If you favor those milk chocolate bon-bons over the dark variety, you might be better off switching. Eating dark chocolate -- but not milk chocolate -- raises levels of antioxidants in the blood, which could help protect against heart disease. Researchers found that the rise in antioxidant levels is much lower when milk chocolate is eaten or when dark chocolate is eaten along with milk. Although the exact reason is unclear, it may be...

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Fish oil can help reduce deaths from heart disease, according to new reports released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Their reviews of the available literature found evidence that omega-3 fatty acids, the beneficial component ingested by eating fish or taking a fish oil supplement, reduce heart attack and other problems related to heart and blood vessel disease in those who already have these conditions. Their overall risk of death was also...

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Phytoestrogens, which are abundant in flaxseed and soy, have chemical structures resembling those of estrogens in your body and have been shown to exert hormonal effects, thereby affecting chronic diseases. Estrogen is metabolized in two ways. Along one pathway, it is converted into a powerful metabolite, 16alpha-hydroxyestrone (16alpha-OHEthat acts to stimulate target tissues. Levels of 16alpha-OHE1 can rise in response to obesity, alcohol consumption, and toxic exposure. High levels of this potent metabolite are...

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The Connecticut Center for Health offers health phone consultations to anyone who speaks English. A phone consultation is appropriate if you cannot come to one of our clinics. A phone consultation is similar to a personal visit to our clinic, except that a licensed physician will talk with you over the phone instead of in person. A consultation is your opportunity to ask questions about your health and get some natural treatment options relative...

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