Food Matters: Healthy

Choices for Body & Brain

Priscilla J. Kimboko, Ph.D.

Art & Science of Aging Conference
February 8, 2013
Tsunami of Obesity in US
Obesity Statistics
World Health Organization
& US DHHS. NIH.NIDDK
 International Data
Global Problem (2005)
1.6 billion adults overweight (age 15+)
400 million adults obese
20 million children under age 5 overweight

Current Trends by 2015

2.3 billion adults overweight
700 million - obese
 Growing Problem
Since 1960s prevalence of obesity among adults has
more than doubled [from 13.5 to 35.7%)

Obesity prevalence mostly stable from 1999 to 2010:

Slight increases among MEN (overall); black women and
Mexican American women

Among children and adolescents, the prevalence of

obesity increased in the 1980s and 1990s but mostly
stable at 17%

From NIDDK, Overweight and Obesity Statistics, 2012)

 US Data: National Institute of Diabetes,
Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Fast Facts
More than 2 in 3 adults overweight or obese
More than 1 in 3 adults obese
More than 1 in 20 adults extremely obese
About 1/3 of children adolescents (6-19) are
overweight or obese
More than 1 in 6 children considered obese

From National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009-

2010)
 Michigan Obesity Rates
Adult Obesity rate, 30.4% (2010)
Among 12 most obese states

Projected to rise to 59.4% by 2030 (if no change in

average BMI)
Projected to rise to 53.4% if BMI overall is reduced
5%

From Trust for Americas Health: F as in Fat: how Obesity Threatens

Americas Future (2012) - with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
 Defining Obesity/BMI
Obesity = excessively high amount of body fat
or adipose tissue in relation to lean tissue, with
Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30
Overweight = BMI>25 to 30
Normal weight = BMI between 18 and 24
Why do we get FAT?
 Calories IN Calories OUT

Too much food, too little

exercise?
Bran muffins? Fatty foods?

COMFORT foods!
 Standard
American
Diet
SWEET, SALT, enshrined!

FAT
 HEALTH RISKS WITH
S.A.D.
HEART DISEASE

DIABETES

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

OBESITY

HIGH CHOLESTEROL

ARTHRITIS/JOINT PROBLEMS

DEPRESSION/STRESS

DEMENTIAS ?
Health Risks with Obesity
TYPE 2 DIABETES
HEART DISEASE
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE
OSTEOARTHRITIS
SOME CANCERS (BREAST, COLON,
ENDOMETRIAL, KIDNEY)
STROKE
 See the Similarities?
Risks of SAD Risks of OBESITY
HEART DISEASE TYPE 2 DIABETES

DIABETES HEART DISEASE

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER
OBESITY DISEASE
HIGH CHOLESTEROL OSTEOARTHRITIS
ARTHRITIS/JOINT PROBLEMS SOME CANCERS (BREAST,
COLON, ENDOMETRIAL, KIDNEY)
DEPRESSION/STRESS
STROKE
DEMENTIAS ?
 Other comorbidities:
Getting Fatter & Fatty liver disease
Kidney disease
Sicker Polycystic ovarian
syndrome
Orthopedic problems
Sleep apnea
Gallstones
depression
 Diabesity
"Our ancient genes and our modern environment
have collided." Our bodies store excess calories
as fat. In ancient times calories were hard to
come by. Today, fast food and junk food are
everywhere. Coupled with our increasingly
inactive lifestyle, the result is obesity.

Francine Kaufman, M.D, Director, Center for Diabetes,

Endocrinology, and Metabolism at Children's Hospital in Los
Angeles
 Diabesity further
defined
Continuum of abnormal biology that
ranges from mild insulin resistance to
full-blown diabetes
Downstream symptoms that result from
problems with diet, lifestyle, and
environmental toxins interacting with our
unique genetic susceptibilities

Mark Hyman, MD, 2011

 Diabesity Dementia
Connection
Recent studies show that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for
Alzheimers disease, vascular dementia, and other types of
dementia because cardiovascular problems associated with
diabetes are also associated with dementia
Glucose is not used properly in the brains of people with
Alzheimers disease
Beta amyloid plaques which build up in the brains of people
with AD have been shown to prevent insulin receptors in the
brain from doing their job.
Some have suggested that Alzheimers is type 3 diabetes
Alzheimers Society of Canada, 2011.
 Who is at Fault?
The current formulation of gluttony, sloth, diet and
exercise, while accepted by virtually everyone, is
based on faulty premises and myths that have
taken hold in the worlds consciousness. Obesity
is not a behavioral aberration, a character
flaw, or an error of omission.
Our current thinking is based upon correlation,
supposition and conjecture.

Robert H. Lustig, M.D. Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar,
Processed food, Obesity and Disease. 2012
The CAUSES of Obesity
 The Standard
American Diet - now
the Industrial Global
Diet - is killing us
allslowly.

Robert Lustig

Consider Standard American Diet industrial

food
NEW/OLD Answers
 Obesity is a disorder of excess fat
accumulation, not voluntary
overeating or inactivity, caused by
an imbalance in hormonal
regulation of adipose tissue and fat
metabolism.

Insulin is the primary regulator of Source: Gary Taubes:

fat storage. When insulin levels are Why We Get Fat and
elevatedeither chronically or after
a mealwe accumulate fat in What to Do About It.
adipose tissue. When insulin levels
fall, we release fat and oxidize it for
fuel.

Elevated blood insulin levels

increase hunger and the drive to
eat, while decreasing energy
expenditure and activity

By stimulating insulin secretion,

carbohydrates make us fat and Consider:
ultimately cause obesity

In short: Carbohydrates Insulin

drives insulin, which drives
fat.
 Apple vs. Pear
* Belly Fat
People with abdominal obesity
(the characteristic apple or
pot belly shape, rather than
those with pear shaped
backsides or extra subcutaneous
fat) tend to secrete more insulin
after eating and have high basal
insulin levels, ultimately leading
to elevated blood glucose,
triglycerides, elevated blood
pressure, unfavorable
cholesterol ratios, and a host of
other issues
 Consider FAST
FOOD
Our bodies have not kept up
with the high fructose, salt and
fat laden foods that industry
produces cheaply!
Consider Sleep
Deprivation

Normal sleep needs of adults is

six hours
Sleep deprived people eat more
simple carbohydrates than
people who get adequate sleep
Hormones Ghrelin increases with
less sleep, triggering hunger
feelings
May also be more likely to skip
breakfast
Consider Diet
Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners disrupt the normal

hormonal and neurological signals that
control hunger and satietypreferred
taste sweetness is potentially
addictive
Give up stevia, aspartame, sucralose,
sugar alcohols unless you want to slow
down your metabolism, gain wait, and
become an addict.
They make you hungrier, slow your
metabolism, give you bad gas, and
make you store fat

Dr. Mark Hyman

 Consider
Processed Grains
White rice and white flour act
like sugar in the body
If you have diabesity you
cant easily handle any flour,
even whole grain
 Belly fat is more
Consider metabolically activeand
drives inflammation, which
Inflammation in turn promotes diabetes,
cardiovascular disease,
Robert Lustig: Fat Chance: dementia and aging
Beating the Odds Against
Sugar, Processed Food, visceral/[belly] fat kills
Obesity, and Disease. you

Studies of humans have

demonstrated that sucrose
consumption correlates
with the degree of liver
inflammation

Inflammation can be
measured by C-reactive
protein (CRP) test
Emotional hunger comes From:
on suddenly Helpguide.org:
Emotional eating:
Emotional hunger craves How to recognize
specific comfort foods and stop emotional
Emotional hunger often eating.
http://www.helgpuid
leads to mindless eating e.org/life/emotional_
Emotional hunger isnt eating_stress_cravin
satisfied once youre full gs.htm

Emotional hunger isnt

located in the stomach
Emotional hunger often
leads to regret, guilt, or
Consider
shame. Stress
Consider CAFO

Concentrated Animal Feeding

Operations = CAFO

a significant contributor to diet-

related diseases, and the spread of
food-borne illnesses. The intensive
concentrations of animals in such
crammed and filthy conditions
dependent on antibiotic medicines
and steady streams of subsidized
industrial feeds poses serious
moral and ethical considerations
for all of us.
 Studies show that
Consider Low persons who are obese
are also low in Vitamin
Vitamin D D.

People who are obese

may be less able to
convert vitamin D into
its hormonally active
Web MD: Salynn Boyles, Obesity form
linked to lower vitamin D levels:
researchers say obese people may Because Vitamin D is
need more Vitamin D in their diet.
From fat-soluble, it is likely
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins0 that the Vitamin D
and-supplements/news
20101217/obesity-linked-lower- obese people take in is
vitamin-d-levels. distributed in fat tissue
and not in the blood
 Conclusions?
Food Matters
Your daily food choices
matter.otherwise your body
must struggle to overcome bad
choices, and diabesity occurs
with all its negative
consequences for your brain
and body!
 Diabesity
prevention
Fresh, organic green
vegetables, and fresh grass fed
meats such as beef, pork, free
range chickens, lots of fish that
provide Omega 3 oils
Low Carb Fresh
Food KEY

Farmers market and/or raise

your own even in small
spaces you can grow some
fresh vegetables and fruits
Stave off Dementia
with Food

. green leafy vegetables and cruciferous

vegetables like broccoli, is associated with a
reduced rate of cognitive decline.

Mediterranean diet had a 28 percent lower risk

of developing MCI and a 48 percent lower risk of
progressing from MCI to Alzheimers disease

Eat vegetables, legumes, fruits, , fish, olive oil,

moderate amounts of alcohol, dairy products,
lean meat, and poultry.

Daniel Amen
 Low Carb Diet historically
prescribed
Exclude rice, bread, potato, macaroni, pies, cakes,
sweet desserts, free sugar, candy, cream, etc.
Eat moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, fowl, eggs,
cheese, coarse grains, skimmed milk
Avoid carbohydrates, particularly sweets, starches,
and refined carbohydrates
Include small servings of fruit, lots of green vegetables

Robert Melchionna, early 1950s reducing diet prescribed at New York hospital
(as quoted in Gary Taubes: Good Calories, Bad Calories, 2007
What to do about Obesity?
A Personal Journey
Personal Story
 UltraHealth
Seven Steps to treating Diabesity
Step 1 - Boost your nutrition
Step 2 Regulate your hormones
Step 3 Reduce Inflammation
Step 4 Improve Digestion
Step 5 Maximize Detoxification
Step 6 Enhance Energy Metabolism
Step 7 Soothe Your Mind
Mark Hyman, The Blood Sugar Solution: The
UltraHealthy Program for Losing Weight,
Preventing Disease and Feeling Great Now!
 What we can do
Replace fattening carbohydrates with animal
products high in fat
Eat as much fat and protein as you want, but avoid
carbohydraytes
Lose weight
HDL (good) cholesterol up
Triglycerides down
Blood pressure down
Total cholesterol stays about the same
LDL cholesterol went up slightly
Risk of heart attach decrease (Taubes)
 Diets that work
Many good ones that work because they restrict fattening
carbohydrates sugars, starches, grains and moderate fruits
They look like the guidance offered in the 40s and 50s
Avoid starches, grains, sugars, anything made from them (bread,
pastries, candies, juices, sodas) and monitor how much fruit and
nonstarchy vegetables you body can tolerate
Avoid artificial sweeteners which trigger insulin - which triggers fat
storage
Stick to leafy green vegetables which have a very low glycemic
index
Sugars are addictive in the brain in the same way as cocaine, heroin,
nicotine.
(Taubes)
 Atkins Diet - 9 months
Sets few limits on the amount of food you eat but severely
restricts the kinds of food allowed on your plate: no
refined sugar, milk, white rice, or white flour products
Allows you to eat foods traditionally regarded as "rich":
meat, eggs, cheese, and more
Reduces your appetite in the process
You're eating almost pure protein and fat. You can consume
red meat, fish (including shellfish), fowl, and regular cheese
(not "diet" cheese, cheese spreads, or whey cheeses). You
can cook with butter, have mayo with your tuna, and put
olive oil on your salads.
 Low glycemic - Medifast
A quick weight loss diet, with portion-controlled
meal replacements [PCMR}, that are low glycemic,
and no sugar (altho using sugar substitutes)
These are another form of fast food with small
portions and frequent meals
Combine with Lean (protein sources) and Green
(vegetables/very low carb)
Goal rapid weight reduction to achieve normal
BMI, then go to Maintenance Diet for Optimal Living
Primal Diet Mark Sisson
Change is Possible!
March 2009 August 2012
Getting Started
Know Your Numbers
BMI
Waist-to-height ratio
Record fruits and
vegetables eaten
Sleep
Blood Pressure
Complete Blood Count
Metabolic Panel
HgA1C test for
diabetes
Vitamin D level
Thyroid
C-reactive protein
Homocysteine
Paleo Diet Food Pyramid
 References
Amen, Daniel G. (2011) The Amen solution: The brain healthy way

to get thinner, smarter, happier. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Andersen, Wayne Scott. (2008) Dr. As habits of health: the path to

permanent weight control and optimal health. Annapolis MD: Habits of
Health Press.

Bailor, Jonathan, Paine, John, Black, Hillel, Bailor, Mary Rose, Manson, JoAnn
E., & Kelesidis, Theodoros (2012) The smarter science of slim: What the
actual experts have proven about weight loss, diet, and exercise.

De Vany, Arthur. (2011) The new evolution diet: What our Paleolithic
ancestors can teach us about weight loss, fitness and aging.

Duhigg, Charles. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life

and business. New York: Random House.

Hyman, Mark. (2012) The blood sugar solution: The ultrahealthy program
for losing weight, preventing disease and feeling great now. New York:
Little, Brown.
 La Puma, John and Rebecca Powell Marx (2008). Chef MDs big book of culinary
medicine: A food lovers road map to losing weight, preventing disease, and getting
really healthy. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Lustig, Robert. Sugar: The bitter truth. [video]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Lustig, Robert, (2012) Fat chance: Beating the odds against sugar, processed food,
obesity and disease. New York: Hudson Street Press.

Sisson, Mark. (2011) The primal blueprint 21day total body transformation. Malibu,
CA: Primal Nutrition Ranch.

Taubes, Gary (2011) Why we get fat and what to do about it. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf, Borzoi Books.

Thompson, Helen (2012) Sugar free diet simplified: a concise and easy to read
guide on learning to identify and overcome sugar.

Wahls, Terry L. M.D., Minding my mitochondria: how I overcame secondary

progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and got out of my wheelchair, 2 nd edition. Iowa
City: TZ Press.

Westerman, Eric C., Phinney, Stephen D. & Volek, Jeff, S. (2010) The new Atkins for
a new you: the ultimate diet for shedding weight and feeling great. New York: