Disease Prevention

Vitamin D and your Immune System

We all know that we need Vitamin D and that we can get it from the sun, as well as from fatty dish, fish liver oils and eggs, as well as in Vitamin D supplement form. Even so, nearly half the world’s population has low levels of vitamin D. What you might now know is why we need vitamin D. What, exactly, does vitamin D do?

Danish researchers have discovered that we need vitamin D to activate our immune system’s killer cells. These killer cells, known as T cells, become inactive if they don’t have enough vitamin D. If they are inactive, they can’t fight incoming germs and bacteria. Scientists have told us that vitamin D is important for calcium absorption. They have also made a connection between the levels of vitamin D and diseases like MS and cancer. But this is the first time a connection between…

Study shows that an anti-inflammatory diet helps with inflammation and oxidative & metabolic stress in overweight men

My last blog post talked about the role of fatty acids and inflammation in disease development. I just read a study performed by scientists in the Netherlands who used the supplements Resveratrol, vitamins C and E, green tea extract, Omega 3 fatty acids and tomato extract, all chosen for their evidence-based anti-inflammatory properties, to see if they would lesson inflammation.

During the study, the above-named supplements were combined and given to 36 healthy but overweight men with mildly elevated plasma C-reactive protein concentrations (the CRP level is a blood test that shows the level of inflammation in an individual’s system). The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with treatment periods of 5 weeks. Inflammatory and oxidative stress defense markers were measured via blood and urine testing. 120 plasma proteins, 274 plasma metabolites (lipids, free fatty acids, and polar compounds), and the transcriptomes of peripheral blood mononuclear…

Everyday Toxins, Deadly Effects

Like most people, you probably don’t spend too much time worrying about your bromine intake from your car upholstery or the Mountain Dew you’re drinking. Bromine toxicity is a very dangerous, and often overlooked, threat to your health that can be found in some surprising sources. In an article by Dr. Thomas Marcola, he explains the dangers of everyday toxins, where they are found, and how to protect yourself against them.

Bromines Everywhere
Bromines are very common endocrine disruptors that fall into the same group of elements as fluorine, chlorine and iodine. A high exposure to bromine can cause an iodine deficiency, which can wreak havoc on your thyroid and every tissue in your body.

You are already exposed to a high amount of bromine and chlorine through common products:
•Pesticides (specifically methyl bromide, used mainly on strawberries, predominantly found in California)
•Plastics that are…

The Benefits of Human Growth Hormone When Used Correctly

Human Growth Hormone, HGH, has alternatively received both beatings and boosts by the scientific and medical communities and the media. What is HGH? Who should take it?

HGH supplementation was originally approved, and still used today, to help extremely small children attain a more normal adult height. Were it not for HGH, these children would be abnormally short-statured adults.

Although using hormone growth therapy for adults has been both a social and ethical controversy for over 50 years, individuals who inject HGH on a regular basis give glowing testimony of Youth Regained: stronger muscles, faster response time, increased mental acuity and memory, a level of energy they haven’t seen in years, and a reduction of body fat. Mayo Clinic studies have shown that injections of HGH increase bone density and muscle mass, decrease body fat, bolster the heart’s ability to contract, improve mood, and increase exercise capacity. Notwithstanding…

A Test to Identify Nutritional Imbalances

Like others reading our blog, you understand that the food you eat affects your health.  Eating high quality, fresh, vitamin-laden foods give you the best chances to feel energized and avoid illness, disease, obesity and future problems such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and other age-related conditions. But how do you know your best efforts at a healthy diet are hitting the mark?

NutrEval is a comprehensive nutritional evaluation designed to identify nutritional imbalances that help to overcome chronic disease and promote optimal health and wellness, including: organic acids, amino acids, essential fatty acids, toxic and nutrient element levels, and oxidative stress. It’s a unique profile that provides critical information for understanding individual disease risk, it evaluates your overall nutritional status, and assesses your functional need for vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, & co-factors.

The resulting profile also provides help in understanding gastrointestinal…

Fish Oils May Slow Genetic Aging

Now there is more good news for all of you that are taking your Fish oil, and more good reason to if you are not. Happily, a recent study, supported by grants from the American Heart Association and the Bernard and Barbro Foundation, shows that omega-3 fatty acids may slow biological aging.

Researcher Ramin Farzaneh-Far, MD, of the University of California San Francisco, and his colleagues followed 608 patients with known coronary artery disease for a period of five years. Blood tests were taken to identify their telomere lengths at the beginning and end of the study. Research has shown that the length of telomeres may be a marker of biological age; theoretically, the longer one’s telomeres, the younger one is, biologically speaking. Therefore, measuring telomere length at both the beginning and end of the study enabled the researchers to understand how rapidly their telomeres were…

Excess Body Fat = Thousands of Cancer Cases Annually

A shocking new study was published last week by researchers with the American Institute for Cancer Research,  that states more than 100,000 cases of cancer are caused annually by excess body-fat and obesity. The researchers studied seven cancers with known links to obesity along with actual case counts that were likely obesity-related.

From

The report says that 49 percent of endometrial cancers are caused by excess body fat. That number is followed by 35 percent of esophageal cancer cases; 28 percent of pancreatic cancer cases; 24 percent of kidney cancer cases; 21 percent of gallbladder cancer cases; 17 percent of breast cancer cases; and 9 percent of colorectal cancer cases.

“This is the first time that we’ve put real, quantifiable case numbers on obesity-related cancers,” said Glen Weldon, the American Institute for…

Economy Affecting Waistlines Along with Wallets

Everyone is feeling the effects of the economic recession. For many, value trumps health-conscious when it comes to food choices.  It’s sad, but true, that processed, frozen or “fast food” is less expensive than the healthier alternatives.  Whether you’re feeding yourself or an entire family, those frozen tv-dinners or the “value menu” at the burger joint can be pretty attractive, financially.

One of the consequences of this unfortunate situation, however, is that Americans are just getting fatter, and our risk for obesity related illnesses such as diabetes is rising.

From the Wall Street Journal:

“Approximately 20% of all meals prepared in our homes from 1990 to 2007 involved the use of a microwave,” says Mr. Balzer. But in 2008, microwave usage rose to 30%. NPD Group, which has been following the microwaving habits…

FDA Cracking Down on Misleading Nutrition Labels

It’s great to be home! It’s been hectic since I got back, but I’ll report on my trip soon. I’ve posted a couple of photos on Facebook, in the meantime though.

Great news today on the nutrition front – the FDA is going after manufacturers who label their food “healthy” when they are very clearly not. For those of us searching the aisles for nutritious food choices, it’s infuriating to learn we’ve been misled.

NPR has put together a list of six such “healthy” foods to stay away from.  Unfortunately this kind of labeling is indicative of the lengths gone to by brands jumping on the “healthy” bandwagon only to sell product – with no intent to provide healthy food.

From NPR

When a food claims to be a “Smart Choice” or “Heart Healthy,” and it’s written right there on the front of the package, should…

Another Reason to Eat the Mediterranean Way – Less Depression

China is an amazing country – I am looking forward to posting photos and news from my trip when I return in a few days. In the meantime, I read this article, and since we’ve talked about this type of diet and the many benefits derived from keeping your soup clean, I thought I should share it with you, if you haven’t already seen it.

From the NY Times:

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet — packed with fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish — is good for your heart, many studies have found. Now scientists are suggesting the diet may be good for your mental health, too

A study of over 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and half years on average found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study…