Reduce Your Risk Of Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes With Olive Oil

Reduce Your Risk of Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes with Olive Oil

Olive oil has a major place in the Mediterranean diet, and the principal aspect of this diet includes proportionally high consumption of olive oil. Olive oil contains a very high level of monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid, which studies suggest may be linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. There is also evidence that the antioxidants in olive oil improve cholesterol regulation and reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, and that it has other anti-inflammatory effects.
Olive oil is a type of fat extracted from the olive tree which is a traditional tree from the Mediterranean basin. It is produced by crushing whole olive fruits before the oil is extracted. The health benefits of olive oil are wide, a reason why it has been named the Mediterranean miracle.
Types of Olive Oil
Olive oil is used in the cosmetics industry, cooking, pharmaceuticals and even in the making of soaps (such as Castile soap). Olive oil exists in a variety of grades depending on processing. For instance, extra virgin olive oil is considered the premium type. It is produced from the first crushing of olive fruits and is extracted through cold-pressing whereby no chemicals are added. Virgin oil is the second variety, obtained from the second pressing of the fruits and is considered the second-best type. Refined olive oil is obtained from refined virgin olive and it has an acidity level of over 3.3%.
The oil contains phenolic antioxidants, terpenoid and squalene which are all anti-cancer compounds. The oil also has oleic acid which prevents chronic inflammation and reduces the damage fr Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

New Stem Cell Treatment, Successful in Mice, May Someday Cure Type 1 Diabetes

When his infant son Sam was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two decades ago, Doug Melton made himself a promise: He would cure it. When his daughter Emma was diagnosed with the same autoimmune disease at 14, he redoubled his efforts.
Finally he can see the finish line. In a paper published Thursday in the journal Cell, Melton announces that he has created a virtually unlimited supply of the cells that are missing in people with type 1 diabetes.
By replacing these cells—and then protecting them from attack by the body's immune system—Melton, now a professor and stem cell researcher at Harvard, says someday he'll have his cure.
"I think we've shown the problem can be solved," he said.
In type 1 diabetes, which usually starts in childhood and affects as many as three million Americans, the person's immune system attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas. Melton used stem cells—which can turn into a wide variety of other cell types—to manufacture a new supply of these beta cells, which provide exquisitely fine-tuned responses to sugar levels in the blood.
When you eat, beta cells increase levels of insulin in your blood to process the extra sugar; when you're running on empty, the cells dial down insulin levels.
Since the 1920s, people with type 1 diabetes have been kept alive with insulin injections, though many still face nerve damage, slow wound healing, and even blindness because even the best pumps and monitors are not as effective as the body's beta cells.
The only known cure for type 1 diabetes is a beta cell transplant, which takes the cells from someone wh Continue reading

5 Things NOT to Say to Someone With Diabetes

Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you've probably dealt with it before: the person who says something well-meaning - but offensive - about your condition.
While diabetes is one of the most common diseases in our modern world, a fair share of people still don't know enough about it to engage in the right etiquette during conversation.
So whether you have diabetes or you know someone that does, here are five things you shouldn't say to a person with the condition:
1. "At least it's not deadly."
Sure, diabetes doesn't have the negative public connotations that come with conditions like cancer, but diabetes can, in fact, be fatal. The complications that may arise when a person has diabetes can make living with the condition a daily challenge - and out of whack blood sugar levels, high cholesterol or even the common cold can turn into life-threatening situations for some diabetics.
2. "Are you supposed to eat that?"
Diabetes means you can't eat sugar, right? Wrong. For a type 1 diabetic, especially, devouring a cupcake or a candy bar might be necessary to avoid dangerously low blood sugar levels. While type 2 diabetes patients must carefully monitor their sugar and carbohydrate intake, having others police their food habits doesn't help. Most diabetics are well aware of what and how much they can safely eat when it comes to any of their food choices.
3. "I heard _____ can cure diabetes! Have you tried it?"
Unless you have medical or health credentials that entitle you to give this type of advice, it's generally not a good idea to tell a person with diabetes about the l Continue reading

Boy with diabetes saves pennies for 4 years to get service dog

WAITSFIELD, Vermont --
Eight-year-old Aiden Heath has spent a little over four years collecting loose change with a goal in mind. And that dedication paid off this week when he finally came face-to-snout with his very own service dog, Angel.
"Aiden looked at me and said, 'This is a dream,'" his mother, Jenni Heath, told ABC News.
Aiden, of Waitsfield, Vermont, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four years ago. Soon after he learned about canines trained to help monitor glucose levels in people.
"They can sense it 20 minutes to 30 minutes before the blood meter actually tells you that you're low," Jenni explained.
Service dogs are expensive - each costing $15,000. But not to be discouraged, Aiden's mom told her son to save, one penny at a time.
In April, when Aiden was about $9,000 from his goal, news coverage of his story helped bring in donations from across the U.S., raising more than $20,000 almost overnight.
With the windfall, Aiden and his mom put a down payment on a dog in Nevada.
Jenni Heath said Angel, a chocolate Labrador, had been trained from April until recently and had passed all her tests. She said she and Aiden had followed Angel's progress with videos and pictures.
On Monday Angel arrived from Nevada to the Heaths' home.
"We have been so amazed by the outpouring of support," Jenni Heath said. "He is feeling the love. ... There are no words."
Read the full story from ABC News. Continue reading

Emotional Korn Frontman Jonathan Davis Shares Son’s Battle With Type 1 Diabetes

Seeing your kid go through some of life's challenges can definitely be difficult for a parent, and Korn frontman Jonathan Davis gets a little emotional when it comes to talking about his son Zeppelin and his fight with Type 1 diabetes.
Davis filmed a video for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in which he speaks about his personal experience and learning that his son was suffering. The vocalist has also launched a campaign through RallySong in which he's offering the new Korn song 'So Unfair' and giving the opportunity for one lucky contributor and a friend to join him at his private recording studio as he records a new song.
In the video above, Davis states, "I was out on the road. My wife was calling me, saying Zeppy was really tired and just being lethargic and laying around, and something was wrong. I got home from tour, and we took him to the hospital and told them what was going on. And they started running tests and doing all these things, and they decided to check his blood sugar, just to see. I think he was, at that time, 290. And so that set off a flag for Type 1 diabetes. His glucose was high. And when that happened, that changed my life forever. I found out my son had Type 1 diabetes."
A choked up Davis continues, "It's been very hard dealing with that, because there's a lot involved. I have to constantly monitor his glucose, I have to constantly hurt him and stick him with needles, and he doesn't understand. It's a horrible disease and I really wanna do whatever I can do to make a difference to help find a cure for this. 'Cause it just doesn't af Continue reading