Wednesday, February 23, 2011

5 Exercises That Are Easy On Your Joints


Exercise!  There's that word again.  The one that many of us would like to throw under the rug and forget about every time it comes up.  This is especially true if you have joint issues.  The Arthritis Foundation has recently reported that 46 million Americans experience some sort of joint condition.  That's nearly 1/6 of the U.S. population!

Maybe you've suffered a previous injury to a particular joint or maybe you have arthritis or your joints constantly ache.  Or perhaps you shy away from exercising because you don't want to do anything that's going to take a toll on your joints in the long run.  Whatever the case may be you can improve your joint health and overall well-being for that matter by participating in some form of low impact exercises.

Here are 5 forms of exercise that provide excellent options for those trying to stay fit with rickety joints:

1)  Walking



  • Walking is a great form of a light cardio workout that's easy on the joints.  It gets the blood flowing which improves oxygenation and this helps you think clearer and feel more energetic.
  • Try to reach for a goal of walking 30 minutes a day or 3 hours a week.  If you can't do this then start off with a smaller increment of 10 or 15 minutes and work your way up.
  • Check out new trails in your neighborhood or local parks or beaches.  Some sunshine, fresh air, and new scenery are always great ways to boost your spirits and leave you with a smile once you've finished your walk.
2)  Swimming


  • Swimming is a very low impact form of exercise and provides a great workout.  You can typically burn in excess of 500 calories per hour by swimming.
  • Another great way to get in shape in the water is to join a water aerobics class.  Water aerobics will help you with your cardiovascular fitness as well as strength, flexibility, and balance.
  • Swimming is a great way to stay cool in the summer and nothing beats a good workout on a hot summer day without the feeling of being drenched in sweat.
3)  Cycling


  • Taking a bike ride is a fantastic way to break up your day and keep it easy on the joints.  Many neighborhoods have bike paths or trails that you can ride on to avoid traffic congestion on the roads.
  • Bicycling is a great cardio workout but also works out your entire body especially the lower body.  Your legs, hips, and glutes will gain muscle tone while your waist sheds a few sizes if you cycle on a regular basis.
  • Cycling can be a fun social outing as well that you can enjoy in the company of friends and family.
4)  Stretching Exercises


  • There are a variety of stretching exercises that can benefit your joint health.  These include yoga, pilates, and other various stretching exercises.
  • Pilates is a great way to work your core muscles and increase your joint flexibility along the way.  It's best to start with a low intensity workout first if you haven't tried pilates before.
  • Yoga includes a multitude of different body poses that really give your entire body a good stretch. A beginners course is easy on the joints and will soon lead to increased flexibility and strength for both your muscles and joints.  And it's a great stress reliever too!
5)  Tai Chi


  • Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that is not as popular in western cultures but serves as an excellent form of exercise to relieve joint pain.
  • Tai Chi involves a number of slow, low impact movements that work on your range of motion, stretching, and flexibility while improving your muscle and ligament strength and endurance.
  • Tai Chi is also a wonderful stress reliever as it focuses on a calmness throughout the workout.
So there you have it!  Five easy ways to give your health a boost while remaining easy on your joints.  Don't forget to check with your physician before starting any new exercise routine to ensure that it is safe to do so with any specific medical conditions that you may have.

Have fun and enjoy your workout!







If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our daily Facebook and Twitter posts!  Also, don't forget to sign up for  Our Free Online Mailing List  to get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Energy Drinks - A Quick Fix Cover Up


Six in the morning comes way too early for that annoying alarm clock when all you want to do is sleep another 15 minutes.  But, unfortunately, that's the last thing you can afford to do at least if you want to make it to work or class on time.  And then once you've made it to your desk those eyelids feel like they're anchored down with 12 lb bowling balls.  All you want is some energy.  So what do you do?

Energy drinks to the rescue!!  Right?  How about not right.  While those 2-oz shots or 16-oz beverages may pack a punch in getting you back on track in the middle of a dreaded Monday morning they are simply a quick fix that carry potentially harmful health effects.

What's In Those Drinks Anyways?

The two major ingredients in most energy drinks are caffeine and sugar which is why you get a "rush" not long after swigging down one of these puppies.

The average amount of caffeine contained in a 16-oz energy drink is approximately 150-200 mg.  A 12-oz soda contains approximately 40-50 mg of caffeine and a 6-oz cup of coffee contains approximately 100 mg of caffeine.  Keep in mind that the caffeine content of energy drinks, soda, and coffee all vary depending on the brand you drink.  Not only do energy drinks contain caffeine but they also may contain ingredients such as guarana or yerba mate which are additional sources of caffeine.

Sugar is also a favorite ingredient for manufacturers to add to energy drinks.  The original 16-oz Monster energy drink contains 54 grams of sugar.  The original 16-oz Rockstar energy drink contains 62 grams of sugar.  Both of these drinks contain more than Mountain Dew which is considered to be one of the highest sugar containing sodas on the market.  A 12-oz Mountain Dew contains 46 grams of sugar.

But what about the sugar free versions of all those energy drinks?  Well, they may be sugar free but that doesn't mean they don't try and compensate for that with artificial sweeteners.  Most sugar free versions of energy drinks use one or more of the following artificial sweeteners - Acesulfame K or Ace-K (Sunett or Sweet One), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low), or Erythritol.

So What's So Bad About Energy Drinks?

While energy drinks have been shown to significantly increase focus and attention in subjects [1] these effects only lasted about 90 minutes [2].  So energy drinks are clearly only quick fixes for the fatigue that we may be feeling due to lack of sleep, lack of exercise, or even poor nutrition.  There are also some health risks that may be associated with consuming energy drinks especially if you opt for drinking more than one on a regular basis.  Let's take a look at what a few of these are.

1)  Caffeine - This substance is a central nervous system stimulant and when used in moderation is not harmful to the human body.  According to the Mayo Clinic moderation would be considered 200-300 mg/day of caffeine.  This would be equal to one 16-oz energy drink.  One drink won't overload you on caffeine but if you drink another one or add in a few sodas or a cup of coffee on top of that you can easily get more caffeine than you need.  In all actuality, the human body has no biological requirement for caffeine [3].  What it does require is sufficient sleep.  In fact, one study showed that napping 60-90 minutes improved memory function more than a 200 mg dose of caffeine did [4].

Acute caffeine consumption has been found to lead to insulin resistance [5] which is not welcome news for diabetics who love their energy drinks.  Regular consumption of high amounts of caffeine have also been found to be a risk factor for chronic daily headaches [6].  There are also cardiovascular concerns that have been raised with high caffeine intake.

One other area of concern with caffeine in energy drinks was brought to light in the fall of 2010 when the FDA banned caffeine in alcoholic energy drinks as discussed in a recent JAMA article.  The ban was put in place because the combination of caffeine and alcohol led to drinking higher volumes of alcohol, prolonging the drinking sessions, and a higher prevalence of risky behaviors including sexual assaults and DUI's [7].  The article also spoke of a possible risk between the consumption of energy drinks and alcohol dependence and prescription drug abuse regardless if energy drinks were mixed with alcohol or not [7].

2)  Sugar - There is obviously a tremendous amount of sugar in many of these drinks.  And it comes in the form of simple sugars too which have been shown to lead to a spike in blood sugars also known as a "sugar high" followed by a crash when the blood sugars quickly fall back again.  This can lead to fatigue, lethargy, and headaches.  In a study done on college students who regularly consumed energy drinks there was a significant dose related effect associated with these "jolt and crash" episodes so the more drinks that were consumed the more likely a "jolt and crash" episode was to occur [3].  Not exactly what you were looking for to get you through that Monday morning.

3)  Artificial Sweeteners - Those zero calorie or low carb energy drinks might be appealing for those "health conscious" individuals out there looking for a better option than the sugar packed original energy drinks but don't be fooled because the artificial sweeteners they contain do not exactly promote health.  In fact, artificial sweeteners such as saccharin have been shown to increase appetite due to their sweetness leading to the consumption of more calories for individuals at their next meal [8].  Sucralose has also been reported to be a possible trigger for migraine headaches in some individuals [9].

There is a lot of controversy over whether or not artificial sweeteners pose harmful health risks and one of the biggest reasons for this is that there are no long term studies to determine this in humans.  Many of the short term studies have been sponsored by the food industry.  Until long term studies that are performed by third party independent testers without the potential for bias come forth it's really hard to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt if artificial sweeteners are bad for you or not.  What is interesting is that much of the talk in the medical community focuses on whether or not these substances pose health risks instead of whether or not they actually promote positive health outcomes.  That in and of itself speaks volumes to the fact that if you are trying to achieve optimal health then consuming artificial sweeteners isn't going to help you get there.

To Summarize

Energy drinks have become wildly popular in recent years especially with the younger generation of adolescents and college age kids.  Their contents may improve your ability to function and stay alert in the short term but they also come with many downsides that far out weigh any benefits they may give.  Their high caffeine and sugar content don't bode well for your overall health.  And the artificial sweeteners in the low or no calorie versions aren't exactly the picture of health and vitality that some are led to believe.

You're best bet is to drink what we all require to stay alive - ice cold, refreshing water!  Or if you need to add some flavor to your life then try some green tea, a smoothie, or 100% fruit juice.  And if it's really a boost of energy that you're looking for then nothing beats getting back to the basics by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and developing better sleeping habits.








If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our daily Facebook and Twitter posts!  Also, don't forget to sign up for  Our Free Online Mailing List  to get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!


References:
1 van den Eynde F, van Baelen PC, Portzky M, Audenaert K. The effects of energy drinks on cognitive performance. Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2008;50(5):273-81.
2 Smit HJ, Cotton JR, Hughes SC, Rogers PJ: Mood and cognitive performance effects of "energy" drink constituents: caffeine, glucose and carbonation. Nutritional Neuroscience 2004 , 7:127-139.
3 Malinauskas BM, Aeby VG, Overton RF, Carpenter-Aeby T, Barber-Heidal K. A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students. Nutr J. 2007 Oct 31;6:35.
4 Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Kanady J, Drummond SP. Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps and placebo on verbal, motor and perceptual memory. Behav Brain Res. 2008 Nov 3;193(1):79-86.
5 Lee SJ, Hudson R, Kilpatrick K, Graham TE, Ross R: Caffeine ingestion is associated with reductions in glucose uptake independent of obesity and Type 2 diabetes before and after exercise training. Diabetes Care 2005 , 28:566-572.
6 Scher AI, Stewart WF, Lipton RB: Caffeine as a risk factor for chronic daily headache: A population-based study. Neurology 2004 , 63:2022-2027.
7 Arria AM, O'Brien MC. The "high" risk of energy drinks. JAMA. 2011 Feb 9;305(6):600-1.
8 Rogers PJ, Blundell JE.   Separating the actions of sweetness and calories: effects of saccharin and carbohydrates on hunger and food intake in human subjects. Physiol Behav. 1989 Jun;45(6):1093-9.
9 Patel RM, Sarma R, Grimsley E. Popular sweetner sucralose as a migraine trigger. Headache. 2006 Sep;46(8):1303-4.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Secret To Becoming Heart Attack Proof


We've all heard about it and it dominates many conversations between doctors and their patients.  Heart disease is on every one's mind and is also the number one killer worldwide according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  WHO reported that just under one third of all deaths globally are due to cardiovascular disease.  That's definitely not a laughing matter and something we should all take seriously.

To put this in perspective let's take a look at some data from the CDC.  They reported in 2008 that the leading cause of death in the United States was from cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and strokes).  This probably isn't much of a surprise to you.  But what is a surprise is that cardiovascular disease kills more than 6 times the number of people than accidents do, more than 10 times the number of people than diabetes does, and more than 42 times than the number of people murdered each year in the U.S.  Heart disease is literally the most notorious serial killer mankind has ever known.

So is there any good news about all this?  The answer is YES but you'll be hard pressed to find it in our modern culture and it's not going to be advertised on a huge billboard that's flashing before your eyes.  Most doctors and heart specialists immediately reach for the prescription pad or talk about a fancy new procedure or surgery that can be done.  However, a bucketful of pills and even open heart surgery has never been proven to completely reverse this devastating disease.  That doesn't mean it can't be done AND done in a much more effective and safer way.  How do you do this you ask?

You're about to find out as I introduce you to the works of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program at the highly respected and famed Cleveland Clinic.  Dr. Esselstyn is a medical doctor (MD) and surgeon who became frustrated by seeing his patients come back again and again with the same problems.  So he set out to find a better way and decided to take on the behemoth of cardiovascular disease.  What he found is that by putting his patients on a low fat, plant-based diet he was able to completely reverse their cases of heart disease.

If you have cardiovascular disease or know of someone who does then I would encourage you to take the time to watch the following one hour presentation by Dr. Esselstyn and also the short clip from Professor Peter Lewis who reversed his heart disease by following Dr. Esselstyn's advice.  One hour could literally change your life and give you back control of your own health and destiny so that you can enjoy life to the fullest.  With that being said sit back, relax, and enjoy the presentation.








For more information you can visit Dr. Esselstyn's website here - www.HeartAttackProof.com

Now I'd love to hear from you...

Do you have any personal experience with tackling heart disease with a plant-based diet?
Have you ever seen any other methods that have the same success rate?
What kind of things do you think could help bring heart disease down on the list of leading causes of death?







If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our daily Facebook and Twitter posts!  Also, don't forget to sign up for  Our Free Online Mailing List  to get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

To Cook Or Not To Cook - The Raw Food Dilemma


It is widely known that eating more fruits and vegetables is better for your overall health and it's not just grandma saying this anymore.  The recently published and updated 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans stated this and even dedicated two full pages pointing out the benefits of a plant-based diet for one's health [1]. But is eating a raw food diet better than eating a diet with some cooked foods in it?

This claim has been made by many raw-foodists as they say eating a diet devoid of any cooked foods or at least eating only a minimal amount of cooked food is the only way to achieve optimal health.  To be considered a raw food diet one must consume 75% or more of their food raw.  Some raw-foodists say that eating a 100% raw diet is the only way to achieve perfect health.  So what's the right answer?

Unfortunately, this is not an easy topic to paint a clear black and white picture about and no long term studies are available to date to adequately determine whether a raw food diet is superior for one's overall health.  If anything there seems to be pros and cons to both sides.  Let's take a look at what the scientific world has to say about all of this.

Are cooked foods more toxic?

Many raw food advocates claim that cooked foods are toxic and therefore should not be consumed.  While they do have some good points regarding the formation of certain carcinogens and other toxic agents in cooked foods it appears that the method of cooking plays a significant role in all of this.

▸  Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs)
    ▪  Defined as chemicals that are formed when amino acids (building blocks of protein), sugar, and 
        creatinine/creatine react with one another at high temperatures [2].  Creatinine and creatine are
        found in meat and therefore HCAs are only formed and eaten when consuming the flesh 
        of an animal or fish.
    ▪  The higher the temperature and the longer the meat is cooked for play a significant role in the 
        formation of HCAs.  Frying, broiling, baking, and grilling will all increase the formation of HCAs 
        especially above 300℉ [3,4,5].
    ▪  HCAs have been shown to be mutagenic which means they can cause mutations and damage DNA 
        [6].  This may increase one's risk of cancer and numerous epidemiological studies have linked a 
        high consumption of well-done, fried, or barbecued meats to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, 
        breast cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer [7,8,9,10,11].

▸  Maillard molecules
    ▪  Many raw-foodist say that Maillard reactions (reactions between a protein and carbohydrate) 
        of the chemicals".  This claim is made, of course, without any long term scientific data providing 
        any proof of this.
    ▪  Maillard reactions are responsible for a portion of the browning effect and flavoring of different 
        food products [12].
    ▪  Maillard molecules are not just produced in foods but also via non-food pathways in the human 
        body when collagen and free sugars undergo cross-linking to produce Advanced Glycation 
        Endproducts (AGE's) which occur at an advanced stage of a Maillard reaction [13].  In
        diabetic patients this reaction is accelerated due to elevated blood sugar and has led to tissue 
        degeneration.  Diabetics also have decreased kidney function which has been shown to reduce the 
        clearance of AGE's from the body leading to increased renal-vascular injury [14].  However, these 
        damaging effects don't seem to occur in non-diabetic patients.
    ▪  Consuming a diet rich in Maillard reaction products has actually been shown to have antioxidant 
        effects in vitro (in test tube laboratory experiments) and has also been shown to reduce oxidative 
        damage to LDL (bad cholesterol) but it still remains to be seen in vivo (in living organisms) [15].

▸  Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
    ▪  PHAs are carcinogens formed when meats are grilled over an open flame or by smoking meat 
        products [3,16].  They are also found in car exhaust fumes, polluted air, and cigarette smoke.
    ▪  An increase in the incremental lifetime cancer risk of individuals has been shown in those who have 
        a higher daily dietary exposure to PHAs [17].

▸  Acrylamides
    ▪  Found in moderate amounts in heated protein-rich foods and in high amounts in cooked 
        carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes, potato chips, beetroot, and crisp bread [18].
        Acrylamides are not found, however, in unheated or boiled foods [18].
    ▪  Acrylamides have shown mixed results with being a possible carcinogen in humans.  
        Epidemiological studies have shown an increased risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer, renal cell 
        cancer, breast cancer, and oral cavity cancer when exposed to higher levels of acrylamides but a 
        decreased risk in lung and bladder cancer in women and prostrate and oro- and
        hypopharynx cancer in men [19].

As you can see from above there are many different factors that go into the potential toxicity of foodstuffs.  It appears from reviewing the scientific data that cooking foods for longer periods of time at higher temperatures can lead to increased exposure to potential toxins.  In contrast, using water based cooking methods such as boiling or steaming reduces or eliminates these risks. 

In addition, it is also clear that consuming a plant-based diet and limiting or avoiding meat products all together will dramatically reduce your exposure to potentially harmful carcinogens such as HCAs and PAHs.  The benefits of increasing health promoting vegetables in one's diet was shown to be the case in a review of 28 studies on the consumption of raw vs. cooked vegetables and cancer risk.  It showed that increasing your consumption of vegetables in general whether raw or cooked led to a decreased risk of several different types of cancer [21].

Do Cooked Foods Contain Less Nutrition?

Another claim by raw food advocates is that when you cook food you destroy the nutrients and enzymes in food that make them worth eating in the first place.  This topic of interest has some valid points to it.  As you will see below a portion of vitamins and minerals are lost in cooked foods but this is not always the case.  The debate whether an essential role is played by enzymes contained within raw foods will also be discussed.

▸  Vitamin C tends to be one of the vitamins that is most affected by cooking.  Depending on cooking 
    method and cooking ware used a loss of anywhere from 18%-60% can be seen when cooking frozen 
    vegetables [20].
▸  One study looked at the effects of heating tomatoes and showed an increase in total antioxidant 
    activity and in lycopene content despite a loss in vitamin C [22].  It also showed no significant 
    changes in the amount of two powerful antioxidant classes known as phenolics and flavonoids.
▸  Cooking carrots has been shown to increase the availability of carotenoids [23].  One study showed 
    an increase from 3% to 27% in beta-carotene content in raw vs. cooked carrots [24].
▸  Different cooking methods was shown to make a different in total antioxidant capacity in cooking the 
    following vegetables - carrots, courgettes (zucchini), and broccoli.  Boiling, steaming, and frying were 
    all tested.  Frying showed the least amount of retained antioxidants while water based methods 
    preserved more antioxidant compounds particularly the carotenoids [25].
▸  One review of the vitamin and mineral content of raw vs. cooked foods showed a 10-25% overall loss 
    of vitamins in cooked foods with only a negligible loss of minerals.
▸  Many raw-foodists claim that enzymes found in the plant food that you eat is used to help digest this 
    food thereby preserving your own body's supply of enzymes.  However, it has been shown that 90% 
    of all nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine and that the majority of the plant
    enzymes consumed in foods we eat are destroyed in the stomach before the food gets to the small 
    intestine and this food is then broken down by the body's own bile and pancreatic enzymes [26].

It is apparent that eating both raw and cooked foods has it's pros and cons in regards to the nutritional value of the foods being consumed.  Again water based cooking methods have been shown to minimize the loss of vitamins and minerals.  In some cases steaming or boiling can even lead to an increase in the amount of certain antioxidants in select foods.

Another important point to make here is that you can increase the amount of vegetables that you eat in your diet by simply cooking them.  This softens the food and makes it easier to consume.  Including steamed veggies or a vegetable based soup in one of your daily meals can easily increase your intake of those all important disease fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants that we never seem to get enough of.  Eating a 100% raw diet makes it difficult to eat as much of these bulkier foods and those who do eat this way rely heavily on fruit to make up a majority of their diet.  I'm not saying that fruit is a bad thing but rather that it's important to maintain a balanced approach in your dietary habits by consuming a wide variety of plant-based foods to meet your nutritional needs.

Don't get me wrong eating raw foods is important and you should try to get at least 50% of your calories this way if possible.  But eating a completely raw diet has not been shown in long term studies to be superior.  If I missed this data then by all means please comment and share these findings for the benefit of all who read this.  If anything an all raw diet has been shown to increase dental erosions [27] and decrease overall bone mass [28] in individuals over the long term.  Finally, the most important thing you can do for your overall health is include plenty of nutrient dense, plant based foods and reduce or eliminate animal based foods in your diet.  This has been shown in numerous studies to decrease your risk of chronic diseases and give you more health and vitality as you go throughout life.  I'll leave you with a link to a well done 3 part review article of raw food diets and two short videos discussing a raw food diet for those who are interested in exploring this topic further.
















If you like what you see here then you'll LOVE our daily Facebook and Twitter posts!  Also, don't forget to sign up for  Our Free Online Mailing List  to get all the latest updates from the Plant-Based Pharmacist!
by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!


References:
1 U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2010.
2 Skog K, Johansson M, Jägerstad M. Factors affecting the formation and yield of heterocyclic amines. Princess Takamatsu Symp. 1995;23:9-19.
3 Cross AJ, Sinha R. Meat-related mutagens/carcinogens in the etiology of colorectal cancer. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 2004; 44(1):44–55.
4 Jägerstad M, Skog K. Formation of meat mutagens. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1991;289:83-105.
5 Knize MG, Dolbeare FA, Carroll KL, et al. Effect of cooking time and temperature on the heterocyclic amine content of fried beef patties. Food Chem Toxicol. 1994 Jul;32(7):595-603.
6 Sinha R, Kulldorff M, Chow WH, et al. Dietary Intake of Heterocyclic Amines, Meat-derived Mutagenic Activity, and Risk of Colorectal Adenomas. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev May 2001 10; 559.
7 Cross AJ, Ferrucci LM, Risch A, et al. A large prospective study of meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk: An investigation of potential mechanisms underlying this association. Cancer Research 2010; 70(6):2406–2414.
8 Schiffman M. H., Felton J. S. Refried foods and the risk of colon cancer. Am. J. Epidemiol. 1990; 131: 376-378.
9 Norrish A. E., Ferguson L. R., Knize M. G., Felton J. S., Sharpe S. J., Jackson R. T. Heterocyclic amine content of cooked meat and risk of prostate cancer. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1999; 91: 2038-2044.
10 Sinha R, Park Y, Graubard BI, et al. Meat and meat-related compounds and risk of prostate cancer in a large prospective cohort study in the United States. American Journal of Epidemiology 2009; 170(9):1165–1177.
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