Hydration!

Ask Glen!



Q. Glen, How much does Proper Hydration really count?


A. Yes, Listen Hydration really Counts! I got proof..No matter what type of exercise or fitness program you are following, there is one important element you cannot forget: water! Our bodies lose a great deal of water due to perspiration. Staying hydrated during a workout will help you stay focused and more energized. Dehydration could result in serious consequences. Dizziness and nausea can both be symptoms of dehydration. Sports drinks are another good option for rehydrating. However, if you're watching your sodium intake, check the label first.


Glen's Bottom Line! Stay Hydrated!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Exercise Variety.....

Ask Glen!



Q. Glen, Is Training Variety the Diet Spice of Life?


A. If you want to meet and exceed your fitness goals! You'll need to incorporate the cardio and strength training combo. Cardio exercises are important because they help your body to increase endurance and stamina. They raise the heart rate for an extended period of time and burn calories at a higher rate in a short period of time. Strength training builds and develops lean, active, fat-burning muscle. As you continue to build and develop muscle, your metabolism speeds up. This means you will continue burning calories hours after you've left the gym. Make sure to kick your workout into full gear by combining the two fitness powerhouses -- cardio and strength training -- into your fitness program.

Glen's Bottom Line! Do Both Cardio and Weight Training in the Gym


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Exercise! How Much Is Enough?

Ask Glen!




Q.Glen, When it comes to Exercise,How Much Is Enough?


A. it's a common misconception that in order to get fit, you must live at the gym. Overdoing it can actually be harmful to your health. Excessive exercising is defined as working out for more than three hours a day and/or being so obsessed with exercise that it interferes with other parts of a person's life. Overdoing it can also be frustrating if you make and don't reach unrealistic goals. Also, you will be more likely to quit your program sooner. For the greatest overall health benefits, experts recommend that you do 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity three or more times a week and some type of muscle strengthening activity and stretching at least twice a week.

Glen's Bottom Line! Exercise to Live Do not Live to Exercise Moderation is Key!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Hungry for Fitness

Ask Glen!





Q. Glen, I am Hungry for Fitness What Should I Do?


A. Get Class!

A great way to get motivated is to sign up for a group fitness class. It can be much easier to stick to your fitness goals if you know there's a class that you want to attend. Most gyms have a variety of classes to choose from and there are plenty of places where you can find specialized classes. Another great bonus is the camaraderie. Seeing other people sweating it out along with you will often give you the extra push you need to stick it out.

Glen's Bottom Line! Get Moving! NOW


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Common Spices May Help Diabetes

Ask Glen!




Q. Glen, Can Herbs and Spices Help with my Diabetes?


A. The spice cabinet may prove to be a source of help for diabetes patients.

Some of the most commonly used dried herbs and spices may help block the inflammation believed to drive diabetes and other chronic diseases, laboratory studies conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia suggest.

The researchers tested extracts from 24 common herbs and spices and found that many contained high levels of inflammation-inhibiting antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols.

The early findings suggest that liberal use of cinnamon in your morning oatmeal or Italian seasonings in your spaghetti sauce could have big payoffs for your health, researcher James L. Hargrove, PhD, tells WebMD.

"We might all be better off if we used less salt and pepper, and focused more on herbs and spices," Hargrove says. "I've started putting oregano in my eggs. That's not a big change."

(If you have type 2 diabetes, have you integrated some of these spices into your daily diet? Tell us how on WebMD's Type 2 Diabetes: Support Group board.)

Cinnamon and Diabetes

Hargrove and colleagues found that ground clove had the most inflammation-calming polyphenols of any of the spice and herb extracts they tested.

Cinnamon came in second, but because it is used more in cooking and in larger amounts than ground cloves it has more potential to positively affect health, he says.

So much has been written about the benefits of cinnamon for lowering blood sugar that many diabetes patients now take cinnamon supplements.

But the research on cinnamon's effect on diabetes has been mixed.

Richard Anderson, PhD, was among the first modern researchers to link the antioxidants in cinnamon to increased anti-inflammatory response and blood sugar reductions in diabetes patients.

A scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Anderson tells WebMD that he made the connection after finding that instead of raising blood sugar as expected, apple pie lowered blood glucose in their test tube study.

"At first we thought it was the apples, but it soon became clear that it was the cinnamon," he says.

In a 2003 study, Anderson and colleagues reported that as little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduced blood sugar and improved cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes who took cinnamon in capsule form after meals.

But combined results from five other studies examining cinnamon supplementation in diabetes patients showed little evidence of a benefit.

"Taking cinnamon supplements for the purposes of either improving glucose control or improving cholesterol levels is not supported by the evidence that is currently available," analysis co-author William L. Baker, PharmD, of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, tells WebMD.

But Baker adds that the combined studies included just 282 patients treated with either a placebo or various doses of cinnamon.

"These were small studies," he says. "Larger studies may show that supplementation is beneficial, but it seems unlikely."

Glen's Bottom Line! Eat Cinnamon...


Reference: University of Georgia

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Running Slows the Effects of Aging

Ask Glen!



Q. Glen. Is Running Good For You as You get Older?


A. Yes it has been said that Running Slows the Effects of Aging A new Study Shows Older Runners Have Fewer Disabilities Than Non-Runners

Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years.

Older runners have fewer disabilities, remain more active as they get into their 70s and 80s, and are half as likely as non-runners to die early deaths, the study shows.

"If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise," James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study's senior author, says in a news release.

Researchers tracked 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of 423 non-runners. The runners were part of a nationwide running club.

The participants, now in their 70s and 80s, answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking , dressing, grooming, getting out of a chair, and gripping objects. The researchers used national death records to learn which participants died and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34% of the non-runners had died, compared with only 15% of the runners.

At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week. After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week.

Everyone in the study became more disabled after 21 years, but for runners the onset of disability started later. Perhaps not surprisingly, running was linked to lower rates of cardiovascular deaths from causes such as stroke and heart attack. However, it also was associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections, and other causes, according to the findings.

Reference: Runners World

Glen's Bottom Line! Run!!!!!!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Obese and Healthy?

Ask Glen!



Q. Glen, Can you be Fat and Fit?


A. Despite their weight, nearly a third of obese people are not at highrisk of diabetes or heart disease, but nearly a quarter of normal-weight people are.

The finding comes from a study of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease in 5,440 obese, overweight, and normal-weight U.S. adults by Albert Einstein College researchers Rachel P. Wildman, PhD, Judith Wylie-Rosett, EdD, and colleagues.

We used to think all fat did was store energy," Wylie-Rosett tells WebMD. "Now we know that fat tissue is hormone-producing tissue. It may act differently in different people."

Clues to what's going on come from a second study looking at 314 German adults with traditional risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease: a family history of type 2 diabetes, obesity, or a personal history of high blood sugar or gestational diabetes.

Close examination revealed a wide range of true diabetes/heart disease risk factors. For normal-weight and overweight people, risk was linked to belly fat. But for obese people, risk wasn't so much linked to belly fat as it was to having a fatty liver.

Belly fat signals fat accumulation around the organs of the body. Bodies that don't get much exercise tend to grow this kind of fat.

Similarly, obese people who get at least moderate physical exercise tend to have less fatty livers than those who don't exercise. Fortunately, there's a lot a person can do about this, says study researcher Norbert Stefan, MD, of the University of Tubingen, Germany.

"The higher an obese person's activity level, the larger the decrease in liver fat," Stefan tells WebMD.

"It may be the fat-and-fit phenomenon," Wylie-Rosett agrees. "In our study, the obese people with better risk profiles tended to have more physical activity. And the normal-weight people with worse risk factors tended to have characteristics associated with lower physical activity levels."

Warning: Whether or not you're obese, being fit doesn't mean being without risk. It's all a matter of probability, says Lewis Landsberg, MD, director of the Northwestern University obesity center.

"For any particular disease, there are many people with risk factors that do not get the disease, and many people without risk factors who do," Landsberg tells WebMD. "We've known for a long time that although obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, many obese people don't have that risk. But across the population, those with more body fat will have an increased incidence of heart disease. And those with the apple-shaped, upper-body obesity are at greater risk than those with the pear-shaped, lower-body obesity."

Exercise Cuts Risk Even Without Weight Loss

Landsberg notes that it is quite possible for obese people to be fit. That's because fitness is more than weight loss. It means losing the visceral fat around internal organs, improving insulin sensitivity, cutting blood pressure, and much more.

"Obesity is not fine," Landsberg warns. "In addition to cardiovascular risk and diabetes risk there is arthritis risk, cancer risk -- a whole series of unhealthy outcomes."

But Stefan says some obese people are in particular need of an intensive lifestyle-change program. His team is now exploring the effects of such a program.

"At the moment, we see that the lifestyle intervention in general has effects on reducing liver fat more than total body fat," he says. "Many people stop the program because they are not happy with a body-weight decrease of just a few kilograms. But the liver fat goes down very much, and their metabolism increases very much. They must realize this has benefits. So it is important to tell people to stick with it, even if they don't lose much weight."

Interestingly, not everyone gets the same benefit from the same amount of exercise.

"The most important factor is not how much you exercise, but what the effect your exercise has in increasing your fitness," Stefan says. "It looks like at the same level of exercise, some people increase their fitness and others don't. It looks like there are fitness non-responders. And those non-responders don't have that good an effect of exercise on liver fat."

These "exercise non-responders" may need more exercise. Or they may require diabetes drugs to get their risk factors under control. Stefan and colleagues are testing these interventions in ongoing studies.

"We are seeing fitness as the most important factor, and then on top of that reduction of intake of carbs has a strong effect," he says. "So far, our recommendations are increased physical activity, four hours per week of moderate activity, and reduced carbs. We also recommend a reduced intake of saturated fat."

Reports on the Stefan and Wildman/Wylie-Rosett studies -- as well as an editorial by Landsberg -- appear in the Aug. 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine

Reference:

WebMD


Glen's Bottom Line! Eat Right! Exercise and Listen to Your Doctor!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Fish & Dementia

Ask Glen!



Q. Glen, Can Diets Rich in Baked or Broiled Fish Help Protect the Brain From Damage That Can Lead to Dementia?or even Stroke?


A.Regularly eating non-fried fish may help older adults preserve their memory and ward off stroke.

Researchers reporting in tomorrow’s issue of Neurology have found that older adults whose diets include three or more weekly helpings of baked or broiled tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to develop "silent" brain lesions that can lead to cognitive decline and vascular stroke.

A brain lesion, or infarct, is an area of damaged brain tissue. The damage typically results from a lack of blood flow to the area. The lesion is dubbed "silent" if it developed in someone who has not had a recognized stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a mini-stroke. Silent brain lesions are very common, especially as a person grows older. The lesions can cause thinking problems, memory loss, and stroke.

"Previous findings have shown that fish and fish oil can help prevent stroke, but this is one of the only studies that looks at fish's effect on silent brain infarcts in healthy, older people," Jyrki Virtanen, PhD, RD, with the University of Kuopio in Finland, says in a news release.

For the study, Virtanen and colleagues looked at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of 3,600 adults aged 65 and older who had no history of cerebrovascular disease. Five years later, researchers rescanned 2,313 individuals who had agreed to the follow-up and asked them questions about their diets, including how much fish they ate.

After comparing scans and analyzing diet information, the team learned that the adults who ate non-fried tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least three times a week had a nearly 26% lower risk of silent brain lesions than those who opted for such foods less often.

Eating just one serving of fish per week also had a protective benefit. Adults in this category reduced their risk of silent brain lesions by 13%.

Those who regularly chose the healthy fish also had fewer changes in the white matter in their brains.

"While eating tuna and other types of fish seems to help protect against memory loss and stroke, these results were not found in people who regularly ate fried fish," Virtanen says. "More research is needed as to why these types of fish may have protective effects, but the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA would seem to have a major role."

In addition to tuna, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and anchovies are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Reference:

Jyrki Virtanen, PhD, RD,

Glen's Bottom Line! Stay Informed! Eat Fish!!! ( Baked or Broiled )


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Foods that Drain Your Energy

Ask Glen!




Q. Glen, I find yourself dozing off at 3 p.m. could certain foods be the cause?



A. Ask your friends to name a food that makes them tired, and there's a good chance they'll say turkey--citing the lethargic feeling associated with the Thanksgiving meal. But is there any truth to the allegations? While certain foods do make us tired, the ones you suspect may not be the most common culprits. Here, a list of the six most sleep-inducing fare.

1.

Red wine

. If you're a red wine drinker you are probably familiar with the euphoric sleepiness that accompanies it after a few glasses. But why? As we know, alcohol is a depressant, meaning it can have a sedative effect. What's more, scientists in Italy say they have discovered that the grapes used to make red wine have high levels of the sleep hormone melatonin which can explain its sluggish effect. So next time you reach for your favorite merlot, you may want to grab your pillow, too.

2.

Fatty foods

. It looks as though a fatty diet can weigh you down in more ways than one. Fat is notorious for taking a long time to digest-somewhere in the realm of six to eight hours. Blood from your arms and legs is used to aid in the digestion process. This lessening in blood volume in your extremities can make you feel slow and lethargic. Contrarily, whole carbohydrates and proteins digest relatively fast-one to four hours-resulting in higher energy and a faster metabolism.

3.

Turkey

. This fatigue-causing fowl is a famed for making the hours post-Thanksgiving dinner dreary. But is turkey really the culprit? Though turkey contains L-tryptophan-an amino acid that is metabolized into serotonin and melatonin causing sleepiness-it does not contain enough to produce truly tiring effects. The combination of simple carbs, fats, alcohol, and overeating that are often a part of Thanksgiving dinner is what ultimately makes you curl up couch-side.

4.

Energy drinks

. Sure, they're great for that initial burst you need to get you over the three o'clock hump, but energy drinks offer counterproductive results in the long run. British scientists at Loughborough University found that those who drank the high-caffeine, high-sugar beverages had slower reactions and more lapses in concentration after an hour. The best way to combat sleepiness is a drink with useful amounts of caffeine--approximately 85mg--and a short nap.

5.

Low-iron foods

. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) iron deficiency, or anemia, is a large contributor to daytime fatigue. Chicken, broccoli, pork, and peanut butter are excessively low in iron. In order to combat anemia, make sure your diet is well balanced. This means eating your allotted daily values in iron, carbohydrates, and protein to optimize your energy for the day.

6.

Skipping meals

. Skipping meals can have a negative effect on your energy. Not eating results in low blood-sugar, contributing to fatigue. The tiredness, in turn, results in less energy for exercise and your daily routine. What's more, when your body is craving food and doesn't get it, your metabolism slows, consequently producing smaller amounts of energy. The best diet for energy and healthy weight loss is eating six small, well-balanced meals.

Glen's Bottom Line! Eat Foods with a good balance of Protein /Carbohydrates


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

10 Healthy Aging Tips

Ask Glen!



Q, Glen, Any Tips for living to be 100 years old?



A. Relationships, an Active Mind, Humor Make the List in a Centenarian Poll Here are some tips broken down in percentages.....


Staying close to family and friends, keeping your mind active, and having a sense of humor are keys to healthy aging, centenarians say in a new poll.

The poll, conducted by phone, included 100 U.S. centenarians. Here are their top 10 tips for healthy aging -- along with the percentage of how many said the tip is "very important" (they could call more than one tip "very important"):

• Stay close to your family and friends: 90%
• Keep your mind active: 89%
• Laugh and have a sense of humor: 88%
• Stay in touch with your spirituality: 84%
• Continue looking forward to each new day: 83%
• Keep moving and exercising: 82%
• Maintain a sense of independence: 81%
• Eat right: 80%
• Keep up with news and current events: 63%
• Keep making new friends: 63%

"If I could leave any message, never stop learning. Period," centenarian Maurice Eisman says in the poll report.

"I think the worst thing is stress, and you can avoid a lot of it by the way you manage your life," adds 102-year-old Marianne Crowder of Palo Alto, Calif.

Some of the centenarians -- who were actually as young as 99 -- have picked up some modern ways: 19% use cell phones, 12% have used the Internet, 3% say they've dated someone they met online, and 45% could identify 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood.

When asked to pick a favorite celebrity to invite to a "fantasy dinner party," Bill Cosby was their top pick, followed by Tiger Woods and Oprah Winfrey. Britney Spears and Howard Stern were their least favorite choices; most knew who Spears and Stern are.

GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media polled the centenarians by phone in April and May for Evercare, a health care coordination program for the elderly and people with long-term or advanced illnesses or disabilities. Because the poll only included centenarians in good health, the results may not apply to everyone in that age range.

Glen's Bottom Line! Have Friends, Stay Close to Family, Stay Active, Have a Since of Humor, Eat Well and of course Exercise...

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Kids & Healthy Fast Food

Ask Glen!



Q. Glen, Are Healthy Fast Food for Kids a Tall Order?


A. Most kids' fast food meals are unhealthy, loaded with too many calories and too much fat and sodium, according to a report issued today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

"You can hunt around and you will find a few [kids'] meals that are nutritionally pretty good," says Michael Jacobson, PhD, executive director of the CSPI, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. "But the vast majority of meals are too high in calories, saturated fat, or sodium. They are all made with refined white flour rather than whole wheat flour -- not the kind of meals we ought to be encouraging people to eat."

But spokespeople from the restaurant industry disagree, saying that menus have improved nutritionally in recent years, giving diners a choice of healthier options.

Kids' Fast Food Meals: Report Detail

CSPI's researchers, led by Margo G. Wootan, the center's nutrition policy director, assessed the nutrition of children's meals from 13 different restaurant chains.

They looked at all the possible children's meal combinations -- all the ways that an entree, side item, and beverage could be combined -- and came up with 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains.

Then they compared the options with a set of nutritional standards. The meal should not have more than one-third of the daily requirement for the average child aged 4-8, or not more than 430 calories. Fat should not be more than 35% of calories, with saturated and trans fat no more than 10% of calories. They looked at added sugars and sodium, with cutoffs for each.

Kids' Fast Food Meals: The Hall of Shame

Ninety-three percent of the 1,474 options had more than 430 calories, they found. Forty-five percent of the options were too high in saturated and trans fat, and 86% were too high in sodium.

Five meal choices earned CSPI's "Hall of Shame" award. On that list:

• Chili's country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples, and chocolate milk, with 1,020 calories
• Chili's cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade, with 1,000 calories
• KFC's popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, fruit punch, and Teddy Grahams, with 940 calories
• Burger King's double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk, with 910 calories
• Sonic's grilled cheese, fries, and slushie, with 830 calories

Kids' Fast Food Meals: Healthier Choices

Some meals did meet the CSPI's nutritional criteria. Among the options:

• Subway's ham mini sub with juice box and apple slices or raisins; roast beef mini sub and juice box with any side, including apple slices or raisins or yogurt; turkey mini sub and juice box with apples slices or raisins or yogurt
• Chili's grilled chicken sandwich with apple juice and corn kernels (or mandarin oranges or pineapple)
• Denny's pancakes without meat, with maple syrup; macaroni and cheese, and grapes
• Arby's popcorn chicken or junior roast beef sandwich with fruit cup and fruit juice

Kids' Fast Food Meals: Industry Responds

Spokespeople from the fast food industry say they do offer healthful options for young diners and are trying to improve the offerings even more.

"KFC is proud to offer a variety of Kids Meals for those looking for lower-calorie, lower-fat options," Rick Maynard, a company spokesman, says in an email interview. He says that some kids' meals at KFC do offer less than 430 calories, such as a meal of two crispy strips, green beans, Teddy Grahams, and a diet drink, which totals 380 calories.

In a statement, Heather Krasnow, a spokeswoman for Burger King, says they offer nutritionally healthy choices, such as the kids' meal launched this summer -- macaroni and cheese, fresh apple fries, and Hershey's 1% low fat milk. It totals 315 calories, according to the nutrition guide on the company web site.

The trend among restaurants is to offer consumers more choices and nutritional information, says Mike Donohue, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association. "A 2007 consumer survey [conducted by the association] showed that four out of five customers said there were more healthy options available and more food choices available than there were two years earlier."

Kids' Fast Food Meals: Expert Advice

Besides checking out the nutrition facts of fast food restaurants, what can parents do?

"Look for grilled or baked items, such as grilled chicken or grilled lean burgers, and avoid fried foods," says Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

"Choose low-fat or skim milk, or 100% fruit juice, over other beverages that simply provide calories without nutritional value.

"Milk and juices typically come in small portions appropriate for children," she tells WebMD. "However, sodas and shakes made for kids are often more than enough for an adult."

Kids' Fast Food Meals: CSPI's Bottom Line

The solution, says Jacobson, is an overhaul of existing menu items to reduce overall calories, fat, and sodium and to increase options such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Another recommendation, he says, is to make fruit or vegetables and low-fat milk or water the default side dishes instead of french fries and soda for the kids' meals. Disney does this in its theme parks, Jacobson tells WebMD, and it has been successful, with more than 70% of parents choosing the healthier options when those are the default offering.

Glen's Bottom Line! Restaurants should routinely post nutrition information on menus and menu boards, as is required by policies passed in New York City, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and elsewhere, he says.
Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Reference: WebMD



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

The Secret to Quit Smoking

Ask Glen!

Q.Glen, I exercise, but I smoke! Any suggestions?

A.Yeah dummy! Quit smoking. There's nothing healthy about lighting up. If you're trying to lose weight to get healthy, continuing to smoke defeats the purpose. Extinguish those butts and put a smoking cessation plan into place. Quitting won't be easy -- so consult with your physician to learn more about the tools available to help you stop. What works for one person may not work for another. Support groups, patches, nicotine gum, hypnosis and shots are all options. Determine what is best for you.And do it!

Glen's Bottom Line: Dont Start !

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program.

Please consult your physician!

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health

Any Questions?
Ask Glen

Watermelon: A Natural Viagra! ?

Ask Glen!



Q, Glen, Is Watermelon: A Natural Viagra?

A. Men hoping for some fireworks in their love life this Summer may want to skip the burgers and beer at the barbecue and eat plenty of watermelon.

Watermelon may be a natural Viagra, says a researcher. That's because the popular summer fruit is richer than experts believed in an amino acid called citrulline, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels much like Viagra and other drugs meant to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).

"We have known that watermelon has citrulline," says Bhimu Patil, PHD, director of the Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center at Texas A&M University, College Station. Until recently, he tells WebMD, scientists thought most of the citrulline was in the watermelon rind. "Watermelon has more citrulline in the edible part than previously believed," he says.

How could watermelon be a natural Viagra? The amino acid citrulline is converted into the amino acid arginine, Patil says. "This is a precursor for nitric oxide, and the nitric oxide will help in blood vessel dilation."

So, the burning question: How much watermelon does it take?

"That is a good question," Patil says. Unfortunately, "I don't have an answer for that."

He does know that a typical 4-ounce serving of watermelon (about 10 watermelon balls) has about 150 milligrams of citrulline. But he can't say how much citrulline is needed to have Viagra-like effects.

He's hopeful that someone will pick up on his research and study the fruit's effect on penile erections.

Watermelon's Viagra-Like Effects

On hearing about the Texas finding, Irwin Goldstein, MD, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, was underwhelmed. Suggesting a man feast on watermelon to boost performance, he says, "would be the equivalent of someone dropping a beer bottle in Minneapolis, where the Mississippi River starts, and hoping to see it make an impact on someone in New Orleans."

"To say that watermelon is Viagra-like is sort of fun," says Goldstein. "But to even vaguely hope that eating watermelon will alleviate ED is misleading."

"The vast majority of Americans produce enough arginine," adds Goldstein, medical director of Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego, and clinical professor of surgery, University of California San Diego School of Medicine. "Men with ED are not deficient in arginine."

Though arginine is required to make nitric oxide, and nitric oxide is required to dilate blood vessels and have an erection, "that doesn't mean eating something that is rich in citrulline will make enough arginine that it will lead to better penile erections," Goldstein says.

Goldstein has served as a consultant for many companies that make ED drugs.

Calling watermelon a natural Viagra is "clearly premature," says Roger Clemens, DrPH, adjunct professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists.

Clemens studied the amino acid arginine himself, researching a supplement to improve vascular flow for patients with hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. He has since abandoned that line of research, he says.

It can require a lot of watermelon to boost blood levels of arginine, he adds. In a study published in 2007 in Nutrition, he says, volunteers who drank three 8-ounce glasses of watermelon juice daily for three weeks boosted their arginine levels by 11%.

Watermelon is low in calories and provides potassium and the phytonutrients lycopene and beta-carotene, in addition to the citrulline.

Clemens' advice on watermelon ? "Put salt on it and enjoy.

Glen's Bottom Line! Suffering from ED? See Your doctor! The sooner the better. Ask your Wife!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!