If you want to drink something uplifting, green tea may be it.

If you want to drink something uplifting, green tea may be it.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
Green tea has been reported to provide many beneficial effects. The study referred to here was related to depression and included 1,058 Japanese individuals aged 70 years or more (Niu K., et al. 2009). In this study group, 34.1% was found to have mild and severe depressive symptoms and 20.2%...
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Flax seeds may modify estrogen metabolites and reduce tumor growth.

Flax seeds may modify estrogen metabolites and reduce tumor growth.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
          Flax seed consumption provides several health benefits. Ground flax seeds have also shown to help regulate estrogen metabolism by increasing the favorable estrogen metabolite 2-hydroxyestrone, but not the more active and potentially harmful 16alpha-hydroxyestrone (Brooks JD, et al. 2004). This results in a healthier ratio...
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Small changes can make a big difference in your health and weight.

Small changes can make a big difference in your health and weight.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
You can get a good start in the new year by implementing some healthy behaviors. One thing that will give you a good start in the morning and make it easier to lose weight or stay at a healthy weight is a high nutrient very low glycemic index breakfast. Don’t...
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Intelligence affected by fitness

Intelligence affected by fitness

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
During early adulthood, the central nervous system displays considerable plasticity. This means the nervous system can still adapt and change easily making it more susceptible to input. The study referred to here is interesting because it shows that physical fitness is important for numerous reasons and it is very important...
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Certain types of fat are contributing to ulcerative colitis.

Certain types of fat are contributing to ulcerative colitis.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
  Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition of the colon. The cell membranes of tissue cells in the body incorporate fat or so called phospholipids into the membranes. Omega 6 fatty acids, the type of fat found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds are metabolized into arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid...
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The importance of staying lean from a young age.

The importance of staying lean from a young age.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
                    The study referred to here examined the association of mid-life adiposity and the reduced probability of maintaining optimal health status at age 70 (Sun Q, et al. 2009). The participants were 17,065 women who survived until at least the age...
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Reduce your risk for breast cancer with exercise

Reduce your risk for breast cancer with exercise

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
The study reviewed here included 118,899 postmenopausal women (Peters T.M, et al). Physical activity as light and moderate-to-vigorous intensity was assessed during four periods of life as it related to breast cancer risk. The periods were ages between 15-18, 19-29, 35-39 and the most recent past 10 years. The follow...
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Dietary habits, cardiovascular disease and inflammation.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
The following is a review of a very interesting study where researchers analyzed dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk. 7,646 healthy people from Italy were included in the research and three dietary patterns were identified (Centritto F., et al. 2009). One of the patterns was characterized by high intake of olive...
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How does body composition affect bone mass.

How does body composition affect bone mass.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
The belief has been that increased fat mass was a protective factor for osteoporosis. This has now been challenged by two studies. One was done in 2007, which included 150 females and 150 males between the ages of 13 and 21 years (Janicka A., et al, 2007). The conclusion of...
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Fish Oil improving marker of biological age.

Fish Oil improving marker of biological age.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
  Omega 3 fatty acids have been documented to provide numerous health benefits. The study referred to here investigated the effect of omega 3 fatty acids from fish oil on telomere length, a marker of biological aging (Farzaneh-Far R, et al. 2010). Biological age is the physiological age (real age)....
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Reduce fructose intake and be healthier.

Reduce fructose intake and be healthier.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
This does not mean that you should stop eating fruits. The primary sources of fructose are sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup. It is interesting to note that as fructose consumption world wide has increased so has the rate of diabetes. Excessive intake of fructose induces features of metabolic...
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Drink green tea and feel better psychologically

Drink green tea and feel better psychologically

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
42,093 Japanese individuals from the general population aged 40 years or more were assessed for psychological distress and the relationship between green tea consumption (Hozawa A, et al. 2009). Other lifestyle factors were also accounted for. The results showed that green tea consumption was inversely associated with psychological distress even...
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Arterial stiffness, folic acid and vitamin B12

Arterial stiffness, folic acid and vitamin B12

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
In the study referred to below, the researchers divided the participants into quartiles according to total plasma homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a toxic amino acid linked to a variety of health conditions. This investigation evaluated the relationship between homocysteine levels and arterial stiffness (Yun J, et al. 2009). It was...
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Does it matter what you snack on as long as the calories are the same?

Does it matter what you snack on as long as the calories are the same?

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
You have probably heard or read that when it comes to weight loss or gain, it does not matter where the calories come from. You will lose or gain the same amount of weight as long as you eat the same amount of calories. I reviewed a study a while...
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A simple thing you can do to help improve blood sugar, cholesterol, and gastrointestinal function.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
Flax seeds, which are tiny small brown seeds, can be health promoting in several ways. Flax is a source of omega 3 fatty acids which we all need. Fish oil is however a more efficient source of omega 3 since fish oil comes in the form of EPA, DHA the...
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Eating a certain way can prevent depression.

Eating a certain way can prevent depression.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
Studies have shown that the Mediterranean Diet can help protect against cardiovascular disease. The study reviewed here assessed the association between the Mediterranean dietary pattern and the risk of depression (Sanchez-Villegas A., et al. 2009). A total of 10,094 participants who were healthy at the beginning of the study were...
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High homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease and stroke, but you can easily prevent that.

High homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease and stroke, but you can easily prevent that.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
Homocysteine is an amino acid, which can build up in your body and cause problems if you are deficient in folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B6. The study reviewed here followed 2009 participants for an average of 11.95 years documenting homocysteine levels and how it affected the risk of...
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Would you spend 30 seconds or less three times a week if it could improve your bone density?

Would you spend 30 seconds or less three times a week if it could improve your bone density?

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
      The risk for osteoporosis and bone loss is increasing with age. The more bone density we build in younger years, the better off we are as we get older. Especially women, but also men are at risk for increased bone loss leading to osteoporosis and risk of...
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Green tea provides impressive benefits for the prostate

Green tea provides impressive benefits for the prostate

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
  The study reviewed here examined the effects of short term supplementation with the active compounds in green tea on serum bio markers in patients with prostate cancer (McLarty J, et al. 2009). Participants with positive prostate biopsies scheduled for radical prostatectomy were given 1.3 g of green tea polyphenols...
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Low glycemic index foods reduce the risk for eye disease.

Low glycemic index foods reduce the risk for eye disease.

Posted by:  Didrik Sopler
Macular degeneration is a condition which results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field. With increasing age it is common to detect a build up of extracellular material in a certain area of the eye, this is termed drusen. Numerous and larger drusen in the...
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