"Life Below Zero: Port Protection" offers a glimpse into the lives of individuals who choose to live in a remote Alaskan community, facing extreme weather conditions and isolation. Among them is Curly Leach, a man who embodies self-sufficiency and resilience. But beyond his portrayal on reality television, there are other areas to explore, including the impact of lifestyle choices and dietary habits on health, and how scientific studies can inform these choices.
The Harsh Reality of Port Protection
Port Protection, Alaska, is home to a small community of only 48 people as of 2010. This isolated environment demands a specific skillset and a strong will to survive. Curly Leach is a prime example of someone who has adapted to this lifestyle. He is a lumberjack by trade and barters firewood for essential supplies. When bartering isn't enough, he relies on hunting and gathering to sustain himself.
Self-Sufficiency and a Private Life
Many residents of Port Protection are self-reliant individuals who value their privacy. Curly Leach is no exception. He prefers to live independently and maintain a private life. Details about his age, marital status, family, and past are largely unknown. What is known is that he registered to vote in 1996 as a Republican. "Curly" is a nickname, and he is accustomed to the challenging weather conditions of the region, where the average high in August is 57 degrees Fahrenheit and the lowest monthly average temperature in December is around 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Broader Context: Weight Loss and Lifestyle
While Curly Leach's specific dietary habits and health status are not public knowledge, his lifestyle raises interesting questions about diet, exercise, and overall well-being in extreme environments. Obesity is a major global health concern associated with serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The global prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled since the 1970s. In 2016, more than 1.9 million adults aged 18 years and older were classified as overweight, with more than 650 million individuals experiencing severe obesity.
The primary factor contributing to excessive fat buildup is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. A diet high in calories, lacking in vegetables and fruits, and abundant in sugary beverages and unhealthy food choices can greatly contribute to the excessive accumulation of body fat. Conversely, the daily consumption of vegetables has been linked in several studies to reduce the risk of obesity. Vegetables are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive components that are known to promote health-beneficial effects. Green leafy vegetables, among all other types, are considered highly nutritionally rich, containing large amounts of major micronutrients such as β-carotene, ascorbic acid, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium, and iron.
Read also: Weight Loss Guide Andalusia, AL
Investigating Anti-Obesity Effects of Herbs
Given the importance of diet in maintaining a healthy weight, research has explored the potential of various foods and herbs to combat obesity. One study investigated the potential anti-obesity effects of heat-treated parsley and mallow extracts (PE and ME, respectively) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats. The selected herbs underwent three heat treatments (boiling, blanching, and microwaving), and the most effective treatment was orally administered to the HFD rats for eight weeks. All three treatments effectively increased the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of the herbs, with boiling treatment exhibiting the most significant increase. Boiled herbs demonstrated approximately 29% higher TPC and an impressive 348% increase in antioxidant activity compared to the other treatments. Oral administration of the boiled herb extracts to the HFD rats resulted in significant reductions in body weight, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol levels, while elevating the HDL cholesterol levels compared to the positive control rats. Additionally, the boiled herb extracts exhibited antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective effects. Notably, PE displayed more significant anti-obesity properties compared to ME, potentially due to higher TPC and antioxidant activity observed in PE compared to ME.
Methods of Herb Preparation and Analysis
The study used fresh leaves of mallow (Corchorus olitorius, jute mallow cultivar) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum cultivar) obtained from a local farmer’s market. The fresh leaves of both herbs were thoroughly washed with distilled water, finely chopped, and heat-treated separately using three methods: boiling, blanching, and microwaving. The boiling method was performed by mixing the chopped leaves with distilled water in a ratio of 1:1 (w/v), covering in a pot, and heating to 100 °C for 10 min with regular stirring. For the blanching method, the chopped leaves were similarly mixed with distilled water in a ratio of 1:1 (w/v), covered in a pot, and heated to 90 ± 2 °C for 2 min with regular stirring. Lastly, for the microwaving method, 100 g of chopped leaves was mixed with 6 mL of distilled water and heated in a regular microwave oven for 1 min. After cooling down, the heat-treated leaves were blended in a high-speed blender for 2 min to finely mince them, then freeze-dried and stored at −18 °C for further analysis.
Standard methods of AOAC were followed for the determination of the chemical composition, including moisture, ash, total solids, and pH values. Dietary fiber was determined using the ANKOM fiber analyzer according to the AOAC. Mineral content, including iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium, was determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy according to the AOAC protocols.
The samples were first extracted using 70% methanol (methanol:dH2O, 7:3, v/v). In brief, 1 g of freeze-dried sample was mixed with 100 mL of the 70% methanol, stirred regularly using a magnetic stirrer for 60 min, incubated at room temperature for a further 24 h, then centrifuged at 10,000× g for 20 min, and the supernatant was filtered and stored at 4 °C. The total phenolic content (TPC) was determined following the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Briefly, 20 μL of 70% methanolic extract was mixed with 100 μL of Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent, incubated for 5 min at room temperature, and then 100 μL of 7.5% sodium carbonate (Na2CO3:dH2O, 7.5:92.5, w/v) was added. After 60 min of incubation in the dark at room temperature, the absorbance was measured at 765 nm using a microplate reader (Jenway UV-Vis spectrophotometer). The antioxidant capacity was determined using the DPPH method; briefly, 20 μL of 70% methanolic extract was mixed with 200 μL of DPPH solution and incubated in the dark at room temperature for 60 min, the absorbance was then measured at 517 nm using a microplate reader (Jenway UV-Vis spectrophotometer). The content of vitamin C in fresh and treated samples was determined through direct titration with iodine.
Animal Study and Biochemical Analysis
Twenty-four male albino Wistar rats weighing 120-140 g were used for the animal study. After one week of adaptation, the rats were randomly divided into four groups, each consisting of six rats. The first group served as the negative control and was fed a standard diet. The remaining three groups were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for six weeks to induce obesity. After a six-week feeding period, the three groups on the HFD were reclassified as follows: one group served as the positive control group, while the other two groups were designated as treatment groups. All three groups maintained the HFD throughout the entire duration of the experiment. The treatment groups received oral gavage administration of freeze-dried boiled mallow and parsley aqueous extracts (ME and PE, respectively) at a dose of 200 mg/kg of body weight (BW) daily for eight weeks. At the end of eight weeks of oral administration, rats were fasted for 12 h, anesthetized with diethyl ether, and blood samples were collected through a cardiac puncture. Immediately after collection, the blood tubes were centrifuged, and the resulting serum samples were stored at −20 °C for subsequent biochemical analysis. Additionally, liver, kidney, and fat tissues were collected at the end of the experiment for histological examination.
Read also: Beef jerky: A high-protein option for shedding pounds?
The collected serum samples were used to determine fasting blood glucose (FBG) according to the GOD-PAP method using an enzymatic colorimetric assay kit. Serum lipids, including triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were determined by using Human Diagnostic enzymatic colorimetric assays kits following the manufacturer’s protocols. Further, the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterols (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL) were calculated according to formulas of Friedewald et al. The concentrations of liver lipids, specifically total cholesterol and triglycerides, were determined using liver lipid extract, following the methods previously applied for serum samples. The extraction and purification of the livers’ total lipids were carried out. The concentrations of the livers’ reduced glutathione (GSH) as a key oxidative stress marker was measured.
Thermal Processing of Brassica Vegetables and Antioxidant Activity
Another area of interest in the realm of diet and health is the impact of thermal processing on the nutritional content of vegetables. Brassica vegetables, such as kale, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, and green cabbage, have demonstrated many health benefits over the years due to their composition of phenolic, flavonoid, and glucosinolate contents. However, these bioactive molecules can be easily depleted during gastronomic operations. A study explored four different thermal processing methods, including freeze-drying, sautéing, steaming, and air-frying, for these five different Brassica vegetables. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities were assessed using radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS•+), reducing power (FRAP), and the chelating ability of metal ions. Among the methods tested, air-frying at 160 °C for 10 min showed the highest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity of the Brassica vegetables, while sautéing showed the lowest. The steam treatments were preferred over the freeze-drying treatments. Within the vegetables tested, both kale and broccoli sprouts contained higher antioxidant properties in most of the employed processing treatments. The results also indicated that there is a strong correlation between the TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). This study indicates that air-frying could be used as a sustainable thermal processing method for improving biomolecules in Brassica vegetables.
Methods of Brassica Vegetable Processing and Analysis
Five Brassica vegetables, including red cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, and kale, were selected for the study. The vegetables were selected from three different locations in Manitoba (south, central, and north) on the same date to obtain a representative sample. All of the vegetables were subjected to different processing conditions on the same day and stored at −80 °C until used for different assays.
The freeze-drying of the vegetables was conducted based on a modified method. Each type of vegetable was cut into pieces measuring 2 cm × 2 cm in size and stored for two hours at −80 °C prior to freeze-drying. The freeze-drying was conducted using a Labconco 4.5 Freezone freeze-dryer at a temperature of −50 °C for four days until the constant dry weight was recorded. After the freeze-drying, the vegetables were ground into fine particles and kept at −80 °C until further analysis. The pressurized wet extraction of the vegetables was conducted using an instant pot at a temperature of 100 °C at 10.2 psi for 5 min. The vegetable-to-water ratio was kept at 5:1. After each steam treatment, the vegetables were drained and cut into pieces measuring 2 cm × 2 cm in size. The samples were freeze-dried. The air-frying/roasting of the vegetables was conducted using the same instant pot with the air-frying extension. All of the vegetables were subjected to an air-frying temperature and time combination of 160 °C for 10 min. The samples were cut into pieces measuring 2 cm × 2 cm in size after the air-frying, and they were freeze-dried. The same instant pot was used for the stir-frying operations using its in-built sauté function. The vegetable-to-oil ratio of 10:1 was used for the stir-frying operations using canola oil. The stir-frying operation was conducted at 250 °C for 5 min. The vegetables were cut into pieces measuring 2 cm × 2 cm in size after the stir-frying, and they were freeze-dried.
The phenolic extraction was conducted using modified methods. In brief, 0.05 g of the freeze-dried vegetable sample was weighed and dissolved in 0.45 mL of 70% (v/v) methanol (at a solid-to-solvent ratio of 1:10). The phenolic extraction was carried out by ultrasound extraction using the SONOPLUS ultrasonic homogenizer HD 2200 system with a power of 40% and a frequency of 20 kHz ± 500 Hz for 1 min at room temperature (25 °C). The extraction was repeated two more times, and the final volume was adjusted to 1.5 mL. The samples were concentrated using the Savant SPD 111V SpeedVac concentrator for 5 h to remove the residual solvents, followed by freeze-drying at −50 °C for 2-3 h. The freeze-dried extracts were reconstituted in 0.5 mL of 100% (v/v) methanol and kept at −80 °C until further analysis. The phenolic extractions for the antioxidant assays were conducted according to a modified method. In brief, 0.5 g of the freeze-dried vegetable powder was dissolved in 5.0 mL of 80% (v/v) methanol (at a sample-to-solvent ratio of 1:10) and kept at 25 °C for 15 h using an orbital shaker. The supernatant was collected and stored at −80 °C until further analysis.
Read also: Inspiring Health Transformation
The total phenolic content (TPC) of the obtained extracts was estimated using the Folin-Ciocalteu method modified for a plate reader. In brief, 40 µL of the reconstituted plant extracts were added to a Corning 9017 96-well microplate, followed by the addition of 120 µL of deionized water. A total of 40 µL of the FC reagent was added to the mixture and incubated for 5 min at 25 °C. After the incubation, 40 µL of Na2CO3 was added, and the sample mixture was kept in the dark for 1 h. Next, the absorbance was measured at 640 nm using a microplate reader. The total flavonoid content (TFC) of the vegetable extracts was determined by the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the extracted solution was measured using the DPPH assay. Apart from the radical scavenging activity, the reducing power of the extracts was assessed. The chelating activity of the metals was assessed. The total antioxidant activity of each extract was assessed according to a protocol using a commercial KIT and a microplate reader.