Health Notes
Chinese club moss may help against Alzheimer’s disease. The extract from this plant is called Huperzine A.

I’m not sure this is really news. An inability to identify odors has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease for some time. But I guess this article discusses new research, and new ways to diagnose neurological problems.

I’ve talked about PFOA on several other occasions. It is the substance found in Teflon and in many packaging materials like microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, etc. Here is yet another article. I can’t wait for PFOA to go away. The only problem is it may never go away.

Taking folic acid may reduce heart disease and strokes, possibly by reducing homocysteine levels. It is also recommended that people get adequate amounts of DHA (omega-3) as well as vitamins B6 and B12. Deficiencies in all these nutrients have been associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and depression.

For those who are prescribed statin drugs, if they don’t take their medication they might have a heart attack.

Drug coated heart stents are supposed to be safe when used as directed.

If you don’t want to get cancer you might consider eating less protein. Dr. Luigi Fontana of Washington University said, “People on a low-protein, low-calorie diet had considerably lower levels of a particular plasma growth factor called IGF-1 than equally lean endurance runners. That suggests to us that a diet lower in protein may have a greater protective effect against cancer than endurance exercise, independently of body fat mass." That’s cool. I eat a low-protein diet anyway. (Here’s another article)

This article isn’t telling us anything we don’t already know: food portion sizes have been increasing over the years. That, of course, is due to a number of reasons. But I must say that it is a little difficult to regulate our own portion sizes when food companies continue increasing their portion sizes. For example, the new small soft drink at Wendy’s probably used to be the large size. The new large is huge.

Here’s an interesting article on body mass, mice, cancer, and telomerase. It seems that telomerase helps a body heal, but it also contributes to runaway cell reproduction like cancer. Humans don’t produce as much telomerase as mice do because of our greater body mass.

Can we stop human influenza and bird flu in their tracks? There may be a chance, thanks to technology.

We need to be especially nice to new mothers, and we need to make sure they get all the medical care they need. Some of them (one in one thousand) get postpartum depression, or a more serious condition.



News, Alzheimer's disease, Huperzine A, Chinese club moss, flu, influenza, PFOA, Teflon, nonstick, chemicals, food, heart disease, stroke, homocysteine, omega-3, DHA, vitamins, folic acid, fast food, statins, heart attack, stents, cancer, protein, diet, calorie restriction, body mass, telomerase, bird flu, H5N1, childbirth, postpartum depression, depression, mental illness, pregnancy, arthritis, diabetes, health,

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