The world’s life expectancy is now about 68 years, although it varies greatly depending on the country (from 82.7 years in Japan to mid 40’s in several countries in Africa). Yet in most countries, there is typically less than one centenarian (a person who lives to be a hundred or more) per 5,000 people. This […]
Every year hundreds of the world’s top cancer scientists converge to discuss the latest on diet and cancer. What can you learn from them? First some background. We all have cancer cells in our body. With cancer, the quantity is what makes the difference. One cancer cell never hurts anyone, and neither will a few […]
Stress has an adverse affect on our health. When we are stressed out, the body produces several hormones, including the notorious ‘stress hormone’ cortisol. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels and suppresses the immune system. Long-term high levels of cortisol often cause abdominal fat to accumulate, elevate blood pressure and may even cause blood sugar imbalance. Stress […]
Did you know that certain foods or food components may provide health and wellness benefits? These foods, also known as “functional foods,” may play a role in improving overall well-being and reducing or minimizing the risk of certain diseases and other health conditions [1]. Functional foods are sometimes defined as “foods with benefits beyond basic […]
The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) seminal study of preventable medical errors showed that in the United States side effects from prescription drugs kill an estimated 106,000 Americans a year, the sixth leading cause of death. This is from adverse drug reactions alone. If you add in medical mistakes (which the Institute of Medicine estimates kills at […]
In 2008, the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified cancer as one of the four leading threats to human health and development (along with cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes). We previously saw that in most cases cancer is a preventable disease, and that plant-based foods slow and may even reverse the growth of cancer cells. But from […]