Teas Can Help The Brain

A new study conducted by Dutch researchers in the Netherlands and published in the journal NUTRITIONAL NEUROSCIENCE found that drinking tea could help increase alertness and boost brain power.

The study analyzed the brain activity of 44 participants. They studied key chemicals typically found in tea including, an amino acid called L-theanine, and caffeine. The researchers analyzed the effect of these chemicals on the brain.

The team found that the natural ingredients significantly enhanced accuracy across several thinking tasks. They also found that people who drink tea were less tired and more alert compared to those who did not drink tea. Finally, the researchers found that the combination of L-theanine and caffeine helps increase your attention on demanding cognitive tasks.

It is noted that drinking only one cup of tea can boost your brain-power and enhance your focus and attention.

If you are interested in increasing your brain function and alertness, you might want to consider adding tea to your diet.

Enjoy your day.

Inflammation And Your Health Cont'd

As per previous blog, Inflammation and your health: A lack of  adequate sleep and the foods we eat are some of the causes of excess inflammation in the body resulting in various diseases. These are a few tips that may help.

Make sure you try to retire to bed the same time each night to maintain a sleep routine. Keep your room dark for sleeping, that is, TV, mobile phones off.

Supplement with omega-3-rich fish oil. There are certain supplements recommend for everyone, and fish oil is one of them. But don't buy just any fish oil supplement. They aren't all created equal. Look for one that contains oil from fresh, wild-caught, deep sea fish. And make sure it's been molecularly distilled and tested for purity. It should include at least 300 mg. of EPA and 200 mg. of DHA.

Cut back on processed foods. Foods like cookies, breads, cakes, chips, crackers and pastries are loaded with omega-6 oils. In fact, you'll find them in almost all snack foods. 


Meat eater? Buy grass-fed meats. Remember, most of today's commercial livestock is grain-fed, which means you're getting more and more omega-6 fatty acids from the meat you're eating. Meat from grass-fed livestock has a more favorable omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio than grain-fed animals.

Do you smoke? Quit smoking drink lots of fluids such as warm teas, water, juices and exercise at least three times per week. 



Have a good day.

Healthy Sleep, Healthy Life!

We now know there's a "sweet spot" for the number of hours you need to sleep for heart health. Sleeping between 6 and 8.9 hours per night is associated with significantly lower levels of CRP, fibrinogen and IL-6.

In other words, the link between sleep and living a healthy life is very clear. That's why I advise my patients to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

But, I know. Getting to sleep on time isn't always easy. If you struggle with getting a good night's sleep, here are some quick tips:

Keep to a sleep schedule. Your body loves a good routine. If your sleep schedule is erratic, your body's not sure when it's time to power down. Develop a regular sleep pattern by hitting the sack at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning. (Yes, even on weekends, as often as you can.) Stay close to a natural circadian cycle by aiming for lights out by 10:30 p.m. at the latest.

Supplement with melatonin. If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, try supplementing with melatonin, beginning with 1 mg. and increasing to 4 mg. over a week's time, about an hour or two before bedtime. The dose and time will be different for everyone. This nutrient can do wonders when it comes to resetting your natural circadian rhythm.

Turn off the screens. Make your bedroom a sanctuary – no television or computer allowed. Power off your computer, television, and other light-emitting devices at least an hour before bed. The less light you're exposed to, the better you'll sleep.

Take a warm shower. Or better yet, take a bath with two scoops of Epsom salts. As you leave the shower, you begin to lose a little body temperature, making you naturally drowsier. If you've taken the bath with Epsom salts, the magnesium in it will relax your muscles while you're de-stressing in the tub.

Relax before bedtime. Your body can't shift from high gear to mellow on command. Get high-energy projects out of the way early in the evening. Avoid stimulants like caffeine after early afternoon and that great central nervous system depressant, alcohol, as well. It tends to wake you up as it metabolizes away.

And don't drink anything after 7:30 p.m. so your sleep is not disturbed by bathroom visits. Get into bed and either read a good book until your eyelids droop, or snuggle if you have someone. Reserve at least an hour to wind down before trying to get to sleep.

These are some pretty simple tips. And putting them into action will go a long way toward fighting off chronic inflammation and keeping you healthy.


Have a great day.

Avoid Elevated Blood Presssure

 New research was conducted at Carnegie Mellon University and published in the American Psychological Association's journal Health Psychology suggests that unpleasant encounters increase the risk of hypertension among older adults.

This study is considered groundbreaking by researchers because it provides some of the first sound proof that negative interaction cannot only affect psychological health but also your physical health. 

The results are considered of great importance because hypertension affects an estimated 65 million Americans and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

The study used data from a survey of 1502 subjects that were healthy and over the age of fifty.  The number of negative social interactions for the subjects was logged along with their blood pressure.

The results show that each increase in the total average negative social interaction score was associated with a 38 percent increased chance of developing hypertension over a four-year period.

According to Robert E. Doherty, University Professor of Psychology in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences:

"This demonstrates how important social networks are as we age - constructing strong, positive relationships are beneficial to prolonged health."

If you’re interested in keeping your blood pressure under control you might want to make your best effort to minimize negative social interaction in your life.

Have a healthy day,

Inflammation And Your Health

Inflammation is one of the biggest concerns for many people's health.

Left untreated, chronic inflammation plays a role in almost every chronic degenerative disease associated with getting older. Arthritis is a prime example of inflammation run amok. It's also been linked to heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's and asthma, just to name a few.

Unfortunately, the standard American lifestyle is full of land mines when it comes to inflammation.

We're living in a world that encourages an inflammatory high-carb, low-protein diet. When it comes to eating fats, most people tend to load up on omega-6 fatty acids, which promote inflammation. Yet they're not getting nearly enough anti-inflammatory omega3s.

Refined sugar and other foods with high-glycemic values knock insulin and sugar out of whack. Once again, inflammation occurs. I've addressed many of these problems previously in my blogs but there's also another cause of inflammation you may not have heard about yet. Lack of sleep.

That's right. If you're not getting a good night's sleep, it could be placing you in a state of chronic inflammation – which increases your risk of age-related disease.

This is a big problem, because so many of us cut corners when it comes to rest. We're under tremendous pressure to "do it all." As we pack more work and family obligations into the day, bed comes later and mornings come earlier.

Let me explain what happens… and exactly what you can do to cut down on this risk factor.

It turns out people who sleep less than six hours a night have higher levels of three inflammatory markers: Fibrinogen, IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP).

You've probably heard about CRP. This protein is a strong predictor of a first-time heart attack, even when cholesterol levels are normal. But, you might not know much about the other two.

Fibrinogen is an inflammatory factor that's been linked to stroke, arthritis, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and several types of cancer.

And, what about IL-6? It's pretty much the same story here. Cancer. Heart disease. Alzheimer's and other inflammatory diseases.

What is it about a lack of sleep that causes all of these inflammatory markers to rise? It all goes back to the natural rhythm of life, the circadian cycle.

At the cellular level, our circadian clock is intimately tied to the rising and setting of the sun. However, our time clocks are also controlled by a group of proteins. They function together in individual cells. These proteins capture light cues and use those cues to turn genes on or off.

Well, guess what happens when your sleep cycle gets disrupted, or if you're sleeping at the wrong times?

It turns out it might actually control the number of inflammatory cells that get produced! In particular, a disrupted sleep cycle appears to promote an overabundance of inflammatory TH17 cells. 

This may explain – at the cellular and genetic level – why there's such a strong link between sleep, inflammation and disease.

Given these risks, here are some important tips that can help you ward off inflammation and age-related disease…

To be cont'd.

Have a great day.

Green Tea And Cancer

 Studies conducted at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute and reported in the journal Metabolomics found that consuming green tea could help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

The researchers analyzed different compounds found in green tea, focusing on an active biological agent known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). They measured how this specific compound affected cancer cells and cancer metabolism, which includes all the chemical reactions that keep cancer cells alive and growing.

The team used state-of-the-art techniques and found that EGCG disrupts the metabolic flux in cancer cells, concluding that EGCG helped significantly reduced the risk of cancer.

According to Dr. Wai-Nang Lee of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute:

"By explaining how green tea's active component could prevent cancer, this study will open the door to a whole new area of cancer research and help us understand how other foods can prevent cancer or slow the growth of cancerous cells."

If you are interested in reducing your risk or slowing the progression of cancer, you might want to consider adding green tea to your daily diet.

Enjoy your day.

Could Walking Be Healthier Than Running?

 Recently studies conducted at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, found that walking could potentially be better for you compared to running.

The study included 50,000 people; about 33,000 of the participants were runners and the other 16,000 were walkers. The researchers compared health benefits from both of the groups, including the risk of hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.

The team found that after analyzing data for nearly 6 years the walkers demonstrated better overall results throughout the 6-year study. The walkers on average reduced their risk of high blood pressure by 7.2 percent, 7 percent for high cholesterol, 12.3 percent for diabetes, and 9.3 percent for heart disease. On the other hand, the runners on average reduced their risk of high blood pressure by 4.2 percent, 4.3 percent for high cholesterol, 12.1 percent for diabetes, and 4.5 percent for heart disease.

In addition to the health benefits, the researchers also noted other advantages of walking, which include:

·        Less impact and stress on the body,

·        Almost anyone can readily participant

·        Good for people with arthritis and shin splints

·        More desirable for people with respiratory or heart conditions

If you’re interested in getting regular cardio exercise you might consider walking over running at times.

Enjoy your day.