Chemicals in 'Western' diet shows Alzheimer's like side effect on mice.

Common compounds in the "Western" diet seem to promote Alzheimer's-linked brain deposits and memory problems in mice, researchers say.

Scientists found that when they added the compounds -- called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) -- to the lifelong diets of laboratory mice, the animals developed greater amounts of beta-amyloid in the brain. Beta-amyloid is the protein that makes up the brain "plaques" seen in people with Alzheimer's disease.

 What's more, mice fed these compounds developed more problems with movement and memory as they aged compared to mice that spent their lives dining on chow that produced low levels of these chemicals.

AGEs are naturally present in small amounts in the human body, said senior researcher Dr. Helen Vlassara, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. But you also ingest the compounds through food -- particularly animal products prepared at a high heat.

That includes fried, grilled or broiled meats, and dairy products that are pasteurized or sterilized.

"We ingest these toxins in huge amounts over a lifetime," Vlassara said.

The problem with that, she explained, is that accumulating AGEs can promote chronic inflammation in the body. And that type of persistent, low-level inflammation is implicated in many disease processes, including Alzheimer's.

The new findings, reported Feb. 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that a diet high in these compounds is unhealthy for mouse brains.

But what about people? To get an idea, Vlassara's team followed 93 adults aged 60 and older who gave blood samples and completed a standard questionnaire doctors use to screen for dementia.

The investigators found that people with higher blood levels of a particular AGE tended to show a bigger dip in mental acuity over nine months.

However, another Alzheimer's researcher said much more work is needed to clarify how these compounds might affect the human brain.

"We need larger, well-controlled studies to identify a strict correlation between dietary AGEs and cognitive [mental] decline," said Dr. Jeremy Koppel, a geriatric psychiatrist and scientist at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y.

Ways to eat healthier.

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Loose weight diet plan

Prepare to lose 10 pounds! By paying attention to the amount of food you eat, eliminating unnecessary sugar and fat from your foods and making sure you include absolutely delicious meals and snacks to keep your taste buds happy.

Most easy-to-use weight loss programs use a balanced and flexible diet. Arrange to, however, first by focusing on losing the first 10 pounds and then shoot for the next 10 pounds.You need to lose weight by keeping track of what you eat. Cut out fats by eliminating butter, margarine, mayonnaise, oil from your sandwiches and food preparations.

You don't have to write down the calorie count, but write down what you eat.Use skim milk and make a habit to drink tea. If you insist on using whole milk at least use two percent milk in your diet. This helps cutting down on your fat intake.


Be certain to include legumes, peanut, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, eggs or yogurt. Try to constrain your sugar treats to a few times a week max. Eat one or more meatless lunches and dinners each week.Eat fresh in season fruit twice a day.


Stay away and draw the boundaries on sugary fruit juices and have water or drink tea instead. Add a slice of lemon for some zest if you like. Eat more vegetables with lunches and dinner so you have at least 4 servings a day.Choose one to two servings of foods made from whole grains with every meal. Shut off the TV whenever you eat meals and snacks.


Studies show that we automatically eat larger portions when we snack in front of the tube, and typically those foods are high in fat and sugar, which means excess calories!Choose calories you can chew that means only calorie-free beverages (except for milk).


Sodas are abounding with empty calories, and fruit juices provide less fiber and vitamins per calorie than the fruit they're made from. Plan ahead for meals and snacks so you know exactly what you plan to eat. Last-minute choice tends to be higher in calories and lower in satisfaction.

Stop poisoning yourself

What do all these have in common: Rat poison, toilet cleaner, nail polish remover, diesel exhaust fumes, petrol exhaust fumes, insecticides, preservatives for corpses,gas chamber poison, rocket fuel and the kind of metal used in the aircraft industry. The answer is that they are all found in common or garden cigarettes. Most people are well aware of the health risks they run as a smoker.



Every smoker knows they take the chance of getting lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, heart disease, strokes and other respiratory illnesses and cancers. Even second hand smoke can cause illnesses, especially if they get into the bodies of children, causing all sorts of problems, from cot death to asthma. Even opening a window, the toxic by-products of smoking will remain in a room up to 21/2 hours after the window has been opened, leaving the occupants plenty of time to absorb toxic waste products from the air surrounding them.


This is hardly surprising when you consider there are more than 4,000 toxic materials present in cigarettes: more than 50 of these toxic substances are known to cause cancer. A particularly toxic gas which is found in exhaust fumes from cars, is one of the more poisonous gases found in cigarette smoke. Carbon monoxide, which is what this gas is, attaches itself to red blood cells, leaving no room for oxygen to be able to attach itself to blood cells. Another nasty chemical in cigarettes is tar. This accumulates in the base of your lungs and stops oxygen from your lungs being able to get into the blood vessels properly. Even the so-called 'light' cigarettes still contain as much toxic substances, nicotine and tar as the normal cigarettes.


People become addicted to the most amazing habits, then find it almost impossible to give them up.A person who does not smoke considers cigarettes taste disgusting and smell pretty ghastly.To a non-smoker, the need to put something like a cigarette into your mouth at regular intervals seems absolutely ludicrous - and the exhaled smoke, absolutely filthy. What is interesting, non-smokers always tend to gravitate towards non-smokers and smokers towards smokers: when I think about it, I don't have a single friend who smokes! Kids in school generally smoke to fit in - if they stand out in schoolthey stand the risk of being bullied and it takes a very strong personality to be able to hold out against bullying peers every day.


Johnny Riches wants you to learning more about how to stop smoking. If you want to learn everything more about a stop smoking program? Visit Author website website at http://cigarest.inapill.com

Obesity and the importance of non-stick cookware

While it is true that obesity has many causes and
not all of them dietary, it is equally true that the consumption
of excess fat promotes the condition. This is particularly
true in the case of children.

Most children love fried food, as do many adults,
because this method of cooking slightly caramelizes
the food by burning natural sugars. In short, it makes the
food sweet to taste.

Grilling, which is a healthier alternative under
certain conditions, has a similar effect, and so too does roasting.

But the real villain where fat consumption is concerned is frying,
because the food often has fat added to it, the principal role of
which is to prevent meat from sticking to the pan
it's cooking in.

Of course it is true that using oil or margarine for
this purpose is a step up from using butter or lard,
however they are still fats and best avoided altogether
if at all possible.

One way to do this is to use non-stick cookware,
when no additional fat is needed.

This type of cookware has received some bad press recently
and is of particular concern to pet owners. There has been
much speculation that the death of caged birds has been linked to
toxic fumes from the heated surfaces.

It's important to understand that all the evidence in this regard
has been related to Teflon coated surfaces and is thought to be a
by-product of the Dupont manufacturing process. There are plenty of
other non-stick surfaces available which do not have
this type of stigma attached.

In fact the use of this type of cooking
surface has now become so widespread,
it has led to a new style of healthy home cooking
using those double-sided,
solid metal grills so beloved of ex-heavyweight boxers.

These have an added fat-reducing bonus in that any grease cooked
out of the meat runs away into a separate tray, and of course no added fat
is necessary to properly cook the food.

This means that lean cuts of meat such as chicken breast and
loin of lamb remain just that, lean.
This is a huge bonus not just for those of us fighting obesity,
but for anyone who cares about having a healthy heart and circulatory system.

Non-stick surfaces also mean ease of use, and this too can prompt people
to forsake red meat for fish on more occasions than
was previously the case. In addition, with the new grills there is no need for
fatty batters and cooking times are very quick, further helping the busy family
cook to 'do the right thing'.

If the health arguments don't convince you, perhaps the economic ones will.
Most non-stick cookware is based on low grade aluminium, making
it far cheaper to produce and distribute than the alternatives
such as stainless steel and cast iron.

And of course just a simple rinse in warm, soapy water is all that
is required to keep non-stick surfaces clean. Even the most
over-weight of us can surely manage that.

Top 10 reason why you should NOT "go" on diet

The only thing growing faster than the $65 billion diet industry is the American waistline. If one of your New Years resolutions was to Go on a Diet, the only place I guarantee you will go....is up in weight.

It's a Fact - Diets will only make you fatter.

When it comes to the latest in Diet fads, we are quite gullible and easily tempted by a Diet's empty promised. Reason being....the diet industry KNOWS we are in search of the "quick fix" and will only play with our emotions - our desperation for the quickest way to relieve looking and feeling fat.

Diets are nothing more than Temporary Solutions with many lingering, negative side effects.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why you should NOT "go" on a Diet

1. Diets do NOT work.

Diets have a 99% Failure Rate. Have you noticed a pattern yet? Lose weight....quickly regain it? Over time, studies show if you diet you are more likely to be overweight than people who eat normally and make small gradual changes to their lifestyle. No, the Law of Averages does not apply to this faulty system.

2. Dieting can be Dangerous.

Any time you severely restrict the amount or types of foods you eat you put your health and life at risk. Dieting has been related to injuries and sudden deaths from electrolyte imbalance, malnutrition, and heart arrhythmia's. Weight cycling, or yo-yo-ing weight, is associated with higher death rates - especially if some type of pills are being used. At no point should you ever place weight loss above your health.

3. Dieting Destroys your Metabolism.

Diets will cause your weight to quickly cycle up and down. Sure, you may lose weight quickly because you are simply not eating enough. In the initial stages, the first seven to nine pounds lost are water, presenting a real danger of dehydration and mineral deficiencies. Even more terrifying is the break down of lean muscle due to inefficient nutrients and calories. If you are losing more than 3-4 pounds a week, you can be sure this is what is happening - very little fat is lost this state.

Now, any muscle loss will cause your metabolism slow to a crawl. The cumulative effect takes place for you cannot survive very long on very low calories (1200 or less) and you will eventually eat more - on top of a slower metabolism. All those excess calories will be stored as fat - causing rapid weight gain.

4. Dieting is Exhausting.

Diets are just reduced calorie Fads disguised by a clever gimmick. "Lose weight while you sleep" "Eat all you want and still lose weight" Not eating enough or cutting out certain food groups means your body may not be getting the energy it needs, or may lack certain nutrients. You will feel exhausted, light headed and experience some not-so-fun mood swings.

5. Dieting is Disruptive.

Dieting negatively affects your normal eating patterns. Diets can lead to binge eating, overeating and chaotic eating. When you diet, it is common to override your internal signals telling you to eat. You end up trying to use willpower or resist hunger signals and may even go as far as taking appetite suppressants. This results in being unable to know when you really are hungry or wore....when you're full.

6. Dieting can lead to eating disorders.

Experts state that the high rates of eating disorders in the U.S. are due in part to people dieting, losing weight, rebounding, and becoming chronic dieters.

7. Dieting Causes Food Obsessions.

If you spend a large amount of time and energy depriving yourself of food or certain types of food - you will spend more time thinking about food and become obsessed attempts to control your weight by what you choose to eat or not eat. How long do you want to live like this?

8. Dieting Diminishes Women.

There is way too much attention focused on our appearance and an arbitrary number on the scale. In the midst of this focus - we end up avoiding what really matters to us - our dreams and ambitions. Even worse, it erodes our confidence and self-respect.

9. Dieting Intensifies Negativity.

If you diet, you are more judgmental and critical of yourself and others. Once again, wasted time and energy.

10. Diets Put Your Life on Hold.

Does this sound familiar...."I'll be happy when I weigh "x pounds." Guess what, the issues in your life are not related to your weight. Take responsibility and take back control of your life. Decide to be happy now and do what it takes to live a lifestyle that reflects your priorities.

So this year resolve to NOT go on a Diet. Set Yourself Free from this miserable, guaranteed to fail weight loss cycle. Do NOT let the diet industry make money by taking advantage of you. It is time to stand up for yourself and take control.