Tea, exercise, vitamin D reduce risk of dementia

Certain habit changes including drinking tea regularly, physical exercise, and vitamin D intake, may help prevent dementia, according to new studies published Sunday.

The studies were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Honolulu.

The first study is on cardiovascular risk and was conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. It tracked more than 1,200 senior people over 20 years, 242 of whom developed dementia.

Those who had moderate to heavy amounts of physical activity had about a 40% lower risk of developing dementia, while participants engaging in the least amount of activity were 45% more likely to develop dementia, according to the research.

The second study, which lasted for 14 years, targeted more than 4,800 men and women aging 65 and above. Researchers found that those who drank tea one to four times a week had a 37% lower chance of developing dementia than participants who didn't drink tea at all.

The third study examined vitamin D's effect on brain health. Researchers examined 3,325 U.S. adults ages 65 and older. According to the study, those who are deficient in vitamin D have 42% higher chances of suffering from cognitive impairment.

"More and more studies are suggesting that lifestyle changes may be able to silence the expression of risk genes, a phenomenon called epigenetics," said Murali Doraiswamy of Duke University.
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Men's Health, A Father's Day Gift For Us All

June is Men's Health Month! Take this opportunity to schedule your own medical checkup. Care for yourself now so you can share many happy, healthy years with the ones you love.

 

 

Why is seeing a doctor so important?

Consider the connection between these three statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention*:

1. Men are 100 percent less likely than women to seek preventive care.
2. Men have a lower life expectancy than women.
3. Men are more likely than women to die from many preventable diseases. This includes hypertension, heart disease and many cancers.

Early screening can find diseases before symptoms begin to show. The earlier a disease is found, the more likely it can be treated. So seeing your doctor and getting the screenings you need could mean the difference between finding a disease while it can still be treated and finding it when it has become serious and could cause more permanent damage.

Call your doctor today!

Throughout June, health care professionals, policy makers, the media and the public are raising awareness about the health issues that most affect men. They are also drawing attention to the effectiveness of early screening for finding and treating disease.
This month and always, men are urged to get the medical care that could make the difference.

Things you can do right now!
Men's health starts right at home. Here are some ways to get started today.

• Find a doctor you like. The more comfortable you feel with your doctors, the more likely you are to call them for medical advice.
• Know your numbers. At every visit, get your cholesterol, body mass index (BMI), Vitamin D  and blood pressure checked. Make sure to ask your doctor about the screenings that are right for you. 
• Healthy Eating. More Vegetables, grains, nuts and fruit. 

• Walking. A little exercise goes a long way toward lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. It can also boost your energy and mood, help manage your weight, and even promote a better night's sleep.

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Eating Right For Vegetarians

It is possible to have a fully balanced diet that is entirely vegetarian? If you work it right, all you need to do is eat smart to make your meals as complete as possible.
If you consider a meal of potatoes and rotis or rice and dal as staple vegetarian fare, then you could be getting seriously short-changed on some key nutrients. In such a diet, you will not be getting the required intake of protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and omega 3 fatty acids.

BALANCE YOUR PROTEINS
Plant foods offer incomplete protein as they tend to be deficient in one or other essential amino acids (protein is made of building blocks called amino acids and our body needs nine of these from food). But this problem can be managed easily by being careful about both the kind and amount of protein being eaten.

How to:
1. Combine plant foods wisely to cover all essential amino acids. For example, legumes (cooked dried beans, dried peas, and lentils) are low in sulfur-containing amino acids (such as methionine), but they are high in another amino acid called lysine. Grains are just the opposite. So by eating both together or during the course of a day, you can get the benefits of both. Beans and rice,  dal-chawal, khichri, pita bread with hummus (ground garbanzo beans and sesame seed paste) are good examples of complementary proteins.
2. Look for variety. Don’t stick to just the known sources like legumes and dairy — nuts for instance are an easy and tasty source of high-quality protein.

HAVE MORE IRON
The best sources of iron tend to be non-vegetarian (liver, egg, sardines etc). Iron from plant foods (nonheme) is not absorbed as well as iron from meats (heme), so it is important for vegetarians to eat more iron-rich foods to meet their requirements. Vegetarian iron sources include beans, leafy green vegetables, banana, brown rice, sprouts, seeds (sesame, sunflower and pumpkin), mushrooms, and iron-fortified grain products.




Visit Sunshine Sara For Vitamin D Info 

 Try One of Uncle Ray's Vegetarian Recipes

Check Out Raw Food Rehad, Great Site !



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Vitamin D: You Are Probably NOT Getting Enough

What vitamin may we need in amounts up to 25 times higher than the government recommends for us to be healthy?
What vitamin deficiency affects 70-80 percent of the population, is almost never diagnosed and has been linked to many cancers, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic muscle pain, bone loss and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis?
What vitamin is almost totally absent from our food supply? What vitamin is the hidden cause of much suffering that is easy to treat?
The answer to all of these questions is vitamin D.

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