Foods that boost HDL good cholesterol

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is also known as good cholesterol for human body. Indeed, according to new study which published in The American Journal of Cardiology (October 7, 2011), proved that increasing HDL levels will lead to reduce heart attack and stroke risk. The American Council on Exercises recommends that having HDL levels above 60mg/dl is good for people while HDL levels below 40mg/dl seems to be considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

How to raise HDL levels? Scientists suggested people can increase good cholesterol without medication by controlling weight, eating healthy diet, avoiding smoking and doing exercises. There are some kinds of food that can provide HDL for you.

Alcohol

It’s so surprised that drinking alcohol can help to increase your HDL levels. However, you must drink in moderation; if too much, it can lead to lower HDL. So, scientists suggest a suitable amount is one drink per day for woman and two drinks per day for man. If you drink about one glass of red wine per day, you will increase HDL levels by 4mg/dl.

Omega-3 fatty acid rich foods

Omega-3 fatty acid rich foods consumption may raise your HDL levels as well as lower LDL (bad cholesterol). Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, halibut and mackerel is known as the best sources of omega-3 fatty acid. The American Heart Association advised that people should eat fish at least twice per week in order to get the most benefits from omega-3 fatty acids.

Besides fish, you can also consume nuts such as almond, walnuts and cashews but you should eat them raw because cooking process can eliminate some of benefit nutrients. In addition, you may avoid salted nuts due to their high sodium contents which not good for hypertension patients.

Niacin rich foods

Niacin is another name of vitamin B3. Many recent studies show that this vitamin plays an important role in maintaining good cholesterol in our body. Indeed, niacin hinders the livers from removing HDL from blood vessels, by doing this, niacin have ability to maintain the high plasma level of HDL. Consuming niacin can raise your HDL level by 15% to 35%. You can naturally increase niacin just by eating eggs, lean meats, poultry, dairy products and enriched breads and cereals.

Soluble fiber

Similar to omega-3 fatty acids, scientists also found that intake soluble fiber can lead to both increase HDL and decrease LDL. Nature sources of soluble fiber are oats, legumes, apples, grapefruit and oranges.

Raising your HDL levels by natural ways such as healthy eating or doing exercise can be a challenge, because you have to change your lifestyle, it is not simple as taking a pill. However, the best way to get nutrients is from whole foods because it is more easy for our body to absorb nutrients as much as possible.

Read more at momega.com.au

Vitamin D in your child's diet

Vitamin D is crucial for children’s good health and development. Read on to find out how much vitamin D your child needs, which sources are the best, and how to avoid getting too little or too much.

Why vitamin D is important

Vitamin D helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and builds strong teeth and bones. According to researcher Michael F. Holick, professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, vitamin D deficiency can not only cause rickets (a disease that can lead to bone deformity and fractures), it can also keep a child from reaching her genetically programmed height and peak bone mass.

Vitamin D also functions as a hormone with many other jobs in the body, including regulation of the immune system, insulin production, and cell growth.

How much vitamin D does my child need?

Infants up to 12 months old need 400 international units (IU), or 10 micrograms (mcg), a day. Children older than 1 need 600 IU, or 15 mcg, a day.

Your child doesn’t have to get enough vitamin D every day. Instead, aim to get the recommended amount as an average over the course of a few days or a week.

The best sources of vitamin D

Vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin” because the body can produce it when the skin is exposed to sunlight. But your child’s body isn’t able to make vitamin D when covered with clothing or sunscreen to block the sun’s rays. Other obstacles to vitamin D production from sun exposure include smog, clouds, dark skin, and geographic location.

Though it’s hard to estimate how much time a person needs to spend in the sun to make the recommended amount of vitamin D, some researchers say spending 5 to 30 minutes outside between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at least twice a week should do it.

But experts warn that UV radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer, and it’s hard to judge whether you can get enough vitamin D from the sun without increasing your risk of a potentially deadly skin cancer. So consider finding other ways to get the vitamin D you need.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants, children, and teens take vitamin D supplements of 400 IU each day. Kids who are too young for chewable vitamins can take liquid supplements.

Some of the best food sources of vitamin D:

• 1 ounce salmon: 102 IU
• 6 ounces fortified yogurt: 80 IU
• 1 ounce canned tuna, drained and packed in oil: 66 IU
• ½ cup orange juice, fortified with 25 percent of daily value for vitamin D: 50 IU
• ½ cup fortified milk (whole, low-fat, or skim): 49 IU
• one slice fortified American cheese: 40 IU
• ½ cup fortified, ready-to-eat cereal: 19 IU
• 1 ounce mackerel: 11.6 IU
• ½ large egg yolk: 10 IU
• ½ teaspoon fortified margarine: 10 IU
• ½ ounce Swiss cheese: 6 IU

The amount of vitamin D in a food varies somewhat, depending on the brand of the product.

Kids may eat more or less than the amounts shown, given their age and appetite. Estimate the nutrient content accordingly.

Can my child get too much vitamin D?

It’s unlikely but possible. On the contrary, many health experts are concerned that the current recommended amount is too low and that children actually need much more.

That said, vitamin D can be harmful if you get too much. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements (a department of the National Institutes of Health), the safe upper limit for infants up to 12 months old is 1,000 to 1,500 IU daily. For kids 1 to 8 years old, the safe upper limit is 2,500 to 3,000 IU each day.

Vitamin D is stored in body tissue, so it’s best not to get more than what health experts recommend. (Vitamin C, by contrast, isn’t stored in the body – any excess is simply eliminated in urine.)

To be safe, if you have a very young child, stick to the 400 IUs recommended as an infant supplement. More than 400 IUs may be fine for an older child, but check with your child’s doctor to be sure.

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Brain Food for a 3 Year Old Boy

Your 3-year old son's brain is in a constant state of activity. His brain is responsible for each function of his body, as well as how he thinks, feels and learns. Feeding your son the right foods can help support his brain development and can help ensure that it works as efficiently as possible. Include some of these foods in your next menu, and your son's brain will reap cognitive and memory benefits.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit offers a wealth of important vitamins and minerals that your son needs for his growing brain. Nicola Graimes notes in her book, "Brain Food for Kids," that your son needs carbohydrates in his diet because they help produce the glucose he needs for brain energy and function. Serve a sliced banana with your son's morning breakfast cereal or oatmeal, or slice an apple and serve it with his lunch. Halved grapes, sliced peaches or a bowl of berries are additional ways to increase his fruit intake and benefit his brain function.

Protein Foods

Your 3-year-old son needs a diet rich in protein from low-fat and nutritious sources in order to sustain proper brain growth and development. Protein is essential for the function of your son's brain because it is responsible for creating the neurotransmitters that send messages throughout his body. Lean meats, such as beef or white meat chicken, are nutritious sources of protein, as are fish like trout and salmon. Fish is particularly beneficial because it contains omega-3 fatty acids that support brain development. Beans, nuts, eggs and dairy foods are additional sources of protein that will help sustain healthy brain development. Chop beans and nuts into small pieces to prevent choking.

Healthy Fats

Some fat is an essential part of your 3-year old son's diet. Graimes notes that your son's brain is 60 percent fat, which he needs to get from his diet to keep it in good working order. It is important to feed him the right kinds of fat. Saturated fats, found in meats, full-fat dairy and many packaged foods, do more harm than good and should be limited in your son's diet. Foods with unsaturated fat, such as avocado, olive oil, fish and peanut butter are more nutritious ways to provide him with the fat his brain needs.

Whole Grains

Including whole grains in your 3-year-old son's diet is a healthy way to ensure that he gets plenty of fiber, but whole grains also contain several vitamins and minerals that support brain function and health. One of the most notable is iron, which is present in many fortified whole grains like breakfast cereal and some pasta. Getting enough iron will help your son's brain get the oxygen it needs so he can concentrate and learn. Whole grains also contain B vitamins, which your son's brain needs for the health of neurotransmitters that regulate attention, focus and learning.

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Childhood obesity causes heart damage without symptoms

Childhood obesity harmful for cardiovascular system

At the Heart Failure Congress that was organized from 19 to 22, May, 2012, scientists reported that childhood obesity can lead heart damage without symptoms. They analyzed weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI and waist/hip ratio of 97 healthy adolescents. These subjects were also tested the biochemistry of blood, echocardiogram and were measured heart size, interventricular septal, left ventricular posterior wall thickness.

The result showed that wall thickness of interventricular septal and left ventricular posterior increased if BMI increased. Moreover, left ventricular early diastolic lateral and septal velocities reduced in obese adolescents and these also correlated with BMI.

Are you obese or not?

Body mass index (BMI) is used to measure of adiposity. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m2). You could calculate BMI and assess the obesity by yourself as these categories below:

- Underweight: BMI is less than 18.5

- Normal weight: BMI is from 18.5 to 24.9

- Overweight: BMI is from 25 to 29.9

- Class I obesity: BMI is from 30 to 34.9

- Class II obesity: BMI is from 35 to 39.9

- Class III (extreme) obesity: BMI is more than 40

Treatment of obesity to prevent cardiovascular diseases

Lead author Gani Bajraktari, professor of internal medicine and cardiology at the University of Pristina in Kosovo said that “Education on healthy food and exercise is needed in schools to prevent obesity and early cardiovascular disease in adolescents”

Health professionals always recommend maintaining a BMI below 25 throughout adult life. If BMI is between 25 and 30, you should change your lifestyle by restricting calories of diet and increasing physical activity. Rapid weight reduction is not good, a loss of 0.45 kg per week is reasonable by a diet which supplies 400 calories per day.

If BMI is above 30, you need to meet nutrition experts. They can correct your diet and recommend anti-obesity drugs when it is necessary. Obviously, a very strict training plan need to be set up for reducing overweight.

When the BMI is above 35, health professionals said that gastrointestinal surgery should become a consideration. When the BMI is above 40, surgery is the treatment of choice.

It is not easy for losing weight as our desires, by setting yourself a goal and be patient, you will be successful.  

Read more at momega.com.au

Spirulina and cardiovascular health

The review of Karlos et al (2008) which listed positive effects of Spirulina on human health based on various clinical reports. Scientists found that Spirulina not only supplying essential minerals, vitamins and amino acids for our body but also improving immune system and protecting cardiovascular system.

According to Nakaya et al (1988), Spirulina could lower serum LDL-cholesterol levels. They studied on 15 subjects who were supplemented 4.2 g Spirulina per day. After 8 weeks, the serum LDL-cholesterol levels of those were lower than the baseline.

In 1996, Ramamoorthy and Premakamari took a study about Spirulina effects on ischemic heart disease patients. They investigated Spirulina took a significant reduction in total blood cholesterol levels, LDL-cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels. It also increased HDL-cholesterol levels.

Moreover, Mani et al (2000) carried out a clinical study about Spirulina effects on 15 diabetic patients. They found that the LDL-cholesterol: HDL-cholesterol ratio of who was gave Spirulina was decreased.

Although all clinical studies was small and need to be researched more, Karlos highly appreciated the role of Spirulina in combating hyperlipidaemia.

Karkos P.D. et al (2008). Spirulina in clinical practice: evidence-based human applications. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2011

Read morre at womega.com.au

7 Simple Ways to Eat More Omega 3

Despite the various controversies surrounding nutrition – Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the few nutrients where everyone seems to be in agreement.

Omega 3 EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) are essential because our body is unable to manufacture them.

Food manufacturers are now ‘fortifying’ a number of different processed food products with Omega 3. However it’s possible to easily meet your Omega 3 needs from basic whole foods.

A huge shout out to fat loss expert Tom Venuto for creating this list:

1. Eat fatty fish at least twice per week and even daily if practical and economical for you. If not, you could supplement with fish oil (1.5-3 grams of combined DHA/EPA daily)
2. Omega 6 fatty acids are also essential, but most people have an unbalanced omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. This can be remedied by increasing the omega 3 consumption and or reducing the omega 6 consumption (by decreasing intake of processed foods, refined grains, and supermarket cooking oils, with the exception of extra virgin olive oil)
3. Grind up flaxseeds and sprinkle them on salads or add them to oatmeal, protein shakes or morning cereals. Alternately, supplement with flaxseed oil; 1 tbsp is equivalent to 3 tbsp flaxseeds (use as a supplement; Not for cooking)
4. Snack on walnuts, which contain modest amounts of omega 3 fats (other types of nuts and seeds can also contain significant amounts of omega 3 fats)
5. Increase your consumption of leafy greens which contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.
6. If you eat red meat, try game meats or grass fed beef or bison. they don’t have nearly the quantity of omega-3 as marine sources, but they are higher in omega-3 and have a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio than conventionally raised and fed beef.
7. Try omega-3 fortified eggs instead of regular eggs.

About that last one; back in the day I used to keep chickens. Some breeds (such as Araucana) laid eggs that were supposedly higher in Omega-3 – although some people see this as a myth.

Nowadays poultry farmers feed chickens more kelp meal and polyunsaturated fats in order to increase Omega 3 EFA’s in the egg.

Read more at Kidtas.com

Fish, olive oil, nuts good for eyes too, more studies find

Do you want to keep your vision clear as the years go by? Put fish, olive oil, and nuts on the menu, but stay away from trans fats, according to new research from Australia.

Age-related macular degeneration occurs when blood vessels or cells in the center of the retina break down.

Studies from two different teams published Monday in the Archives of Ophthalmology provide more evidence that these foods – which contain healthy fats – can reduce the risk of developing a retina-destroying condition known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The studies aren’t the first to suggest fish and omega-3 fatty acids may help protect vision; in fact, the first findings pointing in this direction are more than a decade old. But experts not involved in the research agree that the new studies are well done and rigorous.

“The studies are notable for that alone,” says John Paul SanGiovanni, a staff scientist with the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, who published 12 years of follow-up data on omega-3 fatty acids and AMD risk earlier this year with very similar results. “It’s sort of consoling to see that we have this convergence of findings coming from different continents,” he says, noting that researchers from Iceland and the Netherlands have turned up pretty much the same thing. Health.com: Eat right advice: Fiber, starch, fats, serving sizes

AMD is the top cause of blindness among people 65 and older living in the developed world. It occurs when blood vessels or cells in the macula, the central portion of the retina responsible for central vision and seeing sharp detail, begin to break down. In early AMD, people have no vision loss or other symptoms, but do have yellow deposits in the retina called drusen. Some people with early AMD (but not all of them) will develop late AMD, in which a person has larger drusen and a blurred area at the center of their visual field.

Right now, the only confirmed risk factors for the condition are age, genes, and smoking, so scientists are hoping to identify things that people can do to reduce their risk for the condition. And it’s looking more and more like eating the right kinds of fats is one of them.

In a group of 2,454 men and women followed for up to a decade, Dr. Jennifer S. L. Tan and colleagues from the University of Sydney found people who ate a serving of fish every week were 31 percent less likely to develop early AMD than those who did not. A couple of servings of nuts each week reduced risk by 35 percent.

And Elaine W. T. Chong, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne and colleagues, in their study of more than 6,700 58- to 69-year-olds, found those who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids were at 15 percent lower risk of early-stage AMD. People who ate the most olive oil (at least 100 milliliters, or about seven tablespoons, per week) were about half as likely to develop late AMD as those who consumed less than 1 mL per week. Health.com: Can olive oil fix your split ends?

Dr. Chong and her team also found people who ate the most trans fat were 1.76 times more likely to develop late AMD during the study’s follow-up period. Trans fat, a type of fat often found in commercial baked goods and fried foods, is known to boost LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Health.com: Everyday diet strategies to lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol

It makes sense that omega-3s would be helpful in saving your eyesight, says Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Carotenoids and Health Laboratory in the Jean Mayer USDA Health and Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. Nervous tissue and the retinas contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, especially one known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, a particularly beneficial omega-3), she says.

According to SanGiovanni, healthy fats likely guard against AMD by fighting inflammation.

To date, all studies of dietary fat and AMD have been observational, meaning researchers have looked at what people eat and checked their vision over time. SanGiovanni is running a clinical trial – AREDS 2, in which people have been assigned to take omega-3 fatty acids (and/or two pigments found in the retina called lutein and zeaxanthin) or a placebo – the gold standard for determining cause and effect. He says he’s hesitant to make nutritional recommendations until the results are published, which he expects will happen about four years from now.

But Johnson points out that the nutritional recommendations revealed by the current study – including eating a healthy balance of omega-6 fatty acids in relation to omega-3s – can easily be accomplished by following the USDA “My Pyramid” diet guidelines.Health.com: Myths and facts about cholesterol

“I recommend to my patients that they consume a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fish, especially salmon, sardines and mackerel, as well as nuts and green, leafy vegetables,” says Johanna Seddon, M.D., of the New England Eye Center and Tufts University School of Medicine. “Those not able to consume these foods should consider taking supplements containing fish oil or lutein.”

Seddon and her colleagues first reported findings linking omega-3 fatty acids and fish intake to lower AMD risk in 1994.

Read more at kidtas.com

Interesting facts about osteoporosis

Most people, when they hear the word “osteoporosis“, think of older women, brittle bones and hip fractures. But here are some interesting facts about the condition that you might not have known:

• The word “osteoporosis” comes from the Greek words “osteon”, meaning bone, and “poros”, meaning a pore or a passage.

• Osteoporosis is not a condition exclusive to the elderly – it can strike at any age.

• Caucasians and Asians have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis than other people do.

• Osteoporosis represents a serious health problem in men. Approximately one in five men aged 50 and over will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

• People who drink a lot of coffee and alcohol, and who smoke cigarettes, are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis than others are.

• People who are thin or who have a small frame are at greater risk for osteoporosis.

• NOT breastfeeding seems to be a minor risk factor for osteoporosis.

• Taking corticosteroids for long periods of time predisposes someone to developing osteoporosis.

• People who have suffered from an eating disorder, such as anorexia, are more prone to developing osteoporosis.

• Women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in the 5 – 7 years following menopause.

• Hormone replacement therapy used to be prescribed on the long term for postmenopausal women, but it’s now thought to carry risks for heart health if taken for many years.

• Exercise will help to maintain your bone mass. Being inactive increases the rate of bone loss in both men and women.

• We all know that calcium is good for the bones, but did you know that calcium goes hand in hand with vitamin D? Vitamin D helps to metabolise circulating calcium. A diet rich in calcium from dairy products, dark-green veggies and sardines, as well as vitamin D, found in fish oils (and obtained from the sun), is essential.

• Among those people who fracture a hip, 12% – 20% die within one year after the fracture and more than 50% of the survivors are unable to return to independent living.

• If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you should ensure a totalcalcium intake (that’s diet and supplements) of at least 1,000mg per day.

Read more at calcik2.com

6 Ways To Boost Your Child’s Immune System

Runny noses. Constant colds. Recurrent flus. Gastrointestinal bugs. Most parents think these conditions are just par for the course with children in day care or school. But not all children are getting sick. Not all children have runny noses. Not all children will contract that GI bug.

As a naturopathic physician and expert in pediatric natural medicine, I see children of all ages coming in with recurrent infections and immune systems that catch every bug that crosses their path.

But after ten years in naturopathic medical practice, I have seen firsthand that a great immune system is not all about great genes. I also know how many powerful tools there are available to parents to easily boost their child’s immune system safely and effectively.

We don’t just have to accept our child’s current state of health. We can actually take measures to boost their defenses, speed healing, and help them to gain a greater level of wellness.

Here’s how:

1. It starts with a great diet.

Children’s immune systems can take a hit if they’re constantly being bombarded with food intolerances, additives, preservatives, and sugar. When a child has a food allergy, her digestion suffers, inflammation is ramped up, which makes fending off viruses and bacteria much more difficult. It’s a similar story when a child takes in more additives and preservatives than her body can deal with.

Sugar has been shown in many clinical trials to actually suppress immunity. To keep kids well, limit their overall intake of additives, sugar, and find out which foods are allergens. Focus on plenty of fresh veggies, whole fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs, and meat.

2. Maintain your child’s microbiota!

Probiotics are the friendly helpful bacteria that naturally occur in our guts. They protect our digestive tracts, help us to digest food, assist in toxin clearance, and shield us from invading bacteria and viruses. When this bacterial balance becomes disrupted in children, we can see changes in a child’s ability to fend off infections.

I recommend starting children on a probiotic supplement containing lactobacillus and bifidobacteria strains early on — between 5 and 20 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) per day depending on age.

3. Help calm their stress and anxiety.

In today’s fast-paced world, parents are overstressed, children are over-scheduled, and everyone suffers. Children’s bodies have the same response to stress that adults’ do — their cortisol and adrenaline rises. When this elevation in stress hormones is sustained, their immune systems’ response is lowered.

It’s important for children to have lots of down time, time for creative play, and simply times of rest. Busy bodies need to take a break every now and then for their immune systems to thrive.

4. Make sure they’re getting enough good sleep.

Most children are not getting the required amount of sleep. Depending on age, children need between ten and 14 hours of sleep per day. And it’s the quality of sleep that matters most. For proper secretion of melatonin (our sleep hormone), children need to sleep in the dark, without a night light. Since electromagnetic frequency has also been shown to affect sleep quality, make sure your child’s room is unplugged. Make sure all electronic devices are unplugged or better yet, just keep them in another room.

5. Remember that fever helps fight infection.

Although many parents panic at the first sign of a rise in temperature on the thermometer, it’s important to recognize that fever is only a sign of and not an illness itself. Fever is your child’s body’s response to an infection and without it, her body isn’t as effective at fighting the illness. The truth is, your child’s immune systems works better at a high temperature too, so she can get better quickly. Please note that while I do encourage fevers, it’s important to see a physician to make sure the fever is not a sign that something else is going on.

6. Supplements and herbs can work wonders.

The best supplements to boost a child’s immune system are vitamin D and zinc. The herbs elderberry and astragalus are my favorites for recurrent respiratory tract infections. For allergies, fish oil, vitamin C, and nettles work wonders. Please make sure to see your physician before starting your child on any new supplement or herb regimen.

Read more at kidtas.com