Diet and Lifestyle

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, (1999 Oct 6; 282(13):1233-1239), fruit and vegetable consumption helps to protect against stroke. The study looked at 75,596 women ages 34 to 59 and 36,683 men ages 40 to 75 who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study. At the beginning of the study, all subjects were […]

Insulin resistance is the mechanism that creates type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. Type 1 diabetes is often called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes is a situation where the pancreas does not produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. Eating sugar and starch forces the body to produce a lot of

If you combine all of the foods known to improve heart health, you could add years to your life, according to research appearing in the December 18, 2004 issue of the British Medical Journal. Earlier research has shown red wine, dark chocolate, fish, and fresh produce all improve heart health. The researchers estimate that eating

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a connection between stress and susceptibility to the common cold. Lifestyle, in general, can have an effect on the immune system. Alcohol consumption, smoking and even skipping breakfast can make you more susceptible to colds and the flu, according to the Economic and Social Research Council (research

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found a feedback system in rats that may explain the craving of so called “comfort foods” in people who are under stress. A steroid hormone, called corticosterone, is produced in rats as a response to stress. The human equivalent of this hormone is cortisol. The hormone

There is a relation between dietary factors and risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  A study involving 145 rheumatoid patients and 188 control subjects from southern Greece and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1999 Dec;70(6):1077-1082) shows a connection between diet and severity of symptoms. Consumption of both cooked vegetables and olive oil was

Patients frequently will incorporate natural health care to help address chronic pain. Frequently they will adopt various therapies without adopting the mindset that makes natural health care truly effective. They may take glucosamine or chondroitan supplements, or take herbs, like boswella or ginger, that can help to reduce inflammation. Often patients look at supplements like

According to a study appearing in the journal Neurology (2003;61:1273-1275), consuming foods containing vitamin C reduces the risk of stroke. Smokers seemed to benefit from this effect more than non-smokers. The study involved 5,197 subjects, aged 55 years or older. The subjects lived in Rotterdam. None had any history of stroke or any cognitive problems.

If you look at lifestyle practices that include nutrition, exercise, and alcohol and tobacco use in various countries, you can see a connection to the cancer rate. About half of cancer incidence and a little more than a third of cancer mortality in the U.S.are associated with our dietary habits in this country.  These cancers

Some scientists believe that a diet high in antioxidants can help protect your brain from injury or stroke, or help an individual have good memory and cognition into old age. Antioxidants are nutrients that protect against free radicals. Free radicals are like chemical “bullets” that damage tissue. Antioxidants are like chemical “bullet-proof vests”. They include