ParkandShopBlog

Quick Benefit to Smoking Halt, With a Caveat, Study Finds - New York Times

2008-05-09T13:04:00.000-04:00

Quick Benefit to Smoking Halt, With a Caveat, Study Finds - New York Times:

"Women who stop smoking can enjoy major health benefits within five years, but it can take decades to correct respiratory damage and shed the added risk of lung cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday."

Please don't smoke. I have been trying for years to get the stores to remove them completely. It is a slow process, but you can help! Complain to the store manager and write to the main office!

Drinking Loads Of Water Does Not Seem To Improve Health

2008-04-03T13:40:00.000-04:00

Drinking Loads Of Water Does Not Seem To Improve Health:

"There is little evidence that drinking loads of water, a recommended 8 glasses of 8 ounces (8x8) per day, improves your health, say scientists from the University of Pennsylvania. The two kidney experts explained that unless you are an athlete or live in a hot place, drinking extra water may be a waste of time.

You can read about this study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, April 2nd online issue. The Editorial will be published in the journal's June, 2008 issue."

Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

2008-02-10T01:55:00.000-05:00

I heard this on Paul Harvey today. 2 glasses a day seems like a lot, but....

Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure:

"Drinking two cups of beet juice a day may reduce blood pressure, a study shows.

The British researchers who conducted the study say the findings add even more weight to the importance of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

That's because beets (known as beetroot in Britain) are loaded with the nutrient nitrate. Spinach, lettuce, and other green, leafy vegetables also have high levels of nitrate.

Previous studies have shown that eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables lowers blood pressure. Antioxidants often get the credit, but several recent studies have suggested that nitrates may play a much bigger role. How nitrates work to lower blood pressure has been more of mystery"

BBC NEWS | Health | Sedentary life 'speeds up ageing'

2008-01-30T01:54:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Health | Sedentary life 'speeds up ageing':

"Leading a sedentary lifestyle may make us genetically old before our time, a study suggests.

A study of twins found those who were physically active during their leisure time appeared biologically younger than their sedentary peers."

Please watch what you eat!

2008-01-22T23:46:00.000-05:00

We want to keep our customers! ;)

From US News

"Western" diet heavy in meat, fried foods and refined grains puts people at higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, the collection of risk factors for heart problems, stroke and type 2 diabetes, a new study found....This is a red-alert wake-up call," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved with the study. "I love that they call this a Western diet. It's the perspective that we, as Americans, cannot eat any worse."

The findings were published in the Jan. 22 issue of Circulation.

Watch caffeine if pregnant!

2008-01-22T23:43:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times:

"Too much caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, a new study says, and it suggests that pregnant women may want to reduce their intake or cut it out entirely. "

No more plastic?

2008-01-22T23:34:00.000-05:00

Plastic bags may be going the way of the dinosaur.

From the NY Times:

"The Whole Foods Market chain said Tuesday that it would stop offering plastic grocery bags, giving customers instead a choice between recycled paper or reusable bags.

A rising number of governments and retailers are banning plastic bags, or discouraging their use, because of concerns about their environmental impact. San Francisco banned plastic bags last year unless they are of a type that breaks down easily. China announced a crackdown on plastic bags a few weeks ago, while other governments, including New York City’s, are making sure retailers offer plastic bag recycling."

New item you have to try!

2008-01-17T12:42:00.000-05:00

Just picked up Grape Nuts Maple and Brown Sugar Trail Mix Crunch. I usually am not a fan of Grape Nuts, but these are REALLY good!! And on sale this week too...

Fish oil capsules pack same omega-3 punch as fish - Yahoo! News

2007-12-30T01:20:00.000-05:00

Fish oil capsules pack same omega-3 punch as fish - Yahoo! News:

"Fish oil capsules and fatty fish do an equally good job of enriching the blood and other body tissues with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, new findings suggest.

But the findings can't be interpreted to mean that capsules and fish are equally good for the heart, Dr. William S. Harris, who was involved in the research, told Reuters Health."

I am surprised at the headline....I have to agree with Dr. Harris.

Studies show yoga has multiple benefits - Yahoo! News

2007-12-30T01:19:00.000-05:00

Studies show yoga has multiple benefits - Yahoo! News:

"Yoga induces a feeling of well-being in healthy people, and can reverse the clinical and biochemical changes associated with metabolic syndrome, according to results of studies from Sweden and India. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar."

And later in the same piece:

"In the second study, published online December 19 in BioMed Central Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Dr. Anette Kjellgren from the University of Karlstad, Sweden and colleagues evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga-like breathing exercises on healthy volunteers.....At the end of the study period, feelings of anxiety, stress and depression were significantly lower and levels of optimism significantly higher in the yoga group compared to the control group...probably due to an increase in antioxidants and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they suggest."

High Meat Consumption Linked to Heightened Cancer Risk

2007-12-12T08:11:00.000-05:00

High Meat Consumption Linked to Heightened Cancer Risk:

"Red and processed meats have been associated with an elevated risk with colorectal cancer. We investigated whether this association was also evident for cancers at other anatomic sites,' explained lead author Amanda Cross, an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). 'This is the largest study to look at the effect of red and processed meat on multiple cancer sites, including rarer cancers, such as laryngeal and liver cancer.'"

Stockton Athletic Training: Sports Nutrition Newsletter: 12-02

2007-12-08T01:34:00.000-05:00

Stockton Athletic Training: Sports Nutrition Newsletter:

"10 Foods Every Athlete Should Eat! By Nancy Brinch, MS, RD, LSW
1. Whole Grain Bread"

High Quality Walnut Crop Moves Into Market: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

2007-11-25T17:27:00.000-05:00

High Quality Walnut Crop Moves Into Market: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance:

"Walnuts are high on the radar because over 14 years of clinical research has increasingly shown walnuts to be good for the heart, bones and even aid in weight management and the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Unique among nuts, with high concentrations of Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and important polyunsaturated fats, research is showing that a handful of walnuts a day can provide very important health benefits,” says Dennis Balint, executive director of the Walnut Marketing Board."

Bolthouse Farms "C-Boost Fruit Smoothie"

2007-11-24T01:15:00.000-05:00

You just have to try this. It is delicious!!

Bolthouse Farms "C-Boost Fruit Smoothie":

"You'll find that our C-Boost not only helps promote a healthy Immune System but that it's also incredibly delicious. It tastes like a smoothie that you might find while on vacation in the Caribbean. It's thicker, smoother and fresher tasting, almost to the point where it tastes like is was just blended. This delicious flavor is likely to be new to your palate. That's because it's blended with Acerola Cherries and Camu Camu; fruits primarily grown and enjoyed in the tropics. We hope you find the taste as enjoyable as we have."

Cholesterol and Exercise - Watch WebMD Video

2007-11-11T00:40:00.000-05:00

Cholesterol and Exercise - Watch WebMD Video: " You don’t have to sweat buckets to lower your cholesterol. We hit the gym to find the best way to lower your numbers."

Dark Chocolate Fights Heart Woes

2007-11-11T00:37:00.000-05:00

Dark Chocolate Fights Heart Woes: From WebMD

"There's more good news for chocolate lovers. A Japanese study suggests that dark chocolate can improve blood flow to heart muscle. That's important because improved coronary blood flow mitigates the risk of chronic chest pain, or angina, and heart attacks, says Yumi Shiina, PhD, of Chiba University in Chiba, Japan."

Medical News: AHA: Energy Drinks Amp Up Blood Pressure - in Meeting Coverage, AHA from MedPage Today

2007-11-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

Medical News: AHA: Energy Drinks Amp Up Blood Pressure - in Meeting Coverage, AHA from MedPage Today:

"Energy drinks boost blood pressure in even the young and healthy people and may leave hypertensive adults more charged up than they bargained for, researchers said here. Consumption of two energy drinks a day increased systolic blood pressure by 10 mm Hg and heart rate by five to seven beats per minute, according to a small study reported at the American Heart Association meeting."

A very important point late in the article:

"...the main compounds implicated in the cardiovascular alterations -- caffeine and taurine -- are consistent ingredients across brands. This suggests the findings are likely generalizable across energy drinks, though not to sports drinks, which typically do not have caffeine, Dr. Kalus said."

This is an early study (in fact it is not yet published) but definitely an expected result.

High-fat Atkins diet damages blood vessels: study - Yahoo! News

2007-11-07T01:06:00.000-05:00

High-fat Atkins diet damages blood vessels: study - Yahoo! News:

"The high-fat Atkins diet can cause long-term damage to blood vessels, as well as some of the inflammation linked with heart and artery disease, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

In contrast, low-fat regimens such as the South Beach and Ornish diets lowered cholesterol and appeared to benefit artery function, they said.

Boiled Peanuts Whip Other Peanuts

2007-10-30T01:01:00.000-04:00

From WebMD:
Boiled Peanuts Whip Other Peanuts:

"Boiled peanuts may be the cream of the crop, besting raw peanuts or roasted peanuts in terms of nutrition. That news comes from food scientists in Alabama, who ought to know about boiled peanuts, which are a Southern snack. The researchers -- who included graduate student Yvonne Chukwumah and Lloyd Walker, PhD, of Alabama A&M University -- bought peanuts at a grocery store. Their shopping list included raw Virginia peanuts in the shell, raw peanut kernels, and commercially boiled peanuts."

Boiled peanuts are also great tasting!

10 Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

2007-10-24T15:46:00.000-04:00

10 Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds: "This Halloween, don't forget to save those pumpkin seeds"

Thanks to SportsGeezer for this link.

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Clear smoking link' to cot death

2007-10-15T23:50:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS Health 'Clear smoking link' to cot death:

" The risk increased if the baby was exposed once born Almost nine out of ten
mothers who lose a baby to cot death smoked while pregnant, say researchers. The
Bristol University team said the risk also increased with every hour babies were
exposed to passive smoke after birth. The risk increased if the baby was exposed
once born Almost nine out of ten mothers who lose a baby to cot death smoked
while pregnant, say researchers. The Bristol University team said the risk also
increased with every hour babies were exposed to passive smoke after birth. "

Home Spray Cleaners Could Raise Asthma Risk

2007-10-15T00:16:00.000-04:00

Home Spray Cleaners Could Raise Asthma Risk: "

Using household cleaning sprays and spray air fresheners just once a week can increase your risk of developing asthma, new research suggests. Whether or not the cleaning products are a direct cause of asthma, or simply a trigger for people who already have the disease, isn't clear from this epidemiological study."

ScienceDaily: Potatoes Chock Full Of Phytochemicals

2007-10-14T17:58:00.000-04:00

ScienceDaily: Potatoes Chock Full Of Phytochemicals: "

Using a new analytical method, ARS plant geneticist Roy Navarre and colleagues in Washington State and Oregon have identified 60 different kinds of phytochemicals and vitamins in the skins and flesh of 100 wild and commercially grown potatoes. The team's analysis of Red and Norkotah potatoes, for example, revealed that the spuds' total dietary-phenolics content rivaled that of broccoli, spinach and brussel sprouts. These phenols included the flavonoids subgroup, which may play a role in helping diminish cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certain cancers, notes Navarre, at the ARS Vegetable and Forage Crops Research Unit in Prosser, Wash."

ScienceDaily: Red Wine And Grape Juice Help Defend Against Food-borne Diseases, Study Suggests

2007-10-14T01:20:00.000-04:00

ScienceDaily: Red Wine And Grape Juice Help Defend Against Food-borne Diseases, Study Suggests:

"Researchers Azlin Mustapha, associate professor of food science in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Atreyee Das, a doctoral student in the food science program, are conducting on-going studies examining the inhibitory effects of numerous types of red wines, as well as grape juice, against pathogens and probiotic bacteria, which naturally reside in the intestinal tract and can be beneficial in combating, among other things, high cholesterol and tumors. They found that red wines – Cabernet, Zinfandel and Merlot in particular – have anti-microbial properties that defend against food-borne pathogens and don’t harm naturally useful bacteria like probiotic bacteria."

CTV.ca | Too much sleep as harmful as not enough: study

2007-09-26T01:11:00.000-04:00

CTV.ca | Too much sleep as harmful as not enough: study:

"Lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from heart disease, according to a large British study, among the first to link duration of sleep and mortality. But too much sleep can also be harmful, according to the study, which was released on Monday."