Group items tagged

It doesn't matter how brainy you are or how much education you've had - you can still improve and expand your mind. Boosting your mental faculties doesn't have to mean studying hard or becoming a reclusive book worm. There are lots of tricks, techniques a

"As far as I can tell, MK-4 is capable of performing all the functions of vitamin K. MK-4 can even activate blood clotting factors, which is a role traditionally ascribed to vitamin K1. Babies are often born clotting deficient, which is why we give newborns vitamin K1 injections in the U.S. to prevent hemorrhaging. In Japan, they give children MK-4 to prevent hemorrhage, an intervention that is very effective. Could that have to do with the fact that Japan has half the infant mortality rate of the U.S.? Today, I found another difference between MK-4 and MK-7. I was reading a paper about SXR-independent effects of vitamin K2 on gene expression. The investigators found that MK-4 strongly activates transcription of two specific genes in osteoblast cells. Osteoblasts are cells that create bone tissue. The genes are GDF15 and STC2 and they're involved in bone and cartilage formation. They tested K1 and MK-7, and in contrast to MK-4, they did not activate transcription of the genes in the slightest. This shows that MK-4 has effects on gene expression in bone tissue that MK-7 doesn't have. That being said, MK-7 may still have a place in a healthy diet. Just because it can't do everything MK-4 can, doesn't mean it has no role. It may be able to fill in for MK-4 in some functions, or reduce the dietary need for MK-4. But no one really knows at this point. Hunter-gatherers would have had a source of longer menaquinones, including MK-7, from livers. So it's possible that we're adapted to a modest MK-7 intake on top of MK-4. "

"Dec. 29, 2009 - The hot-selling herbal supplement ginkgo biloba doesn't slow age-related mental decline, a six-year clinical study shows. The study has already shown that ginkgo does not prevent dementia or Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. Now study leader Steven T. DeKosky, MD, and colleagues have sifted through the data to look for some sign that ginkgo might slow mental decline in healthy, aging individuals -- or, perhaps, in those already showing the first signs of cognitive impairment. No such sign was found. "Compared with placebo, the use of Ginkgo biloba, 120 mg twice daily, did not result in less cognitive decline in older adults with normal cognition or with mild cognitive impairment," the researchers conclude."

Avocado is a very healthy food and full of important nutrients. Here are some of the health benefits of avocado. Though being fatty doesn't mean it is bad for health.

Avocado is a very healthy food and full of important nutrients. Here are some of the health benefits of avocado. Though being fatty doesn't mean it is bad for health.

Tastes so good and doesn't have any of sugary packet sauces that come with the shop bought Burrito kits. Post workout meal or simply a tasty healthy meal.

Another year of The Vegan Experience has come to a close, but that doesn't mean the wonderful recipes have to disappear for the rest of the year. Here are all 60 of my vegan recipes from both 2012 and 2013, ranging from soups to snacks to appetizers to sandwiches to full-on main courses.

Whoever coined the term food additives had it all wrong. Including something new in a food doesn't always add up to more, at least when it comes to your health. Studies that test the safety of additives are based on animal trials. It is difficult to deduce whether the results of an animal study equate to human health, though many of these studies show that some additives could be cancer-causing.

No-holds-barred discussion of what works, and what doesn't work, from both a pharmaceutical as well as alternative healthcare perspective. Written by a 25-year health industry scientific insider.

Eating healthy sounds like a good idea in theory, but when sticking to your budget is as important as it is during this economic crisis, it's often easier to pick up the cheapest foods at the store. These 50 foods, however, prove that nutrition doesn't have to be as expensive as you think.

A high quality education doesn't have to come at a high cost. In fact, it's possible to take classes from big names like Yale, MIT, and Tufts without ever submitting an application or paying a cent in tuition. We've compiled 200 online classes from these and other respected institutions, and you can take all of them with no strings attached.

129 foods that can serve as the basis of your Healthiest Way of Eating. Links to the articles about these foods can be found below.\n\nOf course, there are many other nutritious foods other than those that we have included on our list that we feel are wonderful, health-promoting foods; if there are other whole foods - such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, etc - that you like, by all means enjoy them. Just because a food is not on our list doesn't mean that we don't think that it can be included in a diet geared towards the Healthiest Way of Eating as long as it is a whole, natural, nutrient-rich food

"Coconut oil is a staple food in many parts of the world. You can travel to Thailand, the Caribbean, parts of Brazil, countries in Africa, and the vast southern half of India and find this oil on center stage when it comes to delicious and healthy cuisine. The popularity of this oil is partly due to its stability, ease of use in cooking, and taste. Like all foods, the quality of coconut oil has a lot to do with its potential health benefits. Refined coconut oil that has been heavily processed, bleached, and deodorized is not going to provide you with the same desirable balance of fatty acids, or the same beneficial polyphenol content, as either virgin coconut oil or less extensively refined coconut oil (sometimes called "naturally refined" by the product manufacturers). Choosing organic coconut oil is a good way to assure you of higher quality in this regard. However, at the same time, there is such a long track record of coconut oil use in many cultures and their food traditions that I will be surprised if the research doesn't eventually show some key health benefits. Some of these health benefits are likely to be related to the unusual fatty acid composition of coconut oil, and other benefits are likely to be associated with the special polyphenols found in this oil (when virgin or very lightly refined). Also, it's the natural pattern of fats found in coconut oil that seems especially important to me, in addition to the blend of fats in the overall diet that results from the inclusion of coconut oil. If you decide to include coconut oil in your diet, I therefore recommend that you continue to use other high-quality oils (like extra virgin olive oil) as well. One of the practical benefits of coconut oil is that it has a higher smoke point than many other oils, so that you can cook with it at normal stovetop temperatures and have less concern about oxidation. The smoke point for lightly refined coconut oil is about 450ºF (232ºC) while the smoke point for unrefi

Coconut oil is one of the few saturated fats that doesn't come from animals, but like other saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels and, therefore, should play only a very limited role, if any, in your diet. In the past, it was widely used in movie popcorn, candy bars and commercial baked goods but was phased out of many of them because of consumer opposition to unhealthy tropical oils. Now coconut oil is being promoted as a weight loss aid; it is also touted in a book by a naturopathic doctor. The rationale goes something like this: as a source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), coconut oil isn't stored in the body as fat as readily as oils composed of long-chain triglycerides (LCT). Some research from McGill University in Canada suggests that this is true; MCTs also boost metabolism and satiety, and therefore may promote weight loss when they replace LCTs in the diet. Because they are so easily digested, MCTs are given in hospitals to provide nourishment for critically ill people who have trouble digesting fat. The benefits of coconut oil in the diet, if any, are likely to be minimal, and until we have more and better evidence about coconut oil's effect of metabolism and potential role in promoting weight loss, I do not recommend using it.

"THURSDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- In a surprise finding, Canadian researchers report that the immediate effect of the fish oil fatty acids that are good for the heart is a short-term increase in blood fats and the molecules that help them form clots. "We were surprised to find that the acute response has some potentially negative effects in comparison to what you might expect from chronic, long-term intake," said Lindsay E. Robinson, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Guelph, and leader of the group reporting the finding in the January issue of the Journal of Nutrition. However, the study results shouldn't affect the current recommendation for eating more oily fish to get the omega-3 polyunsaturated acids that reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause heart attacks and stroke, Robinson said. "The recommendation to increase intake is very well-studied, and this doesn't change it," she said. And the effects were seen in a selected group of middle-aged men with metabolic syndrome, a combination of high blood pressure, obesity and elevated blood fat levels, Robinson noted. In the study, eight men had controlled intake of three regimens: high doses of omega-3 fatty acids, low doses of them and just plain water. Robinson and her colleagues measured several blood components involved in clotting, including fats and clotting factors such as plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) for the following eight hours. PAI-1 inhibits the destruction of blood clots, so high levels of it in the blood increase the risk of artery-blocking clots. The researchers found that both omega-3 fatty acid regimens increased blood fat and clotting factor activity. But the increase in clotting factor was greater for the higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids than for the lower intakes. Robinson said her group hopes to do further studies of the immediate effects of omega-3 fatty acid intake. "We need to look at the mechanisms, why blood lipid levels go up," she

"(NaturalNews) The emu, a native of Australia, is a large, ostrich looking bird that doesn't fly. The Australian Aborigines first discovered the benefits of emu oil and have been using it for thousands of years for bone, muscle and joint pain, as an anti-inflammatory and for many skin conditions. The west is finally taking notice of this remarkable oil. Red Meat with No Worries Although a bird, the emu meat is red and a healthy alternative to traditional red meat. It's naturally 97% fat free, high in iron and vitamin B12 and low in calories and cholesterol. As the meat is packaged and sold, the oil is purified and sold separately. Benefits of Emu Oil Emu oil consists of oleic acid (a mono-unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid), linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) and linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid). The benefits are thought to be due to the ability of the oil to deeply penetrate the skin layers. Linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) is believed to ease muscle aches and joint pain. Oleic acid (omega-9 fatty acid) is considered to have local anti-inflammatory effect (similar to ibuprofen). Studies suggest emu oil is bacteriostatic (does not promote growth of bacteria) and hypoallergenic (won`t cause irritation); it does not leave a greasy feel, and it is non-comedogenic, which means it won`t clog pores. Side effects are virtually unknown with emu oil. Several small clinical studies reported successful results for temporary relief of muscle and joint pain, specially related to arthritis. Emu Oil and Burn Wounds A long-term study by Dr. John Griswold, Director of the Timothy J. Harner Burn Center (affiliated with Texas Tech University Medical Center, Lubbock, Texas) in 1995 found that there was statistically significant difference in scar reduction and inflammation of the emu oil treated wounds. Other benefits found from studies from Department of Dermatology, at Texas Medical School in Houston, proved emu oil does not clog skin pores and has anti-aging properties."

It's indeed an open secret that quite a lot of ladies are having difficulties in getting pregnant and they're simply at loss in regards to the situation. It doesn't matter what they fight, things simply do not get better and they're fast running out of options. Nonetheless, if you happen to belong to this group of people, you should take consolation in realizing that you are not unique. Additionally, do not put the complete blame on yourself because most of the time, there are biological issues which you simply are powerless about and have no control over. Fortuitously, there are particular methods which are known solely to very few people who could assist you to in getting pregnant. Keep on reading to unearth them in case you are serious about conceiving.

Counting what you eat might not be sufficient to lose weight. Since Food alone doesn't make us fat. Its your complete lifestyle. Read here to know more

What is PāNu? PāNu is an approach to living centered on the thesis that the diseases of civilization are largely related to abandonment of the metabolic conditions we evolved under - what I have termed the "evolutionary metabolic milieu" - EM2. Returning to EM2 is not based on paleolithic food re-enactment. You don't have to eat bugs or wooly mammoths. Unlike many popular "diets", it doesn't require a calculator, or even a recipe book once you learn some basic science about food.

The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: Subdividing Lipoproteins Two posts ago, we made the rounds of the commonly measured blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides) and how they associate with cardiac risk. It's important to keep in mind that many things associate with cardiac risk, not just blood lipids. For example, men with low serum vitamin D are at a 2.4-fold greater risk of heart attack than men with higher D levels. That alone is roughly equivalent to the predictive power of the blood lipids you get measured at the doctor's office. Coronary calcium scans (a measure of blood vessel calcification) also associate with cardiac risk better than the most commonly measured blood lipids. Lipoproteins Can be Subdivided into Several Subcategories In the continual search for better measures of cardiac risk, researchers in the 1980s decided to break down lipoprotein particles into sub-categories. One of these researchers is Dr. Ronald M. Krauss. Krauss published extensively on the association between lipoprotein size and cardiac risk, eventually concluding (source): The plasma lipoprotein profile accompanying a preponderance of small, dense LDL particles (specifically LDL-III) is associated with up to a threefold increase in the susceptibility of developing [coronary artery disease]. This has been demonstrated in case-control studies of myocardial infarction and angiographically documented coronary disease. Krauss found that small, dense LDL (sdLDL) doesn't travel alone: it typically comes along with low HDL and high triglycerides*. He called this combination of factors "lipoprotein pattern B"; its opposite is "lipoprotein pattern A": large, buoyant LDL, high HDL and low triglycerides. Incidentally, low HDL and high triglycerides are hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome, the quintessential modern metabolic disorder. Krauss and his colleagues went on to hypothesize that sdLDL promotes atherosclerosis because of its ability to penetrate the artery wall more easily

July 16, 2008 - Both a low-carbohydrate diet or a Mediterranean-style diet may be "effective alternatives" to a low-fat diet, with more favorable effects on lipids and/or glycemic control, new research suggests [1]. The two-year study, which managed to keep almost 85% of the 322 study participants on one of the three diets for the entire period, offers the hope that weight-loss diets can be tailored to personal preferences, without sacrificing efficacy, researchers say. "Several recent one-year dietary studies have led the American Diabetes Association to state in January 2008 that low-carb diets should be considered for a maximum of one year," lead author on the study, Dr Iris Shai (Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel), told heartwire . "The current two-year study suggests that one low-fat diet doesn't fit all, meaning that the old paradigm should be reconsidered." Shai and colleagues publish the results of the Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT) in the July 17, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine