LK's Grab Bag

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Thomas Jefferson has been rolling in his grave these last couple of years…(excuse TJ’s language)

Tuesday the 4th is ELECTION DAY! Get out there and exercise your right… we’re all in this together, so sharpen your number 2’s and write your destiny. Then come on down to SBCC track at 8:30, and we’ll exercise your right, your left, your front and your back.  If you’ve never come to my class, today’s the day! Bring mat and water.

Tuesday Trivia Grab Bag (try these w/o Google’s aid first!): 

1) Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2) Which one of the numbers does not belong in the following series?

2 – 3 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 14 – 15 – 30

THREE   SEVEN   EIGHT   FIFTEEN   THIRTY

3) How many total triangles appear in the drawing below?

48   42   35   33   25

4) Choose the number that is 1/4 of 1/2 of 1/5 of 200:

2   5   10   25   50

5) What is the missing number in the sequence shown below?

1 – 8 – 27 – ? – 125 – 216

36   45   46   64   99

Tuesday Health Tip:

Got C’s D’s??  What does YOUR report card look like?  

C – A Critical Compound 

Research shows that your body needs sufficient vitamin C to burn fat — and burning fat is key to keeping excess pounds away. So pop your C supplement, or snack on some C-rich orange sections before your next power walk. People in a study who had low blood concentrations of vitamin C and walked on a treadmill for an hour burned 25 percent less fat than people with adequate C. But a dose of C brought fat-burning levels back up to par. Why? Seems C is essential for creating carnitine, a substance that turns fat into fuel.

How Much Is Enough

To keep the pounds you dropped from coming right back, you could start your day with some grapefruit, have an orange after lunch, or fill your dinner plate with C-rich veggies like red bell peppers, broccoli, and brussels sprouts.

Now for Vitamin D: this interesting study gives even more credence to the benefit of Vitamin D… but experts have yet to settle on blanket recommendations for supplementation. Speak with your doctor if you are unsure (you are calling this week to book your 2009 physical exam, as well as your mammogram, right?) about your sun exposure, your eating habits and any other meds or supplements you are taking before adding in additional Vit D… but the added intake may be really beneficial. Here is the breast cancer angle. We may need all the help we can get, as breast cancer causes remain a complex issue:

Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and premenopausal breast cancer risk in a German case-control study – Source: International Journal of Cancer, Oct 6, 2008

by Sascha Abbas, Jenny Chang-Claude, Jakob Linseisen

Laboratory and epidemiological data have linked vitamin D to breast cancer prevention. Beside dietary intake, endogenous (“arising from within”… the body making its own) production of vitamin D substantially contributes to a subject’s vitamin D status. Most studies, however, have assessed dietary intake only.

Although differential effects of vitamin D on premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer have been discussed, this is the first study to investigate the association of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], as indicator of the overall vitamin D status, with breast cancer risk with restriction to premenopausal women only.

We used data of a population-based case-control study comprising 289 cases and 595 matched controls. Information on sociodemographic and breast cancer risk factors was collected by questionnaire and plasma 25(OH)D was measured by enzyme immunoassay. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression.

We observed a significant inverse association between breast cancer risk and plasma 25(OH)D concentrations.The association was stronger in progesterone receptor negative tumors, with suggestive evidence of effect heterogeneity (p(heterogeneity) = 0.05, case-only model).

Our findings support a protective effect of vitamin D for premenopausal breast cancer. 

Find out how much C, D and other vitamins you may need with this tool.

Tuesday Thought: “I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power, the greater it will be”. – Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday Fun Stuff: Nods to Corinna G. who recently sent this to me… I’ve seen it before, but had forgotten how incredible it was. For your viewing pleasure, Gin the Dancing Dog…