Mediterranean diet can prevent prostate cancer

Men who followed a Mediterranean diet, rich in fish, boiled potatoes, whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil, and low consumption of juices had lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer PC than those who followed other dietary patterns like Prudent or Western diets.  PC is the most common type of cancer in men and can have a high mortality rate, evidence linking PC to specific environmental, occupational, or dietary exposures has been limited. Recent studies have investigated whether certain dietary patterns impact cancer risks, but the results have been inconsistent.

"This study adds important evidence to the scarce information regarding the association of diet with PC, and highlights the relevance of focusing on global dietary patterns," explained lead investigator Beatriz Perez-Gomez, PhD, Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Madrid). Diet oriented towards the prevention of aggressive tumors in the prostate should include important elements of the Mediterranean diet such as fish, legumes, and olive oil, high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

The authors explored the relationship between the risk of having PC and dietary patterns as part of the MCC-Spain study, a Spanish case-control study that involved 733 patients with histologically confirmed PC and 1,229 healthy men with a mean age of 66 years from seven Spanish regions. Anthropometric, epidemiologic, and dietary data were collected.

Adherence to the three dietary patterns of Western, Prudent, and Mediterranean, which characterize the dietary habits of the Spanish population, was evaluated, The Western pattern includes consumption of large amounts of fatty dairy products, refined grains, processed meat, caloric beverages, sweets, fast food, and sauces.

 The Prudent pattern involves consumption of low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and juices. Finally, the Mediterranean pattern consists of high consumption of fish, boiled potatoes, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and olive oil, and low consumption of juices. The diets were graded according to the degree of adherence to each pattern and assigned to four quartiles from lower to higher adherence within each pattern.

Only a high adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern appeared to be associated with a lower risk of aggressive PC. Prudent and Mediterranean dietary patterns showed different effects in low and high grade tumors. PC was assessed using Gleason scores of tumor aggressiveness (<6 or ?6) and clinical stage (cT1b to cT4). A Gleason score of <6 typically indicates a less aggressive tumor with generally good prognosis.

 Lower clinical stage (cT1-cT2a) indicates a tumor that has not spread. Results indicated that for more aggressive and more extensive tumors (Gleason >6 and stages cT2b to cT4), only high adherence to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant protective effect. All other dietary patterns and tumor characteristics showed little or no correlation and did not achieve statistical significance.

There is a contrast between the relevance of prostate cancer in terms of public health and the evidence regarding its primary prevention. If other researchers confirm these results, the promotion of the Mediterranean dietary pattern might be an efficient way of reducing the risk of developing advanced PC, in addition to lowering the risk of other prevalent health problems in men such as cardiovascular disease. Dietary recommendations should take into account whole patterns instead of focusing on individual foods.
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Are you tired of being tired? Eat these

Are you tired all the time? if yes your level of iron may be low, you can eat the following foods to regain your strength. Egg yolk is a great source of iron. It is needed for production of haemoglobin, the protein in the red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body to produce energy in the muscles, tissues and cells.

A deficiency in iron can lead to a type of anaemia that will leave you feeling drained and weak. This tends to be more common in women, especially if they experience heavy blood loss during menstruation. Eat more of venison than beef, as it contains twice as much iron. Eating Vitamin C-rich foods with plant sources of iron, such as red peppers with tofu or green salad with lentil bake can enhance absorption.

 Brown rice is a good source of fibre-rich complex carbohydrate, eat it regularly with five different fruits and vegetables. Leafy greens such as spinach are packed with magnesium, which makes this a glass of pure energy. If you're low in this mineral, as many people are, you'll feel absolutely drained. Magnesium activates the enzymes that starts energy-production process in the body.

Sardines, salmon, tuna,meat and egg are excellent sources of Vitamin B12. All B vitamins play a crucial part in the supporting our energy levels. B12 works in partnership with folate (Vitamin B9) to form red blood cells and to enhance the absorption of iron in the body. Avoid refined sugar, alcohol, and processed foods. Stay hydrated- water transport nutrients and oxygen around the body in order to support energy production. Dehydration can reduce your energy  and cause fatigue.
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Low-salt diets lower blood pressure

Low-salt diets packed with fruit and vegetables lower blood pressure more than medication after just four weeks, Cutting out salt and eating lots of fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy, reduces people with high blood pressure's results by an average of 21 mm Hg. The researchers analyzed 412 people with early-stage hypertension who were not taking high blood pressure medication.

Some of the study's participants were fed a 'DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet', which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, with minimal saturated fat.
The remaining participants ate a typical American diet. All of the participants were fed different sodium levels equaling around 0.5, one or two teaspoons of salt a day over four weeks with five-day breaks in between.

Approximately one teaspoon is the maximum recommended salt intake in the US to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Results reveal that, among the participants with the highest blood pressure levels, following a low-salt, DASH diet for just four weeks reduced their hypertension readings by an average of 21 mm Hg.

Drugs such as ACE inhibitors, calcium blockers and beta blockers typically reduce blood pressure by between 10 and 15 mm Hg. Participants with lower blood pressure results at the start of the study also saw their readings reduce by between five and 10 mm Hg.
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Effects of pesticides on fertility

Infertility treatments may be less effective for people who eat more foods with higher levels of pesticide residue, some fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries and spinach, tend to require more pesticides to protect the crops, washing them before eating can not remove the pesticides.

Pesticides have been linked to a broad range of negative health effects on the nervous system, skin, eyes and hormone system. Some are suspected to cause cancer. This new study discovered that women being treated for infertility who ate highly pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables were less likely to get pregnant than those who ate fewer of these kinds of foods.

If women with higher intakes of pesticides get pregnant, they were still less likely to give birth to a live baby.
Eating fruits and vegetables is important to a balanced and healthy diet. The analysis revealed no significant difference in the likelihood of a successful pregnancy between women who ate high or low amounts of fruits and vegetables.

In humans, studies of men who were directly exposed to high concentrations of pesticides have been links to low counts of weaker sperm and damage to their gonadotropin. Falling fertility rates and rising reproductive cancer rates are too rapid to be genetic issue. Pesticides in common foods increases pregnancy loss, it also leads to cell death in developing embryos.
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Prevotella bacteria levels prevents weight loss

Having low levels of Prevotella bacteria in stools prevents weight loss, regardless of whether you are consuming fruits and vegetables or junk foods. Prevotella is associated with plant-based diets- rich in fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, seeds, nuts, beans and lentils with little or no animal products.

However change in bacteria will not be effective immediately, Prevotella may aid weight loss by influencing fat storage and how people respond to hunger hormones. Eating more fruits, vegetables, fibres and whole grains may be effective for weight loss in some people but not every body will benefit from this.

 Researchers analysed some people with an increased waist circumference over six months, some of the participants ate a diet rich in whole grains and fibre, the rest consumed red meat and confectionery.

The results reveal that eating foods rich  in fibre causes weight loss, participants with high levels of the strain of Prevotella bacteria lost more weight. Those with lower amounts of Prevotella did not lose weight after eating high amounts of whole grains and fibre.

Prevotella is associated with plant-based diets made up of fruits, nuts vegetables, whole grain, pulses and seeds, with little or no animal products.
It can take a long time of adopting a particular diet before gut bacteria levels adapt to the change. Regular physical activity can work for those that have less Prevotella bacteria.
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Energy dense foods increase the risk of cancer

Nutritional modifications can reduce risk of developing cancer, there is a proven link between obesity and some types of cancer. Dietary energy density DED contributes to cancer risk. DED is a measure of food quality and the relationship of calories to nutrients. The more calories per gram of weight a food has, the higher its DED.

Whole foods like vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, lean protein, and beans are considered low-DED foods because they provide a lot of nutrients using very few calories. Processed foods like cake, burger and pizza are considered high-DED foods because you need to eat larger amount to get necessary nutrients. Regular consumption of foods high in DED contributes to weight gain in adults.

Women who consumed a diet higher in DED were ten percent more likely to develop an obesity-related cancer, independent of their body mass index.
Obese people may develop different kinds of cancer like oesophagus, kidney, bowel, breast and pancreas cancer.

Weight management alone may not be effective in preventing obesity-related cancers if a women eats diets high in energy density regularly. Higher DED in normal-weight women may cause metabolic dysregulation that is independent of body weight, which increase the cancer risk.
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Common weight-loss mistakes

Lossing weight and maintaining a healthy weight have nothing to do with eating less or fasting. Eating the right food is the key to weight loss.

Avoid foods that have additives, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. Putting the right foods on your plate prevent counting of calories and measuring food. Over processed foods will increase your weight, avoid it.

Combining different foods will aids your goal of weight loss faster than eating a particular food. Plan to remain healthy while trying to loose weight.

 Nuts are good for weight loss, oleic acid in nuts prevent cravings for extra plates of food, grapefruit reduces insulin levels: the lower your insulin levels, the lower your appetite for food.

Eat variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins for muscle mass and reduction of appetite, low calories carbohydrates, drink enough water and engaging in regular physical activities.
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Secrets of longevity

Healthy lifestyle is the secret of long life. Seven hours of sleep per night, regular exercise, eating healthy foods and avoiding stressful activities can increase your longevity.

Food is medicine, healthy diet is better than drugs, processed foods contributes to diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and many other terminal diseases.

 You can adopt longevity lifestyle by eating more of plant based healthy diet everyday; start with fruits, vegetables, seeds, whole grains, nuts, legumes and drink enough water. Water is better than any other liquid you know.

Moderate consumption of protein, sugar and refined carbohydrates. Cook with extra virgin olive oil and remember to fast after you feast. Fasting makes insulin sensitive and improves metabolic functions. Eat small portion of food; the less you eat the longer you will live.

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Vegetarian diet effective for weight loss

Eating vegetables to lose weight is more effectively than conventional low-calorie foods, vegetables improve body metabolism by reducing muscle fat.

Seventy-four participants with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to eat either a vegetarian diet or a conventional anti-diabetic diet. The vegetarian diet consisted of vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits and nuts, with animal products limited to a maximum of one portion of low-fat yoghurt per day.

The conventional diabetic diet followed the official recommendations of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Both diets were restricted by 500 kilocalories per day compared to an isocaloric intake for each individual.

The vegetarian diet was found to be almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, resulting in an average loss of 6.2kg compared to 3.2kg for the conventional diet.

They found that both diets caused a similar reduction in subcutaneous fat. However, subfascial fat was only reduced in response to the vegetarian diet, and intramuscular fat was more greatly reduced by the vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian diets proved to be the most effective diets for weight management. However, it also showed that a vegetarian diet is much more effective at reducing muscle fat, thus improving metabolism.


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Grape seed can reduce tooth loss

A natural compound found in grapes has been found to strengthen teeth and prevent tooth decay. Grape seed extract,
a byproduct of the wine making industry has been linked to reduction in tooth extractions.

The extract has been found to toughen dentin, the tissue that makes up the bulk of the tooth which lies beneath the hard external enamel.

Tooth decay occur when acid is produced from plaque, which builds up on teeth. When we consume food high in sugar the bacteria in plaque turn the sugar into energy they need to produce acid.

If the plaque is allowed to build up, the acid can begin to break down the surface of tooth, causing cavities. The cavity begins to eat away at the second level of tooth material that lies beneath the enamel: the dentin.

Damage collagen can repair itself with a combination of plant-based oligomeric proanthocyanidins – flavonoids found in most foods and vegetables and extracts from grape seeds.

Links between gout and western diet

Regular consumption of Western diet can increase the risk of developing gout, researchers have discovered that people are at risk of developing gout  if they continue to eat processed meats, soft drinks, French fries, sugar, sweets and desserts.

Diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains may prevent gout. Latest research discovered that eating these types of foods in preference to red meat could prevent gout.

Gout is a form of arthritis which affects a lot of people, it occurs when crystals form inside the joints causing sudden attacks of severe pain and swelling. It is
common in men over 30 years and women after the menopause.

It is caused by a build-up of uric acid which forms tiny crystals near the joints. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains have ingredients that can prevent gout.

Diets can cause or prevent cancer

Breast cancer is the development of uncontrollable cancer cells in the breast. Age, lifestyle, diet, genetics and gender are factors that contribute to risk of developing breast cancer

Regular consumption of plant bases diet can reduce risk of developing cancer. Eight to ten servings of fruits and vegetables is recommended per day.

Foods rich in variety of fruits, vegetables, fibre, spices, good fat and nuts can reduce risk of having breast cancer.

Scientists have explored the contribution of different foods on the risk of developing breast cancer, it has become general advice to reduce consumption of these foods: red meat, sugar, fat, alcohol and processed foods.

Too much protein can reduce your lifespan

Latest research states that high protein diet at 50 years could reduce your lifespan, changes in metabolism dictates changes in diet.

According to Steve Simpson, a professor of life sciences at the University of Sydney,  the standard balanced diet suggested by National Health Service is five different fruits and vegetables a day, carbohydrates and few portions of protein.

The different classes of food are useful for proper development, but we must change them as we grow.

Eating diet high in protein from age 50 reduces lifespan, the Okinawa islanders of Japan eat less of animal protein and more of plant based diet, they have more of people who lived beyond 100 years.

Unhealthy diets linked to cardiovascular disease

Human heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system.

Cardiovascular disease is a class of diseases that involve blocked blood vessels that can lead to heart attack, chest pain and stroke.

High intake of saturated fat, salt, sugar, industrial vegetable oil, Pastries, Margarine, French Fries, Candy Bar, Precessed Meat, Energy drink, Ice cream, Bottled smoothies, Biscuits, Sports drinks, Canned soup, Hot Dog, McDonald's mayonnaise and Foods coated with artificial Chocolate will increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Eat these heart friendly foods regularly:
1. Fruits and vegetables
2. Nuts and Seeds
3. Whole grains
4. Fish
5. Water