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Thursday, August 07, 2008
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Welcome to DrSears.com
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Thank you for visiting DrSears.com.  Medicine is not as complicated as we think, and likewise nutrition is not as simple as we are led to believe.  My goal at DrSears.com is to make you think about both medicine and nutrition from a new perspective.  That new perspective is based upon understanding the molecular basis of inflammation.  It’s about how inflammation is the underlying cause of chronic disease, and how our diet can either reduce inflammation or increase it.

In the final analysis, it’s all about your genes,  especially how an anti-inflammatory diet, like the Zone Diet, can turn off inflammatory genes and simultaneously turn on anti-inflammatory genes that promote cellular rejuvenation, repair and healing.  Your ability to control inflammation becomes the molecular definition of wellness.   This is why I hope you will use DrSears.com as your destination site to get the latest breaking information on anti-inflammatory medicine and its impact on 21st-century health care. 
Health News
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Postmortem studies have identified an abnormal complex of two proteins in the spinal fluid of people with various degrees of cognitive impairment. Researchers say it could lead to a test for early Alzheimer's disease.
Ask Dr. Sears
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Dr. Sears,
I just got my blood work done and I’m getting contradicting information regarding LDLs. The “bad” news is that my total cholesterol is 210 (up from 167 two years ago) and my LDL-C is 140 (up from 100 two years ago). The “good” news is that my Tg is 58 and my HDL is 58. So according to your latest books, that’s a great ratio, indicating that my cholesterol particle size is large (beach balls rather than baseballs), and I shouldn’t be concerned. However, the blood test came back with three other numbers that supposedly indicate the opposite. My LDL-P is 1686 (optimal is <1000) and my small LDL-P is 1341 (optimal is <600).According to my doctor, these measure the number of my LDL particles per volume; therefore, the higher the number, the smaller my LDL particles are, indicating that I have baseballs. Also, my LDL particle size reading is 20.2, again indicating a predomination of small “Pattern B” particles, associated with “metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance”. Which numbers are more important indicators of my risk, Tg/HDL or LDL-P?

Thank you, Matthew

P.S. Regardless of your answer to the above, I realize I need to get back “on the wagon” with the Zone Diet. (It got great results 10 years ago, but I slowly fell back to old habits). And even though I just picked up your “OmegaRx Zone” book, this week, I have been taking 1200 mg of pharmaceutical-grade fish oils for the last 2-3 years. My doctor thinks the oils are causing the 40 percent increase in LDL count and wants me to stop taking them (and he wants me to start taking 1000mg of prescription niacin per day). I’m going to follow your theory that the increase in LDL is because of my diet, not the fish oil. So I’ll be ramping up the fish oils with EicoRx and becoming a lot stricter on my diet. I’m only 36, so I have a little time to experiment before my situation becomes critical. Thank you for your work.

Dear Matthew,
A: The TG/HDL is not only a good indication of the LDL particle size but also of the degree of insulin resistance. Therefore your likelihood of insulin resistance and thus metabolic syndrome is low. The stricter you become with the Zone Diet, the further you reduce insulin levels that drive the enzyme in the liver to make more cholesterol. 
 

Zone Monday
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There was a recent report that the treatment of mice with a drug known as Aicar could increase their endurance by 44 percent without any training.  This is similar to another recent study demonstrating that fat rats could increase their endurance by 100 percent just by ingesting high levels of the polyphenol resveratrol.

Medical Testimonial
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I lost weight and gained energy as everyone else has but what is most remarkable for me has been the fact that I haven't caught a cold for six or seven winters straight. For the same number of years, I haven't suffered the annoying pain of mouth sores, canker sores or cold sores (I think these are all words used to describe the same annoyance), which I normally had to endure about four times a year.

Breaking Research
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Each month Dr. Sears analyzes all latest medical literature for the breaking research articles in role of diet in reducing inflammation in various chronic disease conditions. This is a key feature for medical researchers as well as anyone wanting to be on the cutting edge of anti-inflammatory medicine.

Cancer

Diabetes

Dietary Immunology

Fetal and Childhood Development

Heart Disease

Immunological Disorders

Neurological Disorders

Obesity

 


Zone Events
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The first International Conference on Anti-Inflammatory Medicine will be Nov 13-16, 2008 in Cancun, Mexico. This is an unique opportunity to hear the leading experts in the world discuss the role of the Zone Diet and omega-3 fatty acids in chronic disease conditions. Read More

While Zoners are enjoying a cruise this month to Bermuda with Dr. Barry Sears, plans are already underway for the 2009 Zone Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean March 22-29 aboard the new Celebrity Solstice, a ship in a class all its own. Staterooms are more spacious, and the services are impeccable.
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