Reduce fructose intake and be healthier.

This does not mean that you should stop eating fruits. The primary sources of fructose are sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup.

It is interesting to notice that as fructose consumption world wide has increased so has the rate of diabetes. Excessive intake of fructose induces features of metabolic syndrome (Johnson RJ, et al. 2009).

The metabolic syndrome is a condition which includes insulin resistance, the stage before developing type 2 diabetes. It usually also includes elevated blood pressure and increased cholesterol and triglycerides.

One of the reasons fructose is inducing metabolic syndrome seems to be by raising uric acid levels. Extensive experimental and clinical data support uric acid as being involved in the development of the metabolic syndrome.

The researchers of this study states that simple public health measures could have a major impact on improving overall health.

Start to read labels and avoid products which use fructose as a sweetener. Also avoid products with high sugar content. Juices, shakes, soft drinks and other sweet beverages are big sources of both. Processed foods in general contain these ingredients to make it taste better and therefore sell better.

For more information and recipes using unprocessed food, read one of the books “The Food Connection” or “Effective Nutrition for Effective Healing,” click here.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.




Reference:

Hypothesis: could excessive fructose intake and uric acid cause type 2 diabetes? Johnson RJ, Perez-Pozo SE, Sautin YY, Manitius J, Sanchez-Lozada LG, Feig DI, Shafiu M, Segal M, Glassock RJ, Shimada M, Roncal C, Nakagawa T. Endocr Rev. 2009 Feb;30(1):96-116. Epub 2009 Jan 16.

Intelligence affected by fitness

During early adulthood, the central nervous system displays considerable plasticity. This means the nervous system can still adapt and change easily making it more susceptible to input.

The study referred to here is interesting because it shows that physical fitness is important for numerous reasons and it is very important to be fit early in life (Abery MA, et al. 2009).

The researchers in this study measured cardiovascular fitness using an ergometer cycle and found that fitness was positively associated with intelligence after adjusting for other relevant factors.

The results documented that changes in cardiovascular fitness between age 15 and 18 years predicted cognitive performance at the age of 18. It was also found that muscles strength was not associated with cognitive performance.

The researchers stated that cardiovascular fitness at age 18 years predicted educational achievements later in life.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.




Reference:

Cardiovascular fitness is associated with cognition in young adulthood. Aberg MA, Pedersen NL, Torén K, Svartengren M, Bäckstrand B, Johnsson T, Cooper-Kuhn CM, Aberg ND, Nilsson M, Kuhn HG. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Nov 30.

Silhouette of men biking photo by photographer Jef Maion. The material remains the intellectual property of their author.

Certain types of fat are contributing to ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition of the colon. The cell membranes of tissue cells in the body incorporate fat or so called phospholipids into the membranes.

Omega 6 fatty acids, the type of fat found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds are metabolized into arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is a precursor for inflammatory cytokines.

The study referred to here investigated if a high intake of linoleic acid, an omega 6 fatty acid, would increase the risk of developing ulcerative colitis (Tjonneland, A, et al. 2009). The participants were 203,193 men and women aged 30-74 years living in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Italy. They were followed for 4 years.

Of the ones developing ulcerative colitis, 47% were women.

The results showed that the highest quartile of intake of linoleic acid was associated with an increased risk of ulcerative colitis.

Usually you don’t have to worry about the intake of nuts and seeds. If you have a very high intake of omega 6 fat, it is usually caused by a high intake of vegetable oils.

It is healthier for a variety of reasons to decrease the intake of vegetable oils except olive oils, which has shown to be very beneficial.

What is also very important is to be sure you get enough of omega 3 fatty acids, which helps to reduce inflammation. For more information on the benefits of omega 3 fat, click here.

To read the original abstract click the reference below.



Reference:

Linoleic acid, a dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, and the aetiology of ulcerative colitis: a nested case-control study within a European prospective cohort study. IBD in EPIC Study Investigators, Tjonneland A, Overvad K, Bergmann MM, Nagel G, Linseisen J, Hallmans G, Palmqvist R, Sjodin H, Hagglund G, Berglund G, Lindgren S, Grip O, Palli D, Day NE, Khaw KT, Bingham S, Riboli E, Kennedy H, Hart A. Gut. 2009 Dec;58(12):1606-11. Epub 2009 Jul 23.

The importance of staying lean from a young age.

The study referred to here examined the association of mid-life adiposity and the reduced probability of maintaining optimal health status at age 70 (Sun Q, et al. 2009).

The participants were 17,065 women who survived until at least the age of 70. They provided information on occurrence of chronic disease, cognitive function, physical function and mental function. The definition of healthy survival to the age of 70 and over was having no history of 11 major chronic diseases and having no substantial cognitive, physical, or mental limitations.

9.9% of the women who survived until at least age 70 met the criteria for healthy survival.

Compared with lean women, obese women with a body mass index of 30 or more had 79% lower odds of healthy survival.

The more weight gained from age 18 until mid-life, the less likely was healthy survival after the age of 70.

Click here to find out how to learn more about incorporating healthy eating habits.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.




Reference:

Adiposity and weight change in mid-life in relation to healthy survival after age 70 in women: prospective cohort study. Qi Sun, research associate¹, Mary K Townsend, research fellow², Olivia I Okereke, associate epidemiologist and associate psychiatrist³, Oscar H Franco, assistant clinical professor in public health⁴, Frank B Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology^1,2,3, Francine Grodstein, associate professor of epidemiology^2,3. Published 29 September 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b3796

1 Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States, 2 Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, 3 Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, 4 B-160, Health Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL

Drink green tea and feel better psychologically

42,093 Japanese individuals from the general population aged 40 years or more was assessed for psychological distress and the relationship between green tea consumption (Hozawa A, et al. 2009). Other lifestyle factors were also accounted for.

The results showed that green tea consumption was inversely associated with psychological distress even after adjustment for possible confounding factors.

Green tea is a good source of antioxidants and has been documented to provide several health benefits in addition to lower psychological distress. If you like to drink something warm, green tea would be the choice.

For more information on green tea, click here.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Green tea consumption is associated with lower psychological distress in a general population: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study. Hozawa A, Kuriyama S, Nakaya N, Ohmori-Matsuda K, Kakizaki M, Sone T, Nagai M, Sugawara Y, Nitta A, Tomata Y, Niu K, Tsuji I. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Nov;90(5):1390-6. Epub 2009 Sep 30.

Reduce your risk for breast cancer with exercise

The study reviewed here included 118,899 postmenopausal women (Peters T.M, et al). Physical activity as light and moderate-to-vigorous intensity was assessed during four periods of life as it related to breast cancer risk. The periods were ages between 15-18, 19-29, 35-39 and the most recent past 10 years. The follow up time was 6.6 years and 4287 incident breast cancers were identified during that period.

The outcome showed that moderate-to-vigorous activity during the past 10 years was associated with 16% reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer compared with inactivity.

The activity level was more than 7 hours per week.

If you did not exercise when you were young, it is not too late to start even if you are older now. If you were physically active when you were young, it is still not going to give you protection now unless you keep your activity level up.

More than 7 hours per week of moderate-to-vigorous activity may sound like a lot to some, but if you read the blog titled, “3 minutes of exercising gives the same benefit as 1 hour or more” you would find that you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of time exercising as long as you do it a certain way. You can still access that blog if you have not read it by clicking here.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.




Reference:

Intensity and timing of physical activity in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer risk: the prospective NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Tricia M Peters^1,2, Steven C Moore¹, Gretchen L Gierach^3,4, Nicholas J Wareham², Ulf Ekelund², Albert R Hollenbeck⁵, Arthur Schatzkin¹, Michael F Leitzmann⁶.

1Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 6120 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, USA

2MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Rd, Cambridge, UK

3Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 6120 Executive Blvd, Bethesda, MD, USA

4Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, Office of Preventive Oncology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, USA

5AARP, 601 E St NW, Washington, DC, USA

6Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

BMC Cancer 2009, 9:349doi:10.1186/1471-2407-9-349

Arterial stiffness, folic acid and vitamin B12

In the study referred to below, the researchers divided the participants into quartiles according to total plasma homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a toxic amino acid linked to a variety of health conditions.

This investigation evaluated the relationship between homocysteine levels and arterial stiffness (Yun J, et al. 2009). It was documented that homocysteine levels showed a positive correlation with age and the inflammatory markers IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6. It was also seen a correlation between homocysteine, oxidized LDL (the bad cholesterol) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, which is a measure of arterial stiffness.

A negative correlation between these biochemical markers was found with folate and vitamin B12.

It was concluded that high homocysteine levels was associated with more advanced arterial stiffness, smaller LDL particle size (the bad cholesterol), higher levels of oxidized LDL and cytokines (inflammatory chemicals).

Homocysteine can be reduced by taking folic acid, vitamin B12 and also vitamin B6.

To read more about the many benefits of B vitamins, click here.

If you would like to read the original abstract, click on the reference below.





Reference:

Associations of plasma homocysteine level with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, LDL atherogenicity, and inflammation profile in healthy men. Yun J, Kim JY, Kim OY, Jang Y, Chae JS, Kwak JH, Lim HH, Park HY, Lee SH, Lee JH. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Oct 22.

Does it matter what you snack on as long as the calories are the same?

You have probably heard or read that when it comes to weight loss or gain, it does not matter where the calories come from. You will lose or gain the same amount of weight as long as you eat the same amount of calories.

I reviewed a study a while back on that topic which documented that it did make a difference where the calories come from.

The research reviewed this week also shows that all calories are not equal (Claesson AL, et al. 2009).

The study participants were healthy men and women, which were divided in two groups. One group was told to snack on candy and the other group to snack on peanuts. The calorie intake from the two types of snacks was the same and the study lasted for 14 days.

The results were quite interesting and showed that the waist circumference and body weight only increased significantly in the candy group. It was also interesting that cardiovascular risk factors such as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and ApoB/ApoA-1 (another risk factor) ratio were higher in the candy group.

If you want to keep a slim waist line and lower your cardiovascular risk factors, stay away from the sweets and high glycemic index foods.

After all, it does matter where the calories come from.

If you want to know more about benefits of healthy foods, read one of the books “Effective Nutrition for Effective Healing” or “The Food Connection.” Click here for more information.

To read the original abstract click on the reference below.




Reference:

Two weeks of overfeeding with candy, but not peanuts, increases insulin levels and body weight. Claesson AL, Holm G, Ernersson A, Lindström T, Nystrom FH. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 2009;69(5):598-605.

Dietary habits, cardiovascular disease and inflammation.

The following is a review of a very interesting study where researchers analyzed dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk.

7,646 healthy people from Italy were included in the research and three dietary patterns were identified (Centritto F., et al. 2009).

One of the patterns was characterized by high intake of olive oil, vegetables, legumes, soups, fruits and fish. This pattern was associated with lower values of glucose, lipids, CRP (an inflammatory marker), blood pressure and individual cardiovascular risk score.

The second pattern which was characterized by high intake of pasta, tomato sauce, red meat, animal fats and alcohol was associated with higher values of glucose, lipids, CRP and cardiovascular risk score.

A third pattern was characterized by high intake of eggs, processed meat, margarines, butter, sugar and sweets and was also associated with high CRP values and a higher cardiovascular risk similar to that of the second dietary group.

The researchers concluded that in a healthy population dietary patterns which included foods considered to be unhealthy were associated with higher level of cardiovascular risk factors, CRP and individual cardiovascular risk and the healthy dietary pattern was associated with lower levels.

This study included a lot of people and what is especially interesting is that alcohol, which was a part of one of the dietary patterns, did not provide protection against cardiovascular risk.

This provides evidence that if you drink a glass of red wine in the evening, it will not provide protection against cardiovascular disease. According to this study, it is the healthy foods which provide the cardiovascular protection.

If you want to know more about benefits and how to eat according to this healthy pattern, read one of the books “Effective Nutrition for Effective Healing” or “The Food Connection.” Click here for more information.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Dietary patterns, cardiovascular risk factors and C-reactive protein in a healthy Italian population. Centritto F, Iacoviello L, di Giuseppe R, De Curtis A, Costanzo S, Zito F, Grioni S, Sieri S, Donati MB, de Gaetano G, Di Castelnuovo A; on behalf of Moli-sani Investigators. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Mar 18.

Increase your first line of defense against microbes

Secretory IgA (sIgA) is a mucosal Immunoglobulin and our first line of defense against invading microbes. It is found in mucus and secretions both from the intestine and lining of the lungs.

It is interesting that recent research has shown that support of the friendly bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, results in better immunity towards the common cold.

In a comparative study of the Bifidobacterium, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus and the Saccharomyces boulardii mainly the Saccharomyces boulardii induced higher levels of sIgA (Martini FS, et al. 2009). The researchers concluded that the Saccharomyces boulardii presented better characteristics in terms of immunomodulation.

Saccharomyces boulardii is a so called probiotic yeast with a lot of research behind it. It is an excellent supplement to bring with you when you are traveling, since it has shown to significantly reduce the incidence of diarrhea (Kollaritsch H., et al. 1993, McFarland LV, 2007). This research was a placebo-controlled, double blind study were Saccharomyces boulardii were administered prophylactically to 3000 Austrian travelers and a significantly reduction of diarrhea was observed.

Research has also documented the benefits of Saccharomyces in preventing diarrhea after the use of antibiotics.

This probiotic supplement also has another benefit. It does not have to be refrigerated like other probiotic formulas, which makes it a lot easier to use.

For adults, 500 mg twice daily seems to be the most effective dosage. To read more about the Saccharomyces boulardii, click here. That will take you to our Gastrointestinal Support Formula.

To read the original research abstract click on the references below.





References:


[Prevention of traveler’s diarrhea with Saccharomyces boulardii. Results of a placebo controlled double-blind study] Kollaritsch H, Holst H, Grobara P, Wiedermann G. Fortschr Med. 1993 Mar 30;111(9):152-6.

Meta-analysis of probiotics for the prevention of traveler’s diarrhea. McFarland, LV. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2007 Mar;5(2):97-105. Epub 2005 Dec 5.

A simple thing you can do to help improve blood sugar, cholesterol, and gastrointestinal function.

Flax seeds, which are tiny small brown seeds, can be health promoting in several ways.

Flax is a source of omega 3 fatty acids which we all need. Fish oil is however a more efficient source of omega 3 since fish oil comes in the form of EPA, DHA the active ingredients of omega 3 fat. Flax oil has to be metabolized into EPA, DHA.

However, flax seeds have a lot of other benefits. The study reviewed here investigated the effect of flax on fasting blood sugar and total cholesterol in diabetic patients (Thakur, G., et al. 2009). The participants added 5 grams of flaxseed gum to their diet and were followed for 3 months.

The results for the treatment group showed that fasting blood glucose decreased from 154 +1-8 mg/dl to 136 +1-7 mg/dl. The total cholesterol decreased from 182 +1-11 mg/dl to 163 +1-9 mg/dl. The low-density lipoprotein LDL, the so called bad cholesterol, decreased from 110 +1-8 mg/dl to 92 +1-9 mg/dl.

The fiber in the flax seeds is the ingredient responsible for the results. They slow down the absorption of the glucose from other foods.

The flax seeds will also be beneficial for your gastrointestinal tract. It will help constipation, but it will not give you diarrhea.

I suggest you take 2 table spoons of flax seeds daily and grind them up for some few seconds in a coffee grinder. You need to grind them up to break the shells to get the benefits. They can be sprinkled on food or you can mix them in a glass of water and drink it down.

I do not recommend buying a big bag of already ground up seeds, since flax seeds oxidize very quickly when the shell has been broken.

Flax seeds may also help to regulate hormones in a beneficial way. I wrote about the benefits of flax seeds for the prevention of prostate cancer a while back. The research related to that can be accessed at www.tissuerecovery.com by clicking on Articles and Abstracts.

To read the original research abstract click on the reference below.




Reference:

Thakur, G., et al. Effect of flaxseed gum on reduction of blood glucose and cholesterol in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009 June 22:1-11. [Epub ahead of print]

Eating a certain way can prevent depression.

Studies have shown that the Mediterranean Diet can help protect against cardiovascular disease.

The study reviewed here assessed the association between the Mediterranean dietary pattern and the risk of depression (Sanchez-Villegas A., et al. 2009). A total of 10,094 participants who were healthy at the beginning of the study were followed from 1999 and is still followed.

After a median follow-up of 4.4 years the results showed inverse dose-response relationships for fruits, nuts, the monounsaturated fat (olive oil) to saturated fat (animal fat) ratio and legumes.

The researchers concluded that the result suggested a protective role of the Mediterranean dietary pattern regarding the prevention of depressive disorders.

This is one more reason to eat a low glycemic index diet similar to the Mediterranean pattern.

If you are interested in easy to make recipes and more information on how to reduce the risk for chronic disease the book, "The Food Connection" describes the reasoning and research for a very healthy way of eating, click here.




Reference:

Association of the Mediterranean dietary pattern with the incidence of depression: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra/University of Navarra follow-up (SUN) cohort. Sánchez-Villegas A, Delgado-Rodríguez M, Alonso A, Schlatter J, Lahortiga F, Majem LS, Martínez-González MA. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;66(10):1090-8.

High homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease and stroke, but you can easily prevent that.

Homocysteine is an amino acid, which can build up in your body and cause problems if you are deficient in folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B6.

The study reviewed here followed 2009 participants for an average of 11.95 years documenting homocysteine levels and how it affected the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke (Sun Y., et al, 2009).

The results showed that participants with blood levels of homocysteine above 9.47 micromole/L had a 2.3-fold risk for cardiovascular events and participants with homocysteine levels above 11.84 micromole/L had a 2.4-fold risk for death.

Taking a good vitamin B-Complex regularly will in most people reduce homocysteine levels.

There are some people who do not metabolize folic acid properly and would not get the same benefits from regular folic acid. They could however take a vitamin B-Complex, which also contains the metabolism of folic acid and get the benefits.

To read more about the benefits of B-vitamins, click here.



Reference:

Use of serum homocysteine to predict stroke, coronary heart disease and death in ethnic Chinese. 12-year prospective cohort study. Sun Y., Chien KL, Hsu HC, Su TC, Chen MF, Lee YT. Circ J. 2009 Aug;73(8):1423-30. Epub 2009 Jun 11.

How does body composition affect bone mass.

The belief has been that increased fat mass was a protective factor for osteoporosis. This has now been challenged by two studies. One was done in 2007, which included 150 females and 150 males between the ages of 13 and 21 years (Janicka A., et al, 2007).

The conclusion of this study was that the findings provided compelling evidence that despite increased mechanical loading from higher fat mass, adipose (fat) tissue is not beneficial to bone structure.

The other study was just published in July 2009 and included 677 men between the ages of 25 and 45 years (Taes YE., et al, 2009). The results documented that both total and regional fat mass were found to be inversely associated with areal bone mass and size.

The researcher concluded that increased fat mass is associated with smaller bone size, and lean mass was a consistent positive determinant of bone size.

If you follow a low glycemic index diet high in nutrients and exercise regularly, your body fat percentage will adjust to what us normal for you without you having to count calories.

You will learn how to eat that way by reading the book “Effective Nutrition for Effective Healing”, click here for more information.




References:

Fat mass is not beneficial to bone in adolescents and young adults. Janicka A, Wren TA, Sanchez MM, Dorey F, Kim PS, Mittelman SD, Gilsanz V., J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan;92(1):143-7. Epub 2006 Oct 17.


Fat mass is negatively associated with cortical bone size in young healthy
male siblings. Taes YE, Lapauw B, Vanbillemont G, Bogaert V, De Bacquer D, Zmierczak H, Goemaere S, Kaufman JM., J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Jul;94(7):2325-31. Epub 2009 Apr 28.

The way you eat can help prevent eye disease.

Even your eyes can get protection from the food you eat.

An interesting study done over eight years and including 2924 participants documented the benefits from eating a low glycemic index diet and the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA (Chiu CJ, et al. 2009). EPA and DHA is the type of fat you find in fish and fish oil supplements. The participants in this study took supplements.

The conclusion of this study was that a lower glycemic index diet with higher intakes of EPA and DHA was associated with reduced progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration.

A low glycemic index diet is a diet that will stabilize the blood sugar at a low level instead of causing high spikes.

Excellent forms of very low glycemic carbohydrates that will stabilize the blood sugar at a good level are beans and lentils. If you want to you know more about the benefits of low glycemic meals read the book “The Food Connection’, click here.

To read more about the benefits of the omega 3 essential fatty acids EFA, DHA, click here.




Reference:

Does eating particular diets alter risk of age-related macular degeneration in users of the age-related eye disease study supplements? Chiu CJ, Milton RC, Gensler G, Taylor A,. Br J Ophthalmol. 2009 Jun 12.

More evidence for the prevention of prostate cancer by dietary changes and exercise.

It has been suggested that prostate cancer might be an aspect of the metabolic syndrome, a co ndition which includes insulin resistance, high blood pressure and weight gain. Insulin resistance means that the insulin is not as effective as it used to be in transferring the blood sugar into the cells where it can be used for energy, due to changes on the receptor sites of the cells.

Diet and exercise have shown to alter factors that slow the growth and induce apoptosis (cell death) of prostate cancer. The research reviewed here investigated why exercise and a diet low in fat and high in fiber would provide anticancer effects (Soliman S. et al. 2009, Barnard RJ. 2007)

The researchers found that the intervention slowed the growth and increased apoptosis (cell death) in prostate cancer cells and the results were associated with a reduction in serum IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor-1).

Exercise and the right diet have a health promoting effect on the growth factor IGF-1.

The researchers concluded that diet and exercise intervention might help prevent prostate cancer as well as aid in the treatment of prostate cancer during the early stages of development.

To learn more about an effective dietary approach read the book “The Food Connection”, click here.

To read original research abstracts click on the references below.




Reference:

Analyzing Serum-Stimulated Prostate Cancer Cell Lines After Low-Fat, High-Fiber Diet and Exercise Intervention. Soliman S, Aronson WJ, Barnard RJ,. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Apr 17.

Prostate cancer prevention by nutritional means to alleviate metabolic syndrome. Barnard RJ,. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):s889-93.

3 minutes of exercising gives the same benefits as 1 hour or more.

Would you spend 3 minutes, 3 days per week exercising if it gave you the same cardiovascular and metabolic benefits as exercising for 1 hour also 3 times per week?

Maybe you think this sounds too good to be true, but research has really demonstrated that to be possible.

In 2008 three studies were conducted evaluating the effects of extremely low volume high-intensity interval training on cardiovascular and metabolic changes. One study compared two groups of participants where one group did low-volume sprint interval training consisting of four to six 30 second high intensity sprints on a stationary bike, separated with 4.5 minute recovery three days per week for six weeks (Rakobowchuk M, et al, 2008). The other group did 40-60 minutes of continuous cycling of approximately 65% of capacity 5 days per week for six weeks. At completion of the study, the researchers concluded that low volume sprints interval training produced improvement in peripheral vascular structure and function comparable to endurance training.

A similar study compared 30 seconds bicycle sprints repeated four to six times with 4.5 minutes recovery between repeats three times a week with 40-60 minutes continuous cycling at a 65% workload for 5 days a week (Burgomaster KA, et al, 2008). After six weeks, this study found similar changes in mitochondrial markers for skeletal muscle carbohydrate and lipid oxidation for both protocols.

The most recent study done by another research group investigated changes in insulin sensitivity using the same protocol of high intensity interval training (Babray JA, et al 2009).

They found that the insulin sensitivity improved by 23% while aerobic cycling performance improved by 6% in only six sessions over 2 weeks.

Insulin sensitivity relates to the glucose metabolism, the more insulin sensitive you are the better it is.

Insulin resistance (low insulin sensitivity) leads to type 2 diabetes and a variety of other health problems.

Reference:

Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. Babraj JA, et al. BMC Endocr Disord. 2009 Jan 28;9:3.

Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans. Burgomaster KA, et al. J Physiol.2008 Jan1;586(1):1-2.

Sprint interval and traditional endurance training induce similar improvements in peripheral arterial stiffness and flow-mediated dilation in healthy humans. Rakobowchuk M, et al. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Jul;295(1) :R236-42.

Soy food and breast cancer

Soy food contains substances called isoflavones that has both antiestrogenic and anticarcinogenic properties.

The study reviewed here investigated the association between breast cancer risk and the intake of soy food in adolescents and adults (Lee S.A., et al, 2009). Food frequency questionnaires were used and 73.223 women participated. The follow up was an average of 7.4 years.

The researchers found that adult soy food consumption, measured either by soy protein or isoflavone intake, was inversely associated with the risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

Women who consistently had a high soy food consumption during adolescence and adulthood had a significant reduced risk for breast cancer. This was however not found for postmenopausal breast cancer.

Including soy foods like tofu and roasted soy nuts in your diet seems to be a healthy thing to do. If you are using soy milk be sure it is unsweetened.




Reference:
Lee S.A. et al, 2009. Adolescent and adult soy food intake and breast cancer risk: results from the shanghai Women’s Health Study. Am J. Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;89(6): 1920-6.

Habit that may reduce the risk of prostate cancer

Habits that are healthy for the prostate tend to also provide other health benefits and are beneficial for the whole family if implemented.

One of the studies reviewed here investigated the association of plant foods and the impact these nutrients may have on prostate cancer risk and survival (Lewis JE, et al, 2009).

It was found that a higher intake of vegetables and fruit was beneficial. The group of participants without prostate cancer had significantly higher intakes of vegetables and fruit. Lower intake of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, folate, genistein and daidzein were reported by participants in the cancer group.

The other study reviewed here evaluated the impact of omega 3 fatty acids on prostate cancer (Fradet V, et al, 2009).

Omega 3 fatty acids decrease inflammation and the researchers found that increased intake of omega 3 fat was strongly associated with a decreased risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

For information on other benefits of omega 3 fatty acids click here

References:

Fradet V, et al. Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Cyclooxygenase-2 Genetic Variation, and Aggressive Prostate Cancer Risk. Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Mar 24.

Lewis JE, et al. Intake of plant foods and associated nutrients in prostate cancer risk. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(2):216-24.

Poor memory? Maybe you need vitamin D

In the last few years a lot of research has documented the benefits of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for a variety of functions. The study reviewed here investigated the link between vitamin D levels and cognition in 3369 men aged 40 to 79 years (Lee D.M. et al, 2009).

The vitamin D levels were evaluated by measuring 25-hydroxy vitamin D, the most common way to determine vitamin D status. 3133 men age 60 plus or minus 11 years were included in the final results.

It was concluded that lower levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D were associated with poorer performance on the DSST test (Digit Symbol Substitution test). The DSST is a test to objectively evaluate cognitive function.

It is very common even in sunny climates to have low levels of vitamin D because most people use sun screen when they are out doors.

It is not a good idea to get sunburned, but to get some sun without sunscreen can be healthy. It is also a good idea to take vitamin D3.

Click here for additional information on vitamin D.

Reference:

Lee D.M., et al. Association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older European men. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2009 May 21.

Green tea provides impressive benefits for the prostate

The study reviewed here examined the effects of short term supplementation with the active compounds in green tea on serum bio markers in patients with prostate cancer (McLarty J, et al. 2009).

Participants with positive prostate biopsies scheduled for radical prostatectomy were given 1.3 g of green tea polyphenols containing 800 mg of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and lesser amounts of epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin-3-gallate. The participants were tested for several biomarkers including prostate specific antigen (PSA) before starting the supplementation and on the day of prostatectomy. Liver function tests were also performed to monitor toxicity, and they showed a decrease.

The results showed a significant reduction of three of the biomarkers, one of them was PSA, and it was concluded that the findings support a potential role of the green tea extract polyphenol in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.

If you like hot beverages, green tea would be a good choice not only for men, but for women as well. Also, in the summer you can drink it cold if you want to cool down.

Reference:

McLarty J. et al, 2009. Tea Polyphenols Decrease Serum Levels of Prostate Specific Antigen, Hepatocyte Growth Factor, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In Vitro. Cancer Prev Res. 2009 Jun 19.

Low glycemic index foods reduce the risk for eye disease.

Macular degeneration is a condition which results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field. With increasing age it is common to detect a build up of extracellular material in a certain area of the eye, this is termed drusen. Numerous and larger drusen in the macula can be an early sign of age-related macular degeneration.

In the study referred to here , the researchers investigated the significance of the food components vitamin C, E, the mineral zinc, the antioxidants Lutein/Zeaxanthin, and the omega 3 fatty acids EPA, DHA as well as the glycemic index of the food and how these factors affected the risk of drusen and advanced macular degeneration (Chiu CJ, et al, 2009).

4003 Participants were evaluated. It was concluded that consuming a diet that provides low glycemic index foods and higher intake of the above mentioned nutrients were associated with the greatest reduction in risk for drusen and advanced macular degeneration.

Click here for a source where you can find information about these kinds of foods.

Reference:

Chiu CJ, et al. Dietary compound score and risk of age-related macular degeneration in the age-related disease study. Ophthalmology. 2009 May;116(5):939-46.

Vitamin D and breast cancer risk

The evidence for how important vitamin D is keeps increasing.

The study reviewed here examined the association between breast cancer and plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels (Crew KD. et al, 2009). 25-hydroxy vitamin D is the most common blood test used to check the status of vitamin D.

When women with vitamin D deficiency of less than 20 mg/ml of 25-hydroxy vitamin D were compared with women showing a level of more that 40 mg/ml, it was found that levels above 40 mg/ml were associated with decreased breast cancer risk. The reduction in risk was greater among postmenopausal women.

These results add to the growing body of evidence that adequate vitamin D stores may prevent the development of breast cancer.


Reference:

Crew KD., et al. Association between Plasma 25-Hydrocyvitamin D and Breast Cancer Risk. Cancer Prev Res. 2009 Jun; 2(6):598-604.

For more information on the health benefits of vitamin D click here

Relationship between inflammatory marker and omega 3 fat

Highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker for low grade systemic inflammation. Low grade systemic inflammation is the type of inflammation you may not be aware of, but it is a risk factor for chronic disease.

Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease are some examples where low grade inflammation plays a role. A simple blood test can measure hs-CRP.

Omega 3 fatty acids are known to have an anti-inflammatory effect and are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk.

The study referred to here, investigated the omega 3 fatty acid concentrations of the participants were related to their hs-CRP levels. (Micalled MA, et al, 2009)

The participants were divided into three groups, one group with hs-CRP less than 1 mg/L, another group with hs-CRP between 1 and 3mg/L, and then one group with hs-CRP above mg/L.

The group that had a hs-CRP level of more than 3 mg/L had significantly lower concentrations of total omega 3 fatty acids when compared with the other groups.

This is even more evidence that eating fish such as wild salmon or taking a good quality omega 3 fish oil supplement can provide significant health benefits.

References:

Micallef MA., et al. An inverse relationship between plasma n-3 fatty acids and C-reactive protein in healthy individuals. Eur J CLin Nutr. 2009 Apr 8.

For more information on the health benefits of omega 3 fish oil click here.

Physical activity provides cancer protection.

Everybody is aware that exercise provides cardiovascular benefits, but it may not be that well known that exercise can also be effective in the prevention of cancer.

The two studies referred to here examined the association between physical activity and breast cancer risk ( Martina E., et al, 2008, Suzukis., et al, 2008). One of the studies was conducted in Germany and the other one in Japan. The results were the same confirming that the results hold true both for Asian and Western populations.

The German study analyzed the association between physical activity in 3414 postmenopausal women, comparing them with 6569 controls. They found that it was a significant protective effect of physical activity on breast cancer. The researchers concluded that the effects of physical activity were independent from adult weight gain, body mass index and energy intake. The results suggested that physical activity may reduce postmenopausal breast cancer risk at least in part via hormonal pathways, not only by changing body composition.

The Japanese study included 30-157 women between the ages of 40 to 69 years. The conclusion of this investigation was that walking for 1 hour per day and undertaking additional weekly exercise both seemed to be protective against breast cancer regardless of menopausal status or body mass index.

References:

Martina E. Schmidt, et al. Physical Activity and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer: Effect Modification by Breast Cancer Subtypes and Effective Periods in Life. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Dec;17(12):3402-10. Epub 2008 Nov 24.

Sadao Suzuki, et, al. Effect of physical Activity on Breast Cancer Risk: Findings of the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Dec;17(12):3396-401. Epub 2008 Nov 24.

Sweetened beverages linked to risk of heart disease

Previous research has linked sugar-sweetened beverages to weight gain and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The study reviewed here investigated the association between sugar-sweetened beverages and the risk for coronary heart disease in 88,250 women aged 34-59 years (Fung T.T. et al, 2009). These women were free of heart disease at the start of the study and were followed for 24 years.

The more often these women consumed the sweet beverages, the higher was the risk for coronary heart disease. The researchers concluded that even after other unhealthful lifestyles or dietary factors were accounted for, regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease in women.

Reference:

Fung TT, et al. Sweetened beverage consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women. Am j Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr; 89(4): 1037-42.