Consuming Coffee or Tea Could Cut Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

For those of us who need our morning kick-start from coffee, or a little afternoon pick-me-up from tea, it may be pleasantly pleasing to hear that consuming coffee and tea may decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. According to a group of Australian researchers, these liquid refreshments can have a positive impact on blood sugar regulation, whether or not they include caffeine. According to Rachel Huxley, lead author of the new study, and an associate professor and director of the renal and metabolic division at The George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney in Australia, “There is good evidence that consumption of coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, and tea is independently associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.” In fact, results of the analysis found that the more coffee you drink, the more you cut the risk of diabetes. Each cup of coffee consumed was linked to a 7 percent reduction in the diabetes risk. The full results of the analysis were recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Share and Enjoy:

Tanning Beds Pose Serious Health Risks

As the weather turns colder and the sunlight hours dwindle, more and more Americans flock to indoor tanning salons to get that much desired straight-from-the-beach bronze glow. In fact, nearly 30 million people in the United States tan in salons every year, most of them women between the ages of 16 and 49. But before you start baking under the lights, you might want to consider the numerous health risks associated with tanning bed use. Let’s begin with infections. If the surface of the tanning bed isn’t cleaned properly or if the towels you use aren’t washed in hot water, you can get infections like pubic lice (crabs) and warts caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. Tanning beds and exposure to UV rays can have a detrimental effect on your immune system as well because it reduces the activity level of natural killer cells and T cells. Share and Enjoy:

Long-Term Exercise Can Slow the Effects of Aging

It’s no secret that being a couch potato can lead to ill effects on your health. Scientists have long known that regular exercise can go a long way in the prevention of heart disease and cancer. However, a group of German researchers have discovered that the secret to maintaining youth may also be connected to physical activity, and that the key to slowing the aging process may be revealed by looking at the body’s cells. The report was recently published in the journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation. Dr. Ulrich Laufs, a professor of clinical and experimental medicine in the department of internal medicine at Saarland University in Homburg, Germany, and colleagues, found that the white blood cells of endurance athletes had longer telomeres than those of healthy, nonsmoking adults who did not follow a regular exercise program. Telomeres are DNA located at the ends of chromosomes that protect the tips of the chromosomes from damage. Share and Enjoy:

Superfoods fight swine flu

As fall approaches and the weather gets colder flu season is expected to be at an all-time high and swine flu is still a danger, although not quite the pandemic as it was originally introduced as at the beginning of the summer. Swine flu—like the regular form of the flu which kills thousands of people per year if left untreated—needs to latch on to a body with a lowered immune system, so stay on top of it with these foods: Yogurt – You have long heard that probioticsl help assemble the good bacteria in your stomach to keep diseases away and the flu is no different. Full of “live active cultures,” yogurt helps keep your internal systems running on track and make sure the stomach and intestines are free of germs that cause harmful bacteria to grow. A recent study from Europe showed that consuming just 7 ounces of yogurt a day contains just as much nutrition as swallowing the daily amount of probiotic supplements. The recommended dosage is two 6 ounce servings. Yogurt that contains the strain Lactobacillus reuteri, has proved to be most effective, and is currently only found in Stonyfield Farms yogurt sold in the United States. Share and Enjoy:

Popular Heartburn Drugs Reduce Plavix Effectiveness

Federal health authorities on Tuesday issued a public health advisory warning patients and physicians of a potentially serious adverse drug interaction between Plavix, an anti-clotting medication, and Prilosec, which is used to reduce stomach acid. The agency says the warning is based on a yet-to-be-published study that provided evidence that omeprazole, the active ingredient in Prilosec and other popular heartburn drugs, “reduces the pharmacological activity of (clopidogrel-Plavix) if given concomitantly or if given 12 hours apart,” thus increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. In most cases, a heart attack or stroke is caused by a blood clot that reduces or blocks the flow of blood through an artery. Plavix helps keep platelets in the blood from sticking together and forming blood clots. It is generally prescribed for people who have suffered a recent heart attack or stroke, or who have been diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), conditions that increase the risk for future heart attack or stroke. However, because Plavix can cause stomach upset and bleeding, doctors also prescribe acid-reducers such as Prilosec. Prilosec belongs to a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Several previous studies have suggested that PPIs might interfere with Plavix, and the new data confirms it. In fact, the latest study shows that Prilosec lowers the effective of Plavix by half. Mary Ross Southworth, deputy director for safety in the FDA’s division of cardiovascular and renal products, said it believes that the “mechanism of action is because of omeprazole’s activity on the 2C19 enzyme,” which is needed to convert Plavix into its active form in the body. If the action of the enzyme is blocked, less Plavix is available in the bloodstream. Share and Enjoy:

Is body contouring surgery right for you?

With the increasing popularity of bariatric surgery, weight losses of over 100 pounds have become a reality for thousands of people worldwide. As gratifying as this accomplishment is, often following bariatric surgery and resulting weight loss, skin does not shrink to firmly fit the new, smaller frame. The result is something similar to having a size 12 body in a size 24 skin. This loose, sagging skin can create hygiene problems and is prone to chafing, rashes, and infection. Surgical procedures to cut away and tighten the excess skin have become one of the fastest-growing invasive cosmetic surgeries in the United States. Share and Enjoy:

Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels may lower risk of prostate cancer

Men who keep their cholesterol levels in check may decrease their chances of developing prostate cancer, in addition to keeping their heart healthy, as science has already shown. In fact, two recent studies indicate that maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol may be a good form of cancer prevention. In one study, results showed that men who retained healthy levels of cholesterol in the range below 200 actually cut their risk of developing high-risk prostate tumors by more than 50 percent in comparison to men with high ranging cholesterol levels. In the second study, findings showed that men with high levels of good (HDL) cholesterol were slightly less likely to develop prostate cancer in any form, compared to men with very low HDL cholesterol levels. The studies were recently published in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research called Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. Both studies support prior research indicating that by limiting fats in the bloodstream, the risk of cancer can be lowered. Share and Enjoy:

About 100,000 cancer cases each year due to obesity

This year, an estimated 1.47 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer, and more than 562,000 will die of it. Two major classes of factors influence the incidence of cancer: hereditary and environmental. Hereditary factors, such as inherited genetic mutations, come from our parents and account for about 5 percent of all cancers. Environmental factors, which include tobacco use, certain infectious agents, certain medical treatments, excessive sun exposure, and exposures to cancer-causing agents known as carcinogens that exist as pollutants in our air, food, water and soil, account for an estimated 75-80 percent of cancer cases and deaths. Obesity is also an environmental factor that is clearly associated with increased risk for developing many cancers, causing more than 100,000 cases of cancer in the U.S. each year, according to a recent study from researchers at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Share and Enjoy:

Most sleepless states in america

It is commonly known that most people do not get enough sleep. Not only is insufficient rest generally unhealthy, but it often leads to physical and mental health problems, loss of productivity, lack of energy and concentration, propensity to injuries, and even death. But nothing proves it better than statistics that come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Share and Enjoy:

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

When you think of October images of pumpkins, spider webs, ghosts, ghouls, and goblins often spring to mind. However, there is one uninvited ghoul that lingers throughout this month waiting to claim another victim: Breast Cancer. In 2005 alone, there were over 188,000 people (both men and women) diagnosed with breast cancer and over 41,000 deaths from the disease. Instead of October being the month of scare tactics and spooky decorations, this year make October a month to wear something new, a pink ribbon to support breast cancer awareness, survivors living with it or who are in remission, and those who weren’t so lucky. Although breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer (the first being skin cancer) among women and being the 7th leading cause of death, males are also susceptible, as twenty men in North Carolina have recently found out. (The twenty had been ingested the same water from a Marine Corps base decades ago, which may help form a possible link to the disease.) Share and Enjoy: