Stay on the road to health by maintaining adherence to some basic principles.

POSSIBLE CANCER FIGHTER

Vitamin D is an exciting anti-cancer nutrient today. Some studies suggest that higher
blood levels of vitamin D and greater intake of vitamin D in food and supplements cut odds of several cancers, including colon, breast and prostate. For example, older women who took 1400-1500 mg calcium and 1100 IU of Vitamin D daily were significantly less apt to develop any cancer than women who only took calcium. Also, men with the highest blood levels of vitamin D had half the risk of colon cancer as men with the lowest blood vitamin D, a new Harvard study says. Good sources of vitamin D are fatty fish, eel, fortified milk and cereals, and sunlight, as well as supplements.

THREE MORE CANCER FIGHTERS

Getting more fiber from whole grains but not from other foods helps block colon cancer, according to a large National Institutes of Health Study. Eating omega-3 fat in fish might reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by 37%, prostate cancer by 43% and kidney cancer by 74% say new studies Garlic lovers have lower rates of esophageal, colorectal, breast, ovarian, prostate and kidney cancer says Italian researchers. Tip: In order to maximize anti-cancer chemicals, chop or crus

HEART HEALTH

Alright in moderation: cheese, alcohol
Bad: cola, butter, trans fats
Good: dark chocolate, coffee, olive oil, fish

Dr. Audia will check patient's blood pressure during her initial examination.  Exercise and Fitness classes are offered at Body and Balance Women's Fitness Center.  The staff and trainers at Body and Balance have had excellent success at helping members loss weight.  Check out their "Skinny Jeans" Program here...

CHOLESTEROL .

Dairy fats will raise your cholesterol, but cheese is less harmful than butter. In an
Australian study, bad LDL cholesterol went up 9% in people who ate 4.2 ounces of cheddar a day but 15% (or 67% more) in
those who ate the same amount of butter. Some studies show cheese eaters are not more likely to die of heart disease.
Researchers say moderate amounts of cheese may be alright to have, even if you have high cholesterol.

BLOOD CLOTS.

A little alcohol daily seems to reduce heart attacks: The hypothesis is It's probably a blood thinner that discourages clots.
At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, the blood of those who had three to six drinks a week was less apt to
clot than people who did not drink alchohol. Caution: More than six drinks didn't add benefits to to patients.

BLOOD PRESSURE .

Drinking coffee (regular or decaf) didn't raise risk of high blood pressure according to researchers involved with a Harvard
study. But having four or more colas/sodas daily hiked risk by 28% (sugared) or 19% (diet). In other research, eating dark
chocolate and monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, reduced blood pressure.

INFLAMMATION .

High blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) signal inflammation, a heart disease villain and killer. Eating fish suppressed
CRP according to Greek researchers. Women who eat the most trans fats (margarines, baked goods) have 73% higher
CRP than those who eat the least, according to Harvard researchers.

SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE

Cholesterol, cheese and butter
Nestel PJ. Dur J Clin Nur 2005 Sep; 59(9): 1059-63
Blood clots and alcohol
Mukamal KJ, Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2005 Oct;29(10): 1906-12
Blood pressure, coffee and cola
Winkelmayer WC. JAMA 2005;294:2330-2335
Blood pressure and chocolate
Grassi D. Hypertension 2005 Aug; 46(2):398-405
Blood pressue and monofats
Appel JL, JAMA 2005;294:2455-2464
Inflammation and fish
Zampelas A. J Am Coll Cardiol 2005 Jul 5;46(1): 120-4
Inflammation and trans fats
Lopez-Garcia E. J Nutr 2005 Mar; 135(3): 562-6
Homocysteine
Am J Clin Nutr 2005 Oct; 82(4): 806-12