Here is a great article from Johns Hopkins on the many benefits of Vitamin D for helping ward off osteopenia and osteoporosis, and for overall health.
http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/back_pain_osteoporosis/466-1.html
Archive for Nutrition to Fight Disease
The many benefits of Vitamin D
Handy Heart Attack Risk Calculator
Find out what your risk of heart attack is in the next 10 years:
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/calculators/heart-attack-risk?msc=a62593
Useful Diabetes resource site
It has a recipe database, Body Mass Index Calculator, Favorite Food Analyzer, Calorie Counter, and Understanding Package Labels section, so you can learn more about your diabetes, and take control of your condition.
https://www.januvia.com/sitagliptin/januvia/consumer/dietary_tools/index.jsp?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=JA78E
It is sponsored by Merck, so there will be some bias in favor of the drug they are selling, but the most important thing is to keep tight control over your glucose.
For a free special report from Johns Hopkins on controlling your diabetes, visit:
http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/special_reports/diabetes/diabetes_reg_landing.html
Antidepressant use is linked to diabetes risk
Reuters health has just reported that antidepressant use is linked to diabetes risk.
It stands to reason. After all, if a person is depressed, they already have an altered brain chemistry.
An antidepressant will only alter that brain chemistry further.
It is also possible that many pre-diabetics suffer from depression.
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/news/?id=reut-20080407clin001&msc=a62593
Diet and Disease Prevention Part 17
A final word about calcium
Calcium hs been recommended a number of times throughout this series. It is an essential nutrient and seems to have many disease prevention benefits.
Make sure you get enough Vitamin D to help with the absorption of the calcium. Both calcium and Vitamin D can also benefit your bone health and help ward off osteoporosis
There are a variety of reasons for this, some hormonal and some related to the fact that calcium absorption lessens in elderly intestines. Also, certain medications decrease the body’s ability to absorb calcium, including antacids .
Older adults need to be particularly conscious about the level of calcium in their diet and about which medications interfere with calcium absorption.
It’s best not to wait until you’re fifty-something to start preventing osteoporosis. Building stronger bones with a calcium-rich diet and weight-bearing exercise in your twenties and thirties is more likely to prevent osteoporosis than preventive measures in your fifties.
Other functions of calcium.
Besides promoting healthy tooth enamel, calcium helps muscles. Muscles can cramp, and heart muscles can even fail, if these muscles are not supplied with just the right amount of calcium.
Nerve impulses, the transmission of information between nerve fibers, will not function properly without just the right amount of calcium.
For example, muscles twitch (tetany) when the calcium supply to neuromuscular cells is insufficient. Calcium is one of the most vital minerals for optimal functioning of your entire body, tissues as well as bones, so in concluding this series, we can say that green leafy vegetables, fruit, and lowfat dairy with calcium can help protect you from a number of the diseases on our list.
We hope you find this series of articles useful. Don’t forget to share with a friend!
Diet and Disease Prevention Part 16
Your Diet and Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is the #2 killer of men in terms of cancer-related death after lung cancer. It is also prevalent among women, but a great deal of evidence suggests that a healthy diet can do much to prevent colon cancer.
It is also a highly treatable cancer if caught in its early stages, and people can prevent recurrence if they focus on eating the right foods to maintain their colon health.
The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent colon cancer through focusing on healthy nutrition.
Keep your weight at a reasonable level.
• Limit your intake of red meat. Choose lean cuts and eat small portions (about 3 oz.).
• Eat several servings of whole grains and at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Include plenty of spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, oranges, berries, and carrots in your diet.
Fiber supplements can also be helpful, and also help you to feel full so you won’t over eat and gain weight. The only trouble is, they can be expensive, especially the chewable kind.
If you don’t mind the taste of psyllium seed (like Metamucil), you can buy a large tub of it in Vitamin shoppe for about $4.59 and mix it with fruit juice. Costco has its own brand of fibre supplements. The caplets are less than $7 for 250 tablets, about a 3 month supply.
• Get 1,200 mg of calcium per day by eating calcium-rich foods, such as two to three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Don’t bother to overpay for your supplements. Look at the dosage. They may be high potency vitamins, but your body can only absorb about 1500 mg per day anyway.
Emphasis getting your calcium from food, and you will also avoid overeating. Spinach salad with lowfat cheese, with a milk based smoothie, and yogurt for dessert, is a filling lunch packed with calcium. Or try sardines instead on the salad, also a great source of calcium.
Continued in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 17
Diet and Disease Prevention Part 15
Your Diet and Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the #8 killer of women of all deaths.
There is a growing body of research which supports the link between breast health and a good nutritionally balanced diet.
The following recommendations are a summary of the major research that has been carried out on what you can do to prevent breast cancer through focusing on healthy nutrition.
• Maintain a desirable weight for your height, build, and age.
• Limit fat intake, especially saturated fats and trans fatty acids.
• Include at least 25 g of fiber per day in your diet. Be sure to include several servings of whole grains such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, and pasta.
• Eat at least five servings per day of a variety of fruits and vegetables. At least one vegetable should be dark green, and at least one fruit or vegetable should be orange or red.
• Limit alcohol consumption to fewer than seven drinks per week. If you don’t drink at all, don’t start. Some believe that red wine has heart health benefits, but alcohol is just adding calories with little nutritional value per calorie as compared with other things you could be doing with 150 calories—like a baked potato with lowfat cheese or just about 2 light yogurts.
It is believed calcium found in lowfat dairy can also benefit breast health, as well as bone health. Take in conjunction with Vitamin D, c, and magnesium for maximum absorption.
Continues in
Diet and Disease Prevention Part 16