ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH VITAMIN D?
The sun is out at last but this doesn’t mean you should stop taking your vitamin D supplements. Produced by the action of the sun’s rays on the skin, vitamin D is needed among other things for immunity, healthy bones and teeth and muscles and the government recommends a daily supplement of 10mcg of vitamin D even in summer. Look out for vitamin D3, which is thought to be the most effective form.
EATING YOUR GREENS CAN SUPPORT HEALTHY CIRCULATION
Pile up your plate this spring with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts for the sake of your heart.
Recent research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association[i] reveals that these vegetables may help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (thickening of the artery walls), which is an underlying cause of cardiovascular disease. In the study, people who ate three or more portions of greens a day had much healthier vessels than those who didn’t.
TURMERIC CAN WARD OFF TICKS
The benefits of turmeric are many and now it seems it may also help protect us and our pets from ticks at least as well as some artificial alternatives according to a study carried out at the University of Bristol[ii]. When the researchers dragged a blanket through a forest (a favourite habitat of ticks) they found that an untreated blanket picked up an average of 23 ticks. One infused with DEET, a common ingredient in insect repellent, around three, while one doused in turmeric oil produced just two.
GO PALEO
It’s natural for women to gain an inch or two around the middle as they grow older, especially after the menopause. But now Swedish research[iii] reveals that following a Paleolithic -type diet, which includes lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts, avocados and vegetable oils, while excluding cereals, peas, beans and lentils and dairy products, might help them to stay slimmer. In the study a group of women who started to follow a Paleo diet lost weight and had kept it off two years later compared to a group who had followed a more traditional diet.
[i] Blekkenhorst LC, Bondonno CP, Lewis RJ, et al. Cruciferous and Total Vegetable Intakes Are Inversely Associated With Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Older Adult WomenJournal of the American Heart Association. Published online April 4 2018
[ii] Preventing tick attachment to dogs using essential oils PenelopeGoodeLaurenEllseRichardWall
[iii] Caroline Blomquist. “Metabolic consequences of a diet in obese postmenopausal women.” Doctoral dissertation, Umeå University. 2017.
