Author: Dr. Keith Nemec

In the Middle Ages in Europe, what we know as GLA was nicknamed the “king’s cure-all”. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats, and widely are considered helpful in reducing inflammation and in suppressing a number of diseases. Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) is “healthy” fat found particularly in seed and nut oils. GLA is popularly used for treating arthritis, diabetic nerve damage, and high blood pressure. GLA has been extensively studied in treatment of cancer as well.

Some studies:
At the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute, a study showed the presence of GLA significantly lowered a cancer growth promoting protein (HER-2). HER-2 is an oncogene, meaning it turns normal cells into cancerous cells. The South African Medical Journal started a study with the observation that cancer cells universally lack the ability to produce prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), because it lacks an enzyme that converts linolenic acid to GLA, which is in turn needed to make PGE1. In their study, they provided cancer cells with GLA directly, allowing them to produce PGE1. This caused them to grow much more slowly, acting more like normal cells. At the Enamel Research Institute in Canada, human cancer cells and normal cells were cultured together without polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the cancer cells grew at a faster rate than the normal cells. But the addition of GLA reversed this, so that the normal cells outgrew the cancerous cells.

These studies all take GLA, which is known to reduce the body’s need for inflammation, and see that it also has an inhibiting effect on cancer.

What this shows:
Cells react to the environment around them, and if the environment is right, cells have no need to become malignant. Already cancerous cells may even revert to normal behavior in the presence of the ideal environment. GLA is a vital part of that environment.

Consider this: the body inflames because of the environment. It is built in to the logic that is designed into the body. An environment that reduces inflammation is a safe environment for cells, and cancer cells are at a disadvantage in that environment. Studies are showing GLA inhibits cancer due to various pathways which cause normal cells to thrive.

Healthy Fats
GLA is found in raw hemp seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds, and also in some nuts. A balance of omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 from uncooked sources are particularly beneficial to all the cells in your body. Omega-3 can be obtained from flax, hemp, chia seeds and walnuts through a conversion process of the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) they contain. Omega-9 fats are especially prevalent in olives, almonds, and avocados. A good balance of omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 provides the best environment for the body.

Sprout First
Raw plant seeds and nuts that have not been modified by heat are coated with special enzyme inhibitors while growing on the plants that prevent them from sprouting the first time rain hits them — before they are ready to germinate. Soaking seeds and discarding the water flushes away these inhibitors and starts the germination process. Left long enough, the seeds would visibly sprout, if the water is frequently refreshed. So soak your raw seeds for several hours for the greatest benefit.

Dr. Nemec’s Comments:
Its not about genes but the environment that turns on the genes. You can have positive HER-2 gene and never have a problem in your life because you have made an anti-inflammatory environment at a cellular level. This is what we have been helping patients achieve for the last 35 years. The take away message in this research from Northwestern is that plant fats are extremely anti-inflammatory, and especially if they are not altered with heat. Fats from plant sources help your cells function at their highest level. Start consuming flax and hemp seeds because they are the most anti-inflammatory of all the seeds and nuts.

You may have heard of the benefits of occasional fasting. Fasting has been considered a healthful practice for centuries. It may not be something that you intentionally practice. But did you realize that you do some fasting regularly? When you sleep, you are not eating! To gain noticeable benefit from this fasting period, it needs to be long enough for your body to exhaust the “easy calories” and start accessing its reserves. Fasting may be difficult when you feel pangs of hunger through the day, but if you sleep much of your fasting time, fasting becomes quite easy — with a little practice.

Different versions of intermittent fasting have become popular for weight loss and general health. The American Medical Association tested “alternate-day fasting”, where participants ate only 25% of their usual calories one day, then 125% the other. This study showed weight loss similar to those who just cut calories every day, but the study drop-out rate was 38%. This was a helpful but difficult form of fasting. Let’s look at an easier option.

Daily Cycles
When you eat, food breaks down into sugars that your body then uses for energy. Insulin drives and controls this process. If you eat from the moment that you arise to bedtime, insulin has been active much of that time because your pancreas frequently secretes it to drive the sugar to the cells and bring the blood sugar level back into proper range. Excess sugar is stored in body fat, because your body tries to use the sugar and it tries desperately to keep the blood sugar level correct.

When your sugar levels drop too low, your pancreas secretes glucagon instead. This hormone is the opposite of insulin, driving the blood sugar levels back up, and this should happen when you are not getting your supply of sugars from food. The alternation of hormones provides “homeostasis”, which means that you have a relatively constant supply of energy all the time.

If you are spending the majority of your 24 hours of the day producing insulin, you are overusing that hormone. Continued overburdening of this metabolic pathway leads to a reduction of its effectiveness. Your body senses that the insulin is not succeeding in lowering your blood sugar to safe levels, and produces even more insulin to compensate. This works until your cells are even more resistant to the insulin, and eventually you reach the point where your pancreas can’t produce enough to keep up, or it burns out from the effort. At that point, you have diabetes.

Switching over to the glucagon pathway gives your body a rest from the insulin. That switch is vital to restoring insulin effectiveness and resting the pancreas, just as rest is a vital part of exercise to rebuild muscle.

Your body naturally cycles between these two pathways daily.

Fasting Made Easy
When you eat a good meal, you should not feel hungry for a few hours. Take advantage of that time, and add it to the period you sleep, to come up with a longer window of time that you are fasting. Then don’t rush to eat in the morning. Push those borders out and get used to them, and you can regularly achieve a 14-hour fast. Your body adjusts as you practice. Halting your food intake completely after dinner at 5 or 6 PM, combined with a perfect 9.5 hours of sleep would easily get you there. This is called the “10-hour window”. Easing into this window and making it habitual makes this rather easy to do. Some may use an 8-hour window for even greater results.

Now, there are times you should not push fasting. If you are pregnant for instance, or have certain illnesses, this may not be for you in this season. But most people will benefit from the 10-hour window form of intermittent fasting.

Studies Show…
The University of Alabama studied a group of overweight people, divided into two groups. One group ate only over an 8-hour window, while the other group ate during a 12-hour window. Only the eating period was restricted, not the amount that they ate for the day. The 8-hour group had much lower insulin levels, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure after five weeks compared to the 12-hour group. And the 8-hour group’s appetite was reduced: without starving, they simply didn’t want as much food. The Salk Institute studied the 10-hour window and participants reduced blood pressure and total cholesterol, reducing cardiac risk, plus lowered blood sugar and insulin levels, reducing diabetes risk.

This form of fasting, by reinforcing the daily rhythm, was highly effective and easily maintained. The most natural pattern we have is the daily cycle, and reinforcing it produces major benefits.

Dr. Nemec’s Comments:
Fasting is a natural part of how your body sustains health. So all you have to do to start on a fasting path is first and foremost fast from the standard American diet. Start eating more raw and living plants, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and stop eating as much bread, pasta, carbs and cooked animal proteins. This becomes denatured in the cooking process and produces inflammation in the body. This is the first fast you should get started on. You can call it a more permanent Daniel fast. From there you can progress to time restriction fasting where you do not eat in between meals, and you never eat after dinner until breakfast. Everyone should be able to do a 12 hour fast every night. The more you rest your insulin secretion, and the more you rest your digestive system, the healthier you will become.

You know that exercise is beneficial, but does it daunt you? Are you thinking that you must spend the time and dredge up the energy for running or going to the gym? Are you doing no exercise because you figure just a little is worthless? Well, it’s not worthless, and a little goes a long way. How about ten minutes of mild exertion — do you have enough time and energy for that?

One study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, determined that after only ten minutes of exercise showed immediate results on detailed memory and thought processing. This is great news especially for the elderly.

A New Perspective
What if you knew that just doing something to get your heart pumping faster for a short while would help you think, work, and remember better — would that make the difference?

You were made to move. Our society is making it increasingly normal to take the easy path: rather than go to the mall and walk significant distances to shop, you can instead get whatever you want delivered to your doorstep. You can get a riding tractor to turn your hour of pushing a hand mower into a few moments of sitting. But what if you consider those moments of exertion as friends? They are exactly that, because they will help you do the moving you were designed for, and in the process improve both your body and your mind.

Work Better
At McMaster University, a study found significant but similar reductions in insulin sensitivity between those who did 45 minute moderate workout routines three times per week, and those who did 10 minute moderate routines with short bursts of high intensity, also three times a week. During the day, you may have tired moments when you just can’t think clearly and time seems to be dragging. If you are sedentary, it’s very likely your insulin sensitivity is poor. That will directly impact your thinking and memory, making the work day that much harder. Can you take a break at work, perhaps to just walk around and then take some trips up and down the stairs? Or perhaps you have some other creative way to move and get moments of exertion.

What is good for your heart is good for your brain. If you spend enough time exercising to break a sweat, you’ve had an impact on both. Once you have warmed up, perhaps you will feel like doing even more. Here’s a secret: activity is addicting. You might find yourself spending more time than you planned in exercise, especially if your activity is interesting.

Brain Benefits of Exercise

• Balance hormones. Hormones directly impact the brain and how you feel generally. If you need focus, you need your hormones in balance. Exercise starts balancing them from the moment you get moving.
• Increase oxygen supply. Well after you’ve exercised, your brain is still receiving increased oxygen due to increased metabolism.
• Disease resistance. You may be dragging some days because your body is working to fend off an infection. Exercise improves your immune system to fight the infection earlier and faster, so you may not even slow down.
• New brain cells. Even with age, there is evidence that you develop new brain cells — this is called neurogenesis. Increased metabolism aids the process.
• Preserve existing cells. Cells sometimes die prematurely, due to lack of nutrients, oxygen, or removal of waste. Exercise gives your brain cells a better environment in which they can thrive.
• Mood. Exercise often improves your emotional outlook, which affects your mind.
• Control inflammation. Exercise tends to reduce inflammation, aiding your body and your mind.

The University of British Columbia researched the effect of regular aerobic exercise on the prefrontal cortex (the thinking control region) and the medial temporal cortex (memory). Both regions showed greater function in participants who spent 120 minutes per week in moderate intensity exercise. Any exercise has benefit, both immediately and long after. A pattern of exercise will have continual benefits. A habit of exercise will alert you, when you get too busy, that you’ve missed your activity and are too sedentary.

Your mind works through your brain and your brain is part of your body. Your mind uses approximately 20% of your body’s total energy. You know exercise helps your body, and perhaps that isn’t enough motivation. Would the promise of a sharper mind make it worth your effort? Even if physically you feel tired after the exercise, your mind will be refreshed right away. Immediate payback — try it!

Dr. Nemec’s Comments:
Life is motion. These studies just confirm the power of exercise. Every cell in your body needs the movement of blood which carries oxygen and food to all the cells, including your brain. If your brain is starved of oxygen or food or stagnated in waste products because of your “lack of motion”, then can you imagine what happens when you go up and down the stairs ten times? Blood movement to your brain and everywhere else in your body! So get up and move and if you can think of nothing else just go up and down the stairs repeatedly. What is the difference between high intensity and low intensity? High intensity is required to sufficiently pump the blood through your heart to your brain. Going for a stroll in the park is good movement, but not as good for the movement of oxygen to the brain. So do them both. The more variety the better.