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Shae™ uses complex calculations to let you know how to get and stay healthy from the inside out – but how is it done…? Take a look at the case studies of Angela and Carl to see it in action. 

Meet Angelica. She is a 41-year old mother of two.

Angelica wanted to lose some weight and has been following a low-fat diet for years. She likes to eat healthily, follows a vegetarian diet, and enjoys preparing fresh meals for herself and her family. 

Shae™ knows from Angelica’s Body:

  • Her measurements indicate a low Body Mass Index (BMI) but a relatively high Body Fat Index (BFI). 
  • Her small frame, indicated by her small wrists, ankles, elbows and knees in relation to her height and weight, are indicative of a relatively frail body structure (Chumlea  2002, Margolis 2000, Kröger 1995, Behnke 1959).
  • Together with her vegetarian diet and lactose intolerance, Angelica has a strong risk of low bone mineral density which will worsen as she ages (Ho-Pham 2009, Rapuri 2003, Honkanen 1997). Low bone mineral density could lead to fractures (Schuit 2004, Ivers 2002), Osteopenia and Osteoporosis.

Better Foods

Consequently Shae™ will suggest some lean protein intake, together with some natural sources of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D to help reduce her risk of bone fragility (Kerstetter 2005, Ilich 2003, Promislow 2002, Teegarden 1998). 

It will also be important for Angelica to stop her fat-free diet and instead start to introduce some healthy fats on a daily basis; lipid metabolism is an important factor in maintaining a healthy hormonal level (Norman 2012). The fat-free diet she had been following would have reduced her reproductive hormones, including estrogen, and low estrogen is related to low bone mineral density. A good source of fats allow for the production of gonadal hormones (natural steroids) which facilitate protein turnover, allowing her to gain lean muscle mass and keep her bones strong. It is important to understand that fat isn’t always bad, and neither is cholesterol. High cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease, but only when the body is not able to transform the cholesterol well.

Additionally, Angelica does not have a constitution predisposed to CVD. Instead, the cholesterol will be used by her body to allow for the production of steroid hormones which are necessary for the healthy function of the musculoskeletal system as well as the absorption of Vitamin D. 

Better Activities

Angelica also said she has a sedentary lifestyle, her low body mass, and thin frame, further increase her risk of osteopenia (Habibzadeh 2011). To improve her bone density (Gibson 2000, Chow 1987) running was the recommended physical activity. Running would not be recommended if she had specified that she does not have a normal menstrual function (Gibson 2000) because this could be an indicator of significantly low estrogen levels which can lead to bone loss and therefore injury when engaged in high-impact sports.

A small amount of resistance training using low weights and high repetitions was also suggested as this will help strengthen her bones and increase her muscle strength (Kelley 2001, Lohman 1995). Isometric exercises will also improve her skeletal muscle (Greig 2006).  

When Angelica gets older and nears menopause, exercises that involve flexions of the wrists will be reduced (Rikkonen 2010), while specific exercises from Pilates and Yoga will be integrated (Mansfield 2006).

Better Moods

Angelica mentioned that she sometimes has a sluggish mind with difficulty concentrating and occasionally doesn’t sleep well. 

Altered Vasopressin levels (a neurotransmitter in the brain) will affect the natural wake-sleep cycle and can lead to depression (de Winter 2003, Altemus 2001, Zhou 2001). This may also worsen in the autumn/winter months when the days are shorter and alterations in vasopressin and serotonin levels may occur (Lam 2000). 

Though she probably won’t initiate arguments through negative communication (due to her increased Vasopressin levels) (Gouin 2010), she may have signs of higher anxiety (Wigger 2004) and tension, especially in the lungs (Leather 2002), and need lots of social support, especially from her partner (Heinrichs 2009).


This is Carl.
He is 25 years old and just started working at a bank.

He’s gained weight and has been having problems sleeping. Although Carl knows the weekend binges with his friends aren’t helping his health, he feels he needs to let loose or he’ll explode.

When doing his Shae™ analysis, he noticed an incredible accuracy in the data. 

How did Shae™ do it?

Shaeknows from Carl’s Body:

  • Whether playing sports increases hormones or those who have high levels of hormones are attracted to physical activities is unclear, however large ankles and short legs are important indicators of this trend (Mazzanti 1988, Cacciari 1990). 
  • Carl’s body has specific measurements and signs that indicate higher levels of androgen and testosterone hormones (Knussmann 1988). His measurements indicate a naturally athletic body that needs regular high-intensity physical activity, while also suggesting that he may have a more direct, extroverted, type A personality (Myers 2010).

Better Moods

Consequently, Shae™ let him know that a predominantly sedentary job may not be ideal for him. A job that allowed him regular movement could increase his job performance, an overall improvement in mood, and lead to better sleep quality (Hurtz 2000).  Also, having a regular routine of high-intensity interval training would help him regulate his energy levels and help him shed those extra pounds quickly (Laursen 2002). 

Shae™ also suggested that Carl expose himself to as much natural bright light during the day (Hirota 2010) as possible.

 

Better Foods

Shae™ gave Carl a diet with a moderate protein and carbohydrate intake with plenty of vegetables and fruit. Because Carl said he wanted to lose weight Shae™ suggested certain types of indigestible carbohydrates, like barley and broccoli in the evenings (Nilsson 2008), including very specific portion sizes ideal for his body.  

Additionally, Carl’s index finger being shorter than his ring finger confirmed he had higher levels of testosterone in his body which matched all the other factors of his body measurements as well. What is less obvious is that this may also be related to increasing his susceptibility to parasitic infections (Manning 2002) causing Shae™ to recommend eating certain antiparasitic foods like pomegranate (Bekir 2013), papaya and pineapple (Tahir 2006).

If Carl had said that he was 75 instead of 25, Shae™ would have considered his naturally decreasing testosterone levels (Carcaillon 2012) and instead increased his vitamin D (Pilz 2011, Wehr 2010) and Zinc (Prasad 1996) intake through foods while also including some healthy fats (Meikle 1990). 

 

 

 

 


REFERENCES FOR ANGELICA
Altemus, Margaret, et al. “Abnormalities in response to vasopressin infusion in chronic fatigue syndrome.” Psychoneuroendocrinology 26.2 (2001): 175-188.
Behnke, A. R. “The estimation of lean body weight from” skeletal” measurements.” Human biology (1959): 295-315.
Chow, R. H. J. E., Joan E. Harrison, and Cathy Notarius. “Effect of two randomised exercise programmes on bone mass of healthy postmenopausal women.” British medical journal (Clinical research ed.) 295.6611 (1987): 1441.
Chumlea, William Cameron, et al. “Relations between frame size and body composition and bone mineral status.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 75.6 (2002): 1012-1016.
de Winter, Remco FP, et al. “Anxious-retarded depression: relation with plasma vasopressin and cortisol.” Neuropsychopharmacology 28.1 (2003): 140-147.
Gibson, J. H., et al. “Determinants of bone density and prevalence of osteopenia among female runners in their second to seventh decades of age.” Bone 26.6 (2000): 591-598.
Gouin, Jean-Philippe, et al. “Marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing.” Psychoneuroendocrinology 35.7 (2010): 1082-1090.
Greig, Carolyn A., et al. “Skeletal muscle IGF-I isoform expression in healthy women after isometric exercise.” Growth hormone & IGF research 16.5 (2006): 373-376.
Heinrichs, Markus, Bernadette von Dawans, and Gregor Domes. “Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior.” Frontiers in neuroendocrinology 30.4 (2009): 548-557.
Habibzadeh, N. “Prevalence of osteopenia among sedentary young women.” East African journal of public health 8.1 (2011): 67-68.
Ho-Pham, Lan T., Nguyen D. Nguyen, and Tuan V. Nguyen. “Effect of vegetarian diets on bone mineral density: a Bayesian meta-analysis.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 90.4 (2009): 943-950.
Honkanen, R., et al. “Lactose intolerance associated with fractures of weight-bearing bones in Finnish women aged 38–57 years.” Bone 21.6 (1997): 473-477.
Ilich JZ, Brownbill RA, Tamborini L 2003 Bone and nutrition in elderly women: Protein, energy, and calcium as main determinants of bone mineral density. Eur J Clin Nutr 57:554–565.
Ivers, R. Q., et al. “Risk factors for fractures of the wrist, shoulder and ankle: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.” Osteoporosis international 13.6 (2002): 513-518.
Kelley, George A., Kristi S. Kelley, and Zung Vu Tran. “Resistance training and bone mineral density in women: a meta-analysis of controlled trials.” American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation 80.1 (2001): 65-77.
Kerstetter, Jane E., et al. “The impact of dietary protein on calcium absorption and kinetic measures of bone turnover in women.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 90.1 (2005): 26-31.
Kröger, Heikki, et al. “Prediction of fracture risk using axial bone mineral density in a perimenopausal population: a prospective study.” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 10.2 (1995): 302-306.
Lam, Raymond W., and Robert D. Levitan. “Pathophysiology of seasonal affective disorder: a review.” Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 25.5 (2000): 469.
Leather, H. Alex, et al. “Effects of vasopressin on right ventricular function in an experimental model of acute pulmonary hypertension*.” Critical care medicine 30.11 (2002): 2548-2552.
Lohman, Timothy, et al. “Effects of resistance training on regional and total bone mineral density in premenopausal women: a randomized prospective study.” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 10.7 (1995): 1015-1024.
Mansfield, Elaine M. “Designing exercise programs to lower fracture risk in mature women.” Strength & Conditioning Journal 28.1 (2006): 24-29.
Margolis, Karen L., et al. “Body size and risk for clinical fractures in older women.” Annals of internal medicine 133.2 (2000): 123-127.
Norman, B.M “Gonadal Hormones and Lipid Metabolism.” Lipid Pharmacology 2 (2012): 325.
Promislow JH, Goodman-Gruen D, Slymen DJ, Barrett-Connor E 2002 Protein consumption and bone mineral density in the elderly: The Rancho Bernardo Study. Am J Epidemiol 155:636–644. 
Rapuri PB, Gallagher JC, Haynatzka V 2003 Protein intake: Effects on bone mineral density and the rate of bone loss in elderly women. Am J Clin Nutr 77:1517–1525.
Rikkonen, Toni, et al. “Physical activity slows femoral bone loss but promotes wrist fractures in postmenopausal women: A 15‐year follow‐up of the OSTPRE study.” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 25.11 (2010): 2332-2340.
Schuit, S. C. E., et al. “Fracture incidence and association with bone mineral density in elderly men and women: the Rotterdam Study.” Bone 34.1 (2004): 195-202.
Teegarden D, Lyle RM, McCabe GP, McCabe LD, Proulx WR, Michon K, Knight AP, Johnston CC, Weaver CM 1998 Dietary calcium, protein, and phosphorus are related to bone mineral density and content in young women. Am J Clin Nutr 68:749–754.
Wigger, Alexandra, et al. “Alterations in central neuropeptide expression, release, and receptor binding in rats bred for high anxiety: critical role of vasopressin.” Neuropsychopharmacology (2004).
Zhou, Jiang-Ning, et al. “Alterations in arginine vasopressin neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in depression.” Archives of general psychiatry 58.7 (2001): 655-662.

REFERENCES FOR CARL
Bekir, Jalila, et al. “Assessment of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholinesterase and cytotoxic activities of pomegranate (Punica granatum) leaves.” Food and Chemical Toxicology 55 (2013): 470-475.
Carcaillon L, Blanco C, Alonso-Bouzón C, Alfaro-Acha A, Garcia-García F-J, et al. (2012) Sex Differences in the Association between Serum Levels of Testosterone and Frailty in an Elderly Population: The Toledo Study for Healthy Aging.
Cacciari, E., et al. “Effects of sport (football) on growth auxological, anthropometric and hormonal aspects.” European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology 61.1-2 (1990): 149-158.
Hirota, Naoko, Yoshiaki Sone, and Hiromi Tokura. “Effect of evening exposure to bright or dim light after daytime bright light on absorption of dietary carbohydrates the following morning.” Journal of physiological anthropology 29.2 (2010): 79-83.
Hurtz, Gregory M., and John J. Donovan. “Personality and job performance: the Big Five revisited.” Journal of applied psychology 85.6 (2000): 869.
Knussmann, Rainer, and Andreas Sperwien. “Relations between anthropometric characteristics and androgen hormone levels in healthy young men.” Annals of human biology 15.2 (1988): 131-142.
Laursen, Paul B., and David G. Jenkins. “The scientific basis for high-intensity interval training.” Sports Medicine 32.1 (2002): 53-73.
Low testosterone and men’s health. (2010, March). Hormone Health Network. Retrieved from http://www.hormone.org/questions-and-answers/2010/low-testosterone-and-mens-health
Mazzanti, L., et al. “69 HORMONAL, AUXOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOMETRIC ASPECTS IN YOUNG FOOTBALL PLAYERS.” Pediatric Research 24.4 (1988): 528-528.
MANNING, J. T. (2002). Digit Ratio: A Pointer to Fertility, Behavior, and Heatlh. Rutgers University Press, New Jersey.
Meikle, A.W., Stringham, J.., Woodward, M.G., McMurry, M.P. Effects fo a fat-containing meal of sex hormones in men.  Metabology 39 (1990): 943-946
Myers, Isabel Briggs, and Peter B. Myers. Gifts differing: Understanding personality type. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2010.
Nilsson, Anne C., et al. “Including indigestible carbohydrates in the evening meal of healthy subjects improves glucose tolerance, lowers inflammatory markers, and increases satiety after a subsequent standardized breakfast.” The Journal of nutrition 138.4 (2008): 732-739.
Tahir, K. Md, and Y. Ahmad. “Asian tropical fruits deliver social and economic benefits.” Hunger and poverty: the role of biodiversity (2006): 101.
Pilz, S., Frisch, S., et al. (2011, March). Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Hormone and Metabolic Research 43(3): 223-225. 
Prasad, A, C Mantzoros, F Beck, J Hess, and G Brewer. (1996, May). Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition,12(5): 344-348.
Wehr, E, S Pilz, B Boehm, W Marz, and B Obermayer-Pietsch. (2010, August). Association of vitamin D status with serum androgen levels in men. Clinical Endocrinology, 73 (2): 243-248




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