The Life Plan (66 page)

Oxidative stress is another very important reason active men need to make sure that they are getting the right amount of micronutrients. Oxidative stress occurs as a direct result of the additional oxygen required during exercise to carry out all of the desirable fat-burning and muscle-building reactions we work hard to activate.

This extra oxygen can act as a double-edged sword. It not only provides the essential ingredient that enables us to create a lean, muscular, healthy body, it also produces dangerous free radicals. Free radicals are the electronically unstable oxygen molecules that must scavenge electrons from whatever sources they can to become stable molecules. The sources of electrons can include DNA, cell membranes, important enzymes, and vital structural or functional proteins. When these important cell parts and substances lose their electrons to these free radicals, their function is altered, and the results can be catastrophic—cancer, heart disease, dementia, arthritis, muscle damage, increased susceptibility to infection, and accelerated aging. Worse, even though the Life Plan is making you healthier, it is working against you in terms of free radicals: Working out at 80 percent or more of your predicted HR
_max
for at least five hours per week can greatly increase the risk of your body tissues’ suffering from excess free radicals.

The good news is that the fix is relatively easy. Antioxidants found in colorful fruits and vegetables can help protect us from these free radicals. However, most authorities believe that active men need far more than can be obtained from these natural sources, unless you are willing to sit down to a gallon of blueberries every morning. Supplementation with relatively high doses of the known antioxidants, which include vitamins C, E, and A, the mineral selenium, and phytochemicals, is probably the most reasonable way to address this issue. Antioxidants will not only help prevent the degenerative diseases I described above, they will also speed up your recovery from high-intensity workouts, promote muscle and strength building, and prevent exercise-related muscle injuries.

The National Foundation for Cancer Research says an inadequate intake of essential micronutrients may increase the risk for cancer. Their scientific data indicate that nutritional factors may contribute to up to 60 percent of all cancer cases in the world, and are related to almost one-third of all cancer deaths in the United States each year.

Here’s my list of the most important nutraceuticals I believe every active man needs in order to optimize his health and quality of life. Remember, more is not always better. Take these supplements as I’ve directed, and talk to your doctor about them as well. Also, it’s best to split your daily supplements into a morning dose and an evening dose, because this allows your body to maintain a sufficient level of the water-soluble antioxidants needed to fight off free radicals. It really doesn’t matter which ones you take when. Most comprehensive multivitamins/minerals are packaged in such a way that you take one serving in the morning and the other in the evening. I divide my fish oil into a morning serving and an evening serving. Melatonin should be taken at night because it enhances sleep. Some of my patients think vitamin D3 also helps them achieve a more restful sleep. As you read through the details for each of these supplement suggestions, you’ll also see how they work together, and which should be taken at the same time.

The following is the basic nutraceutical shopping list. You can adapt this based on your current health and your own doctor’s recommendations. On the Life Plan, I suggest that you take:

Comprehensive multivitamin and mineral supplement

Essential fatty acids

Probiotic supplement

Vitamin D3

CoQ 10

Saw palmetto

Lycopene

Milk thistle

Calcium

Pycnogenol/L-arginine

Vitamins are organic compounds required as a nutrient in small amounts. Minerals, on the other hand, are elements that originate in earth and cannot be made by living organisms.

Every man needs a good multivitamin and mineral supplement every day. Use of a multivitamin/mineral formula can increase micronutrient profiles up to 35 percent. Make sure you pick one that has at least 100 percent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), vitamins B6, B12, E, and folic acid. You also need 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C, at least 400 IU of vitamin E, and at least 100 milligrams of magnesium. Your multivitamin should also contain at least 20 micrograms of vitamin K, as well as the minerals chromium, copper, selenium, and zinc (15 mg). If you are on a blood thinner (such as Coumadin), talk with your doctor about how much vitamin K you require.

Read labels carefully for the amount of vitamin A you should take. Too much can lead to toxicity and bone loss. Vitamin A toxicity can easily be avoided by simply taking beta-carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A. The vitamin A in supplements can come from retinol (often called vitamin A palmitate or acetate). To protect your bones, limit retinol to no more than 3,000 IU per day. Less is better. Beta-carotene doesn’t cause bone loss, but too much beta-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer if you are a smoker (which you shouldn’t be, but you know that already). You don’t need more than 15,000 IU daily of beta-carotene.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that we cannot make in our bodies and must, therefore, consume from food sources or supplements. Americans consume roughly 10 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. These large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids typically come from vegetable oils containing linoleic acid (corn oil, safflower oil, sesame oil) and produce an unhealthy imbalance in the omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio, which contributes to heart and blood vessel disease.

To strike a better balance, we need to increase our consumption of omega-3 fatty acid. This is typically found in cold-water, fatty fish such as salmon, striped sea bass, tuna (albacore), sardines, herring, mackerel, and whitefish. The American Heart Association recommends a minimum intake of two fish meals weekly for primary cardiovascular protection. This is difficult for many men to achieve because suitable fish are increasingly expensive and hard to find. The supply of wild salmon and other species that are not contaminated with mercury and other pollutants is increasingly restricted. An alternative is to take dietary supplements rich in DHA/EPA in the form of high-quality fish oil capsules that have had mercury and other pollutants removed.

Fish oil fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects and are helpful for combating inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. They are also considered protective against heart disease. To get the most healthful benefits, purchase high-quality fish oil supplements that have the highest amount of eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, DHA, per capsule, and keep them refrigerated. You need to take four one-gram capsules daily in order to create the best balance for your body.

When looking for a high-quality product, always read the list of ingredients found on the bottle. If additives or preservatives have been added to increase shelf life, they might make the overall supplement less effective. Ultrarefined and ultrapurified fish oil products are better choices. These companies are using pharmaceutical-grade fish oil in their supplement processing. In addition to this, the content of high-quality fish oil should be made up of at least 60 percent of both essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) combined. The concentration of DHA should not be less than 18 percent, and a higher concentration is a signal of superior quality. Overall, DHA is more important for our body than EPA and helps in fighting against many diseases.

Folate, better known as folic acid, is one of the B vitamins that is necessary for the healthy division of cells and the prevention of colon cancer. It can also play a key role in the growth of new muscle tissue that is essential to increasing muscle mass and strength.

Folate also helps prevent heart and blood vessel disease by keeping homocystine levels low. Homocystine is a chemical our bodies produce that damages the linings of blood vessels, which starts the cascade of events that ultimately lead to a heart attack. Folate, along with the help of vitamins B6 and B12, converts homocystine into other harmless amino acids. A large government study in 2002 found that people who consumed the most folate had the fewest strokes and the least heart disease.

Poor diet and a heavy consumption of alcohol work together to drastically lower natural folate levels. The best way to make sure you are getting enough folate is to eat plenty of green vegetables, beans, some fruits, and wheat germ. Or, make sure your multivitamin contains 400 micrograms of this essential vitamin.

Because fish oil does not contain enough fat-soluble antioxidants to compensate for potential oxidative damage, it’s also a good idea to increase your intake of vitamin E as you increase your fish oil consumption. Between 400 and 800 IU of vitamin E per day, in the form of mixed tocopherols, should cover this increase. Although fish oil capsules and your multivitamin also contain some vitamin E, it may not be enough.

Buy only products that have undergone molecular distillation. Molecular distillation not only removes the impurities found in fish oil in the form of mercury and dioxins, but also balances out the concentration of other nutrients, such as vitamin A and D, if present. So, high-quality fish oil is processed and packed after going through the process of molecular or high-vacuum distillation.

Finally, you should be able to determine from the packaging what type of fish the oil comes from, and where the fish was actually caught. The highest-quality fish oil supplements are made in New Zealand and Norway. Oily fish found in these regions of the world are less contaminated, and the oil obtained from them does not require as much purification.

If you take cod liver oil (a few men prefer this to fish oil capsules), be aware that it also contains vitamins A and D. Depending on how much cod liver oil you use and what other supplements you’re taking, you could be getting too much of these vitamins. An alternative is devitaminized cod liver oil.

Probiotics are live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to the beneficial microorganisms normally found in the human gut. They are also referred to as “friendly bacteria” or “good bacteria.” Probiotics are not the same as prebiotics, which are nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms already in the colon. Probiotics may help with a number of health problems, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the American Society for Microbiology. These include gastrointestinal distress, symptoms of lactose intolerance, inflammation reduction, cancer prevention, and enhanced micronutrient absorption.

Probiotics are available in foods and dietary supplements. Food sources include unpasteurized yogurt (which is difficult to find), fermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, and some juices. Dietary supplements are available in the form of capsules, powders, and tablets. Dosages are listed by organism quantity—in “billions of organisms.”

There has recently been strong interest among the sporting community in the potential benefits of probiotics in reducing susceptibility to upper respiratory infections and gastrointestinal illness. Studies are under way to confirm the mechanisms by which probiotics enhance immunity. In the meantime, I think it is prudent to include probiotics in your nutraceutical regimen. Choose one that is a blend of at least six “live” cultures that is kept in a refrigerated case, and make sure to keep it refrigerated at home. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended dosing on the label, since dosage can differ depending on the probiotic source.

Vitamin D is really a form of steroid hormone, not a vitamin. Adequate vitamin D levels protect people against cancer, heart disease, infections, premature aging, all age-related diseases, and death. A June 2008 study reported that vitamin D deficiency gives men a 2.5 times higher risk for a heart attack. They also found that men with intermediate vitamin D levels demonstrated a 60 percent increased myocardial infarction risk. Vitamin D is also essential for the proper absorption of calcium, which is why it is critical that every man gets enough to promote bone growth and prevent osteoporosis.

Most men who work indoors have insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D. Eating vitamin D–rich foods cannot solve the problem alone. Vitamin D is mostly (90 percent) manufactured in our skin when we are exposed to sunlight. During the winter months the sun’s rays are just not strong enough in the northern climates to promote vitamin D synthesis. If you live in the northern third of the United States, Canada, or Alaska, you’re probably not getting enough vitamin D during the winter months. This, combined with the fact that most winter activity is limited to the indoors, results in very little sun exposure.