Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Pyramid

Dr. Andrew Weil has been, and continues to be, a strong advocate of a great-grandmother-approved lifestyle. He has created an anti-inflammatory food pyramid. Eating according to the principles outlined in the pyramid should help you reduce inappropriate inflammation, which is a major contributor to many chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Check out his excellent website for more: drweil.com.

Buy in Glass Whenever You Can

Common Chemical Linked to Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disorders

Exposure to a chemical commonly used in food packaging materials may be putting millions at an increased risk for cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and liver abnormalities, researchers here said. Urinary levels of bisphenol A (BPA) were significantly higher in people with diagnoses of angina, coronary heart disease, and diabetes, those who had suffered heart attacks, and those with elevated liver enzymes, reported David Melzer, M.B., Ph.D., of Peninsula Medical School, and colleagues in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. BPA is a component of epoxy resins used to line food and beverage containers and in polycarbonate plastics contained in many consumer products. It is also present in drinking water and in household air, in the form of dust. Dr. Melzer and colleagues cited data suggesting BPA is detectable in the urine of 90% of adult Americans.

For more, go to http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/EnvironmentalHealth/tb/10924

Ah, the Beautiful Mediterranean -- Diet, That is

People who kept to a full Mediterranean diet had lower overall mortality as well as lower mortality from several major chronic diseases, a meta-analysis found.

Greater adherence to the diet was associated with a 9% lower overall mortality, a 9% lower cardiovascular mortality, a 6% lower incidence of or mortality from cancer, and a 13% lower incidence of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, Francesco Sofi, M.D., of the University of Florence, and colleagues reported online in the British Medical Journal.The Mediterranean diet, widely reported to be a model of healthy eating, is rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, fish, nuts, olive oil, and a moderate intake of red wine during meals, but is low in red meat, dairy products, and alcohol.

For more on this go to: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/tb/10887

Eat Your Way to Good Vision

Study Reveals How Diet, Antioxidants Prevent Blindness In Aging Population

A new study reveals part of the magic behind a diet rich in antioxidants, showing how artichokes, blueberries and pecans can hold at bay the leading cause of age-related blindness in developed countries.Researchers discovered a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to a disease called macular degeneration. They found antioxidants disrupt the link and extend the lifetime of irreplaceable photoreceptors and other retinal cells."The implication is that people at risk of macular degeneration could help prevent the disease by consuming antioxidants," said Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, a Brigham Young University chemist who earned a doctorate from Oxford and began work on this disease as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia.The study is online and will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Vollmer-Snarr collaborated with researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.Age-related macular degeneration affects more than 1.75 million people in the United States. With a rapidly aging population, that number will rise to 3 million by 2020. People struck with the disease first lose central vision and temporarily adjust by relying more on peripheral vision. Some eventually lose their vision entirely.Dr. Paul Bernstein of the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center says understanding the exact mechanisms of macular degeneration has remained elusive. Bernstein was not involved in the study."This work by Dr. Vollmer-Snarr and colleagues ties these two damaging processes together and demonstrates the harm they cause in combination is much more than would be expected," Bernstein said. "This new knowledge suggests the possibility of interventions which could prove to be powerful ways to prevent or delay age-related macular degeneration."The new study finds a destructive synergy between the buildup of a compound called A2E and damage to cellular "power plants" called mitochondria. A2E is a natural byproduct of cellular activity that, unlike other compounds, won't break down or be disposed by the body.A problem occurs when A2E encounters oxidative stress created by light exposure. In these circumstances, A2E disrupts energy production in mitochondria. The resulting energy shortage pulls the plug on daily cleaning and maintenance of photoreceptors and another type of retinal cell.The result is more A2E buildup, and the cycle of destruction hastens the death of these vital visual cells, which are not replaced when they die. The experiments performed with visual cells from rats, cows and humans showed that antioxidants could completely counter the damage.Seeing this process play out in the retina has given Vollmer-Snarr a novel idea for attacking harmful growths in the body. The strategy would involve delivering potentially disruptive compounds like A2E to the target and then using light to trigger the damage."Why not take a page out of one disease's book in the fight against other diseases?" Vollmer-Snarr said.