Jon's Health Tips - Vitamins B, C and E

I have gradually stopped using I wide variety of vitamins and supplements in the last few years, although I have picked up some new ones. The ones I will address today are Vitamins B, C, and E. They were all touted at one time or another as absolutely the best thing around. Vitamin E in particular was the Vitamin D of 2 years ago. One form of Vitamin D was praised so highly on the front page of the Wall Street Journal that I went out and bought a year’s supply. Then came new research that said while it appeared to prevent cancer formation, if you had any cancer at all in your system it actually promoted cancerous growth. I’m still not convinced that some of these are beneficial against some diseases not specifically addressed in the recent studies, but I feel I can take only so many supplements,...

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Omega-6 fatty acids

Omega-6 fatty acids: Make them a part of heart-healthy eatingOmega-6 fatty acids – found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds – are a beneficial part of a heart-healthy eating plan, according to a science advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.View the full Omega-6 Advisory here. The association recommends that people aim for at least 5 percent to 10 percent of calories from omega-6 fatty acids. Most Americans actually get enough of these oils in the foods they are currently eating, such as nuts, cooking oils and salad dressings, the advisory reports. Recommended daily servings of omega-6 depend on physical activity level, age and gender, but range from 12 to 22 grams per day.Omega-6, and the similarly-named omega-3 fatty acids (found in fattier fish such...

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Jon's Health Tips - Coffee and Caffeine

I drink lots of tea – mostly green tea. My wife drinks some tea and lots of diet Coke and even more coffee. It turns out that both coffee and tea are good for us, whether for their unique ingredients, and for their common ingredient, caffeine. Caffeine is very bad for pregnant women, and too much caffeine can be harmful for everyone. Here are the details:Moderate coffee drinking reduces many risksRecent advances in epidemiologic and experimental knowledge have transformed many of the negative health myths about coffee drinking into validated health benefitsCoffee is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and Dr. Coughlin says that the preponderance of scientific evidence - some by the panelists - suggests that moderate coffee consumption (3-5 cups per day) may be associated...

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