Health
GALLBLADDER
Your gallbladder is basically a glorified holding tank. This pear-shaped organ is where a portion of the bile pumped out by your liver is stored until it's needed to help digest fats in your small intestine. And while you can live without a gallbladder—your liver will send the necessary bile directly to your intestines—it's worth keeping it healthy, if only to avoid the agony of a gallstone.
Your best protection: Gallstones, which are really more like "gallpebbles," are small pieces of crystallized cholesterol. You can have a few and not even know they're there—until one becomes painfully lodged in the duct leading to your small intestine. There is, however, a relatively simple way to prevent the little suckers from forming in the first place: Break a sweat.
A Harvard University study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine monitored more than 45,000 men and found that one-third of all cases of gallstones could be prevented with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise—from running to brisk walking—five times a week. Log that essential half hour of cardio work in the AM, then pile on the protection by eating oatmeal for breakfast and washing it down with orange juice. Research has determined that soluble fiber—of which oatmeal is one of the richest sources—and vitamin C can both lower the risk of gallstones. Note: In this case, skip the fresh-squeezed OJ and buy the frozen-concentrate kind instead; lab analyses show that frozen actually has the highest levels of vitamin C.
PANCREAS
A Leatherman has nothing on this multitool. Located between your stomach and your spine, your pancreas secretes insulin to regulate blood-sugar levels and metabolic rate, as well as to help neutralize stomach acids that accidentally enter the intestines. "It also produces enzymes that break down the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins we eat so we can absorb them," says John Affronti, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the Emory University school of medicine in Atlanta.
Your best protection: If you're guarding against gallstones, then you've already reduced your risk of pancreatitis, an inflammatory condition often caused when an errant stone blocks the organ's main duct. And, as a sort of bonus, by preventing pancreatitis, you also help lower your odds of being diagnosed with a disease that's deadly in nearly 100 percent of cases: pancreatic cancer. (It's as fast as it is fatal; pancreatic cancer killed actor Michael Landon, in just three months.)
Another strategy for slashing your cancer risk is to pig out on produce. When Canadian researchers analyzed the diets of nearly 5,000 men, they discovered that those who adhered to a diet high in fresh fruits and cruciferous vegetables had a 49 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer than men who ate mainly meat and potatoes. If you're not a fan of brussels sprouts and broccoli, go ahead and cover 'em with ketchup. In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, men who regularly consumed tomato-based products lowered their odds of developing pancreatic cancer by 31 percent. All the kudos go to lycopene, the red pigment that first earned its stripes in the battle against prostate cancer.
LIVER
More than just your body's antidote to alcohol, your liver helps flush out other toxic stuff you were never meant to swallow, e.g., any food purchased from a drive-thru window. The organ does this by producing a grease-dissolving goo known as bile. (See "Gallbladder.") Oh, and in its spare time, your liver also removes bacteria from your bloodstream, lays away a supply of iron, and converts glucose into glycogen to be stored for energy.
Your best protection: You know the spiel—cut back on the booze and your liver will live longer. That means two drinks a day, max, if you want to avoid cirrhosis, a disease in which normal liver cells become damaged and are replaced by scar tissue. Eventually, so much scar tissue forms that the liver no longer functions properly and its main vein becomes blocked. That said, don't wave off the bartender just yet; pretend you need to sober up and order a cup of coffee.
A new study of more than 90,000 Japanese published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reveals that those who drank 1-2 cups of joe daily had half the risk of liver cancer of those who went without. (Score one for Starbucks; there are more than 500 of the stores in Japan.) The study also shows similarly dramatic results for people with liver diseases, such as hepatitis. "Coffee contains large amounts of antioxidants," says Manami Inoue, MD, PhD, the study author. "And studies have shown that such coffee compounds inhibit carcinogens in the liver." The best bean? British researchers discovered that medium-roasted coffee has higher antioxidant activity than dark-roasted varieties.
» Health archive
Men's Health Philippines - January 2006 Issue
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