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Sugar and Cancer: What’s the Connection?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Whenever I talk about cancer and diet, I try to debunk the myth that eating sugar makes cancer grow faster. I explain that all cells, including cancer cells, use glucose (sugar) to fuel their metabolism. Cancer cells often have an accelerated metabolism and utilize blood glucose at a faster rate than other cells. But it’s a gross over-simplification to say that consuming sugar will make cancer grow faster or that eliminating sugar will slow the growth of a tumor.

So imagine my surprise to see a recent headline in Newsweek about a new study published in the prestigious science journal Nature.

Despite the provocative headline, however, this study has absolutely nothing to do with how sugar from foods affects cancer cells. The research explores how some cancer cells differ from healthy cells in the way that they metabolize glucose. This is undoubtedly important to cancer researchers. But it does not add to, subtract from, or change in any way what we know about the interaction of diet and cancer.  

The link between sugar consumption and cancer risk is more indirect.  Excessive sugar consumption often leads to obesity, which increases cancer risk. But it’s the excess body fat that is the problem, not the source of the calories that caused it. 

[bctt tweet=”This is important to cancer researchers, but it doesn’t change what we know about diet and cancer.” username=”nutritiondiva”]

There are a lot of good reasons to limit our consumption of added sugars.  Limiting these empty calories can make it easier to maintain a healthy weight. A diet that’s lower in added sugars is also likely to be higher in nutrients. Both can help to reduce your risk of cancer and/or improve your chances of beating it.

But the last thing a cancer patient (or survivor) needs is to stress about whether eating too much sugar may have caused their cancer or made it more aggressive. Neither is true.

See also: Diet Recommendations for Cancer Survivors

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Despite billions spent on dieting, obesity rate hits new high

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Americans are spending more on dieting than ever before--more than $60 billion a year.  The percentage of obese adults is also at an all time high of 40%. 

Do you think there might be a connection between these two trends?  I do.

Clearly, dieting  is not the solution to the obesity problem. In fact, I think it's a big part of the problem.  

Problem #1:  Even the most "responsible" diets encourage you to lose weight far faster than your body can actually lose fat. As a result, you end up losing a little bit of fat and a lot of water and lean muscle tissue.

Problem #2: Diets teach you how to lose weight but they don't teach you how to weigh less.  (There's a big difference.)  As a result, most people will eventually regain all the weight they lose...or more.

Problem #3: When you regain the weight, you don't gain back the lean muscle that you lost while dieting. You replace it with fat, which makes it even harder to lose weight the next time.

It's time to try something different

Last summer, my colleague Brock Armstrong and I launched WeighlessTM, a program that shows people how to stop dieting and start weighing less. Weighless is not a diet or exercise program. It's a structured lifestyle change program that combines nutrition science, behavior modification, professional guidance, and community support.

The results have exceeded even our high hopes. It's been absolutely exhilarating to see people escape a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and find the path to sustainable weight loss.  I'm more convinced than ever before that diets are not the answer to our obesity epidemic. (They're a big part of the problem.)

If you think you might be ready to stop dieting and start weighing less, there are more details about the Weighless program here.

Onyx Sorghum: Superfood or Nutrient Zapper?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
Photo by Jennifer Blackburn for the National Sorghum Producers

Q. I’ve been seeing ads for Onyx Sorghum, specifically its use in certain cereals. This supposed “miracle” grain apparently contains a lot of antioxidants. However it looks like the high tannin content might affect iron absorption. Could this whole grain fit into a healthy and balanced diet or might it do more harm than good?

A. Sorghum is a whole grain that we’ve hearing more about lately.  Onyx (or black) sorghum is a special type of sorghum that is a dark red or black color intead of the usual pale beige.  It was created by plant geneticists at Texas A&M, who used traditional cross-breeding techniques and not genetic modification to create the richly hued grain.

As with berries and other plants, the pigment that gives onyx sorghum its distinctive color also happens to be rich in antioxidants. However, some of those antioxidants are in the form of tannins, bitter compounds that are also found in tea, coffee, wine, and other plants.  Tannins, in addition to acting as antioxidants can interfere with the absorption of iron and other minerals. Do the benefits outweigh the potential downsides?

 

Continue reading “Onyx Sorghum: Superfood or Nutrient Zapper?” >

How to Build More Muscle with Less Protein

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Buckle your seat belts and pull out your pocket protectors: We’re going full nutrition-nerd today, talking about the role of dietary protein in maximizing muscle protein synthesis. But don’t assume that this is only of interest to body-builders! Applying these insights to your daily meals can have a monumental impact on your ability to maintain a healthy body weight, age successfully, and bounce back from illness and injury.

This article is also available as a podcast. Click to listen

In a previous episode on preventing age-related muscle loss, I explained that you can get more protein benefit without eating more protein, simply by distributing your protein more evenly over the course of the day. Since then, I’ve heard from many of you asking how to adapt this advice to various situations and dietary patterns—such as those that are lower in protein.

I recently attended a meeting with some of the world’s top protein researchers and in between sessions I hit them up for their insights on the questions you’ve raised. I’ve got some great new information to share with you but first, let’s back up and talk muscle protein synthesis.

How does your body make muscle?

Building and repairing muscle tissue requires protein—and that’s a nutrient that our bodies have to use as it comes in; we can’t store it for future use. Whenever we eat foods containing protein, we get a little burst of muscle-building activity. The amount of muscle you build is dependent on the amount of protein you take in at that meal. Eat a little protein, build a little muscle. Take in more protein, build more muscle…but only up to a point.

Research by Douglas Paddon Jones of the University of Texas has shown that muscle protein synthesis peaks at about 30 grams of protein per meal. Anything above that is largely wasted in terms of its muscle-building benefit.

Just to give you a quick frame of reference, a typical chicken breast contains 50 to 65 grams of protein. An 8-ounce sirloin contains about 70 grams of protein. A half cup of Greek yogurt contains about 10 grams of protein and an egg contains 6 grams of protein. To see how much protein you get from other foods, check out my protein cheat sheet.

The best time to take protein

The average protein intake in the US is just under 90 grams of protein per day. However, we typically eat over two-thirds of that (around 60 grams) at dinner time, with breakfast and lunch typically being much lower in protein. That means that, despite taking in plenty of protein over the course of the day, most of us are only maxing out our muscle building processes once a day.

Maximizing protein synthesis once a day is definitely better than nothing. But there’s a missed opportunity here. Paddon Jones has demonstrated that by taking that same 90 grams of protein and dividing it more evenly across three meals, we can maximize protein synthesis three times a day instead of just once.

In practical terms, this usually means eating a lot less protein at dinner and a lot more protein at breakfast. There’s certainly nothing wrong with eating half a chicken breast or salmon filet for breakfast, but if you’re not ready to start your day with a turkey burger, a versatile source of protein like whey protein powder can also be a big help. This article includes suggestions for using protein powder to bump up the protein content of typical breakfast and lunch foods.

Why does muscle protein synthesis matter?

Maximizing muscle protein synthesis is not just for body builders and athletes. It’s beneficial for everyone, but it’s particularly critical for three groups of people: those over 50, those who are in the process of losing weight, and those who are recovering from a serious injury, illness, or surgery. All three of these groups are prone to accelerated muscle loss, which makes all three conditions (aging, weight loss, recovery) more challenging.

Ironically, the groups who have most to gain from maximizing protein synthesis (older adults, those actively losing weight, and those recovering from illness or injury) are all likely to be eating a lot less protein than the average intake of 90 grams per day. They may be taking in fewer calories in general in an effort to lose weight. They may be eating smaller more frequent meals due to smaller appetites. Or, protein foods may simply be less appealing to them.

How to build more muscle with less protein

And this brings us to the question that so many of you have asked: How can you get the most muscle-building benefit if you’re only taking in 50 or 60 grams of protein per day? Are you better off dividing that smaller amount evenly across three meals? What if you eat smaller more frequent meals? Should some be heavy in protein and others lighter or should they all have a little bit of protein?

Analysis done by Wayne Campbell at Purdue University suggests that when it comes to preserving muscle, hitting that 30-gram threshold once a day is better than never hitting it—especially for our three groups at increased risk of muscle loss. Hitting it twice a day is better than hitting it only once.

You can get more protein benefit without eating more protein.

After discussing all of this with Dr. Paddon Jones and Dr. Campbell and applying a little common sense, I’ve come up with the following guidelines for those who—for whatever reason—do not eat 90 grams of protein per day.

Protein intake on a low-protein diet

  1. Max it out at least once a day. If you only eat 50 grams of protein per day, you’re better off eating 30 of it at a single meal than dividing it equally among three or more meals. If you can manage 2 protein-maxed meals per day, even better.
  2. Do what you can. If 30 grams of protein is simply more than you can manage at a single meal, aiming for 20 or 25 grams at a meal is still going to give you more benefit than 5 or 10 grams.
  3. Avoid eating more than 30 grams of protein at a meal. Although that extra protein can be used as fuel (that is: calories), it’s not helping with muscle preservation. Move that protein to a different meal or snack.
  4. Don’t just feed your muscles: Use them. You know what works even better than protein to build new muscle? Exercise. And you know what works better than either exercise or protein alone? Exercise plus protein.

One final caveat: Most of this research presumes that the protein in question is high-quality protein, namely, lean meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, or whey protein powder. If you’re getting your protein from plant sources such as legumes, nuts, and grains, it may take significantly more than 25 to 30 grams of protein at a meal to maximize protein synthesis.

See also: How to build muscle on a plant-based diet

Thanks to Drs. Paddon Jones and Campbell for all of their work on this important issue and for lending their expertise to our discussion.

 

Originally published at QuickandDirtyTips.com

Losing weight will shorten your life? Not exactly.

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

A new study finds that people who lost more than 15% of their body weight over a five year period were actually more likely to die than those who didn’t lose weight. What’s more, the biggest losers were more likely to die than people who gained 20% during the same period.

How can this be? We’re constantly bombarded with headlines about the obesity epidemic and how it’s shaving years off our life span. Are you really better off remaining overweight than losing weight? 

[bctt tweet="Poor health causes weight loss, not the other way around." username="nutritiondiva"]

This latest study does not distinguish between intentional and unintentional weight loss, nor did it take into account the cause of death. People who are terminally ill tend to lose weight. But there's a world of difference between losing weight due to serious illness and intentionally losing weight.

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

One way to see this quite clearly is to distinguish between the loss of total body weight and the loss of body fat. The loss of total body weight may be associated with increased mortality. But the loss of body fat is associated with increased life span.

Another way to separate out the effect of wasting disease is to distinguish between intentional and unintentional weight loss. Previous studies have shown that while unintentional weight loss is associated with increased risk of death, intentional weight loss can reduce mortality by 15%

The Bottom Line(s)

Actually, I have three bottom lines for you

Bottom Line #1. Losing excess body fat will improve your health.

Bottom Line #2. Losing weight slowly will increase the percentage of body fat you lose.

Bottom Line #3. Losing a modest amount of weight and keeping it off will do more to improve your health than repeatedly losing and gaining large amounts of weight.

Need help with sustainable weight loss? That’s what the Weighless program is all about. ​Learn more.. 

Is the 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade Right For Me?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Still not sure whether the 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade program is for you? Here are answers to some of the questions I got about the program this week. If others are wondering, maybe you are too! And if you have a question that I haven’t answered here, feel free to email me.

Q. I can’t make the live kickoff session. Can I watch it the next day?

A. Yes, I will be recording the entire thing in dazzling HD Video and will send a link the following day. Those who are with us for the live session will also have access to the recorded video, in case they’d like to watch any part of it again.  Although it’s not essential that everyone start their 30 days on the same day, I encourage you to watch the video and start your challenge as soon as you can. It’s just more fun that way.

Q. I’m not ready to start the program right now.  Can I just register when I’m ready to start and watch the recording then? 

A. Although you can watch the recording and start your 30-days whenever you like, you must register before the program begins.

Q. I have a vacation/work trip/special celebration coming up.  Won’t this interfere? 

This isn’t some extreme 30-day detox that will interfere with vacation plans or holiday celebrations. It’s a simple yet powerful approach that will fit easily into your (and your family’s) daily routine. The whole idea here is to develop habits (and attitudes about healthy eating) that are flexible enough to accommodate life’s little ups and downs, instead of going on and off various regimens.

I loved this comment from a previous participant: “Our family went to Disneyworld right in the middle of my 30-day challenge. Being on the challenge didn’t ruin my vacation. Even better, being on vacation didn’t ruin my challenge!”

Q.  I live in Europe/England/Australia/etc.  Is the program geared around things only available in the States or is it suitable globally?

A. We have folks participating from UK, Europe, Middle East, and Australia! There are no specific products or brands involved. The challenge focuses on entire food groups. As long are there are vegetables, nuts, and so on where you live, you’ll have what you need!  And although there’s not a lot of measuring involved, when I do offer guidance on portion sizes, I always provide metric equivalents.

Q. What foods do I need to give up to succeed with this program?

A. There are no forbidden foods in this program and the goal is not to get a “perfect” score every day. The more healthy choices you make, the more room there is for a little indulgence. The goal is to find a healthy sustainable balance between the two.

Q. My diet is already pretty healthy. What do I have to gain from this program? 

Here’s what one of the participants from September’s group told me:

“I wasn’t sure that the program would be worth it to me because I eat pretty well already. But the program revealed a couple of “blind spots” that I had about my diet. I did end up improving my diet and it was a very enjoyable process.”

Click here to read more reviews and feedback from past participants.

Q. I’m pregnant/breast-feeding. Would it be safe for me to do this challenge? Will I have trouble getting the calories I need? 

There is absolutely no calorie restriction involved. We focus on shifting food choices to healthier choices and trying to be more consistent. You should have no problem getting enough calories…it’ll just be from more nutritious foods!  People who want to lose weight frequently do lose a few pounds during the challenge, but it’s definitely not the focus of the program.

Q. I’m vegan/vegetarian. Will this program work for me?

A. The challenge is based on ten aspects of your daily diet for which you earn/lose points. Vegetarians and vegans have a slight advantage in that they presumably will never lose points for eating cured or processed meats! But that still leaves 9 other aspects to work on.  We have had vegetarians do the program in the past with great success (and I’m a about 90% vegetarian myself!)

Q. Can I do the challenge if I don’t use Facebook?

Participation in the private Facebook group is completely optional–and you always have direct access to me via email. But to be perfectly honest with you, the interaction and support in the Facebook group is pretty awesome and continues long after the 30-day challenge ends. (The group from 2015 is still active!)

Still not sure? Drop me an email.

More salad equals less joint pain?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Eating more salads and other whole vegetables appears to reduce your risk of knee pain from arthritis. Interestingly, this does not appear to be simply a factor of consuming more vitamins or anti-oxidants. There seems to be something special about eating whole vegetables that’s protective.

Doctors evaluated the diets of more than 6,000 adults and found that those who reported eating the most vegetables and fruits had the lowest risk of severe knee pain. However, there didn’t seem to be any relationship between the total amount of vitamin C or beta carotene consumed and knee pain.

Of course, this study revealed an association (or correlation) but did not definitely prove that eating more vegetables prevents knee pain. But what exactly is the downside of taking this advice?

About half of all adults will  develop knee pain due to arthritis (wear and tear in the joint) and the risk is significatnly higher if you’re overweight.  Not surprisingly, knee pain has negative effects on mood, participation in social and recreational activities, and sleep.

Eating more vegetables, on the other hand, is linked to a wealth of benefits, ranging from lower body weight to reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart disease, and–that old favorite–a longer and healthier life.

So eat up! Here are tips on finding vegetables you like to eat.  And if eating more vegetables is one of your goals, consider participating in the upcoming 30-Day Nutrition Upgrade. It’s a fun way to improve your eating habits…and eating more veggies and less sugar are the two biggest changes people report making. Click below for all the details.