Health News. Lots of resources and information

Are there physical and chemical imbalances that predispose us toward anorexia or bulimia? Many researchers think so.The Zinc Link. The relationship between eating disorders and zinc deficiency was initially discovered in the 1930s, when animals experimentally placed on diets missing only this mineral developed anorexia (a word that, by itself, simply means lack of appetite). More recently, zinc deficiencies have been associated with three types of eating disorders in humans: morbid obesity, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia. In the first instance, an inverse relationship has been noted between obesity and zinc.In other words, on average, the more overweight the obese individual, the less zinc he or she has in his system. Anorexics and bulimics are almost always zinc-deficient as well. Zinc is one of the most important minerals for overall good health, and is essential for a healthy immune system.Zinc deficiency seems to be both symptomatic and causative of eating disorders, which means that a vicious cycle of increasing zinc deficiency can result. Individuals prone to eating disorders are often anxiety ridden, and zinc diminishes during periods of psychological stress. Once lost, it is hard to replace sufficient amounts of this essential nutrient. Add to that a lack of nutrients from purging or starvation and you see the magnitude of the problem.Once zinc is lost, various symptoms arise as a result of the body’s attempt to replace it. For example, in the anorexic individual, the body will leach zinc from muscle tissue in its struggle to survive. This results in a devastating symptom of the illness—muscle wasting. If die heart muscle is attacked, any number of heart conditions, and even death, can result. It is also important to note that research studies correlate low zinc levels in eating-disorder patients with lowered rates of treatment success. The crucial relationship between zinc and eating disorders also may explain why more women suffer from these disorders than men. As this nutrient is essential to sperm development, males have high concentrations of zinc in their prostate gland.*61\233\8*

Vitamins A, C, and E, plus selenium, are not the only antioxidants. These substances are powerful partners for the 4 ACES:

♦ Alpha lipotene (a brand of alpha lipoic acid)—The most powerful universal metabolic antioxidant.

♦ Coenzyme Q10—Helps each cell make energy, also a strong antioxidant.

♦ Proanthocyanidins—Flavonoids which have a powerful antioxidant and anti-heart attack effect. Pycnogenol is a
standardized form of the proanthocyanidins which comes from the bark of the Pinus pinaster in France.

♦ Epigallocatechin gallate—A very strong antioxidant with anticancer and anti-cardiovascular disease properties, found in Japanese green tea.

Other nutrients I have found to be of value for the Fat Blocker Eating Program include zinc, the B-complex vitamins, and magnesium. I generally recommend that my patients take

♦ Alpha lipotene—50 mg. twice a day.

♦ Coenzyme Q10—30 mg. once daily, taken with the largest meal, if you’re under 50. If you’re over 50 and have absolutely no health problems, 100 mg. once a day. If you’re over 50 and have high blood pressure and/or heart disease, 200 mg. once a day.

♦ Proanthocyanidins/Pycnogenol—30 mg. twice a day.

♦ Epigallocatechin gallate—I suggest drinking 2-3 glasses of Japanese green tea a day to get epigallocatechin gallate.

♦ Zinc—20 mg. once daily.

♦ B-complex vitamins—A B-complex containing 50 mg. of the major B vitamins (B_lr B₂, B₃, B₅, B₆), plus B12, and folic acid twice daily.

♦ Magnesium—300-350 mg. twice a day.

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