SURF STAR KELLY SLATER ON DOLE TV

New Videos Include Sports Nutrition, Brain Foods & Reproductive Health

Now premiering on Dole TV -- three new wellness videos on foods you need for athletic performance, mental agility and even romance!

Kelly Slater, six-time world surfing champion with a fresh win at the World Championship Tour, slowed down long enough to chat with us in Malibu about how eating right helps him stay on top of the competition.  Whether you're a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, you'll learn how antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables can speed recovery time by neutralizing the metabolic byproducts of vigorous exercise.

Then, we offer some "Food for Thought" (literally) in an interview with Dr. Gary Small, Director of the UCLA Center on Aging and author of The Memory Prescription.  We tackle chief threats to brain health and teach you which foods can help protect your gray matter from age-accelerating oxidative damage.

Finally, get in the "Food for Love" with a segment on which fruits and vegetables can help protect fertility and sexual function.  We'll give you a hint: diet and lifestyle habits that are good for your heart are good for your love life, too!  If you lust for more libido-lifting nutrition research, check out this previous newsletter on other antioxidant aphrodisiacs.

DAIRY DAZE

Calories, not Calcium, Win Weight Loss War

News that dairy calcium could boost weight loss efforts created quite a buzz last year -- with the dairy industry interests milking the data for all it was worth.  At the time, we questioned whether the dairy boon would go bust as dieters turned to full-fat milk products in an effort to shed pounds.  Now a study from Purdue University suggests such reservations might indeed have been merited -- while the dairy-weight loss link may have been overblown.

Maintaining a level caloric playing field, researchers divided 155 women into three groups -- a control, a medium-dairy and high-dairy group -- then monitored weight and body fat measurements for a year.  The upshot: dairy consumption did not confer a weight loss advantage (if anything, the high-dairy group gained more weight than the other groups, though the difference was not statistically significant).

Another study by the University of Vermont also dimmed dairy's diet halo: 54 borderline obese subjects, divided into high- and low-dairy diets, found no significant differences in lost weight.  We have no doubt that a fully balanced diet -- including adequate calcium, from either plant or non-fat dairy sources -- can improve anyone's prospects for long term weight management.  But those hoping for a calcium cure-all may find themselves crying over spilt milk.

According to study author Kathleen Martin Ginis, "when a fitness expert conveys goals to an exerciser, his or her vision can increase self-confidence in beginner exercisers by creating the belief that if an expert thinks I can do it, then I must be able to do it’.

Apparently this kind of encouragement is as effective with veteran exercisers as it is with novices.  In a Ball State University study of men ages 18 to 35, those with professional supervision achieved strength gains 30-45% greater than the men who exercised solo.  Plus, they got results 30%quicker.

No wonder 70% of respondents in a Weight Watchers survey picked having a personal trainer at their disposal as their perk of choice -- with far fewer choosing nutrition consults or other expert advice.  Worried that a professional trainer may be beyond your budgetary means?  Try sampling their services by asking for a free -- or discounted -- first session, then see if your trainer will offer a break on a package deal (say a 10% discount on a series of 10).  Other options include group sessions -- working with a trainer willing to supervise two or more at a time in order to share costs.  Finally, remember that working with a professional will yield significant returns on your investment, as you build muscle, boost metabolism, bolster bones and sculpt your body.

DOES THIS MAKE ME LOOK FAT?

Brains Respond Differently to Weighty Question

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you?  That may depend on the word -- and your gender.  A new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found words like "fat," "obese," and "heavy" are processed differently by men and women.

Japanese researchers used MRIs to monitor brain activity while presenting 26 men and women with different sets of words -- some neutral, some negatively linked to body image. In men, the medial prefrontal cortex -- a part of the brain associated with cognitive reasoning -- lit up when confronted with words like "corpulence," while women experienced greater activity in the amygdala, an area that deals with fear and anger.

Lead scientist Shigeto Yamakawi said the results suggest "that men may not process unpleasant words concerning body image as fearful information, whereas women seem to do so."  The differences may help explain why eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are 10 times more common in women than men. 

Perhaps.  I'd wager that such dissimilar synaptic responses have more to do with sociology than biology.  It may be that women perceive negative references to weight as threats because, in a sense, they are threats -- threats to self-esteem, to conjugal prospects, to social acceptance.  In a society where women (far more than men) are judged on the basis of their appearance in general, and weight in particular, it's  perfectly rational to process potential judgments with fear and anger. 

Try the same experiment using words such as "male pattern baldness," impotence or references to anatomical scale other than that of the waistline and see which part of whose brain lights up.  In the mean time both sexes would benefit from translating mental responses to weighty propositions into physical action aimed at improving their health.

DAD DIET

Fruit & Veggies Cut Men's Pancreatic Cancer Risk

Wondering what to get dear old dad this Father's Day, June 19th?  Give him a fruit and veggie basket and you may be decreasing his risk of pancreatic cancer.

According to University of Montreal researchers, men with the highest fruit and vegetable intakes are about half as likely to develop pancreatic cancer as those with the lowest intakes.  In particular, the tomato compound lycopene (also highly concentrated in watermelon, red bell pepper and pink grapefruit) conferred protective benefits.  Women's pancreatic cancer risk also declined relative to lycopene levels, but less significantly (9% lower risk compared to men's 31% risk reduction).

YOU SAY TOMATO...

Better Red than Dead with Superfood for Heart

Heirloom, cherry, grape, yellow, beefsteak… the number of tomato varieties is only matched by the impressive list of health benefits.  A Superfood for the Heart several times over, tomatoe's potassium content helps control blood pressure; phytosterols help keep cholesterol within bounds; antioxidants like vitamins A & C, along with the powerful carotenoid lycopene, help prevent LDL (bad) cholesterol oxidation. 

As explored in previous newsletters, lycopene is an antioxidant powerhouse, with benefits beyond heart health.  The colorful carotenoid lowers your risk of a range of different cancers, including ovarian, cervical, oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, lung and, as discussed earlier, pancreatic cancers.  According to Dr. Rui Liu of Cornell, lycopene is ten times more powerful than vitamin E when it comes to neutralizing free radicals.  But lycopene's ability to fight cancer is based not only on its antioxidant properties, but also on its ability to facilitate communication between cells. 

Keep in mind that cooking tomatoes releases lycopene from the cell walls, making it more available to the body, while adding a bit of healthy fat helps the body absorb it better.  For a delicious twist on cooking with tomatoes, try this issue's Superfood Recipe -- Whole Wheat Pasta Primavera.

HEALTH ON THE FLY

Tips for Fitter, Fatigue-Free Flight

As I contemplate the summer travel season I'm reminded of Samuel Johnson's quip, when asked whether a particular site was worth seeing: "Worth seeing?  Yes.  But not worth going to see.

Insomniac on long flights, unable to stomach most airline food, and irritable in long lines, I am not an eager adventurer.  But experience -- and research -- has taught me tips on how to make trips more bearable between hubs.  Attention to diet and fitness can help make the voyage almost as pleasant as the destination.

1) Cherry-pick Your Snacks: Combat jet lag by bagging cherries -- rich in sleep-regulating melatonin, plus a high water content to help you stay hydrated.  Just rinse the fruit at home and place in a re-sealable plastic bag with a few paper towels - and don't forget a separate baggie for the pits.  Other healthy snack ideas include: unsalted nuts/trail mix, mini-boxes of raisins, fruit bowls, pre-cut veggies or apple slices.

2) Walk, Don't Ride: Staying fit while traveling can reduce your risk of deep vein thrombosis (sometimes called "economy class syndrome") and give your brain and body a needed boost.  Start at the airport by eschewing people-movers in favor of getting to your gate on your own steam.  

3) Upgrade with Kiwis: the fuzzy fruit's anti-clotting activity is also a guard against economy class syndrome.  Bonus: stress (including airport aggravation) can deplete your body's stores of vitamin C, while just one kiwi can provide 120% of your daily C needs.

4) Exercise Your Options: Both airlines and airports are increasingly offering opportunities to tone up either in flight or during a layover.  Delta Airlines offers an "On the Fly" fitness kit that weighs less than a pound and includes a ball, resistance band and guidebook.  You can order the kit for $8.00 at http://www.flysong.com/ and take it with you on any flight.

Some airports even offer fitness centers on property, like the 24 Hour Fitness at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, while many gyms are just a short taxi ride from the airport.  Visit http://www.airportgyms.com/ for a comprehensive list of nearby fitness centers the next time you travel. 

5) Wage Germ Warfare: Avoid catching a cold when catching a flight by washing hands thoroughly and bringing along your own hand sanitizing gel.  Boost your immune system before flight by including foods like leafy greens (support bacteria-busting white blood cells), citrus (inactivates a variety of viruses) and garlic (anti-bacterial compounds clear away toxins and germs).

6) Bypass Booze: Dry plane air doesn't need any help in dehydrating your skin.  Opt for juice and water over cocktails.  Skip soda too, as caffeine acts as a diuretic.

Once you've arrived at your destination, resist the temptation to veg-out or slide on your exercise routine.  Research suggests that working out helps re-set your circadian rhythms, thereby adjusting your internal clock to the new time zone.  Exercise each morning at your destination.  Try avoiding the mindset that calories consumed while traveling somehow don't count, so you won't bring home extra pounds along with your trip souvenirs.

Beauty From the Vine

Got a bumper crop of tomatoes?  Try a little pantry pampering with some of the do-it-yourself beauty ideas below.  In addition to their garden fresh scent, tomatoes contain a type of alpha-hydroxy acid that has a mild exfoliating effect (you may have seen it featured in products such as  Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner). 

In Natural Beauty for All Seasons,  Janice Cox tells you how to mix up your own astringent mask to soften blackheads and balance oily skin.  She recommends applying a thin, even layer of fresh tomato juice over face and neck using a cotton ball or clean pastry brush.  Wait 10 minutes then rinse well.  If you have sensitive skin, you may want to use the juice from less-acidic yellow tomatoes.  Other earthy remedies include adding tomato juice to a tepid bath as balm to sunburned skin. 

Beauty Bonus: with 40% of your daily vitamin C content and 20% of your vitamin A needs, tomatoes can help beautify you from within by stimulating collagen production and skin cell turnover.