For sedentary postmenopausal women, moderate to vigorous exercise for a year reduced levels of estradiol, researchers said.
The reductions, compared with those achieved by controls, were modest but significant and were consistent with a lower risk for breast cancer, according to Christine Friedenreich, PhD, of Alberta Health Services in Calgary, and colleagues.
The finding, from a randomized trial, is evidence that such women — sedentary and mostly overweight — can “achieve and sustain high levels of aerobic exercise,” the researchers reported online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Observation suggests that increased physical activity is linked to lower breast cancer risk, but exactly how remains unclear, the researchers noted. One plausible mechanism, they said in the journal, is modification of the sex hormones.
To investigate the issue, they enrolled 320 postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 74, in a one-year trial; 160 women were randomly assigned to 225 minutes a week of aerobic exercise, the remaining 160 maintained their usual level of activity.
Newswise — A Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking and memory, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.
The study found that people who ate a Mediterranean-like diet were less likely to have brain infarcts, or small areas of dead tissue linked to thinking problems.
The Mediterranean diet includes high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish and monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil; low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, meat and poultry; and mild to moderate amounts of alcohol.
For the study, researchers assessed the diets of 712 people in New York and divided them into three groups based on how closely they were following the Mediterranean diet. Then they conducted MRI brain scans of the people an average of six years later. A total of 238 people had at least one area of brain damage.
Those who were most closely following a Mediterranean-like diet were 36 percent less likely to have areas of brain damage than those who were least following the diet. Those moderately following the diet were 21 percent less likely to have brain damage than the lowest group.
People who spend a lot of time browsing the net are more likely to show depressive symptoms, according to the first large-scale study of its kind in the West by University of Leeds psychologists.
Researchers found striking evidence that some users have developed a compulsive internet habit, whereby they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites. The results suggest that this type of addictive surfing can have a serious impact on mental health.
Lead author Dr Catriona Morrison, from the University of Leeds, said: “The internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side.
“While many of us use the internet to pay bills, shop and send emails, there is a small subset of the population who find it hard to control how much time they spend online, to the point where it interferes with their daily activities.”
These ‘internet addicts’ spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to severe depression than non-addicted users.
“Our research indicates that excessive internet use is associated with depression, but what we don’t know is which comes first – are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression?
“What is clear, is that for a small subset of people, excessive use of the internet could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies.”
Incidents such as the spate of suicides among teenagers in the Welsh town of Bridgend in 2008 led many to question the extent to which social networking sites can contribute to depressive thoughts in vulnerable teenagers. In the Leeds study, young people were more likely to be internet addicted than middle-aged users, with the average age of the addicted group standing at 21 years.
“This study reinforces the public speculation that over-engaging in websites that serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction,” added Dr Morrison. “We now need to consider the wider societal implications of this relationship and establish clearly the effects of excessive internet use on mental health.”
This was the first large-scale study of Western young people to consider the relationship between internet addiction and depression. The internet use and depression levels of 1,319 people aged 16-51 were evaluated for the study, and of these, 1.2% were classed as being internet addicted. While small, this figure is larger than the incidence of gambling in the UK, which stands at 0.6%. The research will be published in the journal Psychopathology on 10th February. Source
Leave a Comment, Win a Book: Free Gift for Physical Living Readers Interested in Fat Loss
A good friend of mine, Tom Venuto, has offered to give away a free copy
of his best-selling book The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for
Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and
Maintaining Your Perfect Weight at This book swept Amazon.com’s best sellers
list when it was released last year in hard cover format and has already helped
tens of thousands of people in their struggle with bodyfat. This book is very
unique because it’s not a diet or even a training book per se. It’s actually received
its greatest acclaim and positive reviews as a book about the psychological and
emotional aspects of fat loss.
One of the major theme’s in the book is that as a culture seeking a
solution for fat loss, we’ve been asking the wrong questions. We’re
accustomed to asking questions like “What nutrition or training program
should I follow?” - but this is not the most important question. The
real question that you should be asking is:
“What makes me follow my program?” And, conversely, “What makes me quit
my program so easily?”
The Body Fat Solutionoffers THE solution to finding those answers out
for yourself. After such great success, The Body Fat Solution was just
released in paperback, too, and Tom is willing to give a paperback copy
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to enter the contest.
1) Leave a comment below, telling me why you should be selected as the
winner.
Ideas: Maybe you need a better education about fat loss. Or, you’ve
tried to lose weight and failed many times before. You could be an
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book. Tell me about it.
(500 words or less, please. And longer comments aren’t necessarily
better. I’m looking for quality.)
2) You must be a subscriber to my Firm and Flatten Your Abs newsletter.
This contest is a way for me to give back to my loyal readers and
subscribers. If you’re not on my mailing list, then you are not eligible
to enter. If you’d like to sign-up for the mailing list, then visit the Newsletter Sign-up Page. Subscribers receive a few benefits that regular
visitors don’t (such as being eligible for contests like this one).
Contest Rules
The Prize:
1 autographed copy of The Body Fat Solution (paperback) by Tom Venuto.
To my knowledge, the only difference besides the actual binding is that
the paperback has an extra appendix with fat burning meals plans that
were not included in the hard cover. (note: there are no customer
reviews yet because it was just released this week. If you’d like to
read some reviews about the book, check out The Body Fat Solution (hard
cover version).
Contest Deadline:
January 14 at midnight PST.
Choosing a Winner:
One winner will be chosen by executive decision.
Eligibility:
You are eligible - yes you. This prize is only available to residents of
the 48 contiguous states. (If you don’t live in the U.S. and you win,
I’ll forward you a download link for Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle
instead, and another winner will be chosen to receive the paperback
book).
*Update: Tom has just informed me that he would be happy to ship the
book anywhere in the world - that makes EVERYONE eligible to enter. If
you don’t live in the 48 contiguous States, then you will have a choice
of either receiving the Body Fat Solution paperback book or the Burn The
Fat, Feed The Muscle ebook.
Other Notes:
-Remember to use your primary email address in the comment board. If you
don’t, we won’t have a way to contact you for your shipping address.
Even if you don’t win the prize, you can still take action today to
achieve your fat loss goals. There are mountains of literature on the
subject, including some archived articles on my blog. And with the cost
of paperback books, you can purchase a copy of The Body Fat Solution for
a very meager investment.
However, if you want something a bit more, something that will guarantee
you lose fat permanently and naturally, then listen up. If you’re
serious about fat loss, and want to put in the time to maximize your
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The Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) at http://budurl.com/tomvenuto. Whereas
The Body Fat Solution is more geared towards people who struggle with
compliance to a fat loss program, BFFM is catered to a more serious type
of person who is willing to put in the work to achieve the results
they’re seeking after.
BFFM was designed to be a complete and definitive guide to nutrition for
fat loss, based on the bodybuilding / fitness / figure method of eating.
The majority of BFFM is devoted to nutrition, with ancillary chapters on
setting goals effectively, weight training, and cardio. In my opinion,
BFFM is where Tom Venuto really -spills it- and teaches everything he
knows about burning fat and building muscle. It’s the most comprehensive
resource I’ve encountered on the subject. If you’d like to learn more
about Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle system, visit the official site at Burn The Fat , Or, you can visit Tom’s fat loss support
community at Burnthefatinnercircle, where members -burn
the fat together- using the BFFM system.
Good luck and thanks for your participation. I look forward to hearing
from you!
Walk past a bakery and the aroma of fresh baking makes your mouth
water. Whatever your mood, this fragrance tantalizes and tempts even
the strongest of dieters and weight watchers. Today there are many
things that dictate eating patterns, the What, How and Why We Eat.
Eating patterns or What We Eat are usually decided by our geographical
location as the body requirements are different for different climatic
conditions. How we eat comes under categories like boiled, fried,
steamed, pressure-cooked, roasted and raw. The third factor, “Why We
Eat”, has become a science in its own right.
There are many reasons for eating…right? There are those who eat
because they are hungry, there are some who eat because they like a
particular food, there are those who eat to live and then there are
people who live to eat. Whatever the case, food forms the backdrop for
all and eating patterns speaks a lot about our mental and physical
health.
Eating patterns are dictated by physical and emotional triggers. Your
physical eating patterns are dependent on your daily routine and work
timings. After a point, the body gets used to digesting food at a
particular time and if there is a change in this time then it might
lead to digestion-related problems. Read more…
Women who store fat on their waist in middle age are more than twice as likely to develop dementia when they get older, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy.
The study has just been published in the scientific journal Neurology.
“Anyone carrying a lot of fat around the middle is at greater risk of dying prematurely due to a heart attack or stroke,” says Deborah Gustafson, senior lecturer at the Sahlgrenska Academy. “If they nevertheless manage to live beyond 70, they run a greater risk of dementia.”
The research is based on the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, which was started at the end of the 1960s when almost 1,500 women between the ages of 38 and 60 underwent comprehensive examinations and answered questions about their health and lifestyle.
A follow-up 32 years later showed that 161 women had developed dementia, with the average age of diagnosis being 75. This study shows that women who were broader around the waist than the hips in middle age ran slightly more than twice the risk of developing dementia when they got old. However, the researchers could find no link to a high body mass index (BMI).
“Other studies have shown that a high BMI is also linked to dementia, but this was not the case in ours,” says Gustafson. “This may be because obesity and overweight were relatively unusual among the women who took part in the Prospective Population Study.”
The study was carried out at the Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Research Unit as part of the Sahlgrenska Academy’s major research project EpiLife.
Hope this can help shed some light on the situation…
This is a much debated topic. Various research articles have
propounded theories that gauge the exact amount of sleep required by a
person and how to find out if he is getting enough sleep. The amount
of shut eye necessary can vary from person to person. Not only does
the quantity of seep count, but so does the quality. The experts are
in full agreement that the number of hours of sleep required varies
from person to person, but they also agree that there is no minimum
number of hours of sleep for optimum health. Some people remain
healthy while getting a mere six hours, while still others can not
function without eight consecutive hours. To remain in good health
you need to progress through the five phases of sleep.
To feel fully rested your brain needs to go through the full cycle of
the five phases of sleep. Enough time should be spent in each of the
phases so that your brain can rest completely. Any interruptions in
these phases will lead to feelings of fatigue. There are times when
the common alarm clock and your body’s internal clock simply are not
on the same schedule. This can be the issue when you are chronically
not getting enough sleep. Cases like this can happen to people who
work at night or the overseas traveler who experiences “jet lag” or
“jet daze”. This lack of synchronization can leave you unable to
enjoy your vacation or unable to make the sale! Dr. Judith Reichman’s
book - “Slow Your Clock Down: The Complete Guide to a Healthy,
Younger You” is a great read on this subject.
There are several other conditions that can lead to your sleep cycle
being interrupted. Three of the biggest are: sleep apnea, periodic
limb movement, and chronic pain and disease. The signs of sleep apnea
are snoring, gasping, and pauses in your breathing that cause you to
wake. Sleep apnea can be caused by many things like allergies,
enlarged tonsils or adenoids, and being overweight. Periodic limb
movement is a common affliction of adults. One of these type of
ailments is Restless Leg Syndrome. The constant, unexpected jerking
of your arms or legs can wake you. Maybe not completely, but enough
to interrupt your sleep cycle. Pain and chronic diseases such as
arthritis, osteoporosis, congestive heart failure, and even too much
medication can hamper or interrupt the cycle and lead to fatigue and
sleep disorders. Read more…
Radiologists and gastroenterologists claim that, after looking at many peoples livers, 50% of middle-aged Americans have a condition called “fatty liver”. The most common causes are poor diet, excessive use of alcohol, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and hepatitis. Liver disease has many symptoms: nausea, vomiting, malaise, fatigue, yellowing of the skin and/or eyes, and a swollen abdomen. The list goes on and on. You can easily determine if your liver function is not right by having a blood test. Luckily, there are many methods of detoxifying your liver.
Before you jump into a liver detoxification process, you should know some of the key nutrients needed to insure its success. An adequate supply of the antioxidants vitamin C, selenium, beta carotene, vitamin E, and N-acetyl-cysteine(NAC) is very much needed. The amino acid SAM-E is an important component in lever health. This article will show the relation of these nutrients and different ways to detoxify your liver, as well as how each of those methods actually works in your body.
Milk thistle is a plant originally from Southern Europe and North Africa. It can also be found in Southern Russia and Asia Minor. Its use, as it pertains to liver detoxification, is derived from a flavonoid, called silymarin, found in the seeds. Herbalists, including a group of scientists known as Commission E, recognize that silymarin protects the liver by altering and strengthening the outer cell membrane of hepatacytes(liver cells). It also stimulates the natural regenerative capabilities of the liver and helps in the formation of new heptacytes through the activation of the enzyme nucleolar polymerase A. Read more…
A Revealing Report - What is Stubborn Fat? Do You Have Some? How It Affects Your Fat Loss? How To Rid Your Body Of Stubborn Fat!
Simply Enter Your Name and E Mail Address below and I will immediately send you a FREE copy of Stubborn Fat Solutions! I will also give you a FREE subscription to my "honest" fitness and ab tips e-zine! All these gifts are FREE as a thank you for visiting my web site!
may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking and memory, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.
