The Secret Antidote to Overindulgence

Many of us worry about the effects of overindulging, over the Festive Season, and well we should! Eating large amounts of carbohydrate and fat rich food over a short period of time is a big shock to your system. But not wanting to be a party pooper I’d love to give you some good news: Drinking freshly squeezed orange juice with your feast can reduce some of the harm!

A 2010 study, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, investigated the effects of eating a high fat, high carbohydrate (HFHC) meal. The researchers investigated 30 healthy subjects, within normal weight limits, who were given a HFHC meal with either water, glucose water or orange juice. They measured multiple markers pre- and post-meal to determine the effects.

The Effects on the Body of a “Rich” HFHC Meal

The researchers showed that eating a large amount of carbohydrate and fat at one sitting:

• Released high levels of fat and sugar into the bloodstream quickly (postprandial hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia) and levels remained high for over 1 hour.

• Caused inflammatory and oxidative stress, which is prolonged – this increases risk of cardiovascular and inflammatory disease (such as arthritis).

• Raised levels of compounds that cause cell death and increase the risk of gene mutation – which in turn increases cancer risk.

• Increased insulin resistance – which is a precursor to diabetes.

While your body can eventually recover from an occasional HFHC meal, eating this type of food regularly cause cumulative, harmful effects on the body and increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and inflammatory disease.

The Benefits of Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

The researchers reported that freshly squeezed orange juice has a positive effect on blood markers, when taken with a HFHC meal and may counteract some of the damage caused. Orange juice contains many healthy compounds including flavonoids, naringenin, and hesperidin. In the study orange juice was shown have a positive effect on blood markers, that water and glucose water did not :

• Blood glucose concentrations barely rose.

• Significantly reduced inflammatory and oxidative stress.

• Reduced compounds which increase cell death and mutation and insulin resistance.

Previous studies with pasteurized, refrigerated orange juice did not show the same level of improvement.

Get Squeezing!

The consensus of health advice agrees that the healthiest diets are high in fresh vegetables and fruits and low in processed foods of any type, dairy and meat. Whilst it is better to avoid eating unhealthy food in the first place there are times of the year where many of us like to let our hair down and overindulge! Well now you can reduce the guilt of that festive meal with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Here’s to a very Happy, Healthy Holiday Season!

Please note:

The study was looking at healthy individuals without pre-existing conditions or disease, so it is not known if these results are generalizable to the whole population. Please follow your physician’s advice at all times.

Source:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  2010 Apr; 91(4): 940–949. Orange juice neutralizes the proinflammatory effect of a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal and prevents endotoxin increase and Toll-like receptor expression.Husam Ghanim et al.

Your heart… Your life!

Cardiovascular disease which includes heart disease and stroke leads to 33.6% of all US deaths and this just the tip of the iceberg: nearly 4 million people suffer from cardiovascular disease and report disability from illness. The CDC estimates that approximately 200,000 of these 700,000 deaths are due to lifestyle choices and are therefore preventable. In 2010, the estimated total spending on cardiovascular diseases in the United States was estimated to be $444 billion: that’s about $1 of every $6 spent on health care in the USA.

Prevention is key

While some people have an increased genetic risk of cardiovascular disease, for most people lifestyle choices play a large role in personal risk. Cardiovascular disease severely affects your ability to live a happy, fulfilling, successful life and it is essential that we all take some personal responsibility for reducing our risk.

5 things you can do to significantly reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease

1. Don’t smoke: Cigarette smoking increases your risk of coronary heart disease it also increases blood pressure, reduces exercise tolerance and increases blood clotting.

2. Exercise regularly: Studies show that doing more than 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate physical activity or an hour of vigorous physical activity every week will reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by about 30%.  

3. Watch your weight: carrying more than a few extra pounds increases your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) all of which put you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

4. Manage your stress: it is hard to accurately estimate the effect of stress on cardiovascular disease, as the effects of stress are complex. But we do know that stress increases your blood pressure and cholesterol, speeds up aging and death of cells, makes weight gain more likely and increases frequency of bad habits such as smoking, overeating, inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption, all of which are bad for your cardiovascular health.

5. Get good advice on managing your health. There are many symptoms and signs of impending cardiovascular disease including: hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, high blood sugar and excess belly fat. In combination these risk factors are now known as Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X. These should not be ignored, as if treated early serious illness can be limited or prevented. Seek out advice from a holistic practitioner, as there is increasing evidence that inflammation and sugar addiction are implicated in these.

Employers have a responsibility too

If you are an employer, you should know that the health of your business is integrally tied to the health of your employees. As cardiovascular disease is a major cause of chronic ill health, it is also a major cause of absenteeism, poor productivity and health care costs. Large corporations are beginning to invest in Corporate Wellbeing Programs for their employees, and these have been shown to have an impressive return on investment and reduce the impact of chronic illness. Small to medium sized businesses need to do the same.

Your heart, Your life!

Your heart health is essential to the health of your body, brain, mind and spirit. Having a healthy heart and brain increases your energy levels, your focus, productivity and your relationships. It really is win-win all around.

Sources: CDC and Heart.org