The omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have previously been associated with a reduced risk of mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found EPA may also help reduce the severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The study included 110 accident survivors with severe physical injuries and generally non-severe PTSD. Researchers assigned the patients to take either 1,470 mg of DHA plus 147 mg of EPA or a placebo, daily for 12 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, researchers measured the percentages of EPA, DHA, and arachidonic acid (AA, an omega-6 fatty acid obtained from animal fats or produced in the body from vegetable fats) in the participants’ red blood cell membranes, as well as the severity of their PTSD symptoms. Here is what they found:

• In patients taking DHA plus EPA, increases in the percentage of EPA in their red blood cell membranes were directly associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms.
• Patients whose AA percentages increased experienced worsening of PTSD symptoms.

These findings suggest that EPA in particular may play a role in reducing PTSD symptoms, while AA may aggravate them. While the mechanisms of this relationship are still unclear, the researchers believe EPA’s anti-inflammatory effects may reduce certain inflammatory markers associated with PTSD. More clinical research is needed to shed light on the relationship between fatty acids and the experience of PTSD symptoms, and to provide useful information about the effectiveness of fatty acid supplements in preventing and treating PTSD.

Source: Journal of Affective Disorders

Cold and flu season will be here soon. Do you want to proactively avoid getting sick? It’s simple: wash your hands! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that handwashing could reduce your risk of catching respiratory illnesses, like the common cold, by 16 to 21%, and diarrhea-related illnesses by 31%. Think you know all there is to know about handwashing? Think again: here’s the why, when, and how of proper handwashing:

• Why wash your hands? Like it or not, your hands are germ magnets. Using the restroom, changing a diaper, blowing your nose, and handling raw meat all put you in contact with germs. And those germs are transferrable to anything you touch, be it a handrail, food, or your mouth or nose, which can lead to you or someone else becoming sick. Handwashing helps stop these germs in their tracks.
• When to wash your hands? Wash your hands before, during, and after preparing human and pet food and before you eat. You should also wash your hands after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing into your hands, tending to a wound or to someone who is sick, and after touching garbage or other germ-filled situations.
• How to wash your hands? The CDC recommends a specific process: First, wet your hands with clean, running, warm or cold water. Then, lather your hands with soap, making sure to get the backs of hands, in between fingers, and under fingernails. Scrub for at least 20 seconds; if it helps, hum the full tune to “Happy Birthday” twice. Rinse your hands under clean, running water and dry with a fresh towel or air dry. If you don't have soap or running water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

Source: CDC

Adequate levels of vitamin D, which the body synthesizes with the help of sunlight, are needed to maintain our bones and overall health. During the summer, when the sun is directly overhead, it’s easier to make enough vitamin D. For example, the New York Times reports that as little as ten minutes of sun exposure a day may be enough for people with light skin. People with darker skin may need two to three times more than that, and seniors may need even more since aging tends to slow down vitamin D synthesis. In contrast, during the winter, the low angle of the sun and the short time it appears above the horizon each day can make it harder to maintain healthy vitamin D levels. Here’s what you need to know to keep your levels up when it’s cold outside:

• Who’s at risk of low vitamin D in the winter? Anyone with low sun exposure is at risk, but living at latitudes above around 37 degrees north puts you at a particular risk. In the US, this includes people living in Northern California and north of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. In these areas, the sun is lower during the winter and colder temperatures cause people to bundle up, covering skin and blocking the sun.
• Will using sunscreen reduce sun exposure? Sun safety precautions like sunscreen, hats, and protective clothing are important but do limit our ability to make vitamin D. Although the degree to which sunscreen affects vitamin D levels is still not precisely known, according to the National Institutes of Health, most of us don’t use enough sunscreen to completely block vitamin D production.
• How much vitamin D do you need? Regardless of sun exposure, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 600 IU per day in healthy adults. If you’re 70 or older, that bumps up to 800 IU per day.
• What are dietary sources of vitamin D? You can get almost 450 IU from three ounces of cooked salmon and about 120 IU from a cup of vitamin D-fortified milk. Fortified orange juice, yogurt, and cereal are other sources. Your healthcare practitioner may also recommend you take a vitamin D supplement.

Source: New York Times

While indulging a little in the holiday smorgasbord may be okay, it’s a good idea to start healthy habits now. Here are four tips reported on by the Huffington Post, from fitness and wellness expert Don Saladino, to get you on the right track:

• Follow the 80-20 rule. You may have heard of this one before. Simply put, you need to make healthy choices regarding food, exercise, and sleep 80% of the time. For example, during this time, eat mostly lean proteins, vegetables, and slow-burning carbs such as sweet potatoes and gluten-free oatmeal. As far as exercise goes, if your weekly goal is to do five workouts, make sure you get in at least four. With the remaining 20% of your time, you can cut yourself a little slack—although you still want to be health conscious, it’s not an invitation to become a couch potato.
• Get sleep aplenty. It’s important to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Sleep helps your body rest and recover, which helps you perform better overall.
• Drink enough water. One general rule is to drink 50 ounces of water per 100 pounds of body weight. Others advise simply drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Getting enough water keeps toxins and impurities moving out of your body and it may even help your skin look better.
• Put a cap on alcohol intake. Limit alcohol intake to no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. When counting your drinks, bear in mind that this recommendation is based on the standard definition of a drink: 12 ounces of beer, 7 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. Exceeding this recommendation could be harmful to your health.

Source: Huffington Post

A small, non-placebo controlled study found that green tea may be helpful for elderly individuals with cognitive dysfunction. Published in Nutrients, the study examined the effects of giving 2 grams of green tea powder daily to participants for three months. The tea powder contained 227 milligrams of catechins and 42 milligrams of theanine, both of which are active components of green tea and have been reported to improve cognition in animal studies. In addition, the participants, who all had some form of dementia and a mean age of 88, continued to consume their normal amounts of green tea, which the researchers also took into account. Here’s what they discovered:

• Memory scores, particularly those related to short-term memory, improved significantly in participants after three months of green tea consumption.
• Triglyceride levels improved significantly in participants after three months.
• Green tea did not cause any serious adverse side effects.

These findings are consistent with epidemiological research showing an association between green tea consumption and better cognitive function. The amounts of catechins and theanine in the 2 grams of green tea powder are equivalent to about 2 to 4 cups of green tea, suggesting that even in moderate amounts, green tea may benefit cognitive health.

Source: Nutrients