Month: April 2011

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Weight Loss Exercise

Celiac disease – Gluten Intolerance issues


Celiac disease, more commonly known as gluten intolerance, affects one in 133 Americans. This lifelong disease causes intestinal problems when eating gluten, which is the common name for offending proteins in wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro), rye, barley and oats. Gluten is like poison to people with celiac disease.

Celiac disease Gluten Intolerance issues

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease affects those who are genetically susceptible. In fact, if one member of a family has celiac disease, about one out of 10 other members of the same family are likely to have it as well. Some may harbor the tendency for a while without getting sick, but then stress, physical injury, infection, childbirth or surgery can actually “activate” the disease. The disease mostly affects people of European (especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies show that it also affects Hispanic, Black and Asian populations as well.

How to Diagnose Celiac Disease

Because of the broad range of symptoms celiac disease presents, it can be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms can range from mild weakness, bone pain, and aphthous stomatitis to chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and progressive weight loss. Those with celiac disease who consistently consume gluten can increase their chances of developing gastrointestinal cancer by a factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population. Furthermore, gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease. Celiac disease should be quickly and properly diagnosed so it can be treated as soon as possible. Testing is fairly simple and involves screening the patient’s blood for antigliadin (AGA) and endomysium antibodies (EmA), and/or doing a biopsy on specific areas of the intestines.

With a strict adherence to a 100 percent gluten-free diet, almost all complications caused by the disease can be prevented. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all products that contain wheat, rye and barley, or any of their derivatives. This can be a difficult task as there are many hidden sources of gluten found in the ingredients of many processed foods. It is important to read labels carefully and become educated on what types of ingredients to look out for.

Gluten Foods to Watch For

Durum flour, couscous, semolina, spelt, kamut, bulgur and triticale, a grain crossbred from wheat and rye, are all names for certain kinds of wheat.
Corn starch, wheat starch, dextrin, malt, maltodextrin, modified food starch, fillers, natural flavoring, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), emulsifier, stabilizer and hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)

Foods that commonly contain gluten

Most cereals, grains, pastas, breads, and processed foods contain some type of gluten, unless, of course, they are specifically made to be gluten-free. Vegetable cooking sprays, tomato pastes, spaghetti sauces, and veined cheeses, such as roquefort and blue cheese, may contain gluten.

Hidden sources of gluten

Many vitamins and medications can contain gluten in their additives. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medication.

Be careful of cross-contaminating foods. This can happen in the toaster, deep fryer, griddle, etc.
Imitation seafood and instant or flavored coffees and teas
Glue on envelopes and postage stamps
Chewing gum
Some lotions, creams, and cosmetics

For more information go to www.celiac.org.

And don’t forget to go to www.foodallergybuddy.com to print your free food allergy buddy cards on your home computer. There is no limit to the number of cards you can print and we are constantly adding new designs.

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Weight Loss Exercise

What is Lapband Surgery


Lets start this post on what is lapband surgery by just letting me say that I hate the idea of surgery to fix overweight problems unless all diet and exercise options have been exhausted.

This is my second article on Lapband surgery as I wrote another lap band surgery article last year that talked about it as well

Looking at other diet and exercise options is critical as our bodies will always seem to find a way around the invasive ways that we try to change things.  People overeat after gastric bypass as we have seen lots of times on The Biggest Loser, hormone production decreases when we take steroids or HGH. But lapband surgery is becoming more popular and in a recent trip to LA I saw a lot of billboards so here is the FDA info on it.

What is Lapband Surgery

Lapband surgery

Lapband Surgery Basics

What is it? The Lapband surgery is a surgically implanted device that helps adults, who are at least 18 years old, eat less and lose weight. The Lap Band surgery consists of a silicone band, tubing, and an access port. The inner surface of the silicone band is inflatable and is connected by the tubing to the access port.

How does it work? The band is placed around the upper part of the stomach during a surgical procedure. The band is connected to an access port that is placed close to the skin. Later, the surgeon can adjust the band (adding or removing fluid) by piercing the access port through the skin with a needle. The band creates a small stomach pouch that can hold only a small amount of food. The narrowed opening between the stomach pouch and the rest of the stomach controls how fast food passes from the pouch to the lower part of the stomach. Inflating the band (adding saline) makes the opening smaller, causing food to pass slower. Deflating the band (removing saline) makes the opening larger, permitting food to pass faster. The band limits the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and increases the time it takes for food to be digested, helping people to eat less.

When is it used? The Lapband surgery  is used for weight loss in obese adults who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30-40, with one or more obesity-related medical conditions (such as Type II diabetes and hypertension), and when non-surgical weight loss methods (such as supervised diet, exercise, and behavior modification) have not been successful. Patients must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle.

What will it accomplish? The Lapband surgery will help patients lose weight and maintain the weight loss, and it may help improve their health. In a U.S. study of patients with a BMI between 30-40, 80% of patients lost at least 30% of their excess weight and kept it off for one year. There were some patients who lost no weight and others who lost over 80% of their excess weight. The quality of life for patients enrolled in the study improved significantly.

When should it not be used? It should not be used for someone who is a poor candidate for surgery, has certain stomach or intestinal disorders, has to take aspirin frequently, or is addicted to alcohol or drugs. It should not be used if someone is not able or willing to follow dietary and other recommendations.

Is Lapband Surgery Safe?

A 2007 study published in the American Journal of Surgery found up to 76 percent of Lap-Band patients developed complications over three years. In some cases, excessive vomiting caused stomach acid to erode the band. Last year, Allergan, the largest U.S. manufacturer of gastric bands recalled 152,000 defective bands.

Whether you are at a point where lapband is an option or not is up to you and a doctor. Let me caution you again though that it is important to look at any lapband surgery or gastric bypass as just an option after you have exhausted any diet and exercise options.

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Pine Mouth


I have never experienced this myself but just noticed that the FDA is letting people know about a metallic taste in the mouth a day or two after eating Pine nuts. I have not had this happen to me but have you?

Pine Mouth

Pine Nuts and Pine Mouth

In the past year FDA has received a number of consumer complaints regarding a bitter metallic taste associated with pine nuts. This taste, known as “pine mouth,” typically begins 12 to 48 hours after consuming pine nuts, and lasts on average between a few days and two weeks. It is exacerbated by consumption of any other food during this period and significantly decreases appetite and enjoyment of food. The symptoms decrease over time with no apparent adverse clinical side effects.

Complaints about Pine Mouth

In response to increased consumer complaints about Pine Mouth, FDA developed a detailed questionnaire, and collected and analyzed samples from some consumers submitting complaints. The Agency found that the majority of pine nuts associated with “pine mouth” were eaten in the raw state (either as snacks or as a component of salad or pesto sauce). It also found that consumers did not detect a rancid or off-taste when eating the pine nuts. Finally, FDA was able to confirm that “pine mouth” is an adverse food reaction to pine nuts that is clearly distinct from a typical food allergy.

FDA continues to analyze consumer complaints to identify the potential causes of “pine mouth” and to determine whether the severity of symptoms and likelihood of developing them is related to the amount of pine nuts consumed. FDA will continue to monitor this problem and keep the public posted regarding any new findings.

Consumers experiencing “pine mouth” may contact the FDA District Office in their area. For a list, go to the Consumer Complaint Coordinators page athttp://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm.

I would like to hear more from people that have this effect of Pine Mouth from eating Pine Nuts let us know.

 

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