4 Vitamins That Can Save Your Life (concl.)

Trying to keep up with the latest studies on health can make your head spin, but one thing is certain: to come up short on basic nutrients is playing Russian roulette with your well being. And while many of the "new" supplements you may have read about are worth considering, don't forget these four basic vitamins that will keep you in great shape for many years to come.


3. Vitamin D

The "sunshine" vitamin impacts all areas of our health, and is hailed as a "miracle" vitamin by some experts. It reduces the risk of several cancers, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and a host of other ailments.

A study by cancer prevention specialists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California found that high amounts of vitamin D could slash colorectal cancer rates by two-thirds. A European study found that high levels of vitamin D cut the odds of colon cancer by almost 40 percent.

Researchers at Warwick Medical School in the United Kingdom reviewed 28 studies and found that middle-aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D lowered their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 33 percent, their risk of Type 2 diabetes by 55 percent, and their chances of metabolic syndrome by 51 percent when compared to those with low levels of the vitamin.

Other studies have found vitamin D lowers the chance of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease. The "miracle" vitamin also promotes weight loss, lowers the risk of multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, protects memory, reduces depression and hip fractures in the elderly, and lowers overall mortality.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, between 50 and 75 percent of Americans don't get enough vitamin D. The National Institute of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements recommends 200 IU of vitamin D each day for adults under the age of 50. Adults age 50 to 70 should get 400 IU daily and adults 71and older should have an intake of 600 IU each day.

ABC News suggests five ways to get more vitamin D:

• 15 minutes of sun three times a week

• Fatty fish and cod liver oil

• Fortified dairy products

• Multivitamins

• Vitamin D supplements



4. Vitamin E

A powerful antioxidant, vitamin E boosts immunity and helps neutralize free radicals that damage cells and lead to many illnesses including Alzheimer's, cancer, and diabetes. Vitamin E is composed of eight subtypes: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols.

A recent study found that high levels of vitamin E in the blood reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age, and a study at Cornell University and Brigham and Women's Hospital discovered that regular use of vitamin E lowers the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Several large studies have suggested that vitamin E reduces the risk of heart attack in both men and women. Experts believe vitamin E lowers the risk of stroke and coronary artery disease by reducing cholesterol and plaque buildup, and a recent study found that tocotrienols can prevent nerve cells from dying following a stroke —at least in mice.

Studies have shown that tocotrienols can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells by as much as 50 percent.

Vitamin E is found in whole grains, nuts, vegetable oils, liver, egg yolk, and avocado. The RDA is 30 IU, but Dr. Russell Blaylock, author of The Blaylock Wellness Report, recommends 1,000 IU of natural mixed tocopherols daily.

People who take blood thinners should consult with their physician before taking vitamin E supplements because the nutrient can act as an anti-coagulant and possibly increase the risk of bleeding.


Courtesy: NewsMaxHealth

4 Vitamins That Can Save Your Life

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

1. B vitamins

Low levels of several of the B vitamins appear to be related to high levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is associated many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.


• B-6. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association linked taking B vitamins with a 56 percent reduced risk of lung cancer — as long as you refrain from smoking. According to scientists, vitamin B-6 is involved in 100 chemical reactions in your body every single minute. Clinical studies have shown B-6 is useful in treating atherosclerosis, ADHD, depression, edema, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma, and autism. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate or P-5-P, is the activated form of vitamin B-6 that the body uses best, and some experts recommend that B-6 supplements contain P-5-P.

B-6 is found in many foods including meat, beans, and fortified cereals. The RDA for men and women ages 19 to 50 is 1.3 mg daily, and 1.7 mg for men and women over the age of 50. B-6 is found in wheat bran, seeds, beans, and beef. If taken as a supplement, it should be taken with other B vitamins. B-6 works with vitamins B-12 and folic acid to reduce the risk of heart disease by inhibiting homocysteine.

• B-12. The prevalence of B-12 deficiencies increase with age, and could be due, in part, to the widespread use of gastric acid-blocking medications. Vegetarians are also at risk of deficiency because the vitamin is found mainly in animal products, including meat, milk, milk products, and eggs. B-12 protects the nervous system, and permanent damage, such as dementia, blindness, and deafness can be the result of chronic deficiency. The RDA is 2.4 mcg daily for adults.

• Folate. Folate is the natural form of the vitamin, and folic acid is the synthetic form found in supplements and added to fortified foods. A deficiency of folate can lead to birth defects. Some research suggests that folate might slow the effects of aging on the brain. Folate can be found in green leafy vegetables and dried beans and peas. Since 1996, folate has been added to enriched breads, flours, cereals, rice, and other grain products. The RDA for adults is 400 mcg daily.

2. Vitamin C

Safe and effective, vitamin C provides a long list of benefits, including protection against cardiovascular disease, eye disease, deficiencies of the immune system, and even aging skin. "Higher blood levels of vitamin C may be the ideal nutrition marker for overall health," says researcher Mark Moyad, M.D., MPH, of the University of Michigan. "The more we study vitamin C, the better our understanding of how diverse it is in protecting our health, from cardiovascular, cancer, stroke, eye health, and cancer," he told WebMD.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that vitamin C might protect against stroke and heart attack as well as help prevent atherosclerosis, and recent research by the Linus Pauling Institute found evidence that vitamin C helps prevent heart disease and cancer. Other studies have found the vitamin lowers the risk of diabetes.

According to some experts, ascorbate is the most absorbable form of vitamin C, and they recommend either calcium or magnesium ascorbate forms.

The RDA for vitamin C is 60 mg daily, but many experts advise taking more. "The ideal dosage may be higher than the recommended dietary allowance," Moyad said. He suggests taking 500 milligrams each day in addition to eating five servings of fruits and vegetables. Those high in vitamin C include sweet red peppers, broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, cantalope, spinach, and citrus.

Courtesy: NewsMaxHealth

(Concluded in out next post)

The Truth About Beer and Your Belly (Concl.)

What’s Wrong With a Beer Belly?

Carrying extra pounds in your thighs or hips is less risky than carrying them in the abdominal region. Further, subcutaneous fat that you can grab around your waist and on your thighs, hips, and buttocks is not as dangerous as the visceral fat that's found deep within the abdominal cavity surrounding your organs.

Visceral fat within the abdominal wall is frequently measured by waist circumference.

"When waist circumference exceeds 35 inches for women and 40 for men, it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and overall mortality," Jensen says. He cautions that these numbers are simply guidelines, and recommends keeping your waist size below these numbers.

Losing Your Belly

There is no magical way to tackle belly fat other than the tried-and-true method of cutting calories and getting more physical activity. Monounsaturated fats and so-called "belly fat" diets won’t trim your belly faster than any healthy, low-calorie diet, Jensen says.

Because of the link between alcohol calories and belly fat, drinking less alcohol is a good place to start. Avoid binge drinking, which puts you at risk for liver damage and other serious health problems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting alcohol to one serving per day for women and two for men.

Beer lovers should opt for light beers with 100 calorie or less, and limit the number they drink per day. Another option is to drink alcohol only on weekends, and to alternate alcoholic drinks with low-calorie, non-alcohol beverages.

Don’t forget to have a healthy meal before or with your drinks to help you resist the temptation of high-calorie bar food.

Can Exercise Eliminate Your Beer Belly?

Doing sit-ups, crunches, or other abdominal exercises will strengthen your core muscles and help you hold in your belly fat, but won’t eliminate it. The only way to lose belly fat (or any kind of fat) is to lose weight.

Aerobic exercises like running, swimming, cycling, and tennis are some of the best to help reduce body fat. But "any kind of exercise will help you keep the weight off more effectively than diet alone," Jensen says.

The good news is that when you start losing weight, you tend to lose it in the midsection first. "Visceral fat is more metabolically active and can be broken down quicker than other fat," Jensen says, "so it is usually the first to go, especially when you have a lot to lose."


Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, is director of nutrition for WebMD. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.

The Truth About Beer and Your Belly

What really causes that potbelly, and how can you get rid of it?
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD WebMD Expert

Have years of too many beers morphed your six-pack abs into a keg? If you have a "beer belly," you are not alone. It seems beer drinkers across the globe have a tendency to grow bellies, especially as they get older, and especially if they are men.

But is it really beer that causes a "beer belly"? Not all beer drinkers have them -- some teetotalers sport large ones. So what really causes men, and some women, to develop the infamous paunch?

What Causes a Beer Belly?

It’s not necessarily beer but too many calories that can turn your trim waistline into a belly that protrudes over your pants. Any kind of calories -- whether from alcohol, sugary beverages, or oversized portions of food -- can increase belly fat. However, alcohol does seem to have a particular association with fat in the midsection.

"In general, alcohol intake is associated with bigger waists, because when you drink alcohol, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat," says Michael Jensen, MD, an endocrine expert and obesity researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Beer also gets the blame because alcohol calories are so easy to overdo. A typical beer has 150 calories – and if you down several in one sitting, you can end up with serious calorie overload.

And don’t forget calories from the foods you wash down with those beers. Alcohol can increase your appetite. Further, when you're drinking beer at a bar or party, the food on hand is often fattening fare like pizza, wings, and other fried foods.

Why Does Fat Accumulate in the Belly?

When you take in more calories than you burn, the excess calories are stored as fat. Where your body stores that fat is determined in part by your age, sex, and hormones.

Boys and girls start out with similar fat storage patterns, but puberty changes that. Women have more subcutaneous fat (the kind under the skin) than men, so those extra fat calories tend to be deposited in their arms, thighs, and buttocks, as well as their bellies. Because men have less subcutaneous fat, they store more in their bellies.

Beer bellies tend to be more prominent in older people because as you get older, your calorie needs go down, you often become less active, and gaining weight gets easier.

As hormone levels decline in men and women as they age, they're more likely to store fat around the middle. Menopausal women who take hormone replacement therapy tend to have less of a shift toward more belly fat than those who do not.

Studies suggest that smokers may also deposit more fat in their bellies, Jensen says.

What’s Wrong With a Beer Belly?

Belly fat in the midsection does more than reduce your chances of winning the swimsuit competition. It's linked to a variety of health problems, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

(Continued in our next post)

Courtesy: WebMD.com Newsletter

End Your Battle With Food In 5 Easy Staeps (Concl.)

4. Believe that you deserve happiness

I want people to see that overcoming their problem with food isn't just about willpower or thin thighs or a flat belly. It's not a banal problem that can be fixed like that. When people turn to food when they're not hungry, they're using food as a drug. And the question is: Why? It could be an expression of boredom or loneliness or sadness or anger. But to me, people who use food when they're not hungry, and don't stop when they've had enough, are indicating that they've given up on themselves. They're basically saying that the only pleasure or the biggest pleasure I have in my life — all that's left for me — is to eat. And that's a spiritual issue, as well as a psychological and emotional one. All of us are longing for something that we can't even name. You can call it the meaning of life, or wonder, or mystery, or you can call it God. But there's a longing for something many of us can't quite put into words. I want people to see how they are filling that longing with food — and that if they stop, they can rediscover themselves and realize that there are other, healthier ways to feel good and to really, truly live.

5. Eat when you are hungry

We're conditioned into the diet mentality of what we're supposed to be eating. So when I first tell people at my retreats that they should eat what they want, there can be an initial "Oh, wow, she's telling me I can eat everything in sight!" That's not what I'm saying. There's no way of skipping through that stage of feeling like you've suddenly been let out of prison and now you're going to eat brownies. But I know that when I first stopped dieting, I ate a couple weeks' worth of chocolate chip cookie dough, and I felt sick. That's what happens. You'll find very quickly that a diet of brownies and ice cream doesn't give you energy. It makes you sick and spaced out and depressed. Your body will gravitate away from sugar and fat, and you will reach your natural, healthy weight.

Once you're ready to try this, start ­slowly. Begin by saying, Okay, I'm going to eat when I'm hungry once a day, and I'm going to be very kind to myself. I often say to myself, What's the kindest thing you could do for yourself right now? It's not kind to stuff your body, to walk around with that discomfort. But it's important that people understand that what they really need to do is develop a way to treat themselves with utmost kindness. And food is, in many ways, the most obvious and the easiest place to start, because we all have to eat a couple times a day. So yes, start with food. Because if you say to yourself, I'm going to eat when I'm hungry today, once today, that means you'll have to ask yourself if you're hungry. And if you're not hungry and you want to eat, then you have to ask yourself, What's really going on? It's as if your relationship with food has a story to tell you. You need the information in the story, not just to stop being compulsive about food but also to live the life you want to live. And that's possible no matter how many times you've tried, no matter how many times you believe you've failed. As long as you're above ground, it's possible.

Geneen Roth is the author of seven books on compulsive eating. Her California retreats and workshops around the country help women explore their relationship with food.

Originally published on April 13, 2010

Courtesy: WebMD.com Newsletter

End Your War with Food in 5 Easy Steps

WebMD Feature from "Redbook" Magazine As Told To Camille Chatterjee

In her new book, Women, Food, and God, writer and teacher Geneen Roth reveals how to end our painful obsession with our weight, our food, and our bodies — once and for all.

I've been helping women with their food issues for many years through my books, my retreats, and my workshops around the country. I started doing it because I was utterly tortured by my relationship with food and believed that if I got thin, my life would be much better and I would be happy. I had been dieting since I was 11, and always lost weight on any diet, but in six months or a year the weight would come back and I'd start the cycle again. By age 28, I had been watching myself very carefully for a couple of years, and I just couldn't stand it anymore: I went on a knock-your-socks-off binge and gained 80 pounds in a couple of months. And then I became suicidal — I had been dieting and bingeing for 17 years, and I knew that I didn't want to keep living like that. My self-loathing was so intense, and I didn't see a way out besides going on another diet — and I knew I couldn't do that, because the weight would only come back. So I stopped dieting, started eating what my body wanted, and reached my natural weight — and a new lightness of being. These are the five key steps I followed along the way.

1. Realize that the size of your body isn't just about food

We make weight into the big bad problem. We think that it, and our obsession with food, are what's "wrong" with us. I went through years believing that. At least in my own case, nothing changed until I stopped warring with myself and I became interested in what my relationship with food was really about. I do think the big picture here, the first step, is to realize that what you do with food is an expression of all the self-defeating beliefs you have about yourself and your life. It isn't just about food. Most people don't understand that the way they eat is inseparable from the way they live.

Here's an everyday example. Say I'm not taking my time with food, that I'm eating on the run, standing at the refrigerator, or in the car. That's just an expression of the belief that I can't take time for myself — that that kind of time is not allowed, that other things are more important than I am. Instead, ask yourself: What do you want to be doing with your time? Does that even enter your mind? Do you disregard yourself? Is there a way you could include more of what you truly want in your life? Everything is connected: If you feel guilty for eating one cookie, for instance, what does that say about the pleasure you deprive yourself of in daily life? Nothing is going to change if you're not curious about why you're using food and what you really need instead.

2. Understand that weight loss isn't everything — but it is something

Being thin does not lead to happiness. It does not. All you have to do is read the magazines and watch television to learn about all the thin, rich, beautiful celebrities who are in and out of rehab, crashing their cars, getting in and out of marriages. A lot of the people I work with have lost weight five or 10 or 30 times in their lives. Losing weight did not make them forever happy. If it did, they wouldn't be coming to see me, sitting at my retreat. So, as I say in my book, it's not about the weight.

But it's not about weight if you're uncomfortable in your body. There's a way of being in your body, a lightness, that can be a pleasure. Do your back or joints hurt? Are bending or walking or just sitting in a chair difficult for you? When you're physically uncomfortable, when going to the movies is challenging and flying is torturous, the weight is a problem. You become so burdened that life becomes about your limitations.

3. Go ahead and feel bad

Too many people eat to avoid the pain or discomfort they're feeling. But this only creates more discomfort. When you eat past what your body says is enough, you end up burping, farting, just being terribly uncomfortable. Now you've doubled the pain, because you're still in pain about what you ate to avoid.

Let's say that I'm very angry or I have a broken heart. I don't really know what to do about it. I'm so uncomfortable feeling those feelings, and my belief is that if I allow myself to really feel them, then I will destroy myself — I'll be overwhelmed, I'll become completely enraged, or I'll cry so much that I'll never get off the bed, and I won't be able to function. These are the things we tell ourselves. I'll often say to somebody, "Okay, let's just sit here and be with that sadness for a couple of minutes and see if it destroys you." And of course it never does. If you can allow what you're feeling to simply be there, after a while you start being more interested in finding your way to happiness rather than suffering. You start understanding what you do to cause your own suffering. And then you sort of say, Choice A or Choice B. I can keep doing this and be totally miserable, or I can stop. I can open another bag of chips and feel even worse than before I ate it, or I can become interested in what's happening that makes me feel that I need to eat.

Courtesy: WebMD.com Newsletter

(To be continued in our next post)

Can chia seeds really help you lose weight?

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD,WebMD Expert

Remember the Chia Pet? These gift items, clay figurines that sprouted grass-like "fur," were once all the rage. Fast-forward a few decades, and the seeds from the same chia plant are being sold online and in health food stores as a weight loss aid.

They're supposed to help control hunger while they enhance your diet with super-nutrients. But what's the real story on these nutritious seeds and their ability to help you lose weight?

What Is Chia?

Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, grown in Mexico dating back to Mayan and Aztec cultures. "Chia" means strength, and folklore has it that these cultures used the tiny black and white seeds as an energy booster. That makes sense, as chia seeds are a concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium.

Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds). One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.

The mild, nutty flavor of chia seeds makes them easy to add to foods and beverages. They are most often sprinkled on cereal, sauces, vegetables, rice dishes, or yogurt or mixed into drinks and baked goods. They can also be mixed with water and made into a gel.

Can Chia Really Help You Lose Weight?

In theory, chia seeds are supposed to expand in your belly, helping you to feel full, eat less, and ultimately shed pounds. But one study indicates otherwise.

"Over a 12-week period, we did not see a change in appetite or weight loss" in study participants who consumed chia seeds, says researcher David Nieman, DrPH, a professor at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. "Our study showed no reduction in body weight, body fat and no improvement in traditional cardiovascular markers from 50 grams of chia per day.”
A study reviewing the body of scientific evidence on chia found similar results.

"The evidence is limited on chia, and only two clinical trials examined heart health and body weight," says explains researcher Catherine Ulbricht, PharmD. "One showed some beneficial heart effect, but neither showed any effect on weight loss."

More study is needed before chia can be recommended either for weight loss and heart health, says Ulbricht, chief editor of Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

Should You Try Chia?

While there's little evidence for the weight loss benefits of chia, it can be a nutritious addition to your diet. Nieman notes that people in his study tolerated it without any complaints for 12 weeks.

"Use chia seeds in foods, not as a supplement, but as an alternative to processed grains like white bread because it is a much healthier whole grain that is great-tasting in foods like muffins," suggests Michael Roizen, MD, co-author of You Staying Young.

In the book, Roizen and Mehmet Oz, MD, recommend two daily doses, each consisting of 20 grams (a little less than 2 tablespoons) of chia seeds. The authors also note that the antioxidant activity of chia seeds is higher than any whole food, even blueberries.

Is there any downside to chia? Ulbricht cautions that if you have food allergies (especially to sesame or mustard seeds) or are on high blood pressure medications or blood thinners, you should ask your health care provider before adding chia to your diet.

The Bottom Line on Chia

Enjoy chia seeds for their flavor and to boost the fiber, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and omega-3s in your diet. But don't expect a big weight loss boost.

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet (or seed) for weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you'll need to follow a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and get more physical activity.


Courtesy: WEebMD.com newsletter