Natural Health Reviews - March 2005
March 2005 Issue |
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Health Reviews Headlines
- Limiting Soda Can Prevent Tooth Erosion
- Raw Food Vegans Thin But Healthy
- Exercise Key to Longevity for Type 2 Diabetics
- Eating Eggs Okay for the Healthy Heart
- Physical, Emotional Stress can Trigger Heart Attack
- Light Drinking Improves Health Risk Factors
- Yogurt Helps Dieters Shed More Body Fat
- When It Comes to Chocolate, Order Dark, Not White
- It's All in the Waist
- Vitamin E Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure
- Green Tea Extract May Be Dangerous
- Aspirin Therapy Affects Men, Women Differently
- Laughter Is the Best Medicine
- Healthy Diet May Prevent Age-Related Disability
- Noisy Jobs Increase Risk of Heart Attacks
- Heart Disease has Strong Mind-Body Connection
- Diet, Exercise Quickly Decreases Disease Risk
- High Levels of Vitamin E Cut Prostate Cancer Risk
Health Reviews for March 2005
Here is our health reviews of historical news stories covered from the Natural Health Perspective.
Wednesday, March 30
Limiting Soda Can Prevent Tooth Erosion
Consuming too many acidic foods, including soda, fruit juice, pickles, yogurt and even fresh fruit, can erode the teeth's protective enamel, according to a new study.
Soda contains phosphoric acid, which is very erosive. "Erosion is possible when any of these foods are consumed in excessive amounts."
The danger of tooth erosion from drinking a lot of soda is more serious than most people generally realize.
Tuesday, March 29
Raw Food Vegans Thin But Healthy
Raw food vegetarians were found to have thin bones but none of the other signs of osteoporosis, according to a new study.
A low BMI and weight loss are strongly associated with low bone mass. But, this study found that raw food vegetarians' vitamin D levels were markedly higher than average, had low levels of C-reactive protein, and had lower levels of IGF-1, a growth factor linked to risk of breast and prostate cancer.
I find this study to be mostly double talk. Anybody with a low bone mass is just asking for trouble. And, the reason is obvious. Raw food vegetarians' consumption of calcium and magnesium is inadequate.
Exercise Key to Longevity for Type 2 Diabetics
Staying active reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and any other cause for people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
The study concluded that "the favorable association of physical activity with longevity was observed regardless of the levels of BMI, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and smoking."
I would say that the findings of this study holds true for everybody and applies not just to Diabetics.
Monday, March 28
Eating Eggs Okay for the Healthy Heart
Eggs may not be as bad for your health as many people have contended, according to a new study.
This study concluded that "dietary cholesterol may be less detrimental to cardiovascular health than previously thought." And, that oat consumption significantly lowered levels of total and LDL cholesterol.
Wednesday, March 23
Physical, Emotional Stress can Trigger Heart Attack
When normally inactive people engage in a sudden burst of physical activity, are emotionally stressed, angry or excited, they are more likely to experience a heart attack; according to new research.
The study stated that "there is consistent evidence that physical exertion (particularly by people who are not normally active), emotional stress, anger, and extreme excitement can trigger acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death in susceptible individuals."
This study strongly suggests that you can avoid heart attacks by being physically active and by not overreacting to environmental stressors.
Tuesday, March 22
Light Drinking Improves Health Risk Factors
Alcohol consumtion improves several factors associated with increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.
Yet, another study advocating the health benefits of alcohol consumption in moderation. This study examined the effects of drinking precisely 15 grams of alcohol a day. The study also attributed the health benefits to the alcohol itself, rather than to a specific component of alcoholic drinks, like antioxidants.
Yogurt Helps Dieters Shed More Body Fat
Eating yogurt several times a day may help people trim their waistlines better, according to a new study.
Those who ate three daily servings of fat-free yogurt a day, with a total calcium intake of 1,100 mg, lost 61 percent more in fat , as well as 81 percent more abdominal fat, and held on to more lean muscular body tissue as compared those in the low-calcium group. It is unknown whether taking a calcium supplement would produce the same amount of fat loss.
The study concluded that "substitution of yogurt for other foods significantly augments fat loss and reduces central adiposity during energy restriction."
When It Comes to Chocolate, Order Dark, Not White
Eating only 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate every day for 15 days, lowers blood pressures and improves insulin sensitivity, according to a new study.
Dark chocolate contains high levels of a kind of antioxidant called flavonoids.
The study concluded that "Dark, but not white, chocolate decreases blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons."
Friday, March 18
It's All in the Waist
Waist size is a better predictor of heart disease than waist-to-hip ratios, according to a new study.
Waist size as an easy to use indicator of central obesity that accurately estimates your risk of coming down with diabetes.
According to this study, with a waist size of 34 to 36, you risk of diabetes doubles; at 36 to 38 inches, your risk triples; and at 38 to 40 inches, your risk for the disease is five times greater.
Wednesday, March 16
Vitamin E Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure
The results of a seven-year study of vitamin E supplementation in preventing cancer and cardiovascular events in older patients with vascular disease or diabetes showed an increased risk of heart failure, according to a new JAMA study.
"In patients with vascular disease or diabetes mellitus, long-term vitamin E supplementation does not prevent cancer or major cardiovascular events and may increase the risk for heart failure."
Depending on your prospective, JAMA is either one of the best journals or one historically against all use of supplements. Vitamin E supplements should never be viewed as a quick fix for treating heart disease.
Saturday, March 12
Green Tea Extract May Be Dangerous
Tea extract supplements may help certain tumors survive and grow, according to a new study.
The scientists found that taking the equivalent of hundreds of cups of tea a day with suppliments may actually help the tumors survive.
The same can be said for most vitamins. They are not intended as a quick fix for treating cancer.
Tuesday, March 8
Aspirin Therapy Affects Men, Women Differently
Taking aspirin prevents heart attacks in men, but it does little in women aged 45 to 64, according to a new study.
Women who received a placebo were no more likely to have a first heart attack than those who regularly took aspirin for 10 years, but were 24 percent less likely to have an ischemic stroke.
However, women who took aspirin were 40 percent more likely to develop serious stomach or intestinal bleeding.
In a related new study, aspirin was found effective against colon polyps only for women with a gene mutation.
Monday, March 7
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
Laughing appears to improve blood vessel function, according to a new study.
After watching the stressful movie Saving Private Ryan participants' blood vessels opened up. But after watching the comedy King Pin, the opposite was found true, their blood vessels opened up more.
Saturday, March 5
Healthy Diet May Prevent Age-Related Disability
Yet, another study suggests that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and dairy foods can prevent the disabilities of old age.
The study showed that people with the highest level of fruits, vegetables and dairy products in their diets were much less likely than their peers to develop any disability.
Tuesday, March 1
Noisy Jobs Increase Risk of Heart Attacks
Chronic exposure to noise at work has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks, according to new research.
The study found that people who were exposed to very high noise levels as part of their job were 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack over a 45-year period.
The effect was probably due to added stress. Of course, many jobs in industrialized countries are very toxic to the health of their employees. If you think that OSHA is interested in your health, think again. It is up to you, to find a healthy job.
Heart Disease has Strong Mind-Body Connection
A growing base of evidence supports a mind-body connection to heart disease, according to a new study.
This review of other prior studies found that a number of psychosocial factors promote heart disease: depression, social isolation, poor socioeconomic status, and discrete chronic stressors, like work or marital stress or care giver strain.
Heart disease patients may benefit from exercise, relaxation training, stress management, and other mind-body therapies that are designed to reduce the effects of stress.
Diet, Exercise Quickly Decreases Disease Risk
Changes in diet and exercise quickly lead to a dramatic drop in a person's risk for illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, according to a new study.
In as little as six weeks, "clinical improvements were seen in resting heart rate, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure."
Diet and exercise, of course, are the primary natural health therapies.
High Levels of Vitamin E Cut Prostate Cancer Risk
High blood levels of vitamin E cuts the risk of prostate cancer by about 50 percent, according to a new study.
The study found that men with high levels of alpha-tocopherol in their blood were 51 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer than those with low levels. While men with the high levels of gamma-tocopherol were 43 percent less likely to develop the disease compared with men with low levels. Daily vitamin E supplementation reduced the risk of prostate cancer by 32 percent.
This study points out another reason why supplementation with vitamin E is important, even if it is not effective against heart disease.
March 2005 Issue |
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