Hi,

Has anyone read the current Zone Monday article on DrSears.com? It's very interesting. Here's the address: http://www.drsears.com/tabid/399/it...-loss.aspx

no but I am interested in polyphenols....exactly which ones quell inflammation....and does spirulina work in this way?

Hi janet,

I'm not informed about spirulina to the extent that I can explain what does, though I think it is an algae which contains P, C, and F.

As I understand, there are thousands of polyphenols. They are what gives fruit and veggies their variety of bright colors. There's a test that measures a food's ability to quench free racdicals, the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbing capacity). The deeper colored fruits and veggies contain the higher ORAC levels. Other unexpected foods with high ORAC levels are green tea, and some herbs, like rosemary. The following quote is from a discussion of the ORAC in "the Anti-Inflammamation Zone. "Perhaps the most surprising is that the highest ORAC value belongs to hydroxytyrosol, the Polyphenol found in extra-virgin olive oil. This helps explain why extra-virgin olive oil is so healthful - not only is it an anti-inflammatory agent; it also contains the most powerful antioxidant known."

Here's some more info about polyphenols, taken from the ployphenol page of this site (for more info, click on the "Polyphenol" tab at the top of this page):

"Polyphenols are the phytochemicals that not only give fruits and vegetables their color, but also provide powerful health benefits resulting from their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative actions. In addition, polyphenols also activate the key enzyme (AMP kinase) that helps restore cellular ATP levels. This is why fruits and vegetables are the cornerstone of the Zone Diet. The Zone Diet is primarily composed of carbohydrates consisting of fruits and vegetables. At high enough levels, these polyphenols can exert an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activation of inducible inflammatory proteins (such as COX-2 and inflammatory cytokines) that normally occurs once the innate immune system has been activated"

I haven't read that article, but I see that Sears has a new supplement that can be taken, which contains anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

I am concerned about getting caught in the "hype", and suddenly we all have to take a pill to get our polyphenols, and we all have to take a pill to get this, and that, and.....you can see where this is going.

What ever happened to getting what we need from the foods that we eat?1? Sears himself says that food is our medicine, so why is he creating all of these supplements?

Ok, I read the article...

It really doesn't say much. I am more curious to read the article that he talks about being published, which will hopefully give us more information.

I read the article, and it really didn't say much, either. I think that the upcoming article from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry will be more detailed.

The first paragraph of Sear's article suggested that the extracts from the blueberries and strawberries caused fat loss in rats, but that eating the actual blueberries and strawberries would not because of the higher GL (even considering that these food products are fairly low in GL).

The second paragraph was a bit more telling, but it is still unclear as to what he is saying. Do we have to EAT the veggies to get the polyphenols, and is the insulin stimulation from the carb going to override the effect of the fat loss, like it does in the berries? Or, will he be directing us to take another supplement, so that we get the extract without the added carb?

I am in agreement with CPK's statement that I am NOT in favor of taking another supplement. We human beings survived without supplements all of these years, and there must be a way to get what we need from our food without having to take extra supplements. Fish oil aside, obviously, because I understand the reasoning behind that (pollution that we humans have caused).

So, I am anticipating more discussion on this as the article comes out. Hope Sears posts a link to it.

well I called the zone helpline to ask about the polyphenols...to find out what was in the pill and they read off a long list of the usual suspects, like all the berries, brocolli sprouts, broccoli extract, lycopene from tomato, bilberry, and many more.....resveratrol, etc. I didn't write them down....list too long...

The parts of the short article that I find interesting are the info about polyphenols activating AMP kinase, and leading to increased ATP production, and the mention of the relationship of polyphenols to lower liklihood of type 2 diabetes in individuals who eat more fruits and veggies.

Yes, but if the intake of the foods that are highest in these polyphenols happens to INCREASE insulin levels (as suggested in the first paragraph), then just how would we manage to LOWER the likelihood of type 2 diabetes?

I am not knocking it...there is where the pill comes in. it sounds good, but .....another pill?

Janet, that is exactly my point!

I am not in favor of taking more pills, more supplements. I should be able to get the nutrition that I need from the foods that I eat.

[quote]Posted By Cranberrycat on 03/05/2008 12:12 PM

Yes, but if the intake of the foods that are highest in these polyphenols happens to INCREASE insulin levels (as suggested in the first paragraph), then just how would we manage to LOWER the likelihood of type 2 diabetes?

[/quote]
That was specualtion on Barry's part about the rats' insulin. As to your qn "then just how would we manage to LOWER the likelihood of type 2 diabetes?" Lucky for us we're humans and we have the ability to wisely choose an abundance of colorful veggies and fruits and balance them with P and F (the Zone diet). According to the article, just possibly, the polyphenols in all those veggies and fruits we eat with the Zone diet might actually be aiding our ability to lose stored fat, as well as lowering our incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Well, I hope that is the case, and that this article doesn't lead to yet another supplement!

[quote]Posted By Cranberrycat on 03/05/2008 9:17 PM

Well, I hope that is the case, and that this article doesn't lead to yet another supplement! [/quote]

You could try some concentrated pomegranate juice.
1 TBL of concentrate is 9g Carb and packed with nutrition. ORAC of Pomegranate is extremely high, if I remember correctly.

John, that is a good idea, but pomegranete juice is an unfavorable carb, which doesn't work well for me.

I drink a little splash of pomegranate juice in a glass of carbonated water a few times a day without elevating my insulin levels. It makes the water a nice red color, more fun to drink, hehe. I'm a very carb sensitive. I can't usually handle eating much fruit, other than berries, w/o feeling hypoglycemic symptoms later, but spreading out a little pomegranate juice like this works fine for me. My fasting insulin has consistently remained around 5 for many yrs.

I also eat Sea Health Plus on a daily basis. In addition to the minerals and polyphenols it contains, it aids in fish oil absorption.

A splash of pomegranete juice a few times per day is a lot different than consuming an entire block of it. Besides, it is a very expensive juice to have around.

Hi Everyone,

A 16 oz bottle of the juice I use contains 80 grams of carbohydrate, costs less than $4, and lasts a little over 2 weeks when used in the manner I described. That would put the cost at less than 24 cents a day.

Sue,
I think you are comparing apples to oranges!

My post about the pomegranete juice was in response to John's post, and it appears as if he uses much more of it in order to get the polyphenol benefit. You are only using a splash, and I would be more interested in knowing exactly how much of a benefit you are getting, vs. eating blueberries, which IMO would provide a higher amount of polyphenols (and at least it is a favorable source).

So, if that didn't make sense, the question is: will a "splash" of pomegranete juice provide equally the same amount (or more) of polyphenol as a block of blueberries?

I will have to do some math here...

Sue, if you are using 16 oz a little over 2 weeks, then you are using an equivalent of a 1/2 block, based on the figures you posted.

John is using one tablespoon, which he is counting as 9 grams of carb. I haven't checked this out, but isn't a tablespoon equal to an ounce? Anyway, I guess the point is that the math isn't jiving. Unless, John's pomegranete juice is more concentrated than Sue's.