Garlic has long been touted as a food with curative properties

Now a preliminary study of a pill containing aged garlic extract, vitamins and other nutrients suggests that it may slow progression of atherosclerosis, a disease of the arteries.

WebMD reported that the study, which included 65 people with an average age of 60 who were at intermediate risk for heart disease, took a placebo pill or a pill containing aged garlic extract, vitamin B-12, folic acid, vitamin B-6 and L-arginine for one year.

The participants were given cholesterol tests and other blood tests every three months and received heart scans at the beginning and end of the study.

For those taking the garlic-and-vitamin pill their atherosclerosis worsened to a lesser extent.

The patients’ age, gender, degree of atherosclerosis and other medical conditions at the beginning of the study didn’t affect the results, the researchers said.

One of them, Dr Matthew Budoff, associate professor of medicine at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at the Harbour-ULCA Medical Center, said that it’s not clear which ingredient in the pill mattered most. But he said the aged garlic extract delivered the “primary benefit”, though other ingredients may have lowered the patients’ blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with higher risk of heart disease.

The findings were presented two weeks ago and the researchers have called for larger studies of the potential ability of garlic plus vitamins to slow coronary artery calcification.

Gout (also called metabolic arthritis) is a disease created by a buildup of uric acid. In this condition, monosodium urate or uric acid crystals are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues due to elevated concentrations of uric acid in the blood stream. This provokes an inflammatory reaction of these tissues.

To reduce the escalation of gout, it is highly recommended that if you suffer from gout that you go on the gout diet. The Gout Diet is a diet that is designed to help people recover from the disease, gout. It is one of the most painful arthritic conditions, and gout can result in an increased blood level of uric acid that directly affects a person’s cartilage and the tissue surrounding a person’s joints. Some of the more common symptoms of gout are: sudden bouts of swelling and inflammation in the joints. It generally attacks the big toe initially but can spread to other parts of a person’s body.

In general, foods that are high in fat and/or cholesterol are also high in purines. As a result, a gout diet is one that is low-fat and low-cholesterol. Specifically, it’s been suggested that less than 30% of one’s daily Calories should come from fat. Proteins can also have large concentrations of purines. Generally, red meat and fish, like mackerel, sardines, oysters, mussels, and scallops, should be reduced, if not avoided altogether, as they can be foods that cause gout. Large amounts of high protein, fatty white meats, like poultry and pork, can aggravate gout as well. Sweetbreads (organ meats) like kidney, heart, or liver, are especially bad for those suffering from gout. Even foods related to meat, like chicken or beef broth, caviar, and bouillon might produce high levels of uric acid. Cherry juice is also known to be god for gout.

By Craig Ballantyne

Early in my career, I attended a lot of nutrition research conferences. And it seemed like no seminar was complete without the requisite symposium on the role of soy protein in building better bones.

I was always skeptical of those claims - and now there’s a study that challenges them.

European researchers studied 237 early-post-menopausal women (average age of 53). For one year, the women consumed a soy product diet (providing 110 mg of isoflavones) or a control diet without soy products. The results showed that, contrary to popular belief, the soy isoflavones did not improve the women’s bone mineral density.

Instead of soy, I recommend good old-fashioned weight-bearing exercise to improve the strength of your bones. At the very least, every woman should have a daily walking program. In addition, women should perform at least two total-body resistance-training workouts per week.

Not only will this improve your bone mineral density, you will also get stronger. And strength and muscle mass can help reduce your risk of falling as you age.

[Ed.Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system.]

~ Copyright 2008 ETR LLC

By Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS

“People who already drink a lot of coffee don’t have to feel ‘guilty’ as long as coffee does not affect their daily life.” So says Harvard researcher Frank Hu, MD. In fact, he adds that folks with a coffee “habit” may actually benefit from it in the long run.

At least six research reports show that people who drink coffee are up to 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s, have a 25 percent drop in their risk for colon cancer, an 80 percent drop in their risk for liver cirrhosis, and an almost 50 percent lower risk for gallstones. Not only that, research from Harvard shows that drinking six or more cups of java cuts the risk for Type II diabetes by 54 percent for men and 30 percent for women.

Read the full article on » Coffee Is Not So Bad After All!

When you enjoy good cooking, you often think of all the calories that must be in the dish. After all, you’ve got to keep an eye on your waistline, right? Well, the fact is, you can have your cake and eat it too! Low calorie recipes, carefully selected, taste every bit as good as the fattening versions. If you want to be trim, follow these tips for a delicious diet without guilt.

When you want to lose weight, the absolute bottom line to success  is keeping track of the total number of calories you take in each day.

Read the full article on » Indulge Yourself in Low-Calorie Excellence

Can’t live without caffeine, can you? Most adults around the world consume caffeine every day, in coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate. And we continue to hear about new studies - some warning us to stay away from caffeine and others glorifying its benefits.

So what is the truth?

A scientist from the UK reviewed 41 caffeine studies from the last 15 years. Most of the studies found that low to moderate caffeine intake - less than 400 mg per day (the equivalent of no more than eight cups of tea or four cups of ordinary coffee) - improved alertness and mental performance. Studies also found that up to 400 mg of caffeine per day did not cause dehydration, which is thought to be a common side effect of caffeine intake.

But beware of mega-coffee! Find out exactly how much caffeine is in your so-called “cup.” For example, a “tall” Starbucks beverage can range from 75 mg of caffeine (Cappuccino) to 150 mg (Caffe Americano) to 260 mg (regular coffee).

The way you cook may be just as important to your health as the food itself.

“Advanced Glycation End Products” (AGE) is a class of toxins that have been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, vascular and kidney disease, and Alzheimer’s. And they are absorbed into your body when you eat animal products cooked or processed at high temperatures. (Think grilling, frying, smoking, or broiling, as well as pasteurizing.)

A recent study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences evaluated 172 healthy men and women in two age groups - a younger group (between the ages of 18 and 45) and an older group (between the ages of 60 and 80). The researchers wanted to determine how age and diet influences the accumulation of AGE in the body.

Read the full article on » Don’t AGE Yourself With Your Cooking

By Shane “The People’s Chemist” Ellison

You gotta love your liver. It’s the chief organ responsible for allowing you to “toss a few back” and enjoy your wine buzz without getting sick. It also protects you from many toxins. Unfortunately, it’s not invincible. When the liver is bombarded with too many toxins, it gets hard and stops working.

Cirrhosis of the liver is one of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S…. and it goes virtually unnoticed. So does its simple cure… which you can find on the shelf at your local drugstore: milk thistle.

Read the full article on » A Cheap Natural Cure for Poor Liver Function

Be Heart Healthy With Aerobic Activities

The health benefits of physical activities are well known. However, uncertainties exist over the intensity, duration and types of physical activities required for health promotion and maintenance. Answers are now available from experts gathered by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. In a recent joint publication, experts from the two colleges announced updated recommendations for physical activities.

The updated recommendations apply to healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years of age. It specifies how adults can engage in regular physical activities to promote and maintain health, as well as to reduce the risk of chronic diseases (eg. hypertension, diabetes) for longer survival.
The promotion and maintenance of heart health evolves around the aerobic activities. Activities which increase heart rate and breathing results in conditioning of the cardio-respiratory systems. When performed on a regular basis, such aerobic activities promote cardiovascular fitness, reducing the risks of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Read the full article on » Exercise For Your Heart

Our environment is making us fat. We drive more, exercise less, eat bigger portions, and consume more liquid calories than ever before. It’s that last point that many experts believe is an underappreciated reason for weight gain.

Researchers from the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina examined dietary records of U.S. adults from as far back as 1965 to as recently as 2002. What they found is a cause for concern.

In 1965, only 11.8 percent of the average adult’s calories came from beverages. However, that number significantly increased to 21 percent by 2002, largely because of an increase in the consumption of sweetened beverages.

Another problem the researchers noted is the huge increase in available beverage options. We now have energy drinks, sports drinks, sweetened teas, juices supplemented with vitamins and antioxidants, and more sodas than ever before.

A proven way to reduce your calorie intake and risk of weight gain is to eliminate sweetened drinks from your diet. So stick with unsweetened iced tea, water, green tea, and a small amount of coffee each day to quench your thirst. Avoid all sweetened beverages. Unless you are exercising for more than 90 minutes, forget about the Gatorade and stick to plain water.