Are Trans Fats Evil Artery Clogging Killers?

Are trans fats evil? So should you be scared of trans fats?

Honestly... no. Trans fats have been proven bad for us in large quantities, but overall a moderate intake of them is not going to kill you.

Trans Fatty Acids are unsaturated fats with a trans isomer. That’s technical, but suffice to say the body doesn’t like these things a lot and they cause all kinds of mischief when ingested in high quantities.

I suggest people keep junk food to a minimum (say 15-20% max, less is even better) of their daily calories. This includes products high in trans fat to be high on the junk food list. There is truth behind the trans fat haters remarks – the stuff ain’t good for ya, but its not cyanide either.

You may not have known that trans fatty acids occur naturally in foods. There are two basic kinds of trans fats. There are natural (meat and dairy) and industrial sources. There is a bit of evidence that the industrial may be worse for you; which would make sense because usually things that aren’t whole and natural are slightly worse for your body.

The thing is it all comes back to moderation – if you eat a ton of hydrogenated trans fatty acids every day for months and years you’re going to run into some problems. What problems to trans fatty acids cause?

Trans Fatty Problems

Heart disease, diabetes, and Well because it stays in the bloodstream longer than other fats it has a greater chance for clogging arteries. TFA also raises bad LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol.

Diabetes seems to be up in the air at this point – one study saying that trans fats do indeed increase risk for type  2 diabetes – the other saying no.

TFA may increase the chances for prostate cancer, and one study found that it increases the risk of breast cancer by 75%. Really this study was showing eating high levels of highly processed foods, and thusly trans fats were to blame. That to me may or may not place the blame on TFA; it could have been another factor from the processed foods.

Obesity seems to be effected in some studies – but again this is due to eating too many calories (as people who eat the majority of their calories from processed foods normally do). I think this one is a moot point.

Depression seems to be increased in individuals who eat a high quantity of trans fats. And fish oil seems to decrease depression in some studies.

The consensus here is don’t run from trans fats like you would a horde of hungry zombies – but don’t pig out on them either. Keep the majority of your food healthy, whole, and nutritious – and the occasional trans fat laden cookie won’t hurt a thing.

Another thing is many restaurants and food production companies seem to be steering away from trans fats. KFC removed the hydrogenated oils from their cooking process; and so have many processed food producers. “No Trans Fats” seems to be appearing on more labels lately – and when you see that it is indeed a good thing.

New Study on Saturated Fat 

University of Sydney Australia researchers gave a group of healthy young adults just one piece of carrot cake with a milk shake to wash it down. This high sugar and highly saturated fat feast significantly compromised the participant's health – in two ways.

It interfered with the ability of their arteries to expand for increased blood flow.

It kept HDL (good) cholesterol from doing its job of protecting arteries from inflammation and fatty plaque build-up.

When plaque builds in your body, it clogs blood vessels. Combine this with constricted arteries and you're on the path to heart disease or stroke.

Research leader, Dr. David Celermajer from the Heart Research Institute, believes the message is clear. It's important to limit both sweets and saturated fat intake.

Saturated fat is found mainly in animal products, such as red meat, meat products (sausages and packaged meats), butter, cheese, full-fat milk products, coconut and palm oils, pies, pastries, bakery fats, lard and hard margarines.

Mother Nature

Because our early ancestors were mostly hunters and gatherers, human beings have been eating meat sine the dawn of man. So how come all of a sudden animal products are a problem?

The answer is simple. Wild game and free ranging, grass fed animals, like those eaten by our ancestors, contain only about 2 to 3 percent saturated fat.

Our modern commercially bred and domesticated meat and dairy products have much more fat – 20 to 60 percent saturated fat.

That’s a big fat difference!

As Neil Armstrong said, it's "one giant leap for mankind." But, in this case, the huge increase in saturated fat is an unnatural giant step in the wrong direction.

There’s also reason for serious concern about the processing of unsaturated fats.

Plants, in their natural form, are Mother Nature’s most abundant source of essential fatty acids. But, once again, modern commercial methods cause problems.

Oils are particularly sensitive to the light, heat, bleaching, deodorizing and solvents used in the intense extraction process. So what do you get?

Those clear sweet smelling refined cooking and salad oils at the grocery are mostly void of any good essential fatty acids. And when the hydrogenation process is thrown in too, you also get the dangers of trans fat. The main trans fatty acid sources are:

• 40% bakery products, such as cakes, cookies, pastries, biscuits and crackers
• 22% margarine, lard and other household shortenings
• 20% fatty meat from beef and sheep, plus high fat dairy
• 12% chips and deep fried foods, such as French fries
• 6% commercial salad dressings, candy and breakfast cereals
• Trans fat contributes to heart disease risk by raising LDL (bad) cholesterol.

What are the Recommended Limits?

• Reduce trans fat in your diet to less than 1% of total calories.
• Aim to keep your daily saturated fat calories at 7% or less.
• Use only extra virgin olive oil on salads (it's not highly processed).
• For cooking stick with a little olive oil or very small amounts of butter.

One fat gram equals 9 calories. So, if your total daily calories are 2,000, you should be getting no more than 2 grams of trans fat and 16 grams of saturated fat a day. Adding up your fat grams for one or two days can give you an idea of how you're doing.

Hope this clears up the debate on trans fats a little. Yes they are bad – no they won’t kill you if eaten in moderation. The argument of moderation could be made with almost any substance, alcohol, sugar, and even aspirin – so don’t freak out – just be aware!

Written By: Tom Retterbush

Trans Fat: the Hidden Killer in Our Food
Judith Shaw gives us the real lowdown on trans fats; to find out that there is ZERO recommended intake is just horrifying. I hope this book will be a wake up call to us - we need to stop eating foods that are filled with additives and we need to tell our government that we won't tolerate being poisoned by huge food conglomerates. 
Buy Trans Fat: the Hidden Killer in Our Food directly from Amazon, HERE

Please help circulate this article... maybe even help someone get healthy! 

Please click the  f  Like and +1 bellow!

What Foods to Eat to Reverse the Negative Effects of Alcohol Abuse

Drinking lots of alcohol can have devastating effects

Drinking large amounts of alcohol can have incredibly devastating effects on the body. From liver damage to brain damage, the effects of alcohol abuse are disastrous.

Thankfully, there are some measures that can be taken that can slightly lessen the negative effects of alcohol abuse. Avoiding alcohol is the largest component of any plan to recover from alcohol abuse, and sobriety will help any person to gain a healthy body faster.

Staying hydrated and enjoying moderate exercise most days of the week can also help. One of the biggest ways to reverse the negative effects of alcohol abuse is through the diet. This guide will briefly tell you about which foods to consume to help heal a body from alcohol abuse:

Eat a Low Fat Diet: While fat is a vital nutrient, for those who are overweight or obese, it might be worthwhile to reduce fat consumption for some time.

By eating a reduced calorie and low fat diet, you can lose weight and reduce stress placed on your body. With less stress, your body can focus on healing itself and improving the immune system after a period of

abusing alcohol.

Eat Foods High in B Vitamins: Vitamin B is able to improve liver function, which is the organ most likely to be damaged after a period of alcohol abuse.

Therefore, it is recommended to consume a diet high in foods with Vitamin B. Many vegetable and fruits are a source of various B vitamins, including spinach, broccoli, asparagus and romaine lettuce.

You can also find it in other sources, such as lentils or even calf's liver. By including these items in your diet, you can help your liver to recover faster from alcohol abuse.

A diet rich in vitamins that helps to support a healthy weight gives someone the best chance of reversing the negative effects of alcohol abuse.

Written By:  Enrico Forte

About the author: Enrico blogs for Mediterraneanbook.com health blog to deliver free information about the Mediterranean diet and help people live longer and better.

How to Change Your Drinking:
a Harm Reduction Guide to Alcohol

Harm reduction is the single most effective approach to drug and alcohol problems because harm reduction uses pragmatic, evidence-based strategies that work. This book is the first comprehensive compilation of harm reduction strategies aimed specifically at people who drink alcohol. Whether your goal is safer drinking, reduced drinking, or quitting alcohol altogether, this is the book for you. It contains a large and detailed selection of harm reduction tools and strategies which you can choose from to build your own individualized alcohol harm reduction program.

Buy How to Change Your Drinking directly from Amazon, HERE

Is Marijuana the Wonder Drug that could Help Millions of People?

Marijuana is perhaps the most beneficial of all substances known  to mankind. 

Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for over 4,000 years.

Manuscripts from ancient India confirm that marijuana's psychoactive properties were used by doctors for treating a variety of ailments and illnesses, including gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, insomnia and as a pain reliever during childbirth.

Even in modern medicine, marijuana was found to be so useful and promising, that in the 1970s, a synthetic version of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, was synthesized to manufacture the drug Marinol.

However, because of the prohibition of marijuana, mostly due to the pharmaceutical and alcohol industries, as well as anti-drug activists and religious crusaders, the use of both marijuana and Marinol as a medicine was restricted.

Only recently, because of the continued success of treatment, studies and trials including marijuana, has government legislation made both marijuana and Marinol more available to patients. Patients are now finally able to apply for personal possession and even a limited cultivation license.

Just check out the success ratios recorded from studies by Daily Strength in the chart bellow!

Treatment Success for Marijuana
  

CONDITION	MEMBERS	SUCCESS
Chronic Pain	654	86%
Depression	55	96%
Bipolar Disorder	44	95%
Anxiety	32	94%
Fibromyalgia	24	100%
Multiple Sclerosi...	23	100%

Overall, 90% (1,080 Members) find Marijuana helpful

Studies to Discover the Full Potential of Marijuana's Benefits

Its time we put aside old bias and prejudices and study marijuana with all our resources, so we can harness the full potential of its benefits! 

Already scientists, researchers and doctors have discovered a wide range of benefits unequaled by any other natural or chemical medication, ever. Period.

No other medication or herb offers relief from symptoms like these:

• Relief of muscle spasms
• Relief of chronic pain
• Reduction in interlobular pressure inside the eye
• Suppression of nausea
• Weight loss - increase and restore metabolism

No other medication or herb offers treatment from a wide variety of diseases like these:

• AIDS - Marijuana can reduce the nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting from the condition itself and the medications as well.
• Glaucoma - Marijuana relieves the internal eye pressure of glaucoma, and therefore relieving the pain and slowing or even stopping the condition.
• Cancer- Many side effects of the medication to stop cancer can be relieve with Marijuana, some studies suggest that Marijuana tends to slow down the progress of some types of cancer.
• Multiple Sclerosis - Muscle pain, spasticity, tremors and unsteadiness are some of the effects caused by the disease that can be relieved by Marijuana.
• Epilepsy - in some patients, epileptic seizures can be prevented with Marijuana use.
• Chronic pain - Marijuana helps to alleviate the pain caused from many types of injuries and disorders.
• Anxiety, Depression or Obsession - Even though mild anxiety is a common side effect in some users, cannabis can elevate your mood and expand the mind

Joan Bello, author of The Benefits of Marijuana, wrote, "with the expansiveness that occurs with marijuana, the subject may begin to notice infinite possibilities to raise the quality of his/her life that would otherwise have remained hidden from normal, defensive consciousness. And feelings of health and happiness naturally lead to hope, which of itself can be curative." 

Many obsessions or quick fixes to psychological problems can be alleviated by Marijuana as well. Many people eat because they're depressed. If the depression is treated, the obsession to eat should be gone as well.

Any of these phycological conditions can be treated by a psychiatrist; marijuana should be an alternative therapy, used in conjunction with psychiatric therapy.

Physical Addictions

There have been testimonies from opiate users that report an easing of addiction cravings. Some cannabinoids in cannabis are believed to have similar effects as ibogaine, a medication used to treat heroin addiction.

The cannabinoids in Marijuana mimic the healing effects of a naturally occurring chemical in the brain called Anandimide. However, this naturally occurring cannabinoid also produces the negative effects that one would experience from high concentrations of cannabinoids in marijuana.  

Medical Marijuana Doctor: Medical Marijuana Benefits

Medical marijuana can benefit psychologically and spiritually.

Marijuana can be used to enhance personal Spirituality. The herb tends to reveal your true self. It uncovers inner confusion and reveals your true direction - if you let it. Marijuana offers an effect that is both energizing and relaxing at the same time. This balanced effect will help some to think more clearly and more efficiently afterwards.

Joan Bello writes,"Marijuana will not tolerate repression. Tranquillizers and depressants relax the body and release tension, but the state of mind associated with these drugs is 'unconsciousness' whereby we escape rather than resolve our dilemmas. Alcoholism is an extreme need of both the body and personality sometimes to release the nervousness that has accumulated and continues to build up to an unbearable degree. It serves the same function for the collective personality for the society, as well A culture in which alcohol and tranquillizers are the prevalent form of release prefers not to witness internal confusion and actually choose to act without conscious participation, maintaining a semi-numb condition."

Cannabis also acts as an antispasmodic and anticonvulsant and is indicated for neurological conditions such as epilepsy especially complex partial seizures, multiple sclerosis, and spasms. As an analgesic and an immunomodulator it is indicated for conditions such as migraine, arthritis, spinal and skeletal disorders.

As a bronchodilator it is beneficial for asthma. It also reduces the intraocular pressure and is indicated for glaucoma.

It is useful in treating premenstrual syndrome, hypertension, insomnia, constipation and alcohol hangovers.

Marinol, is now becoming widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.

Recent studies have shown marijuana to be effective in treating mood disorders and mental health issues such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder.

When will lawmaker stop listening to religious crusaders and self-righteous fanatics to do what is right, in legalizing a natural herb that can potentially cure, or at least help millions from suffering needlessly?

When will lawmaker stop listening to those who profit from keeping marijuana illegal and do what is right, in legalizing a natural herb that has been used in societies longer than this society has even existed?

Do you believe that marijuana is a legitimate medicine? Do you believe it should be legalized? Please leave your opinions in the form of a comment bellow. My Health-be readers and I would really like to know what you think about America's (and the world's) marijuana policies.

Written By: Tom Retterbush

Also check out my articles, Why Parents Should Support the Legalization of Marijuana and Marijuana and Hallucinogens as an Effective Treatment for Depression on the Addicts Not Anonymous blog.

Free How to Grow Medical Marijuana Ebook, by Todd McCormick

Download How to Grow Medical Marijuana as a PDF ebook instantaneously, now. No sign-up, no log-in, no obligations, no kidding! This book is easy to read and factual. It takes you through all the steps to grow the "devil's Weed" (The man who wrote the introduction to this book Mr.Peter McWilliams was in reality killed by the govenment for his efforts to publlish this book -- investigate this and you will find it correct). If you need this medicine to save your life read this book. You will not be disappointed. The book also reveals the stupidity of America's Drug War, a fanatical war against our own children and citizens.

Price, FREE
Download it from AssEtEbooks.com for free, HERE

The Benefits of Marijuana: Physical, Psychological and Spiritual (Volume 3), by Joan Bello

A holistic understanding of the physical, psychological and spiritual benefits of marijuana which bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern science.

Bello has incorporated everything of significance. She presents it all with balance, lucidity and a sort of calm spirituality. -- High Times, 2000

Price $14.26
Order it from Amazon, HERE

Sources

Medical Marijuana Articles (kosmix.com)

Daily Strength Marijuana Treatments (dailystrength.org) 

Medical Marijuana for Pain and Depression (disabled-world.com)

Scary New Stats on Obesity: Where do You Fit In? What can You Do?

Obesity is a rising epidemic in America, Around the World and Within our Families!

Its no secret that obesity has been increasing in America, but I doubt anybody thought it was increasing at the alarming rate it has been, clear around the world.

Obesity is a complex disease. The obese and morbidly obese often experience a wide variety of other health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many more.


The Challenges of Obesity as a Disease

Although ground breaking research suggests that genetics plays a big part in obesity, according to many studies, the environment has been the root cause of obesity for many years. Many environmentalists and health care professionals suggest that as we enter a generation of technological advancements many basic tasks do no longer require physical activity and foods have higher levels of salt, sugar and fat than ever before we are going to continue to become obese at alarming rates unless, certain aspects of our environment are quickly changed.

Despite the promising results scientists have had since they located the so called Fat Gene (FTO Gene) which can manipulate certain feelings such as hunger and thirst, scientists have admitted they have yet to figure out how exactly this FTO gene works. This may eventually provide an answer for those who find it harder to loose weight, but at this stage of the game it is fair to say that the environment is the main cause for obesity.

Adding to the challenge, patients are often denied access to much needed medical treatment (such as medically managed weight-loss or bariatric surgery) as some payors and employers still do not recognize obesity and morbid obesity as a disease.

Below you will find useful facts, figures and statistics, discussing obesity and its impact on the United States, along with advice and resources to become part of the solution, starting with yourself.

Via: MedicalBillingAndCoding.org


Obesity Statistics

• In the United States, it is estimated that 93 million Americans are obese.
• Obesity is estimated to lead to 400,000 deaths annually, a 33% jump over 1990. Tobacco-related deaths in the same period climbed by less than 9 percent, to 435,000, as the gap between the two narrowed. At this rate, obesity will claim the top spot.
• Obese individuals are at a higher risk for impaired mobility and experience a negative social stigma commonly associated with obesity.
• Socioeconomic status plays a significant role in obesity. Low-income minority populations tend to experience obesity at higher rate and are more likely to be overweight.
• In 2001, the states with the top five percentages for obesity were Mississippi, West Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana.
• In the United States, 40 percent of adults do not participate in any leisure-time physical activity.
• Being overweight, obese or morbidly obese significantly increases the risk of developing many other diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis and much more.
• Morbid obesity is characterized by an individual weighing more than 100 pounds over their ideal body weight, or having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher.
• Behavior, genetics and environment are all contributing factors of morbid obesity.
• In 2002, 25 percent of the morbidly obese were being treated for six or more co-morbid conditions.
• More than 9 million adolescents (children and teens 6 to 19 years old) are considered overweight.
• Children who are considered obese are 70 percent more likely to continue being obese into adulthood.

Childhood Obesity Statistics

• Children who are obese at a young age are predisposed to obesity and morbid obesity in adulthood.
• Environmental factors, such as a lack of physical activity and technological advances have led to a more sedentary lifestyle.
• Today, obese children are much more likely to develop type 2 diabetes more than ever.
• African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians have been experiencing the highest rates of increase in childhood obesity. On average, 25 percent of children in these ethnic groups are obese.
• The most occurring sign of discrimination among obese children is social and societal acceptance. This negative discrimination can lead to poor self-esteem and depression.
• More than 40 percent of children watch 2 or more hours of television each day.
• In the last twenty years the child obesity rate has doubled while the teenage obesity rate has tripled.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around one third of children in the U.S. are overweight, 16 percent of children are obese, and 11 percent extremely obese.
• In 2003 the Center for Disease Control & Prevention reported that 1 out of 3 children born in the US in 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes! The lifespan of a ten-year-old child with Type II diabetes is, on average, 17 to 26 years less than that of a healthy child.

Fast Food Statistics

• The average distance from a fast food restaurant in the US to a school is half a mile. The density of fast-food restaurants within 1 mile of a school is three to four times the average distribution throughout a city.
• Over the last 35 years sales in the US fast-food industry has grown by almost 1000%. In 1975 sales equalled $16.1 billion and in 2009 sales were about $160 billion.
• The National Restaurant Association reports that there are around 280,000 fast-food restaurants in the States of which around 200,000 are strictly fast-food and 80,000 casual-dining.
• The US Fast-food industry serves more than 50 million Americans every day and generates $65 billion annually.
• Half of the average American's yearly food budget is spent at fast-food chains.
• On any given day around one third of American children eat fast food.
• In the past 5 decades some fast food portion sizes have increased by 600%.
• In the 50s a typical fast food hamburger weighed one ounce while today it weighs six ounces. The average fast food restaurant meal nowadays contains a staggering 1,500 calories!
• A double gulp soda (7-11) has 64 ounces (half a gallon!) and the sugar content of 48 teaspoons.
• The Federal Trade Commission reports that the US fast food industry spends approximately $1.6 billion each year on marketing aimed at children.
• The fast food industry donate money to professional nutrition associations. Coca Cola sponsors the American Dietetic Association. Why? Political lobbying...
• According to studies (by the University of Michigan School of Public Health) living in neighborhoods with a high density of fast-food outlets could increase your risk of stroke by 13%, compared to living in neighborhoods where fast food restaurants are infrequent.
• Americans spend more money per year on fast food than they do on education.
• The amount of food produced daily in the US amounts to 3,800 calories per person. Twice the daily calorie requirement of the average male or female, and three times the daily calorie requirements of children.
• The United States Center of Disease Control and Prevention reports that from 1970 to 2000 the average US male has increased his daily calorie intake by 168 calories and the average woman by 335 calories a day.

The Obesity Action Coalition encourages patients to become advocates for change. Patients can impact how others view obesity and impact decision makers. Help us to eliminate the negative stigma associated with this disease, and make sure that obesity is treated as a disease, allowing for increased access to safe and effective medical treatment.

You can start with yoursef first. Go to the Obesity Action Coalition and use their Calculate Your Body Mass Index measurement tool to find out if you are overweight, obese or morbidly obese. Then use their resources, including their excellent resources links page to take action. This website could save your life and/or the life of a loved one!

Do you consider yourself overweight? Do you consider yourself obese? Do you believe that fast food and marketing techniques contribute to the world's, America's and/or your weight problems? What do you think should be done about it? Are you ready to make a change?

Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the form of a comment bellow. My Health-be readers and I would really like to know your thoughts on the weight problem that faces not only you and I, but America and the world.

Written By: Tom Retterbush

Sources

obesityaction.org / obesityvote.com / fatburn-secrets.com

Alcohol Helps the Brain Remember

Repeated ethanol exposure enhances synaptic plasticity in key area in the brain

Drinking alcohol primes certain areas of our brain to learn and remember better, says a new alcohol and addiction study at The University of Texas.

The common view that drinking is bad for learning and memory isn’t wrong, says neurobiologist Hitoshi Morikawa, but it highlights only one side of what ethanol consumption does to the brain.

“Usually, when we talk about learning and memory, we’re talking about conscious memory,” says Morikawa, whose results were published last month in The Journal of Neuroscience. “Alcohol diminishes our ability to hold on to pieces of information like your colleague’s name, or the definition of a word, or where you parked your car this morning. But our subconscious is learning and remembering too, and alcohol may actually increase our capacity to learn, or ‘conditionability,’ at that level.”

Morikawa’s study, which found that repeated ethanol exposure enhances synaptic plasticity in a key area in the brain, is further evidence toward an emerging consensus in the neuroscience community that drug and alcohol addiction is fundamentally a learning and memory disorder.

When we drink alcohol (or shoot up heroin, or snort cocaine, or take methamphetamines), our subconscious is learning to consume more. But it doesn’t stop there. We become more receptive to forming subconscious memories and habits with respect to food, music, even people and social situations.

Does knowledge about alcohol benefits lead to increased consumption?: An article from: Wines & Vines

In an important sense, says Morikawa, alcoholics aren’t addicted to the experience of pleasure or relief they get from drinking alcohol. They’re addicted to the constellation of environmental, behavioral and physiological cues that are reinforced when alcohol triggers the release of dopamine in the brain.

“People commonly think of dopamine as a happy transmitter, or a pleasure transmitter, but more accurately it’s a learning transmitter,” says Morikawa. “It strengthens those synapses that are active when dopamine is released.”

Alcohol, in this model, is the enabler. It hijacks the dopaminergic system, and it tells our brain that what we’re doing at that moment is rewarding (and thus worth repeating).

Among the things we learn is that drinking alcohol is rewarding. We also learn that going to the bar, chatting with friends, eating certain foods and listening to certain kinds of music are rewarding. The more often we do these things while drinking, and the more dopamine that gets released, the more “potentiated” the various synapses become and the more we crave the set of experiences and associations that orbit around the alcohol use.

Morikawa’s long-term hope is that by understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction better, he can develop anti-addiction drugs that would weaken, rather than strengthen, the key synapses. And if he can do that, he would be able to erase the subconscious memory of addiction.

“We’re talking about de-wiring things,” says Morikawa. “It’s kind of scary because it has the potential to be a mind controlling substance. Our goal, though, is to reverse the mind controlling aspects of addictive drugs.”

Critical social issues-related questions were addressed in a newly published study based on the world renowned Kaiser Permanente Cohort, which has revealed some of the most significant findings associating moderate consumption of wine, beer and spirits with coronary heart disease benefits over the last few decades.

As these and other research findings, such as the reported benefits of consuming "one alcoholic beverage per day" for cardiovascular health, consuming red wine for the resveratrol for longevity, etc. have been acknowledged by the research and public health communities, thousands of media stories have brought positive health messages to the public at large.

These developments have aroused concern among the public health and alcohol abuse prevention communities that such consumer knowledge, perhaps especially in persons at coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, might lead to inappropriate or excessive drinking. However, this research confirms in new, important ways how most people who choose to drink consume the beverages responsibly and maintain this habit throughout their adult lives. Further, this research indirectly reveals how the knowledge about the potential health benefits may reinforce such moderate drinking behavior rather than lead to irresponsible habits.

If you liked this article, you may want to check out my Health-be.com, article, New Research shows that Alcohol can Protect against Heart Disease.

So, taking in account that alcohol is good for memory, good for the cardiovascular system and possibly even good for longevity, it appears that alcohol may not be the Great Evil so many people people preached against? Or is it?

Do you believe that the dangers of alcohol outweigh any possible benefits? My readers and I would love to read all about your opinion on this matter, so please leave a comment down bellow.
Written By: Tom Retterbush

Source

Alcohol helps the brain remember: says new study (University of Texas at Austin)

Does knowledge about alcohol benefits lead to increased consumption? (Elisabeth Holmgren)

New Research shows that Alcohol can Protect against Heart Disease

Individuals who drink alcohol in moderation are 14-25% less likely to develop heart disease

Individuals who drink alcohol in moderation (about one drink a day or less) are 14-25% less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who drink no alcohol at all, finds research led by Professor William Ghali from the University of Calgary, published on bmj.com today.


The first paper, led by Paul Ronksley from the University of Calgary, emphasises that a balance needs to be found between the public health message that consuming large amounts of alcohol is bad for you, and the one that drinking in moderation can have health benefits.

An accompanying paper led by Dr Susan Brien, also from the University of Calgary, finds that moderate consumption of alcohol (up to one drink or 15 g alcohol per day for women and up to two drinks or 30 g alcohol per day for men) is good for health. They say moderate amounts of alcohol significantly increase the levels of ‘good’ cholesterol circulating in the body and this has a protective effect against heart disease.

Brien and colleagues argue that their study strengthens the case that there is a causal link between alcohol consumption and reduced heart disease.

The authors of both papers acknowledge that a number of previous studies have concluded that moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a decrease in heart disease. However, they say that the research was out-of-date and there was a need for new material. Professor Ghali says his team’s research is the most comprehensive to date.

Ghali and colleagues reviewed 84 studies of alcohol consumption and heart disease. They compared alcohol drinkers with non-drinkers and their outcomes in relation to heart disease, death from heart disease, incidences of stroke and death from having a stroke.

In the companion study, Brien and colleagues reviewed 63 studies and investigated alcohol consumption with known physical markers for heart disease such as cholesterol, levels of inflammation, fat cells and the condition of blood vessels. They also assessed the impact of the type of alcohol consumed (wine, beer and spirits).

Interestingly, Brien’s research concludes that it is the alcohol content that provides the health benefits not the type of alcoholic beverage (wine, beer or spirits) that is drunk.

Professor Ghali concludes that the debate between the impact of alcohol on heart disease should now centre “on how to integrate this evidence into clinical practice and public health messages”.

He adds “with respect to public health messages there may now be an impetus to better communicate to the public that alcohol, in moderation, may have overall health benefits that outweigh the risks in selected subsets of patients A… any such strategy would need to be accompanied by rigorous study and oversight of impacts”.

Written By: Emma Dickinson, BMJ-British Medical Journal

If you liked this article, ou may be interested in the Health-be article, Alcohol Helps the Brain Remember.

Source: Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease (breakthroughdigest.com)

15 Quick, Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism for Lazy Dummies

Do you ever ask yourself why your best friend can eat whatever they want without gaining a pound, while you can't so much as look at a snack without gaining weight?

Its genetics. Some people burn fat faster than others. But age, weight, diet, and exercise habits also play a role. As people age, their metabolisms slow down, mainly because they are losing five or six pounds of muscle each decade starting in the mid-20s.

Boosting the metabolism is the ultimate goal of weight watchers everywhere, but how fast your body burns calories depends on several factors.



Some people are lucky and inherit a speedy metabolism.

Men tend to burn more calories than women, even while resting. And for most people, metabolism slows steadily after age 40. Although you can't control your age, gender, or genetics, there are other ways to get a boost. Read on for 10 ways to rev up.

1. Eat breakfast.

Believe it or not, Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again, so if you bypass breakfast, your body won't burn as many calories until lunchtime as it could. That's why it's smart to start the day with a solid 300- to 400-calorie meal; it jump-starts your metabolism.

Some good choices: a bran-rich breakfast cereal with low-fat milk; whole-grain toast topped with low-fat ricotta and sliced banana or berries; an egg-white veggie omelette with whole-grain toast that has plenty of high-fiber carbs. High-fiber carbohydrates take longer for your body to digest and absorb than fats; thus they don't cause rapid changes in your blood sugar, so your hunger is kept at bay longer.

2. Take Cold Showers

When showering, give yourself blasts of cold water. Studies suggest that the alternating temperature stimulates circulation and speeds up metabolism.

3. Drink More Water

The body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. In addition, try munching on fresh fruits and vegetables, which are full of fluid, rather than pretzels or chips.

4. Have Your Drinks on the Rocks

Ice-cold beverages prompt the body to burn more calories during digestion. Research suggests five or six glasses of water on the rocks can use up an extra 10 calories a day. That might not sound like much, but it adds up to a pound of weight loss per year -- without dieting. You can get the same benefit by drinking iced tea or coffee, as long as you forego the cream and sugar.

5. Drink Green Tea

Drinking green tea or oolong tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances shown to rev up the metabolism for a couple hours. Research suggests drinking two to four cups of either tea may push the body to burn an extra 50 calories each day. That adds up to 5 pounds of weight loss in a year.

6. Drink Black Coffee

If you’re a coffee drinker, you probably enjoy the increased energy and concentration that follows your morning ritual. Well, some of these benefits are linked to a short-term increase in your metabolic rate. In one study, the caffeine in two cups of coffee prompted a 145-pound woman to burn 50 extra calories over the next four hours. Just be sure to drink it black. If you add cream, sugar, or flavored syrups, you’ll take in far more calories than you burn.

7. Eat More Often

Eating more really can help you lose weight -- eating more often, that is. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, you train your metabolism to slow down. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at meal time.

8. Eat More Protein

The body burns up to twice as many calories digesting protein as it uses for fat or carbohydrates. Although you want to eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can jump-start the metabolism at mealtime. Healthy sources of protein include lean beef and pork, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

9. Eat Metabolism Boosting Foods

There are lots of metabolism boosting foods that will even help you loose weight. For example, according to a Penn State University study, soup is a super appetite suppressant because it’s made up of a hunger-satisfying combination of liquids and solids. In the study, women chose one of three 270-calorie snacks before lunch. Women who had chicken and rice soup as a snack consumed an average of 100 fewer calories than those in the study who opted for a chicken and rice casserole or the casserole and a glass of water.

Grapefruit is another great metabolism boosting food. Researchers at Scripps Clinic found that participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal in a 12-week period lost an average of 3.6 pounds. The study indicates that the unique chemical properties in this vitamin C-packed citrus fruit reduce insulin levels, which promotes weight loss and boost metabolism.

Milk, low-fat yogurt, broccoli, apples and pears are some more metabolism boosting foods, but there are more. Make sure you stay tuned to Health-be (better yet, subscribe to Health-be) for my upcoming article,
Metabolism Boosting Foods.

10. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is flying off health-food-store shelves, with women swearing that megadoses help boost their metabolism; but experts say no research bolsters anecdotal claims. "The B vitamins are essential, but they won't speed up your metabolism," says professor of nutrition Jeff Hampl.

11. Eat Hot & Spicy

Spicy foods contain chemical compounds that kick the metabolism into high gear. Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 23 percent. Some studies suggest the effect only lasts about half an hour, but if you eat spicy foods often, the benefits may add up. For a quick boost, spice up pasta dishes, chili, and stews with red-pepper flakes.

How To Speed Up Your Metabolism on Howcast

12. Reduce Stress

Control what you can, but don't worry about what you can't. Keep stress levels in check by managing your time, focusing on the present and not over-committing.

13. Get Enough Sleep 

Make sure yoi get 7-8 hours of Z's a night. For your engine to fire properely during the day, it needs to regenerate at night.

This is really the last of the simple ways to boost your Metabolism for lazy dummies, because hereafter it gets to be a little more work. 

14. Kick Up Your Workout

This is where the simple ways to boost your metabolism stop being quite so simple, but even more, stop being for for lazy dummies. This is where it starts getting tough. Where you need to start putting in some effort. But that's why I listed it close to bottom of the list.

However, if you're doing all of the above, you've already come a long way. Maybe you've even revved up your metabolism to the point by now, that you have enough energy to want to work out!

Aerobic exercise may not build big muscles, but it can rev up your metabolism in the hours after a workout. The key is to push yourself. High-intensity exercise delivers a bigger, longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate workouts. To get the benefits, try a more intense class at the gym or include short bursts of jogging during your regular walk.

15. Build Muscle

Our bodies constantly burn calories, even when we’re doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. That small difference can add up over time. In addition, after a bout of resistance training, muscles are activated all over your body, increasing your average daily metabolic rate.

Caution

Crash diets involve eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day. This is dangerous for anyone hoping to quicken their metabolism. Although these diets may help you drop pounds, often the high percentage of the loss comes from muscle. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. The final result is that you burn fewer calories and gain weight faster than before the crash diet.

Conclusion

The impact of different foods and drinks on the metabolism is small compared to what you need for sustained weight loss. Your best bet for creating a mean calorie-burning machine is to build muscle and stay active. The more you move during the day, the more calories you burn. And remember: working out in the morning has the benefit of revving up your metabolism for hours.

Though it will not affect your daytime activity, research has shown that your metabolism does slow down significantly once you fall asleep, so anything you eat before going to bed will contribute to weight gain.

Written By: Tom Retterbush

Sources

How to Increase Your Metabolism (wikihow.com)

14 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism (redbookmag.com)

Slideshow: 10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism (webmd.com)