The Plain Truth's: Your Health Today ONLINE

Walnuts 'improve sperm health'

Two Juglans regia walnuts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(BBC) — Eating around two handfuls of walnuts a day improves sperm health in young men, a study in the journal Biology of Reproduction suggests.

Sperm shape, movement and vitality improved in men who added walnuts to their diet over 12 weeks.
The fatty acids found in these nuts are thought to have helped sperm development. It is not known if this would help improve male fertility.

About one in six couples are infertile, with 40% of these due to a male factor.

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Prostate cancer surgery 'has little or no benefit' in extending life of patients

New research into prostate cancer has revealed that surgery has little or no benefit in extending the life of a patient.
The study, which has not yet been published, compared surgically removing the prostate gland with 'watchful waiting' and found there was little difference between the two.
Experts are believed to be 'shaken' by the news because thousands of men could have gone through painful and unnecessary surgery.

A new study suggests that surgery makes little or no difference to prostate cancer sufferers

One expert, who did not want to be named, told the Independent newspaper: 'The only rational response to these results is, when presented with a patient with prostate cancer, to do nothing.'
The Prostate Intervention Versus Observation Trust (PIVOT), led by Timothy Wilt, started in 1993 and analysed 731 patients over 12 years.
It found that those who had an operation to treat the cancer had less than three per cent chance of survival compared with those who had no treatment.
The results were presented at a meeting of the European Association of Urology in Paris in February and were met with a stunned silence.

Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease

Dr. Dwight Lundell
PreventDisease
Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:58 CST

We physicians with all our training, knowledge and authority often acquire a rather large ego that tends to make it difficult to admit we are wrong. So, here it is. I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact.

I trained for many years with other prominent physicians labelled "opinion makers." Bombarded with scientific literature, continually attending education seminars, we opinion makers insisted heart disease resulted from the simple fact of elevated blood cholesterol.

The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.

It Is Not Working! MORE>>>>>>>>>

Tobacco 'could help treat cancer'

The tobacco plant may provide a cheap vaccine factory

The tobacco plant - responsible for millions of cancer cases - may actually offer the means to treat one form of the disease, a study suggests.

US scientists used the plant to "grow" key components of a cancer vaccine.
The National Academy of Sciences study suggests they could be used to tackle a form of lymphoma. ..Read More

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Are you hooked on fish oil yet? The natural wonder drug proven to treat a range of conditions

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT IT?

All fish oils contain omega-3s, types of polyunsaturated fatty acid which are essential for health.
Fish such as mackerel, salmon, trout, sardines, pilchards and fresh tuna, which are known as oily fish, are the richest sources.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, nutritionist for the Health Supplements Information Service, says: ‘There are different types of omega-3 fatty acids, but the key health benefits are believed to come from the very long chain omega-3s, called docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA].’
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends we eat a minimum of two portions of fish each week, one of which should be an oily fish (one portion is about 140g). This provides a daily intake of 450mg of EPA and DHA.
Today many supplements will specify which type they contain and in what concentration.
EPA and DHA have different roles in the body. Dr Ruxton says: ‘Studies suggest DHA is more important for the brain, retina and infant development, while EPA is more important for vascular health [blood vessels].’
‘The difficulty we have in the UK is that two-thirds of people don’t eat oily fish,’ she says. ‘The main source of long chain omega-3s in the diet is oily fish, and if we can’t get them from that, we need to consider a supplement to top up our diet.’

CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE

Supplements fall into three categories: fish oil, cod liver oil and krill oil. Which one you choose will depend on how much money you want to spend and what benefit you’re trying to get.
Shona Wilkinson, head nutritionist at The Nutri Centre, says: ‘Cod liver oil comes direct from the liver, whereas fish oil comes from the flesh of oily fish. Krill are shrimp-like crustaceans that live in the ocean. The oil found in them contains omega-3s similar to those found in fish oils.’
Dr Ruxton says: ‘If you’re on a budget, cod liver oil or a standard omega-3 are the ones to go for. You don’t need to buy the most expensive brands to get the basic benefits. If you have a specific condition and need a high dose or are pregnant and don’t want the Vitamin A, the cost will go up.’
Cod liver oil generally has lower levels of EPA and DHA but also differs from fish oil as it naturally provides Vitamin A, which is important for good eyesight and healthy skin, and Vitamin D for bone and immune health. Cod liver oil isn’t suitable for use during pregnancy as it provides too much Vitamin A.
Dr Ruxton’s advice is not to look at the total amount of omega-3s when choosing a supplement, but at the total amount of EPA and DHA combined that a supplement provides. This should add up to 450mg per day.
‘Algae supplements for vegetarians also contain EPA and DHA – fish have EPA and DHA in their flesh in the first place because they feed on algae,’ says Dr Ruxton. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is another omega-3 fatty acid, which is plant-based and found in dietary sources such as vegetable, rapeseed and flaxseed oils. Our bodies can convert ALA into EPA and DHA but the process depends on how much EPA and DHA you take as well.