sj health source prototype

8/9/2019 SJ Health Source Prototype

1/8

shaping up:CALORIES IN

VS

CALORIES OUT

healthy children:

MORE FRUITS

& VEGGIES,

PLEASE!

research:

APOE GeneLinked to

Alzheimerssenior life:

THE DOG DAYS

OF SUMMER:

HYPERTHERMIARISK

PROTOTYPE August 2010

healthy living fighting addiction diabetes check fitness by the numb

healthsourcesouth jersey

prevention:

HEART

HEALTHY

LIFESTYLE

FREE

sjhealthsource.com


2/8

sjhealthsource.com PROTOTYPE AUGUST 2010 SOUTH JERSEY HEALTHSOURCE 2


3/8


Conventional wisdom on dietary fats has

changed. Once, all fats were deemed un-

healthy, and responsible for all manner ofdiseases, from cardiovascular disease to

diabetes. But years of research have

changed our thinking. We now start with

the premise that all fats are not createdequalthat there are good fats, bad fats,possibly-not-so-bad fats, and very bad fats.

Let's take a closer look:

The Good: Unsaturated FatsAs oxymoronic as it sounds, there are actu-ally good fatsthe unsaturated kind that

help fight the very diseases that consuming

excess fat was said to cause. These unsatu-rated fats are divided into monounsaturated

fats and polyunsaturated fats, and bothtypes are thought to have beneficial effectson cholesterol levels.

Monounsaturated fats help lower LDL

(bad) cholesterol while also boosting HDL

(good) cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats

are also thought to help lower total and badcholesterol. But monounsaturated fats tend

to be favored over polyunsaturated fats

because some research suggests that poly-

unsaturated fats are less stable, and can

reduce levels of good

cholesterol as well asbad.

But let's not ignore

polyunsaturated fats.

These are often a goodsource of omega-3 fatty

acids, found mostly incold-water fish, nuts,

oils and seeds, and alsoin dark leafy greens,

flaxseed oils and some

vegetable oils. One kind

of omega-3fatty acid is an

"essential fatty acid,"

which cannot be manu-factured by our bodies,

so eating these foods is

the only way to getthem. Omega-3 fatty

acids are thought to

lower blood pressure,

combat LDL (bad) cho-lesterol, fight inflamma-tion and protect the

brain and nervous sys-

tem.

Most cooking oils aremade up primarily of unsaturated

fats. When it comes to choosingcooking oils, each type of cook-

ing oil varies in its ratio of

monounsaturated to polyunsatu-

rated fats. Two oils stand out for their high

levels of monounsaturated fats: canola oil

and olive oil. Other than nonstick cookingspray, these two oils should be in your

pantry.

At the end of the day, a good fat is still a

fat in terms of calories. Any labels oncooking oil that describe the oil as "light,"are referring to the taste or color, not the

fat or calorie content. All oils are 100 per-

cent fat and are worth around 120 calories

per tablespoon.

The Bad: Saturated FatsThen there are the bad fatsthose artery-

clogging saturated fats from meat anddairy products. These fats are solid at room

temperature. Saturated fats not only clogour arteries, they also directly raise totaland LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Avoid

them as much as possible.

But, we are told, some saturated fats may

not bad at all: some argue that coconut oil

and palm oil may actually be beneficialbecause their particular fatty-acid make-up

means they are metabolized differently in

the body. Stearic acid, found in animal

products and in some foods such as choco-

late, gets a pass because much of it is con-

verted by the body into oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat. So it could be that some

saturated fats may be more beneficial, or at

least more neutral, than we think, but there

is no broad consensus on this yet. Andwhile coconut oil and palm fruit oil have

been rehabilitated in the eyes of some,there are fewer proponents of palm kernel

oil.

The Worst: Trans FatsFinally, there are what are now describedas the really bad fats: trans fats, also

known as hydrogenated fats. Trans fats are

created during a hydrogenation process,

where liquid vegetable oils are convertedinto solid fats. Trans fats are thought to beworse for us than saturated fats because

they not only raise total and LDL (bad)

cholesterol, they also lower HDL (good)

cholesterol.

Trans fats lurk in all kinds of processed

foods, from French fries to cookies.Thanks to new food-label laws, which

came into effect in January 2006, trans

fatsonce described as hidden fatsare

now listed on all packaged foods. And in

the year or two before these label lawscame into effect, there was a lot of mediaattention focused on trans fats, and what

food manufacturers were doing to reduce

trans fats in their products. But has this

increased our awareness of these bad fats

made an impact on our eating habits?

In a survey by the NPD Group, a marketresearch firm, 94 percent of us are aware

of trans fats, and 73 percent of us are con-

cerned about them. But although most con-

sumers were aware that french fries andother fried foods contained trans fats, theywere less aware of the trans-fat content in

other processed goods such as cakes,

doughnuts, and snack foods. Indeed, 65

percent of consumers believed restaurant

food was more likely to contain trans fatsthan food eaten at home. And despite con-

sumers expressing a desire to avoid trans

fats while eating out, sales of foods con-taining trans fats, such as fried chicken, are

still increasing. Either we're as confusedas ever, or we choose to disregard what weknow. It's hard to pass up those delicious

fast-food fries or refuse to buy our favorite

packaged cookies or doughnuts. But with

many restaurants switching to alternative

cooking oilsvoluntarily or otherwise, itlooks like trans fats are finally on their

way out.

The Fuss About Fatsby Fiona Haynes


4/8


As a dietitian and a mom of three young

children, I naturally have a bowl of fruit on

the kitchen table. You may

think that this has always

been the case. The truth is

that it wasnt. The practice of

having fresh fruit sitting out

didnt occur to me until I had

a friend from out of townvisit me. This was during the

time when I only had one

young child and was studying

nutrition. The light bulb went

off. I realized fruit wasnt a

big part of our diet. I concen-

trated on vegetables and

whole grains because ironi-

cally, I am allergic to many

fruits.

Of course placing a bowl of

apples, pears, and bananas in

a colorful bowl from Crate

and Barrel isnt enough. True to what I

have learned about childrens eating habits,

slicing fruit and placing it at an easy-to-

reach location right after school does the

trick. Serving dips like ranch dressing or

peanut butter with carrots for dinner also

works. This holds true for adults too.

Imagine being served fresh slices of

peaches and plums right before the end of

dinner. Sounds yummy doesnt it? Thats

right, youll actually eat it vs. just staring

at a lonely whole peach sitting in front of

you. Please, try this experiment at home!

Lonely fruit and vegetables seems to be a

national phenomenon. According to the

USDA, fewer than 15 percent of elemen-

tary students eat the recommended 5 or

more servings of fruits

and vegetables every

day. Furthermore, av-

erage fruit and vegeta-

ble intake among 6-11

year olds is only 3.5

servings a day 1.

Does low fruit andvegetable intake really

matter when children

are young? Chronic illness such as heart

disease, stroke, and cancer are usually con-

cerns for adults. However, life-long posi-

tive eating habits (such as eating low fat

foods, consuming foods with high fiber,

eating less processed foods) are habit-

forming when started young. Furthermore,

certain diseases such as diabetes and high

cholesterol are starting to appear in chil-

dren who are overweight. Finally, fruitsand vegetables have so many naturally

occurring vitamins, minerals, phytochemi-

cals, and fiber that are good for your

health.

Are our busy lifestyles to blame? Cer-

tainly, if you have kids you are getting in

the car to go somewhere (to a restaurant, to

soccer practice, etc.). Packaged food such

as chips or power bars are very convenient

and there is something about opening up a

package that seems so easy compared to

slicing up that lonely piece of fruit. It

really is just a mindset though. Once you

start packing up the fruits and veggies in

Tupperware containers you will get in the

habit. Plus, fruits and veggies are low in

calories and fill you up.

We are constantly bombarded with food

advertisements and not necessarily for

healthy food such as fruits and vegetables.

In

fact, children 2 to 11 years old are exposed

to an average of 150 to 200 hours of com-

mercial messages, or 20,000 commercials

a year and the majority of these advertise-

ment are for cereals, candies, or other

sweets.

So, what is a parent to do? Role modeling

is my motto. If you are eating your fruits

and vegetables, your children will too. In

2002, researchers at Pennsylvania State

University examined parental pressure

(finish your vegetables or do as I say)

vs. role modeling (do as I do) among

191 five year old girls. The results showed

that a daughters fruit and vegetable intake

was positively related to their parents re-

ported fruit and vegetable intake.

healthy children:

More Fruits &

Veggies, Please!By Anne Kolker MS Registered Dietitian


5/8


So what can you do this week?

Get your kids involved:

Have them choose the veggies

and fruit they want when you are

at the store.

Let the kids create a fruit kebob

for a snack. Lay out the different

fruit in an assembly line. Trypineapple, grapes, sliced straw-

berries, and more.

Create a rainbow chart with dif-

ferent colors representing the

different fruit. When you eat

blueberries, mark this down in

the blue section.

Plan to go to the farmers market

this weekend.

Have your kids create a fruit

salad; this is great for building

motor skills in young children

(remember to slice grapes in half

as they can be a choking hazard

for young kids).

Keep a chart and see how easy it

is to get fruit and veggies into

your diet. Here are examples of

one serving of fruit or veggie: a

small banana, 6 strawberries,

cup of raisins, cup of mini

carrots or broccoli.

Grow your own fruit and veg-

gies. Go to your local nursery

and purchase seeds. If you have a

small back yard, just use pots.

Home grown veggies really taste

great.

Buy one less packaged item

(crackers) and replace it with

kiwis or some sugar snap peas.

Add sliced bananas on top ofpancakes.

Try making fresh applesauce

(link to recipe?)

Limit packaged fruit (Jell-O and

fruit) or canned fruit with syrup.

Plan the night before. If you are

off to the zoo tomorrow, get the

lunch boxes out, wash the grapes

and mini carrots.

When your kids get home from

school, have the sliced fruit on

the table and eat this snack to-

gether.

Limit fruit juice as many brands

have added sugar. Although

100% with added vitamin C

seems like a good choice, real

fruit is still a better choice (real

fruit contains fiber, vitamins and

minerals).

Try something new: grilled as-

paragus with prosciutto. Try taste testing events with dif-

ferent veggies and dips and dif-

ferent varieties of fruit.


6/8


By comparing genome-wide data and

brain MRIs from more than 700 peo-ple, scientists have confirmed that 4suspect genes are tied to Alzheimersdisease. The researchers also linkedthe disease to 2 new genes, offeringunexpected targets for future research.

Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible,progressive brain disease. It starts withmild memory problems and ends withsevere brain damage. In most affectedpeople, symptoms first appear afterage 60.

Research suggests that Alzheimer'sdisease is up to 80% heritable, but un-til recently only one gene, knownas APOE, had been linked to diseaserisk and age at onset. Last year, ge-nome-wide association studies identi-fied 3 additional chromosome regions,or loci, that affect Alzheimer's risk. Still,the underlying causes of the diseaseremain mostly unknown. In the newstudy, reported in the June 2010 issueof the Archives of Neurology, scientistssearched for connections between

gene variants and specific brain

changes typical of Alzheimer's disease.The researchers drew on publiclyavailable data collected for the Alz-heimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initia-tive. This research consortium con-ducts genome-wide analyses and col-lects neuroimaging and other data onolder adults from across North Amer-ica. The initiative is a public-privatepartnership funded primarily by NIHsNational Institute on Aging (NIA) andNational Institute of Biomedical Imag-ing and Bioengineering (NIBIB), along

with pharmaceutical companies andother organizations.

The scientists analyzed data on 168Alzheimer's patients, 357 people withmild cognitive impairment (a precursorto Alzheimer's disease) and 215 whowere cognitively normal. They scouredMRIs for structural traits in 6 brain re-gions linked to Alzheimer's disease,

including changes in the size of thea-mygdala and hippocampus.

The researchers found that APOE had

the strongest association with clinicalAlzheimer's disease and was linked toall the neuroimaging traits except one.The 3 genes identified last year, alongwith 2 new target genes, had a sign-cant cumulative effect on all 6 neuroi-maging traits. The newly identifiedgenesBIN1 and CNTN5are knownto contribute to neuron function, al-though their roles are poorly under-stood.

"The genes we identified, and othergenes that they interact with, will pro-vide good targets for drug developmentin the future," says study coauthor Dr.Alessandro Biffi of MassachusettsGeneral Hospital and the Broad Insti-tute. "Still, with the information wehave, we're not able to provide anytype of personalized medicine for Alz-heimer's disease, mainly because theeffects of these gene variants are veryweak."

UNRAVELING

ALZHEIMERSBrain Scans Support Genes' Role in Alzheimer's Disease

By Vicki Contie


7/8


Obesity

The term obesity is used to describe the

health condition of anyone significantlyabove his or her ideal healthy weight. A

BMI of 30 or higher indicates obesity. A

BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered

overweight. Don't be discouraged by the

term obesity. It simply means you are 20%or more above your ideal weight and youare not alone. Between 60 and 70% of

Americans are either overweight or obese.

Being obese puts you at a higher risk for

health problems such as heart disease,

stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and

more.

Reduce calories in and in-crease calories out.

Losing weight means changing the balance

of calories in to calories out. If we eat

more calories than we need, we gainweight. If we eat fewer calories than we

use, we lose weight.

So start with good information: you needto know how many calories you should eat

each day for your individual level of activ-

ity, and then you'll need to find ways to

stay within your limits. To successfully

and healthfully lose weightand keep itoffmost people need to subtract about

500 calories per day from their diet to lose

about 1 pound per week.

You might even keep a food journal at first

to help you notice how much you are eat-

ing and whether you're eating out of habitinstead of real hunger. When you are aware

of your roadblocks you can plan alterna-tive choices.

Recognize your roadblocks

A couple days of tracking your calories can

help figure out how to dodge the food

traps.

Decide ahead of time how you will dealwith your habits and temptations to veer

off course.

When you're offered a slab of chocolate

cake, you can politely and firmly turn it

down. Or you might keep some appleslices on hand and opt for those instead.

Educate yourself

And educate yourself. Read up on healthy

food preparation, like steaming your veg-gies and avoiding extra fats. Read food

labels and avoid foods that are high in

sugar, saturated fat, trans fat and calories.Increase calories burned

Regular physical activity, even 30 minutes

a day, has so many proven benefits. Allhealthy adults (ages 18 to 65) should get at

least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity

physical activity at least five days a week,

OR at least 20 minutes of vigorous-

intensity physical activity at least three

days a week.

Besides helping you lose weight, it also

helps reduce your abdominal fat and pre-

serve muscle during weight loss.

The amount any individual person needsfor weight loss can vary, but a good planincludes 30 to 45 minutes of moderate

physical activity, like brisk walking, done

nearly every day. Find something you can

do and find ways to enjoy it. Take a stroll

or a jog with a friend or your dog. Enjoy a

video that gets you moving.

Remember to focus on your goal: feeling

your best and living a healthy life. In the

long run, you'll be so glad you invested in

your health.

Calories

InVS

Calories

Out

weight loss:


8/8


sj health source prototype

Documents