The Pill May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Posted on June 11, 2013 by admin

You already know the Pill is great for regulating your cycle and keeping babies at bay, but it also has a host of other amazing health benefits. According to a recent analysis in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, women who use oral contraceptives have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer—and the longer you take it, the lower your risk.

Researchers looked at 24 studies from January 1990 to June 2012. They found that women who had ever used oral contraceptives—any type—had a 27 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer than women who had never taken the Pill. And women who had been on the Pill for 10 years or more saw a reduced risk of more than 50 percent!

So what’s behind this association? Researchers still aren’t entirely sure, says lead study author Laura Havrilesky, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine. One theory is that halting ovulation has a protective effect on the ovaries, though other theories mention a possible hormonal effect on the fallopian tubes, which is where many aggressive forms of ovarian cancer begin, says Havrilesky. Regardless of the mechanism, it’s a pretty great side effect if you’re already planning to be on the Pill.

That said, experts warn that you shouldn’t go on birth control just to reduce your risk since the average woman’s chances of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer is just 1.7 percent, says Havrilesky. Plus, previous research has linked long-term birth control use with a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. Essentially, this is one added benefit that can be weighed against other benefits—and drawbacks—of the Pill, says Havrilesky. However, if you have a family history or known genetic mutation that puts you at an increased risk of ovarian cancer and you’re already in the market for contraception, it may be worth talking to your doctor about going on the Pill.

Check out all the other perks that come with your pack of pills:

7 Benefits of Hormonal Birth Control

How the Pill Affects Your Body

The Best Birth Control For Your Body

How the Pill Affects Your Attraction

5 Surprising Side Effects of the Pill

photo: Fuse/Thinkstock

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Calcium Supplements Linked to Lower Mortality Risk

Posted on May 23, 2013 by admin

A few months ago, Women’s Health reported that excessive calcium consumption was linked to a higher risk of mortality. New research now provides more insight on the subject: In a study recently accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers report that taking calcium supplements—up to 1,000 mg a day—is linked with lower mortality risk.

A research team from McGill University in Canada analyzed health data from more than 9,000 people that participated in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study—though not all of the participants actually had osteoporosis. To get the skinny on calcium supplement consumption, researchers interviewed participants in person every five years and also asked them to fill out a yearly questionnaire about which medications and supplements they were taking.

The women who reported using calcium supplements—up to 1,000 mg per day—had about a 20 percent reduced risk of dying at some point during the 10-year study. Higher doses, however, led to inconclusive results.

That’s in line with research published a few months ago that found women with a calcium intake exceeding 1,400 mg per day increased their mortality risk by 100 percent, compared to those who kept their intake between 600 and 999 mg.

All of this evidence points to the fact that the RDA for calcium—1,000 mg per day for women between the ages of 19 and 50—is in fact the best amount to aim for, says David Goltzman, MD, of McGill University.

The latest research suggests that taking calcium supplements can be a safe way to up your intake—so long as you don’t exceed 1,000 mg per day from both supplements and dietary calcium.

That said, it’s always best not to rely on supplements to meet your nutritional needs. In fact, researchers found similar reductions in the risk of mortality when people increased their dietary calcium intake, as well.

“The most appropriate way to meet your calcium needs is through your diet,” says Goltzman. “If, however, you cannot meet your average daily requirement of calcium, there would be no harm—with respect to increased death—to consume calcium supplements up to 1,000 mg per day.”

These calcium-rich foods will help you get more of the nutrient—without having to resort to a supplement:

The ingredient: Milk or calcium-fortified soy milk
Calcium content: 299 mg per 8-ounce serving (30 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Greek-Style Frittata

Photo: Craig Cutler

The Ingredient: Plain, nonfat yogurt (note: Greek yogurt has less calcium)
Calcium content: 415 mg per 8-ounce serving (42 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Blueberry Yogurt Parfait

Photo: Catherine Sears

The Ingredient: White beans
Calcium content: 96 mg per ½-cup serving (9 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Tuscan Spinach Dumplings with White Beans

Photo: Quentin Bacon

The ingredient: Kale
Calcium content: 100 mg per 1-cup serving (10 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Kale and Cannellini Beans

Photo: Mitch Mandel

Plus, check out 9 other awesome kale recipes.

The ingredient: Almonds
Calcium content: 75 mg per 1-ounce serving (7 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Radicchio

Photo: Kang Kim

Photo: Liquidlibrary/Thinkstock

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The Super Food That Can Lower Blood Pressure

Posted on April 9, 2013 by admin

To treat high blood pressure, you may want to swing by the grocery store—not your pharmacy: Egg whites could reduce your blood pressure as effectively as some medicines, according to a study conducted by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

In the study, researchers from Clemson University in South Carolina and Jilin University in China fed hypertension-prone lab rats short chains of amino acids called peptides from egg whites. These peptides reduced the rats’ hypertension by 19 millimeters of mercury, which is about equal to the effect you’d see from taking a low dose of the hypertension drug Captopril, say study authors.

Previous research has found that eating peptides from egg whites has a similar effect to taking hypertension drugs: Both suppress the enzymes that cause blood vessels to narrow (which raises your blood pressure), says study author Zhipeng Yu, PhD, a researcher at Jilin University.

While the egg white peptides in this experiment were highly concentrated, undercooked by human standards, and fed to mice (not people), previous research suggests that the peptides may maintain their beneficial effects at higher temperatures, too. What’s more, this study’s results were promising enough for researchers to plan further studies to determine how many egg whites humans would need to consume to manage hypertension, says Yu.

So while you shouldn’t ditch your pills just yet, it can’t hurt to include more egg whites in your diet. Get cracking on these tasty recipes:

Breakfast Pizza

Zesty Spinach Omelet

Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Breakfast Burrito

Photo: Mitch Mandel

Egg White Frittata

Photo: Jeff Harris

Eggs and Lox on an English Muffin

Photo: Jeff Harris

photo: Hemera/Thinkstock

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The Easy Solution for Lower Back Pain

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

Pain in the back can be a real pain in the you-know-what. If you’re looking for relief, take note: Walking is just as effective at easing lower back pain as muscle-strengthening exercises, according to a new study out of Tel Aviv University in Israel.

For the study, researchers put 52 patients with chronic lower back pain on an exercise regime—half on a strength-training program, and the other half on a walking program. None of the participants had been physically active on a regular basis before beginning their respective routines. Both groups trained two to three times per week. The walkers began with 20-minute treadmill sessions (a five-minute warm-up, followed by 10 minutes of faster walking, capped off with a five-minute cool-down) and eventually built up to 40-minute sessions. At the end of six weeks, both groups showed a significant reduction in back pain, as well as improvements in walking speed and back and abdominal muscle endurance.

While walking doesn’t target specific muscles the way strengthening moves do, it still helps build muscle tissue, says Nick Shamie, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at the UCLA Spine Center and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, who was not involved in the study. That may be why participants in both test groups saw similar results. Plus, Shamie says, it’s one of the safest forms of aerobic activity, but it still gets your blood flowing and endorphins pumping. “I think walking is a great form of exercise, and it’s underrated,” he says.

Up to 80 percent of Americans will have back pain at some point in their lives. If you’re suffering, see your doctor to find out if walking could help alleviate the problem.

In the meantime, check out these other backache remedies:

Yoga workouts to relieve back pain

Back pain exercises to stabilize the sacrum

The yoga workout that soothed Adam Levine’s back

More tips for staying back-pain-free

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

The Body Reset Diet
Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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Lower Your Risk of Hospitalization

Posted on October 26, 2012 by admin

If you’re struggling to shed some pounds, this might be the push that you need to tip the scale back in your favor. People with a higher body mass index (BMI) are more likely to be hospitalized with serious health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, gallbladder disease, and more, according to a new study published in The International Journal of Obesity.

“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that being overweight, not just obese, can increase your risk of health problems,” says lead author Rosemary Korda, PhD, Research Fellow at the Australian National University. “We showed that, on average, risk of hospitalization increases gradually as BMI increases, starting with people in the overweight range.” For reference, overweight is defined as a BMI between 25 and 30; obese is a BMI of 30 or above.

Researchers analyzed the health data of nearly 250,000 people (age 45 and older) in New South Wales over a two-year period of time. The rate of hospitalization (of at least one night) was highest among those with the highest BMI (35-50). That means that for every 1,000 women with the highest BMI surveyed, 183 were hospitalized per year. Even more alarming? This was true of both physically active and inactive people, and of smokers and non-smokers alike, according to the study. So working out and avoiding cancer sticks alone may not save you from having to check in to the hospital.

“Being overweight or obese increases your risk even if you are physically very active,” says Korda. “While our study did not look at the effectiveness of diet and exercise directly, our findings do suggest that if you are overweight or obese and are able to lower your weight through a healthy diet and exercise, this is likely to reduce your risk of health problems and hospitalization.”

Use these four tried-and-true weight-loss strategies to get on the road to a speedier slim-down—and to help keep you out of a hospital gown:

A Non-Crazy Two-Day Cleanse
Jumpstart your weight-loss with this short and sweet Look Better Naked cleanse. Get the meal plan, here.

8 Ways to Suppress Your Appetite
Sometimes, a grumbling stomach can be the biggest diet saboteur. Learn how to trick yourself into feeling satisfied—and keep your hunger hormones in check. Get the tips, here.

Fatty Foods That Make You Skinny
Yes, you read that right. Turns out, certain fatty foods can work for you by boosting your metabolism, improving your heart health, and more. Add these five foods to your diet to fill up—not out.

The Easiest Ways to a Hotter (and Healthier!) Bod
Losing weight doesn’t have to be a complete nightmare. These five easy tricks will make you stronger and leaner in no time. Click here to get the tips.

photo: Siri Stafford/Photodisc/Thinkstock

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Healthy Headlines: The Problem with Pull-Ups, Foods that Lower Diabetes, and Pumpkin Seed Recipes

Posted on October 26, 2012 by admin

Pull Down: Can’t master the pull up? Don’t fear, it might not be the most meaningful a fitness measure. Exercise …
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Athens Java Hut

Serving Jittery Joe's Coffee, Cecilia Villaveces, Cakes and Italian Gelato

Tag Archives: Lower

The Pill May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Calcium Supplements Linked to Lower Mortality Risk

The Super Food That Can Lower Blood Pressure

The Easy Solution for Lower Back Pain

Lower Your Risk of Hospitalization

Healthy Headlines: The Problem with Pull-Ups, Foods that Lower Diabetes, and Pumpkin Seed Recipes