Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

One of the first order treatments for osteoarthritis in the knees is weight loss . However, muscle mass also protects knees, so losing weight by losing muscle isn't the ticket in working with high-mileage knees. The trick in working with high-mileage knees is losing fat while maintaining or even building muscle. I've been thinking about this conundrum, and felt that I needed more information. As many of you know, I'm more than a little geeky, and I knew that dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans provide a high-resolution view of body composition. Unfortunately, my primary care doc only knew of DEXA scans as screens for bone loss, and was unaware of the many body-composition insights that can be provided by a whole body DEXA scan. To access the information only a DEXA scan can provide, I'd have to find a provider and pay for it out of pocket. Does this DEXA scan make my feet look fat? I consulted Professor Google, and found a nearby facility that offered what see...

The mitochondria in your cells are small, yet mighty. You can almost think of them as cellular mighty-chondria in how they convert fat and carbohydrate into usable energy. The quantity and quality of cellular mitochondria directly impact your life, and lifestyle decisions directly impact the mightiness of your ‘chondria. Moderate-intensity cardio supports cellular health. In the previous blog posting, I discussed how sweet food, particularly sweet food that is not accompanied by fiber, impairs both the production and vitality of mitochondria. Fiber is good. Sweeteners, whether natural or artificial, caloric or non-caloric, are generally not-so-good. In whatever way that you can, increase your consumption of fiber to benefit your mitochondrial vitality. In working with mitochondria, another “lever” that can be pulled is physical activity. The human body is built to move, and any physical activity is generally better than sitting on the sofa. Cardio, in particular, is mightily beneficial...