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October 03, 2006
[Volume 7, Issue 21]
In this issue of To Your Health:
- Survey Shows Fad Diets Not the
Fad
- Red Palm Oil Helps Fight Vitamin
A Deficiency
- Insomniacs Have Alternative
Choices
Survey Shows Fad Diets Not the
Fad
 South
Beach, Atkins, and every other diet on the market these days may
be out with the old, according to a recent national survey by
America on the Move, a national non-profit organization that
encourages improved health and quality of life by promoting a
healthy diet and an active lifestyle.
A total of 2,339 U.S. adults, 18
and older, were polled concerning their efforts to lose
weight/maintain a healthy weight and their opinions of a healthy
diet and physical activity. The results of the survey showed that
69 percent of the respondents were less likely to try a fad diet
today compared to five years ago. Sixty-six percent of the
individuals had recently started a new activity, program or diet
to lose weight or stay healthy. Overall, 71 percent understood the
need for living healthy and eating right.
An active and healthy lifestyle is
beneficial for work, play and family. For more information on how
to benefit from changes in diet and which exercises are right for
you, ask your chiropractor.
Fad Diets Less Popular Today Than
Five Years Ago: America On the Move survey shows Americans ready
for healthy alternatives to dieting; community involvement crucial
to success. America On the Move.
www.americaonthemove.org
Red Palm Oil Helps Fight Vitamin
A Deficiency
 When it
comes to getting their daily supply of vitamins, children often
miss out in the long run. Whether it's because of the morning rush
to school or the lack of information their parents have on their
benefits, kids aren't getting enough of these important
nutritional supplements. In a year-long study of African school
children, researchers discovered the benefits of adding red palm
oil to the daily meals to help boost the vitamin A levels in the
students.
Red palm oil has recently been
promoted as a food supplement for vitamin A. In the study, each
one of the young volunteers received 15 ml of red palm oil in
their individual meals three times a week after taking a baseline
reading of their deficiency levels. Other children were given a
vitamin A supplement with their meals, while others received
neither. Twelve months later, a second reading was taken. The
children who ingested the meals with the red palm oil additive saw
a 26 percent improvement in their deficiency levels, comparable to
the 29 percent improvement for the children who took a vitamin A
capsule.
As shown by the results, vitamins
can come in many forms, not just the cartoon-shaped chewable we
sometimes forget to give our kids. To find out more about the
benefits of vitamins and their role in development in children ask
your chiropractor.
Zeba A, Prevel Y, Some I, et al.
The positive impact of red palm oil in school meals on vitamin A
status: study in Burkina Faso. Nutrition Journal 2006,
5:17.
www.nutritionj.com/content/5/1/17.
Insomniacs Have Alternative
Choices
Tired of all the Lunesta and
Ambient commercials keeping you up? Ads with glowing butterflies
that are supposed to help you get a good night's rest, as long as
you have a full eight hours to sleep and don't mind waking up
groggy the next morning.
A recent study by the National
Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) shows
that over 1.6 million Americans use some form of complementary or
alternative treatment to help with insomnia. Some of the more
commonly used therapies included dietary supplements such as
melatonin and valerian, meditation, acupuncture and yoga.
If you are having trouble sleeping
at night and want to stay clear of the all the new sleep aides on
the market, be sure to ask your chiropractor about other options
that are available.
Pearson N, Johnson L, Nahin R.
Insomnia, Trouble Sleeping, and Complementary and Alternative
Medicine: Analysis of the 2002 National Health Interview Survey
Data. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:1775-1782.
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