Feeling Strong and Healthy 10 and 20 Years From Now

By Angie Doust

Yesterday I received an email from a friend in her late 50’s saying, “If I had known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself .” How great the wisdom of hindsight can be.

Too often when it comes to our health we only think of how we feel today. But the fact is the top five leading causes of premature death - cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory disease and diabetes – are degenerative diseases. Diseases caused by damage our bodies, little by little, over 10, 20 or 30 years until we end up with a life-threatening illness.

Current health research is now showing a direct link between nutritional imbalances, lifestyle factors and many common conditions and degenerative diseases. From problems with sleeping, low energy levels, mood swings, poor recovery from exercise, trouble with concentration, migraines and psoriasis to chronic diseases such as arthritis and cancer. For example, research shows that 80% of all heart disease is DIRECTLY related to nutritional imbalances.

This research is actually good news! What it shows is that through positive changes to our diet and lifestyle, we can prevent ourselves from getting these diseases in the first place.

Now 100 years ago we could get all the nutrients we needed from our food. But these days that can be difficult. That is where a good quality nutritional supplement can help. In fact, supplementation has become essential to good health these days.

So what exactly should we all be taking on a daily basis to achieve and maintain OPTIMAL HEALTH? Nutritional specialists agree that we all need:

· High-quality multi-vitamin containing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

· Omega 3 essential fatty acids in the form of fish oil or flax seed oil

· Calcium, Vitamin D and Magnesium

An important thing to be aware of is that just like everything else in life, not all health supplements are created equal. So you want to do your own research—a good place to start would be the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle McWilliam which compares over 1600 brands of supplements on the market in the US and Australia/New Zealand. It is full of detailed nutritional research and facts.

So the winning combination for health and happiness? Take a good-quality supplement, eat well, drinks lots of water, exercise regularly and laugh a lot! And also remember your children also need the proper nutrients too.

Magnesium intake increases bone mineral density and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society has shown that dietary intake of magnesium is associated with an increase in bone mineral density in older men and women.

The study included 2,038 men and women aged 70-79 that were enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Food frequency questionnaires were used to assess magnesium intakes and document any medications. The data also accounted for variations in age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, alcohol use, physical activity, estrogen use, and supplemental calcium and vitamin D.

Higher magnesium intake through diet and supplements was positively associated with total - body bone mineral density (BMD) in older white men and women. For every 100 mg per day increase in magnesium, there was an approximate 2 per cent increase in whole-body BMD.

The results have important implications since osteoporosis currently affects over 10 million adults in the U.S. alone, with another 34 million suspected to have low bone mass. In addition, earlier dietary surveys have consistently shown that a large portion of adults do not meet the RDA for magnesium.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society November 2005, Vol 53, No 11, pp 1875-1880

High Glycemic Index Diets Increase the Risk of Chronic Degenerative Disease

Long-term consumption of high-glycemic foods may increase oxidative stress and the risk of chronic degenerative diseases.

Leading U.S. researchers recently concluded that a low-GI diet, not a low carbohydrate diet, appears to be beneficial in reducing the production of free radicals and oxidative stress.

Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the rate that the carbohydrates in a food or meal are digested and appear in the blood as glucose (sugar). Glycemic load is a way of measuring the total carbohydrates in a meal or diet with a mathematical adjustment for GI. These measurements can be used to simultaneously describe the quality (glycemic index) and quantity of carbohydrate in a meal or diet.

Recent data suggest that the sudden rise in blood sugar associated with a high glycemic load may increase free radical production and the risk of oxidative damage. This increased production has been implicated in many disease processes including chronic heart disease, accelerated aging, and type 2 diabetes.

Investigators from several leading U.S. institutions recently investigated whether a diet with a high GI or GL is associated with greater oxidative stress by taking specific measurements in nearly 300 healthy adults.

Participants with a higher GI and GL diet were found to exhibit increases in oxidative stress when compared to those eating a diet lower in glycemic index and load.

Researchers concluded that chronic consumption of high-GI foods may lead to chronically high oxidative stress, increasing the risk for several degenerative diseases. A low-GI diet, not a low carbohydrate diet, appears to be beneficial in reducing oxidative stress.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, No. 1, 70-76, July 2006.

Omega 3 fatty acids reduce colorectal cancer risk

Although diets high in fat have been associated with an increase in cancer risk, a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that a greater intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may be protective against colorectal cancer.

Researchers paired 1,455 men and women diagnosed with colorectal cancer with an equal number of healthy control subjects matched for age, gender and region of residence. Total fatty acid, as well as saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, trans-fatty acid, and trans-monounsaturated fatty acid intake were determined. Intake levels of individual fatty acids, such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), were also calculated.

Greater intake of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, and DHA were dose-dependently associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk. Compared to those with the lowest intake, participants whose omega-3 intake was in the highest group experienced a 37 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer. Subjects with intakes of EPA and DHA in the top fourth had a reduced risk of 41 and 37 percent, respectively.

The authors concluded that the observed effects of different types of fatty acids illustrates the importance of the type of fat in the origins and prevention of colorectal cancer.
American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 166(2):181-195

High glycemic diets may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration

New research shows an association between diets high in glycemic index and an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the number one cause of adult blindness.

The number one cause of irreversible blindness in adults is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which seems to share several carbohydrate-related risk factors with diabetes-related diseases, including retinopathy and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers tested the theory that dietary glycemic index (GI), which has been associated with the risk of diabetes and CVD, may also increase the risk and severity of AMD in elderly populations. Over 4000 participants aged 55-80 years participated in the research and were assigned to groups according to several physical eye characteristics related to AMD.

Compared with the eyes in those with the lowest GI diets, eyes in the high GI subjects had significantly higher risk of AMD progression and severity. There was a 49% increase in the risk of advanced AMD for persons who ate a diet higher than average in GI. Researchers noted that the results indicated that 20% of all AMD cases in the study would have been eliminated if the participants consumed diets with a GI below the average.

The association between dietary GI and AMD suggests that reducing the dietary GI may provide one way to reduce the risk of AMD in adults.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 1, 180-188, July 2007

High fiber intake reduces C-Reactive Protein

According to new research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, high fiber intake, either from dietary sources or fiber supplements, significantly reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). Increased CRP levels are associated with inflammation, heart disease and diabetes. The present study provides evidence to support the health benefits of high-fiber diets.

The randomized crossover study included 35 participants who were assigned to follow either a high-fiber diet or a fiber-supplemented diet. Both diets included 30 grams of fiber per day. Eighteen of the subjects were lean and with normal blood pressure and 17 were obese with elevated blood pressure.

Overall, average CRP levels decreased by 13.7 percent in the high-fiber diet group and by 18.1 percent for the fiber-supplemented diet group. Unexpectedly, when the lean and the obese participants were considered separately, differences in the CRP response were observed. In lean individuals, CRP levels decreased by 30 percent when consuming the high-fiber diet and 40 percent when consuming the fiber-supplemented diet. In the obese participants, no significant change in CRP levels was observed for either diet.

Although more research is needed to explain the different effects seen in the lean versus obese individuals, the present study supports the assertion that high-fiber intakes are beneficial in reducing the risks of heart disease and diabetes.

Archives of Internal Medicine March 12 2007, Volume 167, Pages 502-506