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[Scott]

Hi

I thought I’d pass along some useful info I got from my visit to the Cooper Clinic a couple weeks ago.

Max heart rate estimates: the 220-age is a guide useful for most people but others genetically are high and lower. For example, at age 48 my theoretical max heart rate should be 172 beats per minute. I hit 196 on the treadmill. I still think going by how hard a person is breathing is a better judge while doing aerobics then taking a pulse.

Aspirin: everyone over age 40 should take an 81 mg tab per day. My doc called it his “hard supplement”.

Protein: I had a good discussion with the dietician on this. Contrary to Covert Bailey’s recommended of .8 grams per kilo (2.2 lbs) of body weight a heavy exerciser should have 1.2 up to 1.8 grams per kilo on the high side.

Eating Beef: 12 oz max per week.

Saturated fat: going along with the beef recommendation keep under 20 grams per day.

When buying packaged foods, including energy/protein bars, choose the product were saturated-fat grams per serving are less than 2-3 grams. And no trans fats. Trans fats are the worst for cholesterol.

C-reactive protein: Most hospitals don’t test for this when doing blood tests. Although cholesterol is important, the clinic considers this and homocysteine levels to be closely associated with heart disease. My doc said they have people come in with high total cholesterol and no coronary disease and those who come in with low cholesterol having coronary disease. C-R protein level should be less than 3 (mine was .6). Aspirin along with vitamin supplements lowers C-R protein. The B vitamins lower homocysteine levels. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4677 however taking antacids blocks the body’s ability to absorb B vitamins. And Aerobics lowers C-R protein. Normally, if having a routine blood test, you have to ask for them to test for these.

Cholesterol: Keep total cholesterol under 200

Portion size for someone wanting to reduce weight: Divide the plate in half with one side all vegetables and/or salad. On the other side of the plate one quarter protein (chicken, beef, etc.) about the size of a deck of cards. The other quarter is complex carbs. That’s the typical. For someone who trains hard increase the protein portion and decrease the carb side.

Cooper Clinic’s Radio: http://www.cooperaerobics.com/radio/Archive.aspx


On the more personal: Since I have a family history of cardio disease with high blood pressure and cholesterol, at my age I wanted to know where I stood on my cardio health.  Both my younger and older brothers take blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. In June my cholesterol was 243 with HDL (the good cholesterol) at 40. (I have never had high-blood pressure.) I upped my aerobic to about 50 minutes 5-6 days per week. I all but cut out eating beef (tough since I like Bar-BQ;)) and increased the soluble fibers, oatmeal, beans, etc.

My results for June to the September Cooper exam: my total cholesterol went from 243 down to 199. My HDL went up from 40 to 56. I also did the electron beam tomography (EBT) and scored 0 for cardio disease, a nice surprise I hadn’t expected. The EBT measures calcification in arteries. It can also pick up the beginning of cancers. I know someone who took an EBT and it found the very beginning of kidney cancer on him. He only need to have that kidney removed and didn’t have to take chemo do to the very early discovery.

Chuck Norris was also having his physical taken…and yeah, he isn’t a very big guy.

[Scott]

I forgot one

Benecol: I was told that a peson needs to eat 3 tlbs of benecol a day to get the desired cholesterol effect.

However, only 1 tbls of "Take Control" is required to get the same effect as it's competitor Benecol.

[spanky]

get a book called "THE DOCTORS HEART CURE" by Al Sears M.D. this book along with my doctor contradicts most of the above, so what is a man to beleive ?

he says eat as much beef as you want but limit the processed carbs i.e.....breads,cookies cake,potatoes.pasta

saturated fat is needed for absorbtion of vitamins because most vbitamins are fat soluble

no aerobics he suggests that you train intervals fast a few minutes then slow repeat for up to 20 minutes, the more intense the exercise the fewer time you need to spend exercising. Long sessions of aerobic exercise are supposed to be very bad for your body and heart.

cholestrol of 200 or under has no bearing on your health at all........hey don't yell at me this is what Doc Sears says 

read the book Scott and discuss it with your doctor and/or get hold of DR. AL SEARS at the Health and Wellness Center in Florida

[Scott]

get a book called "THE DOCTORS HEART CURE" by Al Sears M.D. this book along with my doctor contradicts most of the above, so what is a man to beleive ?

he says eat as much beef as you want but limit the processed carbs i.e.....breads,cookies cake,potatoes.pasta

saturated fat is needed for absorbtion of vitamins because most vbitamins are fat soluble

no aerobics he suggests that you train intervals fast a few minutes then slow repeat for up to 20 minutes, the more intense the exercise the fewer time you need to spend exercising. Long sessions of aerobic exercise are supposed to be very bad for your body and heart.

cholestrol of 200 or under has no bearing on your health at all........hey don't yell at me this is what Doc Sears says 

read the book Scott and discuss it with your doctor and/or get hold of DR. AL SEARS at the Health and Wellness Center in Florida

Hi spanky

I've looked at Dr Sears' program. In fact my older brother is big on Sears and follows his advice. He's on lipator and high blood pressure medicine. Most MDs have less than a year study in nutrition. I, myself, have a run with the pack mentality. I want to know what comes from medical universities and has a consistency about them; what has passed peer reviewed journals. Doctors like Sears and Atkins are outside the norm. That doesn't mean they are wrong but their advice should hold up in peer reviewed medical journals. When I began bodybuilding in the 1970's the Atkins diet, for example, was the conventional wisdom among weight trainers wanting to reduce body fat. By the 1980's it had lost favor and cutting up was more in line with FDA recommendations of eating enough complex carbs.

Fat soluble vitamins, for example, do need fat in the diet to be absorbed. But that fat doesn't have to be saturated. Fish, fruit, and nut oils work fine.

A problem with most beef is that it comes from feed lots were hormons (which are also fat soluble) are feed to cattle so they'll gain more effeciently on the feed. The human body absorbs those hormons when people that beef fat. My family raises cattle and sells them at auction. When we butcher a beef for ourselves it comes straight off our pasture.

The problem with high protein diets isn't so much the protein but the saturated fats that can come with it. The body turns protein into glucose just like it does carbs. The body just does so more slowly for protein, low glycimic complex carbs than it does for, say, table surgars. I actually eat near double the RDA in protein. For nutriional advice, however, it's pages like the following I look to: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein.html There is peer reviewed journals backing these opinions. What comes for the Cooper Clinics has passed thoughs reviews.

On exercise:
 In strength training I'm very big into HIT philosophy in general: "You can workout hard or long but you can't do both." I've gotten up to a 365 bench keepig my workouts short and tough. I wish I could do a max squat and deadlift but my low back won't let me. I got that problem from doing the conventional wisdom of it's day for high volume lifting with powerlifting during the 70's. I just wish someone would've told me those professional bodybuilders were on steriods. I have never used them and wouldn't.

For aerobics: I do intervals about once per week.

The question I have for my training is intergrating weights and aerobics into a weekly program without overtraining. I've grown more skeptical about conventional wisdoms. I want to know what passed the peer reviewed journals in fitness and sport training as well. The old C wisdoms of "you have to find out what works best for you" doesn't cut for me. Age aside, we may not all have the genetics of a Lance Armstrong but we should train similar to him if we want to race well. Interval training has passed university testing.

For example, through most of my weight training carreer, the conventional wisdom has been to train each body part 2-3 times per week and that detraining begain after 96 hours of not training. I've been told that and believed it but I have yet to see backed up. I'm skeptical that that is true. I can do a hard workout and have soreness for 5 days after. Personally, I think once per week per bodypart is fine, but I can't recomend it based upon anything other than my opinion. I'd like to see an opinion based upon some actual study. I certainly believe the 96 hour rule has caused me to get fatigued and overtrained more than anything else.

Scott

[spanky]

well it looks like you have it under control and know much more than I do about the subject, Thanks. One more thing is that Dr. Sears theories and other info has been peer reviewed it says so right in the book along with a long list of reference studies.

[spanky]

p.s. Scott are the cattle graas fed and can I get a discount on some beef ? I have an empty freezer. 

[spanky]

http://alsearsmd.com/ha55.php

Scott check this out and tell me what you think. 

[Scott]

http://alsearsmd.com/ha55.php

Scott check this out and tell me what you think. 

From what I've read and gotten from the Cooper Clinic is that cholesterol lowering drugs can affect the liver. Everything a person eats goes through the liver. Cholesterol is important for cell health and the liver makes it. Before anyone goes on a cholesterol durg they have must take a blood test to check their liver enzymes. The other side effect that concerns me as a strength trainer is that drugs like lipator can cause muscle weakening. That may be related to what Sears is saying about heart health and these drugs.

Going to the Sears' page and what he is saying about low fat diets. I'm not into low fat diets. For example, I like peanut butter and eat about every day. If you look at what comes from the labs more of person's calories should come from fat than protien. http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309085373?OpenDocument
And IIRC even Ken Cooper says that about 10% of those fat calories should come from saturated fats.

But what I read get from Sears' page is him making claims and not referencing back to any independent source study, nor even his own study. What I read is simply his opinions. And in fact if you click on the fine print "Disclaimer" link in the bottom right corner it links to: http://alsearsmd.com/disclaimer.php

"The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Sears, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective authour, who retains copyright as marked. The information on the website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and expericnce of Dr. Sears and his community. Dr. Sears encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with qualified health care professional.

This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Al Sears is required."

He's right in that the American population's health is getting worst but most people don't follow the RDA's.

Since Sears has built a financial empire upon his Zone deit I don't regard him as neutral objective opinion. I don't believe I'll every see him saying his advice was wrong and in the process kill his bank account.  But I have to admit he does make some pretty darn good Zone Bars. I really like the peanut butter flavored one the best. I buy them by the box

Scott

[Scott]

p.s. Scott are the cattle graas fed and can I get a discount on some beef ? I have an empty freezer. 

May be...but you'll have to ask my older brother. He manages the cattle business and I the oil and gas investmets. I guess you could say the oil field helps pay for the cattle  ....but yea they're grass fed.

Scott

[Scott]

http://alsearsmd.com/ha55.php

Scott check this out and tell me what you think. 

I wanted to mention the homocysteine from this link. According to Cooper and the research he refernces B-vitamins and Folic Acid lowers homocysteine. Antacids blocks the absorbtion of those vitamins causing increases in homocysteine levels. I think it was Tums that promoted taking their tabs as a daily calcium sup to women in its ads. When a person goes off the antacids there can be a rebound effect of acid reflux. Now there's a new drug being marketed to women for acid reflux.

[Scott]

Hi Spanky

Since I hadn't looked real close at the Zone Diet I did a quick google on the "Zone Diet". When I do such a sourced search I pass up most links and look for those ending in ".edu" or come from a medical university.

Here's three links:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn970924.html

Harvard Health Letter High-protein diets where's the beef - diets that discount carbohydrates in favor of high-protein diets http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1585/is_n3_v22/ai_19037053
http://64.233.187.104/search?

http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2003-mchi/1978.html

Scott

[spanky]

OK I have never heard of the ZONE DIET, but that first article has no facts whatsoever to back up their contention that it is bad and didn't site any research except to say it almost complies with the government's "food pyramid".

    The same thing for article 3 just opinion, number link didn't work.

for the record i eat whatever i want until the scientists actually agree on something. 

[Scott]

OK I have never heard of the ZONE DIET, but that first article has no facts whatsoever to back up their contention that it is bad and didn't site any research except to say it almost complies with the government's "food pyramid".

    The same thing for article 3 just opinion, number link didn't work.

for the record i eat whatever i want until the scientists actually agree on something. 

Yeah, I don't along with most don't eat what the gov recommends. I eat more protein then the RDA but I have to keep my family genetics in mind. Now my wife OTOH got her father's genes. They can eat anything they want and both have total Choles. in the 140 range. That doc at the Cooper clinic told me they have people outside the norm who come in with high Choles. and no cardio disease and those that come in with low and have cardio disease.

Scott

[Scott]

Hi Spanky

I spent some time over lunch looking at Al Sears articles from his site.

I had Al mix up with Barry Sears, MD. Barry is also a cadiologist from Fl. who came up with the Zone Diet.

We may have been talking past each other.

The only real differences in Dr. Al Sears' page and what I get from Cooper Clinic is that they differ on total Cholesterol. Sears isn't so concerd as Cooper with keeping it under 200. The other is probably on aerobic intensity. Cooper wants a minimum of 3 days per week at 65% for at least 30 min. He perfers 1-1.5 five to six days per week. They are both more concerned with lowering C-Reactive Protien and homocysteine. Asprine and B-vitamins lower both those.

For example these articles could've come from Cooper radio programs:
http://alsearsmd.com/ha59.php
http://alsearsmd.com/ha152.php
I grill Salmon at least once per week.

On plant sterols
http://alsearsmd.com/ha113.php
Benecol and Take Control both use plant sterols and Cooper recomends those. But according to them it take 3 times the amount of Benecol to equal Take Control.

Although I see him recomending "lean meat" what I didn't see was Sears commenting on eating saturated fats. The Cooper Clinic wants it under 20 grams per day, or under 200 calories.

Scott

[spanky]

OK there are 2 doctors named Sears in FL  glad we finally agreed on something DOH thanks for all the cool links I will do my homework and try to catch up.