Could avocado oil fight aging and chronic disease? Christian Cortés-Rojo, a researcher at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo in Morelia, Mexico, thinks it could prove to be a helpful tool in promoting health at the cellular level.

The oil, which is similar to olive oil in fat composition, could help to shield our bodies from and reduce the adverse effects of free radicals, damaged cells that can cause everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease. According to Cortés-Rojo, “avocado oil could eventually be referred to as the olive oil of the Americas.”

Free radicals are particles that are in need of an extra electron and to stabilize, will often obtain this electron by damaging stable particles. This can cause a chain reaction, creating many more free radicals out of previously stable particles. Though free radicals are caused by pollutants, cigarette smoke, radiation, and certain chemicals, they’re also produced by your immune system and are a natural part of the aging process.

Is sugar poisonous? According to UCSF researcher and pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig, very. Though most people are quick to condemn sugar as an unhealthy choice, Dr. Lustig took sugar slandering to a new level when he asserted in February that sugar is toxic and should be regulated similarly to alcohol and tobacco.

On Sunday in an interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on 60 Minutes, Dr. Lustig argued that sugar, more than any other substance, is to blame for the skyrocketing rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

New research backs up Dr. Lustig’s claim. UC Davis nutritional biologist Kimber Stanhope has found that people who consume high-fructose corn syrup have increased levels of LDL cholesterol and are at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease than those who consumed the name number of calories without the added sugar.

For years, science has supported the theory that sugar can be as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. Does it then follow that this commonplace but potentially harmful substance should be similarly regulated?

According to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), absolutely.

In their study, "The Toxic Truth About Sugar," published in the scientific journal Nature, the authors advocate taxing sugary foods and controlling sales to children under 17.

According to their statistics, reported on CBS New’s HealthPop, worldwide sugar intake has tripled in the last 50 years, and the average person is taking in a whopping 500 calories from added sugar in processed foods alone.

But is sugar really "toxic," like the authors of the Nature article say? In those quantities, yes.

The House of Representatives passed a landmark health care reform that has been the biggest debate of 2009. Now it’s up to the Senate. The debate will, no doubt go back and forth, and remain the hottest topic of the year, but there’s one thing that we can all agree on, our health and the health of our family is the most important thing in our lives. 

With the health of the nation on center stage, preventative care needs to come to the forefront. Chronic health issues like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, are the biggest killers in our country, and can be prevented, through dietary and lifestyle changes. 

An article on CBSNews.com states: "Preventive medicine must become an integral part of health care reform. Counseling and other lifestyle interventions are effective in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and smoking. And in recent years; a new and intriguing concept has emerged in the prevention and treatment of chronic illness: the health coach." 

Health Coaches or Counselors can help people clarify their personal health goals and make lifestyle changes, so that health care is about wellness not illness. 

Would you use a health coach to achieve your personal health goals?  For more information please read the article Health Reform and Integrative Care.