Did You Know? Important Health Info for the Healthy Lifestyle Conscious

DID YOU KNOW THAT:

(151) an estimated 36 million Americans have the metabolic syndrome? (Defined as having 3 or more associated symptoms which includes elevated blood pressure, increased waist size and abdominal fat, and elevated C-reactive protein levels.)

(152) the fluoride in your drinking water encourages the buildup of aluminum in the brain? (Read...)

(153) not drinking enough water will cause your body to retain water, possibly causing bloating? (Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.)

(154) from your mid-twenties forward your brain shrinks at the rate of 2 percent per decade?

(155) in the 1940s the average egg consumption in the United States was more than 400 per person per year? (By the early 1990s , consumption had fallen to 235 per person per year.)

(156) there is a difference between whole grain and multi-grain?

(157) supermarkets usually place the most expensive items at eye level where they are most likely to be selected from?

(158) people with a slow thyroid (hypothyroidism) had a 100% increase in heart disease?

(159) onions eaten every day can boost your HDL (good) cholesterol by as much as 30%?

(160) maintaining normal blood pressure will help to fight dementia?

(161) an iron deficiency is the common cause of restless leg syndrome (RLS)?

(162) mankind's daily absorption of plastic (from the products we drink, eat, and breathe when it breaks down) results in obesity, declining fertility rates and other reproductive issues, rising cancer rates, and more?

(163) green tea is one the most effective herbs for detoxification (it supports the elimination of toxins by the liver)?

(164) the government allows food to contain 20 percent more unhealthy ingredients than what is actually listed on the nutrition label?

(165) frequent antibiotic use can prematurely age your immune system, and eating three large meals stresses it? (A healthy immune system is the key to anti-aging or longevity.)

(166) strokes are the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer? (Strokes are the leading cause of long-term disability.)

(167) aspartame related health problems are responsible for 80-85 percent of the food complaints registered with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration?)

(168) heating can do the following to raw, natural food?

(169) vitamin B12 injections are much more effective than oral forms?

(170) vitamin A is the most important nutrient in combating lung cancer? (Vegetables contain from 10 to 100 times more vitamin A than fruit)

(171) smaller fruit contain more vitamins and minerals than larger fruit? (Larger fruits have declining vitamin and mineral content. Generally, organic fruits and vegetables are smaller than their non-organic counterparts.)

(172) atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries is the number one cause of heart disease?

(173) 90% or more cloning attempts fail, and that at least 50% of the attempts that succeed, the animals suffer from large-offspring syndrome? (Babies are unusually large, and may have bigger-than-normal organs. Newborns can suffer from abnormalities such as enlarged tongues, immune diseases, diabetes, and dysfunction brains.)

(174) vitamin D has been proven to prevent 77% of all cancers?

(175) if you remove all water from the body (your body is 70 to 80% water by weight), what is left is composed of 70% protein?

(176) over 6.8 million Americans have heart bypass, balloon angioplasty, and other circulation-related procedures every year?

(177) an American dies because of a blocked cardiac artery every 34 seconds?

(178) migraines are suffered by over 17% women and 6% men in the United States?

(179) a leading radiation authority estimates that as much as 75% of breast cancer could be avoided by stopping the exposure to the ionizing radiation from mammography and x-rays?

(180) there is no vitamin D in breast milk? (We were designed to get vitamin D from sunlight.)

(181) 1 out of every 3 bites of food from your dinner plate is made possible by honeybee pollination? (Honeybees are mysteriously disappearing.)

(182) almost 95% of the average person's risk for a heart attack is connected to factors that can be controlled-nutrition and lifestyle?

(183) studies done recently have shown that people with Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease absorb a lot more aluminum than normal? (Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.)

(184) celery eaten daily will flush excess water from your body?

(185) many experts think that reducing excess weight is second only to stopping smoking regarding cancer prevention?

(186) visceral (belly) fat cannot be removed by liposuction?

(187) you can add on average 14 years of life if you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, don't smoke, and drink in moderation?

(188) Americans spent $6 billion on fast foods in 1970 while in 2000 they spent over $110 billion?

(189) recent research has shown that 80 percent of people who have desk jobs were overweight or obese?

(190) it takes up to 2,000 gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk?

(191) hot water is likely to have higher levels of lead than cold water? (Hot water dissolves the heavy metal lead in your plumbing more quickly. The average portion of lead exposure in the United States is 15%.)

(192) over 25% of American women over 40 years old don't eat enough protein?

(193) non-organic meats will have up to 5 times more pesticides than non-organic vegetables? (Non-organic butter can have up to 20 times more pesticides than non-organic vegetables.)

(194) cold air boosts inflammation in the body which is why cardiovascular-related deaths increase in the winter time?

(195) The United States ranked last out of 19 countries in the number of preventable deaths? ('Preventable death' is defined as a death that would not have occurred if the patient had access to timely and effective health care. France ranked first with 64.8 out of every 100,000. Japan and Australia followed France with 71.2 and 71.3 respectively. The United States had 109.7 out of every 100,000. This study was conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and published in the journal Health Affairs. (See also...)

(196) if you buy processed food, there is a 75% chance that it contains genetically modified ingredients?

(197) one-third of American children ages 2 through teens have high cholesterol, and too many babies have high blood pressure? (See...)

(198) all autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis seem to be triggered by low vitamin-D levels?

(199) according to a National Cancer Institute study in 1987, men with the lowest cholesterol levels were more likely to get cancer than those with the highest levels? (See also...)

(200) according to the Arthritis Foundation, 81% of people with arthritis who exercise 3 or more days a week are almost pain free?

(201) in 1929 the average American took less than 2 prescriptions a day?

In 2006 the prescription breakdown by age was as follows:

(202) the most common symptom of heart disease is sudden death (like that experienced by NBC correspondent Tim Russert recently)?

(203) according to research, 80% of the time when people feel hungry, they are actually thirsty? (When you are dehydrated, your body will slow its metabolism in order to compensate. Conversely, when you are hydrated, your metabolism will speed up. The faster your metabolism, the more calories you burn. Avoid dehydration or feeling thirsty by drinking frequently throughout the day. This will aid in your weight loss efforts. (See #205.)

(204) because the average man has more lean body mass (muscle) than the average woman, he will burn 10-15 percent more calories on a daily basis than she will?

(205) Americans spent almost $11 billion on bottled water in 2006? (Tap water costs one ten-thousandth of what you pay for bottled water. Every American drank over 29 gallons of bottled water in 2007. The only fluid Americans drank more of was carbonated soft drinks. Americans use approximately 1 billion bottles of water per week.

The plastic bottles which this water comes in contribute to our worsening environment. The Pacific Ocean contains what has been termed plastic stew that is twice the size of Texas-and growing.

Besides BPA [Bisphenol A], many bottled water brands contain the toxic metal antimony. Antimony has industrial applications such as paints, batteries, and rubber.)

(206) according to a recent study, people who used free weights (dumbbells, barbell, cables) boosted their strength by 115% versus 57% for machines?

(207) by lifting weights three times a week for just 10 minutes will make you 1.7 years younger?

(208) the typical physician, on average, spends a total of only 6 to 8 hours in his entire medical career studying health and nutrition?

(209) China produces 70% of the world's farmed fish, and since the 1980s has become the largest seafood exporter in the world? (The illegal use of veterinary drugs and contamination of water supplies has led to severe contamination of Chinese fish farms.)

(210) raisins contain phytochemicals that fight tooth decay and cavities?

(211) cancer drugs and the second biggest pharmaceutical drug sellers after cholesterol-lowering drugs?

(212) high fructose corn syrup is the cheapest ingredient in the American food after air, water, and salt? (high fructose corn syrup has been linked to pancreas dysfunction, diabetes, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, anemia, liver damage, and infertility.)

(213) curcumin, the yellow pigment of turmeric, the main ingredient in curry powder, helps to dissolve the unnatural buildup of amyloid which is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease?

(214) restaurant meals cost on average 3 times as much as home-cooked meals ($6.00 versus $1.90)?

(215) CNN's Larry King show announced that cancer is the leading cause of death of Americans under the age of 85? (The show also announced that 1/3 of all cancer is due to smoking and 1/3 to diet and lack of exercise.)

(216) radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking?

(217) meat has only about 20% usable protein?

(218) the vegetable cauliflower is good for a person who has a protein nutritional type?

(219) brain cancer has surpassed leukemia as the leading cancer-killer of children?

(220) 1,500 Americans die from cancer every day?

(221) you can prevent up to 63 percent of age-related weight gain by exercising?

(222) food makes up approximately 20 percent of your daily fluid intake?

(223) it has been estimated that soybeans, almost always in the form of oil, accounts for 10 percent of the average American's total caloric intake?

(According to the Soyfoods Association of North America, soy food product sales grew from $300 million to an astounding $3.9 billion from the years 1992 to 2006.

Although people in Asia eat soybeans, they are eaten in small amounts and whole. Western nations separate the soybean into protein and oil. Processing which includes high temperatures, high pressures, alkali and acid baths, and petroleum solvents, leave toxic and carcinogenic residues behind. These substances are not removed.

Soybeans naturally contain anti-nutrients and toxins. Due to health claims allowed by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA), Americans eat soy products in huge amounts. Documented problems related to soy consumption are:

(225) beans are vegetables?

(226) without adequate vitamin D, the hormone leptin which controls the appetite cannot do its job?

(227) about 40 percent of American cancer victims who die, die from malnutrition and not from the cancer itself?

(228) getting enough protein will lower your blood pressure?

(229) the greatest risk factor towards developing colon cancer is lack of exercise?

(230) according to researchers from the Hypertension Institute of Nashville, Tennessee that potassium increases the body's elimination of sodium?

(231) according to a recent report by CNN (November 14, 2008), for every 2" increase in waist size (caused by belly fat of course), there is a 13 percent to 17 percent corresponding increase in the risk of death?

(232) as you get older your calorie requirements decrease?

(233) vitamin A and vitamin D compete for each other's functions? (vitamin D in cod liver oil is not isolated; it exists together with a large measure of vitamin A.

Have you ever wondered why the flu season is around the fall/winter seasons? It is because that during this time vitamin D levels fall dramatically. This is due to much less sun exposure in many areas of the country. High levels of vitamin D is the only way to prevent the flu--not the mercury laden flu vaccine!)

(234) although cardiovascular training burns 10 to 12 calories per minute versus 8 to 10 for strength training, you continue to burn an added 25 percent of the previous strength training session's total calories?

(235) using your brain causes larger changes in blood sugar levels which makes you want to snack? (In a study, students who performed intellectual activities consumed 253 additional calories over students who relaxed for the same time period.)

(236) according to ABC news (New York City), by 2010 cancer will surpass heart disease as the world's number one killer? (In America cancer is the leading cause of death for people under 85 years old.)

(237) people who eat fast and continue until they feel full are three times as likely to be overweight than those who eat slowly and stop before they feel full?

(238) according to the World Health Organization, women with waists 35 inches or greater and men with waists 40 inches or greater is considered abdominally obese? (A study conducted by the National Institute of Health-American Association of Retired Persons found that 20 per cent of participants who were abdominally obese were more likely to have died. This study looked at 90,757 women and 154,776 men ages 51 through 72 for a period of nine years.

Researchers discovered that the increased death risk is independent of ethnicity, whether or not the person smoked, general state of health, or BMI (body mass index.)

(239) green, black, oolong and other teas come from the same plant? (Green tea is the only tea which is unfermented. This is important because the fermentation process weakens or destroys the active health nutrients in teas.

Researchers are discovering other benefits of drinking green tea such as lowering blood levels of cholesterol, decreasing blood pressure, assisting in weight loss, and reducing the risk of breast, prostate, stomach, colon, lung, and skin cancers.)

(240) a survey at the United Kingdom's Bedford Hospital found that out of 61 physician's questioned, only 21 percent gets the recommended 30 minutes of exercise? (Prior research has discovered that doctors who exercise are more likely to counsel their patients to exercise, and that patients are more willing to exercise when their physician tells of his exercise habits. Like doctors, like patients! (241) a fit heart can be 30% to 40% larger than an unfit heart, and is able to pump approximately 50% more blood and oxygen every time it beats.

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