A big belly comes with big risks.
High blood pressure. Cholesterol. Sleep problems. And more.
But did you know being overweight can dramatically impair your mental performance too? In a recent study of over 5000 people, researchers in Ireland confirmed our own 25 years’ clinical observations: belly fat impacts your brain.
Male professionals, in particular, often come to see us when concern for their careers surface. There are usually other symptoms, but it’s performance-stalling cognitive decline that ultimately brings them to IMI: brain fog, difficulty concentrating, impaired focus, low energy, and reduced performance and productivity.
Our clients Max* and John* were no different.
Like many corporate executives in Hong Kong, Max, age 44, worked long hours at his desk and his evenings were spent either wining and dining clients, hastily eating dinner while on a conference call, or grabbing a nutrient-poor bite and beer at the airport. Max knew he was overweight, but he had neither the time nor the inclination to do anything about it. That is, until he began to lose his razor-sharp memory and focus.
John, on the other hand, ate a relatively healthy diet and he worked out twice a week. Perplexed by his pot belly, the 36-year-old assumed it was hereditary. Blinding headaches and rapid cognitive decline brought him to IMI – he had seen family members succumb to dementia, so he recognised the need to get help fast.
Both Max and John scheduled consultations with IMI’s founder and highly-respected naturopath, Graeme Bradshaw.
Is diet letting you down?
Max’s was. Poor quality nutrition and food intolerances are two of the common culprits that can lead to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in your gut, which can find its way to your brain.
During the initial consultation, Graeme determined Max’s need for a gut detox. The sugars in his carbohydrate-dense diet had caused insulin resistance, causing an imbalance of blood sugar levels, which can lead to more weight gain.
Graeme had identified another problem with Max’s gut through testing – a round of antibiotics had triggered candida, a fungal overgrowth that is proven to cause brain fog and fatigue.
Tailored to Max’s needs, Graeme recommended a nutrient-rich, brain-boosting diet. To manage Max’s sugar balance, he prescribed nourishing herbs and minerals. Alongside this, he treated Max’s unhealthy gut with potent herbs, supplements and dietary changes.
Like most men his age who embark on a customised detox, Max lost a significant amount of belly fat. In fact, within the first two months of his four-month programme, he lost 6 kg in body weight and 6cm from his waist. His brain fog and fatigue lifted, and with his new-found energy and enthusiasm Max joined a gym. He reports that he is now twice as productive and happier at work and at home.
Are chemical toxins affecting your mental performance?
Your liver is a super organ – it has a natural ability to disarm and eliminate toxins. But, in modern times it can struggle to cope with the increased exposure to environmental toxins. Cosmetics. Household cleaning products. Pesticides. Plastic bottles and more. They’re all overloading and overwhelming the liver. Where do these toxins go? Chemical toxins are proven to bombard the brain.
After careful analysis of John’s medical history, symptoms and lifestyle choices, Graeme suspected that John may be suffering from the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s – the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s can start up to 25 years before obvious symptoms manifest. His genes represented a loaded gun, but it was environmental factors that were pulling the trigger, Graeme advised that John needed a complete clinical detox programme.
John wanted proof. What were these toxins? Why were they impacting him? And what was the connection between his belly and his brain?
Test. Don’t guess.
To create a fully customised treatment plan for clients, we offer a series of comprehensive tests that allow us to identify the exact causes of a plethora of health challenges.
Based on John’s medical condition, Graeme recommended three tests:
1) DNA Health Test
This test confirmed that John was carrying the APOE4 gene – a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.
His genetic make-up also caused slow mercury detoxification – not ideal given the mercury fillings in his mouth and his preference for tuna steaks. With the presence of the PPAR gene, his fondness for meat was also working against him. The saturated fats resulted in excess abdominal fat, which exacerbates cognitive impairment.
2) GPL-TOX
The urine test confirmed that petrochemicals, plastics and pesticides were wearing John down. In fact, eleven of the 17 markers in the test were alarmingly high.
3) Blood tests
The tests showed high levels of mercury, bad cholesterol, liver enzymes and inflammation. Inflammation is known to fast-forward the onset of dementia.
With the confirmation from testing that he was susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s, John placed his focus on reducing the risk factors (like belly fat) and boosting his brain health.
Graeme recommended a lower-fat diet, intermittent fasting, a blend of nourishing supplements, and a heavy metal and pollutants detox. Follow up tests confirmed John’s body and mind had been cleansed of toxins, and his liver and high cholesterol levels had normalised. But he already knew that: his weight was down and his brain power was reaching all-new heights!
Are you toxic?
There are many signs of toxic overload: excess weight, especially around the abdomen, is one of them.
If your waist measurement exceeds 40 inches (102 centimetres), it’s time to say bye to belly fat. Many conditions that affect the mind have all been scientifically linked to the gut. Don’t let belly fat take over your cognitive health.
And don’t reach out for an off-the shelf detox programme or juice fast either. Research proves they do not support the liver to remove toxins safely. We all detox differently – what works for one person can be extremely dangerous for another.
Call 2523 7121 or connect with us here to book an appointment with our detox specialists, Naturopaths Graeme Bradshaw and Tej BG. They’ll work with you to identify your unique detoxification challenges and put in place a safe, effective, and sustainable solution to help you achieve optimal health and wellbeing.
腹部脂肪如何影響你的工作表現
大肚子伴隨著大風險：高血壓、膽固醇、睡眠問題等等。
但您是否知道超重也會嚴重損害您的心理表現？ 在最近一項針對 5000 多人的調查中，愛爾蘭研究人員證實了我們 25 年的臨床觀察結果：腹部脂肪會影響您的大腦。
尤其是男性專業人士，當他們感到擔憂時，很多時會導致表現停滯的認知能力下降：腦霧、注意力難以集中、注意力受損、精力不足以及表現和生產力下降等。
我們的客戶 Max* 和 John* 也不例外。
與香港的許多企業高管一樣，44歲的Max在辦公室工作了很長時間，晚上要招待客戶，或者在電話會議上匆匆吃晚飯，有些時候更需要應酬客戶在酒吧飲酒。Max知道自己超重，但他既沒有時間也沒有意願採取任何行動。直到他開始失去敏銳的記憶力和注意力。
另一位客戶，John的飲食相對健康，並且每週運動兩次。 36 歲的他對自己的大肚腩感到困惑，認為這是遺傳性的。 頭痛和認知能力的快速下降令他意識到需要盡快尋求協助。
Max和John都接受了IMI創始人、資深的自然療法師 Graeme Bradshaw 進行諮詢。
和飲食相關嗎？
Max的日常飲食營養不均和食物不耐症是導致腸道中有害細菌過度生長的兩個常見罪魁禍首，這些細菌可能會進入您的大腦。
在初次諮詢期間，Graeme確定Max需要進行腸道排毒。 在飲食中攝取過多碳水化合物導致了胰島素血液升高，血糖水平便會失衡，從而導致體重增加。
Graeme透過測試發現了Max腸道的另一個問題是由抗生素引發的念珠菌，這是一種真菌過度生長，已被證明會導致腦霧和疲勞。
根據Max的需求，Graeme推薦了營養豐富、對腦部有益的飲食指導。 為了控制Max的血糖回復正常水平，處方了草本藥和礦物質。 除此之外，他還用強效草藥、補充劑和飲食改變來治療Max的腸道問題。
像大多數同齡男性一樣，Max減掉了大量腹部脂肪。 事實上，在為期四個月的計畫的前兩個月內，他的體重減輕了 6 公斤，腰圍減少了 6 公分。 他的腦霧和疲勞消失了，能量回復正常，工作效率更大大提高了，達致身心健康。
化學毒素是否會影響您的精神表現？
肝臟是一個超級器官，具有解除和消除毒素的天然功能。 但是它可能難以應對日益增加的環境毒素如化妝品、家庭清潔產品、農藥和塑膠等。 它們都會使肝臟超載並不堪負荷。 若果毒素走進身體內，都去了哪裡呢？ 化學毒素已被證明會走到大腦。
在仔細分析John的病史、症狀和生活方式後，Graeme懷疑John可能患有阿茲海默症的早期階段——這是最常見的癡呆症，因此Graeme建議John需要一個完整的臨床排毒計劃。
究竟這些毒素是什麼？John的肚子和大腦之間有什麼關聯？
進行健康測試尋找答案
IMI為客戶制定個人化的治療計劃，我們提供一系列全面的測試，使我們能夠精準地找出原因從而提供最適切的治療。
根據John的健康狀況，Graeme建議進行三項檢查：
1) DNA健康測試
這項測試證實John帶有 ApoE4 遺傳基因，這種基因會增加阿茲海默症的風險。
他的基因組成也導致汞解毒緩慢，再加上PPAR 基因的存在和他對肉的喜愛，飽和脂肪會導致腹部脂肪過多，加劇認知障礙。
2) GPL-TOX
尿液測試證實石化產品、塑膠和殺蟲劑等污染物使John疲憊不堪。 事實上，測驗中的 17 項指標中有 11 項指標都遠超正常水平。
3) 血液檢查
檢驗顯示汞、壞膽固醇、肝臟酵素和炎症含量很高，發炎會加速癡呆症情形惡化。
透過測試證實他容易罹患阿茲海默症後，John將重點放在減少危險因子（如腹部脂肪）和促進大腦健康。
Graeme建議低脂飲食、間歇性斷食、混合營養補充品以及重金屬和污染物排毒。 後續檢查證實John的體內毒素已清除，他的肝臟和高膽固醇水平也已恢復正常，體重亦下降了。
想知道您體內存在毒素嗎？
體內有毒物質過多的症狀如體重過重，尤其是腹部周圍的脂肪積聚過多。
如果您的腰圍超過 40 英吋（102 公分），那麼是時候告別腹部脂肪了。 從科學角度來看，許多影響精神的狀況都與腸道有關。 不要讓腹部脂肪影響您的認知健康。
也不要尋求現成的排毒計畫或斷食果汁。 研究證明它們不支持肝臟安全地清除毒素。 我們每個人的排毒方式都不同，歡迎向我們查詢。
請致電2523 7121與我們聯繫，預約我們的排毒專家自然療法師Graeme Bradshaw 和 Tej BG。 他們將與您一起制定個人化並安全、有效和可持續的解決方案，回復身心健康。
