That's Fit

I've never been pregnant, yet drinking during pregnancy is an issue that I'm very familiar with. My son's biological mother drank while she was pregnant with him. As a result, my son has Fetal Alcohol Effect. While he doesn't have the craniofacial features that are typical of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, he has many of the behavioral and cognitive impairments associated with the spectrum disorder. For example, though he is 11-years-old, my son's ability to comprehend cause and effect is about the level of a 2-year-old's.

So suffice it to say that I'm glad to see this study stating that even a few glasses of wine in early pregnancy can cause some fetal cell death. The researchers studied the effects of alcohol on fetal development in mice. Evidence shows that a few glasses of wine over an hour can have lasting effects on fetal development.

If you're pregnant, or there's any chance you might be pregnant, don't drink. It's just not worth it. One fun night might turn into permanent impairment that your child has to manage and live with for their rest of his or her life.

We all have body fat. It's necessary for proper body function. While a healthy percentage of body fat varies greatly, according to the American College of Sports Medicine a healthy range for women under 40 is 20-35%, for men 8-22%. (The ranges change for those over 40 and for fitness standards.)

But a recent study reveals that one fat cell isn't necessarily like another. In obese people, fat cells appear "sick."

Compared to fat cells taken from lean people, the fat cells from obese people were deficient in several ways. For example, the endoplasmic reticulum -- which helps cells synthesize proteins -- was stressed in the fat cells of obese people. This stress of the endoplasmic reticulum could inhibit or change the body's production of protein and could lead to insulin resistance (a contributing factor for obesity).

Can certain foods really protect you against cancer? RealAge thinks so and reports that turmeric is just the spice for the prevention of pancreatic cancer, the very disease that just took the life of The Last Lecture guy Randy Pausch and is giving actor Patrick Swayze a run for his money.

It's curcumin, the yellow stuff found in turmeric, that works wonders on tumor cells. When researchers added the substance to cancerous pancreatic cells, production practically shut down. Thumbs up, then, for the spice that gives curry and other Far Eastern dishes it's strong and distinctive flavor.

These foods also keep pancreas happy: Onions, arugula, fish, eggs, poultry, D-fortified cereal, and dairy.

Pixie dust. That's what Ohio resident, Lee Spievak, says helped grow his finger back. But the truth is a little less magical and quite a bit more scientific. Spievak accidentally cut the tip of his finger off in the propeller of a model airplane. The finger was cut down to the bone and the missing tip wasn't found. With such damage and nothing to reattach, doctors told him the tip of his finger was lost for good. But Spievak was lucky enough to have a brother who works in the field of regenerative medicine.

His brother sent him the "pixie dust" (otherwise known as extra cellular matrix). Extra cellular matrix is an experimental medicine made from the cells in the lining of a pig's bladder. The material has yet to go through a complete clinical trial, but scientists hope that the sheets and powdered versions of extra cellular matrix will help reduce scar formations after injury or surgery and help regrow tissue.

In the case of Lee Spievak, that's exactly what the experimental material did. Spievak sprinkled the dust on his fingertip for 10 days. Within four weeks, his fingertip regenerated -- with full functionality, nerves, nail and all. Even his fingerprint grew back intact.

"Is it true that I'm stuck with the fat cells I have? Or is there some way I can lose them?" asks an anonymous Oprah Magazine reader who wants the lowdown from Dr. David Katz, MD, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, medical consultant for ABC News, and guru of Oprah's The Way To Eat magazine column.

"No, you're not stuck with them," writes Katz, who tells this reader it's possible to shed those fat cells. It isn't easy, he warns, but it can be done.

As we age, we don't necessarily add more fat cells but the ones we have start to enlarge. Reversing this type of weight gain requires shrinking the cells -- not so hard if you're shrinking them from plus size back to normal but pretty darn difficult when shrinking them below normal size. This is because dieting causes the fat cells to produce less of the hormone that signals the brain that we're full. The result: We end up feeling ravenous all the time.

If you're able to lose more than 10 percent of your body weight (more than 20 pounds for someone weighing 200 pounds), eventually the fat cells will die.

Best wishes to all you fat shrinkers out there!

There may be more to obesity than over-eating, under-exercising, and a few contributing medical conditions. There may be a protein to blame, a protein that switches on various genes related to obesity.

Perixosome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) is its name and suppressing it may be the game. Researchers say by suppressing the protein they can potentially prevent the generation of adipocytes -- the precursors to fat cells. There's a problem with this, though. Turning off the protein would decrease it's beneficial properties. Plan B is to identify the gene targets of PPARg and to open up new targets for drug development against a number of diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

It's all very technical, this DNA stuff. Simply put, the researchers' next step will be to apply their data to mouse models in order to compare what happens in high-fat and normal conditions. Then one day, maybe it will all somehow apply to us humans. Only time will tell.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

I have pineapple on my mind because we just happen to have a fresh one in our house. It's been sliced and diced into nice little squares, and it sits in a Tupperware bowl in our fridge right now. My boys and I are happy to have this juicy fruit during a time when all of our favorites -- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon -- are disappearing from the grocery store produce aisles. It's a great fruit for many reasons -- it's super for nibbling, super if you're in a pinch and need to grab a quick bite, super for school lunches, and well, it's just plain super.

Pineapple is a Superfood because of its healing power on the joints. A top source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps support joint health, pineapples have anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate osteoarthritis. Bromelain also cleans up dead cells after injury, helps reduce inflammation related to asthma, and even inhibits the growth of malignant cells in both lung and breast cancer.

Let's face it, nobody enjoys going for their yearly Pap test. It's just one of those parts of being an adult that we women do because it's good for our health (and unfortunately way too many women don't bother at all). I assume men feel the same way about prostrate exams. It's not fun, but still we've got to get it done.

The good news is that apparently a new, more effective test to screen for cervical cancer has been developed. A study conducted at McGill University, which is about to published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the HPV test was able to detect pre-cancerous lesions in up to 94.6% of study participants while the Pap test discovered only 55.4%. That's a pretty major difference, especially where cancer screening is concerned.

Also, according to the article, women who receive negative results from an HPV test, which screens for the HPV virus which causes most if not all cases of cervical cancer, will only have to repeat the exam every 3 years. Unfortunately, those who have the HPV test and receive a positive result will also have to undergo the Pap test to check for pre-cancerous cells. If you want to know more about the study, take a look at the entire article here and for more information on the HPV test, consult your physician.

One of the most devastating aspects of fighting cancer can be the long and exhausting courses of treatment. From what I've read and heard, dealing with the physical and emotional after-affects of chemotherapy and radiation can be as difficult as dealing with the disease itself.

A test developed by a scientist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia promises to ease some of the suffering associated with cancer treatments. Basically, a dye is injected into patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation, and molecules in the die attach to any dead or dying cancer cells, allowing doctors to see whether or not the treatment is actually working.

Until now, patients had to endure entire courses of treatment that could last up to six months before being able to assess whether or not their tumors where shrinking, had stayed the same or were growing larger. If the treatment hadn't worked, patients would have to undergo a new, exhausting course of treatment. The new dye test will hopefully allow doctors to tell right away whether or not the treatment on a particular patient is working based on whether or not there is evidence of dead or dying cancer cells.

Hopefully the test will cut down on the trauma associated with chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Our bodies need a lot of stuff for proper functioning, like fiber, calcium, iron, water, a whole lot of exercise, and so much more. Like vitamin B.

The water-soluble vitamin B, in this case known as Thiamine, helps our cells operate like they should. It helps convert calories to carbohydrates and fats and proteins to energy. And thankfully, it's in many of the items we consume, even white flour. Vitamin B deficiencies are therefore rare. Still, we should be mindful of how much we need and how to get it.

Women need 1.1 milligrams (mg) of vitamin B per day. Men need 1.2 mg. Green peas, cooked dried beans and peas, wheat germ, and pork are all excellent sources. Also good are whole and enriched grains, fish, peanuts, and other nuts. Get creative and add black beans to salad, nuts to cereal, and wheat germ to muffin batter and you should satisfy your B requirements. It's that easy.

If I could opt for one elective surgery, I'd choose something that would erase the loose post-pregnancy skin hanging from my tummy. I know it's been four years since my last 10-pounder was born but it seems no matter how fit or lean I get, the jiggle remains. A tummy tuck or liposuction would be ideal. I'm not sure I'd ever go through with these procedures, though. Something about choosing to have surgery for a non-medical reason makes me a little nervous. If it weren't so controversial, maybe I'd hop on the lipodissolve bandwagon.

Surgery is not required for lipodissolve. All it takes is a few injections of a chemical found in lecithin, the food ingredient derived from soybeans. Shots are given right into bulging body parts where they dissolve fat cells. Lipodissolve is becoming quite the rage, despite the fact that the FDA has not approved the compound used in the shots.

Lipodissolve just hasn't received much clinical study. Besides the possible pain, nausea, diarrhea, elevated liver enzymes and lumps at the injection site, who knows what long-term side effects of this treatment might surface. Lipodissolve is such an unknown that the state of Kansas has banned the marketing and sales of this quick fix.

For millions of Americans that are lactose intolerance, how can you make sure that you get enough vitamin D and calcium in your diet needed to build strong bones and help ward off osteoporosis later in life. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the major sugar found in milk. Lactose intolerance is caused by a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is produced by the cells that line the small intestine. Lactase breaks down milk sugar into two simpler forms of sugar called glucose and galactose, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. People who do not have enough lactase to digest the amount of lactose they consume may feel very uncomfortable when they digest milk products. Common symptoms, which range from mild to severe, include nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Symptoms begin about 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating or drinking foods containing lactose.

Here are some foods to add to your daily diet when milk and dairy products are not an option. A 3-ounce serving size of canned Atlantic sardines contains 325 milligrams of calcium, compared with 336 milligrams for a 1.5-ounce serving of Swiss cheese. 1 Cup of fortified soymilk contains 200 milligrams of calcium. Sardines are an excellent calcium source because they contain soft bones. An orange has 48 milligrams of calcium. A cup of raw broccoli contains 43 milligrams, a cup of raw kale, 90 milligrams, and an artichoke delivers 56 milligrams of calcium. A 3-ounce serving of fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna has more natural vitamin D than a cup of milk. 1/2 cup of pinto beans contains 40 milligrams of calcium. Calcium supplements are helpful, especially for people who need more calcium or aren't able to get enough in their diet. But remember that getting calcium from food offers other benefits, such as fiber, antioxidants, and protein.

Today the results of a study 7 years in the making have been released: scientists have confirmed an alternative source of stem cells -- from amniotic fluid and placental tissue. This is awesome news because it allows the research and use of stem cells without harming fetuses. Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University hope that these newly discovered cells will hold the same promise as embryonic stem cells and provide continued hope for tissue repair and even engineered organs, but without the controversy. And they believe the amniotic and placental stem cells offer a couple things that embryonic stem cells don't: an almost unlimited supply (think of all the births in the U.S. every year) and, due to that availability, the ability to find a genetic match for practically any patient in need.

Obviously this concept is not completely new, with research having been done for many years. But I hadn't heard much about it before now, and I'm excited that this study has added confirmation to the idea and that the issue is now getting so much attention and publicity. Yay!