July 2007

24/07/2007 :: Resistance training and protein in the aging - Aging in our society is something that can be basically controlled, to a degree. When you think about it, our bodies are not unlike that of a well maintained car, if you take care of it is will last a very long time. The new research that has just been published seems to back this up. Not only does the diet have an impact, but if you stay active and exercise (specifically resistance training) then you may have a better chance of staying healthier and happier long into ‘old age’ (what ever that is). It appears that dietary protein may help to improve body composition as you age; the facts are based on research is that it does have an affect on oral blood sugar levels, glucose tolerance, skeletal muscle and immune function in the aging population. A study performed by researchers at Purdue University in Indiana and the University of Missouri in Columbia , Missouri shows that a steady intake of high quality protein and resistance training independently, has an affect on ‘whole body’ glucose control and muscle density. How is this significant, well if the body’s ability to maintain systemic glucose tolerance levels is maintained, it this helps to maintain the contents of skeletal muscle insulin signaling proteins in healthy older persons. In other words it helps to prevent the muscle wasting that is prevalent in the elderly.

The groups tested were between the ages of thirty six and sixty one years of age, and they consumed about one hundred and fifty percent of the RDA for protein intake during the test period. What is interesting is that the researchers found that after exercise their body weight was unchanged. However, the subjects ‘whole body’ protein and water masses increased, and their fat mass decreased. Those that trained with weights showed an improvement in oral glucose tolerance, which may have an affect on protein production and therefore a decrease in muscle mass. The researchers concluded that the test subjects who consumed adequate or moderately high amounts of dietary protein can use weight training to improve body composition, blood sugar levels and skeletal muscle without a change in body weight. So, they maintained their health (improved it) and stayed ‘toned up’, which prevented muscle wasting and its associated health issues.

This suggests that it is very important for those who are aging (aren’t we all?) to maintain a solid well balanced diet and to stay active. And as we age supplementing the diet with high quality whey and vegetable proteins may help to meet this goal. These forms are especially functional in that as we age our capacity to digest solid foods in ‘mass’ decreases. So the more you can do to make it easier for the body to assimilate the foods eaten, the better!

References:

• Iglay HB, Thyfault JP, Apolzan JW, et al. Resistance training and dietary protein: effects on glucose tolerance and contents of skeletal muscle insulin signaling proteins in older persons. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 85, No. 4, 1005-1013, April 2007

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07/07/2007 :: Folate reduces liver damage - The new research that is coming to light with regards to nutrient levels in the diet (or the lack of) are only helping to build a stronger case for better quality food and or the need to take supplements. Believe it or not there are still those out in the world, ‘and in their own little worlds’ that refuse to believe that the science is available and it shows that certain nutrients and herbs help to treat what ails the society in general. Refusing to believe that nutritional deficiencies have a negative affect on the body or that they don’t exist is just down right ignorance. But the readers of this column know different, they have the intelligence to know that these products (supplements) and ingredients do make a difference…case in point. New research shows us that a diet low in folate may increase the risk of developing liver cancer.

This research shows us the benefits of folic acid fortification, because as the research shows us, a deficit of Folate can lead to the development of liver damage and hepatocellular carcinoma; that is according to representatives from the US National Cancer Institute, NIH. Folate (folic acid) can be ingested in a number of ways; the best case scenario is from foods such as green leafy vegetables, lentils, chick peas and meats. And if we don’t get enough folate from our food, and as we have all heard for years there is an overwhelming body of evidence that has linked folic acid deficiency in pregnancy to an increased risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly.

Based on research such as this there has been a big push in some countries to fortify foods with extra nutrients. These are the realities of the world that we live in. There is a lot of controversy as to whether we need to go to these lengths, but after reading the newest study in the of journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention that showed low levels of folate may be linked to liver damage and liver cancer, it becomes very clear that these are not extreme measures as some would have you believe. This is only emphasized by earlier research that proved low levels of the ‘B vitamins’ may also be linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease.

There is ongoing research in this arena, simply because these types of deficits may be linked to many other ‘idiopathic’ societal disorders that we have not been able to connect a deficit directly to. It is just a matter of time before more observations, pathological correlations and mechanistic studies are done to make the connections.

Fact:

• It is a fact that liver cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world.
• It is the third most common cause of death from cancer.
• There are approximately 18,500 new cases diagnosed in the US every year.
• Levels in Southeast Asia, the middle and eastern Africa nations have a higher incidence of liver disease.

Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, June 2007, Volume 6, Number 6, Pages 1279-1282, "Blood Folate Levels and Risk of Liver Damage and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Prospective High-Risk Cohort"

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June 2007

06/29/2007 :: Nonotechnology and Health - Research into new drug and other therapeutic delivery systems will be picking up speed in the next ten years. For those of you who are not familiar with some of what is happening in the health world, there is a new technology that is called Nanotechnology that will change the way the world works. This technology is pervasive and will spread through every aspect of our lives. It will affect every retail product, food product, electronic device, drugs, building material, car parts and the list goes on.

The new research we are discussing here is the way that this technology can be used to treat physiological diseases and health issues such as allergies. There is also a whole new set of terms that will be brought into the main stream such a nanoshperes, nanotubes, buckyballs and many others that will change the way we talk about the various products that we will be using on a daily basis. With regards to the ‘new research’ it was performed by the researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University , and they say they are the first to show that carbon nanospheres (AKA - "buckyballs") can block the allergic response in human cell culture experiments and in animals. This is ground breaking science because in a few years we may not need to take drugs (such as those in their current form) to control issues such as this. This research also sets the stage for the development of other new potential therapies that can be used to treat allergies using nanomaterials. Since ‘allergies’ are the fifth leading chronic disease in the United States across all ages, that is about one in five Americans suffer from some type of allergy this would be a major coop.

These types of experiments are what can be considered the beginning of an entirely new field of medicine (holistic or otherwise) that is now being called nanoImmunology or nanomedicine. This nanotechnology has broad spectrum applications across the entire field of medicine; there isn’t any aspect of this field that won’t be affected in some way in the future. It will eventually make medicines more cost affective and more affective over all. This type of technology may even become prevalent in the fields of nutrition and herbal medicine in the near future, making what Mother Nature offers even more affective. A great deal more research needs to be done, but keep your eyes on the horizon and it is likely that you will see a better healthier society as we age.

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06/24/2007 :: Appetite Control - The New research that has just come out pretty much shows us what we all ready knew to be true, at least in part, what is ground breaking is that now there is data to validate the theory. Here it is: The funds generated by the weight loss product industry every year has soared into the billions of dollars, it is still obviously a real problem, especially in the U.S. where over 60 percent if those who reside here are over weight. It is also a problem over seas in other countries where as much a 50 percent of other populations are also over weight.

The new research that was done is trying to climb inside the head of the consumer to see where they are coming from. The study involving 750 women in USA, Europe and Brazil (ages ranged between eighteen and sixty five) were chosen because of their high level of interest in weight management. These participants were also chosen based on their diets and were asked to rate ten health claims based on their appeal, relevance, credibility, innovation and attractiveness of wording. Based on this the researchers determined that the weight loss market can essentially be divided into five groups based on the mechanisms of action of a product, at least from a marketing prospective. The areas included claims for boosting fat burning/ thermogenesis, inhibiting protein breakdown, suppressing appetite/ feeling of fullness, blocking fat absorption, and regulating mood.

The outcome of the survey showed that ‘the claim’ that a product “reduces the appetite” scored very high because of its appeal, relevance and credibility and was voted overall favorite by all participants. So there you have it, diet and weight loss is as much a mental thing as it is a physical…at least in this study it was. Apparently hunger or the lack of it is a major driving force in those who want to loose weight.

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06/14/2007 :: Potassium and Bone Health? - Just when you thought you knew everything you needed to about bone health, now there is new information that has just come to light that states calcium isn’t the only game in town. Now there’s research that shows that potassium has a direct impact on bone health bone health also. A recent study performed at the University of Basel, Switzerland, showed that a group of postmenopausal women with low bone mass increased their bone density by one percent after a year of taking a particular potassium supplement.

Further supporting this new finding comes from the Osteoporosis Education Project in Syracuse, New York where the researchers there found that potassium is indeed an important ancillary bone nutrient. Exactly how potassium relates to bone health turns out to be fairly complicated, and is only now being understood. Potassium’s involvement revolves around its importance in helping the body to achieve and maintain proper pH balance. Potassium acts to buffer the level of systemic acids that are produced on a daily basis, there by protecting kidney tissue. Our bodies (using potassium) then neutralize the acids with diet-derived alkali ‘high pH’ compounds found in fruits and vegetables that contain potassium. These are then stored in our blood, other fluids, muscle and above all in our bones. Our skeleton, in fact is our largest storehouse of alkali mineral reserves that the body draws from.

Eating the right foods will go a lone way to providing you with what you need (daily requirement). But sometimes a supplement will be needed to get what you want therapeutically. Just keep in mind that more isn’t always better in this case, getting the right amount in the diet can be tricky.

Note: Heart problems can arise if the kidney is weak and the potassium load is too great for the weakened kidneys to eliminate excesses. Potassium supplements should not exceed ninety nine mg per daily dose because excess potassium can accumulate in the blood and cause medical issues especially if you are taking certain types of medications.

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06/01/2007 :: Sodium Benzoate Safety Issues - Even though this product doesn’t fall into a nutrition category it is an important topic none the less, primarily because it affects your health and is potentially a detriment to society in a manner that slides under the radar in its affect on pathological states across the board.

Lately new research into the affects on a common preservative called sodium benzoate (AKA benzoyl peroxide, benzoate, benzoic acid) which is widely used in soft drinks and many other foods is in the headlines because of health concerns due to its being linked to cell damage. If you look carefully at a products label in the store and on the products you already use in your home you will see it is in many of these.

The bad news is simply that the various forms of benzoate contribute to faster ageing and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's! This new finding really puts the pressure on the food industry and soft drinks makers to find alternative ways to preserve their products.

There is controversy in the field as to whether this ingredient should be taken off the market because it is an ‘affective’ preservative. This type of rationalization is some what the same as the one that the pharmaceutical companies use when they try and justify the use of many of their products that cause, in some cases very serious side affects (the acceptable losses mentality). This type of product is more insidious in that it causes what are known as sub-clinical disease states many of which can be tied indirectly to the products use.

The fear here is that the benzoates when exposed to acidic environment transmutate into benzene which is a toxic carcinogenic chemical. Benzoates also caused an increase in the production of oxygen radicals (free radicals) which several studies have linked to serious illnesses and accelerated ageing in general. This action (free radical production) has been linked to any number of pathologies and psychological disorders in young and old alike. Even though most of the research that has been done has been performed out side the body to date, it makes on think of how this data can be correlated and linked to diseases known to be affected by an increase in free radical production. Benzoates have been linked to nerve damage, gastrointestinal issues, psychological disorders, decreased energy levels, cancer, cell damage, asthma and many other medical problems.

So the bottom line is, if you are concerned about issues such as this (whether the food companies want to acknowledge that this is an issue or not), you need to take the situation into your own hands and read labels, and if you feel strongly enough about this, and the preservation of your health and your children’s let them (the Gov’t and the food companies) know you want a change. Don’t buy products with this preservative in it, they will get the message.

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May 2007

05/25/2007 :: Fish Oil + Exercise = Weight Loss - Just when you thought the fish oil market couldn’t get any hotter, it does! Recent research is now showing a direct link between exercise and the use of fish oil and its ability to help you lose weight. Researchers from the University of South Australia in Adelaide reviewed the effects of effects of fish oil and exercise (alone and together) on fat mass loss and cardiovascular health in seventy five overweight adults whose ages ranged from twenty five to sixty five. All of the subjects had some form of cardiovascular risk factors such as high triglycerides and or high cholesterol levels. 

The catch here is that you have to exercise to get this benefit from the fish oil; it appears that just taking the fish oil alone did not have the same affect with regards to weight loss. The combination of fish oil and exercise however reduced fat mass by almost four pounds! Imagine what you could do if you increased the quality of the rest of your diet!  The other typical benefits of taking the fish oil supplements led to a decrease in blood triglyceride levels by fourteen percent and an increase in HDL levels by ten percent relative to their baseline amounts. The placebo (which was sunflower oil) decreased blood triglyceride levels by five percent and increase plasma HDL cholesterol levels by only three percent.

With the cost of health care for those who are over weight and have cardiovascular disease being in the billions of dollars world wide, and all the new research coming out with regards to the benefits of taking omega 3 oils, it makes perfect sense to include exercise in the equation to expedite the process of losing weight and increasing your health on all levels.

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05/11/2007 :: FDA wants to make supplements drugs. - Here is a subject that is as important as any of the new research that is being performed, and is really more important because if the government takes away your rights to take supplements and your ability to treat yourself, there will be no new research…at least as we know it today.

An organization called ‘The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)’ has reported that the US Food & Drug Administration's CAM guidance on new legislation fosters misinformation that certain Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) products should be regulated as drugs.

If the FDA is successful in there drive to have natural herbal and nutrition products treated as drugs, the results will be devastating! This is not a ‘chicken little’ situation, this is very ‘real world’ and if the public doesn’t join hands on the issues before congress and the FDA it will affect us in many more ways than one!

The issues before the FDA and the guidance they are requesting are serious business, the dietary supplement industry has voiced its fear that the document that defines what is a nutrition product and what needs to be defined as a drug needs to be clear and concise, but the document that the FDA is trying to force through will only engender confusion about which products apply, and who in fact regulates them.

"…the draft guidance creates the misinterpretation that certain CAM products that are properly regulated as dietary supplements should be regulated as drugs," wrote Andrew Shao, CRN vice-president of scientific and regulatory affairs, in the comment addressed to FDA.

Of primary concern to CRN is the omission of qualifying language relating to how dietary supplements are excluded from being a "drug" as defined in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&CA). For further information and updates regarding legislation that is pending and that may affect your rights to take supplements, please go the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s website and sign up to get their newsletter. This news letter will keep you up to date regarding any new developments about this or any other issues in the future. It is also very important that we all write our elected officials to let them know how we feel about our freedoms with regards to supplements.

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April 2007

04/29/2007 :: Autism caused by TV? - Autism is on the rise and it has become a serious problem here in the U.S. There has been much speculation as to why there has been such a sharp increase in the prevalence of this pathology. Know one has been able to come up with a causal relationship to date; the disorder largely remains a mystery in the medical community. But you have to ask yourself as a parent, how can a child be born absolutely normal, and then one day start to present with the symptoms of this devastating disorder?

Since the causes for Autism are unknown at this time how do we protect our children from it? If you are concerned that this may be an issue, then you need to be proactive and start reading everything you can on the subject. Some of the theories that are prevalent regarding Autism are that it is a genetic anomaly that is passed from mother and or father to child; some say that it is caused by environmental factors such as chemicals or contaminants in the water or our foods. There may be much more to it, we need to keep an open mind right now because its cause just might be multi-factorial in nature (more than one cause). Recently another factor/trigger has been brought to the forefront. And that is another causal environmental factor that wasn’t even considered before, and that is the neurological over stimulation of a youngsters underdeveloped mind through the watching of television. Some in the medical community don’t see this as a factor, but after careful consideration and research into the phenomenon it appears there may be a cause and affect relationship, at least for some.

Recently Michael Waldman, a Cornell University economics professor has written a research paper suggesting that scientists need to study the connection between early childhood television viewing and autism. His basic thesis is: Excessive TV viewing by children with a genetic predisposition to autism makes them more likely to develop the disorder. The statistical correlation between areas of the country where children are known to watch more TV (for various reasons including inclement weather), and the disease are too intriguing to be ignored.

This new information coupled with some of the prior research that shows genetic and nutritional factors as causal, may bring us one step closer to bringing the numbers back into the realm of reality. The best offense is a good defense, so looking at this issue from a holistic view point might be a good approach for those who are looking to have children in the future, or that have autistic children now. This means that just because there may be a genetic component doesn’t mean that a family need suffer, if the parents are ‘healthy’ before conception this may help, and of course if the child’s diet and supplements help to support development within the child as they grow, they may not fall prey to this disease. There are never any guarantees in life, but we have been given some of the tools that may offset what has become a difficult environment at best for even healthy folks to compete in, lets do what we can for the ‘newbie’s.

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04/14/2007 :: ALERT - eating too much fish - The latest craze in the nutrition market is to ingest more fish oil (which in most cases is a good thing). There are those that are telling folks to eat more fish instead, and then there are others that say taking more fish oil is the way to go. Who is right? When you hear celebrities talking about the fact that they had cancer and their doctors have told them to eat more fish, are these ‘doctors’ really giving their clients the best possible health information? Well new research appears to show that eating too much fish especially during pregnancy is linked to high mercury levels in mothers and could put women at a higher risk of giving birth prematurely, and what about the babies???

This poses a different situation and begs us to ask a few new questions, if this is the case how does this increase and the intake of heavy metal possibly affect the health and well being of the mother and the unborn child over the long term? Does it create an environment for sub-clinical disease states to appear at birth and or later in life? Case in point lets look at the autism epidemic that is currently in full bloom throughout the U.S. even now. And although scientists have not been able to directly connect a cause and affect relationship, if you take a look at some of the side affects of heavy metal toxicity it is not a stretch to think that there could be a connection.

Research just published in the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives (doi: 10.1289/ehp.9329), has reignited the debate about whether the benefits of fish (the meat) consumption may outweigh the risks. It is no secret that omega-3 consumption has many benefits but the facts are showing us that the fish itself contains pollutants such a methyl mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs). It doesn’t take a lot of thought to figure out this will have a negative affect on the body if this level of contamination continues for an extended period of time. And as you can imagine these types of contaminants definitely have a negative impact on vulnerable pregnant women, while also causing damage to their developing babies. The up side is that a diet rich in the omega-3 fatty acids from contaminant free fish oil (and other supplemental sources) which contains high levels of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during pregnancy and breastfeeding, promotes the healthy mental and visual development of the unborn as well as infants.

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March 2007

03/23/2007 :: Plastics are making us sick and fat? - New research can be a double edged sword, if the news is good then humanity benefits. If the news is bad...then at least we know, and it is up to us as to what we do with this information.

This new research may change your life:

New research raises the suspicion that low-dose exposures to chemicals called phthalates and other common chemicals may be reducing testosterone levels in men, and thereby contributing to rising obesity rates and an epidemic of related disorders, such as Type 2 diabetes.

It has been known for some time that certain plastics can have a negative affect on the body because they leach into the foods we eat and drink. It hasn’t been until recently that more research has been done to prove this, the research is being driven by an increase in diseases that doctors can’t find causes for. Plastics and the polymers/chemicals that they contain are deeply ingrained in our society, they are in everything to varying degrees and they all serve a useful purpose, right? Well it depends are what you are using them for. And the kicker is that after they have served their purpose they are discarded and buried in some dump site only to end up in the soil and eventually in the water table of some of the largest and most populated areas of the country.

In the past plastics such as the ones that bottled water is stored in, you know the ones you drink every day…are some of the biggest culprits. Have you ever had a bottle of water that tasted like plastic? Well there you have it! The problem really begins when these containers contain liquids that are considered to be mild solvents, which includes water and oils. When the plastic container that the food is stored in gets warm or is heated, it gets soft and then there is an exchange between the liquid and the plastic. In essence the polymers/chemicals leach into the food! Many of these materials are estrogenic in nature; in other words they produce estrogens. This by-product material can affect every segment of the population; they have been linked to the fact that young girls are having their periods at ages 8 and 9 years old!

Now new research has come to light that shows a different kind of constituent in plastic known as a phthalate can cause problems such as insulin resistance, infertility, decreased in sperm count, low testosterone levels and an increase in body fat! Tests were recently performed to test and analyze urine, blood samples and other data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, they showed the following:

• Researchers reviewed data from 1999 to 2002, which are the most recent years that phthalates were used and showed up in tests.
• More than 75 percent of the United States population has measurable levels of several phthalates in their urine, according to the study.
• And unfortunately there is still quit a bit that researchers do not know about phthalates and how they affect the body.

This begs the question, if they don’t know what the long term affects of these chemicals are going to be, why are they even being used? These chemicals are more prevalent than you realize, the phthalate family of chemicals are used in a variety of products ranging from cosmetics, shampoos, soaps, lotions, lubricants, paint, to pesticides and plastics.

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03/17/2007 :: Flavonoids - PLANT CHEMICALS SHOW PROMISE IN PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE:

It has been known for quit some time that plant based diets are healthy. The Flavonoids that are inclusive in this type of diet are one of the components that make them ‘therapeutic’. Flavonoids are found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea and chocolate (the cocoa found in chocolate) and herbs such as gingko, bilberry (and many others). It hasn’t been until recently that the reasons why this type of diet and the types of foods and herbs it includes have been show to benefit use in so many ways. Plant research is a hot topic in the world of science, and this type of research benefits us all in the long run. In a recent large study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that included 34,489 postmenopausal women, it was reported that a high dietary intake of several classes of flavonoids reduced the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke by as much as twenty two per cent! This study is profound in its outcome primarily because of the sixteen years of follow up that the researchers did to ensure that the results were statically significant and the affects were long lasting.

Flavonoids have been receiving interest because of a mounting body of science that includes epidemiological and laboratory-based data that supports the cancer fighting potential of a number of different flavonoids (isoflavones, anthocyanidins and flavonols). According to industry market research firms this category of products has seen one of the largest growth spurts of any group of products in the nutrition business (besides Omega 3 Fatty acids). The impact that these products will have in the prevention of cardiovascular disease will have a tremendous affect on health, if their use continues on into the future!

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03/07/2007 :: Vit C & E prevents kidney cancer - Everyday is a new day in nutrition research! You may have heard that there isn’t any research to validate the nutrition products being sold into the market these days. Well if you read this section of the site every week, you know that isn’t true at all!

Just when you thought that there weren’t any new ways you could benefit from the standard main stream nutrients like vitamins C & E, Mother Nature surprises us! New research now shows that a daily dose of vitamins C&E may help to prevent certain types of cancer! It is soooo easy, and yet people still do not take extra nutrition everyday. The research shows that the antioxidants vitamins C and E may cut the risk of kidney cancer by twenty eight to forty four per cent.

Renal cancer is prevalent in society today, and more than eighty per cent of all kidney cancers that are diagnosed are what is known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Kidney cancer is the tenth most common form of cancer diagnosed, with a male to female incidence ratio of 5:3. In most cases over fifty percent of those diagnosed with this type of cancer die. Age, sex, obesity, smoking and several genetic and medical conditions are believed to be risk factors, but categorization data to support the role of diet in kidney cancer prevalence have yielded mixed results. It is very difficult to pin point one cause for any type of cancer unless you know exactly what the patient was exposed to.

The study published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Cancer assessed the dietary intakes of over seven hundred renal cell cancer patients from which their micronutrient intakes were calculated. The results were adjusting to eliminate possible confounding factors, such as age, BMI, sex, smoking habits and alcohol consumption. The results were astounding considering the small amounts that were added to the diet during the study. At 17.5 micrograms per day of vitamin E, the associated reduction in risk was forty four per cent compared to those with an intake of 11.9 micrograms. The study also reported that an intake of approximately two hundred micrograms per day of vitamin C was also associated with a forty four per cent reduced risk of renal cell cancer, compared to those taking half that amount.

Source: International Journal of Cancer
Volume 120, Issue 4, Pages 892 – 896
“Micronutrients and the risk of renal cell cancer: A case-control study from Italy ” Authors: C. Bosetti, L. Scotti, L. Dal Maso, R. Talamini, M. Montella, E. Negri, V. Ramazzotti, S. Franceschi, C. La Vecchia

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February 2007

02/24/2007 :: Lipoic Acid - There is new research that has just been published that shows a natural chemical called Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) can have a profound affect on one of the major symptoms of diabetes. Some have mistaken this painful symptomatic ailment with a one that the pharmaceutical companies are pushing ‘their’ so called treatment for, that treats something called ‘restless leg syndrome’, a questionable ailment that the medical community has yet to come up with a plausible origin for. The painful side affect of diabetes that we are discussing here is real and is called Diabetic Neuropathy (DN). Diabetes itself can be caused by a genetic component; it can also be caused by life style choices or a bit of both. And it appears that new research is starting to show up in the journals that there are ways to deal with both root causes, and the symptoms that are associated with the side affects of having diabetes.

Diabetic Neuropathy can be a very painful side affect of diabetes, now it appears that the very same product ( ALA ) that helps to control blood sugar is also useful in decreasing and or preventing the pain associated with DN that is, according to a study that just appeared in the March issue of Diabetes Care. ALA prevents and improves the attributes that cause a decrease in endo-neurial blood flow; it also has a direct affect on the electrolyte/enzyme activity levels at the muscular level in humans. In another study performed at the Russian Medical Academy ALA rapidly, and to a significant and meaningful degree improved these same positive neuropathic sensory symptoms.

It was stated that due to the safety profile of this ingredient and its level of effectiveness, it appears that it may be a viable candidate to assist in the treatment and prevention of DN.

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02/14/2007 :: Selenium and mental decline - It is becoming more apparent as time goes on that micro nutrient intake is more important than was previously thought. New research has recently come to light that shows low intake levels of selenium throughout your lifetime can be linked to lower cognitive function. This new research which appeared in the current issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that there is a direct correlation between the decreased intake of this mineral, and our over all health. This research could help to increase public awareness of a mineral that is already associated with reducing the risk of prostate and lung cancer, as well as its ability to increase immune function.

It is a well known fact that mental performance declines naturally with age, but the results of the longitudinal study suggest that this increased long-term selenium intake may slow this decline process down. This is especially important in areas of the world where the soils in which food is grown are nutrient depleted. These study results may be particularly important in places such as Europe and China where selenium intake levels are typically low (due to geophysical and political reasons that deal with food importation). As a result, average intake of selenium in these countries (and others) has fallen to substandard levels, leading to calls from some researchers to enrich soil and fertilizers and to increase the consumption selenium to boost its availability across the board.

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February 2007

02/09/2007 :: Zinc and other minerals protect against atherosclerosis - When it comes to nutrition, it appears that the void is beginning to be filled, however any doctors are still scratching their heads when is comes to disease states such as atherosclerosis. Now it appears that there is more than just a cursory link between the sometimes devastating vascular disease and certain nutrients. Recently researchers began investigating the link between zinc ingestion (all forms) and the reduction of atherosclerosis in animal models. Ingestion of Zinc so the hypothesis goes, may affect the reduction in iron-catalyzed free radical reactions which lead to many vascular disorders.

Researchers in Singapore reported in the journal of Free Radical Biology and Medicine last year that eating a high cholesterol diet while taking Zinc supplements, reduced the formation of lesions in the arteries of the test subjects, they also stated that the effects were not linked to changes in cholesterol levels. In conjunction with this, the decrease in atherosclerotic lesions could also be linked to the decrease in iron concentrations in the tissue. An over abundance of Iron in the system, which has previously been reported to catalytically promote damaging free-radical reactions, and the development of atherosclerosis was also decreased. If these findings can be translated to humans, they could contribute to the understanding of nutritional measures that help to preserve cardiovascular health.

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02/01/2007 :: Creatine - This is exciting for those with neuro muscular diseases, and for those that want the benefit of extra muscular strength. New research out of Germany has just come out that shows the athletic supplement that is used to boost performance, may increase muscle strength in those with muscular dystrophies by about nine per cent, this is significant! The research shows that short and medium term creatine supplementation improves muscle strength in people with muscular dystrophies and appears to be well tolerated by this population. There doesn’t seem to be any contraindication for usage and there doesn’t seem to be any side affect from taking the supplement for this purpose.

Neuro-muscular disease defined - Muscular dystrophies refer to thirty or more genetic and hereditary muscle diseases, where the proteins that make up the muscles are either missing or damaged. It is a fact that over 250,000 Americans and 200,000 Europeans are reported to live with these types of conditions for which there appears to be no cure at this time.

Another physiological fact is that those people with muscular dystrophies are said to have lower than normal levels of creatine in their systems. And since some studies have suggested that creatine enhances muscle performance in healthy people, it has been theorized by some experts that taking the amino acid may offer benefits against muscle diseases.

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January 2007

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01/02/2007 :: Supplement book draws fierce response from industry - This past week CBS News did a piece on a book that was written about the supplement industry. In this book he bashes the industry as a whole, making false accusations regarding products currently being sold, and states there isn’t any research that proves that these products work.

The fact that CBS choose to air this piece hasn’t done anything for their credibility, because as journalists they are responsible for checking the facts in a story before it is aired. And in this case not only does the book fail miserably; so does CBS as a guardian of the people’s news.

Below is a segment taken from the CBS website where Hurley, the books author talks about the industry? I will address his comments below:

In 1993, the FDA was on the verge of enforcing a "truth in labeling regulation" for dietary supplements. The industry struck back with commercials that urged consumers to write to their congressmen or else they might have to kiss their Vitamin C goodbye.

"More people wrote to Congress about the supplement bill than wrote about the Vietnam War," says science and medical writer Dan Hurley.

He is correct here (only to the positive) in that this many people around the country did contact Congress about the fact that they supported the use of supplements, and our freedom to take them. The shear number of respondents should tell him something, in that if supplements didn’t work why would people get so angry about the government trying to take this freedom away from them?

Hurley says Congress caved and passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 instead.

I believe the above statement was made because he was trying to say that people didn’t want the bill to pass. And in fact he has it all wrong. It passed because there was so much pressure on Congress to make it pass!

Does it protect the consumer? "I would say it protects the manufacturers. It frees them of any requirement to prove that their product is safe or effective before it's sold," Hurley says.

This statement is incorrect, because the FDA currently monitors the claims made by companies and there fore it is not a ‘free for all’ as he makes is sound. There are in fact more regulations on the industry now than there ever have been in the past.

Hurley — who investigated the supplement industry for his book "Natural Causes" — says the supplement industry then convinced lawmakers to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on studies, looking at everything from treating colds with Echinacea to treating cancer with mistletoe and shark cartilage.

This is not entirely correct, and what does Mr. Hurley think that the Pharma market does when they release a new drug or do genetic research, the government has performed in a similar manner for the drug companies in the past. This is all done to safe guard the public, and is good for all concerned.

"We learned that most of the products tested have not worked," Hurley says.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There are literally thousands of studies that have been performed on products/ingredients before they are brought to market, and after to show they work. Unfortunately every industry has its black sheep, this industry isn’t any different. I would not include the bogus marketing companies that sell bogus products to be part of this industry, they are more fringe businesses that are trying to capitalize off the legitimate work that others are doing.

NOTE: These are just a few issues brought to the surface by this disreputable author. He obviously has an agenda, and if you take a look at who spends million of dollars per year advertising on TV, you don’t have to look far to see the drug companies. What he’s doing is like comparing apples to oranges when he tries to make the nutrition industry look bad by comparing it to the Pharma market. Relatively speaking even though there are a few occasions where problems have occurred, there are very few instances where serious injury can be directly tied to a product causing a death. Any problems that did arise were because of taking supplements in an inappropriate manner or in combination with another product that wasn’t a supplement…and there are other reasons. But in comparison to the drug industry, the difference in safety in favor of the supplement industry is staggering. Hurley also states that millions of adverse advents against the supplement industry have been report to the government over the years by people taking supplements. Well again, this is false because it wasn’t until recently that the ‘adverse reporting system’ for the supplement industry was even implemented, so there wasn’t a way to track this accurately.

The bottom line is that the supplement industry is sound; the products are safe and are closely watched by the FDA. No, new products do not have to go through the same testing that drugs do. But here again, the industry as a whole doesn’t make claims for a product unless the product can be shown to be affected through rigorous testing. These products are not drugs, they are food supplements. If you are currently are taking supplements and have gotten positive results, then you have your answer as to what route is best for your health. The industry is always looking for ways to improve, and you should always look to a reputable company to purchase your products from.

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01/12/2007 :: Dark Chocolate - This new research will make those who love chocolate very happy, and here is yet another case that shows Mother Nature is watching our backs. It has been known for some time that plant polyphenols are very important in the maintenance of health as are the flavonoids that they also contain. This new research involving Cocoa shows that the herb has tremendous therapeutic value, and helps to treat a number of pathological states.

Note: This information pertains only to ‘Cocoa’ found in its nature powdered state (preferably low fat, natural), and translates into benefits also found in the finished product known as dark bakers chocolate and some types of specially processed chocolate in general (not all chocolate offers the same benefits). Please keep in mind that this information doesn’t give the reader a license to go out and eat as much chocolate as they want using the logic that it is ‘good for you’. Please remember that chocolate contains significant amounts of sugar and fat, both of which can have negative affects on the body and may even negate the positive affects that cocoa offers.

The new research shows that eating a small amount of dark chocolate each day can help combat the symptoms of pathological states such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)…that is according to the researchers that performed the studies.

Other possible benefits include:

• Cardiovascular protection
• Immune stimulation
• Antioxidant protection
• Blood thinning
• Possible anticancer benefits
• May increase brain function
• Mood elevation and more…

The darker and more natural the cocoa the better, dark chocolate has been frequently touted to be ‘healthy' thanks to its high levels of polyphenols and flavonoids which work to protect the body from cell damage. Several large candy makers have jumped on the band wagon recently as have other functional food companies that see the product can make a difference. Sales of the product have risen almost 20 percent as a result of its new health-conscious image. Unfortunately much of what is being sold is processed with alkali and is poorly prepared, and therefore some of the benefits may be lost because of this, so the more natural the material is the better.

The research - Participants in the studies using cocoa reported feeling less fatigued after eating the chocolate and complained of feeling more tired when fed an alternative. None of those who took part in the research reported any weight gain as a result of the study (this is because the dose was defined).

Why it works - Researchers believe chocolate enhances the action of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, responsible for regulating mood and sleep, which could explain why the product can alleviate CFS. The Affect of the phytochemicals is still being studied, but the mechanism is understood and only needs to be verified long term.

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01/02/2007 :: MS and Vitamin D - There is one disease that is truly a menace to society, not that any of the others aren’t equally as devastating. It is just that this one is symptomatic of many of the others that supposedly have no cure. MS or Multiple Sclerosis is becoming more prevalent throughout society; it is supposed to be incurable. But is it appears that now there is light at the end of the tunnel, primarily because a door has been opened that shows that certain nutrient deficiencies may be the cause…and cure.

New research out of Harvard shows that higher levels of vitamin D in the body may reduce the risk of developing the neurological disease multiple sclerosis by as much as sixty per cent! Further information presented in the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that there is an inverse association with multiple sclerosis risk in younger people with high blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. This is very significant with respect to the pathology-nutrient tie in, it now shows a reverse correlation between what may cause, and what may cure diseases that are supposedly supposed to have no cure. To qualify what forms are considered a part of the process…Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors (one being D3 AKA cholecalciferol), and (D2 AKA ergocalciferol).

Although more research needs to be done, this is a great start, since multiple sclerosis is among the most common neurological diseases in young adults, affecting 350,000 individuals in the United States and 2 million worldwide!

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December 2006

12/20/2006 :: Vegatables and nutrition - Well it appears that some folk’s hatred of eating vegetables is genetic. This explains quit a bit, but also provides yet another excuse not to eat what keeps us healthy. This is serious, it appears that the reason why some people dislike vegetables such a broccoli and other vegetables such as brussel sprouts is due to the genetic defensive mechanism that creates an aversion to potentially harmful compounds in some plants. This opens up a whole new area of research and understanding when it comes to our understanding of taste.

This type of research may help to explain why children and some adults like or dislike some types of foods and could be important in helping us to understand pathological states such as eating disorders; and would also include situations such as obesity. And with over twenty two million children under the age of five being severely overweight you can see how this may have a profound affect on this population’s health and well being.

What this does also, is it helps to make the case for the therapeutic use of multi-vitamin and mineral products as well as for taking products that contain what you will not be getting if you don’t eat vegetables. Plants contain a tremendous amount of nutrient value that; if you don’t eat them it can be the difference between living a long and healthy life and not living at all down the road.

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November 2006

11/30/2006 :: Whey protein and blood pressure - Whey protein is back in the press, but for reasons you may not automatically connect to this product. Preliminary research shows that taking hydrolyzed whey protein daily successfully lowered blood pressure in hypertensive people

OVER VIEW: Milk proteins (all types) have previously been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure in animal models. Now a new study that has been published in the November issue of the ‘The Journal of Clinical Hypertension (Vol. 8, pp. 775-782)’ shows similar results in a small group of hypertensive humans. The new HUMAN study, performed at the University of Minnesota looked at the effects of a daily 20 gram supplement of hydrolyzed whey protein (in the experimental group) in 30 prehypertensive people having a blood pressure between 120/80 and 155/95 mm Hg.

Throughout the six week controlled study and the follow-up period the subject’s blood pressure was measured as were their blood lipids levels and their diets. The Minnesota researchers report that supplementation with the hydrolyzed whey proteins was associated with an average systolic blood pressure decrease of eight mm Hg and an average drop in diastolic blood pressure of five point five mm Hg compared with the control group. An added benefit that was observed was an improvement (reduction) of low-density lipoprotein (Bad LDL) cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (precursor of cancer).

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11/19/2006 :: Disturbing news - The U.S. is one of the richest countries in the world, and you would think that we had the ability to maintain our health better than any country on the plant just because of the access we have to higher quality foods, supplements and health care. Well if you thought that was the case…you were wrong. Americans are willing to spend more money on healthy products than just about anyone, but they are less likely than other nationalities to make long lasting behavior changes; that is according to a new report. This is a sad statement and a testament to the ability for food and psychosocial stigmas to dictate our state of health. Food is a drug, it has distinct affects on the body, it can make us happy or sad and sometimes in making us happy its long term affects in weight gain and disease make us sad.

In a recent market survey of a number of food and drink industry executives it was found that ‘looking and feeling good’ drives consumers more than the actual fear of disease does. When you think about this, it is pathetic and short sighted. The report makes comparisons between attitudes towards functional foods among the major developed countries. It’s all over the press, obesity is targeted as the number one health concern in the United States , and yet it seems attitudes need an even bigger wake up call to a problem that is more than superficial and has serious disease consequences. It is not news that the US has the lowest rate of life expectancy and proportionally has the greatest overweight or obese population among the seven major developed countries ( France , Germany , Italy , Spain , United Kingdom , US and Japan ).

It has recently been shown that about sixty four percent of all US adults are overweight, of these thirty percent are obese, that is according to the US Food & Drug Administration. This has been identified as an indisputable contributing factor to the nation's high death rate from heart disease. It has been reported that the US has the least healthy attitude towards health of the major developed countries, while Japan ranks as the healthiest country in this category. The food companies are fully aware of this situation and take advantage in every way they can, most of which you have no idea that they are doing so. Market analysts specify this has manifested itself particularly in the addition of new and exotic functional flavors in the market. This is where they food companies get you, these artificial flavors act in specific ways in the body that perpetuate the further depreciation of your daily dietary intake, because little do you know it in many ways you are addicted to the foods that they are selling to you. Many of these same foods cause nutrient depletion, and therefore the spiral down word continues way beyond what you ever thought was possible.

So how do you fight this detriment to your person and the society in general? Well, you fight back by taking supplements and by making healthier dietary choices, it’s that simple. The science proves that this situation is getting out of hand, and the only one that can do anything about it is you!

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11/10/2006 :: Carotenoids - There is a lot of excitement in the field of phyto-chemistry lately; the plant world is taking over. It is becoming more apparent that plants provide a lot more to us than just dietary fiber. Some of the most exciting research to date has been done in the area and use of plant chemicals, and how they work in the body. There are literally thousands of plant chemicals that will provide us with benefits that reach far beyond what ‘modern’ medicine can offer.

One plant chemical that we are all familiar with is beta carotene. This orange colored chemical is found in various forms in nature, and now it appears that is has benefits that far exceed what we ever thought possible in the past. Now it appears that the daily high-dose of a carotenoid supplement can restore carotenoid levels to base line, and reduce the mortality in the immune suppressed and in AIDS patients (AIDS patients are a group at risk of low serum carotenoid concentrations said to be predictor of death ‘according to some researchers’). These new studies highlight the need for further research into the role of micronutrients in the immune suppressed, and for those who want to maintain a healthy immune system.

Researchers are saying that antiretroviral therapy alone (ART, for AIDS patients) can be successful in most cases, but for those who don’t respond well to the conventional treatment, a natural mixed carotenoid supplement may be a potential low-cost intervention to boost results to the standard treatment.

NOTE: It needs to be noted that the carotenoids are not a replacement for standard antiretroviral drugs, but could be potential supplement to support conventional therapies.

Resource: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 60, pp. 1266-1276).

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11/02/2006 :: Milk Thistle - Now recent research is showing us that the daily ingestion of MT can significantly lower fasting glucose levels by as much as fifteen per cent, this is according to a randomized clinical trial from an international peer-reviewed research journal. The way it works is that it was found to have a significant effect in promoting the increase in glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and in the reduction of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels in the diabetics who took part in the trial. Milk thistle which is also called Silybum marianum has been used for a long time in Europe not only as a food, but also to treat patients that suffer from the above mentioned pathologies, it is considered to be a pharmaceutical there.

According to industry watch dogs, Milk Thistle ranked twelfth among the top selling herb supplements in the U.S. mass market, with sales of over three million dollars in the late nineties, and has continued to grow from there. The researchers in the study recruited 51 people with type-2 diabetes to take part in the four-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The trial subjects were assigned to receive either a daily milk thistle supplement or a placebo. The patients continued their conventional treatments and were examined at monthly intervals. The researchers published their findings in Phytotherapy Research on-line ahead of print (doi:10.1002/ptr.1988), and reported that fasting glucose levels of the supplementation group decreased from 156 milligrams per deciliter, while the placebo group's fasting glucose levels increased from 167 to 188 milligrams per deciliter.

As an added bonus as stated, the subject’s blood levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also significantly reduced as a result of the milk thistle extract supplements. No significant change in the placebo groups' total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels was measured, while triglyceride levels increased by twelve per cent. The exact mechanism for MT’s affect on the system is not clear at this point, and further research is under way to find out.

With an estimated nineteen million people being affected by diabetes in Europe and twenty million in the U.S. the total cost to treat the disease is thought to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars world wide according to the American Diabetes Association.

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October 2006

10/26/2006 :: Phytochemicals - The values of plant chemicals is just now coming to the surface, it has taken many years for the truth to come out. Recent research is showing that the colorful chemicals found in plants can do just about everything that we thought they could do. The research is showing that they can reverse and prevent pathological states such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular issues and now even certain types of cancer.

For example, recently research performed by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) showed that extracts from grape seeds (which are a rich source of proanthocyanidins) could stop the spread of colorectal cancer cells. The newest study which was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research (Vol. 12, pp. 6194-6202) shows that plant extracts such as grape seed may also have benefits in the prevention of colorectal cancer altogether.

Even though the health benefits of grape seed extract has mostly focused on heart health, there is evidence that shows it helps to prevent skin and prostate cancers. Even more recent are the NCI’s trials to show that grape seed extract may help women who have a higher risk of breast cancer. Even though more research into the use of benefits of plant chemicals for humans needs to be done, the future looks very promising and it is just a matter of time before such research will start to produce products that may reduce, and in some cases even eliminate some of the worst forms of disease that this planet has seen.

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10/21/2006 :: New Research - Fish oil confusion In Recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about eating fish and whether it is good for you. Just for clarity sake, it is the oils in the fish that are in question, not the protein. Two new studies published this past week are trying to calm the general fears that folks have who regularly consume seafood. They are trying to say to the public that even though oily fish may contain methyl-mercury, PCB’s and dioxin, it may be nothing to be concerned about. They are trying to say that the benefits of regular fish consumption on heart disease risk and neurological development outweigh the risks of eating such products.

Yes, the regular consumption of fish and seafood (particularly varieties high in omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA) have been linked most strongly to a reduced risk of heart disease and an increase in eye health and joint health. But what the consumer needs to know is that every one of the folks that talk about whether the consumption of fish is good for you has an agenda. Now, it should be known that eating fish once and a while isn’t necessarily bad for you, but the fact is researchers just really don’t know what the long term affects will be on the body. And the last thing the fish industry needs or wants is bad press that will destroy their livelihood. Reports that the presence of contaminants methyl-mercury, PCBs and dioxins in fish could be harmful to human health have caused confusion, despite the official US Department of Agriculture line that most people should include a variety of fish and seafood in their diets. This is especially confusing for pregnant and nursing women, those who may become pregnant and for children under twelve who like to eat fish. One has to wonder with the increase in neurological disorders such as autism what may be happening to the children that are exposed to these toxins, even at low levels.

NOTE: Methyl-mercury is a heavy metal that is readily absorbed by tissues and has been thought to have a detrimental effect on heart and neurological health (thus its affect on young developing neurological systems). The now-banned PCBs (organo-cholorine) that were used in industrial and commercial processes until 1977, and are still present in food sources in small amounts are known to be carcinogenic. So what is the answer, well it seems logical to take the path of least resistance and opt to take purified omega-3 supplements (purified or contaminant-free) so you don’t have to worry if the food that you are eating, or the foods that you are feeding your child are contaminated. The research is there to show that this isn’t just hype, it is just what the world has come to.

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10/15/2006 :: New research - Carotenoids - It appears that your mother was right; eating your vegetables is good for you! New research bears out the fact that ingesting certain types of carotenoids will reduce the incidence of stomach cancer. Eating three or more servings a week of green leafy vegetables or roots vegetables could reduce the risk of stomach cancer by between thirty five to fifty seven per cent! A recent study performed in Sweden analyzed dietary data that was obtained using thirty six thousand women and forty five thousand men; it suggests that the high carotenoid content of these types (yellow, green, red, orange etc.) of vegetables, particularly those high in beta-carotene prevent stomach cancer. It is suggested that the source of these phyto-chemicals come from raw vegetables because they are destroyed when exposed to heat.

It is important to know that stomach cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in the world and there are almost a million new cases of the disease reported every year. It certain parts of Asia it is the most common form of cancer. The source doesn’t have to be just from food. The great thing about the nutrition revolution is that these same nutrients can be obtained directly through supplementation. There are a wide variety of products available to the public as supplements with a great deal of research that has been done to validate their effectiveness.

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10/05/2006 :: Multi vitamin and pregnancy - Here is yet another reason to take a good multi vitamin and mineral product. Another confirming study suggests women who take multivitamins early in pregnancy could reduce the risk of their child developing brain tumors. The study which appeared in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention (Vol 15, 1660-1667, September 2006), states that the protective effect of multivitamins early in pregnancy was found to some significance.

It is well known that doctors already urge pregnant women to take multivitamins containing folic acid early in pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. So it is this finding that a multivitamin could a have anti-cancer properties for babies that gives these types of easy-to-take supplements an added boost. A certain type of brain tumor called medulloblastoma is the second most common brain tumor in children, occurring in one in twenty thousand children under age six. This type of tumor appears in the lower portion of the brain that coordinates movement. Another type of tumor called primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the brain is also prevalent, and are similar to medulloblastoma but occur in other parts of the central nervous system.

NOTE: Timing is critical when it comes to taking supplements and the onset of pregnancy. The researchers found that taking multivitamins later in pregnancy did not significantly reduce a child's risk of developing a brain tumor.

September 2006

09/29/2006 Vitamin D - So, you didn’t get out in the sun much this summer. That is good with respect to the prevention of skin cancer, but what about the other benefits that the sun has to offer? Well, just one benefit of getting some sun would be the production of vitamin D that the body makes when exposed to it. Not only is this vitamin D good for the bones, it has now been shown to prevent cancer! Recent research done at Northwestern and Harvard universities has shown that vitamin D could cut the risk of pancreatic cancer in half!

The Statistics - According to a European watch dog group statistics show that about 7,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed every year in Europe alone last year, while the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 34,000 new cases in the US during 2006. The cases are split almost 50-50 between the sexes. This new research, published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, is believed to be one of the first known studies to use a large-scale epidemiological survey to examine the relationship between vitamin D and this type of cancer. This is a great start and further shows that those who claim that supplements are not needed, really need to do a reality check!

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09/15/2006 Fish Oil in the News again – This study only solidifies what we already know to be true when it comes to the fatty acids that are derived from fish. A new study has presented evidence that consumption of fatty fish can help prevent the most common form of kidney cancer in women! According to a European watch dog group kidney cancer is the tenth most common form of this disease, with a male: female incidence ratio of 5:3. Out of all cases that are diagnosed each year about half of those afflicted die. This new research and test results are amazing and it shows that Fish Oil offers yet another benefit to an already long list, and that it works systemically.

Please note that eating large quantities of cooked fish, especially the oil based variety is not suggested here. This is because much of the fish that is sold contains contaminates such as heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium), eating them once in a while seems to be fine. But to get the full benefit of fish oil without the contamination, it is suggested that the user take a high quality fish oil supplement.

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August 2006

08/30/2006 :: Nutritional needs of specific ethnicities: - It has been known for many years that certain ethnic groups are more prone to specific pathological states than others. It is further been theorized that these disease states are perpetuated by nutritional deficiencies that are prevalent throughout our society. Now the theory has become a reality, new research from the Mayo Clinic, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society has demonstrated these significant health differences between different ethnic groups.

The biggest differences are those seen among Hispanics and African Americans, both of which have increased melanin in their skin which reduces the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from the sunlight. This is significant, in that the presence of melanin in skin cells and lactose intolerance (in many within these groups) prevents proper vitamin absorption. Now knowing this, it becomes apparent that Hispanics and African Americans are far more likely to suffer from pathologies such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, rectal and colon cancer, prostate cancer and end-stage kidney disease. These two groups specifically experience lower metabolic rates, which contributes to the higher incidences of life threatening obesity. It appears that no group is immune to these types of genetic anomalies; it has been shown that Caucasians are also more likely to suffer from spina bifida, osteoporosis and breast cancer because of certain nutritional deficiencies.

So what needs to be done? Well the answer is fairly simple…they (those populations mentioned) just have to make adjustments in their diets and in the supplements that are being taken to compensate for the deficits that are ethnic in nature. An example of an ethnic specific supplement would include an increased amount calcium (by 1000 to 1200 mg) and vitamin D, because if they are deficient in vitamin D they are also most likely calcium deficient. This mostly goes for the African American and Hispanic population (because of the reasons already stated) where a multi-vitamin and mineral product that contained an increase in calcium would also contain an increased amount of vitamin D (800 IU) because they need the vitamin D in their bodies to process the calcium. While Caucasians are only about four percent calcium deficient, it has been shown that African Americans are nearly sixty percent calcium deficient. This means they have a two times greater likelihood of dying from a heart attack or stroke compared to the Caucasian population. It is about time this problem is being addressed, and would not be so much of an issue if all populations at risk supplemented their diets in some form or another on a regular basis.

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08/24/2006 :: Fish oil and AMD - Fish oil has many uses, and new research shows that you will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel…that is if you know what to take!

NOTE: Even though this new research shows that eating oily fish three or more times per week may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 70 per cent, it is recommended that those that read this ingest their ‘fish oil’ in supplemental form. This is mainly because many of the oily fish consumed these days contain large amounts of heavy metal (mercury, lead, cadmium). Where as many of the supplemental forms available today have been purified and are safer to consume.

This news research is in contrast to recent reports that high dietary intakes of unsaturated fats, particularly mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids could increase the risk of AMD. A brief explanation - AMD affects the central part of the retina called the macula, which controls fine vision, leaving sufferers with only limited sight. This is a serious disease…AMD affects over 30 million people worldwide, and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50. The new study was published in the latest issue of Archives of Opthamology (Vol. 124, pp. 981-986). It analyzed the dietary intakes of 2258 older people in Sydney, Australia with an average age of 64. (Long term studies carry the most weight) After five years of follow-up, the researchers calculated that people who ate at least one portion of fish every week could reduce their risk of developing early AMD by 40 per cent.

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08/15/2006 :: Milk Thistle inhibits cancer (this is exciting!) - NOTE: It should be stressed that the below new research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 98, pp. 846-85), did not use milk thistle dietary supplements, but pure silibinin, the active component in milk thistle. However this is still very exciting in that the connection has been made, and can still provide hope to those that have the types of cancer that silibinin is active in preventing or reversing. Most oral 80 per cent silymarin (which is a flavonolignan mixture) contains approximately 30-40 per cent silibinin.

It appears that preliminary research involving a flavanone compound found in the herb milk thistle, silibinin may stop lung cancer growth and spread in mice, says research from the University of Colorado. "Our research findings suggest that milk thistle (with active compound silibinin) could inhibit lung cancer growth and progression… We expect that after supplement consumption a sufficient level of silibinin must be achieved in blood circulation/lung to have an anticancer effect," says lead researcher Rana Singh.

There are many types of cancer and lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. There are over 1.2 million new cases diagnosed annually and it has one of the lowest survival rates, with only 25 per cent of patients surviving more than one year after diagnosis. In a 29 week study where researchers divided 90 mice into six groups and injected 75 mice with cancer-causing urethane and 15 mice with a saline solution the silibinin supplemented group had between 64 and 70 per cent less tumors than the urethane-only group, across all the dose ranges. Mice that received the silibinin supplement had 93 per cent fewer large tumors than the urethane-only group.

In terms of cancer spread, the tumors in the silibinin supplemented mice had between 41 and 74 per cent fewer cells that tested positive for proliferation (spread) markers. The icing on the cake was that the formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) was also found to be reduced in the silibinin groups, with reductions up to 89 per cent! This is highly significant in the treatment of certain types of cancer, and these results are not something that the Pharma market has been able to reproduce using artificial means.

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08/03/2006 :: Vit B 6 and Parkinson's - It is always the simplest things that make all the difference in a person’s life. It now appears that making sure you get enough vitamin B-6 in your diet may cut the risk of getting Parkinson’s disease according to a new study from the Netherlands. This new research is showing that those with the highest total vitamin B6 intake had significantly lower risk of developing the disease than those with the lowest intake. Information provided by the American Parkinson's Disease Association states that over two million Americans currently suffer from the disease.

Parkinson's disease, occurs when nerve cells are lost in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra, and again the (amino acid by-product) homocysteine which has been linked to many pathological states might promote the onset of the disease. Numerous studies have reported that higher intakes of folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 can decrease plasma levels of homocysteine and therefore might prevent the disease from occurring.

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July 2006

07/20/2006 :: B vitamins and children with diabetes - It appears that common sense rules when it comes to nutrition and pathologies like diabetes. New research on B vitamins and children with type 1 diabetes has shown that supplementation can normalize the precursors to cardiovascular disease, which begins early in juvenile diabetics and is associated with the amount of folate in the system. This research as it appears in the July issue of Pediatrics (118, 1:242-53, 2006) showed that high-dose folate, with the addition of vitamin B6 normalized vascular dysfunction in the test subjects, and it appears that the affect was maintained for eight weeks. The increase in blood flow occurred within 2 hours after supplementation and was maintained throughout the 8 weeks for each treatment. The non-treated placebo group showed no changes in vascular affect. Red cell folate levels and baseline diastolic blood pressure were related inversely to improvement in vascular dilation. Triglyceride and LDL cholesterol were inversely related to baseline flow-mediated dilation (no increase). The bottom line is that the researchers concluded high-dose folate and vitamin B6 normalized vascular dysfunction in children with type 1 diabetes; and that this effect was maintained for an extended period of time.

07/14/2006 :: Milk Thistle destroys lung tumors - Here is more new research that shows that Natural herbal medicine continues to blow pharmaceutical medicine away...Silibinin, a flavonoid derived from the primary milk thistle (Silybum marianum) flavonoid silymarin, prevented angiogenesis (new vascular growth) of urethane-induced tumors in mice lungs, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (98, 12:846-55, 2006). This is significant in that if you prevent blood flow to the tumor it will DIE! Researchers from the University of Colorado injected animal subjects with either saline or cancer-causing urethane for two weeks. Then they fed some of the mice diets containing different doses of pure silibinin for 18 to 27 weeks. Immunohisto-chemistry and Western blot analysis were used to examine angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) and enzymatic markers of inflammation, proliferation and apoptosis (cell death).

The research showed that silibinin inhibits lung tumor angiogenesis in an animal model; this outcome warrants further investigation of Milk Thistle as a chemopreventive agent for suppressing lung cancer progression.

NOTE: The raw material used for this research was specifically prepared and standardized for this purpose (The lead researcher Rana Singh, Ph.D., noted the study used pure silibinin in a diet prepared at room temperature and air dried.)

07/06/2006 :: Soy reduces Prostate PSA results - There is hope for men…research shows us that having a diet rich in soy foods, or using soy isoflavone based supplements may reduce levels of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) without impacting testosterone levels, that is according to a new pilot study (Eur J Clin Nutr, ePub June 14, 2006; DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602473). Researchers from the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii did a study where they exposed 24 men (average age 58) to a high-soy (two servings) or low-soy (normal) diet for three months. After the test period was complete blood samples were analyzed for serum PSA and testosterone. During the high-soy diet, dietary isoflavone intake and urinary isoflavone excretion increased significantly compared to the low-soy diet. The exciting part of the test was that it showed a 14-percent decline in serum PSA during the high-soy period, with no changes in testosterone! This is significant in that this test shows that diet and supplements can have a definitive affect on the over health of men.

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June 2006

06/22/2006 :: Mother Nature is amazing! If plants came with their own ingredient decks they would be as hard to understand (read on and you will understand) as the current labels you see on products in the market (unlike the chemically processed foods, this is a good thing). The main difference is that Mother Nature (unlike the marketing companies) isn’t trying to selling you anything. These hard to pronounce ‘found in nature’ chemical names are your saving grace! And they are there for the taking! Her (Mother Nature) only motivation is to provide you with the ingredients for a better life. Sometimes it appears that the human race takes this fact for granted, but here is a perfect example of what nature is offering you in the way of a healthier life through the foods that you eat.

New research presented by researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, at the 97th Annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in April shows that Pomegranate fruit may have chemopreventive (prevents cancer) effects against lung and prostate carcinomas. A pomegranate extract rich in antioxidant anthocyanins (delphinidin, cyaniding, pelargonidin, hydrolyzable tannins, punicalin, pedunculagin, punicalagin, gallagic and ellagic acid esters of glucose), were found to inhibit the proliferation of certain human lung carcinoma cells by increasing apoptosis (cell death), leading the researchers to conclude pomegranate fruit may be an effective lung cancer chemopreventive agent. In another study, the researchers found the pomegranate induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells. This is only the beginning…

06/15/2006 Here is another perfect example of how Mother Nature takes care of us. In recent months it has been shown that blueberry extracts may inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells in the lab, potentially adding to the growing list of health benefits for what could be called a ‘super-food’. Blueberries are a rich source of polyphenols, potent antioxidants that include phenolics acids, tannins, flavanols and anthocyanins. Researchers have also revealed that a compound found in blueberries called pterostilbene, similar to resveratrol, could be as effective as a widely used synthetic drug in reducing cholesterol.

Increased sales for this fruit have increased ten fold over the past few years, that consumer is starting to get ‘with the program’ with respect to seeing that nature can truly be the source that heals all. Now even the professionals are coming on board, this has stimulated even more research in this area and for this one fruit especially. One study found that phenolics compounds in blueberries could inhibit HepG2 liver cancer cell population growth and induce apoptosis (cancer cell death). Dietary intakes of these fruits may have potential to reduce liver cancer,” wrote lead researcher Weiguang Yi from the University of Georgia.

Wedge DE, Meepagala KM, Magee JB, et al. Anticarcinogenic Activity of Strawberry, Blueberry, and Raspberry Extracts to Breast and Cervical Cancer Cells. J Med Food. 2001; 4(1):49-51. References:
Yi W, Fischer J, Krewer G, Akoh CC. Phenolic compounds from blueberries can inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Sep 7; 53(18):7320-9

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May 2006

05/30/2006 Osteoporosis is estimated to affect about 75 million people in Europe, the USA and Japan. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the total direct cost of osteoporotic fractures is estimated to be in the billions of dollars in all countries as stated above.

It appears that new research in the lab may show that elderly men, a population that is often overlooked in bone health studies could also benefit from the intake of a well known vitamin known to increase bone density. More and more research is beginning to surface that demonstrates the effectiveness of supplementing the diet with calcium and vitamin D for preventing or maintaining bone health. Much of the marketing hype that revolves around bone health is typically focused at woman in general because they are many more times as likely to develop osteoporosis as males. But the number of males that suffer from the disease is significant and is growing, so preemptive research into how this population can benefit is both timely and appropriate. New research published on-line in the journal Bone (doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2006.04.003), reports that elderly men (those over 62) benefited from daily supplements of fortified milk.

05/22/2006 Blindness in adults is at epidemic levels, most all of the causes for this increase in the loss of sight is due to issues that may be prevented with proper preventative nutritional maintenance. Lutein (a carotenoid associated with eye health) and other xanthenes, protect the retina from damage by inhibiting inflammation, according to a new research recently released. Researchers looked at the effects of lutein primarily, and its affect on retinal ischemia (reduced blood flow to the retina), which is caused by retinal neuronal cell death that occurs for several eye conditions including diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

AMD specifically is a progressive eye disease that affects the central macula of the eye, leaving sufferers with only peripheral vision. It is for the most part preventable if attention is paid to the causes early enough. It is one of the most common causes of blindness in persons over the age of fifty worldwide, which is according to AMD Alliance International and is estimated to affect 30 million people in the near future alone.

05/03/2006 Recently according to researchers, an extract of garlic was shown to have the ability to preserve bone mineral loss in hormonally deficient animals. Researchers investigated the ability of an oil extract of garlic to impact intestinal absorption of calcium and overall bone mineral content. They found the extract increased the bioavailability of calcium by modulating the activities of certain intestinal enzymes. The prior low bone mineral content and low bone tensile strength observed in the animals were also restored by garlic oil supplementation. The researchers concluded the garlic extract's estrogenic capacity may help prevent hormone deficiency-induced bone mineral loss by promoting the intestinal absorption of calcium through intestinal tract.

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April 2006

04/19/2006 GREEN TEA IS HOT – There has been a tremendous increase in research that is unparalleled in the natural products industry with regards to one herb, the ingredient is green tea. In a matter of only 3 years the number of studies has almost quadrupled from 430 to over 1500!

The main active component in green tea are the catechins, which have been shown to improve reference and working-memory related learning ability, which adds to the claims that green tea may help ward off Alzheimer’s. And recently new research (published in the April issue of the Journal of Nutrition (Vol. 136, pp. 1043-1047)) has confirmed in animal studies that certain types of green tea can increase cognitive learning abilities! Look out Ginkgo Biloba!

The quality of the product being sold has also increased; many companies are boasting 95 per cent purity of their epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) content. There has been a tremendous worldwide surge in the consumption of green tea in the past five years, mainly due to the press the product has been getting, and in conjunction with the afore mentioned reasons.

04/07/2006 Vitamin D and cancer prevention - Raising the RDA of vitamin D from 400 IU to 1500 IU could cut the number of deaths from cancer by 30 per cent, say the US scientists investigating the link between vitamin D levels and cancer risk. Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors – D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. D3 is produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation, and is said to be more active. Vitamin D2 is derived from plants and only enters the body via the diet. So take your Vitamin D!

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March 2006

03/27/06 Exciting news! It has been shown that Creatine has antioxidant capabilities. This product is used by athletes around the world to increase performance and their muscle density. According to Piero Sestili from the Universita degli Studi di Urbino, in Italy, “We have shown that exogenously added creatine, at concentrations comparable to those attainable in plasma upon oral supplementation, exerts direct antioxidant activity in cultured mammalian cells exposed to various oxidizing agent”. This product is so popular and safe that it is not banned by the International Olympic Committee, which classifies it as food.

Another study published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine (Vol. 40, pp. 837-849), is a look at the effect of creatine on human cell cultures exposed to a range of oxidizing agents, including hydrogen peroxide and tert- butylhydroperoxide. The researchers in this study found that the addition of the creatine to the cell cultures boosted their survival rates by more than 20 per cent compared to cells exposed to oxidizing agents without creatine.

03/22/06 New research on the use of omega-3-rich oils shows that they may be effective in preventing the spread of prostate cancer. Since the typical American diet is very high in Omega 6 oils (that has been correlated with the increase of certain disease states), it is now known that omega-6 fatty acids appear to promote the spread.

Men should be concerned because over half a million new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year world wide, and it kills well over 200,000 people every year. What makes it worse is the fact that as we get older the likelihood of our getting the disease increases. Thankfully a new study that has been published in the British Journal of Cancer (doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6603030), that reports the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that are found in omega-3 fatty acids may prevent the spread of human prostate cancer cell lines.

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03/14/06 (GINGER) Herbs to the rescue again! It is now known through preliminary research (published in Food Chemistry) that ginger may help protect against diabetic kidney damage, a condition said to threaten one in three diabetics. Ginger is a rhizome plant that is a rich source of antioxidants, including gingerols, shogaols, zingerones and other ketone derivatives. It has been used for many years as a treatment for nausea, especially that which is associated with morning sickness. In diabetics impaired glucose metabolism causes oxidative stress, proteins glycation (damaged cells) and the formation of free radicals, this leads to tissue damage and decreased organ function over time.

What happens when person has diabetes is that the levels of thromboxane increase while prostacyclin levels are decreased and this imbalance leads to a decrease of blood flow which in the kidney will cause tissue damage. The researchers in this study proposed that the ginger might work by regulating the vasoconstrictor thromboxane and the vasodilator prostacyclin to preserve the natural blood vessel balance.

03/09/06 Omega 3 fatty acids may prevent bone loss - New research done using omega-3 fatty polyunsaturated fatty acids shows that they slow the loss of bone mineral density associated with aging, which is according to a clinical trial published in the British Journal of Nutrition (95, 3:462-68, 2006). Additional research done at Texas Tech University, Purdue University and Winthrop-University Hospital showed that rats fed a diet high in Omega 3 fatty acids had less bone loss compared with animals fed the Omega 6 fatty acids. Another exciting development showed that rats fed the Omega 3 diet had higher values for serum insulin-like growth factor-I and parathyroid hormone. The researchers concluded these findings indicate a protective action of Omega 3 PUFAs on aging-induced bone loss in animals, human clinical trials will follow and hopefully the same modulation of systemic calcitrophic (calcium building) hormones will occur.

03/03/06 European researchers found that the combination of St. John's wort and Black Cohosh was able to help abate the psychological and physical complaints associated with menopause. In a controlled, randomized study (Obstetrics & Gynecology (107:247-55, 2006)) women with menopausal complaints and psychological symptoms were treated with a St. John's wort extract and an isopropanolic Black Cohosh extract for 16 weeks. The typical physical complaints that are associated with menopause were tested using a rating scale mean score, while psychological complaints were evaluated on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale sum score. The out come of the study showed the combination of St. John's wort and Black Cohosh was superior to placebo in alleviating both the emotional and physical complaints associated with menopause.

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February 2006

02/25/06 CANCER PREVENTION – New research on the flavonoids found in citrus products shows promise in the prevention of pathologies such as cancer. Naringenin, a flavonoid found in grapefruit and oranges was shown to help repair damaged DNA in cancer cells. This type of research is extremely important and has broad spectrum applications in maintaining health long term. Many citrus fruits contain flavonoids that have the ability to scavenge free radicals. Researchers around the world have now reported that one specific flavonoid (naringenin) has anti-cancer effects far beyond that of an antioxidant. A study published in the February issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry looked at the effect of naringenin on DNA repair in human cancer cell cultures. And it is important to realize that DNA repair is an important factor in the prevention of cancer since it prevents the proliferation of mutations in the cells. As we age our cells become more susceptible to oxidative stress, which in turns leads to increased DNA damage.

02/20/06 Help for Athletes and the oxygen deprived – The latest research using Branched-chain amino acids appears to enhance training efficiency in athletes, according to Japanese researchers (J Nutr, 136:538S-43S, 2006). The unique combination of branched-chain amino acids, arginine and glutamine were studied to show that they have an impact on muscle function, fatigue and recovery in exercising athletes. Even though the dose was fairly large (administration of 6.6 g/d for 30 days), it appears that there was an increased index of blood oxygen-carrying capacity and a decreased index of muscle damage.

In addition, when this same mixture was given to rugby players for 90 days during their training, the oxygen-carrying capacity systemically was increased significantly. This research concluded that this mix of amino acids taken as a supplement improved athletic training by improving muscle integrity and blood oxygen-carrying capacity.

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02/14/06 Vitamin E and selenium helps alleviate heavy metal poisoning – New research (published in Neurotoxicity and Teratology (doi:10.1016/j.ntt.2005.11.02)) shows that taking vitamin E and selenium supplements could reduce the toxicity of mercury in humans that are found in many types of fish and other sources. This is very good news since there are so many subclinical and clinical diseases that are caused by heavy metal toxicity. These animal studies, if they can be replicated in humans mean that those who are more sensitive to these toxic materials such as pregnant women and children can possibly consume more fish products, and thus their babies may benefit from more omega-3 oil in the diet.

Mercury in foods has been all over the head lines lately with tuna fish and other foods being the leading offenders. The debate between the benefits of omega-3 intake from oily fish versus the potential toxicity of methyl mercury is ongoing (except in products (supplements) that have been tested for heavy metals); with some researchers claiming that the benefits far outweigh the risks. This is why encapsulated fish oils are the preferred source of this macro nutrient, mostly because they are monitored so closely for contaminants. It is well known that the right kinds of Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to better fetal development, cognitive function, and heart health.

In conclusion the researchers found that supplementation with both vitamin E and selenium eased the effects of mercury toxicity in the animals tested.

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02/08/06 There is hope for Menopause – A recent article in Obstetrics & Gynecology (2006; 107:247-255) found that the herbal combination of black cohosh and St. John’s wort seem to be effective against menopausal complaints. In this randomized double-blind placebo-control study subjects were treated with an ethanolic St. John’s wort extract and isopropanolic black cohosh extract, the subjects were women experiencing menopausal complaints with psychological symptoms. Menopausal complaints were evaluated by means of the Menopause Rating Scale mean score, and the psychological complaints were evaluated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale sum score. The results showed that the mean rating scale score decreased by fifty percent in the treatment group and nineteen percent in the placebo group. There were no relevant group differences regarding adverse events.

These results are statistically significant in that showing that natural herbal remedies that are prepared properly and standardized, do help to treat certain pathological disorders associated with aging in the female population.

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02/01/06 The RDA’s (recommended daily allowances) aren’t enough

New research into the increase of certain B-Vitamins in the daily diet shows the RDA’s come up short. The RDA levels for vitamin B12 should be increased by 500 per cent, according to overseas researchers. This type of recommendation could lead to the reformulation of multivitamins that contain smaller quantities of this vitamin. The current RDA in the US dietary reference intake (DRI) is 2.4 micrograms. The requested adjustment for all vitamin B12-related variables has lead to a proposed RDA increase of six micrograms; this is according to research published in the January 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 83, pp. 52-58). It appears that a daily vitamin B12 intake of six micrograms would be sufficient in normalizing all of the vitamin B12-related systemic variables. This one fact suggests that this dose might be more adequate for the general adult population than the current RDA

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January 2006

01/31/06 More good news in the fight against cancer!

New research at the University of Minnesota has shown that diets rich in magnesium can reduce the occurrence of colon cancer. This research supports previous studies that inversely linked the intake of the mineral to the disease. Further more, studies done in the past in Sweden and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 293, pg. 86-89 reported that women with the highest magnesium intake had a 40 per cent lower risk of developing the cancer than those with the lowest intake of the mineral.

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01/25/06 New research suggests that drinking caffeinated drinks appears to reduce the body's ability to maintain blood flow to the heart during exercise.

From a physiological point of view, blood flow to the heart has to increase during exercise in order to make sure that oxygen needs are met. But is was shown recently in healthy test subjects that were given the equivalent of two cups of coffee, that the blood flow increase during exercise was much lower than when they exercised without having consumed coffee. The caffeine intake did not affect blood flow within the heart muscle of the test subjects at rest. However, when blood flow measurements were taken immediately after exercise they were significantly lower than when the participants had taken caffeine tablets. This raises safety issues for those who may be at risk.

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01/02/06 Another problem with a high fat diet – You have read about those crazy ‘diets’ that profess that the intake of fats helps you to lose weight, well now there is more evidence that shows that these kinds of fad diets are not worth the paper they are printed on! Recent research shows us that a the higher the intake of saturated fat, the more it has an adverse impact on bone mineral density (BMD), particularly in men, that is according to an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers assessed the relationship between dietary fat intake to hip BMD in 14,850 men and women. In this study saturated fat intake was negatively associated with BMD at several hip sites, with the greatest effects bring seen among men under the age of 50.

For those who of you who are having this issue, the fact that this occurs only lends credibility to the fact that the need for a good supplement that contains a balance of Magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin D may help to take the edge off a losing battle with regards to calcium loss due to poor dietary habits!

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December 2005

12/21/05 Folic Acid - Proof that nutrient rich diet can have a positive affect into the ‘golden years’ – Recent animal research shows that a diet rich in folic acid could boost the immune system in the elderly.

A research team from the University of Alberta showed that feeding animal’s folic acid produced a dramatic increase in their T-cell distribution and mitogen response (cell division to increase the immune response). To clarify, T-cells are a subset of lymphocytes (immune cells) that play a major role in the immune response. It is a well known fact that as the body ages, levels fall significantly, especially in those of advanced age.

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12/19/05 Conjugated Linoleic Acid Turbo Style - Recent Research has shown that the lignans (the fibrous compounds found in many plant-based foods) have numerous health-promoting effects. For example sesame seed lignans in particular are beneficial. Studies are now showing that these lignans (sesamin and sesaminol), enhance vitamin E’s absorption and availability and can improve lipid profiles which helps to normalize blood pressure.

What is really exciting it that sesame lignans also have been shown to increase the weight-loss effects of the oil CLA. Researchers have shown that manipulating the diet by adding these lignans could enhance CLA’s effects in reducing body fat. They found that sesamin helped stimulate the loss of adipose (fat) tissue. It is thought that sesame lignans may increase CLA’s effects by stimulating a pathway of fatty acid breakdown called beta-oxidation.

An added benefit: The combination of CLA with sesamin is also effective in lowering serum triglycerides, which have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The way this process works is thought to occur via enhanced fatty-acid oxidation in the liver which may be also what causes the triglyceride-lowering effect.

1. Sugano M, Akahoshi A, Koba K, et al. Dietary manipulation of body fat-reducing potential of conjugated linoleic acid in rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2001 Nov; 65(11):2535-41.
2. Sakono M, Yuji K, Miyanaga F, et al. Combined effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid and sesamin triacylglycerol and ketone body production in rat liver. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol. 2002 Oct; 48(5):405-9.

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