Caffeine And Exercise May Prevent Skin Cancer

Caffeine And Exercise May Prevent Skin Cancer: "

A new US study based on laboratory mice suggests that drinking low to moderate amounts of caffeine and exercising regularly protects the skin from damaging ultraviolet rays known to cause skin cancer. The caffeine and exercise appear to work together to kill off precancerous skin cells whose DNA has been damaged by ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. The discovery is yet to be tested in humans."

Which is consistent with finding of tea and skin cancer as well.

1 Daily Soda May Boost Heart Disease

1 Daily Soda May Boost Heart Disease:

"Drinking just one soft drink a day -- whether diet or regular -- may boost your risk of getting heart disease, a new study shows.

That is because a soda habit increases the risk of developing a condition called metabolic syndrome, according to the new research, and that in turn boosts the chance of getting both heart disease and diabetes."

I am a bit skeptical. Sure pop (soda) is not good for you, but I guess I would like to see more research on it before I say more.

Top Heart-Healthy Foods: Best Foods for Cardiovascular Health

Top Heart-Healthy Foods: Best Foods for Cardiovascular Health:

"'There really is an abundance of fruits and vegetables in many colors, shapes, sizes that are good for your heart,' says Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, a dietitian with the Preventive Cardiology Center at The Cleveland Clinic. 'You can definitely reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by eating these foods every day.'

Indeed, fresh produce provide the cornerstone for a heart-healthy diet because they help wipe out free radicals in the bloodstream, protecting blood vessels.

It's what Zumpano calls 'the whole-foods diet. You want everything to be in its natural form, as it comes from the ground, the less processed the better"

Given all the recent studies, maybe we should add "we hope" to this ;)

Key to a long life -- less insulin in the brain - Yahoo! News

Key to a long life -- less insulin in the brain - Yahoo! News:

"Good, old-fashioned diet and exercise might keep you young by reducing the action of insulin in the brain, researchers reported on Thursday."

Very interesting! And it does seem to make good sense...once again the Barry Sears Zone Diet (and really any diet tied to the Glycemic Index) seems to be quite prophetic.

Low-fat, high-produce diet doesn't cut breast cancer return - CNN.com

Over the past year we have seen studies suggest that vitamins do or do not work. That tomatoes may or may not help. That tea is good for you or not. So while not unexpected, I was somewhat disappointed when I read the following:

Low-fat, high-produce diet doesn't cut breast cancer return - CNN.com:

"...study found no benefit from a mega-veggies-and-fruit diet over the U.S.-recommended servings of five fruits and vegetables a day -- more than most Americans get....

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

It sends us back to the drawing board,' said Susan Gapstur of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, who wasn't involved in the new study but co-wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal.

'Should we really have focused on dietary components like fruits, vegetables and fat?' Gapstur asked. 'Or should we be focusing, in addition to diet, on lifestyle factors including physical activity and weight?""

From Time.com:

"Appearing in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the study, called the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Randomized Trial, found that diets very high in fruits and vegetables do not appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. This latest paper is one of several recent inquiries into the role of diet in cancer risk. Despite the widely held belief that the right diet can help fight cancer, recent findings have failed to definitely prove that."

It does get frustrating. What do we know? Sometimes it seems like we are not much better than we were centuries ago. I was thinking that when reading the tea study yesterday (specifically does that open up the whole mess of it not only being what you eat/drink, but also when, with what other foods, etc. Talk about a research nightmare!).

Tea research: good,bad, or neutral?

The Washington Post has a well-written piece on tea. It comments on both sides of the issue (namely tea is good for health or tea has no benefits other than great taste).

Sally Squires - Tea -- Plenty of It -- May Do the Body Good - washingtonpost.com:

"Tea has big possibilities,' says Bukowski, who has spent 15 years studying the ancient beverage. 'But we have a long way to go before we can confirm the health benefits....One substance in tea, the tongue-twisting epigallo-catechin gallate (EGCG), appears to reduce psoriasis, prostate cancer and colon tumors (at least in animals) and is now an ingredient in a growing number of foods, beverages and dietary supplements. But that's just one of the components of tea that may have health benefits."

On the other hand, once again there is more evidence that mixing milk with your tea may cancel at least some of the health benefits. (This is from FreeMarketNews but he is quoting a story I could not find, so ???).

""In a study published in the European Heart Journal, subjects were given either a pint of black tea or the same amount of hot water. Of those who were given tea, half drank it straight, while the other half had it with milk. The researchers discovered that blood flow to the forearms increased noticeably in those who drank the tea straight, but those who had either hot water or tea with milk saw no such benefit."

FTR, Chai Soy Milk in tea is unreal good, and most likely would not have the same issues with casein.

Tomato study yields confusing results

Tomato study yields confusing results:

"'(The) review found no evidence that tomatoes reduced the risk of lung, colorectal, breast, cervical or endometrial cancer. However, there was very limited evidence for associations between tomato consumption and reduced risk of prostate, ovarian, gastric and pancreatic cancers.'

That's faint praise."

It really has been a bad time of late for vitamins and even vegetables. Hard to say much with certainty, well except that all seems uncertain.

WHFoods: Blueberries

With fresh blueberries in stores this week, it is a great time to remind everyone of the benefits of blueberries.

WHFoods: Blueberries:

"Blueberries are literally bursting with nutrients and flavor, yet very low in calories. Recently, researchers at Tufts University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals"

CTV.ca | Low fruit intake may cause asthma problems: study

CTV.ca | Low fruit intake may cause asthma problems: study:

"Teenagers who are not eating fruit and fish may be making themselves more susceptible to asthma and other respiratory problems, according to a new study.

The study, published in the July issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), was based on work by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Health Canada."

NRDC: Too Good To Throw Away - Chapter 1

I have wanted to do this for a while, so will take Live Earth as the excuse to post it today.

NRDC: Too Good To Throw Away - Chapter 1:

"...using recycled materials reduces the need to extract, process, refine, and transport timber, crude petroleum, ores, etc., into virgin-based paper, plastics, glass, and metals, recycling lessens the toxic air emissions, effluents, and solid wastes that these manufacturing processes create. It is virtually beyond dispute that manufacturing products from recyclables instead of from virgin raw materials -- making, for instance, paper out of old newspapers instead of virgin timber -- causes less pollution and imposes fewer burdens on the earth's natural habitat and biodiversity"

Organic food 'better' for heart

BBC NEWS | Health | Organic food 'better' for heart:

"Organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops, US research suggests.

A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant."

Wow! or double wow!

Study: Chocolate reduces blood pressure - Yahoo! News

Study: Chocolate reduces blood pressure - Yahoo! News:

"Here's some good and bad news for chocoholics: Dark chocolate seems to lower blood pressure, but it requires an amount less than two Hershey's Kisses to do it, a small study suggests. The new research from Germany adds to mounting evidence linking dark chocolate with health benefits, but it's the first to suggest that just a tiny amount may suffice."

How we can stop stress from making us obese

How we can stop stress from making us obese: "

“We have known for over a decade that there is a connection between chronic stress and obesity,” saidProfessor Herzog. “We also know that NPY plays a major role in other chronic stress-induced conditions,such as susceptibility to infection. Now we have identified the exact pathway, or chain of molecular events, that links chronic stress with obesity.”

“There is not much we can do about the increased levels of NPY caused by stress, but we can do somethingabout the da mage it causes. If we can interfere before it causes fat to amass, it could have a major impacton cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer (which all have links with obesity).”"