Drinking beats Exercise for Heart Health?

I've blogged about the possible health benefits of alcohol consumption before (see the links below). In one post, I discussed red wine consumption, resveratrol, and expressed my feeling that, if you're diabetic, and are going to drink anything at all it should be a very, very, dry red wine. In another post, I discussed red wine again and the polyphenols that are present in it.

Today, I came across an interesting article written by Dr. Sanjay Gupta that put forth an "interesting" notion, which is that you may be able to trade off daily exercise for one to two drinks per day.

You can see why I put the word "interesting" in quotes. I don't think any sane person would literally recommend giving up exercise in favor of hitting the bottle, even if the alcohol consumption is minimal. However, the information Gupta reported was nonetheless interesting (that word again).

As Gupta states, in a cardiovascular sense, exercise and alcohol affect people in similar ways. Namely, when it comes to cholesterol. They both raise HDL, or high density lipoproteins.

HDL is something you want high levels of because it helps get rid of fatty buildup along the interior walls of blood vessels (which form as a result of LDL cholesterol).

Interesting points from the article:

1. The highest rates of cardiovascular disease are seen in people who neither exercise nor use alcohol.

2. Moderate consumption and exercise lowers the risk by half.

3. Alcohol consumption, in combination with caffeine, may lower insulin resistance.

Here are those two prior posts I mentioned:

English cider apples are rich in polyphenols which are also found in Red Wine

Are there health benefits to Drinking - Is it healthy?

How will you know when a ferret is sleepy and should go to bed?

Chloe "thinks" she will tear up my plant

Well, one question to deal with is, Will you know? Ferrets seem to be notorious for wandering off and falling asleep. This wouldn't be so much of a problem were it not for the fact that they can do this at, practically, any moment, at any time.

So, let's say you've let your ferret out for a morning jaunt, but you have to be somewhere in an hour and a half. You better watch your ferret, because after he/she has done some playing, running around and investigating (a never-ending pursuit in the ferret world), and eating...your pet could decide to amble off and take a siesta... in a drawer, under a couch or chair (where all sorts of valuables have been stolen and stashed), under your bed's comforter, or even under your kitchen sink.

Obviously, a ferret pulling a houdini act could put a definite crimp in your plans for the day, especially if you are running on a tight schedule.

However, I've noticed with Chloe that events tend to happen in this order:

1. get out of cage,

2. run around checking to see if there's anything new in the house,

3. brief play with owner,

4. checking to see if stolen-goods caches are ok,

5. more running around,

6. more play,

7. mischievous event of the day,

8. settling down at the bowl on the kitchen floor for a good meal.

Chloe tends to eat at the end of her jaunt, after which she gets sleepy. So, I keep an eye on her and I know that when the crunching begins its time to keep an eye on her before she disappears for several hours into some place unknown.



Chloe the ferret - a Mini Blog about Ferrets

Bodybuilding and nutrition

Here's an article by Opal Tribble on bodybuilding and nutrition. Good nutrition is one of the cornerstones of bodybuilding and strength training, as important as good workouts and good genetics. You simply cannot build power and muscle without supplying the body with the proper foods, including optimal amounts of high quality protein as well as the nutrients that are necessary to allow the body's metabolic processes to operate at peak efficiency.

Here's the article: Bodybuilding: The Importance Of Nutrition

The Ferret Clown car

Here's a pretty funny ferret video, even if it is fairly short. Almost makes me wish I had more than one ferret...almost, but not quite.

Why the issue of nutrient supplementation is fluid and complex

In the previous post (Vitamin D Supplementation, I pointed out that a number of nutrition researchers are of the belief that the current recommendations for vitamin D intake are too low.

However, here's one of the problems with advocating any level of nutrient supplementation: the benefits of supplementation are not really cut-and-dried and, very often, it happens to be the case that ongoing research presents information and conclusions that seem contradictory to previous information, perhaps even undermining the possible basis for supplementation.

The article linked below states, with regard to vitamin D:

1. Ingested vitamin D (supplementation versus natural food sources) may suppress the immune system.

2. Vitamin D intake may make certain disease processes worse.

Unfortunately, when we're talking about nutrient supplements, we may often be speaking from a podium constructed on shifting sands.

Vitamin D may make things worse

Vitamin D Supplementation

Increasingly, it is thought that many westerners are now deficient in their levels of vitamin D. This is partially due to the fact that many individuals now spend the majority of each day inside and out of the sun (the best source of vitamin D), and also due to the fact that there are very few natural food sources for vitamin D, aside from cold water fish and enriched milk.

What are the benefits of vitamin D? Many or most of us have grown up knowing that this mineral is beneficial for strong bones and teeth. However, most of us haven't a clue as to the role this nutrient may play in other areas, such immune and brain functioning, and the likelihood of developing prostate and breast cancer.

Can you get enough vitamin D from a typical diet? This is debatable, and, as more time passes, increasingly a contentious issue. There are those who believe that a standard (and balanced diet) will generally provide every nutrient that is needed by the human body.

However, the percentage of the population that actually gets something akin to a consistently nutritious and balanced diet may be fairly low. And, then again, there is that fact that we have, as a society, become much more sedentary in our work and recreation, and more reliant on processed foods that are high in sodium, fat (not the good kind) and calories and low in nutritional value.

Individuals who believe in supplementation, including a number of noteworthy gerontologists, contend that:

1. There are optimal levels of nutrient substances, that, if maintained within the human body, may lead to optimal health.

2. These optimal levels of antioxidants and other nutrients are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to obtain through dietary intake alone.

Dr. Michael Holick, a researcher at the Boston University Medical Center, has stated that more than one-third of the U.S. population, perhaps half, is either chronically or seasonally deficient in vitamin D. Other researchers believe that the current recommended levels of vitamin D are too low and that the guidelines may increase, at some point, from 200 IUs (international units) daily to between 800 and 1000 international units daily.

Alternative Medicine and Migraines

Here's some information I just came across that is fairly interesting. of course, some might find it questionable until they read the source.

Alternative therapies for individuals who have migraines can potentially include the following:

1. Acupuncture treatment

2. Biofeedback

3. Yoga

4. Supplementation with coenzyme q-10, magnesium, and feverfew.

The source of the information? A neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Jerry Swanson. He does, of course, caution individuals to consult with a physician before embarking on alternative therapies. If for no other reason, this is simply to avoid situations that may arise due to one's existing medical conditions or one's current medication regimen.