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Archive for August, 2009
CLA Pares Off the Pounds
August 31st, 2009
Benefits Go Far Beyond Weight Loss.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is back in the news. And for good reason!
This "good" omega-6 fat lowers body mass index (BMI) and overall body fat after 8 weeks in obese postmenopausal women with Type 2 diabetes. Earlier Norwegian research showed a stunning 20 percent decrease in the ratio of body fat to lean tissue. Overweight individuals also lost an average of 7 pounds—without making any changes in their diets.
A hefty body of research suggests that CLA does far more than stimulate weight loss. Combined with vitamin E, conjugated linoleic acid may be useful in lowering… Continue reading
6 Spoonfuls of Sugar?
August 28th, 2009
Cut Sweets to Protect Your Heart.
This week, the American Heart Association (AHA) finally weighed in on sugar in its scientific statement, "a worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease have heightened concerns about the adverse effects of excessive consumption of sugars."
While teens (14 to 18 year olds) had the highest sugar intake at more than 34 teaspoons a day, we're not just talking about kids here. The national average is more than 22 teaspoons a day!
Over the past 30 years, the average American has added between 150 to 300 more calories to their daily diet, much… Continue reading
This week, the American Heart Association (AHA) finally weighed in on sugar in its scientific statement, "a worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease have heightened concerns about the adverse effects of excessive consumption of sugars."
While teens (14 to 18 year olds) had the highest sugar intake at more than 34 teaspoons a day, we're not just talking about kids here. The national average is more than 22 teaspoons a day!
Over the past 30 years, the average American has added between 150 to 300 more calories to their daily diet, much… Continue reading Mercury Rising
August 26th, 2009
A big jump in women's toxic load.
A heavy metal that targets the brain, immune system, liver, and pituitary gland, mercury in women has jumped significantly in the past 10 years—from 2 percent to 30 percent among women 19 to 49 years old. "My findings also suggest a rise in risks for diseases associated with mercury over time," reports Dan R. Laks, M.S., a neuroscientist at UCLA.
This research comes close on the heels of a U.S. Geological Survey report showing that 25 percent of fish in U.S. rivers and streams had unsafe levels… Continue reading
A heavy metal that targets the brain, immune system, liver, and pituitary gland, mercury in women has jumped significantly in the past 10 years—from 2 percent to 30 percent among women 19 to 49 years old. "My findings also suggest a rise in risks for diseases associated with mercury over time," reports Dan R. Laks, M.S., a neuroscientist at UCLA.
This research comes close on the heels of a U.S. Geological Survey report showing that 25 percent of fish in U.S. rivers and streams had unsafe levels… Continue reading Sluggish Thyroid?
August 24th, 2009
No wonder you're gaining weight!
A small butterfly-shaped gland located just below the larynx, the thyroid plays a behind-the-scenes role in health. Problems with this critical gland impact women eight times more often than men.
Starting in their mid-30s, many women feel tired and moody, put on pounds, have trouble sleeping, and often lose interest in sex. Sure, these are common symptoms during perimenopause—but they're also signs of a slowdown in thyroid activity, called hypothyroidism.
What most people don't realize is that thyroid function is closely intertwined with the adrenal glands. When combined with a little body fat, the adrenals can make up… Continue reading
The Latest Buzz on Brown Fat
August 20th, 2009
Rev Up Your Own Calorie-Burner.
Carrying around a few ounces of brown adipose (fatty) tissue can burn up to one-fifth of your daily calories. While I've been writing about the benefits of this type of fat in utilizing stored fat for 20 years, three recent studies explain why it's so important in the current obesity epidemic.
In one large study, women with higher levels of metabolically active brown fat, identified by PET scans, have lower body-mass indexes (or BMI). This research also reports that brown fat is more prevalent in younger people and… Continue reading
Carrying around a few ounces of brown adipose (fatty) tissue can burn up to one-fifth of your daily calories. While I've been writing about the benefits of this type of fat in utilizing stored fat for 20 years, three recent studies explain why it's so important in the current obesity epidemic.
In one large study, women with higher levels of metabolically active brown fat, identified by PET scans, have lower body-mass indexes (or BMI). This research also reports that brown fat is more prevalent in younger people and… Continue reading Vitamin C: No Ulcers and So Much More
August 19th, 2009
Antioxidants KO Bacteria.
Vitamin C does a lot more than fend off the common cold. This premier antioxidant now appears to attack nasty bacteria linked to heartburn and ulcers.
The most prevalent bacteria outside the human body, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can infect three-quarters of the world’s population. And once it gets inside the body, H. pylori knows tricks other bacteria don’t know about.
While stomach acid is usually strong enough to kill most pathogens, H. pylori shields itself from harm with a special enzyme called urease, which reacts with waste materials to neutralize acid. Protected by… Continue reading
Vitamin C does a lot more than fend off the common cold. This premier antioxidant now appears to attack nasty bacteria linked to heartburn and ulcers.
The most prevalent bacteria outside the human body, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can infect three-quarters of the world’s population. And once it gets inside the body, H. pylori knows tricks other bacteria don’t know about.
While stomach acid is usually strong enough to kill most pathogens, H. pylori shields itself from harm with a special enzyme called urease, which reacts with waste materials to neutralize acid. Protected by… Continue reading Parkinsons and Pesticides
August 17th, 2009
The Clue Is In Your Water.
Bucolic farmland. Water drawn from your own well. What could be wrong with that? Plenty, new research from UCLA reports.
People on private wells located near fields sprayed with certain pesticides in California's Central Valley had a 90 percent greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease. And those who drank these toxins in their water for four years longer, on average, than other Valley residents had higher rates of this disease.
Close to one million Americans already have Parkinson's, an incurable neurological disease. Caused by the death of nerve cells in… Continue reading
Bucolic farmland. Water drawn from your own well. What could be wrong with that? Plenty, new research from UCLA reports.
People on private wells located near fields sprayed with certain pesticides in California's Central Valley had a 90 percent greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease. And those who drank these toxins in their water for four years longer, on average, than other Valley residents had higher rates of this disease.
Close to one million Americans already have Parkinson's, an incurable neurological disease. Caused by the death of nerve cells in… Continue reading Bacteria and the Beach
August 14th, 2009
Just when you thought it was safe...
A new menacing hazard—MRSA bacteria—is lurking in the water. Although they are invisible to the naked eye, these bacteria can be vicious.
MRSA (short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria linked to deadly infections. It's one of several bacteria collectively known as “superbugs” that first gathered publicity in the 1990's with a rise in hospital deaths from infections.
Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports more than 50 deaths per day from MRSA infections. Like most staph bacteria on the skin, MRSA… Continue reading
A new menacing hazard—MRSA bacteria—is lurking in the water. Although they are invisible to the naked eye, these bacteria can be vicious.
MRSA (short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria linked to deadly infections. It's one of several bacteria collectively known as “superbugs” that first gathered publicity in the 1990's with a rise in hospital deaths from infections.
Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports more than 50 deaths per day from MRSA infections. Like most staph bacteria on the skin, MRSA… Continue reading All Stressed Out?
August 12th, 2009
Avoid "Band Aid" Treatments.
Feeling angry or irritable, having trouble sleeping, worried about your job? It may just be the economy.
Nearly half of the almost 1,800 adults recently polled by the American Psychological Association admit they're more stressed out now than they were a year ago. And 20-somethings—recent grads caught in a sinking economy and job market meltdown—are experiencing a double dose of anxiety, dependent upon their families while trying to strike out on their own.
Plus, more and more of us are seeking treatment for depression, finds a new study in the Archives… Continue reading
Feeling angry or irritable, having trouble sleeping, worried about your job? It may just be the economy.
Nearly half of the almost 1,800 adults recently polled by the American Psychological Association admit they're more stressed out now than they were a year ago. And 20-somethings—recent grads caught in a sinking economy and job market meltdown—are experiencing a double dose of anxiety, dependent upon their families while trying to strike out on their own.
Plus, more and more of us are seeking treatment for depression, finds a new study in the Archives… Continue reading Sneaky Salmonella
August 10th, 2009
Dodge Danger at the Dinner Table.
Salmonella, the single most common cause of food poisoning in the United States, has made the headlines again.
Several Western states are reporting the Salmonella bacteria in tainted meat. Fresno-based Beef Packers Inc. has recalled more than 800,000 pounds of ground beef, sold to shoppers at King Soopers, Safeway, and Sam's Club. Salmonella causes abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and fever, usually 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated foods.
Earlier this year, this bacteria contaminated peanuts and peanut butter. Last summer, it was Salmonella in tomatoes and jalapenos. This pathogen… Continue reading
Salmonella, the single most common cause of food poisoning in the United States, has made the headlines again.
Several Western states are reporting the Salmonella bacteria in tainted meat. Fresno-based Beef Packers Inc. has recalled more than 800,000 pounds of ground beef, sold to shoppers at King Soopers, Safeway, and Sam's Club. Salmonella causes abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and fever, usually 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated foods.
Earlier this year, this bacteria contaminated peanuts and peanut butter. Last summer, it was Salmonella in tomatoes and jalapenos. This pathogen… Continue reading 
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
