Studies have shown that dietary supplementation with coconut oil resulted in the reduction of waist circumference and other benefits.
A randomized, double-blind clinical trial divided women into two groups-one received daily dietary supplements of soybean oil and another received a similar amount of coconut oil. Both groups were instructed to follow a balanced low caloric diet and to walk for 50 minutes a day.
The group taking coconut oil has a REDUCTION in waist circumference. The group taking soybean oil had an INCREASE in waist circumference.
A little bit of history. Prior to 1920 HEART DISEASE was actually a rarity. In the 1950's, rates began to rise in step with the increase consumption of hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fat), which replaced saturated fats like butter, lard and coconut oil that had been the norm in previous decades. Heart disease has gone from being a rarity to being the leading cause of death in the United States!
The soybean and vegetable oil industry in order to increase its marketshare has done massive negative advertising against saturated fats suggesting they cause heart disease when in fact the reverse it true. Today, soybean oil makes up 68 percent of the vegetable oils and fats consumed by Americans.
In the above study, here are all the results:
THE COCONUT OIL GROUP
Increased levels of HDL (good cholesterol)
Decreased LDL/HDL ratio
Reduced waist circumference/abdominal obesity
THE SOYBEAN OIL GROUP
Increased total cholesterol
Increased LDL (bad cholesterol)
Increased LDL/HDL ratio
Decreased HDL (good cholesterol)
No reduction in waist circumference/abdominal obesity
Polyunsaturated fats (soybean and other vegetable oils) tend to go rancid(become oxidized) during cooking and processing, and once this happens, the free radicals created can wreak havoc in your body, attacking cell membranes and damaging DNA/RNA strands. Arterial plaque is the result of free radical damage in your blood vessels, which is the hallmark of cardiovascular and heart disease.
Excess consumption of polyunsasturated fats has also been linked to other diseases and health problems:
Increased cancer risk
Digestive disorders
Immune system dysfunction
Reduced learning ability
Liver and lung damage
Stunted growth
Damage to reproductive organs
Weight gain
MULTIPLE STUDIES ON PACIFIC ISLAND POPULATIONS WHO GET 30-60 PERCENT OF THEIR TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE FROM FULLY SATURATED COCONUT OIL HAVE ALL SHOWN NEARLY NON-EXISTENT RATES OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE!
Coconut oil can be helpful for pregnant women, nursing moms, the elderly, those concerned about digestive health, athletes, and those who want to enhance overall health. One of the explanations for its broad health applications is because it is rich in lauric acid, which your body converts to monolaurin-a compound also found in breast milk that strenghens a baby's immunity.
Its medium chain fatty acids,or triglycerides (MCT's), also impart a number of health benefits, including raising your body's metabolism and fighting off patheogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Capric acid present in smaller amounts helps to do the same thing.
Coconut oil is also excellent for your thyroid. Coconut oil also serves as a natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease, as MCT's are a primary source of ketone bodies which act as an alternate source of brain fuel that can help prevent the brain atrophy associated with dementia.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Stress Increases Cancer, Heart Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis
A little stress can do us good. It pushes us to compete and innovate. But chronic stress can increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and even depression. Studies have shown that stress can promote cancer indirectly by weakening the immune system's anti-tumor defense or by encouraging new tumor feeding blood vessels to form. But a new study published this year in "The Journal of Clinical Investigation" shows that stress hormones, such as adrenaline, can directly support tumor growth and spread.
For normal cells to thrive in the body, "they need to be attached to their neighbors and their surroundings," says the study's lead author, Anil Sood, from the University of Texas M.D, Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Cells that detach from their environment undergo a form of programmed cell death called anoikis. "But cancer cells have come up with a way to bypass this effect-they avoid anoikis," Sood says. This allows cancer cells to break off from tumors, spread throughout the body (in blood and other fluid) and form new tumors at distant sites-a process called metastasis. So Sood wondered:Could stress affect anoikis? "It surprised us that this biology hadn"t been studied before," he notes. "Stress influences so many normal physiological processes. Why wouldn"t it be involved in tumor progression?"
Sood and his colleagues looked at samples from 89 cases of human ovarian cancer grouped according to patient stress using the National Institutes of Health's Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale as a surrogate marker. Patient stress (according to the scale), along with elevated stress hormone activity were associated with higher levels of activated FAK (focal adhesion kinase), which was in turn linked TO FASTER DISEASE PROGRESSION.
Scientists realize that most diseases are affected by human emotions and controlling your emotions can reduce disease. Learning to control stress and worry in you life will have healthly benefits.
For normal cells to thrive in the body, "they need to be attached to their neighbors and their surroundings," says the study's lead author, Anil Sood, from the University of Texas M.D, Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Cells that detach from their environment undergo a form of programmed cell death called anoikis. "But cancer cells have come up with a way to bypass this effect-they avoid anoikis," Sood says. This allows cancer cells to break off from tumors, spread throughout the body (in blood and other fluid) and form new tumors at distant sites-a process called metastasis. So Sood wondered:Could stress affect anoikis? "It surprised us that this biology hadn"t been studied before," he notes. "Stress influences so many normal physiological processes. Why wouldn"t it be involved in tumor progression?"
Sood and his colleagues looked at samples from 89 cases of human ovarian cancer grouped according to patient stress using the National Institutes of Health's Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale as a surrogate marker. Patient stress (according to the scale), along with elevated stress hormone activity were associated with higher levels of activated FAK (focal adhesion kinase), which was in turn linked TO FASTER DISEASE PROGRESSION.
Scientists realize that most diseases are affected by human emotions and controlling your emotions can reduce disease. Learning to control stress and worry in you life will have healthly benefits.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Can Statins Cause Diabetes and Heart Disease?
Dr David Jenkins from the University of Toronto, showed that using a combination of soy, fiber, almonds and plant sterols (cholesterol-lowering fats) could lower cholesterol levels as much as statin medications. Dr Mark Hyman says, "Diet can lower cholesterol as much as statins which is a surprise to many, but common in my practice. Using a comprehensive approach of diet and lifestyle change, I routinely see effects that are more powerful than any medication."
PEOPLE WHO LOWER THEIR CHOLESTEROL WITH STATINS HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF INSULIN, while those who lower their cholesterol through diet had lower insulin levels. Why is that important? Because elevated insulin levels are the first step on the road to diabetes. They make you gain weight around the middle, cause high blood pressure, increase inflammation, and promote stickiness of the blood. Each of these conditions in turn contributes to heart attacks and heart disease.
The question is this: Do statins contribute to the development of pre-diabetes and diabetes which are among the most significant risk factors for heart disease? Does lowering cholesterol with statins-a treatment purported to reduce the risk of hear disease-actually INCREASE the risk of heart disease.
Dr Mark Hyman says, "In treating thousands of patients with pre-diabetes, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease, I have noticed one thing: Lowering insulin through diet and lifestyle corrects almost ALL of the risk factors for heart disease. It lowers blood pressure, increases good cholesterol (HDL), lowers triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL), leads to weight loss, lowers levels of inflammation (C-reataive protein), and thins the blood. Lowering insulin even increases the light fluffy harmless cholesterol and lowers the level of small dense harmful cholesterol particles in the blood.
The recent "EPIC" study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine studied 23,000 people's adherence to four simple behaviors: not smoking, exercising 3.5 hours a week, eating a healthy diet (fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and low meat consumption), and keeping a healthy weight (BMI) less than 30). IN THOSE THAT FOLLOWED THESE FOUR SIMPLE STEPS THERE WAS A REDUCTION OF 93 PERCENT OF DIABETES, 81 PERCENT OF HEART ATTACKS, 50 PERCENT OF STROKES, AND 36 PERCENT OF ALL CANCERS.
Chronic disease has replaced infectious and acute illnesses as the leading cause of death in the world, both in developed and developing countries. In 2002, the leading chronic diseases, including heart disease (17 million), cancer (7 million), chronic lung diseases (4 million), and diabetes (1 million), caused 29 million deaths worldwide. These ailments are almost entirely attributable to lifestyle risk factors including poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and tobacco and alcohol use.
PEOPLE WHO LOWER THEIR CHOLESTEROL WITH STATINS HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF INSULIN, while those who lower their cholesterol through diet had lower insulin levels. Why is that important? Because elevated insulin levels are the first step on the road to diabetes. They make you gain weight around the middle, cause high blood pressure, increase inflammation, and promote stickiness of the blood. Each of these conditions in turn contributes to heart attacks and heart disease.
The question is this: Do statins contribute to the development of pre-diabetes and diabetes which are among the most significant risk factors for heart disease? Does lowering cholesterol with statins-a treatment purported to reduce the risk of hear disease-actually INCREASE the risk of heart disease.
Dr Mark Hyman says, "In treating thousands of patients with pre-diabetes, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease, I have noticed one thing: Lowering insulin through diet and lifestyle corrects almost ALL of the risk factors for heart disease. It lowers blood pressure, increases good cholesterol (HDL), lowers triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL), leads to weight loss, lowers levels of inflammation (C-reataive protein), and thins the blood. Lowering insulin even increases the light fluffy harmless cholesterol and lowers the level of small dense harmful cholesterol particles in the blood.
The recent "EPIC" study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine studied 23,000 people's adherence to four simple behaviors: not smoking, exercising 3.5 hours a week, eating a healthy diet (fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and low meat consumption), and keeping a healthy weight (BMI) less than 30). IN THOSE THAT FOLLOWED THESE FOUR SIMPLE STEPS THERE WAS A REDUCTION OF 93 PERCENT OF DIABETES, 81 PERCENT OF HEART ATTACKS, 50 PERCENT OF STROKES, AND 36 PERCENT OF ALL CANCERS.
Chronic disease has replaced infectious and acute illnesses as the leading cause of death in the world, both in developed and developing countries. In 2002, the leading chronic diseases, including heart disease (17 million), cancer (7 million), chronic lung diseases (4 million), and diabetes (1 million), caused 29 million deaths worldwide. These ailments are almost entirely attributable to lifestyle risk factors including poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and tobacco and alcohol use.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Many Cosmetics Contain Dangerous Toxins
According to the Montreal Gazette,a scientific study of foundations, concealer, powders, blushes, bronzers, mascaras, eyeliners, eyeshadows, lipsticks and glosses: None of the products contained mercury, but:
96 percent contained lead
90 percent contained beryllium
61 percent contained thallium
51 percent contained cadmium
20 percent contained arsenic
14 percent contained selenium
Contaminants in personal care products are one of countless examples of environmental toxin exposures that you're better off avoiding. Although you probably won't notice an outright reaction to the lead in your lipstick (although some people do have noticeable adverse reactions to chemicals in cosmetics), THE METAL CAN ACCUMULATE IN YOUR BODY, LEADING TO CHRONIC DISEASE OVER TIME. The body has a very difficult time getting rid of heavy metals, so this is the reason they accumulate in the body.
The scientific study showed that over time the heavy metal buildup in your body can lead to a number of health problems including:
Cancer
Memory loss
Lung damage
Mood swings
Headaches
Contact dermatitis
Neurological problems
Nerve, joint and muscle disorders
Vomiting and nausea
Brittle hair and hair loss
Reproductive and developmental disorders
Cardiovascular, skeletal, blood, immune system, kidney and renal problems
Your skin is highly permeable. Just about anything you put on your skin will end up in your bloodstream, and will be distributed throughout your body. If you use conventional makeup on a daily basis, you can absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals into your body each year. That's without adding in body lotion, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and other personal care products.
Of the 10,500 ingredients used in your personal care products, only 13 percent of them have been reviewed for safety in the last 30 years, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis. On average, you will likely apply 126 different ingredients to you skin daily and 90 percent of them have not been evaluated for safety.
96 percent contained lead
90 percent contained beryllium
61 percent contained thallium
51 percent contained cadmium
20 percent contained arsenic
14 percent contained selenium
Contaminants in personal care products are one of countless examples of environmental toxin exposures that you're better off avoiding. Although you probably won't notice an outright reaction to the lead in your lipstick (although some people do have noticeable adverse reactions to chemicals in cosmetics), THE METAL CAN ACCUMULATE IN YOUR BODY, LEADING TO CHRONIC DISEASE OVER TIME. The body has a very difficult time getting rid of heavy metals, so this is the reason they accumulate in the body.
The scientific study showed that over time the heavy metal buildup in your body can lead to a number of health problems including:
Cancer
Memory loss
Lung damage
Mood swings
Headaches
Contact dermatitis
Neurological problems
Nerve, joint and muscle disorders
Vomiting and nausea
Brittle hair and hair loss
Reproductive and developmental disorders
Cardiovascular, skeletal, blood, immune system, kidney and renal problems
Your skin is highly permeable. Just about anything you put on your skin will end up in your bloodstream, and will be distributed throughout your body. If you use conventional makeup on a daily basis, you can absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals into your body each year. That's without adding in body lotion, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and other personal care products.
Of the 10,500 ingredients used in your personal care products, only 13 percent of them have been reviewed for safety in the last 30 years, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis. On average, you will likely apply 126 different ingredients to you skin daily and 90 percent of them have not been evaluated for safety.
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