We’ve all heard that drinking too much soda—regular or diet--isn’t good you, but new research suggests that even one soda per day may be too much.

A European study found that drinking just one 12 oz. sugar-sweetened soft drink a day can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 22%. This conclusion is based on an analysis of more than 28,000 people in eight European countries.

As part of the analysis, the researchers considered other factors that are known risk factors for diabetes such calorie consumption and body mass index (BMI), a body fat calculation based on weight and height.

But even after taking into account participants total calorie intake and BMI, the risk fell only fell a few points to 18% suggesting that the effect of sugar-sweetened soft drink on diabetes goes beyond their impact on weight.

While the study did not prove cause and effect, it is consistent with other U.S. studies and prompted the lead researcher to say that clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population.

Other Health Problems

Before you ditch your regular soda for a diet soda, consider these potential hazards of diet soda:

• Heart Disease - According to a University of Minnesota study of about 10,000 adults, drinking just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome—increased belly fat and high cholesterol associated with heart disease.
• Kidney Damage - Among 3,000 women is a study of diet cola, those who drank more than two sodas were twice as likely to experience a decline in kidney function.
• Obesity - Diet sodas increase your risk of gaining weight—yes you read that right! Gulping down just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500% in one study. It appears artificial sweeteners fool with your body’s ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods. So, consuming diet foods might make you more apt to overeat because your body is tricked into thinking it is eating sugar—and sugar makes you crave more sugar.
• DNA Damage – Diet sodas often contain mold inhibitors (sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate) that have the ability to cause DNA damage. These preservatives have also been linked to hives, asthma, and other allergic conditions.
• Tooth Decay – The acidic nature of diet soda (or regular soda) dissolves the enamel on your teeth. Adults who drink three or more sodas a day have far greater decay, missing teeth, and fillings compared to non-soda drinkers.
• BPA Exposure – Soda cans are coated with an endocrine disruptor, bisphenol A (BPA) that has been linked to heart disease, obesity and reproductive problems.

Sources:

Health Day News

Prevention

Over the years, researchers have chronicled many unhealthy trends in the American diet—like not eating enough fruits and vegetables or consuming too much saturated fat and processed foods. Recently many medical experts are focusing their attention on another danger to our health—refined sugar.

So, how did refined sugar go from being just “excess calories” for the weight conscious to a health hazard?

There is compelling medical evidence that refined sugar contributes to cancer, heart disease, metabolic disorders like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and a host of other health problems.

These findings have spawned a media blitz of books and television programs in which some medical experts are calling sugar “poison” and urging changes in public policy to regulate sugar much like alcohol and tobacco.

Natural vs. Added Sugar

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate found naturally in many foods, including fruits, vegetables and grains. If the only sugar we consumed were in natural, whole foods, there wouldn’t be a problem. But the average American diet is full of refined, nutrient-depleted foods that contain high amounts of added sugar.

As we pointed out in a previous post, How Much Sugar is Too Much?, we are consuming far more than the recommended daily limit of 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men. The current U.S. average consumption is 20 teaspoons of added, refined sugar every day. However, many teenagers consume much more than that.  As the leading consumer of junk food, it’s easy to see how sugar grams add up. A single 20 oz. soda contains about 60 grams (15 teaspoons) of sugar.

Problems Linked to Sugar

The list of health issues linked to added sugars is very long, but here’s a few of the major concerns:

• Sugar compromises immune function. In one study, two cans of soda (which contain 20 teaspoons of sugar) reduced the efficiency of white blood cells by 92 percent--an effect that lasts up to five hours.
• Refined sugar overworks your pancreas and adrenal glands as they struggle to keep blood sugar levels in balance. In response to sugar, your pancreas pumps out insulin to normalize blood sugar levels. This causes a sudden drop in blood sugar which triggers the adrenals to compensate with the release of cortisol. Overtime, these glands become overworked and “burn out” leading to early menopause, type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia and chronic fatigue.
• Since sugar is devoid of nutrients, the body must use its own nutrient reserves to metabolize it. When these stores are depleted, the body becomes unable to properly metabolize fatty acids and cholesterol, leading to higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• Drawing on the body's nutrient reserves can also lead to chronic mineral deficits, especially in magnesium (a mineral required for more than 300 different enzyme activities) and chromium (a trace element that regulates hormones such as insulin), putting you at risk for numerous health problems, from depression to attention deficit disorder to asthma. A recent study found that kids who eat significant amounts of junk food are much more likely to develop asthma than kids who don't.
• Researchers conducting studies of juvenile delinquency and public school children found improved test scores when sugar and white four were eliminated from their diets. Another study conducted in juvenile detention centers found that violent behavior decreased dramatically when sugar was eliminated.
• The damage sugar inflicts on the body is cumulative and may go unnoticed for many years. Experts estimate that is takes roughly 15 – 20 years of steady consumption of refined sugar and junk food before you develop a chronic disease like diabetes. Furthermore, it doesn’t take much to put you at risk. Once intake exceeds 20 teaspoons daily, the risk of chronic illness increases exponentially.

Cutting Back on Sugar

Reducing sugar intake can be difficult as humans naturally crave sweets. However, there are strategies you can employ to reduce or eliminate added sugars:

• Choose whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible as this eliminates added sugars from the start.
• Keep fresh fruit around to satisfy any sweet cravings.
• Instead of artificially sweetened beverages, use one sweetened with the herb stevia.
• Natural sweeteners like honey, blackstrap molasses, fruit juice, brown rice syrup, and evaporated cane juice do contain small amounts of nutrients, such as the B vitamins, iron, calcium and potassium. But these "natural" sweeteners are only marginally better than plain white table sugar and their intake should be limited.

If you do purchase processed foods like cereal, yogurt or snack foods, read the labels carefully. While the total grams of sugar listed under “Nutrition Facts” does not separate sugars naturally in whole foods vs. those added during processing, you can often determine  the amount of added sugars if you can compare it to a “plain” or unsweetened version of the same product.

For example, plain yogurt will only list the sugars found in milk—about 12 grams in a 6 oz container. Therefore you’ll be able to calculate added sugar in a flavored yogurt by subtracting 12 grams from the total amount of sugar.

Another option is to purchase a large container of plain yogurt and add your own fresh fruit. You’ll save money and added sugar!

For more information and tips on how to kick the sugar habit, read The Dangers of Sugar: Is it Really That Bad?

Sources:

WebMD

Nutritional Magnesium

Exercise has many benefits for the body and mind but how the body triggers some of these benefits--like improving our metabolism--is unknown.

Earlier this year, researchers at Harvard Medical School identified a new hormone produced during exercise that helps turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat. In doing so, it improved glucose control, insulin levels and led to weight loss.

The discovery has exciting potential for many metabolic health problems including obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

White vs. Brown Fat

White fat--commonly referred to as body fat--accumulates throughout the body but most notably around the hips, thighs, buttocks and midsection. Its purpose is to store fat until it is needed for energy later.

Brown fat is virtually the opposite in that these cells are full of mitochondria that burn fat.

In the Harvard study, the researchers found that exercise, in both mice and humans, stimulates a chain reaction that leads to the production of a previously unknown hormone they named “irisin.”

This hormone makes white fat act like the metabolically active brown fat which burns more calories.

Irisin levels rose by 65% in mice after three weeks of free-wheel running. In humans, 10 weeks of regular endurance exercise doubled irisin levels.

Irisin also improved glucose tolerance and insulin balance, suggesting that it may be helpful in treating diabetes.

Proof Positive

To confirm that irisin was responsible for these benefits, the researchers injected a small amount of irisin into the muscles of sedentary adult mice that were obese and pre-diabetic. After 10 days of treatment, the mice had better blood sugar control and insulin levels and had lost a little weight—all without exercise.

Then the researchers conducted yet another test to prove their theory. They injected antibodies to stop the production of irisin in the mice and then put them through an exercise regimen. After 10 days, there were none of the previous improvements seen with the exercise program.

Irisin Pill?

So does this mean that irisin may be “the ultimate diet pill” giving you a fat-incinerating metabolism without breaking a sweat? We’re still a long way from knowing that for sure. But even if it did help you burn fat, all the other benefits of exercise—including muscle strength, tone and endurance will still require physical effort.

Nonetheless, the irisin discovery clearly has therapeutic potential.

Sources:

Harvard Medical School

Los Angeles Times

Earlier this month we shared information about Lung Cancer Awareness Month. November is also dedicated to Diabetes Awareness Month. The incidence of diabetes is rising among children and adults. But there is hope. Making appropriate lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the most common form of diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association’s  Stop Diabetes® movement is working to end the devastating toll that diabetes takes on the lives of millions of individuals across our nation. The ADA  goal is to inspire and mobilize the general public, volunteers, donors, corporations and the scientific and medical communities to rally around this cause and the call to "share, act, learn and give."

Facts About Diabetes

According to American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million children and adults in the United States (8.3% of the population) have diabetes. This means every 17 seconds, a new case of diabetes is diagnosed. If you factor in the additional costs of undiagnosed diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes, the total cost of diabetes in the United States is over $218 billion.

There are two forms of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.  Type 1, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease in which the body does not produce insulin. The only current treatment for type 1 diabetes is insulin therapy and other medications to stabilize glucose levels. Type 2 diabetes is usually preceded by a prediabetic condition. If diagnosed early, diet and lifestyle changes, can often delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.

Symptoms

Diabetes often can go undiagnosed because many of its symptoms appear to be harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing complications of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue and irritability

Type 2 Diabetes

• Any of the type 1 symptoms
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
• Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections

If you are pre-diabetic or wanting to avoid a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, you can make healthy changes in your diet and increase the level of physical activity in your day. These actions can help return your blood glucose levels to the normal range and allow you to extend the longevity and quality of your life. This video by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) provides great advice and practical tips to help you get on the right track and prevent or manage diabetes.

Source:

The American Diabetes Association

Over 20 years ago, while sitting on a park bench in Arizona, Clint Ober was struck by an interesting thought that led to what he believes is a life-changing discovery about our relationship with mother earth.

A successful former cable executive, Ober had spent much of his early life installing poles, wires and cable boxes. He was well-schooled in electrical equipment and understood electromagnetic field interference. For example, to eliminate TV static and improve reception, he would attach a wire to the TV, run it out a window and attach it to a metal pole in the earth—essentially grounding the equipment.

Sitting on that bench, after almost dying from liver disease, Ober connected the dots, “It occurred to me rather innocently that all these people—me included—were insulated from the ground, the electrical surface charge of the earth beneath our feet,” Ober wrote later.

Wondering if, like the fuzzy TV, there was a parallel to his own health, Ober went to work to investigate his revelation. He went home and created a simple grounding mechanism by attaching a wire to a grounded metal rod outside his living room window. With the wire and a voltmeter in hand, he proceeded to walk around his home measuring the voltage on his body. “When I walked toward a lamp, the voltage would go up. When I stepped back, the voltage went down. The only appliances that did not create electromagnetic field (EMF) voltage on my body were the refrigerator and my computer tower. They were grounded,” Ober said. The bedroom was the most ‘electrically active’ area of the apartment. Unbeknownst to him, the bed was up against a wall full of hidden electrical wires.

Speculating that electric fields in his bedroom might be causing his chronic sleep problems, Ober made a sleeping pad out of metalized duct tape and then grounded it outside his bedroom window. When he lay down on the pad, the voltmeter showed that his bed was now equivalent to the ground outside. “I was lying there fooling around with the voltmeter,” Ober says, “and the next thing I knew it was morning. I had fallen asleep with the voltmeter on my chest. I had slept soundly for the first time in years, and I had hardly moved at all during the night.”

After a few nights sleeping on the pad, Ober noticed that his severe back pain had vastly improved. He said his back hadn’t felt that good in years. It was then that he thought he may have made a great discovery.

For several months, Ober made more sleeping pads for some of his friends who also reported benefits. He also spent many hours on the internet and visiting medical libraries trying to dig up anything he could find on grounding and health but came up with only a few stories from Native Americans. He could find no evidence that his grounding pads could be harmful or that anyone had investigated whether our bodies depend on grounding energy to maintain health. One prominent sleep researcher he spoke with laughed him out the door.

With his ideas pooh-poohed by mainstream science, Ober went on to conduct his own experiments. He gathered up 60 volunteers--38 women and 22 men who experienced sleep problems and various forms of joint and muscle pain. He split the volunteers into two groups with 30 sleeping on pads that were grounded, and the other 30 on pads with a hidden disconnect. Only Ober knew who was on which type of pad during the one-month study.

Ober was astonished by the result of the grounded sleepers:

• 85 percent fell asleep sooner
• 93 percent slept better
• 100 percent were more rested upon waking
• 82 percent “experienced significant reduction in muscle stiffness”
• 74 percent “experienced elimination or reduction of chronic back and joint pain”
• 78 percent reported “improved general health.”
• Many participants also reported relief from asthmatic and respiratory conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep apnea, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). There were also reports of fewer hot flashes.

In 2010, Ober published a book about his grassroots research and discoveries. He also founded the Earthing Institute, a group that is conducting more research based on Ober’s work and practicing “Earthing,” which is physically connecting to the earth and/or using a grounding device.

Interestingly, mainstream science and Ober’s studies may have found common ground. Medical scientists have reached the conclusion that many diseases—from heart disease to diabetes to arthritis—are ultimately signs of chronic inflammation, in which the body’s natural defenses have been turned against itself. The problem seems to be an overabundance of positively-charged “free radicals.” The solution: provide electrons to neutralize the free radicals and lessen their damage.

Earthing practitioners say those electrons are freely available by taking off your shoes and standing on mother earth. “The land and seas of planet Earth are alive with an endless supply of electrons,” Ober writes. “By making direct contact with the surface of the planet—the skin of our bodies touching the skin of the earth—our conductive bodies naturally equalize with the earth. Figuratively speaking, we refill the electron level in our tank that has become low. Just like standard electronic equipment that needs a stable ground to function well, so, too, the body needs stable grounding to also function well.”

What do you think about the possibility of achieving wellness through grounding? Share your thoughts on the CNCA Facebook page.

To learn more abour electromagnetic frequencies and how they impact our health, see Do EMFs from Cell Phones Cause Cancer?

Source:  

Utne Reader

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to one in three American adults could have diabetes by 2050. Currently diabetes affects one in ten adults but health officials say the aging population and rise in obesity in America may push diabetes to epidemic proportions. And not just in America, obesity and diabetes is on the rise worldwide—some are already calling it a pandemic.

But there is a silver lining. The most common form of diabetes, type 2, which accounts for approximately 90-95 percent of all cases, is largely preventable with moderate lifestyle changes.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse lists these risk factors for type 2 diabetes:

• Being overweight.
• Having a family history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
• Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
• Having pre-diabetes.
• Being of Asian, African, Pacific Island, American Indian, Alaskan or Hispanic descent.
• Being 60 or older.
• Having had gestational diabetes while pregnant.
• Exercising fewer than three times per week.

While we can’t change some of these risk factors, medical experts say that we can reduce our risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58% through healthy lifestyle changes including:

• Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Use a Body Mass Index Table (BMI) to determine if you are in the normal weight range.
• Be physically active every day or at least 30 minutes five times a week.
• Eat a balanced diet consisting of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.
• Limit your consumption of alcohol, refined grains, sweets, and animal fats.
• Limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg (about 1 teaspoon) per day.

If you have multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes, you should watch for these symptoms which may develop gradually: unexplained fatigue or nausea, frequent urination, unusual thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of wounds or sores. Some people have no symptoms so be sure to have regular health check-ups and let your doctor know if you have a family history of diabetes.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control

WebMD

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

American Diabetes Association.

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

No matter what your age, exercise and physical activity are good for your mind, body and spirit. Getting regular exercise through your senior years can help you:

• Keep and improve your strength so you can stay independent.
• Have more energy to do the things you want to do.
• Improve your balance.
• Prevent or delay some diseases like heart disease, diabetes, breast and colon cancer, and osteoporosis.
• Lift your spirits and reduce depression.

There are many ways to become more active, but your chances of sticking with it over time are better if you choose activities you enjoy. As with any lifestyle change, start slow and gradually increase the frequency and intensity of your exercise. You can begin by building more physical activity into your daily routine. Try parking the car farther from the store entrance when you go shopping or raking the leaves instead of hiring someone to do it. More...

If you've been hoping, working, donating, praying and fighting for a cure for cancer at some point in your life -- do you know anyone who hasn't? -- you may consider the results of this observational study of patients with an incredibly rare genetic disorder that causes dwarfism the beginning of something potentially revolutionary.

Scientists monitored the health of 99 Ecuadoran patients with Laron's syndrome, a mutation in the growth hormone receptor gene that causes dwarfism. To the unbelievably good, however, these fortunate folks also enjoyed an almost free pass from cancer and diabetes. Only one instance of a non-fatal case of cancer and no diagnoses of diabetes were reported over the course of the 22-year study. By comparison, among the 1,600 relatives of Laron's syndrome patients, 17 percent battled cancer and 5 percent developed diabetes over that same time.

The possible key to the Ecuadorans' virtual immunity to diabetes and cancer -- very low levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), a hormone structurally similar to insulin that's produced primarily by the liver -- has been also connected to promoting longevity in living things from yeast and worms to mice. Along those lines, clinical trials are in the planning stage that will treat cancer patients on chemo with existing drugs that decrease IGF levels in hopes of similar success.

Two interesting caveats demonstrate that there are tradeoffs to this near "immunity" to cancer and diabetes, however. For one, even though Laron's syndrome patients sidestepped diabetes, they experienced greater levels of obesity. Lastly, and most importantly, Laron's patients didn't live longer than their relatives: They died from "a lot of strange causes of death," scientist say (accidents and alcohol-related problems).

Learn more about these unique people who may teach us much more about a cure for cancer and diabetes by watching this short news featured filmed for VOANews.com (Voice of America) in 2008.

Science Translational Medicine, Vol. 3, No. 70, February 16, 2011

LiveScience February 16, 2011

Scientific American February 17, 2011

Yahoo News February 16, 2011

Just in case you've wondered where all these cats appearing on occasion in this space came from, they are our pet kids, either sleeping or lounging and, probably, staring very deeply into your soul. Over the past 14+ years Ms. CEO and I have been "pet parents," I can say with all sincerity we have benefitted greatly from the presence of these funny, furry felines in our lives from a health standpoint, despite daily battles with irritable bowels, arthritis, allergies and, on occasion, cat scatology.

Whether it's been a fair arrangement for them or not, we can't be completely certain, as they don't say much (except late at night, when we're trying to get to sleep). The only clue I've got: When we leave the house to run errands or I sequester myself away for some quiet writing time, at least one of them is usually waiting for us on the other side or pawing the bottom of the door. So they do miss us…

The most striking one of the bunch for most folks is Mr. Loverboy, a nearly 19-pound, 2.5-foot-tall creature who looks and acts more like an attention-starved Labrador (for a cat) than the sleek, elegant, emotionless panther he appears to be at first. Let's just say, his "pet" name is MOOSE! for good reason. (In today's picture, he's lounging on the couch next to his younger brother Bartholomew while consulting with his stock broker.)

If you didn't get the hint, Mr. Loverboy is a BIG CAT. Whether he's obese or just "big-boned" depends on your perspective, however. The opinions that count the most to us -- our vets -- don't think so. In fact, one of our vets who has been involved in observational research on obesity in cats has told us Mr. Loverboy is relatively skinny compared to some pets they have treated. How big? Try 32 pounds!

I've rambled on here because of this interesting AP story (picked up by USA Today) about the various and unpleasant ailments afflicting dogs fed a steady diet of fatty and generally unhealthy-for-anyone "people food." Like, for example, an adorable miniature pinscher whose life will be cut short due to obesity and diabetes because his pet parents spoiled him on a steady diet of fried chicken nuggets and restaurant leftovers.

Yes, you just read that…

We won't pretend to be experts on the best choices for feeding your pet, as there is much debate about whether to feed them more raw foods or processed foods and there's pros and cons for both. That said, there are many credible places you can turn to for guidance on steering your pets away from obesity via the Internet party line.

By the way, does this story sound even vaguely familiar, compared to your own health challenges?

USA Today December 26, 2010

In addition to consuming too many sugars that fuel the continuing problems our world faces with childhood obesity, a Journal of Pediatrics study underscores another important reason parents why must limit the amount of soft drinks their kids drink every day.

Based on parental reports encompassing about 200 children, 75 percent of them consumed caffeine every day, and the amounts were startling. Every day, kids in the 5-7 age range ate roughly 52 mg of caffeine, while those from ages 8-12 consumed more than twice as much (109 mg).

Looking at this from another health angle, the amount of caffeine older kids consumed was comparable to drinking almost three 12-ounce cans of the average soft drink daily. What's more, kids who consumed higher amounts of caffeine got less sleep, possibly raising their risks of diabetes in the process.

Just one more reason parents should take a more active hand in tackling obesity before it becomes a problem.

Journal of Pediatrics December 17, 2010 Free Full Text Study

ScienceDaily December 17, 2010

It's one thing to shrink your risk of type 2 diabetes theoretically by drinking TOO MUCH coffee. It's entirely another to reduce them by doing something completely counter-intuitive to modern dietary strategies, however, like consuming whole-fat milk, cheeses and other dairy products.

Just like the health benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), we will be hearing and learning much more in the coming years about trans-palmitoleic acid, thanks to a recent study that tracked the health of more than 3,700 seniors (older than age 64) participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study for two decades.

Patients who had higher levels of trans-palmitoleic fatty acids at the get-go generally had healthier insulin levels and sensitivity, cholesterol numbers and inflammatory markers. During follow-up reviews, patients who maintained those high levels of trans-palmitoleic acids reduced their diabetes risks by some 60 percent.

Here's the trick: Your body naturally has circulating palmitoleic acid, but you can also get it from outside sources -- then it's called trans-palmitoleic acid -- like whole milk. Lead researcher Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian told HealthDay News, the amount of trans-palmitoleic acid is proportional to the dairy fat in whole-fat dairy foods. Also, the amount of trans-palmitoleic acid necessary to confer such benefits varies depending on the dairy product, so the number of servings one would need is hard to pinpoint too.

Before you head to the grocery store to stock up on whole-fat dairy products, however, medical experts warn it's way too early to adjust dietary recommendations. As we've pointed out here before, science is just coming around to the notion that our bodies are very much like living, breathing, walking and talking chemistry experiments.

Give this some time for other researchers to weigh in. Don't worry, we'll keep you posted…

Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 153, No. 12, p. 790-799, December 21, 2010

insciences.org December 21, 2010

healthfinder.gov December 20, 2010

CNN/The Chart December 20, 2010

Considering how much pets do for our collective health -- some believe owning a dog may be better than maintaining a health club membership -- the least we can do is return the favor, and that's more than merely springing for vitamins, as they get older.

Pets battle many of the same age-related problems we do, including diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, heart disease and chronic kidney disease, according to an assistant professor at Kansas State University. Unfortunately, "pet parents" (me included) are so focused on taking care of their more immediate needs -- food, attention and defecation habits -- that we forget the big picture.

Yes, it's so easy to take the health of our pets for granted because we see them every day, and their appearance doesn't change a great deal over time. However, my wife and I are pet parents to two lovely lady cats above age 12 (64 human years) who are squarely in their geriatric years and have their own health challenges. An incredibly picky eater, Miss Annie needs special foods and vitamins to help her maintain her shapely figure while Nuala is fighting a nasal disorder related to feline herpesvirus (FHV), prompting a runny nose and much sneezing.

While the correlation of aging with cats is tied just to years, weight and years determine a dog's age. Typically, the bigger they are, the older they are. For example, huge dogs in the 120-pound range (otterhounds and the like) are considered geriatrics by age 6, and canines that are less than 20 pounds reach their later years by age 11.

Thankfully, many of good things you do to protect and enhance your health -- better nutrition, gentle exercise, regular visits with a trusted physician and taking a quality supplement -- will help your pets age just as gracefully.

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healthfinder.gov October 29, 2010

K-State News Services October 19, 2010

Eating green, leafy vegetables may be a good first step toward lowering your type 2 diabetes risks, but more aggressive lifestyle changes -- modifying your dietary and exercise habits over the long haul -- could be even better for your health, according to a new study, especially if you're fighting the battle of the bulge.

Researchers compared the health of 5,145 overweight or obese patients (median age 58) split nearly evenly into two groups over a four-year period. A diabetes support (control) group was assigned to attend sessions focused on diet, social support and physical activity while the rest participated in a lifestyle intervention program, a one-two regimen of exercise and diet modification designed to yield a 7 percent weight loss during the first year, then maintain it for the remainder of the study.

You probably won't be surprised to learn that patients in the active group lost nearly seven times the amount of weight (6.2 percent) compared to those in the control group (0.9 percent), and enjoyed more improvements in blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) and hemoglobin A1c (blood glucose) levels and fitness. All of those improvements held up at the end of the four-year study period too, although the disparity in health numbers was widest initially.

Conversely, patients in the control group achieved higher drops in low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol), thanks to a greater reliance on a statin drug, reminiscent of a controversial opinion by some medical experts that suggests even healthy folks should consider taking one.

Despite all the good news about lifestyle changes/interventions, scientists weren't willing to project how far either intervention will go toward slowing down or stopping cardiovascular disease altogether. If you could avoid type 2 diabetes or taking a statin drug merely by making better lifestyle decisions, why wouldn't you?

Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 170, No. 17, p. 1566-1575, September 27, 2010

LiveScience September 27, 2010

EurekAlert September 27, 2010

Knowledge and awareness are growing daily about the ways obesity triggers the aggressive damage cancer can do to your body. But that's not all…

Unfortunately, those extra pounds, higher BMIs and bigger belly fat that stem from fighting -- and losing -- to obesity at middle-age may foreshadow a greater risk of diabetes as folks reach their retirement years. Scientists observed the link between these diseases while tracking the health of some 4,200 patients (older than age 64) at three-year intervals.

Over the course of the 12-year study, 339 patients were diagnosed with diabetes. Seven factors -- among them BMI at age 50, fat mass, weight and waist circumference -- were all related to the heightened risk of diabetes.

High-risk patients who carried around the greatest amount of fat increased their chances of developing diabetes by as much as sixfold, regardless of age or race. Moreover, those who were already obese at age 50 (BMIs greater than 29) and had gained more than 20 pounds during their middle years were five times more likely to succumb to diabetes, compared to patients whose BMIs were lower than 25 and maintained a stable weight.

And, patients with the highest numbers in two specific categories -- BMI and waist circumference -- more than quadrupled their diabetes risks, compared to folks with the lowest numbers.

Another reason why you should incorporate better foods like these into your diet TODAY.

Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 303, No. 24, pp. 2504-2512, June 23-30, 2010

ScienceDaily June 24, 2010

The Heart.org June 23, 2010

With research growing about the many health benefits connected with following a Mediterranean diet, Spanish researchers may have discovered a genetic reason why it works so well for Europeans. And, it's linked to their consumption of virgin olive oil.

Twenty patients, suffering from the cluster of symptoms related to heart disease, stroke and diabetes better known as metabolic syndrome, ate controlled olive oil-based breakfasts with low or high amounts of phenolic compounds.

The connection: Olive oils contain beneficial micronutrients known as phenols, and extra virgin varieties have been found to possess more of them. Previous studies have shown how extra virgin olive oils reduce a number of damaging, pro-inflammatory markers in the human body.

Ninety-eight different genes were identified in the presence of foods cooked with phenol-rich, virgin olive oil, many of them linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Even better, the phenols in extra virgin olive oil repressed some of these pro-inflammatory processes, suggesting that a targeted diet can switch the activity of immune system cells to a less harmful inflammatory profile, scientists say.

These findings add to the growing body of knowledge (pun intended) supporting the belief that what you eat can directly affect your health.

BMC Genomics, Vol. 11, No. 253, April 20, 2010 Free Full Text PDF

ScienceDaily April 22, 2010

Daily Mail April 23, 2010