Just a few minutes of bicycling creates lasting improvements in motor functions. Apr 1, 2010 Note: ABC News does not permit the embedding of their video. Please click on the link below to take you to the video on their site: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/patients-pedal-past-parkinsons-10264680
Also:
Can Exercise Treat Parkinson's? | FITNESS FRENZY
Uploaded on 20 Jul 2009
A neuroscientist discovers a mysterious connection between our hands and legs.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and opposition leader Bill Shorten paid tribute to Mr Lee. The Parliament observed a minute of silence for Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
I spoke about the founding father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew who passed away two days ago and his achievements in making Singapore the thriving nation it is today.
Vegetarians who ate fish at least once a month (pescovegetarians) had a 42 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to non-vegetarians
Even when compared to vegetarians, the pescovegetarians had a 27 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer
Fish contains beneficial omega-3 fats that have anti-cancer activity
By Dr. Mercola
Colorectal cancer (colon and rectum cancers) is the third most-diagnosed cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, in the US.1 It's widely known that your diet plays a major role in your risk of this disease, with processed meats being among the worst offenders and vegetables among the most protective.
So it's not surprising that a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicinefound vegetarians had a 22 percent lower risk for all colorectal cancers, 19 percent lower risk for colon cancer, and 29 percent lower risk for rectal cancer compared to non-vegetarians.2
Vegetarians would, presumably, be eating more vegetables than the average American, although there are vast differences in quality of diet among vegetarians, too.
For instance, a person could eat primarily refined carbohydrates and still be considered vegetarian… and this type of diet would typically not lower your cancer risk but raise it.
Getting back to the featured study, however, it included Seventh-Day Adventist men and women, who typically avoid alcohol and tobacco and eat very little meat compared to the average American (an average of about two ounces a day).
Still, even cutting out that small amount of meat was protective… but not as protective as eating this…
Fish Eaters Cut Risk of Colorectal Cancer by 42 Percent
So-called "pescovegetarians," who ate fish at least once a month and other meats less than once a month, enjoyed the greatest cancer protection (a 42 percent reduction) compared to non-vegetarians.
Even when compared to vegetarians, the pescovegetarians had a 27 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer. Eating fish is likely protective because it contains beneficial omega-3 fats.
"In addition to other dietary factors, fish may provide added protection from its high content omega-3 fatty acids. This is consistent with previous research that has found omega-3s have anti-cancer activity and that they may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer."
Previous research has shown omega-3s to be protective against numerous types of cancer. For instance, in one study, the spread of cancer cells was blocked by omega-3 fats, suggesting that a diet rich in omega-3 fats could potentially inhibit cancer in men with early stage prostate cancer.4
A separate meta-analysis found that fish consumption was associated with a 63 percent reduction in prostate cancer-specific mortality.5
Meanwhile, omega-3 deficiency can cause or contribute to many serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year.6
Most People Benefit from Some Amount of Animal Protein
There is no debate that most people do not eat enough vegetables, let alone high-quality organic ones. So it makes perfect sense that individuals who consume more vegetables are likely to be healthier in many ways.
Most of us eat far too much protein and not enough vegetables, which likely accounts for most of the difference seen when comparing vegetarian to non-vegetarian diets.
But that does not justify excluding all animal products. I typically recommend avoiding strict vegetarian or vegan diets, because I believe most people benefit from at least some animal foods.
In addition to missing out on important animal-based omega-3 fats (plant-based omega-3s are not the same), those who abstain from animal protein are placing themselves at far greater risk of sulfur deficiency and its related health problems.
Research published in the journal Nutrition showed that people who eat a strictly plant-based diet may suffer from subclinical protein malnutrition,7 which means you're also likely not getting enough dietary sulfur.
Sulfur is derived almost exclusively from dietary protein, such as fish and high-quality (organic and/or grass-fed/pastured) beef and poultry. Meat and fish are considered "complete" as they contain all the sulfur-containing amino acids you need to produce new protein.
Sulfur also plays a vital role in the structure and biological activity of both proteins and enzymes. If you don't have sufficient amounts of sulfur in your body, this deficiency can cascade into a number of health problems, as it will affect bones, joints, connective tissues, metabolic processes, and more.
According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior scientist at MIT, areas where sulfur plays an important role include:
Your body's electron transport system, as part of iron/sulfur proteins in mitochondria, the energy factories of your cells
Vitamin-B thiamine (B1) and biotin conversion, which in turn are essential for converting carbohydrates into energy
Synthesizing important metabolic intermediates, such as glutathione
Proper insulin function. The insulin molecule consists of two amino acid chains connected to each other by sulfur bridges, without which the insulin cannot perform its biological activity
Detoxification
The Nutrition study also concluded that the low intake of sulfur amino acids by vegetarians and vegans explains the origin of hyperhomocysteinemia (high blood levels of homocysteine, which may lead to blood clots in your arteries -- i.e. heart attack and stroke) and the increased vulnerability of vegetarians to cardiovascular diseases.
The Type of Meat You Eat Matters
Many studies have linked red meat and, especially, processed meats, to cancer, but most of these studies involved meat from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). I've often said that the difference between organic, pastured beef and that from animals raised in CAFOs is so great that you're really talking about two completely different animals.
In the grand scheme of all that is wrong with modern agriculture, the unnatural transition that turned cattle, which naturally eat only grass, into grain-eatingruminants is definitely toward the top of the list.
CAFO cows are fattened for slaughter in massive feedlots as quickly as possible (on average between 14 and 18 months) with the help of grains and growth-promoting drugs, including antibiotics.
The antibiotics and grains radically alter the bacterial balance and composition in the animal's gut. The natural diet for ruminant animals, such as cattle, is plain grass. When left to their own devices, cattle will not graze on corn or soybeans. Just as in humans, poor gut health in animals promotes disease. This radically altered diet also affects the nutritional composition of the meat.
For example, when raised on a grass-only diet, levels of conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) are three to five times higher in the meat compared to CAFO beef. CLA has been found to have a wide array of important health benefits, from fighting cancer to decreasing insulin resistance and improving body composition.
Grass-fed beef also tends to be leaner, and have higher levels of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It also has a healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats.
Unless labeled as grass-fed, virtually all the meat you buy in the grocery store is CAFO beef, and tests have revealed that nearly half of the meat sold in US stores is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria—including antibiotic-resistant strains. Grass-fed beef is not associated with this high frequency of contamination, and their living conditions have everything to do with this improved safety.
This doesn't only apply to beef, of course. It also applies to other animal foods as well, including dairy, eggs, and poultry, which should be organic and pasture-raised (or free-range certified), as well as fish, which should be wild-caught not farm-raised.
A Healthy Cancer-Preventive Diet…
Eating a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet is far better than eating a high-CAFO meat diet. But I believe most people would be wise to consider a more moderate plan, which, as I mentioned, includes at least some animal protein. To find out more about what I believe is a more ideal diet for most people, which will also help lower your risk of cancer, check out my nutrition plan. Here are the key points:
Low amounts of high-quality (pastured or grass-fed) animal protein: A general recommendation is to limit animal protein to one gram of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, or one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body weight.
Extremely low amounts of refined grain carbohydrates: You need very little grains, if any. Even organic grains are best avoided to preserve optimal insulin and leptin signaling.
Extremely low amounts of processed sugar and fructose: A general guideline is to restrict your sugar/fructose consumption to 25 grams from all sources per day. If you are insulin or leptin resistant (if you are overweight, or have high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, then you likely have insulin or leptin resistance), you'd be wise to keep your sugar/fructose to 15 grams per day, from all sources, until your condition has normalized.
High amounts of high-quality fats: As you cut out carbohydrates, you need to replace them with healthy fats. Most people probably need anywhere from 50 percent to 85 percent of their daily calories in the form of healthy fats, which include olives and olive oil, coconuts and coconut oil, butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk, organic raw nuts (especially macadamia nuts, which are low in protein and omega-6 fat), organic pastured eggs, and avocados. Omega-3 fats are also important, which can be found in wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, or a high-quality krill oil supplement.
Virtually unlimited amounts of vegetable carbohydrates: Making vegetable juice is a great way to boost the amount and variety of vegetables in your diet, but you'll also want to consume whole vegetables for added fiber.
One of the easiest ways to conform to these guidelines is to ditch processed foods and cook from scratch using whole, organic ingredients. I generally advise limiting processed foods to 10 percent of less of your total diet. As for whether or not to eat meat, I firmly believe that it plays a valuable role in optimal health, but quality and quantity are important considerations. Focusing on smaller portions of higher quality (pastured grass-fed and finished) meats will lead you in the right direction.
Other Important Considerations for Colorectal Cancer
In addition to choosing high-quality meats and eating them in limited amounts, you'll want to be careful with how you cook them. Heating proteins leads to the formation of unnatural peptides and amino acids, making them less digestible. Cooking food at temperatures over 180º Celsius (or 350º Fahrenheit) promotes the formation of several carcinogenic compounds, including aromatic hydrocarbon, benzopyrene, and heterocyclic amine (HCA).
In fact, research suggests that proteins, carbs, and fat cooked at very high temperatures can promote colon cancer. So you don't want to come home with a healthy grass-fed steak and then ruin it by charring it on the grill. Instead, eat your meat rare or consider cooking it using a gentle, low-heat method such as poaching or stewing. In addition, if you're interested in lowering your risk of colon cancer, consider:
Vitamin D:Vitamin D can significantly lower your risk of a variety of cancers, including bladder, colorectal, and breast cancer. Specifically, research has shown that a vitamin D level of more than 33 ng/mL was associated with a 50 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer.8 However, I recommend optimizing your vitamin D level to between 50 and 70 ng/ml year-round. Vitamin D from sun exposure or a high-quality tanning bed is the BEST way to optimize your vitamin D levels.
Magnesium: Higher intakes of dietary magnesium are associated with a lower risk of colorectal tumors. For every 100-mg increase in magnesium intake, the risk of colorectal tumor decreased by 13 percent, while the risk of colorectal cancer was lowered by 12 percent.9 Green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard are excellent sources of magnesium, as are some beans, nuts, and seeds, like almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. Avocados are also a good source. Surveys suggest, however, that many Americans are not getting enough magnesium from their diet alone, which is why in some cases a supplement may be necessary.
Oral Health: Pathogens in your mouth can enter your bloodstream to colonize other parts of your body. Two independent studies found a causal link between a common oral bacterium (F. nucleatum) and colorectal cancer.10Maintaining good oral hygiene and eating a healthy diet to support oral health are very important.
Are You Looking for Healthy, Humanely Raised Meat, Dairy, and Eggs?
If you're a vegetarian or vegan who is considering adding some animal foods into your diet for health purposes, you're probably interested in supporting farmers who produce healthy pastured grass-fed meat, eggs, and dairy products using humane, environmentally friendly methods. You can do this not only by visiting the farm directly, if you have one nearby, but also by taking part in farmer's markets and community-supported agriculture programs, many of which offer grass-fed meats. The following organizations can also help you locate grass-fed beef and other farm-fresh foods in your local area, raised in a humane, sustainable manner.
Pizza delivery chain Domino’s has been selling genetically modified pizzas, despite its website claiming that it is ‘GM-free.’
Research by campaign group GM Freeze found that the company’s ‘thin and crispy’ pizza bases have been made using genetically modified soya bean oil and maize flower since February.
Waitrose has also been selling imported American confectionary which contains GM sugar beet and a soya derivative while Marks & Spencer has been stocking American sauces and cookies containing GM soya and corn.
Both supermarkets have a no GM policy on their websites but the products were labelled as containing GM, unlike Domino's.
Domino’s confirmed that it had been using thin and crispy pizza bases with GM ingredients since the beginning of February after its usual supplier in Ireland, the Flat Bread Company, had a factory fire that halted production.
There is still no compelling evidence to suggest that genetically modified crops are any more harmful than conventionally grown food
The company apologised for failing to change the promise on its website and has since removed the claim. They hope to return to using GM-free bases in September.
Liz O’Neill, director of GM Freeze, which is campaigning to raise awareness of how GM foods are creeping unnoticed into the national diet, said: “If they (Domino’s) have introduced GM ingredients to their pizza crusts then customers should be told much more clearly.
“People in the UK have demonstrated time and time again that they don’t want to eat GM food and the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) public attitudes survey recently showed concern about GM at an all-time high.”
She is demanding an investigation to see if Domino’s has broken labelling laws, as firms using GM ingredients are required to label their use.
M&S said that its decision to stock GM products “in no way affects our commitment to only using non-GM ingredients in M&S food.”
A Waitrose spokesman insisted that any GM ingredients in American chocolate stocked by the company were “clearly labelled.”
GM crops such as sugar beet, corn or maize and soya have been at the centre of concerns that the associated industrial farming practices have caused severe harm to the environment.
The crops are altered through the insertion of foreign genes that create toxins to kill insects or provide with immunity to powerful chemical week killers.
The use of sprays alongside GM crops is thought to have been the reason for the collapse in the population of the Monarch butterfly, now under threat in the US.
A recent FSA study found a rise in concerns regarding GM foodin the UK. 24 per cent listed GM as a concern, higher than food hygiene in the home.
Sharanjit Leyl presents this special 45-minute programme to mark 50 years of Singapore's independence, recorded at 2310hrs SGT on 1 Mar 2015. The following presentation is reproduced from the BBC News online website @ http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-3162...
By Sharanjit LeylBBC, Singapore
28 February 2015
Fifty years ago Singapore became an independent state, after leaving the short-lived Malaysian Federation. With no natural resources, just how did this tiny country go from swamp to one of the region's leading economies? On the strength of its human resources - immigrants like my grandfather.
At the age of 17, with only the shirt on his back, Fauja Singh left his parents in a small Punjabi village and made the long and dusty journey on foot and by train to Kolkata (Calcutta), where he caught a ship to his new home. It was the early 1930s.
He arrived in a melting pot of cultures and chaos on an island at the mouth of a river, which bustled with trade - Singapore.
Once a swamp-filled jungle, when the British arrived in 1819, under the leadership of Sir Stamford Raffles, the makings of modern Singapore began. Lying at the mid-point of the shipping route between India and China, it became a thriving trading port, and with this trade came a huge influx of immigrants from all over Asia.
Life was not easy for the new arrivals. Many from China worked as labourers and lived in squalid and cramped conditions. Fauja worked in jobs ranging from night watchman to milk vendor and moneylender. When he had made enough money he went home to fetch his brother, sister and young bride from Amritsar.
Immigrants poured in from the southern coasts of China and the Malay archipelagoFauja Singh's milk vending licence
Fauja and his wife Swaran Kaur had eight children. His eldest son Kernail excelled academically and made it to the country's most prestigious school, Raffles Institution. He went on to win scholarships at university and after graduating he joined the government of a young and newly independent nation.
Fauja Singh was my grandfather, and Kernail my father. They paved the way for me to be educated and well-off. It's a story that echoes that of many Singaporeans, and also of the nation itself.
Singaporeans are among the world's wealthiest populations - Ferraris and Rolls Royces are a common sight on the clean streets. It's a far cry from the island's humble beginnings, when more than a million Singaporeans lived in "squatters" - makeshift wooden houses in villages known by the Malay term "kampongs".
My father and his siblings grew up on a large plot of land that sits in current-day Bukit Merah, an area in central Singapore whose name means "Red Hill". My grandfather claimed the land by planting a perimeter of banana trees which formed dense foliage and kept others out. Then he built a house so large, he would later rent out its back rooms to lodgers. But the house, like many at the time, was rudimentary.
My aunt, Manjit Kaur, was born there in pre-independence Singapore. "It was a hard life. There was no water, no healthy water," she says. "We lived a simple life, our neighbours were simple. We looked after each other and we had the same goal - to survive."
The Singh children in the kampong
In 1959, Britain took the first steps toward granting independence by allowing Singapore to govern itself. The charismatic Lee Kuan Yew of the People's Action Party won a landslide victory in the first fully elected parliament.
Manjit remembers the family attended a political rally, despite not speaking the language. "We didn't understand a word but I think whatever he was saying must have been quite important because everyone was paying attention. They clapped every time he would say something. When they clapped, we clapped," she says.
This was a revelation to me - I had no idea my grandfather had had any interest in politics.
My aunt Manjit Kaur shows me her photo albumMy father Kernail in his 1968 graduation photograph
In August 1963, Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia. It was made up of four countries and territories - Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore.
Manjit remembers celebrating the union at school. "We started learning a song called something like Let's Get Together, Sing a Happy Song, Malaysia Forever."
But it wasn't forever. The members of the federation disagreed on fundamental issues like who should control the finances of Singapore. Racial tensions led to riots between Singaporean Chinese and Malay groups.
Members of the Singapore Police Riot Squad during race riots between Chinese and Malay groups in 1964
In 1965, Singapore was forced to leave the Malaysian Federation. Manjit remembers seeing the prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, cry during an interview. "We'd go to our neighbours' house and watch TV and we saw him crying and we didn't know why."
It was a traumatic beginning to independence. Many believed Singapore could not survive on its own. But with huge hopes for the future, Singapore began to build the infrastructure that would transform the city.
My grandfather sold his plot of land to the government in the 1960s and moved into a HDB or Housing Development Board home, thousands of which were sprouting up all over the island. It was an affordable way for Singaporeans to buy property and raise their standard of living.
Happy Homes poster showing the benefits of a Housing Development Board home
"We had a huge task when we first started in 1960. At that time our population size was 1.6 million, out of that, 1.3 million lived in squatters - not to count thousands of others living in slum areas and old buildings," says Liu Thai Ker, who was known as Singapore's "master planner" in the 70s and 80s. The new HDB towns that Liu oversaw came with their own schools, shops and clinics. The high-rise buildings introduced many Singaporeans to the miracles of flushing toilets and clean water at the turn of a tap.
A typical kampong sceneLike many Singaporeans, Fauja Singh swapped his "squatter" for a HDB home
By 1985, in just one generation, Liu says, the HDB was so successful in its rehousing policy that Singapore could claim to have "no homeless, no squatters, no poverty ghettos and no ethnic enclaves".
Courtesy mascot Singha the Lion
But the housing policy was not just about bricks and mortar - it was also about nation building. Each HDB flat would have a quota system that encouraged a mix of different races. "The whole idea was to have the Chinese not thinking that they were Chinese, or the Malays thinking they're Malay, or Indians thinking they're Indian. We want them to think as one Singaporean," says Liu.
Nation building also took the form of campaigns to instil more courtesy, prevent spitting in public or stop creating "killer litter" - rubbish thrown out of high-rise flats that could kill people below. These campaigns dominated the airwaves, schools and billboards of the nation.
The government sought to regulate the behaviour of its people and I was not immune. As a child attending a Singaporean primary school I won the title of most courteous student in class several times. My reward was a Singha the Lion eraser or ruler. He was the country's courtesy mascot for years.
Some of the campaigns were arguably too successful, such as the "Stop at two" campaign, aimed at limiting population growth in the 1960s and 1970s. When it became evident that Singapore's population wasn't being replaced in the 1980s, it was too late. Singapore now has one of the lowest birth rates in Asia, which the government is seeking to offset through immigration. For a population to remain stable each family needs to have 2.1 children - in Singapore the average is 1.3 or below.
A poster in a shopping mall encouraging Singaporeans to have more children
Such campaigns were more than just slogans - they had policies to back them up. Third children were penalised with fewer subsidies and limited school choices.
By the 1980s, many of Singapore's early problems had been solved. Unemployment was no longer a worry, crime rates were low, and the population compliant.
But at what price? The measures the government took to maintain the status quo are seen by many as controlling and restrictive.
The penal system is tough, and the death penalty is enforced, mostly for drug offences. It is estimated that abound 400 people have been hanged since 1991. Singapore has been described as "Disneyland with the death penalty."
Goh Chok Tong, who was Singapore's prime minister from 1990 to 2004 and now holds the title emeritus senior minister, takes issue with that description. "First of all, Singapore is not Disneyland, it's a very serious place. Then the death penalty, because of the proximity to the drug triangle, if we're too lax in the control of drug trafficking, Singaporeans are going to suffer. So it's a difficult decision, but we have to defend our position on that," he says.
Singapore's media environment is highly controlled. The nation currently ranks in the bottom 15% of 180 countries in an index assessing press freedoms compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
Singaporeans with an alternative view on political matters have now turned to the internet - Ariffin Sha, a 17-year-old blogger says the internet is the "game changer", dispelling the fears Singaporeans used to harbour over speaking out.
"I believe there was a climate of fear in Singapore, and I don't blame them. Dissent was clearly not tolerated. Times have changed now. With the internet it's hard to control," says Sha. At Speaker's Corner, the only officially sanctioned area of protest, 500 people might hear him speak - whereas on YouTube he has an audience of thousands.
The arts battle censorship too - playwrights have to submit scripts to Singapore's Media Development Authority who may insist on changing lines or put an advisory on the play. "When we first started working in the 80s we had to submit scripts to the police," says Haresh Sharma, a prominent name in Singapore's theatre community. "Now it's a bit more sophisticated. They might give you a rating but then people are free to choose."
Goh says there are certain areas in the media where control will continue to be exercised.
"Religions, race… if you touch on sensitive issues there will be violent reactions so those are no-nos. The government has to make sure people don't infringe on these."
After years of rapid growth and ranked the most expensive city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Singapore faces new challenges. The gap between rich and poor is amongst the widest in the developed world. Estimates from social researchers suggest that about 10% to 15% of the population live in the low income bracket - less than US$1,100 (£700) a month.
Ferraris are common on the streets of Singapore - but the gap between rich and poor is growing
If my grandfather arrived today, with only the shirt on his back, how would he fare? He might not be as welcome. Foreigners now make up 40% of the population and the huge rise in their numbers in the last decade has sparked fears that the Singaporean identity is being diluted.
Jim Rogers is a businessman who moved to Singapore at a time when it was eager to attract well-qualified foreigners. He's aware of the backlash. "You'll hear people talking about the foreigners, and I say: 'Wait a minute you're second generation - your parents came here.' And they'll say: 'Yeah, but it was different. My parents were different to these new immigrants who are coming here now.'"
The government has responded with stricter rules limiting the influx of immigrants, but Rogers hopes they remember Singapore's success was built on them.
At the same time, people are leaving - the high cost of living and the search for a better work-life balance has led many to move away. In a 2012 survey, 56% of the 2000-odd Singaporeans surveyed said they would migrate if given a choice.
Fauja Singh's family in 1970 - only three grandchildren remain in Singapore
This too is reflected in my own family. My two brothers and their children now live in the US and my mother joined them there after my father passed away. The majority of my grandfather's huge family, captured in a photograph in 1970, no longer live in Singapore. Only three of his 15 grandchildren still do. I chose to return after many years away in the US, Canada and Japan. What made me come back? The same reasons my grandfather came - opportunity.
Where our leafy family home once stood there is now a big grey industrial complex. But growing up in a country where things are constantly changing, you don't expect things to last. There is always a steadfast march towards progress.
There is still no compelling evidence to suggest that genetically modified crops are any more harmful than conventionally grown food
