Hummus: great tasting, good for you, and a key to Middle East peace?

Image via Wikipedia

So might hummus be the key to world peace?   If it can get Lebanon and Israel together, who knows? 

From NPR:

"It took 300 chefs, hours of work and 10 tons of hummus, but on May 8, Lebanon broke the world record for the largest bowl of hummus.

This record more than doubles the last record of 4 tons held by Israel, which broke the former record of 2 tons held by Lebanon, which broke the modest record of 700 pounds held by Israel. This, in short, is the history of the Big War Of Hummus."

and later:

"The truth is, no one is really sure about the origins of hummus. Chickpeas were cultivated about 6,000 years ago in the Middle East and have been widely available there ever since. Archaeologists found the first evidence of hummus in the area that is now Israel from the time of the crusaders."

Phys Ed: Your Brain on Exercise - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

Get out there and exercise!

Phys Ed: Your Brain on Exercise - Well Blog - NYTimes.com:

"...mice given access to running wheels had about 50 percent less BMP-related brain activity within a week. They also showed a notable increase in Noggin, a beautifully named brain protein that acts as a BMP antagonist. The more Noggin in your brain, the less BMP activity exists and the more stem cell divisions and neurogenesis you experience. Mice at Northwestern whose brains were infused directly with large doses of Noggin became, Dr. Kessler says, “little mouse geniuses, if there is such a thing.” They aced the mazes and other tests.

Whether exercise directly reduces BMP activity or increases production of Noggin isn’t yet known and may not matter. The results speak for themselves. “If ever exercise enthusiasts wanted a rationale for what they’re doing, this should be it,” Dr. Kessler says. Exercise, he says, through a complex interplay with Noggin and BMP, helps to ensure that neuronal stem cells stay lively and new brain cells are born."

Fish oil may reduce risk of breast cancer

Fish oil may reduce risk of breast cancer:

"Regular use of fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, was linked with a 32 percent reduced risk of breast cancer. The reduction in risk appeared to be restricted to invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common type of the disease."

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fish oil linked to lower breast cancer risk (cnn.com)
• Fish oil may fight breast cancer (sciencenews.org)

Key mechanism links virgin olive oil to protection against breast cancer

Key mechanism links virgin olive oil to protection against breast cancer:

"Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Western countries. Research carried out with animal models demonstrate that a diet rich in fats is directly related to the incidence of cancer. Some types of fats however can play a protective role against the development of these tumours. Such is the case of virgin olive oil, rich in oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fatty acid, and containing several bioactive compounds such as antioxidants. A moderate and regular intake of virgin olive oil, characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, is associated with low incidences of specific types of cancer, including breast cancer, as well as with having a protective role against coronary diseases and other health problems.

The study carried out by UAB researchers decoded the mechanisms operating within the tumour cell and induced by the intake of olive oil, in comparison to those activated by corn oil, rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which increase the aggressiveness of tumours."

Related articles by Zemanta

• Olive Oil Protection Against Breast Cancer (findmeacure.com)
• Ode to Olive Oil (lifescript.com)
• Health Benefits of Olive Oil (food-facts.suite101.com)
• Olive Oil Could Guard Against Developing Ulcerative Colitis (lockergnome.com)
• Virgin olive oil and a Mediterranean diet fight heart disease by changing how our genes function (eurekalert.org)
• Fight Arthritis: 10 Foods That Help and Hurt (lifescript.com)

Coffee or tea: Enjoy both in moderation for heart benefits, Dutch study suggests

Image via Wikipedia

The article finds tea slightly better than coffee but both seemingly heart healthy!

Coffee or tea: Enjoy both in moderation for heart benefits, Dutch study suggests:

"Coffee and tea drinkers may not need to worry about indulging -- high and moderate consumption of tea and moderate coffee consumption are linked with reduced heart disease, according to a study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association"

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tea and coffee reduce heart disease (telegraph.co.uk)
• Moderate Coffee, Tea Drinking Lowers Heart Disease Risk (nlm.nih.gov)
• 13 Year Study: Coffee and Tea May Cut Heart Disease (themoderatevoice.com)
• Tea and coffee 'protect against heart disease' (news.bbc.co.uk)

Kids Think Food Tastes Better From Cartoon-Decorated Packages, Study Finds - ABC News

Kids Think Food Tastes Better From Cartoon-Decorated Packages, Study Finds - ABC News:

"Today, researchers from Yale University announced the results of a small study which confirmed that, to children at least, food that's marketed with cartoons tastes better."

I hope this one comes as a surprise to no one.

B vitamins linked to depression risk in older adults | Reuters

B vitamins linked to depression risk in older adults | Reuters:

"Older adults with relatively low intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 may have a higher risk of developing depression than those who get more of the nutrients, a new study suggests....Vitamin B6 is found in a range of foods, including beans, potatoes, bananas, meat, chicken, peanut butter and certain fish, like salmon and tuna."

Do not change diet plans etc on the basis of this one study...there are some relatively major weaknesses.

Rich or Poor, Nonsmokers Are Happier - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com

Rich or Poor, Nonsmokers Are Happier - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com:

"...survey data has found that smokers are less happy than nonsmokers across all income levels....Of course, this well-being gap presents a chicken-and-egg problem: to what extent are people worse off because they smoke, and to what extent do they smoke because they’re worse off?"

Brown Rice May Lower Risk of Diabetes, Says a Harvard School of Public Health Study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. - WSJ.com

Brown Rice May Lower Risk of Diabetes, Says a Harvard School of Public Health Study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. - WSJ.com:

"Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health say their study is the first to look at the relationship between rice intake and diabetes in a U.S. population. The authors based their findings on diet, lifestyle and health information from three studies covering 197,228 health-care workers, 80% of them women.

They found that eating five or more servings of white rice per week was associated with a slightly higher risk of type 2 diabetes than eating less than one serving a month. Eating two or more servings a week of brown rice, however, was associated with slightly lower risk."

Secondhand Smoke Linked to Mental Distress - US News and World Report

Secondhand Smoke Linked to Mental Distress - US News and World Report:

"As exposure to cigarette fumes increases among nonsmokers, so does their risk of developing serious psychological distress and of being hospitalized for mental ailments, a new study finds.
Click here to find out more!

Cigarette smokers have been shown to have more psychological problems than nonsmokers do, and new evidence suggests that nonsmokers who inhale high levels of secondhand smoke may experience nearly as much psychological distress as smokers...."

Burger & Fries Worsen Asthma, Study Suggests | LiveScience

Burger & Fries Worsen Asthma, Study Suggests | LiveScience

"Patients with asthma who ate a high-fat meal had increased inflammation in their airways soon afterward, and did not respond as well to treatment as those who ate a low-fat meal, the researchers found.

The results provide more evidence that environmental factors, such as diet, can influence the development of asthma, which has increased dramatically in recent years in westernized countries where high-fat diets are common."

The Whole Truth and Nutting But the Truth

The Whole Truth and Nutting But the Truth:

"Two large epidemiological studies, the Nurses’ Health Study (1) and the Adventist Health Study (2) assessed the diets of over 110,000 men and women in relation to coronary heart disease. Adjusting for other coronary heart disease risk factors, they linked the intake of five or more servings (five ounces) of nuts per week to a 35 – 50 percent reduction in risk of coronary heart disease incidence and death....

The article is not exactly new, but well done and good news.

Drinking alcohol while pregnant can increase childhood leukemia – Paging Dr. Gupta - CNN.com Blogs

Drinking alcohol while pregnant can increase childhood leukemia – Paging Dr. Gupta - CNN.com Blogs:

"Drinking mothers increase their unborn babies' risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) says a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention. Adding to the list of reasons not to drink while pregnant, the increased risk of AML in children between the ages of 0 and 4 was shown to increase in mothers that self-reported consuming one drink per week.

The study also took into account the kind of alcohol consumed. The risk remained the same regardless of the kind of alcohol. “The recommendation not to drink alcohol during pregnancy concerns all types of alcoholic beverages,” advises Dr. Paule Latino-Martel, the lead researcher for the study."

High-Carb Diet Hard on Women's Hearts | The Heart Health Blog From NutritionData.com

High-Carb Diet Hard on Women's Hearts | The Heart Health Blog From NutritionData.com

"The researchers in the study at hand found that the highest quartile of carb consumers and glycemic load had twice the rate of heart disease compared to the lowest quartile.

I've written in this column previously about the Cleave-Yudkin theory that excessive amounts of refined carbohydrates cause certain chronic systemic diseases such as heart disease. This new research supports that theory in women, but not in men. Other researchers have notice the connection in women."

We covered this back when the story broke, but thought you might like another person's view on it.

For High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder - NYTimes.com

For High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder - NYTimes.com:

"Early this year....ConAgra decided to reformulate one of its biggest brands, replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in Hunt’s ketchup with old-fashioned sugar. This month, new bottles featuring a banner proclaiming “No high fructose corn syrup” arrive in stores.

Hunt’s ketchup is among the latest in a string of major-brand products that have replaced the vilified sweetener. Gatorade, several Kraft salad dressings, Wheat Thins, Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Pepsi Throwback, Mountain Dew Throwback and the baked goods at Starbucks, to name a few, are all now made with regular sugar.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Healthy Nutrition Through Behavior Modification | World of Psychology

Healthy Nutrition Through Behavior Modification | World of Psychology:

"Many people I talk to about nutrition tell me that they barely eat, or they skip breakfast. I express my shock and tell them, this is one of your major problems! Everyone needs to eat at minimum three meals a day and occasionally include a healthy snack. If someone does not eat breakfast or skips meals, they are slowing down their metabolism and telling their body to keep the fat on...."

Inspiring 87-year-old gives valuable advice for longevity

Inspiring 87-year-old gives valuable advice for longevity

"Our golden years can be filled with energy and vitality, according to Deborah Szekely, co-founder of Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. At 87 years of age, Deborah trains three days a week with a Navy Seal and three days with a Pilates instructor. She can do 10 push-ups in less than a minute without breaking a sweat. Deborah Szekely exudes inspiration."

Pretty impressive. Read her list.

Teen girls' drinking may lead to breast problems later - USATODAY.com

Teen girls' drinking may lead to breast problems later - USATODAY.com

"Research published online April 12 in the journal Pediatrics found that girls who drank the most alcohol during their teen years ...were five times more likely to develop benign breast disease as young adults than were their peers who never drank or drank less than once a week....Study co-author Catherine Berkey, a biostatistician at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said that benign breast disease is known to boost the risk for breast cancer."

Eating high glycemic index foods may put women at higher risk for heart disease | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times

Eating high glycemic index foods may put women at higher risk for heart disease | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times

"The Italian researchers discovered that the 25% of the women who ate the most amount of carbs had about twice the risk of heart disease as the 25% who ate the least amount of carbs. In terms of quality versus quantity carbs, quality won out: eating more high-glycemic index foods was more strongly linked with a greater risk of coronary heart disease than eating low-glycemic index foods. In the study, the authors wrote, "a high consumption of carbohydrates from high-glycemic index foods, rather than the overall quantity of carbohydrates consumed, appears to influence the risk of developing coronary heart disease."

The same corollaries between eating carbs, glycemic index and glycemic load were not found for men. "

mmm...let's stay tuned for the male study before putting too much weight on the last statement.

Is saturated fat back on the hook? | NutritionData.com Blog by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S.

Trying to peacefully solve the conflicts between whether saturated fat does or does not cause heart problems NutritionData's Monica Reinagel offers the following:

Is saturated fat back on the hook? | NutritionData.com Blog by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S.:

"Where does this leave the non-ideologue who is just trying to figure out what to eat today? Let me try to save you some neck pain. These ground rules are unlikely to change:

1. I think everyone can agree that too many refined carbohydrates is a big problem. Limit them.

2. Trans fats (from hydrogenated oils) are bad news. Avoid them.

3. In the context of a typical Western diet, shifting some of your fat intake from saturated fats (from animals) to polyunsaturated fats (from vegetable oils) appears to have some advantages in terms of heart health. But I would argue that monounsaturated fats (olive oil) and omega-3 fat (fish and flax) are even better replacement

s."