Obesity and Weight Gain Increase the Risk of Kidney Stones

It's been shown that a larger body size increases the excretion of oxalate, calcium, and uric acid in the urine and thereby increasing the risk of kidney stone(s). It has been unclear if obesity and weight gain are the cause. Harvard researchers analyzed the information collected for about 46 years on over 241,000 men and women enrolled in 3 large cohort studies. They have found the following results:

• People who weigh more than 220 pounds are more likely to develop a kidney stone than people weighing less than 150 pounds
• Women who gained more than 35 pounds after the age of 18 had an 80% increased risk
• Men who gained more than 35 pounds after the age of 21 had almost a 40% increased risk
• In the study a body mass index greater than 30, being obese, gaining a large amount of weight, and having a large waist size all increased the risk of developing a kidney stone.

Rhodiola Rosea Improves Energy Production, Recuperation, and Endurance

In this study rats were given Rhodiola Rosea vs. placebo. Rhodiola Rosea prolonged the duration of exhaustive swimming to 24.6%. Rhodiola improved the creation of energy in the muscle (ATP) and improved the recreation of energy and speeded physical recuperation. The study is published in the December 2003 issue of the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine.

High Intake of Magnesium protects Women from Both Colon and Rectal Cancer

Laboratory studies show that magnesium decreases the risk of colon cancer. In this study researchers from the Karolinska Institute analyzed the protective effects of magnesium intake in over 62,000 women aged 40 to 75 who did not have cancer between the years 1987 to 1990. The women were followed for over 14.8 years. Women consuming the highest quantity of magnesium had a large drop in the incidence of both colon and rectal cancer vs. women with the lowest intake. The study is published in the January 5th 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.