report, was indicated in treating urea cycle disorders as an adjunct to proper diet. Additionally, it is indicated in aiding the removal of ammonia or nitrogen, from the body.
Our Gut Biome & Best Butyrate Supplements
A large volume of research and study over the previous few years has made it abundantly clear that the microbial environment residing in the human gut plays a key part in maintaining human homeostasis. The microbial community pulls energy from our diets, supports our mucosal barriers, and even regulates immune responses. (3,4)
A singular and crucial microbial event has been found to have a hand in all of these protective functions and it is the production of Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) within the large intestines (5).
These SCFA’s are a result of fermentative metabolism by a group of anaerobic gram-positive bacteria located in the colon where their main role is to digest complex carbohydrates for us.
Butyrate Biochemistry:
Downstream, as we continue along the biochemical pathway, the benefits of butyrate SCFA’S (Postbiotics) play an obvious role in digestive health, bowel movement regularity, microbiome support, and much more.
To get these incredibly helpful postbiotics one can, of course, increase their intake of dietary fiber which will in turn minimally increase the amount of butyrate yield. Now, dietary fiber does indeed aid in forming postbiotics such as butyrate but the process lacks efficiency.
Taking in too much fiber in an attempt to increase levels of butyrate will cause painful bloating and increased unwanted flatulence. That is why the best postbiotic butyrate supplements are not actually a singular short chain fatty acid!
Can These Supplements Really Help Preventing Colonic Disease?
As SCFA’s go, the one in question here has a role in cell differentiation – a process that aids in colonic disease prevention. Specifically, when colon cancer cells are taken into consideration, butyrate has been proposed to modulate proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. That is to say – butyrate inhibits the growth of cancer cells and promotes healthy colonic epithelium. This scenario has been charmingly called, the “butyrate paradox”(6).
How Do These Supplements Modulate Immune Response?
Butyrate acts upon regulatory T cells to decrease TNF-alpha & IL-6 production. As a result, butyrate modulates an immune response. Additionally, this SCFA increases the levels of other anti-inflammatory immune cells such as M2 macrophages. It also inhibits pro-inflammatory immune cells such as M1 macrophages and neutrophils. (7)
As a quick summary; insulin sensitivity suggested that butyrate (remember, butyrate is a short chain fatty acid (SCFA)) works on resistant starch gut bacteria. The effect of butyrate as a good bacteria is to work on maintaining barrier function between toxins and our blood circulation!
Postbiotic Supplements? Enter Tributyrate & Viscera-3
The results of many years conducting research, scientists have now combined three Butyrate molecules with a single glycerol molecule to create an incredibly more effective version of this “optimal” short-chain fatty acid, butyrate. The benefits of no longer requiring prebiotic and probiotic ingestions a few times per day are numerous and obvious.
Until recently, fiber and probiotics were the only supplements that helped your lower colon create incredibly powerful health promoting gut nutrients known as Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs).
With Viscera-3, this superior form of TRIbutyrate is intelligently time-released directly into the lower portion of your colon – right in the region where the appropriate health benefits can take place.
Viscera-3 as a butyrate supplement is three times more potent than fiber alone. Additionally, it contains the SLIMGut Earth Minerals Matrix™ and the SLIMGut Garden Blend™.
Viscera-3 as a result provides a tidal wave of gut health without the constipation, bloating, gas pain, bloating, and tops the experience off with faster weight loss. The fiber supplements can retire from the shelves.
This patented nutrient is the fastest, easiest and most effective way to a more normal, healthier stool while enjoying a slimmer, less bloated waist in just 48 hours!
Dumping more probiotics into an unhealthy gut is like pouring gas in an engine that does not run, it is a waste of money! Leave behind the slow 5 step process and flip on your SLIM GUT SWITCH in one step!
Butyrate Article Definitions:
Monocytes: Monocytes are a type of leukocyte, or white blood cell. They are the largest type of leukocyte and can differentiate into macrophages and myeloid lineage dendritic cells.
Metabolic Syndrome: Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
Homeostasis: In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems.
Fermentation: Fermentation is a metabolic process. This process includes organic molecules (normally glucose) and they change into acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen or any electron transport chain.
Urea Cycle Disorders: Primary urea cycle disorders (UCDs) include carbamoyl phosphate synthase (CPS) deficiency, ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency (citrullinemia), argininosuccinate lyase deficiency (argininosuccinic aciduria), and arginase deficiency (argininemia).
Anaerobic gram-positive bacteria: Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC) are a heterogeneous group of organisms defined by their morphological appearance and their inability to grow in the presence of oxygen; most clinical isolates are identified to species in the genus Peptostreptococcus.
Human Colon Anatomy For Reference:
References For Further Research & Study:
Maartje C. P. Cleophas,1,2 Jacqueline M. Ratter,1,2,3 Siroon Bekkering,1,2 Jessica Quintin,5 Kiki Schraa,1 Erik S. Stroes,4 Mihai G. Netea,1,2,6 and Leo A. B. Joostencorresponding author1,2,7
Can You Really Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight?
If you have had a hard time losing weight, you’re not alone. Studies show that the average adult tries four weight-loss diets a year. If they have to make several stabs at this dieting thing, they’re not doing any better than you are.
Prevent Diabesity By Losing Weight
But now, the threat of diabesity is making it more important than ever for people to shed those excess pounds. Doctors say you can prevent diabesity by losing weight, but statistics show many people have failed to do so.
There are more than one billion people worldwide suffering from diabesity, and suffering is an accurate term. Diabesity contributes to many serious medical problems, including:
Diabesity will ultimately take your life, but first, it will usually make you suffer.
Unfortunately, many experts don’t have any words of wisdom to offer because they don’t know what to do about this problem.
Experts Unite: People Can Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight
To be sure, there are many theories on how to solve the diabesity problem, which has become a global epidemic. They all hinge on losing weight. Research has shown that losing just 10-15 pounds can reduce your risk of diabetes significantly. So experts know people can prevent diabesity by losing weight. They just don’t know how to develop a plan that will promote safe, long-term weight loss.
Though these experts may be struggling with answers, SANE has the solutions. Yes, there is a SANE way to address this problem, a method that will help you prevent diabesity by losing weight. But before discussing this method, let’s delve into some facts about diabesity.
What is Diabesity?
The word, “diabesity,” is an amalgam of two words: obesity and diabetes. The fact that someone decided to combine these two words into one speaks volumes about the interconnection between these two diseases.
Obesity is the main risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and an estimated 80 percent of diabetics are also overweight or obese. The connection is so close, it’s like the chicken and the egg story: in this case, which came first obesity or diabetes?
Doctors have long known of the link between obesity and diabetes. They knew their overweight and obese patients had an increased risk of developing diabetes, but they didn’t know why. Nobody did until metabolic syndrome came to light.
Metabolic Syndrome and Diabesity
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that increase your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. You must have three of the following five risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome:
In studying metabolic syndrome, researchers discovered that obesity is a big risk factor for many medical conditions, including diabetes.
Obesity and Diabetes: Symptoms of the Same Cause
Eventually, researchers also discovered that obesity and diabetes are symptoms of the same underlying cause, metabolic dysfunction. They are both hormonal conditions in which the cells either become numb to insulin (insulin resistance), or the pancreas produces an insufficient amount of insulin. The pancreas may even stop producing this necessary hormone.
Causes of Obesity
Research has shown that there are three main causes of obesity: hormonal dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and brain inflammation. All of these are linked to eating poor quality diets of processed foods, sugars, and starches. When you eat a poor-quality diet long enough, obesity will eventually cause type 2 diabetes in the majority of cases. Let’s take them one by one.
Hormonal Dysregulation
Hormones regulate every bodily function, including metabolic processes. There are hormones in your brain, gut and fat stores that communicate with each other constantly. Their main goal is to keep you healthy and alive, and that means making sure you have enough body fat.
Leptin is a peptide hormone produced by your fat cells and released into your bloodstream in levels congruent with the amount of fat you have. This tells the hypothalamus whether you have eaten enough for your level of body fat, or whether you need to eat more. The main function of the hypothalamus is to keep the body in a state of equilibrium, called homeostasis. It is the control center of the autonomic systems of your body — including the cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic systems — and it manages the hormones.
Hypothalamus the Hormone Manager
If you aren’t eating enough, the hypothalamus will activate hormones that make you hungry or crave certain foods. If you eat too much one day, you will probably eat less a few days later. That’s your hypothalamus balancing things out.
Eating the wrong types of foods, however, dysregulate these hormones. They send incorrect signals to each other and become confused. They are not sure how much fat you have. But to be on the safe side — remember, their goal is to keep you alive — they tell your metabolism to slow down; they tell it to hold onto your fat stores.
How does insulin play into this picture? Well, it is a prime example of hormonal dysregulation.
Insulin and Obesity and Diabetes and Diabesity — Oh, My!
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. When you eat carbohydrates and sugars, your body turns them into glucose. Your pancreas then releases insulin in proportion to the amount of glucose in your blood, based on signals from other hormones. Insulin’s job is to open the doors of your cells to glucose, which your cells need for energy. Once it opens the cell doors and the glucose enters the cells, its job is done. Your blood glucose levels go down, and all is well. That is the way it’s supposed to work.
But in obesity and type 2 diabetes, the insulin is ineffective. The cells are numb to insulin. The pancreas keeps producing more insulin to push insulin into the cells, to no effect. Not only does your blood glucose level remain elevated, which can lead to a host of serious health problems, but it also leads to weight gain and makes your efforts at losing weight nearly impossible.
This is because along with glucose, you now have high amounts of insulin circulating in your blood. Insulin tells your other hormones that your cells have energy going to them, that you don’t need to burn fat. It also tells the body to store more fat. This is a result of hormones misreading the situation, all due to certain dietary and lifestyle factors.
Gut Diaspora
If you are having trouble losing weight, you might want to look at the balance of your gut bacteria. Research has shown that an imbalance of good and bad bacteria, called gut diaspora, can result in weight gain, digestive issues, and other conditions.
Your gut bacteria extracts calories from the foods you eat, stores them for later use, and decides how to best use them. Studies have shown that certain strains of gut bacteria contribute to weight gain and that overweight individuals tend to have an overabundance of those types of bacteria. The research into this area is so compelling that it spurred probiotic research and supplement market.
Brain Inflammation
Research has shown that eating certain foods inflame the hypothalamus, which then interferes with the proper operation of leptin and insulin. (Both of these hormones regulate appetite and eating patterns.) Do you want to guess which foods have been shown to inflame the hypothalamus? Yep, eating too many calories from inSANE sugary, high-fat foods cause this effect, as do eating a diet high in saturated fat.
This causes people to not only overeat but to overeat the very foods that caused the brain inflammation in the first place!
Losing Weight permanently is Impossible with an Elevated Setpoint Weight
Although about 50 percent of your setpoint weight is determined by genetics, the rest is totally under your control. You can manipulate it by making SANE dietary and lifestyle choices that will make losing weight permanently a breeze. In this way, you can prevent diabesity by losing weight.
The setpoint weight is the amount of body fat your body thinks you should have based on the three factors above. Your hormones regulate your calorie intake and expenditure. You don’t have to count calories. When you eat enough food, satiety signals are sent to your brain tell you to stop eating, for instance.
If your setpoint weight is low, you will automatically burn off any excess calories you consume, without any conscious effort from you. Your hormones simply adjust the calorie burn of several metabolic processes to get rid of calories.
There is even research to suggest that the body will make you fidget more after eating larger meals than usual, simply to burn off those excess calories. This is why thin people can eat whatever they want without gaining weight. Their metabolism is higher than an obese person’s metabolism, but that is because their setpoint weight is lower.
Low-Quality Foods Make it Impossible to Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight
If you eat a diet of starchy carbs, processed and fast foods, and foods with added sugars, it creates a clog in your hormonal system. Your hormones can no longer do the job they were designed to do. This raises your setpoint weight, which raises your actual weight, and makes losing weight permanently nearly impossible.
Why? Because every time you try to cut calories eating the same low-quality “junk,” the body fights against you. It does everything it can to keep you at your setpoint weight. The only way to win this battle is to work with your hormones, rather than against them. You do this by making SANE food and lifestyle choices proven to lower your setpoint weight. You will then prevent diabesity by losing weight — the SANE way.
Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight with SANE
Living a SANE lifestyle involves eating foods that will remove the hormonal clog, enabling your hormones to operate the way they should. It also involves being well hydrated, de-stressing regularly, performing eccentric exercises, and getting enough sleep. These things have been proven to lower your setpoint weight, which will help you prevent diabesity by losing weight.
We’ll cover the dietary principles in this article.
SANE Foods
There are three main food groups that will help lower your setpoint weight, especially when eaten at the same meal.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
To prevent diabesity by losing weight, you’ll need to eat plenty of veggies. Non-starchy vegetables contain loads of antioxidants proven to reduce inflammation, so they will help reduce brain inflammation and clear your hormonal clog. They also fill you up fast and slows the transport of glucose into your bloodstream. This keeps your blood sugar levels stable, which keeps your pancreas from over-producing insulin. Eat at least 10 servings per day of non-starchy vegetables. Fill half of your plate at each meal with non-starchy vegetables. Or, if you don’t like to eat veggies, you can drink them, instead. Having a green smoothie is an excellent way to get the vegetables you need.
Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, are your best choices. Other great choices are broccoli, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, green peppers, and cauliflower.
Nutrient-Dense Protein
Eating protein has been proven to send a signal to the short- and long-term satiety hormones. It fills you up fast and keeps you full longer. It also takes your body more calories to digest protein than any other macronutrient, meaning that eating protein boosts your metabolism.
Try to have 3-5 servings of protein a day, about 30-50 grams each meal. Some excellent choices include lean meat, grass-fed beef, egg whites, salmon, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese.
Whole-Food Fats
Eating whole-food fats are highly satiating and will not make you fat. Research has shown that when you replace starchy carbs and sugar with whole-food fats, your body starts to prefer fat as an energy source. So, when it needs some energy, it will take it from your fat stores.
You can also enjoy up to 3 servings of low-fructose fruits a day. Some good examples include grapefruit, acai berries, lemon, and strawberries.
Baby Steps to SANEity
If you’re freaking out right now, having inSANE thoughts about how overwhelming it will be to completely change your diet, calm down. You don’t have to make all these changes at once. Start by making a few substitutions here and there. For instance, vow to have a green smoothie with breakfast one day this week. Then extend the smoothies to three days a week. Or, decide to add protein to every meal this week. Once you see how that goes, then add vegetables. Every baby step you make toward SANEity lowers your setpoint weight, which will help you prevent diabesity by losing weight. And you’ll love every minute of it!
Next: Prevent Diabesity by Losing Weight with SANE
Want to know the exact foods and serving sizes scientifically proven by over 1,300 peer-reviewed research studies to boost metabolism, burn fat and enjoy virtually effortless weight loss like a naturally thin person?
Begin your exciting journey to lasting, healthy weight loss today. Download the free SANE metabolism boosting food list, cheat sheet and “Eat More, Burn More” weight loss program by .
4 Best Brain Supplements for Adults
Vitamins to boost memory are big sellers today, and for good reason. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, one in 9 Americans aged 45 and older say they are experiencing memory loss.1
The good news is that having occasional or even frequent memory lapses does not necessarily lead to dementia. Rather, such lapses can be caused by nutritional deficiencies that can be addressed with brain-boosting vitamins.
Best Brain Supplements for Adults
Here are 4 vitamins proven to boost memory as you age.
Folate as a Best Brain Supplements for Adults
Folate or folic acid is a water-soluble B-vitamin. Folate (Vitamin-B-9) is crucial for proper brain function. Though commonly thought of as an important prenatal vitamin to reduce the risk of defects in the brain and spine, folic acid is important for proper functioning of the nervous system for all ages.2 In fact, numerous studies show a correlation between folate deficiency and mental symptoms, such as depression, cognitive decline and even Alzheimer’s disease.3 , 4
Folate is present in a wide variety of foods, especially dark green leafy vegetables. Nuts, seafood, eggs, and liver, and dairy products also contain impressive amounts of folate. You can also get folate by taking folic acid supplements.
However, it can be difficult to get enough folate through diet, as food processing and cooking destroy most of the folate activity. Plus, many people lack the enzyme necessary to absorb folate. To get enough folate, you’ll need to find a vitamin supplement that contains the most absorbable form of folate on the market.
Best Brain Supplements For Adults & Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3s are polyunsaturated fatty acids shown to be crucial for brain health. The two types of Omega-3 fatty acids most closely associated with memory are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association indicates that taking 900 mg of DHA for 6 months may improve memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Another study in Neurology showed a correlation between low DHA levels and memory impairment in otherwise healthy adults without dementia. Further, low levels of DHA and all other omega-3 fatty acids, such as EPA, have been linked to memory deficits. 5 , 6
The best source of omega-3 fatty acids is fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring. You can also get omega-3 fatty acids by taking fish oil supplements.
Citicoline
Citicoline (CDP choline) is present in every cell in your body and is especially vital to brain health. You may have heard of the brain-boosting power of it’s dietary precursor choline. (That’s the reason eggs are considered a good “brain food.”) It’s probably not surprising, then, that citicoline’s main job is to boost levels of choline in the brain.
And having enough choline in your system is crucial for your brain. Among other benefits, choline is essential for the creation and release of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter. (Acetylcholine is involved in memory storage.) Choline has been found to be so important for brain health that it is being considered for therapeutic use in traumatic brain injury!7
Foods highest in citicoline include liver, brain and other animal organs. Unfortunately, few people eat these foods regularly. To ensure you get enough citicoline, you’ll want to take a high quality vitamin supplement that contains Cognizin®. Studies show that Cognizin® may boost brain energy by a whopping 13.6%! This, of course, should improve memory. 8
L-Carnitine/Acetyl-Carnitine
L-carnitine and acetyl-l-carnitine are forms of carnitine known to improve brain health. Carnitine is an amino acid found in almost every cell of the body. Carnitine is the ONLY molecule in cells that can move fatty acids into the mitochondria to be used for energy. The supply of fatty acids L-carnitine brings to your brain cells may help improve your memory.
In addition, acetyl-L-carnitine mimics the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. As mentioned earlier, acetylcholine is crucial for memory and brain health! That’s because acetylcholine modulates the firing rate of neurons, which affect memory and learning. It also helps your brain stay mentally flexible. 9 , 10
The best sources of carnitine are animal products, such as meat, poultry, fish, and dairy. 11
Improve your Memory Today!
Taking these 4 vitamins, or getting them through your diet, can help support a sharp mind and memory for many years to come!
References
1-Reinberg S. CDC: 1 in 9 U.S. adults over 45 reports memory problems. United Press International (UPI). Published online July 13, 2018.
2- Reynolds EH. Folic acid, ageing, depression, and dementia. BMJ.
2002;324(7352):1512-1515. https://www.bmj.com/content/324/7352/1512.1
3- Reynolds EH. Benefits and risks of folic acid to the nervous system. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2002;72:567–571. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1737896/pdf/v072p00567.pdf
4- Clarke R, Smith AD, Jobst KA, Refsum H, Sutton L, Ueland PM. Folate, vitamin B12, and serum total homocysteine levels in confirmed Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 1998 Nov;55(11):1449-55. doi: 10.1001/archneur.55.11.1449. PMID: 9823829. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9823829/
5- Yurko-Mauro K, McCarthy, D, Rom D, Nelson EB, Ryan AS, Blackwell A, Salem, N,., Stedman M. Beneficial effects of docosahexaenoic acid on cognition in age-related cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 2010; 6 (6): 456 DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2010.01.013 https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.jalz.2010.01.013
6- Tan, Z.Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fact Sheet. Neurology. American Academy of Neurology.WebMD Medical Reference. February 28, 2012. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/omega-3-fatty-acids-help-brain-age-better/
7- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Nutrition, Trauma, and the Brain; Erdman J, Oria M, Pillsbury L, editors. Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Health Outcomes in Military Personnel. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 9, Choline. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209327/
8- Silveri MM, Dikan J, Ross AJ, Jensen JE, Kamiya T, Kawada Y, Renshaw PF, Yurgelun-Todd DA. Citicoline enhances frontal lobe bioenergetics as measured by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR Biomed. 2008 Nov;21(10):1066-75. doi: 10.1002/nbm.1281. PMID: 18816480. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18816480/
9- Duke University Module. Content Background: Acetylcholine Neurotransmission in the Nervous System. Accessed online October 19, 2020. https://sites.duke.edu/thepepproject/module-4-military-pharmacology-it-takes-nerves/content-background-acetylcholine-neurotransmission-in-the-nervous-system/
10- Rasmusson DD. The role of acetylcholine in cortical synaptic plasticity. Behav Brain Res. 2000 Nov;115(2):205-18. doi: 10.1016/s0166-4328(00)00259-x. PMID: 11000421. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11000421/
11- National Institutes of Health. Carnitine Fact Sheet. Updated: October 10, 2017. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Carnitine-HealthProfessional
Brain Drinks: 3 Incredible Brain-Boosting Beverages
If you’re looking for any easy way to improve your brain power, check out these brain-boosting beverages. They are quick, easy, and you probably have at least one of them in your cupboard or refrigerator right now.
Brain Drinks & Why are Brain Boosters Important?
Let’s face it…the brain is important. It is the control station of your body, keeping all systems — heartbeat, respiration, blood circulation, and much more — working perfectly. The brain is necessary for thinking, planning, emotions…everything. So, it’s important to keep your brain in perfect working order, and brain boosters can help you do that.
Here are 3 brain-boosting beverages scientifically proven to support cognitive function.
Coffee For Your Brain Drinks
If you’re a coffee drinker, you already know that there’s nothing like a strong cup of coffee to wake you and your brain up. A major reason for this effect is that coffee contains a powerful stimulant– caffeine. Caffeine intake has been shown to increase wakefulness and attention in numerous clinical research studies. It has also been shown to increase alertness and reaction time, and to counteract degraded mental performance caused by sleep deprivation.1, 2, 3
And get this…coffee may even defend against Alzheimer’s disease. In a study with mice, researchers discovered that caffeine intake not only appeared to protect against age-related memory impairment, but also restored memory in cognitive-impaired mice!4
So, go ahead and pour yourself another cup of coffee. Your brain will thank you!
Green Tea is a Brain Drink?
Green tea is another powerful brain-boosting beverage you’ll want to drink regularly.
Green tea has gotten a lot of attention lately for its metabolism-boosting properties, which can enhance calorie burn and weight loss. But these same properties have also been shown to improve cognitive function.
The brain-boosting effects of green tea appear to be due to its l-theanine, caffeine, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) content. L-theanine is an amino acid known to promote relaxation, yet when combined with caffeine, it may increase focus and improve memory.5
EGCG is a polyphenols compound found in green tea that may also have neuroprotective properties. In fact, EGCG has been shown to modulate brain activity. In one study, participants given EGCG showed a significant increase in their alpha, beta, and theta brain wave activity. Participants reported increased calmness and reduced stress. This suggests that EGCG may promote relaxation and improve attention.6
These and other studies suggest that green tea is a great brain-boosting beverage!
Green Smoothies Can Be Brain Drinks
The brain-boosting properties of a green smoothie depends upon its ingredients. The most common ingredients of green smoothies are:
At least some of these ingredients have brain-boosting properties. For instance, several studies suggest that consumption of leafy green vegetables may prevent cognitive decline. A study published in the journal Neurology found that just one serving of green leafy vegetables per day may slow age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers believe this effect may be due to neuro-protective properties of some of the nutrients.7
A compound found in celery, called luteolin, has been shown to reduce brain inflammation in clinical research studies. This could reduce the risk of inflammatory brain conditions.8 And cucumber, another popular smoothie ingredient, contains the fisetin, a compound shown to enhance memory in rodents.9
These and other ingredients make green smoothies a powerful and tasty brain booster!
References
1- Wyatt JK, Cajochen C, Ritz-De Cecco A, Czeisler CA, Dijk DJ. Low-dose repeated caffeine administration for circadian-phase-dependent performance degradation during extended wakefulness. Sleep. 2004 May 1;27(3):374-81. doi: 10.1093/sleep/27.3.374. PMID: 15164887.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15164887/
2- Snel j, Lorist MM. Effects of caffeine on sleep and cognition. Progress in Brain Research
Volume 190, 2011, Pages 105-117. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444538178000062
3- McLellan TM, Caldwell JA, Lieberman HR. A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Dec;71:294-312. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.001. Epub 2016 Sep 6. PMID: 27612937.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27612937/
4- Arendash GW, Cao C. Caffeine and coffee as therapeutics against Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S117-26. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-091249. PMID: 20182037.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20182037/
5- Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutr Neurosci. 2008 Aug;11(4):193-8. doi: 10.1179/147683008X301513. PMID: 18681988.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18681988/
6- Scholey A, Downey LA, Ciorciari J, Pipingas A, Nolidin K, Finn M, Wines M, Catchlove S, Terrens A, Barlow E, Gordon L, Stouch C. Acute neurocognitive effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Appetite. Volume 58, Issue 2, April 2012, Pages 767-770. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666311006453
7- Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL. Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study. Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214-e222. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815. Epub 2017 Dec 20. PMID: 29263222; PMCID: PMC5772164. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29263222/
8- Kelli M. Can Celery Help Cut Brain Inflammation? WebMD Archives. May 28, 2008. https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20080519/can-celery-help-cut-brain-inflammation#:~:text=May%2020%2C%202008%20–%20A%20compound%20found%20in,a%20potent%20antioxidant%20known%20for%20its%20anti-inflammatory%20properties
9- Maher P, Akaishi T, Abe K. Flavonoid fisetin promotes ERK-dependent long-term potentiation and enhances memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Oct 31;103(44):16568-73. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0607822103. Epub 2006 Oct 18. PMID: 17050681; PMCID: PMC1637622.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17050681/
3 TOP Brain Foods For Studying
When you’re studying for school — or trying to learn anything new — it’s important to add brain foods to your diet. Here are 3 of the best brain foods clinically proven to boost memory and cognitive skills.
But first, let’s briefly discuss the miraculous power of your brain and how it makes learning possible.
3 Top Brain Foods For Studying: Introduction
The Brain Foods For Studying and Learning
The brain is a complex organ composed of a large mass of nerve tissue encased within and protected by the skull. Though the exact mechanism by which your brain learns and retains information is still a subject of intensive research, we do know that neurons play a huge role. An estimated 100 billion neurons make up the human brain. 1
Neurons are one of the most well-researched areas in neuroscience and are essential to brain function.
Neurons transfer signals to the brain from sensory organs and vice versa via neurotransmitters. Therefore, it is essential that you protect and strengthen your neurons and neurotransmitters, and your diet is a great way to do that.
Here are 3 of the best brain foods scientifically proven to help produce and protect neurons and neurotransmitters and support learning and memory.
Brain Foods to Help You Prepare for your Next Exam
Here are three of the best foods scientifically proven to boost brain function.
Fatty fish
Fatty fish — such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel — is a great brain food because it contains several nutrients known to boost memory and brain power.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Approximately 60% of your brain is fat, half of which is the omega-3 kind, and fatty fish is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. Clinical research studies show that omega-3 fatty acids affect blood flow to the brain and influence neurotransmitter levels, which is very beneficial for memory and learning. 2, 3
Numerous studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids slow cognitive decline, especially as you age. But what about memory and learning and studying for exams? Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help with all of that, too. In one study on more than 17,000 children, researchers found a positive correlation between fish intake and school performance. Specifically, an intake of 8 grams of fatty fish per day significantly improved these children’s grades in German and mathematics. 4
Coenzyme Q10 CoQ10 (CoQ10) is a substance that sparks energy inside your cells, especially the cells of your heart and your brain. This helps give your brain the energy it needs to tackle your next study session!
Carnitine is an amino acid that plays a big role in energy production. L-carnitine brings fuel into the heart and brain cells to be burned for energy, and it has been shown to improve cognition in clinical research studies.
So, if you want to boost your test scores, you may want to add oily fish to your diet!
Berries
Berries are another brain food shown to boost memory. That’s because berries are a rich source of flavonoid compounds called anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins fight brain inflammation, a condition known to interfere with memory and cause neurodegenerative diseases. Brain inflammation is also thought to be a key factor in memory and learning deficits. 5 , 6
And when it comes to mentally preparing yourself for your next exam, it doesn’t really matter which type of berry you choose to consume. Blueberries. Blackberries. Strawberries. All appear to have a positive affect on cognitive function in clinical research trials.
Berries are also a versatile fruit. You can eat them right out of your hand, stir them into a cup of yogurt, or blend them into a brain-boosting smoothie.
Eggs
Eggs are known as a “brain food” for good reason. They contain several nutrients shown to support brain health, including choline and folate.
Choline: Eggs are a rich source of choline, a nutrient your body uses to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter helps regulate memory, among other functions. And indeed, studies show that an increased intake of choline may improve memory and overall cognitive function. 7
Folate: Also known as vitamin B-9, folate is another nutrient essential for proper brain function. In fact, low levels of folate are associated with cognitive decline, especially in the elderly. 8
Brain Foods For Studying And Exams
So to help you study, maybe you should stock up on fish, eggs, and berries –and eat them regularly!
Resources
1- Cherry K. How Many Neurons are in the Brain? VeryWellMind. Medically reviewed by Shaheen Lakhan, MD, PhD, FAAN on April 10, 2020. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-many-neurons-are-in-the-brain-2794889
2- Wysoczański T, Sokoła-Wysoczańska E, Pękala J, Lochyński S, Czyż K, Bodkowski R, Herbinger G, Patkowska-Sokoła B, Librowski T. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and their Role in Central Nervous System – A Review. Curr Med Chem. 2016;23(8):816-31. doi: 10.2174/0929867323666160122114439. PMID: 26795198.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26795198/
3- Heim M. Are Omega-3s Good for your Brain? Time Magazine Online. Published JUNE 20, 2018. https://time.com/5316521/omega-3-brain-health/
4- Lehner A, Staub K, Aldakak L, et al. Fish consumption is associated with school performance in children in a non-linear way: Results from the German cohort study KiGGS. Evol Med Public Health. 2019;2020(1):2-11. Published 2019 Dec 23. doi:10.1093/emph/eoz038
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6970346/
5- Subash S, Essa MM, Al-Adawi S, Memon MA, Manivasagam T, Akbar M. Neuroprotective effects of berry fruits on neurodegenerative diseases. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(16):1557-1566. doi:10.4103/1673-5374.139483.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192974/
6- Kingsland J. Could reducing brain inflammation prevent memory loss in Alzheimer’s? MedicalNewsToday. Published online March 26, 2020. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-reducing-brain-inflammation-prevent-memory-loss-in-alzheimers
7- Nurk E, Refsum H, Bjelland I, Drevon CA, Tell GS, Ueland PM, Vollset SE, Engedal K, Nygaard HA, Smith DA. Plasma free choline, betaine and cognitive performance: the Hordaland Health Study. Br J Nutr. 2013 Feb 14;109(3):511-9. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512001249. Epub 2012 May 1. PMID: 22717142.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22717142/
8- Zeisel SH, da Costa KA. Choline: an essential nutrient for public health. Nutr Rev. 2009 Nov;67(11):615-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00246.x. PMID: 19906248; PMCID: PMC2782876.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19906248/
Warning: These Foods Can Cause Pre-Diabetes and Raise Setpoint Weight
If you’ve been battling your weight for years – and losing – you’ve probably heard about diabetes and all the health issues it can cause. But what you may not know is that you can have prediabetes for many years before it becomes diabetes, and you might not know you even have it. But just because it’s prediabetes doesn’t mean that it’s a minor concern. Prediabetes can start causing serious and irreversible damage to your cardiovascular system long before it officially becomes diabetes. To prevent these risks, it is important to eat SANE foods and nutraceuticals that promote proper insulin response, and that lower your setpoint weight so that you can safely and permanently lose weight.
Why Lowering Setpoint Weight Helps Prevent Prediabetes
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are symptoms of the same metabolic disorder. Namely, both of them involve the body’s inability to use insulin properly.
Though doctors and researchers long-understood the mechanism of type 2 diabetes and that it was a symptom of poor insulin usage (whether or not they understood it to be insulin resistance in the early years), they were not as quick in understanding insulin’s role in obesity.
In the 1950s, researchers noted that upper body fat seemed to increase a patient’s risk of developing diabetes, kidney stones, arteriosclerosis, and gout. Researchers then conducted a study on six obese patients who had diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels. After putting these patients on a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet for a time, they noted that their diabetes, blood cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and had improved. They coined the term, “metabolic” syndrome to show the association between the factors that increase the risk for diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome became a commonly used term in the 1970s, used in various contexts to describe a constellation of symptoms that increased the risk for a disorder. The disorders varied and included obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis.
It wasn’t until 1988, that Gerald Reaven hypothesized that insulin resistance could be the causal link in all those symptoms. He called it, “syndrome x.)
Lower Setpoint Weight, Lower Obesity Rates, and Prediabetes
It is not a surprise, then, that obesity – driven by insulin resistance — is the number one risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Indeed, both obesity and type 2 diabetes are so interrelated, you’ll rarely find one without the other. According to the Centers for Disease Control, if you are obese, you have a 90 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes at some point in your lifetime. And 85 percent of diabetics are obese.
So if you want to prevent pre-diabetes and diabetes, lowering your setpoint weight so that you can safely and permanently lose weight is the best way to do that.
The risk of doing nothing is too awful to contemplate.
Facts About Prediabetes and Diabetes
There are usually no symptoms of prediabetes. The first sign that you have this precursor to type 2 diabetes will probably be that your blood sugar levels are abnormal. That is the definition of pre-diabetes, you see. Your blood sugar levels are higher than they should be, but not high enough to categorize as diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that around 84 million adults in the United States have pre-diabetes. That equates to one in three Americans having pre-diabetes. And 90 percent of those who have pre-diabetes don’t know they have it, according to the CDC.
If you don’t know you have pre-diabetes, that’s a big problem. Only by making diet and lifestyle changes can you prevent its progression to full-blown type 2 diabetes. Statistics show that without making necessary adjustments to diet and lifestyle, those with prediabetes will develop diabetes within 10 years.
Diabetes affects every major organ system in the body. The health effect of having diabetes can be terrible, and can include:
Diabetes will ultimately kill you.
Causes of Prediabetes and Diabetes
In most cases, type 1 diabetes is actually an autoimmune disorder, whereby the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Though researchers don’t know the exact cause of type 1 diabetes, they believe the patient might be genetically predisposed to this disease. Then an environmental trigger activates it. This could be a virus, toxin or something else. Only 5 percent of diabetics have type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can turn into type 1 if the pancreas stops producing insulin due to insufficient blood sugar management.
There are many factors that cause type 2 diabetes., the most common form of this disease. Some of these factors include:
Foods that Can Cause Prediabetes and Raise Setpoint Weight
Obesity, pre-diabetes, and diabetes weren’t problems 50 or 60 years ago. Almost everybody stayed naturally slim. It seemed like everybody had a fast metabolism.
And then everything changed.
For instance, the global obesity rate has doubled since 1980; the number of adults with diabetes has also doubled globally since 1980. A coincidence? Not likely, considering the interconnection between these two diseases.
What caused these twin epidemics? The short answer is that the public started consuming too many starchy carbohydrates, sugars, and processed/fast foods. Consider this:
These inSANE foods have been proven scientifically to raise setpoint weight and to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a number of other illnesses.
Here are some foods that can spike your blood sugar levels, raise your setpoint weight, cause obesity, and increase your risk for prediabetes.
Starchy Vegetables
Okay, one serving of corn or a potato here and there is not going to kill you or increase your risk for prediabetes. But if you eat starchy vegetables all the time, especially when you combine them with noodles or another starch, you’re just asking for blood sugar troubles. This can send your blood sugar levels spiraling, which over time can lead to prediabetes.
SANE Tip: Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, and celery are excellent choices. But be sure to add green, leafy vegetables to your plate. Kale, spinach, mixed greens and other are superfoods that have unique nutritional properties that supercharge fat burning.
Processed Foods
As already mentioned, eating a diet of processed foods is terrible for your setpoint weight. But what wasn’t mentioned is that it increases your risk for prediabetes and diabetes. In a Harvard School of Health meta-analysis, researchers found that eating a small amount of processed meat every day increased diabetes risk by 51 percent. Though the researchers couldn’t pinpoint the reason for this increase, one theory is that the levels of sodium and preservatives play a role.
Whatever the reason, processed foods are bad news for your diabetes risk. And we do know that eating them also raises your setpoint weight because they help create a hormonal clog. It’s best to avoid processed foods as much as possible and just prepare meals at home.
SANE Tip: Purchase foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. For instance, select vegetables that you could have grown yourself (although frozen is totally fine.) Choose meats that you could hunt. What does this look like in practice?
Simply purchase fresh or frozen vegetables, and stay away from the canned versions. Purchase packages of humanely raised, grass-fed beef and pasture raised chicken. Those are meats you could hunt. (Buying a package of breaded chicken fingers or onions or honey mustard bbq wings does not qualify as a meat you could hunt.)
Highly-Processed Carbohydrates
Highly-processed carbohydrates are white foods with their fiber, bran and most of their vitamins and minerals gone. Anything made with white flour, white rice, and white sugar qualifies as a highly-processed carbohydrate.
With their fiber removed, these foods are digested quickly. This means your body turns them into glucose fast and dumps it into your bloodstream. This causes your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike. A steady diet of highly-processed carbohydrates puts a continual burden on your pancreas, and the eventual result may be pre-diabetes. Is it really worth that doughnut or pastry or piece of cake?
SANE Tip: Replace highly processed carbs with non-starchy vegetables or nutrient-dense protein. Both of these will fill you up quickly and keep you full longer. Plus, they will decrease your risk for pre-diabetes and lower your setpoint weight.
Sugar-Sweetened Drinks
Drinking sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages are known to raise the risk of pre-diabetes and raise the setpoint weight. One of the reasons for this effect is that many of these sweetened drinks contain high-fructose corn syrup, which is metabolized by the body differently than table sugar.
When you drink a beverage containing high-fructose corn syrup, it goes to your liver, which turns it into fat and then sends the fat back into your bloodstream.
Many studies have shown that high-fructose corn syrup increases the risk of many diseases, including pre-diabetes. Not that table sugar is innocent. For instance, a 2010 study published in Diabetes Care revealed that drinking two sugary beverages a day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent when compared with having less than one a month.
SANE Tip: It is best to avoid sugar-sweetened drinks whenever possible. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and if that’s too boring for you, there are a few flavorful options. For instance, you can make your own flavored water by blending water and a strawberry or a few blueberries together. It’s healthy, tasty water that won’t increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Trans Fats
Trans fats are manufactured fats, made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Food manufacturers love using trans fats because they extend the shelf life of their products, and restaurants often use trans fats in their deep fryers because they can re-use the oil many times without it breaking down.
But trans fats have been proven to cause many health problems, including pre-diabetes. Trans fats can increase LDL “bad” cholesterol in the blood, which is a known risk factor for diabetes.
The FDA has instituted a ban against trans fats, but food manufacturers have a period of time in which to faze it out of their products. In the meantime, you are still free to eat this dangerous artificial fat.
SANE Tip: Since artificial trans fats are found in processed and fast foods, an easy way to avoid them is to avoid their sources. Turn your back on processed foods and start cooking meals at home. Shop the perimeter of the store, where you’ll find the meats and produce. (Processed junk is located on the middle aisles of the store.)
There is a SANEr Way that Will Prevent Diabetes and Lower Setpoint Weight
Over 13,000 peer-reviewed studies have shown that SANE eating is the best way to lower your setpoint weight and reduce your risk of a number of serious diseases, including pre-diabetes.
With SANE, you’ll eat foods that fill you up quickly and keep you full. In fact, you’ll be so full of SANE foods that you couldn’t possibly have room for anything inSANE. It is a complete lifestyle change that will make you healthier and happier. Guaranteed!
Eccentric Exercise
At SANESolution, we get really excited about smarter exercise because it really changes the game when it comes to how we think of moving our bodies in general.
So first, let’s make one quick distinction. That’s the distinction between activity and exercise because you’ll hear us say “exercise less” a lot and we want to be really clear about what we mean when we say that.
Just like when we say “eat more”, we don’t mean eat more garbage. We mean, eat more high-quality SANE food. When we say “exercise less”, we mean do less but of a specific very high-quality form of exercise and also staying active.
Eccentric Exercise: Activity vs Exercise
Activity is moving your body — walking, standing, playing with your kids, taking the stairs. We don’t consider that exercise. That’s just being a person.
If we want the ability to walk around when we’re 80, it’s a really good idea to walk around as much as we can before we’re 80.
Studies consistently show that the more active we are, the healthier we are. So let’s keep activity over here and let’s keep it up. But when we talk about exercise, how do we exercise less but smarter? And why do we want to?
What is smarter exercise? Is this Eccentric Exercise?
Smarter exercise is just exercise that’s focused on quality rather than quantity — just like we do for food. So, conventional exercise is all about more exercise — exercise more, exercise more. And why?
Well, it’s because it’s designed to burn calories and the more we exercise, the more calories we burn.
But you and I know that that is a “flat earth model” of weight loss. The idea that just burning more calories will cause us to burn more fat makes sense much like if you look out the window, it makes sense to think the earth is flat because it really looks flat.
But when we understand science, we know that’s not how the world works and not how our bodies work.
So our bodies don’t work like math and any time we starve our body, whether that’s from eating less or from exercising more, in one case, we’re taking fewer calories in and in another case, we’re burning calories off.
It’s starvation — just two different names.
Frankly, if we wanted to starve ourselves, eating less takes a lot less time than exercising more. But let’s not worry about either one of those horribly unhealthy practices. Let’s stay active and let’s exercise smarter.
Focus of Eccentric Exercise is Quality
When we exercise smarter, instead of focusing on the quantity of exercise that we’re doing and the quantity of calories that we’re burning, we focus on the quality of our movements — the amount of muscle fiber we’re activating and the hormonal healing response that causes.
Because, remember, just like with food, it’s not about starving a broken system; it’s about healing that system itself, healing our brains, healing our guts, and healing our hormones as science has shown that those are the underlying causes of obesity and diabetes.
Simply, a dysfunction in the brain, hormones, and gut that we can heal. But how do we heal those? We heal that through high-quality SANE eating and also high-quality exercise.
High-quality exercise — smarter exercise – is physical movements that activate all of our muscle fibers. So taking a step back, you know about the different muscle groups in your body.
So you have your biceps, for example, that work your arm muscles and your quadriceps that work your leg muscles.
Well, just like we have different muscle groups that do different things, we have different fibers within each of those muscle groups that help those respective muscles do different things.
For example, you have your Type I muscle fibers.
These muscle fibers allow your muscles to generate a little bit of force but for a very long period of time. They’re the muscle fibers that allow you to walk and talk all day — little force, long period of time.
Then you have your Type IIa, Type IIx, and Type IIb muscle fibers.
The further you go down towards your Type IIb muscle fibers, the functioning capabilities of these muscle fibers change.
Specifically, our Type IIa, x, and b muscle fibers generate progressively more force and have progressively less endurance. They’re the muscle fibers we use when we, for example, need to lift something very heavy for a very short period of time.
So again, your quadriceps move your legs, your biceps move your arms, but now your Type Ia muscle fibers within both your quadriceps and your arms and every muscle group on your body allow those muscles to do a little bit of force, long period of time.
Whereas your Type II — and Type IIb specifically — muscle fibers allow all of your muscle groups to do a lot of force but for a very short period of time.
So when we exercise smarter, what we’re going to do is we’re going to find specific modes of exercise that allow us as safely as possible to activate all of our muscle fibers — Type I, Type IIa, Type IIx, and Type IIb.
Eccentric Exercise Has 3 Simple Benefits (There’s more)
That is amazing for two reasons — actually, three reasons.
First, it’s really safe so you don’t have to worry about getting hurt. We’re going to talk about increasing the intensity of exercise and often when you hear that — and for good cause — you think, Ah, increased intensity; increased risk.
Because when you think of intensity, you think about throwing tires and running up stadium steps. While those are intense activities, those aren’t smarter exercises. So we’re going to do something that’s intense but extremely safe and sustainable.
The second reason this is very cool is most people have never activated their Type IIb muscle fibers, or their strongest muscle fibers. Think about how amazing it is.
You have an entire type of muscle fibers, possibly multiple types of muscle fibers — maybe your Type IIx muscle fibers as well — that have never been activated.
Could you imagine if you never used your leg muscles for your entire life and then today you started exercising your leg muscles?
Could you imagine the amount of impact and result and the speed of the results you’d see in your leg muscles? That can happen to your entire body when you exercise smarter and activate these, let’s say, Type IIb muscle fibers for the first time in your life.
So it’s safe. It’s activating an entirely new type of muscle fiber you may have never activated before. And finally, it elicits a hormonal response in your body that is literally impossible to elicit via lower-quality conventional forms of exercise.
And it’s a healing hormonal response. It’s a hormonal response that’s been shown in lab studies to literally immunize mammals against fat gain. In some pretty amazing rodent studies, they actually genetically engineered rodents to have more of these Type IIb muscle fibers and then stuffed them full of low-quality foods and found that these rodents were literally immune to becoming obese and diabetic.
It is incredibly amazing. And when you exercise smarter or with more force in a very safe fashion, you activate all of your muscle fibers and you elicit this hormonal response which, again, is not possible via any quantity of low-quality exercise.
Can I just do more exercise but as a lower intensity to get this hormonal response?
No. You cannot.
If you do one, boom, high-quality push on the pillow, you get the result you want. Same kind of thing happens here with your muscle fibers.
There’s no quantity of walking that will ever, (EVER) activate your Type IIb muscle fibers, just like there’s no quantity of bicep curls that will ever activate your quadricep muscles.
They’re different things. With eccentric exercise, we’re going to do is activate all of them, all of them — Type I, Type IIa, Type IIx, Type IIb. We’re going to do that very safely and sustainably.
You’re going to do it in the comfort of your own house, or if you’re more advanced or you become more advanced, you can go to a gym and dial it up there.
Safely and sustainably activate an entirely new set of muscle fibers and trigger a healing hormonal response that will do more for your body from a healing perspective to reset your set point, to heal your hormones, than any quantity of low-quality exercise would ever do. It’s literally like you’ve been written a new prescription.
You’ll get an entirely new result and we are so excited to see how you do!
Common Questions About Eccentric Exercise:
What are the benefits of eccentric training?
Eccentric Exercise is good or bad?
In our humble opinion – it’s good! Safely and sustainably activate an entirely new set of muscle fibers and trigger a healing hormonal response that will do more for your body from a healing perspective to reset your set point, to heal your hormones, than any quantity of low-quality exercise would ever do.
What are eccentric strengthening exercises?
Eccentric exercise, or when the muscle is lengthened and an external force exceeds the force produced by the muscle, has been shown to be more effective than traditional concentric strengthening at minimizing muscle atrophy and improving muscle force production.
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