Hello and welcome to
"Health for a Lifetime"
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I'm your host Don Mackintosh
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and today we're delighted
to have in the studio with us,
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Dr. David DeRose from the
Lifestyle Center of America.
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Welcome Dr. DeRose!
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Good to be here with you, Don
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We certainly are glad
that you could take time
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our of your busy
schedule and we're excited about
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what's happening at
the Lifestyle Center...
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Some of the people that
are watching may not know
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about the Lifestyle
Center of America...
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What exactly is that and
what do you do at that facility?
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Well Don, first of
all, I'm a physician;
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I have an MD degree,
I have specialties in
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internal medicine and
preventive medicine...
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And really, those
are the kind of things
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that we do at
the Lifestyle Center.
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We have an internal
medicine approach...
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In other words, looking
at general adult diseases,
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especially chronic diseases,
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and there in southern Oklahoma,
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we have a state of the art
facility where we help people
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from a Christian perspective
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to address
lifestyle-related diseases.
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So things like diabetes, heart
disease, high blood pressure,
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problems with
weight, nicotine addiction,
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a whole host of problems
that relate to our health,
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and our ability to
serve and to minister;
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these are the
targets of our ministry
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there at the Lifestyle Center.
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So whatever the problem is...
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well actually, these are the
main problems in North America,
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our so-called Western
diseases... That's exactly right
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Now I WILL tell you, we don't
have a cancer treatment program,
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and we don't deal with certain
chronic diseases that are
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outside of our
range of expertise...
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But really, the basic
killing diseases like stroke,
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heart disease,
diabetes, high blood pressure,
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and the risk factors are
things that we're addressing.
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Well today, we want to
talk a little bit about
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risk factors and, I
guess, you mentioned to me
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before the segment
here that there are
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literally hundreds of
those now that we can identify
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the lead to these killers...
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One of those is really
the subject that we want to
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focus is on homocysteine...
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What is homocysteine?
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I mean... a lot of
people say, you know, "What?"
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Homocysteine is what
we call an amino acid.
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It's a protein building-block...
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So if you look at a
protein, it's kind of a
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string of molecules and
it's got these building blocks,
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these amino acids and
one of those amino acids
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is homocysteine.
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Now homocysteine isn't normally
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something that
we just conjure up.
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It's made actually
from another amino acid
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that we call eat
called "methionine"
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Okay... methionine.
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So we eat this and then
it's built into homocysteine.
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Well why is
homocysteine so important?
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Well, you know, a lot of people
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didn't think much
about homocysteine.
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There is a rare genetic
problem where people get these
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really sky-high
levels of homocysteine,
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and they had accelerated
risk of heart disease.
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This has been known for years,
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and when a physician-researcher
by the name of "Kilmer McCully"
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suggested that homocysteine
in more moderate elevation
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could be a heart
disease risk factor,
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he basically was kind of laughed
out of the medical discussions;
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this was some years ago.
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But now Don, there's a whole
wealth of medical research...
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It's coming from Scandinavia.
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It's coming from
the United States.
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It's coming from Canada.
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It's coming from
all over the world.
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And it's saying that as
our homocysteine level rises,
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our risk of heart attack, stroke
and blockage in blood vessels
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in general, like blockage
in blood vessels to the legs
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all dramatically increases.
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So maybe we
should have, in our car,
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a gas gauge, a water gauge,
and a homocysteine level gauge!
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Well, I mean, that would
be taking it to the extreme...
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But actually your
point is well-taken...
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Because
homocysteine, for most people,
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is not even on
the radar screen...
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And what we're seeing,
in the medical community,
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is this IS emerging as a very
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important risk
factor for heart disease.
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So how does it
work? What does it do?
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When I have
homocysteine in my blood,
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I assume it's in
the blood... It is...
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and I have it
swirling around in there,
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what does it do that
causes heart disease?
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Well it seems to
do a number of things.
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The most CRITICAL thing
that we pretty much nailed down
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from what we call
the "epidemiology"
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that's the population studies...
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is that as this level goes up,
it increases heart disease risk.
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Now the million dollar question
is the one you're asking... and
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WHY? Why would rising levels of
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homocysteine increase the risk
of blockage in the arteries?
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And what it seems to
be is that homocysteine
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does a NUMBER of NASTY things!
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I mean, it damages
the blood vessel lining.
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How exactly does it do that?
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Well it seems to have
to do with "free radicals"
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These are very
reactive compounds
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that then can
DAMAGE other tissues...
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And the blood vessel lining
seems to be one of the tissues
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that is susceptible to
this free radical damage
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caused by homocysteine.
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Free radical... that just sounds
like something I want to BE
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You know like...
just BOOM, BANG, BANG!
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But that's not GOOD...
it's just like a missile
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flying around and it
damages everything it hits.
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That's right... it's like
a loose cannon, if you will,
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and what's
happening... these free radicals
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they just bang into
tissues damaging them...
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And that seems to
be one of the ways
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that homocysteine
does its dirty work.
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Okay, so we have to
negate homocysteine.
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We have to do SOMETHING with it.
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What should we do to lower
our risk from these problems?
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What can we do to
LOWER the homocysteine level?
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Well one of the things we know
clearly, Don, is that B vitamins
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3 particular B vitamins help
to lower homocysteine levels.
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They're B6, also
known as pyridoxine;
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folic acid, and then B12
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Those 3 definitely
lower homocysteine levels.
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B6, folic acid and B12
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What other
things could lower it?
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Well actually, this
is the whole subject
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of a lot of discussion
in research right now.
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In March of 2000, at the
Lifestyle Center of America,
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we actually published research
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in the "Journal of
Preventive Medicine"
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on patients going
through our program...
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And what we found is without
giving them any folic acid,
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without giving them any B6,
without giving them ANY B12,
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these people
dramatically lowered their
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homocysteine levels about
13% in just one week! Wow!
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And so the question
was... Well, what are we DOING
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in our lifestyle program that's
causing this dramatic lowering?
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And we discussed
it in the paper...
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We suggested,
based on other research,
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that there are some
other things happening
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that may give further benefits
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when it comes to
homocysteine lowering.
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Such as...
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Well, one of them has to do with
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dietary choices
besides B vitamins.
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Case in point is FIBER.
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Some research has
actually looked at fiber
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and how this contributes to
folic acid levels in the blood.
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There is research coming
out that suggests that if
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you eat more
FIBER, more whole grains,
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things of this nature...
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You know, getting the wheat bran
not just the white wheat flour,
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what happens is somehow in
the intestine, that changes the
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normal good bacteria in
an even more favorable way
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so that the
bacteria make folic acid.
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It has actually been
demonstrated that you can raise
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folic acid levels in the
blood by eating more fiber.
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So that's one possibility.
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A second one has to
do with methionine...
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Remember I was talking about
that a little - Yeah, methionine
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Now, you just hear the
word "methionine" and you go...
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Boy I need to have some
of that! That sounds good!
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Well actually, methionine
is converted into homocysteine.
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Oh, so it's not good...
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It's not looking real good...
and I saw a patient a while back
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and he had a jar of methionine.
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He thought it was good too,
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and I told him
there is some cause for
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concern with methionine.
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It's interesting,
Don... the diet has been shown
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to be the most effective
in REVERSING blockages in
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heart blood
vessels... I know you know,
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and many of our viewers know
of the work of Dr. Dean Ornish.
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Dr. Ornish, back in
1990, first published research
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showing that you could REVERSE
blockages in heart arteries
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by using a lifestyle
program that included
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basically what
was a vegetarian diet.
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...Almost a
total vegetarian diet.
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OH NO, so you're going to
take away all our good foods?
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Well actually Don,
that's not our motive.
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What we're trying to
do when these people come
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to us at the Lifestyle
Center, for 2 or 3 weeks often,
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they're wanting to get the
maximal results in a short time.
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And if they've got heart disease
diabetes, high blood pressure,
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a vegetarian-type
diet seems to work the best
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for those conditions.
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Here's the point though,
when it comes to methionine,
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these foods in
the vegetarian diet,
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tend to be much,
much LOWER in methionine,
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than an animal-based diet.
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For example... You
take a standard serving
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of hamburger or
some other flesh food,
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and you're going to
have 600 to 900 milligrams of
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methionine in those foods.
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That then goes
right into homocysteine.
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Let me just
contrast that for a minute.
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You take carrots or
potatoes or whole wheat bread,
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you may be getting 10,
20, maybe 40 milligrams
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of methionine per serving.
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So you see, when you're talking
in the 100s... 800, 900 range
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for some of these flesh
products you want to stay away
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from those things if
you're trying to get your
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homocysteine levels down.
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Do vegetarians EVER have
high homocysteine levels?
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They can... and, in
fact, vegetarians are at RISK
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for high homocysteine
levels if they're not careful
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with their vitamin B12 status.
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Okay, so they HAVE
to have a very BALANCED,
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AND maybe supplemented diet,
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because vitamin B12 is not
produced in the diet, is it?
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That's correct, it's
not produced in the body
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and it is the
product of bacterial action,
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so hopefully, it's
not produced in your diet.
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That would mean your
food has been sitting out
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unrefrigerated or something.
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But the point is
Don, when people go on a
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total vegetarian diet...
when they're trying to get
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rid of all the animal products,
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that will TEND to
decrease the methionine load,
00:10:00.88\00:10:03.90
but they do want
to ensure an adequate
00:10:03.93\00:10:06.34
source of B12,
that's very important.
00:10:06.38\00:10:07.76
So what other supplements
then that you recommend
00:10:07.80\00:10:10.93
at the Lifestyle Center...
00:10:10.96\00:10:12.33
What do you do
for the vitamin B12?
00:10:12.36\00:10:13.73
Okay, if someone has mildly
elevated levels of homocysteine
00:10:13.76\00:10:17.44
...since we've demonstrated
that our overall lifestyle
00:10:17.47\00:10:20.34
approach LOWERS homocysteine,
00:10:20.37\00:10:22.44
we say... Listen, go
with our standard program,
00:10:22.47\00:10:25.00
have the homocysteine level
rechecked in 2 or 3 months.
00:10:25.03\00:10:28.59
If their level is very high...
00:10:28.62\00:10:30.10
Now someone is probably saying,
what's high, what's VERY HIGH?
00:10:30.13\00:10:32.62
Normal range
probably around 9 to 11
00:10:32.65\00:10:35.97
Ideal is below 7
and I won't go into the
00:10:36.00\00:10:40.31
technicalities of
the unit measurements...
00:10:40.34\00:10:42.46
It's in micromoles per liter...
00:10:42.49\00:10:44.93
Anyway, remember the
number 7 as being ideal.
00:10:44.96\00:10:49.27
What we want to do...
Let's say someone's level is 15,
00:10:49.30\00:10:53.44
TWICE IDEAL... We'll
probably, in that case,
00:10:53.47\00:10:57.15
put them on B
vitamins, and I say "probably"
00:10:57.18\00:10:59.34
At the Lifestyle Center,
we're not in a dictatorial mode.
00:10:59.37\00:11:02.29
It's not like... I'm
the commander-in- chief
00:11:02.32\00:11:03.89
as one of the physicians
and you listen to me...
00:11:03.92\00:11:05.96
it's working with the...
We call them even our "guests"
00:11:05.99\00:11:09.70
...we don't call them patients -
00:11:09.73\00:11:11.13
We work with our guests
and try to get them to look at
00:11:11.16\00:11:15.13
these issues and say -
Are you interested in taking
00:11:15.16\00:11:17.52
a B12, a B6 and a folic acid,
00:11:17.55\00:11:20.73
and we'll often use
that combination regimen...
00:11:20.76\00:11:23.45
About 1000 micrograms of B12,
00:11:23.48\00:11:26.58
25 milligrams of B6
00:11:26.61\00:11:30.10
and about a 1000 micrograms
1000-2000 mcg of folic acid.
00:11:30.13\00:11:35.85
This may be totally off the
subject, but you know today,
00:11:35.88\00:11:38.06
one of the things that's
really in vogue is what's called
00:11:38.09\00:11:40.34
"high protein diets" that
help people lose weight rapidly
00:11:40.37\00:11:43.97
and whatnot...
00:11:44.00\00:11:45.37
And, they say that you can
eat ALL these foods that are
00:11:45.40\00:11:47.34
VERY high in
probably methionine...
00:11:47.37\00:11:50.87
Is this dangerous in
terms of homocysteine?
00:11:50.90\00:11:52.72
Actually, one of the arguments
that people are starting to
00:11:52.75\00:11:56.28
put forward when it
comes to the dangers
00:11:56.31\00:11:58.41
of these high protein
diets, is what is happening
00:11:58.44\00:12:01.34
to homocysteine levels.
00:12:01.37\00:12:02.90
Now to my knowledge, Don,
no one has studied this yet.
00:12:02.93\00:12:05.53
From what we
know about methionine,
00:12:05.56\00:12:07.81
we'd expect that these levels
would be rising on these diets.
00:12:07.84\00:12:11.42
But it's not been looked at in
any of the papers that I've seen
00:12:11.45\00:12:13.76
I will tell you this though...
00:12:13.79\00:12:15.16
A recent paper
showed that by eating more
00:12:15.19\00:12:17.66
fruits and vegetables,
you LOWER homocysteine levels.
00:12:17.69\00:12:22.05
Okay, so REALLY, the best plan
is that simple vegetarian diet
00:12:22.08\00:12:27.61
which is high
complex carbohydrates,
00:12:27.64\00:12:29.85
and kind of low
in the protein area,
00:12:29.88\00:12:32.37
when you're looking at
this homocysteine thing...
00:12:32.40\00:12:35.01
Plus making sure,
especially for the vegetarian,
00:12:35.04\00:12:38.74
that you have the
vitamin B12 in your diet.
00:12:38.77\00:12:41.18
Right, and the thing really on
the HIT list is the meat protein
00:12:41.21\00:12:44.56
not so much protein per
se, but meat especially.
00:12:44.59\00:12:47.60
Now, it is true, plant
sources of protein do have some
00:12:47.63\00:12:50.57
methionine but usually in much
00:12:50.60\00:12:52.20
lower amounts than the animal
sources... What about tofu?
00:12:52.24\00:12:54.64
Tofu actually is
moderate in methionine content.
00:12:54.67\00:12:58.38
You know, it's looking in
the range of 100-200 mg/serving
00:12:58.41\00:13:03.05
compared to 600-800 for meat.
00:13:03.08\00:13:05.88
That's probably
because it's concentrated?
00:13:05.91\00:13:07.69
Well, it is a concentrated food;
00:13:07.72\00:13:10.05
soy is a rich source of protein
and protein has that methionine
00:13:10.08\00:13:13.82
as one of the
building blocks in it.
00:13:13.85\00:13:15.74
We're talking
with Dr. David DeRose
00:13:15.77\00:13:17.49
from the
Lifestyle Center of America
00:13:17.52\00:13:18.89
You've probably sensed a little
energy in this interview...
00:13:18.92\00:13:20.90
I hope that you have
and that type of energy
00:13:20.93\00:13:23.31
will continue in
the next half, I'm sure,
00:13:23.34\00:13:25.48
as we talk more about
homocysteine and your health
00:13:25.51\00:13:27.94
If you would like to contact
the Lifestyle Center of America,
00:13:27.97\00:13:30.51
let me give you a web page...
00:13:30.54\00:13:31.91
www. lifestylecenter. org
00:13:31.94\00:13:37.12
or you can
contact us here at 3ABN,
00:13:37.15\00:13:39.34
and get information on
how to contact Dr. DeRose
00:13:39.37\00:13:42.89
in the Lifestyle Center.
00:13:42.92\00:13:44.29
Join us when we come back!
00:13:44.32\00:13:45.69
Have you found
yourself wishing that
00:13:47.77\00:13:49.27
you could shed a few pounds?
00:13:49.30\00:13:50.67
Have you been on a
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00:13:50.70\00:13:53.19
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00:13:53.22\00:13:56.14
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00:13:56.17\00:13:58.99
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00:13:59.02\00:14:01.83
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00:14:01.86\00:14:04.74
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00:14:04.77\00:14:06.79
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00:14:06.82\00:14:09.18
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00:14:22.52\00:14:25.88
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00:14:28.87\00:14:31.41
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It's ABSOLUTELY free of
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Welcome back, we've been
talking about your health.
00:14:48.69\00:14:50.67
We've been talking
about homocysteine.
00:14:50.70\00:14:52.21
We've been talking
about heart disease.
00:14:52.24\00:14:53.89
All those big words, let's
just recapitulate a little bit.
00:14:53.92\00:14:56.88
Homocysteine is a
protein or amino...
00:14:56.91\00:14:59.63
Amino acid, a
building block of protein.
00:14:59.66\00:15:02.15
That just kind of
swirls around in the blood
00:15:02.18\00:15:04.00
when we have foods
that are high in methionine
00:15:04.03\00:15:06.53
that come from the
meats and the dairy products
00:15:06.56\00:15:08.47
and those different
kind of things in our diet,
00:15:08.50\00:15:10.81
and then that causes free
radicals that just MESS US UP!
00:15:10.84\00:15:14.14
Is that right? That's
putting it in a nutshell...
00:15:14.17\00:15:16.38
I mean it's taking a few leaps
with some of the suggestions
00:15:16.41\00:15:20.37
there is in the
medical research literature,
00:15:20.40\00:15:22.34
but I think that's putting a
pretty good capsule on it, Don.
00:15:22.37\00:15:25.22
Okay! We talked about ways
to AVOID having that problem.
00:15:25.25\00:15:29.77
Avoid developing the
atherosclerotic plaques
00:15:29.80\00:15:33.43
that come from having
high homocysteine levels.
00:15:33.46\00:15:35.82
One of the things that you
mentioned was the importance of
00:15:35.85\00:15:38.31
B12 vitamins and then
having foods as grown,
00:15:38.34\00:15:41.49
simple plant
foods and whatnot...
00:15:41.52\00:15:44.08
And then you mentioned FIBER
00:15:44.11\00:15:45.62
but are there ANY OTHER
THINGS that can help us avoid
00:15:45.65\00:15:50.21
high homocysteine levels?
00:15:50.24\00:15:51.74
There are - and maybe
before we get into those,
00:15:51.77\00:15:54.05
I need to
re-emphasize something...
00:15:54.08\00:15:56.27
Because, you know, as a
scientist and a researcher
00:15:56.30\00:15:59.56
as well as a clinician,
I have to be sensitive
00:15:59.59\00:16:02.50
when we are
communicating to the public...
00:16:02.53\00:16:04.69
And what's very well-established
with homocysteine...
00:16:04.72\00:16:07.57
is that folic acid
supplements, B12 supplements...
00:16:07.60\00:16:12.11
these lower homocysteine levels.
00:16:12.14\00:16:13.90
This is VERY conclusive, okay.
00:16:13.93\00:16:15.85
B6 does not seem to
make as much difference
00:16:15.88\00:16:20.20
in a fasting state, as far as
your fasting homocysteine level.
00:16:20.23\00:16:24.93
It seems to be more
important when you eat.
00:16:24.96\00:16:26.77
These other things
we've been talking about...
00:16:26.80\00:16:28.94
methionine - the amount
of methionine in the diet
00:16:28.97\00:16:31.24
and some of these
other lifestyle factors,
00:16:31.27\00:16:33.00
there is some very intriguing
and suggestive evidence
00:16:33.03\00:16:35.82
including the research we've
done at the Lifestyle Center,
00:16:35.85\00:16:38.03
but I have to tell you that
it's a step BELOW where we're at
00:16:38.06\00:16:42.90
...where we are with
the B vitamin supplements.
00:16:42.93\00:16:45.45
In other words, someone
listening to the show, Don,
00:16:45.48\00:16:48.23
I don't want them to
walk out with the main message
00:16:48.26\00:16:50.42
being... if they've
got sky-high homocysteine,
00:16:50.45\00:16:53.29
they should eat
a little less meat.
00:16:53.32\00:16:55.31
They really need to FIRST think
about taking the folic acid,
00:16:55.34\00:16:58.69
the B12 making sure they get
00:16:58.72\00:17:00.17
the blood levels up
on those B vitamins.
00:17:00.20\00:17:02.45
Now someone is going to
say... "Don, I know this"
00:17:02.48\00:17:04.96
They are going to say,
"But Dr. DeRose, I want to do
00:17:04.99\00:17:07.41
a natural approach"
00:17:07.44\00:17:08.81
And I think as long as
you're working with a physician,
00:17:08.84\00:17:12.07
it's fine to go through these
00:17:12.10\00:17:13.63
lifestyle measures
we're talking about.
00:17:13.66\00:17:15.47
But by all means, don't
just rest assured that your
00:17:15.50\00:17:18.39
homocysteine is
going to be great
00:17:18.42\00:17:20.07
if you're doing
these lifestyle things,
00:17:20.10\00:17:21.55
because there is
still a lot we don't know;
00:17:21.58\00:17:23.06
this is an emerging risk factor.
00:17:23.09\00:17:25.08
So, you need to
get your level checked.
00:17:25.11\00:17:26.77
That's right...
that's the first step.
00:17:26.80\00:17:28.55
If it's HIGH, in addition
to these other factors, Don,
00:17:28.58\00:17:31.62
3 things that we
exclude at the Lifestyle Center
00:17:31.65\00:17:34.80
seem to worsen homocysteine.
00:17:34.83\00:17:37.06
That's why we EXCLUDE them...
00:17:37.09\00:17:39.03
COFFEE, ALCOHOL and SMOKING
00:17:39.06\00:17:42.58
Okay now, how does that work?
00:17:42.61\00:17:44.07
Well, different mechanisms...
00:17:44.10\00:17:46.25
The alcohol, for example,
seems to interfere with...
00:17:46.28\00:17:50.27
Oh boy, this is biochemistry...
00:17:50.30\00:17:52.34
Methyl groups... Boy, I
know we're losing everybody now
00:17:52.37\00:17:57.51
The chemistry of homocysteine,
00:17:57.54\00:18:00.85
when it is gotten
rid of in the body...
00:18:00.88\00:18:03.08
One way to get rid of
homocysteine is to ADD
00:18:03.11\00:18:05.94
a chemical structure
called... "a methyl group"
00:18:05.97\00:18:08.24
You add that to the homocysteine
and it becomes methionine again,
00:18:08.27\00:18:12.25
and then the body
can get rid of it.
00:18:12.28\00:18:13.65
You put it in reverse... That's
right, you put it in reverse!
00:18:13.68\00:18:15.47
But when you drink alcohol...
00:18:15.50\00:18:16.92
It seems to mess up
some of those methyl group
00:18:16.95\00:18:21.32
shuffling in the body.
00:18:21.35\00:18:22.72
A car can only go
forward; it can't go backward.
00:18:22.75\00:18:24.79
So, you're
headed to the precipice.
00:18:24.82\00:18:27.73
That's one way of looking at it!
00:18:27.76\00:18:29.32
I wouldn't say it's
completely locking that path,
00:18:29.35\00:18:32.73
but it does seem
to make some problems.
00:18:32.76\00:18:34.78
The mechanisms for
smoking and for coffee intake
00:18:34.81\00:18:41.12
are not really as
clear in my mind...
00:18:41.15\00:18:43.21
They've been shown in what
we call "epidemiologic studies"
00:18:43.24\00:18:45.85
when we look at
large groups of people...
00:18:45.88\00:18:47.62
It seems clearly that smoking
does seem to WORSEN the problem.
00:18:47.65\00:18:51.55
Coffee has been suggested in one
of the large Norwegian studies
00:18:51.58\00:18:55.70
and the question
is... Does that really apply
00:18:55.73\00:18:57.50
to American coffee as well?
00:18:57.53\00:18:58.90
I'm looking here at the
article that you published in
00:18:58.93\00:19:01.69
"Preventive
Medicine" in the year 2000
00:19:01.72\00:19:06.84
and I see here that you can get
it on the web, is that right?
00:19:06.87\00:19:10.52
You can actually contact
us, and we do have a handout
00:19:10.55\00:19:13.81
that summarizes
that in lay terms.
00:19:13.84\00:19:16.40
Yeah, maybe those folks that
really do like the biochemistry,
00:19:16.43\00:19:19.77
they're sitting
down... "What did he say?"
00:19:19.80\00:19:21.17
And they want to just
try and read and find out...
00:19:21.20\00:19:22.62
Yeah, we go through the
biochemistry and the paper
00:19:22.65\00:19:24.70
and there is a nice
diagram of things and all.
00:19:24.73\00:19:27.44
www. lifestylecenter. org
00:19:27.47\00:19:30.11
They can figure out how to
get this or calling you there
00:19:30.14\00:19:33.11
at the Lifestyle Center.
00:19:33.14\00:19:34.51
Well let's talk a little
bit about some other factors.
00:19:34.54\00:19:36.47
What are some
other things besides
00:19:36.50\00:19:38.58
cutting out the coffee,
the smoking and the alcohol
00:19:38.61\00:19:43.80
from our diet?
00:19:43.83\00:19:45.94
Well a real exciting one
has to do with "phytoestrogens"
00:19:45.97\00:19:50.05
These are plant
estrogens... I'm getting it,
00:19:50.08\00:19:52.99
it's in the paper but
let's unpack it a little bit.
00:19:53.02\00:19:56.22
Yeah, let's kind of
step back a little bit
00:19:56.25\00:19:58.85
because what we KNOW
in women that estrogens
00:19:58.88\00:20:02.37
seem to help lower
homocysteine levels.
00:20:02.40\00:20:04.96
This is pretty clear in a
number of the research studies.
00:20:04.99\00:20:09.29
But what the
question is... the bigger leap
00:20:09.32\00:20:11.53
is if you're getting
these phytoestrogens,
00:20:11.56\00:20:13.75
these plant estrogens...
00:20:13.78\00:20:15.24
Can THIS lower
homocysteine as well?
00:20:15.27\00:20:18.11
And we're suggesting
this may be one of the ways
00:20:18.14\00:20:21.08
that a vegetarian diet
- that uses things like
00:20:21.11\00:20:23.86
soy products can help
to lower homocysteine.
00:20:23.89\00:20:26.75
Again, right now
I've got to say, Don,
00:20:26.78\00:20:28.73
this is some speculation...
00:20:28.76\00:20:30.35
It's kind of a little
bit of leap as far as the
00:20:30.38\00:20:33.09
research literature, but
I think it's very promising
00:20:33.12\00:20:35.43
and research
studies are being proposed
00:20:35.46\00:20:37.38
that will look at this question.
00:20:37.41\00:20:38.78
So you're seeing these
trends at the Lifestyle Center,
00:20:38.81\00:20:40.74
you're just trying to
figure out WHY it's happening,
00:20:40.77\00:20:43.04
and document some of
those different OTHER factors
00:20:43.07\00:20:45.40
besides just the folates
which everybody knows about.
00:20:45.43\00:20:48.46
And I actually have to
back up because the REASON
00:20:48.49\00:20:51.90
we have this question has
to do with other research,
00:20:51.93\00:20:54.95
and results that we've
seen at the Lifestyle Center
00:20:54.98\00:20:56.98
and other centers where
we're seeing people actually
00:20:57.01\00:20:59.88
IMPROVE their
heart disease status;
00:20:59.91\00:21:01.98
whether it's
decreasing their anginal pain,
00:21:02.01\00:21:04.44
less angina attacks,
whether it's Dr. Ornish's study
00:21:04.47\00:21:08.30
that showed the blood vessels
could open up... if you will,
00:21:08.33\00:21:11.20
but we're saying "Why
do these things happen"
00:21:11.23\00:21:13.43
Cholesterol alone
doesn't explain it.
00:21:13.46\00:21:15.65
There's got to be
something else happening...
00:21:15.68\00:21:17.84
And that's what inspired
us to look at homocysteine.
00:21:17.87\00:21:20.18
What about exercise?
00:21:20.21\00:21:21.58
Exercise... that's
a very good question.
00:21:21.61\00:21:23.99
Scandinavian researchers
in Norway have done some
00:21:24.02\00:21:27.68
EXCELLENT work on homocysteine.
00:21:27.71\00:21:29.68
In one of those studies,
they actually show that people
00:21:29.71\00:21:32.46
that exercise MORE lower
their homocysteine better.
00:21:32.49\00:21:36.65
So exercise may be a factor,
00:21:36.68\00:21:38.54
and we're looking at
this in some research
00:21:38.57\00:21:40.24
we're currently doing at
the Lifestyle Center of America.
00:21:40.27\00:21:43.04
You need more folks there
for more research, don't you?
00:21:43.07\00:21:45.53
Well, we're always excited
for people who have a vision
00:21:45.56\00:21:49.71
to learn about what's
happening in their bodies.
00:21:49.74\00:21:52.16
You mentioned something else
to me about ICEBERG LETTUCE...
00:21:52.19\00:21:57.30
and this could really have some
connection with homocysteine.
00:21:57.33\00:22:01.11
It really could... You
know Don, we were talking
00:22:01.14\00:22:03.63
there at the break how
you and I were both educated
00:22:03.66\00:22:07.35
to stay away from
that iceberg lettuce...
00:22:07.38\00:22:09.37
You know, eat the romaine, and
the deep green... Kale, spinach
00:22:09.40\00:22:12.62
There you go... The interesting
thing is that iceberg lettuce
00:22:12.65\00:22:16.80
is a VERY, VERY
rich source of CHOLINE.
00:22:16.83\00:22:20.21
CHOLINE! YES, CHOLINE!
00:22:20.24\00:22:22.09
I just never would think of it -
Give me some choline! All right
00:22:22.12\00:22:25.15
Actually choline is a
very important molecule.
00:22:25.18\00:22:27.75
It's used in the makeup
of building in your body
00:22:27.78\00:22:31.41
of something
called "acetylcholine"
00:22:31.44\00:22:33.25
For your nerves...
That's RIGHT! There you go!
00:22:33.28\00:22:35.38
But of interest, choline is
also transformed in the body
00:22:35.41\00:22:40.19
into something called "betaine"
00:22:40.22\00:22:42.42
Isn't that just fascinating?
00:22:42.45\00:22:43.82
BE-TAINE! Explain betaine.
00:22:43.85\00:22:45.91
Betaine actually is
another one of these compounds
00:22:45.94\00:22:48.53
that can shuttle
around methyl groups... OHHHH
00:22:48.56\00:22:52.22
You see -
starting to sound familiar?
00:22:52.25\00:22:53.62
We've GOT TO have that.
00:22:53.65\00:22:55.02
Can bring that methyl
group to the homocysteine...
00:22:55.05\00:22:57.10
It's the REVERSE! There you go!
00:22:57.13\00:22:58.50
It turns it
back into methionine.
00:22:58.53\00:23:00.21
All right, so it's headed...
that free radical is going to
00:23:00.24\00:23:03.45
SLAM into it but then
it gets the choline group
00:23:03.48\00:23:05.82
and says... oh oh oh oh oh,
I'm going to go the other way!
00:23:05.85\00:23:08.52
The methyl group
from the choline.
00:23:08.55\00:23:10.29
I'm going to go the
other way. There you go!
00:23:10.32\00:23:12.14
So ICEBERG lettuce...
there's more, it's just the TIP
00:23:12.17\00:23:15.05
of the iceberg
lettuce when you eat it...
00:23:15.08\00:23:16.45
ALL these things happen!
00:23:16.48\00:23:17.85
Well, I won't try
to elaborate on that.
00:23:17.88\00:23:22.29
But Don, it's not
just iceberg lettuce,
00:23:22.32\00:23:24.78
even MORE RICH in
choline are peanuts! Peanuts?
00:23:24.81\00:23:28.95
Peanuts are even a better source
of choline then iceberg lettuce.
00:23:28.98\00:23:31.35
But haven't I heard that peanuts
can be harmful in heart disease?
00:23:31.38\00:23:34.91
I don't know who
you heard that from...
00:23:34.94\00:23:37.01
Actually, the
research is suggesting, Don,
00:23:37.04\00:23:40.77
that nut consumption
has beneficial effects
00:23:40.80\00:23:43.39
when it comes to
heart disease and peanuts,
00:23:43.42\00:23:45.58
even though they're a legume,
00:23:45.61\00:23:47.16
in the studies that
look at nut consumption,
00:23:47.19\00:23:49.34
it often seems that
peanuts is the main nut
00:23:49.37\00:23:52.21
that people are consuming
at least here in America.
00:23:52.24\00:23:54.28
So they used to call
vegetarians and those that ate
00:23:54.31\00:23:56.71
a plant-based diet "peanuts"
and that's not a BAD name
00:23:56.74\00:24:02.01
if you're trying to
address the homocysteine thing!
00:24:02.04\00:24:04.57
Well, peanuts
have some benefits.
00:24:04.60\00:24:05.97
Now I'm not telling
people to LOAD up on them...
00:24:06.00\00:24:08.12
A FEW! A little dab will do ya!
00:24:08.15\00:24:09.89
Moderate amounts of peanuts
are part of a good healthy diet,
00:24:09.92\00:24:12.67
and that's what the
research seems to be suggesting.
00:24:12.70\00:24:14.57
Iceberg lettuce, peanuts,
and all these other plant foods
00:24:14.60\00:24:19.84
that have the estrogens in it...
00:24:19.87\00:24:21.91
Anything else we
should be eating?
00:24:21.94\00:24:23.74
Well I think, we've hit
on the main high points...
00:24:23.77\00:24:26.94
I mean, the clear thing
is making sure you're getting
00:24:26.97\00:24:28.91
adequate amounts of
these critical B vitamins
00:24:28.94\00:24:31.21
...No question about
the importance of those.
00:24:31.24\00:24:33.29
The U.S. government
has been MOVED by research
00:24:33.32\00:24:37.53
on folic acid and
heart disease to have
00:24:37.56\00:24:40.99
universal really
supplementation with folic acid.
00:24:41.02\00:24:44.60
Now, of course, this helps
to prevent pregnancy defects
00:24:44.63\00:24:47.67
what we call neural tube
defects in infants as well,
00:24:47.70\00:24:50.87
but folic acid controversy
has kind of moved a step beyond
00:24:50.90\00:24:54.65
with the homocysteine research.
00:24:54.68\00:24:56.35
So the B vitamins are critical.
00:24:56.38\00:24:58.06
The plant-based diet seems
to have some unique benefits.
00:24:58.09\00:25:00.77
Staying away from the alcohol,
the tobacco, the coffee,
00:25:00.80\00:25:04.79
these things have some
definite pluses going for them
00:25:04.82\00:25:08.47
when it comes to homocysteine.
00:25:08.50\00:25:10.01
So you check for homocysteine
levels at the Lifestyle Center,
00:25:10.04\00:25:13.47
but can you go to
your local physician,
00:25:13.50\00:25:16.43
and can he order that test?
00:25:16.46\00:25:17.83
Most commercial labs
are able, now to obtain
00:25:17.86\00:25:20.78
homocysteine levels and
we're encouraging people
00:25:20.81\00:25:23.55
to check their
homocysteine level.
00:25:23.58\00:25:25.31
What else should people be
checking for with heart disease?
00:25:25.34\00:25:28.29
Very important... we don't
want to spend a whole talk on
00:25:28.92\00:25:32.09
homocysteine and people
think that the OLD risk factors
00:25:32.12\00:25:35.22
are not important anymore.
00:25:35.25\00:25:36.62
Cholesterol is still
critically important!
00:25:36.65\00:25:38.69
People should know
what their cholesterol is.
00:25:38.72\00:25:40.57
They should know what
their LDL cholesterol is
00:25:40.60\00:25:42.79
which is the bad cholesterol.
00:25:42.82\00:25:44.27
Very important... those
things are critical as far as
00:25:44.30\00:25:46.58
heart disease risk.
00:25:46.61\00:25:47.98
We should STOP
smoking, even if homocysteine
00:25:48.01\00:25:50.58
isn't on our radar screen...
00:25:50.61\00:25:52.11
Even if this presentation
hasn't changed anybody's minds,
00:25:52.14\00:25:55.22
smoking is still a potent
risk factor for heart attack.
00:25:55.25\00:25:58.51
Bigger than homocysteine.
00:25:58.54\00:26:00.20
Right now, if you have
to focus on one of the two,
00:26:00.23\00:26:06.56
STOP smoking first,
then get concerned about
00:26:06.59\00:26:08.68
the homocysteine, okay?
00:26:08.71\00:26:10.18
The OTHER thing is that
we don't want to minimize is
00:26:10.21\00:26:13.12
blood pressure and DIABETES.
00:26:13.15\00:26:15.60
These 2 diseases dramatically
increase the risk of
00:26:15.63\00:26:18.27
heart disease; these
things need to be controlled!
00:26:18.30\00:26:20.44
Obesity? Obesity,
it's a big one too.
00:26:20.47\00:26:22.99
The deadly
quartet. The deadly quartet!
00:26:23.02\00:26:25.76
The so-called "deadly quartet. "
00:26:25.79\00:26:27.19
Well, we've been
talking with Dr. David DeRose
00:26:27.22\00:26:29.53
He is a physician at the
Lifestyle Center of America
00:26:29.56\00:26:31.93
where they've been
doing cutting-edge research
00:26:31.96\00:26:34.72
and helping people
REVERSE the common diseases.
00:26:34.75\00:26:38.17
We've been talking
about homocysteine.
00:26:38.20\00:26:39.67
If you're interested in more
information about homocysteine
00:26:39.70\00:26:42.53
they have a handout on
that at the Lifestyle Center
00:26:42.56\00:26:44.73
You can get their number
by calling us here at 3ABN
00:26:44.76\00:26:47.63
or by contacting
them over the web at
00:26:47.66\00:26:50.06
www. lifestylecenter. org
00:26:50.09\00:26:53.46
Any closing thoughts for
those who really sense that they
00:26:53.49\00:26:57.16
have a problem
with heart disease...
00:26:57.19\00:26:58.56
You are a Christian
physician working at a
00:26:58.59\00:27:01.93
Christian-motivated center...
00:27:01.96\00:27:03.98
What is your counsel for the
folks in our last 30 seconds?
00:27:04.01\00:27:07.52
You know it's
encouraging to me, Don,
00:27:07.55\00:27:09.70
is you look at the
original diet that God gave
00:27:09.73\00:27:12.12
to Adam and Eve... it
was a plant-based diet
00:27:12.15\00:27:15.04
and it's interesting that
when you move to that diet,
00:27:15.07\00:27:18.07
you not only
address homocysteine,
00:27:18.10\00:27:20.46
you tend to
lower your cholesterol,
00:27:20.49\00:27:22.24
you tend to promote weight loss,
00:27:22.27\00:27:24.57
you tend to lower
your risk of diabetes,
00:27:24.60\00:27:27.65
and it seems that God
REALLY gave Adam and Eve
00:27:27.68\00:27:30.85
a diet that was
designed for eternity
00:27:30.88\00:27:33.79
there in the Garden of Eden!
00:27:33.82\00:27:35.19
Thanks for joining us
today on "Health for a Lifetime"
00:27:35.22\00:27:38.64
Boy, I've learned a lot today!
00:27:38.67\00:27:40.22
My head is kind of
swirling a bit with all these
00:27:40.25\00:27:42.02
methyl groups and different
things that I've learned,
00:27:42.05\00:27:43.97
but I have learned that
there is one simple answer
00:27:44.00\00:27:47.63
and that's relying on
God, His diet, His way,
00:27:47.66\00:27:50.64
His plan for your life.
00:27:50.67\00:27:52.04
Thanks so much for
being with us, doctor,
00:27:52.07\00:27:54.41
and we thank YOU
for being with us...
00:27:54.44\00:27:56.14
And we hope that as a
result of today's program
00:27:56.17\00:27:58.17
you have Health that
Lasts for a Lifetime!
00:27:58.21\00:28:00.11