Most women spend more than 1/3 of their lives in the postmenopausal phase, and one of the major health concerns for postmenopausal women is breast cancer. The American Cancer Society estimated that 1 in 8 US women will develop breast cancer sometime in her life.1 Currently there are more than 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the US.1 Some of the risk factors for breast cancer are unavoidable, such as age, family history, and being female. Other lifestyle factors can be…

by Bianca Garilli, ND, IFMCP Within the past few decades the rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes throughout the world have risen dramatically.  Although there are many potential causes for this rise, one such contributor may be increased antenatal intake of sugary drinks.1 Intake of as little as 0.6 servings per day (standard deviation of 0.9 servings) of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) during pregnancy has been associated with adiposity in mid-childhood (median age of 7.7 years) with the greatest association being…

by Bianca Garilli, ND, IFMCP Across the world autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rates vary greatly; making it difficult to confirm definitive numbers particularly in many countries that do not actively track rates or publicly report their statistics. However, data from countries such as Poland where it is reported that 3 in 10,000 children are diagnosed with ASD, or Hong Kong where ASD afflicts 327 in 10,000 children and in the US where in 2015 there were 222 in 10,000 children…

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 were released in January 2016 and have made significant updates for the consumer based on good science. However, the translation of the scientific basis of the recommendations to the Dietary Guidelines did not include some key scientific insights important to healthy lifestyles. Based on our ongoing commitment to creating safe, trusted, and effective medical nutrition solutions to prevent and manage chronic diseases, we conducted a detailed review in collaboration with our research partners at the Joslin Diabetes…

Xanthohumol (XN) is a flavonoid found in hops, the flowers of the hop plant Humulus lupulus. XN exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In collaboration with researchers at Oregon State University, a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study in healthy participants was conducted to determine if a protein matrix affected the bioavailability of XN when orally consumed. The circulating concentration of XN and its major metabolites were significantly higher when the spent hops-rice protein matrix preparation was consumed vs. the standard control spent…

by Robert Silverman, DC, MS, CNS   When your joints ache, don’t open the medicine cabinet for a pain pill. Instead, head to the grocery store to find healthful—and delicious—foods the support joint health instead. Sweet Potatoes The deep orange color of a sweet potato comes from the rich supply of beta-carotene it contains. Beta-carotene is the natural precursor of vitamin A (retinol). When you eat a sweet potato, your body converts some of the beta-carotene into vitamin A. The rest…

Diabetes, heart disease, and other metabolic issues are on the rise worldwide and are strongly associated with obesity. A growing body of research indicates that the ketogenic diet and keto-adaptation may play a role in mitigating metabolic dysfunction and related chronic disease concerns. In this talk, ketogenic diet researcher and expert Jeff Volek, PhD, RD emphasizes a case method approach for managing chronic health issues—specifically, via carbohydrate restriction and ketosis. Dr. Volek is a Professor in the Department of Human…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN You may have heard that many Americans are not getting enough vitamin D, calcium, potassium, etc. from their diet. But do you think about omega-3s as a nutrient gap? You should. Research from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) demonstrates that> 90% of Americans are not meeting recommendations for omega-3 intake,with key differences observed in age, sex, and ethnicity subgroups.1 Although the cardiovascular benefits of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have…

A team of Swiss researchers report on a novel therapeutic approach for migraine reduction: ketone supplementation.1  One in seven American adults suffer from migraine headaches, but effective therapies are lacking.2 Females, especially during reproductive years, are disproportionately affected by migraines, with a migraine prevalence of approximately 20% in females vs. 9% in males.2 Migraines are a leading cause of outpatient and emergency room visits.2 The personal disability and public health burdens from migraines are obvious, but solutions for migraine prevention and treatment are more elusive. Exogenous ketone…