Master Hormones Management Institute.

Cranberries

A cousin of the blueberry, this very tart, bright red berry can still be found growing wild as a shrub, but when cultivated, is grown on low trailing vines in great sandy bogs. The American cranberry, the variety most cultivated in the northern United States and southern Canada, produces a larger berry than the wild cranberry or the European variety.

Cranberries have long been valued for their ability to help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. Now, recent studies suggest that this native American berry may also promote gastrointestinal and oral health, prevent the formation of kidney stones, lower LDL and raise HDL (good) cholesterol, aid in recovery from stroke, and even help prevent cancer.

Fresh cranberries, which contain the highest levels of beneficial nutrients, are at their peak from October through December, just in time to add their festive hue, tart tangy flavor and numerous health protective effects to your holiday meals. When cranberries short fresh season is past, rely on cranberry juice and dried or frozen cranberries to help make every day throughout the year a holiday from disease.

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Cranberries provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Cranberries can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Cranberries, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

Health Benefits

Protection against Urinary Tract Infection

Thinking Differently About US Health Care

The American health care system is on life-support. Priced at nearly $8,000 a year per American, and soon to be 20 percent of the GDP, its more expensive by 40-60 percent than health care systems in any other industrial country, and totals nearly half the health care budget of the entire world. Yet it leaves 48 million Americans uncovered by health insurance and produces remarkably poor results.

According to the fascinating article linked below, it might help to consider American health as a house. Health care is the -- very expensive -- roof, the final protection against illness. In some ways its a preventive system, but mostly its sickness care.

The Health Care "House" is Falling Apart

In most other countries, the roof is a simpler affair. These health care systems rely much more on prevention. Yet the people in those "houses" live longer, healthier lives. Thats because in those other countries, the foundation and the walls of the house are stronger, with fewer cracks to let in the cold.

Start with the foundation. Thats the head start toward health that children in most other rich countries receive. In part because of better pre-natal care, infant mortality in all other industrial countries is lower than in the United States, which ranks 42nd in the world.

In every country in the world except the United States, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea, mothers, and often, fathers, are guaranteed paid time off from work to take care of newborns. In many cases, such "family leave" extends for up to a year or more.

Vitamin B12 Keeps Your Brain Young

Older individuals with low levels of vitamin B12 are at increased risk of having brain atrophy or shrinkage. Brain atrophy is associated with Alzheimers disease and impaired cognitive function.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among older people.

In a study involving more than 100 volunteers aged 61 to 87, all participants underwent annual clinical exams, MRI scans and cognitive tests, and had blood samples taken. Individuals with lower vitamin B12 levels at the start of the study had a greater decrease in brain volume. Those with the lowest B12 levels had a sixfold greater rate of brain volume loss compared with those who had the highest levels.

However, none of the participants were actually deficient in vitamin B12 -- they just had low levels within a normal range.

Other risk factors for brain atrophy include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Sources:
* U.S. News & World Report September 8, 2008
* Neurology 2008; 71: 826-832

Comments:

The first thing that jumped out at me about this study wasnt only the benefits of vitamin B12, but the risk thats there if your levels are low. Not deficient, necessarily, just within the low range of normal

3 Myths About Running and Your Health

Every person who takes up running has been confronted by a �helpful� critic who is more than happy to reel off the reasons running will ruin your life. Here�s a look at three questionable claims about running and health:

1. Running will give you a heart attack or other heart problems. It is true that exercise temporarily raises the odds of a heart attack while youre mid-workout, but doing it consistently reduces that risk over the long haul, leading to a net benefit. Going for a run most days of the week is doing far more good than bad for your heart.
2. Running will ruin your bones and joints. A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found no evidence of accelerated rates of osteoarthritis among long-distance runners. Weight-bearing exercise like running helps stave off osteoporosis by maintaining bone mineral density.
3. Running will kill you before your time. According to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, running and other vigorous exercise in middle age is associated with a longer life. Not only that, it will make your later years more pleasant by reducing disability.
Sources:
* U.S. News & World Report August 13, 2008
* American Journal of Preventive Medicine August 2008; 35(2):133-8
* Archives of Internal Medicine August 11, 2008; 168(15):1638-46

Comments:

I�ve been a runner ever since reading Dr. Ken Cooper�s book, Aerobics, back in 1968. (Dr. Cooper was the Air Force physician who helped set up the exercise program for the astronauts, by the way.)

Cancer Institute Warns of Cell Phone Risks

The head of a prominent cancer research institute has issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The warning came from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Herberman says his warning is based on early unpublished data. He argues that people should take action now -- especially when it comes to children.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldnt wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," Herberman said. Sources:
* Crave July 24, 2008
* USA Today July 23, 2008

Comments:

Tumor immunologist Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is the last in a recent succession of authorities that are speaking out publicly about the potential dangers of cell phones.

Dr. Herbermans complete article, which was

CoQ10 Boosts Your health

C0Q10 Helps you produce more energy for your cells*

* Acts as a catalyst in your bodys various chemical reactions, leading to the production of energy.*
* Ignites your bodys engine by jump-starting energy production in your cells.*
* Youll enjoy your new-found energy and stamina levels.*

Boosts your heart health*

* Helps strengthen your overall cardiovascular system.*
* Helps maintain and balance the critical energy level needed in your bodys most vital muscle� your heart.*
* Since youre passionate about life, you need an optimally-functioning heart.*

Acts as an antioxidant to help protect you from free radicals*

115-year-old had healthy brain

A Dutch woman who was the oldest person in the world when she died at age 115 in 2005 appeared sharp right up to the end, joking that pickled herring keeps her healthy.

Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, who died at age 115 in 2005, was the oldest person in the world.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands � A Dutch woman who was the oldest person in the world when she died at age 115 in 2005 appeared sharp right up to the end, joking that pickled herring was the secret to her longevity.
Scientists say that Hendrikje van Andel-Schippers mind was probably as good as it seemed: A post-mortem analysis of her brain revealed few signs of Alzheimers or other diseases commonly associated with a decline in mental ability in old age.
That came as something of a surprise, said Gert Holstege, a professor at the University of Groningen, whose findings will be published in the August edition of Neurobiology of Aging.
"Everybody was thinking that when you have a brain over 100 years, you have a lot of problems," he said.
He cited a common hardening of arteries and the buildup of proteins associated with Alzheimers disease as examples.
Van Andel was the oldest living person in the world at the time of her death in the Dutch city of Hoogeveen, according to the Guinness World Records.

Preventing Prostate Cancer and BPH

The risk of the two major prostate diseases, cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), can be reduced by changes in lifestyle, such as avoiding smoking, maintaining a normal weight and eating a healthy diet. Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., associate head of the Cancer Prevention Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, has conducted many studies that suggest men need not feel helpless against prostate cancer or BPH.

For example, Kristal and colleagues have found that:

* Eating cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli, at least three times a week may reduce a mans risk of prostate cancer by nearly half. Scientists believe that these vegetables protect against cancer because they contain isothiocianates, which increase the activity of enzymes that can both detoxify cancer-promoting compounds and decrease the concentration of active androgens (steroid hormones) in the prostate.

* Dietary supplementation with selenium and vitamin E may significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Kristal and colleagues found that men who take a daily vitamin E supplement lower their risk of aggressive prostate cancer by nearly half. Kristal and colleagues are now engaged in a clinical trial with more than 35,000 men testing whether selenium and/or vitamin E can prevent prostate cancer.

Chlorophyl and Health

Q: Can you tell me more about chlorophyll, including what foods it can be found in and the effect that cooking has upon it?

Although its not very well known in the world of nutrition, chlorophyll couldnt be more important in the world of biology and plants. All green plants contain at least one type of chlorophyll (chlorophyll a). Plants that evolved at a later point in history ("higher plants") also contain a second type of chlorophyll (chlorophyll b). There are also forms of chlorophyll called chlorophyll c1, c2, and c3, as well as a chlorophyll d, but these forms are much less widely distributed in the plant world. Chlorophyll is the single most critical substance in plants that allows them to absorb light from the sun and convert that light into usable energy. (In biochemistry, its called the primary photoreceptor pigment).

In many vegetables, there is slightly more chlorophyll a than chlorophyll b, and this slight edge in favor of chlorophyll a tends to decrease as the plant ages. However, research studies have yet to clarify what the exact health significance is of this chlorophyll a-to-chlorophyll b ratio.

The color of chlorophyll

Its usually easy to tell when a food has significant amounts of chlorophyll, because

Harvard Research Skeptical about Multivitamins

An estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults take multivitamins regularly, but according to Harvard researchers, this could be causing more harm than good.

The researchers cited studies showing that antioxidant supplements do not protect against cancer or heart disease, and may actually cause harm in some cases. They also reported that recent clinical trials show that B-vitamin supplements (B6, B12 and folic acid) do not prevent heart disease.

One study even found an increased risk of cancer among people taking large amounts of folic acid (who were also at an increased risk of the disease), and other research has also suggested that folic acid may have contributed to rising rates of colorectal cancer in the United States and Canada.

The researchers pointed out that while government-mandated folic acid fortification in U.S. grain products has reduced the rate of spinal cord birth defects, it may, when coupled with a multivitamin, increase your risk of cancer.

"There is no proof that a daily multivitamin is harmful," the Harvard newsletter concluded. "Still, it now seems possible that the high levels of folic acid achieved by well-intentioned people who take a multivitamin and eat healthful foods could increase the risk of colorectal and possible prostate and breast cancers."
Sources: