Higher levels of testosterone have been found to lower the risk of men having a stroke. This lower stroke risk was only seen in men who do not smoke, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Estrogen levels are not related to stroke risk in either men or women.
Sex hormones have long been hypothesised to play an important role in the discrepancy in cardiovascular disease occurrence between men and women. While some studies have suggested that hormone replacement therapy may decrease the risk of heart disease, the role of hormones we generate ourselves had not yet been investigated. “We excluded participants who used hormone therapy in our study, which followed 6,732 persons over the course of five to eight years,” said study author Monika Hollander, who led the study.
Hollander and fellow researchers then compared serum levels of testosterone and estrogen between 97 men and 120 women who experienced a stroke during the course of the study and persons who remained stroke-free. The investigators looked at the role of many traditional stroke risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure as well as investigating whether there was an interrelationship between endogenous testosterone or estrogen and these risk factors.
The study suggests possible factors that may play a role in the etiology of stroke. The precise mechanism underlying the relationship between testosterone and stroke in men and the relationship between smoking and testosterone in stroke risk in men needs to be further studied. The study was sponsored by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.
The Greatest Vitamin
The Greatest Vitamin in the World gives critical nutritional support in all areas of the body by using only the highest grade Whole Vitamins ( not the synthetic ), Chelated Minerals, Probiotics, Enzymes, along with other critical nutrients that are scientifically proven to help nutritionally support the entire body!
Nutrition Important to Healthy Life
As a 20-year fitness enthusiast, I am well aware of the importance of exercise in maintaining a healthy body. However, it has taken me four decades to learn that good nutrition is just as important in the overall health equation.
Consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fat helps maintain body weight, stabilize blood sugar levels and provide essential nutrients.
Healthy carbohydrates -- fruits, vegetables, and whole grains -- provide the body's preferred source of fuel for activity and fiber for intestinal health.
But perhaps the most important contribution of dietary fruits, vegetables and whole grains is the rich source of antioxidants they provide. Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals and enzymes which protect the body from the relentless attack of microscopic bandits called free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules which have lost an electron. Functioning like a car with a flat tire, free radicals constantly seek to stabilize themselves. They do this by stealing electrons from surrounding healthy cells. This process breaks down cells' outer wall, ushering in infection, DNA damage and even cancerous mutations.
Since free radicals are produced from processes which are impossible to avoid -- pollution, cigarette smoke, stress, sunlight and even respiration -- protection must be present inside our cells. Cellular antioxidants provide this protection by offering their electrons to scavenging free radicals, acting as bodyguards for healthy cells.
Although our diets provide the best source of antioxidants, most Americans fall short of the recommended 9 to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Most of us consume only 1-2 daily servings (including French fries, ketchup and iceberg lettuce).
To compensate, the American Medical Association recommends that all adults take a vitamin/mineral supplement. However, there are significant differences in the quality, bioavailability and absorption rate of vitamin supplements on the market.
Because the FDA does not regulate the nutritional industry, consumers must work harder to protect themselves.
An effective way to determine the quality of a vitamin supplement is to measure whether the most-difficult-to-absorb molecules have made their way from the gastrointestinal tract into the cell.
Antioxidants provide this benchmark since they are fat-soluble and do not readily disperse in the watery environment of the gut.
Instead, they clump together and create larger molecules that cannot slide through the cell wall.
In the past, the only way to measure cellular antioxidant levels was through a blood test. A new technology (Pharmanex Biophotonic Scanner) has revolutionized this process, making it possible to non- invasively read cellular antioxidant levels by a laser hand scan in two minutes.
This allows health-conscious individuals to regularly monitor their cell health and determine whether their diet and supplements are providing optimal immune protection.
Maximize your health by using 21st-century technology to validate what your mother already knew: Eat your fruits and vegetables, take your vitamins, and go out and play.
Source:Lisa Bell( www.BellBodies.com online)
Consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fat helps maintain body weight, stabilize blood sugar levels and provide essential nutrients.
Healthy carbohydrates -- fruits, vegetables, and whole grains -- provide the body's preferred source of fuel for activity and fiber for intestinal health.
But perhaps the most important contribution of dietary fruits, vegetables and whole grains is the rich source of antioxidants they provide. Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals and enzymes which protect the body from the relentless attack of microscopic bandits called free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules which have lost an electron. Functioning like a car with a flat tire, free radicals constantly seek to stabilize themselves. They do this by stealing electrons from surrounding healthy cells. This process breaks down cells' outer wall, ushering in infection, DNA damage and even cancerous mutations.
Since free radicals are produced from processes which are impossible to avoid -- pollution, cigarette smoke, stress, sunlight and even respiration -- protection must be present inside our cells. Cellular antioxidants provide this protection by offering their electrons to scavenging free radicals, acting as bodyguards for healthy cells.
Although our diets provide the best source of antioxidants, most Americans fall short of the recommended 9 to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Most of us consume only 1-2 daily servings (including French fries, ketchup and iceberg lettuce).
To compensate, the American Medical Association recommends that all adults take a vitamin/mineral supplement. However, there are significant differences in the quality, bioavailability and absorption rate of vitamin supplements on the market.
Because the FDA does not regulate the nutritional industry, consumers must work harder to protect themselves.
An effective way to determine the quality of a vitamin supplement is to measure whether the most-difficult-to-absorb molecules have made their way from the gastrointestinal tract into the cell.
Antioxidants provide this benchmark since they are fat-soluble and do not readily disperse in the watery environment of the gut.
Instead, they clump together and create larger molecules that cannot slide through the cell wall.
In the past, the only way to measure cellular antioxidant levels was through a blood test. A new technology (Pharmanex Biophotonic Scanner) has revolutionized this process, making it possible to non- invasively read cellular antioxidant levels by a laser hand scan in two minutes.
This allows health-conscious individuals to regularly monitor their cell health and determine whether their diet and supplements are providing optimal immune protection.
Maximize your health by using 21st-century technology to validate what your mother already knew: Eat your fruits and vegetables, take your vitamins, and go out and play.
Source:Lisa Bell( www.BellBodies.com online)
Vitamin D Levels
Both forms are converted to active vitamin D by the body.
However, studies have determined that cholecalciferol is about three times more potent than ergocalciferol in the conversion process.
The test numbers you mention refer to blood levels of the major circulating form of vitamin D (in units called nmol/L).
Your current level of 27 is indeed on the low end.
It was once thought that blood levels of at least 40 were needed for optimal bone health. Vitamin D (along with calcium) is required to prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
More recent research, however, indicates that higher levels of 70 to 80 might be optimal. So your doctor is on firm ground in wanting to push these numbers higher.
I'm taking the "MS" you mention to be multiple sclerosis. Some research suggests that long-term vitamin D supplementation might help prevent multiple sclerosis in women. Though you already have MS, your doctor could be hoping that raising your vitamin D levels might help this disease in addition to its other benefits.
To raise your levels to current recommendations, you may need at least 1,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D in the form of cholecalciferol (D3). I'd suggest talking with your doctor about this.
The safe upper intake level for vitamin D is currently set at 2,000 IU.
Vitamin D is available in both multivitamin and vitamin D-only supplements. Standard multivitamin supplements supply 400 IU of vitamin D, now considered a low-end amount.
The catch is, the vitamin D in supplement products may be either ergocalciferol are cholecalciferol.
The Supplement Facts label typically just says "Vitamin D." So how to tell which form you're getting?
You'll have to peruse the "Ingredients" section of the label, which is not alphabetized. The tiny print on some products calls for a magnifying lens.
Look for either "vitamin D3" or "cholecalciferol" as opposed to "vitamin D2" or "ergocalciferol."
Source: Richard Harness
However, studies have determined that cholecalciferol is about three times more potent than ergocalciferol in the conversion process.
The test numbers you mention refer to blood levels of the major circulating form of vitamin D (in units called nmol/L).
Your current level of 27 is indeed on the low end.
It was once thought that blood levels of at least 40 were needed for optimal bone health. Vitamin D (along with calcium) is required to prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
More recent research, however, indicates that higher levels of 70 to 80 might be optimal. So your doctor is on firm ground in wanting to push these numbers higher.
I'm taking the "MS" you mention to be multiple sclerosis. Some research suggests that long-term vitamin D supplementation might help prevent multiple sclerosis in women. Though you already have MS, your doctor could be hoping that raising your vitamin D levels might help this disease in addition to its other benefits.
To raise your levels to current recommendations, you may need at least 1,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D in the form of cholecalciferol (D3). I'd suggest talking with your doctor about this.
The safe upper intake level for vitamin D is currently set at 2,000 IU.
Vitamin D is available in both multivitamin and vitamin D-only supplements. Standard multivitamin supplements supply 400 IU of vitamin D, now considered a low-end amount.
The catch is, the vitamin D in supplement products may be either ergocalciferol are cholecalciferol.
The Supplement Facts label typically just says "Vitamin D." So how to tell which form you're getting?
You'll have to peruse the "Ingredients" section of the label, which is not alphabetized. The tiny print on some products calls for a magnifying lens.
Look for either "vitamin D3" or "cholecalciferol" as opposed to "vitamin D2" or "ergocalciferol."
Source: Richard Harness
Healthy Vitamins
Your health is worth everything! Start treating it right and give it the nutrients it must have to maintain optimal health! Because of our diets and lifestyles today:Millions of us are walking 
around right now and are so clogged up with so much hardened fat in our artery walls, when we do have a heart attack, it will come so severe and so sudden, we will never even have a chance to be hospitalized!
50% of all men and 1/3 of all women are projected to get cancer in their lifetime unless we make some changes to the way we live! 6 million people are walking around with Diabetes and don't even know it!
800,000 new cases of Diabetes are discovered each year and yet our diet can play such a critical role in minimizing the damage this terrible disease can do! A few changes could save millions of lives!
Osteoporosis is one of the leading silent killers today because postmenopausal women lose up to 3% or more of their bone mass each year. Millions of women are not taking the right form of absorbable calcium to ensure the blood receives it and is able to utilize it! We want to make sure all women are taking the right calcium that is actually able to be absorbed through the digestive tract and go right into the bloodstream.
Taking Vegetable enzymes are just as critical as taking the right form of minerals! Eating cooked and processed foods, without enzymes present to help the body digest the food, could be taking years and years off your life! When the body isn't able to completely digest the food we eat, it leads to premature death!
So what's the answer?
Taking a supplement that has the highest forms of whole vitamins, chelated minerals, probiotics, and vegetable enzymes, in our opinion, is one way to ensure you are giving your body nutrients that it's missing! It's also a great way to help nutritionally support the body which could protect the body from so many diseases!
We have spared no expense in creating The Greatest Vitamin in the World! Take the next 10 minutes and click onto the link to my site. Read the Vitamins, Minerals, Probiotics, and Enzymes sections. If you do, we promise you will understand why our vitamin is so amazing and you will never look at your body the same way ever again. The education that you will get is shocking and will change your entire life forever!
America, here is the bottom line! If we continue to trick ourselves into thinking we can continue to neglect our bodies year after year, a few of us are going to get away with it, but most of us will end up paying a dear price down the road. We believe millions of peoples lives can be saved by educating people in the 4 critical areas mentioned above!
Source : http://www.healthyvitaminsonline.com/
around right now and are so clogged up with so much hardened fat in our artery walls, when we do have a heart attack, it will come so severe and so sudden, we will never even have a chance to be hospitalized!50% of all men and 1/3 of all women are projected to get cancer in their lifetime unless we make some changes to the way we live! 6 million people are walking around with Diabetes and don't even know it!
800,000 new cases of Diabetes are discovered each year and yet our diet can play such a critical role in minimizing the damage this terrible disease can do! A few changes could save millions of lives!
Osteoporosis is one of the leading silent killers today because postmenopausal women lose up to 3% or more of their bone mass each year. Millions of women are not taking the right form of absorbable calcium to ensure the blood receives it and is able to utilize it! We want to make sure all women are taking the right calcium that is actually able to be absorbed through the digestive tract and go right into the bloodstream.
Taking Vegetable enzymes are just as critical as taking the right form of minerals! Eating cooked and processed foods, without enzymes present to help the body digest the food, could be taking years and years off your life! When the body isn't able to completely digest the food we eat, it leads to premature death!
So what's the answer?
Taking a supplement that has the highest forms of whole vitamins, chelated minerals, probiotics, and vegetable enzymes, in our opinion, is one way to ensure you are giving your body nutrients that it's missing! It's also a great way to help nutritionally support the body which could protect the body from so many diseases!
We have spared no expense in creating The Greatest Vitamin in the World! Take the next 10 minutes and click onto the link to my site. Read the Vitamins, Minerals, Probiotics, and Enzymes sections. If you do, we promise you will understand why our vitamin is so amazing and you will never look at your body the same way ever again. The education that you will get is shocking and will change your entire life forever!
America, here is the bottom line! If we continue to trick ourselves into thinking we can continue to neglect our bodies year after year, a few of us are going to get away with it, but most of us will end up paying a dear price down the road. We believe millions of peoples lives can be saved by educating people in the 4 critical areas mentioned above!
Source : http://www.healthyvitaminsonline.com/
Reduce The Heart Attack Threat
A recent study has found that physical activity reduces the risk of heart attacks in men with diabetes.
Men with type 2 diabetes can save their lives by walking, and the faster they walk the less likely they are to have a heart attack or stroke, according to new research reported in the latest issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Related Articles
Who Smiles Most, Menn or Women?
Heart Disease Linked To Stress "Previous studies found beneficial effects of physical activity in the general population, but this is one of the few studies on the benefits of physical activity in adults with diabetes," said lead investigator Mihaela Tanasescu, associate professor in the College of Health Sciences at Touro University International in Cypress, California. "The findings are significant because diabetes greatly increases risk for cardiovascular disease."
Tanasescu and her co-authors from Harvard School of Public Health studied a subset of men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. It's a study of 51,529 male health professionals 40 to 75 years old in 1986 when the project started. In this new analysis, the researchers identified 3,058 men who reported a diagnosis of diabetes at age 30 or older. Men with physical disabilities were excluded, so the findings are based on 2,803 non-disabled diabetic men.
Researchers assessed physical activity every two years between 1986 and 1998 using questionnaires that asked about average time spent per week in activities such as walking, running, lap swimming and tennis. Walking pace was gauged as "casual" – meaning 2 miles per hour (mph) or less, "normal" 2 to 2.9 mph, brisk 3 to 3.9 mph or "striding," which was defined as 4 mph or faster. The time spent at each activity in hours per week was multiplied by its typical energy expenditure expressed in metabolic equivalents (METS), which were totaled for a MET-hour score. During 14 years of follow-up 266 new cardiovascular events occurred; 96 were fatal and 170 were nonfatal. There were 355 deaths from all causes.
In the study, diabetic men who were in the third highest of four categories (quintile) of total physical activity reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 36 percent and their risk of death by 43 percent compared to those in the lowest quintile of physical activity.
There was no further improvement in the fourth and fifth quintiles. Men in the highest quintile of walking expended more than 16MET-hours/week (equivalent to four hours of brisk walking in a week) and reduced their risk of death by 43 percent. Men who walked at a brisk or very brisk pace had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease as compared to men who walked at a casual pace. Thus, while high amounts of energy expenditure or vigorous exercise may not be required, walking appears to reduce risk when performed regularly and at a fast pace.
The benefits of physical activity in this study were significant, but Tanasescu says diabetic patients should consult their physicians before beginning an exercise program. "In a few cases, patients may be advised not to undertake certain types of physical activity," she says. "But overall, risks associated with exercise are low and benefits are considerable in individuals with type 2 diabetes."
Men with type 2 diabetes can save their lives by walking, and the faster they walk the less likely they are to have a heart attack or stroke, according to new research reported in the latest issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Related Articles
Who Smiles Most, Menn or Women?
Heart Disease Linked To Stress "Previous studies found beneficial effects of physical activity in the general population, but this is one of the few studies on the benefits of physical activity in adults with diabetes," said lead investigator Mihaela Tanasescu, associate professor in the College of Health Sciences at Touro University International in Cypress, California. "The findings are significant because diabetes greatly increases risk for cardiovascular disease."
Tanasescu and her co-authors from Harvard School of Public Health studied a subset of men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. It's a study of 51,529 male health professionals 40 to 75 years old in 1986 when the project started. In this new analysis, the researchers identified 3,058 men who reported a diagnosis of diabetes at age 30 or older. Men with physical disabilities were excluded, so the findings are based on 2,803 non-disabled diabetic men.
Researchers assessed physical activity every two years between 1986 and 1998 using questionnaires that asked about average time spent per week in activities such as walking, running, lap swimming and tennis. Walking pace was gauged as "casual" – meaning 2 miles per hour (mph) or less, "normal" 2 to 2.9 mph, brisk 3 to 3.9 mph or "striding," which was defined as 4 mph or faster. The time spent at each activity in hours per week was multiplied by its typical energy expenditure expressed in metabolic equivalents (METS), which were totaled for a MET-hour score. During 14 years of follow-up 266 new cardiovascular events occurred; 96 were fatal and 170 were nonfatal. There were 355 deaths from all causes.
In the study, diabetic men who were in the third highest of four categories (quintile) of total physical activity reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 36 percent and their risk of death by 43 percent compared to those in the lowest quintile of physical activity.
There was no further improvement in the fourth and fifth quintiles. Men in the highest quintile of walking expended more than 16MET-hours/week (equivalent to four hours of brisk walking in a week) and reduced their risk of death by 43 percent. Men who walked at a brisk or very brisk pace had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease as compared to men who walked at a casual pace. Thus, while high amounts of energy expenditure or vigorous exercise may not be required, walking appears to reduce risk when performed regularly and at a fast pace.
The benefits of physical activity in this study were significant, but Tanasescu says diabetic patients should consult their physicians before beginning an exercise program. "In a few cases, patients may be advised not to undertake certain types of physical activity," she says. "But overall, risks associated with exercise are low and benefits are considerable in individuals with type 2 diabetes."
Tip For Improving Your Healthy
Good nutrition is one of the keys to good health. This means making sure you regularly eat foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals in them, as well as foods that are not high in fat.
Do I need to change what I eat?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to talk about nutrition with your doctor:
Has your doctor talked with you about a medical problem or a risk factor, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol? Did your doctor tell you that this condition could be improved by better nutrition? Do diabetes, cancer, heart disease or osteoporosis run in your family? Are you overweight, or have you gained weight over the years? Do you have questions about what kinds of foods you should eat or whether you should take vitamins? Do you think that you would benefit from seeing a nutritionist? (A nutritionist is a registered dietitian who specializes in nutrition counseling.)
Won't it be hard to change my eating habits?Probably, but even very small changes can improve your health considerably. The key is to keep trying to eat the right foods and stay in touch with your doctor and nutritionist, to let them know how you're doing. Here are a few suggestions to help you improve your eating habits:
Find the strong points and weak points in your current diet. Do you eat 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day? Do you get enough calcium? Do you eat whole-grain, high-fiber foods regularly? If so, good! You're on the right track. Keep it up. If not, you can learn the changes you need to make. Make small, slow changes, instead of trying to make large, fast changes.
Small changes will be easier to make and stick with.
Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. Use this record to help you see if you need to eat more from any food groups, such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products.
Think about asking for help from a nutritionist if you haven't already done so -- especially if you have a medical problem that requires you to follow a special diet. Return to top .
Source:American Academy of Family Physicians.
Do I need to change what I eat?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to talk about nutrition with your doctor:
Has your doctor talked with you about a medical problem or a risk factor, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol? Did your doctor tell you that this condition could be improved by better nutrition? Do diabetes, cancer, heart disease or osteoporosis run in your family? Are you overweight, or have you gained weight over the years? Do you have questions about what kinds of foods you should eat or whether you should take vitamins? Do you think that you would benefit from seeing a nutritionist? (A nutritionist is a registered dietitian who specializes in nutrition counseling.)
Won't it be hard to change my eating habits?Probably, but even very small changes can improve your health considerably. The key is to keep trying to eat the right foods and stay in touch with your doctor and nutritionist, to let them know how you're doing. Here are a few suggestions to help you improve your eating habits:
Find the strong points and weak points in your current diet. Do you eat 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day? Do you get enough calcium? Do you eat whole-grain, high-fiber foods regularly? If so, good! You're on the right track. Keep it up. If not, you can learn the changes you need to make. Make small, slow changes, instead of trying to make large, fast changes.
Small changes will be easier to make and stick with.
Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. Use this record to help you see if you need to eat more from any food groups, such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products.
Think about asking for help from a nutritionist if you haven't already done so -- especially if you have a medical problem that requires you to follow a special diet. Return to top .
Source:American Academy of Family Physicians.
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