Human Planet - Artic - BBC One

Race against the tide, risking death under huge blocks of ice - Human Planet: Arctic
Narrated by John Hurt

BBC·

Uploaded on Jan 25, 2011

http://www.bbc.co.uk/humanplanet The people of Kangiqsujuaq in Canada go to great lengths to add variety to their diet of seal meat, venturing under the sea ice during the extreme low tides of the spring equinox to gather mussels.

It's a race against time. They have less than half an hour to search these temporary caverns before the tide rushes back in. A look-out keeps watch for the returning tide, but warning shouts can't be too loud in case the echoes bring down the ice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Z0qGvC3vqaA

The Sit Test of Aging and Longevity

Originally published on Thursday, December 27th, 2012               

ANTI AGING by Dr. Marchione for Bel Marra Health

 

For many years your heart health has been considered a good indicator of whether or not you will live longer than the person standing next to you. Studies on aging have come a long way though, and now scientists believe joint health can help determine your longevity as well.

 

Joint Health and Aging

Joint health is something most of us don’t think about until we are much older or until we experience an accident or sports injury that impacts our musculoskeletal system. However, a report in the European Journal of Cardiology indicates that a simple sitting and standing test; one that shows how your joints function may predict how long you are going to live.

 

The Live Longer Test

Brazilian researchers monitored over 2000 adults for just over 6 years. Each adult was asked to sit down on the floor and then get up without using much support from their hands, knees or other parts of the body. The participants would get 5 points if they could sit down without touching their legs, knees, hands or arms on the floor. They would get another 5 points if they could get up off the floor unassisted. They lost one point for every body part they leaned on while getting up or down. For example, if a person could go down on the floor with just one knee touching the ground, they would end up with four points. If a person touched a knee and hand on the floor as they were getting up, they would lose 2 points and end up with a score of three. Anyone who looked unstable or shaky on the way up or down lost half a point. People who scored zero to three were 6.5 times as likely to die during the course of the study, compared to those who scored 8 to 10. Those with scores of 3.5 to 5.5 ended up 3.8 times as likely to die as the high scorers. Finally, people who were in the 6 to 7.4 range were 1.8 times more likely to pass away.

Doctors have used a sit and rise test for quite some time to test leg and muscle strength in seniors, but few studies have been this difficult or have taken a close look at the impact on longevity.

One doctor who worked on the study through Gamo Filho University in Rio de Janeiro said that ease of getting up and down is dependent on the ratio of muscle power to body weight, but Claudio Gil Soares de Araujo indicates that “body flexibility, balance and motor coordination” are also important factors. Often times poor flexibility, balance and coordination can put people is situations that make them more prone to accidents that can lead to serious injury or even death. During the Brazilian study one hundred and 59 participants died; the majority had the most trouble getting up and sitting down.

 

Other Aging Tests

Both the public and the scientific community seem to have a fascination with aging. Countless research projects around the globe are being conducted today in an effort to help us live longer, as well as unravel some of the mysteries that come along with the aging process. Some scientists believe that telomeres can be used to predict long term health. One of the two scientists that shared the Nobel peace prize in 2009 has cofounded a company; Telomere Health, to provide a telomere test to the public. Telomeres are small protective caps at the end of chromosomes that keep them from fraying when cells divide. Scientists have determined that telomeres shorten when people age. Studies have linked increasing numbers of shortened telomeres to a shorter life span and to diseases including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

General practitioners applaud the work that is being done in the area of joint health, heart health and the science of telomeres, but say what the general public needs to focus on is a proper lifestyle which includes regular exercise, adequate sleep, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Source: The Sit Test of Aging and Longevity

Sweet Potato – The New Food for Longevity

Originally published on Monday, December 31st, 2012               

HEALTHY EATING by Dr. Wong for Bel Marra Health

Consuming lots of fruits and vegetables in our diets is important for good health and we shouldn’t overlook the sweet potato. Many fruits and vegetables are known as “super foods”. Super foods have a significantly higher nutritional value than most foods and provide various health benefits.

Sweet potatoes are a fantastic super food, not only providing sweetness into our diets, but providing numerous health benefits as well.

Sweet Potatoes in Diets

Sweet potatoes are low in sodium and low in saturated fats and cholesterol. They are also high in dietary fibre, vitamin B6, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and manganese. According to www.nutritiondata.self.com, 200g of sweet potato contain 180 calories, with only 3 calories coming from fat. In the search for optimal health, adding sweet potatoes as well as other fruits and vegetables that are super foods into our diets is a logical first step.

Sweet potatoes have a number of components that make them such a great super food, including:

1. Antioxidants – sweet potatoes, like many fruits and vegetables, are packed with antioxidants. Sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A, with one medium sweet potato providing the recommended daily allowance of this vitamin. Vitamin A helps to prevent certain types of cancer and also helps to protect your skin from sun damage. It is also important for eye health, and may help to protect vision loss and macular degeneration. Sweet potatoes are also rich in Vitamin C and E which help with disease prevention.
2. Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E all help to maintain a beautiful complexion and gorgeous hair. In addition to Vitamin A, Vitamin C and E, purple-fleshed sweet potatoes also contain cyanidins and peonidins. These two antioxidants may help to lower the potential risk
   of heavy metals and oxygen radicals as they pass through the digestive tract.
3. Anti-inflammatory agents – sweet potatoes contain phytonutrients that help to reduce inflammation in the body. These phytonutrients may also have a positive impact of fibrinogen which is a glycoprotein that is required for blood clotting in the body.
4. Manganese – consumption of sweet potatoes in our diets helps to improve blood sugar regulation, even in people that have Type II diabetes. This is the result of the high level of manganese that is found in sweet potatoes. Manganese also helps to generate energy and helps the body to utilize antioxidants.
5. Fibre – sweet potatoes have a high fibre content which will help to satisfy your hunger and the energy you get from eating a sweet potato is used more slowly than low-fibre food options.
6. Vitamin B6 and Potassium – the high content of Vitamin B6 helps to keep blood vessels healthy and unclogged, allowing blood to flow easily through them. The potassium that is found in sweet potatoes helps to play a role in lowering blood pressure and helps to rid the body of un-needed sodium which helps to regulate fluid balance in the body. Potassium is also important for regulating a normal heart rhythm, and helps to maintain brain and nervous system function.

Adding Sweet Potatoes to Our Diets

A simple way to add this super food into our diets is to replace regular potatoes with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be substituted in most potato recipes and you may find that you end up preferring this nutrient rich potato to your regular choice. Adding sweet baked potatoes into our diets instead of baked white potatoes is simple. The sweetness of the sweet potato may allow us to skip seasoning it with butter and sugar. This will lead to decreased calories in our diets from fat and sugars. Try adding this delicious super food to your diet, you’re sure to love it.

Source: Sweet Potato – The New Food for Longevity