Alcohol as a Key Ingredient to a Healthy Diet
Dr. John Rumberger

Evidence suggesting that alcohol is “cardio-protective” first appeared in the literature about 30 years ago. The Framingham Heart Study [the longest running population study of heart disease which began in 1948] provided the first solid evidence of this association. The relationship has now been confirmed by dozens of large population [“epidemiological”] studies. However, physicians have been reluctant to recommend alcohol consumption to patients because of the well-known health consequences of excessive drinking [hypertension, liver disease, increased rates of cancer, violent or accidental death] and the horrors that are associated with “drinking and driving”.
Moderation is the key. Many large studies have found that men and women who consume light to moderate amounts of alcohol per day live longer than those who abstain completely. The Physicians’ Health Study involved long term follow-up of 89,300 men. The study found that men who drank five or six alcoholic drinks per week had a 20% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who drank no alcohol. On the other hand, the same study showed that men who had more than two alcoholic drinks per day had a higher risk of death than nondrinkers. That means that, when drinking moderately, it appears to be quite beneficial; however, higher alcohol intake increases the risks of cancer and motor vehicle accidents so much as to overwhelm any cardiovascular benefits.
How does alcohol protect the heart? A large portion of the benefit may be attributable to increased levels of HDL [“good] cholesterol. Alcohol also has “antiplatelet” effects [making these natural blood elements less sticky and then less likely to clog arteries during plaque rupture] in much the same way as aspirin.
Moderate alcohol consumption may also help improve insulin resistance, which is just about one step below true diabetes and recognized as another independent predictor for cardiac risk. The Physicians’ Health Study also showed that in subjects who consumed alcohol daily, the risk for heart disease was reduced by 60% in diabetic patients, compared to a 40% decrease in persons who did not have diabetes. Moderate alcohol intake also decreases blood values for CRP [C-reactive protein], a metabolic marker for inflammation (elevated when you are in an increased state of oxidative stress).
The jury is still out as to whether or not wine provides a better protective effect compared to other forms of alcohol. Red wine is rich in flavonoids, which slow down oxidation of LDL [“bad”] cholesterol [which is one of the last steps before it is deposited in your artery wall]. One recent study suggested that light drinkers who avoided wine reduce their risk of all-cause mortality by 10%, while light drinkers who preferred wine had more than a 30% decrease in this risk. However, other studies have found that all forms of alcohol [beer, whiskey, etc.] were equally protective.
It is important to emphasize that alcohol [of ANY kind!] should be limited to one drink daily for women and at most two drinks daily for men [this is based merely on general body size and nothing else]. One drink is defined as 1.5 oz of distilled spirits (such as whisky, gin, and vodka), 5 oz of wine, or 12 oz of beer. Patients who have liver disease, who have a personal or family history of alcohol abuse, or who cannot limit their intake in a responsible manner should NOT start! However, since “all things in moderation” is a good adage for much of life, others can enjoy a daily alcoholic drink as part of a generally healthy diet.
Disclaimer: If you are under 18, pregnant, nursing or have health problems, consult your physician before starting any weight loss plan. The information here is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment.

About the Author

Dr. John Rumberger is the Author of The WAY Diet, The complete lifestyle plan to live longer, reduce stress, and lose weight the healthy way. To purchase The Way Diet simply go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=
ASIN/0974993387&link_code=as2&camp=1789&tag=icobweb-20&creative=9325 or go to Empty Canoe Publishing http://www.emptycanoe.com and order your copy of The Way.

Tags: Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Intake, Alcoholic Drinks, Author, Blood Elements, cancer;, Cardiovascular Benefits, Cause Mortality, diabetes;, Empty Canoe Publishing, Epidemiological Studies, Excessive Drinking, Framingham Heart Study, Good Cholesterol, Health Consequences, Healthy Diet, heart disease;, hypertension;, inflammation, Insulin resistance;, John Rumberger, Liver Disease, Moderate Alcohol Consumption, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Nondrinkers, physician, Physicians Health, Plaque Rupture, Population Study, Predic, Rumberger, true diabetes —

Running for weight loss is recognized as being one of the very best methods to lose weight fast and get in great shape. The cardiovascular benefits alone of starting a running regime are huge.

The one downside of running for weight loss is that some people take it to the extreme, they run too much and too often and instead of losing weight they also reduce their overall muscle mass which can give them a gaunt, unhealthy appearance.

In order to keep your muscle tone while you burn fat some simple changes to your technique can help.

Stay away from long runs. Any run that is over 45 minutes long can be detrimental to maintaining muscle mass. The biggest reason is because on those long runs your body needs all the energy it can get and one of the easiest to access is burning muscle.

Think of marathon runners, many of whom supplement their workouts with some form of weight training, no matter what else they do for a workout they all tend to look mal-nourished and underfed. That is because their muscle mass is being diminished faster than it is being replenished.

One great way to combat this is to incorporate interval training into your running regime. This is simply a way of working out where your workout intensity goes up and down like a roller coaster.

You do very heavy cardio bursts for a short time, taking your body to it’s maximum limits, then you alternate that with a lower intensity session.

How many times you alternate between the high and low sessions as well as how long each session will be, needs to be determined by your current fitness level and overall fitness goals.

When you first start out with interval training it is a very good idea to enlist the help of a trainer who can help you develop a good program specifically for you based on your current fitness level and your overall fitness goals.

For most people the best combination will be to do running on one day and weight training on the next. Keep alternating that way to maximize your results.

If you can avoid it, do not combine both exercises in the same day. If you absolutely can not avoid it, at least do one exercise (say weight training) in the morning and allow yourself at least 8 hours before you do the running portion of your workout routine.

Doing it that way will allow your body the maximum amount of time to rejuvenate and replenish itself. You will get the benefits without having too much stress on your body.

Also it’s crucial that you provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to support your high energy workouts. Make sure you provide your body with a lot of lean high protein foods. This is essential to help maintain and build muscle mass.

And, of course, make sure to keep hydrated. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. Keep drinking throughout the day and your workouts to avoid feeling thirst in the first place.

All these tips will help you get the maximum benefit out of
running for weight loss.

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