Media in Review

Books in Review: The Omega Rx Zone

Books in Review: The Omega Rx Zone

 

The Omega Rx Zone by Barry Sears is yet another presentation of the Zone principles of insulin control, 40-30-30 ratioed meals, calorie restriction, and controlling eicosanoids, plus the addition of high dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Interestingly, Sears actually recommends fish oil supplementation above the Zone diet's ability to control hormones due to the supplement's powerful impact on our bodies' most basic hormones: eicosanoids.

The book starts at the beginning of man's cerebral development. According to Sears, homo-sapiens developed intricate minds and therefore became human due to eating algae-derived fats found in shellfish. The omega-3 fatty acids allowed us to begin to develop frontal cortexes, our limbs allowed us to find food that supplied our brains with a steady stream of glucose, which accelerated our mental development even further. Sears states that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are what in fact make us human.

The author then launches into an informative chapter on the basics of fatty acids. The book is primarily concerned with omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are categorized as such 3 and 6 due to the position of the double carbon from the end of the molecule. Of the omega-3 fatty acids, Sears is most concerned with EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and of the omega-6 fatty acids, Sears is most concerned with AA (arachidonic acid).The western diet is woefully deficient in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which used to come from grass fed meat animals and from fish. In the last 50 years or so, our diets have become skewed towards foods high in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, such as vegetable oils and grain fed meat animals. The Omega Rx Zone proposes a method to correct this imbalance through the reintroduction of the correct amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Next Sears explains eicosanoids, of which the control is the foundation of the Zone. Eicosanoids are the most basic hormones in the body, ephmerally produced by any cell at any time to complete many different tasks. Sears simplifies the varieties of eicosanoids into two categories: good and bad eicosanoids. While our bodies need a balance of both, we want to maximize our production of good eicosanoids to avoid and alleviate chronic disease such as heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, cancer, chronic inflammation, depression, and dementia. We control the balance of these eicosanoids via the most basic drug that we put into our body every day: our diet. If our diet supplies our body with adequate EPA, then we will ultimately produce good eicosanoids, if our diet supplies us with too much AA, then we will ultimately produce an imbalance of bad eicosanoids. High insulin levels, triggered by a diet high in easily digestible or refined carbohydrate, also speed the production of bad eicosanoids. Fish oil is a great source of EPA, which is why Sears recommends that we supplement in high doses.

The book next launches into a discussion on how we can measure our physical overall well-being as a result of our hormonal balance. The book points out that since eicosanoids are made and self destruct as soon as their task is complete, and since they do not have a central point of production like most hormones (serotonin in the brain, insulin in the pancreas), eicosanoids are very difficult to measure. The book gives us a self checklist that subjectively measures our perception of how we feel mentally and physically.  Later in the book, Sears discusses several blood tests that one can take to get an idea of how their eicosanoids are balanced. These tests include the HDL to triglyceride ratio, which can be gleaned from a fasting blood lipid profile: a ratio of 3 or greater is an indication of poor health, a 2 is considered generally well and 1 would be ideal. A fasting insulin blood test will let us know how much insulin we have circulating in our system; measured in uU/ml the following numbers provide indicators: 15 or greater is diseased, 13 is on your way to being sick, 10 is fair, 5 is ideal. The gold standard for eiconsanoid balance testing is the AA/EPA ratio: at 15 or more you are sick, at 10 you are on your way to being sick, at 3 you are in fair health, and 1.5 is ideal.

In the section on the treatment of chronic diseases, Sears uses mostly anecdotal evidence to describe how one can use fish oil to treat almost any disease, mental or physical. Dementia and Alzheimer's can be treated with the use of fish oil by decreasing inflammation in the brain. Depression may be alleviated by high dose fish oil, because fish oil increases the production of the "feel good" hormone serotonin. High doses of the DHA in fish oil enable brain function and may assist in curbing the effects of attention deficit disorder and dyslexia. Sears speculates about the mechanisms of fish oil that help treat these conditions and provides nice anecdotal stories for his success dosing fish oil, but there is little citation in the text of actual clinical trials showing these kinds of improvements in a measurable, observable, repeatable test (it is possible that in Sears' many sources in the appendix there is more concrete evidence for the treatment of said diseases, this reviewer concedes that he did not read every study cited as source in the appendix).

There is more evidence; however, for fish oil's ability to help prevent heart disease. Fish oil increases blood flow by increasing blood cell membrane fluidity. Since blood cells can move easier, they are less likely to allow plaque to clot in an artery. Increased good eicosanoids as a result of fish oil supplementation leads to decreased inflammation. Inflammation is a leading cause of heart disease: irritated arteries harden and narrow as a result of a build-up of white blood cells reacting to too much small particle LDL cholesterol. If the tissues harden, it makes them more prone to blockage as they cannot expand to accommodate both blood flow and plaque buildup. The insulin control part of the Zone will allow you to decrease your LDL and VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL, which will allow you to increase your triglycerides to HDL ratio, an important predictor of heart disease.

Sears uses more anecdotal evidence to suggest that one can use fish oil for treating cancer. As cancer drugs cause the body to attack itself so as to kill the cancerous parts, fish oil may cause the body to heal itself while the drugs work on cancer. By this method, the good eicosanoids produced by high dose fish oil supplementation may help mitigate the pain of chemotherapy. Again, insulin control may be even more important for the actual reduction of cancerous growths. Without the "take stuff in" hormone circulating in high amounts, tumors may not have the ability to rob nutrients needed to grow.

Chronic inflammation is perhaps one of the most dangerous chronic illnesses not widely recognized. Chronic inflammation irritates and hardens tissues and causes general pain and discomfort. Any "itis," such as gastritis, tendonitis, appendicitis, and arthritis is a type of systemic inflammation. Heart disease and even cancer may in fact be the result of inflammation. The improvement in levels of good eicosanoids and the decrease of insulin found in the Omega Rx Zone will help to decrease pain and inflammation.

Fish oil's ability to decrease inflammation and increase blood flow makes it a perfect supplement for athletes. Athletes, especially anaerobic athletes, like Crossfitters, are constantly putting stress on their bodies and creating micro-tears in their muscle fibers and systemic stress on their bodies. These stresses trigger the body's inflammatory response, causing soreness, and sometimes swelling. Fish oil will help reduce this inflammation while promoting the body's ability to heal itself. This feature makes fish oil preferable to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen, which inhibit the body's ability to heal itself by suppressing the first response inflammatory process, and not allowing the body to heal itself. Increased blood flow efficiency from fish oil will allow tissues to receive nutrients and healing compounds from the body. This increase in blood flow will also aid athletes during a workout. During the demands of an intense workout, the heart will not have to work as hard to pump red blood cells with the more flexible membranes produced by fish oil, making it easier on your cardiovascular system when you are trying to do more work in less time. 

Now that you know why it's good for you the question is how much to take. An important note for this section on dosing is to recognize the difference between fish oil supplement intake and intake of omega-3 fatty acids. A fish oil supplement only yields a certain percentage of the total weight of a dose to EPA and DHA. In The Omega Rx Zone Sear's basic prescriptions are take as fish oil much as is needed to get your TG/HDL ratio to below 2 or your EPA/AA ratio to between 1.5 and 3. Once those ratios are dialed in, Sears recommends scaling back to a maintenance dose of 2.5 grams of omega-3s per day. Depending on your level of disease, metabolic or otherwise, you may need to take very high doses to bring your eicosanoid levels to the correct balance. For pain and inflammation, Sears recommends 5-10 grams of omega-3s per day, he has had cancer patients on doses of 15 grams of omega-3s per day, some patients with mental disorders were treated with as much as 20-25 grams per day of omega-3s. Sears mentions that he prescribed as much as 16 grams of omega-3s per day for some athletes. At his nutrition seminar, Crossfit nutrition guru Robb Wolf recommends .5-1 grams of omega-3s per 10lbs of body weight, with the upper limit being for people with severe autoimmune disease or with metabolic derangement.

Now you know why it's good for and how much to take, you need to know how to buy it. This topic is the subject of endless debate on the Crossfit message boards. Basically, you can find fish oil anywhere, in either liquid or in gel caps. The decision of what to buy comes down to two major considerations: purity and cost. In his book, Sears only recommends "pharmaceutical grade fish oil," which is defined by the following criteria: more than 60 percent of the total fatty acids are omega-3s, that mercury is less than 10 parts per billion, that PCBs are less than 30 parts per billion, and that dioxins are less than 1 part per trillion. Sears lists a grand total of two manufacturers of this grade of fish oil, one of which is his own company, but he concedes that better technology over the years would probably yield more pharmaceutical grade manufacturers (the book was first published in 2002). Since fish oil manufacturers are not required to label their supplements with this kind of detailed information, it is hard to determine whether the fish oil you are buying meets those standards. There are lab-quality test reports available from Consumer Labs, but as you can see they cost money. 

There are several practical ways to determine the overall quality of a fish oil supplement. First in the store, note the percentage of a pill that is actual EPA/DHA in milligrams relative to the amount of the weight of the liquid in the pill in milligrams, if the percentage is 25% or less EPA/DHA in a pill, leave it on the shelf; who knows what that remaining weight is? For example, GNC Triple Strength fish oil is 900mg of omega-3s in a 1200mg capsule, putting the percentage at 66%. Another benefit of shopping for these percentages is that higher doses are easier to consume since you ultimately have to swallow less pills.

Another test you can do when the fish oil is home is to do the freeze test. Cut open a few capsules and squeeze the liquid into a cup and put the cup in the freezer for about five hours. After five hours if it's still liquid, it is probably really quality stuff. If the liquid is more viscous, but you can push a toothpick into it without too much struggle, it's still probably good. If it's frozen solid, return it.

There is much concern about mercury concentration in fish these days. This concern has carried over to fish oil supplements as well. Typically mercury accumulates in fish that grow larger and live longer lives, the concern is that when people eat these fish, they are accumulating the mercury that over time will reach toxic levels and poison their system. In his Crossfit Journal Nutrition Lecture Part 2: Optimizing Performance, Greg Glassman points out that people need not be concerned about mercury in fish oil as the metal does not have the same affinity for oil as it does for meat, and it is hard to mix harmful levels into a supplement. Because of these concerns, most fish oil supplements are derived from sardines and other smaller fish that do not accumulate mercury in harmful amounts.

At the store, make sure you are buying just a fish oil supplement. Many manufacturers make "omega-3" supplements that contain alpha-Linolenic acid, a plant based omega-3 fatty acid. There is no benefit to supplementing with this fatty acid as taking just a little too much can reverse desire effects. Also beware of "complete omega supplements," which contain omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. These supplements will have effects counter to just supplementing with the EPA and DHA found in fish oil.

Since omega-3 fatty acids are liquid at room temperature, they are highly susceptible to oxidation. Consuming oxidized fish oil can cause the opposite effects that are desired when consuming fish oil, including increased oxidation and release of free radicals in the body. Even if your fish oil was of high quality when it left the plant, it still could be oxidized or "rancid," due to improper packaging or handling. Avoid clear glass bottles; if the capsules or liquid are packaged in a clear glass bottle that lets in light, the light could have oxidized the fish oil. Try to find brands whose capsules are "cold-pressed" as the heat used to seal capsules may also oxidize fish oil. Try to buy fish oil with the furthest expiration date, so as to ensure maximum freshness. Once you've purchased some fish oil, crack open some capsules and smell them, if they are particularly fishy smelling or they reek, throw the batch out. You can also bite into a capsule every few days you are taking a batch and see if they taste rancid. To maintain freshness, fish oil is best stored in a dark glass bottle in the refrigerator.

After some research on the Crossfit message boards, it appears that several specific brands come recommended for purity and ease of dosing. These brands include: Carlson's, Nordic Naturals, and Costco's Kirkland Signature (the preferred fish oil of Robb Wolf). Google these brands to find a distributor near you or on the internet.

As with any supplement you take, there are potential side effects to taking fish oil. The most common complaint is that fish oil thins the blood and causes excess bleeding by way of preventing blood clots. There is evidence both for and against this claim; my personal experience with the stuff on doses as high as 13.5 grams of omega-3s per day is that it does not cause any excess bleeding, but I cannot say that it won't at higher doses. Another complaint that since fish oil oxidizes and leads to increased oxygen rich blood flow, supplementing with fish oil can speed up the body's oxidative processes and reduce antioxidants in the body. This side effect can be mitigated by eating a diet of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as by using extra virgin olive oil. Good eicosanoids help to suppress the body's immune system's inflammatory response. The final concern is that by overproducing good eicosanoids fish oil will depress the immune system. If one you are overproducing good eicosanoids to the point where your immune system is impair, you should scale back your dose or take a GLA supplement, such as Borage oil, in a dose of about 70 milligrams per week. Some people complain of stomach discomfort and diarrhea when taking fish oil. This could be attributed to taking too much, or to taking low quality fish oil. Sears emphasizes that any side effects complaints cannot be attributed to fish oil before the purity of the fish oil being taken is confirmed.

Sources and more resources: Crossfit Message Boards: Fish Oil Recommendation, Crossfit Journal: Nutrition Lecture Part 2: Optimizing Performance. Get Off the Ibuprofen Peoples. Fish Oil and the Real Cost of Health (read the comments). Oxidized Fish Oil

 

The Omega Rx Zone by Barry Sears is yet another presentation of the Zone principles of insulin control, 40-30-30 ratioed meals, calorie restriction, and controlling eicosanoids, plus the addition of high dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Interestingly, Sears actually recommends fish oil supplementation above the Zone diet's ability to control hormones due to the supplement's powerful impact on our bodies' most basic hormones: eicosanoids.

The book starts at the beginning of man's cerebral development. According to Sears, homo-sapiens developed intricate minds and therefore became human due to eating algae-derived fats found in shellfish. The omega-3 fatty acids allowed us to begin to develop frontal cortexes, our limbs allowed us to find food that supplied our brains with a steady stream of glucose, which accelerated our mental development even further. Sears states that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are what in fact make us human.

The author then launches into an informative chapter on the basics of fatty acids. The book is primarily concerned with omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are categorized as such 3 and 6 due to the position of the double carbon from the end of the molecule. Of the omega-3 fatty acids, Sears is most concerned with EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and of the omega-6 fatty acids, Sears is most concerned with AA (arachidonic acid).The western diet is woefully deficient in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which used to come from grass fed meat animals and from fish. In the last 50 years or so, our diets have become skewed towards foods high in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, such as vegetable oils and grain fed meat animals. The Omega Rx Zone proposes a method to correct this imbalance through the reintroduction of the correct amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Next Sears explains eicosanoids, of which the control is the foundation of the Zone. Eicosanoids are the most basic hormones in the body, ephmerally produced by any cell at any time to complete many different tasks. Sears simplifies the varieties of eicosanoids into two categories: good and bad eicosanoids. While our bodies need a balance of both, we want to maximize our production of good eicosanoids to avoid and alleviate chronic disease such as heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, cancer, chronic inflammation, depression, and dementia. We control the balance of these eicosanoids via the most basic drug that we put into our body every day: our diet. If our diet supplies our body with adequate EPA, then we will ultimately produce good eicosanoids, if our diet supplies us with too much AA, then we will ultimately produce an imbalance of bad eicosanoids. High insulin levels, triggered by a diet high in easily digestible or refined carbohydrate, also speed the production of bad eicosanoids. Fish oil is a great source of EPA, which is why Sears recommends that we supplement in high doses.

The book next launches into a discussion on how we can measure our physical overall well-being as a result of our hormonal balance. The book points out that since eicosanoids are made and self destruct as soon as their task is complete, and since they do not have a central point of production like most hormones (serotonin in the brain, insulin in the pancreas), eicosanoids are very difficult to measure. The book gives us a self checklist that subjectively measures our perception of how we feel mentally and physically.  Later in the book, Sears discusses several blood tests that one can take to get an idea of how their eicosanoids are balanced. These tests include the HDL to triglyceride ratio, which can be gleaned from a fasting blood lipid profile: a ratio of 3 or greater is an indication of poor health, a 2 is considered generally well and 1 would be ideal. A fasting insulin blood test will let us know how much insulin we have circulating in our system; measured in uU/ml the following numbers provide indicators: 15 or greater is diseased, 13 is on your way to being sick, 10 is fair, 5 is ideal. The gold standard for eiconsanoid balance testing is the AA/EPA ratio: at 15 or more you are sick, at 10 you are on your way to being sick, at 3 you are in fair health, and 1.5 is ideal.

In the section on the treatment of chronic diseases, Sears uses mostly anecdotal evidence to describe how one can use fish oil to treat almost any disease, mental or physical. Dementia and Alzheimer's can be treated with the use of fish oil by decreasing inflammation in the brain. Depression may be alleviated by high dose fish oil, because fish oil increases the production of the "feel good" hormone serotonin. High doses of the DHA in fish oil enable brain function and may assist in curbing the effects of attention deficit disorder and dyslexia. Sears speculates about the mechanisms of fish oil that help treat these conditions and provides nice anecdotal stories for his success dosing fish oil, but there is little citation in the text of actual clinical trials showing these kinds of improvements in a measurable, observable, repeatable test (it is possible that in Sears' many sources in the appendix there is more concrete evidence for the treatment of said diseases, this reviewer concedes that he did not read every study cited as source in the appendix).

There is more evidence; however, for fish oil's ability to help prevent heart disease. Fish oil increases blood flow by increasing blood cell membrane fluidity. Since blood cells can move easier, they are less likely to allow plaque to clot in an artery. Increased good eicosanoids as a result of fish oil supplementation leads to decreased inflammation. Inflammation is a leading cause of heart disease: irritated arteries harden and narrow as a result of a build-up of white blood cells reacting to too much small particle LDL cholesterol. If the tissues harden, it makes them more prone to blockage as they cannot expand to accommodate both blood flow and plaque buildup. The insulin control part of the Zone will allow you to decrease your LDL and VLDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL, which will allow you to increase your triglycerides to HDL ratio, an important predictor of heart disease.

Sears uses more anecdotal evidence to suggest that one can use fish oil for treating cancer. As cancer drugs cause the body to attack itself so as to kill the cancerous parts, fish oil may cause the body to heal itself while the drugs work on cancer. By this method, the good eicosanoids produced by high dose fish oil supplementation may help mitigate the pain of chemotherapy. Again, insulin control may be even more important for the actual reduction of cancerous growths. Without the "take stuff in" hormone circulating in high amounts, tumors may not have the ability to rob nutrients needed to grow.

Chronic inflammation is perhaps one of the most dangerous chronic illnesses not widely recognized. Chronic inflammation irritates and hardens tissues and causes general pain and discomfort. Any "itis," such as gastritis, tendonitis, appendicitis, and arthritis is a type of systemic inflammation. Heart disease and even cancer may in fact be the result of inflammation. The improvement in levels of good eicosanoids and the decrease of insulin found in the Omega Rx Zone will help to decrease pain and inflammation.

Fish oil's ability to decrease inflammation and increase blood flow makes it a perfect supplement for athletes. Athletes, especially anaerobic athletes, like Crossfitters, are constantly putting stress on their bodies and creating micro-tears in their muscle fibers and systemic stress on their bodies. These stresses trigger the body's inflammatory response, causing soreness, and sometimes swelling. Fish oil will help reduce this inflammation while promoting the body's ability to heal itself. This feature makes fish oil preferable to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as ibuprofen, which inhibit the body's ability to heal itself by suppressing the first response inflammatory process, and not allowing the body to heal itself. Increased blood flow efficiency from fish oil will allow tissues to receive nutrients and healing compounds from the body. This increase in blood flow will also aid athletes during a workout. During the demands of an intense workout, the heart will not have to work as hard to pump red blood cells with the more flexible membranes produced by fish oil, making it easier on your cardiovascular system when you are trying to do more work in less time. 

Now that you know why it's good for you the question is how much to take. An important note for this section on dosing is to recognize the difference between fish oil supplement intake and intake of omega-3 fatty acids. A fish oil supplement only yields a certain percentage of the total weight of a dose to EPA and DHA. In The Omega Rx Zone Sear's basic prescriptions are take as fish oil much as is needed to get your TG/HDL ratio to below 2 or your EPA/AA ratio to between 1.5 and 3. Once those ratios are dialed in, Sears recommends scaling back to a maintenance dose of 2.5 grams of omega-3s per day. Depending on your level of disease, metabolic or otherwise, you may need to take very high doses to bring your eicosanoid levels to the correct balance. For pain and inflammation, Sears recommends 5-10 grams of omega-3s per day, he has had cancer patients on doses of 15 grams of omega-3s per day, some patients with mental disorders were treated with as much as 20-25 grams per day of omega-3s. Sears mentions that he prescribed as much as 16 grams of omega-3s per day for some athletes. At his nutrition seminar, Crossfit nutrition guru Robb Wolf recommends .5-1 grams of omega-3s per 10lbs of body weight, with the upper limit being for people with severe autoimmune disease or with metabolic derangement.

Now you know why it's good for and how much to take, you need to know how to buy it. This topic is the subject of endless debate on the Crossfit message boards. Basically, you can find fish oil anywhere, in either liquid or in gel caps. The decision of what to buy comes down to two major considerations: purity and cost. In his book, Sears only recommends "pharmaceutical grade fish oil," which is defined by the following criteria: more than 60 percent of the total fatty acids are omega-3s, that mercury is less than 10 parts per billion, that PCBs are less than 30 parts per billion, and that dioxins are less than 1 part per trillion. Sears lists a grand total of two manufacturers of this grade of fish oil, one of which is his own company, but he concedes that better technology over the years would probably yield more pharmaceutical grade manufacturers (the book was first published in 2002). Since fish oil manufacturers are not required to label their supplements with this kind of detailed information, it is hard to determine whether the fish oil you are buying meets those standards. There are lab-quality test reports available from Consumer Labs, but as you can see they cost money. 

There are several practical ways to determine the overall quality of a fish oil supplement. First in the store, note the percentage of a pill that is actual EPA/DHA in milligrams relative to the amount of the weight of the liquid in the pill in milligrams, if the percentage is 25% or less EPA/DHA in a pill, leave it on the shelf; who knows what that remaining weight is? For example, GNC Triple Strength fish oil is 900mg of omega-3s in a 1200mg capsule, putting the percentage at 66%. Another benefit of shopping for these percentages is that higher doses are easier to consume since you ultimately have to swallow less pills.

Another test you can do when the fish oil is home is to do the freeze test. Cut open a few capsules and squeeze the liquid into a cup and put the cup in the freezer for about five hours. After five hours if it's still liquid, it is probably really quality stuff. If the liquid is more viscous, but you can push a toothpick into it without too much struggle, it's still probably good. If it's frozen solid, return it.

There is much concern about mercury concentration in fish these days. This concern has carried over to fish oil supplements as well. Typically mercury accumulates in fish that grow larger and live longer lives, the concern is that when people eat these fish, they are accumulating the mercury that over time will reach toxic levels and poison their system. In his Crossfit Journal Nutrition Lecture Part 2: Optimizing Performance, Greg Glassman points out that people need not be concerned about mercury in fish oil as the metal does not have the same affinity for oil as it does for meat, and it is hard to mix harmful levels into a supplement. Because of these concerns, most fish oil supplements are derived from sardines and other smaller fish that do not accumulate mercury in harmful amounts.

At the store, make sure you are buying just a fish oil supplement. Many manufacturers make "omega-3" supplements that contain alpha-Linolenic acid, a plant based omega-3 fatty acid. There is no benefit to supplementing with this fatty acid as taking just a little too much can reverse desire effects. Also beware of "complete omega supplements," which contain omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. These supplements will have effects counter to just supplementing with the EPA and DHA found in fish oil.

Since omega-3 fatty acids are liquid at room temperature, they are highly susceptible to oxidation. Consuming oxidized fish oil can cause the opposite effects that are desired when consuming fish oil, including increased oxidation and release of free radicals in the body. Even if your fish oil was of high quality when it left the plant, it still could be oxidized or "rancid," due to improper packaging or handling. Avoid clear glass bottles; if the capsules or liquid are packaged in a clear glass bottle that lets in light, the light could have oxidized the fish oil. Try to find brands whose capsules are "cold-pressed" as the heat used to seal capsules may also oxidize fish oil. Try to buy fish oil with the furthest expiration date, so as to ensure maximum freshness. Once you've purchased some fish oil, crack open some capsules and smell them, if they are particularly fishy smelling or they reek, throw the batch out. You can also bite into a capsule every few days you are taking a batch and see if they taste rancid. To maintain freshness, fish oil is best stored in a dark glass bottle in the refrigerator.

After some research on the Crossfit message boards, it appears that several specific brands come recommended for purity and ease of dosing. These brands include: Carlson's, Nordic Naturals, and Costco's Kirkland Signature (the preferred fish oil of Robb Wolf). Google these brands to find a distributor near you or on the internet.

As with any supplement you take, there are potential side effects to taking fish oil. The most common complaint is that fish oil thins the blood and causes excess bleeding by way of preventing blood clots. There is evidence both for and against this claim; my personal experience with the stuff on doses as high as 13.5 grams of omega-3s per day is that it does not cause any excess bleeding, but I cannot say that it won't at higher doses. Another complaint that since fish oil oxidizes and leads to increased oxygen rich blood flow, supplementing with fish oil can speed up the body's oxidative processes and reduce antioxidants in the body. This side effect can be mitigated by eating a diet of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as by using extra virgin olive oil. Good eicosanoids help to suppress the body's immune system's inflammatory response. The final concern is that by overproducing good eicosanoids fish oil will depress the immune system. If one you are overproducing good eicosanoids to the point where your immune system is impair, you should scale back your dose or take a GLA supplement, such as Borage oil, in a dose of about 70 milligrams per week. Some people complain of stomach discomfort and diarrhea when taking fish oil. This could be attributed to taking too much, or to taking low quality fish oil. Sears emphasizes that any side effects complaints cannot be attributed to fish oil before the purity of the fish oil being taken is confirmed.

Sources and more resources: Crossfit Message Boards: Fish Oil Recommendation, Crossfit Journal: Nutrition Lecture Part 2: Optimizing Performance. Get Off the Ibuprofen Peoples. Fish Oil and the Real Cost of Health (read the comments). Oxidized Fish Oil

Books in Review: Practical Programming for Strength Training

Books in Review: Practical Programming

Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore's Practical Programming for Strength Training is the definitive guide on how to design programs for the weight room. My criticism of Starting Strength was that it did not offer any set programs, now that I have read both books I understand that they are companion pieces; Starting Strength teaches an athlete how to lift, while Practical Programming teaches an athlete how to put exercises into effective programs.

Practical Programming begins with an explanation of how little is actually known about strength and conditioning. Few western universities offer courses in strength and conditioning and little practical research has been done in the last 50 years. In fact, many training techniques are based on translations of Soviet texts. The authors emphasize the point that the best coaches are the ones who have learned via practical experience from training all kinds of athletes.

The book next introduces Hans Selye's theory of General Adaptation Syndrome, which states that to affect progress, training must disrupt homeostasis to cause supercompensation (an improvement over where the body was before). It is important that the training does not disrupt homeostasis to the point that supercompensation cannot occur and the body actually slides backwards into a state of overtraining. Athletes are categorized into four categories: novice, intermediate, advanced, and elite. The level of athlete is determined by the volume, intensity, and complexity of training needed to disrupt homeostasis and cause supercompensation.

No one starts a weight training program without some goals in mind. Goals may include: hypertrophy, speed, power, or strength. Regardless of goals, gains are best made by multi-joint exercises that heavily tax the body's large muscle groups. The authors point out that athletes in most competitive sports need power (the ability to move loads quickly)  more than any of the other goals. In order to achieve ideal performance for different sports, a coach must understand what metabolic pathway the athlete is competing in (phosphagen, glycolytic, or oxidative), and try to match said pathways to the strength and conditioning program. For example, a 100m sprinter is going to benefit from doing sets of an exercise that last 10-15 seconds, rather than a continuous circuit of exercises lasting 20 minutes.

The book sets out definitions for the basics of weight training: reps, sets, volume and intensity. The book's definition of intensity is specific to strength training and contrasts with the traditional Crossfit definition of intensity. Crossfit's definition of intensity is: intensity is equal to power (force times distance over time). Practical Programming's definition of intensity is: "the amount of weight lifted, or the average amount of weight lifted in a workout, or a group of workouts, in relation to 1RM" (Kilgore and Rippetoe 55). The average amount of weight lifted would be found by dividing total volume by total reps. Volume is the sum of the weight times reps for each set. By these methods, the book sets forward precise ways to measure the effect of a workout in terms of total volume and intensity.

The meat of the book describes training programs for athletes at 3 of the four levels of training: the novice, the intermediate, the advanced athlete. The elite athlete is admittedly outside of the purview of the book, as elite athletes are at the point in their training where they are on top of their game and their training has become highly specialized. Many willing to dedicate years of consistent hard work to their training can achieve an advanced level, but few will realize the elite level.

For the novice, progress is easy. Novice athletes will recover and make progress from workout to workout.  All kinds of training will improve their fitness, but it should be noted that all kinds of training should not be done. It is important that the coach still coaches intelligently, recognizing that they should be setting the novice up for future success. A novice's program is built on basic exercises (squat, deadlift, press, bench press, and chin-ups/pullups) on a 3 times a week schedule. As the novice advances, a program can start adding more variance (front squat instead of back squats, powercleans instead of deadlifts).

An intermediate athlete progresses in terms of weeks of training. More work and complexity must be programmed to ensure the athlete continues to progress. At this level, exercises will start to become more sport specific, with more assistance exercises added. Athletes may program exercises into any one of the following methods: Texas method, speed sets, a split routine, or the Starr model.

An advanced athlete progresses in terms of months of training. At this point, training has become very sport specific and is built around competitions. Athletes must use different cylic training programs to peak at the correct time before a competition. Methods for an advanced athlete include: the Pyramid Model, the Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Model, the Building Blocks Model, and the the Hormonal Fluctuation Model.

The book concludes with a brilliant chapter on "special populations," which society seems to define as anyone who is not a healthy man less than 35 years old. The authors start with women, about whom they point out: "women are not a special population. They are half (more, actually) of the population" (Kilgore and Rippetoe 243). While there are differences in hormones and muscle distribution, women need the same kind of training that men do, as we share the same basic physiology. The authors point out that one notable difference between women and men in the weight room is that women can lift larger percentages of their 1RMs that men can.

You are never too old or too young to benefit from some kind of load bearing exercise, as the authors point out in the remaining section on "special populations." Practical Programming prints a series of helpful guidelines for safely training children. Aging takes its toll on the body, but one can maintain youth and even exceed the strength levels of their youth by lifting weights. A major consideration for athletes over 35 is their declined capacity for recovery following a strenuous workout;  careful thought must be given to the proper use of periodization to maximize older athletes' performance.

Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore's Practical Programming for Strength Training is the definitive guide on how to design programs for the weight room. My criticism of Starting Strength was that it did not offer any set programs, now that I have read both books I understand that they are companion pieces; Starting Strength teaches an athlete how to lift, while Practical Programming teaches an athlete how to put exercises into effective programs.

Practical Programming begins with an explanation of how little is actually known about strength and conditioning. Few western universities offer courses in strength and conditioning and little practical research has been done in the last 50 years. In fact, many training techniques are based on translations of Soviet texts. The authors emphasize the point that the best coaches are the ones who have learned via practical experience from training all kinds of athletes.

The book next introduces Hans Selye's theory of General Adaptation Syndrome, which states that to affect progress, training must disrupt homeostasis to cause supercompensation (an improvement over where the body was before). It is important that the training does not disrupt homeostasis to the point that supercompensation cannot occur and the body actually slides backwards into a state of overtraining. Athletes are categorized into four categories: novice, intermediate, advanced, and elite. The level of athlete is determined by the volume, intensity, and complexity of training needed to disrupt homeostasis and cause supercompensation.

No one starts a weight training program without some goals in mind. Goals may include: hypertrophy, speed, power, or strength. Regardless of goals, gains are best made by multi-joint exercises that heavily tax the body's large muscle groups. The authors point out that athletes in most competitive sports need power (the ability to move loads quickly)  more than any of the other goals. In order to achieve ideal performance for different sports, a coach must understand what metabolic pathway the athlete is competing in (phosphagen, glycolytic, or oxidative), and try to match said pathways to the strength and conditioning program. For example, a 100m sprinter is going to benefit from doing sets of an exercise that last 10-15 seconds, rather than a continuous circuit of exercises lasting 20 minutes.

The book sets out definitions for the basics of weight training: reps, sets, volume and intensity. The book's definition of intensity is specific to strength training and contrasts with the traditional Crossfit definition of intensity. Crossfit's definition of intensity is: intensity is equal to power (force times distance over time). Practical Programming's definition of intensity is: "the amount of weight lifted, or the average amount of weight lifted in a workout, or a group of workouts, in relation to 1RM" (Kilgore and Rippetoe 55). The average amount of weight lifted would be found by dividing total volume by total reps. Volume is the sum of the weight times reps for each set. By these methods, the book sets forward precise ways to measure the effect of a workout in terms of total volume and intensity.

The meat of the book describes training programs for athletes at 3 of the four levels of training: the novice, the intermediate, the advanced athlete. The elite athlete is admittedly outside of the purview of the book, as elite athletes are at the point in their training where they are on top of their game and their training has become highly specialized. Many willing to dedicate years of consistent hard work to their training can achieve an advanced level, but few will realize the elite level.

For the novice, progress is easy. Novice athletes will recover and make progress from workout to workout.  All kinds of training will improve their fitness, but it should be noted that all kinds of training should not be done. It is important that the coach still coaches intelligently, recognizing that they should be setting the novice up for future success. A novice's program is built on basic exercises (squat, deadlift, press, bench press, and chin-ups/pullups) on a 3 times a week schedule. As the novice advances, a program can start adding more variance (front squat instead of back squats, powercleans instead of deadlifts).

An intermediate athlete progresses in terms of weeks of training. More work and complexity must be programmed to ensure the athlete continues to progress. At this level, exercises will start to become more sport specific, with more assistance exercises added. Athletes may program exercises into any one of the following methods: Texas method, speed sets, a split routine, or the Starr model.

An advanced athlete progresses in terms of months of training. At this point, training has become very sport specific and is built around competitions. Athletes must use different cylic training programs to peak at the correct time before a competition. Methods for an advanced athlete include: the Pyramid Model, the Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Model, the Building Blocks Model, and the the Hormonal Fluctuation Model.

The book concludes with a brilliant chapter on "special populations," which society seems to define as anyone who is not a healthy man less than 35 years old. The authors start with women, about whom they point out: "women are not a special population. They are half (more, actually) of the population" (Kilgore and Rippetoe 243). While there are differences in hormones and muscle distribution, women need the same kind of training that men do, as we share the same basic physiology. The authors point out that one notable difference between women and men in the weight room is that women can lift larger percentages of their 1RMs that men can.

You are never too old or too young to benefit from some kind of load bearing exercise, as the authors point out in the remaining section on "special populations." Practical Programming prints a series of helpful guidelines for safely training children. Aging takes its toll on the body, but one can maintain youth and even exceed the strength levels of their youth by lifting weights. A major consideration for athletes over 35 is their declined capacity for recovery following a strenuous workout;  careful thought must be given to the proper use of periodization to maximize older athletes' performance.

Movies in Review: Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

Movies in Review: Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

"Is it still cheating if everyone's doing it?" is the tagline for Christopher Bell's documentary on steroids, and he is asking both himself and the nation the same question. Chris's personal dilemna is that as an amateur powerlifter, he sees other lifters on steroids, including his brother, making big lifts, and he wonders if he should partake. This dilemma leads him to question to America's enhanced need to win. The movie reaches a little in that it tries to cover the personal story of Chris and his family, his relationship with icons like Hulk Hogan and Arnold, the supplement industry, powerlifting, professional and olympic sports, steroid legislation, and performance enhancement in general all in 2 hours. However, one is left with new perspective of who uses steroids and why they use them.

Bell's own family's experiences with steroids grounds the film in middle America, allowing the film to be more than a freakshow of bodybuilding and powerlifting fanatics. Bell's personal struggle with whether to take steroids is spawns from his admiration of his childhood idols. As kids, Bell and his brothers raptly watched muscular icons such as Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone.  Hulk told kids to take their vitamins, eat their vegetables, workout, and say their prayers. Arnold Schwarzeneggger said that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can accomplish anything. However, both of these titans have admitted to using steroids to help them achieve their physiques. Sly was caught with HGH when filming Rambo. The brothers Bell all began working out to emulate their idols. Chris and his brother Mark ("Stinky") got into powerlifting, while his other brother Mike (Mad Dog) tried to get into the pro wrestling circuit. Both Stinky and Mad Dog started taking steroids to advance their pursuits, and were still on them during the filming of the doc. Chris tried them once, but went off them due to an insurmountable sense of guilt that he might be cheating. Chris centers the film around the ultimately unanswered question of whether he should go back on steroids.

We are saturated with the negative effects of steroids, mostly due to their use in professional baseball. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* takes a more sympathetic approach. Bell points out that there are no studies on the long term effects of steroid use, and that many of the claims about the dangers are overblown. Through both anecdotal and scientific evidence Bell shows that: roid rage is extremely rare in steroid users, not everyone grows hair in odd places, claims of mind-altering psychosis and suicide resulting from steroids are suspect. Bell is also careful to point out that all of the effects of steroids are reversible when a man goes off the drugs, and most are reversible when a woman goes off the drugs. He also points out that legal drugs which have been studied for long-term effects, namely tobacco and alcohol, kill many times the number of people that steroids have ever killed.

Bigger Stronger Faster* points out that the great majority of steroid users are not professional athletes, but rather gym rats, usually from the amateur bodybuilding or powerlifting communities . Bell explores what pushes that minority of professional and scholastic athletes to use banned substances to enhance their performance: American culture's unwavering commitment to winning. Under pressure to succeed, many steroid-using scholastic and professional athletes take the approach that it's not cheating if you don't get caught. Bell does well by exploring further than the professional baseball scandals of recent years. Most interestingly, he pits old sprinting rivals Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis against each, showing how both of their drug test records are suspect.

Bell goes on to discuss performance enhancements in general. Why are some things allowed while others are banned? The best example is the methods of how to get more oxygen-delivering red blood cells flowing in cyclists. Bell visited stripped Tour de France champion Floyd Landis to illustrate his point. There are 4 methods to achieve the same result. The first is taking blood from an athlete, spinning it in a centrifuge and replacing it into the body of the athlete just before a race. The second is taking a drug called EPO. The third is to take time training at altitude. The fourth is to sleep in an altitude chamber (Floyd's method). The first two methods are illegal and the last two are legal, yet they all achieve the same result. Bell brushes over the fact that the spun and replaced blood and EPO can cause death as a result of the cardiovascular system's inability to handle the newly thickened blood at rest, and I would contend that the safety concerns cause the banning of one method over another.

In the film, Bell explores how to legally get steroids. He goes to an anti-aging doctor and says he has a hormone deficiency. This doc takes a blood sample, makes the completely subjective decision that Bell does in fact have a hormonal deficiency, and prescribes him a cycle of steroids. The legal way to obtain steroids raises an interesting question: as our bodies age and decrease their production of testosterone and human growth hormone, is it acceptable to go on a carefully supervised regimen of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to bring these hormones to their previous levels? The decrease of these hormones greatly contributes to aging in general, including loss of lean body mass, decreased eyesight, decreased bone density, and decreased immune function. These regimens are very expensive, so only a small part of the population can afford them, which will keep many of us from ever being able to seriously consider trying them. Should we use medical science to help us take back what we have lost? Is hormone replacement an artificial way to cheat aging, analogous to the way that a breathing machine is an artificial way to cheat death? Will proper nutrition and training allow us to naturally cheat aging, and continue to improve fitness even in our forties and fifties? When I see guys like Andy Petranek (42) and Jeff Tincher (40), I'm encouraged.

Everything in the body is run on hormones. You can influence your hormones positively or negatively, and your body will feel the effects. Eat like crap, release too much insulin, and get fat. Eat well, balance glucagon and insulin, and maintain a healthy weight. Don't sleep and find your mood and digestion suffer due to hormonal imbalances, and vice versa. Train high intensity exercise and stimulate production of testosterone and human growth hormone, making you lean and fit. Don't train, or train mainly in the aerobic pathway, and see your body get weak and wasted. Performance enhancing drugs like steroids and human growth hormone are either precursors for or extra doses of hormones that encourage muscle growth and repair, giving users the benefits of training faster and to a greater result. The problem is that these drugs overload the body with too much of these hormones too quickly, causing imbalances which result in side effects. These drugs may enhance parts of your life, but at what cost to the other parts? Naturally manipulate your hormones by: eating meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar, getting 8 hours of sleep per night, and training constantly varied, functional movements at high intensity.

Afterward:

Having spent about 6 months working at GNC in college, I had a special appreciation for the scene on supplements. Chris takes a shipment of expensive active ingredients and dilutes them into a dirt-cheap proprietary blend. Then he hires a few Hispanic day laborers to help him fill capsules with the powder and put the capsules into bottles that he could mark up and sell for $60 per unit. While exploring how to market his product, he shows how a photographer can use cameras, lighting, and software to change anyone from fat and ugly to fit and attractive in less than an hour.  

The point of the exercise is to show that the unregulated supplement industry is mostly a smoke and mirrors advertising scheme. People can never look like the models in the ads by taking the advertised supplements. In the film, the fitness model on steroids all but says that people are fools for thinking that the supplements work in the way they are advertised.

Further reading: Drug Test in Outside Magazine (probably the best article I've ever read on banned substances)

"Is it still cheating if everyone's doing it?" is the tagline for Christopher Bell's documentary on steroids, and he is asking both himself and the nation the same question. Chris's personal dilemna is that as an amateur powerlifter, he sees other lifters on steroids, including his brother, making big lifts, and he wonders if he should partake. This dilemma leads him to question to America's enhanced need to win. The movie reaches a little in that it tries to cover the personal story of Chris and his family, his relationship with icons like Hulk Hogan and Arnold, the supplement industry, powerlifting, professional and olympic sports, steroid legislation, and performance enhancement in general all in 2 hours. However, one is left with new perspective of who uses steroids and why they use them.

Bell's own family's experiences with steroids grounds the film in middle America, allowing the film to be more than a freakshow of bodybuilding and powerlifting fanatics. Bell's personal struggle with whether to take steroids is spawns from his admiration of his childhood idols. As kids, Bell and his brothers raptly watched muscular icons such as Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone.  Hulk told kids to take their vitamins, eat their vegetables, workout, and say their prayers. Arnold Schwarzeneggger said that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can accomplish anything. However, both of these titans have admitted to using steroids to help them achieve their physiques. Sly was caught with HGH when filming Rambo. The brothers Bell all began working out to emulate their idols. Chris and his brother Mark ("Stinky") got into powerlifting, while his other brother Mike (Mad Dog) tried to get into the pro wrestling circuit. Both Stinky and Mad Dog started taking steroids to advance their pursuits, and were still on them during the filming of the doc. Chris tried them once, but went off them due to an insurmountable sense of guilt that he might be cheating. Chris centers the film around the ultimately unanswered question of whether he should go back on steroids.

We are saturated with the negative effects of steroids, mostly due to their use in professional baseball. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* takes a more sympathetic approach. Bell points out that there are no studies on the long term effects of steroid use, and that many of the claims about the dangers are overblown. Through both anecdotal and scientific evidence Bell shows that: roid rage is extremely rare in steroid users, not everyone grows hair in odd places, claims of mind-altering psychosis and suicide resulting from steroids are suspect. Bell is also careful to point out that all of the effects of steroids are reversible when a man goes off the drugs, and most are reversible when a woman goes off the drugs. He also points out that legal drugs which have been studied for long-term effects, namely tobacco and alcohol, kill many times the number of people that steroids have ever killed.

Bigger Stronger Faster* points out that the great majority of steroid users are not professional athletes, but rather gym rats, usually from the amateur bodybuilding or powerlifting communities . Bell explores what pushes that minority of professional and scholastic athletes to use banned substances to enhance their performance: American culture's unwavering commitment to winning. Under pressure to succeed, many steroid-using scholastic and professional athletes take the approach that it's not cheating if you don't get caught. Bell does well by exploring further than the professional baseball scandals of recent years. Most interestingly, he pits old sprinting rivals Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis against each, showing how both of their drug test records are suspect.

Bell goes on to discuss performance enhancements in general. Why are some things allowed while others are banned? The best example is the methods of how to get more oxygen-delivering red blood cells flowing in cyclists. Bell visited stripped Tour de France champion Floyd Landis to illustrate his point. There are 4 methods to achieve the same result. The first is taking blood from an athlete, spinning it in a centrifuge and replacing it into the body of the athlete just before a race. The second is taking a drug called EPO. The third is to take time training at altitude. The fourth is to sleep in an altitude chamber (Floyd's method). The first two methods are illegal and the last two are legal, yet they all achieve the same result. Bell brushes over the fact that the spun and replaced blood and EPO can cause death as a result of the cardiovascular system's inability to handle the newly thickened blood at rest, and I would contend that the safety concerns cause the banning of one method over another.

In the film, Bell explores how to legally get steroids. He goes to an anti-aging doctor and says he has a hormone deficiency. This doc takes a blood sample, makes the completely subjective decision that Bell does in fact have a hormonal deficiency, and prescribes him a cycle of steroids. The legal way to obtain steroids raises an interesting question: as our bodies age and decrease their production of testosterone and human growth hormone, is it acceptable to go on a carefully supervised regimen of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to bring these hormones to their previous levels? The decrease of these hormones greatly contributes to aging in general, including loss of lean body mass, decreased eyesight, decreased bone density, and decreased immune function. These regimens are very expensive, so only a small part of the population can afford them, which will keep many of us from ever being able to seriously consider trying them. Should we use medical science to help us take back what we have lost? Is hormone replacement an artificial way to cheat aging, analogous to the way that a breathing machine is an artificial way to cheat death? Will proper nutrition and training allow us to naturally cheat aging, and continue to improve fitness even in our forties and fifties? When I see guys like Andy Petranek (42) and Jeff Tincher (40), I'm encouraged.

Everything in the body is run on hormones. You can influence your hormones positively or negatively, and your body will feel the effects. Eat like crap, release too much insulin, and get fat. Eat well, balance glucagon and insulin, and maintain a healthy weight. Don't sleep and find your mood and digestion suffer due to hormonal imbalances, and vice versa. Train high intensity exercise and stimulate production of testosterone and human growth hormone, making you lean and fit. Don't train, or train mainly in the aerobic pathway, and see your body get weak and wasted. Performance enhancing drugs like steroids and human growth hormone are either precursors for or extra doses of hormones that encourage muscle growth and repair, giving users the benefits of training faster and to a greater result. The problem is that these drugs overload the body with too much of these hormones too quickly, causing imbalances which result in side effects. These drugs may enhance parts of your life, but at what cost to the other parts? Naturally manipulate your hormones by: eating meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar, getting 8 hours of sleep per night, and training constantly varied, functional movements at high intensity.

Afterward:

Having spent about 6 months working at GNC in college, I had a special appreciation for the scene on supplements. Chris takes a shipment of expensive active ingredients and dilutes them into a dirt-cheap proprietary blend. Then he hires a few Hispanic day laborers to help him fill capsules with the powder and put the capsules into bottles that he could mark up and sell for $60 per unit. While exploring how to market his product, he shows how a photographer can use cameras, lighting, and software to change anyone from fat and ugly to fit and attractive in less than an hour.  

The point of the exercise is to show that the unregulated supplement industry is mostly a smoke and mirrors advertising scheme. People can never look like the models in the ads by taking the advertised supplements. In the film, the fitness model on steroids all but says that people are fools for thinking that the supplements work in the way they are advertised.

Further reading: Drug Test in Outside Magazine (probably the best article I've ever read on banned substances)

Movies in Review: Fat Head

Movies in Review: Fathead

I'm told we have Evan to thank for bringing attention to Tom Naughton's documentary Fat Head. The term "fat head" is based on the fact that fat is brain food and our brains are mostly made of fat. The movie is built as a rebuttal of Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, in which writer/director Morgan Spurlock ate at McDonalds for 30 days and gained 30 pounds. Naughton disagrees with Spurlock's nutrition "expertise" and his claims about the brainwashing effects of the fast food industry's marketing. This disagreement led Naughton to make a documentary starring himself eating fast food for 30 days and moving his health indicators (cholesterol levels, weight, and body fat percentage) in the right direction. The experiment was a success.

I must start my review of Fat Head with a nod to its nemisis, Morgan Spurlock. I saw Super Size  Me my freshmen year of college, when I was watching movies at the rate that Owen consumes tofu.  Though the execution was a little extreme (who can actually eat just fast food for 30 days?), I liked the premise and it made for entertaining watching. One of the main points of the movie was the hypnotizing effects of the fast food industry's marketing; my major was marketing, and one of the reasons I picked that major was because I had an interest in consumer psychology, so the movie was of particular interest to me. Later that year, Spurlock came to my campus to discuss his film. He was one of the best public speakers I have ever seen, funny and informative. In his defense, I have learned that any documentary, including Fathead, that stars the writer/director has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Fathead begins with Naughton visiting his doctor and finding that his percentage of body fat defines him as obese. Naughton lauches into a discussion on the changing definitions of obesity and overweightness, and points out that the Body Mass Index is a poor measure of anything. 

Next Naughton puts forth the major conflict of the movie: how the scientific medical community is motivated by consumer money and government grants. Using a deep-throated voice telling us to "follow the money," Naughton illustrates how broader definitions of obesity and obesity fatalities equal more urgency about the epidemic and more government funding. Any good documentary that is taking on the establishment must present a conspiracy theory to convince people that the public is in danger. In Fathead the public is in danger from the government, pharmacuetical companies, undereducated doctors, big agriculture, and vegetarian special interest groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Borrowing some of its arguments from the Doctors Eades of the Protein Power books and Gary Taubes of Good Calories, Bad Calories, Naughton sets out his conspiracy theories.

The movie's main points are highlighted by "bologna" alerts. Any time Naughton calls BS it is highlighted by flashing pack of deli meat. Among the loads of bologna that we've been fed are that: saturated fat is artery clogging, vegetable oils and grains are good for us, and we can burn fat through simple calorie deficits. Click here to go the movie's website complete list of No Bologna Facts.

I recommend this movie to you if you think that eating less than 2000 calories a day is going to help you lean out, or you have an aversion to eating animal fats. This movie takes the main points of animal based diet science and consolidates them into an easy 2 hour block of time. If you keep meaning to read Good Calories, Bad Calories or Protein Power, and you just want the main ideas, watch this movie.

I'm told we have Evan to thank for bringing attention to Tom Naughton's documentary Fat Head. The term "fat head" is based on the fact that fat is brain food and our brains are mostly made of fat. The movie is built as a rebuttal of Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, in which writer/director Morgan Spurlock ate at McDonalds for 30 days and gained 30 pounds. Naughton disagrees with Spurlock's nutrition "expertise" and his claims about the brainwashing effects of the fast food industry's marketing. This disagreement led Naughton to make a documentary starring himself eating fast food for 30 days and moving his health indicators (cholesterol levels, weight, and body fat percentage) in the right direction. The experiment was a success.

I must start my review of Fat Head with a nod to its nemisis, Morgan Spurlock. I saw Super Size  Me my freshmen year of college, when I was watching movies at the rate that Owen consumes tofu.  Though the execution was a little extreme (who can actually eat just fast food for 30 days?), I liked the premise and it made for entertaining watching. One of the main points of the movie was the hypnotizing effects of the fast food industry's marketing; my major was marketing, and one of the reasons I picked that major was because I had an interest in consumer psychology, so the movie was of particular interest to me. Later that year, Spurlock came to my campus to discuss his film. He was one of the best public speakers I have ever seen, funny and informative. In his defense, I have learned that any documentary, including Fathead, that stars the writer/director has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Fathead begins with Naughton visiting his doctor and finding that his percentage of body fat defines him as obese. Naughton lauches into a discussion on the changing definitions of obesity and overweightness, and points out that the Body Mass Index is a poor measure of anything. 

Next Naughton puts forth the major conflict of the movie: how the scientific medical community is motivated by consumer money and government grants. Using a deep-throated voice telling us to "follow the money," Naughton illustrates how broader definitions of obesity and obesity fatalities equal more urgency about the epidemic and more government funding. Any good documentary that is taking on the establishment must present a conspiracy theory to convince people that the public is in danger. In Fathead the public is in danger from the government, pharmacuetical companies, undereducated doctors, big agriculture, and vegetarian special interest groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Borrowing some of its arguments from the Doctors Eades of the Protein Power books and Gary Taubes of Good Calories, Bad Calories, Naughton sets out his conspiracy theories.

The movie's main points are highlighted by "bologna" alerts. Any time Naughton calls BS it is highlighted by flashing pack of deli meat. Among the loads of bologna that we've been fed are that: saturated fat is artery clogging, vegetable oils and grains are good for us, and we can burn fat through simple calorie deficits. Click here to go the movie's website complete list of No Bologna Facts.

I recommend this movie to you if you think that eating less than 2000 calories a day is going to help you lean out, or you have an aversion to eating animal fats. This movie takes the main points of animal based diet science and consolidates them into an easy 2 hour block of time. If you keep meaning to read Good Calories, Bad Calories or Protein Power, and you just want the main ideas, watch this movie.

Books in Review: The Paleo Diet

Books in Review: The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain teaches a basic understanding of eating like a caveman or cavewoman. The Paleo Diet is based on the diet of our hunter-gatherer Paleolithic ancestors: lean meat and fish, fresh fruit, and nonstarchy vegetables. When the book says to eat those things, it means pretty strict adherence to the dietary prescription.

The book begins with an explanation of the Paleodiet and why it is different from other low-carb diets. Cordain contends that the Paleo diet is a lifestyle change and not a fad diet (all diet books say this). The Paleo diet falls somewhere between the Zone Diet (easiest) and the Atkins Diet (hardest) to follow long term. The Zone is easiest because anything can be zoned. The Atkins Diet is the most difficult, because a mostly animal diet can become unpalatable after a while. The Paleo Diet falls in between because there are no portion prescriptions, like there are in the Zone, but unlike the Zone, there are rather strict prescriptions for what foods should be eaten. This range of what can be eaten in  is larger than that prescribed by the Atkins diet.

The book does a good job of describing the various diseases that a Paleo diet can prevent and heal. Cordain explains that food is the the most basic medicine that we can use to rid ourselves of the diseases of society, ie. those caused by eating a diet based on high carbohydrates."Syndrome X" sums up the most dangerous of these diseases: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and Dyslipidemia (low HDL, high LDL and triglycerides). One of my criticisms of the book that it does not go into enough of the specifics as to how the diet will help heal these diseases.

The book next moves into its best written and most interesting part, a section on what to eat. The diet calls for eating lean meats and discusses how the meat that Paleo cavemen would have eaten would have not been salted and would not contain the high saturated fat levels that we are accustomed to eating today. Game and organ meat came from lean wild animals, while today we eat fatty, grain-fed animals. The book gives great suggestions for acquiring lean, "range-fed" traditional meats in your local grocery store, and also provides some businesses where one can buy more exotic meats. The book describes recommendations as far as fruits and vegetables, though I think it could have done a better job of emphasizing non-starchy vegetables and educating people on the dangers of eating mostly starchy vegetables.The explanation of which nuts and oils to eat brings up an interesting point on Omega 3 vs Omega 6 ratios. Turns out that we are getting way too much Omega 6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) in our diets vs Omega 3 EFAs. Too many Omega 6s may actually be harmful, causing chronic inflammation, so we need to focus on fat sources that will afford us the lowest ratio of Omega 3s to 6s. For nuts, walnuts are best, for oils, flaxseed oil is best.

Another interesting point of the book is the consideration of net acid/alkaline balance of a diet. Some foods such as protein and salt create a net acid balance in the body. The body will need to balance out the acid with akalines either from diet (fruits and vegetables) or with calcium and other minerals from bones. Over time, net diet acidity can lead to loss of bone and tooth density, so Cordain recommends avoiding salt entirely, and eating ample fruits and vegetables.

I appreciated the recipes section. Recipes allow people to think outside of the typical "piece of meat and plateful of vegetables" mentality. There are alot of seafood recipes that may be hard to follow if you can't afford nice seafood, or don't know where to get it, but overall the book does a good job of providing a variety of do-able dishes.

My major criticism of the book is that it reads too much like a diet book. Cordain describes "levels" for the diet, which are simply meal plans with scheduled cheat days. Anytime an author describes cheating, you are reading a diet book. Also, any time that an author has a section on exercise that just seems tacked on, you know you are reading a diet book; there is such a section in this book. The book is also peppered with "success stories," such as those from Melissa and Jack. Cordain could have benefited from taking these parts out of the book, giving more anthropological evidence validating the diet, and also discussing more clinical trials of the diet.

For the best Crossfit resource on Paleo dieting, start with the FAQ on Robb Wolf's Blog. Wolf has worked with Cordain in the past and is a great resource for all things Paleo. Robb also runs the CF Nutrition Cert.  

The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain teaches a basic understanding of eating like a caveman or cavewoman. The Paleo Diet is based on the diet of our hunter-gatherer Paleolithic ancestors: lean meat and fish, fresh fruit, and nonstarchy vegetables. When the book says to eat those things, it means pretty strict adherence to the dietary prescription.

The book begins with an explanation of the Paleodiet and why it is different from other low-carb diets. Cordain contends that the Paleo diet is a lifestyle change and not a fad diet (all diet books say this). The Paleo diet falls somewhere between the Zone Diet (easiest) and the Atkins Diet (hardest) to follow long term. The Zone is easiest because anything can be zoned. The Atkins Diet is the most difficult, because a mostly animal diet can become unpalatable after a while. The Paleo Diet falls in between because there are no portion prescriptions, like there are in the Zone, but unlike the Zone, there are rather strict prescriptions for what foods should be eaten. This range of what can be eaten in  is larger than that prescribed by the Atkins diet.

The book does a good job of describing the various diseases that a Paleo diet can prevent and heal. Cordain explains that food is the the most basic medicine that we can use to rid ourselves of the diseases of society, ie. those caused by eating a diet based on high carbohydrates."Syndrome X" sums up the most dangerous of these diseases: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and Dyslipidemia (low HDL, high LDL and triglycerides). One of my criticisms of the book that it does not go into enough of the specifics as to how the diet will help heal these diseases.

The book next moves into its best written and most interesting part, a section on what to eat. The diet calls for eating lean meats and discusses how the meat that Paleo cavemen would have eaten would have not been salted and would not contain the high saturated fat levels that we are accustomed to eating today. Game and organ meat came from lean wild animals, while today we eat fatty, grain-fed animals. The book gives great suggestions for acquiring lean, "range-fed" traditional meats in your local grocery store, and also provides some businesses where one can buy more exotic meats. The book describes recommendations as far as fruits and vegetables, though I think it could have done a better job of emphasizing non-starchy vegetables and educating people on the dangers of eating mostly starchy vegetables.The explanation of which nuts and oils to eat brings up an interesting point on Omega 3 vs Omega 6 ratios. Turns out that we are getting way too much Omega 6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) in our diets vs Omega 3 EFAs. Too many Omega 6s may actually be harmful, causing chronic inflammation, so we need to focus on fat sources that will afford us the lowest ratio of Omega 3s to 6s. For nuts, walnuts are best, for oils, flaxseed oil is best.

Another interesting point of the book is the consideration of net acid/alkaline balance of a diet. Some foods such as protein and salt create a net acid balance in the body. The body will need to balance out the acid with akalines either from diet (fruits and vegetables) or with calcium and other minerals from bones. Over time, net diet acidity can lead to loss of bone and tooth density, so Cordain recommends avoiding salt entirely, and eating ample fruits and vegetables.

I appreciated the recipes section. Recipes allow people to think outside of the typical "piece of meat and plateful of vegetables" mentality. There are alot of seafood recipes that may be hard to follow if you can't afford nice seafood, or don't know where to get it, but overall the book does a good job of providing a variety of do-able dishes.

My major criticism of the book is that it reads too much like a diet book. Cordain describes "levels" for the diet, which are simply meal plans with scheduled cheat days. Anytime an author describes cheating, you are reading a diet book. Also, any time that an author has a section on exercise that just seems tacked on, you know you are reading a diet book; there is such a section in this book. The book is also peppered with "success stories," such as those from Melissa and Jack. Cordain could have benefited from taking these parts out of the book, giving more anthropological evidence validating the diet, and also discussing more clinical trials of the diet.

For the best Crossfit resource on Paleo dieting, start with the FAQ on Robb Wolf's Blog. Wolf has worked with Cordain in the past and is a great resource for all things Paleo. Robb also runs the CF Nutrition Cert.  

Books in Review: Starting Strength

Books in Review: Starting Strength

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore is a invaluable resource for learning the basics of strength training. It is a book that rank novices can pick up and teach themselves the basics of strength training. It reminds me alot of a book that a doughy 7th grader once picked up and began in him a life-long interest in fitness. That book was called The Navy Seal Workout; it didn't contain any BS, just lots of photos, diagrams, and notes on how to put together a very tough calisthenics program. Starting Strength is even less BS and a better book in general. The authors' passion for the movements come through in the breadth and depth of their explanations of the various exercises.

The book starts with a chapter on the squat that justifies the cost of the book alone. The reader is next introduced to the benchpress, the deadlift, the press, and the powerclean. The book next explains some useful assistance exercises which break into two categories: versions of the major lifts, (eg. incline bench press, Romanian Deadlift) and ancillary exercise (dips, pull-ups). There is a short section on programming. My only criticism of the book is that it could have had more explicit information of how to program all the exercises together, and more examples of actual programs, but that subject may be relegated more to the other Rippetoe/Kilgore book I just started: Practical Programming for Strength Training.

The genius of Mark Rippetoe is his ability to simplify things into concise terms and examples so that people can understand them immediately. For example,instead of getting caught up in anatomical terms and sequences when describing "hip drive," he shows a picture of himself standing on a ladder above a squatting athlete on the ground. Rippetoe is pulling a chain attached to the belt of the athlete directly upwards, teaching the athlete to lead with his butt and not his legs when squatting. I am yet to meet the man or take his Basic Barbell Certification, but I am excited to see what more practical knowledge he will pass to me in person, video, or print.

Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore is a invaluable resource for learning the basics of strength training. It is a book that rank novices can pick up and teach themselves the basics of strength training. It reminds me alot of a book that a doughy 7th grader once picked up and began in him a life-long interest in fitness. That book was called The Navy Seal Workout; it didn't contain any BS, just lots of photos, diagrams, and notes on how to put together a very tough calisthenics program. Starting Strength is even less BS and a better book in general. The authors' passion for the movements come through in the breadth and depth of their explanations of the various exercises.

The book starts with a chapter on the squat that justifies the cost of the book alone. The reader is next introduced to the benchpress, the deadlift, the press, and the powerclean. The book next explains some useful assistance exercises which break into two categories: versions of the major lifts, (eg. incline bench press, Romanian Deadlift) and ancillary exercise (dips, pull-ups). There is a short section on programming. My only criticism of the book is that it could have had more explicit information of how to program all the exercises together, and more examples of actual programs, but that subject may be relegated more to the other Rippetoe/Kilgore book I just started: Practical Programming for Strength Training.

The genius of Mark Rippetoe is his ability to simplify things into concise terms and examples so that people can understand them immediately. For example,instead of getting caught up in anatomical terms and sequences when describing "hip drive," he shows a picture of himself standing on a ladder above a squatting athlete on the ground. Rippetoe is pulling a chain attached to the belt of the athlete directly upwards, teaching the athlete to lead with his butt and not his legs when squatting. I am yet to meet the man or take his Basic Barbell Certification, but I am excited to see what more practical knowledge he will pass to me in person, video, or print.