by Susan Brady | Jan 22, 2019 | Healthy aging
By now you have heard that the weed killer Roundup is showing up in dozens of popular breakfast cereals and snack bars. According to independent testing commissioned by the Environmental Working Group, the chemical glyphosate was found in 43 of the 45 conventional oat products they tested. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide in the farming and landscape industries. Although the Environmental Protection Agency does not consider glyphosate to be a human carcinogen, in 2015, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency declared that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. Recent studies have also proposed that glyphosate could impact other aspects of our health as well which leads me to ask “Does it affect our bones?”
What exactly is Glyphosate?
Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill most plants. These herbicides are applied in large amounts to crops 2-3 times per season to remove weeds and then prior to harvesting to dry out the grain in a process called ‘desiccation.’ Glyphosate based herbicides are designed to specifically inhibit an enzymatic pathway unique to plants that interferes with protein synthesis and growth. Because this pathway only exists in plants and bacteria, not humans or animals, Roundup is assumed not to be harmful for people. However, glyphosate is increasingly accumulating in people’s bodies. This is because the chemical remains in leaves, grains or fruit and can’t be removed by washing, nor is it broken down by cooking. So if you are eating conventionally produced vegetables, fruits, corn, soy, potatoes or grains, you are ingesting glyphosate. It can also enter the body by direct absorption through the skin or by drinking water contaminated with glyphosate. Glyphosate when combined with the additional ingredients in Roundup and other herbicides, make it even more toxic than glyphosate alone.
How can glyphosate affect your bones?
Although there are no studies linking glyphosate and bone loss or osteoporosis, there are several potential ways this chemical can negatively impact your bone health.
5 ways Roundup in your food may damage your bones:
1. Accumulates in your Bones
Several studies have detected glyphosate in the intestine, liver, muscle, spleen and kidney tissue of animals and one study found glyphosate in the bone. Glyphosate is known to make a strong bond with calcium, so it would make sense that it would end up in the bone. Whether it’s presence damages the bone is unknown.
2. Creates Dysbiosis and Leaky Gut
Because it kills bacteria as well as plants, glyphosate has an antibiotic effect and can interfere with the health of your gut microbiota. Emerging research indicates that a healthy gut microbiota can positively influence bone mass.
3. Increases Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress, or the production of free radicals, inhibits new bone formation, accelerates bone turnover which leads to bone loss.
4. Interferes with Vitamin D production
Glyphosate is known to inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver which is necessary to create the active form of vitamin D which is necessary to aid in calcium absorption.
5. Nutrient Deficiency
Glyphosate binds with vital bone building nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and boron in the soil, preventing plants from taking them up. This affects the nutrient value of the food we eat to build our bones
5 ways to Avoid and Protect yourself from Glyphosate:
1. Eat organic ingredients and products to reduce your exposure to all herbicides.
2. Avoid all Genetically Modified Foods (GMO). Most GMO crops are developed to be ‘Roundup Ready’, meaning that the plant won’t die when exposed to glyphosate.
3. Get plenty of probiotics in your diet through eating fermented foods such as Kefir, yogurt, fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kombucha, miso. You can also take a daily probiotic supplement.
4. Load up on anti-oxidant rich foods such as blueberries, dark chocolate, pecans, artichokes, kidney beans, and green tea.
5. Support liver detoxification. Foods like garlic, citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, walnuts, beets, green tea all support the liver’s natural ability to expel toxins from the body.
Although there is no direct evidence that glyphosates induce bone loss, there is plenty of reason to be concerned about this chemical accumulating not only in our plants, but our soil, our water and our bodies.
If you are interested, there is a test that can accurately assess the burden of glyphosate exposure in the body. Respond to this email or give me a call to find out more. 703-738-4230
by Susan Brady | Jan 22, 2019 | Healthy aging
Upon rising with the sun barely peeking up over the horizon, I cautiously (because I don’t want to trip over my dog!) make my way to the bedroom door. I grip the doorknob, rotate it, and open the door. Making my way to the kitchen, I again twist open the dead bolt, turn the doorknob, and release the hound for her morning relief. I pick up the kettle and, holding it tight, fill it with water and carry it to the stove. Grabbing a can from the panty, and using one smooth but forceful motion, peel off the lid and spoon the contents into the dog’s bowl. After, preparing tea, I sit down at my computer caressing the warm mug in my hands and breath in the aroma that signals the start of my day.
Within the first few minutes of my day, I rely on the grip strength of my hands to perform just about every action. Although it is easy to take the strength of your hands for granted, your raw grip strength is actually a predictor of overall health, and even osteoporosis.
Why grip strength matters
Your grip strength not only measures the functional capacity of your hand, but has been shown to be related to cardiovascular function, mobility, amount of muscle mass and bone mineral density. Stronger grip strength reflects more muscle mass which is associated with increased activity and better health.
Studies have been popping up for years linking grip strength to osteoporosis. As recently as this past February, a study consisting of 120 postmenopausal women found that decreased grip strength was correlated with reduced bone mineral density of the spine and hip and was a strong risk factor for osteoporosis.
Hand grip strength may also be associated with cardiovascular function and disease. One researcher found that better hand grip strength was associated with having a healthier heart structure and function. Another found that the weaker your grip strength, the greater the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. In fact, grip strength can be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure!
Improved cognitive functioning, including memory, reaction time, and reasoning, has also been linked to a stronger hand grip.
Lastly, the stronger your grip the better mobility and balance reducing the risk of falling and breaking a bone.
How good is your grip strength?
Can you lift a pot off the stove, carry grocery bags in from the car, loosen the lid of a jar? If you struggle with these activities, that could be a sign that you need to takes steps to make activity and exercise a priority in your life. Remember, grip strength is a predictor of overall body health and well-being. It is important to understand that it is not the actual strength of your forearm and hand muscles that is significant, it is what your grip strength reflects about the strength and coordination of the muscles throughout your body.
Doing exercises to strengthen the muscles in your wrists and hands can certainly help, especially if you have osteoporosis in your forearm, but just improving grip strength isn’t the answer. You need to engage in exercises and activities to improve skeletal muscle strength and health. The more movement you do, whether it is structured exercise or functional work like house chores, gardening, carrying grocery bags, the more you strengthen your muscles head to toe, along with the bones that lie beneath them.
Physical strength and fitness is one of the strongest predictor of individual’s future health.
**Grip strength, though a predictor of strength in the general population, doesn’t carry the same predictors in those with pain or deformity in the hands secondary to arthritis or rheumatoid disease.
If you are local to Northern Virginia, give me a call and we can schedule a time to test your grip strength!
703-738-4230
by Susan Brady | Nov 20, 2018 | Digestion
November is national diabetes awareness month. Sadly, over 30 million people across the US are afflicted with diabetes. Having high blood sugar can result in many serious health complications such as cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, hearing loss, and Alzheimer’s disease. And if that isn’t enough to worry about, diabetics are also at greater risk for developing osteoporosis. Luckily, a lot of the same holistic approaches used to prevent and manage diabetes can also effectively preserve bone health.
There are two types of diabetes and each affect our bones differently.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. This results in the inability to produce insulin. Insulin, however, is important for building bone density because it stimulates osteoblasts, the cells that make new bone. Insulin is also important in building lean muscle tissue. It stimulates the cellular pathway in muscle that enhances muscle growth. And I can’t stress enough that lean muscle tissue is highly correlated with better bone health.
Although insulin therapy allows better control of blood glucose, there continues to be greater incidence of osteoporosis and fractures in type 1 diabetics than the normal population.
People with type 2 diabetes actually have the opposite problem than those with type 1 diabetes. In a type 2 diabetic, the pancreas still produces insulin, but the body is unable to use it effectively. This results in sugar accumulation in the bloodstream, called hyperglycemia. It was previously thought that the weight gain that typically occurs in those with type 2 diabetes would benefit the bones and help increase bone mineral density. However, recent studies indicate that hyperglycemia actually causes disruptions in bone metabolism by inhibiting the osteoblasts and creates abnormalities of bone collagen as well.
Type 2 diabetes often co-exists with increased body fat. Studies have shown that women with high body fat have bones that are up to 9% weaker than those with normal body fat. While it’s not known exactly why excess fat is bad for bone health, animal studies have found that obese rats produce more fat cells than bone cells in bone marrow, which may explain the weakening.
The effects of insulin resistance on muscle also influences bone health. When the muscles are resistant to insulin, glucose cannot get into the muscles cells and help to build and maintain muscle mass. Conversely, good muscle mass is needed for improving insulin resistance. You muscles are one of the major insulin sensitive tissues in the body, so the more muscle mass you have, the more glucose you can move into your muscles in response to insulin.
Once again, the more lean skeletal muscle tissue, the better your bone health is going to be.
Common to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is poor blood sugar control leading to excessive glucose in the bloodstream. Human studies have linked high circulating blood sugar with chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is one of main reason why people with diabetes are at an increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems, and neuropathies. Inflammation has also been seen to stimulate osteoclasts (cells that breakdown bone) and inhibit osteoblastic function. Many studies have confirmed that higher levels of inflammatory markers (such as C-reactive Protein) are associated with increased fracture risk.
The good news is that many of the same things that I stress to help keep your bones strong and healthy can help diabetics better manage blood sugar control and inflammation. And although there is no cure for diabetes, remission is possible in many cases of type 2 diabetes. Focusing on nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes can help normalize blood sugar levels, improve the body’s response to insulin and squelch the fire of inflammation.
9 Tips for Managing Diabetes and Maintaining Bone Health
1. Get good with the glycemic index (GI): The measurement of how much carbohydrate-containing foods raise you blood sugar after you eat them. Replace foods high on the GI with those with a lower GI. Click here for more on the GI.
2. Learn the value of non-starchy vegetables: Dark leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts low are all low on the GI, low in calories, high in fiber as well as a rich source of vitamin K and other bone building nutrients making them a perfect food for controlling blood sugars and building bones.
3. Eat fruits in moderation: Blueberries are an excellent choice of fruit because not only do they have a low GI, the are high in antioxidants and also have anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Dump sweetened dairy: Consume diary in the form of unsweetened Greek yogurt with is rich in healthy probiotics along with providing calcium and protein.
5. Savor wild salmon: Fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and selenium which all support your bones and your body by providing anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
6. Nothing wrong with snacking on nuts and seeds: Rich vitamins, minerals, fiber, and walnuts and seeds such as chia and flax, provide omega-3 fatty acids.
7. Learn to love Lentils: Not only do they provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein that helps to control blood sugar, your bones love lentils!
8 . Add Aerobic exercise: Not only does exercise help to immediately lower blood sugar, but these effects can last for 24 to 72 hours afterwards. The goal of exercise for the diabetic should be 30 minutes of daily aerobic exercise, like walking or biking. Impact exercise such as power walking, jogging, hiking, court sports are best for building bone.
9. Rev up the resistance training: For every 10% increase in skeletal muscle mass, there is an 11% reduction in insulin resistance. We know that improving muscle mass also equates to an improvement in bone quality.
References:
1. What People With Diabetes Need to Know About Osteoporosis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/osteoporosis/conditions-behaviors/diabetes
2. Torres-Costoso, A., Pozuelo-Carrascosa, D. P., Álvarez-Bueno, C., Ferri-Morales, A., Ibarra, J. M., Notario-Pacheco, B., & Martínez-Vizcaíno, V. (2017). Insulin and bone health in young adults: The mediator role of lean mass. Plos One,12(3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0173874
3. Fukushima, Y., Kurose, S., Shinno, H., Thu, H. C., Takao, N., Tsutsumi, H., & Kimura, Y. (2016). Importance of Lean Muscle Maintenance to Improve Insulin Resistance by Body Weight Reduction in Female Patients with Obesity. Diabetes & Metabolism Journal,40(2), 147. doi:10.4093/dmj.2016.40.2.147
4. Kanazawa, I., & Sugimoto, T. (2017). Diabetes and Osteoporosis. Diabetes and Aging-related Complications,127-139. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-4376-5_10
by Susan Brady | Oct 31, 2018 | Healthy aging
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. It is estimated that 1 in 8 women develop breast cancer in their lifetime. This year a projected 40,000 women will succumb to this devastating disease. As unsettling as this number is, the breast cancer mortality rate, thankfully, is on the decline. From 1989 to 2015, deaths due to breast cancer have dropped 39%. This decline translates to over 2.4 million deaths averted in the past 2 decades! Thanks to improved awareness, prevention and medical treatment, women are beating breast cancer!
However, the improved treatment outcomes and survival rates appear to go hand in hand with the development of osteoporosis and the risk of debilitating fractures. Results from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study found an increase in fracture risk among breast cancer survivors. It is important for women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer to be aware of their growing risk for osteoporosis and take action to preserve their bone health.
Women who have had breast cancer may be at increased risk for osteoporosis and fracture for several reasons:
- A woman’s risk for developing breast cancer and osteoporosis increases with age. Because of this, women who develop breast cancer later in life are already at an increased risk for osteoporosis. Your bones and your breasts share one very important hormone in common: Estrogen. Estrogen for most of a women’s life protects her bones and keeps them strong and healthy. The onset of menopause results in the decline in estrogen production, triggering the onset of bone loss. In fact, the highest rate of bone loss occurs in the first 5 years after menopause.
- Conversely, many breast cancers are fueled by estrogen and grow in response to the production of this hormone. These types of cancers, known as “ER-positive tumors,” are often treated with hormone therapy that blocks the production and function of estrogen in a women’s body. Medications that act against estrogen can therefore lead to weakening of the bones. Treatment for breast cancer can also include surgical removal of the ovaries. Loss of ovarian function leads to a swift onset of menopause and drop in estrogen levels.
- Chemotherapy can also effect the ovaries causing a shut down in estrogen production. For younger women, chemotherapy can cause an early onset of menopause resulting in premature bone loss. One study showed that bone loss continued for more than 2 years from the last cycle of chemotherapy.
- There is also evidence that breast cancer itself can impact bone remodeling. The cancer cells stimulate the production of osteoclasts (cells that break down bone), resulting in increased bone resorption and loss of bone mass.
- Lastly, the stress and treatment of breast cancer can cause generalized fatigue, loss of muscle strength, and postural changes leading to an greater chance of falling, and thus, breaking a bone.
There are strategies that you can take to protect your bones if you are undergoing breast cancer treatments or are a survivor!
5 Strategies to Support your Breasts and your Bones
Nutrition: A nutrient rich diet will make your body the healthiest it can be. Generous amounts of vegetables and fruits, healthy fats, quality proteins and fiber rich foods will support optimal bone function. Additionally, following a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and healthy whole grains has been shown to improve overall breast cancer survival rate.
Exercise: Exercise not only benefits your bones but can also boost overall health during and after cancer treatments. 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week along with 2-3 days of strength exercises can help protect your bones and enhance wellbeing. Performing balance and posture exercises help you avoid the postural changes associated with aging and surgeries and will decrease your risk of falls. Exercises can also improve strength and stamina helping to regain mobility needed to resume your daily activities.
Yoga: Practicing yoga has many bone benefits, including enhancing balance and strength. It can also combat the fatigue of cancer treatments, improve mood and vitality, and reduce stress, all factors known to affect survival in cancer patients.
Sleep: Research suggests that the amount of sleep a woman gets is linked to better survival rates from breast cancer as well as reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Sleep is one way the body repairs and recovers from damage. The deepest and most regenerative sleep occurs between10 pm and 2 am.
Meditation: By helping to reduce stress, calm anxiety, and improve sleep quality, mediation can support healing of mind, soul, body and bones. Chronic stress can interrupt the healing process and speed up bone loss. Meditation can help care for your mind, which is just as important as caring for your body.
Call me today to find out all the ways you can keep your
bones strong and healthy at any stage of life!
703-738-4230
by Susan Brady | Oct 18, 2018 | Healthy aging
Did you know that women around the world are developing osteoporosis at younger and younger ages? Once observed primarily in postmenopausal women, an increasing number of younger women are developing osteoporosis and osteopenia….women as young as 20 are showing bone densities low enough to put them at risk for breaking a bone!
But Why? Like many other disease on the rise in the US and around the world, the emerging rise of osteoporosis is a consequence of our modern day lifestyle. Modern day living can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, stress and lack of time to care for oneself.
You may have heard the saying “sitting is the new smoking.” Recent research suggests that greater amount of time you spend sitting, the greater your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancers and…..osteoporosis!
With many women working at an office, time sitting behind a desk has increased and time engaged in physical activity has declined. Technology further amplifies the time we sit while watching television, surfing the web, and socializing and shopping on line. All these activities also prevent us from spending time outdoors, absorbing the rays of the sun and enjoying nature.
Along with working outside the home, comes the increased demand on time. For many, homemade nutritious meals are a luxury, and a quick pick up from a fast food restaurant or microwaving a dinner offers a speedy and easy solution. Modern farming practices and the plethora of processed foods leaves us with a Standard American Diet (SAD) void of key bone building nutrients. Many women also jump on the band wagon of the latest FAD diet which often entails limiting certain nutrients from the diet. When we replace real whole foods with processed foods or eliminating important food groups from our diet, we place our bones and our bodies in jeopardy.
The modern day lifestyle is also synonymous with stress. Stress negatively effects our sleep, our power to repair our body as well as the ability to digest and absorb nutrients from food. Circulating stress hormones are known to promote the loss of bone as well.
Poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and stress….the perfect storm for osteoporosis at any age!
7 Lifestyle Habits for Better Bone Health
Don’t be SAD or FAD:
- Eat real, whole food produced by nature, not man!
- Avoid FAD diets that eliminate food groups
Eat like a horse:
- Make green leafy vegetables the foundation of your diet
Go Beyond Calcium:
- Your bones need over 20 different nutrients to keep them strong and healthy
- Choose a variety of foods that will provide your body with an assortment of nutrients
Don’t Unwind with Wine:
- Alcohol consumption on a regular basis has negative effects on bone health and increases your risk of fractures
Dust off your Sneakers:
- Daily exercise is critical to keeping your bones strong and healthy
Include impact exercises, strength training, balance and posture exercises
Get a little Sunshine on your Shoulders:
- Sunshine is the best way to get your vitamin D
- Spending time outside, appreciating nature, can also revitalize the body, mind and soul
Take time to stop and smell the roses:
- Making time for your to rest and relax is a must
- Find an activity that brings you joy and do it daily
Lastly, don’t wait until it is too late! It is easier to prevent bone loss than reverse it. Through good nutrition, adequate exercise, stress management you CAN prevent bone loss and avoid osteoporosis.
Contact me to learn more about my comprehensive approach to building strong, healthy bones for life!
