NUTRITION
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder among women in which 10% of the population is affected within the United States (Reisner & Reisner, 2017). PCOS is often diagnosed among females between 20-40 years of age, and is a prominent cause of anovulatory (no oocytes released during menstruation) infertility. PCOS is characterized by enlarged…
Dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menstruation and is characterized by two types: primary dysmenorrhea characterized by no disease (PD) and secondary dysmenorrhea (SD), which is characterized by diseased organs within the pelvic regions (Reisner & Reisner, 2017). The following sections will explore dysmenorrhea in greater detail, in addition to nutritional interventions to help attenuate pain…
As was mentioned in my last post, genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors have been correlated to breast cancer and estrogen production. Said factors include: poor detoxification, environmental toxins (PCB’s, cadmium), genetic polymorphisms (specifically COMPT and CYP1B1) for breast cancer, a diet consisting of increased fat and protein and low fiber intake, lack of sleep, decreased…
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a leading cause of both infant morbidity and mortality worldwide (Zlotkin, 2003). Moreover, children moderately deficient in iron consumption may not only momentarily experience symptoms such as depressed mental and motor development; it may be irreversible (Zlotkin, 2003). Such a situation demands a preventative paradigm rather that reactive approach. The…
Anemia means without blood and is in reference to inadequate concentrations of hemoglobin within red blood cells (RBCs) (Simmons, 2010). Anemia can be classified either by its cause (etiology) or by the shape and appearance of RBCs (Reisner & Reisner, 2017). Anemia can occur from a lack of production of RBCs, and can emanate from…
One hundred years ago, processed foods were minimal, mostly in the form of alcohol and breads. In the present day, societies contain many forms of processed products. Moreover, processed food is a dominant form of sustenance both in high-income and middle-income countries such as the United States (Monteiro, Moubarac, Cannon, Ng, & Popkin, 2013). With…
Modern Western diets derive approximately 70% of total daily energy from refined carbohydrate sources such as sugar, vegetable oils, processed foods, and alcohol (Ilich, Kelly, Kim, & Spicer, 2014). In contrast, during the paleolithic era (over 11,000 years ago) individuals consumed over 73% of total daily calories from animal sources (Cordain, Miller, Eaton, Mann, Holt,…
Obesity is often associated with other conditions that deepen the health complications of an individual. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a term used to describe a group of conditions that places people at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other heart-related problems (Kenney, Wilmore, & Costill, 2012). I would like to…
Obesity and overweight are prevalent, and considered an epidemic in the Western world. Not only are the conditions widespread, overweight and obesity are also associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality (Meckling & Sherfey, 2007). Inactivity, in addition to poor nutrition, contributes to the aforementioned conditions, and is estimated that over 57% of Canadians…
In my last post, characteristics of exercise-induced inflammation (EII) were explored. Topics included how brief and moderately intense exercise initiated an immune response, as well as the central physiological and biochemical processes required to achieve adaptation to the same stimuli of equal magnitude. In the following sections, food-induced inflammation (FII) will be reviewed, as well…