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Paul Wischmeyer was a teenage athlete when he learned firsthand just how devastating an intense illness can be. After spending the better part of a year severely sick and frequently hospitalized with undiagnosed severe inflammatory bowel disease, his colon perforated, landing him in the intensive care unit. When he finally recovered, he went from being a starter on his high school basketball team to being too weak to walk down the court profoundly disabled from just being in the hospital.

He built back his strength over the next few years, and eventually worked his way through medical school as a personal trainer in a competitive bodybuilding gym, where he helped clients sculpt their physiques by providing them with targeted workouts and having them add protein and other nutritional supplements to their diets. But it wasnt until his training in critical care medicine that Wischmeyer began to thread together his interest in bodybuilding with his interest in ICU recovery.

Critical care experts have long known that a stay in the ICU can lead to long-term weakness lasting months or even years after discharge, regardless of the specific illness. Wischmeyer was especially struck by his patients massive loss of muscle, which reminded him of his own experience.

Id watch people lose half their body weight in a short period of time and not be able to walk, he says.

Today, Wischmeyer, a critical care and nutrition physician at Duke University, is a leading voice among clinicians and scientists investigating whether increasing protein intake during and after hospitalization could be an important and long-overlooked component of recovery. Lean muscle melts away startlingly quickly in ICU patients, and muscle-wasting is a predictor of long-term impairment after hospitalization, studies show. Proponents of the approach say that protein, a nutritional cornerstone for body builders, may help critically ill patients retain muscle or rebuild it as well.

Protein is what everyone is interested in in right now, says Zudin Puthucheary, a clinical senior lecturer in intensive care at Queen Mary University of London. (Wischmeyer, like many researchers in the nutrition field, has received funding from industry.)

But some question whether simply adding more protein to patients diets will translate into increased muscle mass and better functioning. While several studies suggest that boosting protein levels early on after critical illness or surgery may improve recovery, they have mostly been small, and other studies have not shown a benefit.

Protein provision might be important, but there arent large studies to understand that yet, said Renee Stapleton, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

A handful of such studies are currently underway, but whether they will bring clarity to the protein picture remains to be seen.

Clinicians have a name for the long-term disability some people experience after an ICU stay: ICU-acquired weakness. Critical care physician Margaret Herridge of Toronto General Hospital began quantifying the effect some two decades ago. More than half of people in their 40s and 50s who spend a week on a ventilator dont return to work a full year after their hospital stay, she found, and a third never do. Even five years later, patients on average recover only three-quarters of the stamina and 6-minute walking distance of their age- and sex-matched peers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this issue by bringing huge waves of patients to the ICU. People hospitalized with COVID-19 tend to stay in the ICU longer than other patients, and that, along with the drugs and sedation they receive, likely ratchets up the risk of disability afterwards. I think COVID has highlighted for the general public a lot more about what happens in the ICU, including the challenge of reaching a full recovery, says Leeanne Chapple, a critical care dietician at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Researchers think that the massive muscle wasting that occurs during a critical illness deserves much of the blame for making recovery difficult.

The first thing we do when anything bad happens is we stop making muscle, says Puthucheary. Not only that, the body also breaks down existing muscle through a process called catabolism. During muscle catabolism, proteins stored in muscle tissue are broken down into smaller molecules called amino acids and energy is released. That breakdown happens quickly: A person who undergoes surgery or who spends time in the ICU can lose up to a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of muscle mass per day during the acute stages of their illness.

Id watch people lose half their body weight in a short period of time and not be able to walk, Paul Wischmeyer

Theoretically, adding more protein to a patients diet can help minimize the muscle loss. Yet nutrition has traditionally gotten short shrift in medicine, some experts say; a 2019 report from researchers at Harvard University called for better education about nutrition during medical training. This is especially relevant to critical care, a specialty in which monitoring vital statistics, stamping out infections, and generally ensuring survival has been paramount, says Daren Heyland, a critical care physician at Queens University in Kingston, Canada.

But the mindset is shifting as physicians start considering nutrition as something that is really modulating the underlying disease process, rather than merely playing a supporting role, Heyland says. It is a major paradigm shift.

Ironically, this shift is driven by improvements in critical care. Today, doctors can save people from trauma and illnesses that would have led to death just two decades ago.

With all this great technology, are we creating survivors or victims? Wischmeyer says. Theres this epidemic of impaired quality of life that we have to address. And I think that is drawing a lot more attention to nutrition.

Dietary guidelines recommend that a healthy adult should consume around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Current intensive care guidelines, meanwhile, suggest that adults receive 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram per day, generally delivered through a feeding tube. Wischmeyer and other experts advocate for amounts at the high end of that range, depending on a persons age and other factors.

Yet its not just a question of raising protein targets; clinicians need to ensure those targets are actually being met as studies in U.S. hospitals show that patients are often getting less than half the recommended amount. We are not getting anywhere near the lowest level of recommended protein, says Wischmeyer.

Nutrition interventions are challenging to study particularly in critically ill people, who are a heterogenous group. A blood pressure pill has a measurable physiological effect, and a clinician can see within hours of administering it whether it has done its job. But thats not the case for something like protein.

Not only would it take much longer to effect a change in body composition, there are no tests to track whether muscle cells are actually able to use the protein, says Chapple. Additionally, the timeframe of ICU interventions is generally limited to the week or two that a person spends there.

Most critical care studies have tested whether an intervention improves mortality in the months or year after an illness. But expecting a week of protein shakes to determine whether a person lives or dies is unrealistic, Wischmeyer says. Only recently have some studies begun using more nuanced endpoints measuring changes in a persons quality of life, such as their ability to stand up from a seated position or walk a certain distance.

Still, the idea that patients will benefit from increased protein does align with what researchers know about building back muscle after its intense loss, which was comprehensively demonstrated in a study called the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. The study, which ran from 1944 to 1945 and would probably not pass an ethics review today tracked the effects on 36 men of slashing caloric intake in half for six months. The researchers found that the loss of lean muscle mass was extraordinarily hard to reverse, and doing so required sharply increasing the mens calories and protein intake for as long as two years.

Past studies of athletes have helped researchers understand the cellular processes that occur when a person gains muscle. But its not clear how these processes work in critically ill people, says Arthur van Zanten, a critical care physician at Gelderse Valley Hospital and a professor at the Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands. His work has shown that these patients usually have poorly functioning mitochondria organelles that provide energy to cells in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Without enough energy, the body cant build muscle, no matter how much protein a patient consumes, van Zanten says.

Puthucheary and his colleagues are conducting a small study to test whether ketones an alternative fuel source derived from the bodys breakdown of fat or an amino acid metabolite called hydroxy methylbutyrate might work better. But given the altered physiology associated with critical illness, building muscle may simply prove too difficult, he says. For this reason, Puthucheary is also focusing on trying to prevent muscle wasting, which likely involves a different set of metabolic mechanisms.

Rather than making someone whos sick unsick, we are trying to work with the sick physiology, he says.

As researchers continue to investigate how exactly protein and related factors can affect the physiological processes that underlie recovery, a handful of large randomized trials of between 800 to 4,000 participants are currently investigating the basic question of whether increasing protein intake in the ICU improves recovery. A smaller trial combines protein delivery with exercise. In the next two or three years we will know exactly what is happening, says van Zanten. Im personally convinced the higher protein groups will do better.

Puthucheary is less certain for one thing, because most of them dont include exercise, which is also a key component of building muscle, he says but time will tell.

Other studies are exploring interventions that begin after a patient has recovered enough to leave the ICU. Wischmeyers team, for example, is using principles from elite athletic training to develop a diet and training regimen that people can start in the hospital, right after they leave the ICU, and then they can continue at home. Van Zanten and his colleagues are also investigating nutritional and other strategies for promoting recovery in the months after an ICU stay.

That long-term window is virtually unexplored, yet that period may offer an untapped opportunity, van Zanten says. In the ICU, clinicians can monitor precisely what nutrients a person receives, but thats much tougher after discharge. Peoples food intake often slumps when they are sent home, but with inflammation and catabolism resolving, its when protein and other nutritional interventions, as well as physical activity, are likely to be especially effective. It may not always be possible to restore function fully, says van Zanten, but I am very convinced that we can do a better job.

Alla Katsnelson is a science journalist based in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in Chemical & Engineering News, Scientific American, The New York Times, and other outlets.This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.

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If you ever want to figure out which tea to drink for the most health benefits, the answer may surprise you: Out of the five major tea types Black, Green, Oolong, White, and Pu-erh white teais the most minimally processed,involving only harvesting (picking the leaves by hand), withering in direct sunlight, and drying the leaves. That means it has the potential to deliver the most antioxidants in their least altered form.

Made only from the buds and young tea leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant, white tea contains flavonoids and polyphenols, which makes it even more potent against oxidative stress than green tea, which is prepared from the matured tea leaves.

White tea delivers the most antioxidants of any tea due to its natural preparation method, andresearchhave shown it protects against diseases such as heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders, obesity and may even "play an important role in the prevention of cancer," according to one reviewstudypublished in theInternational Journal of Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics (IJFS).

Thereview lists the impressive benefits of white tea, which reads like a list of the most important health concerns anyone can face, from heart disease to cancer. According to the research, the health benefits of white tea include:

1. Cardioprotective effects2. Antidiabetic potential3. Anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities4. Neuroprotective activity5. Antimicrobial properties6. Cardioprotective effects7. Anti-obesity potential

The health benefits of white tea also include protecting against bone loss and skin damage caused by the sun, as well as lowering your risk of insulin resistance and inflammation, which in turn protects the bodyfrom several life-threatening diseases. The tea has also beenshownto help boost your metabolism by 5 percent, which helps to promote natural weight loss.

Whitetea is sipped all around the world, but the plant is native to China, and when it's harvested the leaves are covered in tiny white hairs, hence its name. The drying process is also the leastdetrimental to the plant, compared to the process of other teas,which is why white tea is known as a delicacy.

Today, white tea is everywhere: You can find it as the main ingredient in skincare products including natural cleaners, facemasks, hand soap, lotions, and deodorant, added for its protection against skin damage benefits, as well as fragrances like perfumes and candles for its soft, floral scent. However, if you want to get the most from white tea, drinking it regularly hasbeenscientifically linked tonumerous health benefits.

Regular consumption of white tea has a protective effect against bone loss, according to a studythat involved postmenopausal women who are at a higher risk of bone fracture. Researchers set out to investigate the potential health benefits of white tea on female rats whose ovaries had been removed. After twelve weeks, theresearchers measured bone mineral densityand found that white tea reduced bone loss and increased a protein hormone calledosteocalcinthat helps build bone strength and reduce the incidence of fracture.

The extract in white tea may boost collagen and protect against skin damage, according to a study. Researchers tested white tea, rose, and witch hazel extract and formulations in a lab and the data showed white teahas a "protective effect on fibroblast cells" in the skin, against hydrogen peroxide-induced damage, supporting wound healing and healthier skin in general.

In a different study, researchers determined whether green tea or white tea extracts would prevent skin damage caused by the sun and found that both types of tea offered protection against the effects of UV skin damage.

A study investigated the effects of white tea extract on young diabetic rats for four weeks and found thatthe mice given the tea showed a decrease in blood glucose concentrations and LDL cholesterol (also known as bad cholesterol). The mice given the white tea extract also showed an increase in glucose tolerance compared to the mice not given the white tea extract. The researchers concluded: "White tea iseffective to reduce most of the diabetes-associated abnormalities in a streptozotocin-induced diabetes model of rats."

In Ancient China, people combined peppermint tea and white tea to detoxify their bodies, also known today as the anti-inflammation effect. Researchers in onestudy examined the two teas mixed together and found that the combined formula was associated with enhancingantibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers, along with other health-related illnesses, according to a recentstudy.

White tea may increase your energy expenditure as you lose weight, as well asboost the body's natural ability to burn fat, according to a study.White tea and green tea may "increase energy expenditure (4 to 5 percent), fat oxidation (10 to 16 percent) and have been proposed to counteract the decrease in metabolic rate that is present during weight loss," according to the study. "Daily increases in thermogenesis of approximately 300 to 400 calories can eventually lead to substantial weight loss," it concluded.

Therefore, researchers suggest thatwhite teamay be a helpful strategy for healthy weight loss or long-term weight maintenance.

It has been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol, help fight oxidative stress in the body,fight chronic inflammation and help protect against bone loss, and sun-related skin damage, White tea appears to lower insulin resistance and may help you lose weight, according to studies.

For more great content like this, read The Beet's Health & Nutrition articles.

Here are the best foods to eat on repeat, to boost immunity and fight inflammation. And stay off the red meat.

Excerpt from:
5 Health Benefits of White Tea: Lower Risk of Insulin Resistance - The Beet

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Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a measure your doctor can take of how well your kidneys are working. You can improve your GFR and your kidney function by looking at your lifestyle, diet, and medications, and making certain changes.

Your kidneys are your bodys filtration system. They pull the water and nutrients you need from your blood, and send waste products, toxins, and extra fluid to the bladder to be released as urine. Your kidneys play a crucial role in regulating your bodys fluid and electrolyte balance, which can impact things like your heart rate and blood pressure.

When this filter isnt working well, or if youve been diagnosed with kidney disease, you need to monitor your kidney health carefully. Thats because any imbalance in this system can affect the entire body. Keep reading to learn what you can do to improve your GFR and protect, or restore, your kidney health.

The glomerular filtration rate measurement comes from the name of the filtering units inside your kidneys, called the glomeruli.

Glomeruli are complex structures made of tiny blood vessels called capillaries, along with protein mesh and layers of tissue that continuously filter your plasma. Each glomerulus is housed within a structure called a Bowmans capsule. Based on 2020 research, between your 2 kidneys, you have about 2 million glomeruli.

A number of formulas are used by groups like the National Kidney Foundation to calculate GFR. But the measurement essentially takes into consideration your gender, age, body size, and your blood creatinine level.

Creatinine is a waste product that your body creates as muscle breaks down. Everyone has some creatinine in their blood. Average levels range from:

These levels can vary. For example, in a 2009 research review, creatinine levels fell by an average of 0.4 milligrams per deciliter in pregnant women.

Because they can change with age and size, creatinine levels alone are not good indicators of kidney health. The GFR takes these other elements into account.

Most GFR results simply provide you with a measurement of 60 or higher, since you can have stage 1 or 2 kidney disease, but still have normal kidney function. This changes when your GFR drops below 60. Under 60, you begin to have some loss in function.

The National Kidney Foundation lists the following GFR scores and kidney disease stages, and what to expect in each:

As you advance through the stages of kidney disease, you will notice more and more symptoms, and your treatments may need to become more intense.

Hemodialysis is a treatment where an artificial kidney filters and circulates your blood when your kidneys can no longer do their job. Its a common method for managing end-stage kidney disease and kidney failure. However, with early diagnosis and careful management, you may be able to at least slow down the progression of your kidney disease.

In most cases, kidney disease is a chronic and gradually progressing disease. While its possible to improve your GFR, youre more likely to do so with acute kidney injuries rather than with chronic kidney disease. For most people with chronic disease, positive lifestyle changes may help slow the loss of kidney function.

Some studies have shown that GFR may increase over time in people at all stages of kidney disease by:

Here are other things you can do to help reduce further damage to your kidneys.

A balanced diet can go a long way in protecting your kidneys. Some foods put more strain on the kidneys and are best avoided, especially if you have known kidney damage. These include foods high in potassium, phosphorous, and sodium, like:

Getting regular exercise and keeping your blood pressure in check can help protect your kidneys. High blood pressure can damage the delicate structures in your kidneys.

Controlling your blood sugar is key to avoiding kidney damage. This is especially true if you have diabetes. People with kidney disease who have diabetes are more likely to have severe complications or a quicker decline in kidney health than those with kidney disease who dont have diabetes.

Drinking enough water is good advice for anyone, but it can also help your kidney health. Staying hydrated can improve your kidneys ability to filter toxins. Kidney experts recommend that you drink enough water to make around 2 liters of urine per day. If youre wondering how much water that is, itll vary from person to person.

Dehydration concentrates your urine, which can cause damage. Exactly how much water you should drink is up for debate, and clinical studies are still investigating just how much water it would take to help your kidneys. They have shown that any benefit is only seen with plain water, not sweetened drinks.

There are other cases where you may need to limit how much water you drink. If you have severe kidney disease, your doctor may place you on a fluid restriction. This is because your kidneys are less effective at removing extra water from your body. The extra fluid can lead to swelling and edema, and may need to be removed by other means, like hemodialysis.

If your kidneys arent working well, or if youve been diagnosed with kidney disease, its important to talk with your doctor about any medications youre taking. A number of medications can impair or cause damage to the kidneys. Your doctor can determine the best course of action in terms of stopping these medications or replacing them with a different kind of medication.

Medications that can cause problems with your kidneys called nephrotoxins include:

People with kidney disease should also avoid using drugs including:

As for natural supplements, talk with your doctor before taking any herbal remedies or vitamins.

Kidney disease can develop slowly over time, but some symptoms may be a sign that something is wrong. These include:

Talk with your doctor about your risks for kidney disease, or any family history of kidney problems. Many times, people are diagnosed with kidney disease when routine lab work is done for another reason.

If youve been diagnosed with kidney disease, you can also talk with your doctor about any medications or supplements youre currently taking, as well as your diet. Your doctor may ask you to make some changes to support your kidney health.

While few medications can help treat kidney disease, managing conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes can go a long way in extending the life of your kidneys.

Improving your GFR isnt easy, but it can happen. To increase your GFR and your kidney function, talk with your doctor about changes you can make to your lifestyle and diet. You can also discuss any new medications or supplements youre taking to increase kidney function.

The best thing you can do to protect your kidneys is to try to avoid damaging them in the first place. Avoid medications that are toxic to your kidneys, eat well, stay hydrated, and keep your blood sugar and blood pressure in control.

Link:
Can GFR Be Improved? Lifestyle Changes That May Help - Healthline

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The I word is a biggie in the health world: inflammation. And it has somewhat of a split personality. Inflammation occurs naturally in the body and plays a key role in helping you recover from injury, trauma, and even a simple cut. Thats good. But its also at the root of a whole slew of serious health conditions and diseases. Not so good. On one hand, inflammation can help you heal, and on the other, it can make you sick.

Types of Inflammation

There are two main forms of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is how your body helps you heal short-term from something like an infection (you get a cold and dont feel great for a week while your body works to rehab itself) or trauma (you bumped your knee and it swells as your body goes into repair mode). Most of the time, this inflammation is positive. Chronic inflammation happens when inflammation builds up inside your body and hangs around longer than it needs to (from stress, diet, or disease, for example)and that can have negative effects on your health. Research suggests that chronic inflammation plays a role in everything from heart disease and arthritis to diabetes and cancer.

And just to complicate things, acute inflammation isnt always benign. In the case of acute joint pain, for example, theres a risk of infection or trauma, meaning that sometimes acute inflammation can be just as problematic as the chronic kind.

Phew. All of this brings us here: Its important to be able to identify between the two different types of inflammation, but its also important to know when you might need to consult a doctor. Heres how to figure out what type of inflammation youre dealing with and what to do about it.

If your inflammation is widespread: It might be chronic

Generally speaking, systemic inflammationinflammation that impacts a lot of different parts of your bodypoints to a chronic health issue, says Julie Chen, M.D., a nationally recognized integrative medicine doctor based in San Jose, CA. If you have chronic inflammation, you might describe your pain as more of an all over feeling or just generally feel pain in a lot of different places. Symptoms such as fatigue and achiness can be signs of chronic inflammation.

What to do: Depending on your symptoms, talk to your doctor about what kind of tests they may be able to do. Different blood tests or other diagnostic tests can measure biomarkers of inflammation that give clues into what could be going on. There are also many lifestyle interventions that can help you feel better. Take weight loss: Research shows that in people with psoriatic arthritis, a type of arthritis caused by chronic inflammation, weight loss on its own can significantly improve peoples disease and lower their levels of inflammation. If your symptoms are getting in the way of your day-to-day, talk to your doctor.

Ponchai Soda / EyeEmGetty Images

If your inflammation seems to be in one spot: Its probably acutebut it depends

Localized swelling and painsay, around your shoulder or your kneecould be acute inflammation. But chronic inflammation can sometimes show up in one area, too (and stick around for weeks or months). For many chronic inflammatory skin diseases, inflammation tends to occur in the same locations, says dermatologist April Armstrong, M.D., chair of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board, and associate dean for clinical research at Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California. To figure it out, your doctor may ask questions about how long the pain has been lingering.

What to do: That depends; dont write off localized inflammation (say, a swollen wrist or puffy feet) just because its in one spot. Always seek out medical attention if youre in pain or worried about it, since acute joint pain can require a medical professional to check for infection or trauma, says Anca D. Askanase, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

Otherwise, noting how long a rash has been at a certain location, for example, can shed light on acute versus chronic inflammation, and help you decide whether to get it checked out.

If your inflammation has been around 6+weeks: Its probably chronic

Whether youre talking about your skin, your joints, or both, keeping track of how long youve had symptoms is a good idea. Chronic inflammation of the skin can last for months or even years, explains Dr. Armstrong, while acute inflammation typically clears up in a few days or weeks. As for your joints? Chronic inflammation in the joints lasts longer than six weeks and defines chronic arthritis, says Dr. Askanase.

What to do: Theres no need to wait a certain amount of time before you seek help; you should always see your doctor if youre in pain, says Dr. Chen. And if pain and inflammation have been present for longer than six weeks, you definitely need to book an appointment with your health professional STAT.

If over-the-counter (OTC) or at-home remedies help you feel better: It depends

The majority of acute joint pain responds to traditional measures of rest, ice, elevation, and OTC anti-inflammatory drugs (think: ibuprofen). But that doesnt automatically mean that inflammation tamed by more conservative measures is acute. Pain from mild, chronic inflammation can respond to OTC medications just as easily as acute inflammation can, points out Dr. Chen. Alternatively? If acute inflammation is severe, then these medications won't help, but that doesn't mean that your pain is chronic, she says.

What to do: Monitor your pain and keep an eye on whether it returns, and how long it lasts. But regardless of duration, if youre in serious pain or have symptoms such as a fever (a potential sign of infection), always check in with your doctor.

If you cant stop itching your skin and now it looks thick and leathery: Its could be chronic

Notice raised areas of inflamed skin or scales or wrinkles that have built up on top the skin? That could be pointing toward a skin condition caused by chronic inflammation, explains Dr. Armstrong. Sometimes the body's natural response to chronic inflammation in an area is to grow thicker skin. Doctors use the term lichenification to describe the bark-like appearance of this skin. You dont usually see this kind of a reaction with acute inflammation, which tends to be more short-lived, says Dr. Armstrong.

What to do: Make an appointment with a dermatologist or a rheumatologist, who can help you identify what might be going on. And do your best to not scratch at the area in the meantime.

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Known for its salty, savory flavor, the peanut is a popular snack and versatile ingredient used to make peanut butter, baked goods, smoothies, sauces, and more.

Its also incredibly nutritious, boasting a hearty dose of magnesium, folate, and vitamin E in every serving (1).

However, despite its impressive nutrient profile, many may wonder whether this salty staple can help or harm health, especially for people assigned male at birth (AMAB).

This article takes a closer look at the research to determine whether AMAB people should eat peanuts.

Peanuts are a great source of protein, packing more than 7 grams into each 1-ounce (28-gram) serving (1).

Protein is important for growth and development, as well as for wound healing, tissue repair, immune function, and more (2).,

Its also crucial for increasing strength and supporting muscle growth, especially when paired with resistance training (3).

According to one study, taking a peanut powder supplement increased muscle mass and strength among older adults when combined with resistance training (4).

Another study including 65 men with overweight and obesity found that consuming peanuts as part of a low calorie diet increased fat burning and decreased body (5).

Peanuts are high in protein, which can increase muscle mass and improve body composition.

Heart disease is a serious issue thats especially common among men (6, 7).

Diet plays a key role in heart health, and certain foods, including peanuts, have been shown to decrease several risk factors for heart disease (8).

Peanuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats like linoleic acid. Studies show that replacing carbohydrates or saturated fats in your diet with polyunsaturated fats may reduce your risk of developing heart disease (9).

One review found that eating peanuts and tree nuts at least twice per week was associated with a 13% lower risk of heart disease (10).

Other studies show that peanut consumption may increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, which may also benefit heart health (11).

Peanuts are high in polyunsaturated fats and may be linked to a lower risk of heart disease, which may be especially beneficial for men and others assigned male at birth.

Peanuts are loaded with arginine, an amino acid thats converted into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a compound that helps dilate the blood vessels to improve blood flow and circulation (12, 13).

Studies show that arginine supplements may help treat mild to moderate erectile dysfunction (14, 15).

Other test-tube and animal studies have found that arginine could improve semen quality, enhance libido, and increase testosterone levels (16, 17, 18, 19).

Peanuts are also a good source of resveratrol, an antioxidant that has also been shown to support sexual health in men (12).

According to some human and animal studies, resveratrol may likewise improve sperm quality and erectile function (20, 21, 22, 23).

Still, because most studies focus on the individual compounds found in peanuts, more research is needed to determine whether peanuts affect sexual function specifically.

Peanuts are high in arginine and resveratrol, two compounds that may support several aspects of sexual function.

Peanuts are delicious, versatile, and jam-packed with a long list of important nutrients.

They may also offer several benefits specifically for AMAB people and could help promote muscle growth, support heart health, and enhance sexual function.

Therefore, all genders can enjoy peanuts as part of a healthy, well-rounded diet.

Excerpt from:
Should Men Eat Peanuts? Nutrients and Benefits - Healthline

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Passive investing in index funds can generate returns that roughly match the overall market. But you can significantly boost your returns by picking above-average stocks. For example, the Heartland Group Holdings Limited (NZSE:HGH) share price is up 84% in the last 1 year, clearly besting the market return of around 8.4% (not including dividends). If it can keep that out-performance up over the long term, investors will do very well! The longer term returns have not been as good, with the stock price only 30% higher than it was three years ago.

The past week has proven to be lucrative for Heartland Group Holdings investors, so let's see if fundamentals drove the company's one-year performance.

View our latest analysis for Heartland Group Holdings

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During the last year Heartland Group Holdings grew its earnings per share (EPS) by 20%. The share price gain of 84% certainly outpaced the EPS growth. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it a year ago.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that Heartland Group Holdings has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? Check if analysts think Heartland Group Holdings will grow revenue in the future.

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Heartland Group Holdings, it has a TSR of 93% for the last 1 year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

It's nice to see that Heartland Group Holdings shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 93% over the last year. That's including the dividend. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 15%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Heartland Group Holdings (including 1 which is concerning) .

We will like Heartland Group Holdings better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on NZ exchanges.

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Heartland Group Holdings' (NZSE:HGH) one-year earnings growth trails the respectable shareholder returns - Simply Wall St

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MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The trained advisors at Elite HRT have published new informational guidance on one of their most-popular services, Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). How To Get TRT: What Is Testosterone Replacement Therapy? is a free online resource intended to educate the general public on what testosterone does within the body, and the benefits that can be seen by introducing some as natural supplies diminish with age.

Testosterone is traditionally known as a masculine hormone, as it helps balance male reproductive functions as well as mood balancing, bone health, muscle mass, body fat composition, and blood. It should be noted that this element is present in female bodies, but at much lower levels. Still, it can impact their mood, sexual desire, and other functions. TRT is the process of supplying the body with additional testosterone to increase libido, energy, and motivation. This therapy can result in a decrease of body fat and increase in both muscle strength and athletic performance, while also boosting mood and mental clarity. However, these benefits can vary from person to person, and anyone wanting to try testosterone replacement therapy should speak with a professional before starting.

This article is provided online for public consumption, as HRT works to spread awareness of these available hormone therapies so more people can pursue the treatment they need in order to lead better lives. The article was reviewed by Medical Advisor and Regulatory Affairs Specialist Camille Freking to verify the accuracy and honesty of its claims.

About Elite HRT: Elite HRT is a telemedicine firm led by a network of physicians specializing in hormone replacement therapies. With unique approaches to HRT, TRT, HGH, and more, Elite HRT works to tailor solutions uniquely created for specific patients, all at affordable rates. Those wanting to learn more and contact Elite HRT can visit https://www.elitehrt.com/ and submit a contact request form with background information today.

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Elite HRT Publishes Informational Packet on Testosterone Replacement Therapy - Business Wire

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One of the key factors fueling the growth of the global hormone replacement therapy market is increasing acquisitions. Pfizer Inc., a pharmaceutical firm headquartered in the United States, combined with OPKO Health Inc., a business based in the U.S., in 2014 to create a long-acting growth hormone (hGH-CTP) and novel therapies for growth hormone deficient individuals. hGH-CTP is more convenient since patients just require one injection each week instead of daily dosages. In the U.S. and Europe, hGH-CTP has been designated as an orphan medication for children and adults with growth hormone deficiencies.

The expansion of the global hormone replacement therapy market is projected to be aided by a strong pipeline. In 2017, Novo Nordisk A/S, a Danish firm, completed phase 3 clinical studies for Somapacitan. This medication is used to treat adult testosterone deficiency.

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Major Company Profiles Covered in This Report:Novartis AG, Abbott Laboratories, Mylan N.V., Merck KgaA, Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, QuatRx Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Amgen, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company.

The market for hormone replacement treatment is projected to expand due to the rising prevalence of various chronic diseases.

The market for hormone replacement treatment is projected to expand due to the rising prevalence of hypogonadism in adult males throughout the world. Hypogonadism affects 2.1 percent to 12.8 percent of middle-aged men, according to the European Association of Urologys 2016 study. In Europe, the prevalence of low testosterone and hypogonadism symptoms in males aged 40 to 79 ranges from 2.1 percent to 5.7 percent.

The expansion of the global hormone replacement therapy market is projected to be aided by easier access and government assistance for research and development efforts. NGOs such as the National Gaucher Society provide financial assistance to patients who require expensive insulin replacement treatment.

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Companies are concentrating their efforts on creating generic versions of numerous medications for the treatment of diseases that are more common in women, such as hypothyroidism. On July 24, 2017, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. introduced a generic version of Vagifem, 10 mcg, in the United States. Estradiol vaginal inserts are a kind of oestrogen used to treat atrophic vaginitis caused by menopause.

Furthermore, Mylan N.V. received FDA clearance for its Abbreviated New Medication Application (ANDA) for Estradiol Vaginal Cream USP, 0.01 percent on December 29, 2017, and therefore marketed the drug in the U.S. This cream is the first generic alternative to Allergans Estrace Cream, which is used to treat vulvar and vaginal atrophy.

Mylan is one of the few firms that sells Estradiol in cream, gel, transdermal patch, and tablet form. This will benefit both healthcare personnel and patients, as well as ensuring the businesss long-term viability.

Major companies contributing in the global hormone replacement therapy market are Pfizer Inc., QuatRx Pharmaceuticals, Mylan N.V., Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, Inc., Novartis AG, Eli Lilly and Company, Bayer AG, Merck KgaA, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and Novo Nordisk A/S.

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One size does not fit allWeight management is typically pursued for many reasons - from getting fit for a special event to improving ones health indicators. Most often, regardless of the intent, weight loss programs are perceived as a process of adapting to diet and exercise for a short period before getting back to regular habits and life. Its also seen as something that can be taken on independently, through trial and error and without the need for professional guidance.'; var randomNumber = Math.random(); var isIndia = (window.geoinfo && window.geoinfo.CountryCode === 'IN') && (window.location.href.indexOf('outsideindia') === -1 ); //console.log(isIndia && randomNumber By adopting this approach, the journey of getting fitter can quickly become frustrating for many. Mostly because short-term dieting can lead to frustration and discouragement as the weight may return after the dieting period has ended. The challenge with word-of-mouth and basic googling is that its easy to commit to a diet or change in lifestyle, which ends up being too difficult to sustain long enough to see results, and longer to maintain those results. Its important to understand that people are fundamentally different, so what works for one person will not work for another. Congratulations!

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Because of peoples upbringing, tastes, preferences, its hard to let go of staple foods like rice, roti and sweets, usually looked down upon when one is trying to lose weight. Additional factors like smoking, drinking, improper sleeping patterns, inadequate hydration, and day-to-day challenges like not having enough time or finances to invest in yourself or being in a high-stress environment can slow down your process significantly. Furthermore, a persons eating disorders, insulin resistance, and other lifestyle conditions such as blood pressure and diabetes may also prove to be a barrier to losing weight.

Markers of a sustainable diet

A trusted friend in this journey is the HealthifyMe app that guides you through the weight loss journey with a holistic approach and snowball method. With 25+ million happy users who lost 5+ million kgs, with the help of 600+ coaches, this is the only health and fitness app you will ever need. From health tracking to personalized coaching, from offering diet and workout plans to assisting you online through an artificial intelligence coach - they do it all, and they do it well.

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Nutritionist weighs in - Which weight loss diets work and which ones dont? - Times of India

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It's a conversation I've had with many of my fellow parents in recent months, as our children have reunited at park play dates, and soccer matches: We've noticed our kids put on some extra weight during this pandemic, and we're not sure what, if anything, we should do about it.

"You are not alone," says Dr. Sandra Hassink, medical director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight. "This is happening to many, many people." She says the pandemic created "the perfect storm for having issues with weight gain," with its mass disruption of school, sleep and physical activity schedules, as well as stress and social isolation.

"I think everybody's shifting upward," she adds. "Kids that were in the healthy weight range are shifting upward. Children with obesity are shifting upward and children with severe obesity are shifting upward."

Weight is an incredibly fraught topic and an imperfect indicator of health. As parents, a kid's sudden weight gain can be hard to know how to tackle.

The last thing we'd want is to set the stage for poor body image or eating disorders for our children. "If we focus on weight, that can cause so many other problems," says Anna Lutz, a registered dietitian in Raleigh, N.C., who specializes in family feeding issues.

Instead, Lutz and other experts say parents should focus on they're supporting healthy habits in their kids. Here are what doctors and specialists who work with kids say about what to do and not to do to get your family back on track.

A pediatrician can help assess whether your child's weight gain is just part of their normal growth pattern, says Lutz.

Kids grow at different rates, and healthy kids come in all shapes and sizes, she explains. "But where we might get concerned is when a child veers off of their growth pattern significantly." So, for instance, a kid who has been growing consistently along the 25th percentile and then suddenly jumps to the 90th, that might be a signal that something's going on.

If so, the pediatrician may suggest ways to slow the rate of weight gain so that a kid's height can catch up, Hassink adds.

Your child's doctor might also want to make sure that a child isn't developing health problems like elevated cholesterol, fatty liver disease or sleep apnea. Or, a sudden jump in weight could be a signal of other health issues. "There could be something going on emotionally that's interfering with someone's eating or movement. It could be a change in medication," says Lutz.

"A lot of things happened during COVID to maybe make us a little less healthy," says Hassink. She recommends that parents assess their family routines and figure out what got out of whack during the pandemic.

When you're talking to kids, focus on healthy habits, not weight, experts say. This is important because weight isn't as easily changed as behaviors, and "we are not all supposed to look the same," says Lutz. "Bodies do come in all shapes and sizes and bodies change over time."

Focusing on a number on the scale might lead a child to develop poor body image, says Lutz.

"When we start to send our children the message that there's something wrong with their body, we're setting them up for all these health concerns and emotional concerns, self-esteem problems," she says. "Really, focusing on behaviors is what supports health."

And ultimately, the goal is to foster healthy habits in children that they'll maintain throughout their lives, says Hassink.

"This isn't a 10-week program. We're really aiming for these patterns that will start now and go across their lifespan." And it's about more than weight good nutrition and physical activity are also key to preventing chronic illness, she says.

Sleep, regular meal times and physical activity are a good place to start.

In the chaos of the pandemic, and during summer breaks, sleep and wakeup times slid later and later for lots of kids, says Dr. Nazrat Mirza, medical director of the pediatric weight management clinic at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

"I've had kids [going to sleep] at 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m. And then they nap during the day," she says instead of engaging in physical activity. Research has linked regular, adequate sleep to improved mental and physical health in kids. "So sleep is equally important," as nutrition and exercise, she says.

If sleep routines have become a problem in your household, Hassink suggests trying to move kids' bedtimes back by 15 minutes every two or three nights. Do the same thing with wake-up times, moving them 15 minutes earlier every few mornings, she says. "Work your way back into a sleep routine that matches what you're going to need for school."

Clinicians who work with kids are unanimous on this count: Restrictive eating is not for kids. "We know that children and adolescents that engage in dieting behaviors are more likely to develop eating disorders," says Lutz.

And restrictive diets can also backfire. "In the long run it actually leads to increased weight gain," she says, and it can set someone up for gaining and losing weight over and over again, which can have health consequences of its own.

All-day-long, unsupervised grazing became a habit in many households in the early days of the pandemic even for trained experts as many parents found themselves on constant work Zooms.

"It was sort of this buffet-style experience where they were noshing throughout the day," says Stacey Rosenfeld, a Miami-based psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. This was the case with her kids, twin 7-year-old boys, one of whom ended up gaining 20 pounds in six months.

As things calmed down, Rosenfeld decided it was time for a reset, including getting back to more structured eating. While putting kids on a restricted diet can lead to unintended consequences, creating and sticking to set meal and snack times can help kids regulate their appetites and develop sensible eating habits, experts say.

"If a child's not sure if dinner is going to be five o'clock or eight o'clock and they get hungry at 4:30, they might just reach for a snack, not knowing exactly when dinner is coming," Hassink says. "So regular meal and snack times of eating together is a very positive health behavior."

Lutz and Rosenfeld both embrace an approach known as the division of responsibility in feeding: Basically, your job as a parent is to decide when and what kids eat, offering them a variety of healthful foods. The kids' job is to decide whether and how much to eat so don't force them to clean their plate and don't be a short-order cook.

"Provide the food, take a deep breath and let them listen to their body. Let them do their jobs," Lutz says. Ultimately, she says, you want to raise kids who are mindful eaters, in touch with their hunger and fullness.

The pandemic has had us all glued to screens. Break up all that sitting and cut back on screen time with small and frequent bouts of movement, Hassink says. That could be a quick game of tag or an outdoor playdate or walking to the corner store with mom or dad.

Family walks are always a good idea. If you have a kid that is less than enthused about joining you for a stroll, Hassink has some suggestions. For smaller kids, she says a star chart might work. Give them a star for every walk they complete each day, and at the end of the week, they get to pick a fun family activity for you all to do.

For older kids, she suggests having them invite a friend over to play or join you in a family outing, such as a family bike ride. You could sign the kids up for an activity like soccer or swimming, pandemic permitting. Or take your child along for an errand and park far. "The focus is on getting kids moving again," Hassink says, adding, "Any activity is better than sitting at your computer or watching a screen."

It takes energy to make change, and tackling too many changes at once can be overwhelming, Hassink advises. Instead, pick one or two changes you want to make at first to get your family back to healthy habits.

"If you take the first step and then you succeed at that, it gives you energy" to keep moving in the right direction, she says.

No matter what changes you make, make sure you make them for the whole family, experts advise. Why? For starters, you need the support of the people around you, says Hassink. "If you're living in the midst of your family and you're the only one trying to make the change or having to make the change, it's not going to work."

Even if you have multiple children, but only one child gained weight, don't single them out, says Rosenfeld. "I hear so many stories about that backfiring," she says, "stories of kids who say, 'I was the heavier person or I gained weight, and so I wasn't allowed to have desserts and my sibling or siblings were.' Or 'I had to do this exercise.' And I think that can be so damaging."

If the goal is to raise healthy children, then the changes you adopt should apply to everyone in the family, she says. She often encourages parents to ask themselves, "Would I do this if my child were thin? And I use that as a litmus [test]."

We've all been through an incredibly stressful and exhausting year and a half, and it's not over. And some families, particularly in low-income communities of color, have been especially hard hit by this pandemic, experiencing job losses, food and housing insecurity, as well as higher rates of COVID-19. All of these things can make it harder to get back on track with healthy habits.

"We have to show ourselves a little compassion and realize we're going to work our way out of this, and it's not going to happen with a snap of the fingers," says Hassink.

That compassion is something we should also foster in our children. Even if your kid didn't gain excess weight, teach them not to tease others. Pediatrician Mirza says she's hearing these fears from her patients. "We're having children who are scared to go back to school because they now realize that they have changed and they don't want to meet their classmates," she says.

If you hear these fears from your kid, experts say encourage them to talk about it. Validate their feelings and help them think ahead. If this happens to them, how will they respond?

Ultimately, "we want to be building our kids up. We want to be focusing on who they are outside of their bodies," says Rosenfeld.

"We've survived this very serious time in our history," says Lutz. "And if that meant that people gained more weight than they would have, it's a body's way of surviving."

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Don't Focus On Kids' Weight Gain. Focus On Healthy Habits Instead - ideastream

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