Blueberries have been lauded for their antioxidant ability and cancer-fighting effects. But another berry may offer protection against some of the deadliest forms of cancer.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh evaluated the effect of a compound extracted from blackberries called cyanidin-3-rutinoside (C-3-R) on cultured human leukemia cells. The C-3-R was tested on several cell lines of human leukemia, and the test was repeated using cell cultures of lymphoma, another immune-based cancer. The scientists found that when applied at low doses, C-3-R killed half the cancer cells within 18 hours of treatment. When applied at higher doses, the blackberry extract killed all cancer cells present within 18 hours.
According to cancer expert and researcher Gary Stoner, 1.5 to 2 cups of fresh berries may be the ideal dose for staving off certain types of cancer. So whether you choose marionberries (the "Cabernet of blackberries"), traditional evergreen blackberries, or big and bold boysenberries, you'll get a burst of summer-fresh flavor... and a bushel of cancer protection to boot.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Cocoa: Packed With Cancer Fighters
By Kelley Herring
Are you a chocolate lover? Good news! Cornell food scientists recently found that cocoa is teeming with antioxidants that help prevent cancer.
In fact, according to their recent research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times the amount found in green tea.
But there is a caveat. You'll do more harm than good if you start chowing down on sugar-laden chocolate. You're best bet to benefit from the bean is to use organic, unsweetened, non-alkalized cocoa.
Stir it into coffee, whirl it into berry smoothies, or try delicious chocolate desserts made with the all-natural "Super Sweetener of the Future": erythritol.
Are you a chocolate lover? Good news! Cornell food scientists recently found that cocoa is teeming with antioxidants that help prevent cancer.
In fact, according to their recent research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times the amount found in green tea.
But there is a caveat. You'll do more harm than good if you start chowing down on sugar-laden chocolate. You're best bet to benefit from the bean is to use organic, unsweetened, non-alkalized cocoa.
Stir it into coffee, whirl it into berry smoothies, or try delicious chocolate desserts made with the all-natural "Super Sweetener of the Future": erythritol.
Friday, August 1, 2008
The Best Way to Strengthen Your Body
Lack of strength is the number one reason for falls in the elderly, so strengthening your body is essential as you get older. Now research proves that you can gain strength and muscle at any age.
Danish scientists studied 36 patients between the ages of 60 and 86 after they'd had a single hip-replacement surgery. The subjects did three resistance-training workouts per week for 12 weeks, and increased their muscle strength by over 29 percent at both fast and slow speeds of movement. Plus, they increased the size of their slow- and fast-muscle fibers by 17 percent and 37 percent respectively.
In addition, the subjects were able to boost their stair-walking power by 35 percent. The researchers found that this was related to the increase in their fast-muscle fibers. They also found that traditional rehabilitation methods had no functional or strength benefits.
In order to work your fast-muscle fibers, you need to do challenging strength-training workouts. Using light weights that you can lift for 20 to 30 reps will not boost your fast-twitch muscle fiber strength or your power.
So, no matter what your age, make plans to meet with a personal trainer who knows how to get you stronger by using basic exercises like step-ups, squats, rows, and push-ups. Avoid any trainer who wants you to train with light weights for "toning," as that will have no long-term effect on your health or performance.
Danish scientists studied 36 patients between the ages of 60 and 86 after they'd had a single hip-replacement surgery. The subjects did three resistance-training workouts per week for 12 weeks, and increased their muscle strength by over 29 percent at both fast and slow speeds of movement. Plus, they increased the size of their slow- and fast-muscle fibers by 17 percent and 37 percent respectively.
In addition, the subjects were able to boost their stair-walking power by 35 percent. The researchers found that this was related to the increase in their fast-muscle fibers. They also found that traditional rehabilitation methods had no functional or strength benefits.
In order to work your fast-muscle fibers, you need to do challenging strength-training workouts. Using light weights that you can lift for 20 to 30 reps will not boost your fast-twitch muscle fiber strength or your power.
So, no matter what your age, make plans to meet with a personal trainer who knows how to get you stronger by using basic exercises like step-ups, squats, rows, and push-ups. Avoid any trainer who wants you to train with light weights for "toning," as that will have no long-term effect on your health or performance.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Baby Steps to Better Health
By Craig Ballantyne
I get hundreds of e-mails every day, but only a few of them upset me. And those are the ones from guys who are under 30 and feel that they'll never be in good shape again. It is frustrating that so many men, and women, think they are over the hill in their late 20s. Can you believe that?
I've worked with men and women in their 50s and 60s who are kicking butt and training hard every week. So to have a 26-year-old guy e-mail me and ask if he can ever lose his love handles is disappointing.
Bad attitude!
Now, to their credit, these guys are often new fathers, working 50 to 60 hours in the corporate world, and having to commute through heavy traffic for another hour or two each day.
Combine poor food choices with decreased physical activity, and you can feel pretty old, pretty quick.
But you can also turn things around just as fast, simply by starting today and trying to be a little bit healthier every day.
Just take baby steps.
If you had only two fruits yesterday, try to have three today.
If you didn't have any broccoli last week, try to get one serving three times this week.
If you cheated on your diet five days last week, cut the cheating down to three days this week.
A little bit better, every day, all the time. And before you know it, you'll feel better than you did last year, five years ago... and, hey, maybe someday even better than you did 10 or 20 years before.
You have a lot of life to live, so start living it with as much energy, strength, fitness, and enthusiasm as possible.
I get hundreds of e-mails every day, but only a few of them upset me. And those are the ones from guys who are under 30 and feel that they'll never be in good shape again. It is frustrating that so many men, and women, think they are over the hill in their late 20s. Can you believe that?
I've worked with men and women in their 50s and 60s who are kicking butt and training hard every week. So to have a 26-year-old guy e-mail me and ask if he can ever lose his love handles is disappointing.
Bad attitude!
Now, to their credit, these guys are often new fathers, working 50 to 60 hours in the corporate world, and having to commute through heavy traffic for another hour or two each day.
Combine poor food choices with decreased physical activity, and you can feel pretty old, pretty quick.
But you can also turn things around just as fast, simply by starting today and trying to be a little bit healthier every day.
Just take baby steps.
If you had only two fruits yesterday, try to have three today.
If you didn't have any broccoli last week, try to get one serving three times this week.
If you cheated on your diet five days last week, cut the cheating down to three days this week.
A little bit better, every day, all the time. And before you know it, you'll feel better than you did last year, five years ago... and, hey, maybe someday even better than you did 10 or 20 years before.
You have a lot of life to live, so start living it with as much energy, strength, fitness, and enthusiasm as possible.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Clean, Lean, and Green
When deciding how meat will fit on your family's plate, consider these four factors:
1. Type. Fresh meat from your grocer's organic section is quite different from meat that's been commercially prepared, processed, and preserved. The meat in frozen or canned "entrees" and the slimy cold cuts stacked onto a sandwich at your local sub shop is what I'm referring to here. Avoid those mystery meats and opt for fresh, organic, "clean" meat that's free of harmful additives.
2. Amount. When I prepare meat, it is treated as a flavor-rich accompaniment, not a main dish. The meat perfectly complements the stand-out seasonal veggies and low-glycemic carbs featured on our plate du jour. I serve about three ounces of meat (about the size of a deck of cards) per person - and no one ever complains about the "small portion."
3. Preparation. Treat your meat right! Muscle meats form dangerous carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when cooked at high temperatures (grilling or broiling). Instead, opt for slow roasting or simmering. Marinating beforehand is another good way to prevent the formation of cancer-causing HCAs.
4. Farming Methods. It's absolutely essential to choose "green" meats free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. These compounds are powerful endocrine disruptors in our food supply - and even "cutting back" does not safeguard against their effects. It's also important to choose grass-fed beef, which is leaner and provides more beneficial omega-3s and more vitamin A than its grain-fattened counterparts.
By following these guidelines, you will be eating less meat and getting more of what you want - clean, lean, and green protein.
1. Type. Fresh meat from your grocer's organic section is quite different from meat that's been commercially prepared, processed, and preserved. The meat in frozen or canned "entrees" and the slimy cold cuts stacked onto a sandwich at your local sub shop is what I'm referring to here. Avoid those mystery meats and opt for fresh, organic, "clean" meat that's free of harmful additives.
2. Amount. When I prepare meat, it is treated as a flavor-rich accompaniment, not a main dish. The meat perfectly complements the stand-out seasonal veggies and low-glycemic carbs featured on our plate du jour. I serve about three ounces of meat (about the size of a deck of cards) per person - and no one ever complains about the "small portion."
3. Preparation. Treat your meat right! Muscle meats form dangerous carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when cooked at high temperatures (grilling or broiling). Instead, opt for slow roasting or simmering. Marinating beforehand is another good way to prevent the formation of cancer-causing HCAs.
4. Farming Methods. It's absolutely essential to choose "green" meats free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. These compounds are powerful endocrine disruptors in our food supply - and even "cutting back" does not safeguard against their effects. It's also important to choose grass-fed beef, which is leaner and provides more beneficial omega-3s and more vitamin A than its grain-fattened counterparts.
By following these guidelines, you will be eating less meat and getting more of what you want - clean, lean, and green protein.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Does Your Diet Fit in Your Genes?
The day of genetic testing and nutritional prescriptions based on your, well, weak genes, has come.
According to Mark McClellan, Commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, "Nutrigenomics envisions a future in which personalized genetic profiling takes the guesswork out of deciding what you should eat. By adjusting nutrient composition in a person's diet according to genetic profiles, gene-based nutrition planning could one day play a significant role in preventing chronic disease."
If you want to find out if your diet fits in your genes, there are several services available, including one from 23andMe.com and a Solgar product called NutrigenomX. Expect to pay around $1,000.
According to Mark McClellan, Commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, "Nutrigenomics envisions a future in which personalized genetic profiling takes the guesswork out of deciding what you should eat. By adjusting nutrient composition in a person's diet according to genetic profiles, gene-based nutrition planning could one day play a significant role in preventing chronic disease."
If you want to find out if your diet fits in your genes, there are several services available, including one from 23andMe.com and a Solgar product called NutrigenomX. Expect to pay around $1,000.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Purple Plant
Your blood sugar will be sure to salute you this Independence Day if you grill up some of this: eggplant.
Purple-skinned eggplant is full of phenols that help your body better use blood sugar. And that’s great, because you don’t need extra blood sugar running around. Too much in the bloodstream could wreak havoc with your organs. But that’s not all eggplant’s
got . . .
More Phenol Superpowers
In addition to favorable effects on blood sugar, eggplant’s supercharged phenols may also inhibit an enzyme tied to high blood pressure. Plus, the phenols have antioxidant actions.
Go purple power!
Purple-skinned eggplant is full of phenols that help your body better use blood sugar. And that’s great, because you don’t need extra blood sugar running around. Too much in the bloodstream could wreak havoc with your organs. But that’s not all eggplant’s
got . . .
More Phenol Superpowers
In addition to favorable effects on blood sugar, eggplant’s supercharged phenols may also inhibit an enzyme tied to high blood pressure. Plus, the phenols have antioxidant actions.
Go purple power!
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