Breastfeeding 'can enhance a child's IQ': Longer a mother chooses to feed baby the better their intelligence scores aged seven

The apparent decision by the Duchess of Cambridge to breastfeed has been given a boost by fresh evidence showing it can help raise a baby’s IQ.

The longer the child is breastfed – ideally exclusively – the higher the intelligence scores are at the age of seven.

The study also found breastfeeding can enhance language skills from the age of three.


The Duchess of Cambridge's apparent decision to try to breastfeed Prince George has been boosted by evidence showing it can raise a child's IQ
The Duchess of Cambridge's apparent decision to try to breastfeed Prince George has been boosted by evidence showing it can raise a child's IQ

The US researchers recommend babies are solely fed on breast milk for the first six months and are given the chance to breastfeed until a year old.

However, British experts warned that delaying the introduction of solid foods until six months at the earliest might leave some babies feeling hungry.

It emerged yesterday that the Duchess has at least one maternity dress made for breastfeeding and was given encouragement in hospital to help her baby George start on her milk.

Could CONDOMS boost vaginal health?

Color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph sh...
Color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph showing Salmonella typhimurium (red) invading cultured human cells (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Study finds they increase levels of friendly bacteria and prevent minor infections

  • Lactobacillus are bacteria that dominate the natural flora of the vagina
  • They prevent itchiness and even infection, including of the HIV virus
  • It is thought condoms boost levels because they prevent alkaline sperm disrupting a vagina's acidic 'ecosystem' where bacteria thrive
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Drinking more than five cups of tea 'cuts risk of prostate cancer by a third'


Drinking five or more cups of tea a day lowers the risk of advanced prostate cancer by a third, research shows.

Men who drink five or more cups daily have a 33 per cent lower risk of developing stage IV prostate cancer, scientists found.

They also have a 25 per cent reduced risk of reaching stage II, compared with those who drink just one cup a day.

Health benefits: Men who drink more than five cups of tea a day may reduce the risks of prostate cancer
Health benefits: Men who drink more than five cups of tea a day may reduce the risks of prostate cancer


Stage II is where the tumour has grown inside the prostate gland but not spread. By stage IV the cancer has typically spread to the lymph nodes, bones or liver.  

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Could fennel beat PMT?


Happier: Seeds from the vegetable fennel could make PMT more bearable
Happier: Seeds from the vegetable fennel could make PMT more bearable

It's not to everyone’s taste, but fennel could help women overcome the monthly misery of pre-menstrual tension.

Young women given drops made from the liquorice-flavoured seeds of the plant felt less depressed and found it easier to do their jobs and get on with their friends and family.

It is thought that fennel helps  to rebalance the female sex  hormones blamed for some of the symptoms of PMT.

PMT affects around three-quarters of women, and up to 40 per cent of those say it damages their quality of life. In extreme cases, women can become violent and suffer from severe depression. 

There is also an economic impact, with research suggesting that time off and loss of productivity due to the condition costs employers around £3,000 per female staff member every year. 

Treatments range from simple dietary changes to hormones and anti-depressants. But they do not work for all and, in the case of drugs, can have side-effects.

Scientists in Iran, where fennel already has a variety of medical uses, tested its ability to stave off PMT on 36 women who were split into three groups.

The first took a fennel extract from three days before their period until three days afterwards.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2379694/PMT-Could-fennel-beat-Women-given-drops-seeds-felt-depressed-like-easier-jobs.html#ixzz2aGWFtY20
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8 Foods Rich in Iodine

Iodine is an essential trace mineral crucial in the functioning of the thyroid gland, an organ that stores the minerals needed for the synthesis of our thyroid hormones. It is important to get adequate amounts of iodine in your diet to ensure the proper functioning of the this vital gland which controls much of our metabolism, detoxification, growth and development.

Research has shown that a lack of iodine foods in your diet may lead to enlargement of the thyroid gland, lethargy, fatigue, weakness of the immune system, slow metabolism, autism, weight gain and possibly even mental states such as anxiety and depression.

The good news is that there are many popular foods with iodine, all of which are easy to incorporate into your daily diet.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iodine is 150 micrograms daily for everybody over the age of 14. The RDA for children ages 1-8 is 90/mcg every day, ages 9-13 is 120/mcg every day. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, it is recommended that you get 290/mcg every day.
The following list will discuss the top foods with iodine.

1. Sea vegetables

Iodine Foods - Kelp
The ocean hosts the largest storehouse for iodine foods, including Kelp, Arame, Hiziki, Kombu, and Wakame. Kelp has the highest amount of iodine on the planet and one serving offers 4 times more than a daily minimum requirement. 1 tablespoon of Kelp contains about 2000/mcg of iodine, 1 tablespoon of Arame contains about 730/mcg of iodine, 1 tablespoon of Hiziki contains about 780/mcg of iodine, 1 one inch piece of Kombu contains about 1450/mcg of iodine, 1 tablespoon of Wakame contains about 80/mcg of iodine. I recommend sprinkling them in soups or on salads.

2. Cranberries

Iodine Foods - Cranberries
This antioxidant rich fruit is another great source of iodine. About 4 ounces of cranberries contain approximately 400/mcg of iodine. I would recommend buying fresh organic berries or juice. If you buy cranberry juice from the store, be cautious of how much sugar is in it.

3. Organic Yogurt

Probiotic Foods - Yougurt
A natural probiotic, yogurt is an excellent iodine food you should add to your diet. One serving holds more than half of your daily needs. 1 cup contains approximately 90/mcg of iodine. Other than yogurt, here is a list of probiotic foods you should think about incorporating into your diet for added health benefits.
Navy Beans with Iodine

4. Organic Navy Beans

Many beans are a great food source of iodine, but navy beans may top the list. Just 1/2 cup of these beans contain about 32/mcg of iodine. Beans aren’t just an iodine food, they are also incredibly high in fiber.
Organic Strawberry

5. Organic Strawberries

This tasty red fruit packs up to 10% of our daily iodine needs in a single serving. 1 cup of fresh strawberries has approximately 13/mcg of iodine. Try buying fresh, organic strawberries from your local farmer’s market.

6. Himalayan Crstal Salt

Himalayan Salt Benefits
This form of salt, also known as gray salt, is an excellent source of naturally-occuring iodine. While many types of table salt are iodine-enriched, they are also stripped of all their natural health properties, and are chemically processed. Just one gram of himalayan salt contains approximately 500/mcg of iodine.
Dairy Products

7. Dairy products

Milk and cheese are good sources of iodine, with one cup of milk holding around 55/mcg. To avoid many of the negative digestive effects of eating cow’s milk and cheese, I personally would recommend opting for raw organic goat’s milk and goat’s cheese; a healthier alternative for extracting iodine from dairy.

8. Potatoes

Potatoes High in Iodine
The common potato is an easy addition to most meals, and is one of the richest sources of iodine in the vegetable kingdom. With the skin, one medium-sized baked potato holds 60/mcg of iodine.

Taking Iodine Supplements


If you’re not a fan of the iodine foods listed above, then you can always take an iodine supplement. There are many different types of iodine supplements on the market, so knowing the differences between each is wise. I personally recommend taking a transformative nano-colloidal detoxified nascent iodine supplement, which the body is able to rapidly turn into its own effective mineral iodides for absorption throughout the body.
Do you have any other favorite foods with iodine? If so, please leave a comment down below.
~Dr. G

More Healthy Foods:

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Breastfeeding Found to Prevent ADHD

Chalk up another health benefit from breastfeeding. New research out of Tel Aviv University has found a clear link between rates of breastfeeding and the likelihood of developing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, even when other known risk factors are taken into consideration.
The findings, published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine, are the latest to show breastfeeding has a positive impact on child development and health — including protection against illness.
For the study, researchers led by Aviva Mimouni-Bloch, M.D., of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and head of the Child Neurodevelopmental Center in Loewenstein Hospital, compared the breastfeeding habits of parents of three groups of children: those diagnosed with ADHD; siblings of those with ADHD; and children without ADHD.
The researchers found children who were bottle-fed at three months of age were three times more likely to have ADHD than those who were breastfed during the same period. At three months, only 43 percent of children in the ADHD group were breastfed compared to 69 percent of the sibling group and 73 percent of the others. At six months, 29 percent of the ADHD group was breastfed, compared to 50 percent of the sibling group and 57 percent of the others.

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-News/breast-milk-feeding-adhd/2013/07/23/id/516578#ixzz2ZuWJineE
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Who is most at risk of getting prostate cancer?

We asked leading prostate specialist Christopher Eden, a consultant urologist at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, to assess a group of men for their risk of developing the disease - and to offer advice on what they could do to protect themselves.

BROTHER AND UNCLES HAD PROSTATE CANCER
Mindful: Keeping in mind his family's predilection for the disease, Lee Well makes sure to look out for symptoms
Mindful: Keeping in mind his family's predilection for the disease, Lee Well makes sure to look out for symptoms

Lee Well, 52, a fireman, lives in Birmingham with his wife Lorraine, 51, a nurse and their four children, aged 22 to 30.

Six years ago, my older brother Martin was diagnosed with prostate cancer aged 53.

It was a real shock - he was fit, well, and went to the gym regularly. We had two uncles who'd been diagnosed in their 60s, but I never thought it was something that would affect my immediate family.

My brother had to have his prostate and surrounding tissues removed, as well as radiotherapy, which triggered some pretty unpleasant side-effects such as pain and erectile dysfunction.

It was awful to watch him suffer this way, but he's now in remission.

But it's made me mindful of any changes which could be a symptom. And I now have an annual PSA test - a blood test which checks levels of prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced normally by prostate cells, but high levels could mean cancer. My reading was 1.03, which is normal for my age.

And I had an MRI scan last year because of my family history. Thank God, everything has been clear.

In my job we're warned about the risk of testicular cancer since chemicals found in fires can be absorbed by the skin and possibly trigger it.

So I'm fairly careful about regular self-examination. I also try to keep fit by cycling to and from work and I've been doing Pilates for a few years. I'm only a social drinker, maybe a couple of units a week, and am not overweight.

EXPERT VERDICT: Although Lee is fit and well (exercise boosts the immune system's reaction to cancer), he has a first-degree relative with prostate cancer, making him two to three times more likely to get it.

Risk generally increases from the age of 45, climbing steeply from 60 - the cell mutations that lead to cancer can happen all the time, but the longer you live the more mutations you've had, and the greater the chance the immune system will be defeated.

This is why most cancers become more common with age. Working as a fireman may have an impact for testicular cancer, but this cancer is not linked to the prostate.

Because of his family history it's important for Lee to keep up the PSA tests - in some countries, all men aged over 50 are recommended an annual test.

It doesn't need to be more frequent as most prostate cancers are slow growing. In the UK, it's up to an individual to request one, or it's at the behest of their GP because of family history, although I think all men should have it done.

My view is that it's vital to anticipate prostate cancer with this test as by the time symptoms show, the cancer is likely to be incurable (although not necessarily life-threatening).

In 20 per cent of cases, PSA results are inaccurate, so for Lee in particular, it's important to combine the test with a rectal examination, which studies show improves the detection rate. Some cancers are diagnosed solely on the rectal examination.

RISK: 1 in 4

SPENDS DAYS AT HIS DESK
Desk-bound: David Bor makes up for his sedentary work life with exercise
Desk-bound: David Bor makes up for his sedentary work life with exercise

David Bor, 52, an actuary, lives in Manchester with his wife Natalie, 49, an administrator. They have five children, aged between 14 and 25.

My work is highly specialised - I assess how divorcing couples split their pension arrangements - so when I'm sitting at my desk, I simply don't move for hours as I work out the minutiae of the case.

But then I can't wait to start exercising. I cycle more than 100 miles a week and swim three times a week, doing up to 100 lengths at a time.

I'm 5ft 8in and weigh only just under 10st. Yet during a yearly medical, arranged through work, I was told my cholesterol was a little high - around 6 (normal is below 5.2). 

I've been told to try to control it through diet - avoiding fatty foods such as chocolate and cake, which I admit are my weaknesses since I don't drink or smoke.

Overall, my health has been pretty good - in fact the main problems I have are with the injuries I sustain during exercise.

EXPERT VERDICT: David is clearly in superb shape. But if he decides to have a PSA test he should be aware cycling can temporarily inflate the readings: the constant vibrations against the hard bicycle seat can damage the tissue, injuring the prostate.

This doesn't increase his risk of prostate cancer, but higher readings mean David might face needless invasive tests such as a biopsy (which can cause pain and bleeding).

Cycling can raise PSA for up to 48 hours so he should skip the rides for a couple of days beforehand.

The same goes for sex - ejaculation can cause PSA levels to rise temporarily for at least 24 hours.

As for his sedentary work life, a Swedish study found that men who spent most of their working lives sitting down are almost 30 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than those with very active jobs.

However David makes up for this with all his exercise.

He is also very slim, which will give him greater protection. Although his cholesterol is slightly high it doesn't actually impact on prostate cancer.

RISK: 1 in 15

BATTLING WITH HIS WEIGHT

Is that kosher? Brand of LUBE gets certified for use by observant Jews

A personal lubricant manufacturer has announced that its products have been certified as kosher.

Trigg laboratories, the Valencia, California factory that produces Wet lube, underwent a two-year assessment by the Rabbinical Council of California to determine whether the lubricant met the standards of Jewish dietary law, also known as kashrut.

The council certified 95per cent of Wet products as kosher, meaning that they do not contain ingredients derived from pigs or shellfish, and that any animals used in production are treated humanely.

Kosher lube
Rejoice: Wet lube, manufactured by Trigg Laboratories in Valencia, California, has officially been certified as kosher by the Rabbinical Council of California


Now that Wet lubes have been certified, the brand has been allowed to label its packages with a K to show that they are safe for use among religious Jews.
Michael Trigg, founder of the lubricant company, said in a release: 'The K imprint on our packages says that we maintain the highest standards of purity and answer to a higher authority.'

The company's statement reads: 'Moses gave us The Ten Commandments and the Kosher laws. Since then, we’ve had Kosher hot dogs, Kosher wine and Kosher matzoh. But now, thanks to Trigg Labs, Wet personal lubricants and intimacy products are also Kosher!'

Pregnant women could be given VIAGRA to 'boost baby growth'

Pregnant women could be given the anti-impotence drug Viagra to boost the growth of underweight babies.

A trial is underway to see if the little blue pill can boost survival in babies that are not growing properly in the womb.

More than 120 women carrying extremely low-growth babies will be given regular doses of sildenafil citrate, a generic version of Viagra, during their pregnancy.

A previous study found that the sex drug Viagra boosted blood flow to the placenta, which in turn promoted baby growth
A previous study found that the sex drug Viagra boosted blood flow to the placenta, which in turn promoted baby growth

The results will then be compared with those from a similar group of women given an identical looking dummy tablet.

The trial has been set up after laboratory studies suggested Viagra, which was launched in the UK in 1998 as the world's first pill for erectile dysfunction, could help babies thrive in the womb by boosting the blood supply to the placenta.

Around 600 babies a year in the UK are stillborn because of a pregnancy disorder called pre-eclampsia.
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High energy snacks, drinks linked to bowel cancer

'These foods are becoming more popular in Western diets'

(Scotland on Sunday) Consumption of high- energy snacks and drinks has been linked for the first time to bowel cancer by a group of Scottish scientists.

In a major study that has implications for the notoriously sugar-rich Scottish diet, researchers studied the dietary habits of more than 2,000 patients diagnosed with bowel cancer and compared them to the food and drink intake of a similar-sized healthy­population.

The scientists, from Edinburgh and Aberdeen universities, analysed the data and found a statistical association between bowel cancer patients and high consumption of what they described as “high energy snack foods” and “sugar sweetened beverages”.

Working nights 'doubles breast-cancer risk'

'Shift work may lead to unhealthy lifestyle habits' 

(GUARDIAN) — Working night shifts for more than 30 years could double women’s risk of developing breast cancer, a study has suggested. Canadian researchers examined 1,134 women with breast cancer and 1,179 women of the same age without the disease.

They found that nurses, cleaners, care workers, some shop workers, call centre handlers and others who work night shifts for a long term can have twice as high a risk of developing the disease than those who do not.

Women were asked about their work and shift patterns and researchers also assessed the hospital records of the women with the disease. About a third of the women had a history of night shift work.

Parents alarmed over routine CT-scan dangers


Around four million computerized tomography scans, known as CT scans, are done on children each year, and a new study says parents may not be aware of the associated risks, including a lifetime increased risk of cancer.

But the study reveals when they are made aware, many more choose to withdraw their children from those tests.

Dr. Kathy Boutis, of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, was the lead researcher of the study published in the July 8 edition of Pediatrics.
The researchers surveyed parents who brought their children to emergency rooms because of a head injury. When discussing the use of CT scans for their child’s diagnosis, only 47 percent of parents knew of the increased cancer risk.
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Aspirin-Like Drug Lowers Blood Sugar in Diabetics

An aspirin-like drug appears to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

A study of the drug -- the prescription pain reliever salsalate -- also found it reduced inflammation associated with type 2 diabetes. But it produced unwelcome side effects that could limit its potential as a diabetes treatment.

"This trial is a test of possibly the oldest drug in Western use, and, because it's so old, there are no clinical trials on it," said study senior author Dr. Steven Shoelson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

"This trial was for a full year and showed that salsalate does lower blood glucose," said Shoelson, who is also the associate research director at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

The study, published in the July 2 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, included 286 people between 18 and 75 years old with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body no longer produces enough of the hormone insulin to convert carbohydrates from food into fuel for the body.

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-News/aspirin-Type-2-diabetes-salsalate-inflammation/2013/07/02/id/513012#ixzz2XuzbzhNO
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