The decline in function of the lungs over 10 years was slower in former smokers that had high tomato and fruit consumption, specifically apples, according to new studies by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which suggest that components of these ingredients may restore damage to the lungs caused by routine smoking.

The researchers discovered that adults that ate over 2 or more tomatoes or over 3 portions of fruit daily had slower damage to lung function when compared to people who ate under a tomato or a fruit portion daily.

Study

The researchers also inquired about several different dietary sources like dishes as well as processed foods that contain fruits in addition to vegetables—like tomato sauce—however, the effect had only been observed in fruits and veggies that were fresh.

“Diet could become one way of combating rising diagnosis of COPD around the world,” said Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, the school’s assistant professor.

The paper, a part of Ageing Lungs in European Cohorts funded by the European Commission in addition to being led by London’s  Imperial College London, found slower decline when pertaining to lung function in adults with the highest consumption of tomatoes, including people who never smoked as well as those who recently quit smoking. The findings were published in December’s issue of European Respiratory Journal.

“This study shows that diet might help repair lung damage in people who have stopped smoking. It also suggests that a diet rich in fruits can slow down the lung’s natural aging process even if you have never smoked,” Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, the assistant professor at Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health as well as lead author of the study said. “The findings support the need for dietary recommendations, especially for people at risk of developing respiratory diseases such as COPD.”

The New Pill

Scientists from Cambridge University found ways to assist Mediterranean diet health benefits through a new pill.

Researchers created a dietary supplement called ‘Ateronon Heart’, that combines the beneficial heart-health components found in tomatoes combined with milk, making it easier to ingest and absorb.

Through this world first, the scientists were issued with patents for the product, which they claim is all natural and can be purchased over the counter. They claim the pill slows down plaque build-up in arteries and prevent heart disease.

Previous studies have shown that the supplement, retailing for £19.99 for a bottle of 30 capsules, will improve blood flow at around 53 percent.

Nick Sutcliffe, a Cambridge lawyer that steered the process of patenting, said: “There is increasing interest in natural ingredients.

“People are looking for cures and if they can find them in plants that is very much easier than developing synthetic drugs to treat disease,” according to the Daily Mail.

More than a million women, as well as around 1.6 million men, have been living with a heart disease variation in the United Kingdom, which can also lead to future heart attacks as well as heart failure.

Blood Flow Improvements

Lycopene, a bright red component which gives tomatoes the red color they display, is believed to boost heart conditions by blocking plaque buildup within arteries.

However, lycopene isn’t easily absorbed until it milk is combined with it to create lactolycopene, an ingredient in Ateronon Heart to improve blood flow for 53% in patients that have heart disease.

Joseph Cheriyan, who had been involved in a former lactolycopene study, stated: “We’ve shown quite clearly that lycopene improves the function of blood vessels in cardiovascular disease patients.”

Mr Sutcliffe states: “People are looking for cures and if they can find them in plants that is very much easier than developing synthetic drugs to treat disease.”

For those of you who are counting calories, the holidays can always be a tough time to resist all those delicious festive favourites. However, health experts say there’s no harm in joining in with the fun. Advice from nutritionists and experts explains that ditching those restrictive regimes this Christmas could actually be a better option in the long run.

Statements

Tara Leong, expert nutritionist, stated that despite your diets, people should enjoy a special meal Christmas day rather than forcing themselves to “be good” and avoid dwelling in surprised cravings that can lead to future binge eating.

“Once you put that seed in people’s minds to avoid foods, the inner rebellious teenager comes out and goes, ‘Bugger you, I just want to eat all of the pudding now that you’re telling me I can’t eat it’, and then that becomes all they can focus on,” says Leong.

According to Leong, people are better off enjoying a dessert, or whatever festive treats are served in moderation rather than cut out everything while others enjoy around you, as long as you indulge in moderation. She recommends the simple solution of listening to our bodies as, “it’s very good at regulating when we are full and when we are hungry”. Honouring that simple fact can help us enjoy the simple things whilst not overdoing it over the holidays.

Another expert, Ben Purssell, a transformation coach at LiveFit, also agrees with this philosophy advising dieters to have smaller amounts spread throughout the day in order to burn off more calories.

“Indulge over the day, don’t have it as one massive big lunch and one massive dinner, because then you feel like a potato and you don’t want to move anywhere,” Purssell suggests.  Trying to keep up a healthy intake of food more frequently in smaller amounts can in fact help burn extra caloric intake with more ease.

Keeping Active

In addition, Purssell says including light activities throughout your Christmas day plans such as a thirty-minute walk is a great way to keep fit and avoid gaining those dreaded extra holiday pounds.

“If you don’t want to have a big blow out, it’s a good idea to do light walks each day because, obviously, your calorie intake is increasing, so if you can exercise or just go for a light walk in the afternoon, that’s really nice to do,” explained Purssell.

The main lesson to take away from this advice, says Leong, is to avoid feeling guilty about having the foods you enjoy or even a second helping of that glorious dessert. Feeling guilt can lead to giving up on your healthy ways, and instead leave all responsibility to a new diet you plan to start in the new year. However, more often than not, when the time comes, people find the stress of starting fresh to be even more difficult after the holidays.

“It becomes this huge cycle just because they had two pieces of pavlova on Christmas Day” she says.

Research has shown that maintaining a healthy activity level as well as feeling comfortable with the foods you eat and enjoy a special treat every once in a while rather than feeling guilt and frustration can actually lead to more positive, healthy behaviours.

With the new year fast approaching, many people’s resolution features a plan for a healthier lifestyle and with that, a healthier diet.

A great addition to your daily source of nutrients and a great accompaniment to any new dietary plan can be achieved with the wide variety of supplements used to provide your body with a healthy boost.

Fit Republic

According to Fit Republic’s Austin Evans, “There are so many different supplements that all do so many different things.” Evans is also the owner of Lean Kitchen and points out that, “You have your typical fat-burners that are going to give you energy, and you’re going to feel them working. There’s also fat-loss products that maybe help your thyroid be a little bit more active and speed up your metabolism. Overall, they’re going to make your body work more efficiently.”

Daily supplements may already be a part of your routine, whether they include favorable chewy vitamins or fish oils. However, vendors such as the Fit Republic also include muscle building supplements as well as variations that promote improved sleep.

“There are so many different types of supplements. You just have to find the ones that work for your body type, and that’s what we help you do” he said.

That being said, supplements alone won’t suffice when planning a fresh start to healthy living. Experts urge the importance for people to maintain a well-balanced diet and healthy meal schedule alongside dietary. This notion led Evans to create a food service he called `lean Kitchen.

“A lot of people make the mistake of supplementing in place of their diet. Real food is the most important thing. That’s kind of why I started Lean Kitchen,” Evans explained. “People need to eat healthy, real food. Supplements can be added into that to fill nutritional deficiencies, to help accelerate results, reduce calorie intake and really give you an edge when it comes to working out.”

Meal-Replacements

In addition, they offer meal-replacements that enriched with nutritious value whilst simultaneously helping you stay feeling full throughout the day.

“We have a meal-replacement shake fast-, medium- and slow-digesting proteins, so whenever you drink that shake, your body’s going to feel full now and feel full for hours versus starving all the time,” Evans stated.

As a result, whenever new customers visit Evans to discuss their efforts towards a healthier lifestyle, dietary supplements are always much farther down the list of steps he suggests.

“It’s not always going to be supplemented for the first thing. All the time, it’s going to be nutrition and diet, and that’s the biggest thing we do,” explained Evans. “We help people get their diet right. You’re not going to get results with supplements alone. You have to have the diet there, the exercise, the sleep — all of those pieces play into one another.”

Although spinach is not the ideal treat, it may make your brain stay younger and feel sharper, says new research.

Discoveries

Scientists discovered that eating rich vitamin K foods — like spinach, asparagus, kale, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce — may help some people retain sharp mental ability as they age. A study found that memory loss and thought declined significantly in those who ate more leafy greens than those who did not.

Nutrients like folate and vitamin K are thought to create a type of protection for the brain, although researchers ensure to stress that there is no proof eating vegetables will help in keeping the mind healthy throughout long periods.

The head of the Alzheimer’s Society research, Dr. James Pickett, admitted that it isn’t much of a secret that eating vegetables can be good for human health, and may slow cognitive deterioration as individuals age.

“The researchers did not directly look at dementia, so we cannot say that it would delay or prevent the onset of the condition. However, older people who ate one or two servings of vitamin K rich food per day performed better on memory tests than those who didn’t,” the researcher said to Sputnik.

He added: “In fact, their scores were similar to those of people 11 years younger, irrespective of other factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and education level. What’s good for the heart is good for the head.”

Diet

A diet that is healthy, rich in nutrients that are essential to the body, and combined with routine exercise in addition to avoiding smoking, the doctor explained, may help reduce risks of obtaining dementia. He also urged that people pile their Christmas plated high with plenty of greens.

Martha Clare Morris, from Rush University in Chicago, led the study and said it is recommended that people eat around 1.3 green servings in the day. “Adding a daily serving of green, leafy vegetables to your diet may be a simple way to foster your brain health,” said Dr. Morris.

Researchers have identified one particular diet as superior to the majority of other plans for boosting weight loss

A recent study conducted in Denmark revealed that increasing the amount of protein in your diet can promote weight loss.

Adding chicken breasts, milk, and eggs as regular staples to your diet can definitively assist in obtaining a slimmer figure.

The study involved separating sixty-five subjects of varying health conditions – obese or overweight and average or healthy – into different groups.

Scientists monitored the weight loss progress of each group, all of them on different diets that all had one thing in common: low in fat consumption and calorie restricted.

One of the groups consumed a diet low in carbohydrates with protein consumption at 12 percent, another group consumed a diet high in protein with protein consumption at 25 percent.

Although both groups benefited from weight loss since the diets were restrictive in calories, the group consuming higher portions of protein lost more weight.

The option to choose diverse foods increases diet success

The individuals who followed the protein-rich diet lost nearly 9kg – 1.4 stone – following the six month trial period.

In comparison, the group following the diet low in carbohydrates lost 51.kg – or 0.8 stone – over the six month period.

Researchers determined that allowing more choices to the protein-rich dieters enabled them to follow their diets, low in fat, with greater ease.

The freedom of choice between foods that are protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich allows overweight individuals to have the option to select dairy products and lean meats, improving their ability to commit to diets that are low in fat consumption.

Foods high in protein include steak, salmon, halibut, eggs, cottage cheese, lentils, and beans.

A nutrient-rich diet can be beneficial for a variety of reasons from weight loss to improved energy

The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay is a mixture of two separate healthy diets

The so-called MIND diet was developed by Martha C. Morris, a nutritional epidemiologist, with the aim of lowering individuals’ risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease through the incorporation of healthy “brain” foods and nutrient-rich foods into a daily diet.

Studies have revealed the diet may promote good health overall and help dieters lose weight, improve brain function, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol, with a surprising added benefit.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are among the most horrifying conditions that the average adult may have to cope with as he or she grows older. Research reveals that the average individual is nearly twice as fearful of loss of cognitive skills than the loss of physical ability.

Thankfully, the chances of facing one of these dread conditions can be reduced by diet: studies reveal that increasing consumption of leafy greens like spinach, as well as drinking up to one wine glass per night can actually reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by approximately 50%.

Prevention can be better than cure, lifestyle habits found to impact the disease’s progression

The MIND way of eating is believed to reduce Alzheimer’s risk by 53%, and allow the brain to function at a capacity 7.5 years younger than its actual age.

Although individuals cannot alter risk factors such as genetic heredity and biological age, other factors are within our control.

Good lifestyle practices to promote health like cognitive exercises, daily physical exercise and a nutrient-rich diet can contribute towards preventing, be slowing, and even stopping the changes from Alzheimer’s and similar conditions.

The accompanying DASH diet encourages consumption of vegetables and fruits, dairy that is low in fat, lean meats, beans, and nuts.

Statistics prove that concentrating on preventing Alzheimer’s through lifestyle changes can lower risk by up to 45%.

Pastor Alan Martin of North Carolina decided to lose weight in an unconventional fashion: eating at Olive Garden for eight weeks

Alan Martin, weighing 222 pounds, decided to take his own approach to lose approximately 10 pounds.

Instead of following the traditional “cut out carbs” principle that most diets follow, he decided to eat nearly all his meals from popular restaurant Olive Garden for eight weeks using a special pass issued by the restaurant allowing the holders eight weeks of free pasta.

Martin, a self-proclaimed Southerner, said that his Olive Garden meals were definitely healthier than his usual food choices, consisting mostly of barbecue sandwiches and a regular late-night hamburger.

Martin did not manage to achieve his original weight loss goal of 10 pounds but managed half of that – 5 pounds – which is quite impressive considering his diet consisted of main pasta.

The special Olive Garden pass also allows holders to get free soft drinks and breadsticks.

Martin managed to reduce the number of calories he consumed by rejecting Olive Garden’s free sweet tea glasses, eating as much salad as he could, and consuming only the toppings of the pasta dishes he ordered.

Martin’s unique strategy to enjoy his favorite restaurant and promote weight loss

Martin added that he made sure to eat only a single breadstick per meal, saying that the calories in the restaurant’s famous breadsticks could “add up” over time.

In addition to his Olive Garden exclusive diet, Martin made sure to work on his exercise routine, lifting weights on a regular basis and watching the calories he consumes out of the restaurant.

The Martin family also enjoyed the benefits of the free-pass, with Martin claiming his two young daughters have already proclaimed Olive Garden as their favorite restaurant.

Martin’s wife, however, was less happy, as she was following a no-carbohydrate diet.

A recent study has revealed the diet plan to follow to increase longevity as well as overall health

Research has revealed that there is yet another reason to increase consumption of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits: a diet rich in plants may considerably reduce the risk of heart failure.

The study revealed that individuals who consumed more vegetables and fruits are approximately 40% less at risk of developing heart failure compared to individuals who ate less plant-related food.

Another group of researchers discovered that adding an additional cup of coffee to your weekly coffee consumption can also reduce the risk of deadly conditions, reducing stroke risk by 8% and heart failure risk by 7%.

Approximately 15,570 participants were recruited for the study, and they were monitored for a period of four years.

The participants followed one of five different types of diets, which the researchers categorized as plant-based, convenience, southern, alcohol/salads, and sweets.

Plant-heavy diets found to have the most health benefits overall

Convenience diets consisted primarily of pasta, fast foods, red meats, and fried potatoes. Plant-based diets were made up of fruits, fish, beans, and leafy vegetables.

Sweets-type diets were mostly bread, chocolate, desserts, and sweet breakfast foods. Southern diets were fried food, processed meat, sugary drinks, eggs and organ meats.

Lastly, alcohol/salads type diets were based on leafy vegetables, butter, wine, tomatoes, and salad dressings.

Findings revealed participants who consumed plant-based diets definitively had a lower risk of heart failure. The other four types of diets revealed no associations.

Kyla Lara, Ph.D. and head researcher stated that a diet of primarily leafy plants, beans, fish, and fruits was bound to be beneficial for health, especially if trans fats, sugary foods, processed meats and saturated fats were limited.

The study regarding coffee consumption revealed that coffee-drinkers tended to have a lower chance of having a stroke or heart failure compared to individuals who did not consume coffee at all.

Recent studies reveal changes to diet may be more instrumental than even medication in combating high blood pressure

A study conducted by Harvard University revealed that altering your diet to include primarily vegetables and fruits, in conjunction with lowering salt consumption, can positively impact blood pressure within four weeks.

Blood pressure may be reduced by as much as 21 mm Hg, the study reveals – to demonstrate how impressive that is, the FDA does not accept medications for hypertension that does not lower pressure by a minimum of 4 mm HG.

Hypertension medications come with negative side effects that can impair a person’s quality of life, such as dizziness, headaches, and fatigue, as well as other side effects if taken with medications for other conditions.

Diet is the better option for handling hypertension

Comparatively, altering your diet costs less than medication, and has a range of additional health benefits aside from reducing blood pressure, such as potential weight loss, improved energy levels and overall improvement of well-being.

Researchers analyzed over 400 individuals who were in the early stages of hypertension, none of whom were taking medication. Participants were given a diet regime heavy in dairy products (low-fat), vegetables, fruits and a minimal consumption of saturated fat.

The results of the study revealed that even participants possessing highest hypertension levels had lowered pressure at the end of the study, at a high average – higher than that of most FDA approved drugs.

The participants possessing lower pressure also noticed a general lowering from the diet, again greater than what would have been achieved by taking drugs.

Researchers recommended to doctors and patients alike to first consider altering their diets rather than immediately jumping to prescription medications, especially since changing their lifestyles diet-wise is proven to be more effective.