health-E-news
So what health snippets do I have for you today?
Dairy products good for older would be mums?
Research has shown that women over 35 who have 3 portions or more of dairy products a day are 21% more likely to get pregnant than older women who don’t. They think it is because there are larger quantities of progesterone in cow’s milk (this hormone decreases in women as we age) and this improves the chances of an embryo implanting in the womb by making it sticky. It doesn’t work for younger women and the sugar in dairy products can cause fertility issues so if you are passing this advice on make sure the dairy they consume is good quality, preferably organic, and low in sugar.
However, the same does not go for their men. Higher dairy intake = lower quality sperm. Sorry guys :<(
5:2 diet
Yet more research that confirms that a bit of reduced daily calorie intake does us good. Fasting or radically reducing calorie intake encourages the body to break down fat and repair cells. This in turn reverses the ageing process, shrinks tumours and guards against neuron damage that can be seen in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Scientists say eating like this mimics our ancestors when food would have been scarce with occasional gluts. They also say that most of the food eaten would have been in daylight hours – once dark arrived they’d have been asleep!
One word of caution – they would have grazed the lower calories and would have still had more fibre than we have so if you decide to do this make sure that on the reduced calorie days you graze more and have no high calorie individual items of food – these are not the days for the chocolate bar! You need to look after your blood sugar levels :>)
“Curing” diabetes?
Following on with the theme of blood sugar levels there are more and more reports that diabetes can be “cured” which a lot of doctors still say is impossible. A Merseyside GP decided that the regular advice for diabetics was wrong and gave all his pre-diabetic and type-2 diabetes patients an opportunity to change their diets to high fat and low carb. Patients were given advice about eating more healthy fats, vegetables and protein instead of carbohydrates like bread pasta or potatoes. Their weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, liver, thyroid and renal functions were all measured before and after the course.
He published the results in Practical Diabetes which showed that there was an average weight loss of 9kg, a reduced waist circumference from 120-105cm, a striking improvement in their blood sugar levels and 7 patients came off medication completely. Their blood pressure improved and the average cholesterol reading fell from 5.5 to 4.7 (what have I been saying for years? it’s SUGAR that raises cholesterol not FAT!! And sugar is in all carb products). A recent US study of 150 people produced similar results.
Again – if you are going to follow this lifestyle make sure that the fat you consume is good quality, preferably organic, meat, milk (raw if you can get it), butter, cream etc. Keep it simple and healthy – our body is designed to break down simple fats – stay away from spreads or anything that has been processed.
The doctor went on to say that whilst he was not diabetic he also changed his diet and found that he felt much more alert and he found that he could run faster – he had just completed a 10K race in 46 minutes which was his best time in years!
Fracking harmless?
I had been worried about fracking destabilising the planet but I had no idea that it produced air pollution! Apparently it produces formaldehyde (a chemical that dead bodies are preserved in and that is used in the manufacture of synthetic carpets and mdf wood and furniture) and benzene at levels which if exposed to for just one hour would cause headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, irritability, poor memory and dizziness. They also cause cancer. If you needed another reason to sign those petitions this is probably it!
Milk not the wonder bone strengthener after all
Goodness! Well, I guess the headline says it all. And for women drinking a pint a day has shown increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis!! I guess if you look at this piece and the diabetes piece above is shows that we just need to eat healthy food in moderation – and by healthy we’re sticking to things that grow on trees, come out of the ground or graze on it – not things that have spent most of their life in a factory being developed! P.S. Add things that swim to that list :>)
Well, that’s it for February. Have a lovely week, Peta
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