The benefits of coffee to prevent skin cancer

Coffee prevent skin cancer. Image: everydayluxurylife.com

As in the case of tea, the coffee was a drink of paradise that has tremendous benefits for human life, but we should not drink too much tea or coffee. There are many scientific studies or articles that prove that coffee has many benefits for our health, for example, coffee may prevent dementia or Alzheimer's, even the aroma of coffee also have uses attract the opposite sex, as well as a variety of other benefits.

 It was also found that coffee also contains antioxidants, so the caffeine in coffee can help you be fit and healthy throughout the day.

Coffee for your skin. Image: coffeerosexpress.com

There is a recent study suggests the latest facts about the benefits of coffee, as well as a mood booster for us to work all day. A study at the University of Washington found that the caffeine in coffee, apparently killing a small number of cells that have the potential to become cancerous (precancerous cells) caused by sun exposure. In the same study, also found that caffeine can kill cells that are in the process of division in our skin when exposed to sunlight.

 The research has been published in the AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) by Yao-Ping Lu, You-Rong Lou, Qing-Yun Peng, Paul Nghiem, and Allan H. Conney is suggested that their findings only valid in cases of basal cell skin cancer carcinoma. That is one of the three types of skin cancers are the most common skin cancer patients in the world, which caused DNA damage to the skin from the UVB rays of the sun.

How does it work?

Drink coffee wisely. Imge: inspirationcruises.com

The caffeine in coffee works by blocking a protein ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related enzyme) which gives the effect of UV exposure to the DNA that makes DNA replication is not perfect and even most of them were broken into early stage precancerous changes in cells that can sell continue to develop into cancer concomitant skin exposure to the sun.

The study was initially successful in these mice at the beginning of the year , it gives the same results in 110,000 participants with an average age of 22-24 years. Of the total participants , there are patients with variations in the number of skin cancer by type . is 22,786 basal cell carcinoma , squamous cell carcinomas 1,953 and melanomas 741 which then results were published back in the 10th Annual AACR International meeting in Boston, USA .

 With the advent of comparative reduction in the risk of basal cell carcinoma, 20 % in women and 9 % in men who drank more than 3 cups of coffee per day. But he also said that the accumulative drinking coffee can not be a reference, but a few moments before the skin is exposed to sunlight, then caffeine can work optimally kill damaged cells in the skin. So no doubt the usefulness of caffeine that can be added to the anti- sun lotion to increase its effectiveness against skin cancer, as will be proved later by Paul Nghiem and his team.

The benefits of coffee for skin care

Beyond these studies, coffee also has fruit acids, organic acids, fats, alkaloids, minerals, potassium, magnesium and iron that are beneficial to the health and beauty of skin on your face , even coffee is also useful to note the beauty of your hair. There is an example for you if you want to take advantage of the coffee to refresh your face, which is as follows:

 

Coffee for healthy life. Image: femalefirst.co.uk

Make a cup of coffee , then put in ice-cube trays, then freeze it in the freezer until frozen. After coffee iced coffee cut the opening, after the wipe to the face like wearing lotion. Rinse face with clean water, and feel the face will feel fresh again.

Special advice: Do not drink too much coffee , two cups or three cups of coffee is enough to make you keep the spirit and healthy every day. Reduce drinking coffee if you feel there are changes that affect your health. Immediately consult with your doctor so that you know your body condition.

If you want to get the right information about coffee or caffeine, then you can add your knowledge about various aspects of coffee on a blog titled "Coffee and Beyond", even you can learn about building a business that is related to coffee, so you can get fortune of coffee business.

Fat vs. Carbohydrate Overeating: Which Causes More Fat Gain?

Two human studies, published in 1995 and 2000, tested the effect of carbohydrate vs. fat overfeeding on body fat gain in humans.  What did they find, and why is it important?

We know that daily calorie intake has increased the US, in parallel with the dramatic increase in body fatness.  These excess calories appear to have come from fat, carbohydrate, and protein all at the same time (although carbohydrate increased the most).  Since the increase in calories, carbohydrate, fat, and protein all happened at the same time, how do we know that the obesity epidemic was due to increased calorie intake and not just increased carbohydrate or fat intake?  If our calorie intake had increased solely by the addition of carbohydrate or fat, would we be in the midst of an obesity epidemic?

The best way to answer this question is to examine the controlled studies that have compared carbohydrate and fat overfeeding in humans.

Horton et al.

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Low cholesterol levels associated with higher death rates in critically ill patients

This study was published in Shock 2014 Apr 10

 

Study title and authors:

Cholesterol Rather Than PCT or CRP Predicts Mortality in Patients With Infection.

Biller K, Fae P, Germann R, Drexel H, Walli AK, Fraunberger P.

Medical Central Laboratories, Feldkirch, Austria

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24727873

This study investigated the association between various factors and survival levels in critically ill patients admitted to an intensive care unit. The study included 76 patients.

Regarding cholesterol levels, the study found non survivors had significantly lower cholesterol levels compared to survivors.

Biller concluded: "Our data show, that low cholesterol levels in patients with infectious disease have a prognostic value and may be useful markers to identify high risk patients already at admission".

The risk of statins for contracting norovirus disease may have considerable consequences for the Western world

This study was published in Epidemiology and Infection 2011 Mar;139(3):453-63

 

Study title and authors:

Norovirus disease associated with excess mortality and use of statins: a retrospective cohort study of an outbreak following a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Rondy M, Koopmans M, Rotsaert C, Van Loon T, Beljaars B, Van Dijk G, Siebenga J, Svraka S, Rossen JW, Teunis P, Van Pelt W, Verhoef L.

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Center for Infectious Diseases Control, Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. marc.rondy@rivm.nl

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20492742

Noroviruses are a group of viruses that can cause gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is an infection of the gut (intestines) which usually causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

This study examined the association of statins with norovirus. The study examined a group of psychiatric patients returning from Lourdes (France).

The study found:
(a) Statin users had a 290% increased risk of contracting norovirus compared to non-users.
(b) Death rates were 1990% higher in patients infected with norovirus.

The lead author of the study Dr Marc Rondy concluded: "The newly identified risk of statins for contracting norovirus disease may have considerable consequences for the Western world"

Access Your Zen Mind

When I first started studying at the Shaolin Temple, I had many questions about my kung fu and Qigong practice. One evening, after a hard day's training  I went to see my master and rattled off my long list of questions. I was met with silence. All I could hear was the chanting coming from the temple across the courtyard. Then my master took a sip from his tea and said, "We don't have an aversion to noise or think silence is a good thing but silence is the only way to let your mind enter into space like clear water. There's nothing to be found outside of the mind." And he dismissed me.

I had no idea what he was talking about, I was a fourteen year old boy at the time but a few years later I stumbled across this sentence in a Buddhist sutra he gave me.

Have you not heard that everyone's light ( enlightened mind) is brighter than a thousand suns shining at once?

And that sentence stuck with me. I have used it as my inspiration ever since.

Even though most of my students are not Buddhists and believe in other religions or none they along with myself find the philosophy of Zen to be helpful in life. It has great faith in the power of our minds. And the inherent wisdom that all of us have but most of us - including myself - mainly don't listen to.

Modern science is researching the power of meditation and it's findings are remarkable for something so simple as focusing the mind whether in sitting meditation or doing a moving meditation like Qigong.

As my training progressed I found that my master was right. I found the answer to my questions through the power of my own mind and body practice. Through not answering me, my master was answering me.

If you are feeling helpless, worried, anxious or undecided about something then take some advice from the Zen spiritual masters of the past.

You have met a close friend. Just look inside your own heart and examine carefully. If you can do this heaven and earth will flow from it.

1. Stop. This sounds easier than it is as once we're caught up in something it's hard to stop.

2. Let go. Through the process of Qigong or sitting meditation.

3. Be a witness.  At the end of your meditation think about the thing you are caught up in as if you were an outsider witnessing it.

You may feel a little less caught up but if you don't, don't worry, just keep repeating this process a few times a day or once a day. It only takes a few minutes.

Remember that you are much more than what you think, there is a source of peace and wisdom inside you, waiting for you to listen to it. 

For more information on Shifu Yan Lei's teaching please visit www.shifuyanlei.com

94% of physicians have a financial relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. Could this affect their judgement when prescribing drugs?

This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine 2007 Apr 26;356(17):1742-50

 

Study title and authors:

A national survey of physician-industry relationships.

Campbell EG, Gruen RL, Mountford J, Miller LG, Cleary PD, Blumenthal D.

Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital-Partners Health Care System and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. ecampbell@partners.org

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17460228

This study investigated the financial associations of physicians with the pharmaceutical and other medically related industries. The study included 3,167 physicians.

The study found:
(a) 83% of physicians received gifts from the pharmaceutical industry (including food and beverages in the workplace and tickets to cultural and sporting events).
(b) 78% of physicians received drug samples from the pharmaceutical industry.
(c) 35% of physicians received reimbursement for costs associated with professional meetings or continuing medical education from the pharmaceutical industry.
(d) 28% of physicians received payments for consulting, giving lectures, or enrolling patients in trials from the pharmaceutical industry.
(e) Overall, 94% of physicians reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.

Most physicians (94%) reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.

Could this affect their judgement when they prescribe drugs or give advice?

So, what's Healthy World Cafe all about?

In April, Healthy World Cafe vice chair Patrick Walker was an invited guest on Faith in Community, a public access show hosted by the Rev. Kate Bortner on White Rose Community Television.

Take a look as Patrick outlines some of the needs that have inspired pay-how-you-can cafes like Healthy World Cafe here in York, and illustrates how we aim to build a sustainable community by providing nourishing food for all!



Want to get involved? Check out a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and find out how to sign up! You can also find a list of other pay-how-you-can cafes in the United States.

Garden Update: A Banner Year

Things are warming up here in Seattle and the flowers are blooming.  I just planted my first crops of the year-- potatoes and strawberries.

2013 was a banner year for my 500-square-foot urban vegetable garden, including my first experience growing and processing a grain.  I never got around to posting about it last year-- so here it is.

Interbay mulch technique

The bed on the right has been mulched with leaves, spent coffee
grounds, and burlap sacks ($1/sack at the local hardware store).
The beds on the left were planted with a rye-clover-vetch-pea
cover crop.  Paths are mulched with wood chips.

In the fall of 2012, I tried a new technique for improving the soil called "Interbay mulching".  This is a variation on sheet mulching, which involves placing uncomposted organic matter directly onto the garden soil in fall and letting it compost until the next growing season.  To Interbay mulch, you simply cover your sheet mulch with burlap.  This keeps everything moist, protects earthworms from bird predation so they can munch freely, and suppresses weeds.  I used leaves (carbon) and spent coffee grounds from a local coffee shop (nitrogen) for my organic matter.

When I pulled back the burlap last spring, I was initially disappointed.  The coffee grounds had disappeared completely, but there was still a lot of leaf matter left on the soil, indicating that it had only partially composted.  However, I later decided that it had worked well, because the soil structure underneath was improved and it seemed to be enriched with significant organic matter as well as a large population of fat earthworms.  The mulch suppressed weeds remarkably well, and the beds remained mostly clean for the rest of the season.

Those observations, combined with huge yields from the mulched beds, convinced me that it was worthwhile.

New tools
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Simple tips for maintaining beautiful and healthy breasts

Sexy and beautiful breasts. Image: goodsinfinite.com

Every woman would want to always look beautiful, slender, bushy hair, and of course the women also want to have beautiful and healthy breasts. Breast with beautiful shape, sexy, dense, and healthy as well is a dream of every woman. Breast is not only beneficial for the breastfeeding, the breasts of women is the main thing to keep up appearances to keep it beautiful and interesting. That's why women can be obsessed with the shape and size of the breast. 

Some women even dare to take risks to perform plastic surgery, breast implants also planted them. The women are very prioritizing aesthetics and beauty, but be alert to the health problems in the organs of the body, as well as on the breast.

So, how do you to get healthy and beautiful breasts?

How to maintain breast health is not different from the way you keep the rest of the body. There are simple ways that have been provided of the universe, so that the women do not worry about the problems that will arise in their breasts. The women are encouraged to consume more vegetables and fruits. Positive activities to enjoy fruits and vegetables is recommended to get a healthy body, including avoiding chronic diseases like breast tumors. A new study revealed that the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, proved to be very effective to prevent breast tumors, and will achieve optimum results if carried out since the age of adolescence.

Do you want to have sexy breasts, beautiful and healthy as well?

Adolescent girls who ate the most fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in carotenoids, have a lower risk of breast tumors. Carotenoids are pigments that produce the color orange, red, or dark green fruits and vegetables. The pigment has the ability of antioxidants to fight disease, and can prevent tumor or cancer. If you do not like vegetables or fruit, now is the time you "force" yourself with creative ways to eat more vegetables and fruits.

Breast tumor is basically a non-cancerous condition of the breast, although some may develop into cancer tumors. Breast tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in the breast that can produce lumps. Caroline Boeke studies, the Chairman of doctoral candidate at the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health confirms that it has been many studies linking carotenoids and breast cancer. Caroline Boeke further said that overall carotenoid has a protective effect against cancer. Then the researchers also analyzed the effect of vegetable consumption in girls since 1996.

Healthy breast. Image: cbcf.org

In the study, researchers conducted dietary analysis from 1996 to 1998, and evaluate the results of the diagnosis of breast tumors in 2005, 2007, and 2010. Study involving nearly 6,600 girls, 122 of whom were diagnosed with breast tumors. The data is certainly a warning for women to be more vigilant in the incidence of tumors in their breasts.

 The study, published in the journal Pediatrics found that girls who ate more carotenoids protected from breast tumors. Broke further said, that the risk of breast tumors in about half of them in comparison to other groups who eat a little bit of carotenoid.

However, the study does not claim a causal relationship between the two. Boeke said, they only have relevance, after entering other factors that influence the risk of breast tumors such as alcohol consumption, physical activity, family history, and body mass index, the association still has not changed.

Remember the old saying, that it is better to prevent disease than to treat it. Because it's your breasts not only maintained the beauty and sexuality, but more important is to keep your breasts in order to remain healthy with simple and smart way. Make sure you always eat vegetables and fruits, and of course regular exercise is also very important for a healthy and fit body.

Get more fantastic article about healthy tips now. 

TECHEALTHY

http://tech-lifehappy.blogspot.com

Vegetarian Diets and Quality of Life: Cause or Effect?

Very few would argue that simply excluding flesh from the diet will guarantee optimal health and longevity. However, the CBS Atlanta recently featured a concerning article, Study: Vegetarians Less Healthy, Lower Quality Of Life Than Meat-Eaters, suggesting that diets that exclude flesh promotes poor health. This article which has gathered much attention describes the findings of a cross-sectional survey from Austria that was published in PLoS One.1 This study has previously been addressed by Don Matesz in an very informative post. However, due to very serious omissions made by the CBS Atlanta, I felt that it was necessary to also address this study.

Vegetarian Diets and Perceived Health: Cause or Effect? 

It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to recognize that this study, based on the Austrian Health Interview Survey (AT-HIS) examined dietary patterns after the subjects had developed health problems. Many vegetarians are not born into vegetarianism, but adopt a vegetarian diet later in life. Therefore, it is important to address why the vegetarians in this study adopted a flesh free diet. This important limitation was acknowledged by the Austrian researchers, who asserted:

Potential limitations of our results are due to the fact that the survey was based on cross-sectional data. Therefore, no statements can be made whether the poorer health in vegetarians in our study is caused by their dietary habit or if they consume this form of diet due to their poorer health status. We cannot state whether a causal relationship exists, but describe ascertained associations.

More importantly, in regards to causation the researchers asserted:

Our results have shown that vegetarians report chronic conditions and poorer subjective health more frequently. This might indicate that the vegetarians in our study consume this form of diet as a consequence of their disorders, since a vegetarian diet is often recommended as a method to manage weight and health.

The researchers suggested that if anything, it was not a flesh free diet that caused a higher rate of a number of health problems, but rather that it was poor health that caused these subjects to adopt a flesh free diet. This is similar to the phenomenon where former smokers report poorer perceived health than current smokers, because they quit smoking with the intention of alleviating poor health.2 This phenomenon is often referred to as reverse causality. 

Unfortunately, Benjamin Fearnow, the author of the article in the CBS Atlanta ignored the evidence suggesting that these results were the result of reverse causality, and instead suggested that a flesh free diet was actually the cause of a number of health problems:

...the vegetarian diet — characterized by a low consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol that includes increased intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products — carries elevated risks of cancer, allergies and mental health disorders.

It is important to note that the Austrian Health Interview Survey did not measure food intake in actual detail. Subjects who reported consuming a flesh free diet were simply assumed to be consuming a diet poor in dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. However, in this study 36% of the vegetarian subjects were classified as lacto-ovo vegetarians, and 55% pescetarians (allowing fish, dairy and eggs). Only 9% were classified as vegans.1 Therefore, up to 91% of the subjects classified as vegetarians consumed dairy and eggs, being the richest sources of saturated animal fat and cholesterol, respectively. The CBS Atlanta failed to mention even the definition of a vegetarian diet used in this study, yet alone the breakdown of subjects in each category of vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian Diets and Cancer

At the time of the report, it was observed that 4.8% of the subjects of the Austrian Health Interview Survey classified as vegetarians had cancer, as opposed to 1.8% of the subjects following an omnivorous diet rich in meat. Unfortunately, no details were provided as to what portion of the studied population adopted a flesh free diet after diagnosis. However, data from previous studies suggest that cancer patients are highly motivated to adopt a plant based diet. As described previously: 

The results of a recent study from the Netherlands illustrates the critical importance of considering reverse causality in research on plant-based diets. The researchers found that 75% of the vegetarian participants with cancer adopted a vegetarian diet after diagnosis, consistent with previous research which found that cancer survivors are highly motivated to adopt a more plant-based diet with the intention of improving poor health.3 4

If the 75% figure from the study from the Netherlands is to be considered representative of this Austrian population, this would suggest that only 1.2% of the vegetarians adopted a flesh free diet prior to diagnosis of cancer. This is lower than the 1.8% figure for omnivores following a meat rich diet, but similar to that of the omnivores following a diet low in meat. Unfortunately, due to the lack of reliable data these estimates should be taken with a grain of salt. 

Prospective (forward-looking) studies which measure diet before diseases are diagnosed are much less likely to be complicated by reverse causality than cross-sectional studies, and therefore considered to be more appropriate for determining causality. I previously carried out a meta-analysis of 5 prospective cohort studies comparing the rates of cancer incidence in vegetarians compared to health conscious omnivores. For this review, I updated the meta-analysis to include the rates of major cancers in the Adventist Mortality and Adventist Health studies. In addition, I limited the inclusion criteria to studies that provided estimates specifically for subjects classified as either vegans, or lacto-ovo vegetarians.

In a meta-analysis including 7 prospective cohort studies, vegetarians had a statistically significant 9% lower risk of cancer incidence compared to health conscious omnivores (Fig. 1).5 6 7 8 9 It is important to note that meat intake was relatively low in the omnivorous group in these studies, especially taking into account that a significant portion of the omnivorous subjects were actually classified as semi-vegetarians. This suggests the difference in cancer incidence may be greater when compared to regular meat eaters.

FIGURE 1. Risk ratios and 95% CIs for fully adjusted random-effects models examining associations between vegetarian diets in relation to cancer incidence. ¹Mortality from cancers of the breast, colorectal, lung, prostate and stomach combined. VEG, vegetarian diet.

The finding of a decreased risk of cancer in vegetarians may be explained, in part, by a diet devoid in heme iron. Controlled feeding trials have established that NOCs (N-nitroso compounds) arising from heme iron in meat forms potentially cancerous DNA adducts in the human digestive tract, likely in part, explaining the significant association between heme iron and an increased risk of colorectal cancer in recent meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies.10 11 12 Heme iron has also been associated with numerous other cancers.

Vegetarian Diets and Heart Disease

In the Austrian Health Interview Survey, it was suggested that subjects classified as vegetarians were more likely to have had a history of heart attacks. It is important to note however, that, plant-based diets, poor in saturated fat and cholesterol have for long been adopted by individuals at risk of coronary heart disease. For example, it is known that in studies carried out as far back as the late 1950s, subjects with unfavorable blood cholesterol levels tended to limit intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat in order to improve cardiovascular risk factor.13

I previously carried out a meta-analysis of 7 prospective cohort studies comparing the rate of death of coronary heart disease of vegetarians compared to health conscious omnivores. For this review, I examined the incidence of coronary heart disease, and limited the inclusion criteria to studies that provided estimates specifically for subjects classified as either vegans, or lacto-ovo vegetarians. In a meta-analysis including 7 prospective cohort studies, vegetarians had a statistically highly significant 24% lower risk of coronary heart disease compared to health conscious omnivores (Fig. 2).5 6 7 14 15  

FIGURE 2. Risk ratios and 95% CIs for fully adjusted random-effects models examining associations between vegetarian diets in relation to coronary heart disease incidence. VEG, vegetarian diet.

The degree of reduction in risk of mortality from coronary heart disease observed in vegetarians in these cohort studies was generally in proportion to the expected reduced risk based on the differences in levels of total and non-HDL cholesterol, and blood pressure. This is supported by evidence from prospective cohort studies which found that diets characterized as being low in saturated fat and rich in dietary fiber decrease the risk of death from coronary heart disease. These findings are also supported by a recent meta-analysis of clinical trials and observational studies that found that vegetarian diets are associated with lower blood pressure and a lower risk of hypertension.16 Interestingly, the rates of hypertension tended to be lower in the vegetarians in the Austrian Health Interview Survey, suggesting that if the subjects adopted a vegetarian diet as a means to control hypertension, they were likely successful doing so.  

Vegetarian Diets and Mental Heath

In the Austrian Health Interview Survey, it was observed that subjects classified as vegetarians had a higher rate mental illnesses, defined as anxiety disorder or depression. Unfortunately, no data was provided as to what portion of the subjects adopted a vegetarian diet after developing these conditions. These findings have appealed to proponents of Paleoloithic diets who hypothesize that humans have a dietary requirement for meat in order to maintain large brains and mental health. However, in Powered By Plants: Natural Selection & Human Nutrition, Don Matesz examines an extensive body of research that casts considerable doubt on the hypothesis that meat is required to maintain mental health and is responsible for the evolution of the large human brain.

The findings from a number of clinical trials cast doubt on the hypothesis that an appropriately designed flesh free diet has adverse effects on, and that flesh rich diets, poor in carbohydrate have beneficial effects on overall mental health.

• Sacks and colleagues carried out a crossover trial to examine the effects of adding 250 g/day of beef isocalorically to the diet on blood cholesterol of vegetarians. As expected, during the meat phase total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure increased significantly. However, it was also observed that the participants experienced increased anger, anxiety, confusion, depression, and fatigue and less vigor compared to the vegetarian phase.17
• Beezhold and Johnston compared the mood scores of participants assigned to either a vegetarian diet, excluding all animal foods except dairy to participants assigned to either a omnivorous diet, or a diet that included fish, but excluded meat and poultry. The researchers found that the vegetarian group demonstrated significantly improved mood scores compared to both the omnivorous and fish groups.18
• Schweiger and colleagues compared the effects of a vegetarian diet and an omnivorous diet on global mood scores. They found that the vegetarian group demonstrated significantly better global mood, and that carbohydrate intake associated with better global mood.19
• Kieldsen-Kragh examined the effects of a vegetarian diet on rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers hypothesized that the participants may find the vegetarian diet too restrictive, and that therefore adherence to the diet would impose psychological distress on the them. However, contrary to their expectations, the vegetarian group demonstrated significantly improved physiological health, and were less anxious and depressed compared to the omnivorous group.20
• Brinkworth and colleagues examined the effects of a very low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet on body weight and mood and cognitive function. Although there was no statistical difference in terms of weight loss between the groups, the participants assigned to the low-fat group demonstrated significantly improved mood scores compared to the participants assigned to the low-carbohydrate diet.21
• Holloway and colleagues carried out a crossover trial to examine the effects of a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet on alterations to heart and brain function. The researchers found that the participants not only demonstrated significantly impaired cardiac health, but also impaired attention, memory recall speed, and mood while following the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.22
• Halyburton and colleagues examined the effects of a low and high-carbohydrate diet on mood and cognitive function. Although, unlike other studies, the researchers found that mood was similar in both groups, participants assigned to the low-fat diet demonstrated improved speed of processing compared to the participants assigned to the low-carbohydrate group.23

Mass Media as a Source of Health Information

The article featured in the CBS Atlanta is just one example of many studies that are misinterpreted, likely intentionally by the mass media. Unfortunately, the mass media is certainly not a reliable source for health information, as their primarily concern is to publish news that appeal to their targeted audience. In this case it was meat eaters who desired to hear negative things about vegetarian diets. This is likely why many important studies do not receive appropriate media attention,  and why consumers are either left in the dark or simply confused about health information.

Although there is convincing evidence of the health benefits of an appropriately planned diet that either excludes or significantly limits the intake of flesh, such findings cannot be extrapolated to all diets that exclude flesh. The definition of a vegetarian diet only provides information as to what foods an individual restricts, and not which foods are included. This is why the emphasis of a healthy diet also needs be on which foods are included, not only on those that are excluded. Future research in this area should address what foods vegetarians are substituting meat with,  the length of adherence to a vegetarian diet, and whether subjects adopted a vegetarian diet in order to alleviate poor health. This would allow for a considerably more meaningful interpretation of the effects of vegetarian diets.

Catch Health World Cafe TWICE in April -- Go Green in the City and at lunch!

We've been working hard behind the scenes as we prepare to open at 24 S. George St. this summer. Thank you to the community for donations and support!

Curious to what you'll find on the menu in our new location? Well, you have two chances in the month of April! Join us this month for Go Green in the City, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 19, in the first block of North Beaver Street in downtown York, where we'll be serving up delicious, locally sourced eats.

Menu:
-- Farmer's harvest chicken soup
-- Focaccia served with arugula hummus
-- Chickpeas with spinach and honeyed sweet potato
-- Mushroom and gruyere quiche
-- Mixed, dried fruit and oatmeal cookies
-- Citrus- and herb-infused tea and water
-- Spring Salad with roasted vegetables, feta, beans and a dollop of arugula hummus

Then, swing by for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at First Moravian Church, 41 N. Duke St., York. Some of our menu overlaps with Go Green, but we've got plenty of new dishes to temp your taste buds. And, all are locally sourced dishes!

Menu:
-- Farmer's harvest chicken soup
-- Roasted garlic and parsnip soup with sage lemon butter
-- Focaccia served with:
*Nettle walnut pesto and sliced radishes
*Arugula hummus
-- Spring salad with roasted vegetables, feta, beans and a dollop of arugula hummus
-- Chickpeas with spinach and honeyed sweet potato
-- Wheat berry, mushroom, celery and shallot salad
-- Asparagus quiche
-- Mixed, dried fruit and oatmeal cookies

Of course, our menu is always based on what's available from our farmer friends, so check back for updates.

At Healthy World Cafe, we always feature our "eat what you want, pay how you can" philosophy. The ability to pay should never be a barrier to accessing delicious, unprocessed, healthy food.

Housekeeping items worth noting:

-- PARKING: When coming to the cafe for our Wednesday lunches, please DO NOT park in the private lots surrounding 1st Moravian Church.  You may park on the street (metered), or you may park at First Presbyterian Church at E. Market and N. Queen Sts. in the un-numbered, yellow-lined parking spots, and please include a sign on your dashboard to indicate you are a Healthy World Cafe volunteer. Then, walk one block west down Clarke Ave. to First Moravian (and enter on north side)!

-- TAKE OUT: Take out orders for lunch are available by e-mailing your selections (by 10 a.m. April 23) to healthyworldcafe(at)gmail(dot)com.

-- VOLUNTEERING: In order to better respect our volunteers' time, we split the Wednesday lunch into two volunteer shifts: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and noon to 3 p.m. Feel free, of course, to sign up for both shifts, if you wish. For Go Green in the City, this applies as well to Saturday's shifts. 

Here's a breakdown of our volunteer needs:

Go Green in the City:
-- 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 17 -- Food prep at First Moravian Church (FMC), 39 N. Duke St., York.
-- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 19 -- Food prep and serving at Go Green in the City, in the first block of North Beaver Street in downtown York. Meet at YorKitchen inside Central Market. Shifts will be 8 a.m. to noon, and noon to 4 p.m. Feel free to sign up for both, if you wish. If you can't work a full shift (say, you can be there 10 to 2, but not as early as 8), please email sarah.e.chain(at)gmail(dot)com and let us know when to expect you!

April lunch:
-- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, April 21  -- Food prep at First Moravian Church (FMC), 39 N. Duke St., York.
-- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 -- Food prep at FMC
-- 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 -- Food prep and serving at FMC. We're now splitting our lunch days into two volunteer shifts to better respect our volunteers' time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and noon to 3 p.m. Feel free to sign up for both, if you wish. If you can't work a full shift (say, you can be there 10 to 2, but not as early as 9), please email sarah.e.chain(at)gmail(dot)com and let us know when to expect you!

Sign up to volunteer through our calendar on VolunteerSpot.

More Graphs of Calorie Intake vs. BMI

In the last post, a reader commented that the correlation would be more convincing if I graphed calories vs. average BMI rather than the prevalence of obesity.  It was a valid point, so I went searching for average BMI values from NHANES surveys.  I dug up a CDC document that contains data from surveys between 1960 and 2002 (1).  Because these data only cover five survey periods, we only get five data points to analyze, as opposed to the eight used in the last post.  The document contains BMI values for men and women separately, so I averaged the two to approximate average BMI in the general adult population.  It's also worth noting that I use the approximate midpoint of the survey period as the year.

First, a graph of average BMI over time.  It went up:

Now, let's see how well average BMI correlates with calorie intake:

The correlation between calorie intake and obesity prevalence was remarkable, but this correlation is simply incredible.  An R-squared value of 0.98 indicates that daily calorie intake and average BMI are almost perfectly correlated.

We can further deduce that each 100-calorie increase in daily food intake is associated with an 0.62-point increase in average BMI among US adults.  

Calorie Intake and the US Obesity Epidemic

Between 1960 and 2008, the prevalence of obesity in US adults increased from 13 to 34 percent, and the prevalence of extreme obesity increased from 0.9 to 6 percent (NHANES surveys).  This major shift in population fatness is called the "obesity epidemic".

What caused the obesity epidemic?  As I've noted in my writing and talks, the obesity epidemic was paralleled by an increase in daily calorie intake that was sufficiently large to fully account for it.  There are two main sources of data for US calorie intake.  The first is NHANES surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control.  They periodically collect data on food intake using questionnaires, and these surveys confirm that calorie intake has increased.  The problem with the NHANES food intake data is that they're self-reported and therefore subject to major reporting errors.  However, NHANES surveys provide the best quality (objectively measured) data on obesity prevalence since 1960, which we'll be using in this post.

Read more »

Take the 40 Day Shaolin Warrior Challenge

At the Shaolin Temple, our masters told us that it took 40 days before any lasting change would happen in our mind and body. Buddha sat for 40 days under the Bodhi tree before he gained enlightenment. Jesus and Mohammed fasted for 40 days before they went back into the world to share their teachings. Scientists have found that after 40 days, you can change the neural pathways in your brain to make lasting change.

If you are just starting out, or have been working with my DVDs for many years and want to reinvigorate your practice and transform your mind and body into a Shaolin Warrior then the 40 day challenge is for you.

It's 40 days of putting a stronger emphasis on your practice, of training more than you usually would - which may mean getting out of bed an hour earlier - , training 6 days a week, and doing some additional mind training throughout the day. After 40 days you will see a significant change in your mind and body.

The DVDs that you use are down to what level you are. You will need at least 1 kung fu DVD and at least 1 Qigong DVD or book as well as the Instant Health Bamboo or metal brush.

These are my 9 Guidelines to your 40-day challenge

Attitude Of Mind

Train where you are with what you have. The beauty of Shaolin is that apart from the bamboo brush, you don't need equipment. You just play my DVD and follow the training. You can follow it in a small flat or outside in the park. All you need is one thing, faith that you can do it.

Surrender to the teachings

One thing that slightly irritates me is the amount of questions I get asked by my Western students. I know that your education is different to mine but coming from a Zen Temple we put the emphasis on practice. If I asked my Master so many questions he would beat me! The more answers that I give, the more I take away from your own experience. Everything you seek is in the teaching if you can only surrender to it.

Practice AM & PM

In the midst of your busy life it's difficult to train twice a day but for the next 40 days this is what you must do in order to progress. Even if you only have 10 minutes in the morning, do a little Qigong and stretching and this will help your day flow better while reminding you that you are training to be a Shaolin Warrior. I like my main training to be in the morning, this sets me up for the day; I then do Qigong in the evening to revitalize my body and give me a deep and peaceful sleep. Find the way that is right for you.

Be A Shaolin Warrior In Your Life

Breath is the key that links the mind and the body. It's the key to a powerful martial art's practice.  A Shaolin Warrior is grounded and focused so keep reminding yourself to breathe throughout the day. If you have a digital watch, you can set a few alarms or get it to beep on the hour as a reminder for you to stop and breathe.

Eat Right

Check out my blog post about food. For these 40 days put an emphasis on eating well. Make sure you eat a big breakfast every day, don't drink any sugar drinks or eat processed food. Try to cook your own food.

Stay Connected

Doesn't matter whether you are religious or not, the experience of martial arts is an exchange with the Universe. The breath we breathe does not belong to us. The strength we gain comes not just from our practice but also from the teachings. We feel more connected to some things then others. You're reading this blog which means you are probably more connected to Shaolin training. Once you train you become part of the Shaolin Family. If I meet anyone from the temple, we call each other brothers unless I am older than him then he calls me Shifu. The West has more emphasis on being an individual. This is fine but don't use your martial arts to bolster your ego, use it to become a person of real strength who has the confidence to be humble.

Train Intelligently

The beauty of Shaolin is in its many exercises. What do I practice every week? The five basic kicks, the five stances, some traditional kicks and punches, bag work, pad work, exercises from my Circuit training and Bootcamp DVDs followed by Qigong.  Once you know the exercises from my DVDs, mix it up so that your body never gets used to any workout, this means your body will never get lazy and you will always be working to your optimal.

Let Your Body Become Your Doctor

 The more you train the more your body will naturally start to heal itself. Foods you used to be able to eat you will longer be able to eat, don't worry about this, this is natural. Your body has always talked to you but you are finally tuning into your body so that you can listen. This can only happen if you practice Qigong. You are not practicing Shaolin if you don't practice Qigong. Shaolin is like a bird; it needs two wings to fly.

Schedule Your Challenge

Write in your diary the day you will start. Throughout the 40 days make a note of the changes that you experience as well as what happens to your fitness levels. How many press-ups and squats can you do now? How many can you do after 40 days? How flexible are you now?  How flexible after 40 days? How about your focus and your peace of mind? Shaolin is as much about the mind as it is about the body.

Join the new Facebook page I've made for people training with my DVD so that you can join with your fellow Shaolin Warriors to share your journey and support each other. 

Remember. Great mind and bodies are not born that way, they are trained.  

 www.shifuyanlei.com

Uncovering the True Health Costs of Excess Weight

Is excess weight hazardous to health, or can it actually be protective?  This question has provoked intense debate in the academic community, in some cases even leading researchers to angrily denounce the work of others (1).  There is good evidence to suggest that excess body fat increases the risk of specific diseases, including many of our major killers: diabetes, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, cancer, and kidney failure (2).  Yet strangely, the studies relating excess weight to the total risk of dying-- an overall measure of health that's hard to argue with-- are inconsistent.  Why?
Read more »

Vegetarians are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment

This study was published in PLoS One 2014 Feb 7;9(2):e88278

Studytitle and authors:
Nutrition and health - the association between eating behavior and various health parameters: a matched sample study.

Burkert NT, Muckenhuber J, Großschädl F, Rásky E, Freidl W.
Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24516625

The aim of the study was to analyse the health effects of different dietary habits. The study included 1,320 subjects who were put into four dietary groups (330 for each form of diet) that reflected the animal fat intake for each dietary habit (i) vegetarian diet, (ii) carnivorous diet rich in fruits and vegetables, (iii) carnivorous diet less rich in meat, (iv) carnivorous diet rich in meat).

The study found:
(a) The vegetarian group had a lower BMI and less frequent alcohol consumption than the carnivorous groups.
(b) Overall, vegetarians were in a poorer state of health compared to the carnivorous groups.
(c) Concerning self-reported health, vegetarians significantly reported poorer health compared to the carnivorous groups.
(d) Vegetarians had higher levels of impairment from disorders compared to the carnivorous groups.
(e) Vegetarians had higher levels of chronic diseases compared to the carnivorous groups.
(f)  Significantly more vegetarians suffered from allergies, cancer, and mental health ailments (anxiety, or depression) than the carnivorous groups.
(g) Vegetarians had a lower quality of life compared to the carnivorous groups. (Concerning physical health, environment, social relationships etc).

Burkert concluded: "Our study has shown that Austrian adults who consume a vegetarian diet are less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment".

New Position with Nestlé

Warning -- Satire -- April Fool's Post

I'm happy to announce that I've accepted a Product Research and Development position with Nestlé Foods.  Nestlé is known for its skillful application of 'neuromarketing'-- using neuroscience to enhance product development and sales-- and the company recruited me for my background in neuroscience and food reward.

As Whole Health Source readers know well, food reward has a major impact on food selection and consumption, and therefore it has huge potential as a product development strategy.  Although product development by the food industry has always relied to some extent on a basic understanding of food reward, corporations still lag far behind the cutting edge of food reward research, and they are therefore missing out on a major opportunity to drive repeat purchase and consumption behavior and increase total sale volume.  I plan to leverage science-corporate synergy to develop food product solutions that people LOVE*.

Even more exciting, Nestlé has asked me to lead a strategic partnership initiative with Coca-Cola to utilize neuromarketing to tailor beverage product development specifically for children, who have a somewhat different set of reward criteria than adults.  We're excited to develop product solutions that kids LOVE* even more than current offerings, by scientifically designing new combinations of flavors, sweeteners, and totally safe habit-forming drugs such as caffeine.

Both companies have been very responsive to my nutritional concerns about processed foods, and so we're working together to make healthier products.  Here are some of the changes we're discussing:

• Adding vitamin C and cod liver oil to chocolate.
• Replacing a portion (1.7%) of the sugar in beverages with stevia across the board.
• Stealthily decreasing the portion size of beverages.  To do this, we'll increase the thickness of the plastic bottles so the exterior of the bottle is the same size, but the actual beverage content is reduced by 0.2 oz.
• Getting these healthy snacks and beverages back into schools where kids can enjoy them!

One of the first things we discussed is getting the advertising department at Nestlé to write guest posts for Whole Health Source.  This will be a fun way for WHS readers to stay informed of current Nestlé products and what we have coming down the pipeline!

April Fools!!!!!!


* Learned Obedience Via Eating

High fat diets recommended for management of type 2 diabetes

This study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition 2014 Mar 25:1-12

 

Study title and authors:

Comparison of the long-term effects of high-fat v. low-fat diet consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with abnormal glucose metabolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Schwingshackl L, Hoffmann G.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstreet 14 UZA II, Vienna A-1090, Austria.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24666665

The aim of the review and meta-analysis was to examine the long-term (more than 12 months) effects of high-fat v low-fat diet consumption on specific markers of cardiovascular risk in pre-diabetic and diabetic individuals. The analysis included 14 trials and 1,753 subjects.

The study found:
(a) Those on high fat regimens had a significant decrease in triglyceride levels.
(b) Those on high fat regimens had a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure.
(c) Those on high fat regimens had a significant decrease in fasting glucose levels levels.
(d) Those on high fat regimens had a significant increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.

The high fat diet improved specific markers of cardiovascular risk in pre-diabetic and diabetic individuals.

The lead researcher of the review, Lukas Schwingshackl from the University of Vienna, concluded: "High fat and low fat diets might not be of equal value in the management of either pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, leading to emphasis being placed on the recommendations of high fat diets".