Ian Cheney and his colleagues made two excellent documentary movies about the business of growing corn in America. You will be astonished to learn how corn has become so pervasive in our diet and in our economy.  The two movies are filled with commentaries from leading nutritional researchers, environmental scientists, [...]]]>

Ian Cheney and his colleagues made two excellent documentary movies about the business of growing corn in America. You will be astonished to learn how corn has become so pervasive in our diet and in our economy.  The two movies are filled with commentaries from leading nutritional researchers, environmental scientists, and the farmers who grow corn.

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This interview with Ian Cheney, and the two movies he made, will give you a lot to think about the next time you go grocery shopping or pull up to the drive-through window at a fast-food restaurant.  It will also give you a lot of insight into the discussion about using ethanol as an alternative fuel – which probably won’t help us conquer our dependence on fossil fuels.

References:

King Corn

Big River

In the August 10, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine there was yet another medical study verifying that living a healthy lifestyle is good for our health.  A healthy lifestyle was defined in the paper by the four habits of not smoking, eating a diet high in fruits and [...]]]>

In the August 10, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine there was yet another medical study verifying that living a healthy lifestyle is good for our health.  A healthy lifestyle was defined in the paper by the four habits of not smoking, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, exercising every day, and maintaining a healthy body weight – what I have called “The Magic Formula.”  People in the study who adhered to all four habits had an 80% overall reduction in the risk of developing a major chronic disease during 8 years of follow-up.

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In an invited commentary about the article Dr. David Katz of Yale Medical School argued that this is not new information, we have known that lifestyle habits play a powerful role in preventing chronic diseases for decades.  Dr. Katz went on to say that the problem we face is how to get people to live a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Katz has written several books on nutrition and health both for the general public and for practicing physicians.  He has published numerous scientific articles and over a thousand articles for the lay press.  One of his most popular books is The Way to Eat: A Six-Step Path to Lifelong Weight Control
.

You can visit Dr. Katz’s website at www.davidkatzmd.com.

I had the great privilege of interviewing Dr. Katz for this podcast.

References:

Healthy Living is the Best Revenge

Dr. Katz’s Commentary in the Archives of Internal Medicine

David Katz, M.D.

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I had a conversation with Dr. Mozaffarian this past week about his article and his thoughts on [...]]]> Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School. In 2008 he published an article in the journal Circulation entitled “Beyond Established and Novel Risk Factors: Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease.”

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I had a conversation with Dr. Mozaffarian this past week about his article and his thoughts on the role of lifestyle in the promotion or prevention of cardiovascular disease.  Dr. Mozaffarian emphasizes that the simple habits of eating a diet based on whole foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts; exercising moderately every day; and not smoking represent powerful interventions for preventing heart disease.

References:

Beyond Established and Novel Risk Factors: Lifestyle Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

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Take [...]]]> This week on Fitness Rocks we look at a study that evaluated the impact of a Mediterranean style diet on the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.  This is another in a long line of studies that will make you want to pay closer attention to what you eat.

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Take the Quiz for this podcast

References:

Mediterranean Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease

Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Survival in a Greek Population

Click To Play

Play Podcast 132

References:

Multivitamin Consumption and the Risk of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Among Postmenopausal Women

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References:

Effects of Sodium and [...]]]> We all know that too much sodium in our diet is unhealthy.  A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that the ratio of sodium to potassium in our diet has a significant impact on our risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

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References:

Effects of Sodium and Potassium Ratio on the Subsequent Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

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Selenium and Vitamin E for Prostate Cancer Prevention

Vitamin C and Vitamin E for Prostate Cancer [...]]]> This week on Fitness Rocks I review two recent studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association about the role of antioxidant vitamin supplements in cancer prevention.  The studies looked at vitamin E and C and selenium.

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Selenium and Vitamin E for Prostate Cancer Prevention

Vitamin C and Vitamin E for Prostate Cancer Prevention and Other Cancers

Editorial in JAMA