Listen up fellas: If you’re not going to get in shape for your own good, at least do it for the good of your future children. That’s because a new study has found obesity can change the genetic makeup of sperm cells in a way that may influence the appetite of future offspring. The same study found these changes may be reversed by losing weight, further highlighting how important good health is for not only moms-to-be, but also expectant fathers.

Almost half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions, and exercise and weight loss is always at the top of the list. That’s no surprise, considering that two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and less than half get the recommend amount of exercise needed to stay healthy.

But a future plan to exercise can be used as an excuse to curl up in a ball of blankets and hibernate through the holidays, which could explain why some folks go into the new year with a little added heft. A 2000 study of 195 Americans found that people who were already overweight or obese gained an average of five pounds in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that for all who gained holiday weight, these extra pounds made up more than half of the total weight they gained that year.

That’s why if you already know you need to exercise more — the government recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week with at least two strength training sessions — there’s no better time than the present to make a resolution about it, experts say.

Dr. Christine Whelan, a thought leader for AARP’s Life Reimagined program and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says it’s a “good psychological trick” to mark a new beginning on a special date — say, your birthday, the new year or even just Monday morning. However, we’ve got to be careful that we’re not using this future date to justify delaying a life change.

“If you’re saying, ‘I will lose weight in the New Year’ as a way to allow yourself to binge during the holidays, think of what small step you can take right now — Dec. 1, perhaps — to get you on the right path for an even more successful new year,” Whelan told HuffPost.

In the spirit of resolution, we spoke to Whelan and two other experts about why you shouldn’t wait until the new year to start working on your goals now, and how to approach fitness so that you’ll greet 2016 with a strong exercise game already in place.

Be mindful about why you want to exercise more

Whelan says it’s easy to identify problems in our lives, but strategizing about ways to solve them is a lot harder. One way to know you’re making the right resolution for yourself is to first figure out why you’re doing it in the first place.

“Thinking about what you want to feel — and the why behind the change — makes you more likely to commit to the right resolution to achieve the desired outcome,” Whelan said.

Figuring out why you want to get in shape will also give you direction in how to go about it. Butch Nieves is a former winner of the Mr. America and Mr. USA bodybuilding contests and a personal trainer and leader at the New York Fit Body Boot Camp. He agreed that the first thing people should do when they decide they want to start exercising again is to really contemplate why they want to do it in the first place.

“First, know your ‘why’: Why did you decide to train?” Nieves said. “Your ‘why’ will dictate what your program should be, and what your sense of urgency should be.”

It may seem counterintuitive to start small, but remember that you want to set yourself up for success, not injury or burnout.Joe Ardito of Fit Crush NYC

Your heart will get you through the tough times and through the negativity and disappointments that you may encounter from time to time.Butch Nieves of New York Fit Body Boot Camp

Thanksgiving is as much about gratitude is at is about turkey and cranberry sauce. And it turns out feeling thankful has some pretty potent effects on your health.

While more research is needed to strengthen the understanding of the link between gratitude and health, here’s a roundup of some compelling reasons why you will want to be extra thankful this season.

You’ll have a healthier heart: In an April study of 186 men and women with heart damage, researchers rated the people’s levels of gratitude and spiritual well-being. They found that higher gratitude scores were linked to having a better mood, higher quality sleep and less inflammation—which can worsen the symptoms of heart failure. They also found that having high levels of gratitude explained a lot of the benefits of spiritual well-being. In addition, some of the men and women were also asked to write down things they were grateful for over an eight-week period. “We found that those patients who kept gratitude journals for those eight weeks showed reductions in circulating levels of several important inflammatory biomarkers, as well as an increase in heart rate variability while they wrote. Improved heart rate variability is considered a measure of reduced cardiac risk,” said study author Paul J. Mills, a professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego in a statement about his research.

You might get more shuteye: If you’re having difficulty sleeping, writing down a few things you are thankful for before bed can help. A 2011 study of college students who struggled to fall asleep due to racing minds and worries found that those who underwent a gratitude intervention (they were asked to spend 15 minutes in the early evening writing about a positive event that occurred recently or one they anticipated in the future) were able to “quiet their minds and sleep better.”

It makes you more optimistic: Being gracious can contribute to a healthier outlook. In a 2003 study, researchers split up a group of people and had some of them write about what they were grateful for during the week, some write about hassles, and a third group write about neutral things that happened to them. After a few weeks, the researchers found that the people who wrote about things they were grateful for were more optimistic and reported feeling better about themselves. They even exercised more than the group that wrote about things that irritated them. “Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits,” the study authors write.

Gratitude helps you make new friends: Expressing gratitude is a great way to build new relationships. In a 2014 study published in the journal Emotion , researchers had 70 college students think they were mentoring a high schooler. They were asked to send comments on a college admissions essay. The students then received a note from their mentee that either expressed gratitude or did not. The students who were thanked by the high schooler were more likely to rate them as having a warmer personality and more likely to provide the younger student with their personal information, like an email address.

Being thankful improves physical health: An analysis of nearly 1,000 Swiss adults published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that higher levels of dispositional gratitude were correlated with better self-reported physical health. The people who felt more gracious had a notable willingness to partake in healthy behaviors and seek help for their health-related concerns. Other research has suggested that people who are grateful are more likely to do physical activity.

Source: http://time.com/4124288/thanksgiving-day-2015-thankful-gratitude/

For for more information on our therapies please contact Clinic Director Charlie Blaisdell at CBlaisdell@CoreNewEngland.com

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or “gray” feelings. People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to get through the day.

Adrenal fatigue can wreak havoc with your life. In the more serious cases, the activity of the adrenal glands is so diminished that you may have difficulty getting out of bed for more than a few hours per day. With each increment of reduction in adrenal function, every organ and system in your body is more profoundly affected. Changes occur in your carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, fluid and electrolyte balance, heart and cardiovascular system, and even sex drive. Many other alterations take place at the biochemical and cellular levels in response to and to compensate for the decrease in adrenal hormones that occurs with adrenal fatigue. Your body does its best to make up for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.

Adrenal fatigue is produced when your adrenal glands cannot adequately meet the demands of stress. The adrenal glands mobilize your body’s responses to every kind of stress, whether it’s physical, emotional, or psychological. Whether you have an emotional crisis such as the death of a loved one, a physical crisis such as major surgery, or any type of severe repeated or constant stress in your life, your adrenals have to respond to the stress and maintain homeostasis. If their response is inadequate, you are likely to experience some degree of adrenal fatigue.

You may be experiencing adrenal fatigue if you regularly notice one or more of the following:

You feel tired for no reason. You have trouble getting up in the morning, even when you go to bed at a reasonable hour. You are feeling rundown or overwhelmed. You have difficulty bouncing back from stress or illness. You crave salty and sweet snacks. You feel more awake, alert and energetic after 6PM than you do all day.

Can people experiencing adrenal fatigue feel their best again? Yes, with proper care most people experiencing adrenal fatigue can expect to feel good again.

For detailed information about how you can help support your adrenal glands, promote healthy adrenal function and maintain your health during stressful times, please contact Clinic Director Charlie Blaisdell at CBlaisdell@CoreNewEngland.com

For for more information on our therapies please contact Clinic Director Charlie Blaisdell at CBlaisdell@CoreNewEngland.com

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that weight loss, in combination with vitamin D supplementation, has a greater effect on reducing chronic inflammation than weight loss alone. Chronic inflammation is known to contribute to the development and progression of several diseases, including some cancers.

Results of the randomized, controlled clinical trial — which involved more than 200 overweight, postmenopausal women who had insufficient levels of vitamin D at the beginning of the study — are published online ahead of the July print issue of Cancer Prevention Research , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“We know from our previous studies that by losing weight, people can reduce their overall levels of inflammation, and there is some evidence suggesting that taking vitamin D supplements can have a similar effect if one has insufficient levels of the nutrient,” said lead and corresponding author Catherine Duggan, Ph.D., a principal staff scientist in the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch. However, it has not been known whether combining the two — weight loss and vitamin D — would further boost this effect. “It’s the first study to test whether adding vitamin D augments the considerable effect of weight loss on inflammatory biomarkers,” she said.

To explore this question, Duggan and colleagues recruited 218 healthy, overweight older women who had lower-than-recommended levels of vitamin D (less than 32 ng/mL). The women then took part in a 12-month diet and exercise program (including 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise five days a week). Half of the study participants were randomly selected to receive 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily for the duration of the year-long trial, and the other half received an identical-appearing placebo, or dummy vitamin. Biomarkers of inflammation were measured at the beginning and end of the study. The researchers then compared changes in these levels between the two groups.

At the end of the study, all of the participants had reduced levels of inflammation, regardless of whether they took vitamin D, “which highlights the importance of weight loss in reducing inflammation,” Duggan said. However, those who saw the most significant decline in markers of inflammation were those who took vitamin D and lost 5 to 10 percent of their baseline weight. These study participants had a 37 percent reduction in a pro-inflammatory cytokine called interleukin-6, or IL-6, as compared to those in the placebo group, who saw a 17.2 percent reduction in IL-6. The researchers found similar results among women in the vitamin D group who lost more than 10 percent of their starting weight. While IL-6 has normal functions in the body, elevated levels are associated with an increased risk of developing certain cancers and diabetes and may be implicated as a cause of depression, Duggan said.

“We were quite surprised to see that vitamin D had an effect on an inflammation biomarker only among women who lost at least 5 percent of their baseline weight,” Duggan said. “That suggests vitamin D can augment the effect of weight loss on inflammation.”

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that has multiple functions beyond its widely recognized role in regulating calcium levels and bone metabolism. Vitamin D receptors are found in more than 30 cell types and the research focus around this nutrient recently has shifted from bone health to vitamin D’s effect on cancer, cardiovascular health and weight loss, among other health issues.

Inflammation occurs when the body is exposed to pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses, which puts the immune system in overdrive until the “attack” ceases and the inflammatory response abates. Overweight or obese people, however, exist in a state of chronic inflammation. This sustained upregulation of the inflammatory response occurs because fat tissue continually produces cytokines, molecules that are usually only present for a short time, while the body is fighting infection, for example.

“It is thought that this state of chronic inflammation is pro-tumorigenic, that is, it encourages the growth of cancer cells,” she said. There is also some evidence that increased body mass “dilutes” vitamin D, possibly by sequestering it in fat tissue.

“Weight loss reduces inflammation, and thus represents another mechanism for reducing cancer risk,” Duggan said. “If ensuring that vitamin D levels are replete, or at an optimum level, can decrease inflammation over and above that of weight loss alone, that can be an important addition to the tools people can use to reduce their cancer risk.”

Duggan encourages women to speak to their health care providers about measuring their levels of vitamin D to determine the most appropriate dosage.

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The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, National Institutes of Health, Seattle Cancer Consortium Breast Cancer Specialized Program in Research Excellence, Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium and Safeway Foundation funded the research.

Editor’s note: To obtain a copy of the Cancer Prevention Research paper, “Effect of vitamin D3 supplementation in combination with weight loss on inflammatory biomarkers in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial,” or to arrange an interview with corresponding author Catherine Duggan, please contact: Kristen Woodward in Fred Hutch media relations, kwoodwar@fredhutch.org or 206-667-5095.

Fred Hutch: 40 years of cures 1975-2015

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch’s pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation’s first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women’s Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

A few other biochemical factors in blood have been connected to aging and disease in recent years, but oxytocin is the first anti-aging molecule identified that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for clinical use in humans, the researchers said. Pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin, is already used to help with labor and to control bleeding after childbirth. Clinical trials of an oxytocin nasal spray are also underway to alleviate symptoms associated with mental disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and dementia.

“Unfortunately, most of the molecules discovered so far to boost tissue regeneration are also associated with cancer, limiting their potential as treatments for humans,” said study principal investigator Irina Conboy, associate professor of bioengineering. “Our quest is to find a molecule that not only rejuvenates old muscle and other tissue, but that can do so sustainably long-term without increasing the risk of cancer.”

Conboy and her research team say that oxytocin, secreted into the blood by the brain’s pituitary gland, is a good candidate because it is a broad range hormone that reaches every organ, and it is not known to be associated with tumors or to interfere with the immune system.

A happy hormone

Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the “trust hormone” because of its association with romance and friendship. It is released with a warm hug, a grasped hand or a loving gaze, and it increases libido. The hormone kicks into high gear during and after childbirth, helping new mothers bond with and breastfeed their new babies.

“This is the hormone that makes your heart melt when you see kittens, puppies and human babies,” said Conboy, who is also a member of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center and of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3). “There is an ongoing joke among my research team that we’re all happy, friendly and trusting because oxytocin permeates the lab.”

The researchers pointed out that while oxytocin is found in both young boys and girls, it is not yet known when levels of the hormone start to decline in humans, and what levels are necessary for maintaining healthy tissues.

Christian Elabd and Wendy Cousin, both senior scientists in Conboy’s lab, were co-lead authors on this study.

Previous research by Elabd found that administering oxytocin helped prevent the development of osteoporosis in mice that had their ovaries removed to mimic menopause.

Extra oxytocin more beneficial for the old

The new study determined that in mice, blood levels of oxytocin declined with age. They also showed that there are fewer receptors for oxytocin in muscle stem cells in old versus young mice.

To tease out oxytocin’s role in muscle repair, the researchers injected the hormone under the skin of old mice for four days, and then for five days more after the muscles were injured. After the nine-day treatment, they found that the muscles of the mice that had received oxytocin injections healed far better than those of a control group of mice without oxytocin.

“The action of oxytocin was fast,” said Elabd. “The repair of muscle in the old mice was at about 80 percent of what we saw in the young mice.”

Interestingly, giving young mice an extra boost of oxytocin did not seem to cause a significant change in muscle regeneration.

“This is good because it demonstrates that extra oxytocin boosts aged tissue stem cells without making muscle stem cells divide uncontrollably,” Cousin added.

The researchers also found that blocking the effects of oxytocin in young mice rapidly compromised their ability to repair muscle, which resembled old tissue after an injury.

The researchers also studied mice whose gene for oxytocin was disabled, and compared them with a group of control mice. At a young age, there was no significant difference between the two groups in muscle mass or repair efficiency after an injury. It wasn’t until the mice with the disabled oxytocin gene reached adulthood that signs of premature aging began to appear.

“When disabling other types of genes associated with tissue repair, defects appear right away either during embryonic development, or early in life,” said Conboy. “To our knowledge, the oxytocin gene is the only one whose impact is seen later in life, suggesting that its role is closely linked to the aging process.”

Future treatment options

Cousin noted that oxytocin could become a viable alternative to hormone replacement therapy as a way to combat the symptoms of both female and male aging, and for long-term health. Hormone therapy did not show improvements in agility or muscle regeneration ability, and it is no longer recommended for disease prevention because research has found that the therapy’s benefits did not outweigh its health risks.

In addition to healthy muscle, oxytocin is predicted to improve bone health, and it might be important in combating obesity.

Conboy said her lab plans to examine oxytocin’s role in extending a healthy life in animals, and in conserving its beneficial anti-aging effects in humans.

She noted that there is a growing circle of scientists who believe that aging is the underlying cause of a number of chronic diseases, including Parkinson’s and Type 2 diabetes.

“If you target processes associated with aging, you may be tackling those diseases at the same time,” said Conboy. “Aging is a natural process, but I believe that we can meaningfully intervene with age-imposed organ degeneration, thereby slowing down the rate at which we become progressively unhealthy.”

Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-06-hormone-oxytocin-muscle.html

For for more information on our therapies including oxytocin, please contact Clinic Director Charlie Blaisdell at CBlaisdell@CoreNewEngland.com

Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines the word ‘Lipotropic’ as something that promotes “the physiological utilization of fat.” In other words, lipotropic injections help your body burn fat. Lipotropics are essential for a healthy liver because they help reduce the amount of dangerous fat in that organ. Without lipotropic compounds, fat and bile could accumulate and rise to dangerous levels in your liver, putting you at risk for cirrhosis and other serious liver diseases. Scientists classify several substances as lipotropic compounds. Three lipotropic compounds in particular – Choline, Inositol and Methionine – help you lose weight.

Methionine:

This is an essential amino acid, meaning it cannot be produced by the body itself. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure an intake through nutrition and/or supplementation. Methionine has a fat-dissolving effect and reduces the depositing of fat in the liver. By helping prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver it ensures normal liver function, which is essential for the elimination of toxins from the body. Methionine also supports liver function by regulating glutathione supplies; glutathione is needed to help neutralize toxins in the liver. The body also needs plenty of Methionine to produce two other sulfur-containing amino acids , Cysteine and Taurine , which help the body eliminate toxins, build strong, healthy tissues, and promote cardiovascular health.

Inositol:

Inositol benefits your body in a number of ways by transporting fat throughout your body and it also aids the neurons in your central nervous system to make sure everything is running smoothly. One major health benefit of Inositol is that when combined with Choline, they produce lecithin. Lecithin is fundamental in breaking down fats in your body and this means that it can prevent fat build ups in the cell walls of your heart, arteries and brain by breaking down the fatty deposits. Less fat in your arteries, means lower cholesterol!

One of the most talked about Inositol benefits is how it benefits your hair. It’s a member of the B complex family which, are known to promote strong, healthier hair, and faster growth.

Choline:

Choline serves various functions in our bodies. Over the past few years, there has been a rush of research, and there are now hints that Choline may be essential not only for the brain development of fetuses and infants, but may help prevent memory loss associated with aging.

Choline has been shown to protect the liver from certain types of damage, and can help reverse damage that has already occurred. Additionally, it may help lower cholesterol and homocysteine levels associated with cardiovascular disease, and may also help protect against some types of cancers.

Contact us for information on all of our therapies.

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(Reuters Health) – Older adults who value sexual activity and engage in it have better social lives and psychological well-being, according to a small study in Scotland
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Study finds Middle Aged Diabetic Men with Low Testosterone have a Sixfold Increase in Heart Disease.

In a cross-sectional study of men around 60 years old with type 2 diabetes, those with low total plasma testosterone levels had a sixfold higher risk for increased carotid artery intima media thickness (CIMT) and decreased endothelial function, compared with their peers with normal testosterone.

The study was published online October 16 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The research identified that 31% of these middle-aged, overweight, diabetic men had low testosterone levels, and the latter was linked with a heightened level of atherosclerotic-disease risk markers, lead author Dr Javier Mauricio Farias told Medscape Medical News.

To read the full article click here: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/833642

Contact Boston Testosterone/Core New England Today to discuss our therapies and for more information on having your levels checked.

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