London Nutrition, for all yout health, well being and nutritional needs

Green Tea Compound May Be A Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis

A new study from the University of Michigan Health System has suggested that a compound in green tea may provide therapeutic benefits to people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The compound from green tea was also found to suppress the inflammatory products in the connective tissue of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Green tea really is a “miracle drink” having also been proven to reduce cancer risk by providing anti-oxidants. A reason for all to start sipping!!

Average woman spends 31 years on a diet

Researchers have found that the average woman spends 31 years on a diet over the course of her life. Surprisingly the average adult male spends as long as 28 years slimming, the poll has revealed.

The average diet lasts 5.5 weeks, with the post-Christmas fast being even shorter at just three weeks. Half of slimmers give up due to lack of willpower, while a quarter of respondents said that they give up because their strict diet regime leaves them moody or depressed.

The most determined of dieters are aged between 45 and 64, with almost a quarter spending up to a year slimming. In comparison, those aged between 18 and 24 are more likely to be yo-yo dieters, with a fifth giving up within a month.

The survey of 1,446 of men and women revealed that nearly two thirds of the UK population are unhappy with their body and feel that being thinner would make them happier. For women, looks are more important, with over half reporting that they diet to wear fashionable clothes and a third of those surveyed said they watched their weight in a bid to feel more attractive. But in comparison, men are more focused on their long-term well-being, with over a third saying they wanted to lose weight to be healthier.

Almost a quarter of the UK population has been on a weight loss diet at one time, with half shedding up to a stone.

Whilst the majority of those surveyed diet sensibly by eating smaller portions, almost a quarter of respondents said they would consider taking diet pills or only eating salad, and almost one in ten have considered a liquid diet or surgery.

What we need to do is not dieting, but healthier eating!

Ten ways to boost your fertility

New research shows that a woman's fertility begins to decline at age 27 - rather than 35 as had long been believed ­ which has brought new urgency to the debate as to 'right' age to have a baby. But given the fact that we live in an era where women put careers first and try for children later - later in fact than at any time in modern history - it is not surprising to discover a burgeoning interest in natural ways of prolonging fertility.

Research from the University of Surrey gives hope showing that couples with a history of infertility, can achieve a phenomenal 80% success rate if they alter their lifestyle, diet and take nutritional supplements.

Here, then, are 10 tips on diet and lifestyle gleaned from the experts to help women safeguard their fertility.

1) Have your nutritional status assessed

A visit to a nutritional therapist is money well spent as it is thousands of pounds cheaper than the IVF route, and may do away with the need for IVF altogether. A nutritional therapist will assess your unique vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and advise you on a tailor-made programme of food supplements to bring your nutrient levels back to normal over a four-month period.

2) Load up on supplements

As food is not as nutrient rich as it once was, a balanced diet is not enough, and so you will need supplements. Women unable to get a personalised nutritional programme, the following is recommended by experts: 1,000 mg of linseed or flax oil a day; 1,000 mg vitamin C a day; zinc citrate or amino acid chelate (total of 30mg of zinc a day); and a multivitamin designed for pregnancy.

3) Read labels and cut out incorrect fats

Not all fats are bad. The body needs essential fats - namely Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils - which are contained in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herrings and mackerel. Conversely, hydrogenated oils and partially-hydrogenated oils (found in crisps, margarines), as well as saturated fats (contained in meat and dairy) are to be avoided, she adds, as they block the absorption of the essential fats. Read all labels.

4) Weight is a fertility issue

Being too thin is equally as bad as being too thin. Being excessively underweight or overweight significantly reduces your ability to conceive. Fat is essential to fertility and is necessary in order to ovulate. The advice of fertility experts is to eat healthily and to exercise regularly, and to aim for a body mass index (BMI) - your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres - of between 20 and 25. For exercise, a combination of aerobics and resistance work, such as weight training, is recommended.

5) Cut out smoking

Smoking causes high levels of cadmium, a toxic metal, in the blood, which depletes the body of zinc. Smoking has been associated with early onset of menopause in women and reduced sperm count in men. So stub it out now!

6) Cut down on alcohol and caffeine

Studies have shown that the more you drink, the less likely you are to conceive. One study showed that women who drank more than five units of alcohol a week (five glasses of wine) were half as likely to fall pregnant within six months as those who drank less. There is also evidence that caffeine (even one coffee a day) significantly reduces your chances of conceiving.

7) Take a holiday

Many women fall pregnant on holiday, because this is when they relax. Stress is an enemy of fertility and anything that relieves it is encouraged. Alternative therapies - such as reflexology, homeopathy, acupuncture and yoga - can help achieve the desired emotional and psychological state.

8) Be patient

It takes three months for an egg to travel from a group of follicles to be selected as the egg that is released on a cycle. It also takes three months for a man to generate a completely new batch of sperm. So expect to wait four months before lifestyle and dietary changes have an effect.

9) Better sex

All this focus on dietary and lifestyle changes can leave you forgetting that however healthily you eat and live, the most important element is sex. Around ovulation, sex is best undertaken once every 48 hours, so as to maintain the high quality of the sperm.

10) You are what you eat

The most important mineral for female (as well as male) fertility is zinc, yet according to a 1995 National Food Survey, nine out of 10 people are grossly deficient in this essential mineral. This is because many foods are stripped in the process of being refined, and because of depletion of the soil due to intensive farming.

It is best to buy organic food - because it's more nutrient rich and because harmful pesticides are eliminated - and to eat a variety of foods, including fish, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables. Food rich in zinc includes mangoes, pumpkin seeds, oysters and fish.

Eat less pasta and the pelvic pain will vanish

The condition Endometriosis is where tissue that normally forms the lining of the womb starts flowing out into the abdominal cavity. These growths, or 'implants', can stick organs together, for instance, joining the uterus to the bowel, causing pain and, sometimes, infertility.

Drug treatment can reduce the pain, although there can be side-effects, including weight gain, loss of libido, thinning of the bones and an artificial menopause.

Another option is to change your diet. Research presented to a major conference on reproduction recently found that nutritional treatment could reduce pain by 50 per cent and also greatly increase a sufferer's chance of pregnancy.

Research has shown that women treated with nutrition for six months experienced a halving in their pain rating from an average of 4 to 1.9, just over 50 per cent of those who had been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for several years succeeded.

The suggested nutritional programme is to avoid wheat and dairy, and to take several vitamin and mineral supplements, including vitamins B, C and E and magnesium and chromium.

The surgical alternative is to laser the growths. If they return, the final option is a hysterectomy - removal of the womb. A study published last year found that only 15 per cent of women with endometriosis were satisfied with the treatment they had received.

The food group related to the pain was wheat. This could be related to the phytic acid it contains - in some people this locks up minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, and stops them from being absorbed. Gluten from wheat is also thought to damage the walls of the small intestine, reducing the area available for absorbing minerals and vitamins from the diet; risking deficiency.

These nutritional deficiencies may have such a dramatic effect for a reason. First, because a lack of both vitamins C and E makes the pain more severe - these vitamins help reduce inflammation. Second, too few nutrients could trigger endometriosis in the first place. One of the immune system's jobs is to break down implants that form after each menstruation.

Although more research is needed in the area, initial results are promising.

Spag bol again!

A wide range of nutrition topics have been covered by the press this month. The Independent now states that most people cook a repertoire of just 4.1 dishes, the most popular being spaghetti bolognaise which is eaten twice a week by 6.1million nationwide. Is it a wonder therefore that so few people are getting their five-a-day if we as a nation are so un-experimental with our cooking?

Heard it on the Grape Vine

The Independent says a glass of juice is a great way to get one of your five portions of fruit and veg a day, but most stick to orange or apple. New research published in the Independent has found that grape juice made from Concord grapes contain the higher amounts of anti-oxidants, which have been found to reduce rates of cancer and heart disease. So have a glass today!

Child behaviour and food

Much has been in the press, particularly the Daily Mail about childhood nutrition. Hyperactivity or simple bad behaviour has long been linked to poor diet; however, no specific foods have been listed to improve a child’s conduct. That is until now. Exciting new research has found that lamb, chicken and rice can ease behavioural problems, as well as bananas, apples and brassicas; with wheat, dairy and chocolate causing a negative effect. It is now time for parents and schools to take more action, for the long term development of children.

Childhood obesity - the argument continues

A further topic in the Daily Mail has been the debate that childhood obesity is mostly due to poor diet rather than a lack of physical activity. Professor Terence Wilkin of Plymouth University suggests that portion sizes of unhealthy food are to blame, undermining the Government’s objectives to cut childhood obesity by focusing on more sports facilities in schools where they intend to spend £1 billion. Professor Wilkins research shows that activity levels are due to genetics rather than the opportunities given at school. But why not tackle both? Good diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. We all want our children to be happy and healthy. Exercise not only improves organ function but also causes the release of Serotonin (the “happy hormone”) giving children a boost and reducing the risks of depression. However, diet cannot only be targeted by Government; it is also the job of a parent to make sure their child is eating a good diet. It is a misconception that foods that are good for you are more expensive, as long as you pick and choose where you buy from. Parents must help their children become accustomed to eating fruit and vegetables from an early age by experimenting with different dishes, and smoothies are a great way to hide fruitÉ.if you call them a milkshake! I appreciate we all live busy lives and time for food preparation is short, but it just takes a little organisation and will-power, and believe me the benefits will be life long.

How good is the white stuff?

An interesting debate is currently raging between Vegan and Vegetarian Foundation and the milk industry, according to Optimum Nutrition pulication that milk is linked to breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, Crohn’s disease, autoimmune diseases, Type 1 diabetes and obesity to name but a few. Our bodies cannot fully digest milk, with 70% of the world population being lactose intolerant. Scientists working for the Foundation believe that because milk is a food designed for the fast growth of calves, referring to dairy as a food group is in its own right totally inappropriate. Scientists point the finger at intensive farming where 75 to 90% of milk comes from pregnant cows. There are 11 growth factors (including IGF-1) and 35 hormones in cow’s milk, in particular oestrogen. It is because of these hormones that milk has been linked to a proliferation of hormone-related diseases ­ including breast and ovarian cancers. The presence of IGF-1 is worrying as the hormone accelerates growth (a calf grows much faster than a human infant). It has been linked to many cancers, and is found in higher levels in serum in those who drank more milk, while vegans are shown to have lower levels. The jury is currently still out, but the evidence is strong and those performing the research unbiased. Do not think that you will be missing out by substituting milk; after all you get more calcium from green vegetables than milk. There are alternatives which I believe are better for our health such as soya, oat, rice and nut milk, so why not give them a try!

These are just a few current topics that I thought you may like to hear about. I will update them regularly so you can get all of your nutrition news here! Watch this space!!.....