Life in Your Years Blog: Health, Finance, & More

Exercise is thought to enhance mood, and studies confirm this. According to research presented in Dr. Bob Arnot’s  The Biology of Success, for moderate anxiety and depression, exercise is just as beneficial as counseling therapy, and results in brain chemistry change similar to what is experienced through pharmaceuticals. Exercise has been shown to raise serotonin levels. In fact, long term exercise, done regularly for years, actually changes personality traits. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I think a lot of the anxiety and depression in the U.S.A. is the result of altered brain chemistry resulting from living in ways contrary to our wiring, i.e. we are inactive, spend most of our time inside, live in big cities, etc, when our brains are wired for constant activity, being outside, living in the country, etc. Exercise may be one way to reconnect to our natural wiring.

However, not every exercise in every situations enhances moods. According to Arnot, “the harder, the better.” He believes we have been sold a bill of goods about “over-exercise.” He says that only about .01% of Americans are in danger of over-exercise, and these are well-trained athletes, while most of us are in danger of under-exercise. To see an enhancement in mood, we have to work a little lot.

Also, where we exercise has an impact on mood. Exercising outside seems to provide the most mood enhancement, as is confirmed by research mentioned in my article Sun and Speed, and by a 1995 study by Harte and Eifert, which I came across in The Biology of Success. The research by Harte and Eifert showed that those who exercised outside had greater mood enhancement than those exercising indoors. However, if those exercising indoors had plenty of stimuli around, i.e. watching people, looking out windows, listening to music, etc, they experienced  mood enhancement. When the researchers placed participants on a treadmill in front of a blank wall, participants actually reported a worse mood following exercise. So, this research suggests that if you are using exercise to enhance your mood, you should make sure you are exercising vigorously (within your physical limits, of course, so consult your doctor before beginning any exercise routine), and preferably exercising outside, or at the least, inside with plenty of stimuli around.

Recently, I have been feeling really craving aerobic exercise. I have been pushing up to about 7 miles of running, and I think this could be part of it, since I am perhaps hitting the point of a “runner’s high.” Or it could be that I have been taking phosphatidylserine prior to running, and it happens to kick in near the middle of the run.

Image taken by me, while running (enhanced with Qtpfsgui and Gimp)

It can be disheartening to dieters, but it appears that we cannot actually reduce the number of fat cells within our body. So, when we lose weight we are merely decreasing the size of the set number of fat cells. However, this still leaves the cells themselves intact, waiting to be filled. This is called “fat cell theory.”

Our number of fat cells seems to be determined throughout infancy and adolescence. And, some scientists believe that this can be controlled, so that skinnier kids create fewer fat cells. Thus, they have an advantage throughout life. This may explain why so few obese children become skinny as adults.

For more info, visit this article

About 6 months ago, I posted reviews of popular supplement companies, but I thought I would post more expansive reviews in a series of posts over the next few months. Today, I want to review DNE Vitamins (aka D&E Vitamins) detail. This review is based on my experiences.

Overview

I have ordered from DNE 3-4 times over the last five years. Two of these orders have been fairly large, and in the last year. Some of the products I have ordered include their Time-Release Vitamin C 500 mg, and Bromelain 2000 GDU. I consider DNE one of my regular suppliers of vitamins.

Quality

According to their guarantee, they have quality controls set up to ensure potency and purity. However, I haven’t seen their products verified in independent lab tests, so I can’t speak of a more objective way to guarantee their products are what they claim. The bottles are well-sealed, and seem well-made. All the bottles have child-proof lids. I have only noticed a few minor quality issues. First, the Bromelain tabs are a little flaky. Second, in one case, the label on the bottle did not match what was listed online (or what was listed on the other bottles I got of the same product!). This was fish oil, and I only buy fish oil with a little Vitamin E present to prevent oxidation. A few of the bottles did not mention Vitamin E. I suspect they did contain the vitamin, but it wasn’t mentioned.

Product Selection

DNE has a pretty wide selection of supplements, including some sports supplements I wouldn’t ever take, but I suppose there is a market for that sort of thing (but how many caffiene supplements can one company actually carry??). They seem to get new products regularly, and carry  national brands to supplement lack of selection in their own brand, Nature’s Harbor. From my perspective, they could use higher dose Vitamin D. Right now, all they have is 400 IU strength. Considering many companies are now offering 5000 IU pills, offering only 400 IU seems out-of-date.

Value

DNE’s regular prices are competitive. However, they occasionally have sales, which provide even lower prices. They had a “buy one, get one” sale last December on their own brands, and a “50% off” sale just recently that covered every item. These sales make DNE’s prices incredibly low, and more competitive than most other companies online. For example, I recently ordered their Resveratrol product. The cost? With the recent 50% off sale, it ends up being $1.00/g. I was paying roughly $3.33/g from Puritan’s Pride. I also got free shipping! The sales are announced by regular e-mails I get from DNE. I highly suggest signing up.

Shipping

DNE has been a little weak in this area.  Shipping has sometimes been slow. I placed an order on June 17, and it didn’t ship until June 26 (they said they had just switched to “a new mail system,” because it was supposed to ship June 19). Even though the main DNE website lists various components of my order as “in stock,” they aren’t, which means almost half of my order is even further delayed. When I placed an order in December, I waited over a month for the final part of my order to get in-stock and ship. They now seem to send out emails when an order ships (and you can check online if the order is back-ordered or shipped). This is a new feature, and must be a component of their new mail system.

Service

Customer service has been excellent. I have called a few times, but I usually just chat online. The customer service representatives have been very nice, warm, and friendly. Mary and Joan do a great job!

Overall

DNE Vitamins is a great source of supplements, with very low prices, especially when they run their best sales. The quality seems good, but sometimes the number of back-ordered items can be frustrating.

I’ve known people for whom a diet can be a life changing extravaganza. They buy the right clothes, pack the ipod with upbeat tunes, get totally motivated, and start to envision their new hot selves. Next, they go to the gym and kill themselves. And, scared off by the soreness and stiffness, they don’t go back for a long, long time.

My basic advice is that you have to start slowly, especially if you are out of shape, overweight, or older. But, even young people who are starting a new fitness activity could use this advice. Now that I’m doing summer camp, I’ve discovered that being able to run, play racketball, lift weights, ride bikes, and cross country ski at a high fitness level didn’t translate to floor hockey. It probably helped, but I was still extremely sore.

You have to start slowly or you risk burning out. Nothing puts the breaks on a new fitness routine like not being able to move! But, you also risk hurting yourself. Waiting several weeks for an injury to heal also does little for your physique.

So, start slowly and work your way up to the harder stuff. It may seem wimpy to walk around the block at first, but you have to start somewhere. Walking around the block now could lead to a mega-marathon way down the line; but if you try to overdo it too soon, you may just feel like you’ve run one.

Recently I came across two interesting articles about Vitamin D deficiency in African-Americans, and the possible effects this widespread deficiency is having on the black community. Because of their dark skin, it takes blacks 2-5 times longer time in the sun to make Vitamin D than it takes white people. As a result, many African-Americans in the United States and Canada are Vitamin D deficient, especially black teens (black teens are 20 times more likely to be Vitamin D deficient than white teens). Dark skin is actually an adaptation to prolonged sun exposure, so Africans living in sub-Saharan Africa would make plenty of Vitamin D under normal conditions, but when living in northern areas, their skins have difficulty making the vitamin). Traditionally, peoples living far north, like the Inuits, have adapted by eating foods high in Vitamin D (in their traditional diets), but modern diets of people living in northern areas have very little Vitamin D.

Almost exactly two years ago, the blog Acting White posted about Vitamin D and Learning Disadvantages in Black Children. In it, the author (James Collier), argues that rampant Vitamin D deficiency among black mothers and black children is giving them a strong neuro-developmental disadvantage throughout life. As Collier points out, Vitamin D is cheap and beneficial for every race.

Another article I was reading, points out that blacks have lower cancer survival rates than whites, even at the same stage of cancer, and using the same treatment. Some researches have concluded that a Vitamin D deficiency is responsible for this disparity. In a study published in the journal of the AMA, it was found that summertime UV-B doses were inversely associated with incidences of major cancers in African-Americans, which means that the less UV-B rays a person was exposed to, the higher the rate of cancer. Again, according to the same article, a study found that blood levels of Calcidiol, equivalent to an intake of 1000 IU/day of Vitamin D, reduced the risk of colon cancer by 50%. While white Americans do not achieve this level, whites, on average, have 50 to 67% of the proper Calcidiol level. However, blacks, on average, only have 33 to 50% of the level.

Vitamin D deficiency is something that we all have to address, but it seems like African-Americans would benefit from exploring supplementation with Vitamin D, since blacks living in most of the U.S. and Canada have a disadvantage when it comes to making Vitamin D.

Connie: You would rather stuff yourself and roll around in your stupid electric cart than take me to the dance?

Bobby: Why, I guess I would.

This little conversation comes from the TV show King of the Hill when chubby Bobby Hill develops gout from eating too many deli type foods from a local restaurant and prefers to keep the food (and the gout) rather than go to the dance with his girlfriend.

This storyline is indicative of the decisions many people, especially in the USA, make on a daily basis. They choose food over many of life’s alternatives. Now, the choice may not be as clear cut as in King of the Hill, but it is real. Obesity can often lead to lack of mobility, shortness of breath, a lower quality of life, and an early death. So, in a sense, by choosing to eat too much, many people are rejecting such things like an active lifestyle, playing with their kids, general mobility, and spending a longer time on earth with their loved ones.

I love food and believe it should be enjoyed in life, but not at the expense of the other good things. The sad truth is that large numbers of people are choosing food over living life.

No, I am not talking about doing drugs outdoors, but I am referring to what ancient man (and woman) often experienced. They got a lot of sun, and they probably moved a lot, and it is safe to say that this is what we are probably meant to experience. While most of us may enjoy sitting down in a temperature-controlled room, we really aren’t wired to have this sort of experience every day of the year.

Think about it. When, in the history of mankind, until very recently, did people stay inside so much, and do such little activity?  The upper classes, few in number, perhaps had such an experience, but most did not. In fact, most people throughout human history have spent long hours outside and have been, whether as wandering nomads, hunter-gatherers, or simply working the fields, on the move. You can’t take a human body, designed to be outside, and on the move, and stick it at an desk inside for 10 hours a day, and/or on a couch for 5 hours a day inside, and expect health and happiness. And this could be why many Americans are unhealthy and feel so darn unhappy.

There are many good reasons to actually be out in the sun, and one is Vitamin D production.  Studies are showing that many diseases are tied to low Vitamin D levels, including autism, cancer, depression, and multiple sclerosis, diseases becoming more common as Americans spend less-and-less time in the sun. While it is true too much sun exposure can increase the risk of easily treatable forms of skin cancer, and increase the rate that your skin will look ”ridden hard and put away wet,” as local good-ol boys describe it, sun exposure likely helps prevent difficult-to-treat cancers like breast and colon cancer. Ok, we need some sun, but do we need speed? Likely. One example is a study that shows that runners live significantly longer than non-runners, in part because running encourages new nerve growth.  And combining the two for some sun and speed, has some benefits as well.  For example, one study found that while exercising indoors reduced depression by 45% , exercising outdoors decreased depression by 71%, almost double the indoor rate. So basically, moving outside is much more effective at treating depression than exercising indoors. This could explain that while exercising at the Y can sometimes be a chore, I rarely have to be prodded to run outside, over the hills outside my old high school.

I often ponder these things while I am running outside, for example, yesterday in the blistering heat, which limited my time outside. One thing I thought of is that in the last 20+ years, we have been taught to value being inside, and honestly, to fear the outside. It seems as if parents are so worried about what may possibly happen to a child, that a lot of the stuff I did growing up outside (that kids had done for years earlier) is now off-limits. So, since a child can’t go outside and play at noon (the sun is too hot and a weird looking redneck just walked by), he sits inside glued to the computer, not that he would even want to go outside anyway, because he can just “go outside” on his video game.  Then when he does go outside for real, the sun has a kind of “it burns, it burns” feel, and being weighed down by too  many bags of snack-size Cheetos, he runs (not literally, of course) for cover for the nearest air-conditioned building. I am basically describing myself as a middle-schooler, except that my mom was never hysterical, and did encourage us to play outside, although since the Nintendo was inside, I often stayed there.

Basically, the point is my post is that a lot of our modern problems, including depression and chronic diseases (like cancer) could be related to the fact that our modern way of living is just contrary to our wiring. Instead of immediately reaching for expensive drugs, long courses of therapy, or self-medicating with drugs, alcohol, or partying, we may just need a little more sun and a little more speed*. Of course, I say this while I type inside with the AC turned up…

* – Obviously depression is a real condition, and it is important to seek a doctor’s advice before going on or off depression medication, or before beginning an exercise program.

I am working my school’s summer camp this year for some extra money. It’s a job that pretty much involves getting paid to babysit and play games with the kids. It’s also a good way to get paid while exercising. We play floor hockey, basketball, kickball, and many other sports that get the kids and the counselors winded. And, since we’re encouraged to play with them, I often leave each day with a great workout. And, I’m incredibly sore. It’s amazing how playing different sports can use muscles that a balanced fitness routine doesn’t! Oh, and I’m often exhausted after I do my evening workout on top of camp.

I have ordered from DNE Vitamins since I sent for a free catalog back in the mid-1990s. Recently they have been having some great sales, and I have ordered from them more than ever. Their prices are naturally competitive with the warehouse and catalog discounters, so when they have an additional sale, the deals are GREAT.

Right now, until June 22, DNE is having a 50% off sale, on your entire order. This even includes their national brands. Enter the coupon GET50OFF at checkout. Shipping is free for all orders over $89!!

I know it’s not as common anymore for many of us because of the economy. I’m speaking of traveling, of course! But, for those of us who do travel and stay in hotels, CNN has posted some advice for how to turn your hotel room into a gym. You can view it here. These are generally good ideas, especially for people short on time, but…also quite boring! I’ve brainstormed a few ideas about how to get a good workout and actually leave your room too.

-Visit the workout room or the pool- Still kind of boring, but better. And, your hotel has to have one.
- Use an “away” membership for your gym- a lot of gyms that have locations in multiple areas will often give you access to all of them. The YMCA often does this. There may be limitations in terms of times you can use it, but some have no restriction. It’s always kind of cool to see how different gyms operate.
-Get outdoors- Find a bike path or area popular with runners or walkers. You also will get to see new scenery and maybe even meet new people. Of course, be careful and make sure the area is actually safe.

I guess there is a reason they are called “bad,” right? A new study shows that high-glycemic foods, like Corn Flakes and white bread, can contribute to heart disease (which seems to vindicate what Dr. Atkins and others have said, which is that carbohydrates can negatively affect circulatory health).

Another study found that consuming a moderate level of carbohydrates, i.e. less than the average American consumes, “had lowered blood insulin levels, more stable blood sugar, and a longer duration of a sense of fullness after a meal than did the 14 people on the control diet.”

I tried the Atkins diet for about 3 days. I became cranky, and gave it up pretty quickly, especially since I didn’t really need to go on such a diet. Nonetheless, my study of Dr. Atkins’ ideas has convinced me that there are bad carbohydrates, namely those found in refined grains. I consider myself to be on a “lower” carb diet, or perhaps a “modified” Atkins, which is to say I try to eat only unrefined grain products, avoid high-sugar products, and consume a lot of nuts, seeds, and beans. I was eating a few of my mom’s Sun Chips the other day, and I notice that despite giving the impression of being “healthy” the product contained less than one gram of fiber per serving.  Of course, not that I have room to talk, since I just finished off some ice cream!

My employer is known for its excellent lunches that it provides to its employees free of charge. We have all kinds of choices including soups, bagels, deli, salads, and dessert in addition to a hot meal. People who work here often speak of the “G_____ fifteen” referring to the amount of weight people gain once they start working here.

A colleague recently shared with me a story about my first year here. Some of the kitchen employees predicted, in a lighthearted way, that they thought I would gain weight while eating their lunches. Maybe it was the fact that I came in chunky.

Happily, I’ve beaten expectations by not just avoiding weight gain, but also by actually losing weight and getting fitter. How did I do it? Responsible choices. I picked the salads, the veggies, the fruit, and the whole grain items. I skipped the desserts.

It’s nice to beat expectations.

Preeclampsia. Diabetes. Autism. Schizophrenia. And more. The solution to these problems, affecting both mothers and children, may be Vitamin D. Read on.

The newest newsletter from the Vitamin D Council has been released and it is loaded with research related to Vitamin D and pregnancy. Please allow me to summarize the newsletter’s content (which is free of copyright), but be sure to check out the actual newsletter. All of this is based on actual research. Keep in mind that when I speak of Vitamin D blood levels, I am actually speaking of blood calcidiol, 25(OH)D, levels. Calcidiol is a pre-hormone produced by the liver after Vitamin D is metabolized. Many experts believe this is the only reliable test of blood Vitamin D levels.

Research shows that pregnant women are very vitamin D deficient. In the three studies cited, 95% of pregnant women, yes 95%, did not have optimal levels of Vitamin D in their bloodstream. Pre-natal vitamins, which usually contain only 400 IU of Vitamin D (the body manufactures 5 times this on your average sun exposure), had little effect on raising Vitamin D levels.

So what are the consequences of sub-optimal Vitamin D levels for the pregnant mother? Well, see for yourself:

- One study showed that those with low Vitamin D levels were much more likely to have Caesarian sections. The number of C-sections has dramatically increased since 1970, from 5% of pregnancies then, to 30% today. Guess what? Those women who had optimal Vitamin D levels in this study had C-section rates identical to the 1970 rate: 5%.

- One study demonstrated that low vitamin D blood levels result in a 5-fold increase in the risk of preeclampsia.

- Another study found that those with low vitamin D levels (virtually every pregnant woman) were at a 3-fold risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy

Now, what about children? How does low Vitamin D during pregnancy affect a mother’s child?

- A paper published recently connects low Vitamin D levels during pregnancy with Schizophrenia, on account of inappropriate fetal brain development.

- There is much speculation about Vitamin D and Autism, and the role sunshine and Vitamin D play in its development. I wrote on this previously.

- One study (which is considered racially charged, because it shows some races may have more mentally retarded individuals) suggests that Vitamin D may have a role in preventing mental retardation.

- Women with the lowest Vitamin D levels during pregnancy were much more likely to have their newborns in Intensive Care Units because of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.

- Low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy are associated with lower birth weight.

- Cod Liver Oil (a source of Vitamin D) given during pregnancy is associated with a 3-fold decrease in the rate of juvenile diabetes later.

- Vitamin D may prevent idiopathic infant heart failure.

- Researchers have discovered that children with very serious brain tumors (astrocytomas and ependymomas) were more likely to be born in the winter, when Vitamin D levels are low.

- Epileptics are also more likely to be born in the winter.

- Craniotabes (softening of the skull in infants) is likely a Vitamin D deficiency, and not “normal.”

- Cavities are more common in children whose mothers had low Vitamin D levels.

So what are pregnant mothers deficient in Vitamin D to do?

Well, first and foremost, I am not a doctor, and you should consult with a doctor before taking any supplement during pregnancy. I can say that Drs. Scholl and Chen, of the Department of Obstetrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, have suggested that pregnant women need 6000 IU of Vitamin D per day. A study I linked to a few months ago, suggested the same thing of lactating women, that they need 6,000 IU per day to have adequate levels. A little sun would easily supply this amount.

As mentioned in a previous post, that flab that hangs around your belly (sometimes quite literally) even after doing all the right things with diet and exercise, may be due to the body’s overproduction of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands as a response to chronic stress that can increase the fat around your belly (since that fat has more cortisol receptors). The bad news is that cortisol may be destroying your chance for perfect abs. The good news is that it’s not terribly hard to lower your cortisol levels (and stress).

I workout a lot and eat very healthily. In fact, I’m probably in the top 1-3% of the population in terms of my diet and fitness routine. Yet, I am also frequently stressed out as with most Americans. I started researching cortisol and have come up with the following plan to fight stress and belly flab:

1)  Practice breathing techniques throughout the day, especially during stressful situations. I’ve found Andrew Weil’s three breathing techniques, especially the second, very useful.

2) Practice chi gong (qigong) techniques throughout the day. This is a Chinese form of meditation/exercise that helps to lower stress. This site has really good information on techniques. Click on each exercise for more detail and photos. 

3) Cut back on caffeine. The body can react to caffeine by making more cortisol. I am going to drink only tea, not coffee, after noon.

4) Take phosphytidylserine (aka PS), a brain supplement that some research indicates can help lower out of control cortisol levels

I’ll let you know how the whole strategy proceeds. Numbers 1 and 2 are the areas where I’m most hopeful. Stress is the major contributor to cortisol production and I hope to get it under control for the summer beach season.

I have mentioned before that it is possible that Vitamin D plays a role in the prevention and treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, and a new study seems to confirm this. I become more impressed with Vitamin D every day as I read more and more studies. In fact, in a few days I have a pretty big post about Vitamin D and pregnancy coming.

I have been trying to get a lot of sun lately. I really eat up the sun. I usually put sunblock on my face, legs, and forearms this time of year (because they have gotten a lot of sun exposure by now), whereas I tend to do work around the house (or run outside, if I am in the country) without a shirt, if I have a degree of privacy. I try my best to balance the need for free Vitamin D with the damage the sun might do (both cancer and wrinkles).