Jon's Health Tips - Latest Health Research

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I try to eat a lot of tomatoes and tomato sauce - but I can do even more:

Health benefits of eating tomatoes

Eating more tomatoes and tomato products can make people healthier and decrease the risk of conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease...

The researchers found that tomatoes are the biggest source of dietary lycopene; a powerful antioxidant that, unlike nutrients in most fresh fruits and vegetables, has even greater bioavailability after cooking and processing. Tomatoes also contain other protective mechanisms, such as antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory functions. Research has additionally found a relationship between eating tomatoes and a lower risk of certain cancers as well as other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, ultraviolet light–induced skin damage, and cognitive dysfunction.

I've stepped up my intake of Vitamin D after reading this:

Higher vitamin D intake needed to reduce cancer risk

"We found that daily intakes of vitamin D by adults in the range of 4000-8000 IU are needed to maintain blood levels of vitamin D metabolites in the range needed to reduce by about half the risk of several diseases - breast cancer, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes."

also:
Vitamin D Fights Lung Cancer

I don't drink herbal tea, and probably never will:

Herbal Teas Offer Health Benefits

I'm kind of worried about this report:

Don't Worry - Be Happy and You Will Live Longer

A review of more than 160 studies of human and animal subjects has found “clear and compelling evidence” that – all else being equal – happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers. “We reviewed eight different types of studies. the general conclusion from each type of study is that your subjective well-being – that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed – contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations.”

I don't drink soda, and only a little bit of orange juice with tea(it greatly increases the benefit of green tea) , so I'm not directly involved in the soda, especially diet soda, controversy, but a lot of people close to me may need to re-think there soda habits:

Sugar-sweetened drinks associated with higher blood pressure

Diet soda may raise odds of vascular events

Study related to diet soda and stroke risk is seriously flawed

I'm still trying to bring my alcohol consumption up to the "moderate" level on a daily basis:

Drinking Alcohol in Moderation Protects Against Heart Disease

Individuals who drink alcohol in moderation (about one drink a day or less) are 14-25% less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who drink no alcohol at all.

I continue to eat some nuts every day, but I have added more pecans to the mix:

Antioxidants in pecans may contribute to heart health and disease prevention

I haven't tracked my PSA levels as carefully as I should, but this is big news:

Change in PSA Level Does Not Predict Prostate Cancer

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have found that change in PSA levels over time - known as PSA velocity - is a poor predictor of prostate cancer and may lead to many unnecessary biopsies.

I'm happy to say I'm back on an aspirin regimen:

Aspirin, Cost-Effective Heart Disease Prevention

"This analysis supports the role of aspirin for primary prevention of cardio heart disease events in middle-aged men across a range of cardio heart disease and gastrointestinal bleeding risk levels. Increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding does not reduce aspirin's net benefit until gastrointestinal bleeding risk becomes quite high."

I'm working hard trying to get back into shape so that I can actually do this:

Endurance Exercise Prevents Premature Aging

I'm not really worried about pneumonia, other than how to spell it, and I gave up Vitamin E some time ago because of similar ambiguous results, but this is really strange:

Vitamin E may increase or decrease the risk of pneumonia depending on smoking and exercise

Vitamin E decreased pneumonia risk by 69% among participants who had the least exposure to smoking and exercised during leisure time. In contrast, vitamin E increased pneumonia risk by 79% among those who had the highest exposure to smoking and did not exercise.

In my last report, I mentioned that while I'm not worried about osteoporosis (other than spelling, again) I might be happy taking biosphophonates to fight it - since they seemed to add 5 years to life expectancies - now we have some specific evidence:

Bisphosphonates, acting like statins, fight colorectal cancer.

The use of bisphosphonates for more than one year was associated with a 50 percent reduction in the risk of postmenopausal colorectal cancer.

But because the bisphosphonates act much like statins, I may be already covered.

NAC is not my anti-oxidant of choice, but here is more evidence antioxidants fight cancer:

NAC can help prevent and treat cancers

I hope I remember this the next time I have a cold:

Zinc reduces the burden of the common cold

I'm going to keep on eating lots of oatmeal and other fiber, eating lots of fish and taking fish oil, and will try to add more berries to my diet.

Fiber intake associated with reduced risk of death

Diets High in Fish Oil Fight Bad Alzheimer Genes

Fish Oil Protects Against Cardiovascular Disease

Omega 3's prevent several forms of blindness

Eating berries may lower risk of Parkinson's