Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
Lessons from “The Biggest Loser”
The recent study on weight gain by former participants in “The Biggest Loser” reality television show blamed decreases in resting metabolic rate (RMR): the decrease in RMR became worse over time and contributed to most of the participants regaining most of the weight. In other words, they ruined their resting metabolism.
No, they didn’t. In my opinion, there are errors in the measurements for RMR and total energy expenditure (TEE). The errors may be in the equipment, but more than likely, in the assumptions that were made in the calculations.
Here’s where I think researchers went wrong: there . . .
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Rate of Change
I spent hours looking at the data in “The Biggest Loser” study. I did numerous calculations trying to figure out where the changes in caloric use occurred that could explain the dip in resting metabolic rate that made the headlines. There are several possible explanations.
Today I’ll give you the most probable reason: the subjects lost weight too fast. The average was 4.25 pounds per week and for some, it was double that. While that can win contests, it doesn’t allow the body to adjust to the tremendous changes that should be occurring.
Think about it. There . . .
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Does Weight Loss Ruin Metabolism?
The health headlines two weeks ago were focused on what we can call “The Biggest Loser Study.” Researchers published the results of a six-year follow-up of contestants in Season 8 of the reality show “The Biggest Loser.” It turns out that most contestants gained back a significant amount of weight. Why? Based on the research, decreased resting metabolism was identified as the most likely suspect. Headlines shouted that weight loss caused metabolic rates to fall more than expected and therefore made it hard, if not impossible, to maintain weight loss.
I believe that all research has merit, even . . .
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The Bottom Line on SIT
Let’s take a closer look at the study on Sprint Interval Training (1). Researchers recruited 30 sedentary and overweight men, average age 27. They randomly assigned the subjects to one of three groups: a control group who just kept on with their sedentary lifestyle; a group who performed moderate-intensity exercise for 50 minutes three times per week; and the sprint interval group who did three 20-second all-out sprints interspersed with warm-up, recovery, and cool down for a total of 10 minutes, also three days per week. All exercise was performed on exercise bikes and . . .
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SIT to Get Fit?
The researchers from Canada are at it again. The same group that brought you H.I.I.T now tries to go one step further with SIT. Too many acronyms? HIIT stand for high-intensity interval training; SIT stands for sprint interval training. What’s the difference?
HIIT uses intervals that last from one minute to four minutes in duration with an equivalent amount of rest between intervals; the intensity is adjusted to be able to last the interval time. In prior studies, this research group found that four 1-minute intervals with three minutes rest had positive effects on . . .
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I’m Alive V2.47
If you’re a long-time reader, this message may be familiar. Whenever I have a message scheduled for May 10th, I always use an updated version of the same message: 47 years ago today, my dad died at the age of 41. From the time I turned 41, every day I wake up on May 10th, I believe I have at least another year to live. It makes absolutely no sense, but it’s what I feel.
I didn’t know my dad well; my parents were divorced when I was very young. He could have seen me any . . .
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Raising HDL: Weight Loss
Before I finish up this week’s look at HDL cholesterol, I want to wish every mother a Happy Mother’s Day. I hope it’s a great day with your children.
The number one way to increase HDL cholesterol is to lose weight. Losing fat helps increase HDL levels while simultaneously lowering LDL cholesterol. We still don’t know precisely why, but there’s really nothing debatable about it.
I’ll give you my theory of why weight loss helps raise HDL cholesterol. In order to lose weight, you have to eat less and/or move more; more than . . .
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Raising HDL: Exercise
For many years—even back when I was a graduate student—we’ve known that one of the benefits of regular aerobic exercise is increased levels of HDL cholesterol, AKA the healthy cholesterol. If you want to increase your HDL, you should exercise regularly.
There are still many questions that need to be answered. What is the best type of exercise: aerobic or resistance training? How intense does the exercise have to be? Is walking intense enough or does it have to be faster? There are more questions, but you get the idea.
The reason we don’t know is . . .
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Why You Should Raise Your Cholesterol
Would you like to have a vacuum cleaner that sucks out the cholesterol from the plaque in your arteries? You would? Well, all right! That vacuum cleaner is called HDL-cholesterol, AKA the good or the healthy cholesterol. The problem is that most people, especially men, don’t have enough. Before we get to ways you can improve it, let me explain how it works as simply as possible.
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein and indicates that the molecule is denser than other lipoproteins such as LDL. Adding the word cholesterol means that it carries cholesterol. The question is . . .
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The Bottom Line on E-Cigarettes
The logic behind the use of e-cigarettes is that they’re better than traditional cigarettes and that vaping will help people quit smoking. Let’s take a look.
The major benefit attributed to e-cigarettes is less exposure to toxic chemicals resulting in fewer harmful effects. In a few of the studies on chemicals found in the nicotine liquid, some metals such as cadmium, aluminum, and nickel were identified as well as the expected ingredients such as glycol and polyethylene glycol from glycerin usually found in e-cigarette liquid as a propellant (1). We don’t know whether they . . .
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