Alcohol Part Two: Antioxidants

First, lets review what an "antioxidant" actually is.

"Anti” means “against, or opposed to” and “oxidant” refers to the process of oxidation (when a molecular process in the body causes an increase in oxygen). So an antioxidant is a molecule that slows or stops an increase in oxygen. Now normally we think of oxygen as a great thing - we need it to live! But increasing oxygen in certain chemical reactions can cause free-radicals (molecules with unpaired electrons) due to the transfer of electrons that happens. A free-radical can be highly reactive due to that unpaired electron, which can cause damage to our cells and leave them susceptible to disease.

Antioxidants go in and fill in that missing electron, making the free-radical whole again. So you can imagine with pollution in the air, chemicals and pesticides in the water we drink and food we eat, sun damage to our skin, there is a lot of cell damage that happens to our bodies that leave plenty of free-radicals running around. So, in a nutshell, antioxidants are very important to our daily lives, which is why you're hearing the word so often.

There are many different types of antioxidants. They are split into 2 groups - those that are soluble in water and those that are soluble in lipids (fats). This matters in the body because we have both liquids (blood, etc) and lipids (cell membranes, etc) which are in need of antioxidant activity.

The Antioxidant in Red Wine

The antioxidant that is found in Red Wine, the alcohol most commonly associated with antioxidants is called "Resveratrol" which is considered a polyphenol antioxidant (the term refers to the chemical structure) and Phytonutrient (chemical compounds that naturally occur in plants). Studies of resveratrol in mice/rats have shown anti-inflammatory effects, blood sugar lowering effects, and may combat obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, most of these studies have not been repeated in humans yet.

Resveratrol is found in the skin of grapes used to make wine. The reason red wine is said to be higher in resveratrol than white wine is because red wine is fermented with the skins longer than white wine. But guess what? You can just eat grapes and skip the whole fermenting thing and still get the resveratrol - hellloooooo.....

Peanuts, blueberries and cranberries also have resveratrol. Below are a few charts for comparison.

Content in wines and grape juice
Beverage Total resveratrol (mg/150mL)

Red Wines 0.30 - 1.07

Red grape juice 0.17 - 1.30
Rose Wines 0.06 - 0.53
Pinot Noir 0.06 - 0.30
White Wines 0.01 - 0.27

Content in selected foods
Food Serving Total resveratrol (mg)

Peanuts (raw) 1 c 0.01 - 0.26
Peanuts (boiled) 1 c 0.32 - 1.28
Peanut butter 1 c 0.04 - 0.13
Red grapes 1 c 0.24 - 1.25

Besides the antioxidants in wine, the alcohol itself does have effects on the body that can "help" certain things but mostly just temporarily. Alcohol thins the blood and also causes blood sugar levels to drop (more on that in Part Three). Which could look really good to someone who has thickening arterial walls due to plaque buildup or someone with pre-diabetes who runs high blood sugar levels. But those effects happen just while alcohol is in the body, and the negative effects outweigh the positive ones.

The moral of the story is this: if you currently drink alcohol, please do so in moderation or less. "Moderation" is defined as 1 drink per day for females and 2 drinks per day for males. A "drink" is 5oz of wine, 12oz of beer or 1.5oz (shot) of liquor. Now I honestly think that's pushing it towards too much...but those are the defined guidelines. Remember from the last blog post on alcohol that one drink per night can result in 10 lbs of weight gain per year...so "moderation" may not be what you need! In fact, when trying to lose weight, you should not drink alcohol AT ALL. And for those of you that don't drink but were considering picking it up due to the antioxidant value, don't. You can get antioxidants from plenty of other foods, without the toxins from the alcohol.

Next: Alcohol Part Three: "The Freshman Fifteen"

Blessings,

Ashley

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Alli and Liver Damage New Reports

The FDA issued a news release this morning regarding safety investigations into Alli (Orlistat) the "only FDA approved weight loss pill" due to reports of liver damage.

The FDA's News Release is copied below.

Just goes to show that we need to be using our common sense when it comes to weight loss - I know nutrition and exercise isn't what consumers want to hear, but when you try to take the easy route with a quick-fix diet or pill, you are taking some major risks.

See my previous blogpost on weight loss pills/aids for more information on this topic.
http://crave-health.blogspot.com/2009/05/lose-weight-burn-fat-and-build-muscle.html

FDA NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Aug. 24, 2009

Media Inquiries: Siobhan DeLancey, 301-796-4668, siobhan.delancey@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Issues Early Communication about Ongoing Safety Review of Weight Loss Drug Orlistat
Review includes both prescription drug Xenical and OTC drug Alli
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it is reviewing adverse event reports of liver injury in patients taking the weight loss drug orlistat, marketed as the prescription drug Xenical and the over-the-counter medication Alli.

Between 1999 and 2008, the FDA received 32 reports of serious liver injury in patients taking orlistat. Of those cases, 27 reported hospitalization and six resulted in liver failure. Thirty of the adverse events occurred outside the United States. The most commonly reported adverse events included yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), weakness, and stomach pain.

The FDA is reviewing additional data submitted by orlistat manufacturers on suspected cases of liver injury, and the issue has been discussed at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Drug Safety Oversight Board.

“The issues here are complex, but FDA has benefited from the input of the Board, including comments from representatives from three FDA Centers and several other Agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services,” said Steven Osborne, M.D., executive director of the Board.

The FDA’s analysis of these data is ongoing, and no definite association between liver injury and orlistat has been established at this time. Consumers taking Xenical should continue to take it as prescribed, and those using over-the-counter Alli should continue to use the product as directed.

Full text of the Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review can be found here. The Early Communication is a risk communication tool used by the FDA to inform the public about its ongoing safety reviews of drugs. The FDA will release its findings on orlistat as soon as the review is completed.

Consumers who have used orlistat should consult a health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with development of liver injury, particularly weakness or fatigue, fever, jaundice, or brown urine. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, itching, or loss of appetite.

The FDA urges both health care professionals and consumers to report suspected side effects from the use of orlistat to FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, or by regular mail, fax, or phone.
-- Online
--Regular Mail: use postage-paid FDA form 3500 and mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787
--Fax: 800-FDA-0178
--Phone: 800-FDA-1088
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm180057.htm

Be Careful and PAY ATTENTION!!!

Blessings,

Ashley

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"America Dies on Dunkin'"

An MD in Florida was forced to resign after promoting the slogan "America Dies on Dunkin'" along with several other catchy and scandalous one-liners.

Personally, I commend this doc for not being afraid to "go there" with the public! Its interesting that the people against his slogan were those that owned doughnut shops...

Blessings,

Ashley

See the article here or below:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32405418/ns/health-more_health_news



Doctor ousted over anti-doughnut rant
Lawsuit threatened after he posted ‘America Dies on Dunkin’ ’ sign

The Associated Press
updated 11:42 a.m. PT, Thurs., Aug 13, 2009

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Dr. Jason Newsom railed against burgers, french fries, fried chicken and sweet tea in his campaign to promote better eating in a part of the country known as the Redneck Riviera. He might still be leading the charge if he had only left the doughnuts alone.

A 38-year-old former Army doctor who served in Iraq, Newsom returned home to Panama City a few years ago to run the Bay County Health Department and launched a one-man war on obesity by posting sardonic warnings on an electronic sign outside:

"Sweet Tea Liquid Sugar."

"Hamburger Spare Tire."

"French Fries Thunder Thighs."

He also called out KFC by name to make people think twice about fried chicken.

Then he parodied "America Runs on Dunkin'," the doughnut chain's slogan, with: "America Dies on Dunkin'."

Some power players in the Gulf Coast tourist town decided they had had their fill.

A county commissioner who owns a doughnut shop and two lawyers who own a new Dunkin' Donuts on Panama City Beach turned against him, along with some of his own employees, Newsom says. After the lawyers threatened to sue, his bosses at the Florida Health Department made him remove the anti-fried dough rants and eventually forced him to resign, he says.

"I picked on doughnuts because those things are ubiquitous in this county. Everywhere I went, there were two dozen doughnuts on the back table. At church, there were always doughnuts on the back table at Sunday school. It is social expectation thing," says Newsom, a lean 6-foot, 167-pounder in a county where 39 percent of all adults were overweight in 2007 and one in four was considered obese.

Doughnuts barred from meetings
Newsom was hired by the state Health Department to direct the county agency. His $140,000-a-year salary is paid jointly by the state and the county. His job primarily involves educating the public about health issues — swine flu, AIDS and the like — but he also decided to address the dangers of glazed, sprinkled and jelly-filled treats.

He angered staff members by barring doughnuts from department meetings and announcing he would throw the fat-laden sweets away if he saw them in the break room. He also banned candy bars in the vending machines, putting in peanuts instead.

In May, lawyers Bo Rivard and Michael Duncan, co-owners of a new Dunkin' Donuts, asked Newsom to take down the "America Dies on Dunkin'" message. Newsom already had run other anti-doughnut warnings, including "Doughnuts Diabetes," and "Dunkin' Donuts Death."

The businessmen had the backing of County Commissioner Mike Thomas, who owns a diner and a doughnut shop. Thomas called for Newsom's ouster, saying the doctor shouldn't have named businesses on the message board.

"I think he was somewhat of a zealot," Thomas says. "I don't have a problem with him pushing an agenda, it's the way he did it. People borrowed money to go into business and they are being attacked by the government."

Doctor wants job back
A short time after Newsom's meeting with Rivard and Duncan, Newsom says, his bosses at the state Health Department told him that his leadership wasn't wanted and that he could be fired or resign. He chose to resign May 8 but has reapplied for the job.

"I have never been known for my subtlety. I don't have a knack for it. I speak the truth to people and just assume that that my data and purpose are so real and true that everyone will see the value of what I'm doing," says Newsom, who now works at a prison, doing exams of inmates.

Rivard and Duncan did not return numerous calls to their offices.

"Dunkin' Donuts is pleased that the signs have been removed," Andrew Mastrangelo, a spokesman for Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts said in an e-mail.

The Florida Health Department has refused to talk about Newsom since he is considered a job applicant. "We will be happy to talk to you after the position has been filled," department spokeswoman Susan Smith said in an e-mail.

Newsom is hoping to get his job back so that he can resume his campaign against overeating.

"My method was a little provocative and controversial," he says, "but there wasn't a person in Bay County who wasn't talking about health and healthy eating."


Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32405418/ns/health-more_health_news/

MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2009 MSNBC.com

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Alcohol: Part One - Nutrition Basics

Alcohol: Part One - Nutritional Basics
This will be a 3-part blog series to be sure to look for part 2 and 3 as well!

Alcohol is potentially one of the greatest barriers to weight loss and overall health. It is a topic that no one likes to talk about because most of the time we don't want to face the music. Alcohol is involved in a lot of social settings and can give people a sense of "courage" they don't normally have to be funny or outgoing. Sometimes we associate alcohol with stress relief, thinking that a drink takes all of our problems away when in reality its just distracting you from them momentarily.

We are going to focus on the nutrition in alcohol and its effects on our metabolism and overall health. After working in an addiction treatment center I know that alcoholism as a disease is a very serious and worthwhile topic, but we'll leave that more specific topic to the CDP's (chemical dependency counselors) in their blogs.

Shocker #1: ALCOHOL HAS CALORIES.

Yes, yes it does. Its surprising to me how many people really don't know this. At a University that Ill withhold the name of, I held a booth in the cafeteria with fake drinks sitting next to their caloric equivalent in food. You would not believe how many students came up and were absolutely shocked - mostly to learn that hard alcohol has calories. For some reason we think that since Vodka looks like water it has the same nutrition...haha, umm no.

In fact, you might have heard that alcohol is "empty calories". A lot of magazine articles on health and nutrition use this terminology. What they mean by empty calories is that the food or drink item has calories (energy) in it, without any other nutritional benefit such as protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. which means you're not getting any additional benefit for your body, hence, "empty".

Lets look at your typical drinks. Each of these has about 100-150 calories:

The most shocking one is usually the hard alcohol - it has a lot calories by itself in a shot glass (which goes down in about 5 seconds). If you throw a shot into a drink like most people do....gin & tonic, rum & coke...then you need to include the calories from the mixer! And what if you have a drink-drink like a Cosmopolitan, Tequila Sunrise, Mai Tai...well those have multiple mixers and multiple alcohols which just adds more calories to the mix.

Lets take a look at some comparisons...

12oz Beers
Budweiser - 145 kcals
Bud Light - 110 kcals
Bud Select - 100 kcals
Stella Artois - 155 kcals
Corona Light - 105 kcals

4oz Wines (1/2 a large wine glass)
Reds - 80 kcals
Whites - 75 kcals
Champagne - 85 kcals

1.5oz (1 shot) Pure Hard Liquors
80 Proof - 100 kcals
86 Proof - 105 kcals
100 Proof - 120 kcals

1.5oz "Fun" Shots
Alabama Slammer - 110 kcals
Jager Bomb - 205 kcals
Kamikaze - 75 kcals
Peppermint Patty - 200 kcals

Cocktails
Bacardi & Coke - 160 kcals
Bloody Mary - 125 kcals
Cosmopolitan - 215 kcals
Gin Martini - 140 kcals
Long Island Iced Tea - 270 kcals
Mai Tai - 290 kcals
Margarita - 160 kcals
Sex on the Beach - 235 kcals
Vodka Soda - 100 kcals
Vodka Tonic (Gin&Tonic) - 165 kcals

Other
Hard Cider (12oz) - 170 kcals
Mikes Hard Lemonade (12oz) - 240 kcals
Sparks (16oz) - 340 kcals
Bacardi Silver (12oz) - 240 kcals
Wine Coolers (12oz) - 200 kcals

100 extra calories per day (like a glass of wine per night) can lead to 10 lbs of weight gain per year. Ouch.

So, you can decide for yourself what you'd like to do with this information. If you are someone who drinks fluids fast, then consider switching your drink to something that has more volume for the calories it provides. Or you could just cut down your drinking! Order a water in between drinks or a soda water with lime in between - that helps you pace yourself as well as cut down the calories.

Shocker #2: Alcohol can and eventually will over time cause excess fatty acid build up in the liver and triglyceride storage.
This is more likely in those with overweight/obesity or metabolic syndrome. This is referred to as "Fatty Liver". Extra deposits of fat in the liver over time can cause enlargement of the liver and eventually lead to liver fibrosis (scar tissue) and cirrhosis (starting to lose liver function). The liver is the primary organ of fat metabolism, and also the organ that deals with toxins in the body. Unfortunately, the liver can only do one thing at a time - and toxins will always take priority. That priority is what causes the liver to stop metabolizing fats, therefore causing a buildup of excess fats over time.

Today we've learned that alcohol has calories and if abused can cause increased storage of fat in the liver.

Next:
Alcohol: Part Two - Antioxidants
Alcohol: Part Three - The Freshman Fifteen

Blessings,
Ashley

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