A typical Western diet, rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates from fruit, vegetables. etc. is a recipe for colon cancer as described to the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Harrogate in March.
An expanding body of evidence shows that the composition of the diet directly influences the diversity of the microbes in the gut, providing the link between diet, colonic disease and colon cancer.
People who regularly eat a healthy diet containing high levels of complex carbohydrates had significant populations of micro-organisms in their gut called Firmicutes. These bacteria use the undigested residues of starch and proteins in the colon to manufacture short-chain fatty acids and vitamins such as folate and biotin, helping maintain colonic health. One of these fatty acids, Butyrate, not only provides most of the energy to maintain a healthy gut wall, but it also regulates cell growth and differentiation. Several laboratory and human studies support its role in helping reduce colon
cancer risk.
Certain microbes present in the human gut may also produce toxic by-products from food residues. For example, diets high in meat products will produce sulphur compounds, which decrease the activity of beneficial "good" bacteria, yet increasing the production of hydrogen sulphide and other possible carcinogens by sulphur-reducing bacteria.
Colon cancer is recognized as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in adults in modern Westernized communities. The study's results suggest that a diet which helps maintain the health of the colon wall is also valuable for maintaining general body health and also helps reduce heart disease.
The researchers conclude... A diet rich in fiber, especially from fresh fruit and fresh vegetables encourages the growth of good bacteria and increases production of short chain fatty acids which help reduce the risk of cancer;
A diet high in meat and fat reduces the numbers of these valuable "good" bacteria.
Further investigations have focused on a small number of bacterial species and have therefore revealed only the "tip of the iceberg" because the human colon harbours over 800 bacterial species and 7,000 different strains.
The characterization of their individual properties and metabolic activities can be expected to provide the key to colonic health and helping prevent other diseases, as further research and studies are conducted in the future.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Mind over matter, the power of positive
Mind over matter sounds like an equation, and it can be a balancing act. When faced with adverse health does it really make a difference to be positive? Chronic health issues are composed of good days and bad days, but could optimism make the most of the hand you’ve been dealt? If the mind controls the body what power lies within our outlook on life?
Dr. Becca Levy, from the Yale School of Public Health study of 660 people brought to light, “We found that individuals with a more positive view of aging tended to live seven-and-a-half years longer than those with more negative views of aging.” With all of the anti-aging products out there it almost seems like the world is against aging. Why would we not be proud of living all the years we have lived?
The Bucket List, a great movie in my view, focused on health adversity and living. I was truly moved by the example of mind over matter. All over the world you could give two people the same diagnosis and see two totally different forms of acceptance and life changes. One may view it as the opportunity to live the other may throw their hands in the air and surrender.
Rajan Sankaran states, “Disease is a state of being which is expressed as a mental state and as physical symptoms. The mental state is often expressed as stress. Stress does not arise from external realities (though it may seem to be that way), but from the individual way each one of us perceives our external circumstances. The truth is that the external reality is not the ‘cause’ of most of the stresses and conflicts that occur in our lives.”
Where do you begin if you already struggle with stress and negative thoughts? One day, one thought, and one observance at a time. Start with yourself, try to smile more, stop and notice something small and allow the joy to sneak in. Offer an honest compliment to someone rather than keeping it silent. There is beauty all around us in the form of a dog being walked, a funky cloud formation, a familiar scent, the sounds of laughter and finding the positive in unlikely places.
Dr. Becca Levy, from the Yale School of Public Health study of 660 people brought to light, “We found that individuals with a more positive view of aging tended to live seven-and-a-half years longer than those with more negative views of aging.” With all of the anti-aging products out there it almost seems like the world is against aging. Why would we not be proud of living all the years we have lived?
The Bucket List, a great movie in my view, focused on health adversity and living. I was truly moved by the example of mind over matter. All over the world you could give two people the same diagnosis and see two totally different forms of acceptance and life changes. One may view it as the opportunity to live the other may throw their hands in the air and surrender.
Rajan Sankaran states, “Disease is a state of being which is expressed as a mental state and as physical symptoms. The mental state is often expressed as stress. Stress does not arise from external realities (though it may seem to be that way), but from the individual way each one of us perceives our external circumstances. The truth is that the external reality is not the ‘cause’ of most of the stresses and conflicts that occur in our lives.”
Where do you begin if you already struggle with stress and negative thoughts? One day, one thought, and one observance at a time. Start with yourself, try to smile more, stop and notice something small and allow the joy to sneak in. Offer an honest compliment to someone rather than keeping it silent. There is beauty all around us in the form of a dog being walked, a funky cloud formation, a familiar scent, the sounds of laughter and finding the positive in unlikely places.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
New Study Reports Olive Oil Is Valuable For Prevention of Heart Disease
Source Of Major Health Benefits
In Olive Oil Revealed...
Scientists have identified the constituent of olive oil that gives greatest protection from heart attack and stroke.
In a study of the major antioxidants in olive oil, Portuguese researchers showed that DHPEA-EDA, protects red blood cells from damage more than any other part of olive oil.
These recent findings provide the scientific basis for the clear health benefits that have been seen in people who regularly include olive oil in their diet.
Heart disease is caused partly by reactive oxygen, including free radicals, acting on LDL or "bad" cholesterol and resulting in hardening of the arteries. Red blood cells are especially susceptible to oxidative damage because they function as the body's transporters of oxygen.
In the study, published in "Molecular Nutrition & Food Research" researchers compared the effects of key polyphenolic compounds on the red blood cells
subjected to oxidative stress by a known free radical generating chemical.
DHPEA-EDA was the most effective and protected red blood cells even at low concentrations. The researchers say the study provides the first evidence that this compound is the major source of the health benefit associated with virgin olive oils, which contain increased levels of DHPEA-EDA compared to other oils. In virgin olive oils, DHPEA-EDA may make up as much as half the total antioxidant component of the oil.
The findings could lead to the production of "functional" olive oils specifically designed to reduce the risk of heart disease. Now that the importance of these compounds have been specifically identified , including olive oil supplements (from Virgin Olive Oil Concentrates) in the daily diet can help assure optimum concentrations of the polyphenolic - rich nutritional factors.
In Olive Oil Revealed...
Scientists have identified the constituent of olive oil that gives greatest protection from heart attack and stroke.
In a study of the major antioxidants in olive oil, Portuguese researchers showed that DHPEA-EDA, protects red blood cells from damage more than any other part of olive oil.
These recent findings provide the scientific basis for the clear health benefits that have been seen in people who regularly include olive oil in their diet.
Heart disease is caused partly by reactive oxygen, including free radicals, acting on LDL or "bad" cholesterol and resulting in hardening of the arteries. Red blood cells are especially susceptible to oxidative damage because they function as the body's transporters of oxygen.
In the study, published in "Molecular Nutrition & Food Research" researchers compared the effects of key polyphenolic compounds on the red blood cells
subjected to oxidative stress by a known free radical generating chemical.
DHPEA-EDA was the most effective and protected red blood cells even at low concentrations. The researchers say the study provides the first evidence that this compound is the major source of the health benefit associated with virgin olive oils, which contain increased levels of DHPEA-EDA compared to other oils. In virgin olive oils, DHPEA-EDA may make up as much as half the total antioxidant component of the oil.
The findings could lead to the production of "functional" olive oils specifically designed to reduce the risk of heart disease. Now that the importance of these compounds have been specifically identified , including olive oil supplements (from Virgin Olive Oil Concentrates) in the daily diet can help assure optimum concentrations of the polyphenolic - rich nutritional factors.
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