Living Healthy: levels

Showing posts with label levels. Show all posts

Friday, October 26, 2012

Eating Green to Prevent Cancer

Why do people who eat more plants get less cancer? The largest prospective study of diet and cancer in history, for example, found that vegetarians had lower levels of all cancers combined. This could be due to what they eat less of:

There are also components of plant foods they are getting more of that can help eliminate excess estrogen; extinguish free radicals; and boost our antioxidant, detoxification, and DNA repair enzymes. What we do eat may be as important as what we don’t eat.

The healthiest food is dark green leafy vegetables, which we should ideally eat every day. Greens can improve our eyesight, immune function, athletic performance, and even our physical appearance. The green pigment itself—chlorophyll—may even intercept carcinogens. See my NutritionFacts.org video pick above.

For more on protective compounds in plants, check out my video Phytochemicals: The Nutrition Facts Missing From the Label. Green pigments are just one sliver of the rainbow though. There are benefits to the yellow ones, orange ones, red ones, and blue ones. Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book!

In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.

PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here and watch my full 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.

Image credit: Anderson Mancini / Flickr

Source : care2[dot]com

Friday, October 12, 2012

How Much Soy Is Too Much?

If animal proteins promote cancer because they boost our blood levels of the growth hormone IGF-1, what about the few plant proteins that have amino acid ratios similar to animal proteins such soy foods? One of soy’s selling points is that it has “high quality” protein, but as we saw in my Care2 article on Wednesday, Animal Protein and IGF-1, higher quality may mean a higher risk of cancer.

In my 2-min. video, Animalistic Plant Proteins, I show that animal protein consumption is associated with significantly higher levels of the cancer promoter IGF-1 and non-soy plant protein is associated with significantly lower levels. There was no significant association with soy protein, though. This suggests that if all we do is replace animal protein with soy protein, we may not see as dramatic a drop in IGF-1 as that enjoyed by those replacing meat, eggs, and dairy with a variety of plant proteins. You can see what lower IGF-1 levels can mean for prostate and breast cancer growth in my videos Ex Vivo Cancer Proliferation Bioassay and The Answer to the Pritikin Puzzle.

In my NutritionFacts.org video pick above I show that vegans consuming the equivalent of 7-18 servings of soy foods per day may end up with circulating IGF-1 levels comparable to those who eat meat. For more on the cancer reversal study mentioned in the video, see Cancer Reversal Through Diet. It’s important to remember in this discussion that soy food consumption is associated with an array of health benefits. See, for example, Breast Cancer Survival and Soy, The Effect of Soy On Precocious Puberty, and Soy Foods & Menopause. But how much may be too much?

From the above video it seems that 7 to 18 servings of soy a day may neutralize some of the beneficial effects of avoiding animal protein. At the same time, studies have repeatedly found that women who eat a lot of soy appear to have a lower risk of getting breast cancer and a better chance of surviving breast cancer than those who don’t. So is there some magic number of soyfood servings we should shoot for?

In my 2-min. video, How Much Soy Is Too Much, I run through all the studies to date that have measured the effects of varying levels of soy consumption on IGF-1 levels. Five to ten servings per day increased IGF-1 levels, but two to three servings did not. The bottom-line is that legumes are one of the healthiest things we can eat and should be a part of everyone’s daily diet. This means lentils, peas, and/or beans every day—in fact, ideally every meal! Soy is an excellent choice, but we should probably stick to no more than 3-5 servings a day.

In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.

PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here and watch my full 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.

Image credit: Andrea_Nguyen / Flickr

Source : care2[dot]com

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The 3 Best Snooze Foods

Trouble sleeping? Foods high in nutrients that promote serotonin levels can help. Bananas, toast, and honey are all examples of foods that can help treat insomnia and support healthy sleep patterns. Watch this to learn more!

Source : care2[dot]com

Natural Pharmacy: Healing Properties of Blueberries

Forget the thesis: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

These tiny exotic fruits are very healthy for its antioxidant and multivitamin. They lower cholesterol levels while improving glucose control and insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But that’s not all:

Acai Berry – “Fruit of Life”

A handful of blueberries every morning are the perfect breakfast

Blueberries as an antibiotic
Blueberries can be surprisingly useful for its antibiotic properties. They contain substances which inhibit the growth of bacteria, thus preventing many throat infections and urinary tract.
Blueberries as a means of health and youth
Forget creams anti-aging skin. You can lead a healthy lifestyle, consuming a few blueberries every day. They contain vitamin C, E and A, selenium, zinc, copper and phosphorus, which are key components to staying young and healthy for a long time. It is also shown that blueberries are good for eyesight as they contain substances that prevent or delay some diseases of the eye that appear with age. These are problems such as macular degeneration, cataracts, nearsightedness, farsightedness and. Blueberries contain a special group of antioxidants called carotenoids and flavonoids.

Which Are the Best September Superfoods?
Blueberries as a way to reduce abdominal fat
According to the latest research from the University of Michigan blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
Blueberries as a means to better brain activity
Blueberries are wonderful magic pill for prevent and healing of neurotic disorders. This happens as they prevent degeneration and death of neurons, and restore the health of the central nervous system. They can even help healing of damaged brain cells and tissues that help to keep the memory for a long time.
Blueberries as a means to a healthy heart
High in fiber and antioxidants that help to regulate the “bad cholesterol” blueberries makes an ideal dietary supplement that is extremely beneficial for heart health.

See the Foods Without Calories
Blueberries for constipation
A handful of blueberries every morning are the perfect breakfast improves the function of the stomach. High in fiber and vitamins, sodium, copper and fructose in these delicious fruit improves digestion and makes you feel fresh throughout the day.
Blueberries and cancer
Blueberries may be a blessing for patients suffering from cancer. They contain substances and antioxidants can prevent and treat cancer.
All these qualities of blueberries grown in the garden of nature, can keep us young and healthy. So do not ignore them! Their strength is truly miraculous and certainly can keep us away from doctors!

Source : dailyhealtharticles[dot]com

Friday, September 28, 2012

The Greatest Factor for Great Health

There is a substance in your blood that most people have never heard of, yet can increase the risk for over fifty diseases. It’s called homocysteine and getting your levels of this substance under control is one of the greatest things you can do for your health.

Nutrition expert Patrick Holford indicates in his book, The New Optimum Nutrition Bible that not only does homocysteine damage arteries, the brain, and genetic material (DNA), it can increase the risk for over fifty diseases, including: Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke and rheumatoid arthritis.

Homocysteine is a type of protein that is produced by the body and found in the blood. It is ideally found in low levels. Produced from an amino acid called methionine which is found in protein foods in the diet, the body normally turns homocysteine into beneficial substances including: glutathione or S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe).

Too much homocysteine can build up in the blood increasing the formation of plaque on blood vessel walls and clogging and hardening of the arteries–atherosclerosis.

Keep reading to discover the risk factors for high homocysteine levels and how to reduce yours…

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Source : care2[dot]com