Say 'no' to junk food, 'no' to diseases & cancer

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Reducing the consumption of processed and fried foods, which are high in toxins called Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), can reduce inflammation and actually help restore the body's natural defences regardless of age or health status, according to a new study.

These benefits are present even without changing caloric or nutrient intake, say researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The findings provide a simple dietary intervention that could result in weight loss and have significant impact on several epidemic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.

The findings are the result of a clinical study involving over 350 people, which was conducted in collaboration with, and with support from, the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

The study is based on previous research conducted in animal models that showed the effective prevention of these diseases and even the extension of lifespan by consuming a reduced AGE diet.

"What is noteworthy about our findings is that reduced AGE consumption proved to be effective in all study participants, including healthy persons and persons who have a chronic condition such as kidney disease," said the study's lead author Helen Vlassara, MD, Professor and Director of the Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

"This suggests that oxidants may play a more active role than genetics in overwhelming our body's defences, which we need to fight off disease. It has been said that nature holds the power, but the environment pulls the trigger. The good news is that unlike genetics, we can control oxidant levels, which may not be an accompaniment to disease and aging, but instead due to the cumulative toxic influence of AGEs," Dr. Vlassara added.

The study has been published in the October/November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism .
 

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Eating junk food ‘can cause depression

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Eating junk food is not only bad for your waistline but also for your mental health, says a new study.

British and French scientists analyzed food and mood data from 3,486 men and women (average age 55) working in a London office, reports MSNBC.com.

Each person filled out a food frequency questionnaire that asked how often they had eaten a specific portion size of food during the previous year, with answers ranging from 'never' to 'six or more times a day.'

Two dietary patterns were determined: the 'whole food pattern' (a high daily intake of healthy fruits, vegetables and fish) and the 'processed food pattern' (noshing on lots of sweetened desserts, chocolates, fried food, processed meat, refined grains, high-fat dairy products and condiments).

Five years later, the same participants filled out a questionnaire that measured symptoms of depression.

After taking into account factors like age and sex, the researchers found that high consumption of the processed foods was more likely to lead to depression, while people who ate healthier were least likely to be depressed.

"Our finding shows a strong association between diet and depressive symptoms after controlling for a large range of socio-demographic factors, and for health behaviors such as smoking, physical activity, and health status," the New York Daily News quoted the study's author, Tasnime Akbaraly, as saying.

"The effect of diet on depressive symptoms didn't go down after we adjusted for other indicators of a healthy lifestyle, such as smoking, physical activity, and body mass. What we found isn't a spurious association," Akbaraly added.
 
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