Author Archives: Lily Kiswani

About Lily Kiswani

I am an Integrative medicine practitioner. I transitioned into Integrative medicine after three decades of Gynecology practice and Endoscopic surgery. I was the first female Laparoscopic surgeon in India. I have co-authored a textbook, Endoscopic Gynecologic Surgery, available on Amazon. Now, after all these years, with the realisation that I can help people regain their lost health, I find myself inordinately excited and blessed to have this opportunity.

Some Graphs Showing why we Get Fat

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Obesity rates have tripled since 1980 and have increased particularly fast in children. This must be due to changes in the environment because our genes don’t change this quickly.

This article contains graphs with historical trends and results from obesity studies, showing some of the main reasons why we get fat.

People Are Eating More Junk Food Than Ever

Food Spending, Smaller
At the turn of the 20th century, people were eating mostly simple, home-cooked meals. Around 2009, about half of what people ate was fast food, or other foods away from home.

This graph actually underestimates the true change, because what people are eating at home these days is also often based on processed foods.

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Sugar Consumption Has Skyrocketed

Sugar Consumption in the UK and USA

Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.

Numerous studies show that eating excess amounts of added sugar can lead to a much greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer .

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The Obesity Epidemic Started When The Low-Fat Guidelines Were Published

Low Fat Guidelines and Obesity Epidemic

 

There was an epidemic of heart disease running rampant in the U.S. in the 20th century. A lot of scientists believed fat, especially saturated fat, to be the main dietary cause of heart disease (although this has since been disproven). This led to the birth of the low-fat diet, which aims to restrict saturated fat. Interestingly, the obesity epidemic started at almost the exact same time the low-fat guidelines first came out.

Putting the emphasis on saturated fat, while giving processed low-fat foods high in sugar a free pass, may have contributed to negative changes in the population’s diet. There are also massive long-term studies showing that the low-fat diet does NOT cause weight loss, and does not prevent heart disease or cancer.

 

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People Are Drinking More Sugary Drinks and Fruit Juices

Caloric Beverage Consumption in USA

The brain doesn’t “register” liquid sugar calories in the same way as it does solid calories.  That’s why liquid sugar calories are usually added on top of the daily calorie intake. Unfortunately, most fruit juices are no better and have similar amounts of sugar as soft drinks. Studies have shown that a single daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage is linked to a 60.1% increased risk of obesity in children.

Sugar is bad… but sugar in liquid form is even worse.

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People Don’t Burn as Many Calories When Working

Trends in Occupation-Related Physical Activity

The graph above shows how people are now burning around 100 fewer calories per day in their jobs, which may contribute to weight gain over time.

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People Are Eating More Refined Vegetable Oils

Fat Consumption in USA

The fats we are eating have changed dramatically in the past 100 years or so.

At the beginning of the 20th century, we were eating mostly natural fats like butter, ghee and lard… but then they were replaced with margarine and vegetable oils. These refined oils are highly inflammatory, leading to disease.

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People Are Sleeping Less

Historical Sleep Trends in Hours Per Night
Poor sleep can affect various hormones, contributing to increased hunger and cravings. In recent decades, average sleep duration has decreased by 1-2 hours per night.

Short sleep duration is one of the strongest individual risk factors for obesity. It is linked to an 89% increased risk in children, and a 55% increased risk in adults.

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People may argue about the causes of obesity… whether it is sugar, carbs, fat, or something else.But the fact is, the diet and environment have changed has altered the way our brains and hormones work. These changes affect the biological systems that are supposed to prevent us from getting fat. This is the underlying reason for the increased calorie intake and weight gain, NOT a lack of willpower.
Be Healthy.

Vitamin D – The Right Level

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Research just published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that mortality is greater not only for those who are Vitamin D deficient, but that an excessive level of vitamin D is also associated with increased mortality.

Lack of vitamin D and its association with a number of health problems has been the focus of a lot of research in the past few years. This newly reported research from the University of Copenhagen reminds us that more is not necessarily better when it comes to vitamin D.

Peter Schwarz, Professor at the Dept. of Clinical Medicine stated,”We have studied the level of vitamin D in 247,574 Danes, and so far, it constitutes the world’s largest basis for this type of study. We have also analyzed their mortality rate over a seven-year period after taking the initial blood sample, and in that time 16,645 patients had died. If your vitamin D level is below 50 or over 100 nanomol per litre, there is an greater connection to deaths. We have looked at what caused the death of patients, and when numbers are above 100, it appears that there is an increased risk of dying from a stroke or a coronary. In other words, levels of vitamin D should not be too low, but neither should they be too high. Levels should be somewhere in between 50 and 100 nanomol per litre, and our study indicates that 70 is the most preferable level.”.

That having too much vitamin D in our blood can be bad for our health has never been proven before, and it should have an important impact on the manner by which individuals take Vitamin D supplements. People should coordinate their taking of vitamin D with a medical check up including a blood test, to hit the sweet spot of a Vitamin D level of at least 50 nmol/L but not much higher than 70 nmol/L.

Stay Healthy.

Why Eat Protein

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Does it really matter, if we eat protein, how much and what kind of protein we consume?

Consider this:

Proteins have many different functions, for example:

  • Part of your DNA – your genetic inheritance!
  • Enzymes  are proteins which make everything happen, e.g. to break down food for absorption; to regulate the entry of nutrients through cell walls, and the removal of waste-products; to grow, develop, move, reproduce.
  • Hemoglobin is a protein which, with iron, carries oxygen around the body
  • Myoglobin and elastin – These are the two main proteins in muscle fibers
  • Bones are mainly proteins, with calcium, magnesium and phosphate;
  • Hormones which regulate metabolism
  • Antibodies which circulate in blood to protect against infections and
  • Keratin which forms hair and nails.

A popular belief among a section of Indians is that protein is required mainly by men,  but as we  can see above, women also have DNA and Hemoglobin and hormones. Duh!

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Protein and Chronic Diseases

There’s growing evidence that high-protein food choices can lower the risk of several diseases and premature death.

Cardiovascular disease

Research conducted at Harvard School of Public Health has found that a high-protein diet may be beneficial for the heart.

A randomized trial known as the Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart) showed that a healthy diet that replaced some carbohydrate with healthy protein (or healthy fat) did a better job of lowering blood pressure and harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol than a similarly healthy, higher carbohydrate diet.

Diabetes

Studies showed that substituting one serving of low-fat dairy products or whole grains for a serving of red meat each day lowered the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by an estimated 16 to 35 percent.

Cancer

Optimum levels of Protein contribute to Optimum Immunity, which can help protect against Cancer.

Osteoporosis

High-protein diets have been linked with increased bone-mineral density, and thus stronger bones.

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Protein and Weight Control

The same high-protein foods that are good choices for disease prevention may also help with weight control.

1. Dietary protein reduces hunger. Protein is the most satisfying of all the macronutrients. High protein meals suppress appetite by creating a feeling of fullness. This reduces calorie consumption thereby promoting weight loss.

2. Protein digestion and metabolism burns more calories. Both dietary carbohydrate and protein provide the same amount of available energy, 4 kilocalories per gram, but it takes about 25% more of that energy to process protein. This means more calories are burned in digesting the same weight of protein, compared to carbohydrates.

3. Protein increases lean body mass or muscle. Muscle burns calories. When people shed weight, muscle mass is usually lost. But studies show that overweight dieters are more likely to lose fat instead of muscle by following a higher protein, lower calorie diet. The muscle-building effect of a higher protein diet is further boosted with resistance exercise.

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How Much Protein

Experts advise consuming between 1 and 2 grams of protein per kg of  body weight.  Skew on the higher end for those who are very active,  if you’re trying to lose weight, growing children, pregnant women, or the elderly, as they tend to lose muscle mass. Choose the low end for healthy adults.

Even more important: Aim to get at least 30 of those grams at breakfast, says Donald Layman, Ph.D. (That’s roughly the amount you’ll get from two eggs and a cup of cottage cheese.) After fasting all night, the body is running on empty and may start drawing on muscle tissue for fuel if you don’t replenish its protein stores first thing in the morning. Plus, studies have found that protein-rich breakfasts can help regulate appetite all day.

Every meal we eat, every snack we consume, must contain protein to keep blood sugar levels in balance and maintain energy.

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You may be Low on Protein if

You Crave Sweets
One of the first signs you’re low on protein: You start craving sweets and feel like you’re never quite full. One of protein’s most critical functions is keeping your blood sugar steady—which means if you’re lacking, your glucose levels will be all over the place, encouraging you to reach for a quick fix like candy.

 

Your Brain Feels Foggy
Balanced blood sugar is essential for staying focused. So when you’re protein-deprived and your glucose levels are fluctuating constantly, you may feel a little foggy, because you don’t have a steady stream of carbs to fuel your brain. Protein at meals helps time-release the carbs for steady energy rather than up and down spikes. If you’re relying only on “fleeting foods,” such as crackers or bread, you’ll only experience short bursts of mental energy, followed by the fog.

Your Hair is Falling Out
Protein is the building block of all of your cells—your hair follicles included. “If your hair follicles are strong, they keep your hair on your head, despite the tugging we do all day and the wind going through your hair. But if you’re chronically skimping on the scalp-stabilizing nutrient, you may notice that your strands start thinning (although, keep in mind, this can also be a sign of other conditions, like thyroid trouble).

You Feel Weak.
We all know that protein is essential for building muscle. And if you don’t get enough of it, your muscles may start to shrink over time. As a result, you may feel weak and unable to do the exercises you once excelled at.

You Get Sick Constantly

Protein is needed to build all the compounds in our immune systems. So if you seem to catch colds or infections more often than everyone else—and you’re otherwise in good health—a protein deficiency may be to blame.

Keep up the Protein Intake. And Stay Healthy!

Sugar Makes You Fat. Fat makes You Thin. Really.

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The U.S. government’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is poised to reverse 40 years of “advice” and scrap longstanding guidelines about avoiding high-cholesterol food. In a draft report, cholesterol as found in foods like egg yolks is no longer listed as a “nutrient of concern.”

The cholesterol bogy has been used for several decades to terrify a whole population. For many years, cholesterol levels were considered the ultimate measure of health and fitness in America.

Suppressing cholesterol is not about health. It’s about making money, and the people who created the cholesterol myth did so to make trillions of dollars.

Suppressing cholesterol is like placing something over your car’s heat indicator light expecting to prevent the car from overheating. This is pitiful nonsense, but  literally millions of people along with their doctors are thoroughly indoctrinated with this myth. People are actually paying $600 dollars a month for statin drugs to lower cholesterol, that are offending their health far more than elevated cholesterol. A lot of folks are probably using their grocery money to buy these drugs.

Elevated cholesterol and a bad ratio of HDL and LDL is an indicator of an insulin problem. High levels of insulin continuously stimulate production of cholesterol.

Once and for all, fat does not make fat. It does not raise cholesterol or triglycerides and fat consumption does not put on body fat. In fact, fat consumption takes off body fat inside and outside. And what’s shocking, you have to eat fat to lose fat. Good fats, not trans fats or refined oils. Good fats are coconut oil, olive oil, ghee and butter.

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Eskimos live on fat — an enormous amount — and they have almost no heart disease, diabetes or obesity. But their fat is omega-3 fat, not omega-6. Why does all the pretended research against fat fail to mention this?

A low fat diet makes you FAT.

Carbohydrates, processed sugars and chemical-laden processed foods are what stimulate body fat storage — and sales of cholesterol drugs. And the caution from government panels and their propagandists against cholesterol drove many people to consume foods high in sugar and carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates stimulate large quantities of insulin, which directly stimulates radical rises in cholesterol. Even though carbohydrates themselves are fat-free, excess carbohydrates end up as excess fat. So the insulin that’s stimulated by excess carbohydrates aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat. It also tells it not to release any stored fat. And this makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy. So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only produce excess insulin that makes you fat, they make sure you stay fat. This is how lethal excess carbohydrates are.

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The medical people who are trying to force your cholesterol down to zero forgot to tell you that as your cholesterol level falls to a certain point, you jump from the frying pan of heart disease risk into the fire of death by all sorts of other diseases.

What kind of diseases? Cerebral hemorrhage, gall bladder disease and many types of cancer; falling cholesterol is a marker for several types of cancer. Cholesterol need not be lower than 180 mg/dl to 200 mg/dl range.

Look for a physician trained in Integrative / Functional medicine near you to give you a personalised Healthy Eating plan.

And Be Healthy!

Risk of Diabetic Complications co-related to blood sugar levels

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Diabetes we know. But, What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes means that the blood sugar level is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) definition, it exists if the Fasting Blood sugar (FBS) is between 100 and 125 mg%. but an Integrative Medicine practitioner would like your FBS to be no more than 85mg%. In fact, some experts prefer the FBS level to be around 75mg%.

According to an Indian study, the prevalence of Diabetes in the Indian population was

1.2% in 1971

12.1% in 2001

and 18% in 2013.

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In the Normal population, average BMI (Body mass Index) was 21.8, in Prediabetics it was 23.5 and in the Diabetics it was 24.4. Thats right, 24.4. Now check your BMI!

Out of 20,000 Indian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus , 60% had coronary artery disease (CAD).

In one study, 8% of the subjects had Diabetes and 12% had Prediabetes ( that is, according to ADA standards. We would consider the incidence much higher.). And other studies revealed similar figures. So it is clear that the number of Prediabetics far exceeds the Diabetics in a given population.

What is the Risk

A Prediabetic is not a Diabetic. So what’s the worry?

Well, it’s a huge worry.

An FBS above 92mg% can lead to the development of Overt Diabetes within 10 years.

A BSL ( Blood Sugar Level) of 155mg%, 1 hr after a meal indicated higher risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).

BSL greater than 83mg%, 2 hrs after a meal, indicates higher risk of Stroke.

HbA1C above 6% indicates higher risk of Kidney Failure.

Above 4.6%, risk of CVD doubles for every 1% rise in HbA1C, which measures blood sugar control over the preceding 3 months.

In a French study, people with Diabetic Retinopathy averaged an FBS of 130mg% and HbA1c OF 6.4% over a period of 9 years. While those without eye damage averaged an FBS of 108mg% and an HbA1C of 5.7%.

In another study of 45,000 people, Diabetic retinopathy rose significantly as the FBS rose above 115mg%, 2-hr blood sugar level during GTT ( Glucose Tolerance Test) rose above 176mg% and the HbA1c rose higher than 6.3%.

Which means, DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS develop while the patient remains PREDIABETIC.

From all the above, the trend is clear. There is not a lot of leeway before complications start to appear. Conversely, it means that its not a very long way to go to get healthy again.

What To Do?

Start checking BSL, Insulin level and HbA1C early. In the teens if factors like Family History and Obesity exist.

See an Integrative Medicine Specialist close to you. As dramatically as blood sugar control deteriorates, Recovery can be just as dramatic.

Follow Healthy Living advice as in the post ‘What Should I Eat?’.

Be Informed. And Live Healthy!

Images courtesy Google Images.