From the Harvard School of Public Health - consumption of fish reduces the risk of coronary death by 36%
Link to Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) press release here.
A similar study on fish consumption released simultaneously by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, stated the fragmented information that consumers receive about the nutritional value and health risks associated with fish and shellfish can result in confusion or misperceptions.
“The study committee reviewed the evidence and developed recommendation and models for federal agencies to provide consumer guidance in making seafood choices. The committee used a consumer-centered approach to develop models that focus on the decision and the decision-making context faced by consumers.”
I will cost you over $50 to buy the full text of the study (link here), but suffice to say – Seafood Good.
Also, here’s a link to a previous post that will give you some guidance on picking fish that are less contaminated.
A Guide to Guilt-Free Fish – American Feast Blog
[thanks, Jeff!]
Here’s information on a study that purports to show that dogs, like people, gravitate towards winners.
Study: Dogs Prefer Winners – Discovery News
The Framingham Osteoporosis Study involved more than 2500 people average age 60. The study showed an increase on osteoporosis in women that consumed 5 or 6 cola drinks per week. It did not find a corresponding result in men.
Cola consumption lowers bone density, according to new study – Health and Age
I don’t know how they explain people like Orson Wells, Oprah Winfrey or Lou Dobbs but a new study suggests that the bigger you are, the dummer you are. But it doesn’t say the skinnier you are, the smarter you are.
“The five-year study of more than 2,200 adults claims to have found a link between obesity and the decline in a person's cognitive function.”
D'oh! 'Homer Simpson effect' could cause you brain strain – Irish Independent (requires registration)
'Greater your weight, lower your intelligence' – gulfnews.com UAE
“As regulators scrutinize the new-found genetic match between tainted spinach and manure from a nearby cattle ranch, Salinas Valley-area farmers are increasingly fearful that the long-standing coexistence of two leading agricultural practices may be in jeopardy.”
Did I hear “Duh”?
Spinach Scare Threatens Farm, Ranch Practices – latimes.com
I’d been lifting weights for over a year and a half at a local gym. Then, somehow, I got an arm injury that turned into a frozen shoulder.
Now, instead of going to the gym a couple of times a week, I go to the physical therapist a couple of times a week.
I’ve also been using the treadmill for a while. Now I have something else to worry about.
Relief for Exercising Feet – WebMD
Unfortunately I don’t have a laboratory in my house to test the validity of this process but if it works, this could be a very helpful tip for tea lovers who want to cut down on caffeine without switching to decaf. There’s been debate over the chemicals involved with the decaffeinating process. (see How are coffee, tea and colas decaffeinated? – Howstuffworks.com)
This information comes from a cute little site called Tea Time World Wide which is kind of like a little online tea shop.
Tips on Removing the Caffeine from Quality Tea
Approximately 80% of the caffeine in tea is released during the first 30-seconds of steeping, therefore to remove most of the caffeine from any tea simply:
1) Pour boiling water over the tea leaves
2) Allow the leaves to steep for 30 seconds
3) Pour out the brew, saving the steeped leaves
4) Re-steep the same leaves with more boiling water for the recommended steeping times.
[via lifehacker]
While both olive oil and walnuts have been shown to have hearth healthy properties, walnuts might have an edge.
“The fat molecules in a high fat diet trigger an inflammatory reaction which over a period of time contributes to the hardening of the arteries leading to heart disease and blockages. Walnuts have been found to increase the ability of the body to withstand the effects of these fatty acids and in maintaining the flexibility of the arteries.”
WARNING: Research funded by the California Walnut Commission.
Walnuts for healthy heart – eathtimes.org
Was this week’s lettuce recall an overreaction because of the recent spinach E. coli outbreak? So far, there have been no reported illness.
“The voluntary recall of the lettuce, announced Sunday by the Nunes Company, based in Salinas, involved about 8,500 cartons of green leaf lettuce sold under the Foxy label. Tom Nunes Jr., the company’s president, said Monday that only 250 cartons could have reached consumers and that those were believed to be in one of seven Western states: Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon or Washington. Mr. Nunes said the other cartons had been found and were being destroyed.”
Outbreak exposes weakness in food chain - Jordan Falls News
The William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association through a joint project know as the Alliance for a Healthier Generation have arranged enough pressure to get five major food manufacturers to agree to make school vending fare and other snacks healthier.
“It will take time, but through coalitions like this of industry and the nonprofit sector, we are going to make a real difference in the lives of millions of children by helping them eat healthier and live healthier.”
The companies are the Campbell Soup Company, the Dannon Company Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., Mars Inc. and PepsiCo Inc.
Clinton's new deal: Snacks – Chicago Tribune
5 firms eschew the fat – New York Daily News
"Parents of any obese four- or 10-year-olds can expect a letter telling them their child faces long-term health damage unless they lose weight."
How would you like to get a letter like that from your child’s school?
Starting next year, children in England’s primary schools will be measured and weighed and parents will be notified if their child falls outside a set of limits.
Sounds like a good idea, right? Maybe. What happens, though, when someone tries to introduce the next logical step, action against recalcitrant parents?
Young children need more exercise – BBC News
Killer Teddy Bear Wreaks Havoc at Fish and Game Department hatchery.
Hatcheries supervisor Robert Fawcett said the bear — a Paddington Bear dressed in yellow raincoat and hat — is believed to be the first stuffed bear to cause fatalities at the facility.
Killer teddy bear behind deaths of 2,500 fish - MSNBC
[via Vega Porn]
Researchers have found that treating the medical condition of heart disease (or better yet preventing it) goes a long way in obviating frailty syndrome as we age.
“A second finding is just as surprising to skeptical scientists because it seemed to many like a wrongheaded cliché — you’re only as old as you think you are. Rigorous studies are now showing that seeing, or hearing, gloomy nostrums about what it is like to be old can make people walk more slowly, hear and remember less well, and even affect their cardiovascular systems. Positive images of aging have the opposite effects. The constant message that old people are expected to be slow and weak and forgetful is not a reason for the full-blown frailty syndrome. But it may help push people along that path.”
Both conclusions are good news because they signify that we have some control over our fate. Proper diet has been shown to practically eliminate your chances of getting heart disease even if heart disease runs in your family. And recent studies have show that your mental state is something you can do something about as well.
Old but Not Frail: A Matter of Heart and Head – New York Times
[thanks, Jeff!]
Is this the savior of the family farm?
The maze craze - Eden Daily News
Abbey Court Hostel in Dublin, Ireland
This past Sunday’s New York Times had a short piece about hostels. In particular, “green” hostels. Hostels that are eco-friendly.
Now to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what a hostel was. The only experience I had with the word was noticing it was the name of some morbid looking movie that Quentin Tarantino was involved with.
So I looked it up in Wikipedia.
Hostels, also called youth hostels, provide short-term accommodation to travellers or backpackers, particularly encouraging outdoor activities and cultural exchange for the young. In a hostel guests often rent a bed (sometimes a bunk bed) in a dormitory and share common bathroom, kitchen, and lounge rooms.
It turns out there’s a whole universe of hostel options. From a basic bed in an out-of-the-way spot to fancier accommodations (Internet access, laundry, kitchens) on prime real estate in major cities.
There’s a website that will hook you up with hostels all over the world (green or otherwise). It’s a complete travel site which includes hostel reviews and booking. Visit the site at www.hostelworld.com.
[thanks, Susan!]
In a previous post, I gave you a link to a shopper’s guide from Oceans Alive which helps you choose fish with the lowest amount of pollutants.
Now the Environmental Working Group has come out with a similar guide for produce buyers. This list will guide you to the fruits and vegetables that contain the lowest levels of pesticides and which ones you should buy organic.
Link to full guide here. (You must provide your email address for full guide.)
Link to pocket version of the guide here.
If you make a donation, you can even receive the guide in refrigerator magnet form!
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