Diana's Best Resources

Volkswagen emissions scandal proves it's a far greater sin in America to kill the air than to kill people

By Jennifer Lea Reynolds — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) The Volkswagen scandal, in which the admission that 11 million Volkswagen-made cars used software that tricked official emissions tests, has shocked the world. Everyone from Volkswagen employees and owners of the cars to financial analysts and environmentalists are in...

How corporate #gaywashing is pushing all sorts of poisons on gays

By J. D. Heyes — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) It's gotten to the point where you can't turn on the television or listen to the radio without hearing some sort of "news" or show or advertisement pushing a radical anti-Christian agenda. Indeed, the political left under Barack Obama and his democrats have launched...

When your family pet is euthanized, it can end up being "recycled" into food and cosmetics

By J. D. Heyes — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A special investigative report set to air in November is said to contain "shocking evidence" that mega-corporations have conspired with government agencies to create a "genetic Armageddon."The investigation by SkyWatch TV hints at groundbreaking information that...

Insect fumigation chemicals paralyze boy

By L.J. Devon, Staff Writer — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) When the McCaughey family called in fumigators to take out an army of termites, they had no clue the fumigation chemicals would ultimately send their son into a state of paralysis. After their home was fumigated, the Florida family returned home and immediately grew...

Look how much the US spends on "sick care"

By Jennifer Lea Reynolds — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A data team at The Economist recently released a chart entitled "How countries spend their money". When it comes to health spending in the United States, it's very obvious that something is seriously out of whack. The chart shows that in the U.S., 20.9 percent of total...

Russia bombs Syria as Obama fails to make progress in Middle East

By J. D. Heyes — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) Decades before the first American soldier set foot in Afghanistan, the Red Army was there.In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded its much smaller neighbor to install a Moscow-backed regime. Over the next 10 years, Afghanistan would become a Vietnam-like quagmire for Moscow...

NEW independent website keeps track of breaking news on GMOs, Monsanto, glyphosate and more

By Ethan A. Huff, staff writer — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) For all the latest biotechnology news, Natural News is proud to unveil the all-new GMO.news web resource, which offers readers all the top breaking articles and reports on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), chemical pesticides such as Roundup (glyphosate), industry...

Foods to avoid with multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases

By Kali Sinclair — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) If you have MS, it is long past time for you to choose to eat the healthiest possible diet. Let's face it, your immune system is in free fall. It is so confused, it is attacking the myelin sheath that coats your nerves and possibly your nerves as well. You know how serious...

Increasing fluoride levels in drinking water by just 1% can cause 131,000 ADHD cases, study shows

By Jennifer Lea Reynolds — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A study published in the journal Environmental Health reinforces what many people have known for a long time: Increasing levels of fluoride in drinking water is harmful to health. While its findings are disturbing, the study is good news for those who have been told...

Billion Dollar Bully reveals extortion tactics employed by marketing giant Yelp

By Jonathan Benson, staff writer — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) It's a popular tool for finding unique restaurants, coffee shops, and other local establishments in a given area or region that are popular, or unpopular, based on user-contributed reviews and ratings. But billion-dollar "bully" company Yelp is the subject of a new documentary...

Sorry, Monsanto

By Natural News Editors — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) A few weeks ago, I spoke by phone with Cathleen Enright, executive vice president of the Biotech Industry Organization (BIO).^[1] (Long story). (Story by Katherine Paul, republished from CounterPunch.org.)During the course of our conversation, when we touched...

Nearly one-fifth of college students hear a mysterious exploding noise in their head

By David Gutierrez, staff writer — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) Nearly one-fifth of young people have experienced "exploding head syndrome," a type of auditory hallucination previously thought to be restricted to older adults, according to a study conducted by researchers from Washington State University and published in the Journal...

Don't Ignore These 10 Things If You Struggle With Anxiety

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

Forty million Americans, or 18 percent of the population, struggle with anxiety disorders, which are, collectively, the most common mental illness in the US.¹ While anxiety is a normal response to stress, in some people the anxiety becomes overwhelming and difficult to cope with, to the point that it affects their day-to-day living.

There are a variety of anxiety disorders, each with varying symptoms, but most involve what can be incapacitating fear and worry. A sense of dread is also common, and the feelings persist for months, even when there’s no real reason to feel anxious. Examples of anxiety disorders include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Panic Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder Specific Phobias

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD, closely related to anxiety disorders) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, closely related to anxiety disorders)

10 Behaviors That May Make Your Anxiety Worse

John D. Moore, PhD is an anxiety therapist in Chicago, Illinois. In a report for Psych Central, he explained there are 10 specific behaviors people engage in unintentionally that may make their anxiety worse.²

Dr. Moore suggests “rethinking your relationship with anxiety so that it becomes more manageable,” and a first step to doing that is to recognize potentially self-defeating habits. Don’t judge yourself if you recognize these habits, rather make a point to try to turn the behaviors around.

1. Denial

Do you deny that you suffer from anxiety? This can backfire and may amplify your feelings. This is particularly true if you struggle with OCD or specific phobias.

2. Avoidance

Hiding from your fears or apprehensions may seem like a reasonable way to beat anxiety, but it’s likely to make your fears expand. Dr. Moore uses the example of a fear of driving on highways. If you avoid highways and opt for side roads, you may soon start to fear driving on fast side streets as well.

3. Fishing for Reassurances

Fishing for reassurance from those around you may reinforce your core irrational belief and contribute to toxic thinking. For example, if you feel anxious about your body image, asking someone “I’m not fat, am I?” will not make you feel better, because the question already implies you think you are fat.

4. Magical Thinking

Magical thinking is part of a family of cognitive distortions in which you cling to the hope that you’ll receive an instant cure for your anxiety. You probably won’t be able to “wave a magic wand” and have your anxiety disappear, but you can look toward improving and reducing your symptoms.

5. Relying on Herbal Drinks

Chamomile tea and other herbal beverages may provide some relief from your anxiety symptoms, however they won’t help heal the underlying causes. If you become too reliant or hooked on herbal remedies, this temporary crutch may end up making your anxiety worse.

6. Thought Stopping

Some people with anxiety snap themselves with a rubber band or other device to stop anxious thoughts. This may offer momentary relief, but the thoughts will return, possibly with increased vigor than before. Dr. Moore notes, “The more you try to ‘control’ your anxiety, the more power you give it.”

7. Relying Only on Medications

Relying on anxiety medications may offer some relief, especially if your anxiety is severe, but it shouldn’t be viewed as an exclusive coping strategy. There are serious side effects to consider, and, like herbal drinks, medications are only a surface-level fix, not a “cure.” As Dr. Moore explained:

“Think about it – what will happen when the medication doesn’t work as well as it used to? Also, what will happen if you decide to come off the medication?

This is why it is important to combine medications with other treatment approaches, such as strength training and talk therapy – preferably with a CBT [cognitive behavioral therapy] slant.”

Commonly prescribed medications include benzodiazepine drugs like Ativan, Xanax, and Valium. They exert a calming effect by boosting the action of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the same way as opioids (heroin) and cannabinoids (cannabis) do. This in turn activates the gratification hormone, dopamine, in your brain.

Since the identical brain "reward pathways" are used by both types of drugs, they can be equally addictive and also may cause side effects like memory loss, hip fractures, impaired thinking, and dizziness.

8. Analysis (Psychoanalysis)

Talk therapy that focuses on your childhood and past may offer emotional catharsis and healing for some people. However, research suggests it is not the most effective form of talk therapy for treating anxiety. Better approaches may focus on the present, here and now, as opposed to what’s happened in the past.

9. Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol and drugs may help you escape your anxious feelings temporarily but will likely make your anxiety worse in the long run. You may also become addicted to or dependent on them, adding to your mental health challenges.

10. Engaging in Learned Helplessness

Adopting a mindset that you’re powerless over your thoughts and helpless to do anything about your anxiety perpetuates a vicious cycle that ultimately makes anxiety worse. According to Dr. Moore:

“Successful people have learned to avoid the trap of learned helplessness and instead, take active steps to work through emotional life challenges with an eye towards healing.”

If You Suffer from Anxiety, You May Be ‘Wired’ That Way

Dr. Moore stated, “If you have an anxiety disorder, you were wired that way.” What does this mean? It’s thought that anxiety disorders may result from a combination of nature (your genetics) and nurture (your environment).

For instance, if you grow up in an environment with frequent yelling or abuse, it might make you prone to looking out for potential threats, even when they’re no longer there. In a sense, your brain becomes “wired” for anxiety, such that any potentially undesirable event or emotion becomes cause for alarm.³

Worse yet, some people are so used to feelings of anxiety that they don’t realize there’s a problem and simply suffer in silence. As anxious feelings intensify, it can lead to social isolation, physical symptoms, and related mental health problems, like depression.

Anxiety actually involves the same “fight or flight” response that stress does, which means it ramps up your heart rate, circulation, and reflexes so you’re prepared to fight off (or escape) a potential threat.

However, this stress-induced response is usually due to an external source (such as speaking in front of an audience) while anxiety is more of an internal process (such as worrying about an upcoming social event). Further, your brain is actively involved. The National Institute of Mental Health explains:⁴

“Several parts of the brain are key actors in the production of fear and anxiety… scientists have discovered that the amygdala and the hippocampus play significant roles in most anxiety disorders.

The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain that is believed to be a communications hub between the parts of the brain that process incoming sensory signals and the parts that interpret these signals.

It can alert the rest of the brain that a threat is present and trigger a fear or anxiety response. The emotional memories stored in the central part of the amygdala may play a role in anxiety disorders involving very distinct fears, such as fears of dogs, spiders, or flying. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that encodes threatening events into memories.”

You Might Want to Think Twice About Taking Antidepressants for Anxiety

Benzodiazepines, such as Ativan, Xanax, and Valium, are commonly prescribed for anxiety. However, antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are sometimes prescribed for social anxiety disorder, which involves feelings of embarrassment or severe anxiety in public situations. SSRIs work by preventing the reuptake (movement back into the nerve endings) of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This makes more serotonin available for use in your brain, which is thought to improve your mood.

Most people have heard of the "chemical imbalance" theory, which states that depression and certain anxiety disorders are due to low serotonin levels. Most believe this theory to be true. But the theory was just that — a theory. It sounds scientific, but there was actually no hard evidence behind it.

Further, in the case of social phobias, research shows patients tend to produce too much serotonin in the amygdala, and the “more serotonin produced in this area, then, the more anxious people feel in social situations.”⁵

Previous studies have revealed that increased nerve activity in the amygdala is part of the underlying mechanism that produces anxiety. Basically, those with social phobia have an over-active fear center. These new findings provide additional information, suggesting increased serotonin production in the brain may be part of this mechanism. Either way, when it comes to treating this anxiety disorder, increasing serotonin in your brain with an SSRI will not soothe your anxiety. It will increase it, making SSRIs a highly questionable treatment option.

Most People Do Nothing to Help Their Anxiety…

It’s estimated that only one-third of people with anxiety disorders receive treatment,⁶ which is highly recommended if you’re struggling with anxiety – but keep in mind “treatment” doesn’t necessarily mean drugs. Energy psychology techniques such as the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can be very effective by helping you to actually reprogram your body’s reactions to the unavoidable stressors of everyday life.

This includes both real and imagined stressors, which can be significant sources of anxiety. EFT was developed in the 1990s by Gary Craig, a Stanford engineer specializing in healing and self-improvement. It’s akin to acupuncture, which is based on the concept that a vital energy flows through your body along invisible pathways known as meridians. EFT stimulates different energy meridian points in your body by tapping them with your fingertips, while simultaneously using custom-made verbal affirmations.

This can be done alone or under the supervision of a qualified therapist. By doing so, you help your body eliminate emotional “scarring” and reprogram the way your body responds to emotional stressors. Since these stressors are usually connected to physical problems, many people’s diseases and other symptoms can improve or disappear as well.

Recent research has shown that EFT significantly increases positive emotions, such as hope and enjoyment, and decreases negative emotional states, including anxiety.

Following a 2012 review in the American Psychological Association’s journal Review of General Psychology, EFT is moving closer to meeting the criteria for an “evidence-based treatment.” EFT is particularly powerful for treating stress and anxiety because it specifically targets your amygdala and hippocampus, which are the parts of your brain that help you decide whether or not something is a threat.⁷ EFT has also been shown to lower cortisol levels, which are elevated when you’re stressed or anxious.⁸

In the following video, EFT therapist Julie Schiffman discusses EFT for panic attacks and anxiety relief. Please keep in mind that while anyone can learn to do EFT at home, self-treatment for serious issues like persistent anxiety is not recommended. For serious or complex issues you need someone to guide you through the process, as it typically takes years of training to develop the skill to tap on and relieve deep-seated issues like anxiety. That said, the more you tap, the more skilled you’ll become.

There Are Natural Options for Treating Anxiety

Anxiety disorders can be debilitating and in some cases require professional guidance, counseling, and treatment. Two conventional treatments of anxiety disorders that have proven to be effective for many are psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy is defined as targeting the issue through breathing exercises and small increments of exposure to what is causing your anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy on the other hand, is designed to help you deal more effectively with situations that fill you with anxiety.

You can use these alone or in combination with energy psychology tools like EFT. In addition, get started on a regular exercise program. Some psychologists swear by exercise as a primary form of treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Exercise leads to the creation of new neurons, including those that release the calming neurotransmitter GABA, while boosting levels of potent brain chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine, which may help buffer some of the effects of stress.

Many avid exercisers also feel a sense of euphoria after a workout, sometimes known as the “runner’s high.” It can be quite addictive, in a good way, once you experience just how good it feels to get your heart rate up and your body moving. Duke University researchers published a review of more than 100 studies that found yoga appears to be particularly beneficial for mental health,⁹ so you can try that if it appeals to you. I also recommend high-intensity interval training like Peak Fitness and resistance/strength training as well, in addition to flexibility and core-building exercises like yoga or Foundation Training.

What to Eat to Help Relieve Anxiety

Another little-known trick to potentially ease your anxious feelings? Eat fermented foods. Nourishing your gut flora with the friendly bacteria known as probiotics is extremely important for proper brain function and that includes psychological well-being and mood control. The probiotic known as Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001, for instance, has been shown to normalize anxiety-like behavior in mice with infectious colitis.¹⁰

Prior research has also shown that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus had a marked effect on GABA levels in certain brain regions and lowered the stress-induced hormone corticosterone, resulting in reduced anxiety- and depression-related behavior.¹¹ So if you suffer from anxiety, it would be wise to look into nourishing your gut flora, and the best way to do this is to regularly consume traditionally fermented foods, like fermented vegetables, that have not been pasteurized.

If you do not eat these types of foods regularly, then a high-quality probiotic supplement can help fill in the gap and give your gut the healthy bacteria it needs. Meanwhile, avoid the many factors that can throw your bacteria equilibrium way off balance, such as eating sugar, refined grains, and other processed foods or taking antibiotics.

Additionally, your diet should include a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fats, like krill oil. The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA play an important role in your emotional well-being, and research has shown a dramatic 20 percent reduction in anxiety among med students taking omega-3s.¹² By combining the behavioral modifications with appropriate therapy, EFT, exercise, and dietary changes, you may be able to relieve your anxiety symptoms and enjoy life once again.

SB277 Referendum Facebook page vanishes; leaders remain unreachable

By Julie Wilson staff writer — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 06:00:00 +0000

(NaturalNews) UPDATE: Natural News has now heard from Tim Donnelly and we are expecting an update from Tim very soon. The following article was written before we heard from Donnelly. What follows is the original article:Sometime during the evening of September 29, the official...

Most Americans Will Be Misdiagnosed at Least Once

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that up to 98,000 people die each year due to hospital mistakes. A health advisory committee with IOM has built on this knowledge in a new, yet equally concerning, report released in September 2015.^¹

Most people will suffer from at least one wrong or delayed medical diagnosis during their lifetime, according to the latest data. Americans experience about 12 million diagnostic errors a year, the IOM report revealed.

Conservatively, the report found that 5 percent of US adults who seek outpatient care will experience a diagnostic error. Further, such errors are thought to contribute to 10 percent of patient deaths and 17 percent of adverse events in hospitals.

They're also the leading type of paid medical malpractice claims and are nearly twice as likely to have resulted in the patient's death compared to other claims.

Devastating Diagnostic Mistakes Are Claiming Patients' Lives

"Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care: It provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions.

For decades, diagnostic errors — inaccurate or delayed diagnoses — have represented a blind spot in the delivery of quality health care. Diagnostic errors persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients," the IOM report stated.

Diagnostic errors are often incredibly harmful to patients as they may lead to delays in treatment, lack of treatment, inappropriate, or unnecessary treatment. This, in turn, can have physical, psychological, and financial consequences.

Causes are varied but include inadequate communication between physicians and patients, a health care system design that does not support the diagnostic process, limited feedback to clinicians about diagnostic performance, and a health care culture that discourages transparency, so diagnostic mistakes are typically not reported (and not learned from).

Dr. Peter Pronovost, director of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins, told CNN:²

"It's probably one of the, if not the, most under-recognized issues in patient safety… Much of the harm that we once labeled as inevitable we're now seeing as preventable."

CNN noted several examples of diagnostic mistakes included in IOM's report:³

A 51-year old woman with a family history of heart disease repeatedly asked her doctors' office to refer her to a cardiologist for a stress test. Three months after her initial request, on the day of her appointment, she died because of significant coronary artery disease.

A doctor mistook a blood clot in the lungs of a 33-year old woman for an asthma attack, leading to her death.

An urgent care clinician misread an X-ray and diagnosed a 55-year old man with an upper respiratory infection instead of pneumonia. He died as a result.

Doctors at a trauma center decided not to perform a CT scan on a 21-year old stabbing victim and missed a knife wound penetrating several inches into his skull and brain.

A newborn baby suffered preventable brain damage when doctors failed to test for high levels of a chemical in his blood that had turned his skin yellow from head to toe.

'Urgent Change Is Warranted'

The IOM committee concluded "urgent change is warranted" to protect patients from diagnostic errors, although there's likely no quick fix available. They recommended a slew of changes, including:

More training (in medical school and continuing education) in making diagnoses Federal agencies and employers should encourage the reporting of diagnostic errors to help others learn how to avoid them

Increased monitoring of how health care facilities are diagnosing patients Encouraging patients to be involved in their care and share concerns about diagnostic errors

Ensuring patients have access to electronic health records, diagnostic testing results, etc. so they can review for accuracy Increased collaboration among pathologists, radiologists, other diagnosticians, and health care professions to improve the diagnostic process

At the heart of the recommendations is one that virtually everyone reading this should take to heart: a call for patients to become advocates for their own care and voice any concerns or questions. Dr. Pronovost added: "We need to encourage patients to speak up and ensure that when they do speak up, it's well received."⁴

The National Patient Safety Foundation and the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine have a checklist you can use to help ensure you get the correct diagnosis. It includes recommendations such as the following:

Tell your story well (when symptoms started, what makes symptoms better or worse, etc.) Remember what treatments you've tried in the past and how the illness has progressed over time

Keep records of test results, medications, and hospital admissions Learn about your illness, tests or procedures you're having done, and/or medications you're taking

Take charge of managing your health, and be sure each doctor you're seeing is aware of other doctors' visits, medications you're taking, test results, treatments, etc. Be actively involved in your health care decisions

Know your tests results, including what the results mean Ask questions, including whether there could be other reasons or causes for your illness

Medical Errors May Cause Nearly Half a Million Deaths Annually

Diagnostic errors are just one type of error that occurs in the medical field, and you might be surprised at just how common errors occur. While the 1999 IOM report blamed 98,000 deaths a year on hospital errors, a 2013 study in the Journal of Patient Safety projected that medical errors now account for 210,000 to 440,000 US deaths annually.⁵

Even at 210,000, this makes medical errors the third-leading cause of death in the US, right after heart disease and cancer. And when you consider instances where medical errors cause some form of harm but not necessarily death, the incidence rate may be as high as 40,000 per day!⁶ These are frightening numbers that deserve immediate attention, as the researchers noted:

"In a sense, it does not matter whether the deaths of 100,000, 200,000, or 400,000 Americans each year are associated with PAEs [preventable adverse events] in hospitals. Any of the estimates demands assertive action on the part of providers, legislators, and people who will one day become patients.

Yet, the action and progress on patient safety is frustratingly slow; however, one must hope that the present, evidence-based estimate of 400,000+ deaths per year will foster an outcry for overdue changes and increased vigilance in medical care to address the problem of harm to patients who come to a hospital seeking only to be healed."

Seniors May Be Particularly at Risk

Yet another study of more than 12,500 Medicare patients (with an average age of 76) found that nearly one in five suffer from medical injuries when receiving care.⁷ Injuries included:

Being given the wrong medicationd

Having an allergic reaction to a medication

Receiving treatment that led to more complications of an existing medical problem

Those who had experienced a medical injury had a death rate nearly double those who had not, along with greater use of medical services and increased health care costs in the year following the injury. While the media often focuses on medical injuries in hospitals, this study actually found that two-thirds of injuries occurred during outpatient care (such as doctor's offices).

Previous studies have found about 13.5 percent of hospitalized patients suffer from adverse medical events, but the featured study found about 19 percent of seniors are harmed by medical care. Older people, men, those with lower incomes, and people with disabilities were at an even greater risk. Further, the risk of an adverse medical event rose 27 percent for each chronic medical condition a person had.⁸ The study's lead researcher noted:

"These injuries are caused by the medical care or management rather than any underlying disease… The rate of these injuries is probably higher than has been estimated."

What Medical Errors Should You Watch Out For?

Hospitals often make such egregious errors as treating the wrong patient, leaving behind surgical tools in a person after surgery, losing patients, or operating on the wrong body part. Air bubbles in your blood after a chest tube is removed, mix-ups involving medical tubing, and hospital-acquired infections are other examples of sometimes fatal medical errors that are all too common – and preventable.

Any time you're in a health care setting, be sure to ask questions – double check the treatments you're receiving, the dosages of medications, and the diagnosis you're given – and if possible bring a family member or friend with you for an extra set of eyes and ears.

Further, be aware that more than 2 million people are affected by hospital-acquired infections each year, and a whopping 100,000 people die as a result. According to the 2011 Health Grades Hospital Quality in America report, analysis of approximately 40 million Medicare patients' records from 2007 through 2009 showed that 1 in 9 patients developed such hospital-acquired infections!⁹ The saddest part is, most of these cases could likely have been easily prevented with better infection control in hospitals — simple routines such as doctors and nurses washing their hands between each patient, for example.

So make sure doctors, nurses, and other health care providers wash their hands before touching you; if you feel uncomfortable speaking up… realize that doing so could literally save your life.

One of the reasons I am so passionate about sharing the information on this site about healthy eating, exercise, and stress management is because it can help keep you OUT of the hospital and other health-care danger zones. You can use this site to find well-proven strategies that will address most chronic health problems.

Please remember you can always use the search engine at the top of every page on the site to review previous articles we have written. If you have an acute injury or life-threatening medical situation, of course you need to seek immediate competent care.

How to Stay Safe If You're Hospitalized

Download Interview Transcript

Dr. Martin Makary is the author of The New York Times bestselling book Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Healthcare, which is a story about the dangerous practices and mistakes of modern medicine. In the interview above, you can learn some important tips to stay safe if you find yourself in a hospital. Once you're hospitalized, you're immediately at risk for medical errors, so one of the best safeguards is to have someone there with you. Dr. Andrew Saul has also written an entire book on the issue of safeguarding your health while hospitalized.

One of the best suggestions is simply to have someone there to act as your personal advocate, or to take the time to stay with your loved one who is hospitalized. This is particularly important for pediatric patients and the elderly.

"Sometimes, we rely on a competent talking patient to help verify what we're doing before we go in the operating room. But if we got somebody who's not mentally coherent because they're elderly or a kid and there's no family member around, these are danger zones. These are high-risk areas for medical mistakes,"

Dr. Makary warns. "It's important to ask what procedure's being done or why is the procedure being done. 'Can I talk to the doctor?' You have a right to know about what's being done to you or your loved one in the hospital. When you've got a kid in the hospital, I think it's particularly important to ask the questions."

For every medication given in the hospital, ask, "What is this medication? What is it for? What's the dose?" Take notes. Ask questions. Building a relationship with the nurses can go a long way. Also, when they realize they're going to be questioned, they're more likely to go through that extra step of due diligence to make sure they're getting it right — that's human nature. Dr. Makary also co-developed a checklist for surgeons to use before surgery or any other hospital procedure.

Dr. Pronovost, who is Dr. Makary's research partner, created a checklist in the ICU for patients who are in the intensive care unit. The World Health Organization (WHO) ended up taking an interest in their checklists and used some of their principles to develop the official World Health Organization checklist.

The WHO surgical safety checklist and implementation manual,¹⁰ which is part of the campaign "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" that Drs. Makary and Pronovost were a part of, can be downloaded here. If a loved one is in the hospital, print it out and bring it with you, as this can help you protect your family member or friend from preventable errors in care.

31 Foods With Surprisingly More Sugar Than Doughnuts

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend limiting your daily added sugar intake to nine teaspoons (38 grams) for men and six teaspoons (25 grams) for women.

I strongly recommend limiting your daily fructose intake to 25 grams or less from all sources, including natural sources such as fruit — regardless of whether you’re male or female. That equates to just over six teaspoons of total sugar a day.

The average American, however, consumes around 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which is more than three times my recommended amount.

There’s simply no doubt that this overconsumption of sugar is fueling the obesity and chronic disease epidemics we’re currently struggling with, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Most people are aware that sugar is present (in abundance) in sweet processed foods like doughnuts, cakes, and candy.

Yet, many are unaware of just how much sugar they’re consuming, as it’s oftentimes hidden under other less familiar names, such as dextrose, maltose, galactose, and maltodextrin, and found in foods you wouldn’t necessarily expect.

According to SugarScience.org, added sugars hide in 74 percent of processed foods under more than 60 different names!¹ So, needless to say, if you eat processed foods then consuming more than the recommended daily amount of sugar is far easier than you might think.

31 Foods with More Sugar Than a Doughnut

Doughnuts are one of the worst foods you can eat, and they’re also one of the most sugar-laden. So they serve as a good barometer of sugar content. If the food you’re eating contains more sugar than a doughnut, it’s probably not doing your health any favors.

There’s more to a food’s nutritive value than its sugar content alone (so eating a piece of whole fruit with 10 grams of sugar is going to offer you far more value than a doughnut with 10 grams), but the point is that even some “healthy-sounding” foods are too high in sugar to actually be healthy.

Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnut contains 10 grams of sugar. Take Part, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, and Mother Jones compiled 31 foods that have more sugar than this, some of which may surprise you.^2,3,4,5

Chili’s Caribbean Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken = almost 7 doughnuts (67 grams of sugar)

Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino = 6 doughnuts (64 grams of sugar)

Jamba Juice Banana Berry Smoothie, small = 6 doughnuts (60 grams of sugar)

Odwalla Superfood Smoothie, 15.2 ounces = 5 doughnuts (50 grams of sugar)

Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake = 4.5 doughnuts (45 grams of sugar)

California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Salad = 4.5 doughnuts (45 grams of sugar)

Kraft French Style Fat Free Dressing = 4 doughnuts (42 grams of sugar)

Dunkin’ Donuts Reduced-Fat Blueberry Muffin = 4 doughnuts (40 grams of sugar

Snapple Peach Tea = 4 doughnuts (39 grams of sugar)

Burger King Chicken, Apple, and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad with Chicken = 4 doughnuts (38 grams of sugar)

Craisins Dried Cranberries (1.75 ounces) = 3 doughnuts (34 grams of sugar)

Vitamin Water, 20 ounces = 3 doughnuts (33 grams of sugar)

Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice = 3 doughnuts (32 grams of sugar)

McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal = 3 doughnuts (32 grams of sugar)

IHOP Whole Wheat Pancakes with Banana, four pancakes without syrup = 3 doughnuts (32 grams of sugar)

Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, 8 ounces = 3 doughnuts (31 grams of sugar)

Starbucks Greek Yogurt and Honey Parfait = 3 doughnuts (30 grams of sugar)

Starbucks Blueberry Muffin = 3 doughnuts (29 grams of sugar)

Stonyfield Fat Free Blackberry Blend Yogurt = 3 doughnuts (28 grams of sugar)

Can of Coca-Cola = 2.5 doughnuts (26.4 grams of sugar)

Yoplait Blackberry Harvest Yogurt = 2.5 doughnuts (26 grams of sugar)

Tropicana Orange Juice, 8 ounces = 2 doughnuts (22 grams of sugar)

Nutella Spread, 2 tablespoons = 2 doughnuts (21 grams of sugar)

Campbell’s Classic Tomato Soup on the Go = 2 doughnuts (20 grams of sugar)

Dole Mixed Fruit Cup = 1.5 doughnuts (17 grams of sugar)

Subway 6" Sweet Onion Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich = 1.5 doughnuts (17 grams of sugar)

Motts Applesauce (one cup) = 1.5 doughnuts (16 grams of sugar)

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Fruit and Nut Granola Bar = 1 doughnut (13 grams of sugar)

Kellogg’s Froot Loops = 1 doughnut (12 grams of sugar)

Prego Fresh Mushroom Italian Spaghetti Sauce = 1 doughnut (11 grams of sugar)

Luna Bar = 1 doughnut (11 grams of sugar)

Beware of Trans Fats and Aldehydes in Doughnuts (and Other Processed Foods)

Download Interview Transcript

Aside from their high sugar content, doughnuts are often a source of highly toxic synthetic trans fats, which are linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and other health conditions.

In June of 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced partially hydrogenated oils (a primary source of trans fat) will no longer be allowed in food unless authorized by the agency due to their health risks.

According to the FDA, this change may help prevent around 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 heart disease deaths each year. The new regulation will take effect in 2018. In the interim, food companies have to either reformulate their products to remove partially hydrogenated oils or file a limited use petition with the FDA to continue using them.

In order to gain approval, the company would have to provide evidence showing that trans fat is safe to consume — which could be difficult, considering the Institute of Medicine’s declaration that there's NO safe limit for synthetic trans fats. However, be aware that while the food industry has reduced the use of harmful synthetic trans fats, they’ve reverted back to using regular vegetable oils, and this is far from an ideal replacement.

Especially when heated, vegetable oils like peanut, corn, and soy oil degrade into highly toxic oxidation products that appear to be even worse than trans fats! One category of these byproducts, called aldehydes, are of particular concern. In animals, even low levels of aldehydes oxidize LDL cholesterol and cause high levels of inflammation, which is associated with heart disease.

Cyclic aldehydes have also been shown to cause toxic shock in animals through gastric damage, and this seems consistent with the rise in immune problems and gastrointestinal-related diseases in the human population.

Added Sugars Versus Natural Sugars: What’s the Difference?

One problem with processed food is that when you look at the label, you have no way of knowing how much of the sugar is natural to the food itself and how much of the sugar was added. According to endocrinologist Robert Lustig, one of the most well known crusaders speaking the truth about the real dangers of sugar, it’s important to distinguish between natural food-based sugars and added sugar, because clinical trials have shown that consuming added sugar, such as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other forms of processed fructose, can increase your risk factors for cardiovascular disease within as little as two weeks.

Food-based sugars tend to be far less hazardous, in Dr. Lustig’s opinion. Lactose, for example, which is a natural sugar found in dairy, does not cause any major harm, according to Dr. Lustig. Still, I believe that if you are insulin/leptin resistant, then limiting ALL forms of sugar, including natural food-based sugars such as lactose, is advisable until your insulin/leptin resistance has been resolved.

Nutritionist, fitness trainer, and author JJ Virgin agrees with my assertion that even natural sugars can be problematic. For instance, agave, natural fruit juice, raw cane sugar, and any number of other natural sugars will still wreak havoc on your health. Virgin, who authored the book The Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Sugars to Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks, says:

“[S]ugar is really public enemy number one… That’s why I chose to focus on it. I don’t think added sugar is really the problem; I think it’s what’s in a lot of our food that we don’t recognize [as sugar]. Whether it’s having apple juice (which is worse for you than a soda), or having a yogurt sweetened with fruit juice concentrate, or whether you’re just thinking that fruits are free for all, these are all creating problems.

I wanted to create a structured program that could help someone break free of those sugar cravings, drop the weight forever, and then let them go back and [do a food] challenge... in order to connect the dots between what happens when they drink one of those big fruit smoothies that are supposed to be so healthy.”

The Sugar and Beverage Industries Want to Keep You in the Dark About Sugar

Added sugars, however, should be limited or eliminated as much as possible. As Dr. Lustig states, 77 percent of food items in US grocery stores contain added sugar. And as the list above shows, it’s not always easy to gauge how much sugar is in processed foods. As a result of the mounting evidence linking sugar to chronic disease, there's a proposal to add a line to the nutrition facts label indicating the amount of added sugars in food. Listing the percentage of daily value for sugar on nutritional labels would more readily identify high-sugar foods and could help rein in overconsumption caused by "hidden" sugars.

Not surprisingly, the sugar and beverage industries are hard at work opposing any and all federal actions that might dampen their sales. For example, the Sugar Association and the American Beverage Association have filed copious amounts of comments with the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, challenging scientific associations between sugar and chronic disease. Industry lawyers have even gone so far as to claim that including "added sugars" on nutrition labels is unconstitutional.

They don’t want you to know how much sugar is really in the food you eat because the more sugar you eat, the more you’re going to want (and the more you’re going to buy their products). Dr. Lustig explained:

“In the reward center, sugar stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine, and dopamine drives reward. But dopamine also down-regulates its own receptor (which generates the reward signal). This means the next time round, you’re going to need more sugar to generate more dopamine to generate less reward, and so on, until you’re consuming a whole lot of sugar, and getting almost nothing for it. That’s tolerance, and sugar is guilty as charged.”

Sugar Is Highly Addictive

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 10 percent of Americans consumed 25 percent or more of their daily calories in the form of added sugars. Further, most adults (71.4 percent) consumed at least 10 percent of their daily calories from added sugar.⁶ Why are added sugars (and natural sugars) making up such a large portion of Americans’ diets rather than, say, leafy greens, eggs, or hot peppers? When you eat refined processed sugars, they trigger production of your brain's natural opioids – a key ingredient in the addiction process.

Your brain essentially becomes addicted to stimulating the release of its own opioids as it would to morphine or heroin. Writing in The Atlantic,⁷ Dr. Lustig takes on the debate of whether sugar is truly addictive, and essentially proves that it very well is:

According to an animal study, Oreo cookies are just as addictive as cocaine or morphine, activating more neurons in the brain’s pleasure center than exposure to illicit drugs⁸

Rats exposed to sugar water demonstrate all the criteria necessary to diagnose addiction: binging, withdrawal, craving, and addiction transfer (or addiction to other substances as well)⁹

Humans want sugar even more than they want fat, as evidenced by a study that showed sugar, but not fat, stimulated the brain’s reward center¹⁰

Is Sugar Really a Health Hazard? It Depends on the Dose

The main problem with sugar, and processed fructose in particular, is the fact that your liver has a very limited capacity to metabolize it. According to Dr. Lustig, you can safely metabolize about six teaspoons of added sugar per day. As mentioned, the average American consumes 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day.¹¹ All that excess sugar is metabolized into body fat, and leads to many of the chronic metabolic diseases we struggle with, including but not limited to:

Type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular disease

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Dementia

Cancer

A report by Credit Suisse Research Institute, which explored the impact of sugar and sweeteners on humans' diets, also suggested there may be a threshold level in the body for sugar below which it causes little or no harm… but once you pass it, health problems may emerge.¹² Consuming small amounts of sugar may not be a problem, but consuming sugar by the pound certainly is.

"While medical research is yet to prove conclusively that sugar is the leading cause of obesity, diabetes type II, and metabolic syndrome, the balance of recent medical research studies are coalescing around this conclusion. Advances in understanding the negative effects of refined carbohydrates on blood sugar regulation and cholesterol, and the metabolic impacts of fructose, are undermining the traditional view that all calories are the same," the report stated.

Are You Ready to Break Free from Sugar?

If you currently eat sugar, there's a good chance you're struggling with sugar addiction. So I highly recommend trying an energy psychology technique called Turbo Tapping, which has helped many "soda addicts" kick their sweet habit, and it should work for any type of sweet craving you may have. Remember that in order to minimize your sugar intake, you need to avoid most processed foods, as most contain added sugar.

If you’re insulin/leptin resistant, have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or are overweight, you’d be wise to limit your total sugar/fructose intake to 15 grams per day until your insulin/leptin resistance has resolved. For all others, I recommend limiting your daily fructose consumption to 25 grams or less. Please refer to my free nutrition plan for a step-by-step guide to making positive changes in your diet. You simply cannot achieve optimal health on a diet of processed foods and sugar. A couple of other tricks to try to kick your sugar cravings:

Exercise: Anyone who exercises intensely on a regular basis will know that significant amounts of cardiovascular exercise is one of the best "cures" for food cravings. It always amazes me how my appetite, especially for sweets, dramatically decreases after a good workout. I believe the mechanism is related to the dramatic reduction in insulin levels that occurs after exercise. Additionally, if you do eat sugars or fruits around the time of the exercise, your sugar levels will not rise as it will metabolized for fuel

Organic, black coffee: Coffee is a potent opioid receptor antagonist, and contains compounds such as cafestol – found plentifully in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee – which can bind to your opioid receptors, occupy them, and essentially block your addiction to other opioid-releasing food.^13,¹⁴ This may profoundly reduce the addictive power of other substances, such as sugar.

Sour taste, such as that from cultured vegetables, helps to reduce sweet cravings, too. This is doubly beneficial, as fermented vegetables also promote gut health. You can also try adding lemon or lime juice to your water.

Ballooning Diabetes Rates Highlight the High Cost of Cheap Food

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

The recent case of an American toddler diagnosed with type 2 diabetes highlights the severity of the problems our modern processed food diet causes. According to Reuters,¹ the three-year old girl, who weighed in at 77 pounds, is one of the youngest persons ever diagnosed with this obesity-related disease.

In the past, type 2 diabetes was referred to as “adult onset” diabetes, and most patients were in the senior category. But as our diets and lifestyles have changed, so has the disease.

And, while lack of exercise is certainly a factor, one would be hard-pressed to accuse a two-year old of being too sedentary. Clearly, diet plays a more important role in individuals this young. So what’s wrong with children’s diets these days?

Many Babies Are Raised on Sugar

In short, most babies and toddlers are fed far too much sugar right from the start. Many parents fail to realize that infant formulas can contain significant amounts of added sugars and starchy fillers,² which paves the way for chronic disease from day one.

Past investigations have also revealed trans fats — now known to promote heart disease — in some formulas, as well as genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, which are also suspected of causing obesity and health problems in the long term, primarily by promoting inflammation and disrupting gut flora.

Last year, data³ from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that more than 29 million Americans were diagnosed with full-blown type 2 diabetes,⁴ a statistic researchers predicted in 2001 wouldn’t be reached until 2050.⁵

A more recent study,^6,^7,^8,^9,¹⁰ which also for the first time included estimated disease rates for certain minority groups, suggests as much as HALF of the American public may have either prediabetes or diabetes.

Diabetes rates have also soared in other countries. In the UK, rates have risen by 60 percent in the last decade.¹¹

When you start investigating the diets of babies and young children, these statistics become less surprising. In fact, they’re to be expected.

One in four Americans eats some type of fast food on a daily basis,¹² and nearly half of the money Americans spend on food is spent on fast food meals.¹³ More than one-third of school-aged children and adolescent eat fast food on a daily basis.

As reported by Reuters:¹⁴

“More than 12 percent of the children and adolescents surveyed got over 40 percent of their calories from fast food, which was defined as ‘restaurant fast food/pizza,’ according to the data brief from the NCHS, a unit of the CDC.

‘It is certainly a significant amount and it would be more concerning if someone were not astonished by that number.

It is a sign we have some work to do to help families come up with practical solutions,’ said Dr. Esther Krych, a pediatrician with the Mayo Clinic's Children's Center...”

An estimated 56 percent of 8 year-olds also drink soda on a daily basis, and once the teenage years come, some kids drink at least three cans of soda a day.¹⁵

Analysis Confirms Fructose Is Primary Driver of Diabetes

Processed food and sugary beverages are now taking their toll on ever younger people as these younger generations are raised on such foods and drinks from a very early age, and this is why disease prevalence has exploded.

A meta-review published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings^16,^17,¹⁸ recently confirmed that calories from fructose (think high fructose corn syrup) and other added sugars are the primary drivers of prediabetes and diabetes.

Processed fructose and other added sugars not only worsen insulin levels and glucose tolerance, they also promote a number of different markers for poor health, including inflammation and hypertension (high blood pressure).

As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day, which is about six teaspoons. If you have no signs of insulin resistance you should be able to consume fruit liberally even though it has fructose.

If you have signs of insulin resistance such as hypertension, obesity, or heart disease, you’d be wise to limit your total fructose consumption to 15 grams or less until your weight and other health conditions have normalized.

According to this meta-review, the research clearly shows that once you reach 18 percent of your daily calories from sugar, there’s a two-fold increase in metabolic harm that promote prediabetes and diabetes.

Babies and toddlers really should have no added sugars at all. It’s completely non-essential for their growth and development. Breast milk is ideal, and even if you cannot breastfeed, there are far better alternatives than commercial infant formula.

Buying donor milk is one option. You can also make your own infant formula using whole ingredients like whole grass-fed raw milk or goat’s milk.

Antibiotics May Play a Role in Rising Diabetes Rates

According to a recent study,^19,²⁰ type 2 diabetics tend to have been more overexposed to antibiotics in the years prior to their diagnosis compared to non-diabetics.

This is yet another fast food factor that places young children at increased risk of diabetes and related health problems. Antibiotic overuse in food production has also led to the current scourge of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic exposure is one reason why I don’t recommend eating foods from factory farmed animals, as they tend to be raised on antibiotic growth promoters.

Each time you or your child eat food made from such animals, you’re getting a small dose of antibiotics that, over time with regular consumption, can upset your gut flora and have a notable impact on your weight and metabolism.²¹

While a small number of restaurants have taken steps to limit meat raised on antibiotics, the vast majority of fast food restaurants and major restaurant chains have not.

A recent report^22,^23,²⁴ produced by six consumer interest, public health, and environmental organizations warn that 20 of the 25 restaurant chains surveyed have failed to take any affirmative action on this issue, and are still serving meat and poultry raised on antibiotics. Chipotle’s and Panera Bread were the only two restaurants, according to this report, that publicly affirm the majority of the meats served come from antibiotic-free producers.

Pesticides in Processed Food Also Raise Diabetes Risk

Pesticides and herbicides are another factor that has now started to come to the fore as a major driver of chronic disease — including diabetes. According to a recent analysis^25,^26,²⁷ of 21 studies, exposure to pesticide — regardless of type — was associated with a 61 percent increased risk for any type of diabetes. Twelve of the studies focused on type 2 diabetes specifically, linking pesticide exposure to a 64 percent increased risk of this type of diabetes.

"This systematic review supports the hypothesis that exposure to various types of pesticides increases the risk of diabetes,” the authors wrote, adding that: "Analyzing each pesticide separately suggests that some pesticides are more likely to contribute to the development of diabetes than others.”

Among the pesticides more clearly linked to diabetes were:

Chlordane Oxychlordane Trans-nonachlor DDT

DDE Dieldrin Heptachlor HCB

Toxic Glyphosate May Be a Major Health Threat in Food Supply

One of the most widely used herbicides in the US is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. In late March, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), reclassified²⁸ glyphosate as a Class 2A “probable human carcinogen,” based on evidence showing it can cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lung cancer in humans.

Previous research has also linked glyphosate to an increased diabetes risk, along with a slew of other chronic health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, which some believe may be yet another form of diabetes — basically “brain diabetes.” Swedish researchers recently confirmed that controlling your blood sugar levels appear to be an important aspect of dementia prevention for type 2 diabetics, who are at an increased risk for neurological degeneration.

The study included nearly 350,000 people, and blood sugar levels were tracked using hemoglobin A1C tests. This newer type of test provides you with an average blood sugar level over the past several months. As reported by MedicineNet.com:²⁹“After taking other variables into account, the study found that those with HbA1c levels of 10.5 percent or higher were 50 percent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia compared to people with HbA1c levels of 6.5 percent or less.”

Make Your Family’s Nutrition a Priority

It’s important to keep offering healthy foods to your child, even if they refuse them or seem to not like them. It can take 10 to 15 food exposures before a child becomes familiar with and likes a certain food, so persistence is important. Food is a part of crucial lifestyle choices first learned at home, so you need to educate yourself about proper nutrition and the dangers of junk food and processed foods in order to change the food culture of your entire family.

To give your child the best start in life and help instill healthy habits that will last a lifetime, you must lead by example. If you're not sure where to start, I recommend reading through my nutrition plan. This will provide you with the foundation you need to start making healthy food choices for your family. You can find even more help in the book I wrote on the subject, Generation XL: Raising Healthy, Intelligent Kids in a High-Tech, Junk-Food World.

Bring Back Home-Cooked Meals

One of the basic keys to good health and disease prevention is to eat real food... This may be particularly true for diabetes prevention, as processed foods and fast food contain not just one but several components shown to promote metabolic dysfunction and obesity.

This includes processed fructose and other added sugars, trans fats, antibiotics, and pesticides, along with other artificial ingredients, such as artificial sweeteners and MSG. A 2012 study found that both of these additives cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels and contribute to the onset of diabetes. When it comes to meat, it’s important to make sure it’s antibiotic-free and organically raised.

Ditto for other animal products like dairy and eggs. While some grocery chains offer grass-fed meats nowadays, your best bet is to connect with a local farmer that raises animals according to organic standards, allowing them to roam freely on pasture. Other foods are also best sourced from organic and local sources, to avoid undue pesticide exposure. In the US, the following organizations can help you locate farm-fresh foods:

Weston Price Foundation³⁰ has local chapters in most states, and many of them are connected with buying clubs in which you can easily purchase organic foods, including grass fed raw dairy products like milk and butter.

Local Harvest – This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.

Farmers' Markets – A national listing of farmers' markets.

Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals – The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) – CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.

FoodRoutes – The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and markets near you.

Antibacterial Soap Is All Washed Up

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

A survey by the American Cleaning Institute and the industry-run Personal Care Products Council revealed that 74 percent of Americans use antibacterial soap.

Fifty-six percent of them use it regularly, and, reportedly, 75 percent of moms with children in the household said they would be “angry” if antibacterial soap was no longer on the market.¹

This “anger,” however, would be misplaced, since antibacterial soap manufacturers have been suggesting the products are necessary to fight germs, and insinuating they’re superior to plain soap and water in keeping away illness, for years.

Such soaps may have their place, such as in an operating room prior to surgery, but they’re being vastly overused in homes, schools, restaurants, and other settings with potentially devastating consequences.

Despite the reality, 84 percent of US adults surveyed said they have no health or environmental concerns about antibacterial soap.

The actual health and environmental risks of antibacterial soap have only relatively recently been uncovered, and they’re still not widely known, at least among consumers. Hopefully, the tide is beginning to turn, however, as yet another study has shown no significant benefit to using antibacterial soap.

‘No Significant Difference’ Between Plain Soap and Antibacterial Soap

In December 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule stating that manufacturers must provide data to demonstrate that antibacterial soap is more effective than plain soap and water.

The current study examined this question by exposing 20 FDA-proposed bacterial strains to plain or antibacterial soaps.²

The bacterial strains included Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enteritidis, among others, and the antibacterial soap used the same formulation as plain soap, but containing 0.3 percent triclosan (the most widely used antiseptic agent in soap, as the maximum concentration allowed by law).

The bacteria were exposed to the soaps in petri dishes for 20 seconds at 22°C (room temperature) and 40°C (warm temperature) in order to simulate hand-washing conditions typically used by adults.

The bacteria were also spread onto the hands of study volunteers, who then washed their hands for 30 seconds using either type of soap and warm temperature water. The researchers found:

“Antibacterial soap containing triclosan (0.3 percent) was no more effective than plain soap at reducing bacterial contamination when used under 'real-life' conditions.”

It was only after the bacteria were soaked in antibacterial soap for nine hours that the triclosan-containing soap killed more bacteria than the plain soap – a clearly useless “benefit” for the average consumer.

The study’s lead researcher noted that exaggerating the effectiveness of antibacterial products should be banned, as it can confuse consumers.³

You’re Just as Likely to Get a Cough, Cold, Stomach ‘Flu,’ and Other Symptoms

Studies have shown that people who use antibacterial soaps and cleansers develop a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms just as often as people who use regular soaps.⁴

Part of the reason for this is because most of these symptoms are actually caused by viruses, which antibacterial soaps can't kill. But even for symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, which may be caused by bacteria, using antibacterial soaps will offer you no advantage over plain soap and water.⁵

So, the rational conclusion is antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary for the purpose of washing away bacteria.

A 2007 systematic review published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases also confirmed that antibacterial soap containing triclosan did not provide any additional benefit compared with a non-antibacterial soap.⁶

Triclosan Is Harmful to Human Health

If it were simply a matter of antibacterial soap working about the same as plain soap and water, you might still opt for antibacterial soap due to personal preference.

However, know that when doing so you’re most likely being exposed to the antibacterial chemical triclosan, which has been linked to concerns over antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption.

Some animal studies showed that triclosan caused fetal bone malformations in mice and rats, which may hint at hormonal effects.

One 2006 study found that triclosan induces changes in the thyroid hormone-mediated process of metamorphosis of the North American bullfrog,⁷ and a 2009 study demonstrated triclosan significantly decreases circulating concentrations of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) in male rats.⁸

Triclosan has also been found to cause estrogenic activities in human breast cancer cells, which may stimulate the growth and development of cancer cells.⁹ The chemical has also been found to impair muscle function in both humans and animals,¹⁰ and is linked to an increase in allergies among children.¹¹

It’s even been found to help staph bacteria colonize in the human nose. Of 90 participants tested, 41 percent had detectable levels of triclosan in their snot, and this presence, the researchers found, can double a person's risk of carrying and spreading the staph infection.¹²

Its prevalence is part of the problem. Studies show triclosan penetrates your skin and enters your bloodstream much easier than was once thought,¹³ and it’s now found in the majority of Americans. As noted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG):¹⁴

“Despite the absence of efficacy data, manufacturers have aggressively marketed antibacterial soaps to the American public. As a result of widespread use of such soaps, 75 percent of Americans have triclosan in their bodies, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data…

Triclosan has been found in pregnant women… in cord blood… and in breast milk… indicating that triclosan exposures start from the first moments of life.

A pilot study found triclocarban [another antibacterial chemical] in a third of urine samples collected from American adults with no known triclocarban exposure… The exposures would likely be much higher among consumers who buy triclocarban products.

New data point to the risks of triclosan and triclocarban to human health due to their endocrine-disrupting potential, indicating that each and every non-medical use of these potent chemicals must be scrutinized from public health and safety point of view.”

Antibiotic Resistance and Environmental Threats

Triclosan also shows evidence of harm in the environment. When you wash your hands, that triclosan in your antibacterial soap goes down the drain, and small quantities persist in water even after treatment at sewage plants.¹⁵

It’s been frequently detected in US streams and other bodies of water, where it’s been found to affect algae’s ability to perform photosynthesis.^16,¹⁷ Once in the environment, it may also be travelling up the food chain and accumulating to a concerning degree. As Smithsonian magazine reported:¹⁸

“The chemical is also fat-soluble — meaning that it builds up in fatty tissues — so scientists are concerned that it can biomagnify, appearing at greater levels in the tissues of animals higher up the food chain, as the triclosan of all the plants and animals below them is concentrated.

Evidence of this possibility was turned up in 2009, when surveys of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of South Carolina and Florida found concerning levels of the chemical in their blood.”

As mentioned, triclosan may also be contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The chemical isn’t only found in antibacterial soap; it’s also used in detergents, body wash, toothpaste, and even cutting boards and lipstick. All of this exposure adds up and may be offering bacteria an opportunity to build up resistance. As reported by Scientific American:¹⁹

“Laboratory studies on bacteria exposed to triclosan demonstrate evidence of cross-resistance to critically important antibiotics including erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, and gentamicin. Further, there is evidence that resistance to triclosan itself exists in Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and other species of bacteria.

Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis tolerant to triclosan have also showed resistance to the drug isoniazid (INH), which is used to treat tuberculosis.

Although the overuse of antibiotics in humans and livestock is a greater contributor to the public health crisis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the potential increased risk of antibiotic resistance from the use of antimicrobial chemicals is unnecessary.”

Kids Getting Poisoned by Hand Sanitizer

Using alcohol-based hand sanitizers may be suggested as an alternative to triclosan-containing antibacterial soap, but such products are not more effective than washing with plain hand soap and water. They can be useful in a pinch, but be aware that they don’t work if your hands are visibly dirty – and they may also be hazardous to children.

In 2013, US poison centers had more than 16,000 calls about children under 12 eating hand sanitizers – a 400 percent increase from 2010.²⁰ The gels often contain appealing scents (like strawberry or vanilla) and may come in brightly colored bottles. Some even contain glitter, making them appealing to kids.

However, hand sanitizer may be 40 percent to 95 percent alcohol, so even a small amount can be toxic to kids. Many schools are now including hand sanitizers on children’s school supply lists, so be sure to talk to your children about the dangers (and if they’re too young to understand them, refrain from sending it in your child’s backpack).

You may also want to discuss the potential hazards with your child’s teachers, as there have been cases of children “drinking” squirts of hand sanitizer from large bottles sitting out in classrooms.

Another under-recognized risk of hand sanitizer concerns the penetration-enhancing chemicals they may contain and the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is found in many cash-register receipts, and research shows using hand sanitizer prior to handling receipts may increase BPA absorption by up to 185 times.²¹

Tips for Effective Hand Washing

Hand washing is a simple way to reduce your exposure to potentially disease-causing germs and reduce your chances of getting sick. While not the only factor (the health of your immune system also plays a major role), it can drastically reduce the germs that get access to your body, especially when you do it at key times, such as before eating or touching your mouth, eyes, and nose, and after using the restroom or visiting public areas.

Hand washing needs to be done correctly, however, in order to be truly effective for disease control. Simply rinsing your hands with water, or giving a quick scrub with soap, is not enough to remove germs. In one study, only 5 percent of people washed their hands in a way that would actually kill infection and illness-causing germs.²² So, to make sure you're actually removing the germs when you wash your hands, follow these guidelines:

Use warm, running water, and a mild soap (avoid antibacterial soap)

Work up a good lather, all the way up to your wrists, and scrubbing for at least 15 or 20 seconds (most people only wash for about 6 seconds)

Make sure you cover all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers, and around and below your fingernails

Rinse thoroughly under running water

In public places, use a paper towel to open the door as a protection from germs that the handles may harbor

Keep in mind that your skin is your primary barrier against germs, so obsessive-compulsive washing, especially in dry environments that typically exist for most in the winter months when the heat is on, can actually increase your risk of getting sick by drying out your skin and creating small cuts or tears.

So keep a balance — avoid washing your hands to the point of irritating your skin, as dry, cracked areas are a perfect entryway for germs. Finally, if you want a natural alternative to antibacterial cleaners around your home, try 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Simply put each liquid into a separate spray bottle, then spray the surface with one followed by the other.

In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner. The best results came from using one mist right after the other – it is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer.

Majority of Fast Food Restaurants Get Fail Rating in Antibiotics Meat Report

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

Antibiotic resistance has been declared "an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society" by the World Health Organization (WHO).¹

The cause for this growing drug resistance was once thought to be restricted to overuse of antibiotics in medicine, but it's become quite clear that our food supply significantly contributes to the problem.

In fact, it may even be the overriding factor that has allowed, and continues to allow, resistance to grow and spread at the rate that it is.

In the US, animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are routinely fed low doses of antibiotics to make them grow fatter, faster, and to prevent disease associated with crowded and unsanitary living conditions.

The US uses nearly 30 million pounds of antibiotics each year to raise food animals.^2,³ This accounts for about 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the US,⁴ and nearly 70 percent of these antibiotics are considered "medically important" for humans.⁵

Globally, antibiotic use in both medicine and agriculture rose by 30 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to newly released data from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy.⁶

Along with it, antibiotic resistance has shot up as well. On a positive note, in countries that have implemented regulations to curb the use of antibiotics, certain drug resistant infections have dramatically dropped.

No matter where you live, what farmers are saving on the front end by using antibiotics instead of costlier alternatives (such as using essential oils,⁷ and feeding them a higher quality species-appropriate diet), consumers pay for on the back end, via exorbitant health care costs and lives cut short.

In the US alone, the price tag for antibiotic resistance is $20 billion in additional annual health care costs,⁸ and an estimated 23,000 Americans die from antibiotic-resistant infections each year.

Fast Food Restaurants Show Few Signs of Change

Efforts have been made to curtail the use of antibiotics in meat production, but so far, the industry is falling far short of making a dent in the situation.

According to a new report^9,^10,¹¹ "Chain Reaction: How Restaurants Rate on Reducing the Use of Antibiotics in Their Meat Supply," produced by six consumer interest, public health, and environmental organizations, most fast food restaurants are still serving meat and poultry raised on antibiotics.

Most also lack a publicly available policy to limit the use of such meats. Of the 25 restaurant chains included in the report, the following 20 received a "Failing" score:

Subway Starbucks KFC Domino's Pizza

Wendy's Burger King Denny's Olive Garden

Papa John's Taco Bell Pizza Hut Applebee's

Sonic Chili's Jack in the Box Arby's

Dairy Queen IHOP Outback Little Caesars

Only Two Fast Food Restaurants Earned an 'A' Grade

Chipotle's and Panera Bread both earned "A" ratings. According to the report, they are the only two fast food restaurants that publicly affirm the majority of the meats served come from antibiotic-free producers.

One-third of Panera's turkey and 100 percent of its pork and chicken is antibiotic-free. The company is also reviewing its policy for beef, although its primary beef supplier does not use antibiotics, and its secondary supplier uses antibiotics for medical necessity only.

Chipotle's policy prohibits routine use of antibiotics, and the company states this policy applies to at least 90 percent of all meats served. As for the remaining three restaurants, the report notes that:

"Chick-fil-A and McDonald's have established policies limiting antibiotic use in their chicken with implementation timelines, while Dunkin' Donuts has a policy covering all meats but has no reported timeline for implementation."

One in four Americans eats some type of fast food on a daily basis,¹² and nearly half of the money Americans spend on food is spent on restaurant meals.¹³

When you consider that, it's easy to see that this widespread resistance among restaurants to reduce antibiotics in their meat supply chains can have a significant impact on mounting drug resistance, and take an increasing toll on human health.

It's been estimated that some two million Americans are infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria each year. In addition to hard-to-treat infections, overexposure to antibiotics has also been implicated as a factor that can raise your risk of developing diabetes in subsequent years.¹⁴

This Can Have Significant Influence on Agricultural Practices

It's important to realize that every time you eat meat from animals raised on antibiotics, you're getting a small dose that, over time with regular consumption, can upset your gut flora and have a notable impact on your weight and metabolism¹⁵ — and that's over and above the issue of antibiotic resistance.

As noted in the Chain Reaction report:¹⁶

"When livestock producers administer antibiotics routinely to their flocks and herds, bacteria can develop resistance, thrive, and even spread to our communities, contributing to the larger problem of antibiotic resistance.

The worsening epidemic of resistance means that antibiotics may not work when we need them most: when our kids contract a staph infection (MRSA), or our parents get a life-threatening pneumonia...

Most top US chain restaurants have so far failed to effectively respond to this growing public health threat by publicly adopting policies restricting routine antibiotic use by their meat suppliers...

Restaurant companies should also encourage producers to improve animal diets and management practices within their facilities, as this reduces the reliance on routine drug use for disease prevention."

Why Eating Antibiotic-Free Meat Matters

The vast majority of meat and animal products such as dairy and eggs sold in the US — both in grocery stores and restaurants — come from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The way in which these animals are fed and raised significantly alters and diminishes the quality of the food. The use of antibiotics just makes a bad situation worse, by promoting drug resistance on top of inferior nutrition.

In 2011, researchers found about half of all meats and poultry sold in grocery stores were contaminated with drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the bacteria that causes most staph infections. Now, a new Consumer Report study^17,^18,^19,^20,^21,²² warns that all store-bought ground beef contains fecal bacteria, and factory farmed beef often contains dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well.

Consumer Reports purchased 300 packages of ground beef from 103 stores in 26 cities across the US. The beef samples (181 conventionally raised, 116 more sustainably produced, including organic grass-fed) were analyzed for the presence of five types of disease-causing bacteria. The samples were also put through secondary testing to ascertain whether the bacteria were resistant to antibiotics used in human medicine.

Their results showed that:

100 percent of all ground beef samples contained bacteria associated with fecal contamination (enterococcus and/or nontoxin-producing E. coli). In humans, these bacteria can cause blood or urinary tract infections
Nearly 20 percent contained Clostridium perfringens, a bacteria responsible for an estimated one million cases of food poisoning each year in the US
10 percent contained a toxin-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus, which cannot be destroyed even with thorough cooking
One percent contained salmonella, which is responsible for an estimated 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths in the US each year
Three of the conventional samples had methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which kills nearly 19,000 people each year.^23,²⁴ None of the sustainably raised beef samples contained MRSA

Grass-Fed and Organic Meats Pose Fewer Health Risks

Overall, Consumer Reports found that beef from animals raised in CAFOs was more likely to be contaminated with bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria, compared to beef from sustainably raised animals. Eighteen percent of the CAFO ground beef samples contained antibiotic-resistant superbugs resistant to three or more antibiotics, compared to nine percent of sustainably produced beef, and just six percent of the grass-fed beef.

According to Urvashi Rangan, executive director of the Center for Food Safety and Sustainability at Consumer Reports:²⁵

"We know that sustainable methods are better for the environment and more humane to animals. But our tests also show that these methods can produce ground beef that poses fewer public health risks...This study is significant, because it's among the largest scientific studies to show that sustainable methods of raising cattle can produce cleaner and safer ground beef... We suggest that you choose what's labeled 'grass-fed organic beef' whenever you can..."

Do keep in mind, however, that even grass-fed beef is more prone to carry potentially hazardous bacteria than steaks, so always cook ground beef through and through. The reason why ground beef tends to be far more problematic than solid cuts of meat is because on a steak, the bacteria tend to remain on the surface of the meat. Once you cook it, most of the bacteria are destroyed.

When the meat is ground, any bacteria present on top of the meat get mixed throughout the meat, contaminating all of it. So if you like your hamburger on the rare side, the pathogens may still be alive and well in the center of the beef patty.

Another contributing factor is the fact that in the making of ground beef, meat from a number of animals is mixed together, and all you need is for one contaminated animal to affect a very large batch of meat. Moreover, there is a limited number of meat processing plants, so opportunity arises for cross contamination to occur as meat from various farms is run through the machinery.

Grass-Fed Beef Is Also Nutritionally Superior

Besides reducing the risk for bacterial overgrowth and antibiotic resistance, feeding animals a species-appropriate diet (which for cows means grazing on grass, opposed to grains laced with antibiotics) profoundly improves the nutritional quality of their meat. It also virtually eliminates toxins such as glyphosate and other pesticides, which is the other side of the healthy-diet equation.

In 2009, a joint research project between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Clemson University determined the numerous ways grass-fed beef beats grain-fed beef for your health. In a side-by-side comparison, they determined that grass-fed beef was superior in the following ways:²⁶

Higher in total omega-3s Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin

A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs. 4.84) Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium

Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)

Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA) Higher in beta-carotene

When shopping for beef, keep the following labels in mind to help you find high-quality products.²⁷ And remember, your safest alternative is both organic and grass-fed.

100% USDA Organic label offers excellent assurance that antibiotics have not been used at any stage of production.

"No antibiotics administered" and similar labels also offer high assurance that antibiotics have not been used, especially if accompanied by a "USDA process Verified" shield.

"Grass-fed" label coupled with USDA Organic label means no antibiotics have been used, but if the "grass-fed" label appears alone, antibiotics may have been given.

"American Grass-fed" and "Food Alliance Grass-fed" labels indicate that in addition to having been raised on grass, the animal in question received no antibiotics. This is the best label of all but is in the early stages of development so you will likely not see it widely until next year.

The following three labels: "Antibiotic-free," "No antibiotic residues," and "No antibiotic growth promotants," have not been approved by the USDA and may be misleading if not outright fraudulent.

"Natural" or "All-Natural" is completely meaningless and has no bearing on whether or not the animal was raised according to organic principles. "Natural" meat and poultry products can by law receive antibiotics, hormones, and genetically engineered grains, and can be raised in CAFOs.

To Eat Well, Eat More Meals at Home

The foods you eat can be a major source of chronic low-dose exposure to antibiotics, and to protect your health you need to buy antibiotic-free, organically raised meat. Chipotle and Panera's appear to be doing a good job providing their customers with healthier meats, but your best long-term bet is to pick up a good cookbook and start cooking more of your own meals.

Connect with a local farmer that raises animals according to organic standards, allowing them to roam freely on pasture. Some grocery chains also offer 100 percent grass-fed meats these days, as do some small organic restaurants. Still, such eateries can be hard to come by, and for most people the best solution is to buy the meat, and cook it at home, along with other fresh (preferably organic) foods. In the US, the following organizations can help you locate farm-fresh foods:

Weston Price Foundation²⁸ has local chapters in most states, and many of them are connected with buying clubs in which you can easily purchase organic foods, including grass fed raw dairy products like milk and butter.

Local Harvest – This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.

Farmers' Markets – A national listing of farmers' markets.

Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals – The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) – CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.

FoodRoutes – The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and markets near you.

Resveratrol May Offer Protection Against Alzheimer’s

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in a number of plants, including grape skins, raspberries, mulberries, pomegranate, and raw cacao, and is known to have a number of beneficial health effects.

It belongs to a family of compounds known as polyphenols, which is produced by plants to increase their survival and resistance to disease during times of stress, such as excessive ultraviolet light, infections, and climate changes.

When you consume it, you can reap similar protection.

Indeed, resveratrol is known to combat damaging free radicals in your body, and health benefits include general life extension, and the prevention of cancer,¹ Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.

Resveratrol is found in abundance in red wine.² Because it’s highly soluble in alcohol, your body may absorb more of it from red wine than from other sources.

Despite that, I do not suggest drinking large amounts of red wine, as alcohol in and of itself is neurotoxic and can damage your brain and other organs. I believe there are far healthier sources for this potent free radical scavenger than wine.

Muscadine grapes, for example, have the highest concentration of resveratrol in nature because of their extra thick skins and numerous seeds, in which resveratrol is concentrated.

Resveratrol Has Neuroprotective Effects

Over the years, a number of studies have suggested resveratrol has neuroprotective effects, and may even slow the onset or progression of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

The latter is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s, and accounts for 20 to 30 percent of all cases. This form of dementia is caused by blocked or reduced cerebral blood flow, resulting in your brain cells being chronically deprived of oxygen and vital nutrients.

A number of different mechanisms and properties contribute to resveratrol’s neuroprotective influence.

One of the special properties of resveratrol is its ability to cross your blood-brain barrier, which allows it to moderate inflammation in your central nervous system. This is significant because CNS inflammation plays an important role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

Resveratrol has also been shown to improve cerebral blood flow, which is part of its protective effects against vascular dementia, as well as stroke. A 2010 study³ found that even one single dose of resveratrol can improve blood flow to your brain.

Previous research⁴ has also found resveratrol improves learning and memory in rats with vascular dementia by reducing oxidative stress in their brains.

Another 2010 study⁵ found that resveratrol suppresses inflammatory effects in certain brain cells (microglia and astrocytes) by inhibiting different pro-inflammatory cytokines and key signaling molecules.

Studies also show that resveratrol may prevent the formation of plaque in your brain that leads to Alzheimer’s disease.

Resveratrol Helps Prevent Hallmark Plaques Associated with Alzheimer’s

Research⁶ published in 2005 concluded resveratrol exerts “potent anti-amyloidogenic activity.”

Most recently, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study^7,^8,^9,^10,¹¹ found that resveratrol, taken in highly concentrated doses, appears to stabilize levels of amyloid-beta and prevent further buildup of the protein in the brain, thereby slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

In this trial, half of the participants were given up to 1,000 mg of resveratrol concentrate daily — equivalent to the resveratrol contained in about 1,000 bottles of red wine. The other half received a placebo.

All had been diagnosed with mild or moderate Alzheimer’s disease at the onset of the study. At the end of one year, the treatment group showed no change in amyloid-beta levels in their brains, spinal fluid, or blood, which was a good sign.

Meanwhile, the placebo group showed signs of typical disease progression, including a decline in amyloid-beta in their blood and spinal fluid. It’s thought that this reduction is due to the protein being removed from other parts of the body and deposited in the brain instead.

As reported by Market Business:¹²

“In patients with Alzheimer’s, amyloid-beta levels decrease in the cerebrospinal fluid, while deposits of the substance increase in the brain, where it becomes insoluble.

These insoluble plaques are a hallmark of the disease, which eventually leads to the death of nerve cells in the brain.

‘Somehow, resveratrol is affecting cerebrospinal amyloid levels,’ Dr. R. Scott Turner... told FoxNews.com. ‘We don’t quite fully understand why or how, but [we] think it may be related to sirtuins.’”

Resveratrol Produces Effects Similar to Calorie Restriction

Incidentally, sirtuins are proteins activated by calorie restriction, and are thought to play a role in the regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial function.
Studies¹³ on animals have shown that long-term calorie restriction effectively helps prevent age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s, so this is an intriguing link.

That said, since the chief goal of this latest study was to evaluate the safety of high-dose resveratrol, additional research is required to determine whether, and to what degree, resveratrol might actually prevent mental decline.

The study did note some promising signs of cognitive benefit though. As reported by CNN:¹⁴

“Even for the relatively small number of participants in the study, the researchers did see indication that resveratrol could improve cognition.

Patients in this group had slight improvements in their ability to carry out daily tasks, such as remembering to brush their teeth. And anecdotally, patients who took resveratrol told the researchers that they felt like they were maintaining their mental ability.”

Interestingly, resveratrol appears to produce biological effects similar to those of calorie restriction in another way as well. A study¹⁵ published in the March 2013 issue of Science demonstrates that resveratrol directly flips on a gene that stimulates production of a protein called SIRT1, which prevents disease by recharging your mitochondria (the little powerhouses inside your cells). As it turns out, calorie restriction and resveratrol exert the same effect on this SIRT1 protein.

Other Health Benefits of Resveratrol

Resveratrol is often referred to as “the fountain of youth” due to its wide-ranging health benefits. More than 600 scientific studies¹⁶ have found beneficial effects, covering more than 340 different diseases. In broad strokes, resveratrol has been found to exert the following actions and functions:

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial
Anti-infective
Antioxidant
Cardio-protective
Neuroprotective

Its anti-cancer properties are also well known, but many of resveratrol’s benefits appear to be related to its superior ability to reverse oxidative stress and quench inflammation. It does this by preventing your body from creating two molecules known to trigger inflammation – sphingosine kinase and phospholipase D.

Resveratrol May Be Helpful Against Depression

Inflammation is also thought to be a main player in depression. For example, researchers have found that melancholic depression, bipolar disorder, and postpartum depression are all associated with elevated levels of cytokines in combination with decreased cortisol sensitivity (cortisol is both a stress hormone and a buffer against inflammation).

As discussed in an article by Dr. Kelly Brogan, depressive symptoms can be viewed as downstream manifestations of inflammation, and recent animal research suggests resveratrol may be useful here as well. Using rats, the researchers showed that a resveratrol dose equivalent to what you’d get from six glasses of red wine effectively prevented depressive behavior in rats by blocking brain inflammation.

As reported by NewHope360:¹⁷

“Susan K. Wood, Ph.D... leader of the research team, said the group’s findings are exciting because they show that resveratrol has anti-inflammatory potential in the brain, not just on levels of inflammation circulating in the body. ‘Certainly, there is a strong case being built now between clinical and preclinical work that inflammation is linked to depressive symptoms, and there is a great need for these findings to be validated in human studies,’ she said.”

Healthy Sources of Resveratrol

As mentioned earlier, drinking large quantities of red wine is not your best alternative due to the toxic effects of alcohol. If you want to boost your consumption of resveratrol, stick with natural sources like whole grape skins, raspberries, and mulberries. If you struggle with insulin resistance, consider passing on the meat of the grape as it contains a lot of extra fructose while being devoid of resveratrol.

Other whole food sources include raw cocoa and dark chocolate, but it may be difficult to get a therapeutic dose from these foods, especially since these are best eaten in moderation. Another option is to take a resveratrol supplement. In this case be sure to look for one made from a whole food complex that includes muscadine grape skin and seeds, which is where the resveratrol is concentrated.

Other Tips to Protect Your Brain Health

Resveratrol can be a powerful addition to your diet, but not without a solid nutritional foundation. The first step is making sure you’re covering the basics, detailed in my complete nutrition plan. This comprehensive guide addresses the factors underlying all chronic degenerative diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and all types of dementia — including vascular dementia. And it is available completely free of charge.

For additional guidance about how to modify your diet for brain health in general, and Alzheimer’s prevention specifically, please see my article and interview with neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter. As a quick summary, you’ll want to address the following factors:

Avoid gluten and casein (primarily wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not dairy fat, such as butter). Increase consumption of healthful fats, such as organic butter from raw milk, clarified butter called organic grass-fed raw butter, olives, organic virgin olive oil and coconut oil, nuts like pecans and macadamia, free-range eggs, wild Alaskan salmon, and avocado Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3 (following the nutrition plan will help you do this); if your fasting insulin level is above three, consider limiting or eliminating your intake of grains and sugars until you optimize your insulin level Exercise regularly, including high-intensity interval training like the Peak Fitness Technique

Optimize your vitamin D levels with a combination of sensible sun exposure, vitamin D-rich foods and/or vitamin D3 supplementation along with vitamin K2, magnesium, and calcium Optimize your gut flora by regularly consuming fermented foods or taking a high quality probiotic supplement Optimize your Omega 3:6 ratio by taking high quality omega 3 oils such as krill oil and radically reducing if not completely eliminating industrial processed omega 6 oils Consider intermittent fasting

Are You Low in Potassium?

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

Potassium, a mineral and electrolyte, is essential for your cells, tissues, and organs to function properly. It plays a vital role in heart health, digestive, and muscular function, bone health, and more.

While potassium is found in many foods commonly consumed in the US – including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, salmon, sardines, and nuts – only 2 percent of US adults get the recommended daily amount of 4,700 milligrams (mg).¹

This is especially problematic because potassium is a nutrient that needs to be kept in proper balance with sodium in your blood. If you consume too much sodium, which is common if you eat a lot of processed foods, you’ll have an increased need for potassium.

Others who are at particular risk of low potassium, or hypokalemia, are those with chronic malabsorption syndromes, such as Crohn’s disease, or those taking heart medicine (particularly loop diuretics).²

However, anyone who eats a poor diet – an excess of processed foods and not enough fresh, whole foods – is potentially at risk of inadequate potassium levels.

Optimizing Your Potassium Level Helps Lower Your Blood Pressure

The number of deaths due to hypertension, or high blood pressure, increased nearly 62 percent from 2000 to 2013, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).³ Currently, about 70 million US adults struggle with the condition, which amounts to one in every three adults.

Only 52 percent of those who have been diagnosed have their blood pressure levels under control, and another one in three US adults has pre-hypertension, which means blood pressure is elevated and at risk of progressing to full-blown hypertension.⁴

Yet, many are not aware that an imbalanced sodium-potassium ratio may lead to hypertension, as a higher level of potassium may blunt the effect of excess salt on blood pressure.⁵

A recent meta-analysis revealed that daily potassium supplementation is associated with a reduction of blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure. The researchers noted:⁶

“The reduction in blood pressure significantly correlates with decreased daily urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio and increased urinary potassium. Patients with elevated blood pressure may benefit from increased potassium intake along with controlled or decreased sodium intake.”

Similarly, one four-year observational study (the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology [PURE] study), which included more than 100,000 people in 17 countries, found that while higher sodium levels correlate with an increased risk for high blood pressure, potassium helps offset sodium’s adverse effects.⁷

In the study, those with the lowest risk for heart problems or death from any cause were consuming three to six grams of sodium a day — far more than US daily recommended limits. So while there is a relationship between sodium and blood pressure, it’s not a linear relationship, and potassium plays a role.

Increasing Potassium May Be More Important Than Decreasing Salt for High Blood Pressure

The authors proposed that instead of recommending aggressive sodium reduction across the board, it might be wiser to recommend high-quality diets rich in potassium instead.

This, they surmised, might achieve greater public health benefits, including blood-pressure reduction. As noted by one of the researchers, Dr. Martin O'Donnell of McMaster University:⁸

“Potatoes, bananas, avocados, leafy greens, nuts, apricots, salmon, and mushrooms are high in potassium, and it's easier for people to add things to their diet than to take away something like salt.”

For comparison, according to a 1985 article in The New England Journal of Medicine, titled "Paleolithic Nutrition,” our ancient ancestors got about 11,000 mg of potassium a day and about 700 mg of sodium.⁹ This equates to nearly 16 times more potassium than sodium.

In contrast, daily potassium consumption with the Standard American Diet averages about 2,500 mg, along with 3,600 mg of sodium.

Researchers have also determined that increasing average potassium intake to the recommended 4,700 mg a day would reduce systolic blood pressure by between 1.7 and 3.2 mm Hg on a population-wide scale.

This decrease, they suggest, is similar to the reduction that would occur if Americans lowered their salt intake by 4 grams a day.¹⁰ This isn’t to say that I advise consuming all the salt you want, of course, particularly if it’s processed salt.

The easiest way to achieve an imbalance in your sodium-to-potassium ratio is by consuming a diet of processed foods, which are notoriously low in potassium while high in processed salt.

Potassium May Lower Your Risk of Stroke

Consuming enough potassium isn’t only a matter of maintaining a healthy blood pressure; it also helps to lower your risk of stroke (which makes sense, since elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke).

Research found that women without hypertension who consumed the most potassium (nearly 3,200 mg/day) had a 21 percent reduced risk of stroke.

Further, women who consumed the most potassium were 12 percent less likely to suffer from a stroke, and 12 percent less likely to die during the study period, than those who consumed the least.¹¹ According to the study’s lead researcher:¹²

“Potassium may play a role in improving blood vessel function in our brains. This could allow better oxygenation of our brain tissue, and prevent tissue death that occurs from lack of oxygen to the brain… The effect of potassium consumption on reduced stroke risk could also be due to a better diet overall, though we did not investigate this in our study.”

Separate research also revealed that for every 1000-mg/day increase in potassium intake, the risk of stroke decreased by 11 percent. “Dietary potassium intake is inversely associated with risk of strok.,”

The researchers wrote, “in particular ischemic stroke.”¹³ (Ischemic stroke, the most common type, results from an obstruction in a blood vessel supplying blood to your brain.)

Why You Should Strive to Get Your Potassium from Your Diet

It’s typically preferable to get your nutrients from foods instead of supplements, and this is certainly the case with potassium. Potassium in fruits and vegetables is potassium citrate or potassium malate, while that found in supplements is typically potassium chloride.

The citrate, malate, and other compounds in dietary potassium, particularly that in produce, helps your body produce alkali, which may promote bone health¹⁴ and even help preserve lean muscle mass as you get older.¹⁵ As researcher Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, of Tufts University, explained to Nutrition Action:¹⁶

“If you don’t have adequate alkali to balance the acid load from the grains and protein in a typical American diet, you lose calcium in the urine and you have bone loss…

When the body has more acid than it is easily able to excrete, bone cells get a signal that the body needs to neutralize the acid with alkali… And bone is a big alkali reservoir, so the body breaks down some bone to add alkali to the system.”

That bone loss could lead to brittle bones or even osteoporosis over time. But while potassium in fruits and vegetables may help build bone health, the potassium chloride in supplements may not.

Research by Dawson-Hughes found that people who were in the neutral range for net acid excretion, meaning they had a fairly healthy balance for bone and muscle health, were eating just over eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day along with 5.5 servings of grains.

When they rounded this out, it came to about half as many grains as fruits and vegetables. For many Americans a simple recommendation to increase your alkali (and potassium) while reducing acid is to eat more vegetables and fewer grains.¹⁷

What Else Is Potassium Good For?

There’s no doubt that potassium is a superstar for heart health, lowering both your risk of high blood pressure and stroke. It’s also beneficial for lowering your risk of heart disease. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center:¹⁸

“Studies show that [people with] a higher sodium-potassium ratio have a higher risk of heart disease and all-cause mortality. Other studies show that heart attack patients who have moderate potassium levels… have a lower risk of death.”

As mentioned, eating a diet rich in potassium is also associated with bone health, particularly in elderly women, and, possibly, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Symptoms of low potassium include weakness, lack of energy, muscle cramps, stomach disturbances, an irregular heartbeat, and an abnormal EKG (electrocardiogram, a test that measures heart function).¹⁹ If you’re wondering what your potassium levels are, ask your physician for a blood test.

Is Your Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio Out of Balance?

If you eat a lot of processed foods and not many vegetables, there’s a good chance your sodium-to-potassium ratio is unbalanced. If you’re not sure, try a free app like My Fitness Pal, which allows you to enter the foods you eat and then calculates the ratio automatically. It's generally recommended that you consume five times more potassium than sodium, but most Americans get two times more sodium than potassium. If your ratio is out of balance…

First, ditch all processed foods, which are very high in processed salt and low in potassium and other essential nutrients

Eat a diet of whole, unprocessed foods, ideally organically and locally grown to ensure optimal nutrient content. This type of diet will naturally provide much larger amounts of potassium in relation to sodium

When using added salt, use a natural salt. I believe Himalayan salt may be the most ideal, as it contains lower sodium and higher potassium levels compared to other salts

I do not recommend taking potassium supplements to correct a sodium-potassium imbalance. Instead, it is best to simply alter your diet and incorporate more potassium-rich whole foods. Green vegetable juicing is an excellent way to ensure you’re getting enough nutrients for optimal health, including about 300 to 400 mg of potassium per cup. Some additional rich sources of potassium are:

Lima beans (955 mg/cup)

Winter squash (896 mg/cup)

Cooked spinach (839 mg/cup)

Avocado (500 mg per medium)

Other potassium-rich fruits and vegetables include:

Fruits: papayas, prunes, cantaloupe, and bananas. (But be careful of bananas as they are high in sugar and have half the potassium of an equivalent amount of green vegetables. It is a myth that you are getting loads of potassium from bananas; the potassium is twice as high in green vegetables)

Vegetables: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, avocados, asparagus, pumpkin, Swiss chard, and beet greens

Eat Your Veggies to Prevent Breast Cancer

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

By Dr. Mercola

Nearly 23 percent of Americans report consuming vegetables and fruits less than one time daily, with a median vegetable intake of just 1.6 times per day overall.¹ In contrast, experts recommend consuming five to nine servings of vegetables and fruits daily for optimal health.

Chances are you know vegetables are good for you, and perhaps you’ve been meaning to include more of them in your daily diet. If you’re looking for motivation, the latest research adds to considerable evidence that eating veggies lowers your risk of many types of cancer.

In a recent study by researchers with the University of Missouri in Columbia, it was further revealed that eating vegetables may lower your risk of breast cancer due to a beneficial compound called luteolin.

Luteolin in Celery May Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Luteolin is an anti-inflammatory plant compound found in certain vegetables, including celery, peppers, and carrots. It’s previously been linked with lower rates of age-related memory loss in mice.²

And now researchers have found it may slow the development of breast cancer – particularly that caused by hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

In the past, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was widely prescribed for treating menopausal symptoms and even for preventive purposes, based in part on early observational studies that had suggested it could help protect women against heart disease, weak bones, as well as dementia.

All of that changed in 2002, when the 15-year Women's Health Initiative (WHI) abruptly ended its combination of estrogen and progestin therapy study because their data revealed higher rates of breast cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots in the population taking the hormones compared to those receiving a placebo.

Researchers from the featured study explained that benign lesions in breast tissues may turn into tumors if they received a “trigger” such as progestin, which attracts blood vessels and “feeds” the lesions, allowing them to expand.

When this occurs, the breast cancer cells “take on stem cell-like properties, which can make them harder to kill,” the study’s lead researcher stated.³ However, when breast cancer cells were exposed to luteolin in the lab, their viability markedly decreased.⁴

Not only did the blood vessels feeding the cells decline significantly, but also their “stem cell-like properties” were reduced, resulting in an anti-tumor effect. The researchers then tested luteolin on mice with breast cancer and similar benefits were observed.

The researchers are hoping to develop a luteolin-based drug that could be injected into the bloodstream to fight aggressive and hard-to-treat forms of breast cancer.

However they suggested that, in the meantime, women continue eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. In addition to celery, peppers and carrots, luteolin is also found in thyme, parsley, and broccoli.

Lycopene: Another Cancer-Fighting Compound in Veggies

Lycopene — a carotenoid antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and watermelon a pink or red color – has long been identified as a cancer fighter, although most often it’s mentioned in relation to prostate cancer.

Research shows, however, that lycopene may reduce breast cancer risk as well and may be particularly promising for those with difficult-to-treat estrogen receptor (ER)–negative tumors.

Lycopene's antioxidant activity has long been suggested to be more powerful than other carotenoids such as beta-carotene and research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute also found lycopene to be the most effective carotenoid in reducing breast cancer risk.⁵

The meta-analysis, which comprised more than 80 percent of the world’s published data on blood levels of carotenoids and breast cancer, revealed women with the highest level of total carotenoids had a 19 percent lower breast cancer risk compared to those with the lowest levels.

It’s clearly beneficial to consume a wide variety of vegetables that contain various carotenoids, but if you’re looking for the one with the greatest cancer-fighting potential of all, lycopene came out on top. News at JAMA reported:⁶

“Women with the highest levels of lycopene had a 22 percent decreased breast cancer risk; those having the highest beta-carotene levels had a 17 percent decreased risk.

Women with the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin (levels were read together) had a 16 percent reduced risk; and those with the highest levels of alpha-carotene had a 13 percent reduced risk compared with women having the lowest levels.

… The researchers said carotenoids may have several avenues available to reduce breast cancer risk. They are metabolized to retinol, which in turn regulates cell growth and differentiation and programmed cell death. Carotenoids also may enhance immune system functioning or help mop up oxygen-reactive species that cause cell damage.”

If you eat right, it should be relatively easy to get therapeutic levels of lycopene in your diet. Cooked tomato-based foods, such as organic tomato sauce, tomato paste, and spaghetti sauce, are among the best dietary sources of lycopene. It’s also abundant in watermelon.

Sulforaphane: The Cancer-Fighting Broccoli Superstar

No discussion of the cancer-fighting powers of vegetables would be complete without a mention of sulforaphane, an organic sulfur compound found in cruciferous vegetables, including not only broccoli but also Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, and arugula.

Broccoli sprouts are actually the richest source.

Sulforaphane kills cancer stem cells, which slows tumor growth. This sulfur compound also normalizes DNA methylation, which plays a role in a number of diseases, including hypertension, kidney function, gut health, and cancer.

Sulforaphane also increases enzymes in your liver that help destroy cancer-causing chemicals you may consume or be exposed to in your environment. This compound has even been called “one of the most powerful anti-carcinogens found in food.”⁷

Drug company Evgen has even developed the so-called “broccoli pill” (Sulforadex), which consists of a stabilized form of sulforaphane. Ordinarily, sulforaphane is highly unstable and must be kept at minus 20 degrees F.

Evgen reportedly stabilized the compound in a way that protects its efficacy, and says to get the benefits that the pill provides you’d need to eat about 5.5 pounds of broccoli a day.

Sulforadex has already been found to lower the risk of cancer, slow cancer growth, and stop its spread in animal studies, and it has been tested on 47 volunteers with promising results.⁸ Additional clinical trials are in the works with the hope the pill will work to treat brain hemorrhage and breast and prostate cancers.

Remember, however, that you can get sulforaphane via your diet by eating broccoli, broccoli sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables, and when you do this you’re also getting additional cancer-fighting, health-boosting nutrients found in these vegetables (like diindolylmethane, or DIM, which boosts your immune system and helps to prevent or treat cancer).

The ‘Trick’ to Maximizing the Sulforaphane in Your Broccoli

Sulforaphane is formed when you chop or chew broccoli (this combines its precursor glucoraphanin and the enzyme myrosinase).

Once swallowed, your gut bacteria may then help to release some of broccoli’s sulforaphane so your body can benefit, but it’s a tricky proposition because sulforaphane is attached to a sugar molecule with a sulfur bond.

As reported by Science Daily:⁹“When the broccoli enzyme breaks off the sugar to release the sulforaphane, a sulfur-grabbing protein can remove the newly exposed sulfur on the sulforaphane and inactivate it.” Researchers have found that one of the best ways to maximize sulforaphane your body can use is to heat the broccoli for 10 minutes at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (or steam it lightly for three to four minutes until it’s tough-tender).¹⁰

This was just enough heat to kill the epithiospecifier protein, which was “grabbing the sulfur” and “greatly depleting the amount of sulforaphane in a serving of broccoli.”¹¹Another option is to eat broccoli sprouts. Fresh broccoli sprouts are FAR more potent than whole broccoli, allowing you to eat far less in terms of quantity.

For example, tests have revealed that three-day-old broccoli sprouts consistently contain anywhere from 10 to 100 times the amount of glucoraphanin – the precursor to sulforaphane – found in mature broccoli.¹²Perhaps better still, research showed that broccoli sprouts enhanced the absorption of sulforaphane when consumed along with a broccoli powder, and broccoli sprouts alone had the highest absorption rate of all (74 percent).¹³

Eating Enough Vegetables Lowers Your Risk of Cancer and Premature Death

As mentioned, eating vegetables isn’t only important for reducing your risk of breast cancer. This is one health habit that can lower your risk of multiple types of cancer as well as your risk of numerous chronic diseases. One study found:¹⁴

Those who ate five to seven servings of vegetables and fruits per day had a 36 percent lower risk of dying from any cause

Three to five servings was associated with a 29 percent lower risk

One to three servings was associated with a 14 percent lower risk

But perhaps most strikingly of all, people who ate seven or more portions of vegetables and fruit a day had a 42 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, compared to those who ate less than one portion. They also enjoyed a 31 percent lower risk of heart disease and a 25 percent lower risk of cancer. Vegetables had a larger protective effect than fruits.

So while consuming small amounts of whole fruit is fine (and even beneficial) if you’re healthy, your focus should be on vegetables. When broken down by vegetables only, each additional daily portion of fresh veggies lowered participants’ risk of death by 16 percent compared to 4 percent for fresh fruit.

The fact of the matter is vegetables contain an array of antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds that are very difficult to get anywhere else. Plant chemicals called phytochemicals can reduce inflammation and eliminate carcinogens, while others regulate the rate at which your cells reproduce, get rid of old cells and maintain DNA. Vegetables are also one of the best forms of dietary fiber. Studies have repeatedly shown that people with higher vegetable intake have:

Lower risks of stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease Lower risks of certain types of cancer, eye diseases, and digestive problems Reduced risk of kidney stones and bone loss

Higher scores on cognitive tests Higher antioxidant levels Lower biomarkers for oxidative stress

Which Vegetables Are Best?

It’s hard to go wrong when eating vegetables, especially if you choose those that appeal to you. However, if you want to take your health up a notch, opt for vegetables that are locally grown, organic, and in season. This will ensure you’re getting the freshest vegetables without added toxins, like pesticides.

Growing your own vegetables is one of the best ways to get inexpensive fresh produce. Replace your lawn or shrubs with a vegetable garden — just be careful about your local zoning laws – or use containers. If a garden is not feasible, join a local food coop or frequent farmers’ markets (many of these now accept food stamps, too).

Generally speaking, you can eat as many green leafy vegetables as you want while high-sugar vegetables (like beets and carrots) should be eaten in moderation. My recommended list of vegetables provides a guide to the most nutritious vegetables, and those to limit due to their high carbohydrate content.

If you want more details about the specific nutrients and health benefits of different veggies, we've compiled an extensive review of the health benefits of vegetables in our Mercola Food Facts Library. However, as a general guide, the following list of vegetables details some of the best and worst vegetables for your health.

Highly Recommended Vegetables

Asparagus Escarole

Avocado (actually a fruit) Fennel

Beet greens Green and red cabbage

Bok choy Kale

Broccoli Kohlrabi

Brussels sprouts Lettuce: romaine, red leaf, or green leaf

Cauliflower Mustard greens

Celery Onions

Chicory Parsley

Chinese cabbage Peppers: red, green, yellow, and hot

Chives Tomatoes

Collard greens Turnips

Cucumbers Spinach

Dandelion greens Zucchini

Endive

Use sparingly due to high carbohydrate levels

Beets Jicama

Carrots Winter squashes

Eggplant

Vegetables to Avoid

Potatoes Corn