Diet, Exercise Better Than Vitamins in Promoting Health

Harvard men's health watch is telling everyone how dangerous vitamin supplements are. Unfortunately they are not kidding!

Please know that although we have our references to try to refute these statements, your patient's families will be hearing this stuff.

While it was once hoped that supplements of folic acid could help reduce colon cancer, new research has shown that taking more than the minimum daily requirement would be harmful. Simon says other studies underscore the downside to dietary supplements, which are unregulated in the United States. "The most striking example is beta carotene, which we used to be very hopeful about, but actually increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Vitamin E increases the risk of second head-neck cancers in people who have been successfully treated for a first malignancy."

The truth is that the folic acid most get in supplements is not the natural form that is called 5'MTHFR (Metafolin by Merck of Germany) and since it is over $12,000 a Kilogram it is not in most supplements. Read more...

Immunice for Immune Support

Diet, Exercise Thwart Diabetes: Study

(HealthDay News) -- Diet and exercise can keep diabetes at bay for a decade, cutting the risk for the disease by more than a third in the most susceptible people, a new study finds.

About 11 percent of U.S. adults (24 million) have diabetes, mostly type 2, which is linked to poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. In addition, 57 million overweight adults have higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, which raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke and the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

But new research, published in the Oct. 29 online edition of The Lancet, shows that losing weight and exercising can delay or prevent the onset of diabetes more effectively than the prescription drug metformin or a placebo. Read more...

Lose Weight Permanently.

RICH MEALS, POOR SLEEP - More Fat You Eat, Less Soundly You Sleep

Tired of tossing and turning at night? To enjoy more peaceful sleep, try trimming fat from your meals. New research links higher fat intake -- especially at dinner -- with lighter sleep, interrupted breathing and restless dreams. Read more >>

Health Tip: Be Wary of Fad Diets

(HealthDay News) -- If you're looking to help kick start your weight loss program, it's important to carefully research a diet plan before you commit to one.

Look for these warning signs of an unhealthy fad diet, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• A diet that promises very fast weight loss -- anything more than a pound or two per week.
• A diet that promises weight loss without changing diet habits or engaging in an exercise program.
• A diet that is promoted by "scientific" testimonials and pictures of "before" and "after" success stories.
• A diet that involves expensive seminars, medications, or pre-made meals.
• A diet that focuses on very few acceptable foods, and doesn't focus on a healthy, balanced diet.
• A diet that points to simple explanations drawn from confusing research.

Go Ahead, Eat a Big Breakfast

Hard to believe, but there could be a benefit to loading up your breakfast plate . . . Read more

Food for thought: Thinking makes us pig out

Study: Intellectual activities make people eat more than when resting
By Robert Roy Britt

Food for thought: Intellectual activities make people eat more than when just resting, according to a study that sheds new light on brain food.

This finding might also help explain the obesity epidemic of an increasingly sedentary society in which people still have to think now and then.

Researchers split 14 university student volunteers into three groups for a 45-minute session of either relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, or completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer. Story continues

Is Your Diet Giving You Wrinkles?

What you eat -- or don't eat -- can affect the health of your skin. So make sure you're protecting your looks from the inside out. Read More

Health Tip: Using a Dietary Supplement

(HealthDay News) -- More than half of Americans take a dietary supplement of some kind, the Cleveland Clinic says.

But all supplements aren't safe and effective. The clinic offers this primer:

• There's no better substitute for a healthy, balanced diet, which can provide most healthy people with all of the nutrients they need.


• Supplements are a good option for people who can't get enough of certain needed nutrients through diet. Pregnant women, athletes and vegetarians are prime examples.


• Too much of a good thing can cause serious health problems. Be sure not to exceed the recommended daily amount of any supplement.


• Supplements aren't regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so it's up to consumers to carefully check supplement labels to be sure what they're taking.

In Weight Loss, Accountability Is Essential

By Sean Kelley

For the first four months of 2008, I stepped out of the shower every morning and onto a flashy digital scale. This act, along with a food journal and a nutrition class, helped me lose nearly 25 pounds and beat my boss in a weight-loss contest. My blood sugar, which I checked regularly, was under tighter control, and I dropped at least one medication from my diabetes regimen.

The class ended, the batteries died on the scale, and the journal—who knows? Maybe the new hypoallergenic dog ate it. Can you guess what happened next? Read More

Degenerative Diseases Tragedy

Degenerative Diseases Tragedy

Bioidentical Hormones- Do You Need Them?

Dr. Jonathan Wright explains the importance of using hormones that are exactly identical to the hormones your body made when you were younger.

Health Tip: Keep Cholesterol Under Control

(HealthDay News) -- Too much dietary cholesterol can lead to high cholesterol levels in the blood, which can be a risk factor for heart disease.

The Cleveland Clinic offers these suggestions to help lower your cholesterol:

• Avoid high-fat or fried foods.
• When you do eat foods with fat, look for foods with unsaturated, not saturated, fat.
• Reduce the amount of red meat that you eat, and eat more fish and poultry.
• Get enough soluble fiber by eating plenty of fruits, beans, peas and oats.
• Don't eat more than three egg yolks per week.
• Get plenty of exercise, maintain a healthy body weight, and stop smoking.

Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb: New Research Uncovers Which Diet Will Help You Lose Weight

By Ross Weale

Should you go low-carb, cut out the fat, or follow the Mediterranean approach?

Health.com’s executive editor Amy O’Connor visited the Fox News Channel on July 22 and weighed in on a new diet study from The New England Journal of Medicine. Watch the clip to learn which diet will help you lose weight.

Read More

Eating Less May Slow Aging Process

(HealthDay News) -- Cutting just 300 to 500 calories a day from your diet could be the key to slowing the signs of aging and living longer, according to a new study.

Studies have long shown that reducing calorie intake slows the aging process in rats and mice. A popular theory is that fewer daily calories decreases production of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3), which then slows metabolism and tissue aging.

A new study, by Saint Louis University researchers, found this hormone decrease occurs when humans regularly skip rich desserts or substitute a turkey sandwich for a Big Mac and fries every day.

"Our research provides evidence that calorie restriction does work in humans like it has been shown to work in animals," study lead author Edward Weiss, associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences, said in a prepared statement. "The next step is to determine if this in fact slows age-related tissue deterioration. The only way to be certain, though, is to do a long-term study."

The findings, published in the June 2008 issue of Rejuvenation Research, are based on a study of healthy but sedentary, non-smoking, 50- to 60-year-old men and post-menopausal women. For a year, the volunteers participated in either: a calorie-restriction group that cut their daily calorie intake by 300 to 500 calories per day; a group that stayed on their regular diet and exercised regularly; or a group that maintained its normal routine.

While those in the calorie-restriction and exercise groups both lost body fat mass, only those in the calorie restriction group also had lower levels of the thyroid hormone.

Although a long-term study is still needed to determine if reducing T3 levels through calorie restriction does indeed slow the aging process, Weiss said cutting back on calories is a good idea.

"There is plenty of evidence the calorie restriction can reduce your risks for many common diseases including cancer, diabetes and heart disease," Weiss said. "And you may live to be substantially older."

Weiss warned that while cutting calories, people need to maintain a healthy diet by eating nutrient-rich foods. He noted that long-term slowing of the metabolism could also make people more prone to weight gain over time.

The key to maintaining a healthy weight, Weiss said, is keeping a consistent diet and exercising regularly.

More information
The Calorie Restriction Society has more about calorie restriction.

Tomatoes May Not Be Only Source of Salmonella Outbreak

(HealthDay News) -- Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now say they're no longer sure that the nationwide salmonella outbreak is due to tomatoes alone, or some other food source.

"Whatever this produce item is that's causing illness is probably still out there making people sick," Dr. Patricia Griffin, chief of the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch at the CDC, told reporters late Friday at a special press teleconference. She did not say what source other than tomatoes, if any, might be suspected.

The number of people sickened in the outbreak has now jumped to 810 across 36 states, according to the latest CDC numbers presented Friday.

Health officials said the most recent reported case of infection with Salmonella Saintpaul occurred June 15. However, more illnesses may be waiting to be identified: According to experts, it typically takes an average of 16 days before doctors can pinpoint the onset of an infection.

The exact source of the outbreak remains unknown. Tomatoes are still considered the most probable cause, stressed Dr. David Acheson, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's associate commissioner for food protection.

"The most recent case appeared to have onset just 12 days ago, and that raises the question is there something still out there that people are consuming that is leading to illness," he said. "Just because the outbreak is ongoing doesn't mean it can't be the tomatoes. It certainly could be the tomatoes, there's nothing to indicate that we should be looking at anything else," he said.

"We have no evidence that the outbreak is over... I would say that the source of contamination has been ongoing at least through early June and we don't have any evidence that whatever the source is has been removed from the market," Griffin said.

One factor complicating the search for the cause of the outbreak is a common industry practice called "repacking."

"Repacking is a situation in which a supplier or a distributor will repack tomatoes to meet a specific customer's request," Acheson explained. "So, if a customer is wanting small, ripe tomatoes and the supplier does not have a box of small ripe tomatoes, then they will typically go through multiple boxes and pull out ones that meet customers' specifications and repack them. It's a very, very common practice. We've seen reports that it may be as common as 90 percent of tomatoes get repacked, but we don't have confirmation that the number is that high. Obviously this complicates the trace-back," Acheson said.

He also said that it was possible that tomatoes were contaminated at a packing and distribution center, not a particular farm. That means that produce from states that have been cleared may have gone through packing or distribution houses elsewhere, and become contaminated there.

The food poisoning scare ranks as the largest on record in terms of illnesses linked to tainted produce, the CDC said. "This is so far the biggest outbreak with this number of illnesses confirmed by culture," Griffin noted.

More than 300 of the total cases from the current outbreak come from Texas. Patient ages range from under 1 year old to 99 years old. Half the victims are women.

In addition, at least 95 people have been hospitalized; there have been no deaths, the CDC reported.

The FDA had sent teams of investigators to Florida and Mexico as of last weekend to inspect farms, packing houses and distribution centers. There has been no word yet on what has been found.

The increase in people sickened by salmonella was not unexpected. Three weeks ago, the count was below 200; it jumped to more than 380 a week later.

The CDC had predicted last week that for every reported case, there would be 30 more that had gone unreported.

And health officials had warned that the end was not yet in sight.

"The marked increase is not due to new infections, but mainly because some states improved surveillance in response to this outbreak, and laboratory identification of many other previously submitted strains has now been completed," said Casey Barton Behravesh, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a June 19 teleconference.

According to the numbers on the CDC's Web site -- which do not include the latest cases -- the victim count breaks down by state to: Arkansas (10 persons), Arizona (38), California (10), Colorado (6), Connecticut (4), Florida (1), Georgia (15), Idaho (3), Illinois (66), Indiana (11), Kansas (11), Kentucky (1), Maryland (25), Massachusetts (17), Michigan (4), Missouri (12), New Hampshire (3), Nevada (4), New Jersey (4), New Mexico (80), New York (18), North Carolina (5), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (17), Oregon (7), Pennsylvania (6), Rhode Island (3), Tennessee (6), Texas (330), Utah (2), Virginia (22), Vermont (1), Washington (4), Wisconsin (6), and the District of Columbia (1).

On June 20, Acheson said the investigation into the outbreak had zeroed in on "a number of farms" in both Florida and Mexico.

Health officials have said all along that the bulk of the tomatoes available at the start of the outbreak in mid-April had come from Mexico and parts of Florida.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea in humans. Some 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the United States each year, although the CDC estimates that because milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be 30 or more times greater. Approximately 600 people die each year after being infected.

However, the strain of Salmonella Saintpaul had been previously considered rare. In 2007, according to the CDC, there were only three people infected in the country during April through June.

More information
Visit the CDC for more on the salmonella outbreak.

Is Your Church Making You Fat?

By Andrea Useem

Plenty of studies have looked at whether being religious improves your health (in the U.S. at least, the current answer is a qualified yes), but Purdue University sociologist Ken Ferraro took a serious look at a different question: How does being religious affect your body mass index (BMI)?
In a 2006 study, Ferraro discovered that Baptists, including Southern Baptists, were most likely to be obese, even when geographic factors were controlled for (i.e., it wasn’t just the southern cookin’). “[Conservative] Protestants tend to have the highest BMIs,” he told me when I called him last week. The explanation? Ferraro has several guesses. Read More

Diabetes: The 2-for-1 Special

By Sean Kelley

In the past few weeks, there have been news stories linking type 2 diabetes to a host of other conditions. We’ve known for a long time that type 2 diabetes was a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, that it’s associated with obesity, and that diabetics can also have depression, erectile dysfunction, and a host of other complications.
What has been less clear (but is becoming more so by the day) is that other diseases can often be a gateway to diabetes. On June 17, researchers at Johns Hopkins University released a study showing that patients with depression have a higher risk of diabetes. A week before that, the International Diabetes Federation issued a statement recommending that patients with obstructive sleep apnea be screened for metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes. Read More

Is My Food-Allergy-Prone Child Getting His Vitamins?

By Sean Kelley

When our 19-month-old son Graeme was diagnosed with food allergies, our allergist sent home excellent documentation on what foods to avoid. Her goal: Prevent the kind of reaction that results in Graeme scratching himself bloody (see photo).

She told us what he couldn’t eat. But she didn’t tell us what we should feed him. When your child has multiple food allergies, the list of dietary options shrinks. I knew things were going to be a challenge as soon as corn, soy, and wheat popped up on his chart. Still, I was dumbfounded by the response of our allergist. Read More

5 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight

Magnesium, interval training, and other tricks to burn more calories
by Ross Weale

Health magazine contributor Samantha Heller shows how to burn more calories, during an interview on the Today show, March 10.



SAMANTHA HELLER
Samantha Heller, RD, is the nutrition coordinator at the Fairfield Connecticut YMCA. A certified dietitian/nutritionist and exercise physiologist, Heller earned her master's degree in nutrition and applied physiology from Teachers’ College, Columbia University. She served as the senior clinical nutritionist and exercise physiologist at NYU Medical center in New York City for almost a decade and created and ran the outpatient nutrition program for the NYU Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. She has also been a fitness instructor for 15 years. Heller specializes in nutrition, wellness, stress management, and fitness for people who are fighting heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

A contributing editor to Health magazine, her writing has also appeared in numerous other magazines, including Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, and Glamour, as well as sites such as Fitness.com.

Environmental Toxins, Radiation May Be Tied to Breast Cancer

(HealthDay News) -- In the decades following World War II, both breast cancer rates and the use of synthetic chemicals soared in the United States -- and a new report contends there's a strong connection between the two.

Produced by the Breast Cancer Fund, a non-profit group whose mission is to identify environmental links to breast cancer, The State of the Evidence: 2008 concludes toxic chemicals in the environment, along with increased radiation exposure, are the main culprits in the sharp rise of breast cancer incidence.

The report cautions that "in-utero" [in the womb] and early childhood exposure to carcinogens through plasticizers, estrogen-mimicking substances and other chemicals may increase the risk of breast cancer in adult life.

"As we looked at the research comprehensively, the themes of interactions of timing and mixtures of chemical exposures and also radiation exposure as risks emerged. In bringing this broad focus to environmental causes of breast cancer, we hope to find ways to lower the future incidence of breast cancer not only for adults but, most importantly, for our children and grandchildren," said Dr. Janet Gray, an endocrinology researcher at Vassar College, who edited the report.

However, some public health experts say there's no scientific proof establishing a link between environmental contaminants and breast cancer.

Based on a review of more than 400 breast cancer studies, The State of the Evidence noted that more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals are currently used in the United States, although complete toxicological screening data are available for only 7 percent of them. Many of these substances are known to remain in the environment for many years and accumulate in body fat and breast tissue.

One group of chemicals -- phthalates, which the Breast Cancer Fund report identifies as a breast cancer risk -- was in the news last week when the U.S. Senate passed legislation strengthening the Consumer Product Safety Commission with an amendment requiring all children's toys and child-care products to be free of these hormone system disruptors. A study by Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia last year found that phthalates accelerated breast development and genetic changes in newborn female lab rats, a condition that might predispose the animals to breast cancer later in life.

Exposure to chemicals that mimic estrogens in the body, called xenoestrogens, is thought to be the reason more girls are entering puberty at younger ages, according to Jeanne Rizzo, executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund.

In addition to phthalates, the new report lists other endocrine-disrupting compounds that the study authors say have been shown to affect the risk for breast cancer in humans, or the risk of mammary cancer in animals. Those compounds, according to the report, include:

• Pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin, aldrin and heptachlor; triazine herbicides
• Bisphenol, a chemical used to make plastics, epoxy resins and dental sealants
• Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (byproducts of combustion)
• Tobacco smoke
• Dioxins
• Alkyphenols (industrial chemicals used in cleaning products)
• Metals including copper, cobalt, nickel and lead
• Parabens (anti-microbials used in personal care products)
• Food additives such as compounds given to cattle and sheep to enhance growth

The report also cites environmental factors that may exert cancer-causing effects without hormone disruption. Those factors include exposure to the petrochemical solvent benzene; organic solvents used in the computer, furniture and textile industries; polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used in a variety of appliances, food packages and medical products; 1,3-butadiene, a byproduct of petroleum refining and vehicle exhaust; ethylene oxide, used in medicine and some cosmetics; and aromatic amines, byproducts of manufacturing plastics and dyes. Both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation are also listed as suspected cancer-causing agents, the report stated.

"The conclusions of the surveyed research show us we need to look earlier and earlier at the impact of chemical exposure in utero and early life and how toxins, radiation, genetic predisposition, diet, exercise and all those things interact together to increase breast cancer risk. The results of this study compel us to look at the need for broad public health policy reform and more federally funded research," Rizzo said.

In response to the report, Tiffany Harrington, public affairs director with the American Chemistry Council, said the chemical industry is seeking to better understand the complex relationship between modern chemistry and human health.

"The chemistry industry has contributed to endocrine research by supporting applied scientific studies focused on developing the datasets needed to evaluate the reliability of endocrine screening methods," she said.

Meanwhile, environmental medicine expert Dr. Jonathan Borak, an associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale University's School of Medicine, said a host of studies have found no clear link between specific toxins and breast cancer.

"So far, I have not seen any compelling evidence of a link between any environmental contaminants and breast cancer," he said.

More information
For more on breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.