Keeping cholesterol levels healthy has been identified as a key target to help to keep hearts and circulatory systems healthy.  After careful consideration by the authorities, a number of cholesterol lowering drugs called Statins have been made available without prescription by your pharmacist - but many people would prefer to use other natural and cholesterol lowering dietary options to get their cholesterol levels down to an acceptable reading before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.  This article reviews the natural options available to those wishing to lower cholesterol levels or follow a cholesterol lowering diet.

Women's Health

Calcium Intakes & Women:  important for more than just healthy bones?

Osteoporosis is a condition that currently affects one in three women and one in twelve men in the UK over the age of 50.  To reduce risks of developing this condition, individuals should take regular weight bearing exercise throughout life and consume a diet rich in calcium, along plenty of sunshine and a Vitamin D rich diet. 

A new study suggests that adequate calcium may also help to reduce the risks of developing another potentially serious condition: colorectal cancer.

In the study, researchers selected 45,354 women without colon cancer from the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project conducted by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society between 1973 and 1980.  The women, who averaged 62 years of age, were followed for an average of 8.5 years and put into groups based on information they provided about their diet and lifestyle on a questionnaire.

Researchers found that dietary calcium intake from food of greater than 400 mg per day produced a “marked reduction” of colorectal cancer risk, and a similar reduction in risk was observed when supplemental calcium intake exceeded 800 mg per day.  When calcium intake was obtained from both dietary and supplemental calcium, the risk of colorectal cancer was reduced by more than if calcium came from only one source.

The researchers went on to conclude that this study “provides further evidence to support what is now an increasing body of literature indicating that calcium intake will reduce risk of colorectal cancer.”

The study entitled "Calcium from Diet and Supplements is Associated With Reduced Risk of Colorectal Cancer in a Prospective Cohort of Women” was published in the January 2005 issue of the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention

 Quotation

" Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food "

Hippocrates

The father of modern medicine

Men's Health

Men – Another Reason to Watch Your Weight. If You Are Male & Obese, You May Raise Your Risk of Prostate Cancer

A small new study, published in the December issue of Obesity Research (pp1930-5), found that visceral fat, or the fat found around organs, is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer.

Pedro Von Hafe, Henrique Barros and colleagues from the Faculty of Medicine of Porto and the Hospital of São João, Porto, Portugal used an x-ray technique that allows them to distinguish and individually measure different types of fatty tissue.

They compared 63 prostate cancer male patients with the same number of healthy controls from the same ethnic backgrounds and with a similar age, height and weight.

It was found that higher quantities of visceral fat, but not fat reserves located under the skin were associated with prostate cancer. The researchers concluded that this is probably due to differences in the ways each type of fat is metabolised, and the effects of the metabolites produced. However once prostate cancer was established, there was no link between the stage of the disease and the amount of visceral fat, indicating that once cancer was established other factors may contribute to its evolution and progression.   

Female Health & Beauty

' Beauty Starts From Within'

If you are trying to look after your body while carrying out a stressful and action packed life, it is worth remembering that beauty is more than skin deep.

This article reviews which nutrients you need to look after your skin, hair and nails, and gives 12 guidelines to help you achieve optimal health & beauty for life.

Read Article 

Family Health

Eating Fish Is Good For You:

But Be Careful How

You Cook It! 

A new study out of the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that eating fish regularly can help decrease the risk of stroke in the elderly.  

In the study, researchers studied 4775 adults 65 years or older who were free of known cerebrovascular disease in 1989.  The subjects’ diets were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and researchers found that one to four servings per week of broiled or baked tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, lowered stroke risk by 27% while five or more servings per week lowered stroke risk by 30%, so long as the fish consumed was cooked by any means other frying. 

However, eating fried fish more than once per week increased stroke risk by 44%.

The study entitled "Prediction of cardiovascular mortality in middle-aged men by dietary and serum linoleic and polyunsaturated fatty acids” was published in the January 2005 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Women's Health

Women: Watching your weight isn’t the only important factor to keep you healthy – you definitely need exercise too!  

If you still have any doubts about how much of a difference taking regular exercise can make to your health and your life expectancy, then the largest ever study investigating the relationship between excess body weight, inactivity, and premature death in women has just been published.  Importantly, this research shows that the amount of exercise you take, or not, is a strong predictor of whether you are at risk or an early death in addition to and separate from any health problems caused by obesity.

The study began in 1976 and included 116,564 healthy women, 30-55 years of age. The weight and physical activities were determined for each of the participants though various questionnaires, and the people taking part in the study followed for 24 years.

Among women who were non-smokers, it was determined that by having a body mass index (equal to your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres) of greater than 25 is associated with premature death.  Additionally, women who were physically inactive and getting less than 3.5 hours of exercise per week were also at increased risk of premature death.

What is more, while it had been thought by some experts that exercise alone could offset the problems of excess body weight this new study shows that this is clearly not the case.  And worst of all is if you are overweight and inactive. When researchers analysed the effect of both excess body weight and physical inactivity on premature death, they determined that a woman is 31% more likely overall to die prematurely when overweight and inactive, 59% more likely to die from heart disease and 21% more likely to die as a result of cancer.

So while you may be watching your weight, don’t forget to take at least 3.5 hours of exercise every week to help you stay as healthy as you can be!  Being overweight and not getting enough exercise are independently bad for your health – achieving one goal does not offset the health consequences of failing to achieve the other: both are needed!

Legislation & Supplements

Amidst all the press about new legislation affecting supplements, what is the truth of the present situation and how will it affect you?

The following website contains information for consumers, practitioners & retailers to keep you up to date with changes in legislation.  Find out more and see how you can protect your choices for health!

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