American Fitness Professionals & Associates

 “He who iw outside his door already has a hard part of his journey behind him.”
Dutch Proverb

“If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark”.
St. John of the Cross

Link to References on Attention Deficit Disorders
Whole Grains Boost Insulin Sensitivity
FDA Cannot Ensure Safety of Biotech Foods
Vary Fruit Intake For Good Health
Meat: A Factor in MS
Fruits, Vegetables, and Cereal Protect Bones
School Lunches Make Many Sick
Prozac Use Approved for Depressed Kids
High-Protein Diets Risky for Bones and Kidneys
Soymilk Lowers Blood Pressure
Soy Protects the Heart
Prenatal Vitamins Protect Children from Cancer
Cancer Fighters from the Kitchen
Soy: A Safe Way to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
Overweight Teens at Higher Risk for Ovarian Cancer
High-Fat Diet May Encourage Prostate Cancer Spread
A Meaty Diet Boosts Colon Cancer Risk
Americans in the Dark over Obesity—Cancer Link

Check this link to bring you to these excellent articles:
http://www.afpafitness.com/exercise.htm

First Time Triathlon?
Heart Rate: Frequency Factors For Endurance Performance Outcome
Indoor Cycling: Le’s Talk Climbing
Pilates: Why a 90 year old exercise program is in the spotlight

For more articles:

http://www.afpafitness.com/miscellaneous%20fitness.htm

Journey of a Thousand Miles: Emotions & Health
http://www.afpafitness.com/womens.htm

You May Be Suffering From Hormonal Imbalance

http://www.afpafitness.com/vitamins.htm

Does Glutathione Effect Exercise Performance?

Link to References on Attention Deficit Disorders

http://www.afpafitness.com/ADDLinks.htm

A large study has strengthened the case for eating fiber-rich breads and cereals, showing that these foods help lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer by making the body more responsive to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugars. Of the 3,000 adults studied over a four-year period, those with the highest whole grain intake were also least likely to be overweight.
McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Liu S, Wilson PW, Jacques PF. Whole-grain intake is favorably associated with metabolic risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Framingham Offspring Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:390-8.

Biotechnology companies are not required to submit scientific data on genetically engineered (GE) foods to the FDA. No safeguards have been put in place, and there is no way of knowing what impact these GE foods will have on human health and the environment.
http://www.mercola.com/2003/jan/25/biotech_foods.htm

Not only an apple a day, but a variety of fruits [oranges, figs, pears, melon, grapes, etc] contain Flavonoids, plant compounds that have demonstrated their ability to quell cell-damaging free radicals.  Recent research in Finland found that individuals who ate a variety of fruits had a significantly lower risk of asthma, heart disease and stroke rate.
Am J. Clin Nut. 2002; 76:560-568.

Eating smoked sausages in childhood may increase the risk of developing the disabling autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, according to researchers at the 12th Meeting of the European Neurological Society. Previous studies have suggested that the nitrates used in meat preparation, along with the chemicals in smoke, could contribute to other autoimmune problems. German researchers looked at the childhood diets of 177 MS patients and 88 healthy individuals and found that consumption of smoked sausage and meat, as well as animal-fat intake, were associated with increased MS risk. Several earlier studies have linked fatty diets to MS and have shown improvements with low-fat, plant-based diets.
12th Meeting of the European Neurological Society.

Men who consumed the most fruit, vegetables, and cereal had denser bones, and women who ate a good deal of candy had the lowest bone mineral density, a large study found. Tufts University researchers interviewed more than 900 men and women aged 69 to 93 about their diets and measured their bone mineral density at several skeletal sites. They categorized diets into one of six groups depending on where individuals derived the most calories: meat, dairy, and bread; meat and sweet baked products; sweet baked products; alcohol; candy; and fruit, vegetables, and cereal. The study underscores how “a wide spectrum of micronutrients,” not just calcium, affect bone health.
Tucker KL, Chen H, Hannan MT, et al. Bone mineral density and dietary patterns in older adults: the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:245-52.

Over the last 25 years, food-borne illnesses linked to subsidized school lunches sickened nearly 50,000 children and teachers, sending 1,500 to the hospital and causing at least one death, according to a University of California study. Based on information collected by the Centers for Disease Control, the study identified 604 outbreaks. The most common culprit was salmonella, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and fever; it can even be deadly, especially for the elderly and people with weak immune systems. The most frequently contaminated product was chicken.
Daniels NA, MacKinnon L, Rowe SM , Bean NH, Griffin PM, Mead PS. Foodborne disease outbreaks in United States schools. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2002;21:623-8.

It’s bad enough that millions of adults take Prozac, but now the FDA has officially approved Prozac for children. It’s likely that even more doctors will now prescribe children this Band-Aid drug solution that does not address the underlying cause of their depression. Find out some natural alternatives that will.
http://www.mercola.com/2003/jan/25/prozac.htm

Ten healthy participants were asked to follow an Atkins-style, carbohydrate-restricted diet for two weeks and then follow a moderately carbohydrate-restricted diet for four more weeks under close monitoring. It turned out that the meaty diets increased their calcium loss by 55 percent (from 160 to 248 mg/d, P Soymilk Lowers Blood Pressure

In a double-blind, three-month study of 40 men and women with mild-to-moderate hypertension, participants using soymilk for 3 months reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 18.4 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 15.9 mmHg. Researchers reported that urinary genistein, a soy compound, was significantly correlated with the decrease in blood pressure.
Rivas M, Garay RP, Escanero JF, Cia P Jr, Cia P, Alda JO. Soymilk lowers blood pressure in men and women with mild to moderate essential hypertension. J Nutr 2002;132:1900-2.

 A Canadian study has found that soy products benefit the heart. University of Toronto researchers studied 23 men and 18 postmenopausal women with elevated cholesterol levels, rotating them through three different diets using either animal-derived protein sources, such as low-fat dairy products and egg substitutes containing egg whites, or nonanimal protein sources such as low-fat soymilk, tofu burgers, or soy hot dogs. LDL cholesterol, the “bad” kind that clogs arteries, was lower after the soy diet compared to the dairy-and-egg-substitute diet.
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Jackson CJ, et al. Effects of high- and low-isoflavone soyfoods on blood lipids, oxidized LDL, homocysteine, and blood pressure in hyperlipidemic men and women. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:365-72.

Pregnant women who take vitamin and mineral supplements may protect their children from neuroblastoma, a nervous system cancer that rapidly spreads to the lymph nodes, lungs, and bones. Researchers with the Children’s Oncology Group in California interviewed 538 mothers of children with the disease and 504 mothers of healthy children, analyzing their vitamin intake. Daily vitamin and mineral use in the month before and also throughout pregnancy was associated with a 30 to 40 percent reduction in the risk of neuroblastoma, according to the study.
Olshan AF, Smith JC, Bondy ML, Neglia JP, Pollock BH. Maternal vitamin use and reduced risk of neuroblastoma. Epidemiology 2002;13:575-80.

 Researchers at the International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer reported on herbs and spices that act as cancer fighters. Specifically mentioned were oregano, which contains quercetin, a strong antioxidant that appears protective against breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer; turmeric, containing curcumin, which slows proliferation of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory and is thought to protect against cancers of the colon, skin, and mouth; rosemary, rich in carnosol, which detoxifies substances that can initiate breast cancer and guards against skin and lung cancers; and ginger, which has been used for centuries to treat autoimmune diseases, nausea, and many other ailments.

As reported in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, scientists have found soy consumption to be protective against breast cancer. Studying 406 Chinese women in Singapore, researchers found that those who ate the most soy protein were 60 percent less likely to have the dense breast tissue associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Soy’s plant estrogens appear to lengthen a woman’s menstrual cycle, thereby minimizing estrogen exposure and lowering her risk of breast cancer.
Jakes RW, Duffy SW, Ng FC, et al. Mammographic parenchymal patterns and self-reported soy intake in Singapore Chinese women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002;11:608-13.

Harvard Medical School researchers have found that women who are overweight as young adults may be more likely than slim women to develop premenopausal ovarian cancer later in life. More than 100,000 nurses participated in the investigation, in which 402 ovarian cancer cases were reported. Women who reported being overweight or obese at 18 were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Fairfield KM, Willett WC, Rosner BA, Manson JE, Speizer FE, Hankinson SE. Obesity, weight gain, and ovarian cancer. Obstet Gynecol 2002;100:288-96.

New research links a high-fat, high-calcium diet with an increase in advanced prostate cancer, according to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. This means that diet changes after cancer is diagnosed may help patients reduce their risk of recurrence.

Researchers collected information from 605 men with prostate cancer and 592 men without it. The men, all 40 to 64 years old, completed questionnaires about their dietary habits during the past 3 to 5 years. Compared with the lowest level of daily energy intake (1,322 calories), men with the highest daily energy intake (2,439 calories) were twice as likely to develop local or more advanced prostate cancer. Similar risks were found after comparing the lowest and highest intakes of fat and calcium.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002;11:719-25 Associations of energy, fat, calcium, and vitamin D with prostate cancer risk. Kristal AR, Cohen JH, Qu P, Stanford JL.

Researchers from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Cancer Research reported new evidence confirming that meat-eating increases the risk of digestive tract cancer. In a prospective study of 500,000 people from ten European cities, those who ate more than 60 grams (about 2 ounces) of processed meat daily had an increase in bowel and stomach cancer, while another study of 39,000 people, conducted in Melbourne, Australia, found that those who ate red meat, pork, or both more than ten times a week had nearly double the risk of developing bowel cancer. These studies resonate with U.S. studies showing a three- to four-fold increase in colon cancer risk among those who eat meat daily, compared to those who consume it rarely or never.

Just a quarter of U.S. adults are aware that excess weight is a risk factor for many forms of cancer, reports the American Institute for Cancer Research. Its study asked 1,025 people to identify disorders influenced by obesity. Nearly 90 percent correctly identified heart disease and diabetes, while only 20 percent pointed to cancer. Currently, more than 60 percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight.
Meeting of the International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer. July 2002.