Farewell and Thank You!

Hello, Everyone!

     Well, we've reached the final post of this blog.  First, I'd like to take this opportunity to re-cap the various health topics that have tied in with proper nutrition and diet:  cancer (particularly colon and breast cancer), cardiovascuar disease, osteoporosis, premature birth and prenatal care, type 2 diabetes, obesity (in paricular childhood obesity), and hypertension.  Wow!  I hope that, perhaps in at least some small way, I have been able to impress upon you, my valued readers, the importance of proper diet and nutrition in the treatment, prevention, and/or slowing of progression of these diseases and conditions.  I also hope that this blog has at least somehat lived up to its name and provided you with some valuable Food For Thought!
     Second, I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have read this blog.  And I truly hope that, above all else, you have enjoyed it.  I wish everyone the best of luck in all future endeavors and hope that our paths may one day cross again.

Take Care!
Farewell and Thank You!!
Vicky

   

Lower Your Sodium, Lower Your Blood Pressure!

Hello, Everyone!

     This week's post concentrates on a disease that literally millions of people in both the U.S. and around the world suffer from - hypertension or high blood pressure - and its relationship to diet.  Now, most of you have probably heard this before.  In fact, it's one of those things that's so simple that most of us take it for granted and tend to forget about it a lot of times.  But this is a prime example of how a little something (or, in this case, the lack of a little something!) can go a long way.
     Common table salt or sodium chloride contains the main culprit - sodium.  Now, sodium in and of itself is not bad.  In fact, our bodies need a certain amount of sodium for things like helping to maintain normal cell function and proper fluid balance (RelayHealth, 2009).  However, it's when this amount is exceeded that a corresponding increase in blood pressure is seen.  Your body needs only about 500 milligrams (mg) of sodium (about one-quarter of a teaspoon of salt) each day.  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that no more than 2300 mg of sodium be eaten each day (one teaspoon of table salt contains about this much).  For people with high blood pressure, the recommendation is to reduce this amount to 1500 mg a day or less.  The average American, though, consumes quite a bit more than this - often between 4000 and 9000 mg of sodium daily (RelayHealth)!
     So, as mentioned above, the answer is deceptively simple:  Lower your sodium intake and you can lower your blood pressure!
    For more information, please refer to:

RelayHealth. (2009). Salt in the Diet. CRS - Adult Health Advisor, 1. Retrieved from Health Source - Consumer Edition database. 

As always, I hope that this week's post has provided you with some Food For Thought!
Until next time...!!

Vicky

U.S. Government Takes On Childhood Obesity!

Hello, Everyone!

     A couple of weeks ago, I took on a rather tough subject by talking a little bit about Type 2 Diabetes.  This week, with the help of the U.S. Government, I'd like to try to take on an equally tough - and closely related - subject:  Childhood Obesity.

     According to William H. Dietz, Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States, one that is negatively impacting the physical and emotional health of our children, their families, and society as a whole” (Dietz, 2009).  In fact, in congressional testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on December 16, 2009, Dietz declared that the “CDC is monitoring national trends, developing policy and environmental strategies, and implementing innovative practices related to six target areas – increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and the initiation and duration of breastfeeding, and decreasing television viewing, consumption of energy dense, low nutritional value foods, and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.  Through these activities CDC is striving to create supportive, healthful environments for children and their families to experience positive health outcomes throughout their lives” (Dietz).

     The link between proper nutrition and the controlling of childhood obesity is irrefutable.  In fact, if left uncontrolled, childhood obesity, and obesity in general, can lead toType 2 Diabetes!  This "epidemic," as Director Dietz puts it, of childhood obesity is, in large part (no pun intended!) responsible for the overwhelming number of cases of Type 2 Diabetes now being seen in children, pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults.

     For more information, please see:

Dietz, W. (December 16, 2009). Childhood obesity. FDCH Congressional Testimony.  Retrieved September 6, 2010 from MasterFILE Premier database.

     As always, I hope that this week's post has provided you all with some Food For Thought!
Until next time...!!

Vicky

Prenatal Care Essential for Having Healthy Babies!

Hello, Everyone!

     This week's health tip post involves proper prenatal care; that is, steps an expecting mom can take to insure that she has a heathy, happy baby!  First, of course, is maintaining a healthy diet, even prior to conception.  I know that this isn't always easy, since most of us may not know that we're even pregnant until at least a month or more into the pregnancy.  But I urge you, if you're even remotely considering having a child, please eat properly, if not for your sake then at least for the sake of your unborn child! And yes, I realize that this may be difficult, too, if there is severe morning sickness involved.  But Dr. John Challis, professor of medicine and physiology at the University of Toronto, Canada, states that "Even a modest restriction around the time of conception could have far-reaching consequences" (Poor nutrition associated with premature births, April 29, 2003).
     Another way, after conception, to keep your unborn baby healthy is to take a prenatal vitamin supplement that contains both folic acid and docosahexanoic acid or DHA.  Now, I'm sure that many of you know the importance of folic acid in preventing major birth defects such as anencephaly (improper brain development) and spina bifida (improper spine development) by 50 to 70% (Folic Acid, July 7, 2010),  but some of you may not be aware of the importance or actions of DHA, which has been added to most prenatal vitamins in recent years.  Researchers have found that infants who were born to mothers with higher levels of DHA at birth possessed advanced levels of attention spans well into their second year and, during their first six months of life, these babies were two months ahead of those born to mothers who had lower DHA levels (Boyles, 2004).
     For more information, please refer to the following:

Boyles, S. (July 16, 2004). Pregnant? Omega-3 essential for baby’s brain; advanced attention span in babies whose mothers eat more essential fats. WebMD Health News. Retrieved August 30, 2010 from http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20040716/pregnant-omega-3-essential-for-babys-brain

Folic acid. (July 7, 2010). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August 29, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/about.html

Poor nutrition associated with premature births. (April 29, 2003). Decision News Media. Retrieved August 29, 2010 from  http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Poor-nutrition-associated-with-premature- births

So, eat right, take prenatal vitamin supplements with folic acid and DHA, and have healthy, happy babies!  As always, I hope that you have enjoyed this week's post and that it has given you some Food For Thought!!  Until next time...!!!
Vicky

Tackling Type 2 Diabetes!

Hello, Everyone!

     This week marks the opening of the regular season for pro football, and so, for this week's post, I've decided to try to tackle a tough subject in relation to nutrition:  Type 2 Diabetes!
     While researching for my final paper, I came across something very recent and, at least for me, very interesting in the prestigious British Medical Journal or BMJ.  They published the results in their July 20, 2010 issue of a randomized controlled trial in England on the effects of individualized dietary advice in patients with poorly controlled Type 2 Diabetes.  What they found was that such advice in these patients significantly lowered their hemoglobin A1c, a reliable biomarker of long-term blood sugar control, their Body Mass Index or BMI, and their waist circumference after six months (Clifton)!
     Chalk one up in the win column for the Nutritionists, Registered Dieticians, and their patients!!  For more info, please see:

Clifton, P. (July 20, 2010). Nutrition in people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. BMJ. 34(3393).
     Retrieved September 1, 2010 from:     
     http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c3393.extract.

As always, I hope you have enjoyed this week's post and that it has provided you with some Food For Thought!  Until next time...!!

Vicky






 

New Blog Name and More New Info!

Hello, Everyone!

     You may have noticed that Vicky's Nutrition Corner is now Food For Thought.  I actually came up with the idea for the new blog name after my first posting but decided not to change it until now.  I don't know, I just thought it was a little more clever.  I hope you like it!
     Now onto this week's post.  In my research, I came across something in the Harvard Heart Letter, a newsletter published by the esteemed Harvard University Medical School. It concerns the importance of a comprehensive rehabilitation program for cardiac patients, whether they be at home or in the hospital.  It states that:  "The best cardiac rehab programs integrate supervised exercise with other ways to protect the heart.  They include help with smoking cessation and weight loss, information about medications and healthful eating, and approaches to depression and stress reduction.  They also offer invaluable support from the cardiac rehab team and others going through the program.  Standard programs include three one-to-two-hour sessions a week for 12 weeks.  They are generally covered by Medicare and most private insurers.  The more sessions you complete, the more long-term protection you get against future cardiovascular trouble" (Persistence pays off in cardiac rehabilitation, June, 2010).  For even more information please see:
Persistence pays off in cardiac rehabilitation. (June, 2010).  Harvard Heart Letter, Vol. 20, No. 10.    Retrieved August 22, 2010 from http://www.health.harvard.edu/rehab.
As always, I hope you have enjoyed this week's post and that it has given you some Food For Thought!
Vicky

Is Vitamin D the New Vitamin C?

Hello, Everyone!
     First of all, I wanted to give you a little more information concerning last week's post on the connection between diet and the prevention of colon and breast cancer; for example, where the info came from!. So, here it is if you care to check it out for yourselves:

Global report: One-third of U.S. cancers are preventable. (2009, September). Environmental Nutrition, Volume 32, Number 9, pg 1-1. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from Academic Search Premier Database.

     OK, now onto this week's topic.  Some of you may have heard some of the current hype surrounding Vitamin D, thus the title of this week's post.  Like Vitamin C that seems to come around every few years as a cure-all for everything from cancer to the common cold, Vitamin D has now made it to the forefront of the media's vitamin frenzy as "the next best thing."  While to some it may seem like they're just going through the alphabet (and who knows, maybe in a few years it will be Vitamin E!), there is clinical merit to some of Vitamin D's health claims, especially if it is taken along with calcium; Vitamin D allows better absorption of calcium into the bones.  This is of particular importance in postmenopausal women who are at greater risk of osteoporosis and losing what's called Bone Mass Density or BMD.  In fact, in my research I came across the March 2006 Proceedings of  the renowned Mayo Clinic on Vitamin D insufficiency and its implication for public health, in which it was reported that during randomized trials "At the end of 1 year, the Vitamin D [and calcium] group had significantly reduced wintertime bone loss and improved BMD of the spine" (Holick, 2006, p. 359).  I should mention that the wintertime aspect comes into play due to the fact that Vitamin D can be produced in the body by the action of UV rays from the sun converting cholesterol in the skin into Vitamin D, thus it is sometimes referred to as "the sunshine vitamin."  For those of you interested in findng out more, you can at:

Holick, M. (2006). High prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy and implications for health. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 81(3)I, pgs 353-373. Retrieved August 21, 2010 from Academic Search Premier Database.

I hope you enjoyed this week's post and until next time...!
Vicky

One-Third of Cancer in U.S. Preventable Through Diet!

Hello, Everyone!
     While researching for my English Comp 2 paper on the importance of proper nutrition in preventing or slowing certain diseases and health conditions, I came across something interesting.  It was an article from 2009 in a spin-off of Science Magazine called Environmental Nutrition citing a Global Report stating in its findings that nearly one-third of cancers in the U.S., namely colon and breast cancer, are preventable through diet, physical activity, and weight management!  Wow!
     OK, now I understand the connection between diet and colon cancer - that seems pretty straightforward.  But diet and breast cancer?  The best that I can come up with is that breast tissue is mostly adipose or fatty tissue and, I suppose, a diet high in fat adds to that tissue, increasing the risk of breast cancer.  Either way, these results do give some food for thought, no pun intended!
Vicky

Welcome!

Hello, Everyone!  Welcome to Vicky's Nutrition Corner, a blog that will (hopefully!) ask, answer, and discuss, at least to some extent, issues dealing with proper nutrition.