Category Archives: Diet And Food

The health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil are well-known, but less is known about the biological and physiological mechanisms behind these benefits. New research shows that a compound found in extra-virgin olive oil can reverse the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet.

Previous research has shown that olive oil - and especially extra-virgin olive oil - may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, not much is known about the mechanisms responsible for this association between olive oil consumption and cardiovascular health benefits.

This is why a team of researchers - led by Dr. Rodrigo Valenzuela from the University of Chile in South America - set out to investigate the effects of a compound found in extra-virgin olive oil on the health of mice.

The compound is called hydroxytyrosol and, as the scientists explain, it is a polyphenol with well-known antioxidant properties. These properties have been suspected to be the reason behind the many health benefits of olive oil.

This new research, however, shows that hydroxytyrosol also has a protective effect on the liver. The findings were published in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease.

Dr. Valenzuela and colleagues examined the effects of hydroxytyrosol on mice that were fed a diet high in fats.

Specifically, they looked at certain enzymes that play a key role in the synthesis of some polyunsaturated fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fats are beneficial to one's health because they can lower "bad" cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health, brain function, and cell growth.

The so-called bad cholesterol is also known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. It is referred to as the "bad" cholesterol because it is the kind of fat that can build up inside the arteries, hardening or blocking them over time and contributing to a number of cardiovascular diseases.

By contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is known as the "good" cholesterol because it transports the cholesterol from other parts of the human body back to the liver, where it is processed and eliminated.

The researchers fed four groups of mice, each comprising 12 to 14 rodents, either a high-fat diet (consisting of 60 percent fat) or a control diet (with only 10 percent fat). Additionally, some mice were also administered 5 milligrams of hydroxytyrosol per kilogram of body weight over a period of 12 weeks.

Dr. Valenzuela and team took blood and tissue samples from the mice at the end of the experiment. They analyzed the effects of the diet on the composition of fatty acids, the activity of the enzymes considered, and on oxidative stress.

In the mice that had been fed a high-fat diet, both the total cholesterol levels and the levels of LDL-cholesterol increased, while the HDL cholesterol remained unchanged. However, hydroxytyrosol seemed to reduce the negative effect of these types of cholesterol in the mice that had taken it.

A high-fat diet also seemed to raise the markers of insulin resistance. Again, in the mice that had also taken hydroxytyrosol, these markers were reduced. However, they were not as low as the levels of the mice that had been on a regular diet.

Importantly, mice that had been on a high-fat diet showed decreased levels of the liver enzymes that help to synthesize the beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids. The reduction in the liver enzymes was connected with an imbalance in the fatty acids found in the liver, brain, and heart.

However, the mice whose high-fat diet was also supplemented with hydroxytyrosol showed enzymatic activity and fatty acid composition similar to that of the mice that were fed a normal diet. This suggests that hydroxytyrosol may have reversed the damaging effects of a high-fat diet.

Dr. Valenzuela explains the results:

"Our results indicate that hydroxytyrosol may be a key part of the health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil.

Mice fed on a high-fat diet had signs of nonalcoholic liver disease which we believe has led to the noticeable reduction in enzyme activity in the liver and the negative effects on fatty acid composition in this, and other, organs. We also found that the liver showed signs of increased oxidative stress, which we know has links to fatty liver disease. It is intriguing that adding a relatively low dose of hydroxytyrosol to the diet was able to reverse these effects, reduce the signs of fatty liver disease, and reduce negative effects seen in the other organs."

Learn how a recent protein discovery may offer new treatment target for fatty liver.

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Olive oil compound found to reverse the damage of high-fat diet - Medical News Today

Diet Cig gained some buzz in the New York indie scene over the past few years, enough to land the duo a deal with Frenchkiss for their debut LP Swear Im Good At This, and enough to sell out the back-to-back release shows at Babys All Right last Friday (4/7). They were in good spirits at the early show, excited about the Brooklyn shows and the album. Singer and guitarist Alex Luciano addressed the all ages crowd often, specifically relating to the teenagers and spoke a bit about the meanings of many of the songs before playing them. Pictures of the early show, which had Nashville Infinity Cat-signed band Daddy Issues opening, are in the gallery above.

In a move that hearkened back to the websites earlier days, Pitchfork, who gave the albums first single a favorable review, slammed Diet Cig with a 5.1 album review on that same Friday release day (4/7). Reviewer Quinn Moreland included zingers like this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

But the real gut-punch is this:

Twitter outrage ensued, including from others in the music world. Editor of indie music blog The Alternative, Emily Dubin, tweeted The diet cig pitchfork review reeks of jealousy and pompousness. Young girls need a role model like Alex. I need a role model like Alex, which Wavves retweeted. Wavves then tweeted, for wavves it doesnt matter wht pfork thinks of me. they post abt me everytime i sneeze. go ahead and pan my record ill still sell out shows and just getting wild how obviously personal the reviews are getting. im glad ppl at least can see that its more of a game than actual substance.

Punk Talks, an organization that aims to provide free mental health assistance to bands, industry professionals, and fans, tweeted, I think that @quinnmoreland wrote a juvenile and sexist piece about a defining album in an exciting time in punk music. Shame on you.

Current Rolling Stone contributor (and former SPIN/Village Voice/Parts & Labor/etc contributor) Chris Weingarten suggested, This lede is illuminating: It basically admits modern music writing & indie rock are mostly about Twitter optics.

PWR BTTM, who are friends with and have toured with Diet Cig and were at one of the Babys shows (and even joined Diet Cig on stage), and whose Big Beautiful Day video stars Alex Luciano from Diet Cig, have been liking tweets in defense of Diet Cig. One was from former Pity Sex member Britty Drake saying, Can we all agree that fuck pitchfork and love @dietcig. They also liked this one:

And in the replies to that tweet, Punk Talks said, Wow. Way to turn an incredible and defining album like @dietcigs into the cry of a whiny meninist. The Alternative said, I had to check that this was real. What a horrible review. Way to completely not get it.

Here is some more of the Twitter outrage:

Reviewer Quinn Moreland later replied to the outrage:

In reply to Quinns tweet, former Pitchfork editor (and current editor in chief of The Creative Independent) Brandon Stosuy said, your reviews on point. people would be better off listening to Ks 90s indie pop catalogue. feels more culturally relevant in 2017. Allison Crutchfield and a whole bunch of Pitchfork writers liked that one.

Pitchfork contributor Matthew Strauss backed Quinns review as well:

And Tavi Gevinson (who recently moved into a new apartment) backed Quinn with this reply:

What do you think? Either way, this much is true:

photos by Ester Segretto

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Pitchfork panned Diet Cig, Twitter outrage ensued +++ pics from Baby's - Brooklyn Vegan (blog)

Kate Hudson always has that glow. You know what we mean. The actress, author, mom of two, and apparel company Fabletics co-founder seems to always have that fresh-faced, bright-eyed look, no matter where she is or what she's doing.

So what's her secret to staying so impossibly gorgeous and healthy? Lots of pilates and dancing, she revealed in an interview with SELF. "I believe in traditional pilates because I think that our bodies need to be aligned, and what that does for your body is it makes it so strong, she said in the interview.

Exercise is only half the story, however. Hudson has dabbled with a lot of different diets, including being vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and Paleo. What worked best for her (and gave her the best skin of her life)? Going vegan, she revealed.

Currently, she's not totally vegan, but tries to eat vegan two to three times a week. On those days, her diet consists of lots of beans, spinach, and kale. But her absolute favorite vegan meal? The meat-free Impossible Burger from Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. "Its one of the greatest things. Its so good. Its crazy how theyve been able to do that it tastes just like a regular burger," Hudson marveled.

When she's not eating vegan, Hudson cooks a lot of meatballs "My kids love meatballs" she said and makes what she calls "Nothing Chicken," a dish that's nothing more than chicken, lots of salt, and pepper. "When you salt a chicken generously and put it in the oven at 450, for 20 minutes on one side and then 20 minutes on the other, and you take it out, its perfect. You dont need anything else," she told SELF.

Whatever she's eating whether vegan or not it's clearly working.

The Feast is Bravo's home for the biggest, boldest, most crave-worthy eating experiences. Want more? Then Like us on Facebook to stay connected to our daily updates.

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Kate Hudson's Secret to Staying Fit? She Says This Diet Is the Best She's Ever Tried - Bravo (blog)

Atkins Nutritional Holdings, the company behind the Atkins diet, agreed on Tuesday to go public and merge with Conyers Park Acquisition. The deal values the new company, called Simply Good Foods Co., at $856 million.

Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm that acquired Atkins for $301 million in late 2010, will receive $730.1 million when the deal is expected to close in June, including just less than 10.3 million shares of Simply Good Foods Co. at a value of $10 a share. The firm has a history in investing in the food industry, recently acquiring a majority stake in Jimmy John's.

The new company will be listed on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker SMPL.

Atkins, which reached mainstream popularity around a decade and a half ago when its high-protein, low-carb diet took off, now focuses on selling protein bars and other packaged nutritional cuisine. The company had previously attempted to go public at a valuation of around $1 billion in 2015, but those plans fizzled out. The company, which has now been sold five times since its founder Robert Atkins died in 2003, filed for bankruptcy in 2005 after the perception of its diet started to sour after nutritional experts criticized its focus on fatty foods and de-emphasis of fruit and vegetable consumption.

Conyers is known as a blank check company, which means it doesnt have an established business plan aside from mergers and acquisitions . Shares of Conyers were up more than 1.5% in midday trading and more than 4% for the year.

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The Company Behind the Atkins Diet Is Going Public - Fortune

April 11, 2017

Grain-free diets are one of the largest growing segments of the pet food market. More and more pet owners are choosing these diets, which are billed as more natural and less likely to cause health problems and allergies. It all sounds greatexcept that those claims are not true.

There is no reliable evidence that suggests that it's harmful to feed grains to dogs or cats. Whole grains contain valuable dietary nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and fiber. Some grain products have protein that is easier for your pet to digest than some protein from meat. Even refined grains such as white rice can be beneficial for your pet's health, depending on the type of diet and the pet.

The vast majority of dogs and cats are very efficient at digesting and using more than 90 percent of the nutrients from grains in the amounts typically found in pet foods. While food allergies in pets are uncommon, allergies to grains are even rarer. The small number of pets that have allergies are most often allergic to animal proteins, such as chicken, beef and dairy. Gluten intolerance is also exceedingly rare in pets. Gastrointestinal symptoms caused by consuming gluten have been confirmed in just one inbred family of Irish setters.

Grain-free diets can vary widely in terms of their nutritional profiles. Some are lower in carbohydrates, which means that they can be quite high in both fat and calories. Other grain-free diets merely substitute similar amounts of highly refined starches, such as those from potatoes or tapioca (also called cassava), in place of grains. These ingredients may provide fewer nutrients and less fiber than whole grains, and foods containing them can cost more.

Other pet food companies use ingredients such as peas, beans or lentils instead of grains to provide carbohydrates, but these ingredients are not necessarily any better for your pet than grains and may cause digestive upset in some animals.

The bottom line is that "grain-free" is a marketing concept designed to sell pet food, not an evidenced-based solution for helping your pet live a long, healthy life.

Explore further: New study finds that eating whole grains increases metabolism and calorie loss

A new study suggests that substituting whole grains for refined grains in the diet increases calorie loss by reducing calories retained during digestion and speeding up metabolism. This research is published in tandem with ...

In a clinical trial, adults who consumed a diet rich in whole grains rather than refined grains had modest improvements in healthy gut microbiota and certain immune responses. The research was conducted in tandem with a study ...

(Medical Xpress)Many parents presume their children will shun whole grains because they think they don't like them, a University of Florida researcher says, but a new UF study may start to debunk that idea.

In the past few years there has been a surge in gluten-free diets and products that claim giving up the protein can lead to healthier lifestyles. A New York Times article recently cited Mintel, a market research company, ...

Eating at least three servings of whole grains every day could lower your risk of death, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

Ten years ago, a consumer seeking out gluten-free foods in their grocery store would have been hard pressed to find much. And the few products that did tout the attribute were probably dry, bland, and badly texturedoverall, ...

Millions of years before humans discovered agriculture, vast farming systems were thriving beneath the surface of the Earth. The subterranean farms, which produced various types of fungi, were cultivated and maintained by ...

Changes in a single color-vision gene demonstrate convergent evolutionary adaptations in widely separated species and across vastly different time scales, according to a study publishing on April 11 in the open access journal ...

One of the largest colonies of gentoo penguins in Antarctica was decimated by volcanic eruptions several times during the last 7,000 years according to a new study. An international team of researchers, led by British Antarctic ...

While DNA sequencing provides precise, nucleotide-by-nucleotide genomic information, genome mapping provides a bigger-picture perspective of sequenced DNA that can provide valuable structural information. Like mapping roads ...

Research by the University of Kent has revealed how tiny amounts of DNA (eDNA) released into water by great crested newts can be used to monitor the species. This can bring benefits for its conservation, and help protect ...

An antimicrobial protein caused a dramatic reduction in the creamy white lesions associated with oral thrush in a preclinical study, report microbiologists with McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science ...

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I have read that studies showed that domesticated dog's stomachs, thru several thousand years of adaption can handle grains much better that wolf's stomachs.

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Is a grain-free diet healthier for my dogs and cats? - Phys.Org

Most potential new drugs fail when they're tested in people. These failures are not only a major disappointment, they sharply drive up the cost of developing new drugs.

A major reason for these failures is that most new drugs are first tested out in mice, rats or other animals. Often those animal studies show great promise.

But mice aren't simply furry little people, so these studies often lead science astray. Some scientists are now rethinking animal studies to make them more effective for human health.

When scientists first started using animals in research over a century ago, the animals were not regarded as human stand-ins. Scientists studying rats were initially trying to understand rats, says Todd Preuss, an anthropologist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University.

"As this process went on, people stopped seeing them as specialized animals and started seeing them more and more as prototypical mammals," Preuss says.

But is a rat really a generic mammal? Preuss says emphatically no. But that's how rodents were pitched when they became products sold to scientists.

"It wasn't strictly a financial interest," he says. The sellers "really believed that you could do almost anything" with these animals. "You could learn about almost any feature of human organization, you could cure almost any disease by studying these animals."

That was a dangerous assumption. Rats and humans have been on their own evolutionary paths for tens of millions of years. We've developed our own unique features, and so have the rodents.

So it should come as no surprise that a drug that works in a mouse often doesn't work in a person. Even so, Preuss says there's tremendous momentum to keep using animals as human substitutes. Entire scientific communities are built up around rats, mice and other lab animals.

"Once these communities exist, then you have an infrastructure of knowledge: how to raise the animals, how to keep them healthy," Preuss says. "You have companies that spring up to provide you with specialized equipment to study these animals."

The rat holding facility at Hazelton Laboratories in Washington, D.C., in 1967. Fox Photos/Getty Images hide caption

The rat holding facility at Hazelton Laboratories in Washington, D.C., in 1967.

Chances are, people studying the same disease study the same tailor-made strain of animal. Journals and funding agencies actually expect it.

"So there's a whole institution that develops," Preuss says.

And it's hard to interrupt that culture. (Preuss spoke about this subject in a 2016 talk at the National Institutes of Health.)

You can get a glimpse of the scale of this enterprise by passing through one of hundreds of facilities nationwide devoted to the care and feeding of mice. On the Stanford University campus, attendants roll supply carts through fluorescent-lit hallways and past row after row of doors at an expansive mouse facility.

I'm guided through the labyrinth by Joseph Garner, a behavioral scientist at the Stanford University Medical Center. We go into a windowless room stacked floor to ceiling with seemingly identical plastic cages full of mice.

The philosophy behind mouse research has been to make everything as uniform as possible, so results from one facility would be the same as the identical experiment elsewhere.

But despite extensive efforts to be consistent, this setup hides a huge amount of variation. Bedding may differ from one facility to the next. So might the diet. Mice respond strongly to individual human handlers. Mice also react differently depending on whether their cage is up near the fluorescent lights or hidden down in the shadows.

Garner and colleagues tried to run identical experiments in six different mouse facilities, scattered throughout research centers in Europe. Even using genetically identical mice of the same age, the results varied all over the map.

Garner says scientists shouldn't even be trying to do experiments this way.

"Imagine you were doing a human drug trial and you said to the FDA, 'OK, I'm going to do this trial in 43-year-old white males in one small town in California,'" Garner says a town where everyone lives in identical ranch homes, with the same monotonous diets and the same thermostat set to the same temperature.

"Which is too cold, and they can't change it," he goes on. "And oh, they all have the same grandfather!"

The FDA would laugh that off as an insane setup, Garner says.

"But that's exactly what we do in animals. We try to control everything we can possibly think of, and as a result we learn absolutely nothing."

Garner argues that research based on mice would be more reliable if it were set up more like experiments in humans recognizing that variation is inevitable, and designing to embrace it rather than ignore it. He and his colleagues have recently published a manifesto, urging colleagues in the field to look at animals in this new light.

"Maybe we need to stop thinking of animals as these little furry test tubes that can be or even should be controlled," he says. "And maybe instead we should think of them as patients."

That could solve some of the problems with animal research, but by no means all.

Scientists make far too many assumptions about the underlying biology of disease when creating animal models of those illnesses, says Gregory Petsko, who studies Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders at the Weill Cornell Medical School.

"It's probably only when you get to try your treatments in people that you're really going to have any idea how right those assumptions were," Petsko says.

In his field, the assumptions are often poor, or downright misleading. And Petsko says this mindset has been counterproductive. Scientists in his field have "been led astray for many years by relying so heavily on animal models," he says.

For many years that was simply the best that science could do, Petsko says. So he doesn't fault his colleagues for trying.

"What I am saying is at some point you have to cut your losses. You have to say, 'OK, this took us as far as it could take us, quite some time ago.'"

For neurological diseases, Petsko says, scientists might learn more from studying human cells than whole animals. Animals are still useful for studying the safety of potential new treatments, but beyond that, he says, don't count on them.

Preuss at Emory agrees that using animals as models of disease is a big reason that many results in biomedical research aren't readily reproducible. "I think that we have means to resolve that, though."

How? "You have to think outside of the model box," he says. Mice and rats aren't simplified humans. Scientists should stop thinking they are.

But Preuss says scientists can still learn a lot about biology and disease by studying animals for example, by comparing how humans and other animals differ, or where they share common traits. Those can reveal a lot about biology without assuming that what's true in a rat is likely true in a human.

"Scientists need to break out of a culture that is hampering progress," Preuss says. That's tough to do right now, in a world where science funding is on the chopping block. Many scientists are reluctant to take a risk that could backfire. But the upside could benefit us all, in the form of a better understanding of disease, and effective new drugs.

Richard Harris did some of the reporting for this story while researching his book Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions.

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Drugs That Work In Mice Often Fail When Tried In People - NPR

If you count carbs, fat, sodium content or total calories, then you've read the label on everything you bring home from the grocery store.

Are you equally as diligent when it comes to labels on lawn and landscape products? They line shelves at the hardware store, garden center and some are even in the grocery store. The labels on these products are just as important to read a as the ones on the soup can. Here's why.

Whether you're zapping dandelions or controlling a serious pest, the product you use needs to be the right one for the job as well as applied correctly and safely. Some products have caution statements to protect the safety of the person who applies them as well as pollinators, edibles and other plants nearby. If you spray some products on dandelions in the lawn, they will kill only the dandelion and leave the grass in tact. Other products, however, will not only zap the dandelion, but also the lawn. Labels and knowledgeable pros can help you sort this out.

Apply the carpenter's rule to measure twice and cut once to the array of lawn and garden products. Read the label carefully at least twice and apply once. If you need to treat again, follow the label guidelines. More is not necessarily better and precautions are there for a reason.

Follow safety measures when using products labeled "natural" that we tend to think of as non-toxic. That's not necessarily so. Just as many plants are as poisonous as they are pretty, "natural" products can be as harmful as they are ecological. Even natural products have the potential to cause harm if they are not handled properly.

While many plants have developed toxins to protect themselves from pests, a product made from plant derived toxins can be toxic to humans. The toxins are sold in concentrations much higher than found naturally in plants. All chemicals, including natural ones, have the potential to cause harm if they are mis-handled.

DIY or hire a pro?

If you suspect an insect or disease problem in your yard, it's often smarter in the long run to consult a pro. Industry professionals are trained to follow Integrated Pest Management strategies that will determine IF and WHEN a treatment is needed.

The best solution may be something as simple as pruning or a change in watering practices. Sometimes introducing a predator insect can solve a problem. Other health issues may need a treatment akin to a prescription drug for humans. That's when a pesticide may be necessary because the condition warrants it to save the plants and protect your landscape investment.

When you consult with a professional, you tap into their science-based training and horticultural knowledge. If they need to apply a pesticide, they are the pros who are licensed by the State of Colorado to do the work. They know the importance of following label instructions and observing safety precautions because they, themselves, are the front-line applicators.

If you read food labels because you need to follow a special diet, apply the same strategy to lawn and garden products. Health is health whether it's about people or plants. We are, after all, participants in the same ecosystem.

Becky Garber is a member of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, of which Neils Lunceford, a landscaping company, is a member. You may contact them at 970-468-0340.

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Vail Landscape Logic column: Do you read procut labels? - Vail Daily News

(Ferre' Dollar/CNN)

Fruit juice is not as nutritious as fresh fruit, but it can be a healthy part of your diet, if its consumed in small portions.

A glass of fresh orange or grapefruit juice with breakfast isnt just refreshing. It also delivers a healthy dose of vitamin C and potassium, which can be especially helpful if you tend to forgo fruit. Some store-bought juices are fortified with bone-building calcium, too.

But even when it contains only naturally occurring fructose from whole fruit and no added sugars to boost sweetness, fruit juice is still a concentrated source of sugar and calories, which can be problematic for those watching their weight or blood sugar.

For example, one 8-ounce cup of fresh orange juice has 21 grams of sugar and 112 calories. By comparison, one medium orange has 12 grams of sugar and only 62 calories.

Similarly, a cup of cranberry juice has 28 grams of sugar and 110 calories, but a cup of whole cranberries has only 4 grams of sugar and 46 calories. The counts for grape juice are even higher, with 36 grams of sugar and 140 calories per 8-ounce cup.

Fruit juice also lacks the fiber found in whole fruit, which means we not only miss getting the health benefits of fiber which include its ability to lower cholesterol and help us feel full we experience a more rapid rise in blood sugar after consuming juice, since fiber slows the entry of sugar into the bloodstream.

When purchasing juice, look for brands containing 100% fruit juice with no sugar added. According to US dietary guidelines, juices may be partially fruit juice, but only the proportion that is 100% fruit juice counts toward your daily fruit intake. (For example, 1 cup of juice that is 50% juice counts as cup of fruit juice.)

Technically, only 100% juice can be called juice. Juice drinks may be a lower-calorie version of juice and contain artificial sweeteners. For example, Motts light apple juice drink contains only 42% juice, but it also has less than half the calories and sugar as the brands 100% apple juice. You can opt for the pure juice version and consume a 4-ounce serving for almost the same nutritional value.

According to the guidelines, sweetened juice products that are primarily composed of water with added sugars fall under the category of sugar-sweetened beverages.

One important note: If you consume grapefruit juice, keep in mind that it can negatively interact with some medications, such as statin drugs. If you have any concerns, check with your doctor to see whether you can safely consume the juice.

Bottom line? If you enjoy juice, go for the real thing, and limit yourself to one 8-ounce glass per day or 4 ounces if youre limiting calories or sugars.

Lisa Drayer is a nutritionist, author and health journalist.

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Is fruit juice healthy? - Q13 FOX

Fish is a high-protein, low-fat food that provides a range of health benefits. White-fleshed fish, in particular, is lower in fat than any other source of animal protein, and oily fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or the good fats. Since the human body cant make significant amounts of these essential nutrients, fish are an important part of the diet. Also, fish are low in the bad fats commonly found in red meat, called omega-6 fatty acids.

A growing body of evidence indicates that omega-3 fatty acids provide a number of health benefits. They help maintain cardiovascular health by playing a role in the regulation of blood clotting and vessel constriction; important for prenatal and postnatal neurological development; may reduce tissue inflammation and alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis; may play a beneficial role in cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), reducing depression and halting mental decline in older people.

Alternative sources of omega-3s come from terrestrial sources like flaxseed, walnuts and wheat germ. While still beneficial, these do not appear to provide as a great a health benefit as the omega-3s found in fish, shellfish and marine algae.

Fish is generally a healthy food source and can be safely eaten in most cases. But depending on your age and health circumstances, some people should limit the amounts of fish they eat.

Foryoung children and women of childbearing age, excessive consumption of mercury-contaminated fish can severely impact a childs development.

Older women and menmay find it an acceptable trade off to exceed recommended seafood meal limits to increase their omega-3 intake.

People at high risk of cardiovascular diseasemust weigh the cancer risk of eating fish high in Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) with the benefits of eating fish high in omega-3s, in which case the benefits of omega-3s may outweigh the cancer risk. However, these chemicals are known to cause serious health problems besides cancer, so the tradeoffs are not simple.

Thegood newsis that there are several low-contaminants, high-omega-3 seafood options available, so theres no need to risk eating contaminated fish. Salmon,tuna, sardines, etc., deliver those heart-and brain-healthy omega-3 fats you have probably also heard you should be getting in your diet.

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Eating fish for healthy living - citytoday

We've teamed up with health website Healthista.com to launch our diet survey and to give one lucky reader the opportunity to win a Raleigh Sherwood bike worth over 330

DO you have an opinion on dieting? We want to hear from you!

Whetheryou think one works better than another or you just hate the idea altogether,our diet survey covers it all.

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HEALTHISTA.COM

We have teamed up with one of the countrys fastest growing health websites, Healthista.com, to find outwhat you really thinkabout diets.

Not only can you fill it out in under five minutes, completing the survey automatically enters you into aprize draw to win the aboveRaleigh bike worth over 330.

Click hereto complete the survey and for your chance to win.

Entries close midnight Sunday 30th April 2017. Click here for full T&Cs.

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What do you really think of diets? Fill out our diet survey and be in for a chance of winning a Raleigh bike - The Sun