Tag: digestion

Don’t Forget Your Back

Most of us spend a large portion of the day hunched forward.  Think about when you are working on the computer, cooking, driving or even relaxing.  Your typical posture during these activities is head and neck forward, shoulders rounded forward, back curved and hips flexed.    When you remain in this position for an extended period of time, the muscles in the front of the body tend to shorten or contract, while the muscles in the back of the body tend to weaken.    This can be a set up for back, neck and shoulder problems and in addition, tends to make you look shorter, heavier and less confident.

Stretching before and after exercise as well as during the day is often overlooked in the rush to “get your workout in”.   Stretching however, has numerous benefits.   According to a study published in the Annals of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine in September 2016, by I Fekhfekh, et al, dynamic muscle stretching of the knee musculature actually resulted in an increase strength gain in those muscles.  Interestingly, this study also found a decrease in the postural stability of the knee after stretching.    In English, it appears that stretching helps your to build strength, but may decrease the stability of the muscles you stretch at least temporarily.

In general, stretching helps to improve flexibility, joint range of motion, and usually is helpful for injury prevention.    Stretching helps by increasing blood flow to the muscles stretched.  This increased blood flow carries important nutrients to your muscles to allow for muscle growth and repair.  In addition, the increased blood flow helps to wash away muscle “waste” which leads to decreased soreness and inflammation of the muscle.

If allowed to remain in a contracted position for a prolonged period of time, our muscles will shorten.  For example if you spend a large portion of your day sitting in a chair or driving, the muscles in the front of the hips, your hip flexors will shorten.  These muscles have a direct effect on both your posture and your back health.

 

So what should you do?

It is important to stretch the muscles in the front of the body at least daily.

Exercises that focus on the hip flexors:

-Kneeling hip flexor stretch  – in the position of a lunge, allow your back knee to touch the floor and drive the hip of your front leg forward.  This will stretch the hip flexor of the knee on the floor

–Pigeon stretch – extend your right leg straight back and bring the heel of your left leg underneath your right hip.  Then drive your hips forward towards the ground.  Stretch and repeat on the other side.

– Yoga poses such as: low lunge, crescent lunge, upward facing dog, and revolving side angle pose

 

Stretches that focus on the chest muscles and prevent rounded shoulders:

– Door Frame stretch- stand in a doorway or at the corner of a room with your arms up like you were going to stop traffic.  Line your arms up from the elbow to the hand with the doorframe or in the corners of the wall.   Step towards the door and you should feel a stretch in your chest (pectoralis “pec” muscles) and hold for 20-30 seconds.

– Wall slides – stand with your back to the wall and keep your shoulders against the wall.  Walk forward 1-2 steps and slide your arms up and down the wall and squeeze your shoulder blades together.  You should feel a stretch in your upper chest muscles.

–Shoulder squeeze stretch –  clasp your hands together behind your back and slowly try to lift your hands.  Squeeze your shoulder blades together to stretch out the chest wall.

– Yoga poses include : bridge pose, camel pose, cobra pose and cow face pose

 

Stretches for your neck:

– Chin Tucks (Neck Retraction) – keep your shoulders back and your head in a neutral position (eyes facing forwards, chin level) slowly move your head backwards until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your neck.  Hold for 10-20 seconds and repeat.  If needed you can apply a gentle pressure on your chin with your fingertips to press your chin backwards and deepen the stretch.

Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine will help to prevent shortening of the muscles in the front of the body which leads to poor posture and often pain of the neck and back.  As always, if you are having pain which persists you should be evaluated by a certified health care professional to ensure that these exercises are safe for you.

This week we primarily discussed stretching exercises to prevent muscle contraction, and next week we will discuss the importance of strengthening the back muscles to further combat the issues of a hunched posture.

Fermented Foods

The gastrointestinal tract is the barrier between the outside world and the inside of our bodies.  Pretty much anything that we put into our mouth either gets digested and absorbed to be utilized or stored by our body, or gets excreted as either solid or liquid waste.

Research has shown that our GI (gastrointestinal tracts) contain between 2-6 pounds of gut flora (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc).  These microbes (also called flora, or living organisms) can be helpful, harmful or neutral.  Due to necessary and sometimes unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat illness, environmental chemical exposures, and use of antibiotics in our food sources, the population of flora in our GI tract can be greatly altered.

If the balance between the good and bad flora shifts, this can lead to significant issues; such as improper digestion of foods, malabsorption of nutrients, overabsorption of nutrients leading to weight gain, and possibly a breakdown in the gut barrier.    This breakdown in the gut barrier theoretically can enable toxic substances and possibly microbes to enter into the bloodstream.   Our bodies have multiple ways to defend against bacteria and toxins transiently entering our body and bloodstream.   However sometimes these defense mechanisms may not work properly and illness can ensue.

The process of fermenting foods increases the beneficial bacteria count in the foods, and makes nutrients more bioavailable or easier for the body to absorb.    Eating fermented foods, seems to help better regulate the immune system.   Fermented foods can contain a wide variety of beneficial bacteria and the levels found in these foods far exceeds the level of beneficial bacteria found in over-the-counter supplements.  Consuming probiotic supplements alone though, hasn’t really been shown to increase the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut.   Adding  prebiotics found in fermentable fibers (chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, yams, dandelion greens, leeks, onion, garlic and banana) have been shown to stimulate the grown of beneficial bacteria in the gut.  Therefore it is recommended to consume both prebiotics and probiotics.

It is crucial to introduce fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi and kombuchi very slowly into the diet.  This is because fermented foods can have high levels of histamine and aldehydes.  Histamine is substance that causes a local immune response such as hives, rashes, nausea etc.   Some people have decreased ability to break down histamine or aldehyde quickly and therefore can be intolerant to higher levels of these substances.  If you notice that when you eat fermented foods, you develop headaches, abdominal pain and bloating, hives, rashes or nausea it may be due to the high histamine or aldehyde load.    In this case, one would require an individualized assessment to determine the safety of consuming such foods.

Raw fermented foods are becoming more readily available for purchase.  In addition, there are more kits available to ferment foods at home.  It is important to realize that when commercially purchased, fermented foods are often pasteurized or preserved for safety.  This kills the beneficial bacteria.  In addition, commercially available foods often contain high amounts of refined sugar and processed dairy.     Therefore, the benefit of foods such as kefir and yogurt, that have a high concentration of probiotics, is offset by the amount of sugar and processed dairy.   As was discussed last week, pasteurized dairy can have many unwanted side effects.

If possible it is best to select foods such as sauerkraut, kombuchi and kimchi rather then milk based products such as yogurt and kefir.  When eating yogurt and kefir it is recommended that you select full fat products without any additional sweeteners or sugars added.

Currently, there is a fair amount of debate in the literature regarding prebiotics, probiotics and fermented foods.  Just remember no one specific food or supplement is best for everyone.   We all have different genetic make ups and environmental factors that influence our responses to food and supplements.

Hope this helps to bring some light onto the subject of probiotics and fermented foods!

Should You Incorporate Apple Cider Vinegar Into Your Diet?

 

Recently apple cider vinegar has been garnering a fair amount of attention due to its possible health benefits. In order to provide you with the most up-to-date information, I decided to review the literature to find out if there is any scientific evidence to support these health claims. It appears that indeed there are some benefits to incorporating a small amount (1-2 Tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar into your diet, but adding more than that may be harmful.

Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and collecting the liquid or cider. Bacteria and yeast are then added to this cider which causes the fruit sugars to ferment first into alcohol and ultimately, with the help of bacteria called acetobacter, into vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is more palatable then pure vinegar due to fact that is is made from apples. Regular vinegar is much more sour and made from the fermentation of grain alcohol. The benefits of apple cider vinegar are due to the acetic acid (vinegar) therefore in theory regular vinegar should be beneficial as well. The main issue is that regular vinegar is sour and harsh tasting.

Some of the benefits of apple cider vinegar consumption:

  • Increased satiety or feeling of fullness
  • Beneficial effect of fat levels in the blood
  • Decreased blood levels of triglycerides
  • Increased beneficial HDL cholesterol levels in the blood
  • Decreased LDL cholesterol levels in blood
  • Seems to prevent/lower risk for vascular disease/ plaque formation in the arteries
  • May help with oxidative stress (functions as a beneficial antioxidant)
  • Promotes glycogen synthesis (sugar storage, thus reducing blood sugar levels)

In a study done by Kondo T, et al, published in August 2009, it was found that Vinegar intake decreased body weight, body fat mass and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese individuals. These effects were fairly modest and on average individuals lost a few more pounds then the control subjects over a three-month time. It appears though, that this benefit only helped when the apple cider vinegar was consumed.

According to a study published by the American Diabetes Association in Diabetes Care, 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar at bedtime taken with 1 ounce of cheese favorably impacted or decreased the waking blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes. These patients were given cheese because it was felt that a small amount of food was beneficial when taking the vinegar to prevent stomach upset. The fasting glucose levels improved by 4-8% as compared to controls.

It it theorized that vinegar slows down digestion in the stomach and causes delayed gastric emptying, which is usually beneficial. This is because by slowing gastric emptying, you are slowing down the rate of sugar being released into your blood stream. However, if you have a condition called Diabetic Gastroparesis (a problem with the nerves in the stomach leading to slowed or delayed digestion), it is not recommended to take apple cider vinegar because this can worsen your digestion.

Recommendations for consumption:

  • 1-2 Tablespoons at most per day (can be used as a salad dressing or mixed with other foods/liquids)
  • Drink either after meals or dilute with 8 ounces of water
  • Don’t consume on an empty stomach or you may get nausea, bloating or gas
  • Do not use the vinegar pills – there is a case report of a women with esophageal erosion (throat burns) due to the pill being stuck in her throat for several months

Potential side effects or complications:

  • May interact with certain medications, specifically:
    • Diabetic medications
    • Digoxin
    • Anti-hypertensive medications (blood pressure medications) such as diuretics
    • Any other medications which effect potassium levels
  • In a case study of a women who took 8 ounces per day for 6 years, she developed low potassium and osteoporosis (bone loss)
    • It is thought that too much vinegar consumption will take minerals from the bones to buffer the acidity and result in osteoporosis
  • May cause damage to tooth enamel due to acidity
  • May interfere with stomach emptying (called gastroparesis) and result in heartburn, bloating and nausea

In conclusion, there is scientific evidence that a modest intake of no more that 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per day improves your blood sugar levels, helps you to feel fuller and thus consume less calories and improves the fat profile of your blood to decrease your risk for stroke and heart disease. As always if you are taking medications or have diabetes check with your physician to make sure this is safe addition to your diet.