Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston followed more than 19,000 women over the age of 38 for nearly 13 years. Over the course of the study, they found that women who didn’t drink at all gained an average of about 8 pounds, while moderate drinkers gained about 3 and a half pounds.

"Weight gain was largest for women who did not consume alcohol and then monotonously decreased with increasing total alcohol intake," the researchers wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

They also said that red wine was best for keeping weight in check, but drinking white wine, beer and other alcohol also showed some benefit for weight.

Despite their findings, however, the scientists say they discourage women from using drinking as a weight control measure.

"Taking into account the potential medical and psychosocial problems related to drinking alcohol, any recommendation on alcohol use should be made for the individual after carefully evaluating both adverse and beneficial effects of the drinking behavior in broad context," they wrote.

The study, which is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, followed more than 100,000 adults in the U.S. between the years of 1984 and 2000.

According to Reuters, it found that individuals with the highest dietary fiber intake had a one-third lower risk of developing COPD than people who consumed the lowest amount of fiber.

"For COPD prevention, the most important public health message remains smoking cessation, but our data suggest that diet, another modifiable risk factor, might also influence COPD risk," the study’s authors wrote.

Researchers say fiber from grains (versus fiber from fruits and vegetables) was only shown to lower the risk of lung disease.

In addition, they point out that fiber is high in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties that may explain its disease-fighting properties.

Diets high in fiber have also been said to help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, prevent constipation and aid in weight loss.

In addition to food sources, nutritional supplements containing fiber may be a good option for those who don’t get enough in their diets.

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco analyzed data on the intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and their effects on adults aged 35 and older between the years 1990 and 2000. They found that there were 130,000 fresh diabetes cases and 14,000 new cases of coronary heart disease associated with drinking sweetened beverages, like sports drinks.

"We can demonstrate an association between daily consumption of sugared beverages and diabetes risk and translate this information into estimates of the current diabetes and cardiovascular diseases that can be attributed to the rise in consumption of these drinks," said lead researcher Dr. Litsa Lambrakos. "We want to make the general public more aware of the adverse health outcomes of consuming these drinks over time and help support disease prevention and curb consumption of these drinks."

Exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy, balanced diet are among the best ways to prevent diabetes and control blood sugar levels naturally. Some studies have found that nutritional supplements containing chromium and cinnamon may benefit blood sugar control in diabetics.

Researchers at the Group Health Research Institute found that massage treatments as well as simple relaxation were as effective in reducing anxiety as psychotherapy, medication or both.

The study, which is published in the journal Depression and Anxiety, followed 68 individuals with generalized anxiety disorder for more than three months. Each participant received 10 one-hour sessions of massage, relaxation therapy or thermotherapy. They all also received information on practicing deep breathing daily at home. All three treatments were conducted in a softly lighted room with relaxing music playing and were presided over by licensed massage therapists.

All three of the groups reported that their symptoms of anxiety had decreased by about 40 percent by the end of the 12-week treatments and by about 50 percent three months later. In addition to the decline in anxiety, the patients also reported fewer symptoms of depression and less worry and disability.

"Treatment in a relaxing room is much less expensive than the other treatments (massage or thermotherapy), so it might be the most cost-effective option for people with generalized anxiety disorder who want to try a relaxation-oriented complementary medicine therapy," said the study’s lead author, Dr. Karen Sherman.

Cumulative strains of bacteria that you harbor in your mouth, throat and down your esophagus can make your breath smell extremely unpleasant. And these bacteria can develop from the amino acids in your mouth… or they could be the result of an infection, periodontal disease or cancer of the mouth, esophagus or lungs.

How can you tell if you have bad breath? Lick the back of your hand and wait five seconds to smell it. If it smells bad, then your breath smells bad, too.

One way to get rid of your bad breath is to eat less refined sugar. The more refined sugar you eat the more smelly organisms such as yeast and unnatural bacteria you will have inside your body. Refined sugar feeds these strains, but whole and living raw foods don’t. And for long-term therapy, you might consider a liquid cleanse as well as eating nutrient-rich, living foods such as fruits and vegetables. You’ll be sweetly surprised at the improvement in not only your breath, but your body odor, as well.

How important is your breath when it comes to your love life? While men think appearance is the most important aspect in a mate, smells are a close second. And for women, smells rank the highest in terms of attraction. This is a call to action because a more satisfying love life could be just a sweet smell away.

L-glutamine is an ingredient most commonly found in body-building supplements, but scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had previously found that it protected against ammonia caused by some bacteria, and were hopeful that a similar effect could be found in the stomach.

After six weeks of supplementation, the body’s ability to fight the infection of H. pylori, a common cause of ulcers, was increased through L-glutamine supplementation, according to the study’s authors, and the level of inflammation normally caused by the bacteria was reduced.

"Because many of the stomach pathologies during H. pylori infection [including cancer progression] are linked to high levels of inflammation, this result provides us with preliminary evidence that glutamine supplementation may be an alternative therapy for reducing the severity of infection," said lead author Dr. Susan Hagen.

While supplements offer L-glutamine, natural sources also include meats such as beef and chicken, as well as protein sources like eggs.

Since having a cancerous colonoscopy biopsy more than a year ago, my friend has been fighting for his life. At the age of 38, he underwent radical surgery with radiation, which later had to be repeated to remove cancerous skin at the incision site. After returning to work, he had to go back into the hospital to have a blockage in his small intestine cleared. His doctors have told him he can’t eat fiber and have put him on a diet of broth and mostly unappetizing foods. Can you give us some suggestions for a nutritious yet appealing diet?

—Kimberly H.

Dear Kimberly,

Yes, I do have some suggestions for your friend. First, let me say that the doctors have restricted your friend from fiber because they think that fiber from foods such as lettuce and celery will be poorly digested, and will cause him to have gas. To get optimum amounts of fiber and nutrients, you can make a smoothie with fruit, veggies, almonds, walnuts and any other whole, living foods. These will not only be nutritious, but your friend shouldn’t have any trouble digesting it.

And here’s another tip. Find some fresh soup recipes that call for whole foods. That should give him even more options. Truth be told, they didn’t teach mainstream doctors much about nutrition and health in medical school—and it often shows in their food recommendations. I hope this information will be helpful!

All the best!
Michael Cutler, M.D.

According to HealthDay, the survey of more than 1,000 adults across the country found that people sleep almost two hours less than they did 40 years ago.

More than three-quarters of respondents said they know that a lack of sleep can cause health problems.

"Sleep duration is a very important variable in health, especially cardiovascular health," the study’s Dr. Jose Loredo said. "There is a strong association of sleeping less and hypertension, sleeping less and heart attacks, sleeping less and obesity."

Among the other findings, 24 percent said they have missed work or social engagements because they were too tired and as many as 26 percent of married people or couples who live together said that they were too tired to have frequent sex.

The National Sleep Foundation says natural ways to help individuals sleep better include going to sleep and waking up at the same time, adapting a relaxing bedtime ritual or routine, avoiding television too close to bedtime, exercising regularly as well as reducing caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.

Nutritional supplements containing calcium, magnesium, vitamin B, chromium and melatonin may also be beneficial for sleep.

Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center randomly assigned 43 women receiving an aromatase inhibitor for early breast cancer to receive either true acupuncture or sham acupuncture twice a week for six weeks. All had also reported musculoskeletal pain.

They found that the participants being treated with true acupuncture experienced a significant improvement in joint pain and stiffness over the course of the study. In addition, 20 percent of the patients who had reported taking pain relief medications reported that they no longer needed to take these medications following acupuncture treatment.
Participants who received the sham acupuncture did not report improvements in their pain.

"This study suggests that acupuncture may help women manage the joint pain and stiffness that can accompany aromatase inhibitor treatment," said the study’s lead author, Dr. Katherine Crew.

Aromatase inhibitor therapy is a common and effective treatment for early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Previous studies have found that about half of women undergoing the treatment report joint pain and stiffness.

The study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine notes that red yeast rice may be a safe and effective alternative to statins, which are used in conventional medicine to treat high cholesterol.

Although statins like Zocor^®, Mevacor^® and Lipitor^® have proven effective in dealing with high cholesterol, they also cause a side effect of muscle pain in as many as 10 percent of users.

The participants in the study were individuals with a poor tolerance to statins, and they were given either a placebo or a dose of red yeast rice equivalent to their statin dosage, which revealed a notable drop in cholesterol levels among those who were given the actual supplement.

Whether taking statins or red yeast rice to reduce cholesterol, Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wredden recommend healthy eating habits and regular exercise as part of any cholesterol-reduction regiment.

There are other nutritional supplements people can take as well. The Mayo Clinic recommends artichoke extract, garlic extract or fish oil to help reduce cholesterol levels.