THE LATEST NEWS IN FIVE CATEGORIES: NUTRITION, HEALTH, FITNESS, NATURE, MIND/BODY/SPIRIT
Could something we eat be more predictive of high test scores than income and money spent on education? Could we be completely wrong about LDL cholesterol being the "bad cholesterol"? How useful is meditation for anxiety and depression? Find out this and more, in the Five for Friday.
Nutrition
We know that the brain needs Omega-3 fatty acids to function optimally, and this study shows that in societies where breast milk is high in Omega-3, this was the single best predictor for high academic test scores - even above income and the amount of money spent on education per pupil. High Omega-6 was correlated with low test scores. Eating Omega-3 fats is important to mental and physical health. Wild caught salmon and sardines, grass fed and free-roaming beef, walnuts, and flax seeds, are all great sources of Omega-3 fats.
Health
Some of us have been saying for a while that LDL cholesterol may not be the bad guy it's been made out to be after all. Research is starting to show that LDL may actually be protective against arterial plaques. More research is needed of course, but have a look at this interesting article to learn more about the potentially positive effects of LDL cholesterol.
Fitness
I'm sure you've seen many articles on how damaging to our health sitting all day can be. It turns out that it doesn't take much to ward off some of the damage. Hourly 5-minute walks 'reverse arterial damage caused by sitting'.
Nature
A study has revealed that elephant poaching deaths have reached a tipping point in Africa. More elephants are killed than are born. Poaching will eventually wipe out elephants if not controlled. Please boycott ivory, especially if you travel (where you are much more likely to find ivory products for sale).
Mind/Body/Spirit
Although this article purports to show that good studies on meditation are few and inconclusive, they did manage to point out that MEDITATION IS JUST AS EFFECTIVE FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUG THERAPY.
May All Beings Be Happy and Well,
Craig Swogger, L.Ac.
Offering Acupuncture in Santa Monica and Los Angeles
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