Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet: It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Researchers

Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet: It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Researchers:

"In an article soon to be published by the journal Endocrinology, the researchers suggest that this high-fat diet could contribute to obesity, not only through its high caloric content, but also by disrupting the phases and daily rhythm of clock genes. They contend also that high fat-induced changes in the clock and the adiponectin signaling pathway may help explain the disruption of other clock-controlled systems associated with metabolic disorders, such as blood pressure levels and the sleep/wake cycle."

Supplements May Not Cut Cancer Risk

With apologies to the Four Tops, it is the same old song....

Supplements May Not Cut Cancer Risk:

"For the second time in two months, new research shows no signs of cancer prevention from taking certain vitamin supplements.

In November, scientists noted no cancer benefits in male doctors assigned to take vitamin C or vitamin E pills. Now, other researchers report similar results in women at high risk of heart disease who took vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene supplements.

The new study 'provides little or no evidence that such vitamin supplementation as tested offers any measurable preventive impact on cancer in women,' states an editorial published with the study in the Jan. 7, 2009, edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute."

As I have said before, I am really not sure what to make of all of these studies. The preponderance of recent evidence suggests that vitamin supplementation has little benefit. BUT how can we throw away earlier evidence? That said, maintain that eating fruits and vegetables appears (at least for now) to be the best advice we can get.

New BonaResponds Window Display

New BonaResponds Window Display
Originally uploaded by FinanceProfessor

If you are in the Allegany area, it is worth stopping in to see the new BonaResponds window display.

Sports Nutrition and TrainingExercise, Nutrition, and Healthy Bones

PowerBar : Sports Nutrition and TrainingExercise, Nutrition, and Healthy Bones:

"Studies suggest that higher-impact, weight-bearing sports and activities prior to and during puberty seem to be most effective at building stronger bones. Activities that involve jumping are particularly useful. Thus, a key strategy for helping to ensure a lifetime of strong bones is to maximize bone mineral density during the adolescent growth spurt and in early adulthood by encouraging regular participation in a variety of physical activities and sports."

And later:

"Fortunately, exercise seems to have a positive effect on bone mass throughout the adult years. Most studies of the relationship between exercise and bone mineral density have been conducted in women because they have a greater risk of suffering a bone fracture with age in comparison to men. The studies suggest that whether you walk, jog, or run, these weight-bearing exercises tend to have a positive impact on bone mass. And this seems to be true for women before and after menopause. Progressive resistance training using lifts that load the hip and back may be even more effective for building bone mineral density in premenopausal and postmenopausal women"

So get out there and go for a walk. Have no time? Combine walking with other activities. For instance, Walk to the store instead of driving. Or Walk to the post office. You will get more done, and help your bones at the same time!

How Certain Vegetables Combat Cancer

How Certain Vegetables Combat Cancer: "

"While it has been known for some time that eating cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, can help prevent breast cancer, the mechanism by which the active substances in these vegetables inhibit cell proliferation was unknown — until now.

Scientists in the UC Santa Barbara laboratories ......[the] paper focuses on the anti-cancer activity of one of these compounds, called sulforaphane, or SFN,' Azarenko added. 'It has already been shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumors in animals. It inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death.'

Azarenko made the surprising discovery that SFN inhibits the proliferation of human tumor cells by a mechanism similar to the way that the anticancer drugs taxol and vincristine inhibit cell division during mitosis. Mitosis is the process in which the duplicated DNA in the form of chromosomes is accurately distributed to the two daughter cells when a cell divides."

Chocolate, Wine And Tea Improve Brain Performance

From ScienceDaily: Chocolate, Wine And Tea Improve Brain Performance:

"Participants filled in information about their habitual food intake and underwent a battery of cognitive tests.Those who consumed chocolate, wine, or tea had significantly better mean test scores and lower prevalence of poor cognitive performance than those who did not. The team reported their findings in the Journal of Nutrition.

The role of micronutrients in age-related cognitive decline is being increasingly studied. Fruits and beverages such as tea, red wine, cocoa, and coffee are major dietary sources of polyphenols, micronutrients found in plant-derived foods."

BBC NEWS | Health | Skipping sleep 'hardens arteries'

BBC NEWS | Health | Skipping sleep 'hardens arteries':

"Calcified arteries were found in nearly a third of people who slept fewer than five hours a night.

This dropped to around one in 10 for those who slept an extra hour, the Journal of the American Medical Association study of 495 adults found....

Lead researcher Dr Diane Lauderdale, of the University of Chicago, said there were several possible explanations for the link that they found...Firstly, there may be some factor not yet identified that can both reduce sleep duration and increase calcification.

Or it might be down to blood pressure - high blood pressure increases the likelihood of calcification and blood pressure goes down during sleep. Alternatively, stress or a stress hormone like cortisol, which has been tied to decreased sleep and increased calcification, may play a role."

The Naughty List of Holiday Foods Slideshow

The Naughty List of Holiday Foods Slideshow:

"Tis the season of temptation – and evidence suggests most of us give in. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows the average person puts on a pound during the holidays and never loses it. This adds up to serious weight gain over the years. And for those with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, landmines abound on the dinner table. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid the holiday food trap. See WebMD’s list of foods that are naughty and nice.

"

Stand Up For Your Health -- Physiologists And Microbiologists Find Link Between Sitting And Poor Health

Can it really be this easy? Stand up!

Stand Up For Your Health -- Physiologists And Microbiologists Find Link Between Sitting And Poor Health:

"The existing data, by numerous studies, are starting to show that the rates of heart disease and diabetes and obesity are doubled or sometimes even tripled in people who sit a lot,' Dr. Hamilton explains. One reason, he says, is an enzyme called lipase. When it's on, fat is absorbed into the muscles, but when we sit down, lipase virtually shuts off.

'Instead, the fat will recirculate in the blood stream and go and be stored as body fat or it can clog arteries and cause diseases,' Dr. Hamilton says. And it's not a small amount of fat. Plasma samples were taken from the same person after eating the same meal. When they ate sitting down, the sample was cloudy, but when they ate while standing up, it was clear."

Wow. This is interesting. Can you imagine how wrong we might have been on so many things. For instance, and I have ZERO ZERO ZERO evidence of this, what if we could eat fats while standing without any problem, but the same fat taken while sitting is a problem. Time to throw away the chairs!

Not All Fats Are Created Equal

Yeah, yeah. We know that. We know that trans-fat lead to increased heart risk etc. SO what is new? The University of Montreal's Nadiah Moussavi's thesis on whether type of fat influences body weight. Lo and behold, the same types of fat that are bad for your heart, also pack on more weight.

From ScienceDaily:Not All Fats Are Created Equal:

"...in the countries where mono-unsaturated fats, found in olive oil, formed an integral part of the diet, no or few people were found to be overweight.

Countries where the obesity rate was high and the consumption of mono-unsaturated fat low included Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Peru. Countries such as France, Denmark and Italy showed an ideal portrait – low rates of obesity with a high consumption of mono-unsaturated fats."

and later:

"...37.8 percent of American women were obese, and ate 152.2 grams of fat daily, of which 45.9 grams were mono-unsaturated. Other factors, admits Moussavi, must also be taken into consideration, such as family history, amount of exercise, consumption of fruit and vegetables."

Selenium, Vitamin E Do Not Prevent Prostate Cancer, Study Concludes

Still more bad news for vitamin makers and takers. From ScienceDaily:

Selenium, Vitamin E Do Not Prevent Prostate Cancer, Study Concludes:

"Findings from one of the largest cancer chemoprevention trials ever conducted have concluded that selenium and vitamin E taken alone or in combination for an average of five and a half years did not prevent prostate cancer, according to a team of researchers coordinated by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic."

Study: A Few Extra Pounds = Big Heart Risk, CBS Evening News: New Findings Show That Being Just A Little Pudgy Can Raise Heart Failure Risk By 49 Percent - CBS News

Study: A Few Extra Pounds = Big Heart Risk, CBS Evening News: New Findings Show That Being Just A Little Pudgy Can Raise Heart Failure Risk

"The findings of this major national study - analyzing two decades of data tracking the health of 21,000 middle-aged American men, all of them doctors - are a sobering jolt for all men.

'...but just being overweight increases the risk of heart failure by 49 percent,' said Dr. Satish Kenchaiah, a researcher for the study.

For example: take an average man of 5'10.' As the scale goes up, so does his risk of heart disease - even if he's only modestly overweight, between 174 and 208 pounds....

Morotti said: "The bottom line is you need to make time to work out." "

Healthy breakfast may mean healthier diet overall - Yahoo! News

On a day I had a cookie for breakfast, this reminder (in the form of a new study) crosses my desk...lol

Healthy breakfast may mean healthier diet overall - Yahoo! News:

"Breakfast may indeed be the most important meal of the day -- as long as that meal is not a doughnut -- a study suggests.

Using data from a national health survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that people who ate lower-calorie foods for breakfast tended to have a higher-quality diet overall.

Furthermore, men who ate a healthy breakfast generally weighed less. Among women, breakfast eaters -- regardless of the food involved -- tended to weigh less than those who skipped the morning meal.

The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, give some support to past studies finding that breakfast eaters are less likely to be overweight -- and that eating a high-quality breakfast, rather than grabbing a pastry, is the key."

Low Dose Of Caffeine When Pregnant May Damage Heart Of Offspring For A Lifetime

Wow!! If confirmed, this is huge.

Low Dose Of Caffeine When Pregnant May Damage Heart Of Offspring For A Lifetime:

"A new study shows that the equivalent of one dose of caffeine (just two cups of coffee) ingested during pregnancy may be enough to affect fetal heart development and then reduce heart function over the entire lifespan of the child. In addition, the researchers also found that this relatively minimal amount of exposure may lead to higher body fat among males, when compared to those who were not exposed to caffeine."

Smoking Ups Colon Cancer Risk - washingtonpost.com

Remember it is my New Years' Resolution to rid at least the Allegany Store of all tobacco in 2009. Help me do it! Mention it to the managers when in any Park and Shop.

Smoking Ups Colon Cancer Risk - washingtonpost.com:

"Adding to the long list of cancers caused by smoking, Italian researchers report that the risk of getting colorectal cancer is higher in smokers, as is the risk of dying from that disease."

Study Boosts Low-Glycemic Diet - TIME

Study Boosts Low-Glycemic Diet - TIME:

"Dr. David Jenkins at the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital and his colleagues report that a low-glycemic-index diet — including foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, flaxseed and quinoa — is better at lowering blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes than a high-fiber diet."

Doing good for our neighbors

In the best economic times, some people need a hand, but with the economy bad even more help is needed. Unfortunately it is when the help is often least forthcoming. So if we all do a little, things will be ok.

It is in that spirit that BonaResponds and the Allegany Park and Shop have teamed up to run collections to help the local community. All you have to do is to drop the items off at the collection boxes at the front of the store and BonaResponds will make sure the donations get to their proper spots.

1. Food for the Olean Food Pantry. Need I say any more. Direct food to those in need.

2. Pet food, towels, sheets, laundry soap, and cleaning supplies for the Cattaraugus County SPCA. The next delivery is planned for this Saturday so if you could drop off your items before

3. Change the world! Instead of having to empty your pockets of change before bed, donate your loose change to BonaResponds and help Change the world!

There is a small collection bucket at the service desk of the Allegany Park and Shop. Money collected goes directly to help fund BonaResponds (and it is used before any fees etc so 100% goes directly to help).

How do such small donations matter? They add up! For instance in the fall we had two local service days where all volunteers were fed from these small change donations.




This is being cross-posted on both the BonaResponds blog and the Park and Shop blog.

Mediterranean Diet Enriched With Nuts Cuts Heart Risks - US News and World Report

Mediterranean Diet Enriched With Nuts Cuts Heart Risks - US News and World Report:

"At the start of the study, 61.4 percent of the participants met criteria for metabolic syndrome. After one year, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome decreased by 13.7 percent in the mixed nut group, by 6.7 percent in the olive oil group, and by 2 percent in the control group.

There were no weight changes in any of the groups over the one-year study period. But the number of people with large waist circumference, high triglycerides or high blood pressure significantly decreased in the Mediterranean diet/mixed nuts group compared with the control group. This suggests that the Mediterranean diet with mixed nuts improves certain features of metabolic syndrome, such as oxygen-related cell damage, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation, the researchers said."

A few new items worth mentioning

A few new items that definitely deserve mentioning:

Fiber One - Toasters Pastries

Like Pop Tarts, their more famous role model, these come six to a box and two in a small foil pouch. They have no trans fat, are high in fiber, and make a better snack items than most pastries.

Healthy Choice Mixers. These are in the pasta section but are great to keep in your desk or elsewhere for when you miss a lunch or can't get home for dinner.

The final one is Natural Directions Organic Cinnamon Applesauce. Wow is about all I can say for this one. VERY good. A bit more expensive than regular applesauce, but very good. I could not find a link to it, but will tell you that I ate almost the whole jar in one day. VERY good.

Drink Brewed Tea To Avoid Tooth Erosion, Study Suggests

Drink Brewed Tea To Avoid Tooth Erosion, Study Suggests:

"This study clearly shows that brewed teas resulted in dramatically less enamel loss than soft drinks and acidic juices,' says Dr. Ross. 'I would highly recommend patients choose tea as an alternative to more erosive drinks like soda and fruit juice."

Eating Eggs When Pregnant may be good for offspring

Interesting study. Short version: extra eggs (they contain choline) while pregnant MAY (can not stress that enough, MAY) influence the type of cancer (slow growth as opposed to fast growth) that offspring have. BUT very early study.

Eating Eggs When Pregnant Affects Breast Cancer In Offspring:

"Although animals in all groups developed mammary cancer, the daughters of mothers that had received extra choline during pregnancy had slow growing tumors while daughters of mothers that had no choline during pregnancy had fast growing tumors.

'Our study provides additional support for the notion that choline is an important nutrient that has to be considered when dietary guidelines are developed,' said Krzysztof Blusztajn, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology at Boston University and the study's senior researcher. 'We hope it will be possible to develop nutritional guidelines for pregnant women that ensure the good health of their offspring well into old age."

Too Little Vitamin D Puts Heart at Risk

Too Little Vitamin D Puts Heart at Risk:

"Researchers say a growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of heart disease and is linked to other, well-known heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

For example, several large studies have shown that people with low vitamin D levels were twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other heart-related event during follow-up, compared with those with higher vitamin D levels.

'Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated,' says researcher James H. O'Keefe, MD, director of preventive cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., in a news release. 'Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive.'"

Well - Eating Only Organic Food for Three Years - NYTimes.com

Well - Eating Only Organic Food for Three Years - NYTimes.com:

"Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might improve his own health.

Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and nutrients."

Which is a nice excuse to remind you that there is a new organic section in our Allegany store. Be sure to check it out.

More uncertainty with respect to anti-oxidants

Not sure what to make of this. For one it says that the previous studies of vegetables may or may not be true. Secondly it does not address quality of life. Thirdly, it may ignore interactions of mind, stress, and other things. For instance, suppose that taking vitamins gives you some sense of power over conditions. This lowers stress, which lowers depression, which lowers heart problems and the like. Is it then the vitamins doing it, or not? This cannot be studied in this test since it only looks at worms.

BBC NEWS | Health | Antioxidants 'cannot slow ageing':

"Using Nematode worms, scientists found even those given enhanced antioxidant powers to deal with tissue damaging 'free radicals' did not live longer.

The team from University College London said, in the Genes and Development journal, there was 'no clear evidence' they could slow ageing."

Another reason to be happy!

Depression leads to internal fat in 70-somethings - Yahoo! News: "

People with depression were twice as likely as others to gain visceral fat — the kind that surrounds internal organs and often shows up as belly fat. It raises the risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Previous research has linked depression with those same health problems. Some researchers believe depression triggers high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which promotes visceral fat. The cortisol connection may explain the findings, Kritchevsky said.

The research, published in Monday's Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first large study to track people over time to see if those with depression were more likely to gain weight."