Watch Your TV Time

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Children's Hospital Boston found that kids who spend more time watching television also eat more of the calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods advertised on television. Previous studies had demonstrated that children who watch more television are more likely to be overweight, but this is the first time a research team has found evidence for a mechanism explaining that relationship. The study results appear in the April 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent medicine. "We've known for a long time that television viewing is a risk factor for overweight, though the common perception is that this is due to the fact that it's a sedentary use of time," said Jean Wiecha, the study's lead author and a senior research scientist at HSPH. "This study provides evidence that television is effective in getting kids to eat the foods that are advertised, and this drives up their total calorie intake."

The results of the study showed that each hour of increased television viewing over baseline was associated with a total energy increase of 167 calories -- just about the amount of calories in a soda or a handful of snack food, said Wiecha. Each additional hour of television viewing was also independently associated with increased consumption of foods commonly advertised on television, and these foods were shown to be responsible for much of the calorie increase. Viewing time seemed to have the strongest connection to additional consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Twice as many children and almost three times as many teens are overweight today compared to their counterparts growing up 20 years ago. Overweight young people are more likely to become overweight or obese adults who are at risk for diseases like diabetes and heart disease. The results of this study bolster a longstanding recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit children to less than two hours of television each day to both lessen sedentary time and reduce exposure to content associated with negative consequences.

Yams

Yams are a good source of both potassium and vitamin B6, two nutrients that your body needs every day. Vitamin B6 helps your body break down a substance called homocysteine , which can cause damage to blood vessel walls. High intakes of vitamin B6 have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. Potassium is a mineral that helps to control blood pressure. In the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study, one study group ate servings of fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy food in place of snacks and sweets. This approach offered more potassium, magnesium and calcium. After eight weeks, this group lowered their blood pressure by an average of 5.5 points (systolic) over 3.0 points (diastolic). Yams also contain a storage protein called Dioscorin. Preliminary research suggests that Dioscorin can help your body to achieve increased kidney blood flow thereby reducing blood pressure.

In addition, Yams' complex carbohydrates and fiber deliver the goods gradually, slowing the rate at which their sugars are released and absorbed into the bloodstream. Because they're rich in fiber, yams fill you up without filling out your hips and waistline. Yams are also a good source of manganese, a trace mineral that helps with carbohydrate metabolism and is a cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses.

Chocolate

Some "chocoholics" who just couldn't give up their favorite treat have inadvertently done their fellow chocolate lovers - and science - a big favor. A recent study at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine was focused on blood platelets and blood clots. The study participants, some of whom were fond of eating chocolate, were given a list of foods to avoid - the list included chocolate. It seems that some of them ended up indulging their cravings for chocolate during the study.

Amazingly, their indulgence led to researchers to an important discovery which is believed to be the first of its kind. Through biochemical analysis, the researchers are now able to explain why just a few squares of chocolate a day can reduce the risk of heart attack death in some men and women by almost 50%.

It turns out that the chocolate decreases the tendency of platelets to clot in narrow blood vessels. "What these chocolate 'offenders' taught us is that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack," says Diane Becker, M.P.H., Sc.D., a professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Becker cautions that her work is not intended as a prescription to gobble up large amounts of chocolate candy, which often contains diet-busting amounts of sugar, butter and cream. But as little as 2 tablespoons a day of high quality dark chocolate - the purest form of the candy, made from the dried extract of roasted cocoa beans - may be just what the doctor ordered.

Stretching

Stretching is something you can easily do anytime, anywhere -- in your home, your office, or even when you're traveling. Aim to stretch at least three times a week. If you can't get a full workout in, you can still benefit from stretching at least that often. Many experts believe that stretching may also reduce your risk of injury in sports. "The more prepared your muscles and joints are for an activity, the more protected you are against injury," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist and co-director of the Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Laskowski explains, "If your joints are not able to go through their full range of motion because of muscle tightness, sports and exercise activities may put an excessive load on the tissue and contribute to injury."

The many benefits of stretching include:

Increased flexibility and better range of motion of your joints - Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring. Flexibility tends to diminish as you get older, but you can regain and maintain it.

Improved circulation - Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nourishment and gets rid of waste byproducts in the muscle tissue. Improved circulation can help shorten your recovery time if you've had any muscle injuries.
Better posture - Frequent stretching can help keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture. Good posture can minimize discomfort and keep aches and pains at a minimum.

Stress relief - Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress. Maintaining the full range of motion through your joints keeps you in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as you get older.

Basic stretches to improve your flexibility focus on your body's major muscle groups: calf, thigh, hip, lower back, neck and shoulder.

Warm up first. Stretching muscles when they're cold increases your risk of pulled muscles. Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity for five minutes.

Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds. It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds -- and up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle or problem area.

Don't bounce. Bouncing as you stretch can cause small tears in the muscle, which leave scar tissue as the muscle heals. The scar tissue tightens the muscle even further, making you even less flexible -- and more prone to pain.

Focus on a pain-free stretch. If you feel pain as you stretch, you've gone too far. Back off to the point where you don't feel any pain, then hold the stretch. Relax and breathe freely. Don't hold your breath while you're stretching. Stretch both sides. Make sure your joint range of motion is as equal as possible on each side of your body.

Stretch when you exercise or three times a week to maintain flexibility "Stretch as often as you exercise," Dr. Laskowski recommends. "Most experts recommend a cool-down period anyway after exercise. Going into your stretches after your workout is a good way to cool down.

Why not make stretching a family fun time with the kids as part of your family's daily wellness program?

Whole Foods & Male Fertility

At a recent American Society for Reproductive Medicine meeting, new research revealed that eating more fruits and veggies can help men boost their fertility. These new findings indicate that the more produce a man consumes, the healthier his sperm will be. In a study group of infertile men, 83 percent of them were found to be eating less than five servings of fruits and veggies a day. Overall, the men who ate the fewest fruits and veggies had the lowest sperm motility.

"We think that sperm quality is affected by dietary antioxidant intake," said study author Dr. Vivian Lewis, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. "Antioxidants, like those found in fruits and vegetables, may help prevent damage to sperm that causes them to become sluggish and lose the ability to fertilize an egg".
In particular, the antioxidants glutathione and cryptoxanthin, which are prevalent in brightly colored produce such as leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers and oranges, were associated with strong, healthy sperm, Lewis said. She recommended that men hoping to father children eat "a variety of fruits and vegetables, at least five servings a day.

The modern day researches continue to confirm what the ancients knew. Focus on giving your body what it needs - it knows how to do the rest.

Lasting Vision

Many of us heard, as children, that carrots are good for our eyes. When questioned about this, moms would regularly retort with a well known question: "Well, have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?" Carrots are certainly a potent whole food with many wonderful health benefits, but the latest research indicates that fruit is even more important for the nutritional support of your eyes and vision. A recent study published in the June 2004 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

In this study, which involved over 70,000 women and over 40,000 men, researchers evaluated the effect of consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARM, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss.

Food intake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and 12 years for men. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARM, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease.

Active Kids Do Better in School

Middle school students who perform more vigorous physical activity than their more sedentary peers tend to do better in school, according to a new study done by researchers from Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University . The research is published in the August issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. For one academic year, the study tracked more than 200 sixth graders. For one semester half of the students took the general physical education class offered by the school, while the other half took part in a non-physical education course. Halfway through the school year they switched. The researchers found that students taking the physical education course did no better or worse in their academic classes.

"Physical education and activity during the school day reduce boredom and help keep kids' attention in the classroom," said Dawn Podulka Coe, the study's lead author who is now an assistant professor in the Department of Movement Science at Grand Valley State University . "We were expecting to find that students enrolled in PE would have better grades because of the opportunity to be active during the school day. But enrollment in PE alone did not influence grades."

However, the researchers also found that students who took part in more vigorous physical activities - such as organized sports like soccer or football, or non-organized after-school activities such as skateboarding - did approximately 10 percent better in core classes such as math, science, English and social studies.

"The students who performed better academically in this study were the most active, meaning those who participated in a sport or other vigorous activity at least three times a week" added Coe.

The difference between vigorous activity and moderate activity is heart rate. Moderate activities, such as walking or raking leaves, don't get the heart rate up or make the person breathe harder. Vigorous activities, such as running or swimming for exercise, increase heart rate, causing the exerciser to breathe harder and increasing oxygen to the brain.

We encourage parents to consider organized sports as a way to help your child do better in school, be healthier, maintain the proper weight, and to build a foundation of health that can last a lifetime.

Source : The Wholefood Farmacy Team