Spices and herbs may help you avoid disease - CNN.com

Spices and herbs may help you avoid disease - CNN.com:

"Cinnamon affects cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose transport -- all
reported in clinical trials,' says Don Graves, Ph.D., a professor of
biochemistry at the University of California in Santa Barbara. In a 2003 study,
researchers supplemented the diets of 60 diabetic men and women with one, three,
or six grams (just more than one teaspoon) of cinnamon daily. After 40 days,
subjects' levels of ldl cholesterol fell by as much as 26 percent. 'There was no
difference in the effects at one gram or six,' Graves says."

Mental workouts have long-term payoff, study says

Use it or lose it...

The Seattle Times: Health: Mental workouts have long-term payoff, study says:

"...exercises to boost reasoning skills, memory and mental processing speed staved off mental decline in middle-aged and elderly people in the first definitive study to show that honing intellectual skills can bolster the mind in the same way that physical exercise protects and strengthens the body."

FDA calls for pain reliever warning - USATODAY.com

FDA calls for pain reliever warning - USATODAY.com:

"Non-prescription pain relievers used by millions of U.S. consumers need stronger health warnings regarding liver or stomach risk, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

The drugs include some of the most commonly taken in the USA — aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen — and will affect such household brands as Motrin, Advil, Aleve and Tylenol."

Vitamin D may lower risk of multiple sclerosis, study finds - USATODAY.com

Vitamin D may lower risk of multiple sclerosis, study finds - USATODAY.com:

"Vitamin D might help protect people from developing multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease of the central nervous system, a study reports Wednesday.

If the link between vitamin D and MS pans out, people might be able to ward off the potentially crippling disease by taking vitamin D supplements, says lead researcher Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard School of Public Health."

another reason to not go out to eat

USNews.com: TKTKTK:

"Trans fats are clearly on their way out. Indeed, expert Walter Willett of Harvard University predicts they'll be nearly gone in five years. But there's a catch: The FDA labeling rule applies only to food sold in stores; it does not apply to restaurants, bakeries, and deli counters. So it's more than likely that you're still eating trans fats when you eat out. .... The solution is obvious: Eat at home more. 'You can't protect yourself unless you fix your meals at home from scratch,' says Suzanne Havala Hobbs, author of Get the Trans Fat Out."

Low-Fat Diets May Help Some Dodge Cancer - Forbes.com

Low-Fat Diets May Help Some Dodge Cancer - Forbes.com: "

The first experiment ever to show that low-fat diets could help prevent a return of breast cancer now reveals, with longer follow-up, that the benefit was almost exclusively to women whose tumor growth was not driven by hormones.

That could be huge - the new results suggest but cannot prove that these women might be able to cut their risk of dying by up to 66 percent with such diets"

Independent Online Edition > Health Medical

Independent Online Edition > Health Medical:

"It's official - vegetarians really are smarter. But it is not because of what they eat. Bright children are more likely to reject meat and opt to become vegetarians when they grow up, a study has shown. Clever veggies are born not made"

Monkey see, Monkey do

Model Behavior:

"If you don’t want your child to drink soda or chew with his mouth open then you probably shouldn’t either. Experts say role modeling is one of the most natural and effective ways to inspire children to eat right, have good table manners and exercise regularly. In fact, most children develop their eating habits and attitudes about eating and exercise from the grown-ups who care for them. "

Is Food at Home Healthier?

Is Food at Home Healthier?:

"According to the new national survey released on December 6th by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Rodale Inc.'s Prevention magazine there is a strong correlation between consumers who try the hardest to eat healthfully and those who eat dinner at home nearly every day"

Car Safety Seats May Cause Breathing Problems for Infants - CME Teaching Brief® - MedPage Today

Car Safety Seats May Cause Breathing Problems for Infants

"When infants take lengthy naps in child safety seats, the babies may risk life-threatening oxygen desaturation, according to a small study"

BBC NEWS | Health | Aspirin 'blocks prostate problem'

BBC NEWS | Health | Aspirin 'blocks prostate problem':

"Aspirin and other similar painkillers may halve the risk of developing an enlarged prostate, research suggests.

The condition, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, can make urination difficult or trigger a need to urinate frequently."

New York Bans Most Trans Fats in Restaurants - New York Times

New York Bans Most Trans Fats in Restaurants - New York Times:

"Trans fats are the chemically modified food ingredients that raise levels of a particularly unhealthy form of cholesterol and have been squarely linked to heart disease. Long used as a substitute for saturated fats in baked goods, fried foods, salad dressings, margarine and other foods, trans fats also have a longer shelf life than other alternatives.

While the trans fat regulation captured the most attention, the Board of Health approved a separate measure — also the first of its kind in the country — requiring some restaurants, mostly fast food outlets, to prominently display the caloric content of each menu item on menu boards or near cash registers."

Cutting Calories May Aid Immune System

Cutting Calories May Aid Immune System:

"Calorie restriction might help the body's immune system, researchers report.

The findings are based on lab tests on monkeys, not people.

But the researchers note that other studies have linked calorie restriction and longer life in short-lived organisms including worms, flies, and spiders.

The final verdict isn't in yet on calorie restriction and human longevity."

Eating fruit and veg 'halves miscarriage risk' | the Daily Mail

Eating fruit and veg 'halves miscarriage risk' | the Daily Mail:

"A good diet is vital in pregnancy. Eating fruit and vegetables daily halves the chance of miscarriage, research shows.

A study of thousands of pregnant women revealed those who included fruit and veg regularly in their diet were 46 per cent less likely to miscarry.

Chocolate, vitamin tablets, dairy products, fish and white meat also increased the odds of a successful pregnancy.

Underweight women, however, 70% more likely to miscarry. There was also a slight increase in miscarriage in women whose partners were over the age of 45"

Onions, garlic linked to lower cancer risks - Yahoo! News

Onions, garlic linked to lower cancer risks - Yahoo! News:

"In an analysis of eight studies from Italy and Switzerland, researchers found that older adults with the highest onion and garlic intakes had the lowest risks of a number of cancers -- including colon, ovarian and throat cancers.

The findings, which appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are in line with some past research."

BBC NEWS | Health | Bacon link to bladder cancer risk

And boneless chicken!

BBC NEWS | Health | Bacon link to bladder cancer risk:

"Harvard scientists found people who ate bacon at least five times a week were 59% more likely to develop the disease than those who never did.

They also found people who frequently ate skinless chicken had a 52% greater risk. Chemicals called nitrosamines and heterocyclic amines may be to blame.

The study appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."

BTW Remember that marinading is reported to cut down on the nitrates!

BBC NEWS | Health | Red wine health locations found

BBC NEWS | Health | Red wine health locations found:

"Those seeking a longevity-boosting tipple should turn their attention to red wines from Sardinia and south-west France, a study concludes.

UK researchers discovered chemicals called procyanidins were responsible for red wine's well-documented heart-protecting effect.

And they found traditionally made wines from these areas had more procyanidins than wines in other parts of the world."