Nutrition Myths: 5 Food Rules to Break

 Don’t let your diet–or stomach–be held captive by these nutrition myths…

It goes like this: A client looking to lead a healthier life hires me, a nutritionist, to help him improve his diet. I analyze what he’s been eating, factor in his food preferences, and together we create an eating plan that fits his lifestyle and goals. Soon after, he’s noticeably leaner and more energetic–a happy customer.

That’s when the trouble starts. After a coworker asks him for the details of his diet, my client suddenly finds himself in a heated interrogation. Doesn’t your nutritionist know red meat causes cancer? And that potatoes cause diabetes? Shouldn’t he tell you to eat less salt, to prevent high blood pressure?

The upshot: Myths just made my job a lot harder. That’s because nutrition misinformation fools men into being confused and frustrated in their quest to eat healthily, even if they’re already achieving great results. Thankfully, you’re about to be enlightened by science. Here are five food fallacies you can forget about for good.

Myth 1: “High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys.”

The origin: Back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your “glomerular filtration rate,” or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding, many scientists made the leap that a higher GFR places your kidneys under greater stress.

What science really shows: Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn’t have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there’s zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein–specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day–damages healthy kidneys.

The bottom line: As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you’re a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you’re a skinny 150 pounds but want to be a muscular 180.

Myth 2: “Sweet potatoes are better for you than white potatoes.”

The origin: Because most Americans eat the highly processed version of the white potato–for instance, french fries and potato chips–consumption of this root vegetable has been linked to obesity and an increased diabetes risk. Meanwhile, sweet potatoes, which are typically eaten whole, have been celebrated for being rich in nutrients and also having a lower glycemic index than their white brethren.

What science really shows: White potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn’t necessarily better than the other. For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. As for the glycemic index, sweet potatoes are lower on the scale, but baked white potatoes typically aren’t eaten without cheese, sour cream, or butter. These toppings all contain fat, which lowers the glycemic index of a meal.

The bottom line: The form in which you consume a potato–for instance, a whole baked potato versus a processed potato that’s used to make chips–is more important than the type of spud.

Myth 3: “Red meat causes cancer.”

The origin: In a 1986 study, Japanese researchers discovered cancer developing in rats that were fed “heterocyclic amines,” compounds that are generated from overcooking meat under high heat. And since then, some studies of large populations have suggested a potential link between meat and cancer.

What science really shows: No study has ever found a direct cause-and-effect relationship between red-meat consumption and cancer. As for the population studies, they’re far from conclusive. That’s because they rely on broad surveys of people’s eating habits and health afflictions, and those numbers are simply crunched to find trends, not causes.

The bottom line: Don’t stop grilling. Meat lovers who are worried about the supposed risks of grilled meat don’t need to avoid burgers and steak; rather, they should just trim off the burned or overcooked sections of the meat before eating.

Myth 4: “High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is more fattening than regular sugar is.”

The origin: In a 1968 study, rats that were fed large amounts of fructose developed high levels of fat in their bloodstreams. Then, in 2002, University of California at Davis researchers published a well-publicized paper noting that Americans’ increasing consumption of fructose, including that in HFCS, paralleled our skyrocketing rates of obesity.

What science really shows: Both HFCS and sucrose–better known as table sugar–contain similar amounts of fructose. For instance, the two most commonly used types of HFCS are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55, which are 42 and 55 percent fructose, respectively. Sucrose is almost chemically identical, containing 50 percent fructose. This is why the University of California at Davis scientists determined fructose intakes from both HFCS and sucrose. The truth is, there’s no evidence to show any differences in these two types of sugar. Both will cause weight gain when consumed in excess.

The bottom line: HFCS and regular sugar are empty-calorie carbohydrates that should be consumed in limited amounts. How? By keeping soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and prepackaged desserts to a minimum.

Myth 5: “Salt causes high blood pressure and should be avoided.”

The origin: In the 1940s, a Duke University researcher named Walter Kempner, M.D., became famous for using salt restriction to treat people with high blood pressure. Later, studies confirmed that reducing salt could help reduce hypertension.

What science really shows: Large-scale scientific reviews have determined there’s no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake. Now, if you already have high blood pressure, you may be “salt sensitive.” As a result, reducing the amount of salt you eat could be helpful.

However, it’s been known for the past 20 years that people with high blood pressure who don’t want to lower their salt intake can simply consume more potassium-containing foods. Why? Because it’s really the balance of the two minerals that matters. In fact, Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption does. And it turns out, the average guy consumes 3,100 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day–1,600 mg less than recommended.

The bottom line: Strive for a potassium-rich diet, which you can achieve by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. For instance, spinach, broccoli, bananas, white potatoes, and most types of beans each contain more than 400 mg potassium per serving.

In Defense of Butter

Sure, butter is rich in fat–especially the saturated kind. But most of this fat is composed of palmitic and stearic acids. Research shows these saturated fatty acids either have no effect on your cholesterol or actually improve it. Not enough to convince you that butter–in moderation, of course–isn’t a dietary demon? Keep reading.

One pat of butter contains just 36 calories, and the fat it provides helps you feel full longer.

Butter is one of the top sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural fat that’s been shown to fight cancer.

Studies show the fat in butter improves your body’s ability to absorb vitamins A, E, D, and K. So a pat of butter on your vegetables actually makes them healthier (and tastier).

An Apple A DayNew Evidence For An Apple A Day

 The old adage promoting an apple a day for better health just got a boost from science. A large Dutch study has found that eating apples and pears is associated with a lower risk of stroke.

The findings counter the widespread belief that the most healthful fruits and vegetables are those that come in deep, rich colors inside and out. The dark green of spinach and deep red of raspberries are produced by phytochemicals that are associated with better heart health and lower rates of cancer, prompting the common advice to “eat your colors.” Apples and pears, although red, light green or yellow on the outside, are typically considered “white” fruits because the inside of the fruit, which represents the largest edible portion, is white.

Researchers in the Netherlands decided to track fruit and vegetable intake based on the color of the largest edible portion of the food. The categories were green (broccoli, kale, spinach and lettuce), orange/yellow (oranges, carrots and peaches), red/purple (cherries, grapes, beets and tomatoes) and white (apples, pears, bananas and cauliflower).

The investigators analyzed data collected from 20,069 men and women who took part in the Dutch Morgen study, which stands for Monitoring Project on Risk Factors and Chronic Diseases. All the participants, ages 20 to 65, were healthy and free of cardiovascular disease at the start. The study subjects filled out food questionnaires detailing their eating habits.

During the next 10 years, the investigators documented 233 strokes among the study participants. There was no relationship between stroke risk and consumption of any of the brightly colored fruits and vegetables. However, people who consumed at least 171 grams of white produce daily — equal to about one medium to large apple — had a 52 percent lower risk of stroke than those who ate less than 78 grams of white fruit a day. On average, every 25 grams of white fruit eaten daily was associated with a 9 percent lower risk for stroke.

The findings were published on Thursday in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Although the white category contained a number of foods, the investigators found that apples, pears and applesauce were the most common foods eaten in that category. When analyzed separately, apples and pears accounted for a 7 percent decline in stroke risk for every 25 grams eaten each day.

The strength of the research is that it analyzed a large, population-based study group. The downside is that eating habits were based on people’s own recollections of fruit and vegetable consumption, so the data may not be reliable. For instance, vegetables like onions or peppers that are often chopped and mixed in with foods are not as easy to remember when a person is filling out a dietary questionnaire, so it may be that those foods are underrepresented compared with apples, which are relatively easy to remember eating.

Why apples and pears might reduce stroke risk isn’t known, though both fruits are rich sources of dietary fiber, which is associated with lowering blood pressure. Both fruits also contain a number of nutrients and phytochemicals, including the flavonol quercetin, which may have anti-inflammatory properties.

The investigators noted that the findings should be replicated in other large studies before specific recommendations are made about consumption of white fruits.

“Previous prospective cohort studies found that high fruit and vegetable consumption lowers the risk of stroke,” Linda Oude Griep of the division of human nutrition at Wageningen University said in an e-mail. “This is the first study on color groups of fruits and vegetables and stroke, so yes, these results were surprising. However, these findings need to be confirmed in more prospective cohort studies before definite conclusions can be made.”

The study was financed by several Dutch and European public health agencies, although a portion of the cost was paid by an unrestricted grant from the Dutch Product Board for Horticulture, which promotes agricultural interests in the region

potatoesPotatoes Are The Largest And Most Affordable Source Of Potassium Of Any Vegetable Or Fruit

 Potato consumption leads to higher overall diet quality…

A frequently expressed concern in the ongoing public health debate is that fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly those that are nutrient dense, are not affordable to the average consumer. Research presented today at the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) demonstrates that potatoes are one of the best nutritional values in the produce department, providing significantly better nutritional value per dollar than most other raw vegetables. Per serving, white potatoes were the largest and most affordable source of potassium of any vegetable or fruit.

Dr. Adam Drewnowski and colleagues from the University of Washington merged nutrient composition data from the USDA Food and Nutrition Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS 2.0) with the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) national food prices database. Frequency of consumption data was obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2003-4). The Affordable Nutrition Index (ANI) was the metric used to assess nutritional value per dollar for potatoes and for other vegetables.

Potatoes were the lowest cost source of dietary potassium, a nutrient identified by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines as lacking in the American diet. The high cost of meeting federal dietary guidelines for potassium, 4,700 mg per person per day, presents a challenge for consumers and health professionals, alike. However, the cost of potassium-rich white potatoes was half that of most other vegetables.

“Potatoes deserve credit for contributing to higher diet quality and increasing vegetable consumption,” said lead researcher Adam Drewnowski, PhD. “Potatoes also play an important role in providing affordable nutrition to Americans. You CAN afford to meet key dietary guidelines IF you include potatoes in your diet.”

Further analyses of NHANES dietary intake showed that putting potatoes on the plate did improve overall diet quality. Individuals who consumed potatoes (baked, boiled and roasted) had higher intakes of potassium and vitamin C and consumed more total vegetables in a day compared to those who did not consume potatoes.

Foods that Promote Hair GrowthFoods That Promote Hair Growth In Men

 A healthy diet is not only good for your health, but also helps to grow your hair. Hair is made of keratin, which is a type of protein that needs to be in sufficient levels for proper grow hair.

Hair loss affects both men and women and there are many factors that cause hair loss such as genetics, hypothyroid, insufficient scalp circulation, hormonal changes and vitamin inadequacies, aging, diabetes, and chemotherapy.

Improper hair care can also cause of hair loss. There are plenty of foods that promote hair growth. By consuming a healthy balanced diet containing lot of proteins, vitamins, essential fats and oils, fruits and vegetables help to increase hair growth and repair your damaged hair.

Here are some foods that promote hair growth:

Protein:

Protein is an important part of the human diet and can help to boost your body’s energy. Protein also improves the formation of blood cells that carry oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles.

So include high-protein food in your daily diet such as salmon, chicken, eggs, lean meat, liver, tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt, beans, spinach, lamb, collard greens and other many legumes like kidney beans, lentils and split peas. These foods will help to promote healthy keratin productions that are building blocks of hair.

Vitamin B:Vitamin B plays an important role in preventing hair-loss. Many nutritionists suggest biotin supplements for hair growth.

Instead of taking a vitamin capsule, you can get vitamin B from the foods such as oats, soybeans, green peas, brown rice, walnuts, bananas, potatoes, whole gram, avocado, tuna, garlic and sunflower seeds, which help to keep the roots of the hair strong and healthy. These are the most important foods that promote hair growth.

Iron:One harmful effect of iron deficiency to the body is hair-loss. It is very important to consume adequate levels of iron that helps to promote re-growth after hair-loss. You can found an iron-rich diet in liver, dark green, leafy vegetables, red meat, egg yolk and dry fruits like raisins.

Fatty acids:Essential fatty acids are important for your overall health, but they also keep the hair hydrated and help to maintain its natural shine. They are found in walnuts, fish, nuts, olive oil, wine, soy, fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin K:Vitamin K helps to maintain the damaged hair and to prevent breakage. Good sources of vitamin k are Brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, avocados, olive oil and nuts. These foods help to prevent hair-loss and encourage hair grows much faster.

Vitamin C:Lack of vitamin C can cause dry hair, dull hair and the hair prone to breakage. So maintaining good levels of vitamin C is essential for hair growth. Excellent food sources of vitamin C such as cauliflower, mustard, cabbage, spinach, celery, parsley, tomatoes, rasp berries, papaya, orange, water melon, pineapples, lemon and kiwifruit.

Weight Lifting For Fat Loss

 Increased metabolic rate

The first reason weight lifting is a good option for fat loss is because it boosts metabolic rate both over the short term as well as over the long term. In the hours after an intense weight-lifting session you will experience an increase in metabolic rate. What’s more, weight lifting will help you maintain your total amount of lean muscle mass, creating a permanent increase in metabolism.

Cardio training will only cause a short rise in metabolic rate for an hour or two after the session, taking away from the overall calorie-burning benefits compared with resistance training.

Often, overdoing cardio will actually decrease your total lean body mass, so you could see a reduction in metabolism over time working against your fat loss efforts.

Altered Body Composition

The second reason to choose weight lifting for fat loss purposes is because, while cardio may make you lose weight, weight lifting will help you lose body fat, altering your body composition.

Many individuals who just hop on the treadmill to lose the pounds don’t end up looking much different — even if they do successfully lose 10 to 20 pounds. This is because they still have the same proportion of muscle mass to body fat; they are just “smaller.”

Weight training will help change the way you look completely, giving the impression that you’ve replaced fat with muscle and are actually working at improving your body and changing your body composition.

Design a Fat-Loss Training Program

While you aren’t going to be doing a completely different type of weight-lifting workout compared to if you were attempting to build muscle, there are some important alterations that do need to be made when you are weight lifting for fat loss.

Decrease Total Volume

Because you’ re no longer taking in as many calories, it’s important that you reduce the total volume of your program. Generally, you can reduce the total volume by ½ to 2/3s and not experience any decrease in strength.

This is important to do because if you attempt to maintain the same volume while taking in fewer carbohydrates, you are not going to recover from workout to workout as you used to, and will quickly see your performance levels drop.

Maintain Weight Intensity

It’s essential that you keep the same intensity on the bar by not reducing your total weight lifted. A big error many people make is to decrease the weight while bumping up the reps, thinking this will create a greater caloric burn.

While it is true that high-rep training does tend to burn more calories while you are actually doing it, it will not maintain your lean body mass as well, thus your overall metabolic rate will slow. Additionally, if you maintain the weight on the bar throughout the diet period, it’s going to be easier to pick up where you left off after your muscle-building cycle, should you choose to pursue another one.

Utilize Circuit-Style Lifting for Cardio

The last thing you may want to consider is utilizing circuit-style weight lifting to replace any cardio you are currently doing. This style of workout will be completely different than traditional weight-training programs, but can provide a much greater boost to your metabolism than plain cardio.

If you are going to do some circuit training using lighter weight, be sure you are still incorporating enough rest between that and your heavier weight-lifting sessions. Since you are still loading the muscles with weight, it’s critical you don’t perform too many sessions back to back, otherwise CNS or muscular overtraining will become an issue.

Circuit-training cardio workouts will work better for those who are utilizing a two-day, full-body workout program rather than something where they are only lifting heavy three to four days a week.

Six Best 6 Pack Abs Exercises for an Eye Catching Look

 Everybody wish to have those well defined and amazing 6 pack abs. Many are going through the typical vigorous exercises to get those 6 pack abs. If you wish to have that great-looking abs, then you need to start the 6 pack abs exercises.

These can be achieved in 2 ways. Initially you should lose excessive body fat and after that you need to do workouts to build up the muscles. These two commitments can help you to get most toned abs. 6 pack abs exercises will specifically work on your rectus abdominal muscles.

Here are the best 6 pack abs exercises:

Cardio Exercises:

These are the first workouts that you can use to tone your muscles and abs at a time. To get toned abs, you should burn fat from all over the body, which can only be possible with the cardio exercises.

These exercises can increase your heart rate for a particular amount of time. Some examples of these exercises are bicycling, running, dancing, simple jogging and rowing.

Including the strengthening and cardio exercises into your daily exercise routine can speed up the metabolism and then build the muscles much faster as you lose excess fat.

Bent Knee Hip Raise:

This 6 pack abs exercise is the combination of the reverse crunch and traditional crunch, which is also known as full body crunch. This exercise can work on the rectus abdominis, engage your transverse abdominis muscle tissues, and both lower and upper abdominal muscles.

Leg Pull Ins:

Among the 6 pack abs exercises; this is very easily performing workout. This can be done on floor with the flat mat or on the flat bench. You can get more support on bench by holding sides, but this also have same effect when you do on the floor. Basically this will focus on the lower abdominal muscles.

Aerobic Exercises:

You can choose many simple aerobic exercises, which doesn’t need membership in any gym. These exercises include running, walking, biking, swimming, dancing and hiking.

Flutter Kicks:

This particular abdominal workout is a variation of the normal crunch and this works really well on the lower abs. You should do this exercise in the observation of professionals only.

Leg Raise:

This 6 pack abs exercise can be done using a flat bench or mat. Lower rectus abdominus region is the primary focus of this particular abs exercise.

Anti Obesity Drugs Unlikely To Provide Lasting Benefit According To Scientists

 Scientists at the University of Liverpool argue that anti-obesity drugs fail to provide lasting benefits for health and wellbeing because they tackle the biological consequences of obesity, and not the important psychological causes of overconsumption and weight gain.

Dr Jason Halford, Reader in Appetite and Obesity at the University of Liverpool, points out that anti-obesity drug developers focus primarily on weight loss as their end goal, and do not take into consideration the motivational and behavioural factors that most commonly cause obesity. Obesity typically results from eating too much food combined with too sedentary a lifestyle. However, obese people may also have a complicated psychological relationship with food that makes it difficult for them to control their appetite sufficiently to manage their weight.

Obesity is one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century and, according to Government predictions, is set to affect half of all men and more than a third of all women in the UK by 2025. Obesity is not only associated with a number of serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and reduced life expectancy, but also has a knock-on effect for the health service, industry, education and government – with a multi-billion pound cost to the economy.

Dr Halford said, “Anti-obesity drugs haven’t successfully tackled the wider issues of obesity because they’ve been focused predominantly on weight loss. Obesity is the result of many motivational factors that have evolved to encourage us to eat, not least our susceptibility to the attractions of food and the pleasures of eating energy rich foods – factors which are, of course, all too effectively exploited by food manufacturers.

“As psychological factors are critical to the development of obesity, drug companies should take them into consideration when designing new drug therapies. We’ve learned a great deal about the neurochemical systems that govern processes like the wanting and liking of food, and it’s time to exploit that knowledge to help people manage their eating behaviour.”

Anti-obesity drugs can work in different ways; for example, by suppressing appetite, altering metabolism or inhibiting the absorption of calories. There have, however, been serious concerns over the safety of the most commonly prescribed drugs, leading to the recent withdrawal of the European market leaders Sibutramine (Reductil, Meridia) and Rimonabant (Accomplia). As a consequence of these setbacks, there are few anti-obesity drugs in development.

Dr Halford and his co-authors explain that there are motivational, emotional and behavioural traits which are common to the obese. Typically, obese people have a heightened desire to eat, which is easily provoked by environmental factors such as food adverts. They display a pre-occupation with food and have a heightened preference for high fat and high sugar foods. Obese people also tend to eating faster and take larger mouthfuls which together result in them eating bigger meals.

However, despite eating larger than normal portions, obese people are less likely to feel full after eating, partly because of the energy-dense foods they prefer have a reduced impact on gastrointestinal hormone signals that help promote feelings of satisfaction and fullness. Consequently, there are a number of reasons why obese people have enduring, and easily provoked, feelings of excessive hunger which culminate in overconsumption.

Professor Tim Kirkham, an authority on the biopsychology of appetite at the University of Liverpool, said: “Novel, effective anti-obesity treatments must address these different factors. We need to identify drugs that can selectively affect the desire to eat, the enjoyment of eating, fullness and satisfaction. Interventions designed specifically to modulate these processes could help reduce the aversive experience of dieting, and maximize an individual’s capacity to successfully gain control over their appetite. Currently, we know little about the behavioural effects of anti-obesity drugs under development, and so we have little indication whether these new treatment address the underlying causes of obesity.

Water Weight Loss – Losing Weight By Drinking Water

 Water weight loss is nothing but drinking more quantity of water to lose weight. This is one of the safest ways of losing weight. Take 2 cups of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner is really helpful in reducing weight.

What Actually Happens in Water Weight Loss

What happens actual in water weight loss is that when a person drinks water before meal will help in reduction of his appetite. With this reduction of appetite, less calorie intake takes place, which in turn leads to slightly more calories to burn than usually burn. Thereby, results in losing of weight take place.

This is one popular trick, which a person on diet can follow without any fear. This is also an effective tip for people who facing the problem of binge eating. As tummy is partially filled with water, it will automatically reduce the urge for heavy food intake. It is a known saying that a person can shed more weight by drinking more water.

Water weight loss not only involves drinking of water, but also involves consumption of water rich fruits and vegetable. This will help effectively in management of water.

Drink 8 Glasses of Water – Is it Really effective?

Along with water weight loss, almost all weight loss programs tell to drink more water, at least 8 glasses of water daily. It is has been proved by some studies that drinking more glasses of water in a day will actually speed up the procedure of losing weight.

Drinking more glasses of water directly related to increase in metabolism rate. It increases the rate at which the calories are burned. It nearly increases the burning of calories by 25 to 30%. However this increase in rate of calorie burning varies between men and women.

A study has stated that a person will burn nearly 17000 to 18000 more calories than usual by consuming one and half liter of water in a day.

Drinking Water vs Drinking Beverages

It is always better and healthy to replace beverages with water. We all know that drinks these beverages will only add up more and more calorie intake resulting into obesity. So, replacing these beverages with stop this adding more and more calories and also involves in burning more number of calories than usually.

There is even criticism regarding this weight loss as there are few researches are done pertaining to issue. Researchers say that moderate consumption of water is healthy and even result in weight loss, but excess consumption of water can result in water intoxication.

This water weight loss is will definitely speed up the process of weight loss and had shown more effective result among people of middle and older age. But, it has also shown some effect on younger people.

5 Easy Exercises To Lose Weight

 People are more conscious about their appearance, particularly those who are overweight. So these obese people are now turning to effective and easy exercises to lose weight fast and efficiently.

Regular exercise not only helps to lose weight, but also helps to lower the risk of heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health problems.

The exercise should be performed daily with no breaks and without any delay. This is the first rule to follow in losing the weight and building an appearance.

List of 5 easy exercises to lose weight:

Some of the effective and easy exercises for weight loss are walking, jogging, jumping rope, swimming, dancing, etc.

Walking:

Walking is one of the easy exercises to lose weight. So many people are turning to walking for weight loss instead of running and jogging because walking is a weight-bearing exercise. You should walk at least 30 minutes as it will burn approximately 150 calories.

If you walk 30 minutes a day and at least five days a week, you can burn about 750 calories a week. If possible, find a walking partner as it is a great way to stay motivated and fit. While walking, you need to carry a bottle of water to avoid dehydration.

Jogging:

Jogging is one of the easy exercises to lose weight compared to many other exercises. Jogging is an effective way to lose weight and fight weight-related diseases. It can also enhance your heart and lung performance, which raises the flow of oxygen in the body and helps to burn more calories.

If a 150 lb person jogs for 30 minutes, he or she may burn approximately 238 calories. You will need to jog at least 30 minutes for five days a week. It is possible almost anywhere, but it needs shorts, T-shirt and running shoes.

Jumping rope:

A jumping rope is a simple but it one of effective and easy exercises to lose weight. Jumping rope not only helps to lose weight, but also helps you to develop strong and toned muscles. A 150 lb person can burn approximately 115 calories in 10 minutes jumping rope.

A jump rope routine when combined with a healthy diet is a good combination for individuals who are interested in weight loss.

Swimming:

Swimming is a non-weight-bearing and non-impact cardiovascular exercise as it works the entire body. If you do at least 30 to 60 minutes of swimming 4 to 6 days a week, you can burn approximately 360-500 calories based on your weight, stroke and speed.

It is not only a great way to burn calories, but also reduce the health risks like heart attacks, diabetes and stroke. If you do not know how to swim, then this is an opportunity to learn.

Dancing:

Dancing for weight loss offers a viable alternative for individuals who want to lose weight in a healthy, safe and fun way. Many forms of dance can cause weight loss. Dancing not only raise the heart rate, but also tones and tightens the major muscle groups of the body. One-hour session of dancing can burn about 300 calories.

Signs Of Hair RegrowthWhat Are The Different Signs Of Hair Regrowth?

 You might experience complete baldness like a disease, infection of the scalp because of imbalance in the hormones, extreme shock etc.

Baldness can occur in big or small patches, cover large areas on the head or even occur in some parts of the body.

If a person is receiving some kind of chemotherapy treatment, he or she tends to lose all hairs in their body too. There would be a certain period of non growth of hair in some forms of baldness and after some time, you will experience regrowth of hair.

This is natural as your hair follicles tend to go for a rest for 3 to 4 months which is a part of natural body cycle. There are many signs of hair regrowth that you can look out for which are helpful even if you have undertaken a treatment for hair regrowth.

Look out for a diminished hair loss:

Make sure you check your pillows, hair brush and hair bands which usually have fallen hair. When the number of hairs is less in these areas, it is a good sign that the hair loss phase is stopping slowly. This also indicates that hair follicles have become stronger and are active from their dormant state.

Shadow:

This is the important one among the signs of hair regrowth. This is something similar to the shadow that you get a day after you shave. When the hair grows beneath the skin surface, it causes a dark shadow on the skin’s surface.

When you take a closer look you can find out small and dark spots everywhere on the area which has the pores and hair follicles. If you have a white hair or blonde hair you will have a shadow in a lighter shade owing to the light colored hair that you have.

Fuzzy hair:

When the hair stars to grow, it looks abnormal to some extent. This kind of hair growth is termed as peach fuzz as the downy hairs that grow in the bald region would be like the facial hairs.

Such hairs tend to grow in a uniform way or in patches in the bald region. But don’t worry as it’s one of the most encouraging signs of hair regrowth and are solid proof that each hair follicle is now capable of producing hairs.

Very fine hair:

Though it would take a few months, the fuzz can transform into fine hair as it would grow even longer. This can slightly hide the bald spot as it is sparse in nature. This hair would be so fine that it would be prone to damage and breakage. Over time, these hairs would get coarser and thicker.

Short hair:

When you are in the initial stages of hair growth, you will not have long hair. This is because the hair regrowth would produce fuzzy hair, then it turns to fine texture and then gets thicker as the hair follicles heal slowly and promotes the texture and strength of your hair.

How To Use A Male Condom

 Condoms can protect you against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Even if you are protected against pregnancy by birth control pills or another method, use a condom to prevent STDs.

Use a condom every time you have sexual intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex unless you know that you and your partners are STD-free.

Condoms are most effective when you follow these steps before using them:

• Buy latex condoms sold in the United States. These condoms meet strict safety standards and are unlikely to break or leak.
• Keep the condom in its package until you are ready to use it.
• Check the condom for its expiration date. Throw away condoms that have passed the expiration date.
• Avoid storing rubber (latex) condoms in any hot place (such as the glove compartment of a car). Heat can weaken the rubber and increase the chance that the condom will break.

Follow these steps to use a condom properly.

• Unwrap the condom carefully to avoid poking tiny holes in it with your fingernails.
• Put the condom on as soon as your penis is hard (erect), before you enter your partner. The condom can be put on as part of lovemaking.
• Pull down the loose skin from the head of the penis, if you have not been circumcised.
• Hold the tip of the condom and squeeze out the air. This leaves room for the semen when you ejaculate. Also, the condom is less likely to break if all the air has been squeezed out.
• Keep holding the tip of the condom. Unroll it onto the erect penis, all the way down to the pubic hair.
• Use a lubricant on the outside of the condom once it is on completely. Use lubricants like Astroglide, Slippery Stuff, or K-Y Jelly, which do not contain oil. Never use Vaseline, grease, hand lotion, baby oil, or anything else with oil in it. Oil can weaken latex rubber and cause the condom to break and may irritate your partner’s vagina. Read the label to be sure that a lubricant does not have oil in it.
• Press on the bottom of the condom (by the pubic hair) after you ejaculate and pull out while your penis is still hard. This will keep semen from spilling out of the condom.
• Take the condom off and throw it away. Use a new condom each time you have sexual intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex.
• Wash your hands after handling a used condom.

10 Prostate Cancer Cells Growth Triggering Factors

 Different cancers have different risk factors, among those some can be altered, like smoking while some others cannot be altered, like age and family history. In the similar way there are various risk factors that can trigger the growth of prostate cancer cells.

1. Age: The risk of prostate cancer is high in men above 40, but the risk even increases in men above 50. Every 2 out of 3 prostate cancers are among the men over 65.

2. Family history: The growth of prostate cancer cells runs in some families with a history of this cancer. Having the immediate brother, or father with this disease can even double the risk of developing. The risk is even higher in individuals with more affected relatives.

3. Genes: Several studies have found that changes in inherited genes can even increase the risk of prostate cancer. Some type of inherited gene changes can increase the risk of getting more than one cancer type. For instance, BRCA1 or BRCA2 are the causes of ovarian and breast cancer in women, this gene can also be linked to prostate cancer.

4. Diet: Still the precise role of diet changes in prostate cancer is not yet clear. But, studies showed about several diet factors. Men who take high fat dairy product and lot of red meat have higher risk of developing prostate cancer cells. Also, consuming higher levels of calcium can even increase the risk.

5. Prostatitis: Studies proved that prostatitis, which is the inflammation of prostate gland can be linked to the cancer risk. Often inflammation is observed in samples of prostate tissues that also have cancer.

6. Sexually transmitted diseases: Some sexually transmitted diseases can cause inflammation of prostate, which increase the risk of cancer.

7. Smoking: According to the recent study, smoking linked to a small increase in the risk of death from prostate cancer.

8. Black Men: Black men have higher risk of developing prostate cancer cells than men from some other races. In black men, this disease is more likely to be aggressive or advanced. This difference might be due to a mixture of inherited genes and environmental factors.

9. Bowel cancer: Studies showed that men who are diagnosed with colon cancer have higher risk of developing prostate cancer because both have a common faulty gene.

10. Vasectomy: Men who have had vasectomy may have slightly higher risk of developing this type of cancer. It is a procedure of male sterilization and permanent birth control.

Testicular Cancer and Fertility – Know How Treatment Improves Your Fertility

 We all know that testicular cancer and fertility are linked to each other, but treating it can greatly improve your fertility. Most men are living a healthy and happy life after getting treatment for testicular cancer.

Men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer, it is important to consult a fertility specialist prior getting any treatment. Here is the brief overview of each treatment for testicular cancer and fertility improvement:

Chemotherapy

Usually it may not affect your sex ability, but the side effects may decrease your sex drive for a while. However some high dose chemotherapy treatments may cause infertility.

Fertility problems caused by chemotherapy are just temporary and you will regain the sex drive after completion of the treatment. The rate at which fertility returns will vary from person to person.

Some men when they are diagnosed with testicular cancer may already have low sperm count. But successful treatment with chemotherapy can improve the production of sperm.

Radiation therapy

Usually this treatment for the nodes in the abdomen will not affect your ability to have sex and usually won’t cause infertility. Generally a cancer specialist suggests you to store the sperm.

Surgery for Testicular Cancer and Fertility

Surgical removal of testicle won’t affect the sexual performance or the ability to become father of a child. In case one testicle is healthy, it will produce sperm and more testosterone to make up for the testicle that has been removed.

Men who had surgery for the removal of retro-peritoneal lymph nodes may notice nerve damage that can lead to retrograde ejaculation. When this condition happens, sperm goes backward into the bladder instead of coming out through the penis. Then the sperm is passed out harmlessly in the urine.

Here are few facts about treatment for testicular cancer and fertility:

• This type of cancer usually affects men during their reproductive years, when fertility is most crucial.
• As testicles are responsible for sperm production, cancer and any kind of cancer treatment can affect sperm health and cause low sperm count or various other reproductive problems.
• Treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy can damage a man’s ability of sperm production. In some rare cases, these treatments may also cause infertility after the completion of cancer treatment.
• In case surgery is needed to treat the cancer, it involves removal of testicles. Sometimes, it may also lead to infertility.
• Testicular cancer itself can result in to low sperm count for men. Following the treatment, men may notice an improvement in the sperm count and fertility may return.