The 'Anti-Cancer' Effect

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and World Cancer Research Fund International, making changes int he way we eat, lose weight, and are physically active can prevent six separate types of cancers and their recurrence.

Recommendations from the AICR:

1. Lose weight by limiting sugary drinks and foods that promote weight gain. Excess body fat is linked to 6 cancers: colon, kidney, pancreas, esophageal, and endometrial, and post-menopausal breast cancer.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Diets low in fruits and veges cause the following cancers: mouth, pharynx, esophagus, lung, stomach, colon, and rectum. There is a probably link to cancers of the larynx, pancreas, breast, and bladder.

3. Limit alcohol. Alcohol is linked to cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus as well as colorectal cancer in men and pre and post menopausal cancer in women. Probable link to liver and colorectaal cancer in women.

4. Limit red meat. Avoid processed meat. Eating above 18 oz. of red meat per week raises colorectal cancer risk by 15%.

5. Limit salt intake. Probably cause for developing stomach cancer.

6. Be physically active every day.

(Rachel Beller, Beller Nutritional Institute, AICR report at www.dietandcancerereport.org)

Burn More Calories in Water

Did you know??

Because of its greater density, peoples burn more calories while exercising in water than on land. For example, Walking on land for half an hour burns 135 calories and walking in deep water for half an hour burns 264 calories.

Keeping in Shape in Older Age more difficult for Women

According to Washington University Medical School studies, maintaining muscle and keeping in shape is more difficult for older, post-menopausal women. The new results underline the importance for older women of eating plenty of protein such as eggs, fish, chicken and lean red meat, in conjunction with resistance exercise.

Maintaining muscle is crucial in reducing the risk of falls -- one of the major causes of premature death in elderly people. From the age of 50 onwards, people lose up to 0.4 per cent of muscle mass every year making them less mobile, more prone to fractures and at higher risk of a potentially life-threatening fall. Half of all elderly people who suffer a serious fall die within two years. But it is thought the number of falls could be reduced if muscle mass could be more effectively maintained so that hips and knees remain strong and well supported.

Up until now, scientists have found no differences between men and women in muscle protein synthesis -- the process by which the body builds muscle. But the latest research has found that in their mid- to late-60s, the female body's response to food and exercise starts to decline. Women are particularly at risk of muscle loss because they tend to have less muscle and more fat than men in early and middle age -- so they are nearer to the 'danger' threshold of becoming frail when they reach their 50s and 60s.

Michael Rennie, Professor of Clinical Physiology at The University of Nottingham, said: "Rather than eating more, older people should focus on eating a higher proportion of protein in their everyday diet. In conjunction with resistance exercise, this should help to reduce the loss of muscle mass over time.

Cut Fat and Carbon at the Same Time

It turns out that fighting global warming is good for the waistline. If every American spent 30 minutes a day walking or cycling instead of driving, the citizenry would collectively cut carbon emissions by 64 million tons and shed 3 billion pounds of excess flab, according to Paul Higgins of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Trim even more by trading in that T-bone for tofu--livestock production produces 18 percent of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization.

(Sierra Club)