Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dark Chocolate Helps You Walk If You Have Peripheral Arterial Disease

Posted on July 2, 2014 | Comments Off on Dark Chocolate Helps You Walk If You Have Peripheral Arterial Disease

Milk chocolate won’t do it, though. MedPageToday has the details. It’s a small study and may not be reliable.

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Do Fruits, Vegetables, and Fiber Prevent Cancer?

Posted on June 18, 2014 | 2 comments

It’s complicated. Here’s a snippet from a pertinent scientific article:

“The purpose of this article is to summarize the findings published thus far from the EPIC study on the associations between fruit, vegetable, or fiber consumption and the risk of cancer at 14 different sites. The risk of cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract was inversely associated with fruit intake but was not associated with vegetable intake. The risk of colorectal cancer was inversely associated with intakes of total fruit and vegetables and total fiber, and the risk of liver cancer was also inversely associated with the intake of total fiber. The risk of cancer of the lung was inversely associated with fruit intake but was not associated with vegetable intake; this association with fruit intake was restricted to smokers and might be influenced by residual confounding due to smoking. There was a borderline inverse association of fiber intake with breast cancer risk. For the other 9 cancer sites studied (stomach, biliary tract, pancreas, cervix, endometrium, prostate, kidney, bladder, and lymphoma) there were no reported significant associations of risk with intakes of total fruit, vegetables, or fiber.”

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Maria Menounos Eats a Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet

Posted on June 9, 2014 | Comments Off on Maria Menounos Eats a Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet

…but it’s not mine. 

Menounos is now a petite size four, but was 40 pounds heavier during her twenties, thanks to daily pizza binges and a sedentary lifestyle.

Maria, who’s Greek, has maintained her weight loss for the past 16 years by following the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, which has consistently been rated one of the top diets for its weight-loss and heart-health benefits.

Read the rest at Examiner.com.

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Nuts Consumption Linked to Less Heart Disease and Longer Life Span

Posted on May 29, 2014 | Comments Off on Nuts Consumption Linked to Less Heart Disease and Longer Life Span

Details are in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. From the abstract:

“Our meta-analysis indicates that nut intake is inversely associated with ischemic heart disease, overall cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality but not significantly associated with diabetes and stroke. The inverse association between the consumption of nuts and diabetes was attenuated after adjustment for body mass index. These findings support recommendations to include nuts as part of a healthy dietary pattern for the prevention of chronic diseases.”

Nuts feature prominently in all my diet plans. Heart disease is still the No.1 killer in Western societies. 

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QOTD: A Peaceful Death

Posted on May 25, 2014 | Comments Off on QOTD: A Peaceful Death

When I die, I want to go peacefully like my grandfather did–in his sleep. Not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car.        

         – Bob Monkhouse

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Dr. Briffa Versus UK’s NHS: Low-Carb Diets Are Better Than Low-Fat

Posted on May 22, 2014 | Comments Off on Dr. Briffa Versus UK’s NHS: Low-Carb Diets Are Better Than Low-Fat

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service recently published guidelines favoring low-fat diets over low-carb ones. Dr. John Briffa objects: 

“See here http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/ for a comprehensive review of 23 studies which demonstrates superior results achieved by low-carb diets with regard to weight loss and disease markers. To my mind, dietician Sian Porter and the NHS Choices website have done a bad job of communicating the facts and summarising the evidence. I wish to formally complain about the inaccuracies in this article and its (to me) clear bias and lack of balance.”

Read the whole enchilada.

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Your Gluten Sensitivity May Instead be FODMAP Sensitivity

Posted on May 17, 2014 | Comments Off on Your Gluten Sensitivity May Instead be FODMAP Sensitivity

RealClearScience has the details. If you think gluten will make you sick, maybe it does so through a psychological mechanism called the nocebo effect. Melanie Thomassian will teach you about FODMAPs.

 

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QOTD: H.L. Mencken on the U.S. Presidency

Posted on May 10, 2014 | Comments Off on QOTD: H.L. Mencken on the U.S. Presidency

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

                     –H. L. Mencken

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QOTD: Elmer Davis on Bravery

Posted on May 5, 2014 | Comments Off on QOTD: Elmer Davis on Bravery

The republic was not established by cowards; and cowards will not preserve it. This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

                  – Elmer Davis

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New Guidelines Recommend Mediterranean Diet for Those With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

Posted on May 2, 2014 | Comments Off on New Guidelines Recommend Mediterranean Diet for Those With Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack

MedPageToday has the details from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Here’s the pertinent quote:

It … is reasonable to recommend adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet that includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, poultry, fish, legumes, olive oil, and nuts, and limits sweets and red meats.

But how much of those components? Click for my general recommendations. 

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