Cut Broccoli Before You Cook it to Preserve Sulforaphane

Dr Greger Explains (queued up to near area in talk)

Apples, Tomatoes and Muscle Preservation

Article with link to study
Article

Natural compounds found in apple peel and green tomatoes could fight off muscle loss and weakness in old age, a study by U.S. researchers indicates.

The activity of a protein known as ATF4, associated with depletion of muscle protein synthesis, strength and mass in old age can be decreased by the compounds known as ursolic acid and tomatidine, scientists at the University of Iowa say.

"By reducing ATF4 activity, ursolic acid and tomatidine allow skeletal muscle to recover from effects of aging," says study senior author Christopher Adams, a professor of internal medicine.

Ursolic acid is found in apple peel, while tomatidine is present in green tomatoes.

In experiments using older mice, the compounds were found to significantly reduce age-related muscle atrophy and weakness, increasing muscle mass by 10 percent and muscle quality by 30 percent in just two months, the researchers report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The mice were put on a diet containing either 0.2 percent ursolic acid or 0.05 percent tomatidine.

"Based on these results, ursolic acid and tomatidine appear to have a lot of potential as tools for dealing with muscle weakness and atrophy during aging," Adams says.

In humans, problems with muscles and strength can have significant impacts on the quality of life, he notes.

"Many of us know from our own experiences that muscle weakness and atrophy are big problems as we become older," he says.

Previous studies had shown the compounds could prevent serious muscle wasting association with malnutrition or an extremely sedentary lifestyle, while the new findings suggest they can also be effective in reducing age-related weakness and atrophy in muscles.

That could lead to improved therapies aimed at keeping older adults physically fit and active for longer, the researchers suggest.

Study: Naps Boost Immune System and Help With Sleep Deprivation

Article

Brice Faraut is an author of the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, from the American Society of Endocrinology.

Microbe transplant cured 2 year long case of diarrhea overnight

Rob Knight: How our microbes make us who we are

Ted talk.

Sesame, Sunflower, and Pumkin Seeds Boost Serotonin

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-boost-serotonin/

We can choose carbohydrate rich plant foods over animal foods to boost tryptophan levels, but ideally, it would be more than just carbs. Since “”the main determinant of brain serotonin concentrations appears to be the ratio of tryptophan with others that compete with it for uptake into the brain, to maximize the mood elevating benefits of diet, one would ideally choose a snack with a high tryptophan to total protein ratio, which would mean primarily seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin.

Protein-source tryptophan as an efficacious treatment for social anxiety disorder: a pilot study. So what protein source did they use? Butternut squash seeds, because of their high tryptophan to protein ratio, as part of a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of people suffering from social phobia, also known as social anxiety disorder. And they found significant improvement in multiple objective measures of anxiety in those eating the squash seed bars.

“Before studies like this one, a change in the composition of intact dietary protein was not seen as a possible option for the treatment of common psychological disorders associated with low serotonin levels.” but that’s because they were using animal proteins—which can makes things worse, not plants.

If this is true, then those eating vegetarian should be golden, and indeed this was the reasoning used to explain why “Global mood, was significantly better in a "vegetarian" than in the "mixed" diet group.” It’s all about carbohydrates, and a huge tryptophan to protein ration. “The "vegetarian" group was instructed to avoid meat, fish and poultry and to restrict intake of milk, milk products and eggs to a minimum” and within three weeks the vegetarian diet groups had a significantly improved global mood.

Wikipedia says walnuts have an effect.

Wading Through Pervasive Food and Agriculture Myths

Jayson Lusk

"You're over 15 times more likely to die drowning in your own bathtub than you are from the effects of food pesticide."

"GMO crops reduce pesticide use."

"Some natural, organic pesticides are more toxic than some synthetic ones."

"98% of all farms in the U.S. are family farms and 91% of all farms are small farms. There are more farms today than a decade ago, and the household income of these farms is higher too."

Advanced 7 Minute Workout

Article (NY Times, uses prehistoric subscription model)
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Seems to do the NYTimes style (the NYTimes article sucks for describing the exercises)
Link

This one is an alternative, no dumbells (has bicycle crunches)
Link
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Go to nytimes.com/7-minute-workout to try our new Web app.

Ever since the magazine published the Scientific 7-Minute Workoutin May last year, readers have been writing and tweeting their requests for an updated, more advanced version. For them, the workout became too easy or humdrum, as tends to happen when exercises are repeated without variation. So here it is: a new, more technically demanding regimen, one that requires a couple of dumbbells but still takes only seven minutes.

To come up with the workout, I turned to Mark Verstegen, the founder and president of the Phoenix-based EXOS, a company that focuses on health and athletic performance. He and his colleagues train, among others, N.F.L. players and the German national soccer team, which won the World Cup this year. EXOS also develops in-house fitness and nutritional programs for corporations, so Mr. Verstegen has experience working with those of us who don’t already have bowling-ball biceps and vast reservoirs of endurance and gritty resolve. He and his colleagues, Mr. Verstegen says, know how difficult it can be to find the time and motivation to work out as often as we know we should. Hence a routine that can be completed in just minutes and without much space — no more than a hotel room or an office, for example.

Taken together, the exercises stress and strengthen muscle groups throughout the upper body, lower body and torso. The full workout (see step-by-step instructions below) also provides a compressed but intense interval-style endurance workout. Anyone who completes multiple push-up-to-row-to-burpee movements in 60 seconds (Exercise 3) will raise his or her heart rate substantially. The subsequent 30 seconds of side bridges (Exercise 4) provide a brief aerobic respite before the aerobically demanding Exercise 5 (single-leg Romanian dead lift to curl to press).

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Go to nytimes.com/7-minute-workout on your phone to try our new Web application.Credit

There’s a lot of scientific support for the benefits of this sort of high-intensity interval training. In recent months, articles have reported that even a few minutes of interval-style exercise increase endurance, squelch appetite and improve metabolic and cardiovascular health in sedentary adults more effectively than traditional prolonged-endurance exercise. In other words, seven minutes or so of relatively punishing training may produce greater gains than an hour or more of gentler exercise. What’s more, study subjects who did a combination of prolonged exercises (like running or cycling) and high-intensity interval workouts typically reported preferring the intervals.

Interval programs based on cycling, walking and running come with a downside, however: They improve overall fitness and health but do little to improve muscular strength other than in the legs. By contrast, the New Scientific 7-Minute Workout does more than build the large, obvious muscles that most of us can name-check, as Mr. Verstegen puts it — the quads and glutes, for example; its exercises also engage smaller, often overlooked muscles in the back, abdomen, shoulders and hips that, when neglected and weak, contribute to back, neck and knee pain.

The workout should combat a desk job’s “aches, pain and fatigue,” Mr. Verstegen says, as well as teach “clean and efficient movement patterns,” even to those of us who tend to be clumsy. The exercises demand precision and, over time, should instill graceful, athletic coordination. Done correctly, they should make you healthier, stronger, less prone to injury and athletically more capable.

As a whole, the routine is also “extremely scalable,” Mr. Verstegen says. People who are out of shape today may be able to complete only one or two reverse lunges with rotation during the 30 seconds of Exercise 1. But after several weeks of practice, they may be able to perform five or more repetitions, he says, and can continue to intensify the routine’s physical demands by adding as many repetitions as possible in the time allotted.

It should be noted that the 7-Minute Workouts, the original and the advanced versions, are not meant to be your sole exercise. “Any routine, if that’s all you do, will become monotonous and demotivating,” Mr. Verstegen says. So mix up your workouts. Perhaps alternate the old and the new seven-minute regimens over days or weeks. Go for a run at lunch. Join an over-40 rugby league. Buy a bike or a Speedo — use them together in a triathlon.

“The idea is to develop a relationship and routine with your body,” Mr. Verstegen says, “so that it feels strong and healthy and you feel energized and excited to be up and moving.”

A Free Mobile App

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Go to nytimes.com/7-minute-workout on your phone to try our new Web application.Credit

The New York Times is now offering a free mobile app for the popular Scientific 7-Minute Workout and the new Advanced 7-Minute Workout.

The app offers a step-by-step guide to both 7-minute workouts, offering animated illustrations of the exercises, as well as a timer and audio cues to help you get the most out of your seven minutes.

Go to nytimes.com/7-minute-workouton your phone, tablet or other device to try our new Web app.

For more information on installing the app, which can be used on an iOS, Android or other device, visit “For a 7-minute Workout, Download Our New App.”

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Advanced 7-Minute Workout

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1. Reverse Lunge, Elbow to Instep With Rotation, Alternating Sides (30 seconds)

1. Extend right leg behind you, with left knee bent and right hand on ground (the reverse lunge).
2. Bend left arm and bring inside front (left) knee, then raise and point right arm and chest skyward. (rotation).
3. Place both hands on ground while straightening both legs and flexing ankles; return to standing position.
4. Repeat with left leg and right arm. Repeat.

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2. Lateral Pillar Bridge, Left Side (30 seconds)

1. Lie on left side. Lift side off ground.
2. Point right arm toward sky.

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3. Push-Up to Row to Burpee (60 seconds)

1. Position self over both dumbbells, legs extended back. Do a push-up.
2. Lift and lower right dumbbell, then left dumbbell (as if rowing).
3. Rapidly pull legs forward. Release dumbbells.
4. Jump forcefully upward (completing a Burpee).

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4. Lateral Pillar Bridge, Right Side (30 seconds)

1. Lie on right side. Lift side off ground.
2. Point left arm toward sky.

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5a. Single-Leg Romanian Dead Lift to Curl to Press, Left Side (60 seconds)

1. Hold dumbbells at hips.
2. Lean forward, balancing on left leg while extending right leg back (the Romanian dead lift).
3. Return to start position.
4. Curl dumbbells toward chest (the Curl).
5. Raise both dumbbells over head (the Press).
6. Lower weights to chest.
7. Lower weights to hips and resume starting position. Repeat.

5b. Single-Leg Romanian Dead Lift to Curl to Press, Right Side (60 seconds)

1. Hold dumbbells at hips.
2. Lean forward, balancing on right leg while extending left leg back (the Romanian deadlift).
3. Return to start position.
4. Curl dumbbells toward chest (the Curl).
5. Raise both dumbbells over head (the Press).
6. Lower weights to chest.
7. Lower weights to hips and resume starting position. Repeat.

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6. Plank With Arm Lift (30 seconds)

1. Assume push-up position (also known as The Plank).
2. Lift one arm in front of you. Lower. Lift other arm. Repeat rapidly.

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7. Lateral Lunge to Overhead Triceps Extension (60 seconds)

1. Stand straight, holding dumbbells at shoulder height.
2. Take big step to right side, bending right knee while keeping left leg straight (a Lateral Lunge). Return to upright.
3. Lift dumbbells over head. Lower them back toward shoulder. Step to other side. Repeat.

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8. Bent-Over Row (60 seconds)

1. Holding dumbbells, lean forward, knees bent, back straight.
2. Lift one dumbbell until it reaches chest height (as if rowing). Lower.
3. Lift dumbbell on other side and lower. Repeat on each side while maintaining bent-over position.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct. 26 issue of The New York Times Magazine.

Health Benefits of Walking

NY Times

To Age Well, Walk

Regular exercise, including walking, significantly reduces the chance that a frail older person will become physically disabled, according to one of the largest and longest-running studies of its kind to date.

The results, published on Tuesday in the journal JAMA, reinforce the necessity of frequent physical activity for our aging parents, grandparents and, of course, ourselves.

While everyone knows that exercise is a good idea, whatever your age, the hard, scientific evidence about its benefits in the old and infirm has been surprisingly limited.

“For the first time, we have directly shown that exercise can effectively lessen or prevent the development of physical disability in a population of extremely vulnerable elderly people,” said Dr. Marco Pahor, the director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the lead author of the study.

Countless epidemiological studies have found a strong correlation between physical activity in advanced age and a longer, healthier life. But such studies can’t prove that exercise improves older people’s health, only that healthy older people exercise.

Other small-scale, randomized experiments have persuasively established a causal link between exercise and healthy aging. But the scope of these experiments has generally been narrow, showing, for instance, that older people can improve their muscle strength with weight training or their endurance capacity with walking.

So, for this latest study, the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders, or LIFE, trial, scientists at eight universities and research centers around the country began recruiting volunteers in 2010, using an unusual set of selection criteria. Unlike many exercise studies, which tend to be filled with people in relatively robust health who can easily exercise, this trial used volunteers who were sedentary and infirm, and on the cusp of frailty.

Ultimately, they recruited 1,635 sedentary men and women aged 70 to 89 who scored below a nine on a 12-point scale of physical functioning often used to assess older people. Almost half scored an eight or lower, but all were able to walk on their own for 400 meters, or a quarter-mile, the researchers’ cutoff point for being physically disabled.

Then the men and women were randomly assigned to either an exercise or an education group.

Those in the education assignment were asked to visit the research center once a month or so to learn about nutrition, health care and other topics related to aging.

The exercise group received information about aging but also started a program of walking and light, lower-body weight training with ankle weights, going to the research center twice a week for supervised group walks on a track, with the walks growing progressively longer. They were also asked to complete three or four more exercise sessions at home, aiming for a total of 150 minutes of walking and about three 10-minute sessions of weight-training exercises each week.

Every six months, researchers checked the physical functioning of all of the volunteers, with particular attention to whether they could still walk 400 meters by themselves.

The experiment continued for an average of 2.6 years, which is far longer than most exercise studies.

By the end of that time, the exercising volunteers were about 18 percent less likely to have experienced any episode of physical disability during the experiment. They were also about 28 percent less likely to have become persistently, possibly permanently disabled, defined as being unable to walk those 400 meters by themselves.

Most of the volunteers “tolerated the exercise program very well,” Dr. Pahor said, but the results did raise some flags. More volunteers in the exercise group wound up hospitalized during the study than did the participants in the education group, possibly because their vital signs were checked far more often, the researchers say. The exercise regimen may also have “unmasked” underlying medical conditions, Dr. Pahor said, although he does not feel that the exercise itself led to hospital stays.

A subtler concern involves the surprisingly small difference, in absolute terms, in the number of people who became disabled in the two groups. About 35 percent of those in the education group had a period of physical disability during the study. But so did 30 percent of those in the exercise group.

“At first glance, those results are underwhelming,” said Dr. Lewis Lipsitz, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, who was not involved with the study. “But then you have to look at the control group, which wasn’t really a control group at all.” That’s because in many cases the participants in the education group began to exercise, study data shows, although they were not asked to do so.

“It wouldn’t have been ethical” to keep them from exercise, Dr. Lipsitz continued. But if the scientists in the LIFE study “had been able to use a control group of completely sedentary older people with poor eating habits, the differences between the groups would be much more pronounced,” he said.

Over all, Dr. Lipsitz said, “it’s an important study because it focuses on an important outcome, which is the prevention of physical disability.”

In the coming months, Dr. Pahor and his colleagues plan to mine their database of results for additional followup, including a cost-benefit analysis.

The exercise intervention cost about $1,800 per participant per year, Dr. Pahor said, including reimbursement for travel to the research centers. But that figure is “considerably less” than the cost of full-time nursing care after someone becomes physically disabled, he said. He and his colleagues hope that the study prompts Medicare to begin covering the costs of group exercise programs for older people.

Dr. Pahor cautioned that the LIFE study is not meant to prompt elderly people to begin solo, unsupervised exercise. “Medical supervision is important,” he said. Talk with your doctor and try to find an exercise group, he said, adding, “The social aspect is important.”

Mildred Johnston, 82, a retired office worker in Gainesville who volunteered for the LIFE trial, has kept up weekly walks with two of the other volunteers she met during the study.

“Exercising has changed my whole aspect on what aging means,” she said. “It’s not about how much help you need from other people now. It’s more about what I can do for myself.” Besides, she said, gossiping during her group walks “really keeps you engaged with life.”

How to Increase Your Intelligence

NY Times Article

Mental exercises key to better brain function

Article

EPA: Fish Industry are EPA's Clients, Not the Public

"They really consider the fish industry to be their clients, rather than the U.S. public." - Deborah Rice, former EPA toxicologist.

Quote is from Wall Street Journal Aug 1, 2005 "Mercury and Tuna: U.S. Advice Leaves Lots of Questions"