Uncategorized Archives - Glenville Nutrition Clinic

Alarming Sugar Substitute Findings

A new study in America reveals health concerns about the sugar substitute sucralose so alarming that researchers said people should stop eating it and the government should regulate it more.

The findings were published this week in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B. The researchers conducted a series of laboratory experiments exposing human blood cells and gut tissue to sucralose-6-acetate. The findings build on previous research that linked sucralose to gut health problems.

The researchers found that sucralose causes DNA to break apart, putting people at risk for disease. They also linked sucralose to leaky gut syndrome, which means the lining of the intestines are worn down and become permeable. Symptoms are a burning sensation, painful digestion, diarrhoea, gas, and bloating.

I cover all the key sugar substitutes in my book Natural Alternatives To Sugar and explain which ones to be avoided and which ones I recommend as being safe, natural and healthy.

Here is my book extract on Sucralose:

Sucralose is made by chlorinating sucrose (sugar); it is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Only about 15 percent of the sucralose is absorbed by your body and the rest is passed out unchanged. So there have been concerns because sucralose has been detected in municipal effluents and surface waters both in Europe and the US. The concern is whether sucralose in the environment could have a toxic effect on animals, particularly those in an aquatic environment.

Sucralose is highly soluble in water and degrades very slowly which is why it has been detected in water. At the moment research tends to the view that it is not affecting the aquatic wildlife in terms of survival, growth and reproduction of algae, crustaceans, fish and plants. However, some studies have reported physiological and locomotion behavioural changes in certain aquatic organisms. Daphnia, a freshwater flea, when exposed to sucralose, swims at a different height and increased speed while gammarids, which are small crustaceans, take longer to reach food and shelter. The researchers suggest that ‘regardless if these behavioural responses were initiated via traditional toxic mechanisms or stimulatory effects, they should be considered as a warning, since exposed organisms may diverge from normal behaviour, which ultimately can have ecological consequences’.

The other controversy concerning sucralose is that it has been marketed as being ‘made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar’. Sugar is certainly used as the starting point, but the end product does not contain sugar. The Sugar Association in the US representing the sugar cane and sugar beet farmers filed claims against the manufacturers of sucralose as they thought that this was false-advertising and in France the slogan is banned. In America the slogan is now: ‘It’s made from sugar. It tastes like sugar. But it’s not sugar.’

For a full overview on what sugar replacements you should be using and a full chapter of delicious and healthy recipes you can buy a copy of Natural Alternatives To Sugar at https://www.naturalhealthpractice.com/the-natural-alternatives-to-sugar.html

Why Is Vitamin D Crucial For Brain Health?

We have known for many years that Vitamin D is important for bone health and in the prevention of osteoporosis. However, it is only in recent years that we have realised how important this nutrient is for general health and, particularly, for brain health. Here are just some of the main benefits of vitamin D:

• It plays a major role in breast and bowel cancer prevention
• It is important for your immune function, particularly when you need to fight off colds and flus
• It helps protect your body against conditions as diverse as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, joint pain, dementia, infertility, autism, and allergies
• It reduces the risk of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Vitamin D also balances your immune function (if you have an autoimmune problem, it’s especially important to have your vitamin D levels tested), helps control inflammation, has antioxidant properties, and helps to control beta-amyloid plaque build-up. All these benefits are important for your brain health, so getting your levels exactly right is crucial if you are to benefit from them.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiencies have also been implicated in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease. We get most of our vitamin D quota from sunlight because natural food sources are few. Those most at risk of vitamin D deficiency are those who:

• Don’t go out much in the daytime
• Don’t expose their skin to sunlight
• Constantly wear make-up or cosmetics with built-in sun protection factors

The tone of your skin affects vitamin D production, so the darker your skin, the less your body produces vitamin D. Covering up large area of skin for religious reasons also reduces vitamin D production. It is estimated that we need about 30 minutes exposure to the sun every day to produce enough vitamin D to keep us healthy.

If you are moderately deficient in vitamin D, you have a 53% increased risk of dementia, and your risk of increases by 125% if you are severely deficient. With Alzheimer’s, one study found that those who were moderately deficient had a 69% increased risk, and the risk increased to 122% in those who were severely deficient.

This research showed evidence that these seem to be a threshold level in the blood below which the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s increases. Levels above 50 nmol/L are the most strongly associated with good brain health. However, I think a level between 80 – 100 nmol/L gives the best overall effect on general health, and this is the level I get my patients to aim for in my clinic.

How To Know If You’re Vitamin D Deficient

A question lots of people ask me when I give talks, is how much vitamin D should I take? The answer, of course, is that it depends on the level of your deficiency. For this reason, I now recommend that everyone gets their vitamin D levels checked, given this nutrient’s far-reaching health benefits, and then supplement to get the level back to normal. We have had instances in the clinics where the lab has even phoned to say there was no vitamin D detected at all.

There is, though, such a thing as too much vitamin D. A vitamin D level that is too low (less then 10nmol/L) increases the risk of all-cause mortality (dying of any cause) – but the same is true if your vitamin D levels are too high (more than 140 nmol/L). That’s why it’s important to get tested regularly, at the clinic we use this test that can be done via the post.

What Vitamin D To Choose?

Choose vitamin D in the form of D3, also called cholecalciferol. There is a cheaper form, called D2 (ergocalciferol), but research suggests that vitamin D3 is 87% more effective at raising and maintaining your vitamin D levels than vitamin D2. Researchers have said that ‘the assumption that vitamins D2 and D3 have equal nutritional value is probably wrong and should be reconsidered.’ Most people (especially older people) do not convert vitamin D2 to the active form that their bodies can use efficiently so it is best to speak to one of our nutritionists for advice.

How To Avoid A Monday Morning Hangover

The fastest way to help the body recover from the effects of a hangover caused by alcohol, rich food and late nights, is to support your body’s detoxification process, restore your blood sugar balance and combat dehydration.

A whole variety of foods can assist these processes, but Dr Marilyn Glenville discusses some of the key players here:

Top tips to avoid a hangover

Drink Water! Even mild dehydration can lead to ‘hangover’ symptoms including fatigue, headache and bad moods. Nutrients cannot move into cells, and wastes cannot move out of the body, without water as a vital means of transportation. Alcohol and caffeine can cause the body to excrete too much water, along with nutrients such as Magnesium, Potassium and Vitamins B and C. These nutrients are particularly needed to help to restore your energy levels and support detoxification by your liver.

As Vitamins B and C are water-soluble, they can be absorbed and used by the body within hours, so they can help ease a hangover fairly quickly.

Take Magnesium, Vitamin C and B complex supplements, and eat fibre-rich wholefoods for a boost of these nutrients and to help balance the level of sugar in your blood.

Try oat porridge with cinnamon powder and fresh fruit for Monday morning’s breakfast. If you are feeling queasy as your body is still trying to digest last night’s takeaway curry, just try some oatcakes with some banana or apple. This also makes a tasty mid-morning snack when your blood sugar dips. It is important not to rely on sugary foods and drinks to ‘prop up’ your energy levels throughout the day, because although you may feel better quickly, you will rebound and feel even worse later on. Using sugar as a crutch to provide a temporary boost of energy to get you through the day, can lead to a bad night’s sleep. This starts off your next day badly and you can fall into the vicious cycle of using sugar and other stimulants daily.

So follow the 4 simple rules to balance your blood sugar and energy levels:

1) Eat little and often (3 moderate meals plus 2 snacks. Avoids gaps longer than 2 – 3 hours between food).

2) Avoid highly sugary & processed carbohydrates (‘white’ bread, pasta and rice; biscuits, pastries, etc). Instead choose wholegrain cereals full of fibre and nutrients, which will release sugar steadily.

3) When eating carbohydrates, also eat foods containing protein and the good omega fats, as they ensure a nice steady release of sugar into your blood.

4) Avoid stimulants (tea, coffee, smoking, recreational drugs, alcohol, etc) which upset your blood sugar balance, leading to fatigue and poor concentration.

If you find you still need some extra energy to get you through Monday, then try some herbal supplements, such as Siberian Ginseng. This gently supports your adrenal glands to help them cope with the stressful effects of the hangover, and ensure they can assist steady energy production through the day. Drinking Green tea can also be helpful as it contains L-Theanine – a nutrient that enables calm but alert thinking, and can offset the small amount of caffeine in the tea. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice in some warm water can help to alleviate nausea and pep up your liver.

Your liver is also very important to help you prevent and overcome ‘hangover’ effects. Not only does it help to regulate your blood sugar, but it works as the ‘filtering factory’ of the body – cleaning out wastes and toxins from your blood. Your liver has to work extra hard for you after a weekend of alcohol and fatty food, so make its job easier by taking Vitamin C and herbal teas or supplements such as Milk Thistle, Artichoke and Dandelion. Include liver-supportive foods such as beetroot, broccoli, garlic, asparagus and also Omega fat-rich foods such as flaxseeds, walnuts and avocado. In the long-term, as Omega fats form the membrane around all your body cells, they are essential for your whole body’s health but especially for your brain function, mood and energy levels.

If the ‘Monday Morning’ feeling is a permanent fixture in your diary, then you should consider consulting one of our qualified Nutritionists to give you an individualised action plan, to help your body minimize and cope with the stress and damaging effects of overindulgence.

Health Facts That You May Not Know…

With food intolerances (also known as a food sensitivities) once you have identified what you are reacting to and eliminated it, basically giving your digestive system a ‘break’ to improve your digestive health, then it is likely that you can then go back to eating those foods in moderation.
Three months is the magic number to change the quality of your eggs, because it takes approximately that long for the follicles on your ovaries to develop before one is mature enough to release an egg at ovulation.
Women are at risk of osteoporosis from the menopause onwards, when hormone levels reduce.
BMI is not the best measurement for knowing if you are overweight. Muscle is heavier than fat, so a well-muscled, extremely fit person might register a BMI as high as an unfit rather overweight person.
Sage is a botanical herb that has been used for centuries. Women often use sage as they go through the menopause and it has also been used to improve mental energy and alertness and reduce stress.
Protein is a vital nutrient needed for your body to perform many functions, including the production of antibodies to resist infection and the formation of new tissue. Too much or too little protein may reduce the strength of your bones and increase the risk of fracture.
You could have sex on a Monday and get pregnant on the Friday when the egg has been released. This is because the egg once released at ovulation only survives for about 24 hours but the sperm can live for up to seven days when the cervical mucus is alkaline.
It is estimated that 45% of the UK population has a food intolerance. These intolerances can affect many parts of your body including:
Skin – Eczema, urticaria, itching, rashes
Gastrointestinal – Severe bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, flatulence, IBS
Recurrent Infections – Chronic infections, frequent ear infections
Mental / Emotional – Anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, insomnia, irritability
Musculoskeletal – Joint and muscle pain, arthritis
Respiratory – Asthma, rhinitis
Others – Palpitations, water retention, headaches, fatigue, migraines, weight gain
Your bones are at their strongest around the age of 30 and then they start to become weaker around the menopause which can lead to osteoporosis.
Muscle takes up 5 times less space than fat so as you lose fat, you lose inches, your clothes feel looser and your body shape changes but your weight could stay the same.
It is reported that every three seconds a bone will break somewhere in the world, because of osteoporosis. The good news is that fractures can often be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices.
The word allergy is derived from Greek with ‘allos’ meaning different and ‘ergos’ meaning action, so when something foreign enters your body it has to take action by responding to that alien substance.

Optimise your Brain and Memory function. Minimise your risk of Dementia

Your brain is amazing. You are born with all the brain cells you will ever have – about 100 billion. Most of the brain does not regenerate as you get older except the hippocampus – an area for learning which is important for long term memory and spatial navigation, so you want to keep your brain as healthy as possible.

But brain function can change as we older. The symptoms that are associated with a gradual decline in brain function like loss of memory and difficulty in concentrating, are described as dementia.

The two main forms of dementia are:

Alzheimer’s (the most common)
Vascular dementia

Alzheimer’s is caused by plaque and tangles developing in the brain. Plaque are clumpy spheres that float between the neurons and prevent the transmission of messages to each other and the tangles actually choke the neurons from inside.

Vascular dementia is a problem with the supply of blood to the brain. The risk of dementia increases with age and affects about 5% of people over the age of 65 but unfortunately is much more common in women.

And not only does the risk of developing Alzheimer’s increase with age but you can have a higher risk if there is a family history of the disease. So it is important to think about keeping your brain and memory working efficiently as well as working on prevention.

Helping you to stay sharp and focused and work on prevention

At the Glenville Nutrition Clinic you can receive expert advice on what is the best way to help keep your brain and memory function sharp no matter what age you are. We can also to help you work on prevention especially if you have a strong family history of Alzheimer’s.

What’s involved?

We’ll start by sending you a questionnaire to complete before the consultation. You’ll list your health concerns, details of your typical diet and lifestyle habits including how much stress you’re under and we’ll analyse it before you come in to get an idea of the questions we want to ask and ensure you get the best from your consultation.

During the consultation, your nutritionist will discuss the most relevant tests for you depending on your health. Certain tests can be helpful in highlighting nutrient deficiencies that when corrected can reduce your risk of memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

You will be given advice on what to eat and what to avoid to help protect your brain function. Lifestyle issues such as stress and exercise will also be discussed.

If you would like to arrange a consultation, call 01892 515 905 (press option 1 when asked) or send an email to info@glenvillenutrition.com to request a call back.