US News and World Report | Find Me A Cure

Fight These 4 Causes to Live Long

You can slow down your aging process and help stave off heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. U.S. News & World Report offers some tips on how to do it:

1.Free radicals. Free radicals are chemically unstable molecules that attack your cells and damage your DNA. You can limit your exposure to them by avoiding cigarettes, trans fats, charred meats, and other sources.

Organic fruits and vegetables will also limit your exposure to pesticides and herbicides, which contain the harmful molecules.

2.Inflammation. Inflammation is a major player in many diseases of aging, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. One way to avoid it is to follow a Mediterranean-style diet.

Other great anti-inflammatory foods include turmeric, dark chocolate, and the anti-aging chemical resveratrol. Exercise is another great way to lower inflammation.

3.Glycation. Glycation is what happens when sugar mixes with proteins and fats to form molecules that promote aging. Advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, are thought to accelerate your aging process by churning out free radicals and promoting inflammation. One way to avoid ingesting AGEs is to turn down the heat when you cook. The browning effect of high-heat cooking causes these molecules to form. Limiting your intake of sugar-filled foods in general will also help.
4.Stress. Stress initiates the release of a variety of hormones that make your pulse race and cause your blood pressure to rise. The hormone cortisol, released to lessen these effects, also creates problems when it remains chronically elevated. Try practicing relaxation techniques to help manage stress, and get enough sleep every night.

Resources:
U.S. News & World Report July 29, 2010
The Guardian August 1, 2010

Fight These 4 Causes of Aging (health.usnews.com)
It’s Not Just Your Gene Pool (lewrockwell.com)
Reverse Aging with the Anti-Inflammation Diet (lifescript.com)
Health Buzz: Calcium Supplements May Boost Heart Attack Risk (health.usnews.com)
Resveratrol May Suppress Inflammation in Humans (webmd.com)
What are Free Radicals? (brainz.org)
Resveratrol Supplments (healthlifestyleforever.com)
Blueberries: An Antioxidant Super-Food (lifescript.com)
Plant compound resveratrol shown to suppresses inflammation, free radicals in humans (scienceblog.com)
Plant compound resveratrol shown to suppresses inflammation, free radicals in humans (eurekalert.org)

Just Say No to Nuts During Pregnancy

Recent research has found that regular consumption of nut products during pregnancy raises the odds of your child having asthma symptoms by nearly 50 percent.

About 4 percent of American children have food allergies, and roughly 3 million people in the U.S. are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. It’s already recommended that children under 3 not be given nuts or nut products, because their immune systems are still developing and may be more susceptible to allergens.

Daily consumption of nut products increases the odds that a child will have wheezing by 42 percent, shortness of breath by 58 percent, and steroid use to ease asthma symptoms by 62 percent.

Overall, the odds of developing asthma symptoms for a child whose mother ate nuts daily are 47 percent higher.

Sources:
U.S. News and World Report July 15, 2008

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine July 15, 2008; 178(2):113-4

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