“Eating fast food three or more times a week is linked to a higher risk of severe asthma and eczema in children, researchers found.

The study didn’t prove that eating more fast food caused the increase in the conditions, which both can be linked to the overreaction of the body’s immune system. Because fast food was the only dietary category shown to have an association with the disorders, the results suggest that such a diet may cause asthma attacks or eczema outbreaks, the authors said. Conversely, eating three or more servings of fruit a week showed reduced risk in developing those conditions, they said.

1.  Two in Three Australians have bought Organic Produce in the past year
2.  Organics is predicted to grow by up to 15% over the next year compared to global growth trends of 2%-11%
3.  Australia remains with the largest area of certified organic land in the world

Natural News Reports:

“Flavonoids from many fruits have been associated with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help prevent a host of diseases ranging from cardiovascular ailments and metabolic disorders to dementia and cognitive decline. Increased antioxidant activity promoted by consumption of strawberries is essential to halt damage to metabolically active organs such as the heart and brain, and when consumed as part of a regular dietary regimen can prevent cellular damage associated with chronic disease and early death.

Researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK have been studying the beneficial effects of strawberries on our cardiovascular health, particularly with regard to how they prevent the development of heart disease and diabetes. A study team led by Dr. Paul Thornalley has found that extracts from strawberries positively activate a protein in our bodies called ‘Nrf2′ which is shown to increase antioxidant and other protective activities. The protein decreases total blood lipids and levels of oxidized cholesterol, two elements known to promote cardiovascular disease.

Strawberries influence the expression of digestive genes to improve cholesterol absorption

Prior research has shown how consumption of strawberries can counter post-meal blood glucose surges and improve dangerous levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol, thereby decreasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. This is the first time that strawberry extracts have been demonstrated to positively stimulate proteins that offer us protection against disease.

Dr. Thornalley commented “We’ve discovered the science behind how strawberries work to increase our built-in defenses to keep cells, organs and blood vessels healthy and which can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and diabetes.” Strawberries and other members of the berry family modify our blood cholesterol profile with an effect similar to that seen with a high fiber diet, where cholesterol is absorbed in the intestines before it can be processed by the liver.

Strawberries accomplish this effect by down-regulating the impact of genes in the digestive tract that influence cholesterol absorption. The berries can also impact how the liver processes cholesterol, the degree of damaging oxidation and re-absorption of cholesterol for use by the trillions of cells throughout the body. As with most other natural foods that are shown to influence the expression of individual genes, only small quantities (one to two servings of strawberries, several days a week) of the super fruit are needed to provide positive health benefits that may help prevent a host of chronic illnesses.”

Nushies’ Natural Strawberry Ice Creamery contains 23% of natural organic strawberries. It tastes fabulous and is dairy and gluten free and contains no artificial additives or preservatives.
Sources for this article include:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120704124107.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/244647.php
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/uow-sap070412.php

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036575_strawberries_diabetes_heart_disease.html#ixzz223Z9jDU2

“Green tea has always been cited to improve a number of health benefits through its consumption. A recent study targeted LDL, or “bad” cholesterol and brought forth evidence that green tea reduces those levels. The question of how much and whether or not green tea should serve as a medical alternative remains to be seen; however, the overall benefits of green tea are difficult to ignore.

The study separated participants in two random groups: the first group who drank green tea and consumed green tea extract, and the second group that did not consume green tea. This study was staged for a period of time ranging from a few weeks up to three months, and the results showed that the former group who consumed high amounts of green tea had reduced levels of “bad” cholesterol. In fact, the participants who consumed green tea had a, on average, 7.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) reduction in total cholesterol levels compared to the participants who did not consume green tea. These participants also had their “bad” cholesterol levels dropped by 2.2 mg/dL.

Another study done by researchers at Western University of Health Sciences dissected the correlation between green tea and serum lipid levels, as well as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. Over the course of three to 24 weeks, researches conducted 20 trials that resulted in lower LDL cholesterol levels. Specifically, the participants showed a five to six point reduction in their levels.

Why does green tea lower LDL cholesterol

Green tea contains catechin polyphenols, specifically epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a very powerful antioxidant that has been known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, effectively lower LDL cholesterol levels, and also inhibit abnormal formation of blood clots.

The particular reason green tea is always cited as a superior health choice when it comes to tea, is its minimal processing. Green tea leaves are withered and steamed rather than fermented like black and oolong teas. This is what prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized, resulting in its catechins and EGCG to be more concentrated.

Although green tea is not being “prescribed” for lowering LDL cholesterol levels, the evidence is clear that it can help with lowering the “bad” cholesterol levels. When consumed regularly, green tea contributes to an overall healthier lifestyle and even to the prevention of heart disease.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.reuters.com

http://www.foodproductdesign.com

http://www.doctorwascher.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036422_green_tea_cholesterol_reduction.html#ixzz20LkhJqRs

Try Nushie’s Natural Green Tea Ice Creamery. It tastes fabulous and is very healthy being non dairy and gluten free. It contains more than 15% steeped brewed and fresh organic raw Green Tea leaves. It also contains wheat grass which is full of anti oxidants as well as natural epicatechin compounds.

“ScienceDaily (June 20, 2012) — New research shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can lower inflammation in healthy, but overweight, middle-aged and older adults, suggesting that regular use of these supplements could help protect against and treat certain illnesses.

Four months of omega-3 supplementation decreased one protein in the blood that signals the presence of inflammation by an average of more than 10 percent, and led to a modest decrease in one other inflammation marker. In comparison, participants taking placebos as a group saw average increases of 36 percent and 12 percent, respectively, of those same markers.

Chronic inflammation is linked to numerous conditions, including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the frailty and functional decline that can accompany aging.

Study participants took either 2.5 grams or 1.25 grams of active omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in their supplements. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are considered”good fats” that, when consumed in proper quantities, are associated with a variety of health benefits. Study participants taking a placebo consumed pills containing less than 2 teaspoons per day of a mix of oils representing a typical American’s daily dietary oil intake.

“Omega-3 fatty acids may be both protective so that inflammation doesn’t go up, as well as therapeutic by helping inflammation go down,” said Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.

“This is the first study to show that omega-3 supplementation leads to changes in inflammatory markers in the blood in overweight but otherwise healthy people. In terms of regulating inflammation when people are already healthy, this is an important study, in that it suggests one way to keep them healthy.”

The study is published online and scheduled for later print publication in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

The scientists recruited 138 adults — 45 men and 93 women — who were in good health, but who were either overweight or obese and lived sedentary lives. Their average age was 51 years. Based on body mass index, a measure of weight relative to height, 91 percent of the participants were overweight and 47 percent were obese.

Inflammation tends to accompany excess body fat, so the researchers recruited participants who were most likely high in pro-inflammatory blood compounds at the beginning of the study.

“We wanted to have enough room to see a downward trend. Most other trials testing the effects of omega-3 supplements on inflammation used people who were seriously diseased or skinny and healthy,” said Kiecolt-Glaser, also an investigator in Ohio State’s Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research (IBMR). “You can see results in people with serious diseases, but there’s a lot of other noise in that system. We wanted to make sure we were studying results in people who were fairly fit but who weren’t exercising, because exercise can clearly lower inflammation.”

The researchers also excluded from participation people taking a variety of medications to control mood, cholesterol and blood pressure as well as vegetarians, patients with diabetes, smokers, those routinely taking fish oil, people who got more than two hours of vigorous exercise each week and those whose body mass index was either below 22.5 or above 40.

Participants received either a placebo or one of two different doses of omega-3 fatty acids — either 2.5 grams or 1.25 grams per day. The supplements were calibrated to contain a ratio of the two fish oil fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), of seven to one. Previous research has suggested that EPA has more anti-inflammatory properties than does DHA.

After four months, participants who had taken the omega-3 supplements had significantly lower levels in their blood of two proteins that are markers of inflammation, also called pro-inflammatory cytokines. The low-dose group showed an average 10 percent decrease in the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the high-dose group’s overall IL-6 dropped by 12 percent. In comparison, those taking a placebo saw an overall 36 percent increase in IL-6 by the end of the study.

Levels of the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) also dropped, but in a more modest way, by 0.2 percent and 2.3 percent in the low- and high-dose groups, respectively. The placebo group’s TNF-a increased by an average of 12 percent.

IL-6 and TNF-a are two of a family of six cytokines that, when stimulated, produce an inflammatory response to a stressor such as an injury or infection, said study co-author Ron Glaser, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics and director of the IBMR.

“You need this good inflammation for an initial response, but if it stays up, and inflammation becomes chronic, then you’ve got a problem,” Glaser said. “Our research and studies done by others have shown that these two cytokines are clearly related to overall health — and when they’re elevated in the blood, that is not good for overall health. So the more ways we can find to lower them, the better.”

Statistically, there was no significant difference in lowered inflammation between the two doses, but each dose clearly produced cytokine reductions that differed significantly from the placebo group.

“These data support the idea that a higher dose of omega-3 is not necessarily better than a lower dose in terms of prevention of inflammation,” said Martha Belury, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State and a co-author of the study.

However, levels of omega-3 fatty acids in participants’ blood increased according to which dose they consumed, which improved their ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids. The current typical American diet contains between 15 and 17 times more omega-6 than omega-3, a ratio that researchers suggest should be lowered to 4-to-1, or even 2-to-1, to improve overall health.

“Scientists tend to agree that the best way to gauge a person’s omega-3 status is to see whether that ratio goes down,” Belury said. “That’s what we saw in this study, and it was achieved through supplementation. We wanted participants to maintain normal diets and simply add this modest amount of oil to their existing diet. We expected and we found that their blood plasma omega-3 fatty acids went up in a dose-responsive manner.”

The Food and Drug Administration considers daily omega-3 supplementation of up to 3 grams to be “generally regarded as safe.” The doses in this study were within those safety parameters, but the researchers did not extend their findings to make a general recommendation about omega-3 supplementation.

“Although omega-3 fatty acids cannot take the place of good health behaviors, people with established inflammatory diseases or conditions may benefit from their use,” Kiecolt-Glaser said.

The researchers also sought to determine whether omega-3 fatty acids could reduce depression symptoms, but participants had relatively few symptoms to begin with so no significant reductions were seen. Depression is also associated with chronic inflammation, but research hasn’t yet fully defined the mechanisms behind that relationship.

This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health. OmegaBrite, a company based in Waltham, Mass., supplied the supplements as an unrestricted gift but did not participate in the study design, results or publication.

Additional co-authors, all at Ohio State, include Rebecca Andridge of the Division of Biostatistics; William Malarkey of the IBMR and the departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine; and Beom Seuk Hwang of the IBMR and biostatistics.”

Try Nushie’s Natural Flaxseed Crackers. They are fabulous tasting full of Omega-3 and contain no artificial additives or preservatives.

“While the results show a temporary effect, the researchers believe the short-term effects for the treatment of dementia patients have nevertheless been successful.

Australian Food News contacted one of Australia’s leading nutrition medicos Professor Peter Clifton of Australia’s Baker IDI Institute in Adelaide for his comments about the Oxford study.

Professor Clifton noted that coconut fat contains short-chain fatty acids which can increase ketones. “The ketones improve lucidity in some Alzheimer’s sufferers temporarily,” he said.

Professor Clifton believes that coconut fat has also improved the performance of Alzheimer’s Disease-affected animals tested in mazes. “The effect is real,” he said.

The Oxford research noted that 30g of coconut oil a day could be beneficial to Alzheimer’s sufferers.

Distinguishing coconut oil from palm oil

While coconuts grow on a palm called cocos nucifera, it is important for our readers to realize that coconut oil is significantly different nutritionally from the cooking oil known as ‘palm oil’, which is derived from a different palm called elaeis guineensis. The composition of palm oil does not increase ketones, so it does not have the beneficial effect on Alzheimer’s Disease that has been found in coconut oil.

While coconut oil contains a high level of saturated fat, the saturated fat in coconut oil is primarily lauric acid, which some studies associate with HDL (the ‘good cholesterol’). By contrast, the saturated fat content of palm oil is primarily palmitic acid, and the consumption of the latter is associated with elevated LDL (i.e. the ‘bad cholesterol’).”

Nushies’s Natural Organic Ice Creamery is made from Organic Coconut Milk and Organic Cashews. It is non dairy, gluten free and suits vegetarians. It tastes fabulous and has no preservatives or artificial additives.

“Daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes), finds a study published in the British Medical Journal.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dark chocolate (containing at least 60% cocoa solids) is rich in flavonoids — known to have heart protecting effects — but this has only been examined in short term studies.

So a team of researchers from Melbourne, Australia used a mathematical model to predict the long-term health effects and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 people already at high risk of heart disease.

All participants had high blood pressure and met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, but had no history of heart disease or diabetes and were not on blood pressure lowering therapy.

With 100% compliance (best case scenario), the researchers show that daily dark chocolate consumption could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over 10 years.

Even when compliance levels were reduced to 80%, the number of non-fatal and fatal events potentially averted was 55 and 10 per 10,000 people treated over 10 years, and could still be considered an effective intervention strategy.

The model also suggested that $A40 (£25; €31; $42) could be cost effectively spent per person per year on dark chocolate prevention strategies and could be used for advertising, educational campaigns, or subsidizing dark chocolate in this high risk population, they add.

The authors stress that only non-fatal stroke and non-fatal heart attack were assessed in their analysis, and that the potential effects on other cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, are yet to be tested.

Also important, they say, is that these protective effects have only been shown for dark chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa), rather than for milk or white chocolate, probably due to the higher levels of flavonoids found in dark chocolate.

Nevertheless, they conclude that the blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects of plain dark chocolate “could represent an effective and cost effective strategy for people with metabolic syndrome (and no diabetes).”

Try Nushie’s award winning Chocolate Ice Creamery it is not only organic, dairy and gluten free but full of 99% pure cacoa nibs and powder. It not only is healthy for you but tastes fabulous.

“Providing more evidence to the motif ‘you are what you eat’, scientists have found that eating a fast food diet increases the risk for depression by more than fifty percent. The food we eat today will provide the structural network for the cellular matrix that we need to support basic metabolism, cellular regeneration and repair. This is especially pronounced in brain neurons, as grey matter is largely composed of the omega-3 fats, DHA and EPA. When we don’t provide these basic building blocks, especially in the early formative years, the body is forced to use inferior fats such as those provided by hydrogenation, most frequently found in fast and processed foods.

Scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada, publishing in thePublic Health Nutritionjournal have determined that eating commercially baked goods (cakes, croissants, and doughnuts) and fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza) is linked to a 51 percent increase in the incidence of depression, compared to those who eat little or none of these foods.

Consumption of fast foods and baked goods doubles risk of depression

Researchers conducting the study found that risk of depression could be predicted in a dose-dependent manner. Lead study author, Dr. Almudena Sanchez-Villegas commented“the more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression.”The study found that those participants eating the largest amount of fast food and commercially baked goods are more likely to be single, physically inactive and generally exhibit poor dietary habits. Typically these individuals consumed less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables, and olive oil, and were more likely to smoke or work more than 45 hours per week.

High consumption of commercially baked goods or fried foods subjected to the oil degradation process known as hydrogenation results in trans-fats that have been shown to dramatically increase heart disease risk in past studies. This current research demonstrates that these misshapen and synthetically processed trans-fats interfere with the proper function of chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and alter normal electrical activity necessary for intercellular signaling.

Depression among children and adults is expanding at an alarming rate, with 121 million people diagnosed worldwide. Antidepressants prescribed to manage depression are largely ineffective and only work to mask the underlying cause of the illness. A wealth of scientific evidence now points to proper nutrition as an effective tool to halt and even reverse depressive episodes. The study team advised against a diet including baked or fried foods, and emphasized the need for whole, natural foods containing plenty of B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and fresh pressed virgin olive oil to significantly lower risk of depression.”

Nushie’s Natural whole foods are certified organic and dairy and gluten free. They contain no artificial additives or preservatives and taste fabulous. Try Nushie’s Natural chia and flaxseed crackers which are rich in Omega-3.

Sources for this article include:

http://journals.cambridge.org
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330081352.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243624.php
http://www.wellnessresources.com

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/035772_fast_food_depression_nutrition.html#ixzz1u2xqKHyd