Mediterranean Diet Reduces Hot Flashes

Healthy eating can positively impact our lives in many ways such as weight loss, increased energy or better blood pressure. A recent study published this May in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that a diet that includes fruits and Mediterranean-style foods can decrease the risk of night sweats and hot flashes in women going through menopause. The Australian-based research looked at 6 types of diets and how they impacted the menopausal symptoms of over 6,000 women, concluding that fruits and Mediterranean food decreased symptoms. Further conclusions of the study state that a diet high in fat and sugar actually increase the risk of women developing vasomotor menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Professors of the Harvard School for Public Health recommend the Mediterranean nutritional approach for both men and women due to the benefits of reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, and healthy fats from olive oil and nuts. You certainly don't need to be from the Mediterranean to "Feel Better and Live Longer!" Follow these nutrition tips to experience the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in your own home town.

• Consume four or more servings of both fruits and vegetables a day.

• Eat one or more servings of beans or nuts per day.

• Enjoy fish at least 2 times a week.

• Make all of your grains whole grains.

• Limit yourself to 1 glass of wine, beer or alcohol a day.

Nourish your way to better health, and enjoy the health benefits!





Jody Anderson, RN, CHC
Succeed Health, LLC- Algoma
http://www.succeedhealth.com

Mediterranean Diet can help People live longer

Here is a little secret on how one can live a longer and healthy life,The Mediterranean Diet can increase a woman's lifespan by as much as 15 years and increase a man's life by 8 years,according to a new study.
Researchers at Maastricht University tracked 120,000 men and women between the ages of 55 and 69. Each person was given a score in 1986 based upon his/her adherence to four key factors that have been shown to affect mortality: smoking, physical activity, body weight, and dietary habits.

What happened? Men who avoided smoking, exercised at least 30 minutes a day, avoided obesity, and stuck to the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet lived about 8.5 years longer, on average, than men who didn't do any of those things, according to a written statement released by the university. 

Healthy living had an even bigger effect on women's lifespans. On average, those who met all four criteria lived 15 years longer than women who met none.

Fifteen years? Eight-and-a-half years? Those are huge numbers, especially given that life expectancy in the U.S. - where healthy living isn't exactly the norm - now stands at 77.9 years.

“I was surprised that the effect was so big. I was also surprised at the big difference between men and women”, said lead researcher Piet van den Brandt. He also went on to say  he wasn't sure why healthy living women would live so much longer than their male counterparts. One possibility, he said, was that hormonal differences explained the difference. 
so there you go people,start following The Mediterranean Diet if you want a long healthy lifestyle with your family. 

The Mediterranean Diet Nutrients Benefits The Heart

ST. CHARLES, Mo.–Olive extract, lycopene, chitin-glucan and green tea are promising nutrients present in the Mediterranean Diet that have been shown in clinical trials to reduce oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL), a pro-atherogenic mediator and biomarker for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a recent article written by Joseph L. Evans, Ph.D., manager, pharmacology for Stratum Nutrition and Novus Research fellow (Agro Food Industry.2011 March/April;40-2). Supplements that contain these natural ingredients may therefore help reduce the growing incidence of CVD.

"There are several historically-used measurements for identifying individuals at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, including levels of LDL- and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol and high blood pressure to name a few," Evans noted. "However, there are other biomarkers, including OxLDL and the OxLDL / HDL cholesterol ratio that have been shown in clinical research to be more sensitive indicators for discriminating between individuals with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) when compared to the commonly measured biomarkers. And consuming a Mediterranean diet is an effective way to reduce levels of OxLDL and improve overall cardiovascular health."

The Mediterranean Diet is rich in foods with strong antioxidant properties, such as fruits, vegetables, olive oil and nuts. Research has indicated that the nutrients contained in these foods increase the expression of those genes involved in our body's antioxidant defense system, and suppress those genes involved in advancing inflammation and atherogenesis. While the precise mechanism(s) responsible for nutrient-mediated reduction in OxLDL is unknown, it likely involves the increased expression of circulating and intracellular antioxidant enzymes, along with the inhibition of enzymes that contribute to increased production of reactive oxygen species.
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