June 2012 Natural Health Newsletter « FeelGood Natural Health Food Stores

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Breastfeeding Linked to Better Lung Health
Babies who are breastfed may have healthier lungs and a reduced risk of asthma than those who receive formula.
Low Vitamin D and Stroke Risk
Low dietary intake of vitamin D was found to be associated with a higher risk of stroke when compared with those who consumed the greatest amount of vitamin D from the diet.
Decision To Use HRT Very Individualized
Because of the health risks associated with hormone replacement, the decision to use this therapy should be highly individualized.
Large Waist Linked to Diabetes
If you are overweight with a large waist you are just as likely to develop diabetes as someone who is clinically obese.
Obesity Slows Cognitive Performance in Older Adults
Overweight seniors with a lot of abdominal fat may experience lower cognitive function than their peers who are at a healthy weight.
Reduce the Juice
In moderation pure fruit juice can be a healthy beverage, but excessive intake is a problem for many.
Healthy Eating Can Be Less Expensive
Many complain that they would eat healthier if it was less expensive to do so, but an Ag Department study shows how it can be more affordable.
Know Stroke Symptoms
Knowing the signs of a stroke can help prevent death and greatly reduce debilitating damage. Can you identify the 5 major signs of a stroke?

Breastfeeding Linked to Better Lung Health

Posted April 25, 2013

Kids who were breastfed as babies may have better lung function, and a lower risk of asthma than those who were formula-fed, two new reports suggest, said Dr Mustafa Kamil Al Kaisi, Specialist Paediatric Endocrinologist, Zulekha Hospital, Dubai.

Research has suggested that asthmatic moms who breastfeed may be putting their kids at risk. But the new research hints that it is not the case and those babies with asthmatic moms may get just as much benefit from breastfeeding, if not more, as those with asthma-free mothers.

“I think the evidence is that breastfeeding increases lung volume irrespective of whether the mother is asthmatic or not. If the lung volume is increased, then you are less susceptible to get asthma. It’s important to tell asthmatic mothers to breastfeed their children,” he said.

Some researchers found that the longer kids were breastfed, the better they performed on tests of forced expiratory flow. On tests of forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second, breastfeeding for four months or longer was linked to better scores in kids whose moms had asthma.

The researchers reported that the better lung function did not seem to be related to a history of fewer childhood respiratory infections and the lung boost attributed to breastfeeding might not make a difference for a healthy kid, but on a wider scale, it could mean that breastfeeding would protect more kids from breathing problems. With data on more than 1,000 kids, including about 200 with asthma at their last visit, they found that each month of exclusive breastfeeding was tied to a 9 per cent drop in asthma risk.

Researchers for long surmised that breast milk might carry cells related to allergies and asthma from mother to baby, putting infants of asthmatic moms at risk of breathing problems and suggested mothers with asthma may avoid breastfeeding. But the new findings suggest they shouldn’t worry and babies’ suckling during breastfeeding may strengthen their lungs and help protect them against asthma.

“I don’t think any of that (evidence) is now strong enough to tell moms they should stop breastfeeding because of all the other important benefits that breastfeeding conveys to the child,” he added.

news@khaleejtimes.com

"I think the evidence is that breastfeeding increases lung volume irrespective of whether the mother is asthmatic or not. If the lung volume is increased, then you are less susceptible to get asthma. It's important to tell asthmatic mothers to breastfeed their children," he said.

Researchers for long surmised that breast milk might carry cells related to allergies and asthma from mother to baby, putting infants of asthmatic moms at risk of breathing problems and suggested mothers with asthma may avoid breastfeeding. But the new findings suggest they shouldn't worry and babies' suckling during breastfeeding may strengthen their lungs and help protect them against asthma.

"I don't think any of that (evidence) is now strong enough to tell moms they should stop breastfeeding because of all the other important benefits that breastfeeding conveys to the child," he added.

news@khaleejtimes.com

Tags: Allergies, Asthma, Babies, Children, Gain, Infections, Lungs, Respiratory infections, Strength

Low Vitamin D and Stroke Risk

Posted July 8, 2012

A decades-long study of more than 7,000 Japanese-American men in Hawaii has yielded valuable insight into the possible connection between a lack of vitamin D and increased risk of stroke later in life.

The results of the study were reported Thursday in the medical journal Stroke, published by the American Heart Association.

Gotaro Kojima, lead author of the study and geriatric medicine fellow at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, said the study “confirms that eating foods rich in vitamin D might be beneficial for stroke prevention.”

The study tracked 7,385 Japanese-American men living on Oahu who were part of the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program. All were between the ages of 45 and 68 when the study began in 1965.

The participants were divided into four groups according to the amount of vitamin D they had consumed. Researchers tracked the participants’ health records through 1999 to determine the incidence of stroke.

The study found that participants who consumed the least dietary vitamin D had a 22 percent higher risk of stroke and a 27 percent higher risk of ischemic (blood clot-related) stroke compared with those who consumed the highest levels of vitamin D. Researchers adjusted the findings for age, total calorie intake, body-mass index, hypertension and other significant health factors.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that can prevent rickets in children and bone loss in adults. It is also believed to lower a person’s risk of cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Vitamin D is absorbed from sunlight, but this process becomes more difficult as people age, Kojima said. People can supplement their vitamin D intake by consuming fortified milk and breakfast cereals, fatty fish and egg yolks.

Kojima said it is unclear whether the results of the study could be applied to different ethnic groups or to women.

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

Posted July 8, 2012

A decades-long study of more than 7,000 Japanese-American men in Hawaii has yielded valuable insight into the possible connection between a lack of vitamin D and increased risk of stroke later in life.

The results of the study were reported Thursday in the medical journal Stroke, published by the American Heart Association.

Gotaro Kojima, lead author of the study and geriatric medicine fellow at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine, said the study "confirms that eating foods rich in vitamin D might be beneficial for stroke prevention."

The study tracked 7,385 Japanese-American men living on Oahu who were part of the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program. All were between the ages of 45 and 68 when the study began in 1965.

The participants were divided into four groups according to the amount of vitamin D they had consumed. Researchers tracked the participants' health records through 1999 to determine the incidence of stroke.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that can prevent rickets in children and bone loss in adults. It is also believed to lower a person's risk of cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Kojima said it is unclear whether the results of the study could be applied to different ethnic groups or to women.

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

Tags: Body, Burns, Cancer, Children, Diabetes, Food, Heart, hypertension, Sight, Tension, Women

Decision To Use HRT Very Individualized

Posted June 15, 2012

Should women who suffer from the demobilizing symptoms of menopause — hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness and mood swings — take hormone replacement therapy?

That is the question facing many women, since a groundbreaking study a decade ago turned the tables on the medical approach to relieving the symptoms of menopause with hormones.

The answer: the decision is a highly individualized one, to be determined between each patient and her doctor, South Florida physicians say.

“There is not one answer that fits all women because each woman’s risk is different,” said Dr. Silvina Levis, professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and director of its Osteoporosis Center.

In 2002, a study by the Women’s Health Initiative was halted after 5 1/2 years when researchers found that estrogen and progestin supplements significantly increased the rate of heart attacks, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer in healthy postmenopausal women.

The increased risk of a heart attack or stroke began in the first year of hormone use, while the risk of breast cancer jumped after four years on hormones.

While the study’s methodology has been criticized by many, there is no doubt that the conclusions have caused a sea change in how doctors prescribe hormones to their patients, physicians say.

Until then, the prevailing medical belief was that hormone replacement could help prevent such ailments as heart disease and osteoporosis. Women often began taking hormones as soon as they began feeling the symptoms of menopause, and continued them for life.

Now, doctors suggest that women in perimenopause (the period before menopause begins) or menopause, who are suffering from symptoms that are interfering with their daily lives, should consult with their doctor if they wish to consider hormone replacement.

“What changed is the practice — what women choose to do and what doctors prescribe, it changed it significantly,” Levis said. “Now, the pendulum is swinging back a little bit, in that some women do get estrogen.”

Menopausal symptoms vary from woman to woman, doctors say. Some women go through the transition symptom-free, others have symptoms for a year or two, and others experience symptoms that drag on for years.

“If a woman is very symptomatic, can’t sleep at night, has hot flashes through the day and night sweats that really bother her, we try to help her,” Levis said. “Women with severe menopausal symptoms have a very hard time, and hormone therapy can really help them.”

Doctors will weigh the symptoms with the potential risks, looking at a patient’s own medical history as well as family history, particularly for heart disease and stroke.

“It’s a very personal decision,” said Dr. Veronica McCloskey, a cardiologist with the Columbia University division of cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in Hialeah. “If you have an extensive family history of stroke and we know that in the first year there is an increased risk of stroke, maybe you really shouldn’t take it. If you have a very strong family history of heart disease, maybe it’s not a good idea.”

In fact, heart disease in women before menopause is rare, but after menopause it increases dramatically, and is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, McCloskey said.

So, along those lines, if a patient is very overweight, has high blood pressure, high cholesterol and has a significant family history for early onset heart disease, she may not be a good candidate, said Dr. Victoria Lopez-Beecham, a gynecologist and obstetrician at Baptist Hospital in Kendall.

So who, then, is a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy?

> Lopez-Beecham cited those patients who are very symptomatic for “vasomotor symptoms,” such as hot flashes and night sweats; those who suffer from severe vaginal dryness from a lack of estrogen; who do not have any contraindications, like a significant family history of breast cancer or high risk for cardiovascular disease; and are relatively young, say 50 to 55.

“The trend is to give as low as dose as you can for as short a duration as possible, to try to alleviate those symptoms,” she said, “provided the medicine you are going to give is not going to put her at significant risk.”

Another reason to take hormone replacement therapy is to slow the aging process, said Dr. Amanda Richards-Bullock, a gynecologist and obstetrician at the University of Miami.

“With the lack of hormones, the body starts to lose calcium from the bones, so women become at risk for osteoporosis and a loss of connectivity from blood vessels and skin — the wrinkles, the drying out, all those fun things,” Richards-Bullock said. “We can’t stop it but we can slow it down a little bit.”

She advises that patients undergo blood tests to see what hormones are lacking, and only replace those that are missing.

Visit The Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com

Should women who suffer from the demobilizing symptoms of menopause -- hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness and mood swings -- take hormone replacement therapy?

That is the question facing many women, since a groundbreaking study a decade ago turned the tables on the medical approach to relieving the symptoms of menopause with hormones.

The answer: the decision is a highly individualized one, to be determined between each patient and her doctor, South Florida physicians say.

"There is not one answer that fits all women because each woman's risk is different," said Dr. Silvina Levis, professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and director of its Osteoporosis Center.

In 2002, a study by the Women's Health Initiative was halted after 5 1/2 years when researchers found that estrogen and progestin supplements significantly increased the rate of heart attacks, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer in healthy postmenopausal women.

The increased risk of a heart attack or stroke began in the first year of hormone use, while the risk of breast cancer jumped after four years on hormones.

While the study's methodology has been criticized by many, there is no doubt that the conclusions have caused a sea change in how doctors prescribe hormones to their patients, physicians say.

"What changed is the practice -- what women choose to do and what doctors prescribe, it changed it significantly," Levis said. "Now, the pendulum is swinging back a little bit, in that some women do get estrogen."

"If a woman is very symptomatic, can't sleep at night, has hot flashes through the day and night sweats that really bother her, we try to help her," Levis said. "Women with severe menopausal symptoms have a very hard time, and hormone therapy can really help them."

Doctors will weigh the symptoms with the potential risks, looking at a patient's own medical history as well as family history, particularly for heart disease and stroke.

"It's a very personal decision," said Dr. Veronica McCloskey, a cardiologist with the Columbia University division of cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in Hialeah. "If you have an extensive family history of stroke and we know that in the first year there is an increased risk of stroke, maybe you really shouldn't take it. If you have a very strong family history of heart disease, maybe it's not a good idea."

In fact, heart disease in women before menopause is rare, but after menopause it increases dramatically, and is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, McCloskey said.

So who, then, is a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy?

> Lopez-Beecham cited those patients who are very symptomatic for "vasomotor symptoms," such as hot flashes and night sweats; those who suffer from severe vaginal dryness from a lack of estrogen; who do not have any contraindications, like a significant family history of breast cancer or high risk for cardiovascular disease; and are relatively young, say 50 to 55.

"The trend is to give as low as dose as you can for as short a duration as possible, to try to alleviate those symptoms," she said, "provided the medicine you are going to give is not going to put her at significant risk."

Another reason to take hormone replacement therapy is to slow the aging process, said Dr. Amanda Richards-Bullock, a gynecologist and obstetrician at the University of Miami.

"With the lack of hormones, the body starts to lose calcium from the bones, so women become at risk for osteoporosis and a loss of connectivity from blood vessels and skin -- the wrinkles, the drying out, all those fun things," Richards-Bullock said. "We can't stop it but we can slow it down a little bit."

She advises that patients undergo blood tests to see what hormones are lacking, and only replace those that are missing.

Visit The Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com

Tags: Body, Calcium, Cancer, Candida, Cardiovascular, Cholesterol, Heart, high blood pressure, High cholesterol, Hot flashes, Menopause, Mood, Night sweats, Osteoporosis, Skin, Sleep, Vision, Weight, Women

Large Waist Linked to Diabetes

Posted June 9, 2012

Overweight people with a large waist are just as likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life as those who are obese, according to results from the largest international study of its kind to date.

The study, led by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, followed more than 340,000 people from eight European countries to examine their future risk of type 2 diabetes.

The results, published in PLoS Medicine, show that waist circumference is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes, even after accounting for body mass index (BMI). This association was particularly pronounced in women.

Overweight men and women (BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m2) with a large waist (over 102cm for men and over 88cm for women) were found to have a similar risk of developing diabetes as those who are clinically obese (BMI over 30).

Dr Claudia Langenberg from the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, who led the study, said:

“Type 2 diabetes is a serious and increasingly common disease. More than a third of the UK adult population is overweight and at increased risk of diabetes, but they are not systematically monitored for this risk. Our findings suggest that if their waist circumference is large, they are just as likely to develop the condition as if they were obese.

“We do not suggest replacing BMI as a core health indicator, but our results show that measuring waist size in overweight patients allows doctors to ‘zoom in’ on this large population group and identify those at highest risk of diabetes. These people can then be offered lifestyle advice, which can reduce their risk of developing the disease.”

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the body fails to produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar levels, or when the body’s cells do not react properly to insulin. While the exact causes of type 2 diabetes are not fully understood, being overweight or obese are the most important modifiable risk factors.

To investigate the association between BMI, waist circumference* and type 2 diabetes risk separately in men and women, the researchers looked at data from the EU-funded InterAct Study, in which 12,403 cases of type 2 diabetes developed over the 15 years of follow up.

The researchers found that 7 per cent of men and 4.4 per cent of women who were overweight and had a large waist went on to develop diabetes within 10 years. This risk was equivalent to, or in some cases higher than, obese participants.

In contrast, risk was much lower in normal weight participants who had a small waist, with only 1.2 per cent of men and 0.6 per cent of women in this group developing diabetes over the same time period. Those who were overweight but had a small waist – the so-called ‘pear-shapes’ – were also at relatively low risk from the disease.

Obese women (BMI greater than 35 kg/m2) with a large waist were almost 32-times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than lean women (BMI 18.5-22.4 kg/m2) with a small waist, while men in the equivalent group were 22-times more likely to get the condition than those with a low BMI and small waist.

Half the men and a third of the women in the cohort were overweight, and another 16.4 per cent of men and 15.8 per cent of women were obese, highlighting the epidemic of overweight and obesity and future burden of diabetes in Europe.

Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit and Principal Investigator of the InterAct Study, said:

“This is one of the most comprehensive studies of lifestyle and diabetes risk to date, not just in scale, but in the powerful prospective design which allows us to follow a population over a long period of time to see how and why disease develops. The results of this important research will help inform new strategies for the prevention of this devastating condition that affects almost three million people in the UK.”

The study was a collaboration across 26 European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) centres including the University of Oxford and Imperial College London in the UK. It was funded by the European Union.

Notes to editors

*Waist circumference was measured either at the narrowest circumference of the torso, or at the midpoint between the lower ribs and the top of the hip bone (iliac crest).

For more information, please contact:

Hannah Isom

Senior press officer, Medical Research Council

T: 0207 395 2345 (out of hours, including the Jubilee weekend: 07818 428 297)

The paper, by Langenberg et al, is published in PLoS Medicine.

(M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com).

Overweight people with a large waist are just as likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life as those who are obese, according to results from the largest international study of its kind to date.

The study, led by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, followed more than 340,000 people from eight European countries to examine their future risk of type 2 diabetes.

Dr Claudia Langenberg from the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, who led the study, said:

"Type 2 diabetes is a serious and increasingly common disease. More than a third of the UK adult population is overweight and at increased risk of diabetes, but they are not systematically monitored for this risk. Our findings suggest that if their waist circumference is large, they are just as likely to develop the condition as if they were obese.

"We do not suggest replacing BMI as a core health indicator, but our results show that measuring waist size in overweight patients allows doctors to 'zoom in' on this large population group and identify those at highest risk of diabetes. These people can then be offered lifestyle advice, which can reduce their risk of developing the disease."

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the body fails to produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar levels, or when the body's cells do not react properly to insulin. While the exact causes of type 2 diabetes are not fully understood, being overweight or obese are the most important modifiable risk factors.

In contrast, risk was much lower in normal weight participants who had a small waist, with only 1.2 per cent of men and 0.6 per cent of women in this group developing diabetes over the same time period. Those who were overweight but had a small waist - the so-called 'pear-shapes' - were also at relatively low risk from the disease.

Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit and Principal Investigator of the InterAct Study, said:

"This is one of the most comprehensive studies of lifestyle and diabetes risk to date, not just in scale, but in the powerful prospective design which allows us to follow a population over a long period of time to see how and why disease develops. The results of this important research will help inform new strategies for the prevention of this devastating condition that affects almost three million people in the UK."

Notes to editors

*Waist circumference was measured either at the narrowest circumference of the torso, or at the midpoint between the lower ribs and the top of the hip bone (iliac crest).

For more information, please contact:

Hannah Isom

Senior press officer, Medical Research Council

T: 0207 395 2345 (out of hours, including the Jubilee weekend: 07818 428 297)

The paper, by Langenberg et al, is published in PLoS Medicine.

Tags: Body, Cancer, Diabetes, IBS, Information, Weight, Women

Obesity Slows Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

Posted June 5, 2012

Seoul (dpa) – Fat people between the ages of 60 and 70 years are less intelligent than thin people, according to a new study published in the South Korean journal Age and Ageing.

There was insufficient evidence to find a correlation with people older than 70, according to the study that found people with a lot of abdominal fat showed lower cognitive performance. The study noted that the fat tissue immediately under the skin – subcutaneous fat – had no such influence.

“Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia,” according to Dae Hyun Yoon of the Psychiatric Department of the National University in Seoul.

Avoiding obesity, in particular around the abdomen, could be a way of countering dementia, the study concluded.

The researchers analysed data on weight and waist circumference in 250 subjects older than 60 in South Korea. The study included body mass index (BMI) measurements that relate height to weight, and using computer tomography on the abdominal region.

The researchers found a statistical correlation between abdominal obesity (visceral adiposity) and intelligence in the group, without finding a discernible cause-and-effect relationship.

Although previous studies had discovered a similar relationship, a larger study was necessary to confirm the results, the team said. Abdominal fat, as opposed to subcutaneous fat, tended to lead to problems with metabolizing sugars and fats, it said.

“The study showed that a high BMI was linked to the risk of lower cognitive performance in adults between 60 and 70,” the authors wrote. In the case of participants older than 70, no link could be found between either abdominal fat or subcutaneous fat and intellectual performance.

This showed that the link between visceral adiposity (abdominal fat) and reduced cognitive performance disappeared with age.

Cognitive ability was tested by means of the so-called Mini Mental State Examination, which requires the subjects to answer simple questions that test understanding of time, space, language and motor skills in about 10 minutes.

Seoul (dpa) - Fat people between the ages of 60 and 70 years are less intelligent than thin people, according to a new study published in the South Korean journal Age and Ageing.

"Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia," according to Dae Hyun Yoon of the Psychiatric Department of the National University in Seoul.

Avoiding obesity, in particular around the abdomen, could be a way of countering dementia, the study concluded.

The researchers found a statistical correlation between abdominal obesity (visceral adiposity) and intelligence in the group, without finding a discernible cause-and-effect relationship.

"The study showed that a high BMI was linked to the risk of lower cognitive performance in adults between 60 and 70," the authors wrote. In the case of participants older than 70, no link could be found between either abdominal fat or subcutaneous fat and intellectual performance.

This showed that the link between visceral adiposity (abdominal fat) and reduced cognitive performance disappeared with age.

Tags: Body, Flu, Skin, Weight

Reduce the Juice

Posted June 3, 2012

Many public health officials are now warning patients that fruit juice poses many of the same health risks as soda when it comes to obesity and diabetes. What concrete actions can consumers take?

Global nutrition professor Barry Popkin and others advise eating whole fruits (which contain fiber) instead of drinking fruit juices, so that a feeling of fullness is delivered with the sugars and calories.

Some new, less sugary juice products are on the market, he said, but parents also can simply water down juice at home.

Although liquids won’t quell hunger as well as solid foods, Popkin said a smoothie made, for example, with bananas, blueberries, ice and no sugar would be “a heck of a lot better than just blueberry juice” because the smoothie would still contain the fruits’ fiber.

Health advocates also note that even if a product is labeled as 100 percent juice with no added sugar, it can contain high levels of “natural” sugar. Fruit juice concentrates also can make a product much sweeter than juice obtained simply from squeezing fruit.

New York University nutrition professor Marion Nestle acknowledges that cutting juice out entirely may not be realistic for everyone.

“In theory, it’s absolutely true,” Nestle said of the need to avoid juice. “In practice, it’s best to restrict to 6 or 8 ounces a day, max. The best advice? Don’t drink your calories!”

Many public health officials are now warning patients that fruit juice poses many of the same health risks as soda when it comes to obesity and diabetes. What concrete actions can consumers take?

Some new, less sugary juice products are on the market, he said, but parents also can simply water down juice at home.

Although liquids won't quell hunger as well as solid foods, Popkin said a smoothie made, for example, with bananas, blueberries, ice and no sugar would be "a heck of a lot better than just blueberry juice" because the smoothie would still contain the fruits' fiber.

Health advocates also note that even if a product is labeled as 100 percent juice with no added sugar, it can contain high levels of "natural" sugar. Fruit juice concentrates also can make a product much sweeter than juice obtained simply from squeezing fruit.

New York University nutrition professor Marion Nestle acknowledges that cutting juice out entirely may not be realistic for everyone.

"In theory, it's absolutely true," Nestle said of the need to avoid juice. "In practice, it's best to restrict to 6 or 8 ounces a day, max. The best advice? Don't drink your calories!"

Tags: Diabetes, Food, Liver

Healthy Eating Can Be Less Expensive

Posted May 22, 2012

Is it really more expensive to eat healthy?

An Agriculture Department study released Wednesday found that most fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods cost less than foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

That counters a common perception among some consumers that it’s cheaper to eat junk food than a nutritionally balanced meal.

The government says it all depends on how you measure the price. If you compare the price per calorie — as some previous researchers have done — then higher-calorie pastries and processed snacks might seem like a bargain compared with fruits and vegetables.

But comparing the cost of foods by weight or portion size shows that grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy foods are less expensive than most meats or foods high in saturated fat, added sugars or salt.

That means bananas, carrots, lettuce and pinto beans are all less expensive per portion than French fries, soft drinks, ice cream or ground beef.

“Using price per calorie doesn’t tell you how much food you’re going to get or how full you are going to feel,” said Andrea Carlson, scientist at the USDA’s Economic Research Service and an author of the study.

For example, eating a chocolate glazed donut with 240 calories might not satiate you but a banana with 105 calories just might.

In the comparisons, the USDA researchers used national average prices from Nielsen Homescan data, which surveyed a panel of households that recorded all food purchases over a year from retail outlets.

The cost of eating healthy foods has been the subject of growing debate as experts warn Americans about the dangers of obesity. More than a third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the government, and researchers expect that number to grow to 42 percent by 2030.

“Cheap food that provides few nutrients may actually be ‘expensive’ for the consumer from a nutritional economy perspective, whereas food with a higher retail price that provides large amounts of nutrients may actually be quite cheap,” the study said.

The USDA study criticizes a 2010 report from researchers at the University of Washington, which found that calorie-for-calorie junk food is more cost-effective for low-income people than eating healthy.

Adam Drewnowski, director of the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington and lead author of the prior study, said he stands by his findings that a healthier diet generally costs more. He said there is no government recommendation for how many pounds of food an American should eat each day, but there are federal guidelines that suggest a 2,000 calorie diet.

“Some of these calories are in fact empty calories, so from the standpoint of nutrition they are not terrific,” Drewnowski said. “But the empty calories keep you from being hungry, and this is why people buy them, especially lower-income people.”

Margo Wootan, a nutrition advocate with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said some people don’t think they get as much value from fruits and vegetables as they get from other foods.

“If they buy a bag of chips for $2, they think it’s a good deal, but if they buy a bag of apples for $2, they think it’s a lot,” Wootan said. “We need to do more to help people understand that fruits and vegetables are not as expensive as they think they are.”

Wootan said shopping smart can make healthy eating more affordable. Consumers should be more flexible about choosing less expensive fruits and vegetables that are in season and supplementing those with frozen or canned fruits and vegetables so they don’t have to throw away as much.

Visit The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) at www.newsvirginian.com

Is it really more expensive to eat healthy?

An Agriculture Department study released Wednesday found that most fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods cost less than foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

That counters a common perception among some consumers that it's cheaper to eat junk food than a nutritionally balanced meal.

The government says it all depends on how you measure the price. If you compare the price per calorie -- as some previous researchers have done -- then higher-calorie pastries and processed snacks might seem like a bargain compared with fruits and vegetables.

But comparing the cost of foods by weight or portion size shows that grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy foods are less expensive than most meats or foods high in saturated fat, added sugars or salt.

That means bananas, carrots, lettuce and pinto beans are all less expensive per portion than French fries, soft drinks, ice cream or ground beef.

"Using price per calorie doesn't tell you how much food you're going to get or how full you are going to feel," said Andrea Carlson, scientist at the USDA's Economic Research Service and an author of the study.

For example, eating a chocolate glazed donut with 240 calories might not satiate you but a banana with 105 calories just might.

"Cheap food that provides few nutrients may actually be 'expensive' for the consumer from a nutritional economy perspective, whereas food with a higher retail price that provides large amounts of nutrients may actually be quite cheap," the study said.

"Some of these calories are in fact empty calories, so from the standpoint of nutrition they are not terrific," Drewnowski said. "But the empty calories keep you from being hungry, and this is why people buy them, especially lower-income people."

Margo Wootan, a nutrition advocate with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said some people don't think they get as much value from fruits and vegetables as they get from other foods.

"If they buy a bag of chips for $2, they think it's a good deal, but if they buy a bag of apples for $2, they think it's a lot," Wootan said. "We need to do more to help people understand that fruits and vegetables are not as expensive as they think they are."

Visit The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) at www.newsvirginian.com

Tags: Food, Gain, Snack, Weight

Know Stroke Symptoms

May 15, 2012

-Can you identify the five major signs or symptoms of stroke?

You’re up on strokes if you came up with the following:

–Sudden confusion or trouble speaking

–Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side

–Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

–Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance

–Sudden severe headache with no known cause

In a news release, the Minnesota Department of Health said 45 percent of Minnesotans don’t know those signs. The health department finds that troubling, because stroke is the third-leading cause of death in Minnesota, with 2,154 deaths reported in 2010. More than 75,000 Minnesotans, or 1.9 percent of adults, reported having had a stroke in their lifetimes.

Time is crucial in controlling damage from a stroke, which is why it’s important to know the signs and call 911 at the first sign of symptoms, said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, state health commissioner.

To help raise awareness about strokes, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton proclaimed May to be Stroke Awareness Month, the news release said.

More information about stroke and its risk factors is available at www.health.state.mn.us/cvh.

Visit the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) at www.duluthnewstribune.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

May 15, 2012

-Can you identify the five major signs or symptoms of stroke?

You're up on strokes if you came up with the following:

--Sudden confusion or trouble speaking

--Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side

--Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

--Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance

--Sudden severe headache with no known cause

In a news release, the Minnesota Department of Health said 45 percent of Minnesotans don't know those signs. The health department finds that troubling, because stroke is the third-leading cause of death in Minnesota, with 2,154 deaths reported in 2010. More than 75,000 Minnesotans, or 1.9 percent of adults, reported having had a stroke in their lifetimes.

Time is crucial in controlling damage from a stroke, which is why it's important to know the signs and call 911 at the first sign of symptoms, said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, state health commissioner.

To help raise awareness about strokes, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton proclaimed May to be Stroke Awareness Month, the news release said.

More information about stroke and its risk factors is available at www.health.state.mn.us/cvh.

Visit the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) at www.duluthnewstribune.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Tags: Eyes, Headache, Information


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JUNE 2012 NATURAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER