It’s easy to fall into the trap: A workout buddy passes along an exercise tip, and then you pass it on to several folks you know. Your kid’s coach gives you advice, and sure enough you hear the same thing from several other parents. So you figure it must be true. But experts say that in the world of fitness, myths and half-truths abound – and some of them may be keeping you and your family from getting the best and safest workout.

“Some myths are just harmless half-truths, but many others can actually be harmful,” says professional triathlete and personal coach Eric Harr, author of The Portable Personal Trainer. “They can cause frustration in working out and sometimes even lead to injury,” he notes.

One reason myths get started, says Harr, is that we all react to exercise a little differently. So what’s true for one person may not be true for another.

“In this sense you sometimes have to find your own ‘exercise truths’ – the things that are true for you,” says Harr.

That said, experts say there are also some fitness myths that just need busting, and the sooner the better!

To help put you and your family on the path to a healthier, safer, and more enjoyable workout, WebMD got the lowdown from several top experts on what’s true and what’s not when it comes to exercise tips.    

Fitness Myth No. 1: Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on asphalt or pavement.

“Running is a great workout, but it can impact the knees — and since it’s the force of your body weight on your joints that causes the stress, it’s the same whether you’re on a treadmill or on asphalt,” says Todd Schlifstein, DO, a clinical instructor at New York University Medical Center’s Rusk Institute.

The best way to reduce knee impact, says Schlifstein, is to vary your workout.

“If you mix running with other cardio activities, like an elliptical machine, or you ride a stationary bike, you will reduce impact on your knees so you’ll be able to run for many more years,” says Schlifstein.

Fitness Myth No. 2: Doing crunches or working on an “ab machine” will get rid of belly fat.

Don’t believe everything you hear on those late-night infomercials! Harr says that while an ab-crunching device might “help strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture,” being able to “see” your abdominal muscles has to do with your overall percentage of body fat.  If you don’t lose the belly fat, he says, you won’t see the ab muscles.

But can doing ab crunches help you to lose that belly fat? Experts say no.

“You can’t pick and choose areas where you’d like to burn fat,” says Phil Tyne, director of the fitness center at the Baylor Tom Landry Health & Wellness Center in Dallas.  So crunches aren’t going to target weight loss in that area.

“In order to burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training elements. This will decrease your overall body fat content,” including the area around your midsection, he says.

Fitness Myth No. 3: An aerobic workout will boost your metabolism for hours after you stop working out.

This statement is actually true — but the calorie burn is probably not nearly as much as you think!

Harr says that while your metabolism will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish an aerobic workout, the amount is not statistically significant. In fact, it allows you to burn only about 20 extra calories for the day. While there’s a little bit more of a metabolic boost after strength training, he says, it’s still marginal.

“It doesn’t really count towards your caloric burn,” he says.

Fitness Myth No. 4: Swimming is a great weight loss activity.

While swimming is great for increasing lung capacity, toning muscles, and even helping to burn off excess tension, Harr says the surprising truth is that unless you are swimming for hours a day, it may not help you lose much weight.

“Because the buoyancy of the water is supporting your body, you’re not working as hard as it would if, say, you were moving on your own steam — like you do when you run,” says Harr.

Further, he says, it’s not uncommon to feel ravenous when you come out of the water.

“It may actually cause you to eat more than you normally would, so it can make it harder to stay with an eating plan,” he says.

Fitness Myth No. 5: Yoga can help with all sorts of back pain.

The truth is that yoga can help with back pain, but it’s not equally good for all types.

“If your back pain is muscle-related, then yes, the yoga stretches and some of the positions can help. It can also help build a stronger core, which for many people is the answer to lower back pain,” says Schlifstein.

But if your back problems are related other problems (such as a ruptured disc) yoga is not likely to help, he says. What’s more, it could actually irritate the injury and cause you more pain.

If you do have back pain, get your doctor’s OK before starting any type of exercise program.

Fitness Myth No. 6: If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not working hard enough.

“Sweating is not necessarily an indicator of exertion,” says Tyne. “Sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself.”

It’s possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat: Try taking a walk or doing some light weight training.

Fitness Myth No. 7: As long as you feel OK when you’re working out, you’re probably not overdoing it.

One of the biggest mistakes people tend to make when starting or returning to an exercise program is doing too much too soon. The reason we do that, says Schlifstein, is because we feel OK while we are working out.

“You don’t really feel the overdoing it part until a day or two later,” he says.

No matter how good you feel when you return to an activity after an absence, Schlifstein says you should never try to duplicate how much or how hard you worked in the past.  Even if you don’t feel it at the moment, you’ll feel it in time, he says — and it could take you back out of the game again.

Fitness Myth No. 8: Machines are a safer way to exercise because you’re doing it right every time.

Although it may seem as if an exercise machine automatically puts your body in the right position and helps you do all the movements correctly, that’s only true if the machine is properly adjusted for your weight and height, experts say.

“Unless you have a coach or a trainer or someone figure out what is the right setting for you, you can make just as many mistakes in form and function, and have just as high a risk of injury, on a machine as if you work out with free weights or do any other type of nonmachine workout,” says Schlifstein.

Fitness Myth No. 9: When it comes to working out, you’ve got to feel some pain if you’re going to gain any benefits.

Of all the fitness rumors ever to have surfaced, experts agree that the “no pain-no gain” holds the most potential for harm.

While you should expect to have some degree of soreness a day or two after working out, Schlifstein says, that’s very different from feeling pain while you are working out.

“A fitness activity should not hurt while you are doing it, and if it does, then either you are doing it wrong, or you already have an injury,” he says.

As for “working through the pain,” experts don’t advise it.  They say that if it hurts, stop, rest, and see if the pain goes away. If it doesn’t go away, or if it begins again or increases after you start to work out, Schlifstein says, see a doctor.

Source: WebMD

Provided as a public service of the American Health Assistance Foundation

On this page, you will find the following:

• Risk Factors
  • Heredity
• Prevention
  • Diet
  • Exercise
  • Building Brain Reserves & Social Engagement
  • NSAIDS
  • Estrogen

Risk Factors

Scientists have identified factors that appear to play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, but no definitive causes have been found for this complex disorder.

Known Risk Factors

• Age: The single greatest risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is age. Approximately 5 percent of Americans between the ages of 65 and 74, and almost half of those 85 years and older are estimated to have Alzheimer’s.
• Genetics: The majority of Alzheimer’s cases are late-onset, usually developing after age 65, and this form of the disease shows no obvious inheritance pattern. However, in some families, clusters of cases are seen. A gene called Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) appears to be a risk factor for the late-onset form of Alzheimer’s. There are three forms of this gene: ApoE2, ApoE3 and ApoE4. Roughly one in four Americans has ApoE4 and one in twenty has ApoE2. While inheritance of ApoE4 increases the risk of developing the disease, ApoE2 substantially protects against it. Some current research is focused on the association between these two forms of ApoE and Alzheimer’s disease. Several other genes also appear to influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and more detailed information is available in the Heredity section.
  Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) or early-onset Alzheimer’s is an inherited, rare form of the disease, affecting less than 10 percent of patients. Familial Alzheimer’s Disease develops before age 65, in people as young as 35. It is caused by one of three gene mutations on chromosomes 1, 14 and 21.

Potential Contributing Factors   

• Cardiovascular disease: Risk factors associated with heart disease and stroke, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, may also increase one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. High blood pressure may damage blood vessels in the brain, disrupting regions that are important in decision-making, memory and verbal skills. This could contribute to the progression of the disease. High cholesterol may inhibit the ability of the blood to clear protein from the brain.

• Type 2 Diabetes: There is growing evidence of a link between Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes insulin does not work effectively to convert blood sugar into energy. This inefficiency results in production of higher levels of insulin and blood sugar which may harm the brain and contribute to the progression of Alzheimer’s.

• Oxidative Damage: Free radicals are unstable molecules that sometimes result from chemical reactions within cells. These molecules seek stability by attacking other molecules, which can harm cells and tissue and may contribute to the neuronal brain cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s.

• Inflammation: Inflammation is a natural, but sometimes harmful, healing bodily function in which immune cells rid themselves of dead cells and other waste products. As protein plaques develop, inflammation results, but it is not known whether this process is damaging and a cause of Alzheimer’s, or part of an immune response attempting to contain the disease.

• Other Possible Risk Factors: Some studies have implicated prior traumatic head injury, lower education level and female gender as possible risk factors. Alzheimer’s disease may also be associated with an immune system reaction or a virus.

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Heredity

Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) or early-onset Alzheimer’s is an inherited and rare. It affects less than 10 percent of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Familial Alzheimer’s disease develops before age 65, in people as young as 35. It is caused by gene mutations on chromosomes 1, 14 and 21. If even one of these mutated genes is inherited from a parent, the person will almost always develop Familial Alzheimer’s disease. All offspring in the same generation have a 50/50 chance of developing this type of Alzheimer’s if one parent has it.

The majority of Alzheimer’s disease cases are late-onset, usually developing after age 65. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease has no known cause and shows no obvious inheritance pattern. However, in some families, clusters of cases are seen. Although a specific gene has not been identified as the cause of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, genetic factors do appear to play a role in the development of this form of the disease. A gene called Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) appears to be a risk factor for the late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease. There are three forms of this gene: ApoE2, ApoE3 and ApoE4. Roughly one in four Americans has ApoE4 and one in twenty has ApoE2. While inheritance of ApoE4 increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, ApoE2 substantially protects against it.
Scientists believe that several other genes may influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Two of these genes, UBQLN1 and SORL1, are located on chromosomes 9 and 11. Researchers have also identified three genes on chromosome 10, one of which produces an insulin degrading enzyme that may contribute to the disease. A gene, called TOMM40, appears to significantly increase one’s susceptibility to developing Alzheimer’s when other risk factors are present, such as having the ApoE-4 gene. Several recently discovered genes that influence Alzheimer’s disease risk are CLU (also called APOJ) on chromosome 8, which produces a protein called clusterin, PICALM on chromosome 11 and CR1 on chromosome 1.

Genetic risk factors alone are not enough to cause the late-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease, so researchers are actively exploring education, diet and environment to learn what role they might play in the development of this disease.

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Prevention

Alzheimer’s disease is a complex disorder, for which there is currently no known prevention or cure. Some research has generated hope that one day it might be possible to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, delay its symptoms or even prevent it from occurring at all. Although there is preliminary data to support the benefit of some interventions, such as physical activity and cardiovascular risk reduction, nothing at this time has definitively been shown to prevent Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.  The scientific advisors of the American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF) do not currently recommend or endorse any commercial nutritional supplement, exercise program, or cognitive training exercises for the purposes of preventing Alzheimer’s disease. In spite of this, AHAF encourages people to evaluate the role of these interventions on the overall health and spirits of both the patient and caregivers

Diet

A number of preliminary studies suggest that how we eat may raise or lower our risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Eating a diet that is high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and that is low in sugar and fat can reduce the incidence of many chronic diseases, and researchers are continuing to study whether these dietary modifications are also applicable to Alzheimer’s disease.  However, the strongest research supporting these modifications has been performed in animal studies, and remains to be rigorously established in randomized and controlled clinical trials.

There are, however, some exciting reports, that though currently preliminary, may one day be shown to protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Many of these modifications have also been shown to be part of overall healthy lifestyles that are likely to protect against other diseases as well. For example,  researchers found that clinical trial participants who adhered to a Mediterranean diet have a slower decline on the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) cognitive decline.  The Mediterranean diet may be protective against other diseases as well, including age-related macular degeneration.  Also, vitamin D3 has been shown to have neuroprotective effects that may preserve cognitive function. This vitamin is produced naturally by the body from exposure to the sun, and is also being studied by AHAF supported scientists for its potential protective effects against glaucoma.

Some studies conducted in animals have shown that including blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries in the diet can lead to improved cognitive function, both in animals that age normally and in those that have been bred to develop “Alzheimer’s disease.”  Scientists are beginning to study what chemicals within these berries might be responsible for their beneficial effects.

Curcumin is a spice typically found in turmeric which is used to enhance the flavor of curries and meats in Indian cuisine. Currently researchers are studying the effects of curcumin on the human brain. Recent research implies that curcumin might actually reduce the amount of beta-amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  The problem with curcumin is that, in its natural state it is very difficult for a human body to absorb curcumin consumed as food.  Once in the blood stream, it is also quite difficult for curcumin pass from the blood to the brain.   AHAF funded scientists are studying whether special preparations of curcumin might overcome these limitations.   Similarly, a study conducted on green tea and Alzheimer’s disease indicates that an antioxidant found in green tea, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has powerful anti-plaque ability and may actually prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease.

Switching from animal based oils and vegetable oil to extra virgin olive oil may also be a good habit to adopt. According to recent research, not only is extra virgin olive oil a generally healthy food, but it may prevent Alzheimer’s disease as well. Studies suggest that oleocanthal, a naturally-occurring compound found in extra-virgin olive oil, changes the structure of Amyloid beta-Derived Diffusible Ligands (ADDLs). ADDLs are proteins that are toxic to nerve cells and may contribute to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. By structurally changing ADDLs, oleocanthal may be stopping the proteins’ ability to damage nerve cells within the brain.

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Exercise

Exercise is an important activity to add to a healthy lifestyle. AHAF encourages people to discuss exercise plans with their health care provider, so that an appropriate exercise program can be tailored for your specific needs.  Studies conducted on those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) indicate that aerobic exercise may improve cognitive agility. In one study, investigators looked at the relationship between physical activity and ones’ risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. 1,700 adults aged 65 years and older were observed over a 6-year period in this study. Results showed that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease was 35 to 40 percent lower in those who exercised for at least 15 minutes 3 or more times a week than in those who exercised fewer than 3 times a week.

While it is not proven that exercise could prevent Alzheimer’s disease or slow its’ progression, animal studies and preliminary human studies have produced significant interest amongst scientists.  Larger, and more rigorous, randomized controlled trials will be necessary before a definitive statement on the role of exercise in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease can be made. In spite of this, developing an exercise program as part of an Alzheimer’s disease patient’s routine may also be helpful with maintaining muscle strength, decreasing frailty, and elevating mood.

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Building Brain Reserves & Social Engagement

Many people born between 1945 and 1964 or “baby boomers” are beginning to worry about Alzheimer’s disease. Millions are already caring for their parents and watching them fade away, and they realize they may be next in line. Although there is currently no cure, scientists believe there are ways to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by continually “exercising” our brains. Some research suggests that shoring up mental reserves as we age may protect against the onslaught of Alzheimer’s. This approach may also delay onset of the disease or possibly help retain cognitive function longer if it does strike.

Building cognitive reserves is a lifelong process that begins in childhood as we expand reading skills. According to classic neurological theory, during the early developmental stages of life, the human brain forms an enormous number of neurons, or nerve cells, but many of these cells also die. The neurons that survive do so by connecting with other neurons during the rapid-growth stage of the nervous system that occurs in childhood and adolescence. Reading progressively more challenging books, learning a musical instrument, creating art, playing chess and engaging in any mental activity all help form these vital neural connections that can last a lifetime, and appear to buffer people from cognitive decline later on.

Fortunately, according to the theory of "neuroplasticity," brain reserves can be expanded throughout life, even into advanced old age. A team of researchers led by Dr. David Bennett, M.D., director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Research Center, has studied neuroplasticity in adults. These scientists found that those who continue to learn, to embrace new activities, learn new skills – in essence, to exercise their brains — continue to build up connections that in turn lower their risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Perhaps they have begun to develop the disease, but they show no symptoms because they have brain cells to spare.

Another study led by Dr. Robert Friedland, of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, compared mental, physical and social activity levels in adults with rates of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers discovered that the more active adults, those who played a musical instrument, gardened, and played mentally engaging board games, for example, were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The benefit extended to those who were active between the ages of 40 and 60, so it’s never too late to start building intellectual muscle, and stimulating hobbies have a pay-off regardless of the age they are started.

Each of these studies, though hopeful and promising, require replication before their impact on risk of Alzheimer’s disease can be confirmed.  But what does it hurt?  While AHAF does not recommend any commercial products that advertise Alzheimer’s disease prevention, learning new skills or enriching your life in study of a favorite topic is an act of empowerment that AHAF recommends for all people at any age.

It is never too late to start new and creative activities. Continue to enjoy favorite pastimes, but challenge yourself by learning something new. Try a foreign language, read books and newspapers, solve puzzles and brain teasers, sing, dance, play board and video games, correspond by mail and email and engage in conversation. The combination of social, mental and physical stimulation is really the best medicine we have for a healthy life.

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NSAIDS

Over the past couple of years, reports have been surfacing that NSAIDs like Ibuprofen, Naproxen and COX-2 inhibitors might actually prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have been rigorously studying the relationship between NSAID use and Alzheimer’s disease and no benefit has been demonstrated. Despite these results, scientists continue to look for ways to test how other anti-inflammatory drugs might affect the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Estrogen

Over the past several years, estrogen has been recognized as having a protective role in the brain. However, its’ potential role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease has yet to be determined. In fact, clinical trials have shown that estrogen does not slow the progression of already-diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease and is not effective in treating or preventing AD if treatment is begun in later life.

One large trial found that women older than 65 who began taking estrogen in the form of Premarin® or PremPro® were actually at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Although results from such studies were disappointing, many questions remain. For instance, would starting estrogen therapy closer to menopause be more effective in preventing Alzheimer’s disease? These questions and other concerns related to estrogen’s relationship with Alzheimer’s disease are currently being studied in clinical trials.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this section is a public service of the American Health Assistance Foundation, and should not in any way substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended to constitute medical advice. Although we take efforts to keep the medical information on our website updated, we cannot guarantee that the information on our website reflects the most up-to-date research. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice; all medications and supplements should only be taken under medical supervision. The American Health Assistance Foundation does not endorse any medical product or therapy.

Last Reviewed On: 04/22/10

By Steven Stern, Special to CNN, April 22, 2010

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Advocacy video claims consumers are being scared into buying bottled water
• Bottled water industry claims it’s a smart choice to buy bottled water
• Critic Annie Leonard: Some bottled water is tap water; plastic bottles pollute
• Industry says bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable

RELATED TOPICS

• Environmental Issues and Protection

(CNN) — "Carrying bottled water is on its way to being as cool as smoking while pregnant," claims the video "The Story of Bottled Water," which debuted on YouTube last month and garnered more than 450,000 views.

Is it true? Are liters of Evian now beyond the pale? Is Dasani déclassé? Has bottled water become the new eco-no-no?

Not quite yet. Though water sales have seen a recent downturn, plenty of folks are still paying for their daily hydration.

In fact, Annie Leonard’s video points out, Americans buy more than 500 million bottles of the stuff every week. It’s second only to soda in popularity, and some industry analysts believe that by next year water will become the most-purchased beverage in the country.

She wants to redirect the flow of water. The bottled water companies, the video insists, are "scaring us, seducing us, misleading us" into buying their products. Leonard, the writer and narrator, gives plenty of reasons why more and more people want to "take back the tap."

But the International Bottled Water Association accuses the video of "numerous false and misleading statements."

"’The Story of Bottled Water’ takes a very cynical view of the intelligence of consumers by depicting them as being dupes and victims of industry," said Tom Lauria, IBWA’s vice president of communications. "We think the opposite; that consumers are really quite thoughtful in selecting and enjoying a safe, healthy, convenient, calorie-free beverage that’s delicious, refreshing and a very smart drink choice."

However, Leonard argues that not only does tap water often beat out bottled in blind taste tests, but bottled is often less regulated than tap. Tap water is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, whose standards are generally stricter than the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees most bottled-water sales. 

Also, she says, tap water is certainly cheaper — thousands of times cheaper. Not to mention that some of the best-selling bottled waters — Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani among them — are, actually, nothing but filtered tap water. The companies themselves have spelled this out on labels after pressure from the consumer watchdog group Corporate Accountability International  

Add the fact that, according to Leonard, the amount of petroleum used to make water bottles every year is "enough to fuel a million cars" and that 80 percent of supposedly recyclable plastic bottles end up in landfills, you have the makings a ecological crusade.

IBWA counters on its website that bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable and the bottles are "the nation’s most recycled plastic container."

To back up its claims, the organization put its own video "Good Stewards" on YouTube.

The bottle backlash has been bubbling up for a while.

Tapping into civic pride

What the video calls "one of the dumbest moves in advertising history" happened back in 2006. High-end brand Fiji started a campaign intended to tout its expensively-imported-from-the-tropics water. "The label says Fiji because it’s not bottled in Cleveland," read the copy in a series of glossy magazine ads. This did not sit well with the good people of Cleveland, Ohio, who were rather proud of their city’s tap water.

Cleveland Public Utilities director Julius Ciaccia had the local water tested against the pricey bottled stuff. Fiji water had 6.31 micrograms of arsenic per liter; the city tap had zero. The company disputed the findings, but the first major battle of the water wars left Fiji looking less than pure.

Thou shalt not bottle

Initial organized resistance to the bottled water industry came not from the usual urban green crowd, but from Christian groups. In 2006, members of the National Coalition of American Nuns pledged to avoid bottled water unless absolutely necessary.

Later that year, the United Church of Christ partnered with the National Council of Churches to produce a documentary, "Troubled Waters," about the ethics of water use, which aired on ABC. For many progressive people of faith, the very idea of privatizing water — profiting from a shared natural resource — is abhorrent. Bottled water is not just bad for the environment; to some, it’s a sin.

Restaurants follow suit

Since Perrier started marketing its mineral water as a luxury item in the 1970s, American restaurants have made a point of offering customers bottled water with their meals. But then famed California chef Alice Waters banned bottled water at her restaurant, Chez Panisse, in 2006. The next year she started serving patrons home-engineered sparkling water.

Other Bay Area restaurants followed suit, and the idea made its way to New York, where celebrity chef Mario Batali’s fanciest joint, Del Posto, banned the bottle. The idea became fashionable enough that a 2007 article in the online magazine Slate talked about the "reverse snob appeal" of tap water.

Bottle Bans

A growing number of schools have active anti-bottled water movements. Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, was probably the first college to ban all bottled water sales on campus, back at the beginning of 2009; the University of Portland did the same a few months ago. Similar bans are being discussed at Wesleyan, American University and Evergreen State College, among other schools.

Local governments are also getting into the act. San Francisco, California, Mayor Gavin Newsom was a pioneer, forbidding the use of city money to buy bottled water back in 2007. Seattle, Washington, followed suit the next year. During the recent Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver, British Columbia, started a campaign to encourage visitors to choose free local water over the bottle — even though Dasani bottler Coca-Cola was a sponsor of the Games.

Bottles under a microscope

Journalist Michael Pollan has turned into a hero — and a best-selling author — with his eco-conscious explorations of the food system; Morgan Spurlock found fame with his anti-fast food documentary "Super Size Me." Might bottled water be the new frontier in activist journalism?

Reporter Elizabeth Royte was ahead of the curve with her 2008 book "Bottlemania," a look at the people and economies behind the water industry.

Environmental scientist Peter Gleick has just published "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water," which includes more than 100 bottled water recalls on everything from mold contamination to algae, bacteria, glass particles and — believe or not — crickets.

Meanwhile "Tapped," a new feature-length documentary by Stephanie Soechtig, has been screening the country with a "Get Off the Bottle" tour.

Greener bottles

Bottled water companies haven’t simply ignored all the criticism. The Nestle company, which bottles several brands of water, issued a study pointing out that water has a lower environmental impact than sports drinks and other beverages.

Both Coca-Cola’s Dasani and Pepsi’s Aquafina have introduced new bottles that are supposedly "greener" than those used before. And Fiji maintains charitable and ecological campaigns to highlight the company’s awareness.

"Greenwashing" is the view of many in the environmental movement, who believe that this is all nothing but PR spin.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/homestyle/04/22/blacklash.bottled.water/index.html?hpt=C2

Your friend’s weight, TV watching can trigger munchies

A bell rings; a dog drools. This is the oldest trick in the Psychology 101 book: That’s all it takes for the pooch to expect something to eat. Dumb dogs! The poor suckers…. Oh, wait. We humans are just as nefariously conditioned to eat when we’re not hungry. Which might explain the staggering tally of calories you ingest some days but don’t especially remember (or savor). But scientists have been investigating common triggers that cause overeating and keep people from shedding the extra pounds that dog them — and their findings suggest how we can bring those urges to heel.

The ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ effect
Who doesn’t want to be just like her thinnest friend, with her XS shirts and size 26 jeans (a waist size last seen by most of us during sixth grade)? The problem is, though, that we tend to emulate her when she’s stuffing herself and trying to fill her hollow leg. In a joint study at Duke University, the University of British Columbia, and Arizona State University, an undercover researcher — a size 0 woman, either dressed normally or in a size 16 fat suit — ordered food in front of a study participant. In all cases, the participants made similar orders to the researcher’s. But she had the most influence when she looked thin: When she ate more, her companions ate more.

This study is the latest arrival at a crowded buffet table of research about peer-induced overeating. For instance, as your number of dining partners increases, so does your caloric intake; one study found that eating with eight others can prompt you to consume nearly double the calories you would when alone. 

One mitigating factor is that women rein themselves in when a man dines with them, a 2009 study at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, found. Notably, the men were unrelated to the women in the test: Once women get married or start living with a man, they tend to weigh more, research shows. Plus, the heavier one’s friends, the higher one’s own chances of becoming overweight, according to analysis by scientists at Harvard University and the University of San Diego. “When people around you gain weight, how is that transmitted to you? By sharing behavior,” says Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist at Harvard who explores this phenomenon in “Connected” (Little, Brown and Company). “It’s either ‘Let’s go running’ or ‘Let’s share these muffins.’”

In the cinematic “Sex and the City 2” world, venues for female camaraderie might include a Bergdorf dressing room or a spalike desert oasis. In the real world, though, women’s friendships more often take place at restaurant tables, usually strewn with quarter-full wine glasses and the empty plates of multicourse meals. This ritual will likely never change (nor should it — even the most spirited Facebook comment threads can’t hold a candle), but it can be controlled. It may be as simple as everyone meeting for a drink after having had dinner separately. “If you’re already full when you walk into a restaurant, it’s much easier to avoid overeating,” says Susan Roberts, author of “The ‘I’ Diet” (Workman) and professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston. You could also just invite a cute single guy along, given that, as prefeminist as it is, women tend to eat fewer calories when they’re in the company of men, “even when it’s not a dating situation,” says Lauren Slayton, a nutritionist in New York City and founder of foodtrainers.net. “Also, women like to talk, and as long as there’s food in front of you, you’ll keep eating.” So ask the waiter to clear any plates — but leave the water glasses — as soon as possible.

The couch (sour cream-topped, butter-slathered) potato effect
This might seem as fresh and new as watching the same “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” episode for the millionth time, but bear with the repeat: TV viewing can make you fat. A recent study at Yale University found that TV viewers who saw snack commercials were inspired to eat — paging Don Draper! — just about anything, not just the brand advertised. Plus, the snacking was completely unrelated to feeling either hungry beforehand or full afterward.

When study subjects watched television for a half-hour, they consumed 36 percent more calories of pizza, or 71 percent more calories of macaroni and cheese, compared with people who listened to music for a half-hour, according to a 2006 article in Physiology and Behavior. (Listening to music has been linked with higher food intake in other research, so presumably all these study subjects ate more than they would have with no distractions at all.) Successful dieters, meanwhile, tend to watch far less television than the average adult’s four hours a day: The majority of people in the National Weight Control Registry, a group of about 5,000 people who’ve kept off at least 30 pounds, average fewer than ten hours of TV a week.

“If you separate eating from TV viewing, you will probably be thin,” Roberts says. But if you can’t resist snacking in front of the screen, have “vegetables and a yogurt-based dip, so you can put something in your mouth that doesn’t do damage.” Staring at a computer can present an overeating hazard as well, which is why Slayton advises against emailing during lunch at work. She also suggests a “TV diet” to go with your food diet: “If you keep track of how much you eat and how much you work out, you should also log how much time you spend watching TV, because it’s another variable,” she says. People who watched half as much TV as usual for three weeks burned an extra 119 calories per day — comparable to the effect of walking more than a mile, a recent study in Archives of Internal Medicine found. As a rule, Slayton tells her clients to watch just one hour a day. She does offer dispensation, though, for TV viewing while using cardio equipment: “I don’t care how many ‘Housewives’ episodes you watch as long as you’re on the treadmill.”

The Snackwell effect
So-called diet foods can sabotage the best weight-loss intentions — presumably because people think they’re free passes to indulge. For weight-conscious people, portion-controlled snack bags seem to fail miserably at actually controlling portions, a study at Tilburg University in the Netherlands found: Given the option of two large bags of chips or nine snack-size bags, 59 percent of the participants chose smaller bags — but ate twice as much as those who went for the large bags. Even the mention of salad on a menu, it turns out, can paradoxically inspire the least healthy meal choices among people who usually have the most self-control. A study at Duke University presented people with one menu that offered a buttered baked potato (considered the healthiest choice), chicken nuggets, or French fries. A second menu listed those items as well as a side salad. When that plate of greens was on offer, nearly three times as many people ordered the fries. Moreover, the participants who generally made a point of watching their intake were most likely to switch their order from the potato to the fries. The researchers theorize that the mere option of eating healthy makes diners feel as if they’ve achieved a goal, so they reward themselves for that with the indulgent choice.

Some diet foods are “truly self-limiting,” Roberts points out, “like Fiber One cereal.” Or kale. Or celery sticks. Or anything with a high water or fiber content, or both. With the stuff that actually tastes good, meanwhile, you still need to pay attention to portion size. “People fool themselves into thinking they’re having 50 calories when it’s really 200,” says Jennifer Warren of the Physicians Healthy Weight Center in North Hampton, New Hampshire. She points out that including lean protein, such as an egg or a piece of chicken, at breakfast and lunch can keep you from becoming ravenous between meals.

The surprising salad effect
As for fattening salads — and not just those that go by the names of Cobb or Caesar — there might also be some warped dieter’s psychology involved: If you always get a salad, and don’t give yourself the option of anything else, the caloric count will creep up as you try to sneak in an appetizing break from monotony. “Perpetual dieters need to learn how to waver from the plan,” Slayton says. “If you order the lentil soup and salad and end up eating the bread and crackers and getting fries ‘for the table,’ you’d be better off just ordering a sandwich to begin with.”

If you do get the salad, remember to exercise some restraint, especially at those you-boss-they-toss salad bars. “Try lots of dark greens; ample lean protein such as shrimp, plain tuna, or beans; three or four unadulterated vegetables; and one treat ingredient such as nuts, cheese, bacon, olives, avocado, croutons, or dried fruit,” Slayton says. Get the dressing on the side, too, since olive oil, healthy fat though it is, still has 120 calories per tablespoon.

The fattening room effect
You are what you eat — and you eat what you are seeing, smelling, or contemplating. “The sight, smell, and talk of food trigger real metabolic signals of hunger,” Roberts notes, “even when your stomach is full.” (In fact, proximity to fast-food outlets is linked with weight gain and obesity, according to a vast study of teenagers conducted by Columbia University and the University of California.) But the appetite is also influenced by more subliminal aspects of one’s surroundings. In a study at the University of Illinois in Champaign, people who were exposed to posters touting an exercise program ate 54 percent more calories than those exposed to posters without a workout theme; similarly, participants wanted to eat after reading sporty words like “active.” Moreover, settings with glaring light and those with soft candlelight can both contribute to overconsumption, since the former can prompt people to eat faster and the latter can cause them to linger and eat longer.

Given the relentlessness of findings that suggest that just about everything can lead to weight gain, it makes sense that your instinct might be to go bury your head in the sand (or a box of pecan sandies). Indeed, turning away from seductive images of food can help reduce hunger, Roberts says. If you live with people who insist on having junk food in the house, Warren advises keeping it on a high shelf. Double-bag ice cream in the freezer so you can’t see it when you open the door, and if you do feel its pull, you can keep your mouth busy with a Listerine breath strip or a sugar-free cough lozenge.

Maybe the most helpful adjustment, however, would be to your thinking. As Slayton says, “People don’t reach their weight-loss goals simply because they focus on what they eat. They also look at the external factors that make them overeat and use them to their favor.”

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36281026/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH, Jerusalem Post, April 11, 2010

Individual levels of certain neurotransmitters can help determine what kind of diet will work best.

The aphorism that “You are what you eat” recognizes the important effects of diet on health. But recent studies seem to show that the mirror image – “You eat what you are” – is true as well.

This means that the level of certain neurotransmitters – especially serotonin and norepinephrine – in the brain not only affect moods but also determine what type of diet would be most effective in helping you lose weight – and keep it off.

Prof. Ilana Blum, a Hebrew University Medical Faculty graduate who specialized in internal medicine and endocrinology, has just published a Hebrew-language book on this subject. Called Lirzot Behochma! Al Ochel, Matzav Ruah, Mishkal Vechol Ma Shebeineihem (Losing Weight Wisely! Food, Mood, Weight and Everything in Between), the 199-page volume will be an eye opener to the many people who have lost weight and gained it – and more – back.

Published by Yedioth Books (www.ybook.co.il), the NIS 118 softcover offers much to the layman, but is also full of scientific explanations for Blum’s advice. The author, who was assisted in the writing by Rina Lipa, was previously director of an internal medicine department at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and ran the endocrine institute at the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus. She is also the author of many studies on hormonal changes and brain function, and the influence of nutrition on how the brain works.   

WITH A cover focusing on a bunch of lovely thin, lime-colored asparagus, the book does not preach consuming only low-calorie vegetables. It suggests that those who want to lose weight permanently adopt a healthful lifestyle and diet suited specially to them. They should go for a blood test to check serotonin levels, which unfortunately is not paid for by one’s health fund unless a physician deems it necessary. If not, the test can be done privately for about NIS 150.

When serotonin is high, norepineprine is low and vice versa; thus it is usually enough to check only the former.

The results determine whether a high-carbohydrate or high-protein diet or combinations of those and other nutrients will help you reach your ideal weight. Once you reach that target, maintains Blum, your body is likely to “protest” if you change the diet, and even make you feel uncomfortable.

The 30 chapters, sharply illustrated in black, green and grey tones and with different foods hugged in their midsection by a measuring tape, are written with many details. Nevertheless, the text does not talk down to the laymen reader. The chapters include a glossary and index, as well as 24 pages of weekly menus according to one’s neurotransmitter level type, and 10 pages of recipes. These are very varied, interesting and easy to make and clearly do not aim to make readers subsist on dull, repetitive fare. The author says that the easier a recipe is to make, the more likely one is to stick to it.

Blum begins that many people who want to lose weight find they are caught in a yo-yo diet, losing and then gaining weight, only to seek to lose those excess kilos again. Individuals who have a tendency toward depression have an even more difficult time losing weight for various reasons, and this is a major clue to breaking one’s diet. “It is well known that food is often self-compensation for a lack of love, for anger and emotional tension,” she writes.

Her book offers “not just another diet but constitutes recommendations for a balanced lifestyle that makes it possible to lose weight and preserve the new weight while improving mood without starving oneself,” she writes. Blum was surprised and even thrilled when some of the hundreds of healthy volunteers she tested – some with a follow up of as long of 15 years – developed stomach aches or diarrhea when they abandoned it and were thus persuaded to stick to it for a long period. Thus the diet is self enforcing. But it is flexible enough to allow occasional “sinning” by eating in a restaurant on special occasions or attending a social event.

WEIGHT CAN be lost even without physical activity, Blum notes, but regular exercise of course speeds up the weight loss and can improve moods even more, as well as improve health of the heart, lungs, blood vessels and other organs and tissues.

She recalls the case of a 40-year-old man who was hospitalized with an infected sore on his foot – a well-known complication of uncontrolled diabetes. Weighing 300 kilos and breaking the hospital scale, the extremely obese man was unable to lose weight, despite the hospital’s efforts – and died of heart problems two years later.

But the case of a 70-year-old obese woman who suffered from knee damage due to her girth had a happy ending. Her orthopedic surgeon told her he would refuse to operate to fix her damaged knee unless she reduced her weight. She was helped to lose 40 kilos, underwent successful orthopedic surgery – and the quality of her life was transformed.

Blum explains how being overweight causes harm to a large number of organs. Aside from heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, joint disorders and fatty liver disease, overweight and obesity can reduce one’s fertility and lead to cancer. Everyone should by now know his personal Body Mass Index (weight in kilos divided by the square of meters in height). From 18.5 to 24.9, one has normal weight; below that is underweight, while above it is overweight; a BMI over 30 means obesity. Having excess abdominal fat is the most dangerous to health.

Overweight and obesity are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but Blum says one can overcome both of these. Children who had a low birth weight tend to become overweight as adults and to develop insulin resistance as adults. Blum explains that the infant body interprets the low body weight as “stress” and causes the endocrine system to release stress hormones such as catecholamine and cortisol; these increase insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes unless caught in time. But a diet heavy with fats and calories and a lifestyle without exercise have the same effect.

SHE ALSO discusses substances – from progesterone to ghrelin – that promote appetite, and other substances that suppress it. Blum writes that for decades, it has been known that neurtransmitters such as monoamines are responsible for changes – often extreme – in moods. This class of neurtransmitters includes dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and serotonin – and these affect appetite as well. A shortage can lead to depression and too much can cause ‘high’ moods and – in the extreme – mania and schizophrenia. Food also affects our moods, she adds.

Studies show that even one meal can temporarily change one’s mood and level of functioning. The different sexes react differently to the same meal. Women report sleepiness after a meal high in carbohydrates like pasta, rice, cake or potatoes, while men report relaxation and calmness following the same meal.

But not only gender affects the reaction to food; age and the time of the meal do as well. People over 40 who eat a high-protein diet tend to feel more tense. A high-carbohydrate lunch can cause reduced tiredness and lower concentration. A high-fat lunch can cause slower but more accurate responses to questions than a high-carb meal.

Serotonin rises after a high-carb meal by up to four times its basic level, and drop to one-quarter of its basic level after a high-protein meal. Norepinephrine levels were not affected by the carbohydrates, but rose significantly in reaction to a high-fat diet.

People who prefer carbs are born with a genetic makeup that causes a shortage of serotonin in the brain, so they try to compensate for this by eating a lot of carbs, Blum writes. Most overweight people suffer from insulin resistance; insulin causes tryptophan – the raw material used to produce serotonin – to pass the blood/brain barrier. This mechanism results in a shortage of tryptophan, causing the serotonin level to drop. This explains why 70% of overweight people suffer from light to moderate depression. Meanwhile, individuals who prefer proteins such as meat, eggs and dairy foods have relatively high levels of serotonin and low levels of norepinephrine.

Thus, declares Blum, a menu can be devised that raises serotonin levels without comprising a lot of calories; this can bring about both weight loss and improved mood.

Individuals with low serotonin levels should get 65% to 70% of their diet from complex carbs (such as brown rice and full-grain bread or pasta), 15% from fats and 15% from proteins to raise serotonin levels, Blum prescribes. Carbs and proteins should be eaten separately, at least three hours apart.

Those with normal serotonin levels should eat a diet of 50% to 55% complex carbohydrates, 30% fats and 20% proteins.

People with high levels of serotonin should eat a high-protein diet, with 40% to 50% protein, 30% to 40% complex carbohydrates and 20% fats.

People suffering from insulin resistance should eat a high-protein diet in the first stage because sugar does not succeed in entering their cells, causing blood glucose levels to rise. Then they should gradually add complex carbohydrates.

Blum recommends the use of the artificial sweeteners sucralose and saccharine for people with insulin resistance and diabetics, but not aspartame, which she says can cause complications in people with the genetic condition of phenylketonuria and interfere with the secretion of insulin. In addition, when heated over 30ºC, says Blum, aspartame can turn into methanol, which is toxic and can cause muscle or joint pain. However, these symptoms pass when one stops consuming aspartame.

Women who carefully followed their assigned diets lost an average of four kilos monthly, while men lost five. The lower the serotonin level before the diet, the better the improvement in moods after the diet was followed. If people with high serotonin legvels ate a high-carb diet – against Blum’s advice – they reported anxiety and discomfort due to excess serotonin.

She maintains that the dropout rate from her diets are much lower (only 20% to 30%) compared to 70% from other diets, such as Atkins and South Beach, which are much more extreme and not based on the principles she promotes.

Only patients with serious weight problems should consider asking a doctor for medications that reduce appetite or increase satiety; the same goes for those who want bariatric surgery to constrict their stomach or intestines. But Chapter 18 strongly endorses regular exercise and explains its beneficial effects on weight loss and mood improvement due to the endorphins produced by physical activity.

Blum repeatedly urges readers – both those who are healthy and those with chronic illness – to consult their physicians and clinical dietitians before adopting a diet based on serotonin levels.

Washington’s new requirement follows California and New York in taking steps to require anyone who writes prescriptions to switch to more tamper-resistant prescription pads

By SHARON SALYER
THE DAILY HERALD, March 3, 2010

EVERETT, Wash. — Patients who get written prescriptions will see changes this summer aimed at curbing fraud.

Come July 1, prescriptions will be printed on tamper-resistant paper with Mission Impossible-like ink that changes color when rubbed with a finger.

They also will have a teal green state seal, a map of Washington, a mortar and pestle and the words "Washington State Board of Pharmacy Board Approved Paper."

The goal is to prevent people from using fake, stolen or altered prescriptions to get legal, commonly abused drugs such as Percocet, Ritalin or Demerol.

More than 53,000 health care professionals in Washington can write prescriptions, including doctors, dentists, naturopaths and even veterinarians, said Susan Boyer, executive director of the Washington State Board of Pharmacy.

Statewide, 10 to 20 percent of prescriptions are sent to pharmacies electronically, she said.

The rest are printed or written on prescription paper that a patient submits to a pharmacy. After July 1, only prescriptions written on the state’s approved paper forms can be filled.

Washington’s new requirement follows California and New York in taking steps to require anyone who writes prescriptions to switch to more tamper-resistant prescription pads, Boyer said.

It’s unclear how much of a problem patients altering prescriptions actually is.

However officials believe misuse and abuse of prescription medications is growing in the state and nation, particularly with pain medications, said Donn Moyer, a spokesman for the state Department of Health.

"Using tamper-resistant products is one more tool in making it harder to alter prescriptions," he said.

Medicaid, the federal-state low-income health insurance program, already has a similar requirement. Washington’s tamper-resistant prescription pads can be used for Medicaid prescriptions.

A Monroe printing business is one of 12 the state has authorized to produce the tamper resistant prescription pads. FMC-Merrill Corp. is getting calls almost daily from medical offices trying to get on waiting lists for the new product.

However, the business is waiting for the special paper to arrive, said David Fife, an account manager.

"It’s kind of a supply chain problem," he said. The pads should be ready to produce next month.

The company is buying from mills that produce special paper with built-in security features, such as a watermark.

"Then we print on it with ink that, when you put your thumb on it, it heats up and you know it’s real," Fife said. The letters momentarily disappear and then in a few seconds turn back to red, he said. "That’s how the pharmacy knows that it’s an original and not a copy."

The Everett Clinic wants to reduce its current stockpile of tamper-resistant Medicaid prescription pads before switching to the state’s new required prescription paper, spokeswoman April Zepeda said.

Only 10 to 15 percent of its 2.5 million annual prescriptions are written on paper, she said. Most are sent to pharmacies electronically.

However, prescriptions for some medications, such as narcotic pain relievers, must now be written out on paper, she said.

The new prescription paper "adds an extra layer of security," Zepeda said.

Hadfield’s Pharmacy in Edmonds fills about 200,000 prescriptions a year, said Lee Baker, pharmacy director.

Only a limited number of companies can produce the new tamper-resistant prescription paper, Baker said. "That will help us deter fraud even further."

Eric Werttemberger, pharmacy director at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, estimates that the changeover to the new tamper-resistant prescription paper could cost the hospital an additional $4,000 a year.

About 80 percent of hospitalized patients walk out the door with a prescription in hand, he said. That adds up to about 90,000 prescriptions annually, he said. Another 50,000 prescriptions are written for emergency room patients.

People trying to pass bogus prescriptions happens often.

"I guess it’s one more way of decreasing it," Werttemberger said, "it’s a pretty common occurrence."

—

Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com

By Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN, Food & Nutrition Columnist ,Jan 17, 2010 

HealthNewsDigest.com) – Carbohydrates, carbs, complex carbs, simple carbs, good carbs, bad carbs – help! In the last decade carbs have become a misunderstood nutrient. We went from high carb to low carb to being told to choose specific carbs. Before you can shop and eat wisely, you need to understand carbs.
Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches, and fibers found in food. All plant foods — fruits, vegetables, beans and grains — are rich in carbohydrates. Fruits have more sugar. Vegetables, beans and grains have more starch. Both have fiber. Sugars and starches are your body’s main sources of fuel (calories).
Sugar is a very important source of fuel. During digestion sugar molecules enter the bloodstream and travel to your body’s cells and to your brain where they are burned for energy. There are different types of sugar – simple sugars and others that are more complex.
Glucose is a simple sugar found in plants, animals, and in your blood as blood sugar. It is the only source of energy used by your brain. Fructose (fruit sugar) is also a simple sugar. Other sugars, sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose (cereal sugar) are made up of two simple sugars that are broken apart in digestion before they can be burned for energy.

Starch, the main form of carbohydrate found in most plants, is a more complex substance made up of many sugar molecules. During digestion the larger starch molecule is slowly broken apart to yield smaller sugar fragments which are sent to the cells in your body and to the brain to be used for energy.
Starch can be changed into many different forms. Corn syrup is made from corn starch. Modified starch is used to stabilize gels in yogurt, pudding, whipped toppings and ice cream. Some starches are used to make light, lower calorie versions of foods like ice cream, breads, cookies, and cakes by adding more bulk or substance. One type, resistant starch, acts like fiber because it “resists” digestion and is not used by the body for energy. Researchers are currently looking at the health benefits of eating more resistant starch which is found naturally in potatoes, beans, and cereals.
You should know:
If you eat more sugar or starch calories than your body needs, the leftover will be stored as fat.
Fiber is the carbohydrate that makes up the woody or gummy parts of plants. Our bodies can’t digest or absorb it, so fiber is not used as a source of energy in the same way that sugars and starches are used. But fiber plays a big role in a healthy diet. It provides protection against a number of diseases and is very important to the health of your digestive tract and immune system.
What is the difference between simple carbs and complex carbs? Simple carbohydrates are foods that contain a lot of sugar — syrups, jelly, honey, soda, and molasses. Complex carbohydrates are foods that contain a lot of starch — whole grains, cereals, beans and vegetables. Complex carbs are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Simple carbs – foods high in sugar – can have either added sugar or natural sugar. Those with added sugar – cakes, candy, cookies, fruit drinks, soda and jelly — are usually poor sources of important nutrients. But those foods with natural sugars — milk, yogurt, fruits, fruit juice, honey and unsweetened yogurt – are rich in important vitamins and minerals, making them healthier choices.
What is the difference between a good carb and a bad carb? Complex carbs — those foods high in starch — are sometimes called good carbs. Foods high in sugar or those that are refined, like white flour and pasta, are referred to as bad carbs. These terms can be misleading and are used more by food marketers than food professionals. There is no question that foods high in sugar like table sugar, candy, cake, cookies, and soda are not the best carb choices. Choose these less often. But milk, yogurt and fruits are also high in sugar and they are good choices and should be part of a healthy diet.
Most Americans eat about 50% of their daily calories as carbohydrates. Very few eat enough fiber. Almost everyone eats too much sugar. We all need to choose carbs more wisely.

For more information about choosing and using carbs to your advantage look for The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed. available from Pocket Books
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 7.5 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to www.TheNutritionExperts.com.

Many Probiotics Don’t Deliver Listed Ingredients

By ConsumerLab.com, Nov 16, 2009

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – White Plains, New York, – Many probiotic supplements do not contain the number of viable organisms listed on their labels according to a new report from ConsumerLab.com. The testing organization found that at the time a probiotic is purchased it may contain as little as 10% to 58% of the amount listed on its label. In fact, one children’s probiotic was found to provide only 7% of its claimed bacteria. Products were also tested for microbial contaminants and pathogens, but none were found.
Out of thirteen products ConsumerLab.com selected for testing, only two were found to accurately list the number of cells viable at the time of purchase. The actual amount of viable probiotic cells in a daily serving ranged from over ten billion to less than one hundred million — more than a 10,000% difference. Despite providing fewer viable organisms than one might expected, most products yielded at least one billion organisms, an amount that may provide some benefit.

Probiotics help re-populate the gut with live beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus GG, Bifidobacterium infantis and others, as well as specific yeast such as Saccharomyces boulardii. Studies have shown some probiotic strains reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and reduce diarrhea caused by viral infection or antibiotics. They may also help treat H. pylori infection (a causative agent of stomach ulcers) and vaginal bacterial infection, among other uses. Sales of probiotic supplements grew 16.3% in 2008 to reach $425 million in the U.S. according to Nutrition Business Journal.

ConsumerLab.com purchased the products as a consumer would, cultured them to determine the number of viable cells, and compared the amounts found with those listed on product labels. ConsumerLab.com found many products to qualify the listed amount of cells with the statement “at time of manufacture,” an unusual practice because supplements are normally expected to provide at least 100% of their listed ingredients until the expiration date. One probiotic was found to take both approaches, promoting “12 BILLION CELLS” per capsule on its front label (footnoted as being “at date of manufacture”), while its supplement facts panel guaranteed an amount through expiration that was actually 80% lower.
The study also evaluated pet probiotics. Across the products, very large differences were noted in the number of cells in the suggested daily dosage.
“Consumers should keep in mind that a large percentage of organisms in a probiotic supplement may die before a product is even purchased and labels can be misleading or incorrect,” said Tod Cooperman, MD, President of ConsumerLab.com. “Many products start with several billion viable cells, but there may or may not be a sufficient number of viable cells remaining at time of use to be beneficial.” Dr. Cooperman advised using products known to deliver an adult daily dose of at least one billion viable cells or an amount proven to be clinically effective for that strain. He suggested that products be stored in sealed containers out of heat, light, and humidity. In addition, if a label indicates that a product should refrigerated (not just after opening) it should be sold in a refrigerated condition and kept that way.

The Product Review of Probiotic Supplements is found at

http://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/Probiotic_Supplements_Including_Lactobacillus_acidophilus_Bifidobacterium_and_Others/probiotics/. It provides findings for fourteen products that ConsumerLab.com selected for testing and thirteen additional products that passed the same testing through ConsumerLab.com’s Voluntary Certification Program. It also includes information about two products similar to those tested. Brands included in the report are Advocare, Align, Ark Naturals, Culturelle, DDS, Dr. D, FloraStor, GNC, i-Flora, Jarrow Formulas, Kashi, Kyo-Dophilus, Metagenics, Nature Made, Nature’s Bounty, Nature’s Secret, New Chapter, Nutri-Vet, Optimal Pet, Phillips Colon Health, Proviable (Nutramax), Puritan’s Pride, Solgar, Swiss Natural, Udo’s Choice (Flora), Weil, and Vitamin World. In addition to providing test results, the report also reviews clinical information regarding probiotics.
ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. Reviews of other popular types of supplements are available from www.consumerlab.com. Subscription to ConsumerLab.com is available online. The company is privately held and based in Westchester, New York. It has no ownership from, or interest in, companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell consumer products.

DUBAI, 13 November 2009 (IRIN) - An estimated 200 million children aged under five in the developing world suffer from stunted growth due to maternal and childhood undernutrition, according to a new UNICEF report.

“Stunting is associated with developmental problems and is often impossible to correct. A child who is stunted is likely to experience a lifetime of poor health and underachievement,” a UNICEF statement on 11 November said.

In the Middle East, the Occupied Palestinian Territories have a stunting prevalence of 10 percent, a surprisingly better result than other, far wealthier neighbours, which have the following scores:

Lebanon – 11
Jordan – 12
Oman – 13
UAE – 17
Saudi Arabia – 20
Kuwait – 24
Iraq – 26
Syria – 28
Egypt – 29
Yemen – 58

 at/oa/cb

Themes: (IRIN) Children, (IRIN) Health & Nutrition, (IRIN) In Brief
[ENDS] Report can be found online at:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87018

Excess body weight ‘increases health risks’

Trade Arabia News Service,  October 14, 2009

Extra body weight encourages the onset of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attack and thus increases the risk of premature death, said an endocrinology specialist at a recently held health congress in Abu Dhabi.

One per cent reduction in weight reduces risk of premature death, said Professor Karim Meeran, professor of endocrinology at the Imperial College London.

‘Weight control and the management of obesity levels are crucial lifestyle environmental factors that can help create healthier nations. Indeed, a small drop in weight can lead to a 10 per cent drop in risk of death,” he said.

Professor Meeran cited thrifty genes as a possible culprit to fat storage, adding that such metabolic behaviour can lead to type 2 diabetes.

‘The thrifty genes hypothesis suggests that genes drive human behaviours that in turn encourage the storage of fats. This behaviour then leads to obesity and subsequently type 2 diabetes,” he explained.

He said that although such behaviour can be genetic, it can be modified by change in environment.

‘Behaviour such as laziness, reluctance to exercise and excess eating is driven by genes, which are impossible to identify due to their sheer numbers,” he noted.

“However environmental changes through self-management, or even by-laws and regulations, can lead to significant switch from harmful behaviour.”

Professor Meeran observed that obesity in children is a very new phenomenon that is fast-gaining pace.

‘Excess calorie availability is the factor that drives obesity in children. This again leads back to managing lifestyle, this time in family groups.”

He suggested that it is time for governments to step in with policies that encourage healthy behaviours.

“Internationally, heavy taxation on cigarettes has led to significant reduction in smoking in the past few years. Similarly environment and policies that encourage people to eat healthier, exercise more and lead active lifestyle are now required to divert a diabetes epidemic,” he said. – TradeArabia News Service