Archive for April, 2009

The Fat That Makes You Lose Weight

A fat that makes you lose weight? Believe it! If you are interested in exercise performance or weight control, you should look into supplementing with MCT oil.

What is MCT oil, you’re asking? Short for Medium Chain Triglyceride, MCT is a special type of dietary fat that was first formulated in the 1950’s by the pharmaceutical industry for patients who had trouble digesting regular fats. MCT fats are more water soluble, allowing them to be absorbed easier.

MCT is made mostly from coconut oil. The good news? You don’t have to worry about negative side effects of this tropical oil, such as high LDL cholesterol.

This fat that makes you lose weight will do many things for you as you supplement your diet. MCT has the ability to increase endurance by its rapid ability to be used as fuel for energy in lieu of being stored by the body. This fat provides 2 times the energy of proteins and carbohydrates.

By taking MCT oil with a carbohydrate source, such as a sports drink, you can boost your endurance during exercise. A diet rich in carbohydrates will trigger weight gain. On the flip side, your body needs carbs for energy. We can safely replace carbohydrates with MCT without the big dip in energy, thus preventing fatigue and supplying more energy for your work out.

How’s that for a fat that makes you lose weight! Along with providing energy and acting as a replacement for a portion of your carbohydrate intake, MCT exhibits other properties as well.

More advantages of Medium Chain Triglycerides would be that it stimulates thermogenesis, peps up metabolism, and burns both calories and fat. Further more, MCT enhances muscle.

As mentioned earlier, MCT oil is burned very rapidly. In fact, it is burned so quickly that it’s calories are tuned into body heat, or more commonly known as thermogenesis. Metabolism, the process that your body converts food to fuel, is boosted with the presence of thermogenisis. Medium Chain Triglycerides stimulates this phenomenon, thus burning more calories.

This fat that makes you lose weight also helps your metabolism along. MCT, when added to a calorie restricted diet has the ability to keep your metabolic rate elevated preventing a sluggish metabolism associated with dieting plateaus. Higher metabolism, more weight loss… sounds good to me!

Did you know that your body burns more fat when there is more muscle present? Muscle tissue even burns fat and calories at rest. During a very low calorie diet, the body actually will be forced to start feeding off its own muscle tissue. MCT, when added to a diet along with strength training, is capable of aiding in the preservation of and preventing the break down of muscle tissue.

Just as a hint…MCT does not supply essential fatty acid. Hence, it cannot be entirely substituted for essential fat. The body will experience an EFA deficiency if EFA is not present.

In conclusion, do your research, consult your doctor, find out more about this fat that makes you lose weight, and perhaps this supplement could be a good tool to help you reach your weight loss goals.

Kellie Hammond-The fat that makes you lose weight Kellie Hammond provides valuable information about weight loss, good nutrition and good health, and quality products pertaining to these topics. Find out how you can optimize your health and loose fat! http://www.tyme2stripthatfat.com

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Important Facts About Vitamin D You Should Know

Vitamin D is constantly in the news today. While we know it’s good for our bone health, now we are hearing that vitamin D is related to a wide variety of health issues and that people are often deficient in vitamin D. To understand the benefits, it is important to understand the basics about vitamin D and why it’s so important to good health.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a vitamin that is actually produced in our body. In order for the body to produce vitamin D, it must be exposed to adequate sunlight (about an hour per week). The vitamin D that we get from the sun and from fortified foods must then be converted to an active form in our body. This involves both the liver and the kidneys. The active form of vitamin D is vitamin D3 or calcitriol. As we get older, we may produce less vitamin D. In addition, most of us in the Northwest do not get adequate sunlight to produce vitamin D.

What does it do?

Vitamin D is most well known for its involvement with bone health. It is necessary to absorb calcium. Therefore, people with low vitamin D levels may be more likely to suffer from osteoporosis or joint pain. However, new research is showing that vitamin D has many more functions in the body than just helping our bones.

Vitamin D also effects the neuromuscular and immune systems and can reduce inflammation. Because of these functions, vitamin D deficiency has been related to a variety of disease states including: autoimmune disorders, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Where do I get vitamin D?

The best sources of vitamin D are the flesh of fish including tuna, mackerel and salmon along with fish liver oils. Fortified foods such as milk, orange juice, yogurt and some cereals also contain vitamin D.

How much vitamin D do I need?

The recommended amount of vitamin D for adults per the Institutes of Medicine Recommended dietary levels are: 200 IU for people 50 years or younger, 400 IU for 51-70 years and 600 IU for those over aged 70. This is the amount needed to prevent the bone disease rickets so is most likely not adequate to support the other functions of vitamin D in the body. These recommendations will be reviewed this year and are most likely to increase to at least 400 IU for younger adults and 800 IU to 1000 IU for older adults.

Who is at risk for vitamin D deficiency?

Those at risk of vitamin D deficiency include breastfed infants, older adults, people with limited sun exposure, people with dark skin, those who can not absorb fat and people with a body mass index greater or equal than 30.

How do I know if I am deficient?

The best way is to have your vitamin D level measured. This will give your doctor the tool to help determine the appropriate vitamin D supplement level for you.

Can I take too much vitamin D?

Excessive vitamin D may cause nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, weight loss, weakness and constipation along with raising calcium levels. If both calcium and vitamin D are taken as supplements in excess, there is more of a risk for kidney stones or soft tissue calcification. Again the best way is to have your levels checked to see what is the right treatment for you.

Lou Kupka-Schutt is a resident doctor at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, WA, a regional hospital specializing in Cancer Care, Orthopedics, Heart and Vascualr Care, and more.

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