Vincent Chen, B.S When talking about resistance exercise, some people believe that women respond less than men in terms of muscle mass and strength gain, while others think that it may make women look bulky. Many women therefore tend to avoid doing resistance exercise. However, the benefits outweigh the possible drawback of bulkier appearance. Physical inactivity-induced muscle loss may reduce an individual's ability to resist impact and lower the basal metabolic rate (BMR) to an unheal...

John Seawright, B.S.We’ve all seen it; the vicious collision that leaves a football wide receiver writhing in apparent pain; his strenuous, assisted walk to the locker room; and his eventual return to rejoin his team on the sideline with the accompanying statement from the sideline reporter, “The x-rays are negative.” X-rays are a form of high energy, ionizing radiation with a wave frequency much smaller than visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. A medically ...

Steve Bui, M.S.If you look at any advertising in the media, you will notice constant bombardment by ads for performance enhancing supplements. The supplement industry is one of the most lucrative marketing fields. The promise of being able to perform bigger, faster, and stronger by drinking some special water, swallowing a small pill, or anything in between just sounds so appealing. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the majority of consumers, most supplements do not work at all. Supplements are desi...

Ann Amuta, MPH, CPHI always teased my obese friend, Molly, who grew up in the ‘hoods’ of Houston until she told me about her life’s journey to obesity and all the health complications that have ensued. My friend was poor, lived in a dangerous area, had to ride the bus to school because there were no safe paths to walk, and couldn’t afford healthy food so she ate fast food and whatever was served in the free school meals.  It is easy to blame Molly and say “why ...

Vincent C.W. Chen, B.S. High fat and high cholesterol foods are delicious, but generally, they are not healthy. When we enjoy delicious meals that are high in fat and cholesterol, we are increasing the risks of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. However, does it really mean that we should not eat this kind of food at all? Fat and cholesterol, although they have such a bad reputation, are actually essential to life. The real problem is overconsumption, and too much of anything i...

Majid Koozehchian, M.S. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods in the formation of cardiovascular risk factors. Many cardiovascular diseases are related to such risk factors as high levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides (TG), as well as low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The causes of cardiovascular risk factors are manifold, involving environment, lifestyle, and genetics. In adolescents, higher levels of exercise training are inver...

Wendy Gapinski, M.S.You may have heard a lot about omega-3 in the news recently. But, what really is omega-3? Well, omega-3 is a category of fatty acids that are most commonly found in marine and plant oils. Fats often get bad press but this type actually provides health benefits. Polyunsaturated fats, such as omega-3s, are often easily identified by their ability to stay a liquid at room temperature. Saturated, unhealthy fats typically stay solid at room temperature.  While some of the mec...

John Seawright, B.S.Heart disease is a cruel ailment that befalls many Americans. It is a life threatening disease that does not strike only a single individual; the suffering proliferates through the patient’s entire family. Understanding the causes of heart disease can elucidate avenues of treatment, as well as provide pre-emptive strategies to prevent the disease in the first place.      Heart disease is a complex malady resulting from a poorly functioning ...

Majid Koozehchian, M.S.The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a modified form of essential amino acid cysteine, which is both consumed in high-protein food and synthesized in the body, does not receive much attention but has important, positive impacts in the body (1). This antioxidant is a precursor to glutathione (the master antioxidant) in the body, and is readily metabolized into intracellular glutathione.   Following are some benefits reported for NAC:  NAC protects th...

Majid Koozehchian, M.S.Alpha lipoic acid (ALA), also called thioctic acid, is an antioxidant that is commonly used as a dietary supplement, particularly in the Unites States. A unique characteristic of ALA is that, unlike other antioxidants such as vitamins C (water soluble) and E (fat soluble), ALA functions in both watery and fatty tissue environments. Besides serving as an antioxidant itself, ALA also restores other oxidized forms of antioxidants including vitamins C and E to their active sta...