APPENDICITIS, What are we doing wrong?

THE FORCE OF FIBER

Researchers have wondered for years why appendicitis is relatively rare in places like Africa and Asia, while in the United States it's extremely common, affecting between 7 and 12 percent of people at some time in their lives.

What are we doing wrong?

"There's always been speculation that high -fiber diets protect against appendicitis," says David G. Addiss, M.D., medical epidemiologist for the division of parasitic diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. People in Africa and Asia eat tremendous quantities of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other fiber -rich foods. In this country, however, most of us get only 11 to 12 grams of fiber a day. This is less than half of the Daily Value (DV) of 25 grams.

THE BEST SOURCES OF ANTIOXIDANT

THE BEST SOURCES OF ANTIOXIDANT

All fruits and vegetables are great sources 01 antioxidant compounds. But which are the best? Researchers at Tufts University in Boston have compiled a list of foods that are extremely high in vitamin C and beta -carotene (it's difficult to get enough vitamin E in foods alone, although cooking oils, nuts, seeds, and wheat germ all are good sources) Here are some of their favorites.

ANTIOXIDANTS, BODYGUARS FOR YOUR CELLS, Part 2 end

BIG THREE  OF ANTIOXIDANT

VITAMIN C

Like Navy SEALs, molecules of vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) patrol the waters of your body, capturing free radicals in blood and other fluids, such as lung and eye fluids. Getting lots of vitamin C in your diet can help protect against damage in many of your body's fluid -filled areas, such as the heart, arteries, and eyes.

An important attribute of this aquatic antioxidant, which is found in foods like tropical and citrus fruits, red bell peppers, and broccoli, is that it works so quickly. Vitamin C has been shown to block free radicals before other antioxidant compounds even arrive on the scene.

ANTIOXIDANTS, BODYGUARS FOR YOUR CELLS

ANTIOXIDANTS HEALING POWER 

CAN HELP:

Reduce the risk of heart disease

Prevent certain cancers

Reduce the risk of macular degeneration

Prevent muscle soreness

If you want to know how the antioxidant vitamins work, take yourself back to World War II.