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CALCIUM MAY HELP WEIGHT LOSS
A high Calcium, low calorie diet may help you to lose weight, researchers from the University of Tennessee reported.
They believe that high dietary levels of Calcium may suppress hormones that aid us in holding on to fat. “For
any given level of energy balance - of calorie intake and physical activity - dietary Calcium helps determine
whether calories go to storage in the form of fat, or get burned,” explained lead study author Dr. Michael
Zemel. Zemel said he was first tipped off to this potential link between metabolism and Calcium in a study
done years ago on obese men. When the men were placed on high Calcium diets, with their calorie intake remaining
the same, “they lost significant amounts of body fat,” Zemel said. More studies are being conducted on humans at
this point and further results will be available within the year. Zemel points out that there are other sources
of Calcium other than dairy; supplementation is a good way to get Calcium, Soy products contain a great amount of
Calcium, and Calcium is also found in a lot of produce. The scientist warns against viewing Calcium as a quick fix
for weight loss; calories still count according to Zemel. But he does believe that high levels of dietary Calcium
can “markedly inhibit the machinery for making fat and really rev up the machinery for breaking down fat.”
APPLE A DAY?
According to a study published in the British Journal Thorax, eating an apple a day can improve your lung function. Researchers at St. George’s Hospital in London studied the health records and eating habits of 2500 men aged between
45-59. The study required the men to blow air into a machine which then measured the mens’ lung capacity. The men who
ate an apple a day or five apples a week, exhaled 138 milliliters more air in one second than similar men of the same
age and height who did not eat apples. Researchers believe that antioxidants or flavonoids contained in apples fight
off illnesses and diseases caused by free radicals. This study explores the relationship between the intake of fresh
fruit containing antioxidants and improved lung function and a reduction of diseases affecting the lungs.
GINKGO AND ALZHEIMER’S
A clinical trial reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that regular consumption of
Ginkgo Biloba supplements has an astonishing effect on Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke-induced mental difficulties.
The success rate of memory and intelligence was measured at 38% greater with Ginkgo than with a placebo. Researchers
were unable to determine whether this was due to increased cerebral circulation or to damage control in brain cells,
but either result is positive. In addition to the subjective measurements, the researchers also conducted a standard cognitive test (similar to an IQ test). 27% of Ginkgo therapy patients scored four or more points higher on the test
after the treatment than they did before, as compared to only 14% in the placebo group. Standardized Ginkgo Biloba
extract in a base of the Ginkgo Leaf Powder is available from Sangster’s in 40mg and 60mg capsules; it has long been considered to be an aid to memory, and this study supports that definition.
VITAMIN E MAY INHIBIT LUNG CANCER DEVELOPMENT
According to an eight year study done on 29,000 male smokers, lung cancer incidence is reduced by 19 percent when
high levels of Vitamin E are in the blood system. The study took place at the National Cancer Institute in
Helsinki. Karen Woodson and her research team noted that “These findings suggest that high levels of alpha-tocopherol,
if present during the critical stages of tumor formation, may inhibit lung cancer development.” The study did not
prove that Vitamin E supplementation will prevent lung cancer, but it did show that Vitamin E may possibly stop or reduce the growth of cancerous cells.
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