The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet: Health Central

The Mediterranean Diet

Much has been said about the healthy effects of the Mediterranean diet--lower mortality rates, fewer cases of heart disease and less chronic illness in that region.  Now researchers at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Navarra in Spain have published a study focusing on what makes the diet so healthy.

How did they do the study?

For four years, researchers worked with more than 11,000 university students, first asking them to provide their dietary intake.  Mediterranean foods such as like fruit, fish, nuts, cereals, and vegetables were positively valued, while meat, alcohol, and dairy products were negatively valued.  A questionnaire was used to measure the students’ quality of life after four years of monitoring their eating habits. 

What did they find?

Researchers found that participants who stuck to the Mediterranean diet had better mental and physical wellness, as well as a significantly better quality of life.  The scientists created a Mediterranean food pyramid that outlines the main diet factors:

• Daily water consumption should be 2 liters.
• Meals should contain vegetables, fruit, cereals, and dairy.
• Olive oil should be the main source of fat, but lean animal proteins such as eggs, fish, and seafood are also permitted.
• Sugar and sweets should be limited; However small amounts aren’t harmful.

Other recommendations include limiting meats and sweets, consuming moderate amounts of poultry, eggs, and dairy weekly, consuming fish and seafood several times a week, and basing all meals on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, seeds, and herbs. 

Other key components to following the Mediterranean diet include plenty of exercise, focusing on plant-based foods, replacing butter with healthy fat such as olive oil, using herbs and spices to flavor foods instead of table salt,  limiting red meat to once a month, and drinking red wine in moderation. ( Try Resveratrol for all the benefits of red wine )

So what’s the significance?

Find out what your body is missing ---Its Free to Try

While researchers can’t pinpoint the exact reason students showed better mental health and physical quality of life, the Mediterranean diet is believed to be a major factor.  Additionally, improved physical health will generally boost your mental health in the long run. 

Simply adding fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meat, and cereal to your diet, while limiting sweets, could be the first step to fighting illnesses such as heart disease and minor depression by boosting your overall mood. For those with a family history of mental illness or heart disease, adding a fairly non-restrictive diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, can be a good strategy for increasing wellness.  

Chronic Inflammation at the Heart of America’s Deadliest Diseases

Chronic Inflammation at the Heart of America’s Deadliest Diseases

Author: willllamas 

New science has linked diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s,
stroke, and cancer to one condition: chronic inflammation. Chronic
inflammation is a condition brought about by obesity and from a diet high
in fatty foods.  This condition can
attack the immune system and clear the way for harmful bacteria to enter the
body.

“You need to have inflammation when you have a wound
and the immune system goes in to heal it. Yet we don’t want too much
inflammation in our system causing damage to
our arteries” and other harm, says Wendy Weber, a program director at
the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the
National Institutes of Health.

Chronic inflammation can be caused a few different ways. One
recent discovery showed that fat cells were not solely acting as storage for
excess weight. “Instead, fat cells act like small factories to churn out
molecules known as cytokines, which set inflammation in motion,” says Peter
Libby, chief of the division of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital in Boston.

Besides body weight issues, a diet rich in high-fat foods is
another common cause of chronic inflammation.

What can be done to combat inflammation? First and foremost,
maintaining a healthy body weight is a must. Losing excess weight and fat cells
will counter cytokine production and keep down inflammation. On top of that, a
specialized diet limiting fat consumption can help. However, no diet alone can
completely stop inflammation. “If you weigh 300 pounds and eat healthy,
the weight will still counter any beneficial foods you are eating,” says Dr.
Cannon, a professor of medicine at Harvard University.

The American Heart Association also recommends consuming
omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, and omega-6 fatty acids found in nuts and
vegetable oils to reduce the risk of inflammation. Supplementation is also
recommended if you are not getting the proper amounts.

Paint Your Heart Healthy with Flavonoids

Paint Your Heart Healthy with Flavonoids

By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND

Eating more colorful, flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables may reduce the chance of dying from heart disease by up to 40%, says a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Fix it before it breaks

Preventing heart disease is easier than curing it. We already know a lot about how to keep the heart happy, like

• not smoking,
• maintaining a healthy weight,
• keeping blood pressure in check, and
• getting regular physical exercise.

Eating more fruits and vegetables is also key to preventing heart disease. These foods are rich in magnesium, potassium, and fiber that can help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Brightly colored fruits and veggies are also high in flavonoids, plant compounds that give foods such as oranges, broccoli, and so on their characteristic hues. Flavonoids have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions in the body. They also inhibit the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and encourage blood vessel walls to relax, helping to lower blood pressure.

As part of the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, researchers from the American Cancer Society and Tufts University investigated how different types of flavonoid compounds in the diet might protect against death from heart disease. In the study, 38,180 men and 60,289 women (average age 69 and 70, respectively) gave detailed information about their diets. The amount and types of dietary flavonoids were estimated for each participant. For the next seven years, the participants were followed and deaths due to heart disease were recorded.

• Of the seven classes of flavonoids studies, five of them were associated with a lower risk of heart disease death.
• Risk of fatal heart disease was 18% lower in men and women who had the highest amounts of total flavonoids in their diets those with the lowest. The risk of fatal stroke dropped by 37% in men with the highest total flavonoid intake.
• The subclass of flavonoids called flavones was especially beneficial for women. Women with the highest flavone intake had a 26% reduction in risk of overall heart disease death and a 40% reduction in risk of death from heart attack.

“Even relatively small amounts of flavonoid-rich foods may be beneficial for reducing risk of fatal cardiovascular disease,” commented the researchers.

Brighten your plate for a happier heart

OPC-3 #1 Bioflavonoid in the world

Getting more flavonoids into your diet is as easy as blueberry pie. Just aim for a rainbow of colors throughout the day. You don’t have to get them all in at every meal, but when you’re planning your five-a-day of fruits and vegetables, make sure they’re not all in the white family.

Raspberries, strawberries, apples, blueberries, green tea, black tea, dark chocolate, red grapes, purple cabbage, red wine, oranges, grapefruit, kale, broccoli, onions, and leeks are all loaded with heart-healthy flavonoids.

Parsley, thyme, oregano, celery, and green chili peppers are rich sources of the subclass of flavonoids called flavones. These are the ones that may be especially helpful for women.

About Natural Products Foundation: NPF is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation. For more information about this story and the foundation visit: naturalproductsfoundation.org. 

Story Source: Kimberly Beauchamp, ND, received her doctoral degree from Bastyr University, the nation’s premier academic institution for science-based natural medicine. She co-founded South County Naturopaths in Wakefield, RI, where she practiced whole family care with an emphasis on nutritional counseling, herbal medicine, detoxification, and food allergy identification and treatment. Her blog, Eat Happy, helps take the drama out of healthy eating with real food recipes and nutrition news that you can use. Dr. Beauchamp is a regular contributor to Healthnotes Newswire. The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Aisle7. All rights reserved.

References: (Am J Clin Nutr 2012;95:454–64)

The NPF Science Update brings you news about scientific advances in the field of natural products. The Science Update features contributions from scientists, academics, doctors, healthcare professionals, industry veterans and other experts.

Study unlocks Pycnogenol’s skin health mechanism

A recent study of 20 women between the ages of 55 and 68 shows that taking 75mg of Pycnogenol for 12 weeks improved skin elasticity. 

Twelve weeks of supplementation with the Pycnogenol branded part was related with increases in skin agility and hydration, and an enlarge in the prolongation of hyaluronic acid in skin by 44%, according to commentary published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.


Hyaluronic acid is a component of the pattern between cells (extracellular matrix) that occurs of course in the body until the age of about 30, after that levels beginning to decrease. The lessen is accepted to fool around a purpose in the aging process, specific a relapse in the extracellular pattern and an enlarge in the arrangement of wrinkles.

Indeed, the hunger bellow remove was moreover related with a 3% shrinking in skin wrinkles, according to researchers from Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (IUF) in Dusseldorf, Germany and Horphag Research, the firm at the back the ingredient.
“The present investigate confirms at a molecular turn the profitable belongings Pycnogenol supplementation might supply to human skin,” wrote the researchers. 
Read more here:
Study unlocks Pycnogenol’s skin health mechanism

Isotonix OPC-3 (OPC-3) contains the only isotonic form of Pycnogenol(r) in the world. Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree and the most clinically researched and potent bioflavonoid.* Isotonic, which means; same pressure & bears the same chemical resemblance of the body & blood, plasma and tears.  All fluids in the body have a certain concentration, referred to as osmotic pressure. The body & common osmotic pressure, which is isotonic, allows a consistent maintenance of body tissues. In order for a substance to be absorbed and used in the body & metabolism, it must be transported in an isotonic state. Isotonix(r) dietary supplements are delivered in an isotonic solution. This means that the body has less work to do to in obtaining maximum absorption. The isotonic state of the suspension allows nutrients to pass directly into the small intestine and be rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. With Isotonix products, little nutritive value is lost, making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient while delivering maximum results.

Barbara Walters Live to 150 Special: Resveratrol

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Longevity/Story?id=4543291&page=3

Resveratrol
David Sinclair, co-founder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Mass., has found a protein in our bodies that could be the key to resetting our biological clocks.
He made the discovery by randomly testing tens of thousands of cells, searching for the chemical that would activate that protein -- resveratrol.
"We found them by accident. We stumbled upon this molecule from red wine. And when I looked at the computer, [I asked,] what is this resveratrol?" said Sinclair. "And [when I] found that it was in red wine … [well,] I almost fell off my chair. Because of course we have all heard that red wine is good for you."
But to see the benefits, you would need to drink about 1,000 bottles a day. Since that was not the solution, Sinclair went back to the lab and found a way to make resveratrol a thousand times more potent.
"What we have discovered is that resveratrol works on a gene, which is called SIR T1, and this is a gene, which controls the aging process," said Sinclair. "Resveratrol seeks out that gene and switches it on."
Sinclair tested these high doses of resveratrol on mice. When compared on treadmills side by side, the mouse, when given this intensified form of resveratrol, ran twice as far as the mouse who was not fed the molecule. The supplement had major health benefits as well.
"They were eating a high fat diet, a fatty diet, and they lived just as long as a lean, healthy mouse. They didn't get heart disease, cancer, even osteoporosis, and they lived 30 percent longer," he said.
Humans have the same exact gene that is activated by resveratrol, so Sinclair believed it could have similar benefits in people.
Realizing the blockbuster potential for his new pill based on an intensified and improved form of resveratrol, Sinclair teamed up with biotech entrepreneur Chris Westphal and together they raised more than $100 million for further research.
"I think we've passed the turning point in our understanding of the aging process, " said Sinclair.
"We think that we can increase healthy life span. So if you're in your 80s, you'll be behaving as if you were in your 50s."
In the first human trial, a form of resveratrol called SRT501 successfully treated type II diabetes, one of the major diseases of aging.
"The major killers of Western society are exactly the diseases that should be able to be treated with the drugs we're developing," Sinclair states.
He and Westphal plan to get regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration within five years.

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