How unsafe is canola oil (rapeseed oil) as far as the issue of trans fats are concerned? What alternatives are there?

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=39

The Real Story on Canola Oil (Can-ugly Oil)

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/component/content/article/64-feature-writer-article/2570&Itemid=8

A Fat MORE Dangerous than Trans Fat? | The Belly Off! Nutritionist | MensHealth.com

http://blogs.menshealth.com/bellyoff-nutritionist/a-fat-more-dangerous-than-trans-fat/2011/11/11/

The Next Killer Virus?

http://www.weather.com/video/the-next-killer-virus-39810

Its Venom Can SAVE You

http://www.weather.com/video/its-venom-can-save-you-40584

Maryland 20-Year-Old Dies Never Having Aged

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/maryland-20-year-dies-aged/story?id=20712718

 

 

Fwd: Oreo

'Connecticut College students and a professor of neuroscience have found "America's favorite cookie" is just as addictive as cocaine – at least for lab rats. And just like most humans, rats go for the middle first.

 

In a study designed to shed light on the potential addictiveness of high-fat/ high-sugar foods, Professor Joseph Schroeder and his students found rats formed an equally strong association between the pleasurable effects of eating Oreos and a specific environment as they did between cocaine or morphine and a specific environment. They also found that eating cookies activated more neurons in the brain's "pleasure center" than exposure to drugs of abuse.  '

 

http://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2013/student-faculty-research-shows-oreos-are-just-as-addictive-as-drugs-in-lab-rats-.htm#.Ul6gNFKQHYZ

 

 

'A recent study was picked up a lot by the media, claiming that "Oreos are as addictive as drugs". Just to get that out of the way as soon as possible, this headline, as flashy and attractive it is, is flawed. I'll explain why in this post…

 

The question which naturally arises after that is: If you stop eating Oreos, do you experience Oreo withdrawal? This is basically the difference between things you really like and things you're addicted to – the difference between physiological addiction (addiction to a drug) and psychological addiction.'

 

http://www.zmescience.com/medicine/mind-and-brain/oreo-addictive-drugs-16102013/

 

Fwd: Alzheimers

'Alzheimer's breakthrough hailed as 'turning point'

 

The discovery of the first chemical to prevent the death of brain tissue in a neurodegenerative disease has been hailed as the "turning point" in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

 

More work is needed to develop a drug that could be taken by patients.

 

But scientists say a resulting medicine could treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other diseases.

 

In tests on mice, the Medical Research Council showed all brain cell death from prion disease could be prevented.

 

Prof Roger Morris, from King's College London, said: "This finding, I suspect, will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent Alzheimer's disease."

 

He told the BBC a cure for Alzheimer's was not imminent but: "I'm very excited, it's the first proof in any living animal that you can delay neurodegeneration.

 

"The world won't change tomorrow, but this is a landmark study."'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24462699

 

--
Best wishes,

John Coffey

http://www.entertainmentjourney.com

Peanut butter consumption linked to decreased breast cancer risk

http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/peanut-butter-consumption-linked-to-decreased-breast-cancer-risk/

UCSF study shows gaming makes you cognitively younger (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/ucsf-video-game-study/

Re: Lifestyle Changes May Lengthen Telomeres, A Measure of Cell Aging | ucsf.edu

'In 2008 the same group reported the 3 month results of their study showing an increase in telomerase activity in the treatment group. (Telomerase is the enzyme that repairs telomeres and is associated with telomere lengthening.) Surprisingly, however, the 5 year results found no significant differences in telomerase activity between the two groups. Prostate-specific antigen values, a measure of prostate cancer activity, also did not differ significantly between the two groups…

 

A Word of Caution

 

There is a large gap between the conclusions of the paper, which sensibly state that the study was very small and needs to be replicated in larger populations, and Ornish's statements, which promise that aging can be reversed at the cellular level, seemingly for all people at all ages. Here are a number of reasons why you should be very cautious before drinking this Kool-Aid, despite its resemblance to the elixir of youth.

 

This was not a randomized trial. Patients in the treatment group agreed to intense and highly demanding lifestyle changes. They were compared with a group who had similar risk factors but who clearly did not share their high level of motivation. There is no way to know what other important differences might exist between the two groups.

 

This was a very small trial. The original 2008 trial enrolled 30 patients– there were no controls– and 24 patients had sufficient blood samples to assess telomerase activity. In the new report only 10 patients had adequate blood samples available for analysis. This severely limits the generalizability of the findings.

 

What caused the changes (if there were changes)? The Ornish program is famous for containing multiple interventions, including drastic reductions in dietary fat and sugar, significant increases in exercise , as well as yoga classes and group therapy. There is no way to know the relative importance, or lack of importance, of any of the individual components of his program.

 

It is entirely possible that other, completely different interventions would have a similar effect. Last spring a paper reported that telomere length increased in people who lost weight after 5 years on the Mediterranean diet, which is not a low fat diet and which is generally thought to be much more palatable than the extreme low-fat Ornish diet.

 

Finally, we should be extremely cautious about the use of surrogate endpoints. There is no doubt that telomere research represents one of the most significant research advances of the last generation. But it is far too early to know if measuring telomere length is a good way to assess the value of an intervention.'

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2013/09/16/no-dean-ornish-and-elizabeth-blackburn-have-not-discovered-the-fountain-of-youth/

 

Lifestyle Changes May Lengthen Telomeres, A Measure of Cell Aging | ucsf.edu

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2013/09/108886/lifestyle-changes-may-lengthen-telomeres-measure-cell-aging

... It is a pretty small study.

It is interesting that Dr. Dean Ornish youtube videos have been saying
the same thing.

Is sugar a toxin? Experts debate the role of fructose in our obesity epidemic

"Telling people the problem is all fructose is completely wrong," says Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health. "In the amounts being consumed, sugar can lead to serious damage and premature death. I think it's fair to say that's toxic," he says. "But it doesn't mean everything else is good."

Read Lustig's book carefully, and it's clear that his position isn't as radical as his sound bite implies: He believes that moderate consumption of fructose is safe. The "likely" safe threshold, he says, is 50 grams per day — which translates to 100 grams, or a quarter-cup, of sugar that's half fructose. Average daily American consumption of added sweeteners, according to the USDA, is 95 grams — just under Lustig's threshold.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-02/national/41684465_1_fructose-robert-lustig-insulin-resistance

The American Heart Association recommends not exceeding 150 calories of added sugar per day for men, and 100 calories of added sugar for women.  That's 37.5 grams for men and 25 grams for women.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Sugars-and-Carbohydrates_UCM_303296_Article.jsp

Has it come to this?

Does this sound like it was written by the government?

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56768647-78/insurance-health-utah-plan.html.csp

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/15/coffee-consumption-death-risk/2655855/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/15/coffee-consumption-death-risk/2655855/

 

… It is not clear to me that they are showing causality.

People with early dementia don't know some famous people

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/12/dementia-famous-faces/2643539/

Carol Dweck, Stanford University Professor, On Why Telling Your Children They're Smart Is Actually Bad For Them (VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/02/carol-dweck-mindset_n_3696599.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Fructose, Fruit, and Frittering

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/fructose-fruit_b_3694684.html

Therapeutic cloning - How it is done; possible benefits

Is an embryo a human person? Pro-life supporters generally believe that a human person comes into existence at conception. Some believe that somatic cell nuclear transfer is sufficiently similar to normal conception with an egg and spermatozoa that a human person also comes into existence during therapeutic cloning. The process of extracting stem cells involves killing the embryo. To many pro-lifers, this is murder. They feel that murdering one person, the embryo, to cure another person of paralysis, or diabetes, or heart disease, etc. can never be justified. More details. Therapeutic cloning research may well be limited to those countries, like China, the UK, and perhaps Canada, where pro-life supporters are relatively few in number.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/clo_ther.htm

Lithium

 longevity in Japan increased with the amount of trace lithium in the water in humans, and the same trace amounts of lithium in a controlled experiment (equivalent to about 2mg of lithium daily) increased the lifespan of theC elegans worms (2)(due to the increased suicide rates in Japan, suicide was controlled for in the numbers, and lithium still seemed to increase longevity in the observational studies. 

Diet Detective: 10 Tips to Reduce Sugar in Your Diet - WBAY

http://www.wbay.com/story/22866463/2013/07/17/diet-detective-how-to-cut-sugar-from-your-diet

Fat-boosting gene mystery 'solved'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23312712

Evolutionary Psychiatry: Lithium and Longevity

 longevity in Japan increased with the amount of trace lithium in the water in humans, and the same trace amounts of lithium in a controlled experiment (equivalent to about 2mg of lithium daily) increased the lifespan of theC elegans worms (2)(due to the increased suicide rates in Japan, suicide was controlled for in the numbers, and lithium still seemed to increase longevity in the observational studies

http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2011/02/lithium-and-longevity.html

Perils of a Sugar-Coated Scapegoat

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1553284

A Case for Regulating Sugar Like Alcohol - Atlantic Mobile

http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/a-case-for-regulating-sugar-like-alcohol/277361/

Researchers Develop MRI Scan To Detect Cancer Using Sugar

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262999.php

Fructose, and the Follies of History

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130701151512-23027997-fructose-and-the-follies-of-history?trk=mp-edit-rr-posts

'Mind control' tech lets you control robots just by thinking about it | SciTech | GMA News Online

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/312577/scitech/technology/mind-control-tech-lets-you-control-robots-just-by-thinking-about-it

Don’t Take Your Vitamins - NYTimes.com

As a result, consumers don't know that taking megavitamins could increase their risk of cancer and heart disease and shorten their lives; they don't know that they have been suffering too much of a good thing for too long.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/dont-take-your-vitamins.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

... seems to me that a diet rich in plants would be a healthy one.