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Happy independence month! And that is our
aim here at Oöna, to make sure that you are independent
of the severe hormonal swings that can make life uncomfortable
and or miserable. However, we do hope that you enjoy the fireworks
and are still enjoying fireworks of all sorts...
NEW RISK IN PREMPRO
On June 25, 2003, the Wall St. Journal reported that the most
recent analysis of data from the WHI found that even short-term
use of Prempro can increase the risk of breast cancer and
cause abnormal mammograms. The report found that women taking
Prempro after only three years had a 24% higher incidence
of breast cancer than women taking a placebo. Abnormal mammograms
increased in the treated group even during the first year;
it is believed that HRT increases the density of breast tissue
and therefore can make mammograms more difficult to read.
This translates into a one-in-25 chance of an abnormal mammogram
or that four women in 1,000 would develop cancer that they
wouldn't ordinarily have developed. Doctors stressed that
all told the frequency of breast cancer for the women was
modest: with over 7,000 women in each group, 245 women on
Prempro developed breast cancer and 185 taking sugar pills.
BRING ON THE BERRIES
Blueberries. Blackberries. Strawberries. Raspberries. Don't
you love when all of a sudden the fruit section one week is
just filled with boxes of all these berries? Turns out, these
sweet, low-cal colorful delights contain a powerful nutritional
punch -- so load up the cart. (watch your wallet, they can
get expensive) Just be sure to eat them within a few days,
berries are picked ripe and rot fairly quickly.
Nutritional Highlights of Berries
*Berries contain fructose, which is fruit sugar, and fiber.
This combination can give you lasting energy because the fiber
helps to release the fructose slowly into the blood stream.
At 60 calories a cup, these are great foods if you are watching
calories.
*Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are loaded with
disease-fighting phytochemicals called anthocyanins, the dark
blue and red pigments that give berries their color. These
compounds along with the combined effort of others natural
to the fruit, are reported to provide nutrients that play
a key role in repairing cells harmed by free radicals. It
is free radical damage that accumulates as we age and appears
to contribute to cancer and heart disease.
*Blueberries may play a role in reversing age-related short
term memory. They have also display some anti-inflammatory
effects.
*Each are loaded with fiber, vitamins A and C along with minerals
like calcium, magnesium and potassium.
*Strawberries contain a lot of vitamin C and iron and are
known to whiten teeth.
*Some more tips: Look for deep color, Store them unrinsed
(if you rinse, they rot even faster), frozen are just as nutritious,
dried are great but can be more calories (you may eat more
when they're smaller), skip the supplements.
A PRELIMINARY SKINNY ON LOW CARB
DIETS
The New England Journal of Medicine published two studies
that looked at severe obesity and low carbohydrate diets such
as Atkins. The outcome is not surprising: that those on the
low carbohydrate diet lost more weight than that low-fat diet.
We are not sure if calorie consumption was compared but we
do know that participants had specific foods to eat and the
low fat participants did not have any advice on how to limit
calories. Most important is that drop out rate was 40%. One
year out, the difference in weight loss was not significant.
The most alarming thing to us is that Atkins diet does not
provide adequate nutrition without supplementation and can
be very hard on the kidneys and liver. It is certainly not
an easy way to live. However, there does seem to be some truth
to the Atkins diet… it appears that there is a benefit
to limiting (not eliminating) carbohydrates if you want to
reduce weight, it's just that one would need to see a nutritionist
to figure out what is the best way to go about doing that
for themselves. There are ways to work within one's lifestyle
and we wish the whole discussion would move beyond low-carb
vs. low-fat. See abstracts for more info on diets effects
on cholesterol and insulin. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/348/21/2082
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/348/21/2074
That's it for this month! As always,
check out our website for lots more information at www.oonahealth.com. In Good Health,
The Oöna Team
Questions or comments? Write valerie@oonahealth.com
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