Candied yams or Candied Sweet Potatoes? « Inside Adams

From the Library of Congress no less:
Candied yams or Candied Sweet Potatoes? « Inside Adams:

"What we call a yam in the United States (e.g., garnet yam or jewel yam) is in fact a softer variety of sweet potatoes. True yams, native to African and Asia, are drier and starchier than sweet potatoes.

To supplement this culinary history, I needed to understand the botanical relationships between the two. Botanically, a sweet potato and a yam are both flowering plants, but that is where the similarity ends. Yams are closely related to lilies and grasses, while sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family."

Eating for Longevity: Foods for a Long, Healthy Life

Eating for Longevity: Foods for a Long, Healthy Life:

"A growing body of findings suggests that diet is one of the important contributors to longevity and a healthy life. WebMD examined the research and talked to the experts. Here’s what’s on the menu of people who enjoy long and healthy lives."

The entire article is here.

All the normal things on the list: fruits and vegetables, nuts, berries, etc. Good advice!

Calorie culprit might be home cooking

Calorie culprit might be home cooking:

"The study looked at 18 recipes that have stayed basically the same over the past 70 years. Among the recipes were holiday staples like apple pie and sugar cookies. Calories increased for all but one of those recipes - chili con carne. Some of the recipes called for more fat and sugar than the 1936 originals, but in almost all cases, calories increased simply because the serving sizes were larger."

Taste, do not gorge. Or as the saying goes "a polite bite".

Jeff Galloway's Blog

Jeff Galloway's Blog:

"It's possible to keep your training on track, even with holiday distractions. Here are some tips that have helped many runners maintain conditioning even with holiday temptations. You'd be surprised, but even very short workouts on maintenance days can maintain your fitness, relieve stress, inject more energy and allow you to feel better during holiday festivities."

Alcohol consumption increases risk of breast cancer recurrence, study finds

Alcohol consumption increases risk of breast cancer recurrence, study finds:

"Moderate to heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (at least three to four drinks per week) is associated with a 1.3-fold increased risk of breast cancer recurrence.... Drinking less than three drinks per week was not associated with an increased risk...Previous research has shown that consumption of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but there are limited studies to date about alcohol's role in patient prognosis and survival among those already diagnosed with breast cancer.."

Diet Myth or Truth: Fasting Is Effective for Weight Loss

Diet Myth or Truth: Fasting Is Effective for Weight Loss:

"It's true that fasting -- that is, eating little to no food -- will result in weight loss, at least in the short term. But the risks far outweigh any benefits, and ultimately, fasting can cause more harm than good."

Health Benefits of Mushrooms

As I sit eating Portabella mushrooms I decided I should probably see if there is any news on mushrooms. And hat do you know, they seem to be good for you!

Health Benefits of Mushrooms:

"Mushrooms are an excellent source of potassium, a mineral that helps lower elevated blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. One medium portabella mushroom has even more potassium than a banana or a glass of orange juice. One serving of mushrooms also provides about 20 to 40 percent of the daily value of copper, a mineral that has cardioprotective properties.

Mushrooms are a rich source of riboflavin, niacin, and selenium. Selenium is an antioxidant that works with vitamin E to protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. Male health professionals who consumed twice the recommended daily intake of selenium cut their risk of prostate cancer by 65 percent."

Smoking costs final on Vimeo

The beginning is ok, the end sort of weak.

Smoking costs final on Vimeo:

"Professor Kenneth A. Perkins, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, delves into the behavioral economics of cigarettes, with video collected by Marketplace's Tim Werth"

Smoking costs final from Marketplace on Vimeo.

Is Folic acid dangerous? Maybe. Definitely worth more study!

Folic Acid Supplementation has had a rough few months.

A sampling of the newest research:

From today's NY Times:
"Vital Signs - Study Raises Cancer Concerns in Big Doses of Folic Acid - NYTimes.com:

"The latest study, published in the Nov. 18 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, monitored the same patients through 2007. It found that 10 percent of patients who had been treated with folic acid and vitamin B 12 had developed cancer, compared with 8.4 percent of those who had not received the treatment, an increased risk of 21 percent.""

This was also reported in the LA Times:

Folic acid and cancer: New data might add to suspicion or, better, to discussion | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times: "

Researchers in Norway analyzed data from 6,837 people with ischemic heart disease treated with folic acid, B6 and B12; folic acid and B12; just B6 or a placebo. Those treated with folic acid and B12 had higher rates of cancer, cancer deaths and deaths in general over the course of several years. Lung cancer contributed significantly to the cancer numbers."

The actual paper is from the Journal of American Medical Association:

"....Conclusion Treatment with folic acid plus vitamin B₁₂ was associated with increased cancer outcomes and all-cause mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease in Norway"

Dr. Furhman goes further referring to previous studies (smaller) that also found a relationship with folic acid and cancer. Furhman makes major efforts to say that these findings are based on synthetic folic acid and not folates in fruits and vegetables.

"Paradoxically, in people who do not take folic acid supplements there is inverse relationship between dietary folate intake and breast and prostate cancer.^14,3 Folate is an essential nutrient with vital functions. It is probable that folate levels need to be tightly regulated by the body – that the timing and dose of folate is an important determinant of whether folate has positive or negative effects. Folate's actions on DNA may prevent cancer from initiating, but may also promote the proliferation of tumor cells that may already present.¹⁵ Luckily, getting our folate exclusively from food ensures that we do not get too much. It comes naturally packaged in balance with other micronutrients and the body regulates its absorption.^9"

If that were not enough,, there is also evidence that excess folic acid during the latter part of pregnancy may lead to increase asthma risk: MedGuru citing an article in the Journal of Epidemiolgy reports that

"The researchers found that women who took folic acid supplements between 16 to 30 weeks of the pregnancy were 30 percent more likely to give birth to a child who could develop breathing problem like asthma by the time he reaches three years of age.

On the other hand, women who took the folic acid supplements prior to conception or just few weeks after conception had no such risk."

So what to do? Given the numerous tests have shown a reduction of birth defects from folic acid and those in the cancer studies were taking larger than recommended doses. As the Guardian concludes:

"If you're thinking of having a baby or are already pregnant, it's recommended that you take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, from the time you stop using contraception until week 12 of your pregnancy. In the study, the people who developed cancer had been taking double this dose for several years.

Even so, the supplements used in the study were within the supposedly safe limit for folic acid, which was thought to be around 1,000 micrograms per day. Most people get less than this. A typical British person probably gets around 302 micrograms a day, including natural folate from vegetables, and from folic acid added to foods like breakfast cereals."

Thus, I would definitely suggest asking your doctor about it one way or the other and be sure to mention these recent studies, (S)he may not have seen them yet.