Getting older under the harsh glare of Hollywoods critical gaze is no easy task. But as Helen Mirren snappily reminded us, You only have two options in life: Die young or get old.

While it would be a stretch to call 41-year-old Kourtney Kardashian old, she is the eldest of the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, and since she has shared so much of her life with fans through reality TV, people are watching her approach to aging particularly closely. Many stars are able to age with grace, and some seem to defy the very rules about what it means to grow older.

Fans are convinced that Kardashian is among these age-defying celebrities. Recent photos of her have stars saying shes at her best.

RELATED: Why Some People Are Bummed Kourtney Kardashian Might Never Get Married

Kardashian has opened up about her health habits in the past. She used her platform, Poosh, to explain her diet preferences.She feels she is at her best when she is following the Keto diet.

She also believes in starting her day off right with a nutritious and filling breakfast. A typical choice includes avocado smoothies with Stevia for added sweetness.

She likes to eat simple, protein-heavy meals like chicken or salmon for dinner, and she often eats shredded vegetables to mimic the texture of the carbs she eschews when sticking to a low-carb diet. In addition to trying to adhere to the Keto framework, Kardashian has also spoken out as a proponent of intermittent fasting.

In this diet, people only eat during a small window of the day and avoid food outside of it. This often means going 12 to 14 hours without eating anything.

RELATED: Kourtney Kardashians Son Mason Disick Is Going to Spill Familys Secrets When Hes Older, Fans Think

In addition to a strict diet, Kardashian has also told fans about her exercise routines. She frequently boasts the benefits of wellness for the mind and the body and has shared her favorite yoga poses.

Shes a proponent of sticking to a routine workout. She says that working out was modeled for her throughout her life, and that fitness has been a focal point for her famous family.

After her oldest son, Mason, was born, Kardashian became more focused on her own health and fitness. The star has made her focus a central theme of Poosh. Healthy living gets a bad rap; its as though if you careaboutwhat you put in or on your body, then youre not sexy or cool. But this just isnt true, and Poosh is here to prove just that, Kardashian wrote on the site.

Kardashian is now 41 years old and the mother of three children. Fans are incredibly impressed with what her devotion to health and fitness has achieved and think the star is looking better than ever. A Reddit thread centered around a recent picture of the star and was titled simply Wow.

She will always be the most stunning Kardashian sister!! one fan wrote. Another agreed, pointing out that Kardashian has a very natural look: Is that linen? What a look! Shes so beautiful, and by far the most natural, and stunning, sister!

They were impressed with everything about the photograph: the clothes, her hair, and the impressively fit body she presented. She is just gorgeous. Her body is out of this world! one fan chimed in. One fan even joked that looking at Kardashians fit figure inspired them to take a look at her their own choices. Me: puts other half of brownie in the trashthe fan wrote.

Kardashian has been devoted to health and fitness for years, and fans definitely think its paying off.

Continued here:
Kourtney Kardashian Looks Better Than Ever at 41 and Fans Are Jealous - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Dear Readers: As scientists work tirelessly to find a treatment and a vaccine for the coronavirus, a common supplement has come to light as a possible aid in the COVID-19 pandemic. It may be in your medicine cabinet, and your kitchen almost certainly contains a food that is fortified with it. It's vitamin D, also known as the "sunshine" vitamin.

Observational studies have discovered that countries with high death rates from COVID also have high rates of vitamin D deficiency. Keep in mind that observational studies do not show cause and effect. The same observation was made with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and vitamin D deficiency. However, supplementation of the vitamin did not significantly reduce the risk of CVD (1).

The primary function of vitamin D is to lay calcium to the bones, thereby strengthening them. It also has a role in the immune system. It monitors the release of inflammatory molecules; thus, it manages the body's response to an infection. In this manner, vitamin D could lessen the severity of a COVID infection.

Another possible role of vitamin D is in the prevention of respiratory infections. Martineau et al. concluded in a meta-analysis that vitamin D supplementation was safe and effective against respiratory infections. They described that patients who were severely deficient in vitamin D had the most benefit (2).

Our bodies manufacture vitamin D through sunlight exposure, but the amount produced varies. People with dark skin do not absorb as much sunlight as those with light skin; therefore, the production of vitamin D is often insufficient. Furthermore, some areas of the world do not receive enough sunlight to produce adequate amounts of the vitamin in the residents. Consequently, these countries tend to have higher rates of vitamin D deficiency.

It is advisable to obtain all nutrients from your diet, but this isn't always practical. In the US, milk and dairy products are fortified with vitamin D, and of course, there are natural food sources. Fatty fish, such as salmon and rainbow trout, egg yolks, and cod liver oil are healthy sources of vitamin D.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 600 IU (international units) for people who are seventy years or younger, and 800 IU daily for those over the age of seventy. It's easy to think if a certain amount is healthy, then more must be better. However, it is possible to get too much vitamin D since it is stored in body fat. The main consequence of overdoing it is the buildup of calcium in the blood, which causes nausea, vomiting, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity may also lead to kidney stones.

Is there a role for vitamin D in the treatment of COVID? Simply put, it is too soon to tell. More studies need to be performed to determine if there is a valid link. If you are concerned about your vitamin D status, talk to your doctor. A simple blood test can determine if you need a supplement.

Until next time, be healthy!

Dear Dietitian

Originally posted here:
Dear Dietitian What are the impacts of vitamin D on COVID-19? - Kiowa County Press

The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged shoppers to seek out food and drink that boosts the immune response, according to research from Unilevers CMI People Data Centre & CMI U-Futures.

The research reveals that interest in and consumption of foods that support the immune system, as well as supplements like vitamins C and D, has increased. Unilever suggests that this is a global trend. In the US, vitamin supplementation jumped 15% in the space of a month, in Brazil consumers are eating more fruit rich in vitamin C, while in Japan immune-boosting yogurts are proving popular. The desire for health and wellbeing post pandemic is a consistent trend across all markets, Unilever concluded.

According to the company, the connection people are making between what they eat and their personal health has reached new heights. Having an optimally working immune system is more important than ever. The way our body deals with an infection is influenced by many factors of which the nutritional status is a critical element, Dr Angelika De Bree, global nutrition director, explained.

And these changes are here to stay, Dr De Bree believes.

One of major lifestyle changes we see is an exponential growth in attention to health and wellbeing with immunity being the epicentre of this attention. We think that the heightened interest from consumers in staying healthy is here to stay. In that sense, we belief that health and wellness will indeed become more mainstream.

While trendy ingredients like turmeric or rhodiola might be making a big splash on social media in the short-term, Dr De Bree suggests that to tap into this demand in the longer-term food makers need to tackle the underlying consumer need-state through innovation.

While at the moment focus may shift to particular ingredients that are positively associated with immunity, experts highlight the complexity of the immune system which is a complex system of molecules, cells, tissues and organs, she noted.

Each element of this system is influenced by a wide range of health and wellbeing factors, the Unilever nutrition expert told this publication. This includes weight and physical fitness, mental health, sleep and nutritional intake, among other things.

Whilst some ingredients might be trending now, we can imagine that holistic health for holistic immunity is here to stay and thereby a new need state for consumers. We can help our consumers by providing relevant products and inspiring recipes that help them in a simple manner to support their immune system, she said.

Dr De Bree said Unilever has been working on this healthy shift for about one year.

A key element of our force for good strategy has been boldly healthier. This calls for more plant-based and fortified products and recipes, that at the same time have acceptably low levels of sugar, salt and fat, she elaborated.

COVID-19 has acted as an accelerator of these trends and Unilever intends to use its innovation might and powerhouse brands from Magnum ice cream to Knorr stocks - to respond.

Then came COVID-19, creating the biggest disruption in our lifetimes with tectonic shifts in consumer behaviours and reminding us of the importance of health. Our research shows this has resulted in a spiked interest by consumers for health and immunity.

Experts agree that a diet that is mainly based on plants, with some animal-based products delivers the key nutrients that are needed to optimally support the immune system. If eating such a diet is not possible, for example because it is not available, fortified products may be a good solution. This shows that with our strategy focused on positive, more plant-based nutrition, we are well positioned to serve the current needs of consumers.

Basing its approach on scientific consensus, Dr De Bree continued: We see various areas where Unilever can play an important role.

Unilever will further accelerate its plant-based offerings and leverage its shelf-stable brands such as packaged soups to deliver food that is rich in critical macronutrients.

The company has also set a target of providing 200bn servings of products that deliver at least one critical micronutrient that is important for holistic health and immunity, Dr De Bree revealed. Currently 2bn people around the globe suffer from malnutrition and as a consequence may be immuno-compromised. Vitamin A, D, zinc and iron are amongst these critical micronutrients. These are also the micronutrients that are heavily researched in light of preventing a severe COVID-19 infection and/or treatment when infected, she noted.

Across Unilevers Food and Refreshment business, the company is working to deliver products that are more nutritionally dense and support health and wellbeing.

Our Foods and Refreshment business is uniquely positioned to lead purposefully in the space of holistic health and immunity, Dr De Bree said.

Our biggest food brands (Knorr: Reinventing Food for Humanity; Hellmanns: Taste the Waste) offer thousands of products and recipes which are nutritious, affordable and made with sustainably sourced ingredients.

Our tea and herbal category delivers healthy hydration through Earths most sustainable plant-based drinks. Our recently acquired Horlicks brand offers beverages designed to support the nutritional needs of children, supporting their growth and development; as well as adults. And also ice cream plays a big role in offering people a little happiness through responsible treats, she detailed.

Dr De Bree said that Unilever believes the majority of its brands are well-positioned to respond to health and wellness concerns. We believe the potential to leverage wellness sits in the balance within our portfolio, she explained.

Within its Foods portfolio, Unilever is focused on meeting growing demand for nutritious snacking options and plant-based alternatives.

The companys blockbuster brands have already responded by rolling out plant-based alternatives. Magnum Vegan ice cream and Hellmanns Vegan mayonnaise continue to be popular, the company noted.

It has also extended its reach in the meat-free space through the recent acquisition of The Vegetarian Butcher. This business is growing at a record rate, reflecting a sustained consumer trend, according to Unilever.

This does not mean Unilever is pivoting its portfolio towards plant-based at the expense of other options, Dr De Bree was quick to emphasise. Plant-based (or plant-forward) does not mean exclusivity. Moving towards more plant-based eating is generally healthier for people as well as for the planet. This does not mean that we will not offer choice. For example, as long as consumers still enjoy regular dairy ice cream, this will be something we will cater for.

Knorr is another brand that is focused on improving population health and here the company has seized the fortification opportunity. Last year, Knorr launched Future 50, an initiative that encourages consumers to eat a more diverse, plant-based diet by providing healthy and nutritious recipes. Knorrs Immunity Meals recipes are also a source of micronutrients to support the immune system, such as Vitamin C and D.

Meanwhile, in the groups Refreshment division, tea has seen a spike in demand as consumers turn to Liptons Immune and Daily Support, seen particularly in the US, and Pukkas immunity range, Unilever claimed.

Elsewhere, India and other South East Asian markets have seen a jump in demand for beverage-based nutrition brands, such as Boost and Horlicks. Both beverages are designed to support the nutritional needs of toddlers and children. They also fulfill an adults nutritional needs. Horlicks enhances womens bone health and contains zinc, which is clinically proven to boost the immune response.

Our brands are well suited to provide more plant-based products and inspire consumers to eat more plant-based through recipe suggestion.

Some products are specially formulated including fortification to meet nutritional needs that support health and immunity. Some are intrinsically good such as our [herbal] teas, Dr De Bree observed.

View original post here:
Unilever eyes potential in wellness: 'We are uniquely positioned to lead purposefully in the space of holistic health and immunity' -...

The uncertainty of life due to the coronavirus scare has left all of us shaken. The growing numbers of infected cases every day, the Whatsapp forwards highlighting the instability and inefficiency of the medical set up, increasing work pressure, lack of personal space are some common concerns that are pulling us all down. Quite often we feel pangs of anxiety, not knowing how to calm our nerves.

For example, you are worried about losing your job, and then imagine that if it happens, how will you manage your finances, which snowballs into higher anxieties that get difficult to handle.

Mental health experts worldover are reporting a spike in calls and queries about anxiety, depression, feeling of loneliness and other issues, not only among adults but even the youth. And this sense of instability is disturbing our sleeping patterns too because bedtime is the time when your mind relaxes and focuses on what is worrying you.

Read the original here:
Suffering from night anxiety? We tell you ways to control it - Times of India

A second extra budget to finance additional steps to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the current fiscal year that passed the Diet on June 12 comes to a whopping31.9 trillion yen ($297 billion).

It includes 10 trillion yen worth of reserve funds that can basically be used to cover any unexpected expenses.

This extra budget, formulated to cure the nations enfeebled economy, could give the government unprecedented funds to spend as it likes without being checked by the Diet.

By giving a free hand to the government in using such a vast amount of taxpayer money, the Diet has done something that blatantly violates the principles of fiscal democracy. It also negates thejustification for its own existence.

The Constitution requires any state budget to be authorized by the Diet. A reserve fund that can be spent upon the responsibility of the Cabinet is only allowed as an exceptional funding means to provide for unforeseen deficiencies in the budget.

Given this constitutional provision, there is no doubt that any reserve fund must be used in a restrained manner.

There is no legal provision that sets a clear ceiling on the amount of a reserve fund. Controversies flared in the past over the appropriateness of massive reserve funds.

A dispute raged, for instance, over a 1-trillion-yen reserve fund included in the initial state budget for fiscal 2009 as part of emergency financing measures in response to the economic downturn triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008.

Kaoru Yosano, the finance minister at the time, defended the fund, saying it was not outstandingly large (compared with past reserve funds) in terms of its ratio to the total budget, which amounted to 88 trillion yen.

But this time, the size of the reserve fund is by far the biggest in the nation's history. It is 10 times larger than the one in Yosanos spending plan.

Of this amount, 5 trillion yen is to be spent to support troubled small and midsize businesses and help companies avoid cutting jobs, according to the government. But no specifics have yet to be provided. The government has said nothing about the remaining 5 trillion yen except that the money will be used to deal with the effects of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Despite all this uncertainty and vagueness, all the opposition parties with the exception of the Japanese Communist Party voted for the second supplementary budget along with the ruling coalition.

Even though the spending plan includes outlays for measures that need to be implemented immediately, such as expenditures to subsidize rents paid by small and midsize firms, the opposition lawmakers, as well as the ruling camp, fully deserve to be criticized for defaulting on their constitutional responsibility as members of the Diet to check budgets.

In stressing the need for the gargantuan reserve fund, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government needs to take unprecedented steps to ensure that the nation will overcome this once-in-a-century national crisis.

If so, the administration should first ask the Diet to extend the current regular session beyond the June 17 expiry of its term to ensure it can make a swift response to any emergency.

The Constitution mandates the Cabinet to get subsequent approval of the Diet for all payments from the reserve fund. But this 10 trillion yen appropriation is no ordinary reserve fund.

The government should clarify in advance how the money will be spent and obtain Diet approval. In case additional spending is necessary, the government will be able to submit a third extra budget to the Diet swiftly if it is in session.

Diet deliberations in recent days have underscored the vital importance of rigorous Diet monitoring for proper expenditures by the government.

Doubt is only deepening over the governments plan to contract out the administrative work for a program to help cash-strapped businesses survive the current crisis.

An appropriation to pay up to 300 billion yen in fees for a contractor to handle the administrative work for the Go To Campaign" to support the tourist industry, one of the hardest-hit sectors, has drawn much criticism, forcing the government to suspend the process of recruiting the contractor. But the government has yet to say how it will review the contract.

The first and second supplementary budgets allow the government to spend more than 57 trillion yen, a scale of extra expenditures without precedent, to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a tremendous amount of government spending outside the original state budget requires more transparency than ever before.

The Abe administration needs to continue responding to public doubts and suspicions over these spending blueprints without closing the session in haste.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 13

See the rest here:
EDITORIAL: Where are the checks, balances on massive extra budget spending? : The Asahi Shimbun - Asahi Shimbun

Researchers have discovered a new set of signals that cells send and receive to prompt one type of fat cell to convert fat into heat. The signaling pathway, discovered in mice, has potential implications for activating this same type of thermogenic fat in humans.

Thermogenic fat cells, also called beige fat or beige adipocytes, have gained attention in recent years for their potential to curb obesity and other metabolic disorders, due to their ability to burn energy stored as fat. But scientists have yet to translate this potential into effective therapies.

The challenge of activating beige fat in humans arises, in part, because this process is regulated through so-called adrenergic signaling, which uses the hormone catecholamine to instruct beige fat cells to start burning energy. But adrenergic signaling also controls other important biological functions, including blood pressure and heartbeat regulation, so activating it in humans with agonists has potentially dangerous side effects.

Heat map of thermogenic fat cells (artistic rendering). Credit: Illustration by Life Sciences Institute multimedia designer Rajani Arora.

In a new study scheduled for online publication today (June 12, 2020) in the journal Developmental Cell, a team of researchers led by the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute describes a pathway that can regulate beige fat thermogenesis independently of adrenergic signaling. Instead, it operates through a receptor protein called CHRNA2, short for Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 2 Subunit.

This pathway opens a whole new direction for approaching metabolic disorders, said Jun Wu, an assistant professor at the LSI and the studys senior author. Of course, this cholinergic pathway also is involved in other important functions, so there is still much work to do to really figure out how this might work in humans. But we are encouraged by these initial findings.

For their study, Wu and her colleagues blocked the CHRNA2 pathway only in adipocytes in mice, and then fed the mice a high-fat diet. Without the CHRNA2 receptor proteins, the mice showed greater weight gain than normal mice, and were less able to activate thermogenesis in response to excess food intake.

Wu believes the findings are particularly exciting in light of another research teams recent discovery of a new type of beige fat that is not regulated by catecholamine. This newest study from the LSI indicates that this subpopulation of beige fat, called glycolytic beige fat (or g-beige fat), can be activated through the CHRNA2 pathway.

Many patients with metabolic disorders have catecholamine resistance, meaning their cells do not detect or respond to catecholamine, said Wu, who is also an assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the U-M Medical School.

So even if it could be done safely, activating that adrenergic pathway would not be an effective treatment option for such patients. This new pathway, with this new subtype of beige fat, could be the beginning of a whole new chapter for approaching this challenge.

###

Reference: Adrenergic-Independent Signaling via CHRNA2 Regulates Beige Fat Activation by Heejin Jun, Yingxu Ma, Yong Chen, Jianke Gong, Shanshan Liu, Jine Wang, Alexander J. Knights, Xiaona Qiao, Margo P. Emont, X.Z. Shawn Xu, Shingo Kajimura and Jun Wu, 12 June 2020, Developmental Cell.DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.017

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, Chinese Scholarship Council and Michigan Life Sciences Fellows program.

Study authors are: Heejin Jun, Shanshan Liu, Jine Wang, Alexander Knights, Margot Emont, X.Z. Shawn Xu and Jun Wu of U-M; Yingxu Ma of U-M and Central South University, China; Yong Chen and Shingo Kajimura of the University of California, San Francisco; Jianke Gong of U-M and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology; and Xiaona Qiao of U-M and Fudan University, China.

Here is the original post:
Researchers Discover How to Turn On the Heat in Energy-Burning Fat Cells - SciTechDaily

Heat map of thermogenic fat cells (artistic rendering). Image credit: Life Sciences Institute multimedia designer Rajani Arora

Researchers have discovered a new set of signals that cells send and receive to prompt one type of fat cell to convert fat into heat. The signaling pathway, discovered in mice, has potential implications for activating this same type of thermogenic fat in humans.

Thermogenic fat cells, also called beige fat or beige adipocytes, have gained attention in recent years for their potential to curb obesity and other metabolic disorders, due to their ability to burn energy stored as fat. But scientists have yet to translate this potential into effective therapies.

The challenge of activating beige fat in humans arises, in part, because this process is regulated through so-called adrenergic signaling, which uses the hormone catecholamine to instruct beige fat cells to start burning energy. But adrenergic signaling also controls other important biological functions, including blood pressure and heartbeat regulation, so activating it in humans with agonists has potentially dangerous side effects.

In a new study scheduled for online publication June 12 in the journal Developmental Cell, a team of researchers led by the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute describes a pathway that can regulate beige fat thermogenesis independently of adrenergic signaling. Instead, it operates through a receptor protein called CHRNA2, short for Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 2 Subunit.

This pathway opens a whole new direction for approaching metabolic disorders, said Jun Wu, an assistant professor at the LSI and the studys senior author. Of course, this cholinergic pathway also is involved in other important functions, so there is still much work to do to really figure out how this might work in humans. But we are encouraged by these initial findings.

For their study, Wu and her colleagues blocked the CHRNA2 pathway only in adipocytes in mice, and then fed the mice a high-fat diet. Without the CHRNA2 receptor proteins, the mice showed greater weight gain than normal mice, and were less able to activate thermogenesis in response to excess food intake.

Wu believes the findings are particularly exciting in light of another research teams recent discovery of a new type of beige fat that is not regulated by catecholamine. This newest study from the LSI indicates that this subpopulation of beige fat, called glycolytic beige fat (or g-beige fat), can be activated through the CHRNA2 pathway.

Many patients with metabolic disorders have catecholamine resistance, meaning their cells do not detect or respond to catecholamine, said Wu, who is also an assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the U-M Medical School.

So even if it could be done safely, activating that adrenergic pathway would not be an effective treatment option for such patients. This new pathway, with this new subtype of beige fat, could be the beginning of a whole new chapter for approaching this challenge.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, Chinese Scholarship Council and Michigan Life Sciences Fellows program.

Study authors are: Heejin Jun, Shanshan Liu, Jine Wang, Alexander Knights, Margot Emont, X.Z. Shawn Xu and Jun Wu of U-M; Yingxu Ma of U-M and Central South University, China; Yong Chen and Shingo Kajimura of the University of California, San Francisco; Jianke Gong of U-M and the Huazhong University of Science and Technology; and Xiaona Qiao of U-M and Fudan University, China.

More information:

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U-M researchers identify new approach to turning on the heat in energy-burning fat cells - University of Michigan News