It's that time already

Happy holidays to all!

Time flies. It's that time of year already to do a yearly review.

We continued to walk daily when weather permits, and we added a few kilometers a day from 8 to 12.

Richard continued to play pool every day and started rope skipping. He continued to lose weight. Now he weighs around 160 lbs. This is the weight he will maintain. We measured his height and turned out that he was 6'. At the above weight his BMI would be 21.7.

I added some stretching exercise, and 15 to 20 minutes meditation in the last three months of the year when walking became difficult due to the weather. I continued not smoking.

We continued to eat healthy, which to me is home prepared meal with plenty of vegetables and fruits. Our protein source is mostly from fish. Towards the end of the year, we added some tofu and a little bit of pork. Our carb. comes from pumpernickle bread, plantain and rice. Fat source is from cheese, avocado and walnut for Richard, and avocado and walnut for me. Of course, all nutrients overlap somewhat. there is fat in tofu and protein in cheese and walnut.

We cut off refined sugar in every format, except one chocolate cake (1kg) every two months on average.

We stopped drinking fruit juices all together after reading how fruit juices are processed (Orange juice: basic beverage isn't that simple).

Are we caloric restricted? Not by very much, anywhere between 0 to 20%. However, I have achieved my goal when BMI is concerned, which is at 18.8.

At the beginning of the year, we wanted to put in some house plants into the apartment. We started with 3 Mother in law's tongue (which survived three months without any care). Now we have 13. The ones we added include:

1 English ivy
6 Money Plants
1 peace lily
1 Christmas cactus
1 Madagascar jasmine

Out of all these, the Madagascar Jasmine was the most expensive and probably hardest to care for.

Richard continued his bible study.

I read and studied health and longevity related articles and becoming increasingly convinced that living till or beyond 100 is very achievable.

We started to host our own blog, which you can find at www.instead-of-wishing.com.

On the living space, we started the year by finishing Sanya home and just continued on. We started purely to beautify our living environment. However, this year seemed to have more weather related disasters on buildings than ever. We were one of its victims. So we fixed whatever damages done to us and tried our best to stay one step ahead; do what we could in order to prevent future disasters.

Existing cancer drug lenalidomide could restore aging immune system

UCSF “fountain of youth” pill could restore aging immune system

The cancer drug lenalidomide, a a derivative of thalidomide introduced in 2004, is marketed as Revlimid by Celgene.

Lenalidomide has been used to successfully treat both inflammatory disorders and cancers in the past 10 years.

However, as with any scientific research, one should not interpret the result as ready remedy.

Abscisic Acid

Researchers discover how natural drug fights inflammation

The natural drug described here is abscisic acid, which is a plant hormone. It exists in all parts of plants, but high in leaves, seeds and fruits.

Food high in abscisic acid includes carrots, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and cereals. However, high temperature cooking can destroy the acid in the plants. Therefore, eating raw or slightly cooked vegetables might be more beneficial to health.

Another interesting article to read is this:

Cancer: conquered or conqueror?

Anger Kills

On our kitchen wall, Richard posted a saying (do not remember from whom) to remind himself how to act in negative situations:

Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space lie our freedom and power to choose our response.

In those choices lie our growth and our happiness.

I say that in that space, one should time travel to the future, something like 10 years. If you can laugh at the stimulus of this moment 10 years from now, you will choose your response more wisely.

One of today’s CBC news (Montreal road rage victim dies) is a great example of some people who did not apply the above wisdom and it cost one human life.

It is no small feat to dig a 3.5' hole in the basement

We had to put a sump pump in the basement, so we started digging. It's no small feat to dig a hole 3 and half feet deep in the basement, especially if you did it in two days. We got rid of 1/5 of the dirt and do not know what to do with the rest. In between, tempers flared up and we almost got ourselves in a serious fight.

But it ended something similar to a part in "Sylvie and Bruno" by Lewis Carroll

"What are you doing there, Bruno?" I said.
"Spoiling Sylvie's garden," was all the answer Bruno would give at first. But, as he went on tearing up the flowers, he muttered to himself "The nasty cross thing wouldn't let me go and play this morning,--said I must finish my lessons first--lessons, indeed! I'll vex her finely, though!"
"Oh, Bruno, you shouldn't do that!" I cried.
"Don't you know that's revenge? And revenge is a wicked, cruel, dangerous thing!"
"River-edge?" said Bruno. "What a funny word! I suppose oo call it cruel and dangerous 'cause, if oo wented too far and tumbleded in, oo'd get drownded."
"No, not river-edge," I explained: "revenge" (saying the word very slowly). But I couldn't help thinking that Bruno's explanation did very well for either word.
"Oh!" said Bruno, opening his eyes very wide, but without trying to repeat the word.
"Come! Try and pronounce it, Bruno!" I said, cheerfully. "Re-venge, re-venge."
But Bruno only tossed his little head, and said he couldn't; that his mouth wasn't the right shape for words of that kind. And the more I laughed, the more sulky the little fellow got about it.
"Well, never mind, my little man!" I said.
"Shall I help you with that job?"
"Yes, please," Bruno said, quite pacified.
"Only I wiss I could think of somefin to vex her more than this. Oo don't know how hard it is to make her angry!"
"Now listen to me, Bruno, and I'll teach you quite a splendid kind of revenge!"
"Somefin that'll vex her finely?" he asked with gleaming eyes.
"Something that will vex her finely. First, we'll get up all the weeds in her garden. See, there are a good many at this end quite hiding the flowers."
"But that won't vex her!" said Bruno.
"After that," I said, without noticing the remark, "we'll water this highest bed--up here. You see it's getting quite dry and dusty."
Bruno looked at me inquisitively, but he said nothing this time.
"Then after that," I went on, "the walks want sweeping a bit; and I think you might cut down that tall nettle--it's so close to the garden that it's quite in the way--"
"What is oo talking about?" Bruno impatiently interrupted me. "All that won't vex her a bit!"
"Won't it?" I said, innocently. "Then, after that, suppose we put in some of these coloured pebbles--just to mark the divisions between the different kinds of flowers, you know. That'll have a very pretty effect."
Bruno turned round and had another good stare at me. At last there came an odd little twinkle into his eyes, and he said, with quite a new meaning in his voice, "That'll do nicely. Let's put 'em in rows-- all the red together, and all the blue together. "
"That'll do capitally," I said; "and then--what kind of flowers does Sylvie like best?"
Bruno had to put his thumb in his mouth and consider a little before he could answer. "Violets," he said, at last.
"There's a beautiful bed of violets down by the brook--"
"Oh, let's fetch 'em!" cried Bruno, giving a little skip into the air. "Here! Catch hold of my hand, and I'll help oo along. The grass is rather thick down that way."
I couldn't help laughing at his having so entirely forgotten what a big creature he was talking to. "No, not yet, Bruno," I said: "we must consider what's the right thing to do first. You see we've got quite a business before us."
"Yes, let's consider," said Bruno, putting his thumb into his mouth again, and sitting down upon a dead mouse.
"What do you keep that mouse for?" I said. "You should either bury it, or else throw it into the brook."
"Why, it's to measure with!" cried Bruno.
"How ever would oo do a garden without one? We make each bed three mouses and a half long, and two mouses wide."
I stopped him, as he was dragging it off by the tail to show me how it was used, for I was half afraid the 'eerie' feeling might go off before we had finished the garden, and in that case I should see no more of him or Sylvie. "I think the best way will be for you to weed the beds, while I sort out these pebbles, ready to mark the walks with."
"That's it!" cried Bruno. "And I'll tell oo about the caterpillars while we work."
"Ah, let's hear about the caterpillars," I said, as I drew the pebbles together into a heap and began dividing them into colours.
And Bruno went on in a low, rapid tone, more as if he were talking to himself.

................................
................................

"Hush, Bruno!" I interrupted in a warning whisper. "She's coming!"
Bruno checked his song, and, as she slowly made her way through the long grass, he suddenly rushed out headlong at her like a little bull, shouting "Look the other way! Look the other way!"
"Which way?" Sylvie asked, in rather a frightened tone, as she looked round in all directions to see where the danger could be.
"That way!" said Bruno, carefully turning her round with her face to the wood. "Now, walk backwards walk gently--don't be frightened: oo sha'n't trip!"
But Sylvie did trip notwithstanding: in fact he led her, in his hurry, across so many little sticks and stones, that it was really a wonder the poor child could keep on her feet at all. But he was far too much excited to think of what he was doing.
I silently pointed out to Bruno the best place to lead her to, so as to get a view of the whole garden at once: it was a little rising ground, about the height of a potato; and, when they had mounted it, I drew back into the shade, that Sylvie mightn't see me.
I heard Bruno cry out triumphantly "Now oo may look!" and then followed a clapping of hands, but it was all done by Bruno himself. Sylvie: was silent--she only stood and gazed with her hands clasped together, and I was half afraid she didn't like it after all.
Bruno too was watching her anxiously, and when she jumped down off the mound, and began wandering up and down the little walks, he cautiously followed her about, evidently anxious that she should form her own opinion of it all, without any hint from him. And when at last she drew a long breath, and gave her verdict--in a hurried whisper, and without the slightest regard to grammar-- "It's the loveliest thing as I never saw in all my life before!" the little fellow looked as well pleased as if it had been given by all the judges and juries in England put together.
"And did you really do it all by yourself, Bruno?" said Sylvie. "And all for me?"
"I was helped a bit," Bruno began, with a merry little laugh at her surprise. "We've been at it all the afternoon--I thought oo'd like--" and here the poor little fellow's lip began to quiver, and all in a moment he burst out crying, and running up to Sylvie he flung his arms passionately round her neck, and hid his face on her shoulder.
There was a little quiver in Sylvie's voice too, as she whispered "Why, what's the matter, darling?" and tried to lift up his head and kiss him.
But Bruno only clung to her, sobbing, and wouldn't be comforted till he had confessed. "I tried--to spoil oor garden--first--but I'll never-- never--" and then came another burst of tears, which drowned the rest of the sentence. At last he got out the words "I liked--putting in the flowers--for oo, Sylvie --and I never was so happy before." And the rosy little face came up at last to be kissed, all wet with tears as it was.
................................
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The Complete Stories and Poems of Lewis Carroll

Health News

Three interesting news from EurekAlert today:

Study reveals 'secret ingredient' in religion that makes people happier

Mindfulness meditation found to be as effective as antidepressants to prevent depression relapse


Low-dose aspirin reduces death rates from range of cancers by between 20 and 30 percent

Food or Poison?

Paracelsus, the father of toxicology, once wrote: "Everything is poison, there is poison in everything. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison."

Water is essential to our survival, but too much water can cause water intoxication, which can result in death.

Without oxygen, we die in a matter of minutes. Yet oxidative damage is part of the ageing process.

Can food be poisonous?

Food has been scarce. Starvation have been normal ever since we came into existence. Even today, starvation affects more than one billion people, or 1 in 6 people on this planet.

So whenever we had abundance of food, we over-ate in order to store extra energy to cope with the famine that were bound to happen sooner or later, except in today's developed world, it did not happen. we have had enough food ever since World War II or earlier in North America.

So we ate and ate. Are we poisoning ourselves with food?

According to Dr. Lustig, fructose in large doses is poisonous.

Most spices, when ingested in small quantity are beneficial to us, but are harmful in large doses. For example, black pepper contains small amounts of safrole, a mildly carcinogen. Garlic is another example. Although culinary quantities are normally safe for consumption, there are reports of adverse effects when large quantities are consumed as supplements.

Before we know more about how food works in relation to our health, we must treat food as everything else, that is, " Everything is poison, there is poison in everything. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison."

Another example of doctors not keeping up with science

Via EurekAlert Doctors failing to prescribe low-dose menopausal hormone therapy, Stanford study finds.

You Might As Well Live

I remember watching an interview with a centenarian. Her secret of living a long life is “You just live.”

Scientists apparently agree. “Reaching 100 years of age may be more about attitude and adaptation than health history, UGA study finds”.

By the way, the title comes from a poem by Dorothy Parker when describing suicidal methods

You might as well live

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

Protein

When it comes to nutrition, we seem to know so little. Of the three major components of our diet, we debate quite a lot in this day and age, whether to eat low carb or low fat, mainly because we are preoccupied with obesity.

What about protein?

The US guidelines recommend a daily protein dietary allowance, measured as intake per body weight, is 0.8 g/kg. However, this recommendation is based on structural requirements, but disregards use of protein for energy metabolism. Too much protein puts strains on kidney. Proteolytic fermentation in our gut, breaks down proteins in food, and can produce toxins and carcinogens. Thus, a diet lower in protein reduces exposure to toxins.

Proteins are made of amino acids, out of which 8 (or 9 if we count histidine) are essential for humans and must obtain from food sources.

I do not know how much research has been done, but the optimal levels for essential amino acids as recommended by the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board are as follows:

Essential Amino Acid/ mg/g of Protein
Tryptophan/ 7
Threonine/ 27
Isoleucine/ 25
Leucine/ 55
Lysine/ 51
Methionine+Cystine/ 25
Phenylalanine+Tyrosine/ 47
Valine/ 32
Histidine/ 18

Unfortunately, unless you are doing research, nobody can follow the above profile.

Most animal sources have the complete complement of all the essential amino acids in adequate proportions. Apart from soybeans, vegetable sources of protein are more often lacking in one or more essential amino acids than animal sources, typically being deficient in lysine and methionine. Therefore, it is more complicated to be a vegetarian. I am a non strict vegetarian, as I eat fish, seafood and eggs. My grandmother was a strict vegetarian (vegan) since the age of 60 and lived till 91. So I do believe that one can be healthy and vegetarian. Tofu was her source of essential amino acids.

It is generally accepted that caloric restriction extend life span. Methionine restriction imparts at least some of the effects of CR without the CR.

One interesting aspect of all those long lived Chinese people (over the age of 90), is that they all eat very little in general and even less in meats. Practically people who could remember the years of great famine (1958-61), were forever affected and even if they could have a lot of foods available to them today, they still would not eat a lot. Therefore, it seems to me that they are not only doing CR, but also methionine restriction.

Gut Feeling, Brain in the Gut

Read a few articles regarding neurons in the gut and their implications:

Gut Feelings by Melissa Wachterman

The Brain in Your Gut, Biology of a Thanksgiving Meal, Promise Partner

The Enteric Nervous System: The Brain in the Gut

The Brain in Your Gut by Heribert Watzke

A typical day of mine

8:30: Get up
8:30 – 10:00: Wash myself, prepare and eat breakfast
10:00 - 14:00: Work (either renovation or leaning)
14:00 - 15:00: Have lunch
15:00 – 16:30: Walk outdoors, usually the river front park
16:30 – 18:30: Skip rope, stretch exercise and shower
18:30 – 20:30: Prepare and eat super
20:30 – 23:00: Play pool, read or watch a movie or browse internet
23:00 – 23:30: Wash
23:30: go to bed

Breakfast: slice of Tofu, slice of cheese, one apple, 7 halves of walnuts, one egg, a cup of tea
Lunch: miso soup, one slice of Pumpernickel bread, half of avocado
Super: coconut milk rice dish with pacific wild salmon, broccoli and onion, a radish salad, one glass of wine, a bowl of frozen grapes and a cup of coffee.

AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!

Idlers' asylum

On CBC, there is an interesting story about a young Asian man disguised himself in order to get into Canada (here). It’s surprising to find so many anti-immigration (and/or anti-refugee) Canadians by reading the comments of this article. But that is not the point I wish to make here.

I read somewhere that it is better to be a slacker in a market economy than in a socialist one, since one is rewarded with productivity in a market economy. However, in non-market economies low-productive members may be seen as parasites - it is hence better to be a slacker who could work hard but don't want to in a capitalist system than (say) in a socialist system.

In China in the seventies, anyone who could work but don’t want to work would for sure be sent to a labor camp. In reality, nobody was allowed to choose what type of work one wanted to do. If I had time traveled and had disguised myself and flew into Canada to seek asylum because I wanted to be an idler (or part time one until I made enough money to be a full time idler), I would have been ridiculed worse than this young man and been sent back to where I came from.

In North America, I believe that there are only two cities that are most suitable for idlers, Montreal and San Francisco. You need certain numbers of same kind in a society in order to survive. Montreal is full of people who prefer to make less money and have some time to idle. In San Francisco, idlers probably call themselves thinkers, but I could be wrong.

Rene Girard's arguments on Christianity

Listened to a very interesting conversation with Rene Girard regarding Christianity. Interesting to me since I am atheist turned agnostic and I believe in the actions of Jesus Christ. I would like to believe in God and be part of the Christian community. Rene Girard offers an explanation that is more acceptable perhaps to those with more logic minds. Here it is:



For those who prefer reading, Amazon sells his books in English:
The Girard Reader

Violence and the Sacred

The Scapegoat

Krill and Black Fungus

I bought some dried black fungus (also called cloud ear fungus) and some dried krill from Chinatown. One thing I noticed that the Chinese people (& some other cultures) eat a lot of calorie poor, micro nutrient rich food. In North America, both foods will be considered not worthwhile for consumption (quote-unquote “there is nothing in them”) or too weird.

150 gram of dried krill only contains 80 calories; while a bag of 100 g of dried black fungi contains 200 calories. The former is about 4 servings and the latter is at least 10 servings. In both cases, each serving is about 20 calories.

Krill is a great source of omega-3 fatty acid.

Black fungus has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for increasing the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation. It is given to patients who suffer from atherosclerosis. Recently Western medicine seems to confirm its anticoagulant property. Eat your daily black fungus instead of aspirin.

Compound in plants (Luteolin) reduces age-related memory deficits

Recent study suggests that luteolin improves cognitive health by acting directly on the microglial cells to reduce their production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain (here).

Luteolin is a common flavonoid found in many plants, including carrots, peppers, celery, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary, oregano and chamomile. It is thought to play an important role in the human body as an antioxidant.

"The researchers next turned their attention to the effects of luteolin on the brains and behavior of adult (3- to 6-month-old) and aged (2-year-old) mice. The mice were fed a control diet or a luteolin-supplemented diet for four weeks. The researchers assessed their spatial memory and measured levels of inflammatory markers in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important to memory and spatial awareness.

Normally, aged mice have higher levels of inflammatory molecules in the hippocampus and are more impaired on memory tests than younger adult mice. Aged mice on the luteolin-supplemented diet, however, did better on the learning and memory task than their peers, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines in their brains were more like those of the younger adult mice."

Facts about Sugar (2)

Came across this video through the Daily Lipid regarding fructose.



In my previous blog, I indicated that sugar is bad for us because we ate too much (which leads to fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis) and because refined sugar is empty calorie.

It is still true that excessive sugar is bad for us as when our body have too much of any one of the three dietary monosaccharides (glucose, fructose & galactose), fatty acids and triglycerides will be synthesized. Fatty acids get stored and make us look fat. Too much triglyceride is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

However, according to Dr. Robert Lustig, fructose is simply toxic. While glucose can be metabolized by every cell in the body, fructose can only be metabolized in the liver. Therefore, in this regard, consuming high fructose is like consuming high alcohol, which damages liver. And the byproducts of fructose metabolism are toxic, one being uric acid, the agent in gout. Galactose (mostly found in milk) is also metabolized in the liver, but we usually do not consume excessive amount.

So I stand corrected. Not all sugar is created equal. On the other hand, it is probably too radical to label fructose toxic. If eating whole fruits is healthy, then fructose cannot be toxic.

The importance of gut flora

Some say that you are the average of 5 of your friends. This may be true in social and financial status. When it comes to health, you may be whom you invite to live with. I am talking about microbes that live on your body.

Wikipedia put it this way about the gut flora: “The human body, consisting of about 100 trillion cells, carries about ten times as many microorganisms in the intestines. The metabolic activities performed by these bacteria resemble those of an organ, leading some to liken gut bacteria to a "forgotten" organ. It is estimated that these gut flora have around 100 times as many genes in aggregate as there are in the human genome.”

Studies have linked the microbes in our intestines to beneficial effects, including breaking down fiber into fatty acids; repressing the growth of harmful microorganisms; training the immune system to respond only to pathogens; and defending against some diseases and they are also linked to diseases such as obesity, colon-rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. In a study released today, scientists show that gut bacteria in zebra fish modulate an important signaling pathway where colorectal cancer takes root. The pathway happens to be the wnt pathway, which is known to play a key role in the homeostasis of many tissues; furthermore, its signaling via ß–catenin (one of Wnt’s several receptors) is perturbed in a variety of tumors. Now two complementary papers have demonstrated that Wnt may play a causative role in aging (ouroboros).

My mother has this ailment that I always considered it as a neurosis. Whenever she is nervous, upset or tired, she has diarrhea. This disease is passed on to all her four children. Now all of her children are over 40 years of age and no longer suffer from this ailment. I talked to a family practitioner about it 10 years ago and was told that it was pure nonsense. Reading studies about gut flora made me realize that this ailment has something to do with gut flora, since we all acquire our gut flora from our mothers. In my own case, it took about 20 years after leaving home to be rid of this nuisance. Now my gut flora is probably very different from my mother. I have no doubt that gut flora is as important as scientists claim. Therefore, studies should look at long term couples (different genetics, same gut flora) to see what roles genetics play and what roles gut flora play in cancer development and other diseases.

AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS (4)

We had planned a day of driving through the countryside of Vermont just to soak in the beautiful fall weather with the leaves changing. Unfortunately, it rained and will probably rain the whole day.

Instead, Husband plastered the ceiling where there was water damage and I repaired and altered an old jersey shirt. I have been repairing old cotton clothes recently as they are so much more comfortable just before they get worn out.

AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!!!

New way of counting calories

Instead of counting daily calories, I just tabulated the last 100 days of food by weight from grocery bills.

On average two of us ate 3700 calories per day with 38% fat, 44% carbohydrates and 17% protein. Omega 6 to 3 ratio is around 3, not taken into consideration of occasional spoonful of flax oil.

My BMI is at 18.8 and Richard is at 22.1; most people “hate” us because we look so thin.

Here are some of the foods we ate:

25 kg of fish
108 eggs
9 kg of nuts
18 kg of cheese
46 kg of grapes
32 kg of apples
Over 100 kg of vegetables
22 liters of red wine
3 kg of chocolate
& etc.

Looking at the amount of foods we ate, I would assume that we are over-eating. In reality, we are 10 to 20% caloric restricted.

I would like to pad myself on the back and say “Keep up the good diet”.

Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements promote longevity in middle-aged mice

Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements promote longevity in middle-aged laboratory mice according to the article published in October's Cell Metabolism.

BCAA includes leucine, isoleucine and valine. All three are essential amino acids, which means that our body cannot synthesize them and therefore must be taken in through our diet.

Consuming BCAA supplements is different from consuming proteins containing these three amino acids, as the former enters directly into the blood stream and the latter needs to be digested first.

BCAA are already marketed for human consumption. I would think that it is safe for older males who show signs of sarcopenia. However, one must be careful about the balance of things. Previous studies have shown that protein and methionine restriction increase maximum longevity in rodents, whereas neither carbohydrate nor lipid restriction seem to change rodent longevity.

Additional note regarding this research is that data was compiled on male mice only.

Universal BCAA 2000 Pure Capsules, Free Form BCAAs with Co-Factors, 120-Count Bottles

Optimum Nutrition Instantized Bcaa 5000 Powder, 336 Grams (11.8 Oz)

It's time to phase out codeine

Scientists say that it is time to phase out codeine.

However, only 20 days ago, codeine was handed out to every single patient in a day-surgery ward. Even though RMD vomitted out the 2 pills of codeine (in Tylenol 3 format) and was in extreme pain, he was totally ignored until it was time to kick him out as he became hindrance to workers wanting to go home. He was then given a shot of morphine and was pushed out of the hospital. The beauty of public health care - money saved and life not endangered.

I Am Grateful (1)

Last Friday morning getting up at 8:30, the first thing I went to check was the basement. I had my episode of “Oh, Is this not happiness” already written in my mind. 65 mm of rain had fallen over the night and not a drop of water in the basement; this was what I had imagined. Instead, water over spilled from the gutter. Any water collected by the gutter was supposed to drain down to the city sewer. However, one year the city sewer backed up into our basement and we had water 2 feet deep. So we blocked the exit to the sewage and had not installed a sump pump.

The gutter would not have had collected any water if we had sealed it with a special cement. Installing a sump pump is easy; it is digging a hole deep enough to put the sump pump that is difficult, but feasible.

Therefore, I am still grateful. I am grateful because we have a basement and it can be made sturdy, dry and beautiful.

Richard opened up the connection to the sewer, so water ran down the drain in seconds and moist was dried in a day with a fan.

-----

“You cannot exercise much power without gratitude because it is gratitude that keeps you connected to the power. … The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best, therefore it will receive the best”.

Wallace Wattles The Science of Getting Rich

Cancer drug imatinib may be used to treat Parkinson's Disease

Interesting research by Johns Hopkins scientists ( Parkinson's Disease: Excess of Special Protein Identified as Key to Symptoms and Possible New Target for Treatment with Widely Used Anti-Cancer Drug) shows that a widely used anti-cancer drug imatinib (currently marketed as Gleevec by Novartis) may be effective in controlling symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

The interesting point is that a single drug is being used to treat different cancers, but now a cancer treating drug is also implicated in Parkinson's disease, which is a degenerative disorder of central nervous system. Of course, most cancers and Parkinson's disease are age related. Ageing as a disease needs to be widely accepted before all age related diseases can be cured.

Another example of multi use cancer drug under clinical trial is Ipilimumab by Bristol & Myers Squibb.

Saturated fat not as bad as previously thought

New evidence shows that saturated fat intake has only a very limited impact on Cardiovascular Disease risk -- causing many to rethink the "saturated fat is bad" paradigm ( via eurekalert).

This probably partly explains the French Paradox, that French people suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats.

This in turn causes me to wonder why cheese is so much more expensive in North America than in Europe. I suspect that it is due to low demand caused somewhat by the propaganda that we have been hearing for over 30 years that saturated fat is a major culprit of cardiovascular disease.

Random Quotes

"It is simply a fact of life today that if the young people can text, they will not talk."

Don Kirkham

Think twice about public health care

Check this story out (B.C. man loses right to care for wife). People think that public health care is a better system should think twice. Whenever, a government is allowed too much power to run things, you lose personal freedom.

The public health care system in Canada is also not as "free" as most people assume. In addition to paying higher taxes to cover the health care, there are addition costs at the doctor’s office. For example, the dermatologist we go to charges $40.00 every time he squirts liquid nitrogen on a spot of your skin (not for cosmetic reasons).

Since I am in the mood ranting about public health care system, I might as well add one more comment. There is an article on CNBC about wastefulness of health care (Health Care Wastefulness Is Detailed in Studies). It seems to me that the public health care in Canada encourages wastefulness from my personal experience. I had not needed health care in the last 7 years. When I called up my family doctor in July, I was told that anyone who had not been seen by him for 5 years is considered a new patient and he does not take any new patients. I was rejected on the phone by 5 more other general practitioners. In the 7 years that I had not incurred any health care cost, I paid taxes just the same. The conclusion I was able to make was that if a person does not need frequent cares, he/she does not get one. Isn’t that encouraging wastefulness?

On the other hand, with private health insurance as with any other insurance, how much you pay is at least somewhat related to your past history of claims.

Enough rant,
Have a great day!

AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS (3)

AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS (3)

This happened on August 25.

Walking with a bag full of tools to repair a window and install a new heater, I saw two young men just about going away with an old beat-up truck with welding tools in the back. So I said hi and asked them if they do welding. After getting an affirmative answer, I asked them to take a look at my staircase, of which the top steel bar was bended, came off and temporarily bonded together with wires. Sure enough, they welded back and almost straightened the steel bar. It only took them 20 minutes and they wanted $40.00. I was so happy that this got fixed out of the blue; I gladly paid them $50.00. AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!!!

Written by Richard

The Half-and-Half Song by Li Mi-an

The following poem has helped me in dealing with a foul mood today:

The Half-and-Half Song by Li Mi-an taken from Lin Yutang's The Importance Of Living

By far the greater half have I seen through
This floating life-Ah, there's a magic word-
This "half"-so rich in implications.
It bids us taste the joy of more than we
Can ever own, Halfway in life is man's
Best state, when slackened pace allows him ease;
A wide world lies halfway 'twixt heaven and earth;
To live halfway between the town and land,
Have farms halfway between the streams and hills;
Be half-a-scholar, and half-a-squire, and half
In business, half as gentry live,
And half related to the common folk;
And have a house that's half genteel, half plain,
Half elegantly furnished and half bare;
Dresses and gowns that are half old, half new,
And food half epicure's, half simple fare;
Half servants not too clever, not too dull;
A wife who's not too simple, not too smart-
So then, at heart, I feel I'm half a Buddha,
And almost half a Taoist fairy blest.
One half myself to Father Heaven I
Return; the other half to children leave-
Half thinking how for my posterity
To plan and provide, and yet half minding how
To answer God when the body's laid at rest.
He is most wisely drunk who is half drunk;
And flowers in half-bloom look their prettiest;
As boats at half-sail sail the steadiest,
And horses held at half-slack reins trot best.
Who half too much has, adds anxiety,
But half too little, adds possession's zest.
Since life's of sweet and bitter compounded,
Who tastes but half is wise and cleverest.

Why too much sugar is bad for us?

It seems that every one agrees that too much sugar is bad for us. However, nobody agrees how much is too much and why?

First of all, sugars are empty calories.

Secondly, we are not the only ones who like sugar. Some bacteria inhabiting our body but harmful to us seem to like sugar as well.

We all know the sugar causes tooth decay. After eating sugar, sticky glycol-proteins start to adhere to the teeth. At the same time, millions of bacteria known as Streptococcus mutans also adhere to the glycoprotein. In the next stage, the bacteria use the fructose in a metabolism process of glycolysis for energy. The end product of glycolysis under anaerobic conditions is lactic acid. The lactic acid creates extra acidity to decrease the pH to the extent of dissolving the calcium phosphate in the tooth enamel leading to the start of a cavity. That’s what sugar does to our teeth.

Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that cause a chronic low-level inflammation of the stomach lining and are strongly linked to the development of duodenal and gastric ulcers and stomach cancer, seem to love glucose as well (see here).

Most importantly, sugar (which includes simple sugar, disaccharide and refined starch) raises the blood glucose level rapidly, which in turn triggers the release of insulin. Too much sugar intake means rapid fluctuations of blood sugar level, which is not healthy because of the stress they place on the body.

In addition our overall wellness and longevity seem to be closely connected to insulin signaling pathway. Metformin, a drug to treat type 2 diabetes, seems to show promise as a calorie restriction mimetic in the worm C. elegans (see here).

Now we have established that too much sugar is bad for us. How much is too much? I have already cut out processed mono- and disaccharides in my diet. If the sugar you eat comes from whole foods (fruits, vegetables and grains), can you still eat too much sugar (carbohydrates)? The answer is yes and very controversial. There exist two camps on the nutrition frontiers, one promotes low carb and another promotes low fats. There is practically no agreement between the two.

In the end, I decided to calculate backwards in order to find out how much carb. I should eat. I set my daily caloric intake at 1600. My protein intake I decided is 46 gram (1 g per kg of body weight) daily. My fat intake I set at 50 gram.

Fat 50g x 9 = 450 calorie ÷ 1600 = 28%
Protein 46g x 4 = 184 calorie ÷ 1600 = 12%

Therefore, my carbohydrates intake is 100% - 12% -28% = 60%
60% x 1600 = 966 calorie ÷ 4 = 242 gram of carbohydrates daily.

Of course, the ratios are there only as a goal to strive for. In reality, the total amount of calorie intakes varies from 1400 to 1800 a day. Fat intake varies from 20 to 35%, protein from 10 to 20% and carb from 45 to 60%.

Of the above numbers, most nutritionists will agree to the amount of protein I intake.

For the low fat camp, 50g of fat or 28% of total calorie is way too much. As for the low carb camp 242g of carb. or 60% of total calorie is a horror story.

However, growing up in a starving China, and having seen many women lived past 90 on mostly carb diet, it is very difficult for me to accept that high fat diet is healthy. In addition, how do you eat only the fat part without taking in too much protein? In addition, a lot of goodies such as fibers, vitamins and anti-inflammatory phyto-chemicals are associated with carbohydrates.

So I will eat carb, be it rice, pasta, bread, vegetables or fruits as long as non of them contains added sugar or vegetable oils.

Facts about Sugar

1. What Are Sugars

The followings are most commonly known sugars:

Glucose (dextrose): a simple sugar (monosaccharide)
Fructose: a simple sugar (monosaccharide)
Galactose: a simple sugar (monosaccharide)

Sucrose (saccharose): a disaccharide with glucose and fructose
Maltose: a disaccharide with two unit of glucose
Lactose: a disaccharide with galactose and glucose, mostly found in dairy products

The followings get turned into sugar (glucose) in our body:

Starch: a polysaccharide with a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. Depending on the plant, starch generally contains 20 to 25% amylose and 75 to 80% amylopectin.

Maltodextrin: a polysaccharide produced from starch by partial hydrolysis, which will break down to glucose

2. What Are Refined Sugars and What Are Natural Sugars

Sugar belongs to carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are divided into 4 groups, monosaccharides (one simple sugar), disaccharides (2 simple sugars), oligosaccharides (more than 3-9 simple sugars), polysaccarides (more than 10 simple sugars).

Table sugar is a refined sugar; it is sucrose extracted from sugar cane or beet. Brown sugar, raw sugar etc. are all refined sugar.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a refined sugar; it is 42% fructose and 58% glucose and manufactured from corn.

Manufactured galactose used in commercial bakeries is a refined sugar. It is also used to tone down overly acidic or tart flavors in foods.

Maltose found in high maltose corn syrup (HMCS), also referred to as maltodextrin, is a refined sugar. Maltose can also be made from barley, rice, potato etc.

Honey is almost a natural product and not considered refined sugar, but is mainly fructose (about 38.5%) and glucose (about 31.0%).

Maple syrup is also almost a natural product and not considered refined sugar; it is mainly sucrose and water.

Why do I consider honey and maple syrup almost natural rather than all natural? Because both products sold in the stores pass through some processing methods. The only true natural sugar is the sugar you get by eating whole fruits (fresh or frozen), such as apple, grapes, blue berries etc. Natural sugars also exist in sweet potatoes, corn and peas……

3. Is Sugar Good for You

Obviously, otherwise why would you be given intravenous glucose whenever you are in the hospital?

The reason why sugar gets such a bad rap is partly because we consume way too much (which leads to fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis)and partly because we consume refined sugar (empty calories with no nutrients). The latter is something like buying a pair of pliers from dollar store for a dollar and find out that it is a piece of junk so you throw it away and buy a pair of Stanley for $20.00. I still have my $20.00 pliers after I have used it for 10 years and it will probably last another 10. You can either drink a can of soda loaded with empty calories for $0.25 or getting the equivalent amount of sugar in frozen peas for 10 times the cost. The cheap soda makes you energized right away; and the latter just makes you full. I knew right away the pair of dollar store pliers was not good since it did not do a job required. We still do not know how to communicate with our bodies to find out what types of foods are good for us long term. We rely on scientists to find out. Often nutrition research is done through causality and we all know the chicken or the egg causality dilemma. We all love sugar through no fault of our own (evolution conditioned us to love sugar), and sugar is everywhere and cheap.

Unlike essential amino acids I do not believe that there are any essential sugars, though some claim that there are 8 of them. As studies show that sub-maximal endurance performance can be sustained despite the virtual exclusion of carbohydrate from the human diet ( see here). The only one that comes closest to essential sugar is glucose, but our body can breakdown many carbohydrates into glucose.

4. How to Incorporate Sugar into Your Diet

I try to follow a role model in the family as genetic make-up along with energy needs probably affect how much sugar you need. My maternal grandmother lived till 91 years old in good health. She ate very little and was vegetarian. She sat a lot (doing low vocal Buddhist chanting), so her energy need was little. The sugar she used occasionally was the sugar fellow villagers made from sugar cane. Basically, the sugar was made by boiling the juice squeezed from the sugar cane until majority of the water was evaporated. The sugar we got from the villagers looked like dark brown chocolate truffles. I spent my year 1 to 6 in that village and loved sugar cane season. Farmers set up outdoor cooking pits to boil the juice and all the kids running around eating sugar canes. When it got dark in the evening, we were then given these dark sugar clumps to take home. Now I would call those clumps natural sugar. My grandmother also loved persimmons, both fresh and dried, so she ate them as much as they were available to her. She ate white rice every day and it was her main source of calories. White rice breaks down to glucose.

I think sugar boost on an emergency case is not unhealthy. Unfortunately, most of us think every day life is an emergency. That’s how I thought when I was working. I used to boost myself every two hours with coffee, milk and sugar. Now if I need a sugar boost, I either drink fruit juice without added sugar or take a spoon of honey.

With the exception of occasional honey and fruit juice, all the sugars I eat now are from whole foods. I eat quite a lot of fruits each day. Right now I eat one apple, one cup of grapes and half pint of blue berries. Other sugar related foods I eat are white rice, sweet potatoes, spaghetti and pumpernickel bread. The pumpernickel bread I eat is made in Germany since the North American ones use too many additives.

I would like to eat less quantity in every thing, not just sugar. I am in the processing of training my body to do so. In the meantime, I am taking one day at a time and each day is One Great Day.

Scientists urge global investment and action plan to avert impending aging crisis

via eurekalert

July 14, 2010 – (BRONX, NY) – Now that scientists have learned so much about aging through laboratory studies, it's time to translate those findings into medicines that can benefit our aging population. That was the message delivered by a panel of 10 preeminent aging experts that included Jan Vijg, Ph.D., chair of genetics and the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

The expert panel was convened by the LifeStar Institute, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the consequences of global aging and supports medical research aimed at preventing and curing age-related diseases. Their report was published in the July 14 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The aging process results in significant social and medical costs that will rise rapidly in the coming decades as the number of elderly people increases. To prevent what it calls "a global aging crisis," the panel recommends that the U.S. and other countries collaborate in an international initiative that will translate laboratory findings about aging into new kinds of medicines.

More specifically, the panel urged countries to use their public health agencies to inform citizens about how they can improve their lifestyles so that they can live longer and healthier lives. In addition, the panel wrote, there is a need to develop regenerative therapies that could restore youthful structure and function in older people by repairing and neutralizing the cellular damage that occurs with aging.

"There is this misunderstanding that aging is something that just happens to you, like the weather, and cannot be influenced," said Dr. Vijg. "The big surprise of the last decades is that, in many different animals, we can increase healthy life span in various ways. A program of developing and testing similar interventions in humans would make both medical and economic sense."

Cashew seed extract an effective anti-diabetic

via eurekalert

Montreal, July 14, 2010 – Cashew seed extract shows promise as an effective anti-diabetic, according to a new study from the University of Montreal (Canada) and the Université de Yaoundé (Cameroun). Published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the investigation analyzed the reputed health benefits of cashew tree products on diabetes, notably whether cashew extracts could improve the body's response to its own insulin.

Diabetes is caused when a person has high blood sugar because their body does not respond well to insulin and/or does not produce enough of the hormone. The illness, which affects nearly 220 million people worldwide, can provoke heart or kidney disease. The goal of the study was to examine the impact of leaves, bark, seeds and apples (bad translation, "pommes" in this context mean the fruits of the cashew, a note by Cassia Chen)) from cashew trees, native to northeastern Brazil and other countries of the southern hemisphere, on cells that respond to insulin.

"Of all the extracts tested, only cashew seed extract significantly stimulated blood sugar absorption by muscle cells," says senior author Pierre S. Haddad, a pharmacology professor at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Medicine. "Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, indicating that cashew seed extract likely contains active compounds, which can have potential anti-diabetic properties."

Cashew tree products have long been alleged to be effective anti-inflammatory agents, counter high blood sugar and prevent insulin resistance among diabetics. "Our study validates the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes and points to some of its natural components that can serve to create new oral therapies," adds Dr. Haddad, who is also director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team in Aboriginal Anti-Diabetic Medicines at the University of Montreal.

The Chinese Diet versus the North American Diet, a personal perspective

I do not pretend to know the diet in China nor North America. This is only a personal observation as a Chinese who has lived the last 22 years in Montreal, Canada and still goes to China once a year.

China is a very big country and people from different regions eat very differently from each other. Up till 20 years ago, people ate whatever foods available in their surrounding area (probably around 200 km radius). Therefore, people from the north usually only ate wheat and people from the south ate mostly rice (Yangtze River as a divider).

I was born and raised in a coastal district of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, so I know what people eat in that area most. Unless specifically stated, whenever I mention China in this article, I only mean this small coastal district.

Up till 20 years ago, people in the city ate mostly rice, tofu, eggs, shell fish, fish, vegetables, nuts and fruits. In the rural area, yum and corn was their main source of carbohydrates instead of rice. If you lived in a fishing village, shell fish and fish (often salted in order to be kept) were your main source of protein. If you were a farmer, eggs and pork (in the form of ham or sausage, Chinese style, the sophisticated versions you can still find them in Chinatowns in mostly North American cities) were your main source of protein. Green vegetables were available fresh all year around and people in both the city and rural area ate plenty for lunch and super. However, for breakfast, vegetables were eaten in preserved form (fermented and salty). In the fall and winter, only the citrus types of fruits were available in that area. May to July, there were many types of fruits available. July to September we ate mostly melons (water melon, honey dew, cantaloupes etc.). I did not get to eat apple or banana as one is grown in the north and another in the south.

People ate moderately for economic reasons. We usually had a big feast every year during the Spring Festival.

Before I was 16 years old and left home, I was fed with the following for breakfast almost every single day:

One scrambled egg, few walnuts chopped up, and 2 teaspoons of sugar cooked in about 2 cups of boiled water.

One bowl of hot liquid rice (congee)

Some salty preserved vegetables (usually fermented) and salty shell fish (marinated in salt and sometimes with alcohol)

We had soup (Chinese style, lot of liquid, not much substance, basically salty water) almost every super.

Canned carnation milk was part of my diet as a baby, as I was told. Fresh cow’s milk was a luxury and yogurt was unheard of.

Were people healthier following this type of diet? I have no idea. The average longevity is better today in China than 20 years ago just like everywhere else in the world. The maximum longevities have not changed much. There are quite few females living beyond 90 today as 20 years ago. But one fact remains clear and obvious; NOBODY was FAT 20 years ago in that area.

20 years ago, Coke and Pepsi were drinks for the elite, available only in bars in 4-5 star hotels. Now it has gotten much cheaper and available everywhere. Almost all the Coke and Pepsi drinks are sold with sugar added. I could not find any diet Coke or Pepsi last time I was there (February this year).

5 to 10 years ago, KFC opened in that small coastal county where I was born. McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are not that far either (less than an hour’s drive away).

I was there in February this year; a brand new huge Tesco (British grocery chain) opened there and was packed with shoppers every day.

Every year, I noticed more and more fat people (mostly people under 25 years of age). There are even fat camps for obese children in China, which were unheard of 20 years ago.

When it comes to water intake, 20 years ago, in addition to rice congee and soup, rich people drank hot tea and poor people and children drank boiled hot water. Now children (excluding those from extremely poverty) drink western style cold drinks loaded with refined sugar.

Fresh milk and yogurt are abundant today. I once saw one child ate 10 of the 6 oz yogurt at an all you can eat breakfast restaurant in a hotel.

In another 20 years, there will not be any difference between how we eat in North America and in China. Hopefully by then we will find out what is the optimal diet for us humans and we will all eat healthier.

AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS (2)

Severe thunderstorm (66 millimeters of rain fell in less than an hour) hit us yesterday (news here).

First phone line got jammed up, and then water pouring down alongside the drain pipe into the basement. R had to climb up a ladder onto the roof to fish out a Red Bull can that got stuck in the drain. As if that's still not enough, one computer went dead.

Locking up the door and all our worries, we walked right out into the rain.

Walking along the St-Lawrence River in the rain, feeling totally alive and seeing naked men coming out of the river after a swim, AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!!!

Leptin, Living Environment and Cancer

Cancer is not only influenced by its micro-environment but also by a broader environment, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (see here).

In this study, the scientists showed that tumors (melanoma and colon cancer) of mice in an enriched housing (20 mice in large containers equipped with toys, hiding places and running wheels, along with unlimited food and water as compared to control group) were 80 percent smaller than those in control animals (5 in smaller, standard containers with no toys but with unlimited food and water) within six weeks. Almost 20 percent of the animals in the enriched group had no visible tumors at all. Control animals, on the other hand, all had visible tumors.

"The anti-cancer effect we observed in this study was not due simply to increased activity by the animals, but rather it was induced by social and physical challenges that are associated with the release of stress hormones from the adrenal gland.” said During, one of the authors.

The same effect can be mimicked by blocking leptin or by activating HAS (hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte) pathway, which in turn lower the serum leptin level.

Leptin is a hormone that is primarily produced in a type of fat tissue called white adipose tissue. The level of circulating leptin is directly proportional to the total amount of fat in the body, in another word, higher amount of body fat means higher amount of circulating leptin.

Leptin is a circulating signal that reduces appetite. The absence of a leptin (or its receptor) leads to uncontrolled food intake and resulting obesity. However, in general, obese people have an unusually high circulating concentration of leptin (1), leading to the conclusion that these people are resistant to leptin.

Fasting or following a very-low-calorie-diet, on the other hand, lowers leptin levels (2).

Studies published recently suggest that the consumption of high amounts of fructose causes leptin resistance and elevated triglycerides in rats. Rats fed high-fructose diet subsequently ate more and gained more weight than controlled rats fed a high fat, high calorie diet (3). In North America, consumer foods and products typically use high-fructose corn syrup as a sugar substitute. In the United States, it has become very common in processed foods and beverages, including soft drinks, yogurt, industrial bread, cookies, salad dressing, and tomato soup (4).

What does it all mean?

I always believed that obesity was not caused solely by over-eating. If anyone has ever been to Guangzhou, China, it is easy to see that people there eat a lot and still stay skinny. Therefore, it must be foods that we in North America repeatedly eat that people there do not eat (or the other way around) that is making us gain weight. Refined sugar is probably one of the foods.

(1) Considine RV, Sinha MK, Heiman ML, Kriauciunas A, Stephens TW, Nyce MR, Ohannesian JP, Marco CC, McKee LJ & Bauer TL (1996). "Serum Immunoreactive-Leptin Concentrations in Normal-Weight and Obese Humans". N Engl J Med 334 (5): 292–295.

(2):
• Dubuc G, Phinney S, Stern J, Havel P (1998). "Changes of serum leptin and endocrine and metabolic parameters after 7 days of energy restriction in men and women". Metab. Clin. Exp. 47 (4): 429–34.
• Pratley R, Nicolson M, Bogardus C, Ravussin E (1997). "Plasma leptin responses to fasting in Pima Indians". Am. J. Physiol. 273 (3 Pt 1): E644–9.
• Weigle D, Duell P, Connor W, Steiner R, Soules M, Kuijper J (1997). "Effect of fasting, refeeding, and dietary fat restriction on plasma leptin levels". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 82 (2): 561–5.

(3):
• Vasselli JR (November 2008). "Fructose-induced leptin resistance: discovery of an unsuspected form of the phenomenon and its significance. Focus on "Fructose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding," by Shapiro et al.". Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 295 (5): R1365–9.
• Shapiro A, Mu W, Roncal C, Cheng KY, Johnson RJ, Scarpace PJ (November 2008).
“Frutose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 295 (5): R1370–5.

(4) Warner, Melanie (July 2, 2006). “A Sweetener With a Bad Rap”. The New York Times.

If you do not like yourself, you cannot like other people

a quote from "Time Enough for Love" by Robert A. Heinlein

Here is another one:

Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.

High Fructose Diet May Contribute to High Blood Pressure

via Science Daily

People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

Average sugar consumption in Canada has decreased between 1997 and 2007 from 37.1 kg to 32.1 kg per person per year, which is good news in a way. Still on average Canadians consumes 88g or 22 teaspoons of sugar per person per day, that’s a lot of sugar.

Worse news is that this data does not include sugar in pre-prepared items, i.e. processed food and beverages. So in reality, how much sugar do we consume?

How to eat well

The more I look into how to eat well, the less I seem to know. For many years, we have been told to avoid fat, animal fats mostly, such as fatty meat, lard and butter. Then we found out that trans fat is bad for you, so we avoided Margarine. Then it seemed that carbohydrates might have been the culprit that made us fat and caused us to have a whole range of other metabolic related diseases.

We cannot just eat protein for our caloric needs. Fibers are attached to carbs. and essential fatty acids are, well, essential. Another factor complicated protein intake is that studies showed methionine restriction without energy restriction extends lifespan in laboratory animals. Methionine is one of the essential amino acids that we humans cannot make ourselves, but is a must for us.

In the end, I will stick to the diet that I grew up with, which consists of rice, vegetables, fruits, nuts, shellfish and fish.

Two ingredients that I will avoid eating as much as possible, which are:

Refined Sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, Maltodextrin etc.)
Seed oils (often labeled as vegetable oils, olive oil is the exception)

The American know-how has made these two ingredients wonderfully cheap so they are everywhere in the processed foods. The Mediterranean diet is believed to be healthy. They use animal fat for cooking and olive oil for everything else. While growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, cooking was done with either lard or peanut oil. Peanut oil (and canola oil) is better than most other seed oil, as they contain less linoleic acid.

When you avoided these two ingredients, you avoided almost all of the processed foods, which unfortunately also include chocolate and bread, the two foods I miss most whenever I go healthy eating.

In the end, I will adhere to eating with moderation.

Pecans provide neurological protection

via eurekalert

"Study suggests pecans may delay progression of motor neuron degeneration

Lowell, MA – Eating about a handful of pecans each day may play a role in protecting the nervous system, according to a new animal study published in the current issue of Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research. The study, conducted at the Center for Cellular Neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, suggests adding pecans to your diet may delay the progression of age-related motor neuron degeneration. This may include diseases like amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Researchers suggest vitamin E – a natural antioxidant found in pecans – may provide a key element to neurological protection shown in the study. Antioxidants are nutrients found in foods that help protect against cell damage, and studies have shown, can help fight diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer and heart disease. Pecans are the most antioxidant-rich tree nut and are among the top 15 foods to contain the highest antioxidant capacity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"These findings suggest regular consumption of pecans may provide significant nutritive and antioxidant benefits for your body," said lead researcher Thomas B. Shea, PhD.

Dr. Shea and his research team carried out a number of laboratory studies on three groups of mice specifically bred to demonstrate severe decline in motor neuron function that are commonly used in studies of ALS. Each of the three groups was fed a control diet or one of two diets containing differing amounts of pecans ground into their food. Standard testing methods were used to determine how well the mice scored relative to motor neuron functions, both before and after they were provided with one of the three diets.

Mice provided a diet supplemented with pecans displayed a significant delay in decline in motor function compared to mice receiving no pecans. Mice eating the diet with the most pecans (0.05%) fared best. Both pecan groups fared significantly better than those whose diets contained no pecans. The result was based on how the mice performed in highly specific tests, each of which compared mice on the control diet with mice consuming pecan-enriched diets."

Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes

via eurekalert

"Scientists are reporting new evidence that drinking coffee may help prevent diabetes and that caffeine may be the ingredient largely responsible for this effect. Their findings, among the first animal studies to demonstrate this apparent link, appear in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Fumihiko Horio and colleagues note that past studies have suggested that regular coffee drinking may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The disease affects millions in the United States and is on the rise worldwide. However, little of that evidence comes from studies on lab animals used to do research that cannot be done in humans.

The scientists fed either water or coffee to a group of laboratory mice commonly used to study diabetes. Coffee consumption prevented the development of high-blood sugar and also improved insulin sensitivity in the mice, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes. Coffee also caused a cascade of other beneficial changes in the fatty liver and inflammatory adipocytokines related to a reduced diabetes risk. Additional lab studies showed that caffeine may be "one of the most effective anti-diabetic compounds in coffee," the scientists say."

Planning financially for the far future via TFSA

Since last year, Canadian government has introduced Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) to encourage its citizens to save. We (any one holding a social security number and over 18) are allowed to contribute $5000.00 each year to a TFSA. Investment income earned in a TFSA is tax-free. Unfortunately, contributions are not tax-deductible.

I just did some tabulation and found out that if you contribute the maximum amount annually for 40 years and assuming you earn 5% return yearly and the interest is added back to the principal, after 40 years you shall have $634,199.00. Of course we do not know the value of money after 40 years.

What I have decided to do for the TFSA is to buy dividend paying stocks (only Canadian stocks are allowed) with yield at 4.5% or over. Assuming the price of the stock can keep up with the inflation, then after 40 years I shall have $634,199.00 in today’s value. Wow! That shall keep me fed till I die. The down side – stocks can go to zero. Since only Canadian stocks are allowed, diversification (among stocks yielding 4.5% or over) might be difficult.

The thing about the compounded interest is that you have to have a very long time span. With the above number, after 20 years you only accumulate $173,596.00 which does not look very attractive.

There is a saying that you should live as if you were to die tomorrow, dream as if you were to live forever. How about financial planning? I think that I will take the middle road, plan financially as if I am to live till 105.

We are grateful for having an opportunity to help

Today during our daily walk, we came by a cell phone lying on the grass. We were trying to figure out a way to arrange to have it returned to the owner (trying to call someone on its address book etc.). Then we saw a woman hurrying towards us, and knew it was her who lost the phone.

We felt very grateful that we were given the opportunity to see a happy woman leaving with her phone. We are grateful that we are able to help to eliminate someone’s distress of losing a phone.

Meditation or Oxygen Restriction?

There is an interesting article which explores intermittent calorie and oxygen restriction as means for periodic rejuvenation:

Live Happy, Healthy and Long

We do not know what the deciding factors are for us humans to live a long healthy life, say 100 years of independent and disease-free life. But there are some in the world who have achieved this, so it must be possible.

For all I have read and heard, there are at least 4 things we have to do in order to extend our health span.

1. Eat with restrain (Caloric Restriction).
2. Stay physically active.
3. Have a purpose
4. Have a society of friends (a sense of belonging)

- Eat with restrain (Caloric Restriction)

How I tried to achieve this is by first calculating my BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate):

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Daily caloric intake can be estimated simplistically as follows:

If you are sedentary: BMR + BMR x 20%
If you are moderately active: BMR + BMR x 30-40%
If you are very active: BMR + BMR x 50%
If you are extra active: BMR + BMR x 60-80%

In my case BMR = 1195
50% more of BMR = 1790

To eat with restrain or to practice caloric restriction, I have decided to cut back 30% from 1780, which comes to 1255.

Next step is to decide what to eat.

The easiest way to cut down calorie is to cut down starch, which includes potatoes, bread, rice and pastas. What we do is to eliminate potatoes and bread, and eat moderate amount of rice and pastas.

We also started to adhere with one rule, which is to avoid refined sugar. Read labels on ingredients, if you see sugar, glucose, fructose or sucrose in the ingredients, simply do not buy them. You will be surprised how much junk food you can avoid. Most ready made foods (even those that claimed healthy) have sugar added. We still drink fruit juices moderately that are processed without added sugar.

Right now food we eat in a typical day constitutes of:

Breakfast: Egg, Apple, Cheese & Tea
Lunch: Frozen Peas (eaten raw), Ceviche (tuna or scallop marinated with lemon juice, tomato, garlic and oregano), Grapes, Raw almonds/ pecans/walnut & cheese
Super: Rice or Spaghetti with fish (tuna, salmon, mahi mahi, haddock & basa) or seafood (shrimp and scallop, lobster if in season) and vegetables (typically carrots, onion, tomatoes, okra, paprika, cauliflowers & broccoli)

The difference between what Richard eat and what I eat is that I do not eat cheese and I only eat one egg yolk.

Calorie intake in a day is around 1400 to 1600, so I am only cutting back 10 to 20% instead of the 30% goal I have set for myself.

This practice reminds me of my youthful days trying to limit my monthly expenses to below $800. I never succeeded strictly speaking, always exceeding by $50 or so, but still cutting down my monthly expenses drastically.

My BMI at the moment is 19.8. Two years ago, my BMI was 17.6, which was way better in my opinion. The normal BMI (18.5-24.9) was probably set for Caucasians. I am Asian and have a small bone structure. At 17.6 BMI, I was way more flexible and felt smarter.

My goal for BMI in 5 months is 18.8 or less.

- Stay physically active

We are walking 8 to 14 km a day which takes 1.5 to 3 hours and I have a small perennial garden, which takes some physical upkeep.

- Have a purpose

Have purpose means that you know why you get up in the morning. I am working on to extend my health span for as long as possible, say 58 more years until I am 105. I want to be able to live independently until the day I die and enjoy every minute of it.

- Have a society of friends

The most important friend is oneself. We often forget that.

According to Marvin Minsky, a human mind is made of many smaller processes, of which he called them agents. I believe whenever conflicts arise among these agents in one’s mind, one is losing oneself as a friend. Or simplistically in Freud’s language, the id, ego and super-ego should all be aligned with the same purpose.

When you have yourself as a friend, the next most important friend is your spouse, whom I am lucky to have.

Great News

I believe that medical breakthrough will come out of our search for bio-fuels. Dr. Craig Venter’s announcement on May 20 that his lab has synthesized a bacterium (funded by department of energy) only confirms my belief.

The discovery of antibiotics was a breakthrough in my opinion. After antibiotics, though medical science has advanced tremendously, I do not think we have had a breakthrough in treating diseases. This, the ability to make a synthetic cell, might just be the breakthrough we have all been waiting for.


Congratulations Dr. Craig Venter! You have set up a precedent.

Live Full Time, Work Part Time

St-Lawrence river

Imagining being able to wander along the longest city park in Montreal (St-Lawrence river front in Verdun and LaSalle) on a sunny day during weekdays, anyone who loves idling should take a day off work and try it.

So this year, we decided to Live Full Time and Work Part Time.

Money is printed. Time cannot be duplicated so we try to grab as much as we can as it goes by.

Spring, it is time to beautify our dwelling

mezzanine or loft

Last year Richard asked me whether it’s possible to make this place beautiful. I said yes. All you need is a little bit money and a lot of hard work.

So we decided to have a mezzanine built and put a floating floor. Purely from the esthetic point of view, hardwood floor would be the best. However, the old floor was tile on cement. A hardwood floor would have cost too much money and labor, and would raise the floor too much. So we compromised and put a floating floor. With the floating floor, the maximum we raised was probably half an inch, so all the doors stayed intact.

As for the mezzanine, Richard said to wait for the spring wood. So there you go, a beautiful mezzanine with spring Canadian pine and old steel gas pipes. In addition, we also added a window, changed the door. The old door was made with metal and now the new one has glass panel to allow the light to come in.

With a few touch-ups here and there still to go, all of these got done within the month of April.

It is extremely rewarding to reap the reward of your hard labor.

Right now I am extremely happy with our newly beautified dwelling and am keeping it clean and shining, free of dust.

Just came back

We just came back from inside the great firewall (China), after having no access to 1 Great Day for 3 months since Blogspot only exists outside of the wall. Will resume writing shortly.