Green Tea is Good for You!

(but we knew that didn't we.)

Green tea 'may block lung cancer'

Drinking green tea may offer some protection against lung cancer, say experts who studied the disease at a medical university in Taiwan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8453628.stm

Exercise won't make you thin

Dammit.

I thought it was a done deal! I exercise more therefore I burn more calories and stand a better chance of fighting the flab. Ah, but that it were that easy.... After reading a recent article in Time magazine I can see my efforts are futile.

So my exercising might make me feel good-of that there's no doubt but what I really need to do is knock off the post work out muffins.

"In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless," says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher.

The regular exercise I do *may* reduce my risk of developing some of those really nasty diseases so that's coolio, but not help me lose weight. This thinking had baffled me but I read on and was enlightened: your metabolism is regulated by the exercise you do. If you do more exercise you are likely to get more hungry. It's that simple, plus you might be more likely to indulge yourself in an aforementioned post-workout 'treat', piling back more than the colories you burned off.

The important thing about exercise for me, though, isn't the weight loss it's about that great feeling you get from it. Feedback from my body during and after exercise makes me feel great! It could be the endorphins that are released that do this but I'm talking about the real communication with my body-aches, lactic build-up, the feeling of my skin tightening, muscles contracting. Massive.

But exercise as health insurance isn't guaranteed either. The boffins reckon that we are designed more for low energy activity spent very frequently throughout the day (gathering nuts, hunting, checking on the cave guttering-that sort of thing) and it's this sort of exercise which proves very beneficial. Binge exercising is not as healthy as it seems.

Lose weight: eat less and ensure low level activity often.

I'm peckish now.

Organic food 'has no health benefits'

"Organic food is no healthier than ordinary food, a large independent review has concluded."

"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

""Although the researchers say that the differences between organic and non-organic food are not 'important', due to the relatively few studies, they report in their analysis that there are higher levels of beneficial nutrients in organic compared to non-organic foods."

As clear as organic mud pie.

Guinness is good for you-official!

HURRAH!

"The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3266819.stm

Iced coffees 'a meal in a drink'

"Some iced coffees being sold on the high street contain as many calories as a hot dinner, a cancer charity warns."

Another nutrition/dietary article from the BBC website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8168142.stm

(and just in case you were sitting there feeling smug while tucking into some 'healthy' dark chocolate...think again:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7159051.stm)

The British do not like to fart

or...

Are lentils the perfect food?

This article outlines one journalist's love of lentils and the wonderful benefits they can bring to our well being. Professor Jeya Henry explains why the British tend not to eat lentils, mostly because post war food production was geared towards meat but also adds because, "The British do not like to fart". That's a matter of opinion.

And in an attempt to balance this healthy article, you should check out the heart attack grill. Beware, as their website states, "None of the women pictured on our website actually have any medical training, nor do they attempt to provide any real medical services".

Lose weight by bulking out meals with lower energy foods

This article advocates eating more food with high water content (such as fruit and vegetables) in order to make us feel full for longer and avoid snacking. This may not be good advice for a long distance runner, but I'm a terrible snacker so it seems fairly sensible to me. It's also good advice to eat more fruit and veg.

"It may not be a licence for a liquid lunch exactly, but consuming foods high in water could be the key to losing weight, nutritionists say."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8106800.stm

...and now for the bad news.

It turns out that a glass of red wine a day ISN'T really that good for you. Or good for you at all! But ssh! Don't tell the French.

"It's an absolute myth that red wine is good for you," says Professor Valerie Beral from the University of Oxford and lead author of the Million Women study.
"The evidence is not there."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8079816.stm

Nutritional information: Eat (oily) fish!

I'd already received the 'oily fish message' but this is another piece of research showing that we should endeavour to eat more salmon and mackerel.

Suits me, I love it.

I'm by no stretch of the imagination a nerdy health-eater but I thought it would be interesting to note these studies in a new label: nutrition and see what comes up. am particularly keen to see conflicting studies (For example: A UK study has cast doubt on claims that eating oily fish can protect against dementia in old age.)! The trouble is that very often the news article I see (in the general press) may not have the full details regarding the sample of those tested. I saw an interesting programme about vitamins which exploded the claims the manufacturer's made on their packs (I'll try and find it). 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8088860.stm

Oily fish 'can halt eye disease'

Mackerel is rich in omega 3

People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) should eat oily fish at least twice a week to keep their eye disease at bay, say scientists.

Conclusion: Eat oily fish twice a week.

Do you drink cola?

A recent study shows that excessive consumption of 'cola' can lead to mild muscle fatigue and worse! This, says the report, is because the caffeine, fructose and glucose found in these 'cola' drinks can cause hypokalemia or low blood potassium levels.

The author of the report points her finger mostly at the caffeine content though: "...in most of the cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication was thought to play the most important role."

What I'm surprised at is not so much that caffeine or the consumption of lots of fizzy cola can have an adverse effect on your body's performance, but is Dr Clifford Parker's comment that he feels that it's, "tens of millions of people in industrialised countries drink at least 2-3 litres of cola per day."

TWO to THREE litres of the stuff a day! I'm not surprised one would feel impeded after that. Maybe two to three litres of sugary coffee would have the same effect. 

In fact the British Soft Drinks Association countered that the cases used in the research were "extreme" and that "moderate consumption...is safe".

Either way I'm gonna stick to my potassium rich bananas thank you very much... 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8056028.stm