Anti-Aging Health & the New Superhuman » blood sugar http://www.newsuperhuman.com Making Money with affiliate marketing, personal growth and development, & health supplements: learn about law of attraction for spiritual self-help, anti-aging, beauty treatments, skin creams, antioxidants, herbs and natural organic foods. Alternative medicine activates vitamins, weight loss, diets, exercise, fitness & nutrition. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:23:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee http://www.newsuperhuman.com/health-benefits-of-drinking-coffee/ http://www.newsuperhuman.com/health-benefits-of-drinking-coffee/#comments Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:32:43 +0000 New Superhuman http://www.newsuperhuman.com/are-there-any-health-benefits-for-drinking-coffee/ Coffee may not be as unhealthy as many would have you believe. Although technically an alkaloid, or a poison, often touted by New Age health gurus as an evil brew, new evidence shows many surprising health benefits.

It is startling the amount of conflicting advice one hears about the health of various foods and drinks. It was once thought that eating eggs were harmful because of the high cholesterol content, and a man should not eat more than one a day. Recent evidence, however, has shown that they are not as harmful as once believed, and the controversy over cholesterol rages on. I know some bodybuilders who eat 10 to 15 raw eggs a day with no apparent ill effects.

We now know, for example, that there is good and bad cholesterol. And cholesterol is vital for the production of important hormones such as pregnenolone, responsible for the manufacture of such vital hormones as DHEA, estrogen, testosterone, etc. Without cholesterol we would die. The attack of the food and medical industry against cholesterol has been wrongheaded, among many others.

It was once thought that margarine was far healthier than butter, as another example. We now know that margarine is one [...]]]> Coffee may not be as unhealthy as many would have you believe. Although technically an alkaloid, or a poison, often touted by New Age health gurus as an evil brew, new evidence shows many surprising health benefits.

It is startling the amount of conflicting advice one hears about the health of various foods and drinks. It was once thought that eating eggs were harmful because of the high cholesterol content, and a man should not eat more than one a day. Recent evidence, however, has shown that they are not as harmful as once believed, and the controversy over cholesterol rages on. I know some bodybuilders who eat 10 to 15 raw eggs a day with no apparent ill effects.

We now know, for example, that there is good and bad cholesterol. And cholesterol is vital for the production of important hormones such as pregnenolone, responsible for the manufacture of such vital hormones as DHEA, estrogen, testosterone, etc. Without cholesterol we would die. The attack of the food and medical industry against cholesterol has been wrongheaded, among many others.

It was once thought that margarine was far healthier than butter, as another example. We now know that margarine is one of the toxic poisons produced by the food industry, who put profits over the health of its customers.

New evidence shows that coffee can actually help protect the liver in people who abuse alcohol, with up to 80% lower incidence of cirrhosis. Not bad for those who find themselves addicted.

A study done at Johns Hopkins showed that people who drink one or 2 cups of coffee a day feel healthier, happier, more focused and alert. We all know people who wouldn’t dare face the day without their cup of coffee! This appears to be related to the release of dopamine in the brain, a feel-good hormone that also can elevate energy levels.

Coffee has also shown to have protective benefits for the brain. Regular coffee drinkers experience lower levels of Parkinson’s disease. This may be due in part to the reduction of glycation – the cross-linking of sugars and proteins which produces malformed, dysfunctional links between proteins. This leads to such things as hardening of the arteries, stiff joints and wrinkled skin.

In addition, those who drink coffee have shown faster reaction times and better short term memory retention, probably due to its stimulating effects. Benefits for long-term memory have also been observed in test subjects who experienced less decline in long-term memory and cognitive function.

Also, as a result of metabolic stimulation and perhaps the release of some dopamine, coffee has also been found to help people lose weight. Weight loss is a goal most of us can relate to, so add some coffee to your daily diet and see if you don’t lose a few pounds of fat in the process.

Glycation is linked to diabetes, an inability to regulate sugar in the blood. The more sugar one consumes, the greater the chance of getting diabetes and creating glycation, with all its complications. The supplement carnosine has been shown to be most effective against glycation. So those who consume coffee may have a reduced chance of getting type II diabetes. Some studies have even suggested a 50% reduction.

We have also learned from recent studies that coffee contains many potent antioxidants which help absorb free radicals. Free radicals are considered a major cause of aging, as they “steal” electrons from healthy cells,  depriving them of their life-giving force.

Studies published by the Harvard health publications of Harvard medical school have also found that those who drank three or more cups of coffee a day actually had a 50% less chance of developing certain cancers such as of the colon, rectum and breast. A minimum of 200mcg’s of Selenium and 4000 IU of Vitamin D are also excellent supplements that have been shown to reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer by 50% – 60%.

Coffee has been shown to reduce muscle soreness after a hard workout, a pleasant side-effect that most active people will appreciate.

While some of these studies have involved women, I believe the same effects hold true for men in most cases.

Coffee has also  been shown effective in detox by using coffee enemas to detox the colon, stimulating the liver to release toxins from the body. Most people’s colon is a thriving colony of hardened toxins, bacteria and parasites that leach into the blood. Sounds a bit weird, but many swear by it.

Studies have also shown that those who drink 4 to 5 cups of coffee a day reduced their incidence of mortality from heart disease. Coffee has anti-inflammatory properties which help keep blood vessels healthy. The cocoa in dark chocolate is also good for this purpose. Those with heart problems should also supplement with CoQ10.

And for those who worry that coffee would cause high blood pressure, you can now relax. Studies have shown that regular drinkers do not exhibit higher blood pressure than nondrinkers. This is great news, as hypertension has always been considered one of the greatest dangers of drinking coffee. But don’t drink more that 5-6 cups spread throughout the day.

Caffeine has even shown itself to be beneficial to small babies under certain circumstances. For those suffering from sleep apnea, or the inability to breathe properly, injections of caffeine have shown benefits by stimulating breathing.

Finally, even decaffeinated coffee has been shown to provide antibacterial protection against the bacteria “Streptococcus mutans”, which largely contributes to the formation of cavities. But be careful of staining your teeth. Heavy coffee drinking will cause darkening.

However, with all the new teeth whitening technologies available today, perhaps this isn’t such a big concern anymore. Slap on some bleach and white strips and your teeth can look good as new.

There are some caveats, however. Some people are easily overstimulated by caffeine. They may experience increased anxiety, panic attacks if they are susceptible to them, irritability, and if taken too late in the evening, insomnia. Most people recommend not drinking coffee after about five or six o’clock in the evening.

And if you suffer from any other health conditions such as hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, it is best to stay away from coffee. Women who consume large amounts of coffee on a regular basis may suffer from anemia, as coffee can interfere with the absorption of iron.

The bottom line? Most new age hipsters think they have spirituality down to a science, and consider coffee to be consumed only by the unhip, nonspiritual class. But, as in many cases, they have turned out to be wrong again. Enjoy your coffee, in moderation like anything else.

 

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]]> http://www.newsuperhuman.com/health-benefits-of-drinking-coffee/feed/ 0 Low Carbohydrate Diets http://www.newsuperhuman.com/low-carbohydrate-diets/ http://www.newsuperhuman.com/low-carbohydrate-diets/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:21:24 +0000 New Superhuman http://www.new-superhuman.com/?p=521 The main health advantage of low carbohydrate diets is the improvement in glycemic or sugar control in the body. What this means is that your body will age more slowly because of a less stressful insulin response, and you will have a reduced chance of getting diabetes. Not a bad deal I’d say.

It has also been shown that a reduction in saturated fats with a low carbohydrate diet also helps temper the insulin response. This has a positive effect on cholesterol, reducing the bad LDL and increasing the good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood.

One of the new the theories of aging suggests that it is the spike in insulin from the intake of too much sugar that leads to more rapid aging, probably due in part to increased inflammation. Also, when your body continually releases too much insulin in response to too much sugar (often consumed in the form of carbohydrates in the diet: bread, pasta, potatoes), the bodies ability to control blood sugar decreases over time. In other words, you become insulin insensitive. When it gets to the point that it is out of control, this leads to the condition known as Diabetes.

The other nice thing about a low carb diet is that it tends to lose fat from the upper body, particularly the stomach. Now who doesn’t love that. Additionally, it has been shown that upper body fat is less healthy than fat from other parts of the body. One study showed that men were 3 times more likely to lose fat in the upper body on a low carbohydrate diet than a low fat diet.

Another problem with carbohydrates is they tend to be addicting, and more people are addicted to them then we care to acknowledge. The addiction comes from the spikes in blood sugar and the spikes in our insulin response to the sugar. It’s like being on a roller coaster. You feel great and high after eating the spaghetti or pizza or bread, but within 1 or 2 hours our body depletes the sugar and we experience a “crash”, which makes us feel tired and lethargic, lacking energy. This makes us want to eat more sugar (carbohydrates). It is a vicious cycle.

Therefore, when we reduce the carbohydrates in our diet, we also reduce our hunger cravings.

Low Carbohydrate diets work well with regular exercise. But don’t go overboard. It is important to include a reasonable, moderate amount of carbohydrates in our diet every day. Just don’t eat too much at once: spread it out throughout the day, and eat more in the morning when you will have time to burn the calories off. Carbohydrates eaten in the evening will tend to make you gain weight.

Any diet that requires you to go low carbohydrate and use only low carbohydrate foods is saying that you need to hunt for vegetables that are low in carbohydrates. You need to use these vegetables in place of your regular foods, including high carbohydrate vegetables. There are many great tasting things that you can do with low carb vegetables.

They can be used in different diet recipes or used in salads. They are great by themselves as healthy snacks and you can also blend them for a nutritious drink. The many websites that give recipes for low carb cooking and meals have many some recipes that will let you use your low carb vegetables.

Imagine turning out a splendid meal using only low carb foods. You can give a magnificent side dish full of low carbohydrate vegetables that have been transformed into a tasty salad. This salad can be garnished with many interesting foods that are also low carbohydrate but taste great by themselves as well, such as fruits, nuts, or lean meats.

For example, you could make a salad from low carbohydrate vegetables and boneless beef, top sirloin steak, fresh lemon juice, gourmet salad greens, medium plum tomatoes, ranch or blue cheese dressing. You can make a seasoning for this salad with dried oregano, garlic and pepper.

As you can now see, there are many ways that you can mix your low carbohydrate vegetables with many other foods in order to make delicious meals for you and others to eat. The main thing to bear in mind is not to put foods like a heavy French dressing on your low carb vegetables. This will turn your nutritious low carb vegetables into a high carb nightmare.

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