Jon's Health Tips

I try to drink 4 cups of strong white tea daily (with a little orange juice.) Here's why:

Health Benefits of White and Green Tea Consumption

I wish I knew this while studying for exams:

Brief Exercise Immediately Enhances Memory

I'm glad I take a statin and exercise (but see the link below on the wrong kind of exercise)

Statins Plus Exercise Best at Lowering Cholesterol

People who exercise along with taking statins to lower their high cholesterol levels can dramatically reduce their risk of dying, a large new study suggests....If you are taking statins, your mortality is about 35 percent lower versus not taking statins, but if you exercise, your mortality level decreases as your fitness level increases to the point where you can reach a 70 percent reduction in mortality.

Active Lifestyle Boosts Brain Structure and Slows Alzheimer’s Disease




I really believe moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is one of the 5 essentials for good health (along with healthy diet, exercise, fish oil and aspirin), but it's the one I have the hardest time adhering to. I struggle to have at least one drink a day (and it's often beer rather than red wine) and only rarely have two, which seems to be the right amount.

The purpose of my Health News Report blog is as much to keep me informed and motivated as it is to share this information, and it is for that purpose that I have prepared a comprehensive review of the latest research:

Health Benefits of Alcohol Consumption

I wish my parents knew this when I was young (I had a ton of cavities)

Vitamin D = lower rates of tooth decay


I'm big on all three:

Reading, Writing and Playing Games May Help Aging Brains Stay Healthy

I began using coffee a few months ago before soccer games but have stepped up using it recently as I read about its health benefits, The review below of research on those benefits leaves be wondering why I did not start much earlier, and inspires me to step it up now:

Health Benefits of Coffee Consumption

This is very bad news - I exercise intensely for 2 hours twice a week - 3 times a week April-September (soccer). I may be doing myself more harm than good?

Limit vigorous exercise to 30 to 50 minutes a day max, say researchers

Vigorous exercise is good for health, but only if it's limited to a maximum daily dose of between 30 and 50 minutes, say researchers in an editorial published online in Heart.

The idea that more and more high intensity exercise, such as marathons, can only do you good, is a myth say the US cardiologists, and the evidence shows that it's likely to more harm than good to your heart...

"A routine of moderate physical activity will add life to your years as well as years to your life. In contrast, running too far, too fast, and for too many years may speed one's progress to towards the finishing line of life."

"Chronic extreme exercise appears to cause excessive ‘wear-and-tear’ on the heart, inducing adverse structural and electrical remodelling, which offsets some of the CV benefits and longevity improvements conferred by moderate physical activity. Thus, even though chronic extreme exercise may not kill you, it may erase many of the health advantages of regular moderate exercise. "

I'm glad I take aspirin:

Aspirin use = lower risk of death from chronic liver disease

I'm glad I have continued to take Omega-3 supplements and eat a lot of fish, despite a report saying it was of no use to prevent heart attack/stroke.

ANALYSIS OF FISH OIL STUDIES FINDS THAT OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS STILL MATTER

Literally hundreds of clinical trials, including some that have gained widespread attention, have been done on the possible benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of heart disease – producing conflicting results, varied claims, and frustrated consumers unsure what to believe.

A recent analysis done by scientists in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, has sorted through many of these competing findings, and it helps to explain why so many of the studies seem to arrive at differing conclusions.

The review concludes that both fish consumption and dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplements may still help prevent heart disease...
Among the findings of this review:

- An important type of omega-3 fatty acid for human health is DHA, which is the predominant omega-3 fatty acid that accumulates in tissues.
- Plant-derived sources of these fatty acids, such as flaxseed oil or chia seeds, have less benefit than those from cold-water fish, because of differences in how the human body processes these nutrients.
- For individuals unwilling or unable to consume fish or fish-oil supplements, some products made from yeast or algae are high quality.
- It’s difficult to be certain of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in farm-raised fish, since these fish require dietary omega-3 supplementation.

I have concluded that if I have already decided to do some extremely dangerous, but have absolutely no control over the outcome, I should get roaring drunk:


Alcohol provides protective effect, reduces mortality substantial

Injured patients were less likely to die in the hospital if they had alcohol in their blood, according to a study from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health -- and the more alcohol, the more likely they were to survive.