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April 7, 2011
It may not be the first type of cancer you worry about.
But, esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths in the world
There are additional factors that can even raise your risk further:
- Tobacco use, including smoking and chewing tobacco
- Excessive alcohol use
- Poor dental hygiene
- A virus called human papillomavirus (HPV)
- A diet lacking in fruits and vegetables
- Exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring fiber that’s used in certain manufacturing industries
The good news it that a recent study found that simple strawberries may be an affordable and commonly found prevention tool to stave off this deadly disease.
Frozen berries are even better because by removing the water from the berries, the concentrate of the preventive substances increase by nearly tenfold.
Lead researcher Tong Chen, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, division of medical oncology, department of internal medicine at The Ohio State University and member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center explains:
“We concluded from this study that six months of eating strawberries is safe and easy to consume. In addition, our preliminary data suggests that strawberries can decrease histological grade of precancerous lesions and reduce cancer-related molecular events.”
Study participants consumed 60 grams of freeze dried strawberries daily for six months and completed a dietary diary chronicling their strawberry consumption.
The researchers obtained biopsy specimens before and after strawberry consumption. The results showed that 29 out of 36 participants experienced a decrease in histological grade of the precancerous lesions during the study.
With little downside and big risk reduction, consuming strawberries regularly might be something you want to consider…particularly if you have any of the above risk factors.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
April 6, 2011
A study published in the American Journal of Human Biology reveals that high intensity exercise is more beneficial than traditional “long” endurance training.
The researchers had two groups who performed three weekly exercise sessions over 7 weeks. The high intensity (HIT) group’s training consisted of a series of 20 meter sprints over 30 seconds. In contrast the moderate (MOD) group ran steadily for a period of 20 minutes.
The results revealed that both groups demonstrated improved cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. However, the total exercise time over seven weeks was six times higher for the MOD group compared to the HIT group.
So the HIT group achieved a similar amount of health benefits but in only 15% of the total exercise time. These findings demonstrate that brief, intense exercise is a time efficient means for improving CVD risk factors.
Researchers agree that cardiovascular exercise is an important part of a fitness plan. With this study adding to the body of evidence of the superiority of shorter “interval” type conditioning programs, you might want to include this kind of short burst workouts to your fitness program.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
March 16, 2011
Harvard Researchers Find Way
to Protect Your Eyes
In a recent study with 38,000 subjects, Harvard researchers found that consuming fish regularly can lower your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Researchers say that 9 million U.S. adults over the age of 40 have experienced some degree of AMD and 1.7 million have experienced serious loss of vision from it.
Study author William G. Christen, an associate professor with the division of preventive medicine in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston says:
“Fish oil, that is the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, that have long been thought to be protective against cardiovascular disease may also be of significant benefit in the primary prevention of AMD.”
Women who ate one or more servings of fish every week had a 42 percent lower risk of AMD than those who consumed fish just once a month or less, the study found.
Most of the lower risk was linked to fish diets composed mainly of canned tuna and dark-meat fish, the researchers noted.
Christen and his associates concluded that their findings are “the strongest evidence to date” that omega-3 fatty acids protect against the onset of AMD.
With the already established cardiovascular benefits of eating fish and this new incredible 42% reduction of risk of AMD from eating fish, you might want to consider making fish once or more each week.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
March 9, 2011
Fitness researchers report that any person who exercises on a regular basis is susceptible to fluid loss.
As the body temperature rises, oxygen becomes more of a commodity due to increased circulatory demands. Oxygen is needed to help with the cooling process, and reduces the amount of oxygen available for vital organs, which can lead to severe health risks as well as reduced athletic performance.
They say that most moderate exercisers will lose about one quart (4 cups) of fluid per hour of exercise, so try to drink about 16-20 ounces of water shortly after your workout to aid the recovery process.
If you sweat a lot or the weather is hot and/or humid, consider weighing yourself before and after exercise, and drinking an ounce of water for every ounce of weight you’ve lost. In other words if you weigh one pound less after your workout, you should drink 16 ounces of water immediately afterwards.
Because heavy sweating also causes loss of minerals and electrolytes, you can also consider using a sports drink with electrolytes if you need to replace more than 2-3 cups of fluid.
Finally, they also note that fluids containing caffeine and related substances (coffee, tea, alcohol) should be avoided because they increase urinary water loss.
Making sure your body remains properly hydrated during exercise will protect your health and improve your results, so you may want to follow the above recommendations.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
March 2, 2011
It can be hard to resist drinking those sugary beverages.
Everywhere you go restaurants, movie theaters and fast food places offer giant sized cups of soda and sugary fruit drinks.
Unfortunately, in addition to the excessive calories they may increase other health risks.
In a recent study of nearly 2700 men and women, researchers found that drinking sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit drinks appear to be associated with a greater risk for high blood pressure.
The team observed that those who drank more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day had the highest sugar consumption (whether glucose, fructose or sucrose) and the highest calorie consumption, at an average of about 400 extra calories a day.
The blood pressure of those drinking excessive sugar drinks had a significant rise both systolic and diastolic readings (+1.6 and +0.8, respectively).
The American Heart Association guidelines suggest that a person drink no more than three 12-ounce servings of sugar drinks per week for individuals who routinely consume about 2,000 calories a day.
With this new research adding to already established health risks from excessive sugar and calories, you might want to consider choosing other options such as water or unsweetened tea.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
February 11, 2011
Today new study results were released from a massive British study of more than 470,000 people in eight countries, including the United States.
The study analyzed the negative effects of insufficient sleep and determined that a lack of sleep apparently can increase your risk for stroke and heart attack.
“If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep, you stand a 48 percent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15 percent greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke,” Dr. Francesco Cappuccio, of the Warwick Medical School in England and a co-author of the research, said in a news release from the University of Warwick.
Dr. Michelle Miller, who co-authored the study with Cappuccio, explained in the news release that “chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, and other conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.”
The study was published Feb. 8 in the European Heart Journal.
Researchers advised that getting about seven hours of sleep a night protects your health and reduces your risk for developing chronic disease.
With a lack of sleep causing immensely higher risk of a stroke or heart attack, you may want to make getting enough sleep a priority.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
February 2, 2011
In a recent study older adults who took three brisk walks a week increased the size of their hippocampus.
The hippocampus is a portion of the brain that is involved with memory formation.
According to researchers, these findings indicate that loss of brain volume associated with old age can be delayed, and may even be reversible. It is a shrinkage of the brain that scientists believe causes a loss of memory in the elderly.
“We can change the brain in older adults,” said lead study author Kirk Erickson, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. “It’s amazing that a one-year period of moderate exercise isn’t just slowing down the atrophy, it’s actually reversing it.”
When subjects in the study were given an MRI brain scan after a year on the exercise program they had an average of a 2% increase in their hippocampus. They say this equates to about two years’ worth of age related brain shinkage.
In comparison, the group that didn’t do the cardiovascular exercise had a decrease of hippocampus of about 1.4 percent during the same year. And, the subjects that had the best improvements in their hippocampus also had the greatest improvements in memory when tested by researchers.
Finally, the researchers found that those whose hippocampus grew the most showed higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a growth factor in the blood that’s associated with brain health.
With it being widely accepted that normally a person would lose about 1-2% of their hippocampus size a year as they age, this new study gives you a new good reason to consider making sure you’re getting cardiovascular exercise at least three times a week.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
January 31, 2011
Resistant Starches Shown to Have Significant Health Benefits
Resistant starches are starches that resist breakdown in the digestive tract and do not get absorbed by the intestine.
In addition to offering various health benefits, they can also help you reduce your caloric intake because by not being digested quickly by your body, they help maintain a feeling of fullness.
Researchers have identified a number of health benefits of resistant starches listed below:
- Associated with more mineral absorption, especially calcium and magnesium
- Improves insulin sensitivity
- Associated with lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Promotes “good” bacteria, and suppresses “bad” bacteria and their toxic products
- Promotes bowel regularity
- Associated with less fat storage after that meal
Some food sources of resistant starches are beans, whole intact grains, cold potatoes, oatmeal and bananas.
Since resistant starches offer significant health benefits and can also make you feel full, you might want to consider making them a regular part of your diet.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
January 28, 2011
Low bone density makes people over 65 more susceptible to stress fractures.
Stress fractures are a kind of fracture which will partially separate the bone tissues in a fault line which could have been the weakest point in that part of the bone.
Below are some of the reasons this happens:
- bone density decreases with age
- vision and sense of balance often declines
- reaction time slows
- muscles weaken with age and inactivity
- Low levels of sex hormones (testosterone and some forms of estrogen) are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis.
- Endocrine disorders (such as hyperthyroidism and gastrointestinal disorders) may interfere with calcium and vitamin D absorption
- Osteoporosis makes bones more prone to a fracture, even with relatively minor trauma
- High levels of homocysteine which is a toxic ‘natural’ amino acid linked to the cause of heart disease among other negative health affects
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to lower your risk of getting a stress facture.
- In order to help bones remain strong it’s important to get adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D.
- Avoid excessive caffeine intake (over three cups of coffee a day or the equivalent from other foods) because it can interfere with the absorption of vitamin D and calcium which can result in decreased bone density.
- Avoid smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol can interfere with the normal process of bone building and remodeling, resulting in bone loss.
- Get regular exercise to strengthen bones and decrease the likelihood of falls.
- Add more folate to your diet to reduce homocysteine levels. The best way to do this is to consume more fruits and vegetables. Leafy green vegetables are particularly good sources of folate. Beans and lentils also have a high amount of folate in them. With stress fractures being a documented risk as we age, you may want to follow the above suggestions to minimize your risk.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
January 27, 2011
A new study indicates that eating fish three times a week greatly lowers your chance of experiencing a stroke.
The study was conducted in Sweden. Over a ten year period those that ate fish 3 or more times a week were 16% less likely to have a stroke as compared to someone that ate fish less than once a week.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of the Harvard School of Public Health who reviewed the study says, “when choosing fish to eat, it’s best to opt for fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found most abundantly in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna, but any fish is better than none.”
The study author, Dr. Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm explained, “these fatty acids may reduce the risk of stroke by reducing blood pressure and blood (fat) concentrations.”
With other studies showing similar results, you might want to include fish 3 times a week in your diet.
Have a healthy day,
Larry Berman
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