Over One Billion Served...

Did you know that over one billion people are now overweight?

Research by Aline Jelenkovic Moreno states, "Obesity is seen as the great pandemia of the 21st century.

Recent data point to more than a billion adults in the world suffering from overweight, of which 300 million are clinically obese. What is more, the rates of child obesity show a worrying increase, with more than 155 million children and adolescents being overweight, of which 40 million are clearly obese." When I read that more than a BILLION people are overweight I couldn't believe it. I've long understood that the U.S. population is about two-thirds overweight, but now it seems our country's unhealthy habits have spread globally. I'd rather not think of these stats as a condemnation, but rather a large wake-up call. For obesity to be one of the top diseases (and causes of death) in the world should come as an outrage. Besides quitting smoking, it is one of the most preventable diseases in the world to fight against. And, we must truly fight against it... The reason we can't just casually try to put an end to obesity is that we are bombarded from every angle by food manufacturers promoting unhealthy foods and diets. The fact that obesity rates have increased as food becomes more processed and unnatural is not a coincidence. Plus, exercise is seen as a luxury for those who have the time. Unfortunately, being active is not a luxury anyone can afford not to indulge in. The fact that most people sit for the majority of the day is a good indicator that at least 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity is needed. Lastly, I will finish with this thought which I believe in the end is the only way we can reverse the obesity numbers and prevent them from climbing. I feel that in order to create permanent change we must look at weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight as simply a by-product of valuing health. Right now, I believe that the majority of people place convenience (which includes processed foods, fast food, and medication) above living a healthy lifestyle. This leads to not wanting to put in the extra effort needed to eat well, exercise, and live an overall healthy life. Unless we're willing to change our individual and collective view of how we live our life, then we may be headed for higher obesity rates and all the effects it carries along with it. I for one will continue to spread the word about how to live a life based on eating well, proper exercise, and stress reduction, which in turn will provide you with a life-time of healthy benefits - I hope you'll help me in spreading this word!

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Diet Patterns Linked With Brain Health

Diet Patterns Linked With Brain Health

People With Diets High in Vitamins B, C, D, E, and Omega-3s Had Less Brain Shrinkage, Higher Scores on Thinking Tests

Dec. 28, 2011 -- Eating a diet rich in certain vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids and low in trans fats may be best for brain health, new research suggests.

Older people who ate this way had less of the brain shrinkage linked with Alzheimer's disease and scored better on mental and thinking tests than those with poorer diets.

Although previous studies have suggested that a heart-healthy diet is also good for the brain, the new study took a different approach by using blood tests to determine the participant’s diet and nutrient levels.

"The combination of the B vitamins, the antioxidants C and E, plus vitamin D was the most favorable combination of nutrients in the blood for healthy brain aging in our population," says study author Gene L. Bowman, ND, MPH, assistant professor of neurology at the Layton Aging & Alzheimer's Disease Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland.

Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, were also good for brain health.

Most unfavorable, he found, was a diet high in trans fats. Trans fats are more often found in packaged baked goods and fast foods, including cookies, crackers, and potato chips.

Diet Patterns

B vitamins are found in a variety of foods, such as milk and dairy, whole grain cereals, enriched bread, and peanut butter. Vitamin C is rich in fruits and vegetables, and E is in nuts and oils. Vitamin D is found in the flesh of fatty fish, such as salmon, and in fortified milk.

For the vitamins, omega-3s, and trans fats, Bowman found an association between diet and brain health, not cause and effect.

The study is published online in the journal Neurology.

The average age of those studied was 87. They had very few risk factors known to boost the risk of memory and thinking problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Besides the blood tests, the men and women were given memory and thinking skills tests. Forty-two had MRI scans to measure brain volume. Decreased brain volume has been linked with declines in thinking ability associated with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers evaluated how much of the risk of declining mental abilities could be attributed to diet and how much to other factors, such as age or high blood pressure.

Brain Health

The team looked at 30 different nutrient biomarkers. Those most consistently linked to brain health were the vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and trans fats.

The declines in mental and thinking ability were attributable more to age and other risk factors, but diet did seem to play a role. For the variation found in the tests of mental and thinking abilities, Bowman's team found risk factors such as age explained about 46% of the variation. Diet explained less, about 17%, Bowman says.

For the variation in brain volume, diet seems to matter as much as the other risk factors. Diet explained about 37% of the variation, he says. The other risk factors explained about another 40%.

The study was looking just at one point in time, Bowman says, which is a limitation of the study. "We can't say these patterns predict rate of change over time."

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