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Half the population of industrialized countries has a magnesium deficiency. Fourth most abundant mineral in the body, magnesium, essential for health and memory, could play an even more important for the healthy functioning of nerve cells in what was considered until now, a study suggests published in the journal Neuron.

Dr. Inna Slutsky’s work and his colleagues have shown that rodents with a diet containing a healthy intake of magnesium, the addition of magnesium-L-theronate (MGT), newly developed by the research team, improved memory among young and elderly subjects.

Those who received the supplement had improved cognitive functioning and they showed an increase of synapses in the brain (nerve endings that transmit information). The levels of magnesium in the cerebrospinal fluid was increased.

Magnesium supplements are currently marketed, however, are not effective because they do not cross the blood-brain barrier. The new addition will soon be tested in clinical trials.

In the meantime, researchers recommend to improve the intake of magnesium is found in many foods, including beans, dark chocolate, leafy vegetables, broccoli, almonds, cashew nuts and fruit. The benefits do not appear in a single day but are cumulative, “said Dr. Slutsky. With a persistent change of power, memory should improve and the effects of dementia and other diseases affecting cognitive functions could be significantly delayed, “said the researcher.

When choosing food, it is not always possible or convenient to consult the label or a database to determine their caloric intake. Some basic help to get a better idea of the approximate calories they contain.

The nutrients that provide calories are carbohydrates (sugars) (1), proteins and lipids (fats). Alcohol also contains.

The fibers present in large quantities in fruits and vegetables do not provide calories because they are poorly digested or indigestible (by slowing digestion, however, they increase the uptake of other nutrients and prolong satiety). Vitamins and trace elements do not provide calories.

For the same weight, fat contains more than twice the calories of carbohydrates and proteins. Here is their contribution to 1 gram and 100 grams:

- Carbohydrates: 4 cal / g (or 400 per 100 g)
- Protein: 4 cal / g (or 400 per 100 g)
- Fat: 9 cal per g (or 900 per 100 g)
- Alcohol: 7 cal per g (700 per 100 g).

Alcohol is more calories than carbohydrates and protein but less than fat. One drink contains 10 grams of alcohol.

The foods most rich in fat and those who are most dense foods (See: Building on satiation with a diet based on caloric density to lose weight).

Note that the ratio of calories from fat and carbohydrate (or protein) for the same weight does not translate to the volume (which contains a variable weight depending on the ingredients), for examples:

- 1 tsp. tablespoon vegetable oil: 90 calories
- 1 tsp. tablespoons margarine: 75 calories
- 1 tsp. tablespoon sugar: 60 calories
- 1 tsp. tablespoon honey: 80 calories

Vitamin D is effective in killing cancer cells, breast cancer, colon and prostate cancer in lab tests on mice and achieved by the team of researcher Joellen Welch, the State University New York at Albany, who was interviewed by Good Morning America.

Part of her work involves subjecting cells of breast cancer and treated with a potent form of vitamin D.

Within days, half of cancer cells shrink and die. Vitamin D enters the cell and triggers a process of death of the latter. “It’s similar to what we see when we treat cells with tamoxifen, a drug used to treat breast cancer,” said Welch.

The research team also tested the effectiveness of vitamin D to destroy cancer tumors in mice. Within weeks, the tumors decreased by 50% on average. Some disappeared. Similar results have been achieved for tumors of the colon cancer and prostate cancer.

Day 3 Rare Diseases, held on February 28, aims to educate the public about these diseases that affect nearly one in 20 people, 3 million French and 30 million Europeans. There are 8,000 rare diseases in the world, because so-called orphan diseases neglected by medical research.

This day is an initiative coordinated by EURORDIS European Organization for Rare Diseases, which represents more than 400 patient organizations in 42 countries. Rare Diseases Day 2010 theme “building bridges between patients and researchers”, a theme that stresses the importance of research and the role of patient organizations.

Rare diseases affect each few people from the general population. In Europe, the threshold is reached a person on 2000, is for France more than 30,000 people with the same disease. Several of these diseases, however, affect a hundred people. 80% of these diseases are genetic in origin and most of them involving children. They are often severe, chronic, and involve life-threatening. Due to the low prevalence of these diseases, medical doctors are few, the knowledge is poor, the provision of inadequate care, the inadequate research. There are very few treatments.

A symposium organized by the European EURORDIS 1 March in Brussels, in cooperation with E-RARE and in partnership with the European Commission Orphanet and EUROPLAN, will advocate the inclusion of research on rare diseases in public funding schemes .

In France, associations want a second Plan for Rare Diseases, whose final version will be available in April at the stake.

Laurence Tiennot-Herment, president of the French Association against Myopathies (AFM) indicates that the association should support 43 trials within two years. Considerable resources are required for clinical development that can only be carried by public donations through the Telethon, “she pleads. It calls for public / private partnerships, noting that research on these diseases allows therapeutic innovation for common diseases.

A review of many thousands of studies on diet, physical activity and body weight, led by the Global Fund against Cancer Research (FMRC) has demonstrated the benefits of a diet based primarily on foods of vegetable origin. Foods such as broccoli, berries and garlic would be strongly linked to cancer prevention. Beside that, don’t forget the whole grain is good to avoid cancer too.

The next time you go to a restaurant, remember this: the stale white bread can not compete with a generous meal complete in terms of taste and nutrition. Nutritionists recommend that half of our grain consumption (rice, cereal or chips) are from whole grains. Even sugary cereals to children and frozen pizzas are now loaded into ingredients for whole grain.

Whole grains provide great fiber, but that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, scientists are not sure yet how food components such as fiber and certain types of materials fat affect the risk of colorectal cancer.

Still, that whole grains contain other substances that may fight cancer (such as lignans, which act as antioxidants and saponins, which may prevent cancer cells from multiplying). Buy the “wheat bread 100% complete” rather than bread labeled “wheat bread”, the latter may contain processed grains. For more lignans, choose a whole wheat bread sprinkled with flax seeds or sesame seeds.

Among other things, the holidays are often a period of poor diet, excessive eating. Bad food happens even in more developed countries, where food is plentiful, but the whole diet is based on a wrong balance of foods. Sounds familiar?

The typical Western diet that is rich in simple carbohydrates – white flour, white salt, and processed foods – is making us grow old. We absorb all essentially true, but without the nutrients. So if you’re vegetarian or omnivore, you can begin to reverse aging by simply choosing to eat the right foods to give you plenty of vitamins, vigor and vitality, especially during the holidays. Here’s why:

1) The spices and herbs to maximize the nutrient density. Herbs and spices contain antioxidants, minerals and multivitamins. At a dinner party, choose the Thai satay chicken rather than chicken fried in slices.

2) The spices and herbs create a thermogenic diets. Because spices are dense in nutrients, they are thermogenic, which means they increase your metabolism naturally. As your metabolism is running at a faster pace, you burn more food than you’ve ever eaten to make fuel for your body, and you store less body fat. At dinner, finish the meal with coffee or tea sprinkled with cinnamon, which contains dozens of nutrients.

3) Some herbs and spices increase your feelings of having a full stomach and satiety, so you eat less. A study conducted at the University Maanstricht the Netherlands has shown that when one consumes a drink with half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes before each meal, the drink reduces caloric meals from 10 to 16%. If you plan a menu for the holidays, consider starting with a tomato soup sprinkled with red pepper.

4) You can remove the salt. When you add flavors to your foods with spices instead of salt, you immediately see the health and physical benefits. The excess salt retains the water inside your body. Once you get rid of the habit of putting too much salt in the dishes, you’ll have no belly swollen or water retention. You will also lose the cravings for salt and salty snacks.

The more you put salt over it trains for you to put even more salt: after a while it is impossible to put only a pinch because you have trained your brain to crave a salty taste for everything you eat. Over time, the use of spices also reduce your cravings for simple snacks low in nutrients because you do not have the nostalgia of a salty flavor. Steer clear of salt and you do your brain and your body a great favor.

Limit the time spent by children watching television to encourage them to do sports
Introducing your children to eat healthily is not all. Playing sports is a good habit too. But have you thought about limiting the time your children spend watching television? According to a U.S. study, there is a direct link between time spent watching TV and the rate of childhood obesity. Watching television is a sedentary activity and passive.

In addition, marketing agencies saturate children advertising clips for unhealthy foods. According to one study, fast food chains are the main target children in their advertising because of the influence of children on parents’ purchasing decisions. These children will also become loyal customers and loyal later, remaining trademark throughout adulthood.

Make a family sport to play sports with your children
Incorporate fitness into the daily life of a family is a good way to encourage children to eat healthy and do sports. Try a walk of 30 minutes after dinner, or go biking with your family once a week. For a really fun activity, organizing a dance party one of these Friday nights at home. Turn off the lights, turn on music and type of heels, and you’ll burn calories while having fun.

Other activities that expend calories, and children will love to include a battle of laser guns, roller skate, play football family. There are thousands of ways to familiarize your children to eat healthy foods and do sports. All you need is a little creativity, to subtly change your children so harmless and recreational (without even realizing it).

Perhaps you’ve heard that lutein, an antioxidant, is good for your eyes. It would also play a role in cancer prevention, but this has not yet been confirmed by a large study. Spinach is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids which remove free radicals (unstable molecules) from your body before it’s damaging. These carotenoids are found in spinach and other leafy vegetables, dark green, and studies show they may protect cancer of the mouth, esophagus and stomach.

A study of more than 490,000 people found that people who eat more spinach have less risk of developing cancer of the esophagus. Studies also suggest that the carotenoids in spinach and other foods also reduce the risk of cancers of the ovary, endometrium, lung and colorectal cancers.

Add to that the folate and fiber (researchers believe they could reduce the risk of some cancers) and you understand why the leafy dark green cocktails are super nutritious. Folate helps your body produce new cells and repair DNA, and is especially important for women of child bearing age because it may prevent neural tube defects in a developing fetus.

You enjoy the best benefits of lutein contained in spinach if eaten raw or lightly cooked. Enjoy them in salads, steamed, sauteed in garlic with olive oil, or mixed with soup. To change, replace them with kale, cabbage riders, chard or romaine lettuce. Spinach is still the star in this category and is in fact the leaf vegetable most nutrient-dense.

People love meat, double cheeseburgers, fried chicken, bacon, everything in fact. We love meat, but most of us do not know they have a dubious reputation.

Previous studies have shown that eating plenty of meat may increase the risk of heart disease and colon cancer. And a new study now suggests that meat and fish, increasing the risk of inflammatory bowel disease.

In a study published in the journal “American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers showed that women who consumed the most animal protein (meat and fish in this study, no dairy products or eggs) were 3 times more risk of suffering from an inflammatory disease of the intestine.

Of the 67,000 women followed over a period of 10 years, only 77 women were diagnosed with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, but 90% of participants consumed a daily amount of animal protein than recommended by nutritionists.

Researchers say that meat increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease because the digestion of animal proteins produce toxic end products such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.

The scientists therefore recommend that women reduce their consumption of food from animals, especially since the study showed that women eating too much meat.

Inflammatory bowel disease can lead to major problems such as Crohn’s disease (chronic inflammation of the entire digestive tract, suspected to be due to an overactive immune system against substances and tissues that are normally present in the body.) ulcerative colitis (ulcerative colitis or) and an increased risk of colon cancer (which develops from the lining of the “large intestine” or colon).

It’s a simple thing. But how can meat improve your healthy life? Just be careful about this several meat. As with most foods, these “worst meat for health” does not pose a problem if eaten occasionally. However, looking instead to eat wild fish, meat and organic vegetables for a healthy and full of protein. As always, be sure to consult a health professional before making drastic dietary changes.

Bacons
The meat is usually the first to cause a frown from your doctor. Surprising? No. Bacon does not particularly beneficial for the body, swims in virtually fat, and is considered the cause of death in some people. Eat two slices of bacon will not harm one morning may not be your health, but you’ll probably feel guilty for the rest of the day.

The main concern caused by the bacon is that it does not satisfy, he “compensates” by things bad for health, which is a bad sum equation. Instead of filling your plate with bacon, you should opt for a plate of slices of bread and eggs to make the meal more satiating.

Pork
This is another suitor in the ranking of the worst meat to be eaten in abundance. Bold and addictive for many people, the pig is a meat that is the nightmare of many followers hungry regime. Unlike bacon, pork tends to be delicious and to be less deprecated in large quantities. It does not have the negative social stigma of bacon. The beef is a good substitute for pork, in the sense that it is less bad. The beef is generally leaner and the protein made by the beef is more useful to the body.

Fried Fish
Fish is generally a very good choice both for those who make arrangements for the general public. The fish is healthy enough, cheap most of the time, and is good for the brain. However, if your fish was swimming in a vat of oil for cooking, you’d better do without. Stay away from fried fish and prefer it grilled or roasted and everything will be better.