Olive Oil Lowers The Risk Of Breast Cancer

This is a post that I love because we grow olive trees and produce an award winning extra virgin olive oil. Following a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetable, fish, whole grains, and olive oil has been shown to lower the incidence of heart disease, stroke and dementia.

Now a new study based on the answers of more than 4,000 women found that those who followed an olive oil heavy Mediterranean diet had a 68% lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who followed a standard Mediterranean diet. To get this benefit olive oil had to comprise more than 15% of the woman's total daily calories. For every additional 5 per cent of calories from extra virgin olive oil the risk for developing breast cancer was lowered even more.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Does An Aspirin A Day Keep The Doctor Away?

There are many medicines that are like a double edged sword. By this we mean that a particular medication may have a powerful effect on treating illness. The same medication may have serious and even fatal side effects. Cortisone is one of these medications. Aspirin is another.

There is some interesting and important news about aspirin. Most of us know that low dose aspirin has been recommended for adults who are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact one study found that there was a 22% decrease in heart attacks in patients at risk who took a daily low dose pill.

Of equal importance is the fact that another study found that those who took a daily low dose aspirin pill for ten years had a  40% lower risk of colon cancer.

These impressive results present a dilemma that should be discussed with you doctor. A decision needs to be made whether in your particular case the benefit of taking a daily low dose aspirin pill outweighs the risks.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

There Is A Link Between Hypertension And Dementia

A new study published in the Journal Of Alzheimer's Disease  reported that people who had high blood pressure in their fifties  were more likely to have cognitive problems in their eighties than those who had normal blood pressure in their fifties. This conclusion was reached after analyzing data from the Framingham Heart Study.

The implication of this study is very important for all of us. Hypertension is a serious problem for many reasons. Late dementia is only one example. There is no substitute for a regular medical examination.

Does Taking Echinacea Help Shorten The Duration Of A Cold?

Advertisements tell you that echinacea helps prevent colds and that it lessens the symptoms of a cold. We have heard such claims for years. Are they true?

 Echinacea is a plant with the formal name of Echinacea purport. The leaf and other parts are processed and sold in various forms such as capsules, tablets, tinctures and tea. I am certain that you have seen these products on the shelves of your pharmacies, supermarkets and health food stores. The market for echinacea is huge with sales of tens of millions of dollars.

The real questions we should ask are does echinacea really work and is it worth the money? Laboratory research has shown that echinacea can stimulate the immune system and that it has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. This is well and good and makes a great sales pitch; however, several recent well designed studies have found that echinacea was no better than a placebo at preventing colds or reducing symptoms of a cold.

The bottom line is that claims for echinacea have not been supported by solid clinical investigation. If you believe that it helps and if you do not mind spending the money, go ahead and take it. If you have an autoimmune disorder such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, be aware that echinacea could worsen your condition because of its effect on your immune system. If in doubt ask your physician.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Limit The Amount Of Fatty Foods That You Eat. True Or Not True?

Don't eat fats!

In the 1950s this was the message that resounded in our homes and offices. Ancel Keys, a physiologist, informed the world that dietary fat was responsible for clogging arteries. His landmark study found that people who ate a diet low in saturated fat had a lower incidence of heart disease than those in western countries who ate a fat heavy diet.

Keyes stated that Americans must reduce the fat calories in their diets by a third if they wanted to avoid heart disease. Reducing fat calories also seemed to make sense for weight control since fat contains more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates. It seemed to make sense that if you reduced the fat calories in your diet you would not only lose weight but would also minimize the possibility of developing heart disease.

Even though his research and conclusions were flawed, his message went mainstream and became imbedded in modern medicine and nutrition. Almost all of us drank less whole milk. eat less beef. fewer eggs and replaced butter with margarine.

How has this changed?  That will be discussed in future blogs.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

The Latest Dietary Guidelines

Every five years a blue panel committee of dietary experts meet to write a report  summarizing the scientific evidence used to formulate  the official government dietary guidelines. There are a number of interesting changes in the new guidelines.

The most significant finding of the report is that dietary patterns are more important than specific foods.This means that people should not think about individual foods as much as putting together a healthy dietary pattern. Do not think of this as a punitive diet but as a healthy pattern of eating that should taste good.

This new pattern of eating will be higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, legumes and nuts. It will be moderate in alcohol and nonfat dairy and lower in red and processed meats, sugar, sweetened drinks and foods. It will also be lower in refined grains.

Another change will be to no longer focus on the amount of fat in your diet but rather on the type of fat. You should limit foods high in saturated fat such as meats and whole dairy while choosing foods high in polyunsaturated fats. The reason is that cholesterol in foods is not responsible for elevated blood cholesterol. Saturated fat is responsible. See our blog on healthy eating for more information on the role of fats in your diet.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Lower Your Blood Pressure With Beet Juice

We have advocated exercise and meditation as ways to lower blood pressure without resorting to medications. A recent article in the Journal of Hypertension reported a study that piqued our interest. It seems that a daily cup of beet juice lowered systolic and diastolic pressures in patients with hypertension. Improvements in blood vessel function and arterial stiffness were also observed.

Researchers attributed the benefit to nitrates in beets that caused blood vessels to dilate. The blood pressure reduction was of clinical significance and came close to that of taking a single anti-hypertension drug. We are excited by this study. The implications are important and may be life saving for many with high blood pressure. In fact it might be necessary to create a new folk saying that goes "A cup of beet juice a day keeps the doctor away."

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net