Studies examining the role of nutrition in depression are surprisingly sparse, but if you read between the lines, the connection is definitely there.  Most professionals still do not focus on nutrition as a contributing factor to depression.

The primary emphasis is still on issues such as a neurochemical aberration, stress, and the like. But from own perspec­tive, doctor believe that nutrition is a factor in about 25 percent of depressed individuals.

While most men may think of the prostate as nothing but trouble, the truth is that this chestnut-size gland does serve a useful

Male Prostate

purpose. Located just below the bladder, the prostate encircles the urethra, the tube that passes urine from the bladder to outside the body. The prostate produces semen and secretes it into the urethra, providing the liquid medium that sperm cells need for nourishment as well as to exit the body.

For most men, it seems as inevitable as gray hair and wrinkles. At first you notice a little hesitancy when trying to start the flow of

Male Pelvis

urine. Your urine stream may be weak or intermittent. You find yourself getting up at night to urinate, or you feel like your bladder is still partly full after you’ve gone. These are all signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate gland.

Statistics suggest that BPH is hard to avoid. More than half of all men over age 50 have significant prostate enlargement, and the rest have at least some. Simply getting older seems to be the main risk factor.

If you’ve picked up a health book or magazine lately, you know all about calcium’s role in preventing osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease that inca­pacitates thousands of women (and men) each year. But if scientific studies are any indication, there may be another, more immediate reason to add a calcium supplement to your medicine chest: It may relieve PMS.

In one study, researchers studied the diet of more than 3,000 women over 10 years and found that those who consumed 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D a day through food had up to a 40 percent less chance of experiencing PMS. And it appears that choosing the low-fat versions of high-calcium foods made a difference. Women who drank 2 per­cent milk or lower had fewer symptoms than women who drank whole milk.

Zinc is important in wound healing and skin repair, but it’s probably more important for older people who are most likely to be

Zinc Food Source

deficient in this nutrient.

You can get your Daily Value of zinc (15 milligrams) by filling your plate with shellfish and other seafood as well as with whole grains and lean meats. In fact, just one steamed oyster contains a whopping 12.7 milligrams of zinc.

Note: Frequent inexplicable bruising, although rare, may be a sign of a clotting disorder or an immune problem, or a side effect of some medication. If you find yourself bruising easily and frequently, see your doctor.