New bodybuilding QA site proposed at StackExchange

StackExchange: BodyBuilding

For those of you familiar with StackExchange (StackOverflow/ServerFault) you might know it is a great QA platform.

You might not know that groups are now forming their own exchanges, and there is one proposed for BodyBuilding.

If you are interested in helping this site get up and running, all you need to do is follow the above link.

It is a really great opportunity to form a helpful online community.

The end of antibiotics?

Antibiotics as we know them today, have only been around for close to one hundred years.  They were once heralded as a key to end all disease, but we may soon discover that our use/overuse of antibiotics have become a Pandora’s box. Overtime, bacteria become more resistant to our current arsenal of antibiotics.  By treating infections with antibiotics we ensure that only the strongest and most resistant variants survive.  This leads to stronger and stronger strains of bacteria reproducing.  This cycle requires constant development of stronger and strong antibiotics which in turn ensure that over time we will eliminate all but the most resistant and un-treatable strains of bacteria.

It has been a growing concern that we might reach a point where common antibiotics become completely ineffective, and we are left only with powerful antibiotics that have serious side effects.  Eventually even our most power antibiotics will become useless.

If this sounds slightly alarmists, it might be.  Instead of just trying to fight off minor infections, more and more people are going to the doctor at the first signs of feeling bad.  Doctors prescribe antibiotics, and with prices are so low today, with many antibiotics showing up on $5 plans, most patients have little incentive to not purchase and take the drugs.  As we essentially over medicate ourselves with antibiotics we move closer and closer to a day when they will fail us all-together.

So, has this made you twice about rushing off to the doctor for another round of antibiotics?

Further reading : The Guardian : The era of antibiotics is coming to a close. In just a couple of generations, what once appeared to be miracle medicines have been beaten into ineffectiveness by the bacteria they were designed to knock out. Once, scientists hailed the end of infectious diseases. Now, the post-antibiotic apocalypse is within sight.

FDA warns of Vitamin D supplementation for infants

The FDA recently published a statement about the dangers and risks associated with giving infants and young children vitamin D supplements.  The article suggests that supplementation is suggested for children breast feeding.  We highly suggest anyone currently giving or considering giving a child vitamin D supplements read this article.

As a reminder, the human body does produce its own vitamin D when skin is exposed to sunlight. For those wanting a quick refresher (see Wikipedia).  Also please note that humans have been relying on sunlight and diet for vitamin D for as long as we have been around.  Since you can overdose on vitamin D, please make sure you actually need the supplement before taking it or giving it to a child.

Visitor Question: Hands are wrinkled and hurting, what’s going on?

We recently had a visitor ask us to help look into a health problem he is having, if anyone has some suggestions for him, I’m sure he would appreciate the advise.

Issue:

The problem he described was that his right hand looked wrinkled, like he had soaked in water for a long time, but this was fairly constant and moisture didn’t seem to be a factor.

Wrinkling started on my right thumb and then mysteriously spread to nearly every finger on the right hand, to varying degrees. Fingertips are a lot better, though not less wrinkled, on normal days — not freezing, not hot — 70 degrees F.

He also describes having redness and discomfort, but so far no dermatologist have been able to help.

All the dermatologists say that the redness SHOULD cause the wrinkled fingers, but it doesn’t — it’s the opposite!

After doing some research we offered this list of possbilitieis and suggestions:

Found the below link, seems to have a good number of people with permanent or frequent wrinkling of fingers/hands accompanied by discomfort.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/What-causes-wrinkled-finger-tips-all-the-time/show/542401

Study shows anti-obesity potential of Capsaicin

GeekHealth.org has covered peppers and capsaicin in the past, now we have some good scientific study data to share with you on this easy to acquire chemical compound.

A study done on rats, has found very positive results when feeding rats 10 mg of capsaicin per kg of body weight.

http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/pr901175w?cookieSet=1

The study, led by Dr. Jong Won Yun from Daegu University, showed the capsaicin treatments caused weight loss in lab rats by up to eight percent.  This reduction seems to be linked to the effect of capsaicin on certain proteins in fat, as well as other metabolic chemicals.

For a human to consume the amount of capsaicin discussed in the paper, you need to keep this in mind: the amount of capsaicin in peppers is very low compared to the overall weight of the pepper itself.

In a study of Habanero peppers (link),  it was found that the total amount of capsaicin was about 10mg/g.  “The total capsaicinoids extracted from oven dried Cunningham peppers ranged from 8.85 – 14.03 mg/g of dry tissue and those from Bailey Farm peppers varied between 9.41 and 11.61 mg/g of dry tissue.”

This means that for an “average” adult US male (link) weighing 190lbs (86kg), you would need a daily dose of 860 mg of capsaicin.  If you only ate dried Habanero’s (one of the worlds hottest peppers) you would still need to eat 86 grams of the powder.  That comes out to just around 10 full tablespoons of pure habanero powder!

Cancer, UV, tanning and sunscreens…

For years we have all been told that UV light causes cancer.  Since the majority of our UV exposure comes from sunlight, we have constantly been told over the years to wear sunscreen.  Sounds like pretty good idea right?  Simply put on some lotion and go enjoy your time in the sun worry free.  This idea is starting to come apart, new reports are showing that the use of sunscreens may actually accelerate or increase your risks of cancer.  These increases are due to the chemicals commonly used in making sunscreen.  It is also interesting to learn that the forms of vitamin A that many companies include in their lotions as “antioxidants” break down in the presence of UV light and actually become carcinogenic themselves. 

Besides the potential for your sunscreen actually cause or accelerate skin damage, there are two other major drawbacks. 

First is the fact that screening out UV(UVA and UVB) light dramatically reduces your production of vitamin D.  The body is made to rely on sunlight and its UV light as a major source of this vitamin.  Vitamin D is commonly accepted to assist in strengthening bones and the immune functions, but many people attribute many more health benefits to this vitamin such as reducing the risk of certain cancers and maintaining sound mental and emotional health.  There are vitamin D supplements, but many cannot agree on the type and amount that the body would need to properly compensate for a near total lack of natural vitamin D production.

The second major drawback to sunscreens might at first seem cosmetic; sunscreens keep the body from forming a natural tan.  But tanning is the skins natural way to defend against the harmful effects of UV exposure.  Without letting the body form a natural tan, you keep requiring the repeated use of sunscreens to defend against the burning effects of the sun.

For more information on the harmful effects of sunscreens we suggest reading:

Sunscreens Exposed: 9 surprising truths

Study: Many Sunscreens May Be Accelerating Cancer

GeekHealth Review : Supplement-IT

What is it?

Supplement-IT is a nutritional supplement formulated to specifically address the physical and mental stress challenges of Information Technology Professionals. Supplement‐IT takes a nutraceutical approach to supporting performance‐based functions such as enhanced concentration and mental clarity; sustained energy and endurance, promotion of a calm and controlled mood, and boosted immune system response.

How was Supplement-IT created?

Supplement-IT was created by two Information Technology Professionals who lived your daily grind.

“We know first-hand the effects of sleep deprivation, relentless pages, never-ending bridge calls, and the cubical life. We’ve been there, and we know your pain. We decided there HAS to be a better way to deal with the work-stress than just caffeine and energy drinks!”

Review Results

GeekHealth.org distributed bottles of Supplement-IT to a number of IT professionals: Developers, CSRs, and System/Network Administrators along with office administrative staff.

100% of the results reported back were extremely positive: Supplement-IT delivers a quality product that lives up to its claims.

In addition to the positive feedback we received, we are very happy to report that not one review

er encountered any adverse side effects. This was very good news because a number of our reviewers were also taking prescription medications and were initially concerned about interactions.

Reviewer Comment Highlights

· At first I was skeptical, but I definitely noticed a reduction in my eye strain on days I took Supplement-IT.

· Now when I feel a headache coming on, or start to feel my eyes go fuzzy, I bypass my aspirin and go for Supplement-IT.

· I’d take it just for the focus enhancement alone, having the other effects are just icing on the cake.

· I hate to admit it, but I’m taking it at home too. I take one before sitting down to play my X-Box. I can play for an hour or two at a time, and Supplement-IT actually helps me perform better.

· It has helped me get through a very stressful week.

· There wasn’t a kick or rush, which I expected. This stuff just kind of gets to work quietly but you can tell it is helping.

What are the Ingredients?

Quercetin: Antioxidant supporting mental alertness, concentration, work performance, and attention to detail

Theanine: Amino acid found in green tea. Theanine can produce a calming effect and improve mood along with increasing focus and cerebral functions. Safe to use if you are already caffeinated, in fact Theanine has been found to be synergistic with caffeine.  [More Information]

Citicoline: Assists with concentration, energy, optimal neural function, and cognition. Nicknamed “food for the brain”

Lutein: Carotenoid found in green vegetables, alleviates eye strain, light damage, and maintains skin-health (elasticity & hydration)

Rhodiola Rosea (golden root): Mood lifter which fights stress, anxiety, and depression

Beta Glucan: Naturally boost your immune system

Vitamins D & E: Provides nutrients lost from sunlight deprivation.

Read more at Supplement-IT

Where is the Caffeine?

One common initial misconception we encountered was that an IT supplement must be an energy booster filled with stimulants. Reviewers were pleased to find out that Supplement-IT contains no caffeine or other stimulants.

Who Makes it?

SMAZEN Enterprises LLC

Working with the staff at SMAZEN was a pleasure. They were quick to respond to all our questions, and we would like to point out most of the questions our reviewers asked before taking Supplement-IT were already addressed on the Supplement-IT FAQ

It is clear that the staff at SMAZEN have done their homework to develop and produce a safe and effective product.

GeekHelath.org fully supports SMAZEN and Supplement-IT.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein.  Once formed, the clot can either restrict or cut off blood flow to the part of the body where it forms, or break free and travel to other parts of the body.  If the clot travels to the lungs, it can cause a very serious condition called pulmonary embolism. 

Main Causes

DVT has three major contributing factors: blood flow, blood thickness, vein health.

While DVT is most common after long periods of near complete immobilization, it can also occur during extended periods of sitting.  DVT has been seen more frequently during long distance travel in airplanes leading some to refer to it as Economy class syndrome.

Relationship to office work

Many of today’s IT and office staff are spending more and more time working at their desks.  When you pair this with not drinking enough water and poor sitting positions, you can dramatically reduce the circulation in your legs.  These conditions are very similar to those found in airplanes and trains, so it should be of little surprise that DVT can also occur in the office environment.

Be aware, and protect yourself

There are a number of simple things you can do to help protect yourself from DVT:

• Move – Once an hour, stand up, stretch, and if possible take a small walk.
• Stay hydrated – Make sure you are getting enough water.
• Check the ergonomic layout of your working conditions : Workspace Planner

What am I drinking : Sugar Free NOS energy drink

There are a huge number of drinks out there that claim to help increase your energy level.  A good number of these drinks come in sugar free versions, offering the best of two worlds, increased performance/energy and zero calories.  What could be better? 

GeekHealth.org takes a look at Sugar Free NOS, which is labeled as a “High Performance Energy Drink”.  It comes in a bright orange 16oz can, and besides the standard nutritional information there is a special “Energy Blend” section.  Just looking over it you get the feeling that what’s inside should boost your energy levels through the roof, but just what are they putting in there, and just what are you putting in your body?

Carbonated Water

Water that has carbon dioxide gas(CO2) dissolved in it.  Carbonated water is acidic from the formation of carbonic acid, and can contribute to the thinning of tooth enamel as well as contributing to a more acidic blood pH.   Both conditions are unlikely to be caused by the normal consumption of simple carbonated water, but soft drinks are usually much higher in acid content from the addition of other acids such as phosphoric acid and citric acid.

Citric Acid

Natural organic acid found in a variety of fruits and vegetables.  It is a natural preservative and has an acidic or sour taste.

Taurine

An organic acid, found naturally in seafood and meat.  Taurine is listed on NOS as part of their “Energy Blend” and was listed as 1,000mg.  One study by the College of Pharmacy-West Palm Beach, found that “The amounts of guarana, taurine, and ginseng found in popular energy drinks are far below the amounts expected to deliver either therapeutic benefits or adverse events.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18595815

Sodium Citrate

This is most likely Trisodium citrate.  Trisodium citrate is used in foods as a flavoring agent and preservative.  Trisodium citrate is also used to regulate acidity.  Trisodium citrate can be used medically as an anticoagulant during blood transfusions.

Passion fruit

Flavoring

L-Carnitine

NOS lists this in the “Energy Blend” and includes 200mg in its sugar free drink.  Some studies do conclude that Carnitine taken orally may help reduce fat mass, http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/carnitine-l-000291.htm.

Caffeine

See http://www.geekhealth.org/post/2009/11/13/Caffeine-The-worlds-most-used-legal-drug.aspx

Sodium Hexametaphosphate (preservative)

Used as a sequestrant

Inositol

NOS lists this in the “Energy Blend” and includes 100mg in its sugar free drink.   There is no doubt that Inositol is helpful to normal bodily functions such as : metabolism, preventing fatty deposits in the liver, and promoting healthy hair growth.  The amount used here (100mg) is generally considered too low to have any real health impact but some people attest that greater daily intake of Inositol is beneficial. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-inositol.htm

Monopotassium Phosphate

If you check out Wikipedia you might question why this substance is in your drink (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopotassium_phosphate) although it is commonly used in the foods as a buffer and emulsifier. 

Gum Arabic

Natural gum that can be found in the sap of acacia trees and most likely included in NOS for its surface tension reducing properties.  i.e. It makes the drink bubble easier.

Sodium Benzoate (preservative)

Used for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, sodium benzoate is a powerful preservative found in many foods.  When combined with ascorbic acid sodium benzoate can form benzene which is a known carcinogen.  There is a good deal of debate on the use of sodium benzoate as a food additive because of its ability to form benzene. http://www.sciencepunk.com/2007/05/e211-dna-and-science-by-press-release/

Potassium Sorbate (preservative)

Used to control the growth of yeasts and molds.  This is a very common ingredient in many food items.

Acesulfame Potassium

FDA approved for use as an artificial sweetener.

Sucralose

Best known as Splenda, it is another artificial sweetener.  Sucralose is still a very controversial artificial sweetener.  Its not too difficult to find people warning about the use of Sucralose in food products.

Sites warning people of the potential toxic effects of Sucralose:

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/bowen.html

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/chemists.html

http://www.rense.com/general65/splend.htm

http://tuberose.com/Sucralose.html

Ester Gum

Used as an emulsifier and stabilizer in food products.  This is a very common ingredient in soft drinks.

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

This is an Asian ginseng root, and listed in the NOS “ Energy Blend” which contains 50mg of ginseng extract.  Ginseng is usually taken as a supplement for its inflammatory properties.  Some suggest that Ginseng can also reduce stress, improve overall energy levels, and even fight Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Calcium Disodium salt of EDTA (Protects Freshness)

Used in soft drinks containing ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate to mitigate the formation of benzene.

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/40abcj09.htm

Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)

See http://www.geekhealth.org/post/2010/01/27/B-Vitamins-and-Weight-Loss.aspx

Yellow #5

This is known by the chemical name Tartrazine and is a highly debated food additive.  Some medical studies have shown the ingestion of this chemical and contribute to irritability and restlessness as well as hyperactivity.

Yellow #6

Like Yellow #5 and most other food coloring additives in general, there is a good deal of debate on the health impact of ingesting Yellow #6.  A good article to check out on the potential problems with Yellow #6 and other additives can be found here.

Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

See http://www.geekhealth.org/post/2010/01/27/B-Vitamins-and-Weight-Loss.aspx

B Vitamins and Weight Loss

Ever hear someone tell you to take B vitamins to gain energy and lose weight?  Why do energy drinks seem to add B vitamins to their mix?  What exactly is a B vitamin, and what is its role in health and weight loss?

What are B Vitamins

There are eight essential vitamins in the B-complex group : B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin), B5(pantothenic acid) and biotin.  These are all water-soluble vitamins and have a proven impact in cellular metabolism.  The B-complex group once was simply called Vitamin B, but research has shown that each vitamin is chemically distinct thus the number following the B vitamins.

B-Complex Group in detail

B1 (Thiamine) : Required for proper metabolism of starches and sugars.  Helps the body provide energy to the body.  It also has a positive impact on the nervous system, heart and muscle function.

B2 (Riboflavin) : Promotes normal thyroid function and metabolism.  Assists in the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino and fatty acids.  Some state that B2 and B6 work better if taken together.

B3 (Niacin) : Helps maintain skin and nerves and assists in food metabolism.  Essential for normal thyroid hormone production.  Some believe that Niacin is a powerful detoxifying agent and take large doses to accomplish this.  Niacin can cause you to turn red and increase your heartbeat, this is generally referred to as a ?Niacin Flush? or ?Niacin Rush?.

B5 (pantothenic acid) : Critical in the metabolism and synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. 

B6 (Pyridoxine) : also known as pyridoxamine and pyridoxal phosphate, helps the body produce healthy red blood cell and is a vital ingredient in the metabolism of amino acids, which build protein.

B9 (Folic Acid) : Also known as Folate. Essential to numerous bodily functions such as the synthesis of DNA, DNA repair and the formation of red blood cells.  There is a link between folic acid and neural tube defects, one of the most common birth defects.  Women who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant need to monitor their diet to make sure they are consuming enough B9.

B12 (cyanocobalamin) : Necessary for normal functioning of the brain and nervous system and the formation of blood.  it is involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, and used in DNA synthesis/regulation and fatty acid synthesis and energy production.

Biotin : Biotin is necessary for cell growth, the production of fatty acids, and the metabolism of fats and amino acids. Biotin not only assists in various metabolic reactions, but also helps to transfer carbon dioxide. Biotin is also helpful in maintaining a steady blood sugar level.

Weight Loss

After seeing what the body uses B vitamins for, its easy to see that to assist weight loss you should ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of B vitamins daily.