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Water

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Water

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Study Assesses Effects of Dehydration on Cricket-Specific Skills

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Study Assesses Effects of Dehydration on Cricket-Specific Skills

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Water

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Chi-En Lin won Metrohm's Young Chemist of the Year award for his research into optimal biomarker frequencies, not just the novelty of the research but how it can be applied. Determining optimal biomarker frequencies for multimarker biosensors has wide ranging uses from rapid cancer screening methodologies, dry diagnostics, providing personalized medicine and helping to detect comorbidities before they become a problem.

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Study assesses effects of dehydration on cricket-specific skills

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Chi-En Lin won Metrohm's Young Chemist of the Year award for his research into optimal biomarker frequencies, not just the novelty of the research but how it can be applied. Determining optimal biomarker frequencies for multimarker biosensors has wide ranging uses from rapid cancer screening methodologies, dry diagnostics, providing personalized medicine and helping to detect comorbidities before they become a problem.

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Water

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Water

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Water

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New Study Shows The Dangers of Drinking Soda

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New Study Shows The Dangers of Drinking Soda

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The best way to rehydrate is with water but because sodas are readily available, its seems to be our go to. A study done with rats has shown that soda worsens damage to kidneys compared to damage done with no fluids while dehydrated. SOda is also known not to properly quench thirst which leads to more consumption of the sugary beverage.

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New Study Shows The Dangers of Drinking Soda

Repeated dehydration from a hot climate has been related to greater risks of long-term kidney injury in mice. New research in rats reports that ingesting soda has worsened dehydration and kidney harm.

Repeated heat-associated dehydration has been associated with elevated hazards of chronic kidney damage in mice. The results of this study were released in the American Journal of Physiology Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. The results say that ingesting soft drinks to rehydrate can lead to worsened dehydration and kidney harm.

Soda and Dehydration

For 4 weeks, study rats were exposed to mild dehydration with heat after which they were made to drink water, water containing fructose and glucose content of a usual sift drink, or water with stevia. Fructose and glucose, two sugars that naturally occur in food, are introduced to soft drinks for sweetness. Stevia is a sugar alternative derived from a plant and has no caloric content.

Rats that drank the fructose-glucose water after repeated dehydration from heat were more dehydrated and had worse kidney injury than rats that drank simple water or water with stevia. According to the authors, Our studies raise serious concerns for the common practice, especially among adolescents and young adults, to drink soft drinks as a means to quench thirst following an episode of dehydration

Participants of the study staff are inventors on patent purposes for drugs to preclude kidney damage by way of blocking off fructose metabolism and have funding from Amway and Danone.

The article "Rehydration with soft drink-like beverages exacerbates dehydration and worsens dehydration-related renal injury" is released within the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

If you want to know about the latest news in medicine and to know more about maintaining good health and preventing diseases, feel free to read our other articles on this site.

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Drinking Soda Can Worsen Dehydration - Doctor Tipster

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Repeated dehydration from a hot climate has been related to greater risks of long-term kidney injury in mice. New research in rats reports that ingesting soda has worsened dehydration and kidney harm. Repeated heat-associated dehydration has been associated with elevated hazards of chronic kidney damage in mice.

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Minerals (Zinc)

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Minerals (Calcium)

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Soluble Corn Fiber Can Help Young Women Build Bone, and Older Women Preserve Bone

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Soluble Corn Fiber Can Help Young Women Build Bone, and Older Women Preserve Bone

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The soluble corn fiber, which retain the mineral calcium, is proving to help women build healthier bones. The prebiotic is working with calcium to improve bone structure and make women less susceptible to bone fractures. Women who have been using soluble con fiber have seen an fourteen percent increase in calcium in the bones.

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Supplementing with soluble corn fiber at two critical times in a woman's life - adolescence and post-menopause - can help build and retain calcium in bone, according to new research from Purdue University.

"We are looking deeper in the gut to build healthy bone in girls and help older women retain strong bones during an age when they are susceptible to fractures," said Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of nutrition science. "Soluble corn fiber, a prebiotic, helps the body better utilize calcium during both adolescence and post-menopause. The gut microbiome is the new frontier in health."

The post-menopause findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and the adolescent findings are published in Journal of Nutrition. The studies are funded by Tate & Lyle Ingredients America LLC. Weaver serves on the scientific advisory board for Pharmative LLC.

A prebiotic fiber passes through the gut for the microbes in the lower gut to digest. Here is where Weaver found that soluble corn fiber is broken down into short chain fatty acids to aid in bone health.

In the post-menopausal study, calcium retention was measured in 14 women by using an isotope to measure the excretion of ⁴¹ Ca to measure bone loss. The women consumed 0 grams, 10 grams or 20 grams of this nondigestible carbohydrate each day for 50 days. Bone calcium retention was improved by 4.8 percent and 7 percent for those who consumed 10 grams and 20 grams, respectively. These amounts of soluble corn fiber would be found in supplement form.

"If projected out for a year, this would equal and counter the average rate of bone loss in a post-menopausal woman," said Weaver, an expert in mineral bioavailability, calcium metabolism, botanicals and bone health.

The calcium 41 technology, an isotope measure to trace calcium deposits through accelerator mass spectrometry in the Purdue Rare Isotope Measurement Laboratory ( PRIME Lab), can measure atomic quantities. In the adolescent study, ⁴⁴Ca and ⁴³ Ca were used.

Thirty-one girls either consumed 0 grams, 10 grams or 20 grams of soluble corn fiber carbohydrate each day for three weeks while maintaining their regular diets. Both 10 grams and 20 grams led to improved calcium absorption by 12 percent for female adolescents, which would build 1.8 percent more skeleton a year.

In both studies, gastrointestinal symptoms were minimal and the same for the control groups, as well as in those who consumed soluble corn fiber.

"Most studies looking at benefits from soluble corn fiber are trying to solve digestion problems, and we are the first to determine that this relationship of feeding certain kind of fiber can alter the gut microbiome in ways that can enhance health," Weaver said. "We found this prebiotic can help healthy people use minerals better to support bone health."

Calcium is considered a shortfall nutrient, and few people meet the recommended intake of 1,300 milligrams of calcium for healthy bone mass.

"The finding doesn't mean we should diminish our recommendation to drink milk and follow a well-balanced diet. This is a strategy to better utilize your minerals for those not consuming the whole recommendation of dairy," Weaver said. "Calcium alone suppresses bone loss, but it doesn't enhance bone formation. These fibers enhance bone formation, so they are doing something more than enhancing calcium absorption."

Weaver's team is looking into the mechanisms of how soluble corn fiber boosts calcium absorption and retention, as well as if the prebiotic fiber benefits the body in other ways.

Weaver is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and deputy director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute. She also is director of Purdue's Women's Global Health Institute.

In 2011 she was appointed to the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board, and in 2005 she was appointed to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. She also served on the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board Panel to develop new requirement recommendations for calcium and related minerals. Her lab's previous work identified these optimal calcium levels for healthy bone growth during puberty to prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Connie Weaver, weavercm@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists : Journalists interested in the articles from the Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition can contact Amy Patterson Neubert, Purdue News Service, at 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
ABSTRACT American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Soluble corn fiber increases bone calcium retention in postmenopausal women in a dose-dependent manner: a randomized crossover trial Steven A. Jakeman, Courtney N. Henry, Berdine R. Martin, George P. McCabe, Linda D. McCabe, George S. Jackson, Munro Peacock, Connie M. Weaver
Background: Dietary soluble corn fiber (SCF) significantly improves calcium absorption in adolescents and bone strength and architecture in rodent models. Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine skeletal benefits of SCF to postmenopausal women. Design: We used our novel technology of determining bone calcium retention by following urinary appearance of ⁴¹Ca, a rare long lived radioisotope, from pre-labeled bone to rapidly and sensitively evaluate the effectiveness of SCF to reduce bone loss. A randomized-order, crossover, double-blinded trial was performed in 14 healthy postmenopausal women to compare 0 g/d, 10 g/d, and 20 g/d fiber from SCF for 50 days. Results: A dose-response effect was demonstrated with 10 g/d and 20 g/d fiber from SCF, improving bone calcium retention by 4.8% (P < 0.05) and 7% (P < 0.04) respectively. Bone turnover biomarkers N-terminal telopeptide and osteocalcin were not changed by the interventions; however, a significant increase in bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, a bone-formation marker, was detected 0 g/d and 20 g/d fiber from SCF (8%, P = 0.035). Conclusions. Daily SCF consumption significantly increased bone calcium retention in postmenopausal women, improving bone calcium balance by an estimated 50 mg/d.
ABSTRACT doi: 10.3945/jn. 115.227256 Soluble Corn Fiber Increases Calcium Absorption Associated with Shifts in the Gut Microbiome: A Randomized Dose-Response Trial in Free-Living Pubertal Females Corrie M. Whisner, Berdine R. Martin, Cindy H. Nakatsu, Jon A. Story, Claire J. MacDonald-Clarke, Linda D. McCabe, George P. McCabe, and Connie M. Weaver
Background: Soluble corn fiber (SCF; 12 g fiber/d) is shown to increase calcium absorption efficiency, associated with shifts in the gut micriobiota in adolescent males and females who participated in a controlled feeding study.

Objective: We evaluated the dose response of 0, 10, and 20 g fiber/d delivered by PROMITOR SCF 85 (85% fiber) on calcium absorption, biochemical bone properties, and the fecal microbiome in free-living adolescents.

Methods: Healthy adolescent females (n = 28; aged 11-14 y) randomly assigned into a 3-phase, double blind, crossover study consumed SCF for 4 wk at each dose (0, 10 and 20 g fiber/d from SCF) alongside their habitual diet and were followed by 3-d clinical visits and 3-wk washout periods. Stable isotope ( ⁴⁴Ca and ⁴³Ca) enrichment in pooled urine was measured by inductively couple plasma mass spectrometry. Fecal microbial community composition was assessed by high-throughput sequencing (Illumina) of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rRNA genes. Mixed model ANOVA and Friedman analysis were used to determine effects of SCF on calcium absorption and to compare mean microbial proportions, respectively.

Results: Calcium absorption increased significantly with 10 (13.3% ± 5.3%; P = 0.042) and 20 g fiber/d (12.9% ± 3.6%; P = 0.026) from SCF relative to control. Significant differences in fecal microbial community diversity were found after consuming SCF (operational taxonomic unit measures of 601.4 ± 83.5, 634.5 ± 83.8, and 649.6 ± 75.5 for 0, 10 and 20 g fiber/d, respectively; P < 0.05). Proportions of the genus Parabacteroides significantly increased with SCF dose (1.1% ± 0.8%, 2.1% ± 1.6%, and 3.0% ± 2.0% for 0, 10, and 20 g fiber/d from SCF, respectively; P < 0.05). Increases in calcium absorption positively correlated with increases in Clostridium ( r = 0.44, P = 0.023) and unclassified Clostridiaceae ( r = 0.40, P = 0.040).

Conclusions: SCF, a nondigestible carbohydrate, increased calcium absorption in free-living adolescent females. Two groups of bacteria may be involved, one directly fermenting SCF and the second fermenting SCF metabolites further, thereby promoting increased calcium absorption.

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Soluble corn fiber can help young women build bone, and older women preserve bone

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Supplementing with soluble corn fiber at two critical times in a woman's life - adolescence and post-menopause - can help build and retain calcium in bone, according to new research from Purdue University.

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Minerals (Potassium)

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Minerals (Magnesium)

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Minerals (Iron)

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As children, we were all reminded to drink milk to grow strong bones or to eat bananas to prevent cramping up on the soccer field. What our parents did not tell us, however, was that a variety of important minerals are crucial to our wellbeing.

Minerals are elements created in the earth that humans and animals cannot produce within their bodies. Despite our inability to synthesize these substances, they are critical to our everyday bodily function. We should get most of the minerals we need from plant and animal food sources, but sometimes we just can't consume enough from our food. If one's body does not have enough of certain minerals for prolonged amounts of time, he or she can develop a deficiency that can cause health problems. Luckily, many minerals can be taken as supplements and promote health in several different ways. Here are five important minerals that shoppers may be deficient in and the potential effects on their health.

Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. It is best known for its crucial role in the development of bones and teeth, where 99% of the body's calcium is found, but it also ensures that the heart, nerves, muscles and other systems work correctly. Calcium is so important to life, in fact, that the body will demineralize and reabsorb calcium from the skeleton to combat a calcium deficiency. Continuously low levels of calcium can prevent optimal bone mass in youth and can accelerate bone loss and osteoporosis with age (1, 2).

Maintaining healthy calcium levels not only provides general health benefits, but it also has shown promise in preventing and alleviating the symptoms of certain conditions. By consuming the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 1,000-1,200 mg per day, individuals have a lesser chance of developing osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones weaken. Those suffering from osteoporosis have an increased chance of hip fracture, one of the most serious consequences of the bone disease. Almost one-third of individuals who sustain hip fractures are in nursing homes within the year, and one in four die within that time. Hypertension is another condition that scientists have studied extensively in connection to calcium. Research has found that systolic blood pressure decreased by 0.34 mmHg and diastolic by 0.15 mmHg for each 100 mg/day increase in calcium intake.

Healthy levels of calcium are also associated with lower rates of rickets, kidney stones, premenstrual syndrome symptoms and also shows promise against colorectal cancer (1, 2).
Calcium absorption can be hindered by age, metabolic conditions, and medications, as well as the heavy consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.

It is important for shoppers to understand that several nutrients are required for proper calcium absorption and usage in the body. Protein, vitamin D, vitamin K2 and magnesium all play important roles on this front. Moreover, high-sodium and phosphorus-rich foods increase the loss of calcium in the urine (2).

Iron
With 80% of the world's population not getting enough iron, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world (3-4). Iron is critical to the metabolism; 92% of the body's iron is found in hemoglobin, red blood cells that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to all other organs. It is also involved in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's energy source, as well as a component of hundreds of proteins and enzymes, many of which protect cells against potentially dangerous reactive oxygen species (3-4).

Low iron levels can lead to anemia, the most common symptoms of which are weakness and fatigue due to cells' lack of oxygen. Deficiency also leads to increased lactic acid production, which contributes to decreased exercise capacity and athletic performance. Iron is also crucial to healthy immune function with responsibilities ranging from spreading T cells and creating reactive oxygen species to fight pathogens. In children, iron deficiency is linked to impaired cognitive development, low school performance, and behavioral issues, as well as lower attention, arousal, and even attention deficient-hyperactivity disorder (3-4).

Those at the highest risk of an iron deficiency are children six months to four years old, adolescents, pregnant women, vegetarians, those who exercise intensely, individuals who suffer from certain diseases or conditions, and anyone who chronically loses blood. The RDA for iron is 8 mg per day for all adults over 51 and men 19-50. However women in their child-bearing years should consume 18 mg per day. Because excess iron cannot be excreted by the body as other substances are, iron supplements should not be taken unless diagnosed as deficient (3-4).

When advising shoppers about which iron form to pick, look for those that are easy to absorb and will not cause digestive discomfort. Ferrous salts (sulfate, fumarate, gluconate, lactate, glycine, succinate, citrate and sulfate) are said to be more bioavailable than ferric salts (ferric ammonium citrate). Carbonyl iron, iron amino acid chelates and polysaccharide-iron forms may have fewer GI side effects. In addition, several liquid forms are on the market that are said to offer better absorption.

Magnesium
Magnesium is critical to the formation of hundreds of enzymes and is involved in several different bodily processes, including ATP formation, DNA and RNA synthesis, ion transport and cell signaling. Magnesium is also involved in building the structures of bone, cell membrane and chromosomes and helps regulate the levels of calcium, copper, potassium and other nutrients in the body. This mineral, 60% of which is found in the skeleton and another 27% in muscle, is involved in over 300 metabolic reactions (5-6).

Magnesium deficiency has been linked to certain medical conditions, but supplementation has shown promise in alleviating the symptoms of many of these conditions. Low magnesium levels have been shown to increase the risk of developing asthma, but when inhaled through a nebulizer, it can enhance the effects of asthma medicine. Some research has also found that magnesium can alleviate symptoms of hypertension. In a cohort of 28,349 women followed for 9.3 years, the risk of developing hypertension was 7% lower for those taking the highest amount of magnesium (434 mg) versus the lowest (256 mg) per day. Research studying the relationship between magnesium and type-2 diabetes also showed positive results, suggesting that raising one's magnesium intake by 100 mg a day can result in up to a 15% decrease in diabetes risk. This mineral is also key to supporting proper bone mineral density. In one large study conducted in Norway, one's level of magnesium intake was inversely correlated with hip fracture risk (5-6).

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency can include agitation and anxiety, sleep disorders, irritability, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rhythm, low blood pressure, muscle spasm and weakness and seizures (5-6).

Potassium
Potassium is the positively charged ion inside of cells, and all bodily functions depend on a specific balance of potassium concentration inside and outside of the cells. Sodium and magnesium are critical to keep proper levels of potassium in cells. Potassium levels are about 30 times more inside cells than outside them, while sodium levels are 10 times lower inside cells than outside them. The concentration differences between the two minerals create an electrochemical gradient called the membrane potential that is maintain by ion pumps. Because this balance is so crucial in nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, heart function and the function of all cells and systems of the body, 20-40% of an adult's resting energy expenditure goes to maintaining it (7-8).

Potassium supports bone health, but the greatest promise comes from studies about potassium's effect on high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. In a study of over 43,000 men followed for eight years, those in the top fifth for potassium intake, consuming an average of 4,300 mg of potassium a day, were 62% less likely to have a stroke than those in the lowest fifth, taking an average of 2,400 mg per day (7-8).

The most common causes of hypokalemia are excessive loss of potassium, resulting from prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, kidney disease, metabolic absorption issues, anorexia, and congestive heart failure. Symptoms of a potassium deficiency are weakness, lack of energy, muscle cramps, intestinal paralysis and bloating, constipation, and abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, and abnormal EKG. The RDA for adults over 19 is 4,700 mg a day, but as people get older, they run a higher risk of having too much potassium, as their kidneys become less efficient at eliminating excess (7-8).

Selenium
Although only found in the body in small amounts, selenium is an essential part of many amino acids and biological functions. Selenium acts primarily as an antioxidant, fighting damaging free radicals, but research continues to discover the metabolic capabilities of selenoproteins (selenium-dependent enzymes) (9-10).

Low levels of selenium have been linked to heart disease and worsening atherosclerosis which can lead to heart attack and a stroke. Selenium deficiency is also linked with a higher risk of cancer-related deaths and research has supported that selenium may lower the risk of prostate cancer specifically (though the supplement cannot be said to cure, treat or prevent disease). A meta-analysis of over 144,000 people found that increased selenium intake was associated with a 31% lower risk of developing cancer and a 40% lower chance of cancer-related death. The effect of selenium on the immune system is currently being studied as well. Research has shown that selenium ensures optimal function of B-cell antibodies and produces t-cell immunities. Trials have suggested that Selenium can prevent viral load progression and increase immune cell count in HIV/AIDS patients who show low selenium levels (9-10). Again, the supplement cannot be used to treat or prevent any disease.

The RDA for selenium is 55 micrograms per day, but one may have a deficiency if they excessively smoke or drink alcohol, take birth control pills, or have a disease that impairs nutrient absorption such as Crohn's. Prolonged selenium deficiency is linked to the development of fatal forms of cardiomyopathy (9-10).

Be sure to let shoppers know that mineral supplementation is a good option that should be discussed with physicians to promote general health. WF

References
1. University of Maryland Medical Center Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, "Calcium," http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/calcium, accessed May 20, 2016.
2. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center, "Calcium," http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/calcium, accessed May 21, 2016.
3. University of Maryland Medical Center Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, "Iron," http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/iron, accessed May 20, 2016.
4. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center, "Iron," http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/iron, accessed May 21, 2016.
5. University of Maryland Medical Center Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, "Magnesium," http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/magnesium, accessed May 20, 2016.
6. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center, "Magnesium," http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium, accessed May 21, 2016.
7. University of Maryland Medical Center Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, "Potassium," http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/potassium, accessed May 20, 2016.
8. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center, "Potassium," http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/potassium, accessed May 21, 2016.
9. University of Maryland Medical Center Complementary and Alternative Medicine Guide, "Selenium," http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/selenium, accessed May 20, 2016.
10. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center, "Selenium," http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/selenium, accessed May 21, 2016.
Paige Lazar is a freelance writer based in Mendham, NJ. Published in WholeFoods Magazine September 2016

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Minerals for Health and Wellness | Whole Foods Magazine

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As children, we were all reminded to drink milk to grow strong bones or to eat bananas to prevent cramping up on the soccer field. What our parents did not tell us, however, was that a variety of important minerals are crucial to our wellbeing.

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Vitamins (Vitamin B)

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Vitamins (VItamin K)

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VItamins (Vitamin A)

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Vitamins (Vitamin D)

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How Vitamins Can Help Prevent Migraines in Your Patients

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How Vitamins Can Help Prevent Migraines in Your Patients

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Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center discovered that people who suffer from frequent migraines often had vitamin deficiencies. The vitamin theses patient were deficient in was vitamin D. For people with frequent migraines, the doctors from this study recommend taking a vitamin D supplement which will help produce energy in cell growth.

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Migraines are the most common headaches around the world.

More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from migraines. It's estimated that nearly 20 million people experience a migraine every day. But, the reason for that migraine could be in your diet. A new preliminarily study by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that a good amount of children, teens, and young adults who experienced migraines had vitamin D, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q10 deficiencies. Coenzyme Q10 is a natural antioxidant that is similar to a vitamin and can be found in every cell. It helps produce energy to maintain cell growth.

Suzanne Hagler, MD was the lead author on the study. She presented the finding at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society in June 2016. Hagler and her colleagues studied blood samples of 7,420 patients to check for nutrients and vitamins that have been linked to migraines in the past including, vitamin D, riboflavin, coenzyme Q10 and folate.

Coenzyme Q10

Of the nutrients and vitamins screened, the researchers found that many of the participants had low levels of coenzyme Q10, with 51 percent reporter below average levels. Thirty one percent of patients did not have enough vitamin D, and 16 percent of participants had a less than average of riboflavin in their systems. Looking deeper, Hagler and collogues found that women were more likely to have coenzyme Q10 deficiencies, while men were more likely to have vitamin D deficiencies. Many patients with chronic migraines had both coenzyme Q10 and riboflavin deficiencies. ¹

This study is very preliminary though, and it hasn't even been published in a peer-reviewed journal. But, it adds a little bit more research and answers to a number of other, smaller studies that looked at the same thing.

In 2012, a study in The Journal of Head and Face Pain examined a number of other studies and found both riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 supplements showed positive benefits in patients with metabolic encephalomyopathies, a generic term for a disease that alters brain function. The same treatment was used for migraines, and lead the researchers to believe that a migraine could be a mitochondrial disorder. ²

Vitamin D

Another study by the Journal of Research in Medical Studies in 2015 found that vitamin D supplements may be helpful in lowering the amount of headaches and migraines patients have. The researchers examined 65 patients with migraines between the ages of 10-61. The patients were given a high dosage of vitamin D for 10 weeks straight and then were asked to rate the severity, duration, frequency and more of headaches and migraines they experienced. With the positive results, the researchers concluded that more clinical trial need to be done with a larger sample size. ³

But, not all research on this topic has been positive. In 2014, BioMed Research International found that there was no evidence for a link between vitamin d deficiency and migraines. The researchers pooled together seven studies and found that a few of the studies with positive results were very small and were not placebo controlled. ⁴ The study concluded that there was not enough reliable scientific support to link vitamin D deficiency and migraines.

A 2015 study in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research reviewed 11 articles on vitamin deficiency and migraines. The researchers concluded that there was enough evidence to say that riboflavin supplements were helpful in preventing migraine symptoms in adults, but they also did not find enough evidence to support vitamin B2 in both adults and children. ⁵

In December 2015, a study in Annals of Neurology showed positive results in using vitamin D to prevent headaches and migraines. The researchers performed a random, double-blind placebo trial on 57 adults with migraines. Over the 12-week study, participants received both simvastatin and vitamin D3. The patients that had both the simvastatin and vitamin D3 had less days with migraines than the control group. ⁶

Even though many studies have shown positive results in terms of the connection between vitamin deficiency and migraines, more research needs to be done. The sample groups have been relatively small, and bigger studies with more participants need to be conducted to show the full extent of the connection.

But if your patients have tried a variety of treatments with no results, this may be a viable option with few risks.

Taking vitamin supplements could help reduce migraines. Coenzyme 10 can be found in meat, nuts, fish and also some vegetables and fruits. The body makes vitamin D when exposed to the sun. Other remedies to help get rid of migraines include finding a calming environment or event drinking a caffeinated beverage. The Mayo Clinic says that a small amount of caffeine can help get rid of early migraine pain and also enhance the effects of aspirin. ⁷ Also, eating healthy and avoiding foods that trigger migraines can help.

References
1 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Many with migraines have vitamin deficiencies, says study. Published June 10, 2016. Accessed July 2016.

2 Markley HG. CoEnzyme Q10 and riboflavin: the mitochondrial connection. Published October 2015. Accessed July 2016.

3 Mottaghi T. Askari G. Khorvash F. Maracy MR. Effect of Vitamin D supplementation on symptoms and C-reactive protein in migraine patients. Published May 2015. Accessed July 2016.

4 Lippi G. Cervellin G. Mattiuzzi C. No evidence for an association of Vitamin D deficiency and migraine: A systematic review of the literature. Published May 8, 2014. Accessed July 2016.

5 Namazi N. Heshmati J. Tarighat-Esfanjani A. Supplementation with Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) for Migraine Prophylaxis in Adults and Children: A review. Published 2015. Accessed July 2016.

6 Buettner C. Nir RR. Bertisch SM. Bernstein C. Schain A. Mittleman MA. Burstein R3. Simvastatin and vitamin D for migraine prevention: A randomized, controlled trial. Published December 2015. Accessed July 2016.

7 Mayo Clinic Staff. Migraines: Simple steps to head off the pain. Published July 8, 2015. Accessed July 2016.

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How vitamins can help prevent migraines in your patients

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More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from migraines. It's estimated that nearly 20 million people experience a migraine every day. But, the reason for that migraine could be in your diet. A new preliminarily study by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that a good amount of children, teens, and young adults who experienced migraines had vitamin D, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q10 deficiencies.

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Low Vitamin D During Pregnancy Linked with Learning Disabilities: Study

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Low Vitamin D During Pregnancy Linked with Learning Disabilities: Study

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Vitamins

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Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology ​, the research team found that 8.9% of children conceived between January and March had learning disabilities. This compared to 7.6% of children conceived between July and September.

The team from the Universities of Glasgow and Cambridge point toward the lack of sunlight in the UK during the first three months of the year as the most plausible explanation.

Sunlight is a primary source of vitamin D and during these months sunlight doesn't contain enough UVB radiation for the skin to make vitamin D.

Here vitamin D is primarily obtained from food sources including fortified foods and supplements. Pregnant and breastfeeding women in particular are advised to take a daily 10 μg vitamin D supplement.

Seasonal variations ​

Lead by Professor Jill Pell, director at the University of Glasgow's Institute of Health and Wellbeing, the team looked at 801,592 children attending Scottish schools between 2006 and 2011.

Children's birth months were recorded and correlated to the educational needs of the children.

The number of children that received extra assistance in school was at its highest among children conceived in the first quarter of January to March and lowest in the third quarter of July to September at 8.9% and 7.6%, respectively.

Seasonal variations also remained a significant factor to other neurological conditions such as autistic spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities and learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

However, the team found the month of birth had no bearing on sensory or motor/physical impairments and mental, physical or communication problems.

In total, seasonal variations accounted for 11.4% of all cases.

"If vitamin D levels do indeed explain the seasonal fluctuations observed in this study, we would hope that widespread compliance with the advice would lead to loss of this variation, and would have a downward effect on overall rates of special educational needs," ​ said Professor Gordon Smith, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Cambridge University and co-author of the study.

"These findings underline the importance of health professionals recommending vitamin D, and the importance of women complying with the treatment to optimise their chances of a healthy child." ​

Critical window​

The first three months of pregnancy are considered a crucial period in the brain growth of the foetus. Previous studies​​ have shown that a lack of vitamin D can impair this neurological development.

Other pieces of research have been more cautious in their findings, unable to determine the clinical significance of increasing vitamin D intake during pregnancy.

One review​​ found supplementing pregnant women with vitamin D may reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia, low birth weight and preterm birth. However, when vitamin D and calcium were combined, the risk of preterm birth was increased.

"Our findings are consistent with vitamin D playing a role," ​ said Pell.

"We found that the first 10 weeks of pregnancy may actually be too late to start supplementation. Women may actually need to start taking it as early as they can and ideally before they even conceive." ​

Vitamin D's mechanism of action during pregnancy is complex, with uterine cells and the placenta converting the vitamin into various forms.

Research​​ suggests vitamin D aids implantation and maintains normal pregnancy, supports foetal growth through delivery of calcium, controls secretion of multiple placental hormones and limits production of proinflammatory cells.

New NICE guidance​

In 2012, the UK Department of Health's chief medical officer suggested that pregnant women should take vitamin D as a supplement. These recommendations were based on associations between vitamin D and other conditions such as rickets.

This was closely followed by guidance​​ issued by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2014, which recommended better supplement availability, and more awareness of low vitamin D status for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

"The NICE guidance says that clearer recommendations are needed from all organisations involved in tackling low vitamin D levels. For example, the uptake of Healthy Start supplements among pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children is reported to be less than 10%," ​ said Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the independent committee which developed the NICE guidance.

Last month saw further recommendations by the UK government that advised that adults and children over the age of one to get 10 micrograms (μg) of vitamin D every day.

The Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) of 10 µg/d for the general UK population included pregnant and lactating women and population groups at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency and should come from a combination of sunlight, naturally occurring dietary sources and fortified foods and supplements.

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Low vitamin D during pregnancy linked with learning disabilities: Study

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Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology ​, the research team found that 8.9% of children conceived between January and March had learning disabilities. This compared to 7.6% of children conceived between July and September.

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Protein That Promotes the Breakdown of Fat Identified, Potentially Leading To New Diabetes Treatments

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Protein That Promotes the Breakdown of Fat Identified, Potentially Leading To New Diabetes Treatments

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A new study done at UT Southwestern Medical Center has discovered a protein the aids in the breakdown of fat. The protein, Perilipin 5, regulates fat metabolism in a cell's nucleus. This protein helps burn fats and create mitochondria.

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Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a protein often located on the surface of fat droplets within cells -- and especially abundant in the muscles of endurance athletes -- can kick-start the more efficient and healthful breakdown of fat.

The findings could have significant implications for development of new ways to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes, said Dr. Perry Bickel, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study published online today in Nature Communications.

More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Diabetes Association. Almost 26 percent of Americans age 65 and older have diabetes.

The study reports a new role for the protein, Perilipin 5, in the cell nucleus as a regulator of fat metabolism. The finding that it was in the nucleus "was a complete surprise to us," said Dr. Bickel, who is also Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and holds the Daniel W. Foster, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine.

In obese people and rodents, excess fat can accumulate in tissues not specialized for fat storage, such as skeletal muscle, the heart, and liver. This buildup can lead to dysfunction of those tissues, Dr. Bickel said.

Trying to break down large amounts of fat can overload the body's metabolic system, swamping the tiny cellular mitochondria whose jobs are to turn fat into fuel for work or heat, he explained. "If you overload the factory with fuel, then it does not work well."

The cells are then left with a brew of partially processed fats that can be toxic to the mitochondria and lead to the insulin resistance seen in type 2 diabetes, he said.

Endurance athletes -- who paradoxically accumulate at least as much fat in their muscle cells as do obese, insulin-resistant people -- have been found to have higher levels of Perilipin 5, and the UTSW team's new findings may explain why such athletes are able to exploit the increased stored fat for fueling exercise while avoiding the toxicity of increased muscle fat.

In experiments with cultured cells and mice, the UTSW research team found that when cells are stimulated to release fat stored in fat droplets, Perilipin 5 can leave the surface of those droplets and move to the cell's nucleus, where it works with another protein, PGC-1α, to encourage the creation of additional -- and more efficient -- mitochondria. In this way, Perilipin 5, "helps match mitochondrial capacity to burn fat with the fat load in the cell," Dr. Bickel said.

The lab's findings eventually could lead to a new approach for treating obesity-related diabetes -- perhaps a new drug that could mimic Perilipin 5 or an aspect of its function, he said.

For now, Dr. Bickel said his team is continuing research on the action of Perilipin 5 in mice, and hopes to complete that study by early next year.

Other contributing authors from UTSW Internal Medicine included Dr. Violeta Gallardo Montejano, lead author and Assistant Instructor; Dr. Christine Kusminski, Instructor; Dr. Chaofeng Yang, postdoctoral researcher; John McAfee, former lab technician; and Lisa Hahner, senior research scientist. Scientists from the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases at UT Health Science Center at Houston also participated in the study.

Some early-stage findings of the research were funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health while Dr. Bickel worked as an endocrinologist at the UT Health Science Center at Houston.

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diabetes; obesity; fitness; triglycerides; diet and weight loss; nutrition; cholesterol; diseases and conditions

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Protein that promotes the breakdown of fat identified, potentially leading to new diabetes treatments

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Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a protein often located on the surface of fat droplets within cells -- and especially abundant in the muscles of endurance athletes -- can kick-start the more efficient and healthful breakdown of fat.

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Protein

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Protein is the gatekeeper to maximizing muscle and minimizing diet-damaging cravings. But too much of the stuff has been linked with harming your organs, crippling your fat loss, and even causing cancer. Can you really have too much of a good thing?

Let's start with the numbers: The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of .4g of protein for every pound of bodyweight per day (that's about 65g for a 175-lb guy). But a study in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found that that number should be more like .6g to build lean muscle mass. A high-protein diet takes it a notch further and loads you with 1-1.5g per pound of bodyweight.

Why is the macronutrient so important? Protein and its amino acids are the primary building blocks for your muscles and bones, and are crucial for healthy hormone production. The skepticism about high-protein diets comes from the question of how your body processes the excessive nutrients and potentially dangerous amino acids, like nitrogen.

Check out whether these five commonly spouted risks are actually fact or fiction.

The rumored risk: The more protein you ingest, the more you'll bulk up

The verdict: Muscle protein synthesis-or your body's ability to take protein's amino acids and turn them into muscle-caps at 30g of the macronutrient, says Nancy Rodriguez, Ph.D., R.D., director of the University of Connecticut's Sports Nutrition program. That means that downing a 50-g protein shake will have the same effect on muscle growth as downing a 30-g shake. In fact, a 2014 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that strength trainers who consumed 5.5 times the recommended daily protein (that's just over 2g per pound of bodyweight) saw no positive or negative effect on body composition. In other words, you're not putting your muscles at risk-but you are wasting precious protein powder.

The rumored risk: Excess protein gets stored as fat, in turn making you fat

The verdict: "The body has the ability to process the protein it consumes in a variety of ways," explains Rodriguez. When you digest and absorb more than your body can use for muscle protein synthesis, the surplus is most often used as a fuel source. The body is actually not very efficient at making fat from protein, she adds.

Science agrees: A 2009 study in The Journal of Nutrition revealed that people who followed a high-protein diet lost more body fat and had better blood lipid profiles than those who followed the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid, which is rich in carbs. That's because protein makes you far more satiated than carbohydrates, so you're snacking less throughout the day, and focusing on upping protein means you're probably cutting refined carbs, even unintentionally.

However, if your high-protein diet is from loads of fatty meats, that can cause you to gain weight, says David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., founding director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and author of LA Shape Diet. "A typical prime rib is about 1,500 calories. In fact, red meats are often the only way large men can remain obese," he adds.

The rumored risk: Too much protein causes the kidneys to work on overdrive and can actually cause kidney failure

The verdict: A study in Nutrition & Metabolism found that unless you have kidney disease, too much of the macronutrient won't have any kind of detrimental effect on kidney function. However, the source of your protein does matter. "The kidneys have to dispose of organic acids from animal protein but not plant protein, so limit animal meats and products to no more than 50% of your protein sources," Heber advises.

The rumored risk: Eating a high-protein diet increases your risk of certain diseases and early death

The verdict: This idea is based upon, among other research, a 2014 study in Cell Metabolism that found middle-aged folks who ate a high-protein diet were more likely to die of cancer-at a rate comparable to smokers, in fact-than those who limited their intake. What's more, the high-protein people were 75% more likely to die of any cause than those who skimped on the stuff.

However, these results were only in the folks who ate a diet rich in animal protein specifically. The risk almost vanished when the researchers honed in on participants whose protein mainly came from plants, such as beans. And that's one of the biggest mistakes, says Heber-to consider the protein content of a food and not the other macro- and micronutrients involved. And since processed meats have now officially been USDA-deemed carcinogenic and red meats flagged as very likely to be the same, your best bet to score protein and avoid any detrimental side effects is to try and stick to lean meats (like chicken and turkey) and complete plant-based protein, like soy, beans and rice, and quinoa.

The rumored risk: A high-protein diet increases your risk of osteoporosis

The verdict: Your bones are safe, even with an influx of the nutrient. What's more, underdoing it may be detrimental to them. A 2011 paper in Current Opinion in Lipidologylooked at key epidemiological and clinical trials, and found that dietary protein actually works synergistically with calciu m to improve retention as well as how much new, healthy tissue is formed. Neither of these are compromised by excess protein but are compromised with insufficient amounts.

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Protein is the gatekeeper to maximizing muscle and minimizing diet-damaging cravings. But too much of the stuff has been linked with harming your organs, crippling your fat loss, and even causing cancer. Can you really have too much of a good thing?

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Here's More Evidence That High-Saturated Fat Diets Aren't Good For Your Brain

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Here's More Evidence That High-Saturated Fat Diets Aren't Good For Your Brain

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The experiment this article is focused on is relating possible brain damage to diets with high saturated fats. The study involving rats suggested that inflammation increased in the brain in areas that controlled hunger when intaking saturated fats. Despite what the article suggests the assumption can't be made that saturated fats have the same effect on humans but it does give us some idea of what could be going on in our bodies.

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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

If you need another reason to cut back on saturated fats, add possible brain damage to the list. A new rat study suggests that diets high in saturated fat increase inflammation in the part of the brain that controls hunger, causing it to malfunction, which in turn triggers a domino effect leading to obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Researchers placed groups of rats on diets high in either saturated fat (in the form of lard) or fish oil for six weeks. The results showed that the brains of rats fed saturated fat experienced inflammation and oxidative stress particularly in the hypothalamus, a brain area essential for hunger regulation. Rats in the saturated fat group also gained weight, suffered increased inflammation and developed insulin resistance, the primary driver of diabetes. The same biomarkers were comparatively reduced in the group fed fish oil.

Quoting professor Marianna Crispino from the University of Naples Federico, one of the study's authors: "The difference was very clear and we were amazed to establish the impact of a fatty diet onto the brain. Our results suggest that being more aware about the type of fat consumed with the diet may reduce the risk of obesity and prevent several metabolic diseases."

A few caveats should be noted. First, this is a study in rats, so we can't and shouldn't assume an identical effect in humans. And each group of rats was fed diets higher in saturated fat and fish oil than would be typical of most humans (even for humans who eat a lot of fat, it's rarely all they eat). So what we see in this study isn't perfectly analogous to human diets, but rather an indication of what diets high in saturated fat could be doing to the brain over time. It's a neural sneak peek that may help explain the link between saturated fat and obesity, beyond the basic math of calorie counts (which a great deal of research already confirms don't tell the whole story). The role the brain plays in obesity still isn't well understood; studies like this one help lift the veil. On the other hand, the study points to potential benefits of eating more fish, as in the often-praised Mediterranean diet.

The study results also add evidence to the expanding argument that cellular inflammation, largely triggered by what we eat, is a prime suspect in several disorders--diabetes, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases among them.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
You can find David DiSalvo on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and at his website, daviddisalvo.org.

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Here's More Evidence That High-Saturated Fat Diets Aren't Good For Your Brain

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Share to email Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin Share to google Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. If you need another reason to cut back on saturated fats, add possible brain damage to the list.

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For years, health experts have blamed the standard American diet for rising rates of diabetes and heart disease. But when it comes to finding a fix, even scientists can't agree on what we should or should not eat.

Take fat, for example. Over the last few decades, doctors have recommended a diet low in saturated fat to avoid chronic disease.

Saturated fat is found in animal products like dairy, eggs, and meat, and in tropical plants such as coconut and palm. These fats have been a fundamental part of many traditional diets around the world for centuries, but doctors today insist saturated fat will harm our health.

The American Heart Association recommends restricting saturated fats to 5 to 6 percent of everything you eat. On its website, the organization states that decades of sound science have proven saturated fat "can raise your 'bad' cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease."

However, some researchers question whether saturated fat is really as bad as the medical establishment says it is. One such scientist is Dr. Deanna Gibson, an immunologist, microbiologist, and associate professor of biology at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan Campus.

In a culture obsessed with being thin, eating fat doesn't sound very attractive. But Gibson says our biology requires that we eat some quality fats every day for good brain function and a healthy body.

"We only have three things to eat: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. For some reason, we've chosen in the last few decades to focus on how bad fats are in general," Gibson said. "Your whole body depends on fat. All of our membranes are made of phospholipids. Your hormones depend on the types of fat and the amount of fat that you eat."

Nutrition Research

The stigma against saturated fat in particular is so strong that up until the 2000s, trans fat was promoted as a healthy alternative to saturated fat. Today, dietary guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend eating fat from plant sources such as soy, sunflower, and canola instead of meat and dairy fats. But Gibson suggests that conventional wisdom may be wrong again.

"We base our hypotheses on previous literature or previous assumptions, and it turns out to be wrong when you do the studies," she said. "I'm often shocked about how little is scientifically known in nutrition. I wonder how we get to these assumptions because I can't come up with a good answer from the scientific perspective."

Gibson's latest study was recently published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. It showed that saturated fat is much easier on the intestines than most of the vegetable oils that are believed to be healthier. Although monounsaturated olive oil was the clear winner when it came to gut health, saturated fat still outperformed the vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and omega-6.

"In the context of gut health, it was really clear from my study that if you had a high-fat diet rich in olive oil, that was fabulous," Gibson said. "But the big thing for me was the difference between the omega-6 PUFAs and saturated fat, because both were similarly pro-inflammatory but the saturated fat actually had many protective responses that were absent in the omega-6 group."

The study was conducted on rats, but Gibson and her colleagues are planning a similar trial that will test different fats on humans with inflammatory bowel disease. While there are conflicting studies that favor PUFA oils over saturated fat, Gibson isn't impressed by the evidence.

"We have to be more critical about the studies that we interpret. Most of the nutrition clinical trials that are out there are very poorly done, and most of the rodent studies never led to a clinical study. It doesn't inform the next step," she said.

Chronic Inflammation

We may not have to worry about infections or nutritional deficiencies as our ancestors did, but the modern world has its own set of health problems. The diseases that plague people today stem largely from chronic inflammation, and based on the evidence she has seen, Gibson believes that our diets heavy in omega-6 are partially to blame.

"When you eat a diet really rich in things that promote those inflammatory responses, then your body really doesn't know how to shut that down anymore," she said.

"If we had a mixed diet, a combination of all these fats together, then it probably wouldn't be a problem. But people today have diets that are very rich in omega-6 and are deliberately avoiding saturated fat. That's when it becomes really problematic."

Another nutrition researcher at UBC, Dr. Sanjoy Ghosh, points to other problems with high-PUFA vegetable oils. A study he published last year found that these vegetable fats contribute to sedentary behavior and a predisposition to insulin resistance, similar to that observed in Type 2 diabetes.

"I've been studying fat for 12 years," Ghosh said. "In earlier studies, I found that sunflower oil was worse than palm oil, and people couldn't believe it. But I'm convinced, and I think other people now understand, that saturated fat is not as bad as we thought."

The Rise of Vegetable Oils

While many believe science alone informs dietary guidelines, Ghosh says such advice is often shaped by social, political, and economic forces. In fact, it can take decades for good scientific evidence to overcome these other influences.

"It happened with trans fats," Ghosh said. "We've known they were bad since the 1980s, and 20 years later, the government finally agreed. But then all the big food companies said, 'Hey, we can't change our oil so fast. We need time because the new oil changes our flavor profile.'"

According to Ghosh, the demonization of saturated fat is more of a story spun to benefit industry, rather than facts based on science. He urges people to read the article " The Oiling of America " by the Weston A. Price Foundation, a food-advocacy group dedicated to promoting traditional diets. The article gives a detailed history of vegetable-oil marketing in America and unpacks many unscientific reasons for why saturated fat is shunned today.

"In the 1950s and 1960s, the North American oil crop farmers were getting hammered by the Malaysian and Indonesian imports of coconut oil. It's the same thing that's happening to the U.S. manufacturers with stuff from China today," Ghosh said.

"Essentially, no saturated fat-containing plants can grow properly in North America. What we do grow is sunflower, safflower, canola, corn, etc. So from the 1950s on, saturated fat was considered to be bad."

But what about all that "sound science" the American Heart Association says links saturated fat to heart disease? Ghosh says that when you consider how long we've restricted our saturated fat intake, the case against it doesn't hold up.

"In the last 30 years, North American fat consumption has changed drastically. People used to cook with lard, but nobody does this today. Everything in the market has consciously taken saturated fat out.

"So why is heart disease still rising? If saturated fat was causing this, logically it should drop if we take it out of the diet. But it's still going up," Ghosh said.

According to the American Heart Association's 2015 " Heart Disease and Strokes Statistics Update," cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17 million deaths per year. That number is expected to grow to nearly 24 million by 2030.

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Our saturated fat intake has not increased over the last 30 years. So why is heart disease still rising? If saturated fat was causing this, logically it should drop if we take it out of the diet. But it's still going up.

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Carbohydrates are an essential part of a healthy diet, yet it's important to know that not all of them are created equal. So how do you tell the difference between "good carbs" and "bad carbs?" The answer is both simple - and complex.

Here's everything you need to know about carbohydrates and making smart choices when it comes to incorporating them into your diet.

A Carbohydrate Can Be a Simple Carb or a Complex Carb

Carbohydrates, often referred to as just "carbs," are your body's primary energy source, and are a crucial part of any well-balanced diet.

The three main types of carbohydrates are sugars, starches, and fiber. They're called "simple" or "complex" based on their chemical makeup and what your body does with them. But since many foods contain one or more types of carbohydrates, it can still be tricky to understand what's healthy for you and what's not.

Simple carbohydrates are composed of easy-to-digest, basic sugars, which can be an important source of energy. Some of these sugars are naturally occurring, such as those in fruits and in milk, while refined or processed sugars are often added to candies, baked goods, and soda.

On nutrition labels, added sugars can go by several different names, including brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, fructose, glucose, maltose, malt syrup, trehalose, sucrose, and honey, among others. The FDA has mandated that by July 2018 all nutrition labels must clearly identify the amount of added sugars per serving in the product, directly beneath the total sugar count.

Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables, contain longer chains of sugar molecules, which usually take more time for the body to break down and use. This in turn provides you with a more consistent amount of energy, says Sandra Meyerowitz, MPH, RD, nutritionist and owner of Nutrition Works in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Details on Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates aren't necessarily all bad carbs - it depends on the food you're getting them from. For instance, fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals necessary for good health, and they naturally contain simple carbohydrates composed of basic sugars.

But fruits and vegetables are drastically different from other foods in the "simple" carbohydrate category, like cookies and cakes with added refined sugars. The fiber in fruits and vegetables changes the way the body processes their sugars and slows down their digestion, making them a bit more like complex carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates to limit in your diet include those found in:

Candy

Cookies

Pastries and desserts

Sweetened beverages, such as lemonade or iced tea

Energy drinks

Ice cream

Meyerowitz says that you can enjoy simple carbohydrates on occasion, you just don't want them to be your primary sources of carbs.

The Details on Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are considered "good" because of the longer series of sugars that they are made of, which the body takes longer to break down. That means you will get lower amounts of sugars released at a more consistent rate - instead of peaks and valleys - to keep you going throughout the day.

Foods with complex carbohydrates also typically have more vitamins, fiber, and minerals than foods containing more simple carbohydrates, as long as you're choosing whole grains over processed ones. For example, whole grains, such as whole-wheat flour, quinoa, brown rice, barley, corn, and oats, among others, provide more nutrients than processed grains, such as white rice and breads, pasta, and baked goods made with white flour.

Nutrient-dense complex carbs that are part of a healthy, balanced diet include:

Whole wheat breads, pastas, and flour

Brown and wild rices

Barley

Quinoa

Potatoes

Corn

Legumes, such as black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and others

It's important to scan ingredient labels for foods like breads and pastas, looking for whole grains and fewer sources of added sugar. "Read the box so you know what exactly you're getting. If the first ingredient is whole-wheat flour or whole-oat flour, it's likely going to be a complex carbohydrate," Meyerowitz says.

When trying to figure out if a source of carbohydrates is good or bad, remember this: The higher in sugar it is, and the lower in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, the worse the food is for you.

The Glycemic Load Factor

Describing carbs as either simple or complex is one way to classify them, but nutritionists and dietitians now use another concept to guide people in making decisions about the carbs they choose to eat.

The glycemic index (GI) of a food basically tells you how quickly and how high your blood sugar will rise after eating the carbohydrate contained in that food, as compared with eating pure sugar. Foods with a high GI are easily digested and cause a quick rise in blood sugar. Foods with a lower GI get digested more slowly.

Knowing the GI for a specific food can help you understand how the carbs in that food will affect your blood sugar, but it's important to point out that it doesn't necessarily make a food unhealthy or healthy. Fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe both have a high GI even though both are healthy foods. You can look up a food's GI using the online international GI database.

To take this approach one step further, you want to look at the glycemic load of a food. The glycemic load factors into account both glycemic index and how much carbohydrate is in the food. To determine glycemic load, you multiply a food's glycemic index number by the amount of carbohydrate the food contains per serving, and divide by 100.

A low GL is 10 or less; medium is 11 to 19; and 20 or greater is considered high. For example, a plain bagel has a GI of 72 and GL of 25, while whole-wheat bread has a GI of 69 and GL of 9. GL can also be used to compare the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar in entire meals or snacks, whereas the GI for a food is only indicative of one food at a time.

Even if a food contains carbs that have a high glycemic index number, if the amount of carbohydrate is low then it won't have as much of an impact. A good example is watermelon, which has a GI of 80 but a GL of only 5. It tastes sweet, but it's mostly water.

The bottom line: Carbs are not bad for you. Carbohydrates - both simple and complex ones - are part of a healthy diet. Just be sensible about the carbs you choose. Skip low-nutrient desserts, consider the levels of sugar and fiber, and focus on healthy whole grains, fruits, and veggies to get the energy your body needs every day.

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How Do You Tell the Difference Between Good and Bad Carbohydrates?

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Carbohydrates are broken into two categories: simple and complex. Simple carbs offer less nutritional value, while complex carbs are part of a healthy diet. Here, learn more about what makes them different and how to make better choices in your own diet.

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Fibers And Specialty Carbohydrates Market Worth $9.84 Billion by 2024: Grand View Research, Inc

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Fibers And Specialty Carbohydrates Market Worth $9.84 Billion by 2024: Grand View Research, Inc

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This article is mainly about growing the industry for fiber and healthy carbohydrates. The  goal is to increase the consumption of carbohydrates with high nutritional value. The Grand View Research Inc. believes that increasing fiber and carbohydrate nutritional awareness will expand its market.

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