MEG Fitness Health News

Medications for Kids – When will adults take responsibility?

2008-07-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, a colleague sent a message to my professional listserv, asking for advice. A friend with an obese 8-year-old daughter called her for help because her daughter’s pediatrician just scolded them because of her daughter’s health condition. This 8-year-old is not only obese but has high blood cholesterol and also has high blood pressure. Not only is the health of this child an issue, but a more harmful issue is how the doctor handled the problem. Now the daughter looks at herself and scolds herself for being so fat, and stress in the house has risen to an unhealthy level.

This is a tragedy in many ways. First of all, any female who is made to feel so bad about herself because of her weight is an eating disordered child in the making! Studies show over and over again that this is the ripe age for such problems that could not only last a lifetime, but could SHORTEN this child’s life! Second, now the mother is trying to police what her daughter eats, the father is scolding the mother for not feeding her more fruit and the daughter is mad at her mother because there is so much junk food in the house to begin with.

The third tragedy is that this is an issue at all! Any child of eight years old with weight issues is USUALLY the result of what they are allowed/provided to eat by the parents. The parents set the example! I have seen toddlers drinking sodas and eating French fries MUCH too often! These are not foods young children should even be exposed to!

But then this morning I watched a report stating that the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that children as young as eight years old start on cholesterol-lowering drugs!

When will parents start to take responsibility for the health of not only themselves, but of their own children?? This is awful that these ‘adult’ medications should be suggested for children. Apparently it is the Academy’s red flag in trying to slow down the incidence of heart disease and pre-mature death of these young people.

If you have children in your home, what are YOUR eating habits like? What is the health of your children? Are they a bit overweight? Really consider what habits you are teaching your children. Do you want your kids on drugs to treat these lifestyle conditions? Do you want your children to suffer from health problems when they should be enjoying their young adulthood? If not, first look at your own habits, and make decisions to improve what you do at home. Children learn from what we teach them, first. Only when they are older do they learn from their peers.

For tips on obesity and overweight in children, go to this link: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/overweight.cfm

Potatoes – The Misunderstood Starchy Vegetable

2008-07-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

A new report was released, showing that if you cube or shred potatoes before boiling, you can lose as much as 75% of the potassium in an average potato! Now, this is great news for people who undergo kidney dialysis, but for the rest of us, the more potassium we can get in our diets, the better!

People on some of the still-popular fad diets still believe that the poor potato is responsible for obesity in the US. Never mind all the bags of chips and crackers and double cheeseburgers or FRIED potatoes that people eat! However, the potato is still considered America’s most popular vegetable, with the average American eating 130 pounds of potatoes a year!

But what makes a potato so good? First of all, an average potato is low in calories, providing only 100 calories per potato. This means you could bake a potato, you could cut it up and oven fry them, or you could mash it up and it would STILL be less than 12 potato CHIPS. Second, 45% of your daily need for vitamin C can be supplied by just one potato, and that potato also provides as much potassium as a banana. And there’s fiber in a potato, too! One potato, with the skin, will provide 3 grams of fiber, which is as much as some ‘high fiber’ cereals.

So how can you incorporate potatoes into a healthy diet? Easy! Add a baked potato to your lunch, topped by either bean chili or steamed broccoli. A good topping for a baked potato is non-fat sour cream. Don’t squint your nose until you’ve tried it! A popular addition to dinner is to cut up a washed potato into ‘fat fries’, rub them with a little bit of olive oil, shake them in a bag of seasonings, and lay them out on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes, checking for the doneness you prefer. You actually have a low fat potato dish!

One of my favorite dinners is home-made potato soup. I cut up washed potatoes (with skins), boil them in chicken broth, add sautéed onions, and cook until the potatoes are tender. I then blend some of the cooked potatoes with added non-fat milk to create the desired thickness. Add seasonings and heat up. I love adding shredded cheddar cheese to my soup, but you don’t have to. Serve with some whole wheat roles and a green salad and you have an excellent and complete meal.

For more on potatoes, check out the Washington Potato Commission website at; http://www.potatoes.com/

Beauty of Coaching

2008-06-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

If you have been paying attention to the progress of health/wellness, you may notice that coaching is becoming HOT! My guess is that in another 5 years, coaching will be as mainstream as personal training is, today.

What is the benefit of coaching? It makes you, the person, in charge of you! No longer is an expert telling what works best for you to do in order to improve your health. As the expert in you, you come up with what you want to accomplish and then determine how you will make it happen! And, a coach makes you feel like you can actually do it, too! How much more empowering can that be?

But there are still a lot of people who don’t trust coaching. They don’t understand it; don’t understand the value of having someone in their corner. Many men feel that ‘I don’t need someone to tell me what I should be able to figure out on my own!’ However, today many of the most successful people in the world have coaches in order to accomplish more!

How can you find a coach, though? If you are reading this online, you already have the tools to find a qualified coach! Now, it’s important that you understand that anyone can call themselves a coach. However, look for what school they attended, and then research the school. Although there are a few quality coaching schools that are not affiliated with the International Coach Federation (ICF), this is the gold standard. When I look for a coach, I prefer they have attended a school that is listed on the ICF website. WellCoaches is one of the schools not affiliated with ICF, yet, but is an excellent school.

Once you have found where the coaches are, though, then you must determine which coach is for you! One of the many beauties of looking for a coach is you can ‘try them on’, so to speak. Many coaches offer a free coaching interview to see if the two of you are a good fit. Many coaches today specialize, too.

So, since our primary focus is health on here, if you are looking for a wellness/health coach, look for someone with a medical background who is also educated in coaching techniques. Avoid coaches who say their education is because they lost weight, or because they have a particular disease. These are NOT the experts you want helping you move forward with your own health issues. If you had cancer, would you choose a physician who specializes in cancer or the woman down the street who had cancer and beat it?

The beauty of coaching is you are in the driver’s seat. Get control of your health and life and treat yourself to feeling in control again by finding yourself a coach to help.

For WellCoaches, go to this link: http://www.wellcoach.com/
For ICF, go to this link: http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/

Statins for Blood Cholesterol

2008-06-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to Dr. Jeffry Bland’s Functional Medicine Update monthly CD with several other RDs. For any RDs reading this, I highly recommend it! This month’s issue interviewed Dr. James M Wright, who has been questioning the benefits of prescribing blood cholesterol drugs for prevention of heart disease. When the lipid-lowering guidelines were updated in 2001, it increased the number of Americans who ‘should’ be taking statins from 13 million to 36 million. Wow! I have had clients whose physicians have recommended medication for this very reason.
However, Dr. Wright’s analyzed the research that supports this guideline and actually found no support for this policy. They found that most of the research on statins is for people, who have already been diagnosed with heart disease, but that clinicians decided to extrapolate that information to suggest that if it helps when already diagnosed, it should help prevent disease.

What Dr. Wright and his colleagues did find, however, was that for high-risk men between the ages of 30-69, that 50 of them being treated for 5 years might see a benefit. Two problems here (if you don’t already see a problem): First, these statistics mean, in research terms, this is INSIGNIFICANT. Second, we are discounting the problems statins cause!

Statins tend to cause a high frequency of muscle damage. And that frequency increases with exercise. So, if you had a 50 year old man who had some weight to lose and his cholesterol is 200, and he has no other risk factors, he may decide to improve his diet and start an exercise program at the time his doctor put him on a statin. Although he quickly starts to see improvement as a result of the exercise, he also starts to see a complication because of his medication. So, traditionally, the doctor will tell him to stop exercising! Research repeatedly shows the health benefits from diet and exercise, but does not show benefit from taking a statin as a preventative measure. I won’t point out the obvious.

What is the answer, then? If you have no other risk factors or have not been diagnosed with any heart disease, when your doctor suggests starting a medication to lower your cholesterol, do your research and come back with questions for him/her before you agree. It’s your body, it’s your life. It’s your choice and you should have all the information.

If you are interested in the analyses that Dr Wright conducted, here are the details:
Are lipid-lowering guidelines evidence-based?
J Abramson, JM Wright
The Lancet - Vol. 369, Issue 9557, 20 January 2007, Pages 168-169

Statins for primary prevention of coronary artery disease – Authors' reply
James M Wright, John Abramson
The Lancet - Vol. 369, Issue 9567, 31 March 2007, Page 1079

Breast cancer and Vitamin D

2008-06-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

There has been interesting developments around Vitamin D for some time, now. We were taught in school to be careful of the amount of Vitamin D to supplement, because it’s a fat soluble vitamin that can build up in the liver and cause more harm than good! However, we also learned about the ‘pre-vitamin’ stage of vitamin D when in school.

The latest study is particularly interesting because it was so dramatic; that women diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly twice as likely to see it spread and 73% more likely to die if they have low levels of vitamin D! This is huge and I’m sure will be researched more.

I won’t go into all the benefits other research is starting to show related to vitamin D. You can do a Medline search. But did you know that we can actually have our levels tested by measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

How do you get more vitamin D? Sunlight exposure is a natural way to increase vitamin D. It’s particularly important that the forearms are exposed. But what if you don’t have much sun, such as in northern locations of the world during the winter? Then supplementation can be in order. However, just randomly taking high doses of vitamin D is STILL not a good idea. Get your levels checked; many insurance companies will now cover the test, then have a discussion with your doctor about how much to start taking. We may need more than we originally thought, but we still could cause ourselves more harm than good by taking more than our bodies need.

For a good article on Vitamin D, click here:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/are-you-getting-enough-vitamin-d

Colon Cleansing

2008-06-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

With spring, I’m reading a lot of things on colon cleansing. It upsets my stomach! What bothers me is the wealth of mis-information many of those who promote it spread.

There are several reasons people may consider colon cleansing, but a popular reason is for weight loss. Not that there is ANY good reason to go on a colon cleansing diet, but this is probably the LAST reason. Some people believe it could help kick start a new, healthier diet. Yea, it could do that.

Other people believe that a colon cleanse will ‘clean’ their colon. The belief is that going on a diet of either just fruits or some concoction of juices and other substances will slough off the dead cells lining the gastrointestinal tract. However, most people who benefit from this aren’t eating a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables and whole grains to begin with. If they just switched to a ‘healthy’ diet, nothing would need to be ‘cleaned out’.

Finally, the last justification people give for colon cleansing is that it will remove toxins from the body. This probably drives me the nuttiest. There are two phases of detoxification the liver goes through (which is where detoxification takes place, NOT the colon), and in order to most effectively do this, which it is quite good at, it needs all macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins and fats. However, this does not mean a diet of cheeseburgers, French fries and diet sodas! An excellent example would include fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain starches, such as brown rice, plant-based proteins, such as beans and legumes, and healthy, plant-based fats, such as olives and avocado. Once the body has the nutrients it needs, the liver manages to prove that the body is a miraculous machine.

Sometimes one or another of the phases of detoxification needs help. Then modification of the diet can support healthy detoxification, but not from eliminating whole food groups.

So, the bottom line is this: Clean your house, clean your skin and hair clean your car. Be kind to your colon and feed it ‘happy, healthy‘ food, not cayenne pepper in a glass!

For three excellent articles on the topic, click these links:
http://acudoc.com/Detoxification.PDF
http://acudoc.com/Intestinal_Health.PDF

Changes to MEGFit Health Blog

2008-06-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have made some changes to my MEG Fitness Health Blog. I have decided to write little blurbs that are more related to MY take and opinion on hot topics related to health. Be sure to check out the latest postings and share your opinions. As health professionals, we tend to avoid taking a stand on how we REALLY feel, but I’ve decided it’s time for a soapbox approach! Sometimes you may agree, sometimes you may not, but discussion is great for everyone.

Can Artificial Sweeteners Make You Gain Weight?

2008-05-27T04:38:00.000-07:00

By: Katherine Loukianoff

A recent study, published in the February 2008 issue on Behavioral Neuroscience of the Journal of American Psychological Association, suggested that eating artificial sweeteners could actually cause gain weight. The study was based at the Ingestive Behavior Research Center at Purdue University, conducted on adult male laboratory rats. One group was provided yogurt that was naturally sweetened with glucose, and the second group was fed yogurt that was sweetened with the zero-calorie saccharin.

Statistically significant results showed that the rats fed the saccharin sweetened yogurt consumed more calories, gained more weight and body fat, and did not cut back on their calorie consumption over a longer period of time compared to the group fed the yogurt naturally sweetened. The authors also measured the core body temperature to see the effects the sweeteners had on the body. Normally when an animal is getting ready to eat there is a “metabolic engine” that is getting ready, and raises the core body temperature. The authors stated the group fed the artificial sweeteners did not experience as much increase of body temperature as those fed the naturally sweetened yogurt.

The authors of this study suggest that when animals eat something with a sweet taste there is anticipation for higher calorie content food. Artificial sweeteners provide that sweet taste; however, the sweeteners are lacking in the calories. They suggest that this can cause an energy imbalance because the animal may increase food intake or decrease the amount of energy being expended. The researchers expect that other sweeteners besides saccharin would produce similar results. Authors also suggested increase weight and body fat from artificial sweetener use could be contributing to the increased obesity in America. Although many health professionals may be hesitant to believe this study because of various studies that show some weight gain, and others that show weight loss with artificial sweeteners, there have been more studies that show people who consume the artificially sweetened diet beverages are at increased risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome.

What does this all mean for us? Well the studies were conducted on rats, and although the researchers suggest there would be similar results in humans there isn’t a lot of data to support this. Decreasing the artificial sweeteners that we use would not hurt us at all. Although artificial sweeteners are considered to be safe, it really is not known if there are any long-term affects that many artificial sweeteners may have on our bodies. This study may be one of them, with the side effect of causing increased calorie consumption. Many use these in place of high calorie natural sweeteners, so cutting them out entirely may be difficult. The next time you are at the coffee shop reaching for some type of sweetener for your beverage it is up to you to decide what you want to sweeten with.

To read the abstract of this study, go to:
http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&uid=2008-01943-017

Assessing Benefits vs. Risks of Detox Diets

2008-05-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

By: Katherine Loukianoff

Detoxifying is defined as “removing a harmful substance (as a poison or toxin) or the effect of such”. Detox diets have been around since the 1970s, and may have different meaning to each person. One typical idea of a detox diet is that eating certain foods or drinks or even the possible elimination of items from your diet to decrease the “toxins” that are stored in your body. Toxins are thought by some to cause inflammation and disease. In the May 2008 issue of Today’s Dietitian a review of the benefits vs. risks of detox diets was evaluated.

There are countless different types of detox diets. A case where the body would need to be detoxified would be if there were exposures to radioactivity, heavy metals, or poisons, not typically because of foods. However, some people are referring to “toxins” caused by environmental factors such as pesticides, air pollution, or from preservatives that are added to foods today. Massage therapists are known for recommending that clients drink plenty of water after a session because of substances that are stored in cells being released into the bloodstream from the massage. Detox diet can be thought of in this way as well, where nonnutritive substances in our body will be released, and pass through the body.

The author reminds us of the very limited research regarding detox diets, and that there are no published studies. There is some research regarding fasting, and the possible benefits that have been shown for people with chronic conditions, or breaking addictive habits. Detox diets are not particularly good for weight loss. It may be beneficial to jump start a weight loss plan and break habits, but should not be used long-term.

Those who are diabetic have low blood sugars, eating disorders, growing children, teens, pregnant women, and older adults should avoid detox diets. Also people on medications or have medical conditions shouldn’t jump into a detox diet with out consulting a health professional first. A short-term detox diet would best used by a healthy individual as a method of rejuvenation, and not as a method to handle a weight problem or for disease prevention.

Some side effects of detox diets can include decreased concentration, irritability, headaches, runny noses, allergy type reactions, diarrhea, and even more serious life-threatening electrolyte imbalances. Many claim the symptoms are due to the toxins moving out of the body.

Whether or not detox diets are effective remains unknown. The appeal of the detox diets is probably to do with ridding our bodies of stuff that should not be there, helping become clean from the inside out. Eating a healthy diet that is balanced with variety and moderation is still the best way to stay healthy. Some simple ways to eat better, and possibly reduce the “toxins” with out following a detox diet include eating less saturated fat, less sodium, less simple sugars, and eating more plant-based foods.

To read this article, go to:
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/tdmay2008pg34.shtml

Egg Consumption To egg or not to egg! That is the question.

2008-05-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

Over the years, studies have shown that eating too many eggs in a week may cause heart disease. An added benefit of cutting back on the number of eggs you eat is that your blood cholesterol levels may be lower as a result.

Although a good many studies agree that eating one or less eggs a week is good for you if you are healthy, wouldn’t you know, that it be “too good to be true”? Why? Because eggs are rich in cholesterol, and cholesterol has been found to clog arteries and increase the chances of heart failure and stroke in some people.

You may hear that one study says this and one study says “no, that’s not true, but this is”, and another says “but have you thought about this,”—which is even more different. The point is that the best thing to do, when deciding if you should eat eggs or not, is to use moderation and follow an otherwise heart-healthy diet.

But since that might not be the easiest thing to do, try to eat with “your heart in mind” as often as possible. For instance, you could cut back on how many eggs you eat—one or less a week--especially, if you happen to be a male, which was the target group.

So what does any of this mean for you? Some people love eggs and eat them every day. Get your blood cholesterol checked to see how you’re reacting to the eggs! If your cholesterol is high, it might be a good time to start cutting down. If your cholesterol is a healthy low, discuss your egg intake with your doctor and make sure you’re also eating healthy fats, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. And, of course, regular exercise.

To read the abstracts of the studies, go to;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18195171?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
or
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/281/15/1387

Adolescent Eating Habits

2008-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Most of us didn’t get through school without taking at least one “Health” class in which we learned about the Food Pyramid and how it was made up of the Five Food Groups. We could also name them, and perhaps some of us still can.

Today, the lack of eating among TV and movie starlets is more than obvious. Sadly, it seems, the race is on to see who can be the thinnest and most skeletal looking. But in the end, the true outcome of the physical results is of no real concern except to the individual involved. Unfortunately, this has now become the norm in some circles in the “real world”, enough so that adolescents use peer pressure and Hollywood to compare their self-worth with the way they look.

Aside from the belief that too much time is spent on thinking “thin is in”, an added concern is just how much “good” food are they eating? It’s hard enough to be a teen without having to worry that you can’t eat ‘fun’ foods in moderation.

Luckily, as a new push toward helping grade school children and adolescents re-learn how to eat healthy, the President has asked the schools to focus on changing their menus and incorporate physical activity into the daily class schedules. He’s also given “physical activity” a boost when he’s photographed running in the park or down the street.

So what does that mean for you? Watch how your teens eat. Often the growth of an eating disorder goes unnoticed until it’s too late. Make sure that mealtime is a time that family does together. Not only is this an important time for family bonding, but if you don’t eat meals with your kids, you can’t see when there’s a problem developing. Warning signs are that your child plays more with her/his food than actually eats it, or says she/he isn’t hungry a lot. Another would be noticing she/he is starting to lose weight. Some eating disorders do not result in weight loss, however, which we’ll save for another blog.

To read the abstract of this study, go to; http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hbrc/diet/AFHQreliabilityandvalidity.pdf
To learn more about adolescent eating behaviors, go to; http://www.epi.umn.edu/let/pubs/img/adol_ch2.pdf

A Handful of Blueberries: A Mind-full of Memories

2008-04-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

By: Donna Mitchell, Dietetic Intern

Memories are priceless, and when one begins to lose hold of such a priceless treasure, it becomes such an inconvenience. What if there are natural ways to slow this process or combat its uninviting outcomes that are convenient, tasty, and quite inexpensive? Current research explores the brain-empowering effects of blueberries.

Researchers working at the Schools of Ford Bioscience and Psychology and the Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences have found that phytochemical-rich foods, such as blueberries, are effective at reversing age-related memory inconsistencies. A regular diet supplemented with blueberries over a 12-week period was found to improve spatial working memory tasks within three weeks and continued throughout the rest of the study. (Spatial working memory refers to temporarily holding and manipulating information as related to our ability to function in our environment.

Blueberries are a major source of flavonoids, mainly anthocyanins and flavonols. It is believed that the effects of these flavonoids work by enhancing existing neuronal connections, improving communication between cells and stimulating brain cell regeneration. The research team was able to demonstrate flavonoid ability to generate memory improvement mediated by protein activation via a specific pathway in the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that controls learning and memory. The team plans on extending these findings to further investigate a flavonoid rich diet pertaining to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease.

In laymen’s term, blueberries are not only delicious and packed with nutrients, but they could potentially be useful in increasing memory capacity. Stay tuned for future findings on the wondrous effects of fruits and vegetables; don’t wait until more benefits are being uncovered! Eat your fruits and vegetables NOW- you will likely be receiving more nutritional benefits than we even know to exist.

Quick Blueberry Nutrition Facts:
• Anthocyanidins are responsible for the blue, purple, and red pigments.
• Very good source of Vitamin C, and soluble and insoluble fiber
• Good source of manganese, Vitamin E, and riboflavin
• Contains tannins that act as astringents in the digestive system to firm up loose stools
• Components found in blueberry and cranberry juice reduce the ability for E.coli, the most common cause of urinary tract infections, to adhere.

For more health information on blueberries visit The Blueberry Council at http://www.blueberry.org/health.htm

Coffee Cupping: Bitter- But Better For Diabetes Management?

2008-04-21T05:11:00.000-07:00

By: Donna Mitchell, Dietetic Intern

My last trip to San Diego introduced me to the novel term “coffee cupping,” something that sounded the least bit of fun- more of hyper-activity resulting in massive headaches and frequent bathroom stops. Not my type of entertainment. According to coffeereasearch.org, cupping is one of the coffee tasting techniques used by cuppers to evaluate coffee aroma and the flavor profile of a coffee. But what about moderate amounts and its effects on health? The buzz on coffee and its effects on diabetes management has been talked about recently and I would like to share possible theories for this “miracle” beverage for people who have diabetes and other health-related disorders.

Harvard researchers analyzed an eighteen year study that concluded participants downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce the risk of diabetes. Having six cups or more each day reduced the risk in men by 54% and in women, by 30%. According to leading researcher Frank Hu, MD, the reason why coffee is beneficial for diabetes is still unknown. It is possible that both caffeine and other compounds play important roles. Coffee contains antioxidants such as chlorogenic acid and tocopherols, as well as the mineral magnesium. All these components have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. In a new Harvard study, people drinking decaffeinated coffee, but not tea, also showed a reduced diabetes risk.

According to Tomas Depaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies, overall research shows coffee is far more healthful than harmful. There is evidence that coffee may help manage asthma, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities. Italian researchers credit trigonelline, a compound that gives coffee its antibacterial and anti-adhesive properties to help prevent dental cavities. At least six studies indicate people who drink coffee regularly are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. The evidence is very strong in coffee’s benefits for Parkinson’s disease, directly relating to caffeine. In, fact, drugs used to treat Parkinson’s are now being developed that contain a derivative of caffeine based on this evidence.

Whether a coffee drinker or not, now you are aware of possible health benefits of this historically popular beverage- just remember not to go overboard on your next java stop. Although caffeine has been shown to increase energy and boost moods, it is not the caffeine that improves diabetes management, but the potent bioactive compounds found in coffee- so decaf will work just as well. "A cup of coffee is about 2% caffeine and 98% other stuff," says Terry Graham, chair of the nutritional sciences department at the University of Guelph in Ontario. The "other stuff" might easily include "another 50 or 100 active compounds," Graham says. So just remember moderation, about 2 cups per day. Happy cupping!

For more information visit Vanderbilt University Institute for Coffee Studies at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ics/

Breast Cancer Websites

2008-04-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most frequently used phrases in infomercials and medical-related product advertising about cosmetics, and by food and herbal supplement manufacturers is “consult your physician before use.” Studies show, however, that this doesn’t always happen.

What’s more, many times before a woman even gets in the door of a physician’s office she’s already Googled or Yahoo’ed her way through numerous Web sites in search of answers to questions she may be too afraid to ask her physician. The unfortunate concern with this activity becomes just how current and frequent is the information she’s found about her health. Further, because there are no “checks and balances” as to who can say what, whether you can really depend on the research should be questionable at best. In fact, the outside results may just do more harm than good.

Researchers wanted to know if they could indentify certain criteria people could use to determine if a website was reliable or not. They found that there were NO consistent criteria to determine reliability. It really is ‘buyers beware’. A recent review of 343 websites found from five different search engines showed that 5.2% of the sites contained inaccurate information. This indicated that most sites could be helpful, but a large number of sites offering complementary information were inaccurate.

The good news is that 5.2% is quite low. However, if you are one of those people trusting an inaccurate or misleading website, your life could actually be at risk!

As a caution, when it comes to the fear and uncertainty associated with a diagnosis of breast cancer, one of the main things to remember is to always check the source of the information on breast cancer and get several opinions.

Examples of reliable sites include WebMD, the American Institute for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Block Medical Center, MD Anderson Center, Oncolink and BreastCancer.net, just to name a few.

The bottom line is you CAN take control of your health with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Breast cancer is just one of the cancers that runs in my family. My mom has had breast cancer twice. The first diagnosis was over 30 years ago, and she’s totally cancer-free, today. Although you’ve heard this from me before, but by following a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources, you can help lower your risk of many cancers.

To read the abstract of this study, go to; http://www.shis.uth.tmc.edu/research-publications/Bernstam2008

To read more about this study, click here

Dad’s Diet Can Prevent Birth Defects Too

2008-04-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

Women have known that a well balanced diet will give her unborn child the best change for a healthy beginning. But now research shows that the father’s diet also plays an important role. Both men and women with a Folate deficiency have a greater chance of having a child with some birth defects, including Down’s Syndrome.

A recent study looked at the effects of folate in sperm. Currently, the RDA for folate in men 19 and over is 400 micrograms/day. Researchers asked 89 men to keep a journal of what they ate and then analyzed their sperm. They found lower sperm rates in men who ate over 700 micrograms per day, which made researchers wonder if the RDA for men considering starting a family should be increased, as with women considering children.

One of the best natural sources of Folate is green leafy vegetables. There is also Folate added to many of the foods we eat such as breads and cereals. Not only can a Folate deficiency cause birth defects, but it can also slow the growth rate in infants and children, and cause anemia in adults.

What does this mean for you? Grin; Need I say it? First of all, if you are a woman of childbearing age, this is a time that discussing supplementation with your doctor or dietitian is advised. But by increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains is also advised.

To read the abstract of this study, go to:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/den036v1
For more information on folate, go to:
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/folate.asp

Headaches and Quality of Life

2008-03-31T06:12:00.000-07:00

Could your headache give you a stomachache? Possibly! Headaches can be caused by many things: Stress, allergies, and medications are just a few. Your diet is another. Headaches can range from mild to depilating. When they are combined with other stomach problems, it only compounds the discomfort.

Over a period of two years, a total of 51,383 people were surveyed in the Head-HUNT Study. 43,782 people answered questions about stomach problems such as nausea, reflux, diarrhea and constipation. The findings showed that those with tummy troubles also suffered from more headaches. Interesting, huh? Where do you lie with this?

In a different study about chronic frequent headaches, combined with other chronic issues, including gastrointestinal, researchers were looking to see how these headaches affect overall quality of life. They found that people with chronic frequent headaches had a much lower quality of life than those with infrequent headaches. Well, again, if you have frequent headaches, you know how that affects your life!

What does this mean for you?
First of all, researchers will continue to study the question of headaches. But there are a couple comments about the studies I first want to make, then I will comment on a trend in general.

When you really think about it, if you have frequent headaches, it pretty much makes you feel lousy all over. And, if that headache is a migraine, for those of you who ever HAD a migraine, you probably chuckled reading that increased headaches increases tummy troubles. Yea, how many times have you sat next to the toilet in the midst of a migraine, waiting for something to come up or go out??? It’s almost as if it would flush the pain away!

The second study is another ‘duh’ conclusion. Need I say more? Neither concluded much.

So, what DOES this mean for you? First of all, there is definitely a link between migraines and the foods we eat. I cannot eat barley. If I do, I can be guaranteed I will wake up with a migraine! I have been migraine free for years, since discovering this. For anyone suffering from regular migraines, I strongly suggest you consider delayed food sensitivies. Today there is a specific blood test to help indentify foods that could be causing your migraine. If you go to my Resources page on www.megfit.com,you will find a dietitian who specializes in testing and counseling for this type of condition.

But what if your headaches are not migraines? If you suffer from ongoing headaches and don’t know the reason, be sure to get them checked out. They could be caused by something as simple as allergies to environmental conditions, or you could suffer from ongoing, low-grade sinus infections. None are fun and no one should continue to suffer. There is no doubt headaches affect quality of life.

Finally, your diet and lifestyle habits can influence headaches! Look at what you eat and drink regularly. Most people are already aware of the foods or drink they should cut down. Does that mean you?

To read the abstract of the Head-HUNT study, go to:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-2982.2007.01486.x

To read the abstract of the quality of life study, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/3crvwm

Exercise to Cut your Stroke Risk

2008-03-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

Just walking briskly 30-minutes a day can lower the risk of having a stroke. Even for people who have other risk factors for stroke, a moderate level of aerobic fitness can significantly reduce the risk in both men and women, according to a large, long-running study from the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, Texas. Most people can reach a moderate fitness range by walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, five times a week.

Researchers from the Arnold School of Public Health analyzed data on more than 60,000people who participated in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study between 1970 and 2001 at the Cooper Aerobics Center.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US, with about 150,000 deaths resulting from around 780,000 strokes per year. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is stopped when a blood vessel is blocked by a clot or that clot bursts. Physical activity can help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.

So, what does this mean for you? First of all, always check with your doctor before starting any type of exercise program, no matter how moderate. Then, if you are not exercising at all, it’s time to kick it up a notch! This doesn’t mean you have to go run a marathon tomorrow. Find different ways to be more active during the day. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a little further from your destination. Take your shoes to work with you and walk during your break or lunch. Even three bouts of 10 minutes a day has been found to be as beneficial as one 30-minute session per day. But also check out the local health clubs, your local YMCA/YWCA and even see what your church offers. If necessary, start your own walking club! Get some neighbors together and meet at a regular time. Often finding someone to keep you motivated, and who you will motivate, can make all the difference.

If you feel dizzy, have pain (especially in your chest) or have difficulty breathing, stop exercising immediately and tell your doctor.
To read more about this study, go to:
http://sph.sc.edu/news/cardiofitness.htm
To learn more about stroke prevention, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2j6yg3
http://www.stroke.org.uk/information/preventing_a_stroke/exercise.html

Beans Lower Cholesterol

2008-03-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

If you have been paying attention to health information, you know that beans can be one of the healthiest foods you can eat, outside of fruits and vegetables! Research is always looking into what beans can do for us, and here is another study that shows benefits.

Because beans are full of beneficial fiber they may be just what you need to lower bad, LDL, cholesterol levels. Just by eating as little as one-half cup of cooked dry beans everyday, you could lower your LDLD cholesterol levels. And these cooked dry beans can be canned without added salt or flavorings, also, which makes it REALLY easy to eat more beans!

Published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers investigated the role beans would play in effecting blood cholesterol levels in people with Metabolic Syndrome. For 12 weeks one group was randomly selected to eat one-half cup of cooked dry pinto beans daily along with their regular daily diet. The other group ate a replacement serving of chicken soup instead of the pinto beans. The findings show that, compared to measures taken prior to the 12-week test phase, all the volunteers--the healthy ones as well as those with symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome--who ate pinto beans saw a reduction in their cholesterol levels, which included total cholesterol, HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and LDL (“bad) cholesterol.

Metabolic Syndrome is directly related to cardiovascular disease. Because cardiovascular disease is a lifestyle-related disease, changes to improve LDL cholesterol levels are beneficial to your health. The more you exercise and eat a well balanced diet, the more likely you are to improve not only your cardiovascular health but also your overall health.

Beans are actually a vegetable, but they're high enough in protein that the government also considers them a meat substitute. Since they fit into two food groups, they're often lost in the shuffle. Given what beans have to offer us, they're probably the most neglected food in our diets. Dry peas and beans and tofu (soybean curd) are great meat substitutes that are low in saturated fat, and are cholesterol free. Dry peas and beans also have a lot of fiber, which can help to lower blood cholesterol. Another benefit of beans is they are high in iron.

So what does this mean to you? Simple: Add more beans to your diet! I actually have a favorite lunch or dinner that I make often, and here is the recipe: I slice up an onion, sauté it in olive oil until it’s soft, add a can of pinto beans (plain beans, no sauce), and a can of plain corn. I add seasonings that I like, heat up a couple flour tortillas (you could use whole wheat), cut up half an avocado (excellent fat source) and make a couple burritos! Combining the vegetable with the beans and tortilla give me a complete protein and the avocado provides some healthy fats in my diet.

So, play around with how you can add beans to your diet. They can replace the rice or potatoes at dinner, and today many great options are available canned, making it easier than ever to eat beans. And, if you need to lower your cholesterol levels or get more iron or fiber into your diet, this is a very simple way to do it!

To read the abstract of this study, go to:
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/137/11/2391
Or to read more about beans in your diet, go to:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=3689588&page=1

Soft Drinks Increase Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

2008-03-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

We know that the consumption of soft drinks has been linked to obesity in children and adolescents, but it is unclear whether it increases metabolic risk in middle-aged individuals.

Metabolic Syndrome includes a variety of conditions linked to an increased risk of heart disease including high blood pressure, low counts of good cholesterol, high sugar levels, and high amounts of fatty acids.

One study suggests that middle-aged adults may have up to a 40% higher risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome from drinking more than one soft drink per day. What researchers found most interesting, however, was that it didn’t matter if it was regular or diet. They found that the dietary habits of both types of soft drinkers was the same; people who drink more soft drinks are known to also eat more high-calorie, high-fat food and exercise less. The study was a segment of the ongoing Framington Heart Study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and involved nearly 8,000 people.

What does this study mean for you? I have always felt that the more natural our diets are the better. And this includes the intake of diet sodas. I will admit that I love a good cherry coke when I’m eating out. However, I probably average one or two a month. And I have never been able to switch over to the diet versions of any foods. I feel that sugar replacements are an unnatural food that I prefer to avoid.

So, for you, if you drink any type of soda, what can you do to cut them down? If you drink diet soda thinking it will help you lose weight, ask yourself just how much weight have you lost on them! Many people actually have an addiction to diet sodas and do not lose weight.

Then look at what types of foods are you eating. Can you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables? I challenge you to add one new fruit or veggie to your diet each week between now and Easter. Then, if you have been successful, keep going until summer! You would be surprised to see what happens to your weight if you did such a thing.

To read the abstract of this study, go to:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2007/nhlbi-23.htm

To Treat or Not to Treat: Weight Loss

2008-03-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that excess body fat is a major risk factor for disease. In recent years several criteria have been introduced to evaluate this risk factor. Nevertheless, the need for treatment is typically only assessed on the basis of a person's Body Mass Index (BMI).

One study’s goal was to determine whether application of the BMI, compared to other weight measurement options could change how they were classified in the underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese categories. In addition to BMI, they looked at a person’s percentage body fat, metabolic syndrome risk, waist circumference, and Body Fat Mass Index.

They found that a number of people were being misclassified in their weight categories. BMI compared to almost all of the other weight and fat measuring options identified that less people would be recommended for treatment. Thus, using more methods to determine a person’s body fat, more people were found to need weight management treatment.

What does this mean for you? Something researchers have found is that many people don’t recognize that their weight is an issue. However, if your weight is affecting your activities or how you feel each day, you know if you would feel better if you lost weight. So, if you believe that perhaps your doctor is just being ‘kind’ by telling you your weight is fine, you can take charge and do something about it, now!

In fact, spring is just about upon us and is a great time to start increasing activity and choosing more foods that are fresh and whole, such as fruits and vegetables. So my advice is to take a serious look at your weight and your health and make a decision on these on your own. Then make a plan to do something about it!

To read the abstract of this study, go to this link:
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/7/1/5

Learn how to listen to blood sugars for mealtime

2008-02-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

One theory is that the will to eat is a decision associated with conditioned responses and with unconditioned body sensations that reflect changes in metabolic biomarkers. Here, researchers investigated whether this decision can be delayed until blood glucose is allowed to fall to low levels, when presumably feeding behavior is mostly unconditioned. Following such an eating pattern might avoid some of the metabolic risk factors that are associated with high blood sugars.

The main hypothesis of this study was that adult individuals can be trained to accurately estimate their glucose levels at meal times. This knowledge was achieved by training the subjects to associate feelings of hunger with low glucose concentrations. In contrast, control (untrained) subjects were unable to recognize their glycemic levels at meal times and expressed the will to eat at a wide range of blood sugar values.

The findings suggest (1) that eating when blood sugars are high may lead to higher calorie intake than in trained subjects, and (2) that the lack of correlation between food consumption and blood sugars may, at least in part, explain why part of the population cannot maintain a healthy weight.

The conclusion to this study was that people can learn to listen to their bodies when their blood sugars are low. The hope is that if people can learn to tell the difference between the need to eat and the need to put something in their mouth, they might be able to control their weight AND better control their blood sugars.
So what can you learn from this study? The most important thing is that research is showing that we CAN learn to listen to our bodies to control our food intake. A concept that is becoming more popular is called “Mindful Eating”. Another concept to investigate is ‘Intuitive Eating’.

To read the abstract of this study, go to;
http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/3/1/42

The Safety of Caffeine During Pregnancy

2008-02-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

Many obstetricians already advise pregnant women to limit caffeine but the subject has been debated with conflicting studies. Too much caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage; a new study suggests that pregnant women want to reduce their intake or cut it out entirely. The new study, published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that pregnant women who consume 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day may double their risk of miscarriage. To put this in perspective, here are some examples of caffeinated foods/beverages and how much caffeine is contained:

- An eight-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee typically has 65-120 mg
- An eight and one-third ounce energy drink contains between 50-200mg
- An eight-ounce serving of brewed tea has 20-90mg
- Caffeinated soft drinks have 30-60mg per 12 ounce serving
- An ounce of milk chocolate has 1-15mg

According to the March of Dimes website, most experts agreed that the amount of caffeine found in 8 to 16 ounces of coffee a day was safe. It noted that some studies had linked higher amounts to miscarriage and low birth weight, but stated: “However, there is no solid proof that caffeine causes these problems. Until more is known, women should limit their caffeine intake during pregnancy.” Now, having reviewed the study, the March of Dimes plans to change its message, to advise women who are pregnant, or trying to conceive, to limit their daily caffeine intake to 200 milligrams or less, said Janis Biermann, its senior vice president of education and public health.

Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and epidemiology, at Columbia University Medical Center, had reservations about the study, noting that miscarriage is difficult to study or explain. Dr. Westhoff said that most miscarriages resulted from chromosomal abnormalities, and there was no evidence that caffeine could cause those problems. “Just interviewing women, over half of whom had already had their miscarriage, does not strike me as the best way to get at the real scientific question here,” she said. “But it is an excellent way to scare women.” She said that smoking, Chlamydia infections and increasing maternal age were stronger risk factors for miscarriage, and ones that women could do something about.

Although this particular study showed some significant results, the relationship of caffeine with miscarriage is still not clear. If you or someone you know is pregnant it is important to remain aware of precautions relating to nutrition but not become obsessive about everything you put in your body. This study further supports the fact that moderation in all things is still an excellent rule.

For further information on this study:
http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/ymob/mob999082637p.pdf

Predict Your Heart Disease Future

2008-02-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

A gene variant that raises the risk of heart disease 55 percent can be identified with a new test that may help doctors determine who should take cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Pfizer Inc.’s Lipitor, scientists say.

A mutated form of the gene, known as KIF6, is linked with a higher chance of developing coronary heart disease, according to three studies to be published Jan. 29in the Journal of American College of Cardiology. The disease is the leading cause of death for Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Identifying a gene that predisposes a person to coronary heart disease may yield another screening option besides cholesterol and blood pressure levels, to help doctors prescribe preventative treatments. The test for identifying the disease is a DNA test that will provide your KIF6 status. Knowing the result of the test will help you know if you need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs along with living a heart healthy lifestyle. The test will be done with other traditional risk-factor assessments such as cholesterol and blood pressure.

About 1.2 million America s will have a coronary heart attack this year, according to the American Heart Association’s Web site. More than 60 percent of the population may carry KIF6, based on the combined research on about 30,000 people.

The test is pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Regardless of the availability of the test and your results, it is important to practice a heart healthy lifestyle. This includes physical activity, limiting high fat foods, and increasing fruits/vegetables in the diet. These changes can be made easily. For example, you can take the stairs rather than an elevator, using a non-stick spray when cooking, and having fruits/vegetables as an afternoon snack, retrospectively. For more information on a heart healthy lifestyle visit the FDA website at: http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/lifestyles/lifestyles.html
To access the three articles featured in this blog, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/2tn2kv

Food Safety and Sanitation Can Prevent Long-Term Health Problems

2008-01-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

E. coli and certain other foodborne illnesses can sometimes trigger serious health problems months or years after patients survived an initial bout. The Associated Press described high blood pressure, kidney damage, even full kidney failure striking 10 to 20 years later in people who survived severe E. coli infection as children. Other symptoms from foodborne illness included arthritis after a bout of salmonella or shigella and a mysterious paralysis that can attack people who just had mild symptoms of campylobacter.

The CDC says foodborne illnesses cause 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths a year. Among survivors, some long-term consequences are obvious from the outset. Some required kidney transplants. The survivors may have scarred intestines that promise lasting digestive problems.

But when people appear to recover, it is difficult to prove that later problems really are a food-poisoning legacy and not some unfortunate coincidence. It may be that people are prone to certain gastrointestinal conditions, for instance, or also genetically more vulnerable to germs that cause foodborne illness.

Providing a connection will require tracking a lot of patients who can provide very good medical records documenting their initial foodborne illness. Until then, there is not enough information to link reasoning for problems later in life. Regardless, it is important to take preventative action by practicing proper food handling techniques, especially for immune compromised, young, or elder persons. To learn about proper food handling techniques, visit the USDA website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Safe_Food_Handling_Fact_Sheets/index.asp
To read more about foodborne illness and long-term effects, visit:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080121/ap_on_he_me/healthbeat_food_poisoning

New Food Guide Pyramid for Senior Citizens

2008-01-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

I’m sure most of you are aware of the Food Guide Pyramid that is available on www.mypyramid.gov. However, unless you are over 70 years old or care for someone 70 or older, you may not be aware of the pyramids for older adults.

The needs for people 70 and older are different than they are for, say, a 25 year old, or even a 50 year old person. Older adults generally are less active and tend to eat fewer foods high in nutrition. Digestion isn’t as efficient as it was when younger, so the quality of the foods eaten is actually more important, with certain nutrients of greater importance at an older age.

The Food Guide Pyramid at mypyramid.gov is an interactive food guide pyramid. Although it is a wonderful resource, many older adults don’t use the internet, so Tufts University has revised its pyramid for seniors. This is an extremely colorful and graphic pyramid that is actually enjoyable to look at.

The “Modified MyPyramid for Older Adults” stresses, with a flag at the top that older adults should make sure to get enough fiber, calcium and vitamins D and B-12. It also includes exercises that older adults are most likely to take part in, such as walking, swimming and yard work. It also emphasizes adequate fluid intake. The new pyramid also points out that packaged versions of fruits and vegetables, such as frozen vegetables and canned or dried fruit, might be good alternatives to fresh varieties for some older adults. A big issue to be aware of is that when people don’t feel well enough to shop regularly, having healthy foods on the shelves or in the freezer can ensure they eat well. Many older adults live by themselves, so these alternatives can help prepare foods for one without a lot of spoilage.

This new Tufts pyramid is definitely a tool that anyone over 70 could benefit from. If there is a limitation to the pyramid, it just seems that there are no recommendations for serving amounts on it. However, if a person using it would focus on the healthy choices and listen to their body, in terms of hunger and fullness, and be sure to stay active, they shouldn’t have to worry so much that they ate 5 servings of whole grains instead of 3, as an example.

To read more about the pyramid or to download and print a copy for someone you know who could benefit from it, click here:
http://nutrition.tufts.edu/1197972031385/Nutrition-Page-nl2w_1198058402614.html

Can Lack of Sleep Make you Fat?

2008-01-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

There have actually been several studies looking into this very question, and so far, there has consistently been a link between obesity and regular sleep of less than 7 hours a night.

The latest study was published in a recent issue of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Researchers found that people who stated they slept less than 7 hours each night were three times more likely to be obese than those who got 8 or 9 hours of sleep. But they also found that those who slept MORE than 9 hours also suffered from excessive weight.

There have been other studies looking into why research continues to show a link between the lack of sleep and obesity, but all are still just speculation. One theory is when people are up longer, they spend more time eating. Certainly if someone is awake later into the night and eat, they are more likely to eat higher fat, higher calorie foods. Sometimes people will specifically eat in order to stay awake, too!

Another theory that has received a lot of attention in the research is that sleep deprivation raises the body’s levels of an appetite-stimulating hormone known as ghrelin. At the same time, the levels of a hunger-suppressing hormone, leptin, goes down.

Regardless of the cause, the bottom line question is what can YOU do about it? Are you struggling to lose weight? If so, how much sleep are you getting per night on a regular basis? I have actually noticed a trend with my own clients; those who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night continue to struggle with weight! Now, I recommend more sleep for many more reasons than just to lose weight, but what a nice benefit that would be, huh?

If you are getting less sleep than you honestly feel you need (because SOME people function just fine on less than 7 hours of sleep), ask yourself why. If you would like to feel more energized and refreshed for the day by getting more sleep, start putting a plan together, now, to make it happen. Perhaps you just stay up on the computer or in front of the TV too long! I remember when my daughter was very small; I would stay up very late because that was my only ‘quiet’ time. However, I then was dragging during the day and really suffered MORE for trying to ‘enjoy’ my time without a toddler.

We are into a New Year. What would you like to do to create a New You? Maybe a good first step is to get more sleep!

Abstract of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study:
http://www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?citationid=3426

Other articles related to sleep and obesity:
http://tinyurl.com/22vvcl
http://data.healthis.org/pv/200706/a06.pdf
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00277.x
http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000097543

The 50 Million Pound Challenge

2007-12-31T03:20:00.000-08:00

A common ‘resolution’ that many people set up for the New Year is to lose weight, so I thought a great help for those who are going to work on this goal this year would be to share different programs/studies related to what’s new in the weight loss arena.

Dr Ian Smith is the founder of the 50 Million Pound Challenge. He has teamed up with State Farm Insurance Company to issue a 50 million pound weight loss challenge to African Americans. He has set up the website, http://www.50millionpounds.com/default.aspx, to help participants around the country get information and tools to help them lose weight, and to offer a placed where they can come to get and give encouragement and track their progress. As of the time of writing this, a total weight of 1,152,369 pounds had been lost!

It’s not new news that the obesity rate of America is over 66%, but the statistics for African American’s is even worse at 80% of adult women and 67% of adult men, as well as 20% of African American kids between 12 and 19 are overweight and this number is rising. These kids are developing Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and even early heart disease, already!

Dr. Smith spends a lot of his time educating the public on health. He is a medical contributor to ABC’s The View, Men’s Health Magazine, and Celebrity Fit Club on VH1. He has also written multiple books on topics of health and nutrition.

The advantage of joining the Challenge is the support you will receive through a community of others who are also working towards losing weight and improving their health. Although this program focuses on African American’s, anyone who wishes to lose weight can join, and membership is free.

There are two ways you can join: You can sign on from the website, or you can pick up your free Challenge Kit from any participating State Farm office. As soon as you sign up, you then go onto the site and enter your starting weight and the date. Then, you can update your weight any time you want. Your losses will be added to the total. Your free Challenge Kit includes a pedometer, a booklet written by Dr. Smith, and a motivational CD. There are also free live events throughout the country.

Once you have joined, you then can join a team. The advantage of joining a team is you will have a community of people with similar interests who you can share losses and struggles with. You may want to join a team from a certain part of the country, or from a particular interest group, such as a churches, schools, families, companies, etc. The number of teams to join is almost endless, and you can search through them all to find one that you’d like to join. You can form your own team, however, perhaps with friends or family. And, you can join more than one team, too! What the teams do is track their weight loss as a team, and the top three losers of each category are listed on the website.

There is a great sense of community on the Challenge website. The blog is quite active and for anyone who wishes to lose weight, I would suggest you check this program out! Studies have shown that online support is proving to be a key to successful weight loss. Will this be YOUR year to finally take off and keep off those extra pounds?

Exercise and Adolescent Girls – Let’s kick it up!

2007-12-24T03:37:00.000-08:00

I suspect that not many people are aware of the TAAG studies. TAAG stands for, “Trial of Activity of Adolescent Girls” and is a research study funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH (National Institutes of Health). There are six universities who serve as field centers for these studies and the purpose of them is to test the effectiveness of intervention of school and community programs developed to reverse the current decline in physical activity in girls when they reach middle school age.

The number of studies that have been conducted for this purpose is actually quite high, and I am disappointed that they never seem to make the national news. Shame, isn’t it, that we are seeing more and more young people (girls and boys) who are struggling with weight, yet, the research from those who are concerned about this epidemic of obesity is going unnoticed. So, today’s blog will touch on some of the more interesting results of these studies. All abstracts will be listed below, if you wish to read more.

First, researchers did some studying on just what state our physical education system is in, and so I start with a simple study that showed that there is no consistency in our physical educational system. This is only one of many baseline studies, however, which pretty much showed the same thing. If we hope to improve the health and weight of our young women, we need to increase their exposure of physical activity in the school system.

The second study that I reviewed was comparing the weights of girls in areas where schools were locked, and inaccessible for Saturday recreation. The conclusion was there was no correlation, but the researchers also pointed out those girls don’t even consider this as an option! Authors of the study did point out that many of these schools were in areas where perhaps it wasn’t safe for these girls to play at the school on Saturday, either. I bring this up because we always could play at the schools when they were closed!

So the next conclusion was where CAN these girls go? Consequently, the next two studies looked at the number of commercial physical activity venues that were close to where the girls lived and the likelihood of the girls using them. It was concluded that the more options girls had, locally, the more exercise they actually participated in. However, the second study pointed out that it is important to be sure to get the word out that these facilities are there and available. It is very important that the parents play a role in helping stimulate interest, too.

The next study compared the amount of exercise girls get when they walk to and from school. I’m sure it will come as no surprise that those who walked burnt more calories! Can your children walk to school? A problem with our neighborhoods in many cities, however, is there is either no place to walk, or it’s not safe to walk. However, other areas do offer safe walking areas and the kids just are no longer used to having to actually walk to school. I know this will sound like the old clique, but when I was in school, from elementary school through high school, we usually walked, and our high school was a good 30-45 minute walk!

The next study was interesting because it compared the activity of girls supervised and unsupervised. Now, I could never imagine NOT supervising my 6th grade daughter, but I know many families allow their young, pre-teen girls to fend for themselves. This is a whole different topic I’m not getting into. However, what was most interesting about this study was they found the unsupervised girls were more active! Granted, they were less likely to do their homework, and they talked on the phone more, but they listened to more music and danced more! So, maybe there needs to be more programs offering ‘fun’ activities for the girls. In fact, many other studies address this very issue; what WOULD girls like to see in supervised programs?

I could actually go on, but you may get the point. There are also multiple studies on how to then incorporate what researchers are learning from these studies. It’s not enough to just say this is what they find, but we must also put into play how to incorporate those findings. This means that the program isn’t just one of study, but of action. In fact, if you did a Google search for TAAG, you will also find sites that help various schools put into practice what has been learned!

What is most important through of all of this is that it DOES make a difference if your kids are outside, physically active. We want our children to be healthy and live long, happy lives. There is no reason our kids should be overweight. What we encourage them to do, today, will help with that goal of being healthy and happy. Of course, WE must set the example, too! What are YOU doing to set a healthy, fit example for your kids??

To read about the TAAG program, click here.

To read, Girls' activity levels and lesson contexts in middle school PE: TAAG baseline, click here.

To read the Weekend schoolyard accessibility, physical activity, and obesity: the Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) study, click here.

Click here to read the abstract for, Commercial venues as supports for physical activity in adolescent girls.

Click here. to read the abstract for, Comparing perceived and objectively measured access to recreational facilities as predictors of physical activity in adolescent girls.

To read, Travel by walking before and after school and physical activity among adolescent girls, click here.

To read, The relationship between unsupervised time after school and physical activity in adolescent girls, Click here.

Get Your Grains to Protect from Pancreatic Cancer!

2007-12-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Now, it’s common knowledge to health professionals and many people in the public that increased whole grains can protect your colon from cancer. However, did you know it may protect you from pancreatic cancer?

Cancer of the pancreas has been increasing during the past several decades and is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the US. It is one of the most serious forms of cancer, with a very high mortality rate. In 2007, the estimates of new cases are 37,170 new diagnoses and deaths will be 33,370. It develops when cancerous cells form in the tissues of your pancreas — a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Pancreatic cancer spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it's a leading cause of cancer death. Signs and symptoms may not appear until the disease is quite advanced. By that time, the cancer is likely to have spread to other parts of the body and surgical removal is no longer possible. About 10% of pancreatic cancers are genetic, which means most are caused by environmental or lifestyle factors, such as smoking, diet and chemical exposure.

There are actually very few studies on diet and pancreatic cancer, however, so this study published in a recent Journal of Epidemiology was a nice addition to what we know about this type of cancer. Researchers sent a questionnaire to 532 cases and 1,701 controls to determined if their intake of whole grains impacted their risk of pancreatic cancer. They did find that when people consume more whole grains and high-fiber foods, they may be reducing their risk of this cancer.

So what can YOU do to decrease your risk of this very scary cancer? There are actually several things.

• First, you can maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, start taking steps to decrease it.

• Second, do you smoke? If so, it’s time to quit! And, with the New Year almost upon us, what a perfect time!

• Third, this is nothing new from me, but exercise regularly. Shoot for at least 30 minutes daily. I won’t go into all the other benefits from this habit!

• Finally, eat a healthy diet. The study showed a benefit from eating at least two servings of whole grains per day. Also add more fruits and veggies to your diet, though!

It’s a little scary that this cancer is increasing. And, scarier yet that for most people who develop pancreatic cancer, it’s just about as good as a death sentence! If your plan is to live a long life, although there are never guarantees, at least if you practice some of the suggestions above, you may have a better chance. And, as I said, earlier, this is a perfect time to start improving health habits, with the coming of the New Year!

To read the abstract of this study, click here:
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/166/10/1174

To read more about pancreatic cancer, click here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/pancreatic/patient/

Have You Checked Your Colon, Yet?

2007-12-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

I have written about colon cancer many times it the past and I probably will again in the future, but when I read this latest survey of American’s, I had to address this topic, again.

In the latest survey from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, only half of all Americans 50 and older have had a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US and is a very preventable form of cancer. In fact, colonoscopies can literally mean the difference between life and death! I have personally known two people who have died as a result of failure to get screened. The advantage of a colonoscopy is that while the physician is looking inside your colon, he/she can snip off growths while in there, which can literally cut the pre-cancerous growth out before it has a chance to grow! If these growths continue, they spread, and eventually no treatment can save a life.

What the researchers discovered, though, was the low incidence of screening had more to do with lack of awareness and physician counseling rather than just poor compliance by the patient! Researchers received responses from 11,427 people.

Christina C. Wee, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School used data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of U.S. households to examine the prevalence of colon cancer screening nationally and the reasons for low screening rates. Among 11,427 respondents to the NHIS Cancer Control Supplement,
The survey revealed that:

• 67% of Hispanics, 55.8% of Blacks, and 47.1% of whites aged 50 and older said they had never had a colonoscopy.
• Among uninsured adults between 50 and 64, 77% had never been screened, compared to 54.1% with private insurance and 61% covered by Medicaid and other public insurance.
• Just over 50% of people 65% and older covered by Medicare and public insurance had never had a screening, compared to 45% who only have Medicare, and 34.6% who have Medicare and private insurance.
• 16% of all respondents had completed the annual fecal occult blood test (blood test to test if there is blood in the feces). 64% of all respondents who didn’t have this test, didn’t know they needed the test and 94% who had seen their physician in the last year said there were not counseled about the test. Less than 1% said discomfort was a reason for not taking it.
• 29% of all people had undergone a sigmoidoscopy in the last 5 years or a colonoscopy in the last 10 years. 72% of all respondents who were not screened didn’t know they needed it and 92% of these people had seen their physician in the last year. Only 2% said they didn’t do the screen because of discomfort or cost.

The biggest concern is that many people who should be screened are just unaware of the need! So, probably the biggest take-home message for readers is this: If you have an older family member, ask them if they have had a colon screening. If not, it’s time! Make sure they have a conversation with their physician and resolve this easy problem. This is one type of cancer where an ounce of prevention can make a HUGE pound of cure!

To read a study and report on why patients are not screened, click these links:
http://tinyurl.com/2p2zm8
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/dec05/1205RA22.htm

What science is saying today about the Atkins Diet

2007-12-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

It’s no surprise to me that today the long-term research being done on the high-fat, high animal protein diets that people were religiously following several years ago is now showing a negative impact on health.

For anyone who follows health research, it is obvious that the key to a chance at a healthier life is to follow a diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean choices of proteins, along with plant-based fats and oils. The research in the past has also consistently shown the health risks with eating high amounts of animal fats and proteins.

However, when the Atkins diet made its way back into the mainstream, because America is getting fatter and fatter, interesting research by various organizations who could benefit from such positive research, was showing up, showing the obvious SHORT-TERM benefits of going on this diet. Well, these short-term benefits will show up with ANY change in diet that results in weight loss. And, it’s no surprise that if a person were to cut down most of the foods that hold water (fruits) and increase their protein intake, that actually pulls water from our system, they will lose weight. A diet high in protein will also keep you feeling fuller longer. And, a diet high in fat will also keep you feeling satisfied longer.

There are people who just naturally feel better eating a diet high in protein. I am married to one of those people; he doesn’t diet, but his preference will always be a big, juicy steak! I, on the other hand, can probably stomach one once every 6 months, and if I didn’t eat meat more than that often, I’d be just fine. Maybe it’s my education from a University that was vegetarian and the influence of reading all that literature on the results of eating animal products. I will never forget the research that has shown what happens to our gastrointestinal tracts when it’s exposed to a lot of beef products. Yikes! Maybe it’s my exposure to functional nutrition, where I have learned that the substances (amino acids, etc) in beef and dairy products increase inflammation. Maybe it’s the fact that after eating beef, I don’t feel good, too!

So, I have noticed that lately more and more research is now showing the long-term effects that these high fat, high protein diets are having on the human body. The latest study, listed below, shows that following a diet high in fat increased the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in the blood. Again, this is no surprise, as there is plenty of earlier research supporting the theory that a diet high in animal fats/saturated fat will increase LDL and total cholesterol levels in the blood.

So what it the take-home message? I can’t change someone’s mind if they believe in the high fat, high protein diets. However, if you’re still wondering what you really should be doing to lose weight, probably the best source to send you to is to the National Weight Control Registry to read how real people have lost real amounts of weight and managed to keep it off. It really is a matter of cutting down the fat, decreasing the calories, eating lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains, and getting regular, consistent exercise! One day maybe there will be a magic formula, as Dr. Atkins promised, but his promise isn’t the solution.

To read the latest research comparing three diets, click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2pp35p

To visit the National Weight Control Registry, click here:
http://www.nwcr.ws/

To read about high protein diets, click here:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11234

Tips for Ordering when Dining Out

2007-11-26T06:20:00.001-08:00

Going out to eat is a favorite pastime for many Americans. Unfortunately, many restaurant foods are prepared in ways that increase calories, fat, and sodium. Restaurants also tend to give portion sizes that are too large, and we tend to consume them. It is easy to consume a whole days worth of calories in one restaurant meal.

An article from the National Institutes of Health outlines a study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that shows that eating fast food more than two times a week is linked to weight gain and increased risk of diabetes later in life. The main culprits leading to weight gain in restaurant food are large portion sizes and preparation with high fat/high calorie ingredients. Fortunately, there are tips and tricks that can be used when dining out to reduce calories and fat.

Many restaurants, especially fast food chains, have nutritional information available. All you have to do is go online to find it, or ask at the restaurant. McDonald’s now displays nutritional information on the food packaging. By utilizing the nutritional information available, you can plan ahead to order foods that are lower in fat and calories.

When nutritional information for the restaurant you are dining at is not available, knowing keywords is important. Foods lower in fat and calories tend to be: grilled, broiled, or steamed. Foods high in fat and calories often include the words: creamy, breaded, or fried. When ordering, do not be afraid to ask how the dish is prepared and request substitutions to make it healthier.

Here are some tips to lower calories and fat:
• Request sauce/dressing on the side and use a small amount.
• Substitute salad, vegetables, or baked potato for French fries.
• Order a broth-based (clear) soup over a creamy one.
• Ask for cheese to be left off salads, burgers, etc.
• Ask for foods to be cooked in less/no oil.
• Ask for smaller portions when possible.
• Share your meal with someone.
• Ask the server to serve only half your meal and place the rest in a to-go box.

Example of changes to reduce calories and fat when ordering:
Higher fat meal
Breaded chicken strips
French fries
Salad with Ranch dressing
Cream of potato soup

Lower calorie/fat choice
Grilled chicken breast
Steamed vegetables or baked potato
Salad with dressing on the side and no cheese
Minestrone soup

Having strategies for ordering healthier when you go out to eat is important. Frequently dining out can contribute to weight gain due to the high calorie content and large portions of restaurant foods. Many restaurants, particularly fast food chains, provide the nutritional information of their products online. There are keywords to look for and tips to use to lessen the calories and fat in restaurant meals. You don’t need to give up eating at restaurants to avoid weight gain, but planning ahead and ordering wisely will benefit your waistline and your overall health.

To view article use the following link:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2004/nhlbi-30.htm

Fiber and Cholesterol – How they Work Together

2007-11-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

We all know that having high cholesterol is bad for our heart. With all the medications prescribed to lower cholesterol, it is easy to ignore the impact that diet and exercise has on lowering cholesterol.

In case you are not familiar with cholesterol, here are a few facts. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in the fats in your blood and cells. Having high levels of cholesterol in your blood increases the risk of heart attacks. There are two types of cholesterol. HDL and LDL. LDL cholesterol is the “bad” kind. Having high levels of LDL cholesterol puts you at a higher risk of heart attack. HDL cholesterol is the “good” kind. High levels of HDL cholesterol protect against heart disease.

The foods you consume greatly impact the amount of total cholesterol that is in the blood. Reducing intake of saturated and trans fats and exercising improves cholesterol. Dietary fiber has been shown to help lower cholesterol. There are two types of fiber; soluble and insoluble. Most Americans do not consume enough fiber. The average amount of fiber consumed is 14 grams per day. The recommended amount is 25 grams or more per day for most people. Foods high in fiber include whole grains, bran, oats, beans, peas, and many fruits and vegetables.

One of the benefits of fiber is its ability to help lower LDL cholesterol. More specifically, consuming 3 grams daily of insoluble fiber has been shown to lower levels of LDL. A review of past studies shows that in 68 out of 77 (88%) human studies, soluble fiber significantly lowers the level of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood. Fiber seems to act somewhat like a broom in the body removing excesses including cholesterol.

Studies show that consuming soluble fiber lowers levels of LDL cholesterol. In one 7 week study, consuming 4 servings daily of high fiber foods resulted in a decrease in LDL cholesterol of 7.1%. Studies also show that high fiber intakes result in an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol.

To get the benefits of fiber, make sure to consume adequate amounts of foods high in fiber. Check food labels for foods that have 5 grams of fiber or more per serving. Choose whole grain products and consume plenty of fruits and vegetables.

High cholesterol is a condition affecting many people. High levels of LDL cholesterol contribute to coronary artery disease and heart attacks. Although cholesterol-lowering medications are available, using your diet to lower cholesterol is a natural and free alternative to medication. Studies have shown that adequate dietary fiber, specifically soluble fiber, is effective in lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol. Take advantage of fiber as the natural way to reduce “bad”cholesterol and your heart will reap the benefits.

To read abstracts of studies and reviews go to the following links:
http://www.adajournal.org/article/PII000282239490099X/abstract
http://www.adajournal.org/article/PIIS0002822302901161/abstract

Honey; An Old-Fashioned Surgical Remedy Revisited

2007-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

If you have been following the latest news, you have heard a lot about the problem we are having today with infections that are resistant to antibiotics. So this recent study that has just been released proves to be very timely.

A review study of 18 studies looking at substances used for wound healing, covering more than 60 years, was recently published in the October 2007 issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice. Not only did authors look at honey, but also other treatments, such as maggots.

Studies continue to show that honey has exceptional antimicrobial and wound healing properties. Its high sugar content and low moisture content contribute to these properties. It also has gluconic acid, which creates an acidic environment, harmful to certain bacteria, and also contains hydrogen peroxide. It has also been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling, which speeds healing.

Researchers have also reported that applying honey can be used to reduce amputation rates among diabetes patients, can be used to sterilize infected wounds, can speed up healing, and can impede tumors. In the studies, reviewers discovered that honey should be applied at regular intervals, from hourly to twice daily and that wounds can become sterile in three to 10 days.

So, if you are about to have surgery and are concerned with healing issues, ask your doctor about what he knows about these recent suggestions! It is highly recommended to not just try this on your own, however. Talk to your surgeon to be sure this is a treatment option appropriate for you.

To read the abstract of this study, click here;
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2007.01417.x

Eating Across The Rainbow-Why It’s Important

2007-11-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

By: Kristina Hooper

We’ve all heard the phrases, “Eat across the rainbow” or “Get five a day.” We all understand that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables daily is important, but let’s not forget why.

The different colors of fruits and vegetables provide different benefits to our health. That is why it is important to choose a variety of colors. It is also important, however; to understand which nutrients we are getting out of the different colored fruits and vegetables.

Red - The color of red apples, strawberries, red bell peppers, watermelon, red potatoes, tomatoes, etc. Red fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, which help with urinary function, prevention of cancers, and memory function. Lycopene, the red color in tomatoes, is a powerful antioxidant with cancer-fighting properties.

Orange/Yellow- The color of oranges, mangos, carrots, papaya, pumpkin, apricots, etc. Fruits and vegetables with an orange/yellow pigment contain beta-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A. Vitamin A’s major functions are vision, growth, cell differentiation, reproduction, and immune function. Deficiency can cause night blindness, dry skin, poor bone growth, and weak tooth enamel.

Green- The color of broccoli, spinach, honeydew melon, avocados, etc. Green fruits and vegetables are good for vision, bones, teeth, and helps prevent some cancers. Vitamin E is found in leafy greens. Its functions are to protect cell membranes, and it is also an antioxidant. Vitamin K is also found in leafy greens, and it helps with blood clotting. Vitamin C is found in greens such as broccoli. Its major functions are for collagen synthesis, hormone and neurotransmitter synthesis and antioxidant. Now you see why mom always made you eat your green leafy vegetables!

Blue/Purple- The color of blueberries, eggplant, purple grapes, plums, raisins, etc. Blue/purple fruits and vegetables are good for the urinary tract, memory, healthy aging, and prevention of some cancers. Fruits such as blueberries have a high amount of antioxidants, which can help prevent cancer.

White- The color of bananas, cauliflower, potatoes, white peaches, white corn, etc. These fruits and vegetables are important for cardiovascular health and healthy cholesterol levels.

There are so many different nutrients within the fruits and vegetables we consume. Knowing the hidden benefits to eating a variety of colors on a daily basis is important. Fruits and vegetables are a necessary component in our diets, not only for normal body function, but also to protect and repair our immune system. With all the toxins we encounter on a daily basis, it is vital that we have antioxidants in our bodies to ward them off. Just remember, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”, so choose a variety of colors!

For more information visit: www.dole5aday.com

The Key to Healthy Skin as we Age – Vitamin C

2007-10-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

A recent study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that looked at the role that Vitamin C, Linoleic acid, fat, carbohydrates, diet and ‘nutrients’ play in skin health.

Researchers used the data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine associations between nutrient intakes and skin aging. They sent 4,025 women between the ages of 40 and 74 surveys that included a 24 hour recall of what they eat. Clinical examinations of the skin were conducted by dermatologists and skin-aging appearance was defined as having a wrinkled appearance, senile dryness, and skin atrophy.

The conclusion was that higher intakes of vitamin C and linoleic acid, as well as lower intakes of fat and carbohydrates may improve the appearance of aging skin.

There is no doubt that increased vitamin C intake from diet would show improvement in the skin, as vitamin C is essential in collagen repair. Many other studies have shown the benefit of antioxidants such as vitamin C, have on skin health. The same is the case with omega-3 fatty acids.

The other conclusion of the study was that a 17 gram increase in fat intake was associated with a 28% increased likelihood of a wrinkled appearance and a 37% increased risk of skin atrophy. They also concluded that a 50 g increase in carbohydrate intake was associated with a 36% increased likelihood of a wrinkled appearance and a 33% increased risk of skin atrophy. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, "Higher intakes of vitamin C and linoleic acid and lower intakes of fats and carbohydrates are associated with better skin-aging appearance. Promoting healthy dietary behaviors may have additional benefit for skin appearance in addition to other health outcomes in the population."

These next conclusions are rather misleading, however. Readers are left to believe that they must pretty much just eat vitamin C, linoleic acid and protein! But, animal proteins can increase oxidation, aging and the risk of a multiple number of diseases.

So let’s break apart this last section of the conclusion. First of all, if a person were to replace 17 grams of animal fat with plant fat, not only could they improve their skin health, but their overall health. Studies (not listed) have actually shown that when people replace the animal fats with plant fats in their diet, they can actually lose weight even if they have not decreased total fat intake.

Second, 50 grams of carbohydrate is just a fraction of the amount of carbohydrate most people eat in the course of a day! You can easily decrease your diet by 50 grams of carbohydrate by eliminating 3 servings of fruits (which you don’t want to do), or 10 servings of vegetables (you DEFINITELY don’t want to do, even if you did eat that many), or 4 servings of dairy (includes yogurt), or eliminating 3 servings of starches. Most people think of starches when they say ‘carbohydrates’, not realizing that fruits, veggies and dairy products are also carbohydrate sources. However, the reason carbohydrates have such a bad rap is people either overeat their starches or they eat refined, empty choices of starches.

So what is the take-away from this study? Women in particular tend to eat too few servings of fruits and vegetables. At least 95 of all my clients I have worked with in my nutrition practice have averaged less than 3 servings of these foods a day before we started working together. Not only were they concerned with their skin, as all aging women are (and we are ALL aging), but they generally also tend to suffer from a slow digestive system, leading them to take products that stimulate their bowels. This can be prevented by adequate intake of fruits, vegetables and WHOLE grain starches.

So, eat your fruits and veggies!

To read the abstract of this study, click here;
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/4/1225
To read three other studies supporting the role of antioxidants in skin health,
Click Here
Click Here
click Here

The Role of Fructose in Health

2007-10-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

People are running away from ‘sugar’ as if it has become the ultimate killer. However, regular table sugar (sucrose), when used in moderation, can be a healthy part of a healthy diet.

However, fructose, when not eaten in its natural form of fruit (or used as a carbohydrate source during prolonged exercise), is another story.

An excellent review article, presented in its entirety, addressed this very issue in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

It is not new news that in America, one third of our population suffers from obesity, that children are quickly catching up to this figure, that high blood pressure effects anywhere from one third to two thirds of Americans, and that diabetes is a growing epidemic, which leads to kidney failure, among other complications.

The authors of the review study propose that sugars containing fructose may play a major role in the development of obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and in the subsequent development of kidney disease. They believe that fructose may be at the heart of the problem.

Although sugar intake is comparatively recent, the big change was in the early 1970’s, when high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was introduced. It was found to be cheaper, had a more stable shelf life and was easy to add to soft drinks, fruit punches, prepared desserts and processed foods. All of this has resulted in an increase of overall sweetener intake by 30% in the last 40 years, most of which comes from soft drinks. It is estimated that an average 150 pound person eats/drinks an extra 500 calories a day from these products. A pound equals 3500 calories, so this means that if a person eats/drinks an extra 500 calories a day, they will gain one pound a week. (Thus, on the other end, if you want to lose a pound a week, decrease 500 calories a week!)

So, we know how the extra calories can be pounded into the previously sleek and healthy human body. But how did the researchers conclude that this has all been the result of fructose intake? Let’s consider a few key examples they site in the review:

• Multiple studies have linked increased triglyceride levels with increased sucrose supplementation (for research purposes).
• Multiple studies have also linked increased blood pressure with sucrose intake.
• In multiple studies, fructose has been directly linked to the development of metabolic syndrome.
• Studies have also repeatedly shown an increase in kidney disease development with the intake of fructose.
• Finally, multiple studies have been investigating the role that fructose plays in obesity. The conclusion is that fructose inhibits the hunger rating, tricking the body into thinking it’s still hungry. Consequently, food companies have found that if they add HFCS to foods that normally don’t need it, they can trigger the stimulus for people to eat more of their product.
• Finally, studies have linked the increased intake of fructose to an increase in uric acid. Although most people think of gout when they read about uric acid, the researchers believe that there is a direct link between increased uric acid and heart disease.

So here we are again at that point where we talk about what you can take away from this study. It’s very simple, really. Do you drink sodas? Although most people today might drink diet sodas, and that’s a different issue for a different Health News, if you drink regular sodas today and want to lose weight, start creating a strategy to decrease how many you drink each day. Experiment with waters (calorie-free). Most people don’t drink enough water, and the lack of THAT nutrient also leads to increased disease risks.

What else can you do? If you or your kids drink fruit juices, look at the label. Is HFCS an ingredient? If so, experiment with more ‘natural’ fruit juices that are free of added sweeteners. Also experiment with cooking foods and decreasing processed foods and snacks.

You do have a choice in your health and that of your family. But you have to be willing to take the time to prepare healthy foods from scratch and read labels. What cost are you willing to pay for NOT making these changes?

To read the entire article addressed, click here: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/86/4/899

Good News for the Vegetarian in You!

2007-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

by Whitney Barns

Let’s admit it; plenty of us out there are looking for a quick fix to those soft love-handles left over from last holiday season. When you think about weight loss, you may roll your eyes, throw back your head and complain that nothing ever works! This is a common complaint among many people, whether they consume a “normal” omnivore diet, a vegetarian diet, a vegan diet or something somewhere in between.

Many people have seen the “Got Milk” advertisements informing the public of milk’s ability to assist in weight loss, as a part of a healthy diet. The ad campaign claims that the nutrients in milk, along with a low calorie diet, will help a person to lose weight from body fat and shrink the waist. So what about those who don’t drink milk, whether due to allergy or intolerance, type of diet, or plain old preference? There’s good news for you! A recent study found that equal weight loss from fat can be achieved from making soy milk a staple part of your diet in just the same way cow’s milk can.

In the study, a relatively small number of overweight and obese women with approximately the same body compositions were randomly assigned to incorporate three cups per day of either cow’s milk or soymilk into their diets. Since previous studies had found high calcium intake to be inversely related to low body fat and weight, the soy milk was Light Silk soy milk, which is calcium fortified. To make all factors equal, protein was added to the soymilk to equal the composition of cow’s milk. The women’s personal energy requirements were determined at the beginning of the study, and then 500 calories were deducted to induce weight loss in both groups of participants. No nutritional supplements were allowed and caffeine intake remained constant at pre-study intake levels (for those coffee addicts out there!) throughout the duration of the study. Exercise schedules were monitored to make sure that no participants increased their level of activity because although exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, it is not always the focus of losing weight!

By the end of the eight week study, “the average weight loss of participants receiving soy milk and skim milk was 9.4 lbs. and 8.3 lbs., respectively. Reductions were equally seen in changes in weight, fat percentage, abdominal circumference, and fat free mass between soy milk and skim milk groups. This small study conducted using women just like you provides some encouragement that healthy weight loss can occur with low intake or no intake of cow’s milk—it only takes the simple substitution of soy milk with plenty of calcium and a healthy, reduced calorie diet! More thorough studies involving soy products and weight loss are still to come, so until then, keep your body healthy, your belly happy, and your taste buds tingling!

To help you on your way to a slim and healthy body, it is recommended by the USDA to consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products. Each cup of fat-free milk contains 90 calories, 9 grams of protein and 310 milligrams of Calcium—that’s 30% of your daily needs for calcium! Calcium can also come from other dairy sources, such as yogurt, cheese and many others. For those of you who drink soy milk instead, the Light Silk soy milk from the study mentioned above, as an example, contains 70 calories per cup, 6 grams of protein, and 30% of your recommended intake of calcium for the day! Drink your way thin by including 3 cups of one, or some of both, of these calcium providing drinks as part of a regular, low calorie diet, then just watch your waistline shrink!

To view abstract to original article, click here. (http://www.adajournal.org/article/PIIS0002822307014745/abstract)

What Does Your Loaf of Bread Say About You?

2007-10-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

By Whitney Barns

There has been quite a bit in the news these past few years about “whole-grain” this and “refined-grain” that. So what does it all mean and what does it really have to do with you? Recently, a large scale study was done looking at a wide range of previously conducted studies in an attempt to actually answer that question for you. So what does carbohydrate quantity and quality have to do with you, and what does it have to do with your weight?

Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the effect a carbohydrate source has on blood sugar levels, in other words, how quickly the carbohydrate is broken down and absorbed into the blood. Low glycemic index foods include most fruits, vegetables, whole grains, basmati rice and pasta. High glycemic index foods include refined grains such as white bread, white rice, corn flakes and baked potatoes. Glycemic load (GL) is a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their glycemic index and portion size. Many studies have been done to look at the correlation between eating foods with high or low glycemic indices and their effects on individual’s Body Mass Index (BMI).

A variety of studies have been done, ranging from small scale to large, based on interventions or based on habits of specific populations, or a handful of other groupings to determine carbohydrate’s effect on body weight. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the idea of which kind of carbohydrate is “best” because each person’s body can react differently than another’s. Factors such as diabetes, overweight or obesity and physical activity level should also be considered. Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugars are higher than normal and can be hard to regulate. High glycemic index foods, such as white bread, can cause a rapid influx of glucose into the blood. This can be moderated by consumption of less refined grains that take longer to break down and enter the blood. Along with blood sugar control, whole grains tend to keep people feeling full longer. This helps anyone, whether they are normal weight, overweight, or obese to control their intake. Consuming a diet high in whole grains, and cueing in on true feelings of hunger can help an overweight individual to reduce the amount of snacking and excess calories eaten. Now that we’ve talked about the almighty whole grains, let’s not forget about the refined grains. These grains are actually good for athletes who need a more readily available store of energy. Energy for exercise comes from carbohydrates, so a pre-workout snack or meal with a sufficient amount of high GI foods is actually good for this situation where glucose is needed fast.

This meta-analysis study, or “study of other studies”, from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that whole-grain intake is generally inversely associated with BMI; refined grain intake is not. So, the higher the intake of carbohydrates from whole grains in the diet, the lower the body mass index of an individual. It also found that because overall dietary quality tends to be higher for high-carbohydrate diets, a low-fat dietary strategy with emphasis on fiber-rich carbohydrates, particularly cereal fiber, may be beneficial for health and weight control. It cannot be said that high GI/GL diets are necessarily bad for you, since many studies have conflicting findings, but it can definitely be concluded that low GI carbohydrates are good for you. Intake of high fiber, whole grain carbohydrate diets do correlate with better weight control, lower risk for weight related diseases and increased vitamin and mineral intake.

Now that you have the information you need, get out there and get into carbs! A diet high in whole fiber should be packed with fruits, veggies and whole grain breads to give you the energy to get you through the day feeling full and snacking less on unhealthy foods. Don’t let anyone tell you a high carbohydrate diet is bad for you again--simply explain the benefits that all carbs have to offer and show them just how healthy they, too, can be!

To view original article’s abstract, click here.

Don’t Throw Away Those Fruit Peels Yet!

2007-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

A new study from the UK has shown that a compound contained in a tangerine peel can kill certain cancer cells.

Human cancer cells contain an enzyme called P450 CYP1B1. CYP1B1 is a cytochrome P450 enzyme over expressed in a variety of malignant tumors. Studies have shown a functional role for CYP1B1 in drug resistance. During this study, a compound called Salvestrol Q40, which is contained in the tangerine peel, destroyed this enzyme.

While this may seem exciting, more research needs to be done. Researchers are very optimistic about this finding. They are going as far as developing an anti-cancer medication containing Salvestrols.

In our diet, Salvestrols are found in the skin of fruits. Unfortunately, these are usually discarded. Medicinal chemist Dr Hoon L. Tan said: "Salvestrols may offer a new mechanism of dietary anti-cancer action. Indeed, the depletion of salvestrols in the modern diet is due to the fact that many people no longer eat the skin of fruits and this may be a major contributory factor to the increasing incidence of some cancers in the human population."

This finding puts a whole new spin on eating your fruits and veggies. No one ever mentioned eating the skin of your fruits and veggies! Though they may not be as tasty as the actual fruit, with the possible health benefits, they are well worth it!

If you are not daring enough to eat tangerine peels just yet, not to worry! You can also eat the skin of fruits and vegetables such as apples, tomatoes, or potatoes. You can also zest the peel of an orange, or lemon on top of frozen yogurt to add some flavor!

To read this article go to: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/82015.php

Family Dinners Shown To Provide Health Benefits

2007-09-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Family meals may seem like a thing of the past, however; research studies are finding that families that sit down together for dinner have better nutrient intake and a decreased likeliness towards obesity.

Consider your lifestyle- picking up the kids from school and dropping them off at soccer practice, maybe a late night meeting. With our fast paced lives, and more working moms, it seems almost impossible to sit down for a family dinner every night of the week.

It is possible, and it is shown to be beneficial. A study based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN was conducted on student’s ages 11-18 years. Researchers found that children, who had a higher frequency of family dinners, received better nutrition. There was an increased intake of fruits, vegetables, grains, and calcium-rich foods.

Sitting down together promotes a healthy attitude towards nutrition-especially if the parents use dinnertime to explain health benefits of certain foods. Educating children at a young age instills good habits for later in life. Parents also have the opportunity to observe how much their children are eating, and encourage them to try new foods.

There is no excuse not to create time for a sit-down dinner. It doesn’t have to be a thing of the past. Set a time that works for everyone-even if it means making some sacrifices. Utilize dinnertime to bond with your kids and to educate them about the importance of nutrition.

For nutrition information, visit websites such as www.eatright.org, www.mypyramid.org, or www.dole5aday.com. Use the information you find to share with your kids at dinnertime. Explain what vitamins and minerals are in broccoli. Let them know why calcium, which is found in milk, is important for their bones.

If you are limited on time, try quick and easy recipes. You can visit these websites for free recipes: www.razzledazzlerecipes.com, www.allrecipes.com. If you want your kids to try new foods and learn about different cultures, but still want to save time visit this website: www.yummyfood.net.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun! Get your kids involved with cooking, and enjoy your families company during dinnertime.

No Weight Gain from Almonds?

2007-09-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Imagine adding a handful or more of almonds to your diet and NOT gaining weight! Well, the most recent study into the advantages of eating almonds has shown just that.

Published in the September issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers reported the results of putting two separate groups on a diet of almonds for 10 weeks each. One group was instructed to eat their usual diet and add two ounces of almonds to their diet daily, and the other group was instructed to make no changes. After a three week clean-out period, the groups changed places.

Although the group who added almonds increased their calorie intake by 344 calories, researchers found that the result showed that people actually only increased by 77 calories a day and did not gain weight! There were several reasons researchers felt this was so: First, people who ate the almonds felt more satisfied thus ended up eating fewer calories overall. Second, although almonds are high in fat, the fiber appears to prevent metabolism and absorption of the fat and resultant calories from the almonds. Finally, this study caused researchers to again question the theory, ‘a calorie is a calorie is a calorie’.

A final advantage to eating a diet that includes a daily handful of almonds is that when researchers check blood levels of the almond eaters, they found they had higher levels of vitamin E, which is another benefit of eating almonds, because most Americans don’t get enough vitamin E in their diet. But it has been found that not only is vitamin E provided by almonds, they are also a good source of magnesium, protein and fiber, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, iron and monounsaturated fat. Previous studies have found that almonds can also decrease LDL cholesterol, which the ‘bad’ cholesterol is found responsible for clogging our arteries. In fact, the FDA issued a health claim in 2003 that states: “Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

What can you learn from this? I am always telling clients to eat a handful of nuts per day. They make a great afternoon snack, along with a piece of fruit! The nuts will keep you feeling satisfied and the fruit will not only provide you with some important healthy nutrients, but also give you an afternoon ‘kick’ that people usually get from something sweet and not as healthy.

To learn more about almonds, click this link: http://www.almondsarein.com/

Women: Will Vitamins help your heart?

2007-09-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Published in the August 13, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers shared the latest investigation into benefits of antioxidant supplements on women considered at high risk for heart disease. Among the over 8,000 women involved in the study, only a combination of vitamins C and E showed a slightly lower risk of stroke when compared the placebo group.

The timing of reading this study was interesting to me because I just finished listening to an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, the director of antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. Dr. Blumberg has published over 180 scientific articles on antioxidant nutrients, and, in a nutshell, he said the same thing.

This does not mean that there is no benefit from taking antioxidant supplements, though! In fact, most do no harm at all, and could help ‘supplement’ a healthy diet. Of course, anyone taking supplements should understand what the benefits and harm is of taking those supplements. But it is important to also note that studies also do show that there is a modest benefit to taking supplements over a long period of time. Some studies have lasted 10 years and show subtle benefits.

The big issue that many researchers continue to come back to is that we still have not identified all the nutrients that lie hidden in foods that are known to be high in antioxidants and provide other benefits to health.

So what is the message to take away from this? OK, here I go again: Eat your fruits and veggies! Are you eating at least three servings per day? If so, great! Now increase to five per day! Are you up to five per day? Ok, it’s time to kick that up to seven! And if you want to take supplements, that’s fine, too. Just really understand what you’re taking, why you’re taking it and how best to take it. Don’t just buy some pills, think that because they are ‘natural’ they are all safe, and that if you pop them all in your mouth at the same time that they’re all effective.

I have a final comment that comes up often about the fears of weight gain with eating more fruits and veggies. Trust me; you’re not going to gain weight on fruits and veggies! Now, if you add toppings (cream, sugar, etc), yes, you could gain weight. But I suggest eating your produce ‘naked’. Ok, that may stir up fears or laughs; naked fruit and veggies, not YOU eating it naked.

However, if that helps, go for it!

To read the abstract, click here:
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/167/15/1610

Weight gain in pregnancy – when is it too much?

2007-09-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant, I was at my ideal body weight and I gained 45 pounds. My doctor was happy, I was happy, and my baby was healthy and happy. Today, if I gained 45 pounds, my doctor would NOT be happy, I’d be stressed… and I probably would still have a happy baby.

My, how things have changed!

But the issue is that many people are NOT at their ideal body weight and if they are when they get pregnant, they often have a hard time losing that extra weight.

I did a lot of walking before, during and after my pregnancy, though. My daughter was outside either in her stroller, watching the world roll away, or in her backpack, hiking with Mom. That is much less common, today.
As a consequence of today’s society, physicians are now pushing to change the medical guidelines for weight gain in pregnancy. They say moms are gaining too much weight and the current recommendations don’t take into account our country’s obesity epidemic.

In fact, this fall the Institute of Medicine, who often advises the government, will begin the process of gathering all the scientific evidence that will help them decide if the current guidelines should be changed.

There are several studies that show harm to mothers from carrying too much weight while pregnant. The March of Dimes lists birth defects, labor and delivery problems, fetal death and delivery of large babies as just a few. If these reasons aren’t enough for a pregnant woman to be concerned about her weight during pregnancy, she may be more interested to learn what research is finding about what happens to the babies and children of obese mothers. More and more research is showing a correlation between an obese pregnant woman and obesity in her toddler and adult child. I’ve listed a few studies below. These don’t even include the studies that also link the connection between a pregnant woman’s high blood sugars and obesity and diabetes in her offspring.

The current guidelines are from 1990, which suggests a weight gain of 25-35 pounds for a woman with ‘normal’ body mass index (BMI). Women with a ‘lower’ BMIs should gain up to 40 pounds and women with a ‘higher’ BMI should only gain 15 pounds.

According to statistics, back when the 1990 guidelines were issued, about one in five women gained more than 40 pounds while pregnant. Today it’s now one in four women. Many women today are gaining 50 to 60 pounds! When the guidelines were issued, the biggest concern was babies not getting enough nourishment and growing adequately. Today the concern is they are getting too much!

Actually seeing where the weight goes during pregnancy is very eye-opening. Check out these figures:
Weight of a developing fetus 7-8 pounds
Placenta 1.5-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid 2-2.5 pounds
Increased uterine size 2.5-3 pounds
Breasts 2-3 pounds
Increased blood volume 3-3.5 pounds
Normal water retention 3-3.5 pounds
When you total this all up, it comes up to 21 -25.5 pounds!

So what is the message to take away from this?

First of all, if you are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant soon, talk with your doctor about your current weight and weight gain goals. If necessary, work with a registered dietitian to help you create a healthy plan to either maintain a healthy weight, gain if necessary, or lose in a healthy manner.

Second, if you are not active, start picking it up! Walk if possible, every day. Start out with just 15 minutes a day, but get up and out and increase your activity. Find activities that you enjoy, and if you don’t do a lot of socializing, perhaps find some classes for pregnant women to join so you can develop a network of friends you can talk to and share your experience with.

Finally, no matter what your weight gain goal is, focus on healthy foods. All foods fit, so don’t start avoiding whole food groups. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins are all a part of a healthy diet that will supply your baby with all the necessary ingredients to grow that baby into a healthy person!

For more on what research has to say, click here, and here.

More moms breast-feeding today but stop too soon

2007-08-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

The most recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the percentage of women nursing rose slightly from 2000 to 2004, from 71% to 74%. According to the CDC, this is a new high and is based on almost 17,000 responses.
However, they also found that only about 30% of these moms are feeding breast milk alone by three months after birth, and by 6 months, only 11% are breast feeding exclusively.

The concern is that studies have consistently shown the benefits to the health of both babies and the mothers if babies are exclusively breastfed for the first 3 months and at least partially nursed the first 6 months. Formula hasn’t been shown to be as effective in protecting health as breast milk. Not only is the immune system strengthened, decreasing the likelihood of allergies and disease, but also helps develop jaw, teeth and speech development. As for the benefits for the mom, besides increasing the number of calories burnt during nursing, which can be as high as 500 calories a day, benefits of nursing has been shown to include reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer. We won’t even discuss the benefits of cost savings!

The goal of the CDC is to have 60% of women to breast-feed exclusively for the first 3 months and 25% through 6 months.

Babies should not be given cows milk for the first 2 years of life because they are unable to digest the animal protein from cows milk. When babies are given cows milk too early, they tend to develop allergy and digestion problems that last their entire life.

If you are considering how you will feed your baby, be sure to have a serious discussion with your doctor or health professional to determine the best course of action for your situation.

For more on breastfeeding tips and benefits, go to these sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/
http://www.fda.gov/Fdac/features/895_brstfeed.html
http://www.lactationconnection.com/questions.htm
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/advantages.html

What could your cat’s illness tell you?

2007-08-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

A very interesting study appeared in a recent issue of Environmental Science and Technology looking at the cause of overactive thyroid disease in cats. For years, no one has been able to figure out what was causing this disease, but experts do know that 35 years ago, this was never a condition vets ever saw!

The link this study found was from exposure to chemical flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which were used in foam, plastics, furniture, electronics, fabrics and carpet padding. Manufacturers started using PBDE’s in their products in the late 1970s and agreed to stop using it in 2004 when a study showed a concern of toxicity in animals, but many products are still out in our houses.

How does this relate to your kids, though? Well, researchers have concluded that the biggest culprit came from two sources; cat food and dust. I hope your kid isn’t eating cat food, but if you have a toddler, they are more exposed to house dust than we, as adults are! In fact, there have been earlier studies from Australia, Norway and in the US indicating that children under 4 years old can have far larger levels of these compounds than adults. And one study found a significant relationship between indoor dust exposure and PBDE levels in first-time mothers in the Boston area. Another found PBDE levels in Americans are three to 10 times higher than in Europeans. Tom Webster, a professor of environmental health at Boston University, said animal research has found PBDEs to damage the nervous system and disrupt hormones, but studies haven’t been done to look at people’s health, yet.

Authors of the study, although alarmed, say don’t throw out your furniture and rip out your carpets just yet. However, they each said they are washing blankets and checking labels on types of flame retardant used on furniture, now.

So, what can you take away from this rather disturbing report?

I know that as I was reading these reports, I instantly thought about my own home. I have no toddlers, but I do have a cat. My guess is much of what is in my house fits into the categories mentioned above. Granted, I would love to replace the carpet and buy new furniture, although I don’t plan to do that immediately, what I CAN do is perhaps work harder at keeping the dust cleaned up.

The only other suggestion is to keep an eye open for more news on this topic!

To read the abstract, click here.

Coffee and Exercise: Can this combination protect you from skin cancer?

2007-08-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

Researchers were in the process of investigating the role green tea plays in preventing cancer and were comparing decaffeinated and caffeine-containing brews when they discovered the mice given the caffeine tea liked to get on their exercise wheels. The result was they found those mice given caffeine who were exercising had fewer skin cancer cells when exposed to UV-B light!

It is no secret that caffeine can enhance exercise, which is why limits are put on how much can be found in the bloodstream of professional athletes and Olympians. And there is plenty of research supporting the theory that exercise can help decrease the risk of many cancers. But I can’t recall a study that has looked at the combination of caffeine and exercise before!

Cells with damaged DNA are programmed to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis, but not all does that, and damaged cells can become cancerous. Compared with the control animals, those drinking caffeine had a 95 percent increase in apoptosis in damaged cells. The exercisers showed a 120 percent increase, and the mice that were both drinking and running showed a nearly 400 percent increase.

Researchers don’t yet understand the mechanism for this, but they do have several theories. They now hope to start research on humans because there is a huge upward trend in the incidence of skin cancer among Americans, so finding new ways to protect from sun damage is at a premium.

So what can we take away from this research? First of all, I decided to write about it because it was so unique. As I read the study, however, I am always fascinated by how researchers discover what may be a groundbreaking solution! Who knows!? I think Dr. Michael H. Gold, a Nashville, Tenn., dermatologist and a spokesman for the Skin Cancer Foundation, said it best, though: “If you go outside, you have to wear a sunscreen ... it has to be caffeine and exercise with your sunscreen.”

Again, there is that recommendation to exercise! Need I say more??

Oh, and by the way, researchers found that decaffeinated tea did not protect against skin cancer.

To read the abstract of the study, click here: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/31/12936

Looking for the Magic Shot that will Melt your Fat away?

2007-08-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

We’ve all wished for that! Forget the dieting; forget the exercise, just take a shot and the fat is gone.

Well, there IS such a thing, and it’s called injection lipolysis, an increasingly popular treatment in the US that’s considered a non-surgical solution to localized body fat. It’s also known as lypolysis, mesotherapy, or under the brand names of Lipodissolve and Lipostabil.

Patients who receive injection lipolysis receive a series of shots in their bellies, thighs, upper arms, neck or any other fatty area that they want to shrink. Depending on the target area and the particular clinic, patients require multiple visits, spaced two to four weeks apart and get between five and 25 shots per visit. The costs can run between $1,000 to #3,000. Patients say the shots can feel like a bea sting to something much more painful. According to practitioners, this type of treatment is only for people who have very localized, small amounts of fat to lose. If people have larger amounts, they should look into liposuction.

Now, it all sounds great, huh? And, according to those to sell this service claim there is a lot of great research supporting its use. However, most of the research supporting it was conducted by the person who developed the procedure and experts in plastic surgery are not convinced, yet.

In fact, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is so concerned about the risk of harm from these treatments; they have officially released a patient safety warning on their website. In a nutshell, the concerns are several: First of all, in many clinics, staff injecting the patients are not qualified health professionals, but often just trained employees. Also, the ingredients injected are not yet standardized and not approved by the FDA. So you don’t really know what you’re being injected with! Finally, it is not entirely understood what happens to the fat that is dissolved. The developer of the procedure has a theory, but this theory has not been proven, yet. And of course, there have been reports of complications.

Getting a shot to get rid of that little extra body fat sounds great! My clients are always dreaming of the ‘quick fix’, even as they sweat and lift and monitor their intake. But just wait a little longer. Plus, just because you may be able to one day get a shot to get rid of those love handles, this still won’t strengthen your heart or decrease your cancer risk.
Below are links to various studies and statements:

Patient Safety Warning
UK Departmemt of Health Statement
Injection lipolysis for effective reduction of localized fat in place of minor surgical lipoplasty
Clinical safety data and standards of practice for injection lipolysis: A retrospective study

Genetic Link in Multiple Sclerosis?

2007-07-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Three separate studies have both come up with the same discovery regarding Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that can have great consequences in future treatments for the disease.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system that affects about 350,000 people in the United States and more than 2.5 million people around the world. Symptoms range from mild muscle weakness to partial or complete paralysis.

It is still believed that geographical location and genetics plays a role in developing this disease, but these new discoveries help strengthen the genetic role theory. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Harvard Medical School led teams of international researchers who scanned the entire human genome of more than 12,000 people for MS risk factors. They uncovered two new gene suspects, both of which are thought to play a role in autoimmune disease, lending insight into other genetic factors that raise a person’s risk for MS.

Meanwhile, two separate studies were published in the journal, Nature Genetics. Both again discovered increased incidence of a particular genome in people with MS.

What is important to take away from these studies is that this gives researchers and practitioners a new understanding of what triggers MS and could change the way the disease is treated, and maybe even prevented, in the future!

I have presented to multiple MS groups in the past on both nutrition and fitness and have researched this disease quite thoroughly, myself. It is still believed that there is an inherited risk for the disease, as well as a theory that people who live in colder, darker areas of the work are at higher risk. There is speculation that the lack of adequate vitamin D, which is increased with more exposure to sun and sunlight, increases the risk of MS. Although there is no special diet that eliminates or ‘cures’ the disease, as some people claim, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and healthy fats can maintain a healthy body and weight. Although there are certain precautions that are important to follow with exercise, exercise can help keep a person with MS more mobile and independent because it maintains muscles strength and coordination. This latest discovery may mean new treatments for this very scary and unpredictable disease.

To read both studies, click these links:

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa073493v1

http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ng2103.html

Restless Leg Syndrome Genetic?

2007-07-24T00:57:00.000-07:00

If you have not been exposed to Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) or know someone who has suffered from it, you are lucky. People with RLS have a feeling one person described as a feeling of worms in their legs, particularly when sleeping or during other periods when they are sitting for any length of time.

Restless legs syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs. Those who suffer from it say it often hits at night, preventing them from sleeping. Some people describe it as if knives were being dug into their legs, but for other people there is no pain. All have an uncontrollable urge to move their legs to relieve it, however.

Two separate studies have concluded that symptoms from RLS appear to have a genetic link to them. These studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and in the journal Nature Genetics. This is new and exciting information that may change how RLS is treated in the future.

RLS is thought to be caused by a lack of certain minerals in the body. One of the above studies did find a correlation between lower iron levels and incidence of RLS; however, no one has yet to be able to explain how these two are linked. It is also suspected that substances such as nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and some medications can trigger the symptoms. Therefore it is recommended to eat foods high in iron, folate and magnesium, limit or eliminate intake of caffeine and alcohol and if you smoke, stop smoking.

Today there are effective medications that can offer relief to many people with RLS. Years ago, quinine was prescribed because although it is a medication for malaria, it was found to be quite effective for leg and foot cramps. However, consumers began to experience serious side effects, such as liver problems, heart attacks and even death. Today, the FDA is very clear that quinine should only be used for malaria.

What is the message to take home? Well, if you suffer from RLS, although there appears to be no cure, increasing regular exercise, eating a healthy diet of foods high in iron, and limiting drinking and smoking may help. But all of us should be following that advice, anyway!

For the entire New England Journal of Medicine article, click here:

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa072743v1

For an abstract of the study published in Nature Genetics, click here:

http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ng2099.html

How to Find a Nutrition Professional

2007-07-16T01:30:00.000-07:00

I am going to do something a bit different this week because I saw a great online video that I just felt I needed to share. Make sure to click the link below to watch it.

As you know, the amount of nutrition information that is available, in print and online, is overwhelming. Even *I* have to stop and think about some of all the stuff I read. But, because I was formally educated in the science behind nutrition, often I stop and wonder how just amazing that some of stuff actually SELLS as accurate! But, as just a ‘regular Joe (or Josephina)’, how can you really know that what you’re reading is accurate, just plain wrong, hype, or someone’s attempt to sell you something?

The easiest way to be sure is to read materials from credible organizations. These are generally organizations that don’t have anything to sell you, except perhaps, such as with the American Heart Association, cookbooks, or other educational materials. There are a lot of private sites that offer nutrition articles that help sell their products. Supplement companies come foremost to my mind. Of course they will include a great article on the benefits of vitamin C! They also just happen to have a sale on it..

The next best way to be sure the nutrition information you are reading is see who wrote it. To be sure that you are reading accurate, science-based information, is if it has been written by someone with “RD” behind their name, which stands for “Registered Dietitian”. Anyone can call themselves a ‘nutritionist’. In fact, today, you will quite often see all types of nutritionists, with fancy words around it, such as ‘certified nutritionist’. Hm; I can’t help but wonder what that really means? Certified by whom? I have read some incredibly inaccurate information from people who received certifications in nutrition, but really are just sharing what worked for them. But a common thread is often they are promoting some type of fad-based technique, and nothing is really learned beyond another quick fix. What bothers me is the mis-information they are spreading, just due to their own ignorance. It’s ok that they don’t know; I don’t know a lot of things, but I’m not writing about them!

An RD is someone who received at least a bachelor of science degree in a nutrition field and then completed an internship that included a certain amount of hours in the various settings that will help them learn about working with people and working in food service situations. After completing an internship, they are then qualified to sit for the national exam to become an RD. An RD must maintain a certain number of continuing education hours each year to keep his/her credential. Although the traditional setting for RD’s is in the hospital, this is only one of the many areas RD’s work in. The video will talk more about that, however.

What if you read an article on nutrition from a university and the person writing it is not an RD? In cases such as this, chances are good that the author is an educator in this topic and although they may not have their RD, they may still have their formal education(s) in a nutrition topic. Although most professors who teach nutrition are also RDs, some have chosen to not go that route, usually because they knew early they only wanted to teach at the university level.

The bottom line is to consider where the information is coming from; what site it is posted on, who the author is, and, above all else, does it make sense to you! Even I could write an article that may be science-based but my opinion included may not be something that works for you! The ultimate goal for you is to read materials that make sense to you and help you achieve your goals in the healthiest and most accurate way possible.

To see the video on what RD’s are and how to find one, click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3259616576941210986

Increase your vegetable intake to decrease your risk of BPH?

2007-07-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that occurs in about half of all men over 50. This enlargement is usually harmless, but it can result in problems urinating.

An enlarged prostate can be an inconvenience, but it is usually not a serious problem. However, in some cases, the bladder can be blocked enough to make it impossible to urinate.

In the past, research has shown that nutrients with antioxidant properties might reduce the risk of BPH. The objective of this latest study was again to look at the association of fruit, vegetable and micronutrient intakes with BPH.

Participants were members of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, between the ages of 46 and 81 in 1992, who reported having surgery for an enlarged prostate. What they found was there was an inverse relationship between vegetable intake and BPH, where such a relationship with fruit was not found. These results are consistent with previous studies that found that vegetable intake, especially cruciferous vegetables, might lower the risk of BPH.

What does all of this mean? It means eat your veggies! Cruciferous vegetables in particular, which include such vegetables as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, mustard and turnup greens, just to name a few. Most health organizations recommend at least three servings of these types of vegetables a week.

To read the abstract, click here:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/2/523

To learn more about the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, click here: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hpfs/

Probiotics for the critically ill

2007-07-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

I am a huge proponent of probiotics and, when appropriate, will recommend them to my clients. My mother has been taking a quality probiotic supplement for years to resolve her ulcerative colitis symptoms. Many of my clients have been able to resolve their gastric reflux problems by just adding probiotics to their dietary regimen, which helps the health of their gut.

There are many studies looking at the effects of probiotic use in the hospital setting, many investigating how they help infants, in fact. This is one of the latest, which looks at how the uses of probiotics helped immune markers of patients who were going into multi-system organ failure, which is generally a fatal condition where all the organs of the body are shutting down.

Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal (GI) tract. We all have good bacteria and bad bacteria, so the key is to keep the numbers of good bacteria up, which can control the numbers of bad bacteria. Prebiotics is the food that probiotics live on. When we are able to eat, examples of prebiotics are fruits and vegetables, which is only one reason I encourage people to eat no less than 5 servings per day. However, when a person is in critical condition, even if they are receiving tube feedings into their GI tract, their gut and intestinal tract are compromised.

Probiotics have been shown to modulate the intestinal barrier and improve the immune function. This latest study assessed the effectiveness of a probiotic compound on 27 critically ill patients. These patients were randomized to receive one of three treatments; a live, viable probiotic product (using live probiotics), a placebo, or a treatment of non-live probiotics.
Researchers then measured several concentrations of immune markers and found that patients who received the live probiotics had improved immune activity than those who received the non-live probiotics or the placebos. However, their intestinal permeability did not improve, nor did their multi-system organ failure.

There are two messages from this study to take home. First of all, as I have continued to point out to my clients, in order for probiotics to be effective, they must be LIVE cultures, not the ‘trendy’ pills you can now buy off a shelf that are not refrigerated. As you will learn in the information below on probiotics, these are living organisms, and in order to remain alive, they must be refrigerated. The other message is we must keep our GI tracts healthy and in balance. Not everyone needs to take a supplemental probiotic product. I only take one when I can tell my immune system is at risk or compromised. But you can keep your gut healthy by eating plenty of fruits and veggies, minimize the intake of animal proteins and fats and get adequate whole grains. These are simple steps to take to keep your gut healthy and happy. If you have an accident or some other trauma, if you end up in the hospital, the GI tract acts as your first line of defense against going into multi-system organ failure.

To read the abstract of the study, click here:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/3/816

To read more on probiotics and prebiotics, click here:
http://www.meg-enterprises.com/uploads/ProbioticsQ.pdf

Omega-3 Fat intake linked to bone health in young men

2007-06-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

Many of us have heard that increasing intake of omega-3 fats helps with health; decreases inflammation, decreases risk of heart disease, can help with arthritis, etc, but did you also know it can help your bones?

The results of looking at this question were published in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. There have been previous studies looking at the effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which concluded that those who ate a higher ratio of omega-3 fats had more dense bones, but this appears to be the first to directly look at the question, does an increase in omega-3 fat intake improve bone health?

This specific study investigated 78 healthy men who were 16 years old at the beginning of the study. Bone mineral density was measured for the total body, the hip and the spine at the beginning of the study and then again at 22 years old and 24 years old. Fatty acid concentrations were also measured for comparisons.

They found that there was a positive correlation between concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and changes in the bone mineral density. The conclusion was that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, are positively associated with increased bone mineral density in young men.

What does this all mean? There is plenty of research that supports increasing our intake of omega-3 fats. Here is another one. But how can you do that? First of all, this is why health professionals are encouraging people to eat more fish, especially the fatty fish, which are fish that live in colder climates, such as salmon. Other sources of omega-3 fats include flaxseeds and nuts, particularly walnuts.

I often recommend to my clients to decrease the fat intake from animals, increase fish intake to 3 servings per week, and, in some cases, consider a supplement. Look at your diet, and see where you can start making changes to the type of fats you eat.

To read more about omega-3 fats and fish, click here: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632
For an NIH report on omega-3 fatty acids and health, click here:
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/FactSheets/Omega3FattyAcidsandHealth.asp
To read the abstract for this study, click here: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/3/803

Glycemic Index. Could the GI of your Dinner affect your sleep?

2007-06-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

In the February, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers were curious about the impact of a low glycemic index (GI) intake vs a high GI intake on sleep patterns.

The glycemic index of foods is a measure of how quickly the food will raise insulin and glucose levels. When the insulin levels rise quickly, the food is a ‘high GI’ food. If it is slow to raise insulin levels, it is considered a ‘low GI’ food. Only foods that provide carbohydrate are even tested, as fats and proteins will not affect the glycemic index.

Researchers fed twelve healthy men between the ages of 18 and 35 diets that were similar in all aspects except the type of carbohydrate they ate. They either received Mahatma rice, which has a GI of 50 (considered low) or they received Jasmine rice, which has a GI of 109. They either were fed these meals 4 hours before bed or 1 hour before bed, with multiple testings.

What they discovered is that the men who ate the high GI meal had a harder time falling asleep than the men who ate the low GI meal.

So what does this mean? First of all, there is a lot of research into the glycemic index and how we can use it to accomplish various goals. For people who want to lose weight, following a low GI diet can help keep them feeling satisfied longer, thus it is easier for them to cut calories and lose weight. Athletes, on the other hand, can take advantage of eating or drinking a food high in GI to improve performance or replenish glycogen stores right after a workout or event. This research indicates that if you suffer from problems falling asleep at night, you may benefit from paying closer attention to the GI of your dinner.

To learn more about the glycemic index, click here; http://www.glycemicindex.com/

To read the abstract of this study, click here: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/2/426

Newly Approved Drug Eliminates Periods for Women

2007-05-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

The FDA just approved the first birth-control pill that will stop women’s monthly periods for an indefinite length of time. This drug is called Lybrel and, when taken daily without a stop, will not only prevent pregnancy, but also periods.

Although this may sound tempting to some, my suggestion is to have a serious discussion with your doctor before trying it. This could be a great solution for women who have very hard periods, but there seems to be an increase in irregular bleeding and spotting, for some, up to a year. Some women have such severe symptoms, such as headaches, breast tenderness, cramps, bloating and nausea, that spotting sounds like a welcome relief. However, researchers did not look into whether these symptoms were relieved, actually.

The report on the study states that only about 1/3^rd of those who started the study completed it. Hm; those don’t seem like good odds to me! And the other problem is women who might become pregnant may not know for a longer time, because they won’t have the usual sign, missed periods, to tell them.

It is estimated that roughly 12 million American women take birth control pills. Many do so to prevent pregnancy, but others primarily want to regulate their monthly periods or resolve acne problems. There are several pills on the market that shorten periods to perhaps 3 days or less, and there is a shot, Depo-Provera, containing only progestin, that stops periods after several months in many women. For this product, it is felt that long-term use may thin bones.

And this brings up my biggest issue. This drug assumes that having a monthly period is a ‘condition’ that must be ‘treated’. The last I checked, this was a normal part of nature and life! No one really knows what happens to women after years of no periods, just as it has taken years to realize that Depo-Provera could cause thin bones. In other words, you could be in your 20’s, today and start this new pill and only find out the damage done to your bones, much less anything else, 30 years from now. We are experimenting on ourselves.

What is the answer? Do your research. Carry on informed discussions with your doctor, preferably one who specializes in women’s health issues. For some women, this could be a wonderful solution to a serious problem that is so bad that having periods negatively affects their ability to lead a normal life. But think hard about such a drug if you just don’t want to bother. What you subject your body to, today, may impact how you live, tomorrow.

Improve your health and fitness with just 10 minutes a day!

2007-05-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

If you are obese or overweight and don’t exercise, this could be the news to give you hope!

A recent study published in the latest JAMA (listed below) indicates that obese women who do no exercise at all can improve their fitness levels by just 10 minutes a day.

Researchers studied over 400 post-menopausal women who had borderline high blood pressure for six months. The women were put in one of four groups: A control group who did no exercise, and then three groups who exercised 50%, 100%, and 150% of the CDC and NIH recommendations. This equals 75 minutes per week (10 minutes per day), 135 minutes per week (20 minutes per day) or 190 minutes per week 30 minutes per day), respectively.

The results showed no improvement in blood pressure or loss of weight, but DID show a decrease in waist measurement and improvement in respiratory fitness level. Imagine this improvement with just 10 minutes a day!

Although the women in the study either walked on treadmills or rode stationary bikes, any comparable activity would produce the same results. This could include work around the house, such as yard work, swimming, playing in the park with grandchildren or pets, or even brisk walking.

So what does this mean to you? Some people feel it’s hopeless to even attempt to do any type of exercise because the prospect of trying to lose weight is overwhelming. But what if you started to get out walking for just 10 minutes a day just to feel better?

The next question is how can you get yourself motivated and outside to actually walk or do some type of physical exertion each day? Look at your day and determine what you would want to do, first, and then decide if you need someone to keep you motivated. Maybe a friend or neighbor to exercise with. Maybe a spouse or family member. Or perhaps even a coach or mentor, someone to just make you accountable! Granted, you have to WANT to do something, but if the reason you haven’t earlier is because you have just focused on doing it for weight loss, why not change the reason and make health and feeling better the goal! That just may be the key.

To read the abstract of the study, click this link:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/19/2081

If you have a pacemaker, watch where you put your iPod!

2007-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Now, granted, it is not believed that many people with pacemakers use iPods, but if you are a ‘hip senior’, you may! And, we have to remember that Baby Boomers are now in that category, and we all know THEY are hip!

The results of a recent study looking at how iPods may interfere with pacemakers was presented at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver. The lead author of the study is a high school student who’s father is an electrophysiologist (a physician who studies the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues).

The study resulted from Jay Thaker asking his father if there could be an interaction between pacemakers and iPods. They did an online search and couldn’t find anything, but when one of his father’s patients asked the same question, Jay’s father connected Jay with Dr. Krit Jongnarangsin, senior author of the study and an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan.

The study tested the effect of iPods on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just 2 inches from the patient’s chest for 5 to 10 seconds. In some cases, the iPods caused interference when held 18 inches from the chest. Interfering with the telemetry equipment caused the device to misread the heart’s pacing and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.

This led the authors of the study to wonder how often iPods cause misdiagnosis of actual heart function, and Jay is interested in studying how implantable cardioverter defibrillators, ICD’s, are affected by iPods.

So, what if you do have a pacemaker and an iPod? First of all, I would suggest discussing the results of this study with your cardiologist. I measured out 18 inches and, because I am short-waisted, this means that if I were to have a pacemaker, I would have to keep my iPod at my knees if I were to carry it with me. Therefore, I suspect I wouldn’t use it. Even if I used it in my car, my guess is it would still be closer than 18 inches from my chest.

What ever happened to cassette players?

How do you really lose weight and keep it off?

2007-05-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

With summer just around the corner, many people are starting to think about how to take off those extra pounds they have been only thinking about, but not taking action on. Today's blog is a bit different than usual: I have included several links that will help you make an informed decision on how to take off those extra pounds and maybe THIS time keep them off.

Did you know that a registered dietitian (RD) is the ONLY expert who is both educated and trained on nutrition and how it affects the human body? Many people think of an RD as someone who works in the kitchen in a hospital and just cook meals. However, all RD’s must have a minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and complete at least 900 hours of supervised practice. This qualifies a person to take the national RD exam that will qualify them to call themselves an RD.

Only RD’s can provide medical nutrition therapy, which is education and counseling for people who have medical conditions that can be treated with nutrition therapy. Anyone can call themselves an expert on nutrition, and there is no standard for calling oneself a ‘nutritionist’, but there are limitations to who can call themselves an RD. Click this link to consider how to lose weight from a logical and healthy perspective: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6819528015116404993&pr=goog-sl

Meanwhile, much of what we REALLY know about successful, long-term weight loss is the result of the powerful National Weight Control Registry studies that have been taking place since 1994. If you have lost 30# or more, and have kept it off for at least a year, you can join the Registry! Spend some time on this site; read the success stories, read some of the research, and learn what it takes to REALLY lose weight and keep it off.

http://www.nwcr.ws/

Next, we all know how popular the latest fad diet can become! Maybe you have helped spur that popularity, too! Even though you know these are often unhealthy, temporary solutions to your problem, at least when you look in the mirror – for a month or so – you feel so much better! To read what WebMD has to say about all of the latest diets, click this link: http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/11/39536.htm

Finally, Consumers Reports just released their survey of the latest diets and dieters. What was amazing is that up to 41% of all respondents said they were on a diet and as many as 75% believed they would achieve their weight loss goals, although 75% of those people were unsuccessful in the past! Go figure. To read more about the survey, click here.

In conclusion, although we are always looking for the ‘quick solution’ to weight loss, there really isn’t one. If you pay close attention to what the first two examples have to say, you will see that the only REAL solution to losing weight permanently is to cut down your food intake and pick up your exercise. Depending on your age, right now all you care about is how you look in your bathing suit or shorts, but as you get older, how you feel and how active you’re able to be while aging will become much more important. The health problems related to quick and temporary weight loss will stick with you long after that temporary weight loss is just a memory. But healthy food and activity habits that you develop now will last a lifetime, and perhaps ensure a longer, healthier lifetime.

The Real Health of Baby Boomers

2007-04-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

The picture that many of us have had of the ‘average’ baby boomer is one of an active, healthy adult who is ‘enjoying’ heading into senior citizen status. But recent reports of some new studies are starting to paint a different picture, which are making health professionals sit up and take notice. Before talking about the numbers, though, the bottom line is that baby boomers may actually be LESS healthy than their parents!

Every two years, the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) surveys over 22,000 Americans over 50 years old. This study is supported by the NIH and helps paint a picture of multiple aspects of where our aging society is in such areas as physical and mental health, financial status, labor market status, retirement planning, and more.

When researchers started to study the first wave of baby boomers, those born between 1948 and 1053, they found these subjects were reporting poorer health than groups before them, born between 1936 and 1947. They were much less likely than their predecessors to describe their health as “excellent” or “very good” and reported having more difficulty with routine tasks, such as walking several blocks or lifting 10 pounds. They also appeared to have more pain, drinking and psychiatric problems and chronic problems than previous ages.

As can be expected, many critics point out that this really isn’t telling us enough information at this time. However, these findings are consistent with a number of studies, including one last year that found American adults have poorer health than their British counterparts, and a preliminary analysis of data collected between 1972 and 2003 for the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative survey of more than 100,000 Americans. Another study produced similar findings in a survey of 2,500 adults between 1995 and 2001.

The funny thing is many baby boomers consider themselves healthier, too! But are they really? I have worked with many people in this age category and although I try to help them improve their health and fitness levels, often one of two things happens: Either they continue to struggle, sometimes without success, or they decide that the solution is more supplements and surgery, rather than real lifestyle changes.

This generation IS healthier in some ways; they are less likely to smoke and their gym membership status is high. However, overall they are less active in their daily lives than their parents and others who lived before them. They go to the gym because their daily life is completely devoid of physical activity. In America, try walking to work or to the local store! It’s either impossible or just too unsafe. This generation lives under constant stress with the faster-paced lifestyles, too. Although we hear of the wealthier aspect of this generation, what is also known is the baby boomer generation have not been savers. Consequently, they have to continue to work into their 60’s in order to pay the bills. They may also have children who are not independent and also have parents who need attention and care.

With time so limited, and responsibilities so great, attention to their health takes a back seat. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are very high in this age group, it was found. And many people are on various medications to help counter these health problems. And it’s no secret that obesity is epidemic in America, which increases the risks for these diseases and more.

Skeptics also point to the fact that the life expectance of Americans has increased. However, this may be because this population are diagnosed earlier, which means they can live longer with chronic diseases. But these reports may also indicate that baby boomers are less tolerant to aches and pains than their predecessors. They are NOT going into old age easily!

Regardless of what this all really means, these Studies are watched by policymakers. The concern is if this population is less healthy than the earlier population, this can effect the country’s future as we consider Social Security, retirement programs and medial programs.

So, after all this gloom, what is the answer? I guess it’s nothing different than I always talk about! Are you exercising on a regular basis? How many fruits and veggies are you eating each day? What about the types of protein you are eating; is it a lot of animal protein or are you incorporating more beans and plant proteins into your diet? And what about stress; what are you doing for it? None of these questions is something to focus on at the exclusion of the others. As an example, almost every 50 year-old woman I have started to work with told me when we first met that they ‘normally’ had constipation. Across the board they ate very few fruits and veggies, although they thought they ate plenty, and they all proudly shared that they didn’t sweat! Hm; that gave us plenty to work on with just those two facts!

To read more about the Health & Retirement Study, click here: http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/

Are food imports from China Safe?

2007-04-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to not be aware that many cats and dogs developed kidney failure and even death recently from tainted pet food. If you have followed the investigation, you may also already know that what has been found is the contamination began in China.

This time is was our pets that were at risk, but how many of us have been put at risk for contaminated foods that have not been caught through the importation process from China?

Now, what many of you may NOT know, is that although China’s agricultural exports to the US has increased almost 20 times in the last 25 years, to $2.26 billion last year, which also include such things as poultry products, sausage casings, shellfish, honey, spices and apple juice, US inspectors are able to only inspect a tiny percentage of these shipments that enter the US each year. And, what HAS been inspected has resulted in an average of 200 rejections per month this year, which is the largest number from any country. For example, two other big importers include Thailand and Italy, but their rejections averaged 18 and 35/month respectively!

What has sent China products back have included such examples as pesticide-laden pea pods, drug-laced catfish, contaminated honey, filthy plums, crawfish contaminated with salmonella, foods containing pesticides, antibiotics and other potentially harmful chemicals, as well as false or incomplete labeling that sometimes doesn’t even include the producer’s name.

Although China has made great improvements in their technology and sanitation, and they continue to try to improve inspections on their products, they have experienced limited success. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used in excess in order to boost yields, while harmful antibiotics are widely used to control disease in seafood and livestock. Unchecked industrial pollution risks introducing heavy metals into the food chain. Farmers have used products that are known to cause cancer in order to increase the value of their products and produce leaner meats. China’s Health Ministry reported almost 34,000 food-related illnesses in 2005, with spoiled food accounting for the largest number, followed by poisonous plants or animals and use of agricultural chemicals.

A big part of the problem is that most of China’s agricultural products still come from small farmers, which makes regulation difficult. Small farms ship to market with little documentation. Testing of the safety and purity of farm products such as milk is often haphazard. Only about 6 percent of agricultural products were considered pollution-free in 2005, while safer, better quality food accounts for just 1 percent of the total, according to figures compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As China’s infrastructure continues to modernize and improve, this bleak picture will improve. They are trying hard to separate foods produced for export from domestic products. They want their export trade to flourish, so it is in their best interest to improve their standards. However, what can you do, today, to protect yourself?

Well, first of all, many of us had no idea that one supplier was providing product to so many pet food companies. And that this supplier was using a China company. Many people are now making their own pet food from scratch. In fact, why not do the same for yourself? Buy your food and cook it, yourself. And, while you’re at it, buy locally, so you know where your food is really coming from. Local seafood, local meats, or at least know where they come from, and local produce all can provide improved quality AND eliminate the question of just how safe the food is. Just about every town in the country today has a local farmer’s market, and by buying local produce, you are supporting your local growers. You can usually even find local egg farmers and diaries! If you eat beef, chances are that if you do some research, you can also still find a local beef farmer.

Our world is going global, but with that global growth come ‘growing pains’. However, although China is emerging into the 21st century, they still have a long way to go. In the meantime, if you have concerns about where your food is coming from, and just how safe it is, take control by doing your research and support your own local agricultural community and improving your health while you’re at it!

Summer vacation can mean weight gain for kids

2007-04-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

Although I recently discussed the decrease in physical exercise in schools, apparently what little they DO get in school is more than they get at home, while on summer vacation, according to a recent study that will be published in the April issue of American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers studied the growth rates of the BMI’s of 5,380 kindergartners and first-graders between fall of 1998 to spring of 2000 in 310 schools across the country.
The study found that 5- and 6-year-olds gained more weight over the summer than during the school year. BMIs generally doubled during the summer, with the increase higher among black and Hispanic students, yet fell back to their original, normal growth rate when they were back in school.

Although specific reasons could not be determined, the guess is that kids are spending more time sitting around and snacking, instead of playing and doing activities that healthy 5- and 6-year-olds should be doing. At this age, parents definitely have a responsibility for the health of their children. They need to be more involved in what their children are doing, but it also raises the idea of a longer school year and more after-school programs to keep kids active. Although researchers saw a drop in the growth rate when kids returned to school, as this trend happens from summer to summer, this does lead to eventual obesity problems for these kids later in their life.

What is the message? If you work and cannot supervise your kids during the summer, at least find some type of program for them to take part in that will keep them active and busy. There are many programs that are affordable if your income is limited, and the welfare of your child could be the highest cost if you ignore how active they are as children.

Obesity Surgery in Teens

2007-04-09T03:20:00.000-07:00

Just recently I posted on neurological problems that may be common among people who have undergone gastric bypass surgery to lose weight and had mentioned the growth in these types of surgeries in teens. As it so happens, a recent report has just been published on that very topic in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

We have a problem in this country with weight, and although childhood obesity used to be rather rare, today all you have to do is look around you to tell this problem is growing. This is a scary development, but I feel the primary causes are multi-fold; parents no longer cook at home or set a good example for their children, school food choices are generally high in fat and low in whole foods, and physical activity is missing in many kids’ lives. Although there is a push to return physical fitness to the school curriculum, most schools provide no physical exercise during the day at all. When kids come home, they spend the day sitting, doing school work, playing on the computer, or watching TV. In some neighborhoods, it’s not even safe anymore to go play outside.

So, as is so American, the easiest solution is bariatric surgery for our kids! At least the figures cited in the report were moderate, finding that only 0.7% of all surgeries were performed on teenagers. This still represented 771 kids in 2003, though! And the numbers for this year are expected to reach 1,000. It was estimated that 104,702 adults had these surgeries in 2003.

Although the complication rate is much lower in teens than adults, researchers are unclear what the physical and emotional effects are on these children. Therefore, there is currently a five-year study in progress to examine these medical and psychological results of obesity surgery among teens.

Need I say it? We need to get our kids outside, playing and taking part in physical activities. And we also need to set good examples for our kids so they learn how and what to eat. If you have kids at home and you AND your kids are struggling with weight, start taking this problem seriously. Your own child’s future and life may be at stake.

To read the abstract of this study, click here;
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/161/3/217

Americans Still Short on Vegetables Intake

2007-03-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

I may have shared this recently, but something dawned on me the other day. When the low carb diets came into vogue, people believed that the foods that caused their weight gain were foods such as fruits, veggies and whole grains, so they eliminated ALL fruits, veggies and grains. However, as I started to really think about the usual client that I see, I realize that these were NOT foods people were eating in the first place! It was no surprise, however, that when people started to eliminate the crackers, potato chips, and the endless amounts of snack foods they lost weight. It’s such a shame, though; people still thought it was the whole foods mentioned above that attributed to their weight problem. They don’t realize that they have eliminated evening snacking. No one enjoys ‘snacking’ on a hunk of meat while watching TV at night.

Generally when I start working with a new client, we will investigate just how many servings of fruits and veggies they eat per day, and it’s quite often they are eating NO veggies each day and maybe one fruit per day. So, this newly reported survey by the CDC is no big surprise. The telephone survey of more than 305,000 adults in 2005 showed that 38% of all Americans eat two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. The goal is for 75% of all American’s to be eating this much daily by 2010, but this level is no different than it was in 1994.

Specifically the survey showed that 27 percent of adults ate vegetables three times a day, and about 33 percent ate fruit twice a day. A serving size is a half-cup for most fruits and vegetables, one cup for leafy greens. Senior citizens were more likely to eat veggies, but younger adults, between 18 and 24, had the fewest with nearly 4/5ths having no veggies at all! Findings were similar with fruits. And we wonder why we are seeing increased obesity in young adults??

This brings us back to what I said above; it is found that people are eating more refined sugars and eating protein foods instead of fruits and vegetables. They are confused and many don’t realize, or believe that fruits and vegetables are much lower in calories and fill you up more quickly. People also want convenience and processed foods fit that need easier than whole, natural foods. It’s showing, America! We are getting bigger and bigger.

To take and see the results of a quick survey, click this link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15923252/

Is the School your Child goes to at Risk for Food Poisoning Outbreak?

2007-03-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

A recent study on school cafeteria food safety pointed out some scary statistics that I would want to know if I had a child in school. Did you know that only 61% of all the schools in the US that are required to have two health inspections per year get those inspections? In fact, when I look at how MY state of California rates, I learned that only 32% of all our schools were inspected! What does this mean? It means your kids could be at risk for contracting a serious food-borne illness. Examples include E. coli and hepatitis A.

Now that I have your attention, however, let’s talk about statistics and why this condition exists. Don’t get me wrong, if it is YOUR kid who gets sick or even dies, these numbers mean nothing, so increasing awareness is why I am addressing this story, today.

In 2005, Congress increased the required inspections to two per year. These inspections apply to all schools that participate in the federal school lunch program, which provides free and reduced-priced meals to low-income children. However, when Congress increased the inspection requirement, they didn’t provide for more money for these inspections. Consequently, state and local health authorities don’t have the staff to meet this requirement. The smaller and more rural areas appear to be the areas most at risk.

Schools are also lower on the priority list for health departments because there are fewer outbreaks in schools than in restaurants, as indicated by government data. School cafeterias were the source of only about 3% of the documented 7,390 food poisoning outbreaks reported between 1990 and 1999, according to the CDC and congressional investigators.

Fewer inspections may not necessarily mean more cases of food poisoning, but the inspections help prevent things like inappropriate temperatures and making sure there are not rat droppings and other ‘gross’ things accumulating in the school kitchens. Inspectors ensure that cafeteria workers wash their hands properly and that they keep foods such as pizza hot and milk cold, to prevent germs from growing. E.coli results from improper handling and temperatures and hepatitis A is from improper food handling and hand washing. Simple preventative measures. Recent outbreaks of food poisoning in things like peanut butter have renewed this focus on safety.

While outbreaks in schools are rare, children are at greater risk for complications from E. coli, salmonella and other food borne germs.
To read the full report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest , click here; http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/makingthegrade.pdf

Another link between diet and cancer

2007-03-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

First of all, I should share that I am not a vegetarian. However, I also have to admit that I’m not a big fan of beef, although I will eat it. I graduated from a vegetarian university, however, and learned all the science behind why we should limit (or, for some people, avoid) beef from our diet. As I progressed in my practice and became more educated on functional nutrition and the more detailed science behind how the substances in beef react in the human body, I am more discouraged from eating beef. But at least this last study makes me feel ok, because although I do eat it, it is in very limited and small amounts, on a very infrequent basis.

This newest study is part of the Nurses Health Study II, which followed over 90,000 pre-menopausal women for 12 years. Although researchers found no relation between red meat consumption and overall breast cancer risk across time, when they did an analysis of breast cancers fueled by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, they did find a link. After adjusting for established risk factors, they found that the women who reported eating over one and a half servings of red meat per day had almost twice the risk of cancer, compared with women who reported eating three servings or less of red meat per week.

There is still debate over what exactly causes this increase. There are three current theories: First of all, previous studies have suggested that one reason for the increased cancer risk has more to do with the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that form when red meat is cooked at high temperatures to very well-done status, such as when grilled or fried. In lab studies, HCAs bond to estrogen receptors and create estrogen-like effects. Earlier studies have shown that post-menopausal women who consistently ate hamburger, beef steak and bacon, very well-done, and were getting very high levels of HCAs, they had over four times the breast cancer risk than women who ate these meats rare or medium done. Further research is finding that some people are more susceptible to developing cancer from this exposure than others. This recent study is the first to look at both breast cancers that are and are not sensitive to estrogen, together, which is what may be the most important aspect of this research.

The second theory has to do with the fact that red meat is higher in heme iron than other meats and that heme iron may increase colon cancer risk by damaging the colon lining and increasing the growth of precancerous cells. Several studies have linked this combination and scientists theorize that heme iron may interact with estrogen in enhancing the initial development of breast tumors.

The third theory considers the link between higher fat intake with higher levels of estrogen and another substance that the body can convert to estrogen. Higher saturated fat intake seems to raise levels of insulin, which is a hormone that may promote the development of breast cancer regardless of estrogen sensitivity.

Regardless of HOW increased red meat increases your breast cancer risk, all studies still point to decreasing how much you eat of it. This does not mean you have to cut it out, completely. Really, all foods CAN fit! Just start increasing the amount of fruits, veggies and whole grains and make beef intake less often each week and when you do eat it, make it a complementary dish rather than the main course.

Click here to test your breast cancer IQ; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3296963/

Neurological condition found linked to weight loss surgery

2007-03-14T04:08:00.000-07:00

Gastric bypass surgery is becoming more and more popular in the US and other developed counties. In my opinion, we are a country of people who would prefer the easiest way out to resolve a problem, and gastric bypass is a perfect example of that easy way out.

About 170,000 people had the procedure in the United States in 2005, a tenfold rise from the early 1990s. A study last week found that use of the surgery tripled among U.S. adolescents from 2000 to 2003. Teens!

However, it’s really not such an easy solution. First of all, as a nutrition professional who has been working in the field for over 17 years, it’s very apparent to me that people do not gain over 100# of excess weight because they ‘just’ eat too much. Often there is an emotional reason a person eats to this excess. If these emotional issues are not addressed, just closing up or bypassing a section of the stomach is not going to resolve the problem. If anything, it will make their problems worse. I have known several people who did not receive pre-surgery assessment and counseling and after the initial ‘honeymoon’, regained all their weight. Some have pulled open their staples and needed corrective surgery! Those problems are beyond the purpose of this blog, today, however.

Second, gastric bypass surgery often has very real and serious side-effects, which can lead to death. I have known several people who had serious complications that put their health and life at risk.

Finally, is surgery really a solution? Should our children be receiving such alterations to their physical bodies? What lesson do they learn and how will that impact their future? Has the family learned how to prepare and eat a healthy diet and learned how to incorporate exercise into their lives before opting for the ‘easy way’ out? These are questions that parents should seriously consider before allowing or requesting gastric bypass for their children.

There has already been research that has found that people who opt for gastric bypass surgery suffer from nutritional deficiencies. It is known that many will suffer hair loss and other symptoms of vitamin and mineral deficiency as an expected consequence of the surgery.

A recent study, published in the journal Neurology, reported on cases of 27 women and 5 men who developed a disease previously linked to severe alcoholics, called Wernicke’s encephalopathy, after bariatric surgery. Nearly all experienced frequent vomiting in the weeks after surgery and two of them died.

Wernicke’s encephalopathy can develop when the body does not get enough vitamin B1, also known as thiamine. It affects the brain and nervous system, with symptoms including double vision, eye movement abnormalities, unsteady walking, memory loss and hallucinations.

Researchers are still investigating how common this condition is, but they think it appears in people who have had the surgery and stopped taking their vitamin supplements or when they so often that they are unable to absorb their vitamins. If the condition is recognized quickly enough, it can be treated with injections of thiamine. Researchers found that the condition most frequently appeared 1-3 months after surgery, especially in young women, but also developed as late as 18 months after surgery.

Now, for some people, surgery could be a very realistic and viable option to keep them alive. However, I think these surgeries are also becoming much more common and accepted today. Again, it comes down to that ‘easy’ solution. Just imagine going into the hospital and coming home and losing a quick 50# or more before summer!

Since I coach people who struggle with large amounts of weight, I know how hard it is to lose by diet and exercise alone. It IS hard, but it can be done; there are stories of such successes all the time! A person has to really want it and know they can do it, AND be willing to seriously make changes in their lives to achieve that goal. It is not easy! However, for anyone considering bypass surgery as an ‘easy’ option, spend a lot of time doing your homework. Consider what your future will look like and take a hard look at what you have been willing to do so far. Have you really wanted that weight loss? Sometimes people really do NOT want to lose weight. This is where pre-surgical counseling is essential. You have to first understand why you ate yourself into your condition before you can allow yourself to lose that weight.

For the abstract to the above mentioned report, click here: http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/11/807

New Heart Healthy Guidelines for Women

2007-03-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

The American Heart Association released new guidelines to help women and doctors decrease their risk of heart disease. It is estimated that American women are at much greater danger of heart disease or stroke than previously though, and they are urging physicians to focus on the long-term risk of high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise and overweight as risk factors, even if her current health seems fine. It is estimated that just one risk factor for a woman at 50 years old raises her chance of heart disease or stroke later in life. Only about 10% of all American women are free of any risk factor!

The guidelines are the result of the gathering of a large amount of evidence in women and were drafted by dozens of groups worldwide.

Here are the basic recommendations and questions for you to consider:

· Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, but if you want to lose weight, you need to exercise at least 60-90 minutes a day. How much exercise did YOU do last week? Studies have also found that breaking your exercise up into 10 minute pieces is just as effective as one 30-90 minute session.
· Eat mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grain and high fiber foods, fish at least twice a week, and little salt. Limit saturated fat to less than 7-10% of total calories and trans fats to less than 1% of calories. Limit alcohol to one or less drink per day. I know this is an area many people struggle with. Plus, people who followed the low carb diets may still be avoiding these foods that have been shown time and again to be helpful to not only heart health and cancer, but also weight control! How many servings of fruits and veggies did you eat last week? Start with a goal of 3 servings per day of a combination, and then expand into 5-10. It CAN be done! Don’t smoke. If you do, get help and quit, now.
· Weight recommendations are for a BMI (body mass index) of under 25. To find out what your BMI is, go to my resources page, http://www.megfit.com/resources.htm, and find ‘Assessment links to help you determine 'where you are'.
· More and more research supports the use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements (fish oils) to support a healthy heart. The AMA recommends supplementing if you already have heart disease, but discount the use of extra folic acid, vitamin E, vitamin C and beta carotene for heart disease prevention. Are you taking a fish oil supplement?
· Keep blood pressure and high blood cholesterol under control. The recommendation for the bad cholesterol, LDL, is to be under 100 if you are at high risk for heart disease and under 70 if you are at very high risk. Many doctors are advised to medicate to keep both of these conditions under control. Do you know what your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are? You should!
· The most controversial recommendation by the AMA is that women should take a baby aspirin daily. As a consequence, always ask your physician before starting aspirin therapy because of the negative side effects from daily aspirin. Researchers have found that benefits of a daily aspirin usually don’t show up until a woman is over 65 years old. In fact, one 10-year study on aspirin for stroke prevention showed that only one additional cardiovascular problem among 35,000 women under 65, where 20 women had such significant bleeding that they required transfusions.
· Finally, it is recommended that women do not take estrogen or progesterone supplements to prevent heart disease. Several years ago, it was shown that taking menopausal hormones can actually raise the risk of heart disease as well as cancer.

If you are not exercising, if you tend to eat little fruits, veggies and whole grains, you’re not a fish eater, and you’re a bit, or a great deal overweight, now is the time to start making some changes in your lifestyle. If you smoke or drink and have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you are taking an even greater gamble! Look at what little change you could make, today. It doesn’t have to be much. Maybe add one extra apple to your food intake! Maybe see who will walk with you at work. I know many people who have ‘unexpected’ heart attacks at a very young age. Everyone is surprised, but now we can’t say we didn’t know!

To read all the entire report, click here: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/115/7/936

To learn more about YOUR risk, go to this site: http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Eat Chocolate for Health?

2007-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

There are multiple studies looking into the benefits of chocolate, which thrills me to no end! I love dark chocolate. In fact, I won’t bother wasting calories on milk or white chocolate, but yes, even a dietitian will eat chocolate.

It is understood that chocolate is high in flavanols. Flavanols contain antioxidant chemicals that help prevent cell damage, increase blood flow to the brain, reduce clot formation and improve blood sugar levels. The cacao plant, which is what chocolate is made from, contains the same antioxidants found in red wine, apples, onions and grapes.

Just recently, at an annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, researchers reported on their most recent findings of a study that investigated the effects of drinking cocoa and eating chocolate.

Researchers from England’s University of Nottingham reported test results of healthy women who were asked to complete complex tasks while studying their brains with magnetic resonance imaging. Among the women given drinks of cocoa high in flavanols, there was a significant increase in blood flow to the brain, compared to women who did not drink the cocoa.

This raises the prospect of using flavanols in the treatment of dementia, marked by decreased blood flow in the brain, and in maintaining overall cardiovascular health. Their next step is to study people who have ‘compromised’ blood flow to the brain.

The second study involved studying the Cuna Indian tribe in Panama. The Cuna’s drink cocoa exclusively. The main researcher on this study, Norman Hollenberg of Harvard Medical School, is an expert on blood pressure and he wanted to see if cocoa has anything to do with the fact that Cuna Indians who live on their native islands don’t have high blood pressure, nor do they have any cases of dementia. His conclusion was the cocoa concoction they drink seems to ward off these conditions, which develop when they move to the city.

A third study reported on the effects of a specific flavanol, Epichatechin, in tests in mice. When this flavanol was added to their food, the mice showed improved ability to solve a maze, and they remembered it longer than mice without the flavanol. They concluded that this particular flavanol affected the area of the brain that was important to memory.

A final study involved older men in the Netherlands who ate the equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day. The results showed that these men had lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death. However, researchers were also quick to point out it was too early to predict that eating chocolate would lead to better health and more research is necessary.

So what is the take-home message from all of this great news for chocolate lovers?

Two points are important to emphasize: Chocolate is high in fat and when you do eat it, emphasize dark chocolate over milk and white.

Researchers stop short of recommending we all eat chocolate every day. We have to keep in mind that chocolate is high in fat and calories. Even though dark chocolate is the better choice, it is still loaded with calories, some saturated fat, and sugar. It is also a significant source of caffeine and other stimulants. One ounce has about 150 calories. We can get our flavanols from other sources, too, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These are antioxidant choices that are low in fat, high in fiber and caffeine-free.

Cocoa is the chocolate with the fat removed, but most straight cocoa products also have no sugar and are generally produced for baking. The cocoa products sold for hot chocolate have sugar and other ingredients added that take away the health benefits that researchers found.

If you do want to eat chocolate, choose dark chocolate and do so in moderation. Look for bars that have at least 60% cocoa solids; 75% is even better. If you still want to do so in a ‘healthy’ way, it is estimated that one-third of an ounce of chocolate can satisfy a craving without blowing your diet.

I found a dark chocolate that is so pure that I am very happy with a one-third of an ounce serving. In the past, I felt it was almost impossible to ‘just eat one’ bite. Today I can give in to that craving and still feel empowered and in charge of my health. My choice of chocolate is Sharffen Berger, at http://www.scharffenberger.com/. My preference is the 62% cacao semisweet version, but they also have a 75% bittersweet variety.

When you get a craving for chocolate, it’s much better to satisfy it with a small, healthy choice, than to try to avoid it completely. If you deprive yourself, usually what happens is you end up ‘giving up’ and splurge on much more than you would have otherwise. Be good to yourself and if chocolate is your thing, find a dark chocolate option that you can enjoy and not feel guilty about.

To take a quick quiz to see if you are a chocoholic, click here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17052046/

Unique Fitness Trends to get you Moving

2007-02-19T04:51:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you’ve been wondering what you can do to improve your fitness, but all the traditional exercise programs and classes seem either too boring or too hard, or just too much fluff.

There are several trends in group exercise that you may be interested in. Just two examples that I will talk about today include Zumba and cardio karaoke classes called ‘cardioki’.

Zumba was born in Miami in 1999 and has slowly grown in popularity around the country. It is a mixture of Latin dance and aerobics, but is more like free-flow dancing with the exciting music of Latin cultures. A 60-minute program incorporates footwork and body movements from flamenco, salsa and other dances.. One instructor of Zumba, which is Colombian clang for “fast” this way: “It emulates being in a nightclub without the drinking, the smoking, and the bad pickup lines.” A fan of the exercise program says this: “You can just get out there and move and be silly and not have to worry about it. It’s a good stress reliever. You can be having the worst day ... and after you’ve done an hour of Zumba you just feel great.”

Nearly 1 million Americans have taken Zumba classes, and today Zumba Fitness LLC, which owns the trademark, states that there are 3,500 instructors around the country.

Cardioki, cardio karaoke classes, is a brand new fad that has just started in Los Angeles. It combines cardio exercise classes with karaoke, singing to music with the words up on the screen. It’s hard to say exactly who the first person was to create it, but cardio boxing guru Billy Banks and his wife are turning it into a media craze in the area.

People love the combination of singing their heart out to going through the traditional exercise moves. It definitely takes their mind off the exercise! And no one cares if you sing off-key.

If you’ve been trying to find an exercise that you could stick with, but want something different, these are just two examples of what is available. To find out what is in your area, contact the various health clubs, community centers, church centers, yoga studios and Y’s and check out something you’ve never heard of, today. There is always something for everyone, so today you can’t use the excuse that exercise is boring. You just need to get out there and find something you like!

Loss of familiar smells first sign of Alzheimer’s disease?

2007-02-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

An inability to correctly identify familiar odors may be an early indication of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported in the January issue of Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

It appears that even before any signs of dementia, early sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease have difficulty identifying familiar odors. They relate this difficulty with a buildup of ‘tangles’ in the brain that appear in early Alzheimer’s disease patients.

This is just one earlier symptom to watch out for. Here is a list of other early warning signs:

· Memory loss. Now, we all forget things occasionally, but forgetting new information often is something to pay attention to.

· Forgetting how to do familiar tasks, such as prepare a meal or placing a phone call.

· Problem with language. Now, we all forget names or simple words, but does it happen often?

· Misplacing things. Who has NOT misplaced something? But, if you find your toothbrush in the dryer, this is not normal.

To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, click here;

http://www.alz.org/index.asp

Is there any truth to DNA Diets?

2007-02-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

Functional nutrition is the most exciting aspect of nutrition for me since sports nutrition. The realization that we really can uncover what causes delayed food sensitivities with such things as MRT testing, or be able to head off diseases such as cancer with cruciferous vegetables or lower our chances of heart disease with omega-3 fatty acids is what makes nutrition fun! I have several friends who are not only registered dietitians, but also educated geneticists, and the information they provide is amazing! We really are at the dawn of a new age in medicine and health.

However, although there are legitimate genetic testing labs and organizations, there are more scams out there than the ‘real’ ones, especially online. For this reason, just recently congressional investigators held hearings and the result was to caution consumers to beware of direct-to-consumer DNA tests that promise nutrition advice and sell products.

At issue is a field called nutritional genomics, which researches how complex interactions between genes and diet may affect people's risk of future illnesses. Many genetic authorities say the field has promise but that much more research is needed before offering DNA-tailored advice on a mass scale.

Yet on the internet and in some stores, people can buy kits, costing from $99 to $1,000, that let them send in a cheek swab for DNA analysis, fill out a lifestyle questionnaire and receive nutrition advice.

Investigators bought kits from companies selling through four websites, and created 14 pretend customers. The questionnaires described consumers of different ages and lifestyles, but were paired with DNA samples from a baby girl and a male agent at the GAO.

When the results were returned, the advice varied greatly, but most contained generalities such as do not smoke and that the "customers" with bad diets may risk heart disease. Certainly not personalized results worth $99- $1,000!

One company advised three of the customers to buy a "personalized" dietary supplement blend, costing more than $1,880 a year, that the company claimed could repair damaged DNA. A second company recommended a supplement blend for $1200 that you can buy in a drugstore for $35.

This is the problem. First of all, genetics experts all agree that there is no pill that can repair DNA damage, and that some of these blends could actually cause damage. Plus, they noticed that all three sample patients were recommended the exact same blend of supplements, proving there was no personalization at all.

As a result of this investigation, representatives were called in to testify. Reps from the gene-testing companies testified that they were providing an important service and were criticized unfairly because they had not had a chance to see and respond to the allegations.

If you are interested in gene testing, consult your doctor or a trained and educated genetics counselor before undergoing any genetic testing. You are not going to find reliable service of this kind on the internet. Save your money and buy more fruits and vegetables!

If you want to learn more about genetic testing, click here: http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/NIH/index.html

New Treatment Options for Winter Depression

2007-01-29T04:16:00.000-08:00

Do you suffer from winter depression? Some people call it ‘cabin fever’. You know; you have no energy, you don’t want to do anything, you pretty much hate the world and everyone in it.

Traditional therapy for winter depression, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is to sit next to a bright light box for 30 minutes at breakfast. But researchers were curious about the effectiveness of two other types of treatment, dawn simulation and negative air ionization.

In a study at Columbia University in New York and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, randomly assigned 99 adults with SAD to one of five treatments: Dawn simulation equivalent to May in northern temperate latitudes; a brief dawn “pulse”; bright light after waking; high flow rate negative air ionization; or low flow rate ionization.

Full dawn simulation, high negative air ionization, and bright light therapy proved roughly equal in terms of improvement in symptoms of SAD of about 50% improvement for each. By contrast, improvement was seen in just 23 percent of those who got low ionization and in 43 percent of subjects in the sunrise pulse group.

Although the sunrise pulse treatment was “therapeutically active” in some patients, it led to the persistence, emergence and exacerbation of depressive symptoms, making it an “unfavorable option,” researchers reported.

The conclusion was that while morning bright light therapy will remain the first-line therapy for many people, dawn simulation and negative air ionization may also be considered an option.

If you think you may suffer from winter depression, complete this Personalized Inventory for Depression and SAD survey, a free and confidential online self-assessment questionnaire posted on the nonprofit website of the Center for Environmental Therapeutics, http://www.cet.org/. The site also includes more detailed description of light and ion therapy.

Four Diet Pill makers Fined for False Claims

2007-01-22T04:10:00.000-08:00

It’s about time!

We’ve all seen the ads – lose weight with this miracle pill! Doctors don’t really want you to know about this, but take this pill and all your weight AND HEALTH problems will go away! It makes as much sense as work from home, don’t do anything, and make $60,000 a month! Yea, you’ve seen that one, too, huh?

The FTC filed big fines against the makers of Xenadrine EFX, One A Day Weight Smart, CortiSlim and TrimSpa. The FTC is not the organization that takes these products off the market, but they do monitor marketing, and when a company makes a claim that is false, then they step in. I have had many conversations with colleagues about how long it would take for them to make CortiSlim stop making false claims!

There is an estimated 70 million Americans who are trying to lose weight. Diet pills are extremely popular! Who doesn’t sit up and take notice when an ad tells you that all you have to do is take this pill and the weight will melt off? Wouldn’t that be nice? There is another ‘miracle pill’ on the market that claims that if you take it while sleeping, not only will you burn body fat, but you will BUILD muscle! I guess they know something all the researchers have missed, like you have to actually work a muscle to build it! But people are looking for that easy and quick solution.

And to further help with that quick and easy solution is when a company finds a celebrity to endorse their product. One example out of many is Anna Nicole Smith, who endorsed TrimSpa, which is one of the companies mentioned above.

There is no easy and quick solution. The solution is in your head. You have to decide that you are willing to make changes to eating and activity habits. That’s all there is to it. You have to decide that you are going to make the effort and then make it happen. Walk further, eat less. Increase the fruits and vegetables, decrease the fast food and snack foods. Plan. Plan for the exercise and plan for the meals, instead of skipping meals and then grabbing something on the run.

Americans have a reputation for being spoiled, fat, lazy humans. Isn’t it time to change the picture of America? I am always proud of people I see who are ready and willing to do the work necessary to improve their health and their weight. When will you start taking a stand and improve YOUR health?

Birth Defects Increase – Could it be the Result of Low Carb Diets?

2007-01-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

Years ago, scientists realized that folate deficiencies led to the occurence of serious birth defects of the spine and brain, known as neural tube defects. Folate is a naturally occurring B vitamin. An artificial version, which is more easily metabolized by the body, is folic acid.

As a result, the government started urging women to eat cereals and breads fortified with folic acid to help prevent these birth defects. By the late 1990s, the fortification campaigns were succeeding: Folate levels increased, and neural tube defects dropped by as many as 1,000 a year.

But a recent CDC study just found an 8 percent to 16 percent decline in folate levels in U.S. women of childbearing age, according to large blood-drawing surveys done between 1999 and 2004.

This is the first time such a decline has been seen since the start of government health campaigns urging women to make sure they get enough folic acid. The decline was most pronounced in white women, although black women continue to be the racial group with the least folate in their blood,.

The study was based on a regular national survey that involves not only interviews but physical examinations and blood tests. It measured the blood of about 4,500 women, ages 15 to 44, between 1999 and 2004.

Experts are speculating as to why the sudden drop after seeing success in encouraging women to eat more fortified breads and cereals, and the one that they are focusing on the most, especially considering the population this has impacted the most, is the popularity of the low carb diets in the early 2000s. Women of child bearing age were cutting out the breads and cereals in their diets in an attempt to lose weight by eliminating carbohydrates from their diet. This also leads to a decrease in folic acid.

Two other theories that experts have considered is that today there are more women who are obese, and their need of folic acid may actually be higher than they are eating. The third theory is perhaps more people are eating more whole grain products, which have less fortified folic acid.

If you are a woman of child bearing age, regardless of your weight or your eating habits, your future children’s health could be in your hands: Don’t take this lightly! If you avoid breads and cereals, even supplements are beneficial. A daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid is recommended. Today only 1/3rd of all women of child-bearing age take a folic acid supplement every day, however.

If you are in your late teens or early 20’s, even if you don’t think you’ll ever have children, things change in life, so prepare your health and your body for the best health possible. If not for you, at least for your possible children you may have in the future. Giving birth to a child with birth defects is a hard part of life to deal with. When it’s a condition that can be avoided, why take that risk?

New Drug Approved for Weight Loss! For your Dog!

2007-01-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

If you don’t have an overweight dog, yourself, I’m sure you know someone else who does. Obesity is creeping into our pets in America. Statistics say that about 5% of the 62 million dogs in the US are obsess, which is 20% or more than its ideal body weight. Another 20-30% is considered overweight.

The US government just approved the first drug for obese dogs, called Slentrol. It will be available from veterinarians in the spring and will cost $1-$2 per dose, which will come in liquid form.

The drug reduces the amount of fat the dog can absorb and triggers a feeling of fullness, according to the FDA. But this also means it can produce some unfortunate side effects, including loose stools, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy and loss of appetite. The hope is this can be used for a short-term, quick answer to your dog’s obesity problem. Then, with increased exercise and a healthy diet, your dog will live a healthier, longer, happier life.

Our pets mirror our own lifestyles. If you have been struggling with weight, and you have a dog that also has some extra weight on him/her, what better motivator to get out and take some walks than to know you are helping improve your pet’s health! Our pets are entirely dependant on us for their wellbeing. By taking the best care of yourself and doing the same for your pet, you will ensure that both of you live a long, happy life. And, after all, isn’t your dog your best friend?

The effect of wildfires on respiratory health of children

2006-12-26T05:56:00.000-08:00

This study caught my eye because the California wildfires of 2003 impacted me and my family. In fact, over the last 10 years, we have had to evacuate from our home three times. In the 2003 fire, we were away from our home for 2 weeks.

If you have ever been near a forest fire, you know how sickening the smoke and ash can become. During the early days of the 2003 fire, white ash was falling everywhere and breathing was laborious for us all.

To measure the impact of the 2003 wildfires on asthmatic and non-asthmatic children, researchers at the University of California, LA, surveyed over 800 high school children and the parents of over 5,000 children between 6 and 7 years old who had lived in one of the 16 communities affected by the fires. Although asthmatic children were two to three times more likely to suffer wheezing, other respiratory symptoms and eye problems, non-asthmatic children also had increased symptoms as well. The results were published in a recent American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The 2003 wildfires sent plumes of smoke into the air that hovered for days, raising levels of air-polluting particulate matter by 10 to 20 times. The smoke also contained carbon monoxide and numerous other toxic substances. Such poor air quality is particularly dangerous for people with asthma, whose symptoms can be exacerbated.

So, what can you do if you are in an area that is burning? Health authorities recommend staying inside during the fires and, if necessary, wear a mask. As a dietitian, because the body is being exposed to harmful substances that can be oxidizing to the system, foods that are high in antioxidants would be a good choice. Examples would be increased fruits and vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish or fish oil tablets. Researchers are not sure if long-term damage results from exposure to the smoke from fires, but they feel that since even smokers’ lung health improves once they quit, there may not be long-term damage from the wildfire smoke.

Does daily weighing ensure weight loss?

2006-12-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

Do you weigh yourself often or obsess over what the scale tells you on a regular basis? Researchers at the University of Minnesota wanted to know if obsession of frequent weighing would impact the diets and weights of teenage girls and boys. They studied over 2,000 junior high and high school kids in 1998 and followed up with these same kids in 2003.

I often work with clients and encourage them to weigh themselves no more than once a week at the very most. Some I will encourage them to only weigh monthly. The scale will tell you a trend, but daily weighing just tells you fluid status. What I have learned is when someone is unable to avoid weighing themselves on a daily basis, or is obsessed with the scale, they have a harder time controlling their weight. I see it time and time again.

The study mentioned above was recently published in the Journal of Adolescent Health and found that the girls who weighed themselves daily practiced unhealthy eating habits and gained, on average 33 pounds, almost twice as much weight as those girls who did not obsess over their weight. Almost 10%of the girls said at the beginning of the study that they agreed with the statement, ‘I weigh myself often’, and in follow-up, these girls said they engaged in some type of unhealthy weight control behavior, compared to 68% of girls who strongly disagreed that they weighed themselves frequently. These girls averaged a weight gain of 18 pounds.

Boys who frequently weighed themselves didn’t gain weight, but they did practice unhealthy eating habits and measures to lose weight.

What does this study tell us? For me, it’s nothing new; you cannot obsess and weigh yourself daily as a way to ‘control’ your eating habits. The habits must improve and often discovering the underlying reason for uncontrolled eating is the only solution. Many women feel that if they just weighed themselves daily they can keep themselves from gaining too much weight. However, for anyone who knows someone like this, you know that their obsession does not result in weight loss or ideal body weight. It results in higher stress levels and a very unhappy individual.

Serving Sizes Have Grown through the Years

2006-12-11T03:49:00.000-08:00

How many times have you been to a restaurant and complained that the servings were too small? Unfortunately, today this is a common complaint if the plates are not overflowing. However, did you know that serving sizes have actually grown through the years? And, so have America’s waistlines.

A recent study at Rutgers University just compared the serving sizes of today to that of 20 years ago. This research was done in 2003 and was described in a recent issue of the Journal of American Dietetic Association, and is a replicated 1984 study at Penn State University.

Here are a couple examples of what they found: Diners were offered three sizes of plates, bowls and cups in a buffet-like setting. There were 177 students in the more recent study at Rutgers and 147 students in the 1984 Penn State study. The students in 2003 took 20 percent more cornflakes than students took in 1984, Schwartz said. The glass of orange juice grew by more than 40 percent compared to 20 years ago. That translates into 50 additional calories, or a weight gain of five pounds over the course of a year, if consumed on a daily basis. Dinner and lunch servings grew, too — 50 percent more fruit salad wound up on the plates of the Rutgers students.

Researchers in both studies felt that people are not listening to their bodies, and are eating more with their eyes than their stomachs. Also, the frame of reference for serving sizes is increasing. I find it, myself, that if I ask people how to translate what they ate into amounts, they really don’t know. In fact, many people don’t have any concept of how many calories they are actually eating.

It’s often pointed out that many restaurants serve food in larger plates, which results in more food. People feel that to get the most value for their meal, they need to clean their plates, too. Some of these plates can result in up to 25% more food, which really can increase the amount of calories in a meal! Value pricing in fast food restaurants is an issue, also; people tend to ‘order up’ to get more for their money. However, this translates into more calories, again.

But the most surprising result the Rutgers study pointed out is that the amount of food consumed at home has also increased.

So, what can we learn from this study? My first recommendation to all new clients is to understand what constitutes a ‘serving’. For instance, did you know that ½ cup of rice or pasta is one serving? And, one slice of bread is a serving. For more on serving sizes, the best site available online is http://www.mypyramid.gov. Spend some time on it and read the descriptions of the food groups as well as the suggestions on how to eat healthier. I often provide my clients with a handout that describes servings in common items, such as a computer mouse and a deck of cards. People are able to relate to these items better than a measuring cup.

My second suggestion to all people is to ask for a doggy bag as soon as you receive your food at a restaurant! How many times have you intended to eat half of an entrée, only to find, when you’re all done, that you ate the whole thing? Another good suggestion for eating out is know ahead of time what you would like to eat. Planning can make a big difference when you are trying to watch what you eat in order to lose weight.

Next, can you tell when you’re hungry and when you are no longer hungry? The time to stop eating is BEFORE you are full. Many people don’t listen to what their bodies tell them, today, however. It is just as important to eat when you feel hungry, also. Trying to avoid a meal when you feel hunger actually results in eating more calories, because then you will tend to binge on foods that are not as healthy as if you sat down and ate a planned-out meal.

Finally, be sure to pay attention to what you eat at home. It’s very easy to pull out a box or bag of something to snack on, only to find, again, that you ate the whole thing! Even if it’s a food that is ‘fat free’, this does not mean it’s calorie free!

The bottom line is pay attention to what you’re eating and how much. Learn to listen to your body, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are no longer hungry. If necessary, weigh and measure out food for awhile to get a good sense of what ½ cup and 4 ounces looks like. Regardless of what strategies you use, remember that what you put into your mouth and how many calories you burn through your activity WILL show up on your body! What is your weight goal and what are you doing to achieve it?

Where does YOUR health information come from?

2006-12-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this, you already know that the internet has changed the lives of many of us. According to the PEW Internet & American Life Project Online Health Search 2006, eighty percent of American internet users, 113 million adults, have searched for information on at least one of seventeen health topics. Sixty-six percent of health seekers began their last search at a search engine, 27% began at a health-related website, and 72% visited two or more sites during their last health information search.

In 2006, 63% of searchers searched for a particular health disease or medical problem. About 10 million American adults searched for information on at least one health topic on a typical day in August 2006. This places health searches at about the same level of popularity on a typical day as paying bills online, reading blogs, or using the internet to look up a phone number or address.

53% of health seekers report that most recent health information session had some kind of impact on how they take care of themselves or care for someone else: 42% described it as a minor impact and 11% described it as a major impact. Only 15% of health seekers say they “always” check the source and date of the health information they find online, which another 10% said they do “most of the time”.

Three-quarters of health seekers say they check the source and date “only sometimes,” “hardly ever,” or “never,” which translates to about 85 million Americans gathering health advice online without consistently examining the quality indicators of the information they find.

These findings show that actually less people check the source of the health information than they did in 2001. The reason is believed to be because a recent study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that just 4% of “frequently visited” health websites disclosed the source of the information on their pages and 2% disclosed how the content is updated.

Although about 85% of the people who look up medical information are not checking their sources when researching health information online, few report bad outcomes and many report positive effects of their online health queries. Only 3%, or about 3 million adults, say they or someone they know has been seriously harmed by following the advice or information they found online and 66% of people who find information online do NOT talk to their doctors about the information they discover. 31%, or about 35 million adults, say they or someone they know has been significantly helped by following medical advice or health information found on the internet.

Although the fact that ‘only’ 3 million people were harmed by misinformation online, this is a large number. And, what if YOU are one of those 3 million people? There are many websites that sell products or supplements that feature articles and information that help promote the products they sell. So, their primary focus is not to provide accurate information as much as sell products. This is one clue to watch for: Does the website sell products? If so, look for another site.

Most people in the survey used common search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, which will bring up any site that fits your search terms. There are new medical search engines coming online that hope to change the way internet users approach health information online, such as Healthline.com, Healia.com, Kosmix.com, Mammahealth.com and Medstory.com, but there is still no guarantee this will ensure you find quality sites.

So, if you are looking for health information online, what should you do? The first site to consider is WebMD, www.webmd.com. This is probably the most widely respected site available. Any website connected with a medical center or hospital is also a credible site. Educational institutions such as Loma Linda University (http://www.llu.edu/) or UCLA Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine (http://www.mbcrc.med.ucla.edu/Index.htm) are examples of sites that can provide accurate information on topics such as alternative care and vegetarian diets.

To read the entire PEW

http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Health_2006.pdf

Grab fruit for sweet cravings

2006-11-27T05:23:00.000-08:00

I have been telling my clients for years that in order to meet those sweet cravings and still lose weight, all they have to do is grab fruit instead. Not only will they avoid the guilt, but they will feel better and be providing healthy nutrients to their body, along with the weight loss, too!

Now there is a study that actually shows this theory to be true.

A group led by Cornell University marketing professor Brian Wansink looked at the eating habits of thousands of people and concluded that the craving for something sweet spans both candy and fruit. The study, published in the journal Appetite, found people who eat candy, cakes and other sweet snacks eat more fruit than people who prefer salty snacks like nuts and chips.

The researchers analyzed self-reported eating habits of more than 14,000 Americans contained in U.S. Department of Agriculture surveys. They also relied on information from 405 people who responded to their own mailed survey.

Now, how valid is this research, really? Well, I would suggest waiting. If more research on the same topic is conducted in the future, and we start to see a trend, then I would feel more confident in saying, ‘research shows…’ For now, however, I will continue to make this suggestion to clients, because I know it works.

How can you use this information to eat fruits instead of sweets? First, the simplest way is to always have fruit in the house that is easy to grab and eat. If you buy grapes, wash them so they are ready to eat. Some people like frozen grapes! Then remember you have the fruit and grab that when you have the urge to grab something to put in your mouth. Another suggestion is to eat fruit after your meals, especially after dinner. If it’s a tasty fruit, it will satisfy that desire for something sweet after your meal. Put berries on cereal in the morning instead of sugar, or use unsweetened applesauce on waffles instead of syrup are a couple more examples of how to increase fruit while cutting down on sugars.

Glycemic index and weight loss

2006-11-20T03:27:00.000-08:00

Many studies looking into how the glycemic index effects various aspects of health through the years, including weight, cancer, and diabetes, just to name a few. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly the food converts into sugar, or glucose, in the blood. In some countries, this is a commonly used measure for foods that supply carbohydrates. In the US, this is a very controversial subject and research continues to further the confusion, some showing benefits to various health conditions and some showing no benefits at all.

The most recent study was published in the October, 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and concluded that a high glycemic index diet correlated with greater waist circumference, body weight, and percentage of body fat in women, and the effect was strongest among inactive women. But glycemic index had none of these effects on men. The researchers suggest that gender somehow affects the influence of glycemic index on weight gain.

Many things can influence the glycemic index of a food, including cooking methods and the other foods in the meal. Years ago I became intrigued as to how it could help my clients and spent a lot of time investigating all the current research. I found other RD’s who were using it in their practice to educate clients who wanted to lose weight or control their blood sugars and discussed the theory with them, learning how it was helping their clients. My focus was particular to weight loss. As I always do when I’m considering new information, I tested the theory of increasing low glycemic index foods on myself. Because I work with personal training clients early in the morning, I generally eat breakfast at 4:30am, which means I am hungry by about 9am in the morning, but am too busy to be able to stop and eat at that time. I changed my breakfast to include a few simple changes, such as slow-cook oatmeal and less juice and more whole fruits, to go along with the protein food I always include with breakfast. These simple changes helped me feel satisfied longer, where I didn’t need to eat again so early.

What did this show me? I actually would eat fewer calories because I was hungry less often. Many studies showed this very result, in fact. But how do you know what foods are low glycemic index foods? There is a simple rule to follow that can help: Choose foods or ingredients that are less processed and more whole and less cooked. For example, slow-cooked oatmeal is a better choice than instant, barley is a better choice than white bread or white rice, and breads or pancakes made with mostly intact whole grains or 100% stone ground whole wheat or flax seed is better than breads made with white flour.

Choosing foods lower in the glycemic index is a simple experiment you can practice on yourself. Because these include healthier, less processed foods, you really can’t go wrong! Even for people with diabetes, choosing less processed, more whole foods is a good choice.

To read the abstract from the AJCN study, click here.

To read more about the glycemic index, go to this link:

http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm

Drop the fat or increase fruits and vegetables?

2006-11-13T04:51:00.000-08:00

If you are trying to lose weight, you may be confused about what exactly to do. Many people will try to cut their fat intake radically in order to lose that weight. However, as I see quite regularly with my own clients, if they try to cut the fat too much, they eventually give up and find themselves craving fat everywhere they go. I am always encouraging clients to cut down the animal and saturated fats, replace those fats with what I call ‘plant fats’, mentioned below, and increase their intake of fruits and vegetables.

We know that that eating more vegetables and fruits, sources of so many antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals, is a powerful step to lowering the risk of cancer and other health problems. But people often struggle to increase their intake of such foods. It is not always because they don’t like them, they just don’t take the time to buy them and keep them in the house. You have to buy produce more often than just once a week, and then you have to make a conscious effort to prepare them and to cook them. Although we are all short on time, we still find ways to fill the little time we have, but preparing produce is often low on the list of priorities.

But how does cutting fat really affect our health? If we cut fat dramatically and increase fruits and vegetables, is that better than keeping the fat intake moderate? Many people don’t realize that we do need fat in our diet; all fat-soluble nutrients must have fat in order for optimum absorption.

Researchers at the University of Michigan recently decided to see how results of boosting vegetable and fruit consumption might vary depending on level of fat consumption. Around 100 women were followed for a year. Some made no changes at all in their eating. Others increased vegetables and fruits from less than four servings a day to about 11, but kept dietary fat at their usual level of more than 30 percent of calories. A third group kept their usual low intake of vegetables and fruits, but reduced dietary fat to an average of about 16 percent of calories, which is very low, and a fourth group both decreased fat consumption and increased vegetables and fruits.

Eating more produce raised consumption of nutrients like vitamin C and beta-carotene substantially. More importantly, blood levels of vitamin C, beta-carotene and another carotenoid, alpha-carotene, also rose. These increases were not prevented by reduced dietary fat, but researchers did find that gamma-tocopherol, an anti-inflammatory form of vitamin E, had been decreased by 50 percent. The problem is that this is the form of vitamin E that can be most beneficial in the growth of cancer cells.

To get health benefits from low-fat diets, make sure that saturated fat is the type of fat you cut back. Also, be sure that you include foods that provide both alpha- and gamma-tocopherol. We get alpha-tocopherol from olive and canola oil, nuts, fortified cereal, whole grains and dark green vegetables. We get gamma-tocopherol from canola oil, pistachios, pecans, peanuts, walnuts, as well as a small amount from avocados.

Study on drug reactions

2006-11-06T03:58:00.000-08:00

Until now, people in the medical profession, and many consumers, knew that there were a lot of drug reactions in the US, but only recently has this theory been studied.

The results come from the first two years, 2005 and 2006, of data from a national surveillance project on outpatient drug safety. The project was developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The study was published in the October 18, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The CDC has estimated that about 130 million Americans use prescribed medication every month. U.S. consumers buy far more medicine per person than anywhere else in the world.

The database included 63 nationally representative hospitals that reported 21,298 bad drug reactions among U.S. adults and children treated in emergency rooms during the two-year period. The tally is based on what emergency room doctors said were complications from using prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements or herbal treatments. It is estimated that this doesn’t even give the full count, because researchers believe that some reactions were misdiagnosed or never required a visit to the emergency room. However, from this data, researchers said it translates to 701,547 complications nationwide each year. Researchers estimate that at least 50% of these reactions are in people 65 years old and older.

Complications included diabetics on insulin passing out from low-blood sugar, excessive bleeding in patients on warfarin, a common blood thinner, and severe skin rashes in patients taking amoxicillin. Drug reactions were severe enough to require hospitalization in about 17 percent of patients. The study did not include information on whether any of the reactions were fatal.

The conclusion is that physicians need to spend more time explaining medications to their patients.

My recommendation is that if you take any medication or any supplements, be sure to talk about them with your doctor. Be sure you understand any interactions between multiple drugs and between drugs and herbs. Understand why you are taking anything you take, from a simple vitamin C supplement to a more complicated drug for high blood pressure or diabetes. Know how vitamin C can interact with your medications. Although some of these products may seem very simple, they are still foreign substances that we put into our bodies and we can suffer reactions that could put us in serious medical jeopardy. Don’t become part of the 17,000 people hospitalized due to drug interactions/reactions.

To read the abstract of the survey, click here:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/15/1858

Virtual Colonoscopy?

2006-10-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Have you been putting off having a colonoscopy because of the discomfort of the procedure? Now you may not have to have a tube run through your colon to be screened for cancer!

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, after lung cancer. The American Cancer Society predicts there will be 148,610 new cases diagnosed in 2006 and 55,170 colon cancer deaths. It is one of the most preventable cancers there is, however: Screening and removal of polyps can prevent the disease.

The first study into results of virtual colonoscopies, paid for by insurance companies, showed that only 6.4 percent of patients required follow-up with optical colonoscopy, which involves threading a tiny camera on a tube through the rectum and into the colon.

The research team used three-dimensional computed tomography colonography, commonly known as virtual colonoscopy, to screen 1,110 adults with an average age of 58. The virtual procedure is noninvasive and involves passing the patient through a scanning machine.

They found large or medium polyps in 10 percent of the patients. Seventy-one, or 6.4 percent, of the patients had a second, standard colonoscopy, most on the same day.

The standard colonoscopy findings were the same as the virtual colonoscopy findings in 65 of the 71 patients, the researchers reported in the journal Radiology.

The advantages of virtual colonoscopy over optical colonoscopy are that it is safer, faster, less costly, more convenient, involves an easier bowel prep, and yet is just as effective for detecting important polyps and cancers.

So, have you been putting off your colonoscopy? If so, contact your insurance company and see if they are now covering virtual screening. Don’t put off a simple screening tool that has just been made easier.

Click here to test your knowledge of colon cancer:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3296487/

Best support for maintaining weight loss

2006-10-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

Published in a recent New England Journal of Medicine, researchers wanted to know what the best form of follow-up was for people who had successfully lost 42# in the last two years.

Participants were broken into three groups; 105 people were the control group, who received quarterly newsletters, 104 people received face-to-face intervention and 104 people received internet-based intervention. The two study groups were taught to weigh themselves daily and learned strategies of what to do if they noticed an increase in their weight.

After 18 months, the people who only received newsletters regained 5-25 pounds, the group who received internet-based intervention regained 9-29 pounds and the face-to-face group regained 10-20 pounds.

Researchers concluded that people who receive more face-to-face intervention are better able to maintain weight loss than those who do not receive any intervention. They also concluded that daily weighing could help people monitor their weight and make adjustments more quickly.

However, I have worked with many clients who weigh themselves daily and I strongly discourage such an activity. Daily weighing helps the person focus entirely on what their weight is that day, not on healthy eating habits. When a person weighs themselves daily, and they see an increase in the weight, two things often happen:

1. They feel incredible guilt. They wonder what they did wrong to cause the increase, and then they promise themselves they will be ‘good’ that day. Often this includes trying to not eat in the morning, which results in binging later in the day, and thus more guilt.

2. They set up this obsession that they have to continue to weigh themselves daily, and as they restrict their eating more and more, and falling prey to uncontrolled eating, they fall further into a crevasse of shame, guilt and chronic hunger.

Weighing yourself on a daily basis will tell you more about what your fluid balance is like than exactly what your weight is doing. Weekly weighing is fine, but for people who obsess over their weight, I will suggest that they stick to monthly weighing.

If you are trying to lose weight, learn how to space your meals so you don’t skip meals and are not hungry between meals. I often tell clients that if they are hungry, eat fruit. You cannot eat so much fruit that you gain weight, no matter what you may hear in the media. And it satisfies that sweet tooth while providing incredible nutrients to the body!

To read the abstract of the above study, click

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/355/15/1563

Health Coaches helping people improve their health

2006-10-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

Coaching has been around for many years, but is now starting to hit the ‘mainstream’. There are many types of coaches, from executive coaches for organizations who wish to increase their profits, to business coaches who help entrepreneurs start or grow their business, to wellness coaches who help people achieve their health goals.

An area that coaching is also growing is in the out-patient healthcare field. Many insurance companies are offering coaching services to their high-risk members in the hopes that it will cut costs by keeping them from returning to the hospital, and according to the studies that have taken place, it is proving successful.

A study by doctors at the University of Colorado found that patients who worked with health coaches were less likely to return to the emergency room in the first six months after they left the hospital. They estimated that the use of coaches could reduce annual hospital costs by about $845 for every patient enrolled in the program.

SCAN Health Plan began its coaching program in 2005 and has enrolled about 1,600 members. It’s based on a model developed by Dr. Eric Coleman, who published the University of Colorado study involving 750 patients in last month’s Archives of Internal Medicine.

Coleman found elderly patients who received health coaching had lower hospital readmission rates. After a month, 8 percent of patients who were coached were back in the ER, compared to 12 percent who didn’t receive coaching. The benefits extended up to six months after the program.

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that visits to the emergency room jumped 18 percent in the past decade to 110 million in 2004. About 13 percent of those visits led to people being hospitalized.

Most health coaches are registered nurses hired by insurers to make regular house visits or talk to patients on the telephone. Often these coaches role-play with patients to teach them how to read their prescriptions or make appointments with doctors.

To address those issues, the federal government is experimenting with a three-year pilot coaching program that involves about 115,000 fee-for-service Medicare patients who tend to suffer from heart failure or diabetes.

Since last year, participating patients received coaching after leaving the hospital or as part of their regular care through eight health care organizations. The groups must show a 5 percent cost savings as a result of the coaching or repay the government for the cost of the service.

Results of the study won’t be available until next summer, but anecdotal evidence suggests some Medicare recipients improved their health through coaching, said Barbara Hoffman of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency that administers government health insurance programs for the elderly and disabled.

As a coach, I think this is great news! What coaching does is help the client take responsibility for their own actions. When you work with a coach, you make your goals, you determine what you want to do to achieve those goals, and the coach is your source of support and motivation to help you make it happen. Just imagine a healthier America because of coaching!

However, not all coaches are equal, and it is important for people to understand the background and training of someone who calls themselves a ‘coach’. I have heard of people who call themselves a ‘diet coach’ or ‘food coach’, because they lost weight, themselves. I have even heard of a coach who recommended medications to a client, although that coach is not a qualified healthcare professional.

If you look for a coach, make sure that the person has the education and background that qualifies them for the service they are providing. Ask them about their coach training, also. There are many programs to educate people who want to offer coaching services. The programs that insurance companies are offering are not ‘strict’ coaching, but more a combination of health advising and coaching and I would imagine that all of their coaches have received specific wellness coach training. But outside of the healthcare setting, a coach should not advise a client on medications or eating programs for a health condition. These are the roles of qualified health professionals, not coaches. A coach’s role is to ask you questions and help you determine your course of action, not to make recommendations and give you meal plans or exercise plans or medication/supplement plans.

The latest on AMD and eye health

2006-10-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

It is estimated that about 6 million Americans suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in people over 60 years old in developed countries, today. This number is predicted to double by the year 2030 as the number of baby boomers age.

There have been multiple studies through the years that have looked at what we can do to protect our eyes from Age-related macular Degeneration (AMD). Although researchers do not fully understand it, they do all agree that diet can help prevent it from occurring or worsening. The disease blurs or destroys sharp, central vision and there is no known cure.

The AREDS study, conducted by the National Eye Institute, followed 3,600 participants who had early AMD for 5 years . Researchers provided subjects who with supplements five to 13 times the recommended amounts of beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and the minerals zinc and copper. After 5 years, those who took the supplements were found to have 25% less progression to late-stage AMD. Although researchers do not feel that this protocol will help PREVENT AMD, they do feel it can help decrease further progression of the disease. Consequently, the National Eye Institute now recommends what they call the “AREDS Formulation and Age-Related Macular Degeneration”. But don’t jump on the bandwagon, just yet!

In August, 2006, the National Eye Institute began a new study, called AREDS2. There are several purposes to this new study: First, researchers want to evaluate the effect that two omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, have on the progression to AMD. They have the same question about the effect that lutein and zeaxanthin, which accumulate in macula, have.

They also want to evaluate the effects of eliminating beta-carotene from the original AREDS ‘formulation’, as well as the effect of reducing zinc from the original ‘formulation’.

In the meantime, there have been other studies that have investigated the role diet plays in AMD. One large study investigated men and women at least 55 years old who had no AMD in either eye at the beginning of the study. After eight years, those whose diets ranked in the top half of the group for vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and zinc were 35% less likely to have developed AMD. Antioxidant ranges for this group averaged much lower than those in the AREDS study, but results were still quite impressive.

Finally, another important bit of information comes from more study results from the National Eye Institute and published in Science magazine. According to four studies, AMD appears to have a strong genetic potential. Researchers have each indentified a specific variant in the genome that increases a person’s risk of developing AMD by 3-7 times and that may explain 20-60% of all AMD cases in older adults.

Several other large studies also suggest that eating fish at least twice a week may substantially reduce AMD risk. Too much total fat consumption, however, particularly too much polyunsaturated fat, which is found in fish, may increase AMD risk. This fat’s chemical structure seems especially vulnerable to oxidation reactions that are thought to damage the eye. These questions may be answered in the AREDS2 trial.

So what is the lesson we can take from all of this?

A balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, sunglasses with UV protection and a hat to limit sunlight damage to your eyes are the best practices. If you wanted to get the amounts of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and zinc linked with lower AMD without taking supplements, you should eat these particular foods each day as part of a balanced diet:

· Six or more servings of fruits and vegetables

· Three or more servings of whole grains

· Four to 6 ounces of meat poultry or seafood, or bean equivalent

· Five to 7 teaspoons of oils such as olive and canola, and about one ounce of nuts.

For those of you who have been listening to my Health News updates have heard this all before. So, this really is nothing new, but now you see another benefit for increasing those fruits, veggies and whole grains! Your eyesight may thank you for your care.

For more details about the AREDS study, click here.

To read the recommendations by the National Eye Institute for the AREDS Formulation, click here.
NOTE: Be sure to discuss this treatment protocol with your healthcare provider before beginning. Some people should not follow these recommendations.

For the abstract on the genetic link to AMD, click here.

For more on AMD, here are several links of interest:

http://www.webmd.com/hw/vision/hw176041.asp

http://www.amd.org/site/PageServer

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp

Watermelon – What we need to know!

2006-09-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Recently the USDA released two reports that looked at watermelon. I’m sure many listeners eat watermelon at least in the summer, so a little information on what studies say could help us get the most out of our watermelon!

The first study looked at the impact that storage had on the nutrient content of watermelon. Watermelon contains lycopene, which is a red carotenoid pigment that has strong antioxidant properties. It’s these antioxidant properties that help us decrease risks of disease and help fight aging. For watermelon, lycopene content can be quite high. In fact, in the below study, we’ll next investigate which types are the highest. But, for now, just know that for a 180 gram serving, which is about 1 cup, will provide 8-20 mg of lycopene. To give you an idea of how that compares, there is about 22.9mg in a 1 cup serving of tomato juice, which is known for it’s high lycopene content. Although there is no recommended amount of lycopene that we should eat, health experts do believe that the higher the diet is in fresh fruits and vegetables, the higher the antioxidant intake in general and the more favorable results we can see in our health.

Researchers stored three different types of watermelons at three different temperatures for 14 days and compared amount of lycopene and carotenoid levels, flesh color, composition and compared them to similar melons that were just picked. They found that the melons stored at the temperatures comparable to room temperature, for 14 days, actually had higher levels of lycopene and carotenoid content than freshly picked watermelons! They found that the increase was 40% higher in lycopene and 50-139% higher in beta-carotene, which the body naturally converts to vitamin A.

The second study compared 50 different varieties of seeded and seedless red watermelons. The bottom line was that although there was a wide variety in lycopene content, ranging from 33 to 100 mg/kg of melon, it was found that most of the seeded varieties had average content and that 16, or 48%, of the seedless varieties tested in the high and very high ranges of content.

So what can we learn from all of this? First, it sounds like the better choice is to find a seedless watermelon that you like. Then don’t be afraid to let it sit on the counter for a few days before cutting it open. Then store it on the counter instead of putting it in the refrigerator. Researchers found that at refrigerated temperatures, watermelon starts to decay and develop lesions after a week.

So, enjoy your watermelon room temperature and get more benefit from the higher content of antioxidants!

To read the abstract, or full study, on the effects of storage on watermelon, click here.

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Eat your Grains for Weight loss

2006-09-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

At any given time, millions of Americans are dieting or have been told to diet, in order to lose weight. Many of these attempts are unsuccessful, but also many of the diets people go on to lose weight are inadequate in nutritional quality. One nutrient that people still try to avoid, since the low carb phase, is carbohydrates, which means many people are still afraid of starches, such as breads, cereals, rices and pastas.

However, breakfast cereals have actually been associated with higher intakes of fiber, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamin A, some B vitamins, and lower intakes of fat and cholesterol. High fiber, whole grain cereals can also help decrease the risk of many chronic diseases.

In the September, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers wanted to investigate whether increasing fiber-rich whole grain cereals in a weight loss program would improve diet quality. Researchers split 134 people into three groups and followed them for 2, 12 week periods. They wanted to see if the program they were assigned to could be followed for the second 12 week period: One group only exercised and followed no specific diet, the second group ate a low calorie diet and exercised, and the third group ate a low calorie diet with high fiber, whole grain cereals plus exercise.

The results showed that both the low calorie group and the low calorie, high fiber cereal group lost similar amounts of weight, which was greater than the exercise only group. However, the low calorie, high fiber cereal group sustained their program longer than the low calorie group did. Magnesium and B-6 intakes were greater in the high fiber cereal group. It was also found that fat intake decreased by week 24 in the high fiber cereal group. Listen to the podcast to determine what we can learn from this study.

If you don’t eat breakfast, I suggest you start taking little steps to build breakfast into your daily food intake. It can be as simple as a bowl of cereal. Experiment with whole grain varieties and add some non-fat milk to it. Or allow yourself a little extra time and cook up some slow-cook oatmeal for breakfast. My favorite breakfast is oatmeal, edemame (baby soy beans) and home-made fruit salad. I cut up all the fruit ahead of time, so each morning I can just spoon out how much I want. The oatmeal cooks while I’m spooning out my fruit and the water is boiling for the edemame. Breakfast probably takes about 10 minutes to prepare each morning, but since this is my base for the day, it’s important that it be a quality meal. My small meal is in the evening. You may have heard the saying, ‘eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper’. That means the largest meal in the morning and smallest in the evening.

To read the full text of a NWCR study on the effects of breakfast in maintaining weight loss, click here: http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/10/2/78

Click here.

Eating to increase your Antioxidants

2006-09-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today’s podcast looks at two studies published in the September, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The first study looked at 9,406 pre- and post-menopausal women and 8,282 men of the same age, taken from the NHANES III data. They wanted to find out if there was actually a relationship between intakes of salad, raw vegetables and salad dressings and blood levels of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene, and alpha- and beta- carotene. Each serving of salad was associated with a 165% higher likelihood to meet the Dietary Allowance for vitamin C in women and 119% higher for men.

What they found was the intake of a consistent diet high in salads resulted in more favorable blood levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid, and carotinoids. What is important about this is these are antioxidants that have been shown to help fight diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Listen to previous podcasts to hear how adding high bulk foods can help with weight loss, also.

In the other study, researchers looked at the percentage of the US population that actually ate the recommended 5 fruits and vegetables per day by the newest food pyramid, MyPyramid. What researchers learned is that between 1999 and 2000 only 40% of Americans ate an average of 5 or more ½ cup servings of fruits or vegetables per day. But the most startling information is what is happening to our children.

Be sure to listen to the podcast for the statistics on how many kids eat enough fruits and vegetables, along with suggestions on how to add more of these foods to your diet on a daily basis.

To read about the NHANES III study, click here.

To read my article on the new MyPyramid, click here.

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Use Smaller Plates to Lose Weight

2006-09-06T03:37:00.000-07:00

Are you still trying to figure out how to lose weight? And still struggling? Just a few weeks ago I shared the research that Dr. Barbara Rolls has been doing out of Penn State. See “Load up on Salad to Lose Weight” below.

Researchers out of Cornell University wanted to see just what role the size of bowls and serving utensils would play in food intake, so they used 85 nutrition experts at an ice cream social to test their theory.

They randomly gave each subject a 17 ounce or a 34 ounce bowl and then either a 2 ounce or 3 ounce ice cream scoop. After each person served themselves, they completed a brief survey as their ice cream was weighed. What they found that even nutrition experts served themselves more when given a larger bowl and a larger serving spoon. And most weren’t even aware that they had done so! So, if experts in nutrition and food intake do this, imagine what happens to you!

This does point out that most people will eat all that they put on their plate. I’m not sure about you, but I was raised to eat all my food on my plate. My mother would tell me that I had to because there were people starving in other countries. However, it does those people no good at all if I continually stuff myself silly, which then would lead me to suffering from obesity and health problems.

Listen as Margie talks about strategies you can use at home and in both sit-down and buffet restaurants to help you decrease your serving sizes and food intake.

Serving size is the key and listening to your body when you are full can make all the difference in weight control. A general rule is that when you no longer feel hungry, that’s a good time to stop. Don’t eat until you feel stuffed. That’s how people gain weight or prevent losing weight.

To read the abstract of this study, click here.
For some tips on how to pay attention to what goes into your mouth, enjoy this handout:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftmar03.htm

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Living a Longer life – Do you want to live to be 100?

2006-08-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

If you were to live to 100 years old, would you do anything differently today? It’s definitely a question to consider. There is one super- centenarian per million in the population, a total of 260 in the U.S. today. A super-centenarian is someone who is 110 years old or older.

According to the National Institute of Aging, there seems to be a genetic link that determines how long you will live. If you have relatives that tend to live into their nineties, chances are you may as well. In fact, siblings of centenarians have a four times greater chance of living into their early nineties than most people, according to researchers at the New England Centenarian Study in Boston, who studied 1,500 centenarians. In their findings, researchers found that, compared to the general population, brothers of centenarians were 17 times more likely to achieve age 100, and sisters were at least eight times more likely to reach this age.

According to Dr. Thomas Perls, MD, author of “Living to 100: Lessons in Living to Your Maximum Potential at Any Age” based on the above study, even with average genes, it's possible to extend longevity more than ever before: "Not long ago, 85 was considered ancient. Now it's relatively easy to achieve that age if you play your cards right. It all boils down to four simple things: not smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, strength training, and avoiding excessive sun exposure and alcohol. Those are the biggies."

They also found that this population became more optimistic about their lives as they aged, as opposed to becoming pessimistic. Dr. Perls refers to this as the ‘centenarian personality’ – a stress-reducing mindset that combines positive thinking with a fighting spirit. In their findings, most subjects were positive and optimistic in their attitude and bounce back easily from life's crises because they don't internalize thoughts or emotions that cause stress.

Here are a few health secrets for anyone on the road to 100, a prescription from Dr. Perls, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Boston School of Medicine, and geriatrician at Boston Medical Center.

Age accelerators to avoid: smoking, sun exposure, excessive alcohol , high- fat diet, ionizing radiation, toxic chemicals, excessive risk-taking, and mental stress. Make fitness, laughter, and relaxing recreation a priority in your life!

Age de-accelerators: Exercise (weight training, aerobics, meditation, yoga); a diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, with a minimum of meats and sweets, processed foods, and animal fat or butter.

Although many wonder if diet has much to do with the remarkable health of centenarians, Dr. Perls does mention that it is impossible to know if it has made a difference with today’s centenarians because most processed foods didn’t exist during their formative years; preserving was done by pickling, smoking, and salting; and fresh fruit was less available. "Some ate very little red meat, others ate it every day with bacon and eggs!--and both types lived to 100," He says.

Nowadays, however, there's little doubt, says Perls, that "good training," -- exercise and proper diet--contribute mightily to living to 100.

Another tip is to continue to challenge the mind. Dr. Perls found that centenarians are continually learning something new, which builds fresh connections between brain cells. Crossword puzzles, bridge and jigsaw puzzles all keep the mind sharp. Just as beneficial is painting, writing poetry, making sculpture or learning a new language.

One thing that many people say when they get into their 90’s and 100’s is that if they knew they would live so long, they would have taken better care of themselves. Don’t wait; start now!

Take this free longevity calculator to see how old you will live to be by clicking here: http://www.eons.com/body

To buy the book researchers wrote summarizing what they learned from the New England Centenarian Study, entitled, “Living to 100”, click here.

For more on aging, click here.

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What can you do to lower your colon cancer risk?

2006-08-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

An estimated 148,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006. The statistics from the American Cancer Society state that in 2005, there were 56,290 deaths from colon cancer. This is one of the easiest cancers to detect and avoid, however, with a simple stool test or a more comprehensive test.

Although family history does not guarantee you are at greater risk, it does mean that person should take greater care to reduce their other risks. Ways to decrease risk is by cutting down processed foods, animal protein and fats, which we’ll talk about below, get adequate exercise, lose weight if you are obese, stop smoking and cut down drinking. It has also been shown that risk can be decreased by eating a diet high in fiber and fruits and vetegables, and getting adequate calcium, vitamin D and vitamin E.

Listen as Margie talks about several studies that look at the role processed meats play in colon cancer, what studies say about the role fat plays in this cancer, and then what the recommendations are to decrease your risk, today.

Taking steps today to live healthy will make your tomorrows more enjoyable. We all want to live long, healthy, happy lives.

For more on the role diet appears to play in cancer, read this EPIC study report by clicking here.

To read a report on studies related to obesity and colon cancer, click here.

For the role fiber plays in colon cancer, click here.

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Can Exercise really help Diabetes?

2006-08-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a major health concern in the US. There are 20.8 million children and adults, or 7% of the population, with diabetes. It is estimated that 6.2 million people have it but have yet to be diagnosed.

In a July, 2006 issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, reviewers looked at 14 studies comparing exercise against no exercise in type 2. These trials ranged from eight weeks to twelve months in duration. Compared with the controls, exercise intervention significantly improved glycemic control as indicated by a decrease HgBA1C levels, which is a 3-month level of blood sugars.

Researchers saw no decrease in whole body mass, but reviewers felt this was because there was an increase in muscle mass with the exercise. There was a consistent reduction in body fat, however.

No study reported adverse effects in the exercise group or diabetic complications. The exercise intervention significantly increased insulin response and decreased blood triglycerides. No significant difference was found between groups in quality of life, plasma cholesterol or blood pressure.

Overall, this review shows that exercise significantly improves glycemic control and reduces visceral fat tissue and plasma triglycerides, even without weight loss, but not plasma cholesterol, in people with type 2 diabetes.

The primary message is that if you have diabetes, you should be doing some type of exercise! Make sure you talk about it with your doctor, first, but this review of previous research is what we see all the time. People with Type 2 diabetes CAN control their blood sugars with just diet and exercise alone. So, if you are currently on medication and would rather not be, this could be your path towards lifestyle control of your diabetes.

To read the abstract of the Cochraine review, click here.

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Exercise for weight loss – Does it have to be hard?

2006-08-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I focused on the type of exercise necessary to improve blood lipid levels, with the conclusion that, especially when starting out, duration is more important than intensity. However, as you progress, further improvements will be seen when you increase the intensity.

Does this also apply to exercise and weight loss? Join Margie as she talks about two studies that answer this question.

Published in a March, 2005 issue of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine the Cooper Institute split 201 subjects into one of four groups, who followed their regimen for one year. Researchers found that greater results were seen in the women who walked at least 150 minutes a week and concluded that that duration was more effective for weight loss than intensity.

The second study was a January, 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine Researchers broke 120 subjects up into three groups for an eight-month program. Their focus was to see how the different exercise regimens impacted body weight, body composition and waist circumference. Findings showed that although the higher intensity and amount of exercise produced more weight loss, the lower intensity and amount group also saw improvements. Their recommendation for beginners is to start walking 30 minutes every day.

What we can take away from these studies is that it’s better to start a moderate intensity program than do nothing. Get the approval of your physician and start walking! If you have been struggling with weight, the best thing that you can for yourself is to ‘just do it’, as the saying goes. Put on your shoes and find a place to start walking. Although your goal may be 30 minutes a day, even just 5 minutes a day will help you start to create that habit. Once you get to 30 minutes a day, not only will you feel better, but you’ll sleep better, your attitude and outlook will improve and so will your body!

To see the abstract for the Cooper study, click here.

For the Archives of Internal Medicine abstract, click here.

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Exercise: Intensity or amount to improve Cholesterol?

2006-07-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

As a personal trainer, I strongly believe in the power of exercise on health and weight control. I not only see the results of consistent exercise in myself, but again and again see it in my clients, as they progress and start to include regular exercise in their daily lives.

Two studies are discussed that focus on the effects of different levels of exercise on cholesterol/blood lipid levels.

The first study was published in the October 2005 issue of Chest and compared the effects of three different exercise regimens, differing in amount and intensity, on fitness improvements. Study subjects were 133 overweight men and women who had mild to moderately increased blood cholesterol levels. These people were split into 3 amount and intensity groups and also included a control group.

The improvements in oxygen capacity was greater in the higher intensity groups, but even the moderate intensity group improved over the control group, leading researchers to encourage even this amount of exercise in people who are not active. They further felt that either increasing the amount/duration of the moderate intensity exercise, or increasing the intensity can both yield additional separate but combined effects on the markers of aerobic fitness that were studied.

The second study was published in a November, 2002 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. It also concluded that it wasn’t the intensity of exercise that was responsible for the decreased blood lipid profiles, but the amount of activity subjects took part in.

For anyone who is looking for a way to either improve their blood cholesterol levels or their weight, these studies further support that some exercise is better than more.

There are two messages, here: If you do exercise and are not happy with the results you are seeing, increase the amount. For those of you who do already work out 4-5 days a week, it may be time to pick up the pace.

If you do not exercise and am ready to start, make sure to get the green light from your healthcare provider, first. For some people, you may need to just start at walking slowly for just 5 minutes a day. It’s not just the body that must adapt, but your habits must be created, so the mind must get used to getting ready and going out to do the activity. There’s no better time than now to begin, though.

To read the abstract from Chest, click here.

For the New England Journal of Medicine abstract, click here.

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Load up on Salad to lose weight

2006-07-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Years ago I had read about the book on Volumetrics that Dr. Barbara Rolls had published, as a result of her studies on weight control and satiety out of Pennsylvania State University. What she says in her books make sense.

Researchers are at it again at Penn, showing that starting with a large salad can help cut overall calorie consumption at a meal. They show that not only does your approach to the meal make a difference, but the salad’s size and composition does as well. Listen to the podcast to hear the details.

To read more about the New American Plate by the AICR, click here: http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pub_nap_index_21

To read more about Volumetrics, click here: http://www.volumetricseatingplan.com/index.html

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What is your job doing to you?

2006-07-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Two recent studies looked at the effect of how your job affects your health. One focused on what effect long working hours had on the health of men and women. They found that long working hours impacted women more than men. Women tend to not exercise, snack on high fat, high calorie foods, and eat a more unhealthy diet in general. This was not the case with men.

The other study looked at what constant stress at work did to the health of men and women. They found that stressful working conditions resulted in more increases in blood pressure in men than women.

Listen to Margie as she talks about what these two studies may tell us, when we put them together, and hear a couple of tips on how to avoid falling into these traps that may be impacting your health.

Links of interest regarding work stress:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/stress/
http://www.statcan.ca/english/studies/82-003/archive/1998/hrar1998010003s0a04.pdf
http://stress.about.com/od/stressbasics/

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Going Mediterranean for your Health

2006-07-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

In the February issue of Nutrition Reviews, researchers published the results of a review of 43 articles corresponding to 35 different studies on the Mediterranean diet. They were curious to learn what these studies reveal. The results were quite dramatic, making it clear that many people could improve their current health, and decrease their current health risks, if they would start to follow these dietary guidelines.

The Mediterranean Diet is not actually a specific diet, but a way of eating that the people who live along the Mediterranean Sea have in common. Some of these characteristics include:

* A high consumption of fruits, vegetables, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds, bread and other cereals
* Olive oil used for cooking and dressings
* Moderate amounts of fish but little meat
* Low to moderate amounts of full fat cheese and yogurt
* Moderate consumption of wine, usually with meals
* Reliance on local, seasonal, fresh produce
* An active lifestyle

Listen to this month’s podcast as Margie explains how this type of diet is high in phytonutrients, which provide not only flavor and color, but antioxidant protection against disease.

To see the review, click here.

Listen here.