Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Hostility Associated with Visceral Fat in Middle-Aged Women

In a study conducted at the Yale University School of Medicine and recently published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers found that higher levels of hostility were associated with a greater amount of visceral fat in both African-American and white middle-aged women. This association remained significant after further adjustments for education and multiple coronary heart disease risk factors. Hostility was not associated with subcutaneous fat. They concluded that hostility may affect risk for coronary heart disease in women via the accumulation of visceral fat.

I think these findings are very significant and point once again to the link between stress (as hostility is a toxic emotion) and abdominal fat. Visceral fat, which hugs the internal organs, such as the kidneys, liver and pancreas, is considered to be more dangerous that subcutaneous fat, which is deposited just below the skin. My hunch is that hostility kept inside is even more dangerous than hostility that is outwardly expressed.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Maintaining Healthy Bones

For many years I have been following the work of Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., nutritional expert and author of the recent book, "The Whole Food Guide to Strong Bones." I recently received the following email from her:

"Fosamax and similar drugs interfere with bone metabolism, which in turn interferes with blood metabolism- preventing calcium and other minerals from being released into the blood to keep its ph steady. They make bones more brittle and contribute to heart palpitations."

To maintain strong bones, Annemarie recommends eating salad or greens every day (for the calcium and vitamin K), eating sufficient protein (for the collagen matrix), avoiding "low fat" anything, and eating enough butter or olive oil (to keep the fat-soluble vitamins in solution). Cook everything with stock or bone broth. If possible, eat bones-from sardines, soft shell crabs, and chew on chicken bones. This approach works very well, and it's fun, cheap and tasty.

For more information on Annemarie Colbin, go to www.foodandhealing.com.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Lower Depression Risk Linked to Mediterranean Diet

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet packed with fruits, vegetables,legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish is good for your heart. Now scientists are suggesting the diet may be good for your mental health, too.

A study of over 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and half years found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study were about half as likely to develop depression than those who said they did not stick to the diet.

All of the participants were free of depression when they were recruited to the study, and each filled out a 136-item food frequency questionnaire when they joined. Based on their self-reported dietary habits, they were assigned a score between 0 and 9, with the highest score reflecting the closest adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Over time, those who had scored between 5 and 9 on the Mediterranean diet were 42 to 51 percent less likely to develop depression than those who scored between 0 and 2.

Many scientists are convinced that the same damaging inflammatory and metabolic processes involved in cardiovascular disease may also play a role in mental health. Both cardiovascular disease and depression share common mechanisms related to endothelium function and inflammation, said Dr. Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, professor of preventive medicine at University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, and senior author of the paper, published in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

The membranes of our neurons are composed of fat, so the quality of fat that you are eating definitely has an influence on the quality of the neuron membranes, and the body's synthesis of neurotransmitters is dependent on the vitamins you're eating, Dr. Martinez-Gonzalez added. We think those with lowest adherence to the Mediterranean dietary plan have a deficiency of essential nutrients.

The elements of the diet most closely linked to a lower risk of depression were fruits and nuts, legumes and a high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats.