The best fish and fish oil supplements for your brain

Although it may not be environmentally ‘PC’, with declining levels of fish in the sea, and an increasing population, the optimal intake of oily/carnivorous fish is three to five servings a week. The National Institute of Clinical Evidence (NICE) which advises NHS policy, recommends all heart-attack patients eat two to four portions of oily fish (herring, sardines, mackerel, salmon, tuna, and trout) a week.

In Patrick Holford’s 100% Health Survey of 55,000 people, a person’s chances of being in optimal health goes up by a third for those consuming three or more servings of oily fish a week, compared to two a week. A portion is defined as 140g (5oz), which is a small can of fish or a small fillet of fresh fish, from which one should derive at least 7g of omega-3 essential fats over a week. Of course, if you can buy line-caught fish, that is best for the sea and fish stocks.

Fish Source FSA 2004	Omega-3 g/100g	EPA g/100g	Mercury mg/kg	Omega-3/ mercury ratio
Canned tuna	0.37	0.23	0.19	1.95
Trout	1.15	0.25	0.06	19.17
Herring	1.31	0.90	0.04	32.75
Fresh tuna	1.50	0.09	0.40	3.75
Canned/smoked salmon	1.54	0.47	0.04	38.50
Canned sardines	1.57	0.47	0.04	39.25
Fresh mackerel	1.93	0.65	0.05	38.60
Fresh salmon	2.70	0.69	0.05	54.00
Swordfish	2?	0.13	1.40	1.43?
Marlin	2?		1.10	1.83?

The omega-3 and mercury content of fish

Not all oily fish are equal.

Have a look at the table above and you will see that the level of omega-3 and EPA in fish varies (Please note that fish has roughly the same amount of EPA and DHA, with EPA converting into DHA, the brain builder, as needed). The amount of omega-3 is a fraction in canned tuna compared to fresh. This is probably because the oil may be squeezed out, and may be sold to the supplement industry, leaving a drier meat disguised as such by putting the tuna in oil. In the US you can buy tuna in its own oil. It tastes completely different and much better. So don’t rely on canned tuna to provide your omega-3 quota, always try to use fresh fish. Another problem with oily fish is the potential for mercury contamination, particularly in very large fish such as tuna. This is particularly relevant for pregnant women, because mercury is a neurotoxin and can induce birth defects. We recommend tuna maximum once a fortnight during pregnancy and once a week or fortnight otherwise. The same advice applies to big carnivorous fish such as marlin or swordfish. The best all-rounders are probably wild salmon and mackerel. The level of omega-3 in farmed salmon is largely going to depend upon what they are fed.

Oily fish possesses other health benefits unrelated to its omega-3 levels, being very high in protein, vitamin E and selenium, so we would always advise eating your three portions a week (just don’t count canned tuna), but we also suggest supplementing as well, especially on those days that you don’t eat fish.

In terms of supplements, which will both tell you how much omega-3 and how much EPA and DHA they contain, you should aim for taking in about 500mg of combined EPA and DHA (add these two amounts on the label together) a day. If you do this, and eat oily fish three times a week, you’re in the right zone.

If you don’t eat fish, supplementing this kind of amount of omega-3 EPA and DHA is essential. If you are vegan and avoid fish oil supplements, then supplement DHA derived from seaweed. You’ll need 250mg of DHA. If pregnant, doubling this is a wise precaution, after all you’d be building two brains. (If you are vegan we’ll email you about your specific fish and egg-free options.)

Further info

Meet the Brain Makers

There are three fundamental requirements for building a brain cell (neuron), or rather the membrane through which chemicals called neurotransmitters pass, ‘communicating’ across this vast network. These three fundamental ‘brain makers’ are:

• The omega-3 fat called DHA (docosahexanoic acid)
• Phospholipids (the main one is called Phosphatidyl choline)
• B vitamins (required for methylation)

Please read the Report The Brain Makers in the COGNITION Library.

In case you didn’t know, the whole origin of the brain and the first rudimentary nervous system happened in the ocean: tiny organisms used omega-3 DHA to convert solar energy into the first nerve twitch!

Our human evolution is entirely a product of a sub-species of ape from which we originate by exploiting the water’s edge of rivers, estuaries, swamplands, and wetlands. That’s how we became upright – the very high intake of marine food, incredibly rich in DHA, phospholipids and B vitamins, especially B12, was a pre-requisite for the development of Homo sapiens. In the Indonesian Ocean there are sea nomads, the tribes of the Moken and Bajou, who live on the sea, spend up to five hours in water each day, give birth in the sea and wean their children onto seaweed. Like dolphins, they’ve adapted to be able to hold their breath for several minutes. Like dolphins, it looks like we were edging towards a semi-aquatic life with the rich pickings of the ‘fruite del mar’ – the easiest food source for essential nutrients.

In fact, since 10,000 years ago, when mankind pretty much switched to land based agriculture as the primary source of food, our brain size has shrunk from then 1.49kg to now 1.35kg. Also, IQ is falling per generation and mental illness, including dementia, is rising.

Please watch this short interview with Professor Michael Crawford: Marine Foods and Omega-3 Made us Human

In the next email, we’ll let you know what nutrients you need to take in, from seafood and/or supplements, to have a super healthy brain, at least as good as our ‘swampy’ semi-aquatic ancestors.

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Increasing your brain fats starts today!

In the weeks that follow, starting now, we’re going to guide you in taking simple steps to increase your intake of brain -building brain fats.

Your brain is literally built out of fat, which makes up 60% of its dry weight. But over 90% of the structural fat in your brain is what’s called ‘phosphorylated DHA’. DHA is an omega-3 fat (oily fish are particularly rich in DHA). It must be attached to a phospholipid such as phosphatidyl choline (rich in eggs), to make brain cells. That attachment is achieved by B vitamin-dependent methylation (see B VITAMIN domain).

 

© Patrick Holford

In the weeks that follow we’re going to show you exactly how much omega-3 DHA you need, where you can get it from and, if you don’t eat fish, what you need to supplement with, since DHA can be sourced from seaweed and algae.

We are also going to show you what you need to eat for phospholipids, which have strange names such as ‘phosphatidyl choline’ or ‘phosphatidyl serine’, or supplements if you’re vegan, since eggs and seafood are the only significant food sources.

As you can see in the diagram above cholesterol is a vital part of your brain and we’ll be exploring the different kinds of cholesterol, how to interpret a cholesterol test and why too little is bad news for cognition and dementia risk.

Another very important brain fat, which is actually a hormone, is vitamin D. It is primarily made in the skin with exposure to sunlight. That’s why you need more in the winter, if you don’t get outdoors or have darker skin. We’ll be exploring whether you’re getting enough, how to test for vitamin D, the best foods and supplements to optimise your vitamin D level. Also, you’ll learn about other nutrients that help vitamin D to work.

The benefits from increasing brain fats are often experienced within days but it takes a few weeks to settle into diet and lifestyle habits to optimise your intake of brain fats. For now, think about what you eat that could provide omega-3 and phospholipids. In the emails that follow you’ll discover which foods are the best, and how much you need to eat, or supplement, if you are a non-fish or egg eater.

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Your Low GL domain – how have you progressed?

Congratulations. You’ve finished a month focusing on reducing the GL of your diet and achieving a more stable blood sugar balance which will have knock on positive effects on your energy and weight control.

To see how much reduction you’ve achieved in your Dementia Risk Index click the button below to complete only the ‘low GL’ related questions. This will show you, specifically, what level of improvement you’ve made over these past 4 weeks, what effect that has on your ‘low GL’ domain score, and your overall Dementia Risk Index.

You will then be asked to choose the next domain you’d like to focus on for the next 4 weeks. Note: if you got distracted and didn’t make many changes such that ‘low GL’ is still in your top two weakest domains you can choose to focus on this again with more resolve.

Further info

Ever tried intermittent fasting?

There’s a simple way to lower the GL of your diet – and that is to not eat! Obviously, you’ll make no insulin, have no blood sugar spikes, and burn some fat. You’ll also trigger the body’s cellular cell repair programme called ‘autophagy’.

But here’s a way to do it that’s actually doable. It’s called 18:6 intermittent fasting.

What it means is that you have an 18 hour window where you either eat nothing, or eat no carbs. The easier way is to do the latter, and start your day with a ‘hybrid latte’.

Basically, have your dinner at a set time, such as 6 or 7pm. Now, you’re not going to have a meal or snack until 18 hours has passed eg 1 or 2pm the next day. You can think of this as ‘brunch’.

Inevitably you’re going to wake up and become hungry at some point in the morning. One option, as mentioned above, is to have what’s called a Hybrid Latte. This is a shot of coffee (or decaf) made with a cup of 100% carb-free almond milk such as Alpro, added into a high-speed blender such as a Nutribullet. You can use any 100% carb free nut milk but you must check that the small print on the label says 0gm carbs/sugar. You also add a spoonful of no-sugar added oil free almond or peanut butter, which gives you fat and protein and virtually no carbs. You can also add half of teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of pure cacao powder (chocolate with no sugar) for taste. There’s one more magical ingredient called C8 oil – use one teaspoon to start with building up to one tablespoon.

C8 oil is the exact type of fat, usually derived from coconut oil, from which the body and brain can make ketones, the brain’s favourite fuel. Read the Report in your Library: Why C8 Oil is the Best Brain Fuel

Starting with the Hybrid Latte, which you can have hot or cold (or even ‘deconstructed’ with the ingredients on their own), you won’t experience significant hunger but will get the advantage of an ‘accelerated’ low GL diet. Some people do this a day or two a week, others every day. The choice is yours.

Now you’ve learnt a) how to eat a low GL diet; b) how to experiment with a very low carb ‘high fat/ketogenic’ diet; and c) how to 18:6 as often as you want.

You are now officially a master of your blood sugar control and, with that, taking a big step towards dementia-proofing your diet.

Further info

Are you hybrid? Why the brain likes ketones (film)

So far we’ve been learning how to stabilise blood sugar by eating less and ‘slower’ carbs, which break down into glucose, the fuel for our cells. But glucose isn’t the only fuel, nor the preferred fuel of brain cells (neurons). If given the choice they’d rather run off ketones.

Ketones are high energy molecules generated by the liver from fat. If you fast, your body will turn to breaking down body fat and it will make ketones. It’s an alternative fuel and there’s more and more evidence that ‘switching’ every now and again and going ‘ketogenic’ has all sorts of health advantages – especially for neuro-degenerative disorders. In fact, this kind of diet has been used successfully for a hundred years to reduce fits in those with epilepsy.

• Watch this film on how the brain makes energy
• Read this Report: How Your Brain and Body Make Energy

This is a big topic, and now that you’ve learnt how to eat GL, one option is to experiment with going ketogenic for a week or two. Why? Well, it’s a great way to lose weight, reverse diabetes, restore brain function and hopefully switch on ‘autophagy’ – a cellular ‘clean up’ process that rebuilds your mitochondria which are the energy factories in cells. This is something you want to read about first, get prepared for and know how to make healthy keto-friendly recipes.

There are a few books that can help starting with The Hybrid Diet by Jerome Burne and Patrick Holford which explains both low GL (slow carb) and high fat (ketogenic) eating together with enough recipes to get started, and The Ketogenic Cookbook by Jimmy Moore and Marie Emmerich.

In a nutshell, you switch out that quarter plate of carbs for high fat foods. Your meals will be delicious and varied, and they will contain copious amounts of fat and protein from fish, meat (mostly white rather than red), eggs, raw nuts and seeds, cream, butter, cheese and full-fat milk, plenty of green leafy vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, as well as natural plant oils from coconuts, avocados and olives. This will change the proportions of the three macro-nutrients you eat to:

• Fat must provide 65-80 per cent of your daily calories
• Protein providing 20-25 per cent
• Carbohydrates just 5-10 per cent

The basic principles are:

1. Eat three meals a day plus one snack.

2. Just like the ‘slow carb’ phase, fill half your your plate with vegetables (but avoid high carb veg such as potatoes, parsnips, broad beans and sweet potatoes), and one quarter with protein – the amount of meat or fish that would fit into the palm of your hand.

3. Keep ‘simple’ carbs to the bare minimum i.e have no more than 15 GL of carbs a day. See the photo below of what constitutes 5 GLs. For example, a small serving of berries, 2 oatcakes and a small serving of bulgur would be all your carbs for the day. Half an avocado with taramasalata is 2.5 GLs, as is two eggs with salmon or three slices of bacon, or a salmon steak with a bag of spinach, sauteed with a tablespoon of coconut butter, butter or ghee. Snack on high fat nuts and seeds – walnuts, pecans, peanuts and pumpkin seeds are good – avoid cashews.

Our recommendation is to spend one week a month in the high fat/ketogenic phase, but if you like it, do it for two weeks. Some people lose more weight on slow carbs, others on high fat but the interesting advantage is what it does to your brain, energy and concentration. It’s variation, not moderation, that is the key to health – so this is a good way to explore your ‘hybrid’ nature.

Further info

How sugar shrinks your brain

The brain usually relies on glucose for energy because, unlike the muscles, it cannot burn fat. Ketones are a terrific alternative source of fuel, but the brain only has access to them when the body runs out of glucose and enters ketosis or if they are supplemented in the diet. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the brain needs a constant, consistent supply of glucose to keep it ticking over. So it’s no surprise to learn that blood sugar problems – which often culminate in diabetes – are linked to worsening mood and poor memory.

For instance, one recent trial measured HbA1c and glucose levels in more than 2,000 elderly people over the course of almost seven years. In that time, slightly more than a quarter of the participants developed dementia, the bottom line was that rising glucose levels were associated with increased risk of developing the condition, irrespective of whether the participants also had diabetes. Non-diabetics who experienced a modest increase in blood sugar levels had an 18 per cent increased risk of dementia, whereas those who already had diabetes at the start of the study or developed it within the trial period had a 40 per cent increased risk.

Other studies have found similar evidence of a link between diabetes and dementia. Back in 2004, researchers at Columbia University stated that people with high insulin levels – the principal hallmark of losing blood sugar control – were twice as likely to develop dementia as those with healthy levels. Moreover, those with the highest insulin levels had the worst memories. The same year, an Italian study also established a link between heightened insulin levels and declining mental function.

Similarly, a Puerto Rican study found that people who consumed large amounts of sugar doubled their risk of suffering poor cognitive function, while another US study discovered a strong correlation between blood sugar level and memory loss. Finally, two recent studies – one in Ireland and the other in the United States – established a link between high dietary GL and cognitive decline. Indeed, both of these reports suggested that high GL is even more predictive of the pathological changes associated with Alzheimer’s than either high carb or high sugar intake.

While some initial decline in cognitive function is known as ‘mild cognitive impairment’ (MCI), the next stage is termed ‘dementia’. Alzheimer’s – which accounts for two-thirds of all cases of dementia – is diagnosed only when a scan reveals shrinkage in certain areas of the brain. One long-term study found evidence that this sort of shrinkage is more common among people with high blood glucose levels, even when those levels are still within what are considered ‘normal’ (i.e. non-diabetic) limits.

Will Adolescents Develop Dementia?

It’s not just adults who are suffering. In just the same way as younger and younger patients are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every year, ever more overweight and obese children are experiencing cognitive decline. Although this is not as severe as full-blown dementia, it certainly affects their school performance. Once again, the link to high GL diets seems strong, and the rise in childhood MCI parallels the massive increases in sugar, fructose and sweetened drinks in the Western diet over the past forty years. Up to now, the youngest person to be diagnosed with dementia was just thirty-two years old, but if this trend continues, we may well see adolescents developing the condition in the near future.

Sugar Shrinks Your Brain

The way in which sugar shrinks brains lends further credence to the theory that diabetes and dementia are very close cousins. As you will see in Chapter 13, one of the principal effects of a high carb diet and spiralling insulin resistance is that production of an enzyme called mTOR is cranked up, and excess mTOR arrests brain growth. In fact, a number of animal studies have found that it’s linked to brain shrinkage and therefore cognitive decline. There is also clear evidence of this dysfunctional enzyme’s activity in Alzheimer’s patients, to such an extent that it may even be part of
the disease’s pathology.

Sugar Makes You Angry

You may be furious that the food industry, governments, doctors and health officials have all allowed the situation to reach this stage. However, part of your anger may be attributable to a high sugar, high GL diet, which researchers have found increases aggression and even contributes to criminal behaviour. For instance, a ground-breaking study in the British Journal of Psychiatry discovered that excessive consumption of confectionery at the age of ten is strongly associated with convictions for violence in adulthood. Similarly, in Finland, Dr Matti Virkkunen discovered that every single one of a sample group of sixty-nine habitual offenders had blood sugar problems.

The good news is that a low carb diet provides an almost immediate remedy. When 1,382 detained juvenile offenders were placed on a reduced sugar diet, there was a 44 per cent reduction in their antisocial behaviour. But it’s not only offenders who suffer as a result of unhealthy diets. A study of eighty A-level students in the West Midlands found that skipping breakfast was associated with a 30 per cent shorter attention span. Similarly, when 133 US elementary school students attended a breakfast programme for four months, their maths grades increased and their rates of absenteeism and lateness both decreased.

Once again, the most important aspect of a child’s diet seems to be GL. Researchers in Washington found that the cognitive performance of eighty-three hyperactive eight-thirteen-year-olds declined significantly when they ate a high GL breakfast (two slices of buttered white toast) rather than a low GL breakfast. High sugar, high GL diets have also been linked to social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, delinquency and aggression. One study of dyslexic children even found that a high sugar diet caused more erratic eye movements than a sugar free diet.

Sugary sweets may be the universal currency for treats, but what sort of treat is it to give a child this sort of start in life? A wise parent and child would say, ‘No sugar thanks, I’m sweet enough already!’

The Cognitive Function Test

One of the many problems with cognitive decline is that sufferers are often unaware that it is happening. Also, since the brain shrinks irreversibly as Alzheimer’s develops, it’s vital to find out sooner rather than later. That’s why we encourage everyone over 40 to take the Cognitive Function Test. Please tell your friends.

There’s a fully referenced version of this in your Library – see How Sugar Shrinks Your Brain

Further info

Don’t blame the grain

There’s a big trend among the health conscious for consuming gluten-free foods and blaming grains (which provide two thirds of humanity’s calories) for the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and even dementia. Banting and Atkin enthusiasts, and Paleo advocates, all talk about shunning grains, yet you may be surprised to find out that ancient grains may have been essential for building both our advanced human brains and our civilisation. Also, surprising new evidence suggests that some ancient wheat may be positively good for you.

To put this in context, a study of over 104,000 deaths in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concludes that there is ‘significant inverse relationships between whole-grain intake and mortality due to any cause, CVD, or cancer.

Other studies show diabetes and heart disease risk were cut by a quarter in high wholegrain eaters.

But let’s start at the beginning, as we know it, both in relation to grains and our brain. Evidence in ancient faecal remains show that we ate these ancient grains ground, sometimes eaten raw or cooked into bannocks or pancakes, thus breaking down cell structures, more than a million years ago. The first evidence of cooking is about 1.8 million years ago, coincidental with our ancestor’s brain size starting to increase. Around a million years ago, the DNA record of our ancestors shows that they start to have multiple variations in amylase enzymes, needed to turn cooked starch into glucose. ‘Consumption of increased amounts of starch may have provided a substantial evolutionary advantage to Mid-to-Late Pleistocene omnivorous hominins.’ concludes a study from the University of Sydney.

During the Pleistocene period the last Ice Age hit. Grain kernels were taken south, especially those that came from plants whose kernels did not spontaneously sow themselves in the wind. This feature allowed early man to harvest certain grains while it was still attached to the grain head. The only way to survive was to collect the most transportable grains and take them to lower, warmer areas. Many wild cereals that people had relied on before, disappeared from the menu. By the end of the Ice Age it’s mainly wheat, rye and barley that our ancestors are eating in Mesopotamia – all gluten grains.

Grain cultivation led to the formation of villages. Ploughing led to greater yields. Grain stores meant more security. Population growth ensued. Peasant farmers did better than hunter gatherers and increasingly took over.

It is a great shame that, of the 195,000 species of flowering plants that produce edible parts which could be utilised by humans, less than 0.1% (that’s fewer than 300 species) are used for food. Three cereals – wheat, maize and rice – together comprise at least 75% of the world’s grain production and half of humanity’s protein. Grains stand between mankind and starvation. Until refining processes such as the milling of white flour started a little over 100 years ago, all these grains were eaten as whole grains.

Jumping forward, between 10 and 30% of people with digestive problems, auto-immune diseases or relatives with coeliac disease, have an extreme gluten allergy called coeliac disease. Why? Gluten (gliadin) triggers the release of zonulin which opens up the ‘tight junctions’ between the gut’s epithelial cells, letting gliadin partially through:this the gut’s highly active immune system to go into over-drive.

We explore this more in the ‘healthy gut’ domain. Many more people, perhaps one in five, have non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. But is this a natural consequence of all wheat or is it to do with something we’ve done to it? Modern wheat, to make a cheaper loaf, has been through hundreds of hybridisations.

A Montana organic farmer of 30 years, Bob Quinn, has now helped farmers in his own state, as well as adjoining states and Canadian provinces, to convert 80,000 acres to grow ancient Kamut and Khorosan wheat organically. Khorasan is an ancient wheat that has not undergone one hybridisation since is was grown by ancient civilizations, before recorded history began.

Sixteen studies later, all published in peer reviewed scientific journals, a pattern is emerging. One study shows that rats fed modern wheat do indeed get small intestinal villi atrophy, but those fed Kamut wheat do not. Four of the most recent clinical trials – on diabetics, cardiovascular patients and those with IBS – show that modern wheat increases inflammatory markers while Kamut wheat does the reverse. It is clear that human physiology is treating this ancient grain as a friend not a foe. It is not deadly bread, unlike most people’s modern, genetically altered and refined daily bread.

Some believe the solution to humanity’s 21st century ills is to avoid all carbs and eat a ‘paleo’ diet. Why go Paleo? Why not Pleisticino? Was there ever a ‘perfect’ point in prehistory, a Garden of Eden, that fixes our definition of a perfect diet? Or was the Garden of Eden in the bread belt? Epigenetics shows we evolve, and have evolved with grains. Modern grains, as opposed to ancient grains, may have just evolved a lot faster than we are equipped to deal with. Are we in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater when, perhaps, all we need do for better health is eat whole, organic ancient grains such as Kamut, khorosan, whole oats, brown rice, barley, rye, quinoa and buckwheat, albeit in controlled amounts? All of these have been less genetically altered than wheat. Is it time we stopped blaming all grains and acknowledge that they have been part of humanity’s evolution, including brain development, for the last million years and probably will be the foreseeable future?

Further info

Chromium: improves mood and helps reduce your sweet tooth

You may be surprised to learn that the essential mineral chromium, despite having clear effects on stabilising blood sugar, reducing carb cravings and improving mood, still has no Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) . This is partly because it is needed in relatively small amounts, 50μg (micrograms), which is ten thousand times less than magnesium (500 milligrams), and this makes it extraordinarily difficult to study.

However, it makes it no less important for health, especially for those with metabolic syndrome related disorders such as diabetes, dementia and depression. For these conditions chromium, at a dose of 500 or 600mcg is highly effective, but at lower doses, below 200mcg, the amount in most chromium supplements, it is not. For example, a study in 2015 gave 71, type-2 diabetics 600mcg or a placebo for four months. Both fasting and post-meal glucose levels reduced substantially, as did the long-term measure of blood sugar, HbA1c.

Reviews of studies giving 400mcg plus show consistent benefits, but studies of 200mcg or less do not. A 2007 review of over 40 randomised controlled trials in Diabetes Care, reported the same benefits, but only in doses of 400-1000mcg per day. There are no known side effects at levels of up to 100 times greater than this, according to the UK’s Committee on Toxicity.

Another area where the dose makes the difference is depression. People who feel tired and groggy much of the time, can’t get out of bed, could sleep ‘forever’ and are prone to depression and feelings of low self-esteem, are common symptoms of what’s called ‘atypical’ depression. This is, in fact, becoming half of all those depressed, mainly affecting younger women and girls. In a double-blind study published in Biological Psychiatry, ten patients suffering from atypical depression were given 600mcg of chromium daily, and five others a placebo, for eight weeks. The results were dramatic: seven of the ten taking chromium showed a large improvement, as opposed to none on the placebo.

A larger trial at Cornell University in the US, involving 113 participants, mirrored these findings. After eight weeks, 65% of those taking chromium experienced a major improvement, compared to 33% receiving a placebo. What’s more, the benefit is usually experienced within three days. Chromium works fast.

Two other studies have reported significant mood improvements: one giving chromium to women with premenstrual mood disorders and another to women prone to binge eating. Both reported clear benefits. The second found ‘greater reductions in bingeing, weight, and depression’ with chromium versus placebo.

Chromium is very popular because sugar addicts find that it cuts cravings. Consequently, you eat less and lose more weight. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 2008 randomly assigned 42 overweight adult women with carbohydrate cravings to receive chromium or placebo for 8 weeks. Chromium, as compared to placebo, reduced food intake, hunger levels, cravings and decreased body weight. A review of six studies involving different doses from 200 to 1000¬μg noted a modest effect on body weight loss of over 1kg, compared to placebo, over 12 to 16 weeks. Again, the higher dose studies had better results.

Despite being naturally present in foods such as beer, whole grains, cheese, liver, and meat, the typical intake in a western diet provides only 28-35¬μg. In addition to the problem of low consumption due to eating refined and processed foods (white flour has 98% of its chromium removed, as does sugar), it has been shown that typical western diets high in refined food such as white bread, cakes, sweets and biscuits increase chromium losses because it is used up more rapidly in those with yo-yoing blood sugar.

There is some debate about the best form of chromium. Is it chromium picolinate, or chromium polynicotinate (chromium polynicotinate contains vitamin B3 which is works in synergy with chromium)? Both appear to be effective and better than another form, chromium chloride. It also works synergistically with cinnamon, another natural way to keep your blood sugar balanced, along with a lower carb, low glycaemic load (GL) diet.

PS: A fully referenced version of this article is available in your Library in the Report entitled Chromium – The Evidence

Further info

The best and worst natural sugars

Now that sugar is in the naughty corner, along with fructose, the most predominant sugar in the fruit kingdom, what are the best natural alternatives, given that the best of all is to eat less sweet foods and, ideally add no sweeteners, right?

Not necessarily. There are lots of ‘natural’ foods that claim ‘no added’ sugar using very high-sugar foods such as dates and raisins, which have an extremely high glycemic load (GL) – which is what you want to avoid if you’re concerned about your weight or developing diabetes or heart disease.

A glass of carrot juice will raise a diabetic’s blood sugar level, and yours, by more than a spoonful of sugar. Sure, it has more nutrients than white sugar, but it’s still going to have a big impact on your blood sugar level.

The same point needs to be made about fructose. Recent reports claim that all fructose turns into fat in the liver, and none gets converted to glucose which is our cell’s favourite fuel. In case you didn’t know, white sugar (sucrose) is one unit of glucose and one unit of fructose. It is the conversion of fructose to glucose that makes it ‘slow-releasing’. A better term would be ‘slow converting’. Now, if you overload the system with fructose’ some does convert straight into fat, raising blood fat levels called triglycerides. But if you don’t have that much, or slow down its release from fruits by eating the whole fruit containing fibres, or eating fruit more slowly and in reasonable amounts, fructose does convert to glucose.

So, fructose isn’t ‘bad’ per se, just in excess.

So, now that we’ve ‘warmed up’ which natural sweeteners are best and why?

• Chicory root powder (source of inulin)
• Xylose (in ‘pip’ fruits – cherries, plums and berries) and xylitol (safe for humans but toxic for dogs – be careful!).
• Agave, in moderation, when you ‘need’ a liquid sugar
• Yacon syrup, in moderation
• Raw organic honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses in moderation

Read the Reports The Best and Worst ‘Natural’ Sugars and How Much Sugar is Too Much in your Library.

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