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Originally posted here:
Diet plans, diet foods, weight loss - Women's Health & Fitness

The high protein diet has become one of the most popular diets around these days, and for good reason.

Simply put, no matter what your goals are, EVERYONE can benefit from eating a high protein diet consisting of various high protein foods.

And, unlike the many fad and gimmick diets around these days, this one is actually supported by scientific research and real world results. Whether your specific goal is weight loss, building muscle, maintaining muscle while losing fat, or just recovering better from your workouts, the high protein diet is definitely ideal for you.

Of course, you probably have a whole bunch of questions

Good questions. Lets answer every single one of them right now

Protein plays a crucial role in the growth and repair of everything from skin to hair to nails. Oh, and guess what else? MUSCLE!

Along with a proper workout routine and an ideal calorie intake, a sufficiently high protein diet is one of the 3 requirements for muscle to be built. In fact, its a requirement for muscle to just be maintained.

In addition, eating high protein foods at certain ideal times (Ill tell you those times in a minute) will also play an important role in the building or maintaining of muscle tissue as well as the entire workout recovery process.

See, during any kind of weightlifting or strength training workout, your muscles are basically being broken down with the intent being to build them back up a tiny bit better than they were before. What all research shows is that there is no aspect of your diet that is more essential to this process than protein.

Meaning, without a high protein diet, muscle growth, muscle maintenance, and workout recovery will just not be happening as effectively as it should.

People always say they want to lose weight, but thats a stupid way of saying it. Weight can be a bunch of different things.

In reality, what we all want to do here is lose fat NOT muscle. And what all research shows is that eating a high protein diet is the KEY dietary factor in preserving lean muscle while body fat is lost. Like I said earlier, a sufficient protein intake is a requirement for maintaining muscle.

But thats not all. In addition to usually being low in calories, high protein foods are also some of the most filling foods there are. Of the 3 macronutrients that provide our daily calories (protein, carbs and fat), research shows that protein is the most filling of them all. Which means, a high protein diet is key to keeping you full and satisfied, and keeping your hunger under control.

But wait, there are still more benefits. Besides being the most filling, protein is also the nutrient that burns the most calories while being digested. You see, everything we eat causes calories to be burned during digestion. Protein just burns significantly more than everything else.

Which means, eating a high protein diet loaded with high protein foods will INCREASE the amount of calories your body naturally burns each day.

People always associate protein with building muscle, but as you can clearly see, its just as important for weight loss.

At this point youre probably pretty impressed with the list of benefits protein provides regardless of your specific goal. What you probably want to see now is a list of high protein foods you can choose from.

So, here now is a list of some of the best sources of protein:

There may be a few other high protein foods out there, but these are definitely the most common. Choose your favorites.

The next question you probably have is how much protein do you need to eat per day for it to be considered a high protein diet.

Recommendations tend to vary, but in most cases, between 0.8-1.3 grams of protein per pound of body weight is the ideal range, with an even 1 gram per pound probably being the most common recommendation of all for healthy adults looking to build muscle or lose fat.

So, for example, if you weigh 175lbs, you should aim to eat between 140-227 grams of protein per day (or an even 175 grams if you want to stay in the middle). And yes, youd eat this amount everyday, whether you worked out that day or not.

Now after hearing this recommendation, some people might be thinking: Eating a high protein diet sounds impossible! How the hell am I supposed to eat that much protein every day?

Well, the truth is that its really not that hard at all. In fact, many people can reach their ideal intake just fine by only eating typical high protein foods like chicken, eggs, meat and the others on my list above.

However, there is a way to make it even easier. Im of course talking about protein supplements

Protein shakes, powder and bars are probably the most popular supplements on the market.

No, they dont magically build muscle or cause weight loss or do anything else that high quality food sources wouldnt do. However, they do have one BIG advantage they are quicker, easier and more convenient.

Think about it. Drinking your average shake with 1 scoop of protein powder will give you between 15-30 grams depending on your specific brand. Theres no cooking or preparing. You just take a scoop, add a liquid, and drink. The whole process takes a minute. Most bars also contain about 15-30g per serving and are similar to a candy bar in size (easy to carry with you) and sometimes taste.

So, while your high protein diet should be comprised mostly of the types of high protein foods on my list from before, supplements are the perfect quick, easy, convenient and often extremely tasty way to ensure you reach your ideal intake on a daily basis.

As for which supplements are the best, I personally use and highly recommend

While just reaching your ideal daily intake is always the most important part of a high protein diet, there are certain times of the day when it would be extra beneficial to eat high protein foods.

These times are:

Your pre and post workout meals are DEFINITELY the most important of all, so be sure youre eating some sort of protein at those times. I explain why, how much, and the best possible sources in my article about Post Workout Meal Nutrition.

In my opinion, whether your goal is weight loss, building muscle, getting stronger, maintaining muscle, controlling your hunger or all of the above, a high protein diet is going to work extremely well.

Of course, theres still A LOT more to your diet than just protein, and A LOT more that goes into fully designing the diet plan (and workout routine) that will work as quickly, easily and effectively as possible for you and your exact goals. Well, after nearly 10 years of people asking for it, Ive finally created the solution.

Its called The Ultimate Fat Loss & Muscle Building Guide, and in it I provide every additional answer, detail and fact you will ever need to get the best results as fast as possible. It contains the proven diet and workout system that Ive used to help countless men and women completely transform their bodies.

Ready to do the same? Then go here to learn all about it: The Ultimate Fat Loss & Muscle Building Guide

Read more from the original source:
High Protein Diet & Foods List - Intense Workout

Proper, balanced nutrition provides the nutrients you need every day to fuel your daily activities, promote and maintain a lifetime of good health and make your best shape a reality. The right nutrition is balanced nutrition. Committing to these simple nutrition guidelines can put good health within reach.

"Start everyday with balanced nutrition and essential nutrients for a healthy, active lifestyle."

Steve Henig, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Herbalife

Healthy Breakfast Start your day right! Breakfast is important because it kick-starts your metabolism and provides energy for you to use throughout your day.

TIP: Healthy Breakfast, Healthy Choice For breakfast, enjoy a Formula 1 shake made with nonfat milk, fruit and Personalized Protein Powder, according to your needs.

Small Frequent Meals Reduced meal portions, eaten frequently throughout the day, help you prevent energy slumps and unhealthy snack cravings.

Nutritious Snacks Fruits, vegetables and small servings of protein such as nuts, yogurt or low-fat cheese during mid-morning and mid-afternoon help you avoid overeating at lunch or dinner time.

Regular Hydration Ensure a regular intake of fluids to stay properly hydrated.

Essential Nutrients Your body needs nutrients to function properly or your health will suffer. Getting the right amount of nutrients is called Balanced Nutrition. The nutrients known to be essential for human beings are proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, minerals, vitamins and water.

Vitamins & Minerals These are an important part of a balanced diet needed to support your bodys healthy functioning and metabolism

Read more here:
Herbalife - United States - A Balanced Diet

Colon cancer patients might improve their chances of survival if they eat nuts along with an overall healthy diet and regular exercise, two new studies report.

In a seven-year study, patients successfully treated for stage 3 colon cancer who ate at least 2 ounces of nuts a week had a 42 percent lower chance of their cancer coming back and a 57 percent lower risk of dying from the disease.

Stage 3 means the cancer may have spread to surrounding tissues, but hasn't spread to distant organs.

These preliminary findings jibe with those of a second trial. That study found that colon cancer survivors with the highest healthy lifestyle scores -- eating right, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight -- had a 42 percent lower risk of death than those with the lowest scores.

Both studies are scheduled for presentation next month at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in Chicago.

"Diet and lifestyle can influence both the risk of cancer coming back and can help you live longer," said ASCO President-Elect Dr. Bruce Johnson. He's chief clinical research officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

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Can what you eat make a difference in preventing cancer, or in aiding cancer treatment itself? Correspondent Martha Teichner talks with Dr. Marga...

"Once you get cancer, it's not too late to adopt these," Johnson continued. "It makes a difference. A third of our cancer risk is related to things we can prevent."

The nut study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It involved more than 800 patients who had received surgery and chemotherapy for their colon cancer. They all filled out diet questionnaires, including questions regarding the amount of nuts they ate. The patients were followed for about seven years after completing chemotherapy.

Nearly 1 in 5 patients (19 percent) said they ate at least 2 ounces of nuts a week, and researchers found both a lower risk of cancer recurrence and higher overall survival in that group.

However, this benefit was limited to tree nuts such as Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts and pistachios, said lead researcher Dr. Temidayo Fadelu, a clinical fellow at Dana-Farber. Further analysis revealed that peanuts and peanut butter did not provide any benefit.

Peanuts actually fall within the legume category and are cousin to well-known legumes such as peas, beans and lentils, Fadelu noted.

"This difference [in benefit] may be due to the different biochemical composition between peanuts and tree nuts," Fadelu said.

Fadelu and his colleagues think that people who eat tree nuts might have lower blood sugar and lower levels of insulin, which could decrease their colon cancer risk.

Tree nuts contain high amounts of healthy fatty acids, fiber and flavonoids. "The thought is those impact the way the body releases insulin," Fadelu said, noting other studies have linked nut consumption to healthier blood sugar and insulin levels.

The second study also focused on stage 3 colon cancer patients after chemotherapy. Researchers surveyed almost 1,000 patients about their lifestyles, scoring them against recommendations in the American Cancer Society's Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors.

Half were followed up to seven years, and half longer.

People who stuck closely to the guidelines regarding exercise, diet and excess weight had a 42 percent lower risk of death than those who didn't, said lead researcher Erin Van Blarigan. She's an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

The numbers improved even more if patients also moderated their alcohol consumption, researchers found.

When drinking was included in the analysis, people strictly following ACS lifestyle guidelines had a 51 percent lower chance of dying and a 36 percent lower chance of cancer recurrence.

Patients should not read these studies and assume that they can avoid chemotherapy and instead treat their colon cancer with diet and exercise, warned ASCO President Dr. Daniel Hayes.

"That's a very dangerous interpretation, and that's not what we're trying to get across," said Hayes, who is clinical director of breast oncology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Chemotherapy clearly saves lives."

While these studies can't prove a clear cause-and-effect relationship, Hayes noted both focused on patients involved in clinical trials for chemotherapy drugs.

Using clinical trial patients takes out a lot of the biases found in typical observational studies and "makes these findings even more compelling, in my opinion," Hayes said.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Excerpt from:
Post-colon cancer diet can make a difference - CBS News

Those whose diet was the most vegetarian were 43% less likely to become obese. Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA

A diet which reduces or even excludes meat and animal produce in favour of vegetables, fruit and grains could halve peoples chances of becoming obese, according to new research.

A study carried out in Spain describes the benefits of what researchers call a pro-vegetarian diet which does not exclude meat and dairy products but reduces them. It has also been called a flexitarian diet basically vegetarian, with meat and fish consumed occasionally.

Some 16,000 university graduates were tracked from 1999 for 10 years, by which time 584 were obese, according to findings presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal.

At the beginning of the study, participants completed detailed food questionnaires which were scored to establish how pro-vegetarian their diet was. They got more points for eating from seven plant food groups vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, olive oil, legumes (such as peas, beans, and lentils) and potatoes.

Points were then deducted for foods from five animal groups animal fats, dairy, eggs, fish and other seafood, and meat.

The researchers compared the 20% whose diet included the most animal products with the 20% who ate the least. They found that those whose diet was the most vegetarian were 43% less likely to become obese.

Although fish was included in the animal foods group, the results showed that there was very little difference in the amount of fish that any of the participants ate, so had little impact on obesity rates.

But there was a significant difference in the amount of meat eaten those who ate most consumed about 200g a day (roughly the weight of a small chicken breast or a seven ounce steak), while those who ate least consumed 142g. There was an even larger difference in the consumption of vegetables 348g in the meat-eating group and 731g for those whose diet was the most vegetarian. The same applied to fruit consumption 191g versus 531g.

Our recommendation is to eat less meat, said Prof Maira Bes-Rastrollo, one of the authors. Dont increase the consumption of animal foods. Prefer plant-based foods to animal foods.

The studys weakness is that it is observational it did not recruit people eating a mainly vegetarian diet in order to compare them with a group of meat eaters, nor did it attempt to change the behaviour of participants.

The pro-vegetarian diet in the study is very similar to the Mediterranean diet. Gaynor Bussell, a dietician and member of the British Dietetic Association said: We have known for a while that a healthy plant-based diet is associated with less obesity and this new evidence confirms this.

Other factors could be accounting for the lower obesity in this group; I would also add that although scored negatively, foods such as fish, some meat and dairy are not associated with obesity but it is about the overall balance of the diet. The Mediterranean diet with its reliance on fruit, veg, nuts, beans and little meat is probably an ideal mix and is also associated with lower obesity rates.

Sarah Toule from the World Cancer Research Fund said: A mainly plant-based diet not only helps reduce obesity risk, but our own evidence shows it helps reduce your cancer risk too.

Eating more portions of vegetables and fruit, cooking from scratch and including a wide variety of colours on your plate are all good ways to improve your diet.

View original post here:
'Pro-vegetarian' diet could halve chance of obesity - The Guardian

A 7-month-old baby died when his health-food nut parents fed him a diet of quinoa milk and other gluten-free, lactose-free dairy alternatives, according to reports.

The boys mom and dad diagnosed him with food allergies but didnt actually consult a doctor even after the tot started gasping for air in his final days, Belgian prosecutors say.

The parents determined their own diagnosis that their child was gluten intolerant and had a lactose allergy, the lawyers told a courtroom, per The Independent.

Not a single doctor had a dossier about Lucas and child protection services did not know about them.

The boy, who was only identified by his first name, Lucas was just 9.47 pounds when he died in 2014 half the size of the average baby his age, the paper reports.

An autopsy found he had a completely empty stomach when he eventually succumbed to dehydration and malnutrition, and a prayer card was also found tucked into his diaper, according to the Daily Mail.

The parents, identified as Peter S, 34, and Sandrina V, 30, first took their dying son to a homeopathic doctor, who urged them to go to a real hospital, the paper reports.

The hippies run a natural food store, and claimed they never noticed anything wrong with their tiny tot.

Sometimes he gained a little weight, sometimes he lost a little. We never wished for the death of our son, Sandrina said, per the Independent.

In addition to quinoa milk, they also fed him oat milk, rice milk, buckwheat milk, and semolina milk from their store, according to the parents lawyer.

Lucas had an eating disorder. He got cramps when he was fed with a bottle and his parents tried out alternatives, said their attorney Karine Van Meirvenne.

The parents are both facing sentences of up to 18 months for contributing to Lucass death.

Read more from the original source:
Parents killed baby with quinoa 'milk' diet: authorities | New York Post - New York Post

May 19, 2017

In an analysis of dietary patterns of postmenopausal women using data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, researchers at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital found that those who consumed the fewest carbohydrates had a significantly reduced risk of gaining 10 percent of their body weight over an eight-year period, whereas those who consumed the least fat had a significantly increased risk of gaining more than 10 percent of their body weight over that time period. Their report appeared this week in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers analyzed four dietary patterns that are common in the general population to see which was predictive of a 10 percent weight gain over eight years: a diet that was low in fat compared to the rest of the population, a diet relatively low in carbohydrates, a Mediterranean-style diet and a diet that adhered to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that is released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and updated every five years.

Researchers used data from more than 93,000 women who were a part of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Their habitual diet was measured at baseline and at year three, and they self-reported their height and weight over the eight-year period. Researchers controlled for caloric intake and physical activity.

"We found that when we adjusted for some potential confounders such as socioeconomic status and age, people who ate the least fat, when we followed up with them eight years later, had a significantly increased risk of gaining more than 10 percent of their body weight, and the same pattern was seen for those following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans," said Dr. Alexis C. Frazier-Wood, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor and the CNRC and senior author of the paper. "We saw no association with following a Mediterranean-style diet and risk of weight gain, and we found that those who ate the least carbohydrates had a significantly reduced risk of gaining 10 percent of their weight over an eight-year period."

Frazier-Wood and the first author Dr. Christopher Ford did not look at other risk factors or outcomes such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

"This is a first step I would not make recommendations for diet changes based on this study alone, but it is suggesting that too many carbohydrates in the diet are not helpful from the point of view of weight gain," said Wood. "These data are in line with other emerging evidence, which collectively emphasize the need to consider carefully the dogma that reducing fat from the diet is helpful for obesity prevention."

Frazier-Wood said that the next steps would be determining whether changes to someone's diet changes their risk of weight gain, looking at why we see such an association and whether it is dependent on the type of carbohydrate or fat eaten, and then looking at other health outcomes, such as whether metabolic rates, glucose sensitivity and insulin sensitivity are different between the various diets.

Explore further: Quality of diet linked to risk of T2DM regardless of BMI change

More information: Christopher Ford et al. Evaluation of diet pattern and weight gain in postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, British Journal of Nutrition (2017). DOI: 10.1017/S0007114517000952

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Low-carbohydrate diet could reduce weight gain risk in postmenopausal women - Medical Xpress

Psoriasis is complex to treat.

In fact, Physician Paul Bechet once said its the antidote to a dermatologists ego (1).

Its an autoimmune disease that causes chronic pain and itching that can severely impact quality of life.

Many foods and supplements are rumored to help with psoriasis treatment. But does research support these claims?

This article examines the evidence surrounding the relationship between diet and psoriasis.

What is Psoriasis and Its Symptoms?

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes patches of skin to become inflamed and scaly.

It affects up to 4% of the worlds population (2).

Symptoms occur in flares, and include itching, pain, and skin lesions. Psoriasis may also cause pitted fingernails and toenails, as well as mouth sores.

There are six types of psoriasis. Each type causes a distinctive rash:

Plaque psoriasis.Image source.

Guttate psoriasis.Image source.

Inverse psoriasis.Image source.

Pustular psoriasis.Image source.

Erythrodermic psoriasis.Image source.

Summary: Psoriasis is a chronic condition that causes distinctive skin rashes, itching, inflammation, and pain. Symptoms occur in flares.

Psoriasis Causes

Psoriasis is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors (3).

One large study found that a persons risk increases up to 65% if their parents have psoriasis, and up to 83% if both their parents and siblings have it (4).

Not everyone who carries the gene will develop psoriasis. However, exposure to certain environmental stimuli may increase a persons likelihood of developing the disease.

These stimuli include:

In the presence of both environmental and genetic factors, the immune system malfunctions.

T cells, which normally respond to infection and injury, are mistakenly activated as a result. These cells recruit other immune cells and trigger the release of inflammatory cytokines (13).

This causes the skin cells to die off and regenerate more quickly than they should.

Onset of psoriasis. Image source.

The same environmental factors that cause psoriasis can also lead to flares, so its best to limit exposure to them when possible.

Summary: Psoriasis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells. Many people carry a gene for the disease and develop it after exposure to certain environmental factors.

Diet and Psoriasis Treatment

The standard treatments for psoriasis involve topical and oral medications, as well as ultraviolet light therapy.

There is no scientific proof that diet is an effective treatment for psoriasis on its own.

However, patient testimonials and studies have shown certain diet strategies may help relieve psoriasis symptoms, especially when combined with traditional therapies.

The following sections will focus on foods and nutrients that affect psoriasis severity.

Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Overweight (in a clinical setting) is characterized by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 24.9.

A BMI greater than 29.9 is classified as obese.

Many studies have found a possible link between obesity and psoriasis.

In one long-term study of more than 67,000 females (14):

Even weight gain of just 10 pounds (4.5 kg) appears to increase risk by up to 8%, regardless of BMI classification (15).

In addition to risk, obesity is also linked to disease severity. This is likely because excessive fat tissue increases production of inflammatory cytokines, which contribute to inflammation and lesions in psoriasis (16, 17).

It makes sense then that studies have shown that calorie restriction paired with medication is more effective in reducing psoriasis symptoms than medication alone (18).

Notably, most studies on obesity and psoriasis are observational. This means that researchers arent exactly sure if obesity causes the disease or vice versa.

In any case, psoriasis is linked with several other heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Weight loss can reduce heart disease risk for people who are overweight or obese, so it makes sense to maintain a healthy weight (17).

You can calculate your BMI here.

Summary: Those who are very overweight are more likely to have psoriasis, although researchers arent sure if obesity causes it directly. Maintaining a healthy bodyweight also lowers risk of heart disease which is more common in psoriasis patients.

The Autoimmune Protocol, Gluten, and Alcohol

The autoimmune protocol (AIP) is a diet that eliminates gluten, soy, dairy, legumes, grains, added sugars, nightshades, and alcohol for at least 30 days.

The goal is to identify foods that trigger undesirable autoimmune reactions.

Theres a strong link between psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases. In one large study, those with psoriasis had higher rates of 14 different autoimmune disease than the general population (19).

Patient testimonials suggest that the AIP is helpful for many conditions, including psoriasis.

There have been no clinical trials on the AIP, so theres no scientific evidence to support it. But certain foods eliminated in the AIPincluding gluten and alcoholhave been reported to worsen psoriasis symptoms.

Some small studies have shown a gluten-free diet to improve psoriasis symptoms, but only in those with antibodies against gliadin (a protein found in gluten). These antibodies would be seen in those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (20).

Although other studies found no benefits at all, so its all quite unclear at this stage (19).

A stronger link has been suggested between alcohol intake and psoriasis severity.

One review of 28 studies found that alcohol is likely a risk factor for developing psoriasis, and that those with the disease drink more than healthy adults (11).

Its best to avoid alcohol if you have psoriasis, or a strong family history of it.

Summary: Patient testimonials suggest that the autoimmune protocol may help with psoriasis, but this hasnt been formally studied. You should definitely avoid alcohol and potentially gluten too if you are sensitive.

Anti-Inflammatory and Mediterranean Diets

A Western diet high in fat, sodium, and added sugars has been linked to inflammation and autoimmune disease (21).

For this reason a so-called anti-inflammatory diet may ease psoriasis symptoms.

Theres no universal definition for anti-inflammatory diet, but it generally refers to a style of eating that (22, 23, 24):

An anti-inflammatory diet hasnt been studied in psoriasis specifically, but systemic inflammation is a key feature of the disease.

This diet pattern has also been shown to help with certain autoimmune diseases, so in theory and based on patient testimonials it may be beneficial (18, 25, 26).

Patient testimonials also indicate that an anti-inflammatory eating pattern is helpful for arthritis. As such, it may be useful for relieving pain and stiffness in those with psoriatic arthritis (27, 28).

The diet is similar in many ways to the Mediterranean diet, which includes fish and lean meats, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, whole grains, and legumes.

In one study, stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with fewer psoriasis symptoms. Further, those with fewer symptoms ate more fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and fish and less meat (29).

More human studies are needed to know if the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for psoriasis. But given its other health benefits, such as reducing heart disease risk, it makes sense to eat this way regardless of its effects on skin (30).

Summary: Anti-inflammatory and Mediterranean diets emphasize healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. One study linked the Mediterranean diet with improved psoriasis symptoms.

Supplements for Psoriasis

Several dietary supplements have been reported tohelp with psoriasis treatment.

Fish Oil

Fish oil capsules contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).

Its known for its anti-inflammatory properties.

In one literature review, 12 of 15 studies found fish oil to improve psoriasis severity (31).

The strongest evidence is in support of high-dose intravenous (IV) omega-3 infusions for plaque and guttate psoriasis. However, this isnt a typical therapy, and wouldnt be readily available to most patients (32, 33).

One small observational study found that oral fish oil supplements significantly reduced psoriasis severity and improved quality of life when paired with prescription ointment. Volunteers in this study received 640 mg of DHA plus EPA per day for eight weeks (34).

Change in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) over duration of study for fish oil plus ointment group compared to ointment only group. Lower score is better. Click to enlarge.

Larger clinical trials are needed to confirm these effects but it looks promising.

Probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that we eat.

They have been the focus of many studies recently because of the interaction between the gut microbiome and various health conditions, including psoriasis.

One study found adults with psoriasisespecially psoriatic arthritisto have less diversity in gut bacteria than healthy adults. The researchers likened the bacterial profile in psoriasis to that of inflammatory bowel disease, which often responds well to probiotics (35, 36).

In another study, 23 patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis received the probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis 35264 at a dose of 11010 colony forming units (CFU) per day for eight weeks.

Researchers found that most blood markers of inflammation (CRP and TNF-) were significantly lower at eight weeks (37).

Other probiotic strains havent been studied specifically in psoriasis yet.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system by inhibiting T cell multiplication and limiting cytokine production (38).

Because T cells and cytokines play key roles in psoriasis, and because vitamin D deficiency is common among those with autoimmune disease, its been studied as a possible psoriasis treatment (38).

One literature review found vitamin D supplements and ointments to be as effective as corticosteroids in easing symptoms. The benefits were even greater when vitamin D was used with a high-dose steroid ointment (39).

View original post here:
Psoriasis Treatment: Does Your Diet Matter? - Care2.com

This low calorie diet should not be followed for more than 12 continuous weeks

THE Cambridge diet is popular with those looking for rapid weight loss, thanks to its strict structure andlow calorie products.

Users consume shakes, soups and bars that have been specially tailored to their weight loss goals.

Alamy

The Cambridge diet was developed by Dr Alan Howard at Cambridge University in the 1970s, and was launched as a commercial product in the US in 1980 followed by the UK in 1984.

It involves followers buying a range of meal-replacement products which are said to promote rapid weight loss.

Users can choose from six flexible diet plans ranging from 415 calories to 1,500 calories or more a day, depending on your weight loss goal.

The bars, soups, porridge and shakes can be used as your sole source of nutrition or together with low-calorie regular meals.

Depending on your products, weekly cost are around 48.30 but can be as low as 2.30 per meal for three meals.

A very low calorie diet that involves eating 1,000 calories a day or fewer should not be followed for more than 12 continuous weeks without a break.

If you are eating fewer than 600 calories a day, you should have medical supervision and there are protocols in place that your Cambridge consultant must follow to ensure this is sought.

Initial side effects can include bad breath, a dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea and constipation from cutting down on carbs and fibre.

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The diet can only be done by getting in touch with aCambridge Weight Plan consultant, who weighs and measures you to determinewhich programmeis best for you and provides you with your chosen products.

Your consultant provides you with not only the products, but guidance and support as you progress with your diet and transition into maintenance.

The Cambridge products can be used on their own or used with regular meals for a more gradual weight loss.

Many feel that the plan is a short term option, as giving up normal meals and swapping them for a snack bar or a shake can be boring and feel socially isolating.

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Many people on very low calorie diets find the weight loss to be sudden and quite dramatic.

The meal replacements are all nutritionally balanced, so youre likely to be getting all the vitamins and minerals you need, albeit not from real food.

One woman who used the diet to drop five dresses sizes said the programme helped her to losea stone every four weeks and she slowly introduced healthy meals back into her diet.

While former Eastenders star and Loose Woman Martine McCutcheon has revealed she followed the Cambridge diet and losta stone in five weeks.

Martinerevealed that she decided to make a change in her life because she wanted to be healthy for her husband, Jack McManus, and their son, Rafferty, two.

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What is the Cambridge diet, is it safe, what foods are restricted and are there any success stories? - The Sun