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You will find some people hiking in any shoes when they are not sure what they are doing, but it is important to wear the correct foot wear when trekking over any abnormal terrain.

If you want to reduce your risk for getting cancer, heart disease, diabetes and a host of other diseases, the message is clear - eat a nutrient-rich, low-fat, high fiber diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables. So why is this wisdom forgotten when a person is diagnosed with cancer, and the standard advice becomes: "Eat whatever you want, whatever you can tolerate," even when this may include a diet high in fat and refined sugars. \n\nAccording to two of the country's leading authorities on cancer and nutrition, David Katz, MD and Keith Block, MD, the typical American high-fat, empty calorie diet can set the stage for an inflammatory response that actually fuels a cancer patient's disease, undermines treatment, and promotes malnutrition.

An evaluation of the vitamin D3 content in fish: Is the vitamin D content adequate to satisfy the dietary requirement for vitamin D? Lu Z, Chen TC, Zhang A, Persons KS, Kohn N, Berkowitz R, Martinello S, Holick MF. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2007 Mar;103(3-5):642-4. Epub 2007 Jan 30. PMID: 17267210 doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2006.12.010 Surprisingly, farmed salmon had approximately 25% of the vitamin D content as wild salmon had. The vitamin D content in fish varied widely even within species. These data suggest that the tables that list the vitamin D content are out-of-date and need to be re-evaluated. Little is known about the effect of cooking on the vitamin D content in fish. When farm salmon was baked, almost all of the vitamin D content, i.e. 240 IU of vitamin D3 was recovered from 3.5 oz. of salmon. The initial concentration in the uncooked salmon was 245 IU of vitamin D3. However, when the salmon was fried in vegetable oil, approximately 50% (123 IU of vitamin D3 was recovered.) We also evaluated the vitamin D content in mackerel which is traditionally considered to be an excellent source of vitamin D3 because of its oily content. However, in the one sample that we tested, we only observed 24 IU of vitamin D3 in 3.5 oz.

Geographic variation of prostate cancer mortality rates in the United States: Implications for prostate cancer risk related to vitamin D. Grant WB. Int J Cancer. 2004 Sep 1;111(3):470-1; author reply 472. No abstract available. PMID: 15221981 10.1002/ijc.20220 The implications of our results and those of Tuohimaa et al.[1] include the following. Vitamin D supplementation should be undertaken in wintertime, a period when it is impossible to produce vitamin D by solar UVB exposure in northeastern states.[13] Given these new results, the optimal vitamin D intake and production and serum 25(OH)-vitamin D3 levels for prostate cancer appear to be lower than for other cancers. However, when developing guidelines for vitamin D fortification, many factors should be included in the analysis, including all of the potential health benefits and possible risks of vitamin D, as well as age, sex, residence, child-bearing status, etc.[14] Also, the suggestion that daily vitamin D3 supplement doses of 100 g (4,000 IU)/day are safe[15] should be reexamined. Finally, in terms of preventing prostate cancer, more attention should be given to diet, which has the greatest environmental impact on risk of prostate cancer, with animal products being important risk factors and vegetable products, especially onions and other allium family members, being important risk-reduction factors.[16]

Why would vitamin D be prescribed when vitamin D3 is available over-the-counter? Let's review the known differences between vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): --D3 is the human form; D2 is the non-human form found in plants. --Dose for dose, D3 is more effective at raising blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D than D2. It requires roughly twice to 250% of the dose of D2 to match that of D3 (Trang H et al 1998). --D2 blood levels don't yield long-term sustained levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D as does D3. When examined as a 28-day area under the curve (AUC--a superior measure of biologic exposure), D3 yields better than a 300% increased potency compared to D2. This means that it requires around 50,000 units D2 to match the effects of 15,000 units D3 (Armas LA et al 2004). --D2 has lower binding affinity for vitamin D-binding protein, compared to D3 --Mitochondrial vitamin D 25-hydroxylase converts D3 to the 25-hydroxylated form five times more rapidly than D2. --As we age, the ability to metabolize D2 is dramatically reduced, while D3 is not subject to this phenomenon

Together, the earlier data and the data of Heaney et al indicate that an oral dose of vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 would lead to a comparable increase in circulating 25(OH)D concentrations in children and adults when the initial 25(OH)D3 concentrations in the groups are similar and when equivalent oral vitamin D doses expressed per kilogram body weight/d are given. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D response to oral vitamin D intake in children. Zittermann A. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3):496-7. PMID: 12936937

White Europeans could have evolved as recently as 5,500 years ago, according to research which suggests that the early humans who populated Britain and Scandinavia had dark skins for millenniums. It was only when early humans gave up hunter-gathering and switched to farming about 5,500 years ago that white skin began to be favoured, say the researchers. This is because farmed food was deficient in vitamin D, a vital nutrient. Humans can make this in their skin when exposed to sunlight, but dark skin is much less efficient at it.

Fatigue fractures in military conscripts : A study on risk factors, diagnostics and long-term consequences Ruohola, Juha-Petri University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Central Hospital Centre of Military Medicine, Helsinki 2007-03-09 Doctoral dissertation (article-based) It seems likely that low vitamin D levels are related to fatigue fractures, and that an increasing trend exists between TRACP-5b bone resorption marker elevation and fatigue fracture incidence. Though seldom detected by plain radiography, fatigue fractures often underlie unclear lower leg stress-related pain occurring in the distal parts of the tibia. Femoral neck fatigue fractures, when displaced, lead to long-term morbidity in a high percentage of patients, whereas, when non-displaced, they do not predispose patients to subsequent adverse complications. Importantly, an educational intervention can diminish the incidence of fracture displacement by enhancing awareness and providing instructions for earlier diagnosis of fatigue fractures

Artemisinin (pronounced /ɑːtə'misinən/) is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (a sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. Not all plants of this species contain artemisinin. Apparently it is only produced when the plant is subjected to certain conditions, most likely biotic or abiotic stress. It can be synthesized from artemisinic acid.[1] The drug is derived from a herb used in Chinese traditional medicine, though it is usually chemically modified and combined with other medications. Artemisinin is under early research and testing for treatment of cancer, primarily by researchers at the University of Washington.[7][8] Artemisinin has a peroxide lactone group in its structure. It is thought that when the peroxide comes into contact with high iron concentrations (common in cancerous cells), the molecule becomes unstable and releases reactive oxygen species. It has been shown to reduce angiogenesis and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in some tissue cultures.

"What Are Nutritional Diseases? In their book, The Modern Nutritional Diseases, Fred and Alice Ottoboni, retired Public Health Service scientists, list the following. * Obesity * Diabetes II * Cardiovascular Diseases * Stroke. * Cancer. Modern nutritional diseases are just that. They haven't always been the ugly part of our life. They were introduced when people had to get their food from grocery stores, when people traded their whole foods from the family farm for those manufactured by the food processing industry. "

Coconut kernel protein modifies the effect of coconut oil on serum lipids. Padmakumaran Nair KG, Rajamohan T, Kurup PA. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 1999;53(2):133-44. PMID: 10472790 DOI: 10.1023/A:1008078103299 Feeding coconut kernel along with coconut oil in human volunteers has been found to reduce serum total and LDL cholesterol when compared to feeding coconut oil alone. This effect of the kernel was also observed in rats. Since many plant proteins have been reported to exert a cholesterol lowering effect, a study was carried out on the effect of isolated kernel protein in rats. Feeding kernel protein resulted in lower levels of cholesterol, phospholipids and triglycerides in the serum and most tissues when compared to casein fed animals. Rats fed kernel protein had (1) increased hepatic degradation of cholesterol to bile acids, (2) increased hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis, and (3) decreased esterification of free cholesterol. In the intestine, however, cholesterogenesis was decreased. The kernel protein also caused decreased lipogenesis in the liver and intestine. This beneficial effect of the kernel protein is attributed to its very low lysine/arginine ratio 2.13% lysine and 24.5% arginine....

A diet rich in coconut oil reduces diurnal postprandial variations in circulating tissue plasminogen activator antigen and fasting lipoprotein (a) compared with a diet rich in unsaturated fat in women. Müller H, Lindman AS, Blomfeldt A, Seljeflot I, Pedersen JI. J Nutr. 2003 Nov;133(11):3422-7. PMID: 14608053 In conclusion, our results indicate that a coconut oil-based diet (HSAFA-diet) lowers postprandial t-PA antigen concentration, and this may favorably affect the fibrinolytic system and the Lp(a) concentration compared with the HUFA-diet. The proportions of dietary saturated fatty acids more than the percentage of saturated fat energy seem to have a beneficial influence on Lp(a) levels. The connection between Lp(a) and atherosclerosis is not entirely understood. Different studies have provided strong evidence that Lp(a) level is an independent risk factor for developing coronary artery disease in men (47,48), but the question of causality continues to be debated. Recent data suggest that Lp(a) might be atherogenic (49), in particular when combined with other risk factors. High levels of Lp(a) combined with other risk factors such as the ratio of plasma total/HDL cholesterol have been shown to increase the risk for coronary heart diseases (50). It has also been reported that when substantial LDL cholesterol reductions were obtained in men with coronary heart disease, persistent elevations of Lp(a) were no longer atherogenic or clinically threatening (51). In conclusion, the present results show that the HSAFA-diet lowered postprandial t-PA antigen and thus potentially improved fibrinolysis compared with the HUFA-diet. Diets with either high or low levels of saturated fatty acids from coconut oil beneficially decrease Lp(a) compared with a HUFA-diet. The proportions of dietary saturated fatty acids more than the percentage of saturated fat energy may be of importance if the goal is to decrease Lp(a).

"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

"March 29, 2009 | Michael O'Riordan Orlando, FL - Reducing LDL cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in primary-prevention patients treated with rosuvastatin (Crestor, AstraZeneca) results in better event-free survival than when neither of these targets are achieved or when LDL cholesterol alone is reduced, a new analysis shows [1]. Presenting the results of the Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) study during an afternoon press conference at the American College of Cardiology 2009 Scientific Sessions, investigators say that initial interventions for low-risk primary-prevention patients remains lifestyle and dietary modifications, but for those choosing drug therapy, "reductions in both LDL cholesterol and hs-CRP are indicators of the success of treatment with statin therapy.""

"Rachel Huxley, D.Phil, of The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues identified 18 studies involving 457,922 participants and assessing the association between coffee consumption and diabetes risk published between 1966 and 2009. Six studies involving 225,516 individuals also included information about decaffeinated coffee, whereas seven studies with 286,701 participants reported on tea consumption. When the authors combined and analyzed the data, they found that each additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a 7 percent reduction in the excess risk of diabetes. Individuals who drank three to four cups per day had an approximately 25 percent lower risk than those who drank between zero and two cups per day. Rachel Huxley, D.Phil, of The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues identified 18 studies involving 457,922 participants and assessing the association between coffee consumption and diabetes risk published between 1966 and 2009. Six studies involving 225,516 individuals also included information about decaffeinated coffee, whereas seven studies with 286,701 participants reported on tea consumption. When the authors combined and analyzed the data, they found that each additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a 7 percent reduction in the excess risk of diabetes. Individuals who drank three to four cups per day had an approximately 25 percent lower risk than those who drank between zero and two cups per day."

"ScienceDaily (Dec. 17, 2009) - A diet rich in methionine, an amino acid typically found in red meats, fish, beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, yogurt and seeds, can possibly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study by Temple researchers. "When methionine reaches too high a level, our body tries to protect itself by transforming it into a particular amino acid called homocysteine," said lead researcher Domenico Praticò, an associate professor of pharmacology in the School of Medicine. "The data from previous studies show -- even in humans -- when the level of homocysteine in the blood is high, there is a higher risk of developing dementia. We hypothesized that high levels of homocysteine in an animal model of Alzheimer's would accelerate the disease." Using a seven-month old mouse model of the disease, they fed one group an eight-month diet of regular food and another group a diet high in methionine. The mice were then tested at 15 months of age -- the equivalent of a 70-year-old human.

f you or anyone you know are experiencing symptoms of diabetes it is important to seek medical care. This is true even if the person is not known to be diabetic. When making the appointment tell them that you are concerned with diabetes.

Most carbohydrate foods have low glycemic index values and are healthy in their natural state. However, when they are highly refined or processed, their glycemic index is usually high, which causes our blood sugar to shoot up when we eat them. Bread is no exception to this rule