To Your Health
July, 2008 (Vol. 02, Issue 07) |
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Recently, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) researchers applied the Mediterranean diet to a group of 214,284 men and 166,012 women living in the United States. Across all ages and both sexes, the Mediterranean diet reduced deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancers and all causes.
Choose Color
Fruits and vegetables with deep, dark hues pack the most ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity). That's important because ORAC-rich fruits and vegetables are reported to have more nutrients and greater antioxidant power to scavenge free radicals. The vibrant coloration of red grapes, berries (blueberries, cranberries, bilberries and lingonberries), cocoa, tumeric (curcuminoids), rhubarb and apples is attributed to their high concentrations of polyphenols, a compound found only in plants and shown to have therapeutic potential for reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and elevated cholesterol), various cancers, diabetes and stroke. For example, Tufts University researchers discovered that the consumption of cranberries reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by increasing the resistance of LDL to oxidation, inhibiting platelet aggregation and reducing blood pressure, and also acted on other anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults globally, at least 300 million of whom are obese. People are becoming obese due to the availability of food, changes in the kind of food eaten and decreased exercise. Industrialization, urbanization and mechanized transport have reduced physical activity; thus, more than 60 percent of the global population is not sufficiently active. By failing to make smart dietary choices, which is the first step toward maintaining a healthy weight, you become vulnerable to a variety of diseases (such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancers) that ultimately may compromise how long and how well you live.
Ronald Klatz, MD, is the president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging (www.worldhealth.net), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, detection and treatment of aging-related disease.
Robert Goldman, MD, is the chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging (www.worldhealth.net), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, detection and treatment of aging-related disease.
