TOTALLY HUMAN

I have a family history of diabetes. And because it's in my bloodline I was afraid of getting it. So I searched and happened to come across an interesting article that is entitled "Spices are good for diabetics."

It turns out that spices can do much more than flavor your food as researchers of the University of Georgia discovered that a pinch of spice can boost the health of diabetics. The test was conducted on 24 spices which the researches bought from a Wal-Mart store.

The students then took these spices back to the lab and conducted tests and discovered that spices have the power to inhibit tissue damage and inflammation brought on by high blood-sugar levels in the body. Spices are rich in antioxidants, which are thought to protect cells from damage.

Usually when one puts a lot of antioxidants in food people tend to get fat but this is no longer the case since spices can be applied in large amounts and would not get you fatter. The spices and extracts appeared to inhibit a process known as glycation, which has been linked to inflammation and tissue damage in diabetics.

The spices that seemed most likely to help diabetics were cloves, cinnamon, all spice, apple pie spice and pumpkin spice. Top herbs also included marjoram, sage and thyme.

Lona Sandon, national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, said that while research does suggest that spices are high in antioxidants and may reduce blood sugar levels, it's difficult to make recommendations as to how much should be taken.

But since they are very good in prevention and possibly aiding in cure I guess that we should all eat it until we cannot stand it anymore unless you are allergic to them. They already bring flavor to our foods so this is just one more reason why we should spice up our lives.

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How many of us use sunblock? How many of us avoid the sun? Well I avoid the sun every day since it damages my skin really badly but this lack of sunlight can bring dire consequences to us all.

Recent research has shown that a lack of vitamin D can cause a series of heart problems such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and chronic blood vessel inflammation. Not to mention the increase in diabetes. Scientists have shown that vitamin D deficiency can lead up to double the risk of heart problems.

One of the key causes of this deficiency is lack of sunlight. Many of us go to the beach or outdoors and put on sunscreen to "protect our skin." It is true that the sun is very dangerous and that it can cause cancer if you are over exposed but by putting on these sun screens we are preventing ourselves from receiving 99% (ninety nine percent) of our vitamin D that comes from the sun. And may I remind you that the sun is the major agent in supplying us with this vitamin.

How would you know if you are getting enough vitamin D. Well if you know that you are not getting sunlight then you are doomed. Also if you start to feel pains from bones or your bones feel weak then that's another symptom. If you are indeed feeling those kind of pains then do something about it right away. Those symptoms may lead to rickets which cause bowed legs etc. or osteomalacia which causes reduced bone strength.

THE SOLUTION

Try going out in the sun for less than fifteen (15 minutes) this could supply you with the required need for vitamin D. If you stay longer than 15 minutes then it is a good idea to use sunscreen. You can also get small amounts of vitamin D in your foods such as tuna or salmon. Your body needs this people. It also helps with the absorption of calcium. So drinking milk without vitamin D is practically useless.

I was always one of those people who believed that if you take a lot of vitamins that you would be safe. Well recent research has shown that this might not be the case. Recently researches reported some startling results in which almost 15,000 male doctors who were taking vitamins E and C for ten years showed no effect on cancer rates.

Another study showed that it also had no benefit for heart disease. Also recently doctors at a New York cancer center reported that vitamin C not only protects normal cells but cancer cells. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine showed that 19 vitamin E clinics with approximately 135,000 patients with high doses of vitamin E showed a four percent increased risk of dying while those taking the vitamin along with other minerals had a six percent greater risk of dying. Another study showed that daily vitamin E takers had 13 percent higher risk of heart attack.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology published a study of 540 patients with head and neck cancer who were being treated with radiation therapy. The vitamin E decreased side effects but the users had a higher rate of recurrence for cancer.

A Havard study in 2002 of 72,000 nurses showed that those consuming high levels of vitamins through supplements etc. had a 48 percent higher risk of hip fracture than those taking less. Studies also showed that taking vitamin C for colds had no significant benefit but it did decrease the harshness of the cold.

Two studies showed that vitamin B does not prevent heart attacks and help patients with vascular disease.

However, vitamins such as B12 helps the elderly and also folic acid for women bearing children. Although these results have been published consumers still continue to take their daily vitamins saying that the tests could have been wrong or maybe scientists were treating the wrong disease with certain vitamins. I don't know how much of this is true. But if it is true then how much vitamins do we really need to take? Our bodies do depend on it. What do you think?