Do you like the genes nature gave you? Though we perhaps all might like to make a few tweaks, the truth is that most of us have perfectly good genes – ones that will not keep us from long, healthy, and fulfilling modern lives – if we will simply and naturally nurture ourselves and our health, today and every day throughout our lives.

A great case in point comes from a new and quite large statistical analysis conducted by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario. The analysis was based on nearly 30,000 people worldwide who answered a lifestyle questionnaire and provided genetic information. In the study, the research team found that eating patterns were more strongly correlated with long-term heart health than the presence of specific genetic patterns known to increase cardiovascular risks.

The newest research can be seen as part of a growing body of related findings – covering most non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and many aspects of our cognitive health and well-being – that highlights the power and importance of lifestyle and choice, and an only secondary influence of our genes on healthy lifelong functioning. This important network of research confirms something we all know deep down, in the developed world at least: that we normally now have substantial power to control and increase our health and quality of life through our choices and actions.

Learn more about the new heart health research at Veggies May Outpower Genes. Explore the growing science of lifestyle patterns and their impact on health risks through the analyses contained in the World Health Organization’s new NCD Prevention & Control Campaign.

If you are ready to take new control of your genes and actively nurture yourself toward greater health and well-being, you can begin anytime and create a remarkable health-centered life via HumanaNatura’s four science-based natural health techniques and our complete, open-ended, and lifelong Personal Health Program.

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A tough few days for the supplement industry last week. You may have read the news reports. One newly published study found that, in a large observational sampling of women over 60, those who took a multivitamin had a higher death rate than those who didn’t. And another new piece of research, this time involving a ten-year clinical trial, concluded that men over 55 taking vitamin E are more likely to develop prostate cancer.

To be fair, the first study has methodological shortcomings – there was no adjustment for initial health levels or use of a placebo – and the second one has a limited scope. But both are important reminders of a little secret underlying the global supplement industry: there is almost no science validating the many hypotheses that taking supplements is a good idea. Add to this a bit of new evidence suggesting the practice may not be as benign as many people previously thought, including food and drug regulators, and it really was a bad week all around for the industry.

HumanaNatura remains open to scientific research showing clear net benefits from specific supplement regimes. But perhaps like you, we have been waiting for this evidence for a while and there have been many studies seeking to find reliable and scientifically-valid supplementation strategies during this time.

Today, based on available science, we recommend two and only two nutritional supplements for adults (and none for children) using our natural health system, and both only on the advice of your physician: 1) a daily vitamin D supplement if you have inadequate sun exposure and low circulating levels of this critical vitamin-hormone, and 2) a daily low-dose aspirin, given its low-cost, limited risk of side-effects, and strong correlation with reduced cardiovascular disease and lowered large-organ cancers (both findings via randomized clinical trials).

Given the new studies and pervasiveness of supplement use (by roughly half of North American adults), many medical experts have been in the news on the topic of supplementation these last few days. By an informal reading, it appears most are saying to save your money, unless you have a known vitamin deficiency, and to focus instead on healthy eating, exercise, and lifestyle. As we have suggested, there is a lot of science upon which to base this advice.

Before you take or buy another supplement, learn more about the new studies via three news articles on the topic – Dietary Supplements Risky, Should You Take Vitamins, and Is It Time To Stop – and review HumanaNatura’s Supplement Guidelines (Item #7) in our comprehensive, science-based Personal Health Program.

Photo Courtesy of Wyeth Centrum

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Shot this photo for our updated Meals page in the early morning sun and then had the meal for breakfast. Delicious and photogenic, but we decided not to use, so here it is re-purposed to make a specific point: you can enjoy fried fish and have your health too. Our model-meal was prepared with wild-caught bass that was pan-fried with a bit of olive oil, red onion, and seasonings. It is served with mixed greens, julienne-cut celery, whole grape tomatoes, diced figs…and garnished with sunflower seeds, parsley, coriander, and black pepper. We hope this beautiful meal is health-inspiring, and that you will check our new page tabs. They’re still being developed but you’ll get where we’re going.

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If only diners and cafes would serve breakfast this way and help us all start the day with a healthy meal. This HumanaNatura version of a morning “salad meal” features a spicy shrimp omelet with figs, strawberries, and oranges on mixed greens…garnished with parsley, paprika, coriander, tarragon, and black pepper. While the restaurant owners in your community wake up to the possibilities of naturally healthy meals and clients, learn to make your own red plate specials via our popular article Perfect Salad Meals or through the Natural Eating section of HumanaNatura’s comprehensive Personal Health Program.

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About as healthy and delicious a meal as you can have…raw fruits and veggies, marine protein from low in the food chain, and some seeds and olive oil for healthy fat. It took eight minutes to prepare, thanks to the modern miracle of frozen cleaned shrimp. So, what’s keeping you from eating this way every day? Learn the how and why of Natural Eating via HumanaNatura’s Personal Health Program today!

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Who are you going to listen to – parents who have your long-term health and well-being in mind, or unhealthy and self-serving messages beamed at you electronically, encouraging pleasure and impulsiveness? Not surprisingly, a new study of children by Texas A&M International University has found that the unhealthy electronic messages can win out.

In the study, children aged 3-8 were exposed to healthy or unhealthy commercials during a cartoon, and then to health-encouraging or health-neutral input from their parents. Researchers found the commercials were more powerful than parental input in determining a subsequent food choice, and that the combination of unhealthy commercials and neutral parent input reliably led to poorer quality choices.

Though the new study is inconclusive on its own, owing to its small sample size and limited scope, it is sure to be repeated on a larger scale and should be seen in the context of widespread research demonstrating the strong and often counter-intuitive impact of electronic messages on the quality of our choices and health. Read about the new study at Gimme My Fries and learn more about the impact of media exposure on child behavior at Television and Children.

Photo courtesy of Television Set.

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Beef is just what we want sometimes…for some of us at least. This is an acceptable part of natural eating, if it is truly sometimes, always lean and complemented with raw veggies and fruits, and never mixed with unnatural grains, legumes, and starches. Our example here is a small grilled sirloin with sautéed onions and a traffic light salad…garnished with parsley, marjoram, coriander, and black pepper. Learn more about optimizing our diet and the science of healthy natural eating at HumanaNatura’s Personal Health Program.

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