Vitamin D improves memory and brain cell function

Spending more time in the sun to boost your vitamin D levels may help stave off the cognitive decline associated with aging, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Kentucky.

The study suggests that a vitamin D supplement helps accelerate the biological mechanisms responsible for recycling and renewing neurotransmitters (signaling chemicals) in an area of the brain that plays a key role in memory and learning. This leads to an improved ability of neurons to receive and process signals related to memory formation and retrieval.

"This process is like restocking shelves in grocery stores," researcher Nada Porter said.

Study confirms higher recommended doses

Scientists have long known that vitamin D plays a critical role in forming and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. In recent years, they have begun to learn that the vitamin is also essential to immune function, and that insufficient levels may increase the risk of cancer, autoimmune diseases and other health problems. Studies suggest that low vitamin D levels may also increase the risk of age-related cognitive decline.

In the new study, researchers placed rats on diets with either high, medium or low levels of vitamin D3. After six months, they tested the rats' ability to remember the location of a platform in a water maze. They then moved the platform, and tested the rats' ability to remember the new location.

"This was a more challenging task and, therefore, more sensitive to the subtle changes in memory that occur with aging," Porter said.

Rats who had been on the high-vitamin-D diet used shorter routes to reach the new platform than the other rats, and also reached it more quickly. The paths that they used tended to be relatively simple and consist of few direction changes. In contrast, the paths used by the low-dose rats resembled the loopy drawings made by kindergarteners.

The researchers also found that the rats on the high-dose diet showed changes in gene expression in the region of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is believed to play a central role in cognition and memory formation and consolidation. These rats' brains showed accelerated transport of neurotransmitters.

The vitamin D dose that produced improvements in rats was equivalent to a dose 50 percent higher than the Institute of Medicine's current daily recommendation for humans, which is based on the levels needed for bone health. The levels in the study are consistent, however, with the higher daily doses that many vitamin D experts are now recommending.

The researchers noted that the D3 form of vitamin D is associated with very few side effects.

Sunlight improves brain health

A number of prior studies have suggested a connection between vitamin D and cognitive decline. Some studies have shown that dementia patients have lower vitamin D levels than their healthy counterparts. A study in 2009 found that low vitamin D levels were associated with worse performance on tests of attention, memory and orientation in time and space.

Other studies have suggested that vitamin D can also lower the risk of Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and even depression.

Although vitamin D can be found in certain foods (mainly those that are artificially fortified), the best source of the vitamin is ordinary sunlight. Light-skinned people can generate all the vitamin D their bodies need with about 15-30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure on their faces and hands daily; darker skin requires correspondingly longer exposure (up to twice as much).

Eating organic apples is a healthy, natural way to stimulate weight loss

An apple a day... you know the rest. This old adage has seen its day but is now becoming appropriate again. Several studies are re-examining the health values of bioactive compounds in apples over time. Now, non-bioactive compounds are being discovered to help balance bowel microbiota as prebiotics.

A study performed by Washington State University's Department of Food Sciences observed that apples contain indigestable compounds that created fecal microbial balances in obese mice that duplicated the microbial balance of thinner, healthier mice.

All apples contain these indigestable compounds that pass through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract intact and are not metabolized by the body, allowing them to go into the bowels intact to finally become fermented and help create more probiotic bacteria in the colon. The association to obesity versus normality was obvious.

Several types of apples were used with the mice to determine if there were differences in the influences of indigestable compounds on their colon -- bowel microbial balance. The varieties of apples researched: Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Granny Smith and Red Delicious.

Granny Smith apples won this colon/fecal microbial balance contest. Though the obesity issue was addressed directly, related preventions against and potential solutions for diabetes and inflammation, the root cause of many autoimmune disorders, are what the researchers wish to "further study" for medical ramifications.

But since most of us already know apples may help reduce inflammation, we don't have to wait. There is only one caveat.

Apples must be organic

Non-organic apples are among the most heavily sprayed produce out there. They made it into the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen. If you know a local apple orchid owner who doesn't spray his trees or put herbicides into the soil but isn't "USDA certified" organic, you may get a better deal through the local source. But will that source provide Granny Smith apples?

You may have read or heard that organic apple orchids are sprayed with antibiotics to resist an airborne bacterium that causes "fire blight," which lives up to its name by spreading rapidly and leaving trees looking scorched within days, as though there had been a fire.

It's argued that antibiotic spraying occurs during apple blossom time, before apples appear. The amount of residue on apples, if any, is extremely negligible, according to the EPA. Oh well, take that with a grain of salt. So are trace amounts of fluoride in drinking water.

Since 2002, the USDA has allowed the use of tetracycline and streptomycin by organic growers to combat the bacteria that cause fire blight. Not all apple growers use antibiotics. According to The Cornucopia Institute, an organic consumer watchdog, 56 percent don't, mostly to enable exporting to areas that ban the use of antibiotics on produce.

Organic apple/pear growers spray less antibiotics than conventional growers. And some organic growers claim that they'll not bother with organic certification and resort to normal commercial standards if they're prohibited from using antibiotics to protect against fire blight.

Nevertheless, there are a few biological controls cited by the USDA to prevent fire blight. Some farmers claim that they do not work. Others say they do work but require diligence and are more costly. But apparently, Canadian and European apple orchids are managing without using antibiotics to prevent fire blight.

As a result of a huge petition initiated by the Organic Consumers Association and Cornucopia and sent to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in early 2013, the NOSB didn't muster enough votes to get the 2/3 majority necessary to allow fire blight antibiotic use during 2013-14.

New study finds people drink more on days they are more physically active

A study using smartphone technology found that people tend to drink more on days when they are more physically active.

The Northwestern Medicine study tracked 150 people ages 18-89 who recorded their physical activity and alcohol use in smartphones for 21 consecutive days at three different periods during the year.

“Monday through Wednesday, people batten down the hatches and they cut back on alcohol consumption,” lead author David Conroy said in a news release.

“But once that ‘social weekend’ kicks off on Thursdays, physical activity increases and so does alcohol consumption,” Conroy said.

Researchers say they hope further studies will help determine what drives people to drink more on days they exercise more.

“Insufficient physical activity and alcohol use are both linked to many health problems, and excessive alcohol use has many indirect costs as well,” Conroy said. “We need to figure out how to use physical activity effectively and safely without having the adverse effects of drinking more alcohol.”

The study relied on a daily diary method, whereas others have used a 30-day self-reporting method.

“We zoomed in the microscope and got a very up-close and personal look at these behaviors on a day-to-day basis, and see, it’s not people who exercise more drink more – it’s that on days when people are more active, they tend to drink more than on days they are less active,” Conroy said.

Everything You Need to Know About Caffeine

One of the oldest drugs in human history and present in dozens of plants, caffeine works by blocking a sleep-inducing chemical called adenosine. Used to be, most people got their dose via coffee, and it was relatively easy to stay under the FDA's recommended limit of 400 milligrams a day.

Now, however, it's harder to keep track. Companies don't always list caffeine content on food and drink labels. And despite decades of research, no one really knows the lifelong consequences of taking in so much. Studying a drug the majority of people already take is a challenge. Plus, any pro-caff findings might not account for the fact that a huge number of adults are sleep-deprived, says sleep medicine expert Timothy Roehrs, Ph.D., of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Caffeine has such a big impact on physical performance and endurance that banning it from the Olympics would eliminate most contenders, theorizes John Ivy, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas at Austin. It can give non-elite exercisers an edge as well, helping them go faster and for longer.

Moderate to heavy coffee intake can also, perhaps, decrease your risk for diabetes, inflammatory diseases, Parkinson's, and dementia. It could improve memory function. And the buzziest current tiding: Coffee drinkers live slightly longer than non-drinkers, per a 2012 study.

Yet for every yea there seems to be a statistical nay. An October 2013 study, for example, concluded that coffee drinkers might have shorter life spans. Caffeine can also disrupt sleep, leading to a long list of problems, including weight gain, weakened immunity, and poor concentration. New research has found that, although tasteless itself, caffeine has an ability to leave people wanting more, driving them toward sugary sodas and energy drinks.

Then there's the issue of addiction and caffeine-use disorder, in which people still guzzle the stuff in the face of known health circumstances (e.g., pregnancy). Studies show that nearly half of all caffeine consumers admit they have problems abstaining, despite occasional overload symptoms such as headaches and insomnia. That's important since, at its extreme, the drug can interfere with your heartbeat; a new report found caffeine-related ER visits spiked 36 percent from 2010 to 2011 alone.

So how much is safe - even helpful? Ideally, you'd use the drug the way you use other meds: only when you need it most, and not in large amounts every day, says Laura Juliano, Ph.D., a psychology professor at American University.

Because caffeine metabolism varies widely in people, it's best to stay as far below that daily limit of 400 milligrams as possible. That's about two 12-ounce cups of coffee, though not all brews are created equal. You'll have to do a little legwork to ID your own caff quotient—if, say, you have a coffee, a bit of chocolate, and a stick of spiked gum, you may be way overstimulated...or not.

Also be mindful of how you indulge. A binge in the a.m. will likely only set the stage for a crash after lunch, which will, in turn, tempt you to seek out even more caffeine, says Roehrs. (Our suggestion: Try waiting until about 10 a.m. for your java jolt.) And it practically goes without saying to skip caffeine within six hours of bedtime.

As with anything else, awareness and moderation are key. Read labels. And if you feel jittery or your caffeine crashes are intense, it's time to cut back.

How the super drug takes you from tired to wired...and back

• Once caffeine hits your bloodstream, it's shuttled straight to the liver, which breaks it into tiny molecules.
• Those then course through your veins, binding to cells, stealing the rightful parking spots of the sleep-inducing chemical adenosine.
• With less adenosine to temper it, your brain is in overdrive. Mentally, you're more alert. Production of feel-good dopamine ramps up.
• Your blood vessels have sprung into action: As they constrict, your heart beats faster, pumping extra oxygen to your organs.
• Your body reaches peak caffeine levels 15 to 45 minutes after ingestion. The effects, however, last much longer. Depending on your genes and what meds you take, you could be wired for the next five to six hours.
• Sounds great, right? Unless you've gone over your personal limit. Excess caffeine can cancel out too much adenosine, over-stimulating your brain.
• Even if you don't go overboard, take note: Brain cells respond to the repeated blocking of adenosine by producing more and more of the stuff, which will hit you harder once your buzz wears off.

5 Colorful foods that help lower cancer

An increasing number of studies are showing links between healthy eating habits and the prevention of certain forms of cancer. Moreover, research has found that colorful fresh foods which tend to be high in immune-boosting phytochemicals, are particularly adept at this. Below is a discussion of the different dietary changes that can be made to make sure these phytochemicals are part of the daily diet.

Red foods - Perhaps the best-known of red foods, tomatoes, have been linked to decreased risk of cancer of the ovaries. In a study of some 15,000 women, it was found that eating just a half-cup of tomatoes at least four times a week can lower the chances of developing tumors on the ovaries by a whopping 50%. Consumption of tomatoes was connected in another study to fighting pancreatic malignancy as well. It is thought that this is due to its lycopene, which is also found in red peppers and red berries.

Orange foods - The phytochemicals which lend orange vegetables like squash and carrots their color have been proven to be effective in treating malignancy in the digestive tract. Caffeic acid, found in high quantities in yams, has been proven to slow the development of malignant cells in the breast. Orange fruits and vegetables should be eaten around three times a week.

Yellow foods - Citrus fruits, such as grapefruit, lemons, tangerines and papayas, are excellent means to help ward off tumor formation through the diet. This is because these foods are all high in Vitamin C which has been shown to be extremely effective at fighting digestive cancers, such as those of the mouth, throat and colon. Apart from Vitamin C, they are also high in phyto-compounds that slow the development of tumors and promote overall healing through detoxification.

Green foods - Research has linked the consumption of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy and endive, to a lower risk of several cancers, including those of the ovaries, stomach and colon. Scientists believe that this is likely due to the fact that these green foods are an excellent source of glucosinolates, which chemicals with anti-cancer properties and Vitamin K, which is particularly effective in reducing the risk of pancreatic malignancies. Try to include them in the diet at least once a day.

White foods - While color-rich fruits and vegetables can ward off cancer, there are many white or pale-colored ones that have that ability, too. They include mushrooms as well as members of the allium family like garlic and onions. Both mushrooms and alliums have been linked to lower rates of digestive cancer. The allium family is high in a chemical called allicin, which is a powerful antioxidant. Onions also contain phytochemicals linked to reduce risk of colon cancer. Mushrooms are a good source of Vitamin D that can lower development of malginancy in the ovaries. Add them to the diet twice a day if possible for maximum effect.

These colorful fruits and vegetables will not only lend interest and flavor to the diet, but also help reduce the risk of developing tumors or to help combat it if it does become established. These foods are also easy to work into a diet in soups, salads, casseroles or fruit-based desserts.

Excellent natural calcium sources for bone health

Calcium is an essential macromineral whose roles in the body are relatively well-known. It strengthens bones and teeth, improves the body's alkalinity, helps our heart muscles to contract and relax properly and more.

Like all minerals, calcium doesn't work alone, but in tandem with other nutrients such as magnesium and vitamin D. For this reason, obtaining our calcium from whole foods - foods whose nutrient profiles have been optimized by nature for superior absorption -- is the best way to remain healthy.

Good natural sources of calcium

Seaweed - It is common to find seaweed in any "best of" list, and for good reason: since seaweed grows in the ocean and is thus unaffected by soil erosion (the process that has significantly reduced the nutritional value of most land-based vegetables), its nutritiousness has remained intact for centuries. And, as it happens, seaweed has always been rich in calcium.

Perhaps the best seaweeds in this regard are kelp, kombu and wakame. One hundred grams of each contain between 150 and 170 grams of calcium, as well as countless other essential nutrients, including iodine. Avoiding seaweed sourced from the Pacific Ocean is a good idea due to possible radiation contamination.

Chia seeds - Though chia seeds are best-known for their high protein and fiber content, they contain similarly impressive levels of calcium. In fact, 1 ounce of these versatile South American seeds provides us with 179 milligrams of calcium, which is 17 percent of our recommended daily allowance (RDA). Of course, it's easy to consume far more than 1 ounce of chia seeds per day, making them one of the easiest foods to consume for correcting a calcium deficiency.

Blackstrap molasses - Blackstrap molasses is the dark, treacle-like byproduct of the sugar cane refinement process. Since it is derived from the sugar cane plant, whose tall roots grow deep into the soil, it contains a large number of nutrients that are seldom found in such quantities elsewhere, including calcium. Specifically, 1 tablespoon of blackstrap supplies us with 123 milligrams of the mineral, or 12 percent of our RDA. Blackstrap is also a good source of magnesium, manganese, selenium, potassium and iron, and makes a great sweetener in baking.

Sesame seeds - These nutty and delicate seeds, which belong to one of the oldest oilseed crops grown on Earth, supply our bodies with 88 milligrams of calcium per tablespoon. Like chia seeds, sesame seeds are incredibly versatile and can be sprinkled on salads and cooked meals, or simply eaten as a snack.

Raw milk - According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, 8 ounces of raw milk - unprocessed milk straight from the cow -- supplies our bodies with 300 milligrams of calcium. Additionally, it contains certain minerals, such as phosphorus and magnesium, which aid the calcium's absorption rate. Unfortunately, milk subjected to homogenization and/or pasteurization does not fare as well. These unnatural processes damage the nutritional structure of the milk, and inhibit the absorption rate of its nutrients.

Incidentally, this fact also applies to other dairy products. Yogurt, cheese and kefir are all excellent sources of calcium when made from raw milk. When made using processed milk, however, their nutrient profile is compromised.

Certain leafy greens - Due to soil erosion, most green vegetables - once considered among the finest sources of calcium -- are now shadows of their former selves nutrition-wise. Fortunately, a number of hardy greens do retain some of their nutritional power. Kale is probably the best example of these (1 cup of chopped kale contains 101 milligrams of calcium), with broccoli and spinach in second and third place respectably.

Walking and running can halve the chance of brain cancer

Running and walking reduce the likelihood of your developing a brain tumour. Walking for 36-72 minutes every day or jogging for 15-30 minutes gives optimal protection. Bio-statistician Paul Williams at Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory discovered this after following 150,000 runners and walkers for over ten years.

Williams has devoted his work to the National Runners’ and Walkers’ Health Studies, a large-scale epidemiological project which contains data on 111,266 runners and 42,136 walkers, and continues to publish study after study. In previous years Williams has shown that running can reduce the chance of wear and tear on joints – at least if you are not overweight, and that runners put on weight if they start to run less.

In May 2014 Williams presented the results of a study, in which he examined the relationship between running, walking and brain cancer. Brain cancer is relatively rare, and scientists know little about the lifestyle factors that can protect against it.

Williams expressed the participants’ physical activity in MET-hours per day. Scientists say that we need to get in 1.8 MET-hours a day. That’s the equivalent of 36 minutes of walking or 15 minutes of jogging.

The runners and walkers that managed to do 1.8 MET-hours a day or more were less likely to develop brain cancer than the participants who did less. The evidence was strongest for the over 50s.

Participants who walked for more than 72 minutes or jogged for longer than half an hour were not better protected than participants who did 36-72 minutes of walking or 15-30 minutes of jogging.

The most common form of brain cancer is glioma. In-vitro studies have shown that IGF-1 stimulates the growth of glioma cells. Williams believes that physical exercise helps the muscles to absorb more IGF-1 from the blood, making less IGF-1 available for cancer cell growth.

“Although our analyses cannot test whether exercise specifically improves survival in brain cancer patients, it is not unreasonable to expect that if physical activity decreases the risk of incident glioma, it might also extend survival “, Williams concludes.

Sleeping longer makes athletes faster

If athletes force themselves to sleep two hours longer every day, their reaction speed increases and they get faster. Sleep researchers at Stanford University in the US discovered this when they performed experiments with basketball players.

Too little sleep leads to increased body fat, reduced testosterone levels, and decreased oxygen uptake, and animal studies have shown that it leads to muscle decay as well. On top of this, your immune system works better if you get enough sleep, and there are indications that good-quality sleep can extend your life expectancy.

So it’s logical that athletes perform better if they make sure they don’t miss out on sleep. But can athletes improve their performance by going a step further? By making sure they get lots of extra sleep? In 2011 Cheri Mah of Stanford University showed results of a human study that showed this could be the case.

Mah used 11 students from the basketball team for her experiment. She got them to increase the amount of sleep they got to 10 hours a day over a period of 5-7 weeks. Before they started on the ‘sleep extension’ the subjects all slept just under eight hours a day. They thought that this was enough sleep.

Although the textbooks say that eight hours’ sleep is enough, Mah observed that increasing the amount of sleep had a positive effect on the players. She used the Psychomotor Vigilance Task test to measure the players’ reaction times, and discovered that these became faster as a result of more sleep. In the Psychomotor Vigilance Task the subjects look at a black screen. When a point of light appears they have to press a button as fast as possible.

Before starting to sleep longer the athletes had an average of 16.2 seconds for an 86-m sprint. Extending their sleep reduced this to 15.5 seconds.

The subjects also found that they felt better for more sleep: less angry, depressed, stressed, tired and confused, and they had more energy. In addition their aim became better and more accurate.

“This study reveals an athlete’s inability to accurately assess how much sleep one actually obtains each night, thus leading to a misperception regarding the duration of sleep that constitutes adequate nightly sleep time”, the researchers conclude.

Watermelon could lower blood pressure, study suggests

Watermelon could significantly reduce blood pressure in overweight individuals both at rest and while under stress. “The pressure on the aorta and on the heart decreased after consuming watermelon extract,” the small study concludes.

Be sure to pick up a watermelon - or two - at your local grocery store. It could save your life.

A new study by Florida State University Associate Professor Arturo Figueroa,found that watermelon could significantly reduce blood pressure in overweight individuals both at rest and while under stress. “The pressure on the aorta and on the heart decreased after consuming watermelon extract,” Figueroa said.

The study started with a simple concept. More people die of heart attacks in cold weather because the stress of the cold temperatures causes blood pressure to increase and the heart has to work harder to pump blood into the aorta. That often leads to less blood flow to the heart.

Thus, people with obesity and high blood pressure face a higher risk for stroke or heart attack when exposed to the cold either during the winter or in rooms with low temperatures.

So, what might help their hearts?

It turned out that watermelon may be part of the answer.

Figueroa’s 12-week study focused on 13 middle-aged, obese men and women who also suffered from high blood pressure. To simulate cold weather conditions, one hand of the subject was dipped into 39 degree water (or 4 degrees Celsius) while Figueroa’s team took their blood pressure and other vital measurements.

Meanwhile, the group was divided into two. For the first six weeks, one group was given four grams of the amino acid L-citrulline and two grams of L-arginine per day, both from watermelon extract. The other group was given a placebo for 6 weeks.

Then, they switched for the second six weeks.

Participants also had to refrain from taking any medication for blood pressure or making any significant changes in their lifestyle, particularly related to diet and exercise, during the study. The results showed that consuming watermelon had a positive impact on aortic blood pressure and other vascular parameters. Notably, study participants showed improvements in blood pressure and cardiac stress while both at rest and while they were exposed to the cold water. “That means less overload to the heart, so the heart is going to work easily during a stressful situation such as cold exposure,” Figueroa said. Figueroa has conducted multiple studies on the benefits of watermelon. In the past, he examined how it impacts post-menopausal women’s arterial function and the blood pressure readings of adults with pre-hypertension.

Walnuts: the perfect food for our brains

Walnuts are the large, single-seeded fruits of the walnut tree. Though different species of walnut exist, the English walnut, which originated in Persia, remains the most popular species. In fact, virtually all of today's commercially-produced walnuts are either English walnuts or hybrids thereof. Other species of walnut, such as the black walnut, are seldom cultivated due to their comparatively tough shells and poor hulling qualities.

Walnuts are highly nutritious, and their health benefits have been well-known in China and India for centuries. They are just as revered in the West, however, and a large number of studies confirm the allegations of the ancient healing systems.

Packed with brain-boosting fats

Walnuts are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, particularly the plant-based omega-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid. These beneficial fats, which are the same fats that comprise our brains and nervous systems, give walnuts considerable brain-boosting properties. For example, a recent study  discovered that rats that were fed walnuts for 28 days demonstrated a "significant improvement in learning and memory" compared to the control group. A second study showed that the fatty acids in walnut extracts could prevent age-related inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain's hippocampal cells.

Studies have also linked the regular consumption of walnuts to numerous other brain-related benefits, including the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and improved inferential reasoning, concentration spans and interneuronal signaling. Just like coconut oil, another food that boosts cognitive function, almost all of these benefits stem from walnuts' high concentrations of beneficial fats.

Cancer prevention

According to a study mice that were implanted with human breast cancers and fed a walnut-based diet experienced a gigantic 80 percent decrease in tumor growth rate compared to the control group. The study also found that walnuts slowed the growth of colon, prostate and renal cancers in mice, with whole walnuts providing the biggest benefits. The researchers attributed these results to certain antioxidant compounds in walnuts, such as tocopherols, beta-sitosterol and pedunculagin, which possess anti-cancer properties.

Strengthen the cardiovascular system

Foods rich in beneficial fats are known to improve our cardiovascular systems, and walnuts are no exception. A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition, for instance, discovered that walnuts have been shown to decrease "bad" LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. Consequently, the researchers recommend that people add more walnuts to their diets to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Emerging evidence also suggests that walnuts can boost endothelial function, making them a viable treatment for type II diabetes.

Good source of additional nutrients

Though walnuts' rich supplies of good fats will always be their biggest draw, we shouldn't overlook their surprisingly high concentrations of nutrients, which include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and most B vitamins. Walnuts are especially high in magnesium, an essential macromineral in which an estimated 50 to 80 percent of the United States population are deficient. Like most nuts, walnuts are also a good source of protein, though the protein is incomplete (i.e. it doesn't contain all eight essential amino acids).

Walnuts are best eaten raw and whole. While a lot of people dislike their bitter skins, these skins contain up to 90 percent of the fruit's main cancer-fighting antioxidants, so ensure that they're eaten too.