Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Cardiologist Subscribe Today! Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode. Informative Session With Cardiologist Dr. Davis – InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode 564 Hosted by Amanda Williams, MD, MPH. *Intro music* InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our …
Your body needs omega-3s to function properly, but most Americans are lacking these important fatty acids. Here’s why that’s a problem for immunity, brain health and more.
keto diet
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:40] When it comes to a healthy diet, oftentimes people get confused between dieting and diet. Today, I want to talk about the importance of diet, and I’m going to zero in on the difference between the two most popular diets that people adhere to. One is the Mediterranean diet, the other is the keto diet. The keto diet has definitely gained a lot of attention and momentum over the past few years, so I want to really be able to differentiate between the two, which is the most ideal and why one would be following a said diet. So not dieting, but actual diet. I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH, Scientific Director at InViteⓇ Health, and it’s important to understand the difference, when you think about the word dieting and people will often say this, “Oh, I’m on a diet,” or “I’m dieting.” Dieting is when you’re actually limiting yourself to, you know, certain choices of foods as opposed to following a healthy diet, which is going to allow you to have a lot more options, but they’re in that healthy category.† [00:01:52]
[00:01:53] So we have to understand that when it comes to adhering to a particular dietary pattern, the two diets that most people trend to are going to be the Mediterranean diet and the keto diet, and there’s a lot of interest in this. They are very different in their own right. We understand that many people say, “Oh, you have to be on a keto diet and this creates ketosis.” There’s a lot of science that will show that actually the adherence to the Mediterranean diet is the preferred dietary choice. And I encourage people all the time when they come to me and say, “Hey, should I be doing a keto diet? I had a friend that did it and they lost all this weight and they feel really good and energetic.” It doesn’t work the same for every single person. So when you’re doing the keto diet, we’re actually kind of following in that vein of dieting because we’re limiting our exposure to certain nutrients, whereas the Mediterranean diet is not doing that. We have the full spectrum of all of the different food groups, but we’re just making healthier choices.† [00:03:05]
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[00:03:06] So let’s get into some of the science behind this. So what’s really involved when someone’s doing a Mediterranean diet or a keto diet and comparing the two? So historically, when you think about the Mediterranean diet, this is when you think about countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, who always followed a very unique dietary routine that included many healthy fats, things like seeds and nuts, lots of fruits and vegetables, a good intake when it came to fatty fish and a low intake of things like red meat and sugar and dairy. Now, following a Mediterranean diet is certainly advantageous and the most widely studied of all diets out there. So we understand that when we look at every single system in the body, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be clinically effective at targeting issues with cognitive health because it helps to maintain your brain volume as you age. When it comes to heart health for supporting the entire vascular system. When it comes to regulating blood cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels. So all in all, we know that the most healthy way to eat is through that adherence of the Mediterranean diet. Having optimal cardiovascular health is what most people should be striving for. Maintaining the health of our brain is what most people should be striving for. And of course, not falling into that trap of having elevated glucose that can do so much damage to every single system in the body.† [00:04:44]
[00:04:45] Now, when you think about the keto diet, this is a little bit different. The keto diet was initially introduced back in the 1920s as a diet to turn to for neurological support. So when people had seizures, for example, what they were doing was allowing the body to use ketosis. It’s using fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. So when you think about this and you correlate this into a dietary intake, this is why a keto diet is going to be incredibly restrictive or basically eliminating down carbohydrates. So the carb intake would solely be coming from minimal exposure to, say, a little tiny bit of fruit or a little tiny bit of vegetables. So its initial, you know, target for brain health and for the neurological component to that made a lot of sense because you didn’t want to have excess sugar, which would then create these misfirings. However, for the average person to eat this way is usually not going to be sustainable. And we know that when people are doing a keto diet, oftentimes they will find this initial drop in weight, and that’s because you’re taking the bad carbohydrates out, so initially you can have this weight loss. But the problem is is that managing that weight loss and maintaining that over time becomes difficult because now you’re lacking in key nutrients that come from healthy carbohydrates. So now you can start to see the difference. And this can start to create this response in the body where originally you do the keto diet, you have a lot of energy and then over time you start to dwindle and you start to feel tired and fatigued, and it can even affect your mood. You maybe start feeling anxious or depressed. It can affect your sleep.† [00:06:49]
[00:06:51] So when we think about a keto diet, does it mean no one should ever do a keto diet? No, not necessarily. There are times where a keto diet could be quite advantageous, but for the average person, 95% of people the Mediterranean diet is 100% the choice that you want to make. And looking at that comparison, the risk versus benefits one could say between a keto diet and a Mediterranean diet, it is definitely very scientific, and we can look at how many of the foods that are contained in both the keto diet as well as the Mediterranean diet. There’s a cross linking of those when you look at some of the healthy fats, for example. But we also have to realize that it is through that, you know, strict adherence to a keto diet that things can start to diminish in the body.† [00:07:46]
[00:07:47] So I want to talk about a study that was done in 2021, and it was published in the Nutrients Journal, where they were looking at the adherence of a ketogenic and Mediterranean style diets. So this was a crossover trial, and it was called the Keto-Med randomized trial. So it’s kind of interesting, right? Keto-Med randomized trial. And the reason why they wanted to focus in on this is because of the prevalence, the rate of type two diabetes that is increasing at this alarming rate throughout the United States as well as throughout the world. And we know that the foods are that driving factor. So people who follow a Standard American Diet, which is high in bad carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, does not have any exposure to the powerful antioxidants that fruits and vegetables provide, or the fiber that those fruits and vegetables provide. We know that when we’re looking at the average carbohydrate intake in the United States, it makes up well over for many folks 50% of your daily energy, and that is certainly going to be problematic. Now, when you look at a Mediterranean diet because you’re getting this expansive exposure to different nutrients, the healthy fats coming from the olive oils and the nuts and the seeds, fatty fish, avocados, for example, we know that the energy coming from the carbohydrates is going to be somewhere around 35%. Now we can look at a ketogenic diet. We know that this is incredibly restrictive to that carb intake. And so the range of carb energy when someone’s on a keto diet is roughly about 10%. So you can see Standard American Diet, you’re well over 50% just eating donuts, horrible foods that are just not nutrient dense whatsoever. We can look at healthier carb options in the Mediterranean diet, which is going to yield you really wonderful energy. About 35% of your energy will be coming from those foods, from those carbohydrate-based foods, but they’re healthy carbs, whereas the restrictive keto diet only going to be 10% and in some cases even lower than that.† [00:10:05]
[00:10:05] So they wanted to set up this randomized crossover trial to compare the two different diets. So looking at the ketogenic diet versus the Mediterranean diet, and the objective was to really determine which diet is more effective in improving blood glucose for that regulation of diabetes and looking at those outcomes over time. It was quite interesting the way that they set this study up, so they took adults over the age of 18 years old and they were assessing their blood glucose levels, their hemoglobin A1C and these were all people who had been diagnosed with type two diabetes. They had them complete these different screening assessments to see what their current dietary intake was like. And then they had them join into this, and they had them adhere to a Mediterranean diet, and then after they did that, they switched them over to a keto diet and they were able to follow and track how these people responded to the different foods through the analysis of blood testing. So it’s a really interesting way to, to assess how foods impact the human body. And they’ve done a really interesting study where they had people go and eat like a burger and fries and a milkshake. And then like an hour later, they tested their blood levels and you could see how the immune system was incredibly raging and the inflammation was driving up. And then they tested them like six hours after they had that meal and it was still really high. So it tells you the damaging effects of those bad foods. So looking at this particular study, they, you know, tracked what they were eating. They had them do the Mediterranean diet. Then they switched them over to doing a keto diet and then assessed all of those different functional levels so they can compare which one is going to actually yield and garnish the better support for someone who is dealing with type two diabetes. And what they were able to notate through this study was that the nutritional interventions that both of the different diets yielded, the Mediterranean diet by far gave the greatest bit of support because remember, they were getting that comprehensive blend of fruits and vegetables that were helping to fend off oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. And so this is a example of a very scientifically driven study showing the advantages of adherence to a Mediterranean diet over a ketogenic diet.† [00:12:54]
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[00:12:55] There have been other studies that have looked at both the positives and negatives of a ketogenic diet, and it is, like I said, gained a lot of momentum and popularity over the last decade. And the main reason is because people can lose a lot of weight. So I always say ketogenic is technically dieting. It’s not a diet. It’s not something that you would stick with for life. It’s dieting. And to understand the difference between the two and seeing the science behind the Mediterranean diet and its prevention of chronic diseases, it is hands down the most widely studied and the most supported when it comes to the scientific data when you’re looking across all different spectrums, whether we’re talking about chronic kidney disease, heart disease, any of the metabolic disorders, we know that it comes down to the full spectrum of getting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibers, healthy fats, good healthy carbohydrates. This is what the human body actually needs. So when we’re restricting the body to less amounts of one thing, it doesn’t always pay off for us in the end. So hopefully this yields a little clarity for those who maybe are kind of on the fence, like, “Which one should I do? Should I do the keto diet or the Mediterranean diet?” Well, Mediterranean diet is actually the one about healthy eating, keto diet is technically dieting. So if you understand the difference between the two, maybe you use the keto diet for a short term, maybe a couple of weeks. You know you’re getting ready to go on a beach vacation. You want to trim down a little bit. Perhaps that keto diet in the short term would be ideal, but for long term overall health for all aspects of your wellness, the Mediterranean diet is the choice to definitely make.† [00:14:50]
[00:14:51] So I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now, do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:14:51]
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Not sure if you should be taking Vitamin B6 on its own? Find out why you might need this nutrient from Amanda Williams, MD, MPH.
B-complex
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:39] Getting to the basics of a B-complex. This is always a subject that comes up when people are trying to decide if they should do a single B-vitamin or if they should do a comprehensive B-complex. Depending upon what your health concerns are, generally speaking, utilizing a B-complex is going to be the first choice. Now you can still potentially need to add in additional, say, B12 on top of your B-complex. But for the most part, a B-complex should give you that coverage that perhaps you’re not getting from your foods. So I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH, and let’s talk about what a B-complex is in general.† [00:01:20]
[00:01:21] So we know that there’s 11 different vitamins that make up a B-complex. So those include Vitamin B1, which is thiamin. Vitamin B2, which is riboflavin. B3 is niacin. Then you have B5, which is pantothenic acid. We have B6, which is pyridoxine. B7 is biotin. We have B9, which is folic acid. B10, which is para-aminobenzoic acid. B12, which is cobalamin and then choline and inositol. So choline and inositol are really very unique in terms of what they do. So I just want to kind of do like a brief overview of each individual B-vitamin and for the most part, how they function in the body. Now, keep in mind, they all have multiple functions, so I’m just going to give you some of the the key ways to which these B-vitamins are utilized, which is why it would make sense to take a B-complex to make sure that we’re getting exposure to all of these Bs.† [00:02:23]
[00:02:24] So we know that B1, which is thiamin, this is involved in many different reactions in the body. So we know that it’s very important when it comes to the synthesis of acetylcholine, so for our memory. We certainly know it’s important when it comes to proper metabolism of thyroid hormones. We know it’s important for nerve function. So a reason why someone would maybe take additional B1 by itself, which would be in our Nerve HxⓇ formulation, would be if they had maybe some concerns with different neuropathies, for example. Or maybe they have, you know, a tendency to have high blood sugar levels, then taking additional B1 on top of the B-complex would be incredibly advantageous because we know that when someone has low B1, we can have issues with memory, we can have issues with, you know, that pins and needles feeling in the, in your fingers and your toes. Certainly fatigue. Mood disorders are oftentimes linked with Vitamin B1 insufficiencies or deficiencies.† [00:03:32]
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[00:03:33] Then we move on to Vitamin B2, which is riboflavin. Now, riboflavin is highly involved in our body’s energy making processes, but we also recognize that we need to have Vitamin B2 when it comes to our immune system and for the production of antibodies. And when we think about tissue repair, we have to have it for the manufacturing or the regeneration of glutathione, which is one of our body’s most important antioxidants. So we see how B2 is used to catalyze different reactions when it comes to carbohydrate and fat and protein metabolism. Certainly very beneficial when it comes to liver health as well.† [00:04:15]
[00:04:16] Then we move on to Vitamin B3, which is niacin. Now niacin, this definitely has many different functions in the body that I think are highly overlooked, one of which is through the process of proper cholesterol transport. So for managing a healthy balance between your good cholesterol and your bad cholesterol and actually niacin is one of the only things out there that has a really innate ability to drive up or increase your good cholesterol. Now it’s really… A lot of doctors actually prescribe a prescription-based niacin because this is one of the one things that we know for sure about niacin is it can help to raise your good cholesterol. But we know that it’s important also for adrenal function. We certainly see how it can be beneficial when it comes to the manufacturing of tryptophan and serotonin, so we think about our mood, when we think about our sleep cycle. And certainly when we think about energy production, so we can see all of the different ways to which Vitamin B3 niacin is incredibly important.† [00:05:25]
[00:05:25] Then we move on to Vitamin B5, which is pantothenic acid, and we know that this is incredibly important when it comes to our immune system and the formation of antibodies when it comes to fatty acids in the body, how we actually move those fatty acids around so they can be made into energy. We can see how Vitamin B5 also really helps in terms of supporting our red blood cell production, as well as supporting our adrenal glands.† [00:05:57]
[00:05:58] So all of these little vitamins, they all have significant actions in the body and we don’t want to overlook them, which is why a B-complex containing all 11 of these B-vitamins is so very important, and we can see different reasons as to why someone, you know, could potentially have, you know, problems with not getting adequate exposure to these B-vitamins. Many of these B-vitamins are contained in foods that you find in the Mediterranean Diet. If you’re not, you know, if you’re having an ultra processed diet, you’re probably not getting much exposure to these very important B-vitamins.† [00:06:39]
[00:06:40] Now let’s move on to Vitamin B6. This is pyridoxine. Now pyridoxine, this is really quite interesting. This has many functions once again when we look at our sleep cycle, when we look at the production of hydrochloric acid within our gut, when we look at the transfer of different amino acid groups and the metabolism of amino acids. We know it’s highly important when it comes to the way that our body detoxifies, so through the methylation reactions for vascular support to make sure we don’t have inflammation occurring within our blood vessels. So we know that Vitamin B6, this is a big one when it comes to the neurotransmitter support, when it comes to the detoxification. Very, very important B-vitamin.† [00:07:29]
[00:07:30] And then we look at biotin. Now, many people think about biotin in the setting of, for our hair and our skin and our nails. And certainly we know that biotin, which is Vitamin B7, we know that this functions in our body to help to strengthen our nails. We know that it also works to enhance insulin sensitivity. We know that we require biotin when it comes to fatty acid synthesis. So we think about, once again, our mood, our energy levels, our skin health, our hair health, nervous system health and, once again, natural sources of biotin oftentimes are not included in a standard American diet, but certainly exposure to, you know, foods that are contained within a Mediterranean diet, you would get a better exposure because we’re looking at things like walnuts and pecans are really wonderful sources. Almonds, some of the cruciferous vegetables have a really nice source of biotin. But is it going to be enough? This is why taking a B-complex is always advantageous.† [00:08:41]
[00:08:43] Then we move on to folic acid, which is B9. We can see once again that folic acid plays a really important role when it comes to the way our body detoxifies. We know that we need to have folate for the synthesis of hemoglobin. Remember, we have to have hemoglobin for the transport of oxygen. We also know that when it comes to just our early development that folic acid plays a really key factor in the way that the central nervous system develops. We know that we need to have folic acid for the conversion of dopamine. So we’re looking at neurotransmitter production again. We’re looking at cardiovascular. We know it’s essential for the way that our cellular DNA is working.† [00:09:29]
[00:09:30] And then we take another step and we say B12. So now we’re moving down the the 11 B-vitamins in that B-complex. So Vitamin B12 is cobalamin, and we certainly know that most people associate B12 with energy, and we know that it’s clearly a regulator when it comes to DNA production in the body. We know it’s important in conjunction with folic acid when it comes to the detoxification pathways and energy production. And we can also see how it is required for red blood cell metabolism. It’s required for proper digestion. There’s a lot of different moving parts when it comes to B12. When we think about carnitine, the amino acid carnitine is highly reliant on B12 in terms for allowing the fatty acids to be generated into energy.† [00:10:31]
[00:10:33] So now we can start to see, yeah, we need these B-vitamins. These are pretty darn important. And then we add in the choline and the inositol. So this is what rounds out our complete B-complex. Choline is very key when we think about the making of acetylcholine, and acetylcholine is our primary neurotransmitter that’s involved with memory. We know that choline is essential for just normal brain function, for liver function. It aids in the metabolism of the fats that we take in and then we inositol. Now, this is really a unique B-vitamin as well. We know that inositol is very integral when it comes to its ability to create kind of a calming effect within the brain, but it’s also required for that cell to cell communication. So with our brain cells being able to communicate properly, then we get better and more effective release of those key neurotransmitters. So we can see why inositol oftentimes is utilized in traditional medicine when it comes to treatment for things like depression and panic disorders and anxiety. We know that we need to have inositol when it comes to the metabolism of our sex hormones. We know it’s key when it comes to the metabolism of fats throughout the body.† [00:11:59]
[00:12:00] So there are many different ways in which a B-complex is yielding us incredibly comprehensive support. So when people ask me, “Should I take a B-complex, like I’m already taking a multivitamin, should I also take a B-complex?” I always say knowing that out of those 11 B-vitamins, they have so many different responsibilities and actions to do in our body each and every single day, it would be incredibly advantageous to add in a B-complex to your daily routine. So you can look at our B-Complex 100 as a perfect example. So you’re getting all 11 of those essential B-vitamins to really support your mood and your energy and your overall wellness.† [00:12:44]
[00:12:45] So that is all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning into the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now, do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:12:45]