Animal protein intake is associated with higher-level functional capacity in elderly adults

This study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society 2014 Mar;62(3):426-34

 

Study title and authors:

Animal protein intake is associated with higher-level functional capacity in elderly adults: the ohasama study.

Imai E, Tsubota-Utsugi M, Kikuya M, Satoh M, Inoue R, Hosaka M, Metoki H, Fukushima N, Kurimoto A, Hirose T, Asayama K, Imai Y, Ohkubo T.

Section of the Dietary Reference Intakes, Department of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24576149

The objective of the study was to determine the association between protein intake and risk of higher-level functional decline in older adults. The study lasted for seven years and included 1,007 participants, average age 67.4 years, who were free of functional decline at the start of the study.

The study found:
(a) Men who consumed the most animal protein had a 59% reduced risk of higher-level functional decline compared to men who consumed the least animal protein.
(b) Women who consumed the most animal protein had a 24% reduced risk of higher-level functional decline compared to women who consumed the least animal protein.
(c) No consistent association was observed between plant protein intake and future higher-level functional decline in either sex.

Higher animal protein intake is associated with lower risk of decline in higher-level functional capacity in elderly adults.

Evidence from 72 studies shows that saturated fat does not cause heart disease

This study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine 2014;160(6):398-406-406

Study title and authors:
Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis                                                                    

Rajiv Chowdhury, MD, PhD; Samantha Warnakula, MPhil; Setor Kunutsor, MD, MSt; Francesca Crowe, PhD; Heather A. Ward, PhD; Laura Johnson, PhD; Oscar H. Franco, MD, PhD; Adam S. Butterworth, PhD; Nita G. Forouhi, MRCP, PhD; Simon G. Thompson, FMedSci; Kay-Tee Khaw, FMedSci; Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH; John Danesh, FRCP; and Emanuele Di Angelantonio, MD, PhD

This study can be accessed at: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1846638

This review led by Dr Rajiv Chowdhury from the University of Cambridge, notes that current "official" dietary guidelines advocate that high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of total saturated fats are recommended to prevent heart disease.

The purpose of this review was to summarise evidence about associations between different fats and coronary heart disease. The review included 72 studies from 18 countries with a total of 659,298 participants.

 

The study found:

(a) Current evidence does not support guidelines which restrict the consumption of saturated fats in order to prevent heart disease.

(b) There is insufficient support for guidelines which advocate the high consumption of polyunsaturated fats (such as omega 3 and omega 6) to reduce the risk of coronary disease.

 

Dr Chowdhury states: "These are interesting results that potentially stimulate new lines of scientific inquiry and encourage careful reappraisal of our current nutritional guidelines".

For more detailed appraisals of the above study please see:
http://www.drbriffa.com/2014/03/21/yet-another-major-review-finds-no-reason-at-all-to-limit-saturated-fat-in-the-diet/

and also:
http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2014/03/19/although-now-dead-the-cholesterolosaurus-will-march-on/

Am I training with your Shaolin Warrior DVDs correctly?

I made my DVDs to share my more than thirty years knowledge of Shaolin. My life has been transformed by my practice and I hope that my DVDs can transform my student's life.

Of course learning from a DVD has its drawbacks. For example, if you are doing something incorrectly then there is no one there to tell you and correct you. So it's a good idea to keep checking your movements and your forms and even to video them so you can see how they compare to mine or my students who train with me.

How do I know if I'm training correctly?

I can see if students are training just by looking at them. Everyone who trains in Shaolin looks younger than their years, are more grounded, their reactions are quick. Even within a few weeks of dedicated practice, students transform. I've seen this with students who train with my DVDs and come for a check up as well as students who train one2one.  So check yourself, do I look younger? Do I feel more grounded and confident? If the answer is no, then you need to find where you're going wrong.

How hard should I push myself with your kung fu DVDs?

I recommend you start training with my 3 Shaolin Workout DVDs, then progress to Bootcamp and then Circuit Training. If you're training to be a martial artist then you need to train 6 days a week. You can alternate these DVDs , as you advance do less workout and more Bootcamp and Circuit Training. Take a day to slow down and check your form and your stances. There should be no pain when you train. You will ache the next day, if you don't then you're not pushing yourself enough.

Your stances should get deeper, you should become more flexible and your stamina should be as good as a boxer in training. Check your stamina, time yourself. Do my running exercises on youtube, and keep pushing yourself safely. A martial artist is in tune with their body so as you train, your bodies wisdom will take over.

Read The 3 Keys To A Powerful Qigong Practice to check on your Qigong practice

The 3 Keys To A Powerful Qigong Practice

Most people's bodies are too Yang. One of the main purposes of our Qigong practice is to re-balance our body and stop it burning itself out.  This is why we believe that Qigong doesn't just increase the quality of our life but through slowing down the causes of illness, it potentially increases our life span.

1) Keep it Simple

The beauty of Qigong is in its simplicity. At the Shaolin Temple, we don't learn complex Qi theory, we don't focus on one area of our body such as the Dan Tian. We just focus on breath and movement together. The Qigong that we learn at the temple is the same Qigong I teach in my DVDs. These precious teachings are passed down from the founder of Zen, Bodhidharma. He was a great master and didn't gain anything from teaching these treasures. This gives us trust that what our teachers and ancestors have passed down to us is authentic.

2) Practice Consistently

We've been given the key but the only way to open the door is through consistent practice. Minimum, half an hour, five days a week. And always include the Qigong Instant Health Massage with the bamboo brush (or for more advanced students the metal brush.)

3) Do the Qigong Instant Health Massage / or

The Instant Health massage increases the benefit of our Qigong. I'm sure, that, given the choice, most of us would choose to have a massage once a week but the cost is what stops us. With the Instant Health Massage we can have a massage for free every day of the week.

4)  or (for more advanced students) Bone Marrow Cleansing Massage

If you've been using the bamboo brush for a few years and you're not feeling as much benefit then it may be time for you to progress to doing the Instant Health Massage with the Metal Massage Brush. The metal massage brush is about the price of six massages but it will give you a lifetime of massages. Many people mistakenly believe that the metal brush is only used for body conditioning but at the Shaolin Temple we use it for bone marrow cleansing.

Start off by warming up with the bamboo brush then move on to the metal  brush. This heavier brush creates vibrations in the bones and helps to cleanse them so even though you are still doing the Instant Health massage it is having a much more powerful effect. This is where the name "Bone Marrow Cleansing" comes from.  

As we age, not only do our bones and muscles shrink unless we exercise to prevent them but also the blood cells produced by our bone marrow slow down. This is because the marrow becomes dirty. Through using the metal brush we cleanse the marrow and stop this reversal.

WARNING: The metal brush is heavy and is only for professionals and advanced students so only use it if you feel you are ready. The bamboo brush is safe to use even if used incorrectly but the metal brush is not. If used incorrectly it can damage the body. For most people the bamboo brush is all they need for their practice. 

For more information visitshifuyanlei.com

Why Your Shaolin Practice Benefits Others

When I was a boy studying at the Shaolin Temple, my master told me that my Shaolin Practice was not just for myself alone but for the benefit of other people. I asked him, "How could my practice benefit other people ?" He replied, "Shaolin training strengthens the heart, mind and body so that a person has more command over the actions of their body, speech and mind, and therefore it helps that person live a good life. Shaolin Practice gives the inherent goodness which is inside all of us, some breathing space."

I was about fourteen years old at the time and didn't fully understand what my master meant but I've thought about it a lot since then.

Our training is about finding the natural healthy state which lives inside all of us, and nurturing that state so it can grow into good health. We are taught that if we can just be, really be in our true natural state then all of our health and good qualities are naturally there. We don't need to force or make ourselves into something.

Through our Shaolin Qigong practice, our mind, which is usually in a whirlwind of agitation, glides naturally into the present moment, slowing down and coming to rest. This is our first taste of calmness. As we become more familiar with it, we stay in this experience longer.  Research on meditation shows that this experience increases our feelings of happiness and decreases our feelings of anxiety. Yes, we still have plenty to worry about but what help can worrying do? The worries no longer get hold of us. Our peace then permeates into our work ,family and friends and we function better in our life.

And what about Shaolin Kung Fu, how can our practice benefit others? Well, think for a moment about what happens to your body if you don't train.

Acceleration of ageing

Lack of stamina, strength and flexibility

Lack of connection between the body and the mind

Increase of potential illness such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure

Increase of falls in later life.

Less energy in day to day life

Of course, not all illnesses are preventable but for the ones that are, we need to do everything we can.

This is why Shaolin is a lifestyle choice. I know it's not easy. Some days we lack the motivation to train. I've been doing it now for nearly thirty years, and I still have days when I struggle. But this struggle is part of our path. Without struggle we can't become strong. 

Shifu Yan Lei teaches Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu on his DVDs

Mint Chip Super Food Ice Cream

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to churn up some creamy green goodness. I'm trying to avoid refined sugar so I used a combo of medjool dates and stevia to sweeten it. I added some avocado and spinach for the green as well as collagen, probiotics, and some green banana for the resistant starch. That's a lot of nutrition packed into a tasty frozen treat!

Mint Chip Super Food Ice Cream

1 14.5 oz can full fat coconut milk 

2 Medjool dates (take out the pit first!)

1 very small avocado (half of a medium or large one)
1/4 cup frozen spinach*
1/2 frozen green banana*
1/2 contents of one probiotic capsule
1 Tbs collagen
1 tsp powdered stevia
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp real salt
1/2 cup enjoy life chips

Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips) -- I used my Vitamix. I blended it for quite some time because I wanted to make sure that everything was completely incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before churning it in an ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of soft serve. Empty into a quart sized Tupperware container and mix in chocolate chips. Dish out a nice scoop into a chilled bowl and enjoy! Stick the rest in the freezer and get your super foods in each day for the rest of the week.

I prefer to make my ice cream really rich and creamy as opposed to lighter and less filling. I tend to only eat a tiny bowl of it at a time and really savor it. I find it's much more satisfying than something that I can eat and eat without getting full.

*You can use fresh/not frozen spinach and banana - just chill the mixture longer before churning.  

New Review Paper on Dietary Fat and Heart Disease Risk

A new review paper on dietary fatty acids and heart disease risk was just published by Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury and colleagues in the Annals of Internal Medicine-- one of the top medical journals (1).  The goal of the paper is to comprehensively review the studies evaluating the effect of dietary fatty acids on heart (coronary) disease.  The review covers observational and intervention studies pertaining to saturated, monounsaturated, trans, omega-6 polyunsaturated, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.  The paper is notable for its comprehensiveness (inclusion criteria were very lax).

Here is a summary of the results:

• In observational studies that measured diet, only trans fat was related to cardiovascular risk.  Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats were unrelated to risk.
• In observational studies that measured circulating concentrations of fatty acids, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA, DPA, EPA, AA) were associated with lower risk.  The dairy-fat-derived margaric acid (17:0) was also associated with lower risk.  No other fatty acids were related to risk, including trans fatty acids.
• In controlled trials, supplementation with omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids did not alter risk.

The authors conclude:

In conclusion, the pattern of findings from this analysis did not yield clearly supportive evidence for current cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of saturated fats.  Nutritional guidelines on fatty acids and cardiovascular guidelines may require reappraisal to reflect the current evidence.

My view

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