Your Brain On Nature

Interview with Dr. Alan Logan

by Krista Scott-Dixon (Precision Nutrition), April 18th, 2012.

I’m hooked up to a computer with headphones like an auditory umbilical cord, staring in to the pixelated void of an LCD monitor. I’m hunched like Quasimodo over a keyboard, moving nothing but my fingertips, in a cognitive space of left-brain verbal-mathematical processing. At this moment, I’m a floating hunk of thinky frontal cortex tethered by a white earphone umbilicus and some finger tendons.

My office is dark — the one window faces a brick wall, and I’ve replaced my warm incandescent bulbs with energy-conscious fluorescents, which carry all the luminous ambiance of a late-night bus terminal bathroom.

I’m speaking to naturopath Dr. Alan Logan, the author of the forthcoming book Your Brain On Nature, about how crucial the natural environment is for human health.

The irony isn’t lost on me. Or Dr. Logan.

“Even if you have a television screen that shows a nature scene, you won’t get the same physical effect as viewing the real outdoors,” he explains. So my Mac screen saver with the sunset isn’t going to cut it?

“Not really,” he says. “It’s barely better than a blank wall.”

He describes an experiment: three groups of people with a normally windowless office were given a choice of doing mentally demanding tasks while looking at three things:

• a blank wall;
• a plasma TV with an outdoor scene; and
• a glass window that showed the same outdoor scene.

Experimental twist! The plasma TV screen was designed to look exactly like a window, complete with drapes.

Researchers followed the workers for 16 weeks, measuring their physical, mental and emotional state. Result: A glass window was the most restorative view. When participants gazed out the window, they calmed down.

But the plasma TV scored no better than the blank wall. So much for “realistic picture quality”.

The researchers in this TV study worried about “environmental generational amnesia” that could result from younger people spending their days staring at screens instead of playing outdoors, and they described the deep human “biophilia”, or love of nature, that “is a fundamental, genetically based human need and propensity to affiliate with ‘life and lifelike processes.’”

“Ironically,” says Dr. Logan, “it’s science that’s leading the charge on behalf of nature.”

Images from the plasma TV experiment

Our ancient selves

But why is nature so important to us? Well, most importantly, we’re 21st century people living in ancient bodies.

“Let’s contextualize this in ancestral health,” explains Dr. Logan. “We’ve come from hunter-gatherers.

“My entire message in the book involves thinking about where we’ve come from. The genus Homo has been around for 2 million years. For 2 million years, our genus learned how to sustain itself in nature. We learned how to seek out environments in our best interest, within nature. Where is water? Where are fruits and berries?

“It seems plausible that we’d be drawn to certain locations and niches that sustain human health. That applies to our nutritional intake, our physical activity, and where we conducted that physical activity. We had to walk or run to sustain ourselves. The reward was survival.”

Our bodies, brains, and feelings are all wired for natural cycles, sights, sounds, and spaces.

Fear and loathing

And this wiring runs deep, down into the core of our brain. Natural environments activate the anterior cingulate and the insula, two parts of the brain associated with emotional stability and wellbeing, as well as awareness of self and a “bridge” between sensation and thinking. On the other hand, modern urban environments activate the primal fear circuits.

“What finally pushed me to write about this subject in 2010,” recalls Dr. Logan, “was functional MRI research [a "live action" brain scan that can show which parts of the brain are active during a given task] showing that brain firing really diverged depending on what people were seeing, even if these images were coming at them rapid-fire before they had time to contemplate.”

Scenes of vegetation and nature were processed as soothing and pleasant; scenes of urban imagery — “the purely built environment”, says Dr. Logan — were processed as potentially stressful.

It doesn’t stop there, he argues. “We also learned through our evolution that nature can kill, maim, sting, and bite us.” Even infants naturally fear creepy crawlies, even though they’ve never seen a spider or snake. Something in our brain knows what is scary or potentially harmful, and activates the defense mechanisms.

 

The knowledge-society challenge

Dr. Logan’s followed the research in this area for many years — one of his earlier books is The Brain Diet: The Connection Between Nutrition, Mental Health, and Intelligence.

“I think this basic stress response has tremendous relevance for knowledge workers,” argues Dr. Logan. We’re surrounded by sensory cues and stresses that require our brains to constantly function on high alert.

“We live in a distracted world. The challenge for knowledge workers is to stay on point and avoid all the distractions that surround us — whether it’s an email that we decided to open — then it takes us 24 minutes to get back on task again — or whether it’s distractors on a screen, or driving in traffic, whatever. This is the age of distraction.

“We’re swimming in a sea of fast-moving information. It takes a tremendous toll on the brain, having to go through your day having to filter out distractions. The idea of ‘multitasking’ is nonsense. It’s not supported by the fMRI studies. Multitasking creates stress.

“The fallout from that is an incredible cognitive fatigue. We’re expending a tremendous amount of effort and energy having to inhibit our natural responses.”

If you’ve struggled to find “willpower” to exercise or stay on a nutrition plan, this won’t come as a surprise.

You know the mental exhaustion of having to constantly inhibit your natural urges in a modern world whose routines, cues, and structures practically frog-march us into sloth and gluttony. By the evening of a stressy day at work, or by the second week of a dreary early-morning gym routine that involves forcing yourself to tread monotonously on a mill, you’re ready to quit.

It makes perfect sense, proposes Dr. Logan. “Trying to do things while also inhibiting natural responses, or filtering out competing stimuli, is like driving with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake.

“I’m not anti-technology,” he claims, “but we really need to think as a society how omnipresent our screen is. And stress is a massive contributor to eating so-called comfort foods. We don’t reach for broccoli and kale when we’re under stress.”

 

The nature cure

There’s a term in Japanese — shirin-yoku — that translates as “bathing in the forest air”. Spending time in natural surroundings, such as a forest, influences a wide range of stress markers and physiology. Stress hormones and heart rate go down, immune systems and mood improve. Researchers from one study concluded that “shirin-yoku can effectively relax both people’s body and spirit.”

Dr. Logan concurs. “No matter what the stress, nature can undo it.”

Not surprisingly for a region whose traditional architecture seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor spaces, scientists in Japan are leading the research charge. But North Americans are picking it up. The science is accumulating like fat fluffy snowflakes.

For instance, researchers at Carlton University in Ottawa, a city gripped in winter’s clutches for six months out of a year, compared walking outdoors through green spaces with walking through weatherproof underground tunnels. While walkers underground were spared the season’s whims, walkers outside felt — and performed — better in terms of their mood and thinking.

“People do say they feel better in nature,” says Dr. Logan. “These studies just confirm what we already knew.”

Shirin-yoku study participants

 

Your exercise, on nature

Sometimes, it’s just hard to get into the mood to exercise. And sometimes, even once we get going, we’re not really feeling the mojo. Dr. Logan understands.

“Motivation is undoubtedly the biggest stumbling block to exercise, whether you’re trying to build or maintain lean body mass, or trying to lose fat. It’s the negative aspect that is the stumbling block. You notice pain. You notice fatigue. You get into the mindset of these barriers to exercise.”

But in contrast, he says, “green exercise” — i.e. exercise outdoors, in natural spaces, creates and maintains motivation. ”It elevates your mood and you’re effectively ‘out of your head’.”

Not only that, exercise in natural surroundings can improve performance. One early study compared novice runners on a wooded running path versus a plain open track. Runners were simply asked to run at any pace they chose. Runners in the woods ran faster.

“In the wooded environment, the runners felt better. They felt they were ‘outside of themselves’. They didn’t have the perceptions of fatigue and pain. They weren’t thinking about their side stitch. Sure enough, the runners in the woods ran better. Their finish times were much faster than the runners on the open track.”

When re-tested for runners on a treadmill, the results were the same. “People just run faster outdoors.”

 

How to go au naturel

It doesn’t take much to reap the benefits of “your brain on nature”, says Dr. Logan. “Stepping out of your normal situation for as little as 20 minutes in nature dramatically elevates your mental outlook, and lowers your perceptions of stress. That alone is enough to improve your cognition and focus, and increase your creativity.

“Time spent in nature allows a break from inhibition. The very act of being in nature, in green space, is cognitively restorative, simply because you aren’t applying the brakes any more.”

Here are some tips from Dr. Logan about how to improve your nutrition, exercise, and overall wellness by putting your brain on a nature diet.

• Get outside, whenever and wherever you can. Even small doses of nature help. Heck, even sitting next to a plant is an improvement.
• Stay present. Nature time is now-time. “Rumination about the past leads to depression, while rumination about the future leads to anxiety,” says Dr. Logan. “Being present is a gift that nature gives us.”
• Stay aware. “This is really all about mindfulness,” says Dr. Logan. “Mindfulness is the bridge between everything, whether it’s exercise benefits, better cognition, healthy eating. Staying in the here and now is the essence of mindfulness. Nature facilitates mindfulness.”
• Find your natural environment wherever possible. “It was a bit funny that researchers for the shirin-yoku studies literally had to take a high-speed train to get to the rural environments they used,” chuckles Dr. Logan. “But nevertheless, most of us can still access green space. Most of our better cities still have green space. New York has Central Park; Vancouver has Stanley Park. Find your green space.”
• Get involved and advocate for green spaces. “This research that’s emerging should indicate to all of us that we should be taking this extremely seriously,” says Dr. Logan. “It’s not a hippie message at all. As our cities expand, we need to preserve and hold on to these natural spaces. It’s a very important message for urban dwellers — maybe even more important for them, because they’re swimming in this sea of information and stimulation.” Whether it’s planting a small garden or getting active in your community in favour of bike paths and parks, see what you can do to pitch in around you and create green space.
• Pass it on. “Younger generations will not be aware of what once was. If you don’t know, you can’t appreciate the depths of it. You’ll never have a handle on what the benefits of nature could be. That’s a very dangerous place to go.” So take your kids outside with you. Go hiking, camping, and on other outdoor adventures as a family. Leave the Nintendo and laptop at home.
• Go for the real thing instead of shortcuts. ”Virtual nature is nice but it really doesn’t work very well,” says Dr. Logan. “It’s the same as the 1950s or ’60s idea of exercise or a full meal in a pill.” So get outside — really get outside. And see if you can finagle a window in your office.
• Don’t wait for the “perfect time” or the “perfect place”. Be brave about the weather — remember, as the farmers say, “There’s no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” Outside is just a door or two away.
• Whatever you can do, do it. A 5-min walk at lunch. A bike ride to work. A hike on the weekend. Surfing. Playing catch in the park. A swim in the lake. A winter cross-country ski trip. Sitting in the backyard under a tree. Whatever you can do, just get outside. Your ancient brain and body will thank you.

 

Further reading

Logan, Alan.Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness and Vitality.

Your Brain on Nature interview at DavidSuzuki.org

In Our Nature at TheDailyBeast.com

Kahn, Peter, et al. The human relation with nature and technological nature. Current Directions in Psychological Science 18 no.1 (February 2009): 37-42.

Shin WS,, et al. Forest experience and psychological health benefits: the state of the art and future prospect in Korea. Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Jan;15(1):38-47. Epub 2009 Oct 21.

Tsunetsugu, Yuko, et al. Trends in research related to “Shinrin-yoku” (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan. Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 January; 15(1): 27–37.

Have you ever wondered why you need to sleep?

Adequate sleep

Apr 19, 2012 8:42 AM

Sleep is as crucial for optimal health just as exercise and nutrition are. Quality of sleep can have an impact on your mental alertness, emotional state and your energy levels.

Sleep is an anabolic state, the mind and the body’s opportunity to grow, repair and rebuild. To do this important optimal health task, we need to temporarily pull back from the outside world and activity.

Health benefits of adequate sleep

Healthy Heart Function: In a 2010 study, those who slept fewer than 6 hours per night had higher levels of an inflammatory marker called C reactive protein, which has been linked to heart disease.

• Protection against cancers: Researchers have found that women who work night shift have higher levels of breast cancer.
• Weight Management: A good nights sleep reduces the hormone grehlin which tells you to eat and increases leptin which reduces appetite. A University of Chicago study found that adequate sleep had no effect on their groups total weight loss but the well rested group lost 56% of their weight as body fat and the sleep deprived lost more muscle mass.
• Enhanced mental and physical performance.
  
  During sleep our brains electrical activity slows. We go from daydream alpha waves, to theta, right down to slow delta waves which take us to the deepest and most restorative stages of sleep. Have you ever seen your cat or dogs eyes moving rapidly and twitching in their sleep? 20 – 25% of our sleep time is spent in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During this time vivid dreaming occurs which is considered to have psychological health benefits.
  
  We all operate on a circadian cycles (circadian = biological cycles recurring at approximately 24 hour intervals). This internal ‘clock’ is built in but can be adjusted by environmental factors. The most important of these environmental factors is daylight. Our master internal clock is located in a group of cells in the hypothalamus in the brain. When light hits the eye, these cells send a message to another gland in the brain called the pineal gland. This shuts down production of our sleep hormone, melatonin. When light levels are low, melatonin production is increased and we become drowsy.
  
  This natural cycle can become interrupted if you are under stress or depressed, have irregular sleep patterns, do shift work or travel to different time zones.
  
  Tips for optimal sleep
• Have the same sleep time every night – preferably after 9pm when Melatonin production starts and before midnight.
• B group vitamins, Calcium and Magnesium and Tryptophan from protein are important nutrients to help with healthy sleep. Some foods have small amounts of melatonin including bananas, cherries, grapes, rice, olive oil, wine and beer.
• 30 minutes before bedtime sit in a semi darkened room – no lights, screens etc and listen to some relaxing music or do a relaxation exercise.
• Remove unnecessary artificial light from your bedroom including alarm clock lights and computer and TV screens and keep your room cool.
• Avoid stimulants including tea and coffee from mid afternoon. Caffeine blocks the action of adenosine, which contributes to sleepiness. Avoid vigorous exercise later in the day.

• If you have trouble getting to sleep, are under stress or have a racing mind try this exercise:

1. Lie on your back in bed. Breathe deeply into your abdomen so that your belly button rises and falls as you inhale and exhale. Do this for 2-3 minutes then:
2. Inhale, and as you exhale, in your mind repeat the word ‘relax’ and relax every muscle in your feet
3. Inhale again and as you exhale repeat the word ‘relax’ and relax every muscle in your calves
4. Continue this exercise relaxing every body part until you reach your head or until you are asleep.
5. Repeat this exercise every night before sleep or if you wake up during the night. It will help your body to switch from ‘fight or flight’ mode to a ‘rest and digest’ state. This exercise is adapted from a book by Herbert Benson called ‘The Relaxation Response'.

References

Sleep and Circadium Rhythm Disorders http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/circadium-rhythm-disorders-cause. 2010 December, I(3):e62

University of Chicago Medical Centre (2010, October 4). Sleep loss limits fat loss. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 11, 2012 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101004211637.htm

Benson Herbert. The Relaxation Response. Harper Collins. 1975. ISBN 978 -0688029555
Monsees GM, Kraft P, Hankinson SE, Hunter DJ, Schernhammer ES. Circadium genes and breast cancer susceptibility in rotating shift workers. Int J Cancer. 2012 Apr 2.

Mazzotti DR; Guindalini C; Pellegrino R; Barrueco KF; Santos-Silva R; Bittencourt LRA; Tufik S Effects of the adenosine deaminase polymorphism and caffeine intake on sleep parameters in a large population sample. SLEEP 2011;34(3):399-402.

Schiza SE, Mermigkis C, Panagiotis P, Bouloukaki I, Kallergis E, Tzanakis N, Tzortazki E, Vlachaki E, Siafakas WM. c - reactive protein evolution in obstructive sleep apnoea patients under CPAP therapy. Eur J Clin Invest 2010 Nov;40(11): 968-75

Sharad Taheri, Ling Lin, Diane Austin, Terry Young, Emmanuel Mignot. Short sleep duration is associated with reduced Leptin, elevated Grehlin, and increased body mass index. PLoS Med. 2004 December, I(3):e62

Function Follows Fitness

You all know how much of a fan of the benefits of functional training I am.  Check out some research below that shows you one of the many reasons why.....
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New ACE research that shows older adults can expect quick benefits from functional fitness programs

By Mark Anders

ACE FitnessMatters  •   July/August 2007

News Flash: You’re not getting any younger.  And you’re not alone. As a population, the number of older adults in the United States has grown to more than 36 million—that means one in every eight people is over the age of 65. By 2010, that number is expected to jump to more than 40 million. Couple that with the fact that Americans are more sedentary than ever before and we’ve got a problem. A big one. 

As inactive people grow older they lose strength, mobility and balance, and it becomes tougher for them to accomplish what exercise scientists call activities of daily living or ADL. These seemingly simple things like getting up from a chair, carrying groceries or putting away dishes are obviously essential for good physical—and mental—health for all people.

Within the last five years or so, many fitness professionals have been promoting functional fitness programs as a way for older adults to remain active and independent as they age. Although anecdotally many are convinced these programs are effective, very little scientific research has been conducted to prove it. “There have been a number of studies that look at traditional weight training and the carryover to activities of daily living, but only a couple small studies have looked at function-al training specifically,” notes John Porcari, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. “Our goal was to find out if older adults see improvements from functional fitness programs in a short period of time.”

The inspiration behind this American Council on Exercise–sponsored study was the hope that if researchers could prove that functional fitness works, and that most will see real-world benefits relatively quickly, then more older adults would be willing to try functional exercise programs and be more likely to stick with them.

The Study

Led by Porcari and Denise Milton, M.S., a physical therapist with the U.S. military, a team of exercise scientists at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Program recruited 24 male and female volunteers, ages 58 to 78 years.  Each of the test subjects had some form of cardiac, metabolic or orthopedic condition and all were already actively participating in the university’s La Crosse Exercise and Health Program.

“A lot of [the subjects] have been in our program for a long time, doing pretty traditional exercise, things like walking and aerobic dance, but we’re seeing people getting older and they’re having more and more trouble doing things in everyday life,” says Porcari, illustrating that the study participants were prime candidates for testing the validity of functional fitness. Each subject was randomly assigned to either the experimental group (which would do functional exercises) or a control group (which would stick with a traditional exercise program). Before the training period began, both groups were given the Functional Fitness Test for Older Adults, which consists of six components designed to evaluate things like strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and agility.

Once a baseline was established, it was time to start the exercise program. The experimental group participated in functional exercise sessions three times weekly for four consecutive weeks. Each session consisted of a five-minute warm-up, a circuit of 12 functional exercises, including moves like the wall push-ups, lunge and chop, and squat with diagonal reach (Table 1), followed by a 10-minute cool-down. Subjects were instructed to work at a moderate-intensity level while performing each of the exercises, one minute per move with a 15-second transition between each.

Researchers used sand-filled milk jugs (from 0.5 to 10 pounds) to simulate the weights of common household items. Similarly, the reaching and bending exercises mimicked the postures used in many common ADL. As the exercises became easier for the subjects, resistance was added and modifications were made to ensure that the exercisers maintained a moderate level of intensity throughout the test period.

After four weeks of exercise training, the research team once again administered the Functional Fitness Test for Older Adults to gauge the physical improvements of both the experimental group and the control group.

The Results

The experimental group, which underwent the functional fitness training, showed greater physical improvements than the control group (Table 2). In particular, improvements were seen in lower-body strength (13% improvement), upper-body strength (14%), cardiorespiratory endurance (7%), agility/dynamic balance (13%) and shoulder flexibility (43%). The researchers concluded that the functional fitness program was superior to conventional exercise for improving the subjects’ abilities to complete most ADL.

Though the efficacy of functional training was no surprise to the researchers, Porcari finds it encouraging that the test subjects showed significant improvements in as little as four weeks. What makes these findings even more significant is that researchers weren’t simply starting with totally inactive subjects and seeing big benefits—all subjects in the study were already regular exercisers.

Beyond the Science

Obviously the take-home message here is: Functional fitness really works. Even the simplest exercise regimen, like the one employed by our researchers using inexpensive equipment like sand-filled plastic jugs, is effective enough for older adults to reap significant benefits in less than a month.

Though this study did not assess the psychological consequences of the increase in functional fitness, anecdotal comments from subjects in the experimental group suggested they were encouraged by the subsequent benefits they experienced while performing everyday tasks. Researchers asked each of the subjects if they noticed any improvement in their ADL. The responses were generally positive, but Porcari recalls one woman in particular:

“At first she said, ‘No.’ Then she called me back and said, ‘When I reach for stuff in the cupboards it’s a lot easier than it used to be. Or when I’m in my car, it’s a lot easier for me to turn around and look behind me when I’m backing up,’” says Porcari.  “It just brings a smile to my face to hear the anecdotal comments that it does work in everyday life. Sure, it’s nice to do this kind of bench research, but it’s much more gratifying when you see people actually getting benefits.”

Table 1.
Functional exercises used by the experimental group.

• Unilateral balance:standing on one leg
• Golfer’s lift:like picking up a golf ball
• Squat with arms forward
• Wall push-ups
• Lateral squats
• Forward/backward leans
• Squat with diagonal reach
• Walk-around obstacle
• Overhead press
• Rotation lunges
• Lunge and chop
• Stairclimb

The Workout

Fabio Comana, ACE consultant and exercise physiologist, created the following functional fitness circuit workout based on the findings of this research. This 30-minute circuit requires no special equipment and can be done just about anywhere. Do it two or more times per week and you’ll improve your balance, agility and cardiovascular fitness, as well as flexibility and strength in your lower and upper body. For best results, complete each exercise as shown here and then repeat the circuit a second time.

Station 1: Standing Balance

Week 1: Stand with feet hip-width apart, eyes closed and attempt to maintain balance for 15 seconds (use supports as necessary). Do four reps of 15 seconds each.
Week 2: Progress the exercise by extending your arms out in front and then out to your sides while reaching 6 inches in each direction without losing balance or moving your feet (eyes open or closed). Do five reps in each direction (forward, left and right).
Week 3: Progress the exercise again by standing on one leg while lifting the opposite leg as high as possible. Attempt to maintain balance for 15 seconds. Relax and repeat three more times with each leg.

Station 2: Step Overs

Week 1: Place a 6-inch-tall vegetable can (or cone) on the floor and stand approximately 6 inches behind it with both feet facing forward. Slowly lift your right leg and—while maintaining your balance—step over the can. Shift your weight to balance on your front leg and lift your left leg up and over. Return to the starting position by stepping back over the item. Do 10 reps.
Week 2: Progress the exercise by adding a stepping motion in a sideways direction. Do 10 reps.
Week 3: Progress the exercise again by gradually increasing the height of the item to 10 to 12 inches. Do 10 reps.

Station 3: Figure 8 Cone Drill

Place one cone (cone A) 10 feet in front of a chair and a second cone (cone B) 10 feet to the right of cone A. Begin the drill seated in the chair. Next, stand up and walk as quickly as possible to the left side of cone A. Turn to the right around it and walk toward the right side of Cone B. Walk completely around that cone and proceed back toward the left side of Cone A. Circle around that one as well and head back to your chair. Do three reps with 30 seconds rest between reps.

Station 4: Chair Stands with Chest Stretch

Sit in a chair holding your torso upright off the backrest with feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and hands placed in your lap.  Slowly rise to a stand. Try to push through your heels while extending your arms out to your sides at chest height with thumbs turned to point  toward the ceiling. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for one to two seconds. Next, bring your arms back to your sides and slowly sit back down. Start by doing the exercise continuously for 30 seconds, and gradually build up to 60 seconds as your strength and endurance improve.

Station 5: Standing Push-presses 

Stand with feet hip-width apart holding weights (2- to 10-pound dumbbells or cans of vegetables) at shoulder height, palms facing forward with your weight on your heels. Slightly dip the knees to start the exercise, then straighten your knees and simultaneously push the weights overhead until your arms are fully extended. Avoid arching your lower back.  Slowly return your arms to shoulder-level and repeat. Do this exercise continuously for 30 seconds.

Station 6: Seated Leg Extension 

Sit in a chair holding your torso upright off the back-rest with feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart, and hands placed in your lap. Without moving your hips or back, slowly extend your right leg, attempting to raise it until it’s parallel to the floor. Hold for two seconds. Relax and return to the starting position. Do this exercise continuously for 30 seconds, then repeat with the opposite leg. If you can’t quite get your leg parallel, use the backrest for support or just attempt to lift it as high as possible.

Station 7: Penny Pick Up

Start three steps away from a penny placed on the floor. Slowly walk toward the penny. Stop to lunge or squat down, pick the penny up, then stand back up and continue walking another three steps. Do five reps.

Station 8: Biceps and Triceps

Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a 4- to 10-pound dumbbell (or can of vegetables) in your left hand. Place the opposite hand on a table edge or back of a chair for support.  Standing upright, slowly do a biceps curl. Keep your elbow by your side and avoid arching your lower back. Slowly return your arm to your side, bend your torso forward 45 degrees while supporting yourself using the opposite arm. Allow your left arm to bend at the elbow as you lean forward and slowly extend it back behind your body. Hold for one to two seconds before relaxing your arm at your side. Finally, return to an upright standing position. That’s one rep. Do this exercise continuously for 30 seconds and then repeat with opposite arm.

Station 9: Treadmill Walk 

Walk for a half-mile on a treadmill at a speed setting that is moderately difficult, yet slow enough that you feel confident walking. If you don’t have access to a treadmill, simply take a brisk half-mile walk.

Station 10: Standing Hamstring and Hip-flexor Stretch 

Using a chair, step up with your right leg and place your foot firmly and flat on the seat. Use
the backrest of the chair as a support if needed.  Slowly shift your weight forward while maintaining a slight backward lean with your torso.  Simultaneously extend your arm overhead (orarms, if not using the support). Hold for one to two seconds. You should feel the stretch in your groin area. Relax and slowly shift your weight backward. While bending forward at the hips, straighten your leg on the chair and reach your arms forward toward your straightened leg. Hold for one to two seconds. You should feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Slowly return to starting position. That’s one rep. Do a total of three reps with each leg.

Pregnancy and Exercise

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au 

Regular physical activity can provide health and social benefits for many pregnant women. Suggestions for exercise during pregnancy include walking, swimming and supervised classes such as yoga or Tai chi. Pelvic floor exercises are also important before, during and after pregnancy. Unless you have complications, it should be possible to enjoy some level of physical activity throughout most of your pregnancy.

The first step is to consult your doctor, physiotherapist or healthcare professional to make sure your exercise routine won’t harm you or your unborn baby. You may need to modify your existing exercise program or choose a suitable new one if you were sedentary before conceiving.

While exercise during pregnancy is usually encouraged, under some circumstances exercise can be detrimental to both the expecting mother and the growing fetus.

Benefits of physical activity during pregnancy

Exercise during pregnancy offers many physical and emotional benefits. Physical activity may also help manage some symptoms of pregnancy and you’ll feel better knowing you’re doing something good for yourself and your baby. Some of the benefits of exercising regularly throughout your pregnancy include:

• More energy
• Stronger back muscles which can help manage back pain and strain as your belly grows
• Improved posture
• Weight control
• Stress relief
• Improved sleep and management of insomnia
• Preparation for the physical demands of labour
• Faster recuperation after labour
• Faster return to pre-pregnancy fitness and healthy weight
• Increased ability to cope with the physical demands of motherhood.

Changes associated with pregnancy

There are many changes that take place during pregnancy. Some will affect your ability to exercise.

• Hormones such as relaxin loosen ligaments which could increase your risk of joint injuries (for example, sprains).
• As pregnancy progresses, weight increases combine with changes in weight distribution and body shape. This results in the body’s centre of gravity moving forward, which can alter balance and coordination.
• Pregnancy increases your resting heart rate, so it is not recommended to use target heart rate to work out the intensity of your exercise. In healthy pregnant women, exercise intensity can be monitored using a method known as Borg’s Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE). This measures how hard you feel (perceive) your body is working.
• Your blood pressure drops in the second trimester, so it is important to avoid rapid changes of position – from lying to standing, and vice versa – so as not to experience dizzy spells.

General exercise suggestions during pregnancy

It is important to discuss your exercise plan with your doctor, as each pregnancy is different. In general, healthy women who have uncomplicated pregnancies can continue their previous exercise program after consultation with a doctor. It is also now considered safe to start a new exercise program during pregnancy if given the all-clear by your doctor.

If you have been cleared to exercise, it is recommended that you:

• Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (according to the Perceived Exertion Scale) on most, if not all, days of the week.
• Do no more than three sessions per week of vigorous exercise by the third trimester.
• Let your body be your guide. You know you’re at a good intensity when you can talk normally and not become exhausted too quickly.
• Be guided by your doctor, physiotherapist or health care professional.

Suggested exercise activities during pregnancy

Activities that are generally safe during pregnancy, even for beginners, include:

• Walking
• Swimming
• Cycling – outdoors or on a stationary bicycle
• Exercise in water (aquarobics)
• Yoga
• Stretching
• Dancing
• Pilates
• Pregnancy exercise classes.

Some activities are safe when done in moderation by pregnant women who had already been participating in these activities prior to pregnancy. These include:

• Running
• Strength training.

General cautions for pregnancy exercise

While most forms of exercise are safe, there are some exercises that involve positions and movements that may be uncomfortable or harmful for pregnant women. Be guided by your doctor or physiotherapist, but general cautions include:

• Avoid raising your body temperature too high – for example, don’t soak in hot spas or exercise to the point of heavy sweating. Reduce your level of exercise on hot or humid days.
• Don't exercise to the point of exhaustion.
• If weight training, choose low weights and medium to high repetitions – avoid lifting heavy weights altogether.
• Don’t exercise if you are ill or feverish.
• If you don’t feel like exercising on a particular day – then don’t! It is important to listen to your body to avoid unnecessarily depleting your energy reserves.

Exercises to avoid while pregnant

During pregnancy, avoid sports and activities with increased risk of falling. These include:

• Contact sports or activities that carry a risk of falling (such as trampolining, rollerblading, downhill snow skiing, horse riding and basketball)
• Competition sports – depending on the stage of pregnancy, the level of competition and your level of fitness
• After about the fourth month of pregnancy, exercises that involve lying on your back – the weight of the baby can slow the return of blood to the heart. Try to modify these exercises by lying on the side.
• In the later stages of pregnancy, activities that involve jumping, frequent changes of direction and excessive stretching (such as gymnastics).

If you're not sure whether a particular activity is safe during pregnancy, check with your healthcare professional.

Pelvic floor exercises and pregnancy

The pelvic floor muscles are weakened during pregnancy and during birth (vaginal delivery), so it is extremely important to begin conditioning the pelvic floor muscles from the start of the pregnancy. Appropriate exercises can be prescribed by a physiotherapist. It is important to continue with these throughout the pregnancy and resume as soon as is comfortable after the birth.

Abdominal exercises and pregnancy

Strong abdominal muscles support your spine. The internal core and pelvic floor abdominal muscles act as a natural ‘corset’ to protect the pelvis and lumbar spine. Traditional sit-ups or crunches can be ineffective during pregnancy and may make worse the condition known as diastasis recti abdominis (a painless splitting of the abdominal muscle at the midline).

Appropriate core stability exercises are recommended during pregnancy to strengthen the muscles of the abdomen:

• Concentrate on drawing your belly button towards your spine.
• Breathe out while pulling in your belly.
• Hold the position and count to 10. Relax and breathe in.
• Repeat 10 times, as many times a day as you are able.
• You can perform this exercise sitting, standing or on your hands and knees.

Warning signs for exercising during pregnancy

If you experience any of the following during or after physical activity, stop exercising immediately and see your doctor:

• Headache
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Heart palpitations
• Chest pain
• Swelling of the face, hands or feet
• Calf pain or swelling
• Vaginal bleeding
• Contractions
• Deep back or pubic pain
• Cramping in the lower abdomen
• Walking difficulties
• An unusual change in your baby’s movements
• Amniotic fluid leakage.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• Physiotherapist
• National Continence Helpline Tel. 1800 330 066
• Bicycle Network Victoria – for further information on cycling and pregnancy

Things to remember

• Exercise during pregnancy offers many physical and emotional benefits. While exercise during pregnancy is usually encouraged, you may feel it’s not right for you.
• Talk to your doctor, physiotherapist or healthcare professional to make sure your exercise routine won’t cause harm to you or your unborn baby.
• Any illness or complication of the pregnancy should be fully assessed and discussed with your doctor before commencing or continuing an exercise program. 

Summary

Regular physical activity provides many health and social benefits and may also help manage some symptoms of pregnancy. Unless you have complications, it should be possible to enjoy some level of physical activity throughout most of your pregnancy. Consult with your doctor, physiotherapist or healthcare professional before starting any new exercise program.

This artticle has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

Are Eggs Really As Bad For Your Arteries as Cigarettes?

By Mark Sisson of www.marksdailyapple.com 15th Aug 2012

This past weekend, I caught the headline while flicking through my phone for a few brief seconds. Didn’t open it up, though. Just cruised on past. I’d hoped to just forget about it, to ignore it, to banish it to the back of my mind where half truths and junk studies go to die. And truth be told, I pretty much had forgotten about it until I checked my email to find a ton of frantic emails from readers wondering if their beloved and dependable egg yolk breakfasts were killing them faster than the cigarettes they don’t smoke. What? You didn’t hear?

STUDY: EGG YOLKS ALMOST AS BAD AS SMOKING

Followed by (with less hysterical capitalization) “May increase carotid plaque build-up.”

So what are we looking at here?

We’re looking at a study in which a trio of researchers (two of whom with extensive ties to the statin industry) quizzed a group of middle-aged and elderly stroke patients about their lifelong egg intake and smoking history, making sure to stress the importance of accuracy and honesty in their answers. Yes, you heard me right: they expected people to remember every last egg they ever ate. Still, everyone in the study was assumed to have supernatural memory, so I guess it evens out.

Those who ate the most eggs were the oldest – almost 70 years old on average, compared to the relatively sprightly 55 year-old egg avoiders. It’s pretty well accepted that with age comes the progression of atherosclerosis, a process that takes, well, time to occur. Plaque doesn’t just snap into existence; it develops. All else being equal, the older you get, the more plaque you’ll have.

Those who ate the most eggs also smoked the most and were the most diabetic. To their credit, the authors tried to control for those factors, plus several others. Although they tried to control for sex, blood lipids, blood pressure, smoking, body weight index, and presence of diabetes, the study’s authors didn’t – couldn’t – account for all potentially confounding variables. In their own words, “more research should be done to take in possible confounders such as exercise and waist circumference.” Hmm. “Possible” confounders, eh?

Exercise reduces inflammatory markers of atherosclerosis.

Exercise even reduces markers of atherosclerosis in pre-pubertal obese children!

Exercise reduces thickness of the carotid arterial wall. It doesn’t get much clearer than that. 

Exercise is a massively confounding variable that the authors failed to take into account.

What about waist circumference?

A high waist circumference predicts atherosclerosis of the carotid artery.

Or how about stress, which also wasn’t considered?

Perceived daily psychological demands – the amount of crap you perceive to be heaped on your plate – are associated with progression of carotid arterial plaque.

Yeah, it’s not like the size of a person’s waist, whether or not they move of their own volition or sit in an easy chair all day, and how much stress they endure have any impact on their risk of developing atherosclerosis. Those things may be linked, and I’m sure the authors would have loved to include them in their analysis, but there just wasn’t enough space on the questionnaire. Besides, it’s not like a little physical activity and mediation could even undo the damage wrought by 4.68 sinful egg yolks per week. Why, that’s nearly a half dozen!

Seriously, though, the subjects were all stroke patients who’d lived to tell the tale. They’d been in contact with the medical community (you generally don’t just shake off a stroke without medical attention), who no doubt gave them the standard required advice to prevent another event, which includes “a reduction in saturated fat and cholesterol intake…and a boost in physical activity.” Since the egg-eaters obviously didn’t listen to their doctors’ recommendations to cut back on cholesterol intake, I’d wager they treated the exercise recommendations with similar levels of disdain. What do you think?

Here’s what I think: this is an observational study whose already limited worth depends entirely on the memory of an inherently fallible creature being infallible. As such, it cannot assign causality, contrary to what the media (“Egg Yolks Can Quicken Hardening of the Arteries“) and authors (“It has been known for a long time that a high cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular events”) say. Furthermore, why single out egg yolks? I mean, I get it – the authors sort of have a vendetta against eggs – but what about other foods? Were those even analyzed or asked about? What about the stuff that people generally eat with eggs, like pancakes and vegetable oils, or the foods that contain egg yolks, like baked goods and mayonnaise? For all we know, egg yolk intake could have been a marker for eating garbage; most people aren’t tossing raw yolks into post-workout shakes, gently poaching eggs with coconut vinegar, or horrifying co-workers with a bag full of hard-boiled eggs like we Primals are wont to do. They’re getting Grand Slams at Denny’s, eating bologna sandwiches with mayo on white bread, and overcooking scrambled eggs in canola oil until they’re rubber.

For fun, though, let’s look at what some other studies have found with regards to the artery-clogging capabilities of whole eggs:

Egg consumption and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Two eggs daily did not impair endothelial function (the flow of blood through the arteries), nor did it increase total or LDL cholesterol. Overall, eating two eggs a day elicited no change in cardiovascular health when compared to eating oatmeal (a cardiologist’s pride and joy).

Daily egg consumption in hyperlipidemic adults – effects on endothelial function and cardiovascular risk. In patients with high cholesterol, eating several hard-boiled eggs a day had no effect on endothelial function.

Effect of a high-saturated fat and no-starch diet on serum lipid subfractions in patients with documented atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Obese patients with heart disease ate lots of saturated fat, zero starch (including zero grains – sound familiar?), and tons of vegetables, and saw massive weight loss without any negative effects on their blood lipids. Once upon a time, I had access to the full study (it was freely available at the website for the Mayo Clinic, who’s since taken it down…wonder why), and I remember seeing that they ate three or four eggs a day. If egg yolks were bad for all heart disease patients, these guys would have felt the effects.

Okay, despite all those confounders and other egg studies that support yolks as harmless and the fact that this was merely an observational study without the power to assign causation and whose authors failed to even propose a potential mechanism of action, let’s entertain the notion that something was going on with this population of egg eaters. What if the egg yolks did have something to do with the atherosclerosis?

In a previous post on “Human Interference Factor,” I highlighted a study showing hens given an unnatural industry-standard diet high in omega-6 containing grains (soy and corn) produce less healthful eggs than hens on a more natural diet of grains lower in omega-6 with supplementary antioxidants. When subjects ate two of the soy/corn-fed eggs a day, which were high in omega-6 fats, their oxidized LDL levels were increased by 40%. Subjects who ate two of the other eggs each day, which were low in omega-6 fats, had normal levels of oxidized LDL (comparable to subjects in the control group, who consumed between two and four eggs a week). Since the oxidation of LDL particles is strongly hypothesized to be a crucial causative factor in atherosclerosis, it’s conceivable that eating normal, industrial eggs could have a negative effect on carotid plaque.

Anyway, what are the takeaways here?

Exercise, practice stress reduction, and get your waist circumference checked.

Don’t smoke.

Don’t age.

Don’t pay too much attention to ridiculous observational studies (this is part of stress reduction).

Oh, yeah – eat egg yolks, and lots of them. Doubly so if you’re low-carb (remember the starch/grain-free high-egg diet referenced above). Make ‘em pastured, if possible, or at least from hens that ate something besides soy and corn. They’re more nutritious and probably “safer” than industrial eggs.

(In retrospect, that mention of the authors’ ties to the pharmaceutical industry was a low blow. After all, I myself am a direct benefactor of my local pastured egg industry; they pay me in delicious golden yolks.)

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-eggs-really-as-bad-for-your-arteries-as-cigarettes/#ixzz24RUPqT8b

7 Reasons Why You Are Not Getting Results

By Greg Brookes

Hi guys,

Feel like you're working hard but not getting the results you want.  Here are 7 possible reasons why not.

1. Not Creating a Stress Response

Do you just go through the motions? or do you really push yourself? The body adapts when it is put under stress but the stress has to be great enough to warrant an adaptation. Whenever the stress is great enough the body adapts in order to economise movement for future episodes of the same stimulus. Most people do not push themselves enough, resulting in no stress response and no adaptation. A very simple method to ensure that the stress response is high enough is to push yourself just past the point where you want to stop (within reason of course). Another more scientific way is to use a heart rate monitor and work on percentages of your maximum heart rate.

2. Too Much Stress

Big gains aren’t made in the gym they’re made when you rest and recover. As we train we go through the ”Supercompensation Cycle” which involves fatigue during the session and then compensation as the body returns to homeostasis and then finally supercompensation as the body surpasses its original status. If you train during the fatigue or compensation stage, before the body has fully recovered, then you risk overtraining, plateaus and a decrease in your gains. The trick is to hit the body again at the peak of supercompensation, this varies depending on the intensity of the session and the individual. If you find you are not making gains in the gym then add an extra rest day to your schedule.

3. Not Creating the Correct Stress

There are some simple rules to follow when it comes to exercise selection. Magazines and websites try to make this more complicated than it is and to be honest if you stick to these rules you can’t go far wrong. If you want to build muscle and strength then centre your workouts around heavy Squats and Deadlifts. If you want to blow torch fat than work on short intense interval sessions and monitor your rest periods with a heart rate monitor. Focus on the stuff that really makes a difference and worry about the smaller stuff later.

4. No Workout Consistency

Imagine if you had done some good quality exercise twice per week for the last 12 months? Where would you be now? Just think of those changes. For most people consistency is the number 1 reason why they lack results. It’s time to build habits. Habits take time to install but also time to uninstall. So work through the hard part of habit building now and it does get easier. My advice is to just do something 2-3 times per week. You can work on refining things later but just start building an exercise habit now.

5. Bad Nutrition Strategy

In my mind nutrition always comes first. If I am eating and drinking well everything else falls into place. You cannot out exercise your nutrition so if you think an extra session at the gym means more pizza or ice cream then you are badly mistaken. The nauseating statement of ”Calories in versus calories out” is so badly misguided. 10 calories of carbs has a totally different impact on the body than 10 calories of protein or 10 calories of fat. This statement is like comparing apples with oranges. A good nutritional clean up will not only be your biggest ally against fat but it will also help build solid muscle too.

6. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

As I mentioned in point 1 adaptation is due to major stress placed on the body but as the body adapts the stress levels required to cause adaption also increase. In other words we get better at whatever used to cause us stress. So in order to continue making adaptations you need to alter the stresses placed upon the body by changing your exercises every 4-6 weeks. This keeps the body guessing and changes coming.

7. No Progression Plan

Ensuring that you progress your exercises either by increasing the resistance by 10 % or time by 5 % or reducing the rest periods by 10 secs are all vital ways to keep the results coming in.

Why Women Should Not Be Afraid of Gaining Muscle

by Charles Poliquin

2/11/2010 12:56:55 PM

Increasing your muscle mass and bone mass has a myriad of health benefits.

Here is what you should know before you frown upon on gaining a few kilos of muscle mass:

1. The more muscle and bone mass you have, the greater the acid buffering power you create. That is, you now have more protein, potassium, magnesium and calcium to buffer the acidity in your body. The more alkaline you are:

-       the greater the endurance potential of the body

-       the greater your immune power is, the better your chances

         at surviving cancer or the swine flu.

2. According to Tufts University, the greater your muscle mass the greater the longevity potential. It is, in fact, the number one biomarker of longevity. It is a far better predictor of longevity than total cholesterol or blood pressure.

3. The more muscle you have, the more insulin receptor sites you have, and the more sensitive they will be. Increased muscle prevents diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Translation: the more muscle you have, the easier it is to have low body fat.

4. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. It is estimated that for every pound of muscle you gain you burn an extra 50 calories a day.

5. The more muscle you have, the more strength you have. This, according to the same researchers at Tufts University, is the number two predictor of longevity. For women, strength is empowering.

6. In my thirty years of experience as a strength coach, for every kilo of lean tissue gained, there was an equal loss of weight in body fat. In other words, the body composition changed dramatically. For example, a female executive with a 60 kg bodyweight with 20 % body fat has 12 kg of fat. If, in 10 weeks, she gains 4 kg of muscle mass and loses 4 kg of fat, her body fat will now be 13%. With these body composition changes, not only will she feel more empowered, but her body will look fantastic!

All About Coffee

by Brian St. Pierre, May 24th, 2012.

Summary: Coffee is among the most consumed — and controversial — beverages in the world. While coffee should be treated with care and avoided altogether by those who metabolize it poorly, it also provides health benefits to many people. Read on to find out what they are – and how to drink coffee responsibly.

Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world, trailing only water and, debatably, tea.

Caffeine, a key component of coffee, is a controversial compound. With 90% of North American adults consuming caffeine daily, it is the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug – and coffee is the delivery method of choice.

Perhaps that’s why, in the fitness world, we’ve traditionally viewed coffee with some suspicion.

But is coffee really bad for us? Should we give up our beloved cuppa joe? If it’s bad, why does it feel so good?

Coffee’s origins

 

The coffee plant originated in East Africa — according to legend, a goat herder tried coffee cherries after he noticed his goats acting much more energetic after nibbling on the coffee bushes.

The earliest evidence of coffee drinking occurred in the 15^th century in Yemen.  From Yemen, coffee quickly spread to Egypt and North Africa, and by the 16^th century it was being enjoyed by the rest of the Middle East, Persia, and Turkey and soon thereafter Italy and the rest of Europe.

Fast forward to today. Coffee is ubiquitous in our culture.  Everywhere you look, there’s a coffee shop on the corner. What effect might our cultural love of coffee have on our health?

Short answer: Well, we’re not completely sure.

Coffee’s risks

 

Research on coffee’s safety is mixed, for several reasons:

• Metabolism matters. People vary genetically in how well they can process caffeine and coffee.
• Coffee interacts with many hormones and neurotransmitters in the body, such as cortisol, acetylcholine, and insulin. These relationships are complex, and often depend on timing, amount, and people’s individual makeup.
• As a crop, coffee is less like corn or soy, and more like cacao or wine grapes: It’s typically grown and processed in smaller batches by smaller-scale farmers and producers. Variations in soil and climate, as well as later roasting and brewing technique, will change the taste and chemical makeup. It’s hard to standardize the exact chemical compounds in coffee from batch to batch. (By the way, JB likes to roast his own coffee. You can follow along with his process here or see a nice PDF version here.)

So it’s hard to say definitively that coffee is “good” or “bad”; “healthy” or “unhealthy”. Let’s explore this in more depth.

 

What about my metabolism?

 

One reason that evidence on the health effects of coffee is so mixed is that people clear caffeine at different rates. Caffeine is broken down and cleared by the liver, and our genetic makeup shapes how quickly and effectively we can do this.

• On one hand, “slow” metabolizers of caffeine don’t process caffeine effectively. These are people who are adversely affected by caffeine, get the jitters, and are wired for up to nine hours after consumption.
• Others just get a boost in energy and alertness for a couple of hours; they are considered “fast” metabolizers of caffeine.

Research in the emerging field of nutrigenomics shows that about half of us have the gene variant that makes us “slow” metabolizers, while the other half enjoy the gene variant that allows them to get away with quad-espressos.

(For more on this, see JB’s interview with nutrigenomics researcher Ahmed El-Sohemy here.)

Thus, whether coffee is better or worse for you depends on how well and quickly you metabolize caffeine.

If you are a slow metabolizer of caffeine and coffee, steer clear (or at least, reduce your consumption). In your case, coffee can do more harm than good, and this may explain why high coffee consumption has been associated with:

• higher risk of miscarriage
• disrupted sleep
• worse PMS symptoms
• increased blood pressure, even in people without hypertension
• non-fatal myocardial infarction (aka a heart attack)

On the plus side, low caffeine consumption still seems relatively safe for most folks, so a few daily cups of tea or squares of dark chocolate shouldn’t harm you (and in fact, may greatly boost your wellbeing!).

And fortunately, not everyone is adversely affected. For those lucky enough to be fast metabolizers, there is good news – and lots of it. Fast metabolizers don’t show the same association between coffee and disease — if you’re a fast metabolizer, coffee might even improve your health!

If you’d like to know more about how well you metabolize caffeine, you can take a quick and easy genetic test through agencies such as  23andme.com or existencegenetics.com.

 

What about cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It increases blood pressure, spikes blood sugar and prepares the body for “fight or flight” mode.

Coffee and caffeine tend to transiently increase cortisol levels; however, this depends on several factors, including when you drink coffee, how often you drink it, and whether you have high blood pressure.

Cortisol is normally high in the morning, so if you drink some coffee at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., you should be fine, as cortisol is naturally elevated at that time of day anyway.  However, your body may not appreciate coffee as much in the afternoon or evening, when cortisol normally drops. At that point, consider tea or something decaffeinated.

Again, there’s individual variation: Habitual consumers of coffee seem to be less affected by the cortisol bump, while those with hypertension seem to be more affected.

If cortisol levels are a problem for you, keep your coffee intake to first thing in the morning, and otherwise consume more tea. (Not only does tea have less caffeine, it also has other beneficial, calming compounds such as L-theanine.

 

What about pesticides?

C

offee plants are heavily sprayed with pesticides, which pose obvious health concerns. Fortunately, the plant’s structure offers some protection. While the outer “berry” does receive a lot of exposure, it’s the interior bean that is roasted and used for coffee, and its exposure is far less.  In addition, the roasting process destroys the majority of pesticide residues.

If you’re especially wary of pesticides, choose organically grown coffee. (Hey, it can’t hurt.) And while you’re at it, look for the Fair Trade label, which helps insure that family farmers are paid a fair wage for their crops.

 

What about my insulin sensitivity?

 

While a high dose of caffeine tends to decrease insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance acutely, it doesn’t seem to cause chronic problems. While those at risk of developing diabetes may want to be cautious, overall coffee consumption is actually associated with a 35% decreased risk of developing type II diabetes.

What about my kids?

There’s no clear guideline on when kids can safely consume coffee. Guidelines on caffeine consumption are based mostly on the size of the child, rather than their chronological ages.

Nevertheless, Health Canada recommends:

• no more than 45 milligrams a day for kids aged 4 to 6;
• 62.5 milligrams for kids age 7 to 9;
• 85 milligrams for kids age 10 to 12; and
• no more than 2.5 milligrams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight for adolescents 13 and up.

All this means that a 110 pound adolescent should not have more than 125 milligrams of caffeine a day — about one 6-8 oz cup of coffee.

Bear in mind, too, that kids may be getting plenty of caffeine from soft drinks, bottled tea, etc.

 

Coffee’s benefits

 

Caffeine & dehydration

For years, fitness enthusiasts worried that coffee would dehydrate them. However, a recent review of 10 studies found that consuming up to 550 mg of caffeine per day (or about five 8-oz cups) does not cause fluid-electrolyte imbalances in athletes or fitness enthusiasts.

In another review, researchers concluded that consuming caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle does not lead to fluid losses exceeding the volume of fluid consumed (intake and output were roughly equal), nor is it associated with poor hydration status.

Take-home: Don’t drink coffee as your only beverage, and drink enough water, and you’ll be fine.

Coffee & performance

 

Let’s be honest — that first morning coffee can transform us from beast to philosopher (or at least, slightly more awake and nicer beast). Coffee, and more specifically its caffeine content, provide many noted mental and physical performance benefits.

Caffeine reduces our rate of perceived exertion, so it doesn’t feel like we’re working as hard as we actually are. People who regularly drink coffee perform better on tests of reaction time, verbal memory, and visuo-spatial reasoning.

Another study found that women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on tests of cognitive function if they had regularly consumed coffee over the course of their lifetimes.

Take-home: A little bit of coffee/caffeine before important tasks requiring alertness and energy can be a good thing.

Coffee & Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a fatal and incurable brain disease that affects 1 percent to 2 percent of people over 65.  Amazingly, at least six studies have found that regular coffee drinkers are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s.

Researchers have identified a gene called GRIN2A that appeared to protect people who drank coffee from developing Parkinson’s.  GRIN2A is linked to glutamate, a compound that is suspected of killing the brain cells that die off in Parkinson’s patients.  Glutamate can be affected by another compound called adenosine, and coffee interferes with this process.

However: Only about 25% of the population has the gene variant of GRIN2A that boosts the protective effect of coffee.

Take-home: Coffee may lower Parkinson’s risk, but only in a small subset of people. 

 

Coffee & Alzheimer’s

Speaking of neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.  There is no cure for the disease, which gets progressively worse over time, and eventually leads to death.

What separates the research on Alzheimer’s from most of the other information covered in this article is that it derived from directly controlled trials versus simple observation.

Here, research indicates that people who drink about three cups of coffee a day show a marked reduction in cognitive impairment compared to non-drinkers.  Once you got up to four or more cups per day, though, the associated protection disappears.

This protection was not seen with tea or decaf coffee, so the benefit seems to be from the combination of the caffeine and some of coffee’s bioactive compounds.

In fact, new research from the University of South Florida found that this combination boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor called GCSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) that seems to prevent the formation of Alzheimer’s disease. People with Alzheimer’s disease have less  GCSF than the rest of the population. Increasing GCSF in mice improves their memory.

In the U of South Florida study, the researchers compared the effects of regular and decaf coffee to those of caffeine alone.  In both Alzheimer’s mice and normal mice, treatment with regular coffee dramatically increased blood levels of GCSF; neither caffeine alone nor decaf coffee provided this effect.

GCSF seems to improve memory performance in the Alzheimer’s mice in three ways:

• It recruits stem cells from bone marrow to enter the brain and remove the harmful beta-amyloid protein that initiates the disease.
• It creates new connections between brain cells.
• It increases the birth of new neurons in the brain.

As the lead researcher, neuroscientist Dr. Chuanhai Cao, remarked: “Coffee is inexpensive, readily available, easily gets into the brain, appears to directly attack the disease process, and has few side-effects for most of us”.

According to the researchers, no other Alzheimer’s therapy being developed comes close to meeting all these criteria.

Take-home: Coffee seems to contain compounds that may reduce Alzheimer’s risk; and may also be part of a treatment protocol in the future.

 

Coffee, antioxidants & cancer

While dark chocolate and green tea gather a lot of acclaim for their antioxidant content, coffee actually outshines them both in this department.

In fact, the antioxidants in coffee may make up as much as 50-70% of the total antioxidant intake of the average American! (Which is not necessarily a good thing, because it means that there are a lot of vegetables not getting eaten…)

Despite some general worries about the health effects of coffee, coffee consumption is associated with an overall decreased risk of cancer.  In particular coffee consumption has been shown to be associated with a lower risk for oral, esophageal, pharyngeal, breast (in post-menopausal women), liver, colon, and aggressive prostate cancer.

When it comes to the prostate, researchers recently found that men who drank the most coffee (6 or more cups per day) were nearly 60% less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer than non-coffee drinkers.  Other research has shown that people who regularly consume two or more cups per day may have a 25% decreased risk of colon cancer.

Again, the research is mixed in part because of the variation in response to coffee.

Take-home: Coffee may lower your cancer risk, but don’t count on it as your only health strategy. And eat some vegetables already.

 

Coffee & cardiovascular health

Drinking unfiltered types of coffee can increase your levels of LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol. But overall the data seems to indicate that coffee consumption may moderately reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular complications.

Take-home: Research is mixed on cardiovascular disease and coffee.

 

Coffee & overall mortality

A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that drinking two to three cups of coffee per day was associated with a 10% decreased risk of death for men at any age, and a 13% decreased risk of death for women at any age.

In general, coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart or respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, injuries, accidents or infections. (Which makes us wonder… what do they die of? Espresso steamer mishaps?)

Take-home: Coffee appears to generally lower overall premature mortality slightly.

 

Summary & recommendations

Coffee’s not for everyone. And it’s not a magic bullet. Still, it seems to have significant health benefits for those who can tolerate it. This includes:

• better athletic and mental performance
• possibly lower rates of some types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and Type 2 diabetes
• possibly some prevention of premature mortality and cardiovascular disease

Most of the research on coffee is epidemiological. This means studies look at associations rather than cause and effect. Simply because coffee is associated with particular risks and benefits doesn’t necessarily mean that coffee causes all of these risks or benefits.

Just as with all foods (and nutrients for that matter), dosage matters. While some studies have found large intakes (5-6 cups) to have significant benefits, other research suggests that drinking that much coffee is counter-productive.

In general, it appears that drinking some coffee is good, but more might not be better, especially if you are a slow metabolizer.  For those who are greatly affected by coffee and caffeine, avoid it altogether or cut down your consumption.

Want a quick and easy test of your coffee consumption? Ask yourself how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally a few hours after you drink some… as well as if you miss your daily dose.

Also, go black if possible. Pumping your coffee full of cream, sugar, and other exotic additives reduces any potential health benefits by adding unnecessary calories and artificial flavours and sweeteners. (And Frappucinos or chocolate covered coffee beans? C’mon.)

Taking all the data into consideration, it seems that your best bet is about 1-3 cups of coffee (8-24 oz) per day. This will maximize the benefits while minimizing the risk.

And keep this in mind…while there is positive data on coffee, these benefits don’t necessarily include things like energy drinks and caffeine pills.  There are many antioxidants and bioactive compounds in coffee that are interacting with its caffeine content to provide the benefits.  So, unfortunately, Red Bull doesn’t count.

References

John K. Francis. Coffea arabica L. RUBIACEAE. Factsheet of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

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