Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts

Friday, February 15, 2008

The Vitamin D Cure (New Book)

See also:
-- 'Longevity Science' blog
-- 'Books Forum' blog



Greetings,

Here is a new book for discussion here:

The Vitamin D Cure
by James Dowd and Diane Stafford
(Hardcover - Jan 14, 2008)

Book Description provided by the Publisher (Wiley):

Advance praise for The Vitamin D Cure

"The Vitamin D Cure is a revolutionary way to think about health and disease. My daughter suffered from a severe vitamin D deficiency and correcting it made a positive difference in her life. This book is practical and easy to read, and it offers hope for millions of people who suffer from pain, low energy, obesity, or depression."
­Daniel Amen, M.D., Director, Amen Clinics, Inc., and author of Making a Good Brain Great and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

"For decades nutritional scientists assumed that recommended intakes of vitamin D prevented bone disease but offered few other health benefits. In this skillfully written book,Dr. Dowd expertly explains how vitamin D is actually a hormone whose insufficiency represents one of the most widespread health problems in the United States. By following the individualized program of supplementation and sun exposure outlined in this book, the risk for numerous chronic diseases can be reduced."
­Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of The Paleo Diet

"This is a timely and unique book that highlights the importance of vitamin D in the prevention and control of many common conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Recent clinical studies have documented the fact that most people are vitamin D deficient and that taking vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of dying from all diseases. Dr. Dowd's five-step plan provides insight into the wonders of the forgotten vitamin and offers a practical and user-friendly game plan to place us on the road to heart health and a longer life."
­Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Nuclear Cardiology at the New York University School of Medicine, coauthor of the Heart Smart Guide for Black Women and Latinas

"Vitamin D is truly a miracle vitamin – it is fundamentally important to health and fighting many different diseases. And yet most people don't come close to obtaining optimal amounts. In this book, Dr. James Dowd explains everything you need to know about vitamin D and how it can improve your health."
­Jack Challem, author of Stop Prediabetes Now, The Inflammation Syndrome, and The Food-Mood Solution

"It is rare these days to have clear and understandable explanations of medical science. Fortunately, Dr. Dowd has the knowledge and has taken the time to provide some excellent insights into the health advantages available to everyone through natural environmental resources like vitamin D. The writers of this book are to be highly commended and thanked."
­Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery and Professor of Neurological Surgery, Oncology, Plastic Surgery, and Pediatrics, the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions


From the Inside Flap:

It may sound too good to be true, but it's actually solid medicine based on real science: groundbreaking new research has traced the source of a wide array of disorders that afflict up to 200 million Americans to a single common factor -­ vitamin D deficiency. Increasing the amount of vitamin D in your body can cure or help treat a remarkable number of ailments­from obesity to arthritis, from high blood pressure to back pain, from diabetes to muscle cramps. If you suffer from these or many other chronic health problems, you may wonder whether you are getting enough vitamin D and what to do about it.

In The Vitamin D Cure, leading rheumatologist and researcher Dr. James Dowd reveals the causes of vitamin D deficiency and explains why North Americans are particularly vulnerable to it. He then offers a simple, easy-to-follow five-step program that can eliminate or alleviate a host of seemingly incurable conditions, such as arthritis, in as little as six weeks. Better yet, by staying on the program, you can enjoy robust health and improved fitness for the rest of your life.

Citing numerous scientific studies, a wealth of clinical data, and case stories from his practice, Dr. Dowd shows how lifestyle and diet have combined to reduce the vitamin D intake of most of us who live north of the equator. Eating the wrong foods, not getting enough exercise, and spending too much time indoors have produced a major health crisis.

The good news is that you can greatly improve your health with the five easy steps in this life-changing guide. You'll learn how to:

-- Find out how much vitamin D you need

-- Sun and supplement your way to great D levels

-- Calculate your acid excess and tweak your diet

-- Cover your bases with total supplementation

Add a little exercise to the mix

More than you ever realized, the future of your health is in your hands. You can harness the power of the "sunshine vitamin" to transform your life, end your pain, and return to active, vigorous well-being now and for decades to come. Read The Vitamin D Cure and start letting the sun shine on your health and your life.

Key words:
New books, Vitamin D, James Dowd, Diane Stafford, Wiley, obesity, arthritis, blood pressure, back pain, diabetes, muscle cramps

Do you have any comments on this new book?
Post them below!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Obesity 'contagious', experts say

Obesity 'contagious', experts say
Having a friend, sibling or spouse who is overweight raises a person's risk of being obese too, US researchers say.

They said data on more than 12,000 people suggested the risk was increased by 57% if a friend was obese, by 40% if a sibling was and 37% if a spouse was.

They argued this showed social factors, such as the body sizes of other people, were important in developing obesity.

Experts said the New England Journal of Medicine study was not conclusive as other hidden factors could be to blame.


People come to think that it is OK to be bigger since those around them are bigger
Professor Nicholas Christakis

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of California, in San Diego, looked at data collected over 32 years as part of a heart study.

Participants gave personal information, including their body mass index, and the names of friends who could be contacted.

'Causal relationship'

The authors were able to map social connections including both friends and family members.

The effects were generally larger between people of the same sex.

And their analysis suggested that the links could not be solely attributed to similarities in lifestyle and environment, for example the impact of friends existed even where friends lived in different regions.


The statistics may be meaningful, but in real life this is not very helpful to people who are overweight
Professor Andrew Hill

Author Professor Nicholas Christakis said: "It's not that obese or non-obese people simply find other similar people to hang out with.

"Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship. What appears to be happening is that a person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size.

"People come to think that it is OK to be bigger since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads."

Moral support

Dr Richard Suzman, director of the National Institute of Aging's Behavioral and Social Research Programme, said the finding could have important implications.

He said: "This seminal study breaks important new ground in showing how social networks may amplify other factors and help account for the dramatic increase in obesity across the [US] population."

Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of charity Weight Concern, said it was no surprise that people who are obese tended to be friends with others who were obese, but that the fact that the link was more important between friends than siblings was "very interesting".

He said this suggested that social factors were even more important than physical ones in obesity.

He added that, on the positive side, if overweight people had friends who were obese, they could offer moral support to help each other lose weight.

'Speculation'

But Professor Andrew Hill, of the University of Leeds, said it was purely speculation to suggest that people's body images change because their friends become obese.

And he said it was important not to forget things which are known as key factors in obesity, such as diet and exercise.

"The statistics may be meaningful, but in real life this is not very helpful to people who are overweight.

"We don't have an understanding of what is really causing the relationship - it might be very complicated."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6914397.stm

Published: 2007/07/26 00:29:51 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Nutrition and Disease Prevention

Greetings,

A new book has been just published in the "Nutrition and Disease Prevention" book series:

Geriatric Nutrition (Nutrition and Disease Prevention)
by John E. Morley and David R. Thomas
http://tinyurl.com/2znwda




Book Description
Drawing from a group of outstanding experts in the field, Geriatric Nutrition ties basic research with clinical practice in a state-of-the-art review of current nutritional thinking. Beginning with an overview on nutrition in older persons, the book addresses nutritional requirements, techniques for the clinical assessment of nutrition in older adults, and the management of undernutrition in nursing homes and assisted living environments. A significant portion of the book covers nutrition recommendations in specific disease states, such as psychological issues, obesity, diabetes, cancer, anemia, and fracture risk. The book also considers multicultural and ethical issues relevant to the sensitive treatment of older individuals.

Key words:
New books, Nutrition, Disease Prevention, Geriatric Nutrition, John E. Morley, David R. Thomas, Health, fitness, health-care for seniors, life-extension, aging, ageing, longevity, gerontology, gerontological, geriatrics, geriatric, senescence, obesity, diabetes, cancer, anemia, fracture risk

Hope it helps,

Kind regards,

-- Leonid Gavrilov, Ph.D.
Website: http://longevity-science.org/
Blog: http://longevity-science.blogspot.com/
My books: http://longevity-science.org/Books.html

P.S.: See also the list of 26 new books on aging and longevity, which have become available this month:

http://longevity-science.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-books-for-june-2007.html
and
http://tinyurl.com/2k4jd8