Foods To Help You Feel Better

6 ways to add mood-boosting foods to your diet. Are you feeling down in the dumps? Are you irritated at how often you’ve been irritable? Perhaps it’s time to look at the foods and drinks you consume to see if they are trashing your mood. Nutrition experts say that the foods you eat can help you feel better -- or feel worse -- in the short-term and the long-term.  Meal-to-meal and day-to-day, keeping your blood sugars steady and your gastrointestinal (GI) tract running smoothly will help you feel good and energetic. If your blood sugars are on a roller-coaster ride -- hitting highs and lows from too much sugar and refined flour – you are more likely to feel out of sorts. This is also true if your gastrointestinal system is distressed due to intense hunger from a fad diet or constipation because you aren’t getting enough fiber and water. Week-to-week and month-to-month, keeping your body healthy and disease-free makes good moods more likely. For example, key nutrients you get in certain foods can influence the levels of feel-good hormones such as serotonin. Other nutrients can help prevent inflammation so blood circulates well to all of your organs. “Eating a heart healthy diet -- high in fiber and low inFor saturated fat -- is a great place to start to boost your mood. There isn’t any question about it, says Diane M. Becker MPH, ScD, director of the Center for Health Promotion at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Conversely, “a high-fat, high-glycemic load meal can make you physically feel dysfunction in your body. People who eat this type of meal tend to feel bad and sleepy afterwards,” she says. 6 Tips for Foods and Beverages That Help You Feel Good Seek out foods rich in vitamin B12 and folic acid (folate). What’s special about chili made with kidney beans and lean beef? Or a light chicken Caesar salad made with skinless chicken breast and romaine lettuce? Or grilled salmon with a side of broccoli? All these dishes feature one food that is rich in folic acid (folate) and another that is rich in vitamin B12. These two vitamins appear to help prevent disorders of the central nervous system, mood disorders, and dementias, says Edward Reynolds, MD, at the Institute of Epileptology, King’s College, London. The link between higher food intakes of folate and a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms crosses cultures, too. A recent study confirmed this association in Japanese men.  Folic acid is usually found in beans and greens. Vitamin B12 is found in meats, fish, poultry, and dairy. Other dishes that feature B-12 and folic acid-rich foods include: A burrito or enchilada made with black beans plus beef, chicken, or pork A spinach salad topped with crab or salmon An egg white or egg substitute omelet filled with sautéed spinach and reduced-fat cheese 2. Enjoy fruits and vegetables in a big way. Fruits and vegetables are packed with key nutrients and antioxidant photochemical, which directly contribute to your health and health-related quality of life. In a one study, eating two more servings of fruits and vegetables a day was associated with an 11% higher likelihood of good functional health. People who ate the highest amount of fruits and vegetables feltbetter about their health. 3. Eat selenium-rich foods every day. Selenium is a mineral that acts like an antioxidant in the body. What do antioxidants have to do with feeling better and minimizing bad moods? Research suggests that the presence of oxidative stress in the brain is associated with some cases of mild to moderate depression in the elderly population. One study evaluated the depression scores of elderly people whose daily diet was either supplemented with 200 micrograms of selenium a day or a placebo. Although more research is needed to confirm the findings, the group taking selenium had higher amounts of selenium circulating in their blood and significant decreases in their depression symptoms. Try to get at least the recommended daily allowance for selenium: 55 micrograms a day for men and women. Whole grains are an excellent source of selenium. By eating several servings a day of whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-grain bread, and brown rice, you can easily get 70 micrograms of selenium. Other foods rich in selenium include: Beans and legumes Lean meat (lean pork or beef, skinless chicken or turkey) Low-fat dairy foods Nuts and seeds (especially Brazil nuts) Seafood (oysters, clams, crab, sardines, and fish) 4. Eat fish several times a week. Several recent studies have suggested that men and women have a lower risk of having symptoms of depression if they eat a lot of fish, particularly fatty fish like salmon, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s from fish seem to have positive effects on clinically defined mood swings such as postpartum depression, says Jay Whelan, PhD, head of the department of nutrition at the University of Tennessee. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include: Herring Rainbow trout Salmon Sardines Tuna 5. Get a daily dose of vitamin D. Does a little time in the sun seem to make you feel better? The sun’s rays allow our bodies to synthesize and regulate vitamin D.  Four recent studies showed an association between low serum levels of vitamin D and higher incidences of four mood disorders: PMS, seasonal affective disorder, nonspecified mood disorder, and major depressive disorder. Researcher Pamela K. Murphy, PhD, at the Medical University of South Carolina says people can help manage their moods by getting at least 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day. That’s significantly more than the RDA for vitamin D, which is 200 IU for adults under 50, 400 IU for ages 51 to 70, and 600 IU for people over 70. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. So she recommends we get vitamin D from a variety of sources: short periods of sun exposure, vitamin D supplements, and foods. Vitamin D can be found in: Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel Beef liver Cheese Egg yolks But our primary source of dietary vitamin D is fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals, breads, juices, and milk. 6. Treat Yourself to 1 oz of Chocolate “Small amounts of dark chocolate can be a physical upper,” says Becker at Johns Hopkins. “Dark chocolate has an effect on the levels of brain endorphins,” those feel-good chemicals that our bodies produce. Not only that, but dark chocolate also seems to have a heart-healthy anti-clogging effect in our blood vessels. In one study from the Netherlands, Dutch men who ate 1/3 of a chocolate bar each day had lower levels of blood pressure and lower rates of heart disease. The chocolate also boosted their general sense of well-being. How Foods and Beverages May Make You Feel Bad Just as some foods can help you feel better, others can make you feel down. Here are ways to reduce the harmful effects of three foods that can drag you down.   Reduce foods high in saturated fat. Saturated fat is well known for its role in promoting heart disease and some types of cancer. Nowresearchers suspect saturated fat also play a role in depression. The link was found in a study called the Coronary Health Improvement Project, which followed 348 people between the 24 and 81. A decrease in saturated fat over a six-week period was associated with a decrease in depression.  2. Limit alcohol carefully. That “feel-good” drink, alcohol, is actually a depressant. In small doses, alcohol can produce a temporary feeling of euphoria. But the truth is that alcohol is a chemical depressant to the human brain and affects all nerve cells. Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed, people can go quickly from feeling relaxed to experiencing exaggerated emotions and impaired coordination. It’s no coincidence that depressive disorders often co-occur with substance abuse, and one of the main forms of substance abuse in this country is alcohol. Don’t go crazy with caffeine. Caffeine can increase irritability a couple of ways. If the caffeine you consume later in the day disrupts your nighttime sleeping, you are likely to be cranky and exhausted until you get a good night’s rest. Caffeine can also bring on a burst or two of energy, often ending with a spiral into fatigue. Some people are more sensitive than others to the troublesome effects of caffeine. If you are sensitive to caffeine, decrease the amount of coffee, tea, and sodas you drink to see if this helps uplift your mood and energy level, particularly in the latter part of the day. Source: Google Health News www.webmd.com

Swearing Makes You Feel Less Pain

That muttered curse word that reflexively comes out when you stub your toe could actually make it easier to bear the throbbing pain, a new study suggests. Swearing is a common response to pain, but no previous research has connected the uttering of an expletive to the actual physical experience of pain. "Swearing has been around for centuries and is an almost universal human linguistic phenomenon," said Richard Stephens of Keele University in England and one of the authors of the new study. "It taps into emotional brain centers and appears to arise in the right brain, whereas most language production occurs in the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain.“ Stephens and his fellow Keele researchers John Atkins and Andrew Kingston sought to test how swearing would affect an individual's tolerance to pain. Because swearing often has an exaggerating effect that can overstate the severity of pain, the team thought that swearing would lessen a person's tolerance. As it turned out, the opposite seems to be true. The researchers enlisted 64 undergraduate volunteers and had them submerge their hand in a tub of ice water for as long as possible while repeating a swear word of their choice. The experiment was then repeated with the volunteer repeating a more common word that they would use to describe a table. Contrary to what the researcher expected, the volunteers kept their hands submerged longer while repeating the swear word. The researchers think that the increase in pain tolerance occurs because swearing triggers the body's natural "fight-or-flight" response. Stephens and his colleagues suggest that swearing may increase aggression (seen in accelerated heart rates), which downplays weakness to appear stronger or more macho. "Our research shows one potential reason why swearing developed and why it persists," Stephens said. The results of the study are detailed in the Aug. 5 issue of the journal NeuroReport. Source: Google Health News www.foxnews.com

Obese Kids May Have Obese Same Sex Parent

A new study from the Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in England indicates that an obese child is most likely to have a parent of the same sex battling obesity as well. The study that involved 226 families showed that obese fathers are six times as more likely to have a son that is also obese. The study also indicated that obese mothers are ten times more likely to have a daughter that is obese. However, there seemed to be no link in obesity to obese parents with children of the opposite sex. More specifically, researchers found that 41% of young girls with obese mothers were also obese in comparison to 4% of obese girls with mothers of a normal weight. There was no difference in the proportion to the obese boys of overweight mothers. Similarly, 18% of obese boys had obese fathers as well compared to 3% of obese boys that had fathers of an average weight. There was no difference in the percentage of obese girls of overweight fathers in comparison to fathers of a normal weight. Popular previous belief is that being an obese child leads to an obese adult. Controversially, they found in the study that eight of ten obese adults were not obese as children. The study also indicates thatobese children don’t cause obese adults, but that obese adults (of same sex parents) cause or leads to obese children. The study also indicates that it highly improbable that the findings are some sort of genetic link. In fact, researchers believe that it’s some sort of behavioral copying or possibly even a behavioral sympathy when a child has a same sex parent that is obese. These findings indicate that we should be focusing more on the behavior and patterns of the parents rather than the eating habits and behaviors of the children. The results of this study are encouraging people to look in a new direction and perhaps tackle the problem of obesity in children from a different angle. Source: Google Health News

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Falls Short In Alzheimer's Trials

(HealthDay News) -- Two trials that looked at whether the omega-3 fatty acid DHA might treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease have produced mixed results. The studies were done because of "a long history of epidemiological studies that related fish consumption to cognitive function," explained Bill Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. Fish is rich in DHA, but the research scheduled to be presented Sunday at the association's annual meeting in Vienna, Austria, used DHA derived from algae. An 18-month study of people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease "did not show treatment benefit in the study population as a whole, and does not support use of DHA for treatment of Alzheimer's disease," said study author Dr. Joseph Quinn, an associate professor of neurology at Oregon Health and Science University. However, Quinn added that there was "an encouraging analysis of a subpopulation of the larger study," showing a slower rate of decline in mental function among those who did not have the e4 version of the APOE gene. That version is known to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Between 70 percent and 80 percent of people have that gene version, Quinn estimated. Still, "we're not prepared to conclude that e4-negative people should be on DHA," Quinn said. "We don't know a mechanism that would account for a benefit in e4-negative people and we don't know if our exploratory analysis would be confirmed in future trials.“ His study, funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, included 402 people, average age 76, with a daily dietary intake of less than 200 milligrams a day. Some took 2,000-milligram DHA supplements while others took a placebo. All underwent standard tests of mental function over the 18-month trial. The slower rate of decline seen in e4-deficient participants did not reach statistical significance. The second study was a six-month trial of 900 milligrams a day of DHA in 485 people, average age 70, who did not have Alzheimer's disease but had mild complaints about memory loss. Those taking the supplement made fewer errors on one memory test. That trial was funded by the Martek Biosciences Corp., which markets the DHA used in both studies. The results indicate that DHA supplements are appropriate for "people who have very mild memory complaints, which applies to a large percentage of the population at this age," said Karin Yurko-Mauro, associate director of clinical research at Martek Biosciences. "We're not talking about a disease stage here." The company is "looking at the potential for more trials," but is still evaluating data from the completed study, Yurko-Mauro said. "The results are certainly interesting," Thies said. "There was some improvement in memory. Then you can get into a debate about what the real-world benefit would be of that improvement in memory.“ What is needed, Thies said, is a major trial for people with no Alzheimer's disease but some memory problems. "DHA is a great candidate for such a trial because it is a food supplement that is currently available," he said. Meanwhile, Thies said, "it is too early" to make a recommendation about use of DHA supplements to prevent loss of mental function. "You would want to see more information in normal people before you make a recommendation," Thies said. "In high doses, DHA does have side effects, so you would want to see a benefit to justify the risk you are taking. We need more work for that." More information The latest information on Alzheimer's disease is available from the Alzheimer's Association. Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved. Source: Google Health News

Menstrual Periods: Clues To Ovarian Cancer

Those who had their first period before age 12 were 51% more likely to die from ovarian cancer compared to those who had their first period at age 14 or later. In recent years, the age of first period has declined, Robbins and other say. For instance, Wright State University researchers recently found that girls born in the 1980s had an average age of 12.3 years when they had their first period. The study is published in the American Journal of Human Biology. Women with the highest number of lifetime ovulatory cycles were 67% more likely to die of ovarian cancer than those in the group with the lowest number of cycles. The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Other Opinions The new study ''does suggest that some kind of hormonal factors that are tied into lifetime ovulatory cycles and age at menarche may play into a more aggressive ovarian cancer," says Andrew Li, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. However, the study has several limitations, he tellsWebMD. The women in the study may not be representative of a typical ovarian cancer patient, who is often diagnosed in her late 50s or 60s. In the Robbins study, more than 74% of the women were 50 or younger. The women in the study had been diagnosed from 1980 to 1982, Li notes, and today's treatments for ovarian cancer are different and improved. While the study findings primarily point to a need for more research, ''this study would suggest taking oral contraceptive pills [earlier in life] would also improve [women's] survival should they be unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer," Li says. Both risk factors found to be associated with the higher risk of death from ovarian cancer in the study add up to more lifetime exposure to ovarian hormones, says Mary B. Daly, MD, PhD, director of the Personalized Cancer Risk Assessment Program at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, who also reviewed the study for WebMD. "This is the first time I've seen a study to relate those two factors to survival from ovarian cancer," Daly says. Other research has found a consistent link between fewer ovulatory cycles and a lower risk of ovarian cancer, the researchers note, while research on the age at first period and ovarian cancer risk is inconsistent. Daly, too, cites limitations in the study, also pointing out that the average age of the patients in the study is much younger than the typical average age of an ovarian cancer patient. "It is not exactly a representative population," she says. There's no immediate take-home message for women, she says, but the study does pose an important question for researchers to answer next.  And that is: "What is it about hormone exposure that can change the biology of ovarian cancer and make it more aggressive?" Source: Google Health News www.webmd.com