Sugar and Your Brain: Is Alzheimer’s Disease Actually Type 3 Diabetes?

It starves your brain, tangles and twists vital cells, and for decades it has been misrepresented as an untreatable, genetically determined disease. Alzheimer's disease is the 6^th leading cause of death in North America¹. The truth, however, is that this devastating illness shares a strong link with another sickness that wreaks havoc on millions of individuals in North America — Diabetes.

We all know that individuals affected by Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes have a notable resistance to insulin. Type 1 is caused by the body's inability to produce insulin, and Type 2 is caused by the deterioration of the body's insulin receptors and associated with the consumption of too much refined carbohydrate like processed grains and sugar.  But when studies began to appear in 2005 that revealed a shocking correlation between insulin and brain cell deterioration, major breaks were made around Alzheimer's prevention[i]. Health practitioners became curious about a critical question — could Alzheimer's disease simply be Type 3 Diabetes?

Alzheimer's disease has long been perceived as mysterious and inevitable. 5.3 million individuals suffer every year from the disease that appears to be untreatable[ii]. But, if this illness is associated with insulin resistance, this simply isn't the case.

We already know that diabetics are at least twice as likely to experience dementia[iii].  The cells of your brain can become insulin-resistant just like other cells in the body.  What was once considered a mysterious accumulation of beta amyloid plaques characteristic in the Alzheimer brain is now associated with the same lack of insulin that negatively affects cognition[iv].

Where there is knowledge about underlying causes there is the opportunity for prevention. Research that surfaced around problems with insulin and brain cell death offered health practitioners a way to identify useful prevention tactics that help restore the brain's cell function[v].

Your Brain on Carbohydrates

Most people know that a diet high in carbohydrates indicates a relationship to serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. What we haven't always known is the serious affect sugar has on our brain health. When you eat carbohydrates, which break down into sugar in the body, your blood sugar levels sky-rocket[vi]. High blood sugar levels also create inflammation, further causing your brain's health to weaken. Over time, a diet high in sugar translates into the accelerated death of supple, healthy brain cells[vii].

Studies have shown that brain cells shrink and become tangled from high blood sugar levels over time[viii]. This means that your sugar intake could be drastically affecting long-term brain health, inherently increasing the likelihood of developing lesions in the brain, which are linked to the deadly disease process we call Alzheimer's.

The good news is that the brain is very resilient. A handful of well-researched, holistic prevention tools have been shown to restore damaged brain cells, and return a dying brain to its fully functioning state[ix]. 

How do I decrease my risk for Type 3 Diabetes?

Coconut Oil

Many think it an unusual treatment, but it's the leading preventative tool in cognitive health. It doesn't take years or even months — coconut oil takes action on the brain after just one 40 ml dose[x]. Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) are the primary fat found in coconut oil, and they are powerful in rapidly helping to boost brain metabolism and thereby increasing cognitive functioning. Recent, insightful research has shown that patients experienced significant neurological healing after 4-6 weeks of using the oil in their nutritional plans[xi].  

Coconut oil is also a valuable source of fuel for the brain. When brain cells have undergone metabolic deterioration associated with insulin resistance, they can no longer accept glucose, the brain's main fuel source. However, coconut oil is rich in the medium chain fatty acids that break down into ketones in the liver, an alternative fuel for the brain that is as efficient as glucose.

Using coconut oil has been shown to control or even reverse the progression of what has been recently reported as Type 3 diabetes[xii]. Try using extra virgin coconut oil in your cooking, baking, or your morning smoothies to receive exceptional cognitive benefits.

A Maximized Diet

Compelling reports have shown that the nutrition plan offered to individuals seeking Type 2 Diabetes prevention is one of the same plans offered to those looking to decrease their risk of Alzheimer's disease. This dietary prevention plan includes foods that are low in sugar and high in healthy fats, which creates a rich, healing environment for the brain. Your brain will thrive when you load up on friendly fats and decrease your carbohydrate intake[xiii]. Fats that are optimal for the promotion of plasticity in your brain include olive oil, avocados, salmon, and almonds. Even small increments of good fats can make a lasting difference on your brain's health, so implement them into your diet today – and every day!

The Best Carbs – Fruits and Veggies

Modern day Western culture has consumes voluminous quantities of processed carbohydrates and so-called 'whole grains.' As a result, health practitioners are finding strong links between these foods we eat and suboptimal brain health, which makes it imperative for you to adjust your carbohydrate intake. Fruits and vegetables that promote cell growth, are less inflammatory and acidic than are starchy carbs, and, with the exception of a few higher-sugar fruits, they are lower in sugar are ideal for preventing Type III diabetes[xiv]. Maximize your dishes with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, kale, spinach, avocados, and other dark colored fruits and vegetables for peak cognitive functioning[xv].

Beta Carotene and Vitamin C

Of course a diet low in sugar, plentiful in good fats, and rich in dark colored vegetables is ideal for the health of your brain[xvi]. Increasing your intake of antioxidants has also proven to be beneficial in nurturing and optimizing neural functioning. Research has shown that Vitamin C and Beta Carotene, found in foods like lemons, grapefruits, kale, and bell peppers, aids in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases[xvii]. Excessive free radical production can create a dangerous atmosphere in the brain (making it rancid!), and antioxidants are a strong combatant against these brain-damaging agents. Increase your intake of antioxidants through fresh fruits and vegetables, or organic health supplements.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic research has shown that over time, the body's resistance to outflow from the brain can cause normal pressure hydrocephalus and toxic metabolic edema, which in turn causes the brain to break down[xviii]. This means that a decrease in normal fluid functioning without an increase in brain volume causes the brain to stop functioning. Naturally, in the prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (and any other cognitive disorder), schedule regular chiropractic appointments, and maintain a body system that is functioning at its highest potential.

Knowledge is Power

Recent research around neural deterioration and insulin resistance has been groundbreaking. The most notable, and curious, point is evidence that the disease could in fact, be preventable[xix]. Alzheimer's disease may no longer be a murky, genetically defined illness, if brain-healthy lifestyle choices are created and maintained. 

source: GreenMedInfo

How To Beat Diabetes Naturally

The presenter of this video discusses the causes of diabetes and how to treat it naturally. He suggests that the best way to defeat a lifestyle disease such as diabetes is to stop what is causing it, and take up habits that promote good health.

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Most Americans on a high meat diet eat between 14 and 20 grams of plant fiber every day. The ideal vegetarian diet provides 65-70 grams. Insulin must hook up on one side with sugar (glucose), and the other side must slide into insulin "docking sites" (receptors) on cells. For sugar to be properly utilized, the docking sites must be filled with insulin. Here is another advantage of a high fiber diet--the fiber increases the number of docking sites. 
Obese individuals have fewer insulin receptors, hence fewer sites for sugar-hooked insulin to slide into. Fasting for several days, until the blood glucose returns to normal, multiplies insulin docking sites. This usually takes three to five days, and should be done only in type II (or "adult onset") diabetics. Type I diabetics should never fast. If the person is obese, fasting for a day or two a week, non-consecutively, can be very helpful for diabetic control.

(This is not the video, image used for thumbnail)

This is why high fructose corn syrup is dangerous

High Fructose Corn Syrup, also known as HFCS, glucose-fructose syrup, glucose syrup, fructose syrup, glucose/fructose, high-fructose maize syrup or corn sugar is a corn-based sweetener that is used in thousands of food products including sodas, soft drinks, fruit juices, ice cream, candy, baked goods, cookies, ketchup, soups, salad dressings, breads, crackers, etc.

HFCS is a mixture of fructose and glucose, and is used by food companies because it is cheaper than sugar and gives food products a longer shelf life.

Image: www.ener-chi.com

HFCS is responsible for a host of health problems such as obesity, high cholesterol, insulin problems, Type 2 diabetes, liver damage, hypertension, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, migraines, ADHD, etc.
HFCS is often contaminated with mercury which can lead to brain damage.

Here is a great video about the dangers of HFCS:


Corn, the source of high fructose corn syrup, is now often genetically modified, which causes many serious health problems.

Glucose is used as fuel and metabolized by the cells in the body. In contrast, fructose can only be metabolized by the liver which turns fructose into fat. When consuming fructose, 30% will be stored as fat… Fructose, in contrast to glucose, has no effect on appetite, which results in overeating and obesity.

Image: www.milehimama.com

The fructose found in fruit and in some vegetables is actually quite healthy as it contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and beneficial phytonutrients. In contrast, the fructose found in HFCS contains no nutrition and actually pulls nutrients from the body! HFCS hinders the absorption of minerals such as magnesium, copper and chromium and affects the receptors of insulin, leading to Type 2 diabetes. In addition, HFCS causes high cholesterol and impairs the immune system.

The food industry is trying to convince us that High Fructose Corn Syrup is natural, equal to sugar and therefore perfectly safe.

Do no longer believe the lies of the food industry and the ‘mainstream’ media. Contrary to what so-called ‘health experts’ claim, HFCS is not safe!

Avoid HFCS for 60 days and discover how your health will improve dramatically!

Other forms of fructose to avoid: crystalline fructose, chicory, inulin, iso glucose and Agave syrup, a highly processed sweetener that is nearly all-fructose.

Also avoid energy and sports drinks because they are loaded with sugar, chemical additives and artificial sweeteners.

Healthier HFCS alternatives:
Organic raw cane sugar, maple syrup, coconut nectar, palm sugar, raw honey and Stevia, the low calorie, all natural sweetener used in Paraguay for centuries.

Source: rawforbeauty.com

How to Treat and Cure Type 2 Diabetes Naturally

With diabetes on the rise all over the country, many new treatments for the disease are being found. Here's one natural way that has been found to treat and cure diabetes. Jay Wortman, MD, tells the story of how he got rid of his rampant type 2 diabetes, using a simple dietary change. Ten years later he is still free from the disease and needs no medication. He just stopped eating the foods that turn to sugar in the body.

Image: Friends of Irony

New scientific studies demonstrate that this common-sense approach works well. More info here (completelyfree): http://www.DietDoctor.com/lchf

Dr Wortman's website :http://www.drjaywortman.com/

My Big Fat Diet documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjTmdvFH3gQ&list=PL4D9B65D69295AAFC&index=1

The Facts, Stats and Dangers of Soda Pop

PreventDisease.com

Kids are heavy consumers of soft drinks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and they are guzzling soda pop at unprecedented rates.

Carbonated soda pop provides more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old toddler's diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined.

Image: Dave Sommers

Fifty-six percent of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily, and a third of teenage boys drink at least three cans of soda pop per day.

• These popular beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States.
• More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000.
• That works out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman and child.

Not only are soft drinks widely available everywhere, from fast food restaurants to video stores, they're now sold in 60 percent of all public and private middle schools and high schools nationwide, according to the National Soft Drink Association. A few schools are even giving away soft drinks to students who buy school lunches.

As soda pop becomes the beverage of choice among the nation's young -- and as soda marketers focus on brand-building among younger and younger consumers -- public health officials, school boards, parents, consumer groups and even the soft drink industry are faced with nagging questions:

• How healthful are these beverages, which provide a lot calories, sugars and caffeine but no significant nutritional value? 
• And what happens if you drink a lot of them at a very young age?

Recently, representatives of the soft drink industry, concerned that public opinion and public policy may turn against them, will staged a three-day "fly-in" to lobby Congress to maintain soft drinks sales in schools; and to educate lawmakers on the "proper perspective" on soft drink use.

The industry plans to counter a US Department of Agriculture proposal, announced in January, that would require all foods sold in schools to meet federal nutrition standards. That would mean that snack foods and soft drinks would have to meet the same standards as school lunches.

Nearly everyone by now has heard the litany on the presumed health effects of soft drinks:

• Obesity
• Tooth decay
• Caffeine dependence
• Weakened bones

But does drinking soda pop really cause those things?

To help separate fact from fiction, the Health section reviewed the latest scientific findings and asked an array of experts on both sides of the debate to weigh in on the topic. Be forewarned, however: Compared with the data available on tobacco and even dietary fat, the scientific evidence on soft drinks is less developed. The results can be a lot like soft drinks themselves, both sweet and sticky.

Obesity

One very recent, independent, peer-reviewed study demonstrates a strong link between soda consumption and childhood obesity.

One previous industry-supported, unpublished study showed no link. Explanations of the mechanism by which soda may lead to obesity have not yet been proved, though the evidence for them is strong.

Many people have long assumed that soda -- high in calories and sugar, low in nutrients -- can make kids fat. But until this month there was no solid, scientific evidence demonstrating this.

Reporting in The Lancet, a British medical journal, a team of Harvard researchers presented the first evidence linking soft drink consumption to childhood obesity. They found that 12-year-olds who drank soft drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight than those who didn't.

For each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed during the nearly two-year study, the risk of obesity increased 1.6 times.

Obesity experts called the Harvard findings important and praised the study for being prospective. In other words, the Harvard researchers spent 19 months following the children, rather than capturing a snapshot of data from just one day. It's considered statistically more valuable to conduct a study over a long period of time.

Researchers found that schoolchildren who drank soft drinks consumed almost 200 more calories per day than their counterparts who didn't down soft drinks. That finding helps support the notion that we don't compensate well for calories in liquid form.

Tooth Decay

Here's one health effect that even the soft drink industry admits, grudgingly, has merit. In a carefully worded statement, the NSDA says that "there's no scientific evidence that consumption of sugars per se has any negative effect other than dental caries." But the association also correctly notes that soft drinks aren't the sole cause of tooth decay.

In fact, a lot of sugary foods, from fruit juices to candy and even raisins and other dried fruit, have what dentists refer to as "cariogenic properties," which is to say they can cause tooth decay.

Okay, so how many more cavities are soft drink consumers likely to get compared with people who don't drink soda? This is where it gets complicated.

A federally funded study of nearly 3,200 Americans 9 to 29 years old conducted between 1971 and 1974 showed a direct link between tooth decay and soft drinks. Numerous other studies have shown the same link throughout the world, from Sweden to Iraq.

But sugar isn't the only ingredient in soft drinks that causes tooth problems. The acids in soda pop are also notorious for etching tooth enamel in ways that can lead to cavities. "Acid begins to dissolve tooth enamel in only 20 minutes," notes the Ohio Dental Association in a release issued earlier this month.

Caffeine Dependence

The stimulant properties and dependence potential of caffeine in soda are well documented, as are their effects on children.

Ever tried going without your usual cup of java on the weekend? If so, you may have experienced a splitting headache, a slight rise in blood pressure, irritability and maybe even some stomach problems.

These well-documented symptoms describe the typical withdrawal process suffered by about half of regular caffeine consumers who go without their usual dose.

The soft drink industry agrees that caffeine causes the same effects in children as adults, but officials also note that there is wide variation in how people respond to caffeine. The simple solution, the industry says, is to choose a soda pop that is caffeine-free. All big soda makers offer products with either low or no caffeine.

That may be a good idea, though it raises the question of whether soda machines in schools should be permitted to offer caffeinated beverages or at least be obligated to offer a significant proportion of caffeine-free products.

It also raises the question of how one determines a product's caffeine content. Nutrition labels are not required to divulge that information. If a beverage contains caffeine, it must be included in the ingredient list, but there's no way to tell how much a beverage has, and there's little logic or predictability to the way caffeine is deployed throughout a product line.

Okay, so most enlightened consumers already know that colas contain a fair amount of caffeine. It turns out to be 35 to 38 milligrams per 12-ounce can, or roughly 28 percent of the amount found in an 8-ounce cup of coffee. But few know that diet colas -- usually chosen by those who are trying to dodge calories and/or sugar -- often pack a lot more caffeine.

A 12-ounce can of Diet Coke, for example, has about 42 milligrams of caffeine -- seven more than the same amount of Coke Classic. A can of Pepsi One has about 56 milligrams of caffeine -- 18 milligrams more than both regular Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.

Even harder to figure out is the caffeine distribution in other flavors of soda pop. Many brands of root beer contain no caffeine. An exception is Barq's, made by the Coca-Cola Co., which has has 23 milligrams per 12-ounce can. Sprite, 7-Up and ginger ale are caffeine-free. But Mountain Dew, the curiously named Mello Yellow, Sun Drop Regular, Jolt and diet as well as regular Sunkist orange soda all pack caffeine.

Caffeine occurs naturally in kola nuts, an ingredient of cola soft drinks. But why is this drug, which is known to create physical dependence, added to other soft drinks?

The industry line is that small amounts are added for taste, not for the drug's power to sustain demand for the products that contain it. Caffeine's bitter taste, they say, enhances other flavors. "It has been a part of almost every cola -- and pepper-type beverage -- since they were first formulated more than 100 years ago," according to the National Soft Drink Association.

But recent blind taste tests conducted by Roland Griffiths at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore found that only 8 percent of regular soft drink consumers could identify the difference between regular and caffeine-free soft drinks.

The study included only subjects who reported that they drank soft drinks mainly for their caffeine content. In other words, more than 90 percent of the self-diagnosed caffeine cravers in this small sample could not detect the presence of caffeine.

That's why the great popularity of caffeinated soft drinks is driven not so much by subtle taste effects as by the mood-altering and physical dependence of caffeine that drives the daily self-administration.

And the unknown could be especially troublesome for the developing brains of children and adolescents. Logic dictates that when you are dependent on a drug, you are really upsetting the normal balances of neurochemistry in the brain. The fact that kids have withdrawal signs and symptoms when the caffeine is stopped is a good indication that something has been profoundly disturbed in the brain.

Exactly where that leads is anybody's guess -- which is to say there is little good research on the effects of caffeine on kids' developing brains.

Bone Weakening

Animal studies demonstrate that phosphorus, a common ingredient in soda, can deplete bones of calcium.

And two recent human studies suggest that girls who drink more soda are more prone to broken bones. The industry denies that soda plays a role in bone weakening.

Animal studies -- mostly involving rats -- point to clear and consistent bone loss with the use of cola beverages. But as scientists like to point out, humans and rats are not exactly the same.

Even so, there's been concern among the research community, public health officials and government agencies over the high phosphorus content in the US diet. Phosphorus -- which occurs naturally in some foods and is used as an additive in many others -- appears to weaken bones by promoting the loss of calcium. With less calcium available, the bones become more porous and prone to fracture.

The soft drink industry argues that the phosphoric acid in soda pop contributes only about 2 percent of the phosphorus in the typical US diet, with a 12-ounce can of soda pop averaging about 30 milligrams.

There's growing concern that even a few cans of soda today can be damaging when they are consumed during the peak bone-building years of childhood and adolescence. A 1996 study published in the Journal of Nutrition by the FDA's Office of Special Nutritionals noted that a pattern of high phosphorus/low calcium consumption, common in the American diet, is not conducive to optimizing peak bone mass in young women.

A 1994 Harvard study of bone fractures in teenage athletes found a strong association between cola beverage consumption and bone fractures in 14-year-old girls. The girls who drank cola were about five times more likely to suffer bone fractures than girls who didn't consume soda pop.

Besides, to many researchers, the combination of rising obesity and bone weakening has the potential to synergistically undermine future health. Adolescents and kids don't think long-term. But what happens when these soft-drinking people become young or middle-aged adults and they have osteoporosis, sedentary living and obesity?

By that time, switching to water, milk or fruit juice may be too little, too late.

AUTHOR: Sally Squires

Source: http://preventdisease.com/home/tips43.shtml

Exercise is Statistically as Good as Pharmaceuticals to Treat Diseases

PreventDisease.com

A recent study published in BMJ found that physical activity is as effective as drug interventions for patients with existing cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes.

In the few conditions where the life-saving benefits of exercise have been studied, physical activity was often found to be as effective as drugs at reducing the risk of death, according to the first study to aggregate and assess the comparative benefits of drugs and exercise for reducing mortality in a wide range of illnesses.

"We were surprised to find that exercise seems to have such powerful life-saving effects for people with serious chronic conditions," said Huseyin Naci, an HMS visiting fellow in population medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and a graduate student at the London School of Economics. "It was also surprising to find that so little is known about the potential benefits of physical activity for health in so many other illnesses."

Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality from many chronic diseases. Millions suffer from chronic illnesses that can be prevented or improved through regular physical activity. This include heart disease, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, hip fractures, stroke and high blood pressure. On average, people who are physically active outlive those who are inactive.

Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, most adults and many children lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle and are not active enough to achieve these health benefits. A sedentary lifestyle is defined as engaging in no leisure-time physical activity (exercises, sports, physically active hobbies) in a two-week period.

Study Details

In addition to providing guidance for patients and clinicians about the importance of discussing the potential benefits of exercise, the researchers highlighted the importance of continuing to research the value of exercise for health.

The researchers argue that more trials comparing the effectiveness of exercise and drugs are urgently needed to help doctors and patients make the best treatment decisions. In the meantime, they say exercise "should be considered as a viable alternative to, or alongside, drug therapy."

"We're not saying people who have had a stroke should go off their medication and head to the gym," Naci said, "but having a conversation with their physician about incorporating exercise into their treatment might be beneficial in many cases."

Preventable illness makes up approximately 80% percent of the burden of illness and 90% of all healthcare costs. Preventable illness accounts for eight of the nine leading categories of death.

In the United States, 80 percent of people 18 and older failed to meet the recommended levels of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity in 2011, according to the CDC. What's more, the average number of retail prescriptions per capita for calendar year 2011 was 12.1, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

For people with chronic ailments, exercise used to be viewed as asking for trouble. However, current evidence suggests that in both health and disease, the overall prognosis is better for the exerciser than for the sedentary. For example, a recent study showed that intensive workouts can not only slow the progress of coronary disease, but actually restore lost coronary function when the disease is still stable.

"We've yet to find a disease state where exercise isn't helpful." said Miriam Nelson, Ph.D, from Tufts University. 

For the current study, the researchers analyzed the results of 305 randomized controlled trials involving 339,274 individuals and found no statistically detectable differences between exercise and drug interventions for secondary prevention of heart disease and prevention of diabetes.

Exercise Often More Effective Than Drugs

Among stroke patients, exercise was more effective than drug treatment.

The authors point out that the amount of trial evidence on the mortality benefits of exercise is considerably smaller than that on the benefits of drugs, and this may have had an impact on their results. Of the nearly 340,000 cases analyzed, only 15,000 patients had had exercise-based interventions.

For chronically ill individuals, the psychological as well as physical benefits of exercise can be profound. Even ten minutes of light exercise a day, can help most chronically ill patients feel more vibrant, energetic and alert.

"Exercise is empowering and energizing, and it increases your sense of control over the situation. You're never too sick or too old to get started exercising," stated Bess Marcus, Ph.D, of Brown's University. 

The researchers argue in the paper that this "blind spot" in available scientific evidence "prevents prescribers and their patients from understanding the clinical circumstances where drugs might provide only modest improvement but exercise could yield more profound or sustainable gains in health."

Participation in regular physical activity-- at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on at least five days per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity at least three times per week--is critical to sustaining good health. Youth should strive for at least one hour of exercise a day. Regular physical activity has beneficial effects on most (if not all) organ systems, and consequently it helps to prevent a broad range of health problems and diseases. People of all ages, both male and female, derive substantial health benefits from physical activity.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness in the United States. Regular physical activity improves health in the following ways:

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease and other conditions;
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes;
• Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure;
• Reduces blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure;
• Reduces the risk of developing colon and breast cancer5;
• Helps to maintain a healthy weight;
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints;
• Helps older adults to become stronger and better able to move about without falling;
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety; and
• Promotes psychological well-being. 

Exercise v.s. Diet v.s. Drugs

Exercise v.s. diet v.s. drugs is often the debate that many health professionals evaluate. By examining each disease through clinical trials, we can better determine the efficacy of both exercise and diet in the treatment of many common ailments. Diet, for example, is the cornerstone of diabetes care, but if diet is combined with exercise, diabetics dramatically improve their condition by more than 45% than with diet alone. 

CONDITION	TYPE OF EXERCISE	MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT WITH EXERCISE	MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT WITH DRUGS	MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT WITH DIET
High Blood Pressure	Aerobic	15%	9%	11%
Diabetes	Strength training, flexibility, low-impact aerobic	52%	5%	38%
Stroke	Strength training, flexibility, low-impact aerobic	28%	7%	--
Heart Disease	Aerobic	33%	11%	26%
High LDL cholesterol	--	--	13%	20%
Low HDL cholesterol	Aerobic	15%	--	--
High Blood Sugar	Aerobic	15%	11%	30%
Arthritis Pain	Strength training, flexibility, low-impact aerobic	40%	12%	--
Low Bone Density	Weight bearing	3%	--	2%

Regular physical activity is associated with lower mortality rates for both older and younger adults. Even those who are moderately active on a regular basis have lower mortality rates than those who are least active. Regular physical activity leads to cardiovascular fitness, which decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in general and coronary artery disease mortality in particular. High blood pressure is a major underlying cause of cardiovascular complications and mortality. Regular physical activity can prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure, and reduces blood pressure in persons with hypertension.

Despite this uncertainty, the authors claim that based on the available data physical activity is potentially as effective as many drug interventions and more trials to address the disparity between exercise and drug-based treatment evidence are needed.

"What we don't know about the benefits of exercise may be hurting us," Naci said.

Sources:
bmj.com
nlm.nih.gov
preventdisease.com
medicalnewstoday.com

Dr. Marianna Pochelli is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine specializing in the treatment of disease through superfoods and herbal strategies. She actively promotes detoxification, colon cleansing, and a vegetarian lifestyle using living foods as a platform to health.

11 Amazing Health Benefits of Cinnamon

by Andrea Manitsas – Organic Authority

Once upon a time, cinnamon was more valuable than gold. And while these days I’m betting most of us would rather get our hands on 24 karats over 24 ounces – a bar over a stick – this bark-cum-spice has just as much bite as it does bark. The potential health benefits attributable to cinnamon could be stated as nothing short of astonishing.

Image: www.amillionlives.net

It’s possible we’re just brushing the surface here, for Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have long revered cinnamon as a superpower used to treat things such as colds, indigestion and cramps and also believed to improve energy, vitality and circulation. The following are ten health benefits associated with this beloved spice that studies have suggested:

1. 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower your bad cholesterol (or LDL).

2. Cinnamon may help treat Type 2 Diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and increasing the amount of insulin production in the body.

3. Cinnamon has antifungal properties, and it’s been said that candida cannot live in a cinnamon environment.

4. Cinnamon can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

5. Cinnamon has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

6. Honey and Cinnamon combined have been found to relieve arthritis pain.

7. When added to food, cinnamon inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

8. Just smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

9. Cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

10. Cinnamon has been found to be an effective natural remedy for eliminating headaches and migraine relief.

11. Cinnamon can also help stablize blood sugar (which is great for weight loss). A couple of dashes in your morning tea or cereal is all it takes!

Now, this said, we are absolutely not advocating you start guzzling the cinnamon – as it has been found to be toxic in large doses. We are, however, wholeheartedly encouraging a little pinch (or stick) here and there in places you might otherwise have overlooked (in your tea or coffee, added to savory dishes, etc.) – if not for your overall health, for its undeniably enchanting aroma and flavor. And while we all have fell victim to the irresistible smells wafting through an otherwise bleak airport experience, this does not make Cinnabon a free for all. We’re just saying.