The Sunny Truth

With springtime here and summer time right around the corner, many people are once again becoming concerned about exposure to sunlight, but the latest research may really surprise you.

A recent study by researchers at the University of California found that solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation can significantly reduce the risk of 16 different types of cancer by naturally stimulating the production of vitamin D in the skin. The study's authors are Cedric F. Garland, Dr.P.H., from the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and William B. Grant, Ph.D., director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC) www.sunarc.org/about.htm

"Enhancing vitamin D status appears to be the single most important simple thing people can do to reduce their risk of cancer, apart from avoiding tobacco and moderation in the intake of alcohol," say Cedric Garland and William Grant.

It has been frequently reported that those who work outdoors have a reduced risk of developing melanoma [Garland et al., 1990; Kennedy et al., 2004]. The reasons appear to be twofold:

• They develop a tan that blocks the penetration of ultraviolet radiation so it can't produce the free radicals that can lead to melanoma.
• They produce lots of vitamin D.

The researchers recommend that people get their vitamin D from exposure to natural sunlight. Fair-skinned people who live in sunny regions of the country can produce about 1,500 IU of vitamin D in 20 minutes of exposure at noon if only 10 to 20 percent of their body is exposed -- such as chest, back and arms. People should try to expose more of their skin surface for a shorter amount of time, rather than stay in the sun longer with minimal skin exposure, the study says. Darker-skinned people may need up to four times as long to make the same amount of vitamin D as fair-skinned people.

The study recommends wearing hats to avoid prolonged sun exposure on more sensitive parts of the body, such as the face, and to keep moving when in the sun. Garland and Grant caution fair-skinned people to avoid overexposure, since the skin produces sufficient vitamin D in just 20 minutes a day.
 A new and gathering body of evidence seems to indicate that the benefits of sunlight, in general, greatly outweigh the risks.   So grab a bag of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy food, take a walk in the park, and make a little sunshine a part of each and every day.

Organic Phi Plus – “The Healthiest Food In The World”

Cinnamon

The use of Cinnamon as a spice and as a medicine dates back to 2000 BC.  Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetics, a study has found. The effect, which can be produced even by soaking a cinnamon stick your tea, could also benefit millions of non-diabetics who have blood sugar problem but are unaware of it.

The discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. "We were looking at the effects of common foods on blood sugar; one was the American favorite, apple pie, which is usually spiced with cinnamon. We expected it to be bad. But it helped," he says.

The active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP. In test tube experiments, MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptor, and works synergistically with insulin in cells.

To see if it would work in people, Alam Khan, who was a postdoctoral fellow in Anderson's lab, organized a study in Pakistan. Volunteers with Type 2 diabetes were given one, three or six grams of cinnamon powder a day, in capsules after meals.

All responded within weeks, with blood sugar levels that were on average 20 per cent lower than a control group. Some even achieved normal blood sugar levels. Tellingly, blood sugar started creeping up again after the diabetics stopped taking cinnamon.

In the volunteers, the Cinnamon also lowered blood levels of fats and "bad" cholesterol, which are also partly controlled by insulin. And in test tube experiments it neutralized free radicals, damaging chemicals which are elevated in diabetics.

Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida.

You will find Cinnamon used in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods including Phi Plus, Apple Cinnamon Phi, DetoxiPhi, Joule and Cornaborealis.

Food For Thought

Recent studies have found a link between physical fitness and academic performance in children.  Studies have also shown that children, who eat breakfast daily, do better in school.  But there's surprisingly little research focused on the link between a child's overall diet and his or her performance in school.

 Dr. Paul J. Veugelers of the University of Alberta in Edmonton and his colleagues have recently completed such a study. Their findings are published in the April, 2008, issue of the Journal of School Health. They studied the eating habits of 4,600 Nova Scotia 5th graders, noting that about 20% of them had failed the standard 5th grade reading test. 

 The findings indicate that healthy eating habits were associated with significantly better test scores. The healthy habits turned out to be a quality diet, adequate amounts of food, variety of food, plenty of fruits and vegetables, enough protein, enough fiber and getting fewer calories from fat. The results held even after adjusting the data for the effects of household income, parental education, school, and gender.

 As parents, we all want our children to have the advantages and opportunities of a good education. Wholefood Farmacy foods can be a big part of your solution. Kids love them because they taste great - parents love them because they're convenient.

Healthy Spices

Antioxidants are those nutrients in whole foods that keep diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer away. When you think about antioxidants, fruits and vegetables usually come to mind. But those aren't the only foods where these health boosting nutrients are hiding.  

New research shows that herbs and spices also pack a powerful punch when it comes to antioxidants. A USDA study looked at nearly 40 common herbs and spices to test their antioxidant activity.  Oregano emerged as the leader of the pack.  

Researchers found that oregano has 3 to 20 times more antioxidant activity than the other herbs studied. In fact, it has more than many fruits and vegetables. Oregano has 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges and 4 times more than blueberries. But that's not the only herb or spice that can improve your health. Dill, thyme, sage, rosemary, ginger and even peppermint have high antioxidant levels too.

The main ingredient in curry is Turmeric, from which a spice called Curcumin is derived. Sally Frautschy, Ph.D., is a researcher from UCLA who has done extensive testing on Curcumin. She says that “we accidentally found out that it blocks every single step in Alzheimer's pathogenesis and it kills nearly every cancer cell in the lab.”  In India, curry is part of the staple diet; they also have the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease in the world. 

Marcia Herrin, R.D., a nutritionist at the Dartmouth Medical School says "practically every herb and spice that's been studied has some health benefit," herbs and spices are loaded with antioxidants, but we may not be getting those benefits as much as we could. Herrin says Americans don't use many herbs and spices compared to the rest of the world.

Researchers also say that many of these herbs are only absorbed by the body when they're eaten with fat, so recipes that include healthy fats, like those found in Heart of Gold, a delicious plant oil blend available only from The Wholefood Farmacy.

 Can The Sodas

Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University and colleagues have just completed a two year study.  Five Philadelphia elementary schools replaced sodas with fruit juice. They scaled back snacks and banished candy. They handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices. They spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

The results were phenomenal.  The number of students who became overweight during the two-year experiment was a full 50% less than the number of kids who became overweight in schools that didn’t make these changes. The findings are published in the April, 2008, issue of the journal Pediatrics.

In the five test schools, juice, water and low-fat milk replaced sodas. Snacks had to meet limits for fat, salt and sugar. Students who ate healthy snacks got raffle tickets to win prizes such as bikes and jump ropes.

But the schools can’t do it all on their own – the biggest challenge to schools is that kids drink sodas and eat junk food at home – so they come to school expecting to do the same.  As parents, imagine the difference we could make if all of us made these same simple changes in our homes.

Wholefood Farmacy foods taste great, they’re convenient and kids love them. Let the Wholefood Farmacy help you to take that first step in the right direction.

 Thanks for visiting www.wholefoodfarmacy.info

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