February 28th, 2011
Our calorie needs may drop as we get older but it doesn’t mean our protein requirements follow suit. This is especially true in light of the need to maintain strength to exercise regularly to better manage PCOS symptoms.
While the official Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is the same for all healthy adults, there’s considerable evidence that older people need more. Older age groups tend to eat less food, putting them at risk of under-consuming protein.
When the body has too little protein, it breaks down muscle to get the protein it needs for other vital body functions, leading to reduced strength. Insufficient protein has also been linked to an increased risk of hip fracture.
The current RDA for protein is based on body weight: adults need 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight each day, with people who work out regularly having higher requirements.
To help preserve muscle, most experts advise older adults to aim for 1 gram of protein per kilogram. For a 150-pound person, that’s 68 grams of protein a day, an amount that can be found in seven ounces of chicken and 2 1/2 cups of milk or soy beverage.
February 25th, 2011
The fact that pomegranate juice is healthy isn’t exactly new. Indeed, pomegranates were known as the fruit of resurrection in ancient Babylon.
But until now the juice hasn’t been generally popular, though the health benefits are extraordinary. That’s especially true for those of us with PCOS who are at extra risk of heart disease.
Pomegranate is an unusual, seedy fruit with a tart, yet sweet taste, which, admittedly, can take some getting used to. But it’s worth persevering with pomegranate because a glass of its juice can provide you with more heart-healthy antioxidants than any other juice. It even contains more artery-cleansing antioxidents than red wine.
Recent studies have shown that pomegranate juice can provide other benefits, too, such as helping cancer prevention and relief of menopausal and osteoarthritis symptoms. In addition to healthy levels of folic acid, just a single pomegranate can provide an adult with 40% of daily vitamin C requirements.
Not all pomegranate juice is created equal, however. Only buy juice that is 100% pomegranate juice. ”Cocktail” or pomegranate juice mixed with others types of juices will not provide you with the same benefits.
February 24th, 2011
Better management of PCOS with a healthier lifestyle can not only make you feel better … it may also improve your chances of avoiding other major illnesses.
Without adequate management of PCOS, women suffering from the condition have a greater chance of developing several serious disorders, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have found that:
- Before the age of 40, more than 50% of women with PCOS will develop type 2 diabetes or its precursor, pre-diabetes. The latter is a reversible form of impaired glucose tolerance. If neglected, pre-diabetes can lead to the type 2 variety, which is irreversible in most cases and poses a severely increased risk of blindness, kidney disease and the need for amputation.
- Women with PCOS have a four to seven times higher risk of a heart attack than women of the same age without PCOS.
- Women with PCOS are at greater risk of having heart-damaging high blood pressure.
- Women with PCOS tend to have high levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and low levels of HDL “good” cholesterol, which can lead to a stroke.
Fortunately, the symptoms of PCOS can be improved and even reversed via a balanced, nutritious diet and regular exercise. Adopting a healthy lifestyle helps to restore hormonal imbalance caused by insulin resistance, which is often a key underlying cause of PCOS.
February 23rd, 2011
Obesity, which is often linked to PCOS, has now overtaken alcohol as the number one cause of liver disease. In some cases, the damage is so severe that it means patients require a liver transplant.
The continuing big rise in obesity worldwide means the problem will get even worse in years to come. Fat-induced liver disease has overtaken alcohol and viral infections as the most common cause of liver disease in North America and Europe.
One of the problems with liver disease is that, by the time symptoms emerge, the damage can be irreversible.
The liver is the body’s largest internal organ and has hundreds of functions, from breaking down food to convert it to energy to ridding the body of excess fluids and fighting infection. When someone becomes overweight, the liver often can’t cope with the fat levels and it starts to store fat.
This can lead to the liver becoming enlarged. In serious cases, the organ can be permanently scarred – a condition called cirrhosis, which has hitherto been mainly associated with alcoholism.
If fatty liver disease is caught early enough, switching to a balanced, nutritious diet and taking regular exercise to lose weight can pay health dividends. So both PCOS and fatty liver disease can be improved with the same approach.
