Do you like hot beverages?

If you do, try green tea!
It is probably the healthiest hot beverage you can drink.

Green tea and especially a constituent of green tea, called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has shown to inhibit cancer growth (Zhang XD, et al. 2008, Ahn WS. et al. 2003). You may have heard that the human papilloma virus has been associated with cervical cancer. Data suggests a possible gene regulatory role of EGCG and the research supports the inhibitory effect of EGCG on cervical cancer cell growth. It has also shown an anti-tumor effect(which slows the growth of tumors).

Not only cervical cancer inhibition has been documented, but a higher consumption of green tea has been associated with a reduced risk of adult leukemia.

So if you enjoy hot beverages, green tea is a great choice. Not only is green tea good hot, but if preferred, it can also be served cold.

Reference:

Zhang XD, et al. A case-control study on green tea consumption and the risk of adult leukemia. Zhonhua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2008 Mar;29(3):290-3.

Ahn WS, et al. A major constituent of green tea, EGCG, inhibits the growth of a human cervical cancer cell line, CaSki cells, through apoptosis, G(1) arrest, and regulation of gene expression. DNA Cell Biol. 2003 Mar;22(3):217-24.

Is your brain getting smaller?

Your brain may be getting smaller according to a recent study published in the journal, "Neurology" (Vogiatzoglu A, et al, 2008). The good news is that you can prevent it by taking Vitamin B 12.

The study cited here involved volunteers between the ages of 61 and 87 years who were free of cognitive impairments when the study began. It was found that greater brain volume loss was associated with lower levels of vitamin B12. These individuals were not even vitamin B12 deficient according to the blood tests, but they had a lower level of vitamin B12 than the subjects with less brain volume loss.

If you want to prevent brain atrophy and likely cognitive impairment (memory loss) be sure to take not only vitamin B, but a high quality b-complex since all the b-vitamins are important for a variety of reasons.



References:

1. Vogiatzoglou A., et al. Vitamin B12 status and rate of birth volume loss in community-dwelling elderly. Neurology.2008 Sep 9;71(11):826-32
   

Be aware of what you drink

What you drink can affect you in many ways.

High fructose corn syrup, which commonly is added to both food and beverages, favors fat metabolism even more that regular glucose.

When we ingest fructose we get less feedback on when we are full, because fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or affect leptin production, both of which are key factors in the regulation of food intake. Fructose may for that reason result in over consumption of calories and lead to weight gain (Bray GA, et al. 2004). By drinking sweet beverages, it is extremely easy to consume more calories than we need. A large container of a sweet beverage may even amount to as many calories as in a whole meal.

Sugar sweetened beverages are also a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (Palmer JR, et al, 2008). This was documented in a study including 43,960 women. These types of beverages are often marketed as healthy juices and natural fruit drinks, with the intention of making the product sound healthy to the consumer.

A recent study showed that when fructose was consumed, the lipogenisis which is the conversion of sugar to fat was twice as great as when it was absent, leading to increased triglyceride levels (Parks E.J. et al, 2008)

I have for a long time observed that when patients change their eating habits from eating high glycemic index meals (which means foods that elevate the blood sugar high), to low glycemic index meals (which are foods which rather stabilize the blood sugar at a good level instead of elevating it really high), both triglycerides total cholesterol, and LDL, the bad cholesterol all go down substantially. The good cholesterol HDL, however, usually goes up.

According to the research referenced here, you need to pay close attention to what you drink because beverages can be a big source of sugar elevating your blood sugar and lead to all the negative effects from that. Not only can it make you gain weight, but it is also a risk factor for diabetes, because it can contribute to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance which is caused by high glycemic index food and drinks (sweets), weight gain, and lack of exercise can lead to diabetes and can put you at risk for many chronic diseases. It affects your eyes, heart, and brain, as well as other tissue, because it affects the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body which again is a risk factor for these types of conditions.

References:

1. Bray GA, Nielsen SJ, et al. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Apr;79(4):537-43.
2. Palmer JR, Boggs DA, et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jul 28; 168(14): 1487-92.
3. Parks EJ, Skokan LE, et al. Dietary sugars stimulate fatty acid synthesis in adults. J Nutr. 2008 Jun; 138 (6):1039-46