Can Soft Drinks Cause Pancreatic Cancer?
By Sylvia Booth Hubbard
Drinking two or more soft drinks a week increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by two-fold compared to people who do not drink soft drinks, says a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
People who drink soft drinks on a regular basis tend to have poor behavior patterns overall, but the effects of soft drinks on pancreatic cancer may be unique, Mark Pereira, Ph.D., senior author of the study and associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, said in a statement.
“The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,” said Pereira.
Pereira and colleagues followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. During that time, there were 140 pancreatic cancer cases. Those who consumed two or more soft drinks per week (averaging five per week) had an 87 percent increased risk compared with individuals who did not.
The researchers found no link between fruit juice consumption and pancreatic cancer.
Pereira said that these results from Singapore probably apply to the United States.
“Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent health care. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries,” said Pereira.
According to the American Cancer Society, risk factors for pancreatic cancer include:
• Age. Nearly 90 percent of people with pancreatic cancer are older than 55, and the average age at the time of diagnosis is 72.
• Gender. Men are slightly more at risk.
• Race. More African-Americans develop pancreatic cancer than whites.
• Smoking. Smoking increases the risk as much as 300 percent.
• Chronic diseases. Diabetes, pancreatitis, and cirrhosis of the liver all raise risk.
• Obesity and physical activity. Obese people and couch potatoes have a higher risk.
• Family history. Pancreatic cancer seems to run in some families, perhaps due to inherited genes.
Each year, more than 42,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Fewer than 5 percent are alive five years after diagnosis, making it one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
Monday, July 19, 2010
8 Foods That Fight Diabetes
8 Foods That Fight Diabetes By Sylvia Booth Hubbard
The Centers for Disease Control has declared the sharp increase in the number of people with diabetes as an epidemic. An estimated 23.6 million people have diabetes and 90 percent are Type 2 diabetics. Type 2 diabetes affects the way your body uses its main source of energy - sugar. Either the body does not produce enough insulin to use the glucose or it ignores the insulin.
Diet is key to preventing or managing diabetes: Some foods have powerful effects on blood sugar. They include:
Green tea. Green tea helps regulate blood sugar, the function impaired by diabetes. “Tea may be a simple, inexpensive means of preventing or retarding human diabetes,” write the authors of an animal study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Garlic. Used as a traditional treatment in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, garlic has been shown in animal studies — as well as in some limited human studies — to have the ability to lower blood sugar. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Center in Beltsville, Md., garlic can increase the level of insulin in the blood Chocolate. Dark chocolate improves insulin sensitivity, according to
Tufts researchers. The cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids which help counteract insulin resistance, the condition that prevents your body from using insulin effectively. Vinegar. A study at Arizona State University East found that taking two tablespoons of vinegar before meals lowered sugar levels in diabetics by 25 %. In pre-diabetics, blood sugar levels were cut in half. Italian researchers discovered that apple cider vinegar with meals slashed blood sugar levels by 30 %. Oranges. Diabetics have been shown to have low levels of vitamin C, so citrus fruits, which are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, are good choices as snacks. In addition, A Canadian study showed that citrus peel extract reduces insulin resistance in animals. Cinnamon. Research has shown cinnamon reduces inflammation and may help treat Type 2 diabetes by lowering sugar levels. Also, a study presented at a meeting of the Association for Chemoreception found that simply smelling cinnamon boosted several areas in the brain involved in everything from memory to attention and focus. As little as a quarter teaspoon a day can improve insulin resistance. Apples. A Finnish study found that men who ate the most foods high in quercetin, such as apples, had 20 percent less diabetes. Other sources of quercetin include onions, tomatoes, berries, and leafy green vegetables. Agave. Experiments suggest that a diet high in fructans found in agave, stimulates the production of a hormone which triggers the release of insulin.
The Centers for Disease Control has declared the sharp increase in the number of people with diabetes as an epidemic. An estimated 23.6 million people have diabetes and 90 percent are Type 2 diabetics. Type 2 diabetes affects the way your body uses its main source of energy - sugar. Either the body does not produce enough insulin to use the glucose or it ignores the insulin.
Diet is key to preventing or managing diabetes: Some foods have powerful effects on blood sugar. They include:
Green tea. Green tea helps regulate blood sugar, the function impaired by diabetes. “Tea may be a simple, inexpensive means of preventing or retarding human diabetes,” write the authors of an animal study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Garlic. Used as a traditional treatment in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, garlic has been shown in animal studies — as well as in some limited human studies — to have the ability to lower blood sugar. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Center in Beltsville, Md., garlic can increase the level of insulin in the blood Chocolate. Dark chocolate improves insulin sensitivity, according to
Tufts researchers. The cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids which help counteract insulin resistance, the condition that prevents your body from using insulin effectively. Vinegar. A study at Arizona State University East found that taking two tablespoons of vinegar before meals lowered sugar levels in diabetics by 25 %. In pre-diabetics, blood sugar levels were cut in half. Italian researchers discovered that apple cider vinegar with meals slashed blood sugar levels by 30 %. Oranges. Diabetics have been shown to have low levels of vitamin C, so citrus fruits, which are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, are good choices as snacks. In addition, A Canadian study showed that citrus peel extract reduces insulin resistance in animals. Cinnamon. Research has shown cinnamon reduces inflammation and may help treat Type 2 diabetes by lowering sugar levels. Also, a study presented at a meeting of the Association for Chemoreception found that simply smelling cinnamon boosted several areas in the brain involved in everything from memory to attention and focus. As little as a quarter teaspoon a day can improve insulin resistance. Apples. A Finnish study found that men who ate the most foods high in quercetin, such as apples, had 20 percent less diabetes. Other sources of quercetin include onions, tomatoes, berries, and leafy green vegetables. Agave. Experiments suggest that a diet high in fructans found in agave, stimulates the production of a hormone which triggers the release of insulin.
How to Prevent Diabetes
By The Wholefood Pharmacy
If it was an infectious disease, passed from one person to another, public health officials would say we're in the midst of an epidemic. This difficult disease is striking an ever-growing number of adults. Even more alarming, it's now beginning to show up in our teenagers and children.
18 Million Americans have it
20% of those over 65 have it
1 in 3 people who have it don't know they have it
90% of those cases are PREVENTABLE
It costs $132 Billion dollars a year to "treat" it
Of people who have it, 98% die
Glucose (a.k.a blood sugar) is the fuel that provides energy to the 10 Trillion cells that make up a human being. When we eat, carbohydrates are converted into glucose, the glucose then moves through the bloodstream to feed the cells. Anytime your glucose levels spike up rapidly, your brain tells your pancreas to produce insulin, a chemical messenger that rings the “dinner bell” for your cells. When the “dinner bell” rings, your cells come running to get their glucose.
Carbohydrates come in two forms natural (complex) and man-made (simple). The man-made carbs are found in processed foods such as white table sugar, candy, sodas, high fructose corn syrup, and white bread. Eating man-made carbs causes sudden and sustained spikes in your glucose levels. The brain interprets this enormous rush of sugar as trauma and signals the pancreas to produce insulin. This constant over-stimulation of the pancreas, year after year after year, causes your “machinery” to wear out. In some cases, the pancreas gets tired and cannot produce enough insulin. In other cases, the “dinner bell” rings so often that the cells get tired of hearing it, and stop running to get their glucose. Either way, when this happens, the health care industry declares that you have Type 2 Diabetes.
Natural sugars, like the sugars found in fruits and other whole foods, are known as complex carbs. Your body was designed to ingest them. They are much larger molecules and cross the blood brain barrier very slowly. They do not cause those sudden spikes in glucose levels, so your “machinery” can last a lifetime. It really is that simple.
Avoid Aspertame sugar replacements. These neuro-toxins actually stimulate the appetite for sweets increasing your chance for over-eating, obesity and Diabetes. Use Stevia, a natural sweetener, instead.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, making a few changes can dramatically lower your chances of developing type 2 Diabetes. The same changes can also lower the chances of developing heart disease and some cancers.
Control your weight. Excess weight is the single most important cause of type 2 Diabetes. Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 Diabetes seven-fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. Losing weight can help if your weight is above the healthy-weight range. Losing 7-10% of your current weight can cut in half your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Get moving. Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes. Every two hours you spend watching TV instead of pursuing something more active increases the changes of developing diabetes by 14%. Working your muscles more often and making them work harder improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This puts less stress on your insulin-making machinery. Findings from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study suggest that walking briskly for a half hour every day reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 30%. Walking, benefits your entire body.
Walking before meals wakes up your system and burns stored calories. Walking 10 minutes after eating prevents your blood sugar from spiking, using the calories you have eaten to burn for energy.
Tune-up your diet. Two dietary changes can have a big impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes.
1. Choose whole grains & whole-grain products over highly processed carbohydrates.
2. Choose good fats instead of bad fats. The types of fats in your diet can also affect the development of diabetes. Good fats, such as the polyunsaturated fats found in tuna, salmon, liquid vegetable oils, and many nuts, can help ward off type 2 diabetes. Trans fats do just the opposite. These bad fats are found in margarines, packaged baked goods, fried foods in most fast-food, and any product that lists "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" on the label. If you already have diabetes, eating fish can help protect you against a heart attack or dying from heart disease.
If you smoke, quit. Smokers are 50% to 90% more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers.
The bottom line? The key to preventing type 2 diabetes can be boiled down to five words:
Stay lean and stay active.
By The Wholefood Pharmacy
If it was an infectious disease, passed from one person to another, public health officials would say we're in the midst of an epidemic. This difficult disease is striking an ever-growing number of adults. Even more alarming, it's now beginning to show up in our teenagers and children.
18 Million Americans have it
20% of those over 65 have it
1 in 3 people who have it don't know they have it
90% of those cases are PREVENTABLE
It costs $132 Billion dollars a year to "treat" it
Of people who have it, 98% die
Glucose (a.k.a blood sugar) is the fuel that provides energy to the 10 Trillion cells that make up a human being. When we eat, carbohydrates are converted into glucose, the glucose then moves through the bloodstream to feed the cells. Anytime your glucose levels spike up rapidly, your brain tells your pancreas to produce insulin, a chemical messenger that rings the “dinner bell” for your cells. When the “dinner bell” rings, your cells come running to get their glucose.
Carbohydrates come in two forms natural (complex) and man-made (simple). The man-made carbs are found in processed foods such as white table sugar, candy, sodas, high fructose corn syrup, and white bread. Eating man-made carbs causes sudden and sustained spikes in your glucose levels. The brain interprets this enormous rush of sugar as trauma and signals the pancreas to produce insulin. This constant over-stimulation of the pancreas, year after year after year, causes your “machinery” to wear out. In some cases, the pancreas gets tired and cannot produce enough insulin. In other cases, the “dinner bell” rings so often that the cells get tired of hearing it, and stop running to get their glucose. Either way, when this happens, the health care industry declares that you have Type 2 Diabetes.
Natural sugars, like the sugars found in fruits and other whole foods, are known as complex carbs. Your body was designed to ingest them. They are much larger molecules and cross the blood brain barrier very slowly. They do not cause those sudden spikes in glucose levels, so your “machinery” can last a lifetime. It really is that simple.
Avoid Aspertame sugar replacements. These neuro-toxins actually stimulate the appetite for sweets increasing your chance for over-eating, obesity and Diabetes. Use Stevia, a natural sweetener, instead.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, making a few changes can dramatically lower your chances of developing type 2 Diabetes. The same changes can also lower the chances of developing heart disease and some cancers.
Control your weight. Excess weight is the single most important cause of type 2 Diabetes. Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 Diabetes seven-fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. Losing weight can help if your weight is above the healthy-weight range. Losing 7-10% of your current weight can cut in half your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Get moving. Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes. Every two hours you spend watching TV instead of pursuing something more active increases the changes of developing diabetes by 14%. Working your muscles more often and making them work harder improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This puts less stress on your insulin-making machinery. Findings from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study suggest that walking briskly for a half hour every day reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 30%. Walking, benefits your entire body.
Walking before meals wakes up your system and burns stored calories. Walking 10 minutes after eating prevents your blood sugar from spiking, using the calories you have eaten to burn for energy.
Tune-up your diet. Two dietary changes can have a big impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes.
1. Choose whole grains & whole-grain products over highly processed carbohydrates.
2. Choose good fats instead of bad fats. The types of fats in your diet can also affect the development of diabetes. Good fats, such as the polyunsaturated fats found in tuna, salmon, liquid vegetable oils, and many nuts, can help ward off type 2 diabetes. Trans fats do just the opposite. These bad fats are found in margarines, packaged baked goods, fried foods in most fast-food, and any product that lists "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" on the label. If you already have diabetes, eating fish can help protect you against a heart attack or dying from heart disease.
If you smoke, quit. Smokers are 50% to 90% more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers.
The bottom line? The key to preventing type 2 diabetes can be boiled down to five words:
Stay lean and stay active.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Homemade Natural Deodorant
Homemade Natural Deodorant
SITE: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/03/update-homemade-deoderant.html by Lindsay
Did you know you can make your own wonderful deodorant with just a few completely natural ingredients? This recipe is awesome! It is frugal and very effective! Aaron & I have been using it for over a year now, and it has worked wonders. It smells wonderful, but very faint, so the hubby does not mind! We have tried all natural brands without much success, until we tried this! It is especially important for women to take thought to the harmful aluminum materials in deodorant as it has been linked to breast cancer, being that the armpits are so close to the chest.
Ingredients:
5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder, or cornstarch without aluminum
Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder. Then slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon until it maintains the substance you desire. It should be about the same texture as the store bought kind, solid but able to be applied easily. You can either scoop this into your old dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. After applying the product, you can just rub the remains into your hands as a lotion! This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.
For the best price around on organic quality coconut oil, check out Mountain Rose Herbs.
Check out www.passionatehomemaking.com for natural solutions for everyday use
SITE: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/03/update-homemade-deoderant.html by Lindsay
Did you know you can make your own wonderful deodorant with just a few completely natural ingredients? This recipe is awesome! It is frugal and very effective! Aaron & I have been using it for over a year now, and it has worked wonders. It smells wonderful, but very faint, so the hubby does not mind! We have tried all natural brands without much success, until we tried this! It is especially important for women to take thought to the harmful aluminum materials in deodorant as it has been linked to breast cancer, being that the armpits are so close to the chest.
Ingredients:
5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder, or cornstarch without aluminum
Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder. Then slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon until it maintains the substance you desire. It should be about the same texture as the store bought kind, solid but able to be applied easily. You can either scoop this into your old dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. After applying the product, you can just rub the remains into your hands as a lotion! This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.
For the best price around on organic quality coconut oil, check out Mountain Rose Herbs.
Check out www.passionatehomemaking.com for natural solutions for everyday use
How High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages Your Body
(HFCS) How High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages Your Body
Excerpts from Dr. Mercola
The number one source of calories in the US is high fructose corn syrup. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970’s when they discovered that high-fructose corn syrup was cheaper to make and sweeter, a switch that has drastically altered the American diet. According to the USDA’s report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of ADDED sugars – the majority of which comes from high fructose corn syrup. The food that people get MOST of their calories is from soft drinks where high fructose corn syrup is the main ingredient. Consumption of beverages containing fructose rose 135% between 1977 and 2001.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contains NO enzymes, vitamins, or minerals and it leeches micronutrients from the body. The problem with high fructose corn syrup is the way it is metabolized. Most fats are formed in your liver, and when sugar enters your liver, it decides whether to store it, burn it, or turn it into fat. Fructose, however bypasses this process and simply turns into fat. This process disrupts insulin levels. If you need to lose weight, or if you want to avoid diabetes and heart disease, fructose is one type of sugar you will want to avoid, particularly in the form of high fructose corn syrup. It plays havoc on systems throughout your body.
High fructose corn syrup contributes to most chronic illnesses. Because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified. It reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor which is the principle characteristic of type 2 Diabetes. According to the latest statistics, new cases of Diabetes have increased by 90 percent in the last 10 years, and Diabetes or pre-diabetes now strikes one in four Americans. HFCS interferes with insulin and leptin (a protein hormone that regulates energy intake and expenditure, appetite and metabolism.) Appetite does not recognize signals to slow or stop food intake, and the desire for food may actually be increased contributing to weight gain and obesity. High fructose corn syrup elevates blood cholesterol. It inhibits the action of the immune system’s white blood cells, leads to bone loss and anemia. It harms organs such as your pancreas, and liver - even causing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It contributes to cardio vascular disease interfering with the heart’s use of minerals such as magnesium, copper and chromium. It contributes to cancer, hypoglycemia and Metabolic Syndrome X.
Despite all the evidence, the industry persists in claiming these findings are untrue, arguing the high fructose corn syrup is the same as sugar. Their campaign also relies on nutritional research, but it should be noted that the findings for many of the major studies in question came FROM COMPANIES THAT PRODUCE PRODUCTS CONTAINING HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and, therefore, they have a financial stake in the out come. To admit major health problems result from ingredients they put into their products would be devastating to their business. Your health is not their concern, the bottom line is.
55 percent of sweeteners used are made from corn. This dangerous sweetener is in many processed foods and fruit juices. If you purchase packaged or pre-prepared food, become an avid label reader. Commercials for processed food products pretend to be “natural,” but high fructose corn syrup is not organic or natural, it is processed. Names for high fructose corn syrup are: natural sugars, chicory’ insulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, dahlia syrup, tapioca syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, fruit fructose, agave, and the list continues to grow. The best rule is – if you cannot recognize it as a whole food – it is a foreign substance – do NOT put it INTO your body!
To avoid high fructose corn syrup and the health dangers it creates, focus your diet on whole foods: fresh from the produce section, or frozen. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people where diabetes or obesity is NOT an issue.
We would see a radically outrageous improvement in our health as a nation if everyone just stopped drinking soda.
Names for High-fructose Corn Syrup: Chicory' insulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, dahlia syrup, tapioca syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup, crystalline fructose and flat out fraud, fruit fructose, and agave.
Excerpts from Dr. Mercola
The number one source of calories in the US is high fructose corn syrup. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970’s when they discovered that high-fructose corn syrup was cheaper to make and sweeter, a switch that has drastically altered the American diet. According to the USDA’s report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of ADDED sugars – the majority of which comes from high fructose corn syrup. The food that people get MOST of their calories is from soft drinks where high fructose corn syrup is the main ingredient. Consumption of beverages containing fructose rose 135% between 1977 and 2001.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contains NO enzymes, vitamins, or minerals and it leeches micronutrients from the body. The problem with high fructose corn syrup is the way it is metabolized. Most fats are formed in your liver, and when sugar enters your liver, it decides whether to store it, burn it, or turn it into fat. Fructose, however bypasses this process and simply turns into fat. This process disrupts insulin levels. If you need to lose weight, or if you want to avoid diabetes and heart disease, fructose is one type of sugar you will want to avoid, particularly in the form of high fructose corn syrup. It plays havoc on systems throughout your body.
High fructose corn syrup contributes to most chronic illnesses. Because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified. It reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor which is the principle characteristic of type 2 Diabetes. According to the latest statistics, new cases of Diabetes have increased by 90 percent in the last 10 years, and Diabetes or pre-diabetes now strikes one in four Americans. HFCS interferes with insulin and leptin (a protein hormone that regulates energy intake and expenditure, appetite and metabolism.) Appetite does not recognize signals to slow or stop food intake, and the desire for food may actually be increased contributing to weight gain and obesity. High fructose corn syrup elevates blood cholesterol. It inhibits the action of the immune system’s white blood cells, leads to bone loss and anemia. It harms organs such as your pancreas, and liver - even causing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It contributes to cardio vascular disease interfering with the heart’s use of minerals such as magnesium, copper and chromium. It contributes to cancer, hypoglycemia and Metabolic Syndrome X.
Despite all the evidence, the industry persists in claiming these findings are untrue, arguing the high fructose corn syrup is the same as sugar. Their campaign also relies on nutritional research, but it should be noted that the findings for many of the major studies in question came FROM COMPANIES THAT PRODUCE PRODUCTS CONTAINING HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and, therefore, they have a financial stake in the out come. To admit major health problems result from ingredients they put into their products would be devastating to their business. Your health is not their concern, the bottom line is.
55 percent of sweeteners used are made from corn. This dangerous sweetener is in many processed foods and fruit juices. If you purchase packaged or pre-prepared food, become an avid label reader. Commercials for processed food products pretend to be “natural,” but high fructose corn syrup is not organic or natural, it is processed. Names for high fructose corn syrup are: natural sugars, chicory’ insulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, dahlia syrup, tapioca syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, fruit fructose, agave, and the list continues to grow. The best rule is – if you cannot recognize it as a whole food – it is a foreign substance – do NOT put it INTO your body!
To avoid high fructose corn syrup and the health dangers it creates, focus your diet on whole foods: fresh from the produce section, or frozen. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people where diabetes or obesity is NOT an issue.
We would see a radically outrageous improvement in our health as a nation if everyone just stopped drinking soda.
Names for High-fructose Corn Syrup: Chicory' insulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, dahlia syrup, tapioca syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup, crystalline fructose and flat out fraud, fruit fructose, and agave.
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