HOW BEER COULD HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS

This was the title of an article that I saw yesterday posted by Fox News. Fox News was once a news outlet known as the home of a politically conservative viewpoint. This was long before that network became the personal publicist for the Trump campaign.  As an actual conservative, I have found that network to become a sad excuse for news. The biggest disappointment has been Sean Hannity who daily sucks up to Trump  with more vigor than a supercharged Dyson Vacuum.  Uh... I think I may have gotten off topic... Back to the Beer....

One thing most of us learn early in life is that writers of newspaper articles are NOT the authors of the headlines. Headlines are meant to attract readers - not necessarily to impart important information regarding the content of the copy. Here's an example: HOW BEER COULD HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS

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I have copied the complete story below which was written by Brittany Anas and originally published in Men's Journal.

When it comes to health benefits and alcohol, antioxidant-rich red wine is usually the drink drawing all the praise. But beer — carbs and calories notwithstanding — also has its upsides, with studies showing the beverage can help prevent kidney stones, strengthen bones, and aid your digestive system.

Expand / Contra

Now, scientists have discovered another health advantage in your brew: A compound called xanthohumol, a flavonoid naturally found in hops, can be a boon for weight loss and may help scientists create a novel approach to addressing obesity. Tests have also shown xanthohumol can lower cholesterol and blood-sugar levels. 

No, drinking beer won’t help you lose weight. A pint of IPA (India Pal Ale) contains only 0.0757 mg of xanthohumol, says Cristobal Miranda, a research assistant professor with Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute and lead author of the study, published in a special issue of Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics.  

To derive any benefits of xanthohumol from beer, you’d have to do the impossible and guzzle 3,500 pints per day. But, researchers say, in the future, a concentrated amount of xanthohumol could be packed into a supplement and taken once a day. The supplement could be a low-cost and effective treatment for metabolic syndrome, the set of factors that increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other health problems. About one in three Americans have metabolic syndrome, estimates the American Heart Association, so this could be a welcome innovation. 

Studies on the health benefits of xanthohumol so far have been carried out in laboratory animals and in cell culture, Miranda says. The results have shown the compound holds promise, potentially reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. Before we know its safety and real efficacy for fighting obesity and more, though, studies will have to be conducted on humans. 

For the study, lab mice were fed a high-fat diet and given varying levels of xanthohumol. The rats given the highest dosage of xanthohumol cut their LDL or “bad cholesterol” by 80 percent and their insulin levels by 42 percent. Their levels of IL-6, a biomarker of inflammation, was reduced by 78 percent. The lab animals were all fed the same rich diet and given the same amounts of food, leading them to gain weight.

But weight gain was 22 percent less in the mice receiving xanthohumol in their diets. 

Researchers have long been interested in the health benefits of flavonoids, exploring the compounds found in tea, garlic, chocolate, apples, blueberries, and other foods. Miranda says xanthohumol found in hops is unique because of its potential to address so many health problems, and to do so dramatically. 

Xanthohumol is only found in the hop plant, and is not naturally present in any other plant, Miranda says. Any product like beer, hop tea, or a beverage or dietary supplement in which hops, or hop extracts, are used may contain xanthohumol, he says.  

For now, we'll hang tight until we can apply for a human beer-drinking trial.

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Here is the bottom line on this report... There is apparently a trace compound in beer that can assist with controlling metabolism - but actually drinking beer will NOT help anyone lose weight.  Now or ever. My recommendation would be to drink as little beer as possible if one is trying to control one's weight.

This is my calm before the storm.  Today is Thursday. Tomorrow morning, at 6:00AM Central Time I will be under the care of my surgeon who will be repairing my hernia.  Since I will have plenty of time to sit home doing nothing for a week or so, it is my intention that blog post of Friday will be posted when I return from this surgical adventure. See you tomorrow.

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Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Second Nature - Wholesome Medley Trail Mix	840	84	54	24	210	54
	840	84	54	24	210	54
L U N C H
Wasa - Sourdough Crispbread, 10 slice (11g)	350	90	0	10	450	0
EARTHBOUND FARM - ORGANIC SPINACH	40	0	0	4	130	0
Campbell's Chunky Manhattan Clam Chowder, 2 cup	240	36	6	10	1,600	6
	630	126	6	24	2,180	6
D I N N E R
MARIANO'S SIMPLY ROUNDY'S - PIZZA	450	50	18	20	750	4
Minestrone - Homemade, 2 cup	394	67	5	23	680	7
	844	117	23	43	1,430	11
S N A C K S
Baked Shrimp Chips	520	76	24	8	920	4
	520	76	24	8	920	4
Totals	2,834	403	107	99	4,740	75
Your Daily Goal	2,197	274	73	110	2,300	82
Remaining	-637	-129	-33	10	-2,440	7
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 267 extra calories from exercise today

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BACK TO WORK

I am pretty sure that it will be good to get BACK TO WORK.  For one thing, as a salesman, my income exists only when I do work.

I am also fairly certain that during the downtime of the past two weeks, I have eaten too much too often.  At least when I am working, it is a bit more difficult to be constantly eating, snacking and noshing. While it is true that I did not use this time to ignore my workouts, it is also true that it is virtually impossible to 'erase' calories by working out. Our bodies are extremely efficient at storing energy.  That is what fat does - store energy. It is easy to see why this would have been quite advantageous to our cave-dwelling ancestors during times of famine. Most Americans today, are really not so worried about where their next meal is coming from, and/or if there will be a next meal. If this trend can continue for a few hundred generations perhaps the human being will evolve into a less efficient fat storage unit. Right now, we all have to deal with the efficiency of fat storage that God has implanted in us all.

Now I am not guilty of this during the past two weeks - but it is easy to imagine that this caloric crime might have been committed by many people the past few weeks.  The caloric crime that I am thinking of would be the person who eats not one slice of chocolate cake but two slices of chocolate cake.  A binge like this could easily exceed 1000 calories.  How long does it really take to eat two slices of cake. I am sure that if I tried will all my willpower to eat two slices of cake really slowly, they still would not last more than 15 minutes.  One might have to walk at a brisk pace for one hour to come close to 'erasing' this.  And as Dr Melarvie wrote in his DTOE (Diet Theory of Everything) which I spoke of yesterday:

IT IS MUCH EASIER TO CONSUME 3500 CALORIES THAN IT IS TO LOSE IT. 

THE NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO OVERESTIMATE THE CALORIC EXPENDITURE OF EXERCISE.

When it comes to love it has been said: It is better to have loved and lost than to have never have loved at all. This little piece of wisdom does not translate to diet. It is NOT better to have eaten empty calories and lost than to never have eaten empty calories at all. IT WOULD BE BETTER TO NOT HAVE EATEN EMPTY CALORIES IN THE FIRST PLACE. Surely, that is the best way to manage one's weight, avoid the empty calories in the first place - as much as possible.

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Your Food Diary For:

Saturday, January 2, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Whole Foods - Oatmeal, 1 cup	300	54	5	10	180	2
WHOLE FOODS - WHOLE CASHEWS (RAW), 43.75 g (approx 1/4 cup)	225	10	18	6	0	3
WHOLE FOODS 8738 - DRIED MANGO SLICES, 40 g (approx 6 pieces)	110	28	0	2	1	20
	635	92	23	18	181	25
L U N C H
WHOLE FOODS 8497 - CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA, 110 g (3/4 cup)	480	80	14	10	120	30
FRESH THYME - JOYVA. SESAME CRUNCH, 45 g (3 pieces)	240	21	12	3	75	21
WHOLE FOODS 5938 - UNSWEETENED BANANA CHIPS, 60 g (1/4 cup)	340	32	20	4	10	2
	1,060	133	46	17	205	53
D I N N E R
S. Rosen's - 100% Whole Wheat Bread, 2 slice	200	38	2	10	380	6
Omaha Steaks - Gourmet Jumbo Franks-beef Hot Dogs, 2 frank (84g)	480	8	40	22	1,560	2
EARTHBOUND FARM - ORGANIC BABY SPINACH, 85 g (approx 3 oz, two cups)	20	0	0	2	65	0
libby's - Sweet Corn, 0.88 cup	105	16	3	4	350	12
Louis Kemp - Crab Delights Leg Style, 3 legs (85g)	70	11	0	6	430	1
KROGER 54060 - SOY NUTS, 50 g (approx 1/2 cup)	240	14	13	18	110	3
	1,115	87	58	62	2,895	24
S N A C K S
WHOLE FOODS - MILK CHOCOLATE CHERRIES, 60 g (approx 9 pieces)	270	38	15	3	15	32
WHOLE FOODS 7882 - GIN GINS ORIGINAL CHEWY GINGER, 36 g (2pcs)	120	30	0	0	0	30
	390	68	15	3	15	62
Totals	3,200	379	141	100	3,296	163
Your Daily Goal	4,328	541	144	217	2,300	162
Remaining	1,128	161	2	117	-996	-1

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Your Exercise Diary for:

      Saturday, January 2, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 5.0 mph	13	211
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	92	1,955
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	232
Daily Total / Goal	106 / 30	2,398 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	867 / 210	17,885 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 3200 calories

total calories (92 minutes elliptical, walking) 2166 calories

total net calories 1034 calories

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fitbit day 121

24819 steps

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I was looking for 'back to work' themes - and although this does not meet that criteria - it still amused me.