New Research Shows Anti-Inflammatory/ Immune System Protective Benefit of Eating Fish

We’ve known for a longtime that omega-3 fatty acids in fish have numerous health benefits. The Mayo Clinic has found evidence from multiple studies that recommend the intake of dietary fish or fish oil supplements to:

Foods and supplements rich in omega-3. By Medindia.com.
• Slightly lower blood pressure.
• Reduce the likelihood heart attacks.
• Reduce the likelihood of dangerous abnormal heart rhythms.
• Reduce the likelihood of strokes in people with known cardiovascular disease.
• Lower triglycerides (the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body).
• Reduce inflammation related to rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints), and Crohn’s Disease (an inflammatory disease of the intestines that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract).

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A Few More Reasons to Love Caffeine

Courtesy of healthhype.com

Most of us can’t start the day without at least one cup of caffeinated coffee. The obvious reason is that it wakes us up and makes us more alert. The International Food Information Council calls caffeine in low doses “a mild stimulant to the central nervous system.”

The council suggests that “moderate caffeine consumption for the general healthy population is about 300 mg per day, or about three eight-ounce cups of coffee.” So! Are their any benefits to consuming caffeinated drinks besides making us more alert? The answer is a huge ‘yes,’ according to a report by WebMD, which finds that beyond improving mental alertness, in moderate amounts, caffeine can alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as asthma and low blood pressure.

It appears that caffeine can improve airway functions ‘somewhat’ in people with asthma for up to four hours. Caffeine has also been shown to elevate low blood pressure in older people, which can help relieve problems such as dizziness when standing up.

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Undiagnosed Celiac Disease Contributing to Premature Deaths, Says Mayo Clinic Study

Celiac Disease- more commonly known as the gluten allergy making people unable to eat grains such as wheat, rye, and barley- is becoming an increasingly lethal problem in America, according to Dr. Joseph Murray, the Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led a study published this month in Gastroenterology.

“It now affects about one in every 100 people. Part of the problem is that Celiac Disease symptoms are variable and can be mistaken for other diseases that are more common, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

“Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, there are 30 who have it, but are not diagnosed. Also, given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent Celiac Disease that we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of the disease is important,” said Murray.

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Parents and Schools: Joining Together to Make Food Allergy Management Work

Image courtesy of Chelsey Amer NutritionMaking sure students with food allergies are safe in schools is always a community effort, joining everyone together- parents, the allergic children, schoolmates, medical providers, school faculty, and public officials who make policy.

The greatest advocates though for allergic children must always be their parents. This was a key theme of the third and final session of the School Nutrition Foundation’s webinar series dealing with food allergies.

Parents are the ones who need to both inform everyone else about their children’s medical issues as well as become educated about what benefits their children are entitled to have.

Emphasizing this position was Deb Scherrrer, vice president of education programs at the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, who said, “The parents educate the school staff about the child’s medical condition. They collaborate with the school chain to establish avoidance strategies and participate in the development of the emergency plan.”

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Education Experts Share Ways of Developing Food Allergy Policies for Schools

Graphic courtesy of achooallergy.com.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.- Witnessing the number of school age children with food allergies increase “dramatically” over the last decade, “schools now have a critical role to play in preventing medical emergencies as well as responding to such emergencies,” said Brenda Z. Greene, director of school health programs at the National School Board Association, Alexandria, Va.

Ms. Greene gave her comments during the second session of the School Nutrition Foundation’s three-part webinar series. In this second session dealing with food allergy management policy making, Ms. Greene added that, “policy is the underpinning of the government in the local school districts and schools.

“The 15,000 school boards across the country are governed by the policies they adopt, which must comply with federal, state, and local laws.”

Ms. Greene though cautioned, saying, “We learned that one size does not fit all and policy needs to protect, but it also needs to be flexible. Local conditions and capacities vary.”

As part of developing policy strategies that can be incorporate into school districts around the country, the NSBA is working with the Division of Adolescent School Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

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