Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

According to Ed Edelson of the HealthDay News a recent study published in the March 28 issue of Circulation links high intake of magnesium with a reduced incidence of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome refers to the cluster of conditions that contribute to heart disease and diabetes. Edelson explains:

The components of metabolic syndrome include high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, elevated blood fats and low levels of HDL cholesterol, the "good" kind that helps keep arteries clear. Having at least three of these factors increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The study began in 1985 and monitored more than 4,600 Americans. The conclusion showed that individuals consuming increased amounts of magnesium had a 31 percent lower chance of developing metabolic syndrome than those who did not.

According to researchers good sources of magnesium are halibut, dry roasted almonds, cashews, spinach, whole-grain cereals, avocados, bananas and raisins. Although, Dr. Fuhrman contends you should avoid halibut due to mercury contamination. (More on mercury.)

Dr. Ka He, an assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University encourages people to incorporate nutritious food into their diet when they are young so that can enjoy better health as they age. He urges that eating magnesium-rich food is only part of being healthy:

Magnesium is just a small part of the healthy heart story, He said. The standard recommendations for avoiding smoking, getting more physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer fatty foods are essential for health.

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In his book Eat to Live, on this blog, in the media, and in his practice Dr. Fuhrman often discusses his many patients who have completely reversed their diabetes with diet. Here's a quote from Eat to Live:

Diabetes patients are told to learn to live with their diabetes and to learn to control it because it can't be cured. "No, no, and no!" I say. "Don't live with it, get thin and get rid of it, as many of my patients have!" More than 90 percent of my Type II diabetics are able to eventually discontinue their insulin within the first month.

Here are a couple of sample stories:

• Reversing Diabetes: Harnessing the Power Within Ourselves
• The Diet That Defeats Diabetes

A documentary is currently being made that follows the progress of diabetics who go to a desert spa and give up sugar, junk food, meat, dairy, alcohol, fried foods--and instead eat mainly fresh fruits and vegetables for 30 days.

The diabetes, at least in many cases, effectively disappears.

You can watch an early version of the documentary online, which is well worth it. (If you have trouble opening that video file--it uses Windows Media Player--click here for more options.) Very interesting stuff. You can learn more about the movie on the official website.

Via We Like it Raw

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In Eat to Live Dr. Fuhrman warns against eating regular quantities of animal products, refined grains, and oils, urging you instead to get most of your calories from vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, and raw nuts:

Vegetable and fruits protect all types of cancers if consumed in large enough quantities. Hundreds of scientific studies document this. The most prevalent cancers in our country are mostly plant-food-deficiency disease. Raw vegetables have the most powerful anti-cancer properties of all foods.

Research shows that those who avoid meat and diary have lower rates heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.1

Studies have confirmed that individuals consuming a vegetarian diet (one based on plant matter and not dairy or refined grains) live longer than non-vegetarians and almost never get heart attacks.

With this in mind, consider this recent weight loss study from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. The eating habits of 22,000 people, meat eaters and vegetarians, were tracked over five years. In the end results found that all participants gained a few pounds, but individuals who adopted a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least. Reuters reports:

"The weight gain was less in the vegans than in the meat-eaters and somewhere in between in the other groups," said Tim Key, of Britain's Cancer Research UK charity and the University of Oxford, who conducted the study.

"The lowest weight gain was in people who changed their diet to eat fewer animal products," he told Reuters.

In addition to stressing the importance of physical activity for sustained health, the study also comments on the link between diet and cancer:

[The study] also showed that diet is second only to tobacco, as a leading cause of cancer, and, along with alcohol, is responsible for nearly a third of cancer cases in developed countries.

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DiseaseProof isn't the only online information source for healthy eating and living. Recently Dr. Fuhrman came across InformedEating.org an organization that advocates a diet based on whole, unprocessed, organically grown plant foods; very similar to Dr. Fuhrman's position. Their current newsletter has lots of articles worth reading:

• Kraft and Philip Morris Scientists Caught Comparing Notes
• Economics of Fast Food: It's the Burgers Stupid
• Industrialized Food Linked to Mental Illness
• Kellogg and Nick Sued Over Food Marketing
• Update on Connecticut's School Food Battle
• Florida Students Protest Candy Sale
• Suing the Pants Off SpongeBob

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