Does Our Food Control Our Genes?
GRASS-FED BENEFITS
A
new, in-depth guide to the benefits of grass-fed beef is now avail-
able from Animal Welfare Approved, a national nonprofit organization that audits, certifies and supports farmers that raise their animals according to the highest welfare standards, and outdoors on pasture or range. The Grassfed Primer, available as a free download at
AnimalWelfareApproved.org/consumers/ food-labels, notes that grass-fed meat and dairy products offer health benefits via higher levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vitamin E, and can reduce the risk of E. coli infection. Scientists now believe that CLA may be one of human- ity’s most potent defenses against cancer.
from a groundbreaking study by researchers at Nanjing University, in China, the con- nection between our food’s biochemistry and our own may be more intimate than we imagined. The researchers discovered that tiny
T
RNAs (a mirror-image form of DNA), or microRNAs, usually found in plants, were circulating in human blood; one of the most common sources was rice, a staple of their native subjects’ diets. After conducting tests with mice, they found that microRNAs were capable of altering cell function and directly manipulating the expression of genes. The study results, published in the journal Cell Research, suggest that the hu-
man body is a highly integrated ecosystem and suggest that genetic changes in one species may trigger alterations in another.
HEALTHY WEIGHT FOR HEALTHIER GUMS R
egular brushing and flossing is vital for keeping teeth and gums healthy. Surprisingly, so is managing our
weight. Case Western Reserve University researchers have found that the body is better at fighting gum dis- ease when fat cells disappear. Excess weight often triggers damaging inflammation
throughout the body, and inflammation from gum disease can erode bone, lead to tooth loss and create fissures in the gums, allowing harmful oral bacteria to enter the blood- stream. Such bacteria have been linked to preterm births, fetal death, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, according to Nabil Bissada, chair of the department of periodontics at the university’s School of Dental Medicine.
MORE REST EQUALS BETTER TEEN PERFORMANCE
form better in mathematics and physical education classes than those that sleep six hours or less, according to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology. The researchers, after analyzing the sleep habits of 592 students aged 12 to 19 in Seville, Spain, further observed that bedtimes and wake times did not signifi- cantly influence academic outcomes; however, they did note that students that require less than 15 minutes to fall asleep tended to achieve better marks.
A natural awakenings March 2012 13
dolescents that log between six and 10 hours of sleep each night per-
he old adage, “You are what you eat,” may be literally true. Based on findings
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