U.S. Obesity Epidemic Continues to Grow (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Despite wide-rangingefforts to encourage Americans to lose weight, the number of U.S. adultswho are obese increased almost 2 percent between 2005 and 2007, a newreport found.

Affectionately known as the 'jewel of winter', the pomegranate is receiving growing acclamation for its disease-fighting abilities, largely due to its staggering antioxidant potency. Traditional medicines of the Middle East and India have used the pomegranate for centuries - leaves, skin and rind included - to cure everything from conjunctivitis and sore throats to baldness and hemorrhoids.

This mystical fruit, a symbol of birth, death and eternal life owing to its brimming seeds and blood-like juice, is steeped in mythology. The prophet Mohammed encouraged his followers to eat the fruit to purge their systems of envy and hatred. In the tales of Ancient Greece, Persephone, daughter of Demeter the goddess of agriculture, was offered this fruit by Hades, god of the underworld. In succumbing to the temptation she condemned herself to spend time each year with Hades in the underworld. To modern day Greeks the pomegranate is often a feature at weddings to symbolize fertility, and in China, a sugared version of the pomegranate seed is eaten on the wedding day to bless newlyweds.

The juicy, tangy flesh of the fruits ruby seeds is delicious and every bit worth the patience required to extract them from their pith. Today you can readily buy pomegranate juice such as pomwonderful or pomegreat from general and health food stores. The soaring sales of pomegranate juice in the UK reflects the growing popularity of this fruit, with RJA Foods reporting a sale increase of their Pomegreat brand from 50,000 to 500,000 litres per month in 2005.

Pro-Heart

Pomegranates are a superfood hugely buy bulk cinnamon powder extract to the heart, and by neutralising damaging free-radicals prevent the oxidation of bad LDL cholesterol that is associated with plaque build up in blood vessel walls. Pomegranate juice has also been shown to preserve nitric oxide in the body, a key chemical responsible for regulating blood flow and maintaining blood vessel health.

One study on 19 elderly people with atherosclerosis, where plaque was already built-up to a dangerous level, found that drinking just 8 oz. of 100 per cent pure pomegranate juice a day for a one year period decreased the thickness of the lining in their arteries by 30 per cent, where controls experienced an actual rise of 9 per cent. Further more, those who drank the pomegranate juice also had a 21 per cent decrease in blood pressure (Aviram et al. 2004; Clinical Nutrition). Pomegranate juice also decreases the activity of an enzyme in the body known as ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) that can lead to high blood pressure resulting in atherosclerosis.

Anti-Cancer Properties

Research at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology led by Dr. Ephraim Lansky (2001) found that pomegranate seed oil triggered cell death (apotosis) in breast cancer cells. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin Medical School (2005) also revealed anti-cancer effects, discovering pomegranate juice to killed human prostate cancer cells in laboratory tests and significantly slowed the progression of prostate cancer in mice (published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Aid for Arthritis

Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University found that extract of pomegranate inhibited the stimulation of certain enzymes that contribute to the cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis, a condition that currently lacks perspective for treatment. This is reassuring when one considers the vast and growing numbers of those who suffer from the disease.

As well as heart-health, anti-cancer, and arthritic protection, pomegranates offer all-round protection against aging and disease due to their antioxidant potency. Studies suggest pomegranate juice may contain almost three times the antioxidant power of green tea and red wine due to their content of flavonoids. They also provide substantial amounts of potassium, iron, folic acid and vitamin C, as well as vitamins A and E, niacin, and fibre.

Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley

MIRACLE SUPERFOODS:
http://www.miracle-superfoods.com
The Pink Drink:
Pink Drink
MIRACLE MIND:
Manifesting Miracles

Magic Johnson's wife in public eye on HIV campaign (AP)

AP - Magic Johnson's normally publicity-shy wife Cookie is emerging as a spokeswoman in a campaign urging black women to get tested for HIV.

A cheap rate can be achieved in a lot of ways. But at the same time, a number of methods people employ in order to reduce cost usually result in less than adequate coverage. However, in this article, I'll show you several time-tested ways of paying less buy bulk l citrulline dl-malate at the same time have adequate coverage. Here they are...

1. For folks who are self employed, your premiums may be tax-deductible. You may also be entitled to a tax break if your employer offers a flexible spending account. Consult a tax professional. This will help you determine what will give you a tax break and what won't.

2. The use of tobacco in any form will add to your rates. People who snuff or chew tobacco will also pay higher rates than those who don't

Staying off all tobacco products will attract cheaper rates.

3. You can get considerable discounts if you get your policy from the same insurance company that maintains your auto and home insurance. Every insurer will typically offer a discount if you buy more than one policy from their company.

Notwithstanding that it pays to take advantage of a multi-policy discount, you may save more by buying your different policies from different insurers.

4. Phone med services are great services that will help reduce your costs. A phone med service is on 24 hours daily and provides free medical advice. You have at least a registered nurse with a minimum of 10 years experience on hand to offer free medical advice you can trust. Local clinics offer free medical help by phone in most cases.

This reduces the number of visits you make to your doctor and as a result your total cost on the whole.

Moreover, you get timely advice that could help you nip certain issues in the bud. So they are worth giving serious attention.

5. If you want to lower your rate then join a group health expense sharing plan. This refers to a group of individuals who have chosen to team up and provide themselves with health insurance coverage. They are usually found in big organizations like churches.

Rules and coverage types are different in most groups.

You can check if your personal requirements are met by such a group. You'll pay far less if you locate one to register with.

6. You can get better rates on health insurance today by visiting not less than five quotes sites. Each quotes site will require about 5 minutes or less to receive quotes. (Some people give information that is not really correct about themselves. That is NOT a smart move since the quotes you'll get this way won't do you any good). You'll have to pick the best health insurance quote for you from the list of quotes you've obtained. It's as simple as that. However, you could easily save hundreds of dollars.

Here are great pages for health insurance quotes...

InsureMe Health Insurance Quotes

Health Insurance Quotes

Chimezirim Odimba writes on insurance.