118 NAPLES ILLUSTRATED
And we strive to educate each and every patient on
the facts. Did you know that at least 80% of American
DGXOWV KDYH JXP LQćDPPDWLRQGLVHDVH" *XP GLVHDVH
is linked with blood vessel disease, heart attacks and
VWURNHV *XP GLVHDVH DQG WRRWK ORVV DOVR LQFUHDVHV WKH
risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Likewise, if an individual has
diabetes and bleeding gums, the risk of a premature death
increases by 400 to 700 percent. Essentially, your mouth
talks to your body and your body talks to your mouth.
To assess each patient’s oral health, we have an Oral
DNA test available. This provides us with concrete
evidence of the high-risk bacteria living in the mouth.
When these tests come back with high levels of high-risk
EDFWHULDZHKDYHDQDUUD\RIPHWKRGVZHFDQXVHWRĆJKW
these bacteria and make sure that they will never come
EDFN +HUH DW WKH RIĆFH RI 'U 0DQWLNDV ZH VWULYH IRU
RSWLPDOGHQWDOĆWQHVV
:KDWèV D KHDOWK\ RXWVLGH ZLWKRXW D KHDOWK\ LQVLGH"
The answer is simple. It’s nothing. So, YOU work on the
outside and WE WILL work on the inside.39;&'2ধ9;9&32Z;<2&'89;!2&;,'
-1638;!2$'3(!,'!£;,@38!£9@9;'1WWE DO!
GEORGE M. MANTIKAS, D.M.D.
5100 Tamiami Trail N., Suite # 202 • Naples FL, 34103
239 - 262 - 6000 • ZZZGUPDQWLNDVćFRPCHARLIEMCDONALDPHOTOGRAPHYBALANBALANCECE
Intermittent fasting for losing weight is trending. This diet strategy in-
volves alternating between normal food and drink consumption and pe-
riods of total fasting or significant calorie reduction. A resulting negative
energy balance purportedly leads to weight loss. The effects of intermit-
tent fasting on health and metabolism are not fully understood, how-
ever, so NI reached out to Caroline Cederquist, MD, of the Cederquist
Medical Wellness Center in Naples. At her practice, Cederquist, who
is board-certified in bariatrics, customizes diet and lifestyle treatment
programs to suit each patient.
When it comes to intermittent fasting, Cederquist stresses that it’s not
a diet but rather a pattern of eating. “One theory holds that fasting helps
you lose weight because it decreases the amount of time your body is in
the ‘fed’ state,” she says. “After eating, your body secretes insulin to move
glucose into your cells for energy. After several hours, glucose and insulin
decrease, and if more energy is needed, glucose is liberated from storage
sites in the liver, muscles, and fat tissue.” The problem with this, she says,
is metabolic issues occur in the majority of people who are overweight. If
you gain weight, your metabolism becomes dysfunctional and cells resist
the action of insulin. “Even though you are making insulin, when it attaches
to your cells it does not produce the changes in the cell that allows glucose
to enter. Your body responds by secreting much more insulin at all times.”
Cederquist instruc ts patients to do the opposite of fasting by eating lean
protein every three or four hours, pairing it with low-glycemic carbs and
healthy fats. For someone with insulin resistance, Cederquist assures that
eating “higher carbohydrate meals without a focus on adequate protein
within any time window will lead to weight and fat gain.” Intermittent fasting
can also trigger eating disorders and result in binge-like behavior. “Through
years of clinical experience, I have found the pattern of structured eating
of the right amounts of nutrients is the most effective strategy.”
Yet, there is a role for intermittent fasting in healthy weight manage-
ment. “Once blood sugar and insulin levels are controlled, going longer
periods without food, such as 7 p.m. to 9 a.m., allows a 14 -hour fast when
the body is able to take a break from metabolizing food and allow the
cleanup process, called autophagy, to get rid of damaged cells,” Ceder-
quist explains. “Moving to three meals a day in a 10 -hour period of time
is convenient and effective for long-term weight management, as long as
the diet quality of lean protein, complex and healthy carbs, and healthy
fats is maintained.” (drcederquist.com)NOT SO FA ST
DIET TRENDS