Unhealthy Diet Increases Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease
According to a study published inBioMed Central’s open access journalNutrition Journal, low carb, high fat diets could be responsible for an increase in unhealthy cholesterol levels in the blood of Swedes.
In Northern Sweden, the incidence of heart disease in the 1970s was higher than any other region in the country. Furthermore, men in this area had some of the highest prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the world.
As a result, in 1985, the Vasterbotton Intervention Program (VIP) was set up in order to reduce fat intake and decrease cholesterol levels by offering diet advice, cooking demonstrations, healthy information, better food labeling, and health examinations and counseling.
In this study, researchers from Umea University, University of Gothenburg, in collaboration with The National Board of Welfare, assessed 25 years worth of data from VIP and combined it with data from the WHO MONICA project which monitors cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Vitamin D – How Much Is Too Much?
Vitamin D is vital for absorbing and maintaining calcium levels in the body, and therefore reducing the risk of fractures from falls and broken hips. Vitamin D is also beneficial for fighting cardiac disease, depression and various types of cancers and although scientists are aware of the fact that a Vitamin D deficiency is unhealthy, new research has now revealed that excessive Vitamin D levels are also unhealthy. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers from the University of Copenhagen support the benefits of vitamin D in terms of mortality risk.
Researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at Copenhagen’s University evaluated blood samples from 247,574 individuals obtained from Copenhagen’s General Practitioners Laboratory. The study is the largest of its kind, and its findings support other research that has found that vitamin D is of benefit with regard to mortality risk, although the results also demonstrated that people with too high levels of vitamin D had a higher rate of mortality.
Darshana Durup, a PhD student, explained:
“Our data material covers a wide age range. The people who participated had approached their own general practitioners for a variety of reasons and had had the vitamin D level in their bloodstream measured in that context. This means that while the study can show a possible association between mortality and a high level of vitamin D, we cannot as yet explain the higher risk.”
Eating More Veggies And Doing More Exercise Works Wonders
A new Northwestern Medicine study reveals that just by simply spending less time on the sofa means not as much time is spent eating sweets. The study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, demonstrates that changing just one bad habit has a domino effect on others.
Cutting down on sedentary leisure time like watching TV automatically reduces the intake of junk food and saturated fats, doubling the benefits, as both behaviors are closely linked.
The results reveal that the most effective way to get back on track from a bad lifestyle is for individuals to change two major factors in their behavior; The first is reducing the time spent watching TV or in front of a computer, and the second is to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Leading author, Bonnie Spring, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine says:
“Just making two lifestyle changes has a big overall effect and people don’t get overwhelmed. Americans have all these unhealthy behaviors that put them at high risk for heart disease and cancer, but it is hard for them and their doctors to know where to begin to change those unhealthy habits. This approach simplifies it.”
Increasing Fruit And Vegetable Consumption May Help In Smoking Cessation
If you’re trying to quit smoking, eating more fruits and vegetables may help you quit and stay tobacco-free for longer, according to a new study published online by University at Buffalo public health researchers.
The paper, in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, is the first longitudinal study on the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and smoking cessation.
The authors, from UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, surveyed 1,000 smokers aged 25 and older from around the country, using random-digit dialing telephone interviews. They followed up with the respondents fourteen months later, asking them if they had abstained from tobacco use during the previous month.
“Other studies have taken a snapshot approach, asking smokers and nonsmokers about their diets,” says Gary A. Giovino, PhD, chair of the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at UB. “We knew from our previous work that people who were abstinent from cigarettes for less than six months consumed more fruits and vegetables than those who still smoked. What we didn’t know was whether recent quitters increased their fruit and vegetable consumption or if smokers who ate more fruits and vegetables were more likely to quit.”
Can Too Much Salt Damage Blood Vessels? Yes
Excessive salt intake can damage blood vessels, as well as raising the risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure), a Dutch population study revealed in the journal Circulation, which belongs to the American Heart Association.
As background information, the authors explained that in people with normal blood pressure, a diet high in salt has virtually no acute effect on blood pressure. However, for reasons which are not fully understood, high sodium (salt) intake over the long-term can lead to hypertension. The researchers, from Harvard Medical School, USA, and the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, hypothesized that those with chronic high salt intakes should have higher levels of serum uric acid and urine albumin excretion; they also hypothesized that for those with these biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, there would be a higher rate of hypertension.
John P. Forman and team monitored the sodium (salt) intake of 5,556 Dutch adult males and females.
They found that individuals with a high, long-term sodium intake tended to have greater uric acid and albumin levels – both of which are known markers of blood vessel damage.
They detected a close correlation between the risk of developing hypertension and levels of albumin and uric acid.
Kettlebell, Bodyweight And Treadmill Cardio Workout
Workout Description
If you’re tired of the same old boring cardio workouts then give this routine a try. It can be used 3-4 times per week, and requires only a kettlebell and access to a treadmill. As your conditioning improves from week to week, try to transition the walking periods into a slow jog, and then eventually into periods of light to moderate sprinting.
Choose a kettlebell weight that is challenging, and remember to stretch and warmup prior to beginning this workout. Each session will last about 15 minutes. Well conditioned athletes may try this circuit twice, for an intense 30 minute conditioning and cardio workout session.
You may also want to try alternating your treadmill periods between walking and sprinting, which will provide more of a HIIT cardio workout. For example, the first time you’re on the treadmill, walk for 20 seconds. The next time on the treadmill, run using a moderately paced sprint. Repeat this pattern.
Cardio Workout Notes
Do not rest between exercises and stations. Repeat this circuit 5 times. You may swap in anykettlebell or bodyweight exercise of choice. Consider this plan a simple template. Change or tweak it to your liking.
| Kettlebell, Bodyweight and Cardio Workout | |
|---|---|
| Cardio Workout | |
| Exercise | Time or Reps |
| Treadmill | 20 seconds |
| Push Up | 10 reps |
| Treadmill | 20 seconds |
| Kettlebell Swings | 10 swings |
| Treadmill | 20 seconds |
| Burpees | 10 reps |
| Treadmill | 20 seconds |
| Plank | 20 seconds |
| Treadmill | 20 seconds |
| Kettlebell Goblet Squats | 10 reps |
Foods to avoid with acid reflux
Here is a list of food to avoid when you have acid reflux.
Fried foods
Fried foods are not only hard to digest but also have high fats that might interfere with the digestive system. Being heavy foods, fried foods slow the overall digestive process thus leading to production of excess acids to facilitate their digestion. Since fried foods remain stuck in the digestive track for longer periods of time, it leads acid accumulation in the stomach resulting in acid reflux.
Coffee
Despite the fact that coffee is addictive in nature and acts as a laxative, people who frequently suffer from acid reflux are advised to stop during coffee. Coffee has high levels of caffeine which when in the digestive tract, simulate the secretion of large amounts of gastric acid that may easily lead to acid reflux.
Processed and Baked Foods
They include cookies, sweets, brownies, chocolate etc. These foods are hard to avoid as they are ones we probably enjoy and easily find their way in the dessert table. These foods are acid reflux triggers as they contain lots of artificial preservatives, color, and refined sugars which have high acid levels which may result in acid reflux.
Meat
Even though some meat may contain lower levels of fat than other animal proteins such as fish and also less acidic, people with acid reflux should avoid it as meat is one of the hardest food to be digested by the stomach. On average, red meat may take hours being digested. This results in production of stomach acids to facilitate digestion which could lead to acid reflux.
Dairy products
While one may think that a cold glass of milk may reduce the burning sensation caused by acid reflux, they are better of without it. Milk and other related dairy products create lactose, the sugar content of milk products which simulates the increased production of stomach acids that may cause acid reflux.
Carbonated and Acidic Drinks
Perrier, soda pop and tonic water are some of the carbonated drinks that you should avoid if you have acid reflux. Carbonated drinks increase pressure on the stomach which in turn increases production of stomach acids. Acidic drinks such as orange juice usually contain lots of acids and hence should be avoided.
Nutrients May Stop Brain Shrinkage Linked To Alzheimer’s
The paper’s first author is Dr Gene Bowman from the Departments of Neurology and Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. He and his colleagues describe three sets of findings:
- Elderly people with diets high in several vitamins or omega 3 fatty acids were less likely to have the brain shrinkage that usually accompanies Alzheimer’s disease than people whose diets were low in those nutrients.
- Those whose diets were high in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins were also more likely to score better on tests of mental ability than those whose diets were low in those nutrients.
- Those whose diets were high in trans fats were more likely to have brain shrinkage and perform less well on thinking and memory tests than those whose diets were low in trans fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for human health but the body can’t make them. These are primarily found in fish, also an essential source of vitamin D; some plants and nut oils are also good sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which are also called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
B vitamins and antioxidants C and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables, except for B12, which mostly comes from animal products, although it is also present in fortified breakfast cereals. Trans fats are primarily found in fast, packaged, fried and frozen food, many baked goods and margarine spreads.
The study is thought to be the first to measure several nutrient biomarkers in the blood as a way to examine links between diet and memory, thinking and brain volume.
Full Body Bodyweight Workout
Workout Description
Go through each of these exercises 3 times, take minimal amounts of rest in between each exercise and then take 1-2 minutes in between each series of exercises.
The key to this workout, like any other, is progression. You should push for more reps each time you do this workout. If you get 14 pushups in week 1, you should try for 15 pushups in week 2. As long as you keep progressing you will get bigger and stronger.
Warm Up and Cool Down
- 5 Minute warm up: Walk or Light Jog
- 5 minute cool down: Walk or Light Jog
| Bodyweight Workout | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full Body | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Jump Squat | 1 | 10-15 |
| Push Up | 1 | 15-20 |
| Pull Up | 1 | 10-15 |
| Walking Lunge (Reps are for each leg) | 1 | 10-15 |
| Dips | 1 | 10-15 |
| Inverted Pull Ups | 1 | 10-15 |
The Best all natural pain relievers
1) Arnica
This is an herb that is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It’s meant to be taken orally and can easily replace pain medications for most people dealing with body pains. The arnica pellets simply need to be placed underneath the tongue up to six times per day in order to be effective for pain relief.
2) Turmeric
This is another herb that has anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is the compound found in this that blocks pain from body. There are a lot of people who use it for arthritis, but it’s also effective for psoriasis with some people. There are supplements available with this and other herbs included in them. These make it easy to enjoy the benefits without having to actually cook with the turmeric.
3) Fish Oil
Many doctors recommend this for joint pain because it can help reduce inflammation. Not to mention this oil is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for the heart and brain. There are fish oil supplements available that make it easy to enjoy the benefits without having to eat a bunch of fish or actually drink fish oil. Generally 2,000-4,000 mg is recommended for daily use. This can help with everything from lupus to rheumatoid arthritis.
4) Olive Oil
This isn’t just something that can be used for cooking; it’s also very effective for reducing pain. There are natural chemicals inside of this oil that help reduce pain and relieve inflammation for anyone. The oleocanthal is the main chemical that actually works just like a pain relief supplement would! Using this each day is safe for the body, especially since you can cook with it.
5) Acupuncture
This is where your body will be poked with tiny needles. These aren’t just randomly placed; they are put in specific areas where the body holds a lot of pain. This can be used for everything from constant migraines to acute pain in the body. A lot of people are able to cut back on the pain medications they take because this is so effective. There have been a lot of studies done that show just how well this natural treatment works.
6) Willow Bark
This is where aspirin originally came from. Not only is it a natural herb, it’s very effective. It can help out with back pain, headaches or even osteoarthritis. It helps reduce pain and also gets rid of inflammation in the body. There are a lot of products that have this herb in them, but there are natural forms of it that are available as well.
