Over the last few years a new label has been creeping into your supermarkets… “gluten free.” Back when I was in medical school, you’d only see those labels in health food stores. Now they seem to be everywhere.

And with good reason. Serious cases of gluten intolerance have grown by 400% since the 1950′s.¹

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye, barley and a few other grains. It’s also added as a binder to countless packaged foods. It can irritate and damage the lining of your digestive system, making it hard to absorb nutrients.

If you develop a sensitivity to gluten, you may experience anything from mild stomach upset to excruciating pain and violent vomiting. But gluten can do long-term damage, too.

Tens of thousands have switched to a gluten-free diet in the last few years. Many of them experience immediate – almost miraculous – relief.

But some don’t.

Some folks continue to suffer with gas, abdominal pain and other digestive issues. And the reason may be another type of protein that’s found side-by-side with gluten. But these proteins – lectins – are in a lot of other foods, too.

If a gluten-free diet hasn’t helped your digestive trouble – or only helped a little – it could be that you’re also sensitive to these lectins. You’ll find them in many plants – especially grains, seeds and beans. But many vegetables, eggs, dairy and some seafood also contain lectins.

Lectins all have two things in common. First, they bind very easily to sugar molecules. Including to the sugars in the cells that line your stomach and intestines. And the sugars found in your blood cells.

Second – and here’s what makes them so dangerous – they’re practically indigestible. So your saliva – and even your stomach acid – can’t break them down. Instead, lectins arrive in your stomach and intestines intact.

If a lectin binds to a cell in your gut, it knocks that cell out of action. The digestive process starts to break down – cell by cell. Your stomach and intestinal lining become irritated.

You may feel gassy or bloated. You may have an upset stomach. You may wind up vomiting, or having constipation or diarrhea.

Even worse, your irritated intestinal lining may become “leaky.” In other words, it may start letting molecules into your body it shouldn’t. Including lectins. And now those lectins are free to bind with blood cells, knocking them out of action.

Not everyone who’s sensitive reacts to all lectins. So some foods that contain lectins may be okay for you to eat. Only experimenting can tell you for sure.

Your doctor can help you fine-tune your diet for maximum relief. There are no tests for lectin sensitivity (yet). So an elimination diet may be your best bet. This involves taking suspect foods out of your diet, then adding them back in, one at a time. That way, you can see which ones give you trouble.

Many foods contain lectins, but these are probably the most common offenders…

• Grains (wheat, rye, barley, etc.) and foods made from grains
• Seeds and nuts
• Legumes (beans, peanuts, soy, etc.)
• Nightshades (potato, eggplant, tomato, etc.)

You may find that a little of one of these foods doesn’t give you trouble, but combining two causes a reaction. It may take a little time to figure out all the details, but the relief will be worth it.

Many people feel like throwing in the towel when cutting out the gluten doesn’t solve their problem. If eliminating gluten hasn’t brought you relief, this may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 “Gluten-free diet fad: Are celiac disease rates actually rising?” CBX News. Jul 31, 2012.

Other sources:

“Plant Lectins,” Cornell University, Dept. of Animal Science. (No date).

Pierini, C.P., “Glutens and Lectins: A Dangerous Dietary Duo,” cpmedical.net. (No date).

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

All material herein is provided for information only and may not be construed as personal medical advice. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The publisher is not a licensed medical care provider. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy, reliability, effectiveness or correct use of information you receive through our product or for any health problems that may result from training programs, products, or events you learn about through the site. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. The FDA has not evaluated these statements. None of the information or products discussed on this site are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate or cure any disease.

If you want to end your subscription or you need to change your e-mail address, please follow the instructions below. Your changes will be effective immediately. However, if you do not follow the instructions below and simply hit reply instead, we may not receive your request and cannot assure you that it will be completed.

To manage your subscription by mail or for any other subscription issues, write us at:

Best Life Herbals
329 E 2100 S
Salt Lake City, UT
84115
BestLife-Herbals.com

All our lives, we’ve been told to stay active. Play sports. Get your heart pumping. Break a sweat. And now, a study just published in the journal PLOS One has called all that into question.

At least, that’s what the headlines are saying. The question is… is that what the study really shows? Will you really be healthier if you hang up your sneakers and just spend a few hours a day standing around and walking?

Let’s take a look…

According to the stories I’ve seen so far, a group of French researchers tested walking and standing against moderate to intense exercise. Eighteen volunteers wither took part in no exercise, one hour a day of fairly intense exercise, or a total of six hours of walking and standing.

The scientists measured the volunteers’ blood fats and insulin levels before the experiment… and after just 4 days. The walking/standing group showed improvements in their LDL cholesterol and triglycerides the others didn’t. They also showed greater sensitivity to insulin – an indicator of healthy blood sugar control.¹

Based on that information, it sure looks like walking and standing may have health benefits compared to intense exercise. But a closer look reveals something else entirely.

To me, the first red flag is the small number of participants. The study looked at a total of 18 young men. That’s six men per group. That’s too small a group to be a truly representative sample.

The second red flag is the length of the study. Could you imagine if we made all our medical decisions based on just four days of observation? That’s simply not long enough to prove much of anything.

No one has any idea what may happen four weeks… four months… or four years down the line.

If we all hang up our sneakers and trade exercise for a little walking and standing around, what would happen over time? I can tell you.

We’d get weaker and less healthy. Why? Because more intense exercise builds muscle, endurance, and heart and lung health. Walking and standing simply aren’t as effective.

So did this study’s authors get it wrong? Not at all. The headlines got it wrong.

The study didn’t actually find that walking and standing are healthier than intense exercise. Perhaps the most important point of the study has been passed over.

What did the volunteers do when they weren’t walking, standing or exercising?

They were sitting around.

That’s right. The no-exercise group sat for 14 hours a day. The group that exercised for an hour sat for 13 hours a day. And the walking/standing group sat for only 8 hours a day.

In other words, the study shows is that sitting around is less healthy than moving around. Something we already knew.

But the researchers weren’t just wasting time. What they were actually trying to figure out is if there was a difference between the exercise and the walking/standing in people who spend a lot of time off their feet.

And the answer is a tentative “yes,” when the number of calories burned is equal. Which brings us right back to the advice you got when you were a kid: Stay active. Play sports. Get your heart pumping. Break a sweat.

And spend as little time as possible just sitting.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 Duvivier, B.M.F.M., et al, “Minimal Intensity Physical Activity (Standing and Walking) of Longer Duration Improves Insulin Action and Plasma Lipids More than Shorter Periods of Moderate to Vigorous Exercise (Cycling) in Sedentary Subjects When Energy Expenditure Is Comparable,” 2013; PLoS ONE 8(2): e55542. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055542.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

All material herein is provided for information only and may not be construed as personal medical advice. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The publisher is not a licensed medical care provider. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy, reliability, effectiveness or correct use of information you receive through our product or for any health problems that may result from training programs, products, or events you learn about through the site. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. The FDA has not evaluated these statements. None of the information or products discussed on this site are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate or cure any disease.

If you want to end your subscription or you need to change your e-mail address, please follow the instructions below. Your changes will be effective immediately. However, if you do not follow the instructions below and simply hit reply instead, we may not receive your request and cannot assure you that it will be completed.

To manage your subscription by mail or for any other subscription issues, write us at:

Best Life Herbals
329 E 2100 S
Salt Lake City, UT
84115
BestLife-Herbals.com

We Americans love our pets like no other society. Two-thirds of American households have at least one pet… and we spend an astounding $61 billion a year on them.

But do they give us more than companionship?

According to a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA), the answer is “You bet!”

In the latest issue of their journal, Circulation, the AHA says owning a pet – especially a dog – is likely to cut your risk of heart trouble.¹ This really caught my eye, because the AHA doesn’t make claims like these lightly. Or often.

Here’s what the AHA statement says…

• Pet ownership is probably linked to a lower risk of heart trouble and to a lower risk of death if you have heart trouble.

• Having a dog appears to offer a bigger benefit, because owning a dog often means you’ll get more exercise than people who don’t own pets.

• Owning a pet also appears to be linked to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and a lower risk of obesity.

• If you have a pet, you may be able to handle stress better than people who don’t own pets.

You probably noticed a lot of “maybes” in those statements. That’s because they can’t prove it’s the pet itself that makes the difference. For example, pet owners may tend to have healthier habits in general.

If so, that would be an awful lot of coincidence.

And I’ve seen a fair amount of evidence to support the idea that pets are good for your health. For example…

A 2009 Australian study looked at 5,741 people who attended a free health screening. Among the questions they asked was, ”Do you own a pet?”

Male pet owners had lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides (blood fat) and lower cholesterol than men who didn’t own pets. Female pet owners over 40 also had lower blood pressure and triglycerides than women who didn’t own pets.

These differences remained even after accounting for smoking, diet, weight and other factors.²

When psychologists ran a series of studies in 2011, they found several benefits to pet ownership. They discovered that pet owners felt better about themselves and got more exercise than non-owners. They also found pets helped their owners deal with social rejection better.³

The AHA report found a bigger benefit with dog ownership. But I wouldn’t count cats out, either.

A large study published in 2009 found a link between cat ownership and heart health. After 20 years of follow-up on a group of cat owners and non-owners, the study team found cat owners had up to a 37% lower risk of dying from heart trouble than non-owners.⁴

Those are some big benefits. But don’t rush out and get a pet. It’s not like taking a new nutritional supplement. A bottle of pills is gone in no time. But pet ownership is a big commitment. Medium-sized dogs can live 10 – 12 years… and 20-year-old indoor cats are common.

If you don’t have a pet and think you’d like one, sit down with your family first. Consider your current health and lifestyle to see if a pet would be a good fit.

If you’re not sure – or you know a pet isn’t practical – you can still get some of the benefit. Try volunteering at your local animal shelter. Not only will you get the healthful interaction with animals… but volunteering itself is also linked to better health.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 “Pets may help reduce your risk of heart disease,” American Heart Association. May 9, 2013.

2 Anderson, W.P., et al, “Pet ownership and risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” Med J Aust. Sep 7, 1992; 157(5): 298-301.

3 McConnell, A.R., et al, “Friends with benefits: On the positive consequences of pet ownership,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Dec 2011; 101(6): 1239-1252.

4 Qureshi, A.I., et al, “Cat ownership and the Risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Diseases. Results from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study Mortality Follow-up Study,” J Vasc Interv Neurol. Jan 2009; 2(1): 132–135.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

All material herein is provided for information only and may not be construed as personal medical advice. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The publisher is not a licensed medical care provider. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. We are not responsible for the accuracy, reliability, effectiveness or correct use of information you receive through our product or for any health problems that may result from training programs, products, or events you learn about through the site. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. The FDA has not evaluated these statements. None of the information or products discussed on this site are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate or cure any disease.

If you want to end your subscription or you need to change your e-mail address, please follow the instructions below. Your changes will be effective immediately. However, if you do not follow the instructions below and simply hit reply instead, we may not receive your request and cannot assure you that it will be completed.

To manage your subscription by mail or for any other subscription issues, write us at:

Best Life Herbals
329 E 2100 S
Salt Lake City, UT
84115
BestLife-Herbals.com

Some of the healthiest and longest-lived people in the world live in Japan. On average, the Japanese live 70 years without the health issues that hit Americans years – even decades – sooner. And the Japanese are six times more likely to live to 100 than Americans.

Why the big difference? One reason may be that the traditional Japanese diet is rich in…

… algae.

Now, don’t say, “Yuck,” yet. I’m not talking about the stuff that grows inside a neglected fish tank. Seaweed is a popular vegetable in Japan. But about 10 million Japanese also take a type of algae as a nutritional supplement.

It’s a remarkable little plant called chlorella.

To begin with, chlorella is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s almost 60% protein. And it’s a complete protein. It contains adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids, a rarity in plants.

Chlorella is loaded with vitamin A. It also contains plenty of vitamins C and E. So it offers antioxidant power. Plus, it delivers lots of B vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

Chlorella is best known for its detox power. It’s a naturally rich source of chlorophyll, Nature’s detox champ. And studies show chlorella supports your liver – your body’s own detox center.

• In a recent hospital study, people with liver problems took chlorella for 12 weeks. Almost all showed improved liver enzyme levels – a sign of better liver health.¹
• In a study of a different liver problem, doctors got similar results. They also found that chlorella promotes healthy fat levels in the liver.²

Obviously, the Japanese are on to something with chlorella.

But that’s just the beginning. Research shows chlorella may contribute to better health in other ways…

• University researchers found volunteers taking chlorella had higher levels of a key immune system cell.³
• Doctors have tested chlorella on pregnant women. They’ve discovered chlorella promotes lower levels of certain toxins in breast milk. It also appears to boost key immune cell levels.⁴
• Smoking damages your body’s antioxidant defenses. Doctors in Korea gave chlorella to a group of male smokers. In 6 weeks, their antioxidant levels were up and DNA damage was down.⁵
• Doctors gave a group of pregnant Japanese women chlorella supplements. These women had fewer cases of high blood pressure and iron deficiency than a second group who didn’t take chlorella.⁶

But the most intriguing results of all may have come from a test-tube study in Malaysia.

Scientists there discovered that chlorella may help preserve telomere length in human cells.⁷ This is important because longer telomeres – the protective “caps” on chromosomes – are linked to longer cell life.

If you’d like to add chlorella to your diet, don’t worry. You don’t have to slurp down slimy seaweed. Chlorella is widely available as a nutritional supplement. You can get it alone, or as part of a health-boosting “greens” mix.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

Best Life Herbals’ Organic Pro-Green Formula contains 200mg of Chlorella Powder Click Here for More Information

1 Azocar, J. and Diaz, A., “Efficacy and safety of Chlorella supplementation in adults with chronic hepatitis C virus infection,” World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2013; 19(7): 1085-1090.

2 Panahi, Y., et al, “Investigation of the effects of Chlorella vulgaris supplementation in patients with non-alcoholic Fatty liver disease: a randomized clinical trial,” Hepatogastroenterology. Oct 2012; 59(119): 2099-2103.

3 Otsuki, T., et al, “Salivary secretory immunoglobulin A secretion increases after 4-weeks ingestion of chlorella-derived multicomponent supplement in humans: a randomized cross over study,” Nutr J. Sep 9, 2011; 10: 91.

Nakano, S., et al, “Chlorella (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) supplementation decreases dioxin and increases immunoglobulin a concentrations in breast milk,” J Med Food. Mar 2007; 10(1): 134-142.

5 Lee, S.H., et al, “Six-week supplementation with Chlorella has favorable impact on antioxidant status in Korean male smokers,” Nutrition. Feb 2010 ;26(2): 175-183.

6 Nakano, S., et al, “Chlorella pyrenoidosa supplementation reduces the risk of anemia, proteinuria and edema in pregnant women,” Plant Foods Hum Nutr. Mar 2010; 65(1): 25-30.

7 Makpol, S., et al, “Chlorella vulgaris modulates hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage and telomere shortening of human fibroblasts derived from different aged inpiduals,” Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. Jul 3, 2009; 6(4): 560-572.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

Back in 2011, the newspapers were full of a toxic scandal. Cheap children’s jewelry was loaded with a toxic metal: cadmium.

Some jewelry exposed children to 100 times the allowable limit if the child simply put the jewelry in its mouth. And what kid doesn’t put practically everything in their mouth?

Fast forward to 2012, and cadmium-laden jewelry is still a problem. But a California-based environmental group made agreements with a group of big chain stores. The retailers agreed to stop importing jewelry with a high cadmium level.

Problem solved, right? Well, not exactly. The agreement was a good step. But jewelry makes up just a tiny fraction of your exposure to this toxic metal.

Here’s what you need to know about cadmium exposure… and how to lower your risk of getting sick.

Cadmium is a common element found in the Earth’s crust. But even in tiny amounts, breathing in this heavy metal can cause permanent lung damage. It’s also toxic if you eat too much – and possibly through skin absorption. Cadmium in your food and water can lead to serious kidney damage.

Plants absorb cadmium from the ground. Anything that eats those plants absorbs calcium from the plants. Cadmium builds up in your system. And it can take years for your body to clear it out.

A new study puts even greater urgency on the cadmium problem. The study, just published online, looked at 12,732 adults. And it found that people with high cadmium levels tripled their risk of dying from liver problems.¹

Lungs… kidneys… and now your liver. Three good reasons to avoid cadmium. But how does it get in your body in the first place?

One culprit is cigarette smoke. That’s the main cause of inhaled cadmium. And you don’t have to be a smoker, either. Second-hand smoke is a significant source of cadmium, too.

Power plants that use fossil fuels and trash-to-energy incinerators also contribute to airborne cadmium.

Most people are exposed primarily through food and water. If the soil in your area has a high cadmium content, the water may also. Fortunately, cadmium testing is required for public water supplies. So you can check with your city or town government for the results.

Cadmium in your food is another matter. But if you’re concerned about cadmium exposure, there’s one food you should avoid altogether. Scientists in Washington discovered a close relationship between this food and cadmium levels.

In this study, every weekly serving of this food test subjects was linked to a 22% jump in cadmium levels!²

The food? Tofu. Not even eating kidney or liver – organs where cadmium builds up in the body – came close.

Some studies suggest cadmium responds to chelation. This process uses substances that bind to heavy metals to carry them out of your body.

Of course, avoiding exposure is always the best course. You can cut your exposure significantly with these three simple steps…

• Don’t smoke or frequent smoky environments such as bars.
• Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, avoid eating tofu.
• And don’t buy cheap imported jewelry.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 Hyder, O., et al, “Cadmium Exposure and Liver Disease among US Adults,” Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. May 2013.

2 Adams, S.V., et al, “Sources of cadmium exposure among healthy premenopausal women,” Sci Total Environ. Apr 1, 2011; 409(9): 1632-1637.

Over the years, you’ve probably heard a lot of doctors tell you to stay out of the sun. “Exposure to the sun is dangerous,” they say. “Being in the sun causes irreversible damage to your skin.”

If you’ve been reading the Journal for Healthy Living for a while, you’ve also heard me tell you this phobia over the sun isn’t just poor advice. It can be downright dangerous.

The sun is your #1 source of vitamin D. And I’ve shown you studies that link hiding from the sun to dangerously low vitamin D levels.

Now a new study from the University of Edinburgh reveals another good reason to get out and enjoy the sun. The sun’s “dangerous” rays may be important to your heart health.

Before I tell you about the study, please don’t misunderstand me. You can have too much of a good thing. Sunburn is not healthy. But neither is hiding from the sun.

Getting about 20 minutes of summer sun on your face and arms is enough for most people to keep their vitamin D at healthy levels. But new research shows for the first time that exposure to the sun’s rays may boost your health in another important way.

Here’s the story…

A team at the University of Edinburgh exposed 24 volunteers to the light from tanning beds, which closely resembles sunlight. Each volunteer sat through two 20-minute sessions.

In the one session, the light included the “dangerous” ultraviolet (UV) rays that cause tanning – and sunburn. In the Other session, the researchers cut out the UV rays.

After the UV session, the volunteers experienced a drop in blood pressure. But after the no-UV session, their blood pressure remained unchanged.

According to the researchers, exposure to UV light appears to boost your production of nitric oxide (NO).

NO makes your arteries more flexible and allows your blood to flow more freely. This promotes healthier blood pressure. And heart problems are often linked to high blood pressure.

According to the researchers, this effect shows that exposure to the sun’s UV light appears to promote heart health.

Plus, there was no difference in the volunteers’ vitamin D levels. The researchers say this shows the blood pressure effect is separate from sun’s ability to boost vitamin D.¹

This also suggests you can’t get the same benefit by taking nutritional supplements that contain vitamin D.

What are the relative risks of sun exposure? In the United Kingdom, where the study was conducted, your chances of heart trouble are a lot higher than your risk of serious skin problems due to sun exposure. In fact, they’re 80 times higher.²

This is a small study, but the results are telling. I’ve said before that regular exposure to sunlight is healthy. If further study confirms these findings… we may finally see an end to modern medicine’s sunlight phobia.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 Cowie, E., “Sunshine could benefit heart health and prolong life, study suggests,” University of Edingurgh. May 7, 2013.

2 “Sunshine Could Benefit Health and Prolong Life, Study Suggests,” ScienceDaily. May 7, 2013.

In our great-grandparent’s day, some nuts were widely available in season. Others were exotic treats reserved for special occasions. For many families, a bag of mixed nuts – in the shell – was a special holiday treat.

But walk into any grocery store today, and you can buy all sorts of nuts… in the shell, shelled, raw, roasted, or salted. And this abundance offers some terrific health benefits – if you choose your nuts wisely.

For example, eating just four Brazil nuts provides over 500% of your daily selenium need. And puts your intake of this trace mineral at the upper limit of what’s considered safe.

For the most part, though eating an ounce or so of nuts a day is a healthy habit. And new research shows why one nut stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to heart health.

We’ve known for some time that walnuts promote healthy cholesterol levels. This new study – from three prestigious universities – discovered how and which part of the walnut is responsible for this benefit.

In this new study, the researchers confirmed that walnuts have a positive influence on cholesterol levels. Volunteers who ate walnuts had a drop in overall cholesterol levels.

Eating walnuts also appeared to make their “good” HDL cholesterol – which cleans excess “bad” cholesterol out of your blood – more efficient.

When the volunteers ate only parts of the walnut, walnut skin and defatted nut meant had no effect. But walnut oil had the same effects as whole walnuts.¹

This makes perfect sense to me. Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALnA). ALnA is a kind of Omega-3 fatty acid. Your body can convert ALnA into EPA and DHA – the same heart-healthy Omega-3′s found in seafood.

These two Omega-3′s are linked to all sorts of benefits – including boosting heart, joint and brain health.

Walnuts are also a good source a gamma-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E not usually found in nutritional supplements. It’s a powerful anti-oxidant that’s also linked to heart health.

If you enjoy walnuts, you’ll probably like walnut oil. It has a delicious nutty flavor and works very well in salad dressings or anywhere you would use uncooked oil.

Walnut oil is also good in low-temperature cooking. But I don’t recommend it for high-heat cooking such as stir-fries. It has a fairly low smoke point – 375° – and high heat destroys much of walnut oil’s nutrient value.

Check the “best used by date” on any container you buy. You don’t want it to expire before it’s used up.

Once you’ve opened your walnut oil, store it in the fridge. Be aware that, once opened, you should use it within six months. That’s about as long as walnut oil will last before going bad.

Walnut oil is widely available in gourmet and health food stores.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr. Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 LaJeunesse, S., “Whole walnuts and their extracted oil improve cardiovascular disease risk,” University of Pennsylvania. May 8, 2013.

It’s the classic question at Thanksgiving dinner: “Do you want white meat or dark?” And if University of Michigan researchers are right, it may also be the secret to better blood sugar control.

Just like a turkey, you have light and dark muscle. And they’re a lot more different than color. They have different functions and different structures.

Dark, or red, muscle is rich in blood vessels. These muscles get lots of oxygen and have lots of endurance. But they don’t have a lot of power and speed, so they’re called “slow twitch” muscles.

Light, or white, muscle is lighter in color because it isn’t as rich in blood vessels. This type of muscle only has a little endurance, but lots more power and speed then red muscle, so it’s known as “fast twitch” muscle.

Marathoners have lots of slow-twitch red muscle. This aerobic muscle type helps them to run for long distances without tiring. Weight lifters and sprinters, on the other hand, need lots of power. And they have lots more fast-twitch white muscle than marathoners.

People with blood sugar problems also tend to have higher levels of white muscle. And for a long time, doctors thought this was a bad thing. But the new Michigan study seems to say just the opposite.

Here’s why that’s good news if you’re concerned about blood sugar control.

Red muscle gets most of its energy by burning fat. White muscle uses mostly glycogen – a form of sugar your body can store right in the muscle.

Though there’s really never been any proof, doctors always assumed – because people with blood sugar problems develop more white muscle – that white muscle fibers were part of the problem. They believed that white muscle didn’t respond to insulin – the hormone that controls blood sugar – as well as red muscle.

Using mice, the University of Michigan team discovered that exactly the opposite may be true. They identified a protein involved in building white muscle. In their experiments, this protein also improved blood sugar control.

Now, here’s where you may be able to take advantage of their research.

Everyone is born with different levels of red and white muscle. But we influence how much of each we develop through our activities. Charles Atlas proved this more than half a century ago.

Remember those famous “97-pound weakling” ads? Well, Atlas got a lot of those 97-pound weaklings interested in resistance exercise. And they built lots of big, bulging muscles… muscles loaded with white muscle fibers.

If you take up running marathons, you’ll build more red muscle. But become a weight lifter, and your body will respond by building more white muscle. And the Michigan study suggests this may help you naturally control blood sugar levels.

Of course, you don’t have to lift weights to build white muscle. Any form of resistance exercise will do. Pushups, chin-ups and other “old-fashioned” exercises will do the job just as well.

Twenty – 30 minutes of resistance training three times a week should help you build plenty of lean, white muscle. And it comes with a terrific bonus.

Resistance training helps you quickly build a leaner, sexier body. So you’ll look and feel great, too.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 Meng, Z.-X., et al, “Baf60c drives glycolytic metabolism in the muscle and improves systemic glucose homeostasis through Deptor-mediated Akt activation,” Nature Medicine .2013; doi:10.1038/nm.3144.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

I don’t know if our first president ever heard the old cliché about an apple a day. But his adventure with the cherry tree could have helped keep the doctor away.

You’ve probably heard it a hundred times…

As a boy, the story goes; Washington chopped down one of his father’s cherry trees. When his father confronted him, Washington supposedly said, “I cannot tell a lie,” and confessed.

Now, this episode never really happened. But it holds an interesting lesson for good health.

Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame recently ran a fascinating experiment. They tested to see how honesty might affect health.

They knew from previous studies that the average American tells about 11 lies a week. Most of them are probably what you’d call “little white lies.”

Maybe you tell your Great Aunt Jane her new hair color looks great… when you really think it’s hideous. Or the furnace guy calls, and you say the checks in the mail… because you’d forgotten to write it out. That sort of thing.

Of course we don’t always “fib” to save someone’s feelings or save face. Sometimes we tell whoppers. “Oh, my goodness, officer. I had no idea I’d let my speed creep up that high!”

Well, the Notre Dame researchers wondered what would happen if people stopped telling lies. And they designed a clever way to find out.

First, they recruited 110 volunteers. Two-thirds were college students, while the rest were adults from the community. Some were as young as 18, while others were as old as 71. Their average age works out to 31.

The scientists split the group in two, keeping a fairly even split by age, sex and other factors. Then they took half of them aside and asked them to stop telling any lies – even little white lies – for ten weeks.

The second group didn’t receive these instructions.

Each week, the volunteers came in and filled out a form to report their physical and mental health. Then each one took a polygraph test (a “lie detector”) about the lies they’d told that week.

By the end of the 10 weeks a clear pattern emerged.

The volunteers in the no-lies group had fewer health complaints of any kind. They felt tense or blue less often. And they had fewer problems such as sore throats, colds, etc.

Overall, during the ten weeks, the no-lies group reported four fewer mental health issues and three less physical complaints. On a yearly basis, that would work out to 20 less bouts of tension, anxiety, blues, etc. And 15 fewer headaches, sore throats, etc.

In other words, you could miss out on hundreds of physical and emotional issues over the course of a lifetime just by making an effort to tell the truth.

The researchers say the lower rates of sickness closely matched the number of “big” lies people told. But even telling fewer little fibs made a difference.

Plus, the no-lies group discovered that many of the little white lies they used to tell were completely unnecessary. And to top it off, they reported an improvement in their personal relationships when they told fewer lies.

We often think of some of the untruths we tell a being kind to others. Necessary to spare their feelings. But, as it turns out, when we’re more honest, everybody wins.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

Kelly, A.E. and Wang, L., “A Life Without Lies: How Living Honestly Can Affect Health,” American Psychological Association. Aug 4, 2012.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

George Burns was one of the funniest men of the 20th century. He’s also remembered as a comic who never retired. As he got older, he simply turned his comedy to the problems – and blessings – of aging.

Burns regularly floored audiences with quips like, “When I was a boy, the Dead Sea was only sick,” and “If you live to be one hundred, you’ve got it made. Very few people die past that age.”

He should know. Burns was one of those rare birds who did make it to his 100^th birthday. And I do mean rare. Only about 1 of every 5,000 Americans is over 100.

So the question is what can you do to increase your chances of hanging around longer… and enjoying every minute of it?

Of course, you can watch what you eat, exercise, and take vitamins for health. But are there other factors that can give you an edge? I decided to look at what centenarians have to say… and see if there’s science to back them up.

Just a few years ago, Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer was interviewed by the BBC. At the age of 108, she remained vital and surprisingly active.

Herz-Sommer said she believes her optimism explains her long life. Her twin sister, she said, was a pessimist. She passed away before she was 70.

So, does optimism work? A 2010 European study found it does. Scientists tracked 861 people, aged 65 – 85. They found, over a 15-year period, that the happier people were, the more likely they were to live a long life.²

Nora Hardwick was 102 when she spoke to the BBC reporters. Like Herz-Sommer, she was active and involved. But her take on longevity was a little different. Hardwick, who lived a philanthropic lifestyle, believed caring and giving offers people an edge.

And researchers at Stanford University say she may be right. They followed 7,527 people over 70 for 8 years. Those who volunteered regularly had a much lower risk of dying during the study period.³

In 2006, 100-year-old Mildred Leaver told the Washington Post, “Aging is an attitude, and I don’t feel old.” She – and four 100+ friends – all remained active, and credited their enthusiasm for life for their longevity.

And some studies say that may be an important key.

Researchers in Israel looked at the personalities of 243 centenarians. Almost all of them were positive, friendly and enthusiastic about life. Most were quick to laugh and were more conscientious than average.⁴

In other words, the study found that nice guys do finish last. But in this context, that’s a good thing.

When the BBC interviewed 103-year-old Nina Jackson, she advised people who want to live long to look ahead… to roll with the punches and not dwell on the past.

Or as George Burns so aptly put it, “You can’t help getting older… but you don’t have to get old.”

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Kenneth Woliner, M.D.

1 Koopmans, T.A., et al, “Effects of Happiness on All-Cause Mortality During 15 Years of Follow-Up: The Arnhem Elderly Study,” Journal of Happiness Studies. Mar 2010; 11(1): 113-124.

2 Harris, A.H.S. and Thorensen, C.E., “Volunteering is Associated with Delayed Mortality in Older People: Analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Aging,” J Health Psychol. Dec 2005; 10(6): 739-752.

3 Kato, K., et al, “Positive attitude towards life and emotional expression as personality phenotypes for centenarians,” Aging. May 2012; 4(5): 359-367.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.