Lack of Iodine Linked to Poor Thyroid Function and Weight Gain

Friday, January 27, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

Many people suffer from sluggish thyroid performance even though lab tests do not show hypothyroid or subclinical hypothyroid.  The failure of doctors to appreciate the importance of optimal thyroid function means that metabolic problems are being ignored even though a constellation of symptoms is obvious.  A new study evaluates thyroid hormone levels within the normal range and finds that iodine is lacking when weight is gained.  It also finds that weight gain itself may actually be inducing the thyroid problems as a form of stress.

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How Thyroid Problems Cause Insulin Resistance

Thursday, January 26, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

The plot thickens. How simple it once was for endocrinologists to identify a few organs, like the thyroid, measure their hormones, and then prescribe hormone replacement when seemingly lacking in them. While this method may have been easier, it was often not very helpful in solving the obvious thyroid problems that many experience. In 1994 that simplicity changed forever.  With the discovery of the hormone leptin and the fact that the adipocyte, fat cell, was busy not only making leptin but also making many other hormonal signals, this picture takes on even more complexity. It is now clear that your muscle cells, myocytes, are also making hormonal signals that cross-talk with your fat cells and your thyroid.  Anyone for a game of chess?

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Leptin Problems Linked to Thyroid Cancer

Wednesday, January 25, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

Thyroid cancer is one of the few cancer types that are on the rise.  Also swelling are the waistlines of Americans.  A new study connects the emerging science to show that leptin problems are a likely cause of thyroid cancer and many other cancers.

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Reduced Cellular Perception Can Cause Obesity

Tuesday, January 24, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

Do the cells in your body have two eyeballs to look about and see what is going on around them?  Well, not exactly.  What they do have is an incredibly high-tech antenna, projecting out from the surface of every cell in your body called primary cilia.  New research proves that disruption of these cilia cause out-of-control eating and obesity.

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Calcium Offsets Gene Weaknesses to Improve Metabolism

Monday, January 09, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

The idea of taking calcium for your bones is fairly straightforward, as your bones are made of calcium.  The new gene science is opening up a different view of nutrition, one in which various nutrients can prevent gene weaknesses from manifesting as disease.  A new study shows that high calcium intake offsets gene weaknesses that not only lead to weight gain but to the full metabolic syndrome.

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Calcium and Vitamin D Help Reduce Belly Fat

Saturday, January 07, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

A 16-week double-blind, placebo controlled trial with overweight adults found that supplementation with 1050 mgs of calcium and 300 IU of vitamin D resulted in a statistically significant decrease in belly fat (visceral fat), the type of fat most associated with disease risk.

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Pine Nut Oil – An Appetite Suppressant with a Colorful History

Wednesday, January 04, 2012  -  Byron J Richards, CCN

The historical use of pine nuts and pine nut oil is extensive. For example, there was often a shortage of food during harsh Siberian winters. The local people either ate pine nuts or a tablespoon of pine nut oil, sometimes as their whole meal, knowing that it produced a lasting feeling of fullness. Other traditional uses include boosting sex drive in men, combating respiratory infection, repairing digestive inflammation, and supporting circulatory health.

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