Robert's Paleo Transformation

Robert before his transformation."About a year and a half ago, I was driving somewhere and counting my blessings.  The only thing I could think of that might be a welcome improvement in life was to lose a few pounds.  I had no idea that a transformation of this kind was even possible."

See the results of Robert's transformation here: 

I Had No Idea That A Transformation Of This Kind Was Even Possible

Is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 killing Gulf of Mexico dolphins?

Deepwater Horizon April 21, 2010. Image: United States Coast Guard

When the Deepwater Horizon exploded and collapsed in April 2010, it released of “an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the northern Gulf of Mexico.” Fatal to 11 oil workers, injurious to others, and disruptive of the environment and fishing industry along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, the “largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry” has for many of us, receded into the past. Its aftereffects, however, continue to reverberate and now pose a serious threat to dolphins in areas "that received heavy and prolonged oiling."  

According to a recent multicenter study published in Environmental Science & Technology, a “guarded” or “grave” prognosis has been given to 65% of the bottlenose dolphins studied in Barataria Bay, Lousiana. 

“The oil spill resulting from the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform initiated immediate concern for marine wildlife, including common bottlenose dolphins in sensitive coastal habitats. To evaluate potential sublethal effects on dolphins, health assessments were conducted in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, an area that received heavy and prolonged oiling, and in a reference site, Sarasota Bay, Florida, where oil was not observed.” (emphasis added)

“Barataria Bay dolphins were 5 times more likely to have moderate–severe lung disease, generally characterized by significant alveolar interstitial syndrome, lung masses, and pulmonary consolidation. Of 29 dolphins evaluated from Barataria Bay, 48% were given a guarded or worse prognosis, and 17% were considered poor or grave, indicating that they were not expected to survive. Disease conditions in Barataria Bay dolphins were significantly greater in prevalence and severity than those in Sarasota Bay dolphins, as well as those previously reported in other wild dolphin populations. Many disease conditions observed in Barataria Bay dolphins are uncommon but consistent with petroleum hydrocarbon exposure and toxicity.” (emphasis added)

Source: Health of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Related Article: Focus on Ocean’s Health as Dolphin Deaths Soar

Is aerobic fitness or BMI the better predictor of academic performance?

Image: Mosborne01Is a child’s weight or their aerobic fitness the better predictor of academic performance? Researchers of the Partnership for Healthy Lincoln in Nebraska studied this question in fourth- to eighth-grade students and published their findings in the August 2013 Journal of Pediatrics.

“Aerobic fitness was defined by entering the healthy fitness zone of Fitnessgram's Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run, which has been shown to correlate highly with maximum oxygen consumption.” 

Academic performance was assessed in relation to passing the Nebraska State Accountability math and reading tests. Adjustments were made for factors such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and free/reduced lunch status.

“After adjustment, aerobically fit students had greater odds of passing the NeSA math and reading tests compared with aerobically unfit students.”

The researchers concluded:

“Aerobic fitness was a significant predictor of academic performance; weight status was not. Although decreasing BMI for an overweight or obese child undoubtedly improves overall health, results indicated all students benefit academically from being aerobically fit regardless of weight or free/reduced lunch status. Therefore, to improve academic performance, school systems should focus on the aerobic fitness of every student.”

Source: Evidence that aerobic fitness is more salient than weight status in predicting standardized math and reading outcomes in fourth- through eighth-grade students.

Hominins selected “healthy” places to live 500,000 to 100,000 years ago

Paleolithic handaxe. Image: José-Manuel Benito

There was plenty of real estate available in the Paleolithic. Hominins and early Homo sapiens probably choose sites according to many factors. Those choosing sites providing better nutritional opportunities were more likely to survive and create new generations.

The handaxe was an advanced Paleolithic tool used in procuring meat and tubers. By analyzing archeological sites on the British and French sides of the English Channel with a high number of handaxes (500 or more), researchers from the University of Southampton identified the types of sites preferred by hominins. Peter Franklin of University of Southampton writes:

“The high concentration of these artefacts suggests significant activity at the sites and that they were regularly used by early hominins.”

Lead author Professor Tony Brown, a physical geographer at the University of Southampton, commented on the study:

"Our research suggests that floodplain zones closer to the mouth of a river provided the ideal place for hominin activity, rather than forested slopes, plateaus or estuaries.

The floodplains provided "seasonal macronutrient advantages" and "could have provided foods rich in key micronutrients, which are linked to better health, the maintenance of fertility and minimization of infant mortality."

Professor Brown on the healthy nature of these sites:

"We can speculate that these types of locations were seen as 'healthy' or 'good' places to live which hominins revisited on a regular basis. If this is the case, the sites may have provided 'nodal points' or base camps along nutrient-rich route-ways through the Palaeolithic landscape, allowing early humans to explore northwards to more challenging environments."

Sources:

• Nutrients in food vital to location of early human settlements
• Site Distribution at the Edge of the Palaeolithic World: A Nutritional Niche Approach

Related Posts

• Paleolithic People: The Pericú
• Carnivory shortened breast-feeding periods during human evolution

Nicole's Paleo / CrossFit Success Story

I was about 30 pounds (of fat) overweight, I had constant heartburn, sleeping problems, and chronic allergies.  Despite the fact that I had an incredible husband and stepson, amazing family and friends, a great job, and a beautiful home, and I still felt bad about myself. I knew that it was time to make a real, fundamental, and lasting change.

Read more: Paleo / CrossFit Success Story

An Apple a Day: Polymeal vs. Polypill

Image: Abhijit TembhekarScience Daily reports on a new study published in The BMJ: 

"Prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over would prevent or delay around 8,500 vascular deaths such as heart attacks and strokes every year in the UK -- similar to giving statins to everyone over 50 years who is not already taking them -- according to a study in the Christmas edition of The BMJ.

The researchers conclude that the 150 year old public health message: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is able to match more widespread use of modern medicine, and is likely to have fewer side effects. The research takes into account people who are already appropriately taking statins to reduce their risk of vascular disease and therefore the authors stress that no-one currently taking statins should stop, although by all means eat more apples."

The study's conclusions:

"The comparison of a medicalised approach to chronic disease prevention with that of a lifestyle one has been previously estimated (polypill versus polymeal), although, in our view, not with any realistic hope of changing population behaviour, despite the suggestion to employ out of work cardiologists as chefs. We offer a simplified version of this: our study suggests that both nutritional and pharmaceutical population approaches to primary prevention of vascular disease have the potential to have a significant effect on population mortality. We find that a 150 year old proverb is able to match modern medicine and is likely to have fewer side effects."

Exercise is important, nutrition is key: How to loose 5 pant sizes

"Prior to my paleo lifestyle, I ate anything in sight at any time of day.  I thought that if I ate small meals (of anything), then it would be OK.  I was working out because in my brain at the time, I thought I could eat unhealthily and just burn off the calories at the gym.  Needless to say, this did not work out very well."

Source

PaleoNonPaleo

Flow: Utterly Absorbed in the Moment

Kelly Slater wins his 7th Pipeline Masters, runner-up John John Florence wins 2013 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion, and Mick Fanning wins ASP World Championship! All in one contest.

The integration of mind and body. The integration of man and nature. Just for fun.

Source: Kelly Slater Wins Billabong Pipe Masters Over Vans Triple Crown Winner John John Florence

Sweden's butter consumption goes up, risk of myocardial infarction goes down

"The outdated fear-mongering propaganda claiming that a dramatically increased butter consumption in Sweden has also increased the incidence of heart disease is once again crushed by reality.

New statistics from The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare show the exact opposite. The incidence of heart attacks in Sweden keeps plummeting, for both men and women, just as they have done since 2005. We are becoming healthier, despite eating more and more butter."

The Real Association Between Butter and Heart Disease in Sweden

Denise Minger's new book: Death By Food Pyramid

Reading The China Study a couple of years ago, I was puzzled by all the fanfare. Take thousands or correlations, pick the ones you want and make your own case. Then, be sloppy about how you characterized the foods. Put chicken potpie in the meat category and ignore the industrial inflammatory carbs that make up the bulk of the dish.

Struck by the weakness of the book - viewed by vegans and vegetarians as “authoritative” - I searched the net for detailed critiques and quickly found those by English major Denise Minger. As a physician conditioned to turning first to the basic science and medical literature, I was struck by her critical mind as it delved into the cracks in the data and uncovered The China Study’s flimsy infrastructure. 

(I then read a debate between Dr. Loren Cordain, who has studied the Paleolithic diet for over 25 years, and T. Colin Campbell, the lead author of The China Study, and found a comment by Campbell discrediting the use of randomized studies -- after all, it's easier to make a case when one ignores the science.)

Now, Denise Minger, at the encouragement of publisher Mark Sisson, has written a book skewering the Food Pyramid. Since I have yet to read the book, I share Mark's comments:

“Now, with this book, she sets her sight on the disastrous, farcical USDA Food Pyramid, exposing the twisted liaisons between government and industry that enabled it and dismantling the shoddy science and erroneous conclusions supporting it.”

If you read the book, please share your thoughts.

Dr. John

Source: Introducing Death By Food Pyramid

Luis Scola of the Pacers combines the Paleo & Zone diets

"I feel so much better that I'm never coming back. You can't go back. That's what I tell the guys that are trying it. ... If I eat the things that I used to eat before, that's when I start feeling really bad. So once you start doing it and you do it for a long time, you can't stop. Because if you go back, you feel it."

Nutrition in the NBA; Part II: Paleo diet takes hold for myriad reasons

Crops for ethanol destroying millions of acres of habitat

Image: Graylight

"Since the government began requiring oil companies to add billions of gallons of ethanol to their gasoline each year, the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska have lost 2.8 million acres from the conservation reserve program, as farmers planted nearly 10 million more acres of corn, the main feedstock used to produce ethanol. About 5 million other acres are now included in other conservation programs, but nearly all that land is being actively farmed."

Ethanol's Rise Can Mean Loss Of Hunting Lands