Tuesday, January 31, 2012

What is liver disease?

What is liver disease?

Liver disease is any disturbance of liver function that causes illness. The liver is responsible for many critical functions within the body and should it become diseased or injured, the loss of those functions can cause significant damage to the body. Liver disease is also referred to as hepatic disease.

Liver disease is a broad term that covers all the potential problems that may occur to cause the liver to fail to perform its designated functions. Usually, more than 75% or three quarters of liver tissue needs to be affected before decrease in function occurs.

The liver the largest solid organ in the body; and is also considered a gland because among its many functions, it makes and secretes bile. The liver is located in the upper right portion of the abdomen protected by the rib cage.

It has two main lobes that are made up of tiny lobules. The liver cells have two different sources of blood supply. The hepatic artery supplies oxygen rich blood that is pumped from the heart, while the portal vein supplies nutrients from the intestine and the spleen.

Normally, veins return blood from the body to the heart, but the portal vein allows chemicals from the digestive tract to enter the liver for "detoxification" and filtering prior to entering the general circulation. The portal vein also efficiently delivers the chemicals and proteins that liver cells need to produce the proteins, cholesterol, and glycogen required for normal body activities.

As part of its function, the liver makes bile, a fluid that contains among other substances, water, chemicals, and bile acids (made from stored cholesterol in the liver). Bile is stored in the gallbladder and when food enters the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), bile is secreted into the duodenum, to aid in digestion of food.

Picture of the Liver

The liver is the only organ in the body that can easily replace damaged cells, but if enough cells are lost, the liver may not be able to meet the needs of the body.

The liver can be considered a factory; and among its many functions include the:

  • production of bile that is required in the digestion of food, in particular fats;

  • conversion of the extra glucose in the body into stored glycogen in liver cells; and then converting it back into glucose when the need arises;

  • production of blood clotting factors;

  • production of amino acids (the building blocks for making proteins), including those used to help fight infection;

  • the processing and storage iron necessary for red blood cell production;

  • manufacture of cholesterol and other chemicals required for fat transport;

  • conversion of waste products of body metabolism into urea that is excreted in the urine; and

  • metabolization medications into their active ingredient in the body.

Cirrhosis is a term that describes permanent scarring of the liver. Normal liver cells are replaced by scar tissue that cannot perform any liver function.

Acute liver failure may or may not be reversible, meaning that is there is a treatable cause and the liver is able to recover and resume its normal functions.

What are the causes of liver disease?

The liver can be damaged in a variety of ways.

  • Cells can become inflamed (such as in hepatitis: hepar=liver + itis=inflammation).

  • Bile flow can be obstructed (such as in cholestasis: chole=bile + stasis=standing).

  • Cholesterol or triglycerides can accumulate (such as in steatosis; steat=fat + osis=accumulation).

  • Blood flow to the liver may be compromised.

  • Liver tissue can be damaged by chemicals and minerals, or infiltrated by abnormal cells.

Alcohol abuse

Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver disease in North America. Alcohol is directly toxic to liver cells and can cause liver inflammation, referred to as alcoholic hepatitis. In chronic alcohol abuse, fatty accumulation (steatosis) occurs in liver cells causing the cells to malfunction.

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a late-stage liver disease. Scarring of the liver and loss of functioning liver cells cause the liver to fail.

Drug-induced liver disease

Liver cells may become temporarily inflamed or permanently damaged by exposure to medications or drugs. Some medications or drugs require an overdose to cause liver injury while others may cause the damage even when taken in the appropriately prescribed dosage.

Taking excess amounts of acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panadol) can cause liver failure that is permanent. This is the reason that warning labels exist on many over-the-counter medications that contain acetaminophen and why prescription narcotic-acetaminophen combination medications (for example, Vicodin, Lortab, Norco, Tylenol #3) limit the numbers of tablets to be taken in a day.

Statin medications are commonly prescribed to control elevated blood levels of cholesterol. Even when taken in the appropriately prescribed dose, liver inflammation may occur and can be detected by blood tests that measure liver enzymes. Stopping the medication usually results in return of the liver function to normal.

Niacin is another medication used to control elevated blood levels of cholesterol, but liver inflammation for this medication is related to the dose taken. Similarly, patients with underlying liver disease may be at higher risk of developing liver disease due medications such as niacin.

There are numerous other medications that may cause liver inflammation, most of which will resolve when the medication is stopped. These include antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Furadantin, Macrobid), amoxicillin and clavulanic acid (Augmentin, Augmentin XR), tetracycline (Sumycin), and isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid, Laniazid). Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall), a drug used to treat autoimmune disorders and cancers, has a variety of side effects including liver inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis. Disulfiram (Antabuse) used to treat alcoholics and can cause liver inflammation.

Some herbal remedies and excessive amounts of vitamins can cause hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver failure. Examples include vitamin A, kava kava, ma-huang, and comfrey.

Many mushrooms are poisonous to the liver and eating unidentified mushrooms gathered in the woods can be lethal.

Infectious hepatitis

The term "hepatitis" means inflammation, and liver cells can become inflamed because of infection.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection that is caused primarily through the fecal-oral route when small amounts of infected fecal matter are inadvertently ingested. Hepatitis A causes an acute inflammation of the liver which generally resolves spontaneously. The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent this infection.

Hepatitis B is spread by exposure to body fluids (needles from drug abusers, contaminated blood, and sexual contact) and can cause an acute infection, but can also progress to cause chronic inflammation (chronic hepatitis) that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis B vaccine prevents this infection.

Hepatitis C causes chronic hepatitis. An infected individual may not recall any acute illness. Hepatitis C is spread by exposure to body fluids (needles from drug abusers, contaminated blood, and sexual contact). Chronic hepatitis C may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. At present, there is no vaccine against this virus.

Hepatitis D is a virus that requires concomitant infection with hepatitis B to survive, and is spread via body fluid exposure (needles from drug abusers, contaminated blood, and sexual contact).

Hepatitis E is a virus that is spread via contaminated food and water exposure.

Other viruses

Other viruses can also cause liver inflammation or hepatitis as part of the cluster of symptoms. Viral infections with infectious mononucleosis (Epstein Barr virus), adenovirus, and cytomegalovirus can inflame the liver. Non-viral infections such as toxoplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are less common causes.

Cancers

Primary cancers of the liver arise from liver structures and cells. Two examples include hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.

Metastatic cancer (secondary cancer of the liver) begins in another organ and spreads to the liver, usually through the blood stream. Common cancers that spread to the liver begin in the lung, breast, large intestine, stomach, and pancreas. Leukemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma may also involve the liver.

What are the risk factors for liver disease?

  • Some liver diseases are potentially preventable and are associated with lifestyle choices. Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that are most often spread through the exchange of bodily fluids (for example, unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing unsterilized drug injecting equipment, using non-sterilized equipment for tattoos or body piercing). Alcohol related liver disease is due to excessive consumption of alcohol.

  • Hereditary liver disease can be passed genetically from generation to generation. Examples include Wilson's disease and hemochromatosis.

  • Chemical exposure may be toxic to the liver by irritating the liver cells causing inflammation (hepatitis), decreasing bile flow through the liver (cholestasis) and accumulation of triglycerides (steatosis). Chemicals such as anabolic steroids and vinyl chloride can cause liver cancers.

  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is a common cause of liver failure. It is important to review the dosing guidelines for all over-the-counter medications and to ask for guidance from your health care professional or pharmacist as to how much may be taken safely.

  • Medications may irritate the blood vessels causing narrowing or formation blood clots (thrombosis). Birth control pills may cause hepatic vein thrombosis, especially in smokers.

What are the symptoms of liver disease?

Classic symptoms of liver disease include:

Fatigue, weakness and weight loss may also be occur.

However, since there are a variety of liver diseases, the symptoms tend to be specific for that illness until late-stage liver disease and liver failure occurs.

Examples of liver disease symptoms due to certain conditions or diseases include:

  • A person with gallstones may experience right upper abdominal pain and vomiting after eating a greasy (fatty) meal. If the gallbladder becomes infected, fever may occur.

  • Gilbert's disease have no symptoms.

  • Individuals with cirrhosis will develop progressive symptoms as the liver fails. Some symptoms are directly related to the inability of the liver to metabolize the body's waste products. Others reflect the failure of the liver to manufacture proteins required for body function and may affect blood clotting function, secondary sex characteristics and brain function. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver include:

    • easy bruising may occur due to decreased production of clotting factors;

    • bile salts can deposit in the skin causing itching;

    • gynecomastia or enlarged breasts in men may occur because of an imbalance in sex hormones; specifically an increase in estradiol;

    • impotence (erectile dysfunction, ED), poor sex drive and shrinking testicles are due to decrease in function of sex hormones;

    • confusion and lethargy may occur if ammonia levels rise in the blood stream (ammonia is a waste product formed from protein metabolism and requires normal liver cells to remove it);

    • ascites (fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity) occurs because of decreased protein production; and

    • muscle wasting may occur because of reduced protein production.

Additionally, there is increased pressure within the cirrhotic liver affecting blood flow through the liver. Increased pressure in the portal vein causes blood flow to the liver to slow and blood vessels to swell. Swollen veins (varices) form around the stomach and esophagus and are at risk for bleeding.

When to seek medical care for liver disease

Often, the onset of a liver disease is gradual and there is no specific symptom that brings the affected individual to seek medical care. Fatigue, weakness and weight loss that cannot be explained should prompt a visit for medical evaluation.

Jaundice or yellow skin is never normal and should prompt an evaluation by a medical professional.

Persisting fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain should also prompt medical evaluation as soon as possible.

How is liver disease diagnosed?

The precise diagnosis of liver disease involves a history and physical examination performed by the health care professional. Understanding the symptoms and the patient's risk factors for liver disease will help guide any diagnostic tests that may be considered.

Liver disease can have physical findings in almost all body systems including the heart, lungs, abdomen, skin, cognitive function, and other parts of the nervous system. The physical examination can require evaluation of the entire body.

Blood tests are helpful in assessing liver inflammation and function.

Specific liver function blood tests include:

  • AST and ALT ( transaminase chemicals released with liver cell inflammation);

  • GGT and alkaline phosphatase (chemicals released by cells lining bile ducts);

  • bilirubin; and

  • protein and albumin levels.

Other blood tests may be considered, including the following:

  • complete blood count (CBC), patients with end stage liver disease may have bone marrow suppression and low red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets;

  • INR blood clotting function may be impaired due to poor protein production,

  • lipase to check for pancreas inflammation;

  • electrolytes, BUN and creatinine to assess kidney function; and

  • ammonia blood level assessment is helpful in patients with mental confusion.

Imaging studies may be used to visualize, not only the liver, but other organs nearby that may be diseased. Examples of imaging studies include:

  • CT scan (computerized axial tomography),

  • MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and

  • ultrasound (sound wave imaging, which is especially helpful in assessing the gallbladder and bile ducts.

Liver biopsy may be considered to confirm a specific diagnosis for liver disease. Under local anesthetic, a long thin needle is inserted through the chest wall into the liver, where a small sample of liver tissue is obtained for examination under a microscope.

What is the treatment for liver disease?

Each liver disease will have its own specific treatment regimen. For example, hepatitis A requires supportive care to maintain hydration while the body's immune system fights and resolves the infection. Patients with gallstones may require surgery to remove the gallbladder. Other diseases may need long-term medical care to control and minimize the consequences of their disease

In patients with cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease, medications may be required to control the amount of protein absorbed in the diet. The liver affected by cirrhosis may not be able to metabolize the waste products, resulting in elevated blood ammonia levels and hepatic encephalopathy. Low sodium diet and water pills (diuretics) may be required to minimize water retention.

In those with large amounts of ascites fluid, the excess fluid may have to be occasionally removed with a needle and syringe (paracentesis). Using local anesthetic, a needle is inserted through the abdominal wall and the fluid withdrawn.

Operations may be required to treat portal hypertension and minimize the risk of bleeding.

Liver transplantation is the final option for patients whose liver has failed.

What are the complications of liver disease?

Except for gallstone disease and some viral infections such as Hepatitis A and infectious mononucleosis, most liver diseases are managed and not cured.

Liver disease can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. Associated complications may include increased risk of bleeding and infection, malnutrition and weight loss, and decreased cognitive function.

Some liver diseases are associated with an increased risk for developing liver cancer.

Can liver disease be prevented?

  • Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver disease in North America. Consuming alcohol in moderation may help minimize the risk of alcohol-related liver disease.

  • The risk of contracting Hepatitis B and C can be decreased by minimizing the risk of exposure to other person's bodily fluids.

  • Vaccination is available for Hepatitis A and B.

  • Fatty liver disease is a preventable illness with the promotion of a healthy lifestyle including a well balanced diet, weight control, avoiding excess alcohol consumption and routine exercise program. These lifestyle modifications do not guarantee success in disease prevention in that some people will develop fatty liver disease anyway.

What is the outlook for a patient with liver disease?

The outlook and outcome for a patient depends upon the underlying diagnosis.

Interestingly, in patients with cirrhosis, there may be little correlation between the amount of damage found on liver biopsy and the ultimate outcome. A patient may never develop symptoms and have a normal life-span or may develop significant symptoms.

Liver Disease At A Glance

  • The liver has an important role in many bodily functions from protein production and blood clotting to cholesterol, glucose and iron metabolism.

  • A variety of illnesses can affect the liver.

  • Cirrhosis occurs when normal liver cells are replaced by scar tissue as a result of chronic liver disease.

  • Symptoms of liver diseases include weakness and fatigue, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and yellow discoloration of the skin (jaundice).

  • The treatment of a particular liver disease depends on its specific cause.


Friday, January 6, 2012

10 Super Foods & 10 Reasons To Eat These Super Foods

Super Foods, also known as anti aging foods, are foods high in antioxidants as well as high concentrations of crucial nutrients that have been proven to help prevent and in some cases, reverse the effects of aging.



01. Açai Berry




Açai is the product of an Amazon palm tree. While you may not have heard of it yet, you surely will. Acai is now marketed in juices, candy bars, cereals and lots of processed juices. (Oh yeah, it's pronounced Ah Sah Hee)

In it’s raw form, it is a berry that tastes like a blend of chocolate and berries. Like the red grape, açai is a dark reddish-purple color and is about the same size. You can find it just about anywhere in Brazil, and for parts of Brazil, the açai palm is a majority of their dietary intake. Otherwise to get it state side, you’ll likely need a specialty store.

Açai is on the list of 10 super foods because of its pulp. Ever hear the phrase “dynamite comes in small packages”? Well that describes the acai berry. The pulp contains a remarkable concentration of antioxidants – more so than even its counter part, the red grape. It’s also packed with healthy fats, fiber, plant sterols, minerals and amino acids. The fatty acid present is Oleic acid, known to work with Omega-3 to help nourish and regenerate cells.

Açai's health benefits are touted to be as an antibacterial, an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and and antimutagenic.

The bad part about açai is it deteriorates very quickly after being harvested. Outside Brazil, it’s really only available as a juice, fruit pulp or freeze dried. With such a quick deterioration process – not even the açai in nutritional supplements is as effective as when it was first picked.

Our recommendation: Take an annual vacation to Rio De Janeiro for some açai flavored ice cream.





02. Barley



Barley's claim to fame is, again, how nutrient dense it really is. Packed with fiber, selenium, tryptophan, copper, manganese, phosphorus - it's one of the top 10 super foods alright. Barley's also an intestinal powerhouse.

When barley is eaten and is broken down in the stomach, the insoluble fiber in barley is actually fermented in butyric acid. That doesn't mean much to me and you, but that's the energy source for the cells in the large intestine. Your body actually turns the undigestible part of barley into food that it can use.

Barley's fiber alone helps the colon, helps prevent colon cancer, helps to lower cholesterol and clean the liver. (Can you start to see how this list of 10 super foods was put together?) In addition to fiber, barley is a good source of Niacin (a B Vitamin) which helps to prevent free radical damage and lowers cholesterol.

Our recommendation: Find yourself a great barley soup recipe and eat it every time the school's close down due to snow.





03. Broccoli


At only 30 calories per cup, Broccoli is another powerhouse in a small package. Vitamins C, A, Beta Carotene and Fiber make Broccoli a staple in just about every diet on the planet. Whether it's Atkins, South Beach, Oprah's, or your gym's diet plan - broccoli will be on it from the first day.

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable (as are cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, bok choy and others). Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods known having more polyphenols than any other food (other than beets and red onions). And as good as broccoli is, the key protective compound is at least 20 times more concentrated in broccoli sprouts!

Broccoli has been a proven cancer fighter, immune system booster, vegetarian protein source, bone-building calcium source, cataract preventer and superstar on the 10 super foods list. That almost sounds too good to be true.

Our recommendation: Don't let your kids get up from the table without finishing their broccoli. With all that power wrapped in the tiny tree, can they really afford not to eat it? Maybe you should tell them it's on of the 10 super foods (or maybe not).






04. Extra Virgin Olive Oil


While the U.S. values the 10 super foods, the European Union went so far as to claim Extra Virgin Olive Oil as the Official Oil of Choice. That's saying something! And the FDA allows foods containing olive oil to carry labels that say "may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease".

Wikipedia states" Olive oil contains a group of related natural products with potent antioxidant properties which give extra-virgin unprocessed olive oil its bitter and pungent taste and which are esters of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, including oleocanthal and oleuropein." That's a bit too scientific for me.

So the low-down is EVOO is a quality unsaturated fat with some antioxidant properties. Because it comes from a plant it has plant phenols, which act like antioxidants and fight free radicals.
Along with the plant phenols, (see what are polyphenols for more information) EVOO is a good source of Vitamin E. Studies show that EVOO could reduce your risk for breast and colon cancer, lower your blood pressure and improve your cardiovascular health.

The reason it's called extra virgin is because it's the oil that's made when the grapes are first pressed - and then it's not further refined (that's the extra part).

If you can find "cold pressed" extra virgin olive oil, that's even better. Heating oil can damage the fats, can oxidize the fats and can be the source of free radicals that you're trying to avoid. So, stir-fry on low heat or use EVOO as a salad dressing to get the most out of it.


Our recommendation: Mix some Italian seasonings with olive oil and dip some homemade bread into it as an appetizer. Maybe you could call it the 10 Super Foods Evoo-tizer.



05. Garlic


The saddest thing about garlic is that there are tons of people allergic to it. Mentioned in the Bible itself, garlic has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries treating arthritis, cataracts, weakened immune systems, cancer, stroke, migraines, viruses and aging.

Nearly every diet on the planet uses garlic. Similiar to fermented foods, garlic aids digestion and thus improves your body's ability to get the nutrients it needs from food.

Garlic does magic as well. It's most powerful nutrient, Allicin an amino acid, is not in fresh garlic. But topping any David Copperfield trick, Allicin is instantly present when garlic is cut, pressed or chewed. Allicin is responsible for garlic's odor, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well.

In addition to Allicin, garlic's healthy compounds include phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, aginine, flavonoids and polyphenols. That's 10 powerful agents in one of the 10 Super Foods.

Our recommendation: Take your "better half" out for Italian cuisine tonite.





06. Red Wine



Red Wine recently made the list of Super Foods when it was discovered that resveratrol increased the life span of mice. (We know it's a drink, but it is considered one of the 10 super foods!) Even before that, red wine has been heralded as the key to unlocking the "French Paradox".
The "French Paradox", first coined in 1991, is the mystery revolving around France's low incidence of heart disease despite their high fat and cholesterol diet. It wasn't until 2002 that researchers found resveratrol in red wine.
Fortunately for red wine, resveratrol is not the only reason it is on the list. Every culture in the world has a fermented food in its diet. Whether that food be sauerkraut, pickled lemons or red wine - people have gravitated towards foods that aid digestion and digestive health.
Red Wine is full of other nutrients too and some reserachers would have you believe it is the other nutrients that are the reason for the "French Paradox". Roger Corder of the William Harvey Research Institute in London believes Oligomeric Proanthcyanidins (otherwise known as OPC's) offer the greatest health benefit. After testing over 150 wines, they proved that OPC's were in much higher concentration than resveratrol.

OPC's are and are often found up to one gram per litre of wine. Studies show that these OPC's protect the walls of vessels and capillaries in the body.

Whether it's OPC's or Resveratrol - Red Wine has made it to the top 10 super foods.

Our Recommendation: 2 4-ounce glasses per day, of course.




07. Soy Bean


What can't you do with Soy? It comes in so many forms, too. You've got soybeans, liquid aminos, miso and tofu just to name a few. Before we get to the good stuff, we should mention that soy is chock full of vitamins, minerals, plant proteins, soluble fiber and Omega-3's. And that's the un-important stuff.

Soy is the richest known dietary source of phyoestrogens and diesase-fighting phytonutrients. Soy's phytonutrients play a significant role preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancer and osteoporosis.

Fermented soy, known as miso, is even more powerful than soy itself. Miso, like yogurt and other fermented foods, is a great source of good bacterium for the digestive system. Fermented soy acts as an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory and antiviral food.

Not a lot to say about one of the 10 Super Foods - but it makes a statement.

Our Recommendation: Get the miso soup when you eat sushi, but avoid the soy sauce. That's a puddle of salt in a bottle.



08. Walnuts


Hmm. . . How did a high fat food like nuts make it on the Super Foods list? Well, not only did Walnuts make the list, but people like Oprah's Dr. Perricone include all seed and nuts. (But seriously, how can you highlight all seeds and nuts on one page?)


Let's start with the shock and awe: Eating a handful of walnuts everyday (at least five times a day), WILL reduce your chance of getting a heart attack by 15% and as much as 51%. They also reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer and other chronic ailments.

Omega-3's (the plant derived kind), Magnesium, Vitamin E, copper, fiber, Vitamin A, biotin, folate, potassium. . . all in that little shell. They're also one of the best sources of plant protein (remember that, vegetarians). They're so good that in March of 2004 - the FDA approved labeling walnut products as being heart healthy.

Our recommendation: Lobby your local Planning Commission to make the beautiful Walnut tree the "city tree" and then get free walnuts when they fall every December.





09. Wild Caught Salmon


In his book "The Wrinkle Cure" back in 2000, Dr. Nicholas Perricone introduced salmon as a superb source of anti inflammatory, anti aging nutrients.

Salmon is the perfect meat. It's full of essential fats, calcium, magnesium, B-vitamins, long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids and the carotenoid astaxanthin. Some people avoid salmon because of its fat content, but your body needs fat to live. And salmon has the good stuff.

Now avoid the bad fats (saturated and trans), but make sure you get plenty of the good - the polyunstaruated fats. Omega-6 and Omega-3 are polyunsaturated fats, but we actually get plenty of Omega-6 in our diet. It's the Omega-3's we are lacking.

Salmon is the richest source of these marine-derived Omega-3's. Omega-3's, reduce the risk of blood clots, improve cholesterol and help prevent heart attacks. They help the brain develop properly - especially during breast feeding.

Our recommendation: Listen to Madonna. In February 2009, she announced to the world that she was going on a 'salmon retox' program to "knock 12 years off her appearance". One of top 10 Super Stars promoting one of the top 10 Super Foods.



10. Yogurt


Our final food of the 10 Super Foods (and it's not last because it's the least effective. It just starts with a Y.)

Yogurt is your friend. More calcium than milk, more probiotics than Korean Kimchi - yogurt helps women prevent osteoporosis, boost immunity and lower the risk of digestive cancers. While an excellent source of calcium, the real reason yogurt in on the list of 10 super foods is the probiotics.

Probiotics are good bacteria. You've probably noticed the terms "active cultures" and/or "lactobacillus/acidophilus" on the packages of yogurt. These are good things that really aid your digestive system. Did you know there are more bacteria cells in your gut than there are cells in your entire body?

If these good bacteria aren't present in great numbers, your body is more susceptible to disease and sickness. Scientists have also found probiotics to improve nutrient absorption, decrease the chances of diarrhea and constipation. And acidophilus helps reduce the number of carcinogens in the colon.

Here's the bad part about yogurt. If you want to get the good stuff - you have to follow some rules. First rule is buy plain, nonfat yogurt. If you have to sweeten it up, use fresh jam, fruit and some granola. But don't buy the sweetened stuff - that won't help.

The second rule is make sure you get the kind fortified with Vitamin D (or eat it while sitting in the sun), and make sure it has either lactobacillus or bifidobacterium or acidophilus. These are not hard rules to follow - but you do need to follow them.

Our recommendation: Buy the not so good plain, nonfat yogurt and use it to make a daily morning smoothie.

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