For years, people have been trying to convince us that like a fine wine, we get better with age. I’m sure you’ve heard, “You’re only as old as you feel!” Or, “40 is the new 20!”
Well, as it turns out… all this may be nothing more than…
A Bunch Of Well Meaning BUNK!
At least, that’s what it seems like from the results of a new study from the University of Virginia. According to the study, our mental abilities peak at age 22 and begin to decline at the ripe old age of 27! Researchers studied 2,000 men and women aged 18 to 60 over seven years. The people involved – who were mostly in good health and well-educated – had to solve visual puzzles, recall words and story details and spot patterns in letters and symbols.
The results were published in the Journal Neurobiology Of Aging and found that in 9 of the 12 tests, the average top performer was 22 years old. The first age where performance began to slip significantly was 27. Memory began to decline from age 37 and worse results were shown by age 42.
But, there was a little good news. Abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as vocabulary and general information, continued to increase until the age 60.
One has to wonder if the scores on these tests may have been skewed by the fact that many people graduate college at the age of 22. After that, they may not be involved in things that are as mentally challenging… Who knows?…
Or, maybe the reason is that vegetables are not as good for you as they used to be.
That’s right. According to new research, produce in the United States not only tastes worse than a couple generations ago… but they also contain fewer nutrients. Today’s vegetables are larger, but evidently size is not everything. The average vegetable today found in the supermarket is anywhere from 5% - 40% lower in minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc than those from 50 years ago.
And there is also the “dilution effect.” This is where crops are genetically altered to achieve the highest yield. Higher yield produce consistently had lower amounts of minerals and proteins.
Archive for June, 2009
Researchers Discover The Shocking Age When “Old Age” Begins!
Monday, June 8th, 2009Study Shows Calcium Helps Weight Loss
Monday, June 8th, 2009 A new study has shown calcium consumption helped participants lose weight, but only in people whose diets were low in calcium to begin with. The participants (obese women) consumed 600 mg of calcium per day before the study. When the women upped their daily intake to 1,200 mg per day, they lost nearly 13 lbs, while those who did not only lost 2 lbs. (The daily recommended dose of calcium is 1,000 mg.)
Researchers suspect the brain knows when there is a lack of calcium in the body and increases food intake to try and compensate. Whatever the reason, it looks like everyone should make sure they are getting the recommended daily allowance of calcium.
Less Than 6 Hours Of Sleep = Diabetes!
Monday, June 8th, 2009Reuters recently reported people who sleep fewer than 6 hours a night are likely to have blood sugar problems, which puts them at risk for diabetes. In a study, people who slept less than 6 hours were 4.5 times more likely to develop abnormal blood sugar readings within 6 years.
Does This “Stinking Rose” Possess The Secret To Health?
Monday, June 1st, 2009 You may or may not know this, but in some circles, garlic is known as the “stinking rose.” Why? Because, garlic is one of nature’s most impressive foods!
Its medicinal properties have been valued for centuries. There are reports of Greek and Roman soldiers eating garlic before going into battle. Legend has it that Egyptians ate garlic to increase their strength and stamina while building the pyramids. (If that legend only revealed how they actually built the pyramids – now that would be something!)
Anyway, the point is – garlic has been eaten for a long time with the belief it enhanced health. That’s the “rose” part of the name. And if you have ever been around garlic, you know where the “stinking” part came from.
But, as it turns out, what makes garlic stink might be responsible for its wonderful health benefits. Here is why…
According to a January 31, 2009 article in Science Daily, “Researchers have widely believed that the organic compound, allicin – which gives garlic its aroma and flavour – acts as the world’s most powerful antioxidant.”
In this study, the authors believe they know why. They found allicin decomposes rapidly and produces an acid: sulfenic acid. This acid reacts with free radicals in your body. In other words, it becomes a very powerful antioxidant.
And check this out: According to the researchers, “The reaction between the sulfenic acid and radicals is as fast as it can get, limited only by the time it takes for the two molecules to come into contact. No one has ever seen compounds, natural or synthetic, react this quickly as antioxidants.”
Garlic’s Triple Power
Garlic is quite incredible because it helps you in three ways: antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola’s health blog, “Studies have even found it is effective at killing antibiotic-resistance bacteria, including MRSA, and for reducing fungal infections, such as yeast infections, and fighting viruses and parasites.
“But that’s only the beginning. Garlic is great for your heart, as it helps to induce the relaxation and enlargement of blood vessels, which improves blood flow throughout the body. This can help to prevent a potentially deadly form of high blood pressure, as well as heart attack and stroke.” It is also believed that garlic helps prevent heart disease by inhibiting the formation of plaque on arteries.
Can Garlic Prevent Cancer?
Maybe so. At least, that’s what a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (November
2006; 84(5): 1027-1032) suggests. The researchers used data from a network of Italian and Swiss case-controlled studies. Comparing patients to controls, they found those with the highest intake of onions and garlic had the most protection from an assortment of cancers including:
Esophageal cancer • Colon cancer • Breast cancer • Ovarian cancer • Prostate cancer
What About Garlic And Weight Loss?
Can garlic help you lose weight too? The American Journal of Hypertension, reported on a study in which 2 groups of rats were purposely fed a diet to make them fat and hypertensive. Then one group of rats was given allicin. The group that received allicin not only stopped gaining weight!
What’s more, a third group was fed allicin from the start and gained very little weight over the course of the experiment.
What’s Better: Supplements Or Raw Garlic?
In many cases, eating the whole food is better than supplementation. Garlic is no different. The beneficial reaction in garlic starts taking place a few minutes after it is cut into or smashed open. But, the strength will quickly diminish and be gone in about an hour. So it is best to chop or press garlic, wait a few minutes, and then eat it. This may not be the best tasting approach, but it is probably the most effective. If you start to stink like ripe garlic cloves – simply cut back on the amount you eat. You should be able to find an amount your body can tolerate, without smelling.
