This is serious business. We all know that obesity has risen significantly over the past 15-20 years despite the high carb, low-fat craze that we witnessed in the 90's .Death from liver cancer is also on the rise. Hepatitis B and C were the former culprits but these can often be treated today. I say often because the cost is outrageous , and treatment may not be accessible to all who need it.

The major culprit today is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.With the degree of obesity seen today, essentially related to bad dietary choices, the liver can't handle the load. Excessive carbs get converted to fat within the liver, and what's left gets dumped in the circulation as triglycerides.

This is what we see in metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Treating liver cancer is less than successful. The death rate is high. The truly sad fact is that this can often be prevented by diet, weight loss and exercise.

Read original article here: https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/othercancers/74072

As a cardiologist I continue to do all that I can to promote the heart health of my patients as well as myself.After all, heart disease remains the number one killer in the Western World.

But let's face it: who wants a healthy heart with a sick brain? Alzheimer's disease continues to rob us of a long and productive life. Traditional medicine has clearly been unable to put a dent in the treatment and prevention of this devastating disease. Medications by themselves will never be the magic cure or panacea simply because this disease is mutifactorial in extent and requires a multi-pronged approach to treatment.

In this article, integrative neurologist Dr. Pearlmutter talks about the importance of brain energetics. If the brain can't utilize glucose efficiently, it will eventually malfunction. Glucose is necessary for energy production and the brain ,which has to function 24/7 is an energy guzzler. But without insulin, glucose can't be transported to the brain.

But insulin can also be a problem. Insulin regulates glucose and fat metabolism as well as cell growth. Insulin resistance (which we see in metabolic syndrome and diabetes) can lead to the brain's unresponsiveness to the effects of insulin. This eventually can lead to memory deficits and a whole lot more when it comes to cognitive dysfunction.

Combating insulin resistance is where it's at. Lifestyle changes reign high here: lowering the carbs in your diet, increasing healthy fat as an energy source for the brain, along with weight loss and exercise.

Lifestyle changes remain the mainstay when it comes to preserving cognitive function. No medication can do as good a job.

Read original Article here: https://www.drperlmutter.com/energy-medicine-fundamental-in-alzheimers/?inf_contact_key=cec6d4946c2899f45696f960a9db93995f64993ca6005c5858be052662fe2872

We all know how important exercise is when it comes to heart health. I've been touting this for years ,before the American Heart Association (AHA) elevated physical inactivity as important a risk factor as smoking, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. We also are well aware of the perils of the air we breathe.

Well, this may come a surprise : a recent Danish study comprised of over 50.,000
subjects showed that exercise decreases the risk of first and recurrent heart attacks regardless of air quality.

Great news. Again the power of exercise reigns. But I would caution exercising in heavily polluted areas. Air pollution in itself is a cardiac risk factor.

Besides ,how can you compare the air quality of Copenhagen with that of Los Angles or New Your City ?!

Here are the results of an interesting small randomized,placebo-controlled trial from South Korea whereby hormonal therapy slowed a decline in mild cognitive impairment.This wasn't just any HRT(Hormone Replacement Therapy) but what was used was topical estradiol gel and oral micronized progesterone.This is similar to what we utilize in bio-identical HRT. Those of us practicing anti-aging medicine have truly embraced the idea that women look better, feel better and think more clearly while on HRT. This study,albeit quite small is giving credence to this timely topic.

Read original article here: https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/hrt/73214

ROUND 2 FMD (Fasting Mimicking Diet)

Having completed my 2nd monthly round of FMD (created by Dr. Valter Longo of USC), I can say that the experience was a bit different, but the end results as good or even better. As a reminder, this diet is all about caloric restriction of a significant degree for 5 consecutive days of a given month. Last month I struggled on day 1 transitioning from my pretty clean but unrestricted diet calorie-wise. On Day 2 major fatigue set in.This time around I experienced no difficulty in transitioning from my normal diet to FMD. I also experienced little to no fatigue this time around. But day # 3 was brutal. I was literally hungry the entire day. I had no specific cravings, but there was true physical hunger. Fortunately the hunger pangs dissipated on days 4 and 5. I was dreading a dinner meeting on day 4.It was my first social event on FMD. Despite the savory smells and everyone eating around me, it didn't much matter. Again, my energy soared the last day.

It's quite a journey, and again it isn't for everyone or for the faint at heart. It takes an amazing amount of focus and desire to change to fully embrace the FMD.

There has been discussion that while fasting and caloric restriction may indeed prolong our life spans, it may also decrease the gray matter in our brain.I haven't review the science behind this claim, and it may or may not be conjectured. But again, who wants a longer life span with a crummy brain ?! NOT ME !

What I can say in defense of this diet is that the period of fasting is a mere 5 days.We aren't talking about a long term fast. I doubt we will see any significant long term brain dysfunction through lowered caloric intake over a 5 day period.

One last point : The fast itself helps rid the body of old worn out cellular debris which is important. But it's through the refeeding process that stem cell proliferation and the hopeful anti-aging effects abound.