Health Information Snippets
Healthy and wise beats wealthy anyday!

As published in HealthDay today – there’s a list of cancer fighting foods that have been proven to actually prevent the onset of a variety of cancers. These foods include the much touted gingko biloba, garlic, cabbage and also would you believe brocolli sprouts (so grandma was right in advising you to eat your sprouts!

Brocolli sprouts – the stomach protector and stomach cancer fighting food

Studies conducted in the University of Tsukuba Japen found that in 20 people who ate a diet rich in brocolli sprouts had significantly reduced numbers of Helicobacter pylori (the stomach ulcer forming bug). This bug has been found to be a major factor in the formation of stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. Whilst the diet rich in brocolli sprouts did not eliminate the bacteria totally, it’s certainly a good (and safe) way to encourage people already with the condition that with a simple change in their dietary intake of brocolli sprouts they can significantly reduce the likelihood of more peptic ulcers and stomach cancer formation. The active ingredient in brocolli sprouts that have the cancer fighting properties is sulforaphane – a highly effective anti-oxidant. On another note, another study (this time in skin cancer) found that an extract of brocolli sprouts when smeared on the skin of hairless mice reduced the chances of skin cancer formation by 1/2.

Cabbage and sauerkraut – breast cancer fighting food

A Polish women’s health study has shown an association between eating cabbage and sauerkraut the and lowering of the risk of breast cancer. Before you head out to buy more cabbage, note that the study showed that the effect seemed to be the highest among women who eat high amount from adolescence and keep on keeping on till adulthood. The best protective effects were found in people who ate raw or mildly cooked cabbage.

Gingko biloba – ovarian cancer fighting food

Gingko biloba has been found by Boston researchers to lower the risk of women developing ovarian cancer. This wonder ingredient has been used in herbal supplements (especially in Chinese medicine) for ages in the treatment of cancer but as yet there had been little scientific evidence to support its use. It was discovered that 2 primary compounds in gingko biloba- ginkgolide A and B were the most active components contributing to this cancer protective effect. The good news is that the proliferation rates in certain types of cancer cells was inhibited by 80 percent with these compounds.

Garlic – the condiment with class and protective effects

In the final study, researchers found that garlic may help ward off carcinogens produced by meat cooked at high temperatures. Cooking meats and eggs at high temperatures releases a chemical called PhIP, which may be a carcinogen. Garlic contains diallyl sulfide (DAS) and appears to inhibit the effects of PhIP that can cause DNA damage or transform substances in the body into carcinogens. Using human breast epithelial cells, equal amounts of PhIP and DAS were added to the cells separately, and the two together, for periods ranging from three to 24 hours. The study showed that whilst PhIP induced expression of the cancer-causing enzyme at every stage, up to 40-fold, DAS (found in garlic) actually completely inhibited the PhIP enzyme from becoming carcinogen – a cancer forming agent.

So where does this leave us? Increasing your daily consumption of vegetables and fruit is a must if you are serious about reducing your chances of getting cancer.

Find Nutritional supplements at the health shop at 40-70% off retail prices.

Phentermine diet pills – what are they?

Phentermine has almost become a household name – capturing almost 50% of the weight loss diet pill prescription market. Yes it’s a prescription drug so don’t think that you can just waltz up to your local chemist to get a packet to try. Phentermine is an appetite suppressant and tends to be easier on the hip pocket than it’s more costly counterparts Xenical and Meridia.

Phentermine has been around since 1959 when it was first introduced as a resin. It’s available under the proprietary names Ionamin and Adipex. It’s also available in its generic form phentermine. Recently in the last 10 years, there has been off label use of phentermine in combination with other drugs like Fenfluramine (affectionately called the Fen-Phen combo) and Prozac (also known as the Phen-Pro combo). In the advent of studies showing the Fen-Phen combo increased the patient’s risk of getting heart disease, the combination was quickly withdrawn. The FDA decided that it was the Fenfluramine that was the cause of the heart problems and therefore withdrew it from use but kept Phentermine in the market in the meantime. The Phen-Pro combo is not strictly just restricted to Phentermine and Prozac. Other antidepressants such as Zoloft have also been used in place of Phentermine. It is thought that this combo has the ability to prolong the appetite suppressive effects of Phentermine as it’s effects do tend to wane with chronic use.

Phentermine diet pills – how do they work?

Phentermine works by suppressing your appetite and it does so by altering your brain chemistry to decrease your appetite stimulators. It works primarily on the hypothalamus of the brain.

Phentermine diet pills – is it the magic pill?

No. As with most diets, it needs to be used in combination with exercise, cultivating good eating habits and if necessary behavior modification therapy for some individuals.

Phentermine diet pills – what are the precautions and side effects?

Phentermine needs to be taken on an EMPTY stomach once daily. So most patients tend to take it after they wake BEFORE breakfast. Side effects relate to how the drug acts. Because it acts on the hypothalamus (which also controls sleep patterns, regulates your temperature and other bodily functions), side effects include :

• constipation and/or tummy upsets
• sleeplessness
• dry mouth
• irritability

Most of these side effects seem to fade with time. If they are bothering you, you will need to consult your doctor about the dosage regime.

See other diet pills and look up the diet review page

There are a few general rules to follow if you’ve been to the doctor and they’ve told you that you need to lower your cholesterol. Doctors on the whole will attempt to get you to try the following first before putting you on any of the statin drugs (cholesterol lowering pills) :

• they will tell you to try to lose some weight if you are overweight. People who are overweight tend to have higher cholesterol levels than those who are in the ‘ideal weight range’. This is sometimes NOT the case though so don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you are thin, that you don’t have an underlying choleterol problem. Weight loss would probably involve going on a diet (see other points) and starting yourself on some form of exercise program. Don’t give yourself a hard time by starting straight into it. Give yourself time to build up slowly. Best to start by going to a qualified fitness instructor who will assess your fitness level and start you on a program that suits you and then build from that
• Eat less high fat and high cholesterol foods. This is easier said than done. Start by learning to read labels on foods. ‘Reduced Fat’ does not necessarily mean it’s low in fat. It just means it’s lower compared to the original – so if the original had 50g of fat to start off with, then 30g would qualify as a ‘reduced fat’ type of that particular food – that’s still a HUGE amount of fat to consume so read carefully. To complicate matters even more, there are also saturated fats (which are bad for you) and unsaturated fats (which are generally good for you). So all fats are NOT created equal. Saturated fat foods include most of your animal fats – eg all your dairy products, red meats and to a certain extent white meats (eg poultry) although less so, some vegetable fats eg like palm oil and coconut oil. High cholesterol foods can be low in saturated fats but you should try to limit these as well eg liver is low in saturated fats but really high in cholesterol. In general, organ meats, full fat dairy products, egg yolks are high in cholesterol.
• So if you are to eat less high cholesterol saturated fats, you are to substitute them with low cholesterol unsaturated fats. These are commonly termed polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and they include your fish oils (Omega3 fatty acids), olive, canola, sunflower, corn, cottonseed oils. Be careful to read labels – if the polyunsaturated oil has been ‘hydrogenated’ then it means it’s been converted to saturated fats so don’t be fooled into thinking that just because it’s polyunsaturated it’s fine to consume.
• Increase your fibre intake and the amount of complex carbohydrates in your diet – all your cereals (avoid refined versions and go for the ‘original’ eg brown rice instead of white, wholewheat bread instead of white bread), fruit and vegetables are low in cholesterol and hight in fibre

See other diets

<?php
require ("http://www.a-healthy-you.com/rss_reader1.php?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Frss%2Fcholesterol.xml&num=6");
?>