August 31, 2011
Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Several studies throughout the years have proven that food high in potassium citrate drastically lowers blood pressure.
A study from St. George’s Medical School in London took group of people averaging hypertension of 151/93. After two weeks on potassium citrate, their blood pressure had dropped down to 138/88 on the average.
Read more about the study here.
August 30, 2011
Omega-3 May Slash Levels of Heart Disease Risk Factor
by Stephen Daniells
Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with lower levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, an amino acid linked to increased risks of heart disease and dementia, says a new meta-analysis of the scientific evidence.
Read more about the study here.
August 24, 2011
Breakfasts With Protein, Fiber Start The School Year Right
By
Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
The ABCs of a nutritious breakfast are now backed by science. New research shows that you'll feel full longer and may get less hungry throughout the day if your first meal has protein-rich foods, such as eggs, Greek yogurt, low-fat dairy products or lean meat, and fiber-filled fare, such whole-wheat bread, whole-grain cereal, fruit and vegetables.
These foods appear to have more staying power than highly processed foods such as bagels, muffins, doughnuts and sugary cereals.
The findings are especially important for school-aged children who may be ravenous by lunch time if they don't eat a good breakfast.
Read more about the report here.
August 24, 2011
Magnesium Deficiency Linked to Higher Risk of Osteoporosis?
PRNewswireA magnesium deficiency reduces the absorption and metabolism of calcium and prevents the proper amount of calcium being directed toward building stronger bones. According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, magnesium expert and Medical Director of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association (
http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org), the effectiveness and benefits of calcium with respect to bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis are greatly impaired in the absence of adequate levels of magnesium in the body.
"Magnesium keeps calcium dissolved in the blood. Without the proper balance of magnesium to calcium, about a 1:1 ratio, calcium ends up depositing in your kidneys and can create kidney stones, in your coronary arteries resulting in clogged arteries, and in joint cartilage, rather than in your bones where you need it most. The more calcium you take without the balancing effect of magnesium, the more symptoms of magnesium deficiency and calcium excess you are liable to experience," Dr. Dean says.
Read more about the doctor's report here.
August 23, 2011
Prunes Exceptional in Preventing Fractures
United Press International Dried plums, or prunes, improve bone health in people of all ages, but may be most helpful for post-menopausal women, U.S. researchers say.
Bahram H. Arjmandi of Florida State University and colleagues at Oklahoma State University tested two groups of post-menopausal women over a 12-month period. The first group, consisting of 55 women, was instructed to consume about 10 prunes each day, while the second group -- a comparative control group of 45 women -- was told to consume a similar amount of dried apples.
Read more about the study here.
August 23, 2011
Early Morning Exercise is Best for Reducing Blood Pressure
BOONE—It may seem counterintuitive, but if you need to lower your blood pressure and also want a good night’s sleep, 7 a.m. is the best time to exercise.
Appalachian State University’s Dr. Scott Collier is researching the various beneficial effects of exercise on blood pressure. Collier is an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science in Appalachian’s College of Health Sciences.
Read more about the study here.
August 22, 2011
“Evil” Form of Fat Linked to High Blood Pressure
Visceral adiposity, not abdominal subcutaneous fat area, is associated with high blood pressure in Japanese men: the Ohtori study
A particularly harmful form of fat –known as visceral fat—has more to do with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease than total body fat, according to a recent research study in "Hypertension Research.
Read more about the study here.
August 20, 2011
Anti-Aging Lifestyle Helps to Prevent Dementia
Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person's risk for developing dementia. Kenneth Rockwood, from Dalhousie University (Canada), and colleagues studied 7,239 people who were free of dementia ages 65 and older, enrolled in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. After five years and again after 10 years, they were evaluated for Alzheimer's disease and all types of dementia. Participants were asked questions about 19 health problems not previously reported to predict dementia. Problems included arthritis, trouble hearing or seeing, denture fit, chest or skin problems, stomach or bladder troubles, sinus issues, broken bones and feet or ankle conditions, among others.
Read more about the study here.
August 19, 2011
Nut Consumption Improves Glycemic and Lipid Control
Eating nuts every day could help control Type 2 diabetes and prevent its complications. David Jenkins, from the University of Toronto (Canada), and colleagues provided three different diet supplements to subjects with Type 2 diabetes. One group was given muffins, one was provided with a mixture of nuts including raw almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, and macadamias, and one group was given a mixture of muffins and nuts. Subjects receiving the nut-only supplement reported the greatest improvement in blood glucose control using the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test.
Read more about the study here.
August 18, 2011
Protein-Rich Diet Curbs Appetite
Previously, research has shown that higher-protein diets, containing 18 to 35% of daily calorie intake from dietary protein, are associated with reductions in hunger and increased fullness throughout the day and into the evening hours. Heather Leidy, from the University of Missouri (Missouri, USA), and colleagues completed study in which two groups ate either 25 or 14% of calories from protein, while the total calories and percent of calories from fat stayed the same between the higher-protein and normal-protein diet patterns.
Read more about the study here.
August 17, 2011
Green Tea Intake Shows Protective Effect Against Flu
In addition to ensuring optimal intake of vitamins C and D during the upcoming flu season, it may be wise to regularly indulge in a soothing pot of green tea, according to the results of a Japanese study published online in the Journal of Nutrition.Researchers at the University of Shizuoka and Kikugawa General Hospital conducted two surveys of 2,050 pupils aged 6 to 13 who resided in a tea plantation area of Japan during influenza season from November, 2008 to February, 2009. The responses provided information concerning the frequency and quantity of green tea intake, preventive measures taken against influenza, and the incidence and duration of infections.Read more about the study here.
August 16, 2011
Processed, Red Meat Linked to Diabetes
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
USA TODAY Skip the hot dogs, hold the bacon and forget the sausage.
Eating processed meats and red meat regularly increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, a large study shows.
Harvard School of Public Health researchers analyzed dietary-intake data from more than 200,000 people in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses' Health Studies. The participants have been tracked for a decade or more.
The scientists also did a larger analysis, combining their data and that from other published studies to analyze the diets of 442,101 people. About 28,000 of these people developed type 2 diabetes.
Read more about the study here.
August 16, 2011
Six Reasons Exercise Benefits You
Shamonteil L. Vaughn
Mclatchy-Tribune News Service. You already know that exercise can lead to weight loss, but what are the other benefits of exercising?
Get better and easier sleep
If you've ever walked in from a hard day's workout and wanted to go to sleep, then you know the power of good exercise. If you have trouble sleeping, exercise may do the trick but don't exercise too late at night. It takes time for your heart rate to come down so if you're doing jumping jacks and immediately expect to drift off shortly after, chances are it won't happen. Not getting enough sleep can also lead to weight gain.
Read more of the report here.
August 16, 2011
As With Blood, Several Types of Human Gut
Agence France-Presse The human digestive track, host to an ecosystem teaming with trillions of living bacteria, comes in three variations as distinct as blood groups, according to a recent study.
These so-called "enterotypes" are found in populations worldwide and exist independent of race, country of origin, diet, age or state of health, the study reported.
The findings have major implications for detecting and predicting the risk of diseases ranging from intestinal cancers to diabetes to Crohn's disease, a painful inflammation of the bowels, the researchers said.
Read more about the study here.
August 15, 2011
Short-term Calorie Cutting and Diabetes
Reducing calories as part of a dieting bout is common fare for type 2 diabetics. However, a new research study conducted by scientists at the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre found that a short-term intervention of extreme calorie cutting can improve symptoms of type 2 diabetes dramatically.
The study assigned a group of long-standing type 2 diabetics to a very low calorie liquid diet that consisted of only 600 calories per day for 7-days. Remarkably, blood sugar levels returned to normal by the end of the 7-day bout. The researchers note that the mini-fast allows the pancreas and liver to clear out excess accumulated fat –which pushes the reset button on carbohydrate metabolism.
Read more about the study here.
August 12, 2011
Stay Fuller Longer With Protein, Fiber
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
The ABCs of a nutritious breakfast are now backed by science.
New research shows you'll feel full longer and may get less hungry throughout the day if your first meal has protein-rich foods, such as eggs, Greek yogurt, low-fat dairy products or lean meat, and fiber-filled fare, such whole-wheat bread, whole-grain cereal, fruit and vegetables.
These foods appear to have more staying power than highly processed foods such as bagels, muffins, doughnuts and sugary cereals.
The findings are especially important for school-age children who may be ravenous by lunchtime if they don't eat a good breakfast.
Read more about the research here.
August 12, 2011
Anti-Aging Lifestyle Helps to Prevent Dementia
Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person's risk for developing dementia. Kenneth Rockwood, from Dalhousie University (Canada), and colleagues studied 7,239 people who were free of dementia ages 65 and older, enrolled in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. After five years and again after 10 years, they were evaluated for Alzheimer's disease and all types of dementia. Participants were asked questions about 19 health problems not previously reported to predict dementia. Problems included arthritis, trouble hearing or seeing, denture fit, chest or skin problems, stomach or bladder troubles, sinus issues, broken bones and feet or ankle conditions, among others.
Read more about the study here.
August 11, 2011
Protein-Rich Diet Curbs Appetite
Previously, research has shown that higher-protein diets, containing 18 to 35% of daily calorie intake from dietary protein, are associated with reductions in hunger and increased fullness throughout the day and into the evening hours. Heather Leidy, from the University of Missouri (Missouri, USA), and colleagues completed a study in which two groups ate either 25 or 14% of calories from protein, while the total calories and percent of calories from fat stayed the same between the higher-protein and normal-protein diet patterns. Concurrently, the team also conducted an eating frequency substudy in which the 27 participants on both normal- and higher-protein diets consumed either three meals or six meals per day.
Read more about the study here.
August 11, 2011
Nut Consumption Improves Glycemic and Lipid Control
Eating nuts every day could help control Type 2 diabetes and prevent its complications. David Jenkins, from the University of Toronto (Canada), and colleagues provided three different diet supplements to subjects with Type 2 diabetes. One group was given muffins, one was provided with a mixture of nuts including raw almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, and macadamias, and one group was given a mixture of muffins and nuts.
Read more about the study here.
August 10, 2011
New Report - Exercise Can Help Cancer Survivors
CIARAN JONES
Western Mail
EXERCISE is a "wonder drug" for cancer survivors and may even prevent the disease coming back, according to a report published this month.
Macmillan Cancer Support said physical activity should be "prescribed" by doctors after "hard evidence" showed it can significantly help recovery and prevent other long-term illnesses.
Rather than patients being told to "rest up" as in the past, doctors must encourage people to get moving as soon as they feel able.
A review of more than 60 studies for the charity found people undergoing treatment for cancer - as well as survivors - could benefit from exercise.
During treatment, being active does not worsen people's fatigue and has positive effects on mood and wellbeing, the study said.
Read more about the study here.
August 9, 2011
Study - Type 2 Diabetes In Newly Diagnosed 'Can Be Reversed'
BBC NewsAn extreme eight-week diet of 600 calories a day can reverse Type 2 diabetes in people newly diagnosed with the disease, says a Diabetologia study.
Newcastle University researchers found the low-calorie diet reduced fat levels in the pancreas and liver, which helped insulin production return to normal.
Seven out of 11 people studied were free of diabetes three months later, say findings published in the journal.
Read about the study here.
August 9, 2011
A 'Little Bit' of Exercise Can Work Wonders for Heart Health
By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY
More research shows that even small amounts of aerobic exercise help lower coronary heart disease risk, according to a review published in
Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
The mega-study is part of a growing body of research showing that some physical activity provides health benefits -- even when levels fall below the recommended federal guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. For the first time since 1998, the American College of Sports Medicine updated its exercise guidelines in June, including information on how little exercise is needed to achieve health benefits.
"The biggest health benefits we saw were for those who went from doing nothing to those doing something small," says Jacob Sattelmair, author of the new AHA study. "Even a little bit of activity makes a significant difference" -- and a little bit means 10 to 15 minutes a day.
Read more about the research here.
August 8, 2011
Vitamin D Insufficiency Associated With Football Injuries
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting held in San Diego was the site of a presentation of the finding of Michael Shindle, MD of Summit Medical Group and his colleagues of a higher incidence of vitamin D insufficiency among National Football League players with muscle injuries.The current study included 89 NFL players aged 21 to 32 years. Fifty-eight subjects were African American and 31 were Caucasian. Sixteen of the players suffered from a muscle injury. Vitamin D levels were tested in the spring of 2010 during routine pre-season evaluations.Read more about the study here.
August 5, 2011
Is Insomnia Caused By Lack Of Nutrients?
Most people think of calcium and phosphorus as the most important dietary components for bone health. But magnesium also plays an important role. It is involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions, many of which help keep not only bones strong, but the heart rhythm healthy and the nervous system functioning smoothly.
A study by ARS physiologist Henry C. Lukaski and nutritionist Forrest H. Nielsen reveals important findings on the effects of depleted body magnesium levels on energy metabolism. Lukaski is assistant director of ARS's Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, North Dakota. He and Nielsen, with the center's clinical nutrition support staff, showed that inadequate magnesium is associated with a need for increased oxygen during exercise. They found that during moderate activity, those with low magnesium levels in muscle are likely to use more energy—and therefore to tire more quickly—than those with adequate levels.
August 4, 2011
Is Cancer Curable ... Now?
[Natural News]
In this professionally filmed feature-length documentary, you'll meet
Marcus Freudenmann and his wife Sabrina, a naturopathic doctor, who traveled the world with their four children for almost three years to meet experts in the field of alternative cancer treatment. Their mission was to create a film about natural cancer treatments that would "wake up the world."
The result of that effort is a powerful, groundbreaking documentary. It's powerful enough to
awaken millions of people to alternative cancer treatments and help them realize that conventional cancer treatments are outdated and unnecessarily destructive.
Read more about the documentary here.
August 3, 2011
Vitamin C Improves Hospitalized Patients' Mood
Researchers at McGill University and Jewish Medical Hospital in Montreal report in the journal Nutrition the finding of an improvement in mood among acutely hospitalized patients supplemented with vitamin C.In their introduction to the article, Michelle Zhang and her coauthors remark that a recent survey uncovered reduced levels of vitamin C in 60 percent of acute medical ward patients in a Montreal teaching hospital, compared to 16 percent of those tested in the hospital's outpatient department. A response to systemic inflammation that often occurs in hospitalized patients could redistribute vitamin C or increase breakdown of the vitamin, resulting in deficiency.Read more about the report here.
August 2, 2011
Citrus Compounds Help to Reduce Inflammation
An extensive body of epidemiological studies has linked increased dietary intake of antioxidants from fruits, vegetables wine, chocolate, coffee, tea, and other foods to reduced risks of a range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Increased intakes of compounds called flavonoids from citrus may be associated with lower levels of markers of inflammation, reports Rikard Landberg, from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and colleagues.
Read more about the research here.
August 1, 2011
Frequent Walking Helps Reduce Snoring
Getting out of your chair regularly and walking frequently might have an unlikely benefit of reduced snoring, says a Toronto sleep researcher.
Douglas Bradley, director of the Toronto Research Institute’s Sleep Research Laboratory, has linked excessive sitting to sleep apnea, a condition where a sleeping person’s throat collapses, stopping breathing and interrupting sleep.
Read more about the research here.
July 29, 2011
Progressive Resistance Training Counteracts Age-Related Muscle Loss
University of Michigan scientists reveal that not only can we fight the battle of strength and muscle loss as we age, we can even build muscle and strength well into seniorhood. "Resistance exercise is a great way to increase lean muscle tissue and strength capacity so that people can function more readily in daily life," says Mark Peterson, from the University of Michigan Physical Activity and Exercise Intervention Research Laboratory, explaining that: "Our analyses of current research show that the most important factor in somebody's function is their strength capacity. No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvement with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decades of life.”
Read more about the study here.
July 29, 2011
Curcumin Compound Boosts Head and Neck Cancer Therapy
The American Medical Association journal Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery recently published the finding of researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center of a benefit for a derivative of curcumin, which occurs in the spice turmeric, in the treatment of head and neck cancer with cisplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapeutic drug. The development of chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells is a major cause of treatment failure in head and neck cancer, resulting in relapse or metastasis.Read more about the report here.
July 28, 2011
What's Really In The Food?
(NaturalNews) Ever wonder what's really in the food sold at grocery stores around the world? People keep asking me, "What ingredients should I avoid?" So I put together a short list that covers all the most toxic and disease-promoting ingredients in the food supply. These are the substances causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and leading to tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs across America (and around the world).
If you want to stay healthy and out of the hospital, read ingredients labels and make sure you avoid all these ingredients:
Read more about the report here.
July 26, 2011
Chia Seeds May Offer Heart and Liver Benefits
By Nathan Gray
Consumption of chia seeds as a source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) may bring about redistribution associated with heart and liver protection, according to new research in rats.
The study, published in
The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, reports that rats fed chia seed supplements were protected from heart and liver problems associated with a high-fat diet, including improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, reduced visceral adiposity, decreased liver fat, and lower cardiac and hepatic inflammation and fibrosis.
Read more about the study here.
July 26, 2011
Kemin Launches Water-Extracted Green Tea Powder
By Elaine Watson
Kemin Health has launched a green tea powder for the dietary supplements market it says retains the composition and antioxidant profile of brewed green tea and provides an alternative to solvent-based extracts.
Read more about the report here.July 26, 2011
Attorney Talks About Vitamin D Qualified Health Claims
By Elaine Watson
It could be several months before a qualified health claims petition about vitamin D is submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the lawyer coordinating the application.
Jonathan Emord from Virginia-based legal firm Emord & Associates was updating NutraIngredients-USA following an announcement from the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) USA in January that it was preparing a petition.
However, there was no guarantee that this would ultimately be filed, while it was also too early to say which diseases (eg. certain cancers?) might be the focus of the submission, stressed Emord, who is assisting the ANH-USA.
Read more about the report here.
July 19, 2011
How Can Nutrition Aid Diabetes Management?
By Nathan Gray
Diabetes affects more than 220 million people globally and the consequences of high blood sugar kill 3.4 million every year. In the second part of their special series on diabetes, NutraIngredients looks at the role of nutrition and diet in managing, and potentially reversing diabetes.
Read more about the report here.
July 18, 2011
Antioxidants May Slash Risk of Hearing Loss
By Stephen Daniells
Increased intakes of antioxidant vitamins A and E may significantly reduce the risk of hearing loss, according to a new study from Australia.
People with the highest average intakes of vitamin A had a 47 percent reduced risk of moderate or greater hearing loss, compared to people with the lowest average intakes, scientists from the University of Sydney report in
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
In addition, increasing dietary vitamin E intakes were linked with a 14 percent reduction in hearing loss.
The researchers, led by Professor Paul Mitchell, note that reactive oxygen species may damage the inner portion of the ear associated with hearing, and therefore there is a hypothesis that antioxidants may counter this damage and reduce age-related hearing loss.
Read more about the study here.
July 16, 2011
What Does Burzynski Documentary Reveal About FDA Agenda
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com
(NaturalNews) As I've written about many times before, the cancer industry with all of its research, campaigns, and fundraising activities is really nothing more than a giant, corrupt business venture. As crazy as it might sound to some, the point of the cancer industry is not really to cure cancer -- it is to keep raising money for the alleged, and never-ending, "search for the cure." And the hard-hitting documentary Burzynski The Movie - Cancer Is Serious Business exposes all this as director Eric Merola tracks the 14-year battle of Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski -- the man responsible for creating the all-natural, non-toxic cancer cure featured in the film -- to protect his unique protocol from being stolen by the government and Big Pharma, and to defend his freedom to treat cancer patients with unconventional methods.
July 15, 2011
Train Right For Type 2 Diabetes
Everyone knows that exercise is a must for keeping diabetic blood sugars under wraps. However, a new study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences has found that intense interval training outperforms steady-state cardio in terms of blood sugar management.
Read more about the study here.
July 14, 2011
Intensive-dose Statin Therapy =Iincreased Diabetes Risk?
NewsRx.com An analysis of data from previously published studies indicates that intensive-dose statin therapy is associated with an increased risk of new-onset diabetes compared with moderate-dose therapy, according to a study in JAMA.
Compared with placebo, statin therapy significantly reduces cardiovascular events among individuals with and without a history of diabetes mellitus. Recently, findings of several trials comparing intensive- to moderate-dose statin therapy suggested an excess risk of new diabetes among those treated with intensive statin regimens, according to background information in the article. According to the authors, "Given the cardiovascular benefits of statins and the likely increasing use of intensive statin regimens, it is important to quantify any potential long-term risks to enable physicians and patients to make informed choices."
Read more about the study here.
July 12, 2011
Review Finds Improved Survival In Trials Of Vitamin D3
A lengthy review published in The Cochrane Library reveals that supplementing older individuals with vitamin D3 is associated with reduced mortality over a two year average period.Goran Bjelakovic of the University of Nis in Serbia and his European associates selected 50 randomized trials involving vitamin D supplementation, which provided a total of 94,148 participants for their analysis. Most of the trials analyzed the effect of supplementation on bone mineral density, falls and fractures. The subjects' average age was 74, and 79 percent were female. The median length of supplementation with vitamin D was two years.Read more about the review here.
July 11, 2011
Positive Emotions May Buffer Stress, Aging
United Press International An optimistic outlook has been shown to combat stress -- a known risk factor for heart disease and other illnesses, U.S. researchers say.
Anthony Ong of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., conducted a review of researchers to determine if it is really true that feeling good may be good for health.
"We all age. It is how we age, however, that determines the quality of our lives," Ong says in a statement.
The review, published in the Current Directions in Psychological Science, suggests positive emotions may be a powerful antidote to stress, pain and illness.
Read more about the review here.
July 9, 2011
Low Vitamin D Levels Could Help Explain High Blood Pressure
An article published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine provides one explanation for the greater incidence of hypertension that occurs among African Americans in comparison with Americans of European descent.Ken Fiscella, MD of the University of Rochester Medical Center and colleagues compared data from 5,156 Caucasian and 1,984 adult African American participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2006. Blood pressure was measured upon enrollment and serum samples were analyzed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.Read more about the research here.
July 8, 2011
Poor Choices, Not Aging, Pack On Pounds
Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
USA TODAY Adults gain an average of almost a pound a year as they age, and much of that weight gain is caused by changes in diet such as extra servings of foods like potato chips, french fries, sugar-sweetened drinks, white bread and low-fiber breakfast cereals, says the largest, most comprehensive study of diet and weight gain in adults.
Other contributors: decreased intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other minimally processed foods; less physical activity; more time spent watching TV; and poor sleep habits.
The study provides the strongest evidence yet that weight gain is caused primarily by dietary and lifestyle choices, says senior author Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Read more about the study here.
July 8, 2011
Radiation Exposure
Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden
The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Radiation exposure has been in the news lately with the recent events in Japan, making the public more aware of possible radiation hazards from other sources. A study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine included some interesting news about chest X-rays. People with pneumonia who are younger than 50 and don't smoke don't necessarily need chest X-rays.
Most medical diagnostic guidelines recommend an X-ray for all patients with pneumonia. This is because a mass (cancer) in the lungs can theoretically obstruct the lungs and cause pneumonia. But a study published in April suggests that these guidelines may be too broad.
Read more about the study here.
July 7, 2011
Myths About Heart Disease
By Anita Manning
USA TODAY Imagine hearing news of a catastrophe causing the deaths of 2,200 Americans every day -- an average of one every 39 seconds.
A plague? Nuclear fallout?
It's heart disease, which includes diseases of the heart and circulatory system. The No. 1 killer stalking the world, cardiovascular diseases cause more deaths than all forms of cancer combined.
It's an equal-opportunity destroyer, although it does have a preference for people of color and those over 65. But no age, race or economic class is immune.
"There's a lack of awareness of what ideal cardiovascular health really is," says Ralph Sacco, president of the American Heart Association. While 35% of people surveyed say they're in good health, when quizzed about seven major health factors -- diet, activity level, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar and smoking status -- only about half of 1% hit all the targets for good health, he says. "People think they're healthier than they are," he says, making it less likely that they'll take steps to reduce their heart risks.
Read about 10 myths of heart disease here.
July 7, 2011
Eat More Fiber, Live Longer
NewsRx.com People who consume a fiber rich diet live longer, according to a recent study - the first ever to link longevity and dietary fiber consumption.
Researchers from the National Cancer Institute and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) examined dietary fiber intake in relation to total mortality and death from specific causes and found that those with the highest fiber intake, specifically fiber from whole grains, had a significantly lower risk of death from any cause for both men and women.
The massive 10-year government study of roughly 388,000 people, published (June 14, 2011) in the Archives of Internal Medicine, "makes the strongest case yet for eating a fiber-rich diet," said Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, author of the bestselling weight loss book, The F-Factor Diet (Putnam, 2006). She sees fiber as paramount for any patient, whether they have heart disease, diabetes or need to lose weight.
Read more about the report here.
July 7, 2011
Being Overweight Could Be Making You Forgetful
By Mary Brophy Marcus
USA TODAY Older people who have larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors associated with a condition doctors call "metabolic syndrome" may be at higher risk of memory problems, a new study suggests.
In the large French study, older adults with metabolic syndrome were 20% more likely to have cognitive decline on a memory test than those without it.
"Our study sheds new light on how metabolic syndrome and the individual factors of the disease may affect cognitive health," study author Christelle Raffaitin of the French National Institute of Health Research in Bordeaux said in a press statement. "Our results suggest that management of metabolic syndrome may help slow down age-related memory loss, or delay the onset of dementia."
Read more about the research here.
July 6, 2011
Arthritis Pain Relief With the Brain's and Body's Own Powers
By JANE E. ALLEN, ABC News Medical Unit
An optical illusion that harnesses the power of suggestion might one day deliver drug-free pain relief to arthritis sufferers, British researchers say.
Analgesic and anti-inflammatory pills and
physical therapy are among traditional approaches to reducing or eliminating the aches and pains of chronic osteoarthritis, common among men and women older than 50. In recent years, many sufferers have tried complementary and alternative approaches such as yoga, massage and acupuncture to counter the pain and stiffness of the wear and tear on their joints.
Now, psychologists at the University of Nottingham say that they might have serendipitously stumbled upon a new, non-invasive way of turning down the pain dial by tapping into brain-body connections.
Read more about the research here.
July 6, 2011
Researchers Believe Plants May Help Prevent Cancer
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News University of Minnesota Hormel Institute researchers believe plant-based food could be used as an effective intervention therapy for cancer prevention, especially for those at high risk of developing the disease.
The findings -- a summary of recent discoveries in the field of dietary phytochemicals (how plants safe for human consumption interact with the body) -- are published in Nature Reviews Cancer.
The Hormel Institute is engaged in research to understand how these foods chemicals behave inside the body and how they may be used to fight cancer.
Read more about the research here.
July 5, 2011
Effectiveness For Zinc Supplements Against Common Cold
The results of a meta-analysis published this year in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews reveal that supplementing with the mineral zinc reduces the severity of common cold symptoms as well as the length of colds. The current analysis updates a previous review, by including several new trials.Meenu Singh and Rashmi R. Das of the Department of Pediatrics at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India reviewed 13 randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials that evaluated five or more days of zinc supplementation as a treatment for cold in a total of 966 participants, and two trials that tested zinc supplements as a cold preventive for at least five months among 394 participants. They concluded that zinc syrup, lozenges or tablets initiated within one day of cold symptom onset decreased the severity and length of the common cold. Additionally, a greater number of subjects were free of symptoms after one week of zinc treatment compared to subjects that received a placebo. As a preventive, five months of treatment with zinc syrup or lozenges in children resulted in 36 percent fewer colds and less time lost from school compared to those who did not use zinc.Zinc has been shown to inhibit the rhinovirus that is primarily responsible for colds. The review's findings are significant in light of the number of people affected by colds each year and the potential for the development of complications such as ear infections, sinusitis and bronchitis.Read more about the review here.
July 5, 2011
Diet Plus Exercise Better for Weight Loss Than Either Alone
PRNewswire Everyone knows that eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet and getting regular exercise helps shed pounds, but a new study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that when it comes to losing weight and body fat, diet and exercise are most effective when done together as compared to either strategy alone.
The results of this randomized trial, led by Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Prevention Center and a member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division, were published online in Obesity.
The majority of women in the study who both improved their diet and exercised regularly shed an average of nearly 11 percent of their starting weight, which exceeded the study's goal of a 10 percent or more reduction in body weight.
"We were surprised at how successful the women were," McTiernan said. "Even though this degree of weight loss may not bring an obese individual to a normal weight, losing even this modest amount of weight can bring health benefits such as a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer."
Read more about the study here.
July 2, 2011
Tomatoes May Help Ward Off Heart Disease
A University of Adelaide study has shown that tomatoes may be an effective alternative to medication in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, thus preventing cardiovascular disease.
A paper published by Dr Karin Ried in the international journal
Maturitas reveals clinical evidence that a bright red pigment called lycopene found in tomatoes and to a lesser extent in watermelon, guava, papaya, pink grapefruit and rosehip has antioxidant properties that are vital to good health.
Dr Ried and her colleague Dr Peter Fakler from the Discipline of General Practice are the first to summarise the effect of lycopene on cholesterol and blood pressure, analysing the collective results of 14 studies in the last 55 years.
"Our study suggests that if more than 25 milligrams of lycopene is taken daily, it can reduce LDL-cholesterol by up to 10%," Dr Ried says.
Learn more about the study here.
July 1, 2011
Diabetes Makes You Older Before Your Time
United Press International People in their 50s with diabetes may age before their time compared with their diabetes-free counterparts, U.S. researchers say.
Dr. Christine Cigolle, an assistant professor of family medicine and internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, says adults ages 51-70 with diabetes developed age-related ailments such as cognitive impairment, incontinence, falls, dizziness, vision impairment and pain at a faster rate than those without diabetes.
Read more here.
June 30, 2011
Sugary Drinks Associated with Higher Blood Pressure
Imperial College London
Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with higher blood pressure, according to a study of over 2,500 people reported in the journal
Hypertension.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Someone with a blood pressure level in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) of 135 over 85 is twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as someone with a reading of 115 over 75.
The new research shows that for every extra can of sugary drink consumed per day, participants on average had a higher systolic blood pressure by 1.6 mmHg and a higher diastolic blood pressure by 0.8 mmHg. This difference was statistically significant even after adjusting for factors such as weight and height.
Read more about the study here.
June 29, 2011
Resveratrol Shows Promise as Human Antiaging Compound
A review published online in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research concludes that the polyphenol resveratrol, which has recently gained attention as a possible aging and disease-preventive compound, could indeed possess an ability to help retard the development of some of the conditions associated with aging in humans.In their introductory remarks, Heather Hausenblas of the University of Florida, James Smoliga of Marywood University and Joseph Barr of the University of Pennsylvania note that nearly 4000 studies have been published on the subject of resveratrol and that one study, conducted in 2007, found two-thirds of those who use multiple supplements include resveratrol in their regimen. "Studies using purified enzymes, cultured cells, and laboratory animals have suggested that resveratrol has antiaging, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties that might be relevant to chronic diseases and/or longevity in humans," they write. "This review aims to examine the current state of knowledge on the effects of resveratrol on humans and to utilize this information to develop further guidelines for the implementation of human clinical trials."Read more about the study here.
June 28, 2011
Study - Exercise & Longer Survival for Brain Cancer Patients
Xinhua News Agency - CEIS Brain cancer patients who are able to exercise live significantly longer than sedentary patients, U.S. scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute have reported.
The finding, published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, adds to recent research that exercise improves how cancer patients feel during and after treatments, and may also extend their lives.
The study enrolled 243 patients with advanced recurrent gliomas, lethal brain malignancies that typically result in a median life expectancy of less than six months. The patients who reported participating in regular, brisk exercise -- the equivalent of an energetic walk five days a week for 30 minutes -- had significantly prolonged survival, living a median 21.84 months versus 13.03 months for the most sedentary patients.
Read more about the study here.
June 28, 2011
Diet Reverses Type 2 Diabetes?
A Newcastle University team has discovered that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed by an extreme low calorie diet alone.
Affecting two and half million people in the UK – and on the increase – Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition caused by too much glucose, a type of sugar, in the blood.
In an early stage clinical trial of 11 people, funded by Diabetes UK, all reversed their diabetes by drastically cutting their food intake to just 600 calories a day for two months. And three months later, seven remained free of diabetes.
Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University who led the study and also works for The Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “To have people free of diabetes after years with the condition is remarkable - and all because of an eight week diet.
Read more about the study here.
June 24, 2011
Exercise May Protect Telomeres
Exercise may prevent stress on telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that are a measure of cell age and cellular health. Elizabeth Blackburn, from University of California/San Francisco (UCSF), and colleagues report that while psychological stress leads to shorter telomeres, exercise may prevent this damage. The team focused on three groups: post-menopausal women who were the primary caregivers for a family member with dementia; young to middle-aged adults with post-traumatic stress disorder; and healthy, non-smoking women ages 50 to 65 years.
Read more about the study here.
June 23, 2011
Blood Pressure Drugs Feeding The Obesity Epidemic?
(Reuters Health) - Blood pressure drugs known as beta-blockers could be helping to fuel the obesity epidemic, by dampening the body's ability to burn calories and fat over the long term, researchers say in a new report.
Weight gain is a known side effect of beta blockers, particularly older ones such as atenolol (Tenormin) and metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL). Newer versions, like carvedilol (Coreg), appear to carry less risk of added pounds.
Read more about the report here.
June 22, 2011
Conventional Medicine is the Leading Cause of Death
by Dr. Josh Axe
You may have thought cancer or heart disease takes the lives of more Americans than any other illness or event. But conventional medicine is actually the leading cause of death today!
Iatrogenesis is known as the “inadvertent and preventable induction of disease or complications by the medical treatment or procedures of a physician or surgeon.”
Read more about the article here.
[Video] Watch KC Craichy's interview with Dr. Patrick Purdue about the
New Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.June 21, 2011
[Study] Vitamin May Prevent Memory Loss
BBC News
A vitamin found in meat, fish and milk may help stave off memory loss in old age, a study has suggested.
Older people with lower than average vitamin B12 levels were more than six times more likely to experience brain shrinkage, researchers concluded.
The University of Oxford study, published in the journal Neurology, tested the 107 apparently healthy volunteers over a five-year period.
Some studies suggest two out of five people are deficient in the vitamin.
Read more about the study here.
June 20, 2011
Progressive Resistance Training and Age-Related Muscle Loss
University of Michigan scientists reveal that not only can we fight the battle of strength and muscle loss as we age, we can even build muscle and strength well into seniorhood. "Resistance exercise is a great way to increase lean muscle tissue and strength capacity so that people can function more readily in daily life," says Mark Peterson, from the University of Michigan Physical Activity and Exercise Intervention Research Laboratory, explaining that: "Our analyses of current research show that the most important factor in somebody's function is their strength capacity. No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvement with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decades of life.”
Read more about the study here.
June 18, 2011
Dietary Supplement Use Common Among Specialists
Results of a survey reported in Nutrition Journal reveal that the use of nutritional supplements is common among specialist physicians, and that they frequently recommend them to their patients.The Healthcare Professionals Impact Study surveyed 300 cardiologists, 300 dermatologists and 300 orthopedic surgeons concerning the type of supplements used and recommended. Participants were screened to ensure that none of them were affiliated with a pharmaceutical or dietary supplement company or had other conflicts of interest. Fifty-seven percent of cardiologists, 75 percent of dermatologists and 73 percent of orthopedists reported personal use, and supplements were recommended to patients by 72, 66 and 91 percent of these specialists, respectively. Only 25 percent of cardiologists, 17% of dermatologists, and 16% of orthopedists had never used nutritional supplements.Read more about the survey here.
June 17, 2011
[Study] Fish Oil Omega 3's Better in Triglyceride Form
By Stephen Daniells
Fish oil omega-3s in the triglyceride form are better for boosting the omega-3 index than the ethyl ester form, says a new study from Germany, a result which echoes recent Danish findings.
Scientists from Leibniz Universitat Hannover and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich report that the omega-3 index – a quantification of the fatty acid status of a person – increased “faster and higher” when supplementation used omega-3s in the triglyceride form, compared with the ethyl ester form.
Read more about the study here.
June 16, 2011
High Protein Breakfast Reduces Later Hunger
Neural Responses to Visual Food Stimuli After a Normal vs. Higher Protein Breakfast in Breakfast-Skipping Teens: A Pilot fMRI Study
Study Abstract:
This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) pilot study identified whether breakfast consumption would alter the neural activity in brain regions associated with food motivation and reward in overweight “breakfast skipping” (BS) adolescent girls and examined whether increased protein at breakfast would lead to additional alterations.
Read more about the study here.
June 15, 2011
12 Healthy Reasons to Eat an Apple a Day
PRNewswire Apples routinely top grocery lists for a variety of tasty reasons. Beyond the plethora of varieties and apple products to be enjoyed, apples pack a nutritious punch, providing a daily dose of health benefits.
The U.S. Apple Association offers the following Delicious Dozen - 12 proven ways apples and apple products positively impact health, from head to toe, and from the inside out:
1. Brain Health
Researchers from Cornell University found that apple nutrients protected brain neurons against oxidative damage. Such damage can contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The study highlighted the antioxidant quercetin as a principle compound responsible for the protective effect (Journal of Food Science, 2004, 69: S357-S360).
Read the rest of the 12 Health Reasons here.
June 14, 2011
Pump Iron to Drop Blood Pressure and Live Longer
by Christian Goodman
If you’re struggling with high blood pressure, it may be time to lift more than just your blood pressure monitor, research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports.
High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease and premature death in the Western world, killing an estimated 50,000 thousand Americans every year according to the American Heart Association.
Scientists at Spain’s University of Grenada found that the strong survived - hypertensive men that lifted weights regularly cut their risk of sudden death by more than 30%.
This research adds to a large body of science linking strength training with lower blood pressure and heart attack risk. These researchers hypothesize that strength training improves the strength of your heart and vascular system –not just you biceps. They advice those with high blood pressure to work large muscle groups like their legs and back at least twice weekly in conjunction with daily physical activity.
Read more about the study here.
June 13, 2011
A New Way of Testing for Colon Cancer
from Bottom Line Health
Colonoscopy has been the gold standard in colorectal cancer detection and prevention for a very long time -- but it’s by no means perfect, and some people will do just about anything to avoid keeping that appointment. Now along comes a new, noninvasive way to screen for colon cancer -- stool DNA testing -- a procedure that remarkably enough promises accurate detection without the discomfort. The question that naturally follows, and the one I’m asking myself right now: Is it really effective?
I talked with David A. Ahlquist, MD, at the Mayo Clinic to get a better sense of what the new test offers. He first took me through a little background. Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, and colonoscopy -- the examination of your colon through insertion of a long, flexible tube -- so far represents our best weapon to catch and treat it early. But, he explained, colonoscopy may miss some cancers and precancerous lesions, particularly those on the right side of the colon, which has more nooks and crannies, making the search for polyps a challenge. The right side also has a greater likelihood of hard-to-detect flat polyps. In addition, colonoscopy is expensive. And, like any invasive procedure, it is associated with a risk for complications -- bleeding, perforation or sedation-related heart problems occur in a small percentage of patients.
Read more here.
June 11, 2011
Review Recommends Bone-building Nutrients Before Drugs
A review published in a recent issue of the journal Nutrients concludes that calcium and vitamin D supplements should be tried before resorting to bone building drugs to help maintain normal bone density.For their review, Karen Plawecki and Karen Chapman-Novakofski of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign selected 62 human studies conducted over the past decade that evaluated the impact on bone health of calcium and vitamin D from food, calcium and vitamin D from supplements, other bone health-related nutrients (including protein, sodium, soy and vitamin K), and portfolio diets, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean diets, which provide a number of nutrients. The researchers confirmed a benefit for supplements, food-based interventions and educational strategies on bone health. The findings suggest nutrition therapies as first-line treatments for postmenopausal women and others at risk of osteoporosis, particularly in light of the side effects associated with pharmaceutical agents used to treat the condition.Read more about the review here.
June 10, 2011
Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure - Fast!
by Christian Goodman
Drinking only 250 ml of beet juice drops high blood pressure 10 points (mmHg) on the average – WITHIN THREE HOURS!
This is a results of a study made by Dr. Amrita Ahluwalia, Professor of Vascular Biology at Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute in London, which was published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
Beet juice has also been shown to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL) if used on daily basis. So overall health benefits of this simple vegetable are tremendous.
Read more about the study here.
June 9, 2011
Never Too Late To Build Muscle Mass
United Press International People lose muscle mass as they age but U.S. researchers say adults can fight the battle of strength and muscle loss that comes with aging.
Mark Peterson, a research fellow in the University of Michigan's Physical Activity and Exercise Intervention Research Laboratory, says adults age 50 and older who are sedentary can expect muscle loss of as much as 0.4 pounds a year.
"That only worsens as people age. But even earlier in adulthood -- the 30s, 40s and 50s -- you can begin to see declines if you do not engage in any strengthening activities," Peterson says in a statement. "No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvement with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decades of life."
Read more about the research here.
June 8, 2011
Run, Don't Walk, Away From Hypertension
by Christian Goodman - Blue Heron
Those using exercise to fight high blood pressure should focus on high-intensity workouts like sprinting and tennis, a new study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation found. In the study, a group of adults with high blood pressure were assigned to one of two training regimens. One had the subjects perform long, steady-state workouts like walking or light jogging. The other were asked to do interval training –alternate bouts of high-intensity activity followed by short rest periods.
The research team found that interval outperformed steady-state cardio work in terms of blood pressure reduction and improvement in fitness levels. The interval training lowered their blood pressure more than twice as much as the jogging group even though the amount of time that they exercised was significantly less.
Read more about the study here.
June 7, 2011
Middle-Aged Spread Linked to Dementia
New research has shown that being overweight or obese at midlife can significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Weili Xu of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues studied data of 8,534 twins aged 65 and older. Of those studied 350 had been diagnosed with dementia and 114 had possible dementia.
Read more about the research here.
June 7, 2011
Routine Exercise Equals Many Benefits
Jeff Meyers, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Exercising regularly leads to obvious benefits, including improved cardiac health, diabetes control and weight loss.
But some not-so-obvious benefits can be gained from a routine exercise program.
Dr. Wouter Rietesma, a Plattsburgh infectious-disease specialist, has done research on the topic and presented his findings during a recent luncheon with the Plattsburgh Noon Rotary Club and again with a group of volunteers for CVPH Medical Center.
"Let me stress that I'm not an expert in this field," said Rietsema, who is also the medical director for CVPH. "I had a patient who was trying to do things to improve brain function, so I started to do a little research."
Read more about the research here.
June 6, 2011
Do You Know What's Coloring Your Food?
Do you know what's coloring your food? Check out this study from the Ctr for Science in the the Public Interest http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food-dyes...w-of-risks.pdfFood marketing to kids like Froot Loops, yogurts and other processed junk are rife with these artificial colors (Yellow #5, Red #2, etc.).
June 4, 2011
Study - Well-fed Italian Seniors May Still Need Multivitamins
Healthy Italian seniors may be at risk of nutrient deficiencies despite being eating a diet with adequate energy and macronutrient levels, say results of a 10-year study from Italy.
Data from 78 Italian seniors, aged between 70 and 75, showed that, despite no decline in the levels of energy intake, by the end of a decade of study, 50 per cent of the participants were deficient in vitamins A and B2..
“Multivitamin supplementation may be necessary, even in healthy individuals, to ensure an adequate micronutrient intake in the elderly,” report researchers from the University of Padua in
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
Read more about the study here.
June 3, 2011
Reduced Q10 Levels and Increased Breast Cancer Risk
An article published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reveals an association between decreased levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and a greater risk of breast cancer in Chinese women. Coenzyme Q10 is a compound made in the human body that has been linked with numerous benefits, yet research suggests that many people produce amounts that are less than optimal. The current investigation involved participants in The Shanghai Women’s Health Study of women between the ages of 40 and 70. Robert V. Cooney at the University of Hawaii and his colleagues matched 340 women with breast cancer to 653 subjects who were free of the disease. Plasma samples were analyzed for coenzyme Q10 and tocopherols.Read more about the report here.
June 2, 2011
Doctors Say Correct Vitamin D Deficiency Before Surgery
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery reports that nearly half of orthopedic surgery patients are deficient in vitamin D, a condition that impairs bone healing, muscle function and surgery recovery.
Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery Joseph Lane, MD and colleagues reviewed the charts of 723 men and women scheduled for orthopedic surgery from January, 2007 to March, 2008. Forty-three percent of the patients had insufficient preoperative vitamin D levels, defined as 20 to 32 nanograms per milliliter, and 40 percent had deficient levels of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter. Younger individuals, men, and those with dark skin were likeliest to be low in vitamin D."This study should serve as a wake-up call to orthopedists that vitamin D deficiency is widespread, not necessarily tied to age, sex or background and screening for it should be part of routine presurgical care for adults," Dr Lane stated. "Meanwhile, patients who are planning to undergo any orthopedic procedure can request a screening (specifically, a blood test called the 25 hydroxyvitamin D test) or ask to be placed on a medically supervised vitamin D supplement regimen prior to surgery." Read more about the study here.
June 1, 2011
Arthritis, Obesity Make Each Other Worse
United Press International
When arthritis and obesity occur together they can create a barrier to physical activity, each condition helping make the other worse, U.S. officials say.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report used data from 2007 to 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System that found the prevalence of arthritis among obese U.S. adults was 36 percent.
"Obese adults with arthritis were 44 percent more likely to be physically inactive compared with obese adults without arthritis," the report says. "In every state, the prevalence of physical inactivity among adults with obesity was at least 5 percentage points higher among those with arthritis than those without arthritis."
Read more about the study here.
June 1, 2011
Vitamin D Lack and Pneumonia Increase Death Risk
United Press International
Adult patients lacking in vitamin D were more likely than others to die soon after being hospitalized with pneumonia, researchers in New Zealand say.
Researchers at Waikato Hospital, the University of Waikato and the University of Otago measured vitamin D in the blood samples of 112 adult patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia during the winter at the only acute-care hospital in Hamilton, New Zealand.
The researchers found vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher mortality within the first 30 days after hospital admission for pneumonia. The association between vitamin D deficiency was not explained by patient age, sex, co-morbidities, the severity of the systemic inflammatory response or other known prognostic factors.
Read more about the study here.
May 31, 2011
Heart Attacks Are the No. 1 Killer of Women
Jane Glenn Haas
The Orange County Register, Calif. Women fret about the possibility of breast cancer. They worry about the potential of dementia.
They should be concerned about their hearts, because more women die of heart attacks than any other cause.
"It's true that our hearts are somewhat protected by estrogen, so studies show that our risks for attack increase after menopause. But we should be taking steps to care for ourselves at all ages," says Sherry Torkos, a Canadian pharmacist and fitness instructor. Torkos and Dr. Martha Gulati, a cardiologist and professor at Ohio State University, are co-authors of "Saving Women's Hearts" (John Wiley Publishing).
Read more about the report here.
May 30, 2011
Vitamin D Benefits May Be Independent of Sun Exposure \
By Nathan Gray
Previous levels of sun exposure and vitamin D status may have independent roles in the development of multiple sclerosis, according to new research.
Although it is generally thought that vitamin D status (indicated by 25(OH)D blood serum levels) is an indicator of recent sun exposure, researchers from the Australian National University have suggested that past and current exposure to UV sunlight may have separate roles to serum vitamin D levels in the prevention of multiple sclerosis (MS) – a chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord.
Read more about the study here.
May 28, 2011
Alzheimer's Disease May Be Easily Misdiagnosed
PRNewswire-USNewswire New research shows that Alzheimer's disease and other dementing illnesses may be easily misdiagnosed in the elderly, according to early results of a study of people in Hawaii who had their brains autopsied after death.
"Diagnosing specific dementias in people who are very old is complex, but with the large increase in dementia cases expected within the next 10 years in the United States, it will be increasingly important to correctly recognize, diagnose, prevent and treat age-related cognitive decline," said study author Lon White, MD, MPH, with the Kuakini Medical System in Honolulu.
Read more about the study here.
May 27, 2011
Is Sunscreen Enough on "Don't Fry Day"?
PRNewswire-USNewswire Despite skin cancer's being largely preventable, it remains by far the most common type of cancer in the United States. There are over two million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed annually, which is more than new cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. To help reduce rising rates of skin cancer, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated the Friday before Memorial Day, May 27, 2011, as "Don't Fry Day."
Read more about the report here.
May 25, 2011
Can TSA Backscatter Radiation Safety Tests Be Trusted?
(NaturalNews) It can now be revealed by NaturalNews that the TSA faked its safety data on its X-ray airport scanners in order to deceive the public about the safety of such devices.
May 24, 2011
Reduce Childhood Obesity - Replace Junk Food
(NaturalNews) According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the rate of childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. Junk food is one of the culprits for the obesity epidemic. Kids are exposed to junk food in many ways, from unhealthy parental role models to marketing geared towards kids and teens that encourages them to make unhealthy food choices. Kids are also offered poor food choices at school. A clean environment is the first step in helping kids make healthier choices. School lunches and vending machines are loaded with extra fat and calories. Replacing these junk foods with organic alternatives gives kids better options.
The problem with fast food items and junk food is they lack nutritional value, while also delivering a high dose of fat, calories, sugar, salt and carbs. These foods are robbing kids of essential vitamins and minerals. Eating excessive amounts of these foods leads to obesity and malnutrition.
May 23, 2011
Moderate Physical Exercises Reduce Cancer Risk
Xinhua News Agency - CEIS Moderate physical exercises can help reduce the risk of cancers such as breast cancer and colon cancer, the World Health Organization said recently.
In a report, WHO recommended moderate intensity aerobic physical activities of at least 150 minutes a week, for all people aged 18 and over, which has proven effective in bring down risks to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
For the 5 to 17-age group, the WHO said at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activities can serve to prevent such diseases from building-up.
Read more about the report here.
May 20, 2011
How To Do Skin Self-exams
Karen Morgan
Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Early detection of skin cancers - particularly melanomas - is crucial to treatment. You can help protect yourself with regular at-home body inspections, says Dr. Melissa Schwarzschild of Richmond Dermatology & Laser Specialists in Richmond, Va. "You can be proactive and alleviate anxiety," she says.
Do regular inspections. Check all of your moles about every six months, especially if you have lots of them or have a personal or family history of skin cancer. See a dermatologist once a year for a routine full-body check.
Read more about this report here.
May 19, 2011
Vitamin D Supplementation Improves COPD Rehab Outcome
The American Thoracic Society's 2011 International Conference held in Denver was the site of a presentation concerning the finding of a benefit for vitamin D supplementation in patients participating in a rehabilitation program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)."COPD can be considered as a respiratory disease with important nonrespiratory consequences, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and muscle weakness," explained researcher Miek Hornikx, who is a physiotherapist and doctoral student in the department of pneumology at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. "These consequences eventually will be negatively influenced by physical inactivity which, along with exercise intolerance, is a common feature among patients with COPD and is proven to be related to mortality."Read more about this report here.
May 18, 2011
Green Tea Polyphenols Protect and Benefit Skin
A report published online in the Journal of Nutrition describes protective benefits for green tea polyphenols against ultraviolet light-induced skin damage, as well as an ability to improve elasticity, density and other skin properties.Researchers at the University of Witten-Herdecke and Heinrich Heine University in Germany assigned 60 women with light to normal ultraviolet sensitivity to receive a green tea beverage containing 1,402 milligrams per liter total catechins or a control beverage daily for twelve weeks. Before the treatment period and at six and twelve weeks, participants received a dose of irradiation to the skin from a solar simulator. Reddening, elasticity, roughness, scaling, density and water homeostasis were evaluated at these time points and blood samples were analyzed for flavonoids and other variables.Read more about the study here.
May 17, 2011
5 Motivation Myths Debunked
Hollis Templeton
Mclatchy-Tribune News Service. Calories in, calories out-in theory, losing weight should be that simple. But we're going to venture a guess that the reason two thirds of Americans are classified as overweight or obese isn't because they can't do basic math. Age, genetics, hormones, and the big one-a lack of will power-better explain the disconnect between wanting to lose weight and actually doing it.
In fact, while 84 percent of people claim they're trying to take better care of their health today than just a few years ago, 59 percent of people reported they don't have the will power to change their habits, according to a recent survey by The Futures Company. Lack of will power is the number one barrier preventing Americans from living healthier lifestyles, ranking higher than a lack of money, time, desire, and a perceived lack of need, according to the survey.
Read more about the story here.
May 17, 2011
Clinical Use of Hyperthermia for Cancer Treatment
Business Wire BSD Medical Corporation (NASDAQ: BSDM) (Company or BSD), a leading provider of medical systems that utilize heat therapy to treat cancer, today reported that the focus at the annual Society of Thermal Medicine (STM) conference, which was held in New Orleans, was the increasing clinical use of hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer. The researchers at the meeting presented data showing significant benefits for the use of hyperthermia to treat a variety of tumors, including breast, prostate, head and neck, cervix, soft tissue sarcomas and bladder cancer. A number of presentations also discussed the importance of studying the use of hyperthermia and chemotherapy for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
See more about the report here.
May 16, 2011
Diabetic Retinopathy is Leading Cause of Blindness
Diabetes is often called the "silent killer" because people who have it are often unaware they are affected. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes affects 26 million people - including children - in the United States. Approximately one-quarter of those people do not know they're living with the disease.
"Many people are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which can have serious effects on a person's eyesight," said Dr. Mark Lynn, owner and operator of 45 Dr. Bizer's VisionWorld, Doctor's ValuVision and Doctor's VisionWorks in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and Georgia. "Those who have diabetes are at greater risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to vision loss and more serious problems with the eye."
Read more about the study here.
May 14, 2011
Dancing Can Help Offset Dementia, Weight Gain, HBP
The Sacramento Bee Want to avoid your risk of dementia holistically? Besides controlling your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugars and decreasing your intake of inflammatory foods, what else can you do?
Start dancing!
Dancing has been shown to have numerous health benefits in various studies. The most obvious are increased socialization and improved physical functioning. Two recent studies conducted by University of Missouri researchers found that participation in dance-based therapy can improve balance and gait in older adults. This can reduce the risk of falls and injuries in this population.
Read more about the study here.
May 11, 2011
The Latest on Radiation Exposure
Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden
The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Radiation exposure has been in the news lately with the recent events in Japan, making the public more aware of possible radiation hazards from other sources. A study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine included some interesting news about chest X-rays. People with pneumonia who are younger than 50 and don't smoke don't necessarily need chest X-rays.
Most medical diagnostic guidelines recommend an X-ray for all patients with pneumonia. This is because a mass (cancer) in the lungs can theoretically obstruct the lungs and cause pneumonia. But a study published in April suggests that these guidelines may be too broad.
Read more about the study here.
May 10, 2011
Study - Market Lighting Affects Nutrition
United Press International Don't grab the bag of vegetables from the back of the produce shelf, U.S. scientists say -- the ones in front exposed to more light have more nutrition.
A study by post-harvest plant physiologist Gene Lester of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service found that spinach leaves exposed to continuous light during storage were, overall, more nutritionally dense than leaves kept continuously in the dark.
Read more about the study here.
Study - Early Baldness Doubles Risk of Prostate Cancer
Agence France-Presse
Men who start to lose their hair by age 20 -- a syndrome known as pattern baldness -- are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer later in life, according to a new study.
The findings, published in the Annals of Oncology, could help identify men who should be screened early and more often for disease, the researchers said.
Prostate cancer is the most common skin cancer among men worldwide and, after lung tumors, is the second biggest cause of death from cancer among men in the United States and Europe. Most cases occur among men aged in their sixties.
Earlier research has shown that sex hormones called androgens play a key role in the development of both pattern baldness and cancer of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland near the bladder crucial to the male reproductive system.
But the link between the two remained obscure, with at least one study suggesting that premature baldness actually pointed to a reduced risk of cancer.
Read more about the study here.
May 7, 2011
Avocado Has More Potassium Than Banana
United Press International
The avocado, celebrated for centuries as an indulgent food with a seductively creamy texture, is also high in nutrition, a U.S. food expert says.
Phil Lempert -- a food industry analyst, trend watcher and creator of the Web site supermarketguru.com -- says the avocado originated in parts of ancient Mexico, Central America, and South America, and was once believed to be an aphrodisiac, but today it is a staple in Mexican culture as butter is in the United States.
Avocados are rich in potassium. One avocado actually has three times as much potassium as one banana.
Read more about the report here.
May 6, 2011
Blueberries Inhibit Fat Cell Formation
Blueberries may confer an inhibitory effect on the development of adipocytes (fat cells) according to research presented at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting in Washington, DC.Texas Woman's University graduate student Shiwani Moghe, MS reported the results of an experiment in which three doses of blueberry polyphenols were administered to preadipocyte tissue cultures derived from mice. The tissue cultures were analyzed for polyphenols' effect on adipocyte differentiation, which is the process by which unspecialized cells acquire the features of adipocytes that synthesize and store fat.Read more about the research here.
May 5, 2011
Mayo Clinic study Says Waist-Hip Ratio Matters More Than BMI
Christopher Snowbeck, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn. Heart disease patients have another reason to bemoan their bellies.
In a study being published this month, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester conclude that patients with both coronary artery disease and "central obesity" -- a weight measurement that focuses on stomach fat -- had up to twice the risk of dying as heart disease patients with more petite paunches.
Central obesity is measured by comparing the circumference of a patient's stomach to the circumference of the hips. When the stomach measurement is 90 percent or more of the hip measurement in men -- and 85 percent or more of the hip measurement in women -- a patient generally is thought to have a worrisome distribution of fat, said Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, director of the cardiometabolic program at the Mayo Clinic.
Read more about the study here.
April 29, 2011
Sudy - Astaxanthin Shows Potential for Brain Health
By Stephen Daniells
Daily supplements of astaxanthin – the pigment that gives salmon its pink color – may reduce the abnormal accumulation of compounds associated with dementia, says a new study from Japan.
Twelve weeks of supplementation with astaxanthin were associated with significant reductions in levels of compounds called phospholipid hydroperoxides (PLOOH), known to accumulate abnormally in the red blood cells (erythrocytes) of people with dementia, compared with placebo.
Writing in the
British Journal of Nutrition, researchers led by Kiyotaka Nakagawa from Tohoku University, report that, since the data shows that astaxanthin is incorporated into the red blood cells, as is seen with lutein, the pink pigment may
“contribute to the prevention of dementia”.
Read more about the study here.
April 29, 2011
Diet Plus Exercise Reduces Frailty
Washington University
By Jim Dryden
With a current 20% of adults 65 years of age or older as obese, and the prevalence anticipated to continue to rise with the globally aging population, older obese adults face severe health risks, including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, which can be compounded by a lack of mobility.
For Dennis T. Villareal, from Washington University in St. Louis (Missouri, USA), and colleagues evaluated the effects of dieting and exercise in more than 100 obese seniors over a one-year period. Although weight loss alone and exercise alone improved physical function by about 12% and 15%, respectively, neither was as effective as diet and exercise together, which improved physical performance by 21%. As well, the combination of dieting and exercise together were effective at reducing frailty than either approach solely.
Read more about the study here.
April 28, 2011
MIT Scientists Discover Cancer-Fighting Role For Cells
NewsRx.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - MIT scientists have discovered that cells lining the blood vessels secrete molecules that suppress tumor growth and keep cancer cells from invading other tissues, a finding that could lead to a new way to treat cancer (see also Epithelial Cells).
Elazer Edelman, professor in the MIT-Harvard Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), says that implanting such cells adjacent to a patient's tumor could shrink a tumor or prevent it from growing back or spreading further after surgery or chemotherapy. He has already tested such an implant in mice, and MIT has licensed the technology to Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc., which plans to test it in humans.
Edelman describes the work, which appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine, as a "paradigm shift" that could fundamentally change how cancer is understood and treated. "This is a cancer therapy that could be used alone or with chemotherapy radiation or surgery, but without adding any devastating side effects," he says.
Read more about the study here.
April 27, 2011
Preventing Oral Cancer
Joe Gaines, The Brunswick News, Ga.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Besides preventing cavities, a periodic dental cleaning or checkup could save your life.
Along with preventing and detection of cavities, a routine cleaning is an opportune time to check the mouth for signs of oral cancer.
As part of National Oral Cancer Prevention Week, Dr. Jeffery Capes, an oral surgeon with Coastal Oral Surgery on St. Simons Island, is encouraging patients to ensure that their dental health professional check for possible signs of cancer.
"About 8,000 people die of oral cancer a year," Capes said. "That's about one person every hour, every day."
The Oral Cancer Foundation predicts about 37,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with oral cancer, and in the past five years, the number has been growing.
Read more about the story here.
April 26, 2011
Myths About Heart Disease
By Anita Manning
USA TODAY Imagine hearing news of a catastrophe causing the deaths of 2,200 Americans every day -- an average of one every 39 seconds.
A plague? Nuclear fallout?
It's heart disease, which includes diseases of the heart and circulatory system. The No. 1 killer stalking the world, cardiovascular diseases cause more deaths than all forms of cancer combined.
It's an equal-opportunity destroyer, although it does have a preference for people of color and those over 65. But no age, race or economic class is immune.
"There's a lack of awareness of what ideal cardiovascular health really is," says Ralph Sacco, president of the American Heart Association. While 35% of people surveyed say they're in good health, when quizzed about seven major health factors -- diet, activity level, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar and smoking status -- only about half of 1% hit all the targets for good health, he says. "People think they're healthier than they are," he says, making it less likely that they'll take steps to reduce their heart risks.
Sacco and other heart experts highlight 10 myths of heart disease.
Read what they are here.
April 26, 2011
High Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Tied to Memory Problems
PRNewswire-USNewswire Middle-age men and women who have cardiovascular issues, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, may not only be at risk for heart disease, but for an increased risk of developing early cognitive and memory problems as well. That's according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.
For the study, 3,486 men and 1,341 women with an average age of 55 underwent cognitive tests three times over 10 years. The tests measured reasoning, memory, fluency and vocabulary. Participants received a Framingham risk score that is used to predict 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event. It is based on age, sex, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and whether they smoked or had diabetes.
Read more about the study here.
April 25, 2011
As With Blood, Several Types Of Human Gut
Agence France-Presse
The human digestive track, host to an ecosystem teaming with trillions of living bacteria, comes in three variations as distinct as blood groups, according to a new study.
These so-called "enterotypes" are found in populations worldwide and exist independent of race, country of origin, diet, age or state of health, the study reported.
The findings have major implications for detecting and predicting the risk of diseases ranging from intestinal cancers to diabetes to Crohn's disease, a painful inflammation of the bowels, the researchers said.
Read more about the study here.
April 23, 2011
Reduced Coenzyme Q10 Levels Associated With Increased Breast Cancer Risk
An article published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reveals an association between decreased levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and a greater risk of breast cancer in Chinese women. Coenzyme Q10 is a compound made in the human body that has been linked with numerous benefits, yet research suggests that many people produce amounts that are less than optimal.
The current investigation involved participants in The Shanghai Women’s Health Study of women between the ages of 40 and 70. Robert V. Cooney at the University of Hawaii and his colleagues matched 340 women with breast cancer to 653 subjects who were free of the disease. Plasma samples were analyzed for coenzyme Q10 and tocopherols.
Read more about the study here.
April 22, 2011
Gut Reaction
Spencer Hunt
The Columbus Dispatch, OhioDoctors and scientists know that stress can lead to illness. They just don't know why.
But they are starting to understand where it all might begin.
Ohio State University researchers say they have found that stress-related illnesses likely start in an unlikely place -- among the hordes of good and bad bacteria that live in our guts.
Read more about the study here.
April 22, 2011
Reduced Vitamin D Levels Linked to Arterial Stiffness
A presentation by Ibhar Al Mheid, MD at the annual American College of Cardiology meeting revealed the finding of Emory University School of Medicine researchers of a protective effect for vitamin D against arterial stiffness and impaired blood vessel relaxation.Dr Al Mheid, along with Emory Cardiovascular Research Institute director Arshed Quyyumi, MD, evaluated data from 554 participants in the Emory/Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute's Center for Health Discovery and Well Being. Endothelial function was evaluated via brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, and microvascular function and arterial stiffness were assessed. Blood samples were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a stable form of the vitamin that reflects dietary intake and skin production.Read more about the study here.
April 22, 2011
Study Reveals Pathways For Omega-3’s Eye Benefits
By Nathan Gray
Research in mice has suggested the mechanisms that enable dietary omega-3 fatty acids to help prevent retinopathy, a common eye disease that can lead to blindness in premature babies and diabetics.
In the study, published in
Science Translational Medicine, researchers led by scientists from Harvard Medical School, reported that metabolites from the breakdown of dietary omega-3 may directly affect the irregular blood vessel growth that leads to retinopathy.
Specifically, the omega-3 metabolite 4-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid (4-HDHA) was found to inhibit the sprouting and growth of irregular blood vessels.
“These results elucidate an important pathway through which omega-3 oils protect against retinopathy and perhaps exert some of their other beneficial effects: oxidation of omega-3 PUFAs by 5-LOX [5-lipoxygenase]
and subsequent inhibition of angiogenesis,” said the authors, led by Dr Lois Smith, Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard.
“In addition, we report significant 4-HDHA concentrations in healthy human subjects, suggesting that our findings may apply to omega-3 PUFA action in humans.” Read more about the study here.
April 21, 2011
Vegetarians Have Less Metabolic Syndrome
United Press International Vegetarians have lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome -- a precursor to heart disease and diabetes -- than non-vegetarians, U.S. researchers say.
Metabolic syndrome involves having three or more of the following -- blood pressure equal to or higher than 130/85 millimeters of mercury; fasting blood sugar equal to or higher than 100 milligrams per deciliter; large waist circumference [for men, 40 inches or more, for women 35 inches or more]; low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [for men, under 40 mg/dL, for women, under 50 mg/dL; and triglycerides equal to or higher than 150 mg/dL.
The study examined more than 700 adults -- 35 percent were vegetarians -- randomly selected from Loma Linda University's long-term study of the lifestyle and health of almost 100,000 Seventh-day Adventists across the United States and Canada.
Read more about the study here.
April 21, 2011
Look After Your Brain
NewsRx.com As the average life span becomes longer, dementia becomes more common. Swedish scientist Laura Fratiglioni has shown that everyone can minimize his or her risk of being affected. Factors from blood pressure and weight to the degree of physical and mental activity can influence cognitive functioning as one gets older.
The lengthening of the average life span in the population has caused an increase in the prevalence of aging related disorders, one of which is cognitive impairment and dementia. An expert panel estimates that worldwide more than 24 million people are affected by dementia, most suffering from Alzheimer's disease. In the more developed countries, 70 percent of the persons with dementia are 75 years or older.
Age is the greatest risk factor for developing dementia. But there is growing evidence that the strong association with increasing age can be, at least partially, explained by a life course cumulative exposure to different risk factors.
Read more about the study here.
April 20,2011
Lifestyle Change Can Reduce Mental Illness
United Press International Mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety can be treated with lifestyle changes as successfully as diseases like diabetes, a U.S. researcher says.
Dr. Roger Walsh of the College of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, reviewed research on the effects of what he calls "therapeutic lifestyle changes," or TLCs, such as exercise and nutrition.
The review, published in American Psychologist, describes TLCs as effective, inexpensive and often enjoyable, with fewer side effects and complications than medications, but requiring a sustained effort.
Read more about the report here.
April 20, 2011
Omega-3 May Protect Against Traumatic Brain Injury
By Stephen Daniells
Supplements of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexanoic acid) may prevent traumatic brain injury, according to a new study with rats with potential implications for sportsmen and soldiers.
Researchers from West Virginia University report that rats who received the highest dose of
DHA supplementation prior to traumatic brain injury experienced the least amount of tissue damage.
Read more about the study here.
April 19, 2011
CDC - 'Diabetes Belt' Mostly in Southeast
United Press International Areas with high rates of diabetes -- a "diabetes belt" -- are clustered in 644 counties in 15 mostly Southeastern states, U.S. health officials said.
Lead investigator Lawrence E. Barker of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said it was in the 1960s when Southern states were identified as the "stroke belt," but this is the first time diagnosed diabetes clustering was identified in all U.S. counties.
The belt -- diabetes prevalence rates greater than 11 percent -- includes portions of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the entire state of Mississippi.
Read more about the study here.
April 19, 2011
Marker of Inflammation Associated with Memory Decline
A presentation at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Honolulu revealed the finding of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco of a link between higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP, a marker of inflammation) and memory loss in older individuals.University of California, San Francisco clinical professor of neuropsychology Joel H. Kramer, PsyD and his associates compared 76 men and women with an average age of 71.8 who had detectable levels of C-reactive protein to 65 adults of a similar age with undetectable levels. Word list testing evaluated the participants' verbal recall, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain measured the volume of the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampal cortex. (Animal experiments have revealed that function of the hippocampus, which is involved in memory storage, is impaired by prolonged brain inflammation.)Read more about the study here.
April 19, 2011
Vegetarian Diet Can Boost Cardiovascular Health
Jan Jarvis
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Last year, when former President Bill Clinton gave up meat for his daughter's very vegan wedding, it was an act of love that came straight from the heart.
In the long run, his decision to change his eating habits and shed 20 pounds for Chelsea just might save his heart, too.
The American Heart Association recommends eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats and poultry. But lately, plant-based diets have gotten a big boost from Clinton and others who believe it reduces the risk of heart disease.
Read more about the report here.
April 18, 2011
Higher Magnesium Levels and Lower Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
An article published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports a protective effect for higher plasma and dietary magnesium against the risk of sudden cardiac death in women. Up to 68 percent of women and 55 percent of men who undergo sudden cardiac death have no clinically recognized cardiovascular disease prior to the events, which take 184,000 to 462,000 people's lives each year.Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University analyzed data from 88,375 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study who were free of disease in 1980. Questionnaires completed in 1980, 1984, 1986 and every four years through 2002 provided information on magnesium intake from food and supplements. Blood samples drawn from 32,826 participants between 1989 and 1990 were analyzed for plasma magnesium, lipids and other factors. Sudden cardiac deaths were defined as those that occurred within 1 hour of symptom onset or involved arrhythmia.Read more about the study here.
April 16, 2011
Study Suggests Timing is Important in Cancer Chemoprevention
An article published online in the journal Carcinogenesis reports the outcome of a rodent study which found a protective benefit for vitamin E and selenium against esophageal cancer, particularly if administered early after exposure to a carcinogenic substance.Scientists at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing gave five groups of rats a diet that contained reduced amounts of vitamin E and selenium, which was designed to mimic the diet of some human populations. All but one group were administered the carcinogen NMBzA 3 times per week for 5 weeks. One of the carcinogen-treated groups received the diet supplemented with vitamin E and selenium for the first 10 weeks of the study, while a second group was supplemented between 11 and 25 weeks. A third group received a supplemented diet throughout the 25 week experiment.Read more about the study here.
April 7, 2011
What You Need To Know About Statin Drugs Side Effects
This is the latest animation from the Health Ranger, revealing the health dangers of statin drugs. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, statin drugs cause liver dysfunction, acute kidney failure. cataracts and extreme muscle weakness (among other side effects).
This video encourages people to think twice about taking statin drugs. Statin drugs also deplete CoQ10, a vital nutrient for heart health and cellular energy. That's why people feel so week when taking statins.
Cholesterol is not a "disease," and statin drugs are synthetic chemicals that are not bio-compatible with the human body.
Watch the video here.
April 7, 2011
Omega-3s Promote Muscle Protein Production
Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass with aging, is a major public health concern. Previous studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids stimulate protein anabolism in animals, and might therefore be useful for the treatment of sarcopenia. However, the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on human protein metabolism is unknown.
Bettina Mittendorfer, PhD, from Washington University School of Medicine (Missouri, USA), and colleagues studied 16 healthy adults, average age 71 years, and an average BMI of 25.65 kg/m2, assigning each to receive either omega-3s (providing provided a daily dose of 1.86 grams of EPA [eicosapentaenoic acid] and 1.5 grams of DHA [docosahexaenoic acid]), or corn oil (placebo) for eight weeks.
Read more about the study here.
April 6, 2011
Maple Syrup May Help Treat Diabetes
United Press International A U.S. researcher says she has discovered 34 new beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup from Quebec -- five of which have never been seen in nature.
Navindra Seeram of the University of Rhode Island also confirmed that 20 maple syrup compounds she discovered last year in preliminary research play a key role in human health.
"I continue to say that nature is the best chemist, and that maple syrup is becoming a champion food when it comes to the number and variety of beneficial compounds found in it," Seeram said in a statement.
Read more about the study here.
April 6, 2011
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Against Obesity-related Disease
An article published online in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals a protective effect for high omega-3 fatty acid intake against the development of diseases related to obesity, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.For the current study, Zeina Makhoul, PhD and her colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in collaboration with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, evaluated data from 330 Yup’ik Eskimos. Omega-3 fatty acid intake among the Yup'iks averages twenty times higher than most Americans. Read more about the study here.
April 5, 2011
More Antioxidants and Lower Metabolic Syndrome Risk
A report published online in the Journal of Nutrition reveals the results of a large study of adult Americans which found a lower risk of metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors that increase the risk of developing diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease), among those with higher serum levels of vitamin C and carotenoids.May A. Beydoun of the National Institute on Aging and her associates evaluated data from up to 11,845 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2006, which included men and women aged 20 to 85 residing in the United States. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were assessed upon enrollment, and blood samples were analyzed for the antioxidant nutrients retinol, retinyl esters, carotenoids (which include alpha and beta carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein plus zeaxanthin, and lycopene), vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as glucose, lipids, C-reactive protein and other factors.Read more about the study here.
April 4, 2011
Buck Institute Finds Secrets Of Longevity - In Roundworms
Guy Kovner, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Yellow dye commonly found in science laboratories is a fountain of youth and staves off diseases like Alzheimer's, at least for microscopic roundworms, scientists at Novato's Buck Institute reported.
Coming in a close second as an agent to extend worm longevity is curcumin, the active ingredient in the Indian spice turmeric, a far more palatable and accessible substance.
It will take years and not-so-small fortunes to determine if the dye, known as Thioflavin T, or the spice associated with curry have a similarly salutatory effect on humans, the experts at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging said.
But their findings, published last week in the prestigious journal Nature, point out an "exciting new avenue in the search for compounds that both extend lifespan and slow disease processes," said Silvestre Alavez, a Buck biochemist.
Read more about the study here.
March 31, 2011
Study- Iron Storage Status Not Linked To Mortality
By Nathan Gray
High levels of iron storage markers – previously linked to roles in several disease states – are not associated with an increased risk of mortality, according to new research.
The study, published in
Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, found markers of iron storage in blood plasma are not associated with the risk of mortality, among a large sample of US adults, not taking iron supplements without a baseline history of cardiovascular disease or cancer.
“In this large, population-based prospective study, higher levels of ferritin and transferrin saturation were not associated with an increased risk of mortality,” said the authors,” led by Dr. Andrew Menke from Johns Hopkins University, USA.
Read more about the study here.
March 30, 2011
Shorter Telomeres Linked With Increased Mortality Risk
The April, 2011 issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological and Medical Sciences reports the finding of Annette L. Fitzpatrick of the University of Washington and her colleagues of an association between shorter telomere length and an increased risk of dying over 6.1 years of follow-up. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes which shorten as individual cells age. Leukocyte (white blood cell) telomere length has been associated with age, gender, and age-related diseases, yet its relationship with the risk of human mortality is uncertain.The current study included 1,136 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study of adults aged 65 and older. Blood samples obtained upon enrollment between 1992 and 1993 were analyzed for leukocyte telomere length. Cause was ascertained for 468 deaths that occurred over 6.1 years of follow-up.Read more about the study here.
March 29, 2011
Study - Selenium May Reduce Prostate Cancer Markers
By Nathan Gray
Supplementation with selenium glycinate may increase the activities of related plasma enzymes, and reduce the levels of an important marker for the risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study that contradicts current thinking.
The research, published in
Nutrition Research, suggests that selenium glycinate supplementation gave changes consistent with improved selenium functional status and lowered prostate cancer risk in a group of 30 middle-aged US men.
The researchers, from Ohio State University, USA, said that the study contradicts conventional wisdom that selenium supplementation should not increase the activities of blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) nor affect prostate cancer risk.
Read more about the study here.
March 29, 2011
What's Really Going On In Your Heart
Debby Abe
The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.So you think you're on top of your heart health knowledge because you know your cholesterol levels, your weight and your blood pressure.
But what about your c-reactive protein number? Do you know if you suffer from metabolic syndrome?
Cardiac health expert Joseph Piscatella says those are a couple of the newest predictors of heart disease, yet most people have no idea what the terms mean.
The Gig Harbor author explains the latest thinking in cardiac health in "Prevent Halt & Reverse Heart Disease: 109 Things You Can Do." Piscatella wrote the book, which came out in January, with Barry A. Franklin, director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. It's an update of their 2003 work, "
Take a Load off Your Heart: 109 Things You Can Actually Do to Prevent, Halt and Reverse Heart Disease." Read more here.March 28, 2011
Eskimo Study Supports Omega-3 for Heart Health
By Stephen Daniells
High intakes of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of obesity-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, according to new findings from a study with Alaskan Eskimos.
Yup’ik Eskimos, the most famous indigenous people of the US’ 49th State, have similar obesity rates to the lower 48 states, but the incidence of type-2 diabetes is only 3.3 percent, compared with 7.7 percent nationally.
According to researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, this apparent reduction in diabetes risk is linked to the observation that the Eskimos’ average consumption of omega-3s from fish is 20 times more than people in the lower 48 states.
Read more about the study here.
March 28, 2011
Vegan Diet Requires Omega-3 and B12 Boost
By Nathan Gray
People following a vegan diet may require additional omega-3 and vitamin B12 supplementation to reduce an excess risk of heart disease, according to a new review.
The review authors said that although meat eaters are known for having a significantly higher combination of cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians, people following strict vegetarian and vegan diets are not immune from risk, as their diets tend to lack several key nutrients, including iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3.
Published in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the review suggests that following a vegan lifestyle that is low in omega-3 and vitamin B12, may have a high risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis – both of which increase the risk for heart attacks and stroke. As such, the authors suggest that an increased intake or supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin B12 may help to alleviate such risks.
“On the basis of the present data, it is suggested that vegetarians, especially vegans, could benefit from increased dietary intake of omega-3 PUFA and vitamin B12 and thus improve the balance ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 PUFA and vitamin B12 status … which may reduce any thrombotic tendency that might increase their generally low risk of cardiovascular disease,” said the review author, Duo Li from Zhejiang University, China.
Read more about the review here.
March 26, 2011
Fatty Liver Increases Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Xinhua News Agency - CEIS LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Individuals with fatty liver were five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those without fatty liver, researchers at Stanford University in California said.
This new finding was published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on its website.
The researchers examined 11,091 Koreans who had a medical evaluation including fasting insulin concentration and abdominal ultrasound at baseline and had a follow-up after five years.
Regardless of baseline insulin concentration, individuals with fatty liver had significantly more metabolic abnormalities including higher glucose and triglyceride concentration and lower high- density lipoprotein cholesterol (sometimes called "good cholesterol") concentration, according to the study.
"Many patients and practitioners view fat in the liver as just 'fat in the liver,' but we believe that a diagnosis of fatty liver should raise an alarm for impending type 2 diabetes," said Sun Kim of Stanford University in California.
Read more about the story here.
March 25, 2011
Antioxidants Could Combat Mesothelioma Cancer
By Mike Stones
Antioxidants could prove a powerful new weapon in the fight against the rare form of
cancer malignant mesothelioma, according to new research from the Thomas Jefferson Hospital’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
Consumers have long valued antioxidants, such as beta carotene, as dietary supplements which can combat oxidative stress at the cellular level. Fruit such as blueberries, apples, cranberries, strawberries, cherries and plums are particularly high in antioxidants.
Now researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center have linked antioxidant-based drugs, which have a similar effect oxidative stress as certain types of fruit, to the suppression of cancers such as mesothelioma.
Read more about the study here.
March 25, 2011
TSA Wants to Scan and Harvest Your DNA
(NaturalNews) As if it's not enough for the TSA to feel you up at the airport, now they're experimenting with rapid results DNA scanners that can scan and analyze your DNA using just a drop of saliva. Spit at the TSA agent who is molesting you, in other words, and they can use that saliva to scan your DNA and then store it in a government database.
Why would they want to do that? We can only imagine. Remember, it was Alex Jones who broke the story about hospitals secretly taking blood samples of babies and handing them over to the federal government for use in a national genetic database.
March 24, 2011
Study - Pecan Antioxidants May Aid Heart Health
By Nathan Gray
Antioxidants in pecans may help contribute to heart health and disease prevention, according to new research.
The study, published in the
Journal of Nutrition, suggests that the high levels of antioxidants such as gamma-tocopherol and flavan-3-ol found in pecan nuts can double the levels of the antioxidant compounds in blood plasma, and reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol by a third.
"Our tests show that eating pecans increases the amount of healthy antioxidants in the body … This protective effect is important in helping to prevent development of various diseases such as cancer and heart disease,” said Dr Ella Haddad, associate professor in the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University.
Read more about the study here.
March 24, 2011
Long-term Vitamin E Supplementation, Reduced Risk of ALS
The March 15, 2011 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology published the results of an analysis of over a million men and women which concluded that supplementing with vitamin E is associated with a reduction in the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive, fatal neurologic disease.Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health pooled data from the Nurses' Health Study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, the Multiethnic Cohort Study and the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study for their review. Questionnaires completed by 545,377 men and 510,169 women were analyzed for the vitamin E content of their diets and vitamin E supplement use. Over the studies' follow-up periods, which ranged from 10 to 18 years, 805 cases of ALS were diagnosed.Read more about the study here.
March 23, 2011
Research Links Sugary Drinks With High Blood Pressure Risk
By Caroline Scott-Thomas
Sugar-sweetened beverages could increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, according to research published in the journal
Hypertension. High blood pressure is thought to be a major risk factor for heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide.
In a study of more than 2,500 people from the United States and the UK, researchers said they found a link between an increase in blood pressure and quantity of
sugar-sweetened soft drinks, with systolic blood pressure higher by an average of 1.6 mmHg and diastolic readings by an average of 0.8 mmHg for every extra serving of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed. They did not find a similar link between diet soft drink consumption and blood pressure, and the link was most pronounced in those with the highest consumption levels of both sugar and sodium, the researchers reported.
Read more about the study here.
March 23, 2011
Vitamin D Insufficiency Could Play Role In Parkinson's
Researchers at Emory University report in the March, 2011 issue of Archives of Neurology the finding of a correlation between insufficient levels of vitamin D and the development of early Parkinson's disease (PD).In the article's background information, Marian L. Evatt, MD, MS of Emory University School of Medicine and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and colleagues remark that "Vitamin D insufficiency has been reported to be more common in patients with Parkinson's disease than in healthy control subjects, but it is not clear whether having a chronic disease causing reduced mobility contributes to this relatively high prevalence." Read more about the study here.
March 22, 2011
TSA, DHS Plan Massive Rollout of Mobile Surveillance Vans With Long-distance X-ray Capabilities, Eye Movement Tracking And More
(NaturalNews) Newly-released documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reveal that the US Depart of Homeland Security has been working on plans to roll out a new wave of mobile surveillance technologies at train stations, stadiums and streets. These new technologies will track your eye movements, capture and record your facial dimensions for face-recognition processing, bathe you in X-rays to look under your clothes, and even image your naked body using whole-body infrared images that were banned from consumer video cameras because they allowed the camera owners to take "nude" videos of people at the beach.Read more here.
March 22, 2011
[Study] Exercise Enlarges Brain's Memory-keeping Area
Debra Erdley, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News The mall walkers have it right.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and three other schools has shown that a year of moderate exercise -- the kind relished by older walkers who walk laps at the mall -- can increase the size of an area of the brain related to memory in older adults and lead to improved spatial memory.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was the first of its kind to follow sedentary adults ages 60 to 80 who already were experiencing a natural shrinking of the hippocampus, a section of the brain involved in memory function.
Read more about the study here.
March 22, 2011
Nutrigenomics Shows Benefit of Magnesium’s Metabolic Actions
By Stephen Daniells
Magnesium’s favorable effects on certain metabolic pathways is associated with changes in gene expression, says a new study that adds to our knowledge of nutrigenomics.
Four weeks of magnesium supplementation were associated with a decrease in levels of C-peptide, a marker of improved insulin sensitivity. The mineral was also linked to down-regulation of certain
“genes related to metabolic and inflammatory pathways”, according to findings published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“These findings lend support to the hypothesis that dietary magnesium plays a beneficial role in the regulation of insulin and glucose homeostasis,” wrote researchers led by Simin Liu, MD, ScD, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Read more about the study here.
March 21, 2011
The Stealth Drug Cause of Diabetes
by Suzy Cohen, R.Ph, Author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist, Diabetes Without Drugs, and Drug Muggers: Keep Your Medicine from Stealing the Life Out of You
Statins are popular cholesterol-lowering drugs. They work in the liver by preventing your body from making cholesterol. When you eat meals that have starches and sugar, some of the excess sugar goes to the liver, where the liver stores it away as cholesterol and triglycerides. Now stay with me — when you have a statin on board, it’s like a message to your liver saying, “No! Don’t make any more cholesterol, please stop.” So your liver sends the sugar back OUT to the bloodstream.
Many statin users come back to see their doctor for a routine visit and find that their cholesterol may be better, but now they have high blood sugar. It’s entirely possible that some physicians mistakenly diagnose their patients with diabetes when in fact they just have hyperglycemia, the result of a medication that was prescribed to them months earlier.
It’s entirely possible that what you actually have is a known side effect of the most widely prescribed classes of medications in the world, and I personally think that this is one of the reasons now that millions of people think they have diabetes.
Obviously, there’s more to the story that you can sink your teeth into, so below are 3 links explaining exactly the mechanism of action. It’s not something that is discussed freely in the media (they keep it hush hush). It’s like the best kept secret.
Sources:
Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology May 1, 2004; 18(7): 805-815 Journal of Investigative Medicine March 2009; 57(3): 495-499 About.com February 20, 2010 March 20, 2011
Intergenerational Activities Promote Well-Being
The adage that “A family that plays together stays together” has been confirmed by researchers from Concordia University (Canada). Enrolling 14 intergenerational families – composed of 16 retired or semiretired grandparents, ages 65 to 89 years, along with their respective grandchildren, ages 18 to 24 years, Shannon Hebblethwaite and colleagues observed that leisure-time activities, such as cooking, shopping, and gardening help grandparents to maintain close ties with their grandchildren.
Grandparents utilized such get-togethers as opportunities to teach, mentor and pass on family values and traditions; and reciprocally, seniors found the activities catalyzed their own new discoveries. The researchers conclude that: “The findings illustrate the important role that family leisure played in the experience and expression of generativity,” thereby confirming previous research that found healthy intergenerational connections help grandparents age better and feel more positively about life.
Read more about the study here.
March 19, 2011
Sunlight Can Influence the Breakdown of Medicines in the Body
NewsRx.com A study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet has shown that the body's ability to break down medicines may be closely related to exposure to sunlight, and thus may vary with the seasons. The findings offer a completely new model to explain individual differences in the effects of drugs, and how the surroundings can influence the body's ability to deal with toxins (see also Enzymes and Coenzymes).
The study will be published in the scientific journal Drug Metabolism & Disposition and is based on nearly 70,000 analyses from patients who have undergone regular monitoring of the levels of drugs in their blood. The drugs taken by these patients are used to suppress the immune system in association with organ transplants. Samples taken during the winter months were compared with those taken late in the summer.
Read more about the study here.
March 18, 2011
Longer Life Associated with Higher Alpha-carotene Levels
An article appearing online in the American Medical Association journal Archives of Internal Medicine reports the discovery by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta of an association between higher serum levels of the carotenoid alpha-carotene and a lower risk of dying over a 13.9 year average period.Chaoyang Li, MD, PhD and colleagues evaluated data from 15,318 adults who enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Follow-up Study between 1988 and 1994. Blood samples drawn upon enrollment were analyzed for serum alpha-carotene and other factors. The participants were followed through 2006 during which the causes of deaths that occurred were recorded.Over the follow-up period, there were 3,810 deaths, including 1,671 from cardiovascular disease and 834 from cancer. As serum alpha-carotene levels increased there was a corresponding decline in the risk of dying. Among participants whose alpha-carotene levels were highest at 9 or more micrograms per deciliter, there was a 39 percent lower adjusted risk of dying from any cause compared with those whose levels were lowest at 0 to 1 mcg/dL. When deaths were examined by cause, those whose alpha-carotene levels were highest had a 29 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a 43 percent lower risk of cancer mortality, and a 45 percent lower risk of dying from other causes in comparison with the lowest group. The inverse association was independent of demographic characteristics, lifestyle and traditional health risk factors.Read more about the study here.
March 17, 2011
For Women, Getting Lean Includes Pumping Up"
Lindsey Adkison, The Brunswick News, Ga.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Jim Hoskinson has been a world-class power lifter as well as a trainer for more than 20 years. One of the things he's found is that many women avoid weight training.
"Some women are scared to do the movements. But the core movements like squats or dead lifts with free weights are so important for women who want to get in shape," he said.
Some women think weight training is just for men and they will "bulk-up" from from lifting. Instead, they say they want to "tone-up."
"Toning-up," however, is still adding muscle (plus shedding the fat that covers it), Hoskinson said.
"Toning up the term 'tone' or 'cut' just means that you can see your muscles. But you've got to work out with weights or there won't be any muscle to see," he said.
Read more here.
March 16, 2011
New Research Links Diabetes With Higher Death Risk
Canadian Press NEW YORK, N.Y. - A 50-year-old with diabetes dies six years sooner than someone without the disease, and not just from a heart attack or a stroke, new research suggests.
The large international effort to measure diabetes' toll found the disease also raises the risk of dying prematurely from a host of other ailments, even breast cancer and pneumonia.
"It's quite a wide sweep of conditions," said Dr. John Danesh of Cambridge University in Britain, who led the team of researchers. While most people think of heart problems, diabetes surprisingly "appears to be associated with a much broader range of health implications than previously suspected."
Putting the six years lost in context, he said, long-term smoking shortens life by 10 years.
Read more about the study here.
March 15, 2011
Importance of Magnesium in Diabetes Identified
A mineral found abundantly in green leafy vegetables, magnesium is essential for the regulation of many cellular processes and functions, serving as a vital cofactor in a wide range of metabolic reactions. Previous studies have determined that the function of insulin is dependent on magnesium, as the mineral activates insulin receptors and stimulates proteins and substrates involved in insulin signaling. Cristiane Hermes Sales, from University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), and colleagues assessed magnesium intake status in 51 adults with type 2 diabetes. Noting that 77% of the study subjects presented one or more magnesium status parameters below the cut-off points for deficiency, the team found that concentrations of plasma magnesium were inversely correlated with fasting and 2-hour post meal glucose levels.
Read more about the study here.
March 14, 2011
Fish Oil Helps in Chemotherapy
A recent study in lung cancer patients showed that those using fish oil supplementation during initial chemotherapy tended to maintain their muscle and total weight while those who did not lost 5 lbs of weight on average (2.2 lbs of which was muscle). See the Fish Oil (Omega-3) Product Review for more details, including the dosage used.
Read more about the study here.
March 12, 2011
Daily Fiber Boosts Longevity
Fiber, the edible part of plants that resist digestion, has been suggested to lower risks of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and certain cancers, as the substance reduces blood cholesterol levels, improves blood glucose levels, lowers blood pressure, promotes weight loss, reduces inflammation and binds to potential cancer-causing agents to promote excretion. Yikyung Park, from the National Cancer Institute (Maryland, USA), and colleagues analyzed data from 219,123 men and 168,999 women enrolled in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the study in 1995 and 1996, and causes of death were determined by linking study records to national registries.
Read more about the study here.
March 11, 2011
Diet To Prevent Cancer, Alzheimer's
United Press International An epigenetic eating regimen uses specific food compounds to prevent cancer or Alzheimer's disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers said.
Study co-author Trygve Tollefsbol said epigenetics research worldwide, including numerous studies conducted at the University of Alabama, have identified specific food compounds found in food such as broccoli and cabbage inhibit negative epigenetic effects that can help reverse or help prevent cancers and other aging-related diseases.
"Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and she was right," Tollefsbol said in a statement. "But now we better understand why she was right -- compounds in many of these foods suppress gene aberrations that over time cause fatal diseases."
Read more about the study here.
March 10, 2011
More Americans Are Using Supplements
A report published in the Journal of Nutrition reveals widespread use of dietary supplements among Americans, particularly among older individuals.Researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements and the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Maryland utilized data obtained from 18,758 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006. Infants under the age of one were excluded from the current analysis.Forty-four percent of males and 53 percent of females reported using supplements, which is an increase from the percentages reported in earlier NHANES surveys beginning in 1971. For those aged 71 and older, supplement use was reported by 70 percent. Multivitamin/mineral formulas were the most common form of supplementation. Twenty-eight to 30 percent of those surveyed used supplements containing vitamins A, B6, B12, C and E; 18 to 19 percent used chromium, iron and selenium, and 26-27 percent used magnesium and zinc. Herbs were used by 20 percent of adults and were more commonly used by older adults.Read more about the study here.
March 9, 2011
Would You Like To Promote Better Health For Your Brain?
Astaxanthin Helps to Promote Brain Health
People with dementia, a condition in which memory, learning, and behavior are compromised, have elevated levels of phospholipid hydroperoxides (PLOOH), free radical compounds that accumulate abnormally in the red blood cells (erythrocytes). Kiyotaka Nakagawa, from Tohoku University (Japan), and colleagues enrolled 30 healthy men and women, ages 50 and 69 years, in a twelve-week long study during which each subject received either a daily dietary supplement of 6 milligrams astaxanthin – an antioxidant compound derived from algae, a daily supplement of 12 milligrams astaxanthin, or placebo (zero astaxanthin).
Read more about the study here.
March 9, 2011
Do You Use Antacids? Watch Your Magnesium!
Do You Use Antacids? Watch Your Magnesium! See the new alert for people who take proton pump inhibitors, like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, over long periods time.
Read more here!
March 8, 2011
Japan Halts Vaccines From Pfizer, Sanofi After Four Deaths
NaturalNews
The deaths just keep mounting all across the world: Children are collapsing into comas and then dying, just minutes after receiving combination vaccines that have been deceptively marketed as "completely safe." Last year, Australia temporarily banned flu vaccines in children after they were found to have caused vomiting, fevers and seizures.
Today the damage from vaccines is emerging in Japan, where the health ministry has suspended the use of vaccines from Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis following the deaths of four children there who died within minutes after receiving these vaccine shots.
All four children received combination vaccines, where multiple shots are combined into one high-potency injection. MMR is another example of a combination vaccine shot that combines vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella.
Read more of this story here.
March 7, 2011
Greater Zinc Intake Associated with Lower Risk of Death From Prostate Cancer
An article published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals a protective effect for a higher dietary intake of zinc against mortality from cancer of the prostate gland.Swedish and Harvard University researchers evaluated data from 525 men under the age of 80 enrolled in a case-control study in Sweden. Participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer between January, 1989 and July, 1994. Responses to dietary questionnaires administered upon enrollment were analyzed for the intake of calories, and iron and zinc from food sources. The subjects were followed through February, 2009, during which time the causes of any deaths were confirmed.Read more about the study here.
March 5, 2011
Vitamin C Could Improve Sepsis Outcome
Research conducted at the University of Western Ontario and Lawson Health Research Institute has uncovered a beneficial role for vitamin C in sepsis, an immune system reaction to bacterial infection that results in the formation of blood clots, impaired blood flow and potential organ failure. The condition occurs mainly in infants, individuals with impaired immune systems, and older men and women. The current study's findings were reported in a recent issue of the journal Intensive Care Medicine. Read more about the story here.
March 4, 2011
Vegan Diet Requires Omega-3 and B12 Boost
By Nathan Gray
People following a vegan diet may require additional omega-3 and vitamin B12 supplementation to reduce an excess risk of heart disease, according to a new review.
The review authors said that although meat eaters are known for having a significantly higher combination of cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians, people following strict vegetarian and vegan diets are not immune from risk, as their diets tend to lack several key nutrients, including iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3.
Published in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the review suggests that following a vegan lifestyle that is low in omega-3 and vitamin B12, may have a high risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis – both of which increase the risk for heart attacks and stroke. As such, the authors suggest that an increased intake or supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin B12 may help to alleviate such risks.
Read more about the study here.
March 4, 2011
Study - Vitamin D and Recurrence of Lung Cancer
Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center report in a recent issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research that an enzyme elevated in lung cancer that reduces the active form of vitamin D is associated with more aggressive tumors and worse survival. The finding could aid the development of an agent to protect against the return of the disease following surgery.Read more about the study here.
March 4, 2011
Obesity Is Heart Disease Killer In Its Own Right
NewsRx.com Obesity is a killer in its own right, irrespective of other biological or social risk factors traditionally associated with coronary heart disease, suggests research published online in
Heart.
Increasing weight is associated with a higher prevalence of known risk factors for coronary artery disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. And it has been assumed that these have been responsible for the increased risk of heart disease seen in obesity, say the authors.
The research team tracked the health of more than 6,000 middle aged men with high cholesterol, but no history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, for around 15 years.
Read more about the study here.
March 3, 2011
Outdoor Activities Promote Well-Being
Revitalizing one’s mental and emotional health may be just a few footsteps away. Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (United Kingdom) researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 11 clinical studies involving 833 adult subjects, each of which assessed the effects of outdoor exercise initiatives against indoor activities and reported at least one physical or mental well-being outcome.
The team found that most of studies involving outdoor-located activities correlated to improvements in mental well-being: compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression. Participants also reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date.
Read more about the study here.
March 2, 2011
Your Resting Heart Rate Says a Lot About Your Overall Health and Risk of Dying From Heart Disease
Joe Rojas-Burke
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. It doesn't take much technical equipment or expertise to measure your pulse. But this simple vital sign is proving to be an important source of information about heart health and risk of an early death.
In a 2010 study that tracked middle-aged adults for an average of 12 years, women with a resting heart rate above 90 beats per minute were three times more likely to die of heart disease during the study than those with a rate below 60 beats a minute. Men with rates above 90 were twice as likely to die of heart disease.
Read more about the study here.
March 2, 2011
Side Effects From the Consumption of Canola Products?
NaturalNews) Canola oil and canola-based products have been at the centre of controversy for quite a few years. While some say that it helps to lower cholesterol levels, it actually has a few nasty side-effects as well (note: Only animal studies have been done regarding the toxic effects that it has on living organisms). Despite no human studies being done, this product was placed on the GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) list. It is in fact a by-product of a highly toxic insecticide product.
March 1, 2011
Beneficial Fatty Acids Help Relieve PMS Symptoms
Researchers from the University of Pernambuco in Brazil reported recently in the journal Reproductive Health the finding of improvements in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women given supplemental fatty acids. Premenstrual syndrome is a cluster of symptoms experienced during the half of the menstrual cycle prior to menses, which can affect up to 80 percent of all women of reproductive age. Although the effects of PMS can be severe enough to warrant treatment with hormones or antidepressant drugs, many women fail to seek medical therapy and continue to suffer monthly until menopause occurs. According to the authors of the article, women with PMS may be abnormally sensitive to the hormone prolactin, a phenomenon that could be related to reduced levels of prostaglandin E1, derived from dietary fatty acids, which can mitigate prolactin's effects. For the current trial, 120 women with PMS or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and regular menstrual cycles were divided to receive a 6 month regimen of one or two capsules per day containing 210 milligrams gamma linolenic acid (GLA), 175 milligrams oleic acid, 345 milligrams linoleic acid, 250 milligrams other polyunsaturated acids and 20 mg of vitamin E, or a placebo for 15 days, beginning on day 15 of each menstrual cycle. Premenstrual symptoms were scored daily, and prolactin levels were measured at the beginning and completion of the trial. Read more about the study here.
February 28, 2011
Scientists Dismiss Claim About Cow's Milk
By Guy Montague-Jones
A group of German scientists have published a paper dismissing the suggestion that giving newborns cow’s milk could help promote dairy tolerance.
Writing in the
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the scientists replied to an earlier article in the same journal that had recommended early exposure (
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology vol. 126, pages 77 – 82).
The authors of the original study, which was based on the self-reporting of the parents of some 13,019 infants, concluded that
“supplementation at birth with CMP should be recommended to promote its tolerance.” Read more about the study here.
February 26, 2011
Free Radicals Implicated in Common Eye Disease
The American Journal of Pathology reports the outcome of research conducted by Ula V. Jurkunas, MD and her colleagues at the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston which implicates free radical damage in the development of Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), a potentially blinding disease characterized by the programmed cell death of epithelial cells in the eye's cornea (the clear tissue in the front of the eye) which is the most common reason for corneal transplant surgery.Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage a variety of tissues, resulting in many of the diseases and conditions associated with aging. While some free radical damage is inevitable, increasing the body's levels of antioxidants, which bind with and neutralize free radicals, can help moderate this damage.Read more about the research here.
February 25, 2011
Researchers Recommend Greater Intake of Vitamin D to Lower the Risk of Serious Diseases
Cedric Garland, DrPH of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and his colleagues recently revealed that significantly higher amounts of vitamin D than what are currently recommended are needed to raise levels to those that help prevent breast cancer, type 1 diabetes and other diseases. The findings were published on the website of Grassroots' Health, a non-profit community service organization dedicated to promoting public awareness about vitamin D, and will appear in the journal Anticancer Research. Dr Garland, along with Christine B French, Leo L. Baggerly and Robert P. Heaney, MD, analyzed data from a survey of 3,667 men and women whose average age was 51. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured and online questionnaires were completed every six months over a five year period to ascertain vitamin D levels, vitamin D intake, and health status. Read more about the study here.
February 24, 2011
Lack of Sleep Found to Be a New Risk Factor For Colon Cancer
NewsRx.com
An inadequate amount of sleep has been associated with higher risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and death. Now colon cancer can be added to the list (see also Heart Disease).
In a ground-breaking new study published in the Feb. 15, 2011 issue of the journal Cancer, researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, found that individuals who averaged less than six hours of sleep at night had an almost 50 percent increase in the risk of colorectal adenomas compared with individuals sleeping at least seven hours per night. Adenomas are a precursor to cancer tumors, and left untreated, they can turn malignant.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to report a significant association of sleep duration and colorectal adenomas," said Li Li, MD, PhD, the study's principal investigator, family medicine physician in the Department of Family Medicine at UH Case Medical Center and Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "A short amount of sleep can now be viewed as a new risk factor for the development of the development of colon cancer."
Read more about the study here.
February 23, 2011
Lifestyle Change Can Reduce Mental Illness
United Press International
Mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety can be treated with lifestyle changes as successfully as diseases like diabetes, a U.S. researcher says.
Dr. Roger Walsh of the College of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, reviewed research on the effects of what he calls "therapeutic lifestyle changes," or TLCs, such as exercise and nutrition.
The review, published in American Psychologist, describes TLCs as effective, inexpensive and often enjoyable, with fewer side effects and complications than medications, but requiring a sustained effort.
Read more about the study here.
February 22, 2011
Study - Early Baldness Doubles Risk of Prostate Cancer
Agence France-Presse Men who start to lose their hair by age 20 -- a syndrome known as pattern baldness -- are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer later in life, according to a new study.
The findings, published this week in the Annals of Oncology, could help identify men who should be screened early and more often for disease, the researchers said.
Prostate cancer is the commonest non-skin cancer among men worldwide and, after lung tumours, is the second biggest cause of death from cancer among men in the United States and Europe. Most cases occur among men aged in their sixties.
Read more about the study here.
February 21, 2011
Omega-3s May Counter Degenerative Muscle Loss
By Stephen Daniells
Daily supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may boost the production of muscle protein in older people, and reduce the risk of degenerative muscle loss, suggest data from a new human trial.
Four grams per day of omega-3 fatty acids for eight weeks were found to increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis associated with increased supply of amino acids and insulin, according to findings published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Read more about the study here.
February 19, 2011
Being Overweight Could Be Making You Forgetful
By Mary Brophy Marcus
USA TODAY
Older people who have larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors associated with a condition doctors call "metabolic syndrome" may be at higher risk of memory problems, a new study suggests.
In the large French study, older adults with metabolic syndrome were 20% more likely to have cognitive decline on a memory test than those without it.
"Our study sheds new light on how metabolic syndrome and the individual factors of the disease may affect cognitive health," study author Christelle Raffaitin of the French National Institute of Health Research in Bordeaux said in a press statement. "Our results suggest that management of metabolic syndrome may help slow down age-related memory loss, or delay the onset of dementia."
Read more about the study here.
Feb. 18, 2011
Repeat MRI Screening Results In Fewer False Positives
NewsRx.com
OAK BROOK, Ill. - MRI screening for breast cancer delivers consistent rates of cancer detection and fewer false-positive results over time, according to a new study published online and in the April print edition of Radiology.
While MRI can be more effective than mammography at identifying suspicious areas of the breast, it is not always able to distinguish between cancerous and benign lesions, which can result in additional testing and false-positive results that may cause anxiety for patients. A screening exam is considered to be false positive when its results recommend further testing or a biopsy of a suspicious finding, but no cancer is found.
"MRI is an excellent screening tool for breast cancer, but the higher rate of false-positive results keeps some women from undergoing the exam," said the study's co-author Martha B. Mainiero, M.D., director of the Anne C. Pappas Center for Breast Imaging at Rhode Island Hospital and associate professor of diagnostic imaging at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I. "The goal of our study was to determine if the availability of prior MR images for comparison reduces the rate of false positives associated with the initial MRI breast screening exam."
Read more about the study here.
Feb. 15, 2011
Higher Magnesium Levels Linked with lower Risk of SCD
An article published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports a protective effect for higher plasma and dietary magnesium against the risk of sudden cardiac death in women. Up to 68 percent of women and 55 percent of men who undergo sudden cardiac death have no clinically recognized cardiovascular disease prior to the events, which take 184,000 to 462,000 people's lives each year.Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University analyzed data from 88,375 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study who were free of disease in 1980. Questionnaires completed in 1980, 1984, 1986 and every four years through 2002 provided information on magnesium intake from food and supplements. Blood samples drawn from 32,826 participants between 1989 and 1990 were analyzed for plasma magnesium, lipids and other factors. Sudden cardiac deaths were defined as those that occurred within 1 hour of symptom onset or involved arrhythmia.Read more about the study here.
Feb. 8, 2011
Can Vitamin D Lower Risk of Multiple Sclerosis?
A recent issue of the journal Neurology® reports a protective effect for high vitamin D levels and sun exposure against the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by progressive damage to the nerves' myelin sheathes. Symptoms include weakness, numbness, dizziness and other disturbances that can come and go for decades. The disease is diagnosed after an initial demyelinating event during which symptoms are experienced. Research has found a greater incidence of the disease in higher latitudes that are exposed to less sunlight, which reduces the body's production of vitamin D.Read more about the report here.
Feb. 7, 2011
Could Raspberries Help to Fight Off Cancer?
Daily Mail RASPBERRIES might prove a future tool in the fight against cancer. New research reveals that extracts of the summer fruit kill stomach and colon cancer cells.
In a preliminary study, 90 per cent of these cells were destroyed when exposed to an extract of red Meeker raspberries, a popular variety in the U.S.. Antioxidants in the fruit were also shown to kill breast cancer cells.
The researchers, from Clemson University in the U.S., say that while the antioxidants in the red fruit explain some of the effects, other as yet unidentified compounds seem to be at work as well. Unfortunately, experts believe the anti-cancer effect is seen only when the extract is applied directly to the diseased cells, and not when the fruit is eaten.
Read more about the study here.
Feb. 3, 2011
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Over the past two weeks on LivingFuelTV, we've explored the radiation effect of airport scanners, airline travel and even the ambient radiation we are exposed to over the course of our lives at ground level. While the impact of airport scanner radiation appears to be negligible, the effects of medical radiation and extensive air travel over a lifetime may have significant consequences to your and your family's good health. While you cannot "undo" a CT scan or x-ray from last week or several years ago, you can take practical steps to help your body heal any damage that may have resulted and minimize your risk of developing cancer. This is the important subject of our LivingFuelTV episode today.
Click on the graphic below to watch.
For LivingFuelTV episodes on the dangers of medical radiation, click
here.
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The Super Health Diet: The Last Diet You Will Ever Need!
by KC Craichy
Available February 14!
Next week on LivingFuelTV, we begin a series on my new book and hear what leading natural health experts are saying in advance of it's release.
For more information and to pre-order your copy today, click here or directly on the book. |
Here's to your SuperHealth,
KC Craichy
Founder & CEO
Living Fuel, Inc.
© Copyright 2002-2011, Living Fuel, Inc., Tampa, FL
Jan. 27, 2011
Radiation Dangers In-Flight?
Last week on LivingFuelTV we reported on the radiation of airport scanning machines. I compared the radiation exposure of these machines to the background radiation we're exposed to in the natural course of our lives and the radiation exposure from a medical CT scan. I also pointed out that airport scanning machines expose you to the equivalent 2-4 minutes flying in a commercial airliner. Many of you asked the insightful and obvious follow-up question:
So how much radiation are we being exposed to while flying?
Join me today as we address this question on LivingFuelTV. This is a must-see episode for you, your family and your friends that fly. To easily forward this episode, click the Forward-to-a-Friend link below the graphic. And
click here to tune in.
Here's to your SuperHealth,
KC
Jan. 26, 2011
Physical Fitness Prevents Seasonal Flu Better Than Vaccines
(NaturalNews) Staying physically fit may reduce your time spent sick during cold and flu season by nearly 50 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from Appalachian State University and published in the
British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers followed 1,002 adults younger than age 86 for 12 weeks in either the fall or winter of 2008. Participants reported how much time they spent exercising and rated their own fitness on a 10-point scale. The researchers found that after adjusting for potentially complicating factors such as age, body mass index, education, fruit intake, marital status, mental stress and sex, people who exercised at least five days per week spent 43 percent less time with an upper respiratory tract
infection than people who exercised one or fewer days per week.
Read more of the story here.
Jan. 26, 2011
Kids Who Get Recommended Sleep Least Likely To Be Obese
Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
Parents, here's another good reason to make sure your kids get enough shut-eye: Children who get sufficient sleep are less likely to be obese, a new study shows.
Other research shows sleep affects kids' academic performance, mood and attention span.
For the latest study, scientists at the University of Chicago and the University of Louisville compared the sleep patterns of 308 children, ages 4-10, with their body mass index, a number that considers height and weight. The children wore special wrist-band devices for a week to track the amount they slept.
Read more about the study here.
Jan. 25, 2011
Study - Vitamin E Supplementation and Increased Lifespans
A report published online in the journal Age and Ageing describes the finding of Dr Harri Hemila and Professor Jaakko Kaprio of the University of Helsinki of an association between supplementing with vitamin E and longer life among older male smokers, particularly in those who smoked less than a pack of cigarettes per day and whose dietary intake of vitamin C was high. "This is the first study to strongly indicate that protection against oxidative stress can increase the life expectancy of some initially healthy population groups," Drs Hemila and Kaprio announce.Read more about the study here.
Jan. 24, 2011
Bigger Breakfast Doesn't Help Weight Loss
United Press International Eating a big breakfast may help you lose weight -- but only if you eat a lighter lunch or dinner, researchers in Germany say.
Dr. Volker Schusdziarra of the Else-Kroner-Fresenius Center of Nutritional Medicine in Munich, Germany, and colleagues say they wanted to address previous research, which suggests that eating a big breakfast reduces total calorie intake during the day. The researchers say this research is misleading.
The study involved more than 300 people who were asked to keep a journal of what they usually ate -- some ate a big breakfast, some ate a small breakfast and some skipped breakfast, Schusdziarra says.
The study, published in Nutrition Journal, showed that people ate the same at lunch and dinner, regardless of what they had for breakfast. A big breakfast, on average 400 calories greater than a small breakfast, resulted in a total increase in calories eaten during the day of about 400 calories.
Read more about the study here.
Jan. 21, 2011
How Much Risk Does Radiation on Planes Pose?
South Florida Sun-Sentinel FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Transportation Security Administration says its new body-imaging scanners produce about the same level of radiation as flying in an airliner for two minutes. That raises the question: How much radiation do pilots, flight attendants and passengers receive per flight?
For the vast majority of people, even frequent fliers, it's not enough to create any health risks, experts say. Yet for some, notably those predisposed to cancer, even the tiny amount seeping into an airline cabin could spell trouble.
It's enough of a concern that some pilots take precautions to minimize their exposure.
Read more about the story here.
Jan. 20, 2011
Airport Scanner Danger? d
Airport security has been front and center news since the tragic events of 9-11 and subsequent terrorist actions. Much about air travel has dramatically changed with the goal of making air travel and our airports safe and secure. Recently, you’ve likely heard about the potential harm of airport scanning machines at security check points.
We’ve produced LivingFuelTV episodes on the
dangers of medical radiation. So how do the imposing scanning machines at the airport compare to medical devices such as CT scanners and x-ray machines? Is there a significant danger of excessive radiation exposure using these airport scanners? How can I protect myself and my family? We cut through the hype and hysteria today on LivingFuelTV.
Click here to watch the video.
Jan. 18, 2011
Vitamin D May Boost Urinary Tract Health
By Stephen Daniells, 05-Jan-2011
Adequate vitamin D levels may boost the body’s immune response and protect against urinary tract infections, says a new study from Sweden.
Vitamin D supplementation was found to promote production of an anti-microbial peptide called cathelicidin in the urinary tract, thereby offering local and site-specific protection, according to findings published in Public Library of Science One (PLoS ONE ).
Read more about the study here.Jan. 15, 2011
Study Suggests Timing is Important in Cancer Chemoprevention
An article published online in the journal Carcinogenesis reports the outcome of a rodent study which found a protective benefit for vitamin E and selenium against esophageal cancer, particularly if administered early after exposure to a carcinogenic substance.Read more about the study here.
Jan. 14, 2011
High-sugar Teen Diet Ups Heart Risk Later
United Press International Teenagers who eat a diet high in sugar -- mainly due to sweetened drinks -- may have a higher risk of heart disease later in life, U.S. researchers suggest.
Study author Jean Welsh, a nurse who is a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric nutrition at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, says overweight or obese teens with the highest levels of added sugar intake had increased signs of insulin resistance -- often a precursor to diabetes.
"Adolescents are eating 20 percent of their daily calories in sugars that provide few if any other nutrients," Welsh says in a statement. "We know from previous studies the biggest contributors of added sugars to the diet are sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, fruit-flavored drinks and sweetened coffees and teas."
Read more about the study here.
Jan. 5, 2011
Blood Test To Spot 1 Cancer Cell In A Billion Healthy Ones
Canadian Press BOSTON - A blood test so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor's office.
Boston scientists who invented the test and health care giant Johnson & Johnson will announce Monday that they are joining forces to bring it to market. Four big cancer centres also will start studies using the experimental test this year.
Read more here.
Jan. 4, 2011
Vitamin D Insufficiency Linked to Autoimmune Lung Disease
The January 4, 2011 issue of the journal Chest reports the finding of researchers at the University of Cincinnati of an increased incidence of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (ILD), an autoimmune condition characterized by lung fibrosis. Vitamin D insufficiency has been examined as a modifiable factor in a number of autoimmune disorders, including connective tissue diseases such as lupus, scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis. "We wanted to see if lack of sufficient vitamin D would also be seen in patients who are diagnosed with an autoimmune interstitial lung disease (ILD) and whether it was associated with reduced lung function," stated lead researcher and pulmonologist Brent Kinder, MD, who is the director of the University of Cincinnati's Interstitial Lung Disease Center. "ILD is a group of diseases that mainly affect the tissues of the lungs instead of the airways, like asthma and emphysema do. It causes scarring of the lungs, is more difficult to diagnosis and treat than other kinds of lung diseases and is often fatal."Read more about the study here.
Jan. 4, 2011
Extra Vitamin K May Help Prevent Or Slow Osteoarthritis
Chicago Daily Herald We know that eating green vegetables is good for health, but it might also be an important factor in the prevention of arthritis of the knee. Recent medical research suggested that vitamin K, found in leafy, green vegetables, has a significant role in the prevention of osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis of the knees and hands. It is the result of a progressive wearing away of the cartilage of the joint, exposing the bare bone within. OA is most common in people over 50 years old. There are risk factors including being overweight, genetics, and trauma to the knee and surrounding tissue. There is very little research about actually preventing OA or possible nutritional factors associated with it.
Read more about the research here.
Jan. 3, 2011
Magnesium May Stave Off Sudden Cardiac Death
Chicago Daily Herald Magnesium is a mineral that is important for health, but can it prevent sudden cardiac death? According to a recent medical study, the answer is yes.
Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of heart-related deaths, especially in people 40 and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SCD accounts for more than 250,000 deaths annually. That is more than colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and AIDS combined.
Read more about the story here.
Jan. 1, 2011
After 65, Stay Fit To Stay Healthier
By Janice Lloyd
USA TODAY NEW ORLEANS -- Baby Boomers better think again if they're longing for a sedentary old age.
Health experts at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America this weekend shed new light on exercise's value as a strong tool in combating diseases often associated with aging.
"How you live after age 65 is vitally important," says Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. "Up until then, a healthy life is dominated by your genes. After that, it's predominantly about lifestyle. Exercise and nutrition become more important."
Read more about the story here.
Dec. 30, 2010
Belly Up To Better Breakfast This New Year
Sometime late Christmas morning, Santa Claus woke from a well-deserved night's sleep. And he was very hungry.
Santa told the Tampa Tribune in a special pre-holiday interview that he pledged to start Christmas morning off right. He's not waiting for the New Year to shimmy the jelly off his belly; he's going to make better choices now when it comes to breakfast.
Read more of the story here.
Dec. 28, 2010
Get That Winter Glow
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Come winter and it's time for some extra tender loving care for your skin. While the harsh summer sun may be out for some time, the dry winter winds can be equally unrelenting for the skin. The low humidity during winter can cause the skin to become dry, flaky and dull. So we give you expert tips and tricks on how to get that baby soft skin with a super party glow even in mid-winter. Read on to bid shriveled, alligator skin a good bye this season.
Read more of the report here.
Dec. 27, 2010
Calorie Control Council Predicts Top 5 Trends in Dieting and Weight Loss in 2011
ATLANTA -- As the hectic holiday season comes to a close and a new year approaches, many consumers are once again vowing to adopt weight loss goals to shed those unwanted pounds. But with obesity increasing at alarming levels across the globe, a number of health experts are urging a new approach to help fight the nation's burgeoning weight problem.
Over the past three decades, obesity rates in the U.S. alone have soared among all age groups, particularly among youth where the rate has more than tripled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While many weight loss efforts have relied on the drastic elimination of certain foods and beverages, health professionals say it's time to focus on the adoption of small lifestyle changes that will prevent future weight gain.
Read more about this story here.
Dec. 23, 2010
Colder Temperatures Mean More Heart Attacks
Linda Shrieves, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News When temperatures dip during cold snaps, your body notices.
And it's not just your fingers and toes. Recent research shows that the risk of heart attack rises whenever the temperatures drop.
In a study of hospital admissions in England and Wales, British researchers found that for every one-degree Celsius the temperature dropped in a day, an extra 200 heart attacks were reported at hospitals.
Using that data, researchers calculated that the risk for heart attack increased by two percent for every degree the temperature fell. The results were adjusted to take into account other factors that might influence the heart attack rate, including air pollution and flu activity.
If cold weather brings on more heart attacks, what is cold enough to induce more heart attacks? In the British study, a majority of the heart attacks occurred when the temperature reached 53 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) or colder.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 22, 2010
Esophageal Cancer Risk Lower Than Expected
PRNewswire-USNewswire ANN ARBOR, Mich.
The risk of esophageal cancer among patients who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is not as high as many may think, according to new research from University of Michigan gastroenterologists.
GERD is considered a relative risk for developing esophageal adenocarcinoma, but the absolute risk is not known, says Joel Rubenstein, M.D., M.Sc., an investigator with the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research in Ann Arbor and Assistant Professor in the University of Michigan's Department of Internal Medicine.
Read more about the research here.
Dec. 21, 2010
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Protection Benefits
Researchers from Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University report in the December, 2010 issue of the journal Ophthalmology the finding of a protective effect for fish that contain abundant amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA against the development of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The disease is the leading cause of blindness among older Americans of European descent and the number of individuals with advanced AMD is expected to rise by 50% by the next decade.Read more about the study here.
Dec. 20, 2010
Garlic Could Help Reduce Osteoarthritis of the Hip
An article published on December 8, 2010 in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders reports the discovery of Frances M. K. Williams, PhD of King's College Department of Twin Research and her associates at the University of East Anglia of a protective effect of allium vegetables, which include garlic, leeks and onions, against osteoarthritis of the hip.The study included 1,000 healthy female twins between the ages of 46 to 77, many of whom had no symptoms of arthritis. Dietary questionnaire responses provided information on the participants' intake of 131 foods. Radiographic evaluation assessed the presence of early osteoarthritis in the hip, knee and spine.Read more about the study here.
Dec. 18, 2010
Too Much of a Good Time Can Lead to 'Holiday Heart Syndrome'
Linda Shrieves, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
It's easy to overdo it during the holidays. We eat too much, drink too much and don't exercise enough.
But drinking too much alcohol can do more than give you a hangover. Doctors say that those who have no known history of heart disease but drink a lot of alcohol at one time are candidates for "holiday heart syndrome."
In the Cleveland Clinic's Heart Advisor newsletter, cardiologist Curtis Rimmerman warns that one night of heavy drinking could be followed by an episode of atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation -- which he describes as "a rapid heart beating that originates from the upper chambers of the heart."
So what do you do if you get this feeling?
Read more of this report here.
Dec. 17, 2010
Memory Loss is Not a Normal Part of Aging
NaturalNews
Memory loss is always a sign of disease or injury, and should never be attributed to the natural course of aging, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and published in the journal Neurology.
Researchers followed 350 catholic nuns, priests and brothers for 13 years, giving them memory tests every year and then examining their brains after death.
Dec. 16, 2010
A Fountain of Youth in Your Muscles
NewsRx.com
Working out can help you shed pounds - but that's just the beginning. New research from Tel Aviv University has found that "endurance exercises," like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger. The key, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles (see also Stem Cell Research).
Prof. Dafna Benayahu and her team at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine say their findings explain for the first time why older people who have exercised throughout their lives age more gracefully. They have discovered how endurance exercise increases the number of muscle stem cells and enhances their ability to rejuvenate old muscles. The researchers hope their finding can lead to a new drug to help the elderly and immobilized heal their muscles faster.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 15, 2010
Discover These Super Foods for the Holidays
Terry Rindfleisch, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News You don't have to set aside or give up on good nutrition during the Christmas holidays.
Yes, you can enjoy your cookies, cakes and goodies once in a while, but the holidays also offer a time to enjoy healthy, nutritious seasonal foods, according to Jennifer Wood, a Gundersen Lutheran registered dietitian.
"It's a great time to eat foods that add lots of good nutrients and a lot more fiber," Wood said.
"You will be eating more heart-healthy if you can stay away from processed foods like cookies and cakes, and only enjoy them occasionally, and add more traditional and nutritious Christmas and Thanksgiving favorites," she said.
Read more here.
Dec. 14, 2010
Garlic Extract Reduces High Blood Pressure
A number of previous studies report of science cardiovascular benefits of garlic. Karin Ried, from the University of Adelaide (Australia), and colleagues have found beneficial effects for aged garlic extracts in reducing high blood pressure (hypertension). The team studied 50 people with treated but uncontrolled hypertension. Subjects either received a daily dose of aged garlic extract of 3.84 grams (equivalent to 2.5 grams of fresh garlic), or placebo, for 12 weeks. They found a drop in systolic blood pressure of 10.2 mmHg, in the subjects who took the garlic extract, while no effects on diastolic blood pressure were observed.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 14, 2010
Infant Twins Die Just Minutes After Measles Vaccination
(NaturalNews) A pair of nine-month old twin girls died within minutes of being given a measles vaccine at a private clinic in Ghaziabad, India.
The girls were taken by their uncle, Akhil Sharma, to receive a measles vaccine at the Divya Nursing Home.
"I took them for the vaccination around 6 p.m. on Wednesday," Sharma said. "They were given the vaccination around 7:15 pm. In 15 minutes, the children started breathing heavily."
Dec. 13, 2010
Nut Nog and Other Recipes
(NaturalNews) Have you ever wondered what to do with almonds besides eating them out of hand?
There are many innovative recipes that can be made from almonds. These culinary creations include milk, cream, butter, pulp and flour. These recipes are the basis for more elaborate recipes, and one uses almond milk to make a superb nut nog.
Dec. 11, 2010
Treat Depression With Omega-3 Fatty Acid
(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have confirmed that omega-3 fatty acids exhibit powerful antidepressant and brain boosting benefits that have not received the high level of attention they deserve.
The team, led by Dr. John M. Davis, discovered that eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) -- two types of omega-3 fatty acids recognized for their powerful nutritional benefits -- are effective enough at improving mood that they may potentially eliminate the need for many people to take antidepressant drugs.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 10, 2010
Garlic Extract Reduces High Blood Pressure
A number of previous studies report of science cardiovascular benefits of garlic. Karin Ried, from the University of Adelaide (Australia), and colleagues have found beneficial effects for aged garlic extracts in reducing high blood pressure (hypertension). The team studied 50 people with treated but uncontrolled hypertension.
Read results of the study here.
Dec. 10, 2010
Regular Exercise Reduces Risks of Wide Range of Diseases
Previous studies have shown that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risks of chronic diseases and premature death. Leslie Alford from the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom) reviewed 40 scientific studies covering the latest international research on physical activity and longevity, published between 2006 and 2010. The literature reviewed revealed the role of lifestyle, place of residence, and risk factors including obesity, diet, smoking and exercise. The study revealed that:
• Regular moderate to intense physical activity is associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
• A growing body of evidence suggests that increasing physical activity can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.
• Evidence of the beneficial effects of physical activity in the primary prevention and management of cancer is growing and there is an association between higher levels of physical activity and lower cancer death rates.
• There is growing evidence that physical activity could decrease the risk of dementia in the elderly.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 9, 2010
Diabetics Should Exercise 150 Minutes a Week
Veronica Chufo
Daily Press, Newport News, Va. NORFOLK -- People with Type 2 diabetes should get 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week, according to a new recommendation written in part by an Old Dominion University professor.
"There is probably not a better medicine out there for people with diabetes than exercise," said Sheri Colberg-Ochs, an ODU exercise science professor.
Colberg-Ochs chaired a committee that wrote the position paper for the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association. It was published in the December issues of the journals Diabetes Care and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Read more about the recommendation here.
Dec. 9, 2010
New Guidelines for Preventing Stroke
Xinhua News Agency - CEIS U.S. agencies release new guidelines for preventing stroke
LOS ANGELES (Xinhua) -- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key for preventing stroke, according to new guidelines released Thursday by two U.S. medical associations.
The risk for first-time stroke could be cut by 80 percent if people maintain a healthy life style, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association said.
The two medical groups updated the stroke-prevention guidelines for the first time since 2006.
A healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, has the biggest impact on preventing stroke, said Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Center in Durham, North Carolina and lead guideline author.
"There is nothing we are going to do in medicine to beat that," he said.
Keeping cholesterol and blood pressure low are also important for reducing stroke risk, Goldstein added.
The guidelines address the whole stroke spectrum: ischemic stroke, which involves a blocked blood vessel in the brain; non- ischemic (hemorrhagic) stroke, in which a ruptured vessel bleeds in the brain; and transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary stroke that can be an indicator of risk for a more serious stroke.
Read more about the guidelines here.
Dec. 8, 2010
Calcium, Vitamin C May Help Protect Against Diabetes
In an article published online in the journal Diabetes Care, Honglei Chen, MD, PhD from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and colleagues report that individuals who regularly consume individual calcium or vitamin C supplements have a lower risk of developing diabetes than nonusers.Read more about the report here.
Dec. 8, 2010
Watercress Turns Off Signal That Causes Tumors to Develop
(NaturalNews) As a cancerous tumor develops, it quickly outgrows its existing blood supply. So a protein called Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) is released that sends out signals causing surrounding normal tissues to grow new blood vessels into the tumor -- and that provides the cancer with oxygen and nutrients. This plays a critical role in the development and spread of breast and other cancers. But now comes word from University of Southampton researchers in the United Kingdom that they've discovered something which interferes with and actually "turns off" the ability of HIF to function -- a natural plant compound dubbed phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) found in the herb watercress.
Dec. 7, 2010
Night Light Could Equal Weight Gain
A report published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that some of the increase in obesity observed over the past several decades could be due to increased exposure to light at night and shift work, which disrupts the release of melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain in response to darkness. "Light at night is an environmental factor that may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in ways that people don't expect," observed study coauthor and Ohio State University professor of neuroscience and psychology Randy Nelson. "Societal obesity is correlated with a number of factors including the extent of light exposure at night."Read more about the report here.
Dec. 7, 2010
Exercise & Essential Fatty Acids Help Muscles
Exercise is health rejuvenating and life-extending. The ability to get a good response to exercise depends on a variety of factors, with a net result of improved oxygen utilization. Essential fatty acids, especially DHA, are health promoting substances. A new study shows that they enhance blood flow to muscles during exercise.
This is an animal study which afforded the ability to directly measure many muscle fibers in response to exercise. The researchers documented a decrease in vascular resistance that enabled blood to flow better to muscles, thus increasing oxygenation of muscle. In addition to blood flow improvement within the circulatory system the researchers also demonstrated that cardiac output was improved as well – meaning the heart was more fit.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 6, 2010
Low T in Men and Mortality
A recent report published in the British journal Heart reveals an increased risk of premature death from all causes and cardiovascular disease among men whose testosterone levels were deficient.Researchers at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, England analyzed data from 930 men with cardiovascular disease who underwent elective coronary angiography in a cardiac referral center between June 2000 and June 2002. Serum total testosterone and bioavailable testosterone were measured on the day of the procedure.Read more about the study here.
Dec. 4, 2010
Multivitamin Use Linked to Fewer Heart Attacks for Women
By Nathan Gray
Women who take a daily multivitamin may be at a reduced risk of heart attacks, according to new research. The study, published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, observed multivitamin use to be inversely associated with myocardial infarction in women with no history of cardiovascular disease. The researchers noted that the association grew stronger with long-term use, and was not affected by how often supplements were taken.
“From a public health point of view, it is important to evaluate whether multivitamins should be recommended to prevent myocardial infarction,” stated the researchers, led by Dr Susanne Rautiainen, from the Divisions of Nutritional Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
The new research shows correlation and not causation, however, and the researchers noted that further research must be completed in order to confirm or refute their findings. If such findings supported this study’s observation then it would be important to
“clarify what composition of multivitamins (doses and ingredients included) and duration of use is needed to observe beneficial effects on myocardial infarction,” wrote Dr Rautiainen and her co-workers.
Read more about the study here.
Dec. 3, 2010
Astaxanthin’s Range of Potential Health Benefits
The potential health benefits for astaxanthin, the pink pigment that gives salmon its color, range from possible risk reduction of metabolic syndrome to improved skin health, says a new review.
Despite an extensive list of potential benefits and ‘encouraging’ recent findings, Chinese scientists report in
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research that
“more extensive, well-controlled clinical trials, especially for 9-cis-astaxanthin, are suggested for each of these categories”.
Read more the new review here.
Dec. 2, 2010
Vitamin D - A Modest Step
PRNewswire-USNewswire WASHINGTON - The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry's leading trade association, today called the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine's (IOM) newly released report on the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) levels for vitamin D "a modest step in the right direction that fell short of truly capturing the extensive and positive research that has consistently supported the need for people to significantly raise their vitamin D levels."
Read more about the new report here.
Dec. 1, 2010
Important News About Vitamin D
(NaturalNews) Vitamin D deficiency is widespread. In fact, there have been so many studies linking many of today's disease epidemics to inadequate blood levels of vitamin D that to deny a connection is utter foolishness. But a committee from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has made a strange -- and false -- announcement on behalf of the U.S. and Canadian governments that North Americans already get plenty of vitamin D and do not need to supplement with the vitamin to maintain good health.
The "Food and Nutrition Board" committee that compiled the report basically came to the conclusion that current recommended daily intake (RDI) levels for vitamin D (which are typically no more than 400 international units (IU) of the vitamin a day) are good enough. The committee also had the audacity to suggest that the only benefit to be derived from vitamin D is to maintain healthy bones when consumed along with calcium.
___________________________________________
(NaturalNews) Vitamin D is especially active in areas of the human genome related to autoimmune diseases, providing yet more evidence that the vitamin plays a critical role in regulating the immune system and protecting against certain diseases.
In a study published in the journal Genome Research, researchers from Oxford University mapped the human genome looking for clusters of vitamin D receptors -- sites where the vitamin can bind to DNA, changing the expression of a gene. They found that these receptors were especially common in regions that have previously been linked to common autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease. Vitamin D receptors were also common in regions linked to colorectal cancer and leukemia.
The study shows how serious the effects of vitamin D deficiency can be, the researchers noted.
Dec. 1, 2010
Silent Vascular Disease & Cognitive Decline in Healthy Aging
NewsRx.com(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Older people who are leading active, healthy lifestyles often have silent vascular disease that can be seen on brain scans that affect their ability to think, according to a new study led by UC Davis researchers and published online today in the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA Archives journals (see also Dementia).
"This study shows that silent vascular disease is really common as we get older and it influences our thinking abilities," said Charles DeCarli, professor of neurology in the School of Medicine at UC Davis and director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center. "We're beginning to realize that vascular disease plays a major role in Alzheimer's disease - they go together."
The study findings are based on data from participants in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The initiative tracks individuals who are normal, those who have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and people with Alzheimer's disease using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and laboratory and cognitive testing to track changes in their cognitive status.
Read more about the new study here.
Nov. 30, 2010
Probiotics May Help Ward Off Common Cold
The common cold is a viral infection primarily caused by rhinoviruses. Previous studies have shown that probiotics, alone or in combination with prebiotics, have reduced the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections. Swedish researchers enrolled 272 men and women in a 12-week long study, during which subjects were supplemented daily with supplemented either with 109 cfu (colony forming units) of probiotics or placebo. The team found that the probiotics reduced the incidence of one or more episodes of the common cold.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 30, 2010
Regular Exercise Reduces Large Number of Health Risks
NewsRx.com People who take regular exercise could reduce their risk of developing around two dozen physical and mental health conditions - including some cancers and dementia - and slow down how quickly their body deteriorates as they age.
An extensive research review, published in the December issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, says that apart from not smoking, being physically active is the most powerful lifestyle choice any individual can make to improve their health.
Physiotherapist and lecturer Leslie Alford from the University of East Anglia reviewed 40 papers covering the latest international research published between 2006 and 2010.
"The literature reviewed shows that how long people live and how healthy they are depends on a complex mix of factors, including their lifestyle, where they live and even luck" says Mr Alford. "Individuals have an element of control over some of these factors, including obesity, diet, smoking and physical activity.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 29, 2010
Blueberries Linked to Improved Blood Vessel Health
Supplementing the diet with wild blueberries may reduce blood pressure, suggests a new study with hypertensive rats.
Animals fed a diet supplemented with 8 percent wild blueberries experienced less constriction in blood vessel, compared with animals fed a control diet, according to findings published in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Read more about the new study here.
Nov. 29, 2010
Antioxidants May Reduce Inflammatory Effects of Alzheimer’s
Consuming an antioxidant-rich beverage may reduce levels of the amino acid homocysteine, and counter the detrimental inflammatory effects associated with Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a new study.
Daily consumption of the antioxidant-rich drink for eight months was associated with a smaller increase in homocysteine levels, compared with the placebo group, and the effects were even more significant in people with moderate Alzeimer’s disease, according to findings published in the
Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
Read more about the new study here.
Nov. 27, 2010
To Live Long, Eat Thanksgiving Foods Often
United Press International
Traditional Thanksgiving foods are some of the healthiest foods and warrant eating often, Canadian and U.S. researchers recommend.
Ryerson University Professors Marilyn Lee and Yvonne Yuan say roast turkey without the skin is a good source of protein -- about 1 ounce of protein per serving -- and white breast meat has about half the fat of dark meat, so it's a good meat to eat often.
Thanksgiving favorites such as baked/roasted or candied sweet potatoes and yams are good sources of fiber and vitamin A, while butternut and acorn squash, beets and brussels sprouts are delicious as side dishes and add vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to the meal, the professors say.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition says the plant compound luteolin -- found in carrots, peppers, celery and olive oil -- reduces age-related memory deficits by directly inhibiting the release of inflammatory molecules in the brain.
Read more of the study results here.
Nov. 26, 2010
Longer Life Associated with Higher Alpha-carotene Levels
An article appearing online in the American Medical Association journal Archives of Internal Medicine reports the discovery by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta of an association between higher serum levels of the carotenoid alpha-carotene and a lower risk of dying over a 13.9 year average period.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 26, 2010
Omega-3 Fatty acids Prevent and May Reverse Gum Disease
(NaturalNews)
Periodontitis is an extremely common, and often painful, inflammatory disease of the gums. It causes tissue to separate from teeth, resulting in the accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss. Mainstream medicine typically treats the chronic disease with strong antibiotics, vigorous mechanical scraping of the teeth and even surgically cutting away diseased gum tissue. But a new study just published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows there's a natural way to not only prevent and also treat periodontitis -- consume polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially the omega-3s found in cold water fish like salmon and certain nuts.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 26, 2010
Varied Fruit Reduces Lung Cancer Risk
United Press International
To reduce the risk of lung cancer, people should not only eat fruits and vegetables daily, but also increase the variety, researchers in Spain say.
Study co-author Maria Jose Sanchez Perez, director of the Granada Cancer Registry at the Andalusian School of Public Health, says the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study involved 10 European countries -- Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden -- and some 500,000 people.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 24, 2010
Probiotics Help with Stress Reduction
Previous studies have shown that gastrointestinal flora have a role in stress, anxiety, and depression. A French team has found that specific strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, two probiotic compounds, yield beneficial psychological effects.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 24, 2010
Constant Stress at Work is Bad for Heart
The Denver Post FRANKFURT -- Work is piling up on the desk and in a few hours the presentation must be finished. To make matters worse, the telephone keeps ringing. Job-related stress is common. If it goes on for years, though, it can have serious physical consequences -- particularly for the heart.
According to the German Heart Foundation, each year nearly 300,000 people in Germany suffer a heart attack, often due to stress. So reducing stress at the workplace can be an important means of preventing serious heart disease.
"Stress causes, among other things, the release of more stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream," explained Ulrich Hildebrandt, head physician in the Cardiology Department at St Irmingard Clinic.
Read more here.
Nov. 24, 2010
Watermelon Compounds Help to Reduce Blood Pressure
Watermelon is a rich edible natural source of L-citrulline, a compound that is closely related to L-arginine, which is crucial to the formation of nitric oxide, which helps to widen blood vessels and thereby mediate blood pressure. Arturo Figueroa, from Florida State University (Florida, USA), and colleagues enrolled four men and five women, average age 54 years, with pre-hypertension (134/77 ± 5/3 mm Hg), randomly assigned to 6 weeks of watermelon supplementation or placebo, followed by a 4-week washout period and then crossover. The team found that supplementation with 6 grams of L-citrulline from watermelon improved arterial function and lowered aortic blood pressure in all nine pre-hypertensive subjects.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 24, 2010
Foot Care for Diabetics
5 questions with Dr. Jeffrey FrederickCassandra Spratling
Detroit Free Press The Berkley-based podiatric surgeon and president of the American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management says that November -- National Diabetes Month -- is a good time to remind all people -- especially diabetics -- of the importance of proper foot care.
Q: Why is foot care especially important for diabetics?
A:One of the risks of diabetes is having to have your leg or foot amputated. It results from two factors. The disease limits the circulation, and it diminishes your sense of touch and feeling. If you or I stepped on a sliver, we'd feel it. But with a diabetic, he could step on a sliver and not feel anything. The smallest thing can become a big issue, and you're not even aware of it.
Read more of the Q&A with Dr. Frederick here.
Nov. 23, 2010
Don’t Worry About Radiation From Airport X-ray Screening
Due to media headlines, we at Life Extension® have been inundated by calls from members who are worried about the risks of the radiation emitted from new airport X-ray screening devices. No organization has been more vocal about avoiding unnecessary exposure to radiation than Life Extension. We have long warned members to say NO to unnecessary X-rays and especially certain types of CT or CAT scans that can poison the body with the equivalent radiation of more than 400 regular chest X-rays.Radiation exposure not only increases the risk of certain cancers, but also damages endothelial DNA, thus accelerating pathological atherosclerotic processes. When it comes to radiation exposure, there is no safe dose. As far as the amount of radiation emitted from the new airport screening devices, however, the amount is so trivial that you probably should not worry about it. As you will read below, we are exposed to far more radiation as part of ordinary living — which is why it is so important to protect our precious DNA with antioxidants such as resveratrol, N-acetyl cysteine, green tea and others each day. Here is a brief summary on the radiation emitted by X-ray airport security screening systems:
- Naturally occurring ionizing radiation is all around us. We are continuously exposed to this background radiation during ordinary living. In 42 minutes of ordinary living, a person receives more radiation from naturally occurring sources than from screening with any general-use X-ray security system.
- A full-body X-ray security system delivers less than the dose (of ionizing radiation) a person receives during 4 minutes of airline flight. The TSA has set the dose limit to ensure a person receives less radiation from one scan with a TSA general-use X-ray security system than from 2 minutes of airline flight.
- Compared with a conventional CT scan, the dose of radiation generated by the airport screening system is very low. "A passenger would need to be scanned using a backscatter scanner, from both the front and the back, about 200,000 times to receive the amount of radiation equal to one typical CT scan," said Dr. Andrew J. Einstein, director of cardiac CT research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "Another way to look at this is that if you were scanned with a backscatter scanner every day of your life, you would still only receive a tenth of the dose of a typical CT scan," he said. By comparison, the amount of radiation from a backscatter scanner is equivalent to about 10 minutes of natural background radiation in the United States, Einstein said. "I believe that the general public has nothing to worry about in terms of the radiation from airline scanning," he added. For moms-to-be, no evidence supports an increased risk of miscarriage or fetal abnormalities from these scanners, Einstein added. "A pregnant woman will receive much more radiation from cosmic rays she is exposed to while flying than from passing through a scanner in the airport."
Having said all the above, when I travel this Thanksgiving weekend, I will insist on an intrusive physical pat down as opposed to the X-ray scanners. The public has been deceived so many times by the makers of radiation equipment that I simply don’t trust their numbers. It also gives me the opportunity to educate other human beings (in this case, perfect strangers) that there is no safe dose of radiation that one should intentionally expose oneself to.For longer life,William FaloonReferences:http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/SecuritySystems/ucm227201.htmhttp://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/634724.html http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/aug2010_Lethal-Danger-of-CT-Scans_01.htm
Nov. 23, 2010
New Studies: Cardiovascular Disease is Primarily Result of Lifestyle
The American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010 featured presentations of the results of two studies which indicate that lifestyle has a greater impact on whether one will develop cardiovascular disease than being genetically predisposed to acquire the disease.In the first study, researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine evaluated data from 2,336 men and women aged 18 to 30 upon enrollment in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults longitudinal study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Diet, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking status, weight, and blood pressure and glucose levels were assessed at the beginning of the study and at the seventh and twentieth years of follow-up.Read more about the study here.
Nov. 22, 2010
Very High Omega-3 Intakes Linked to Big Health Benefits
By Stephen Daniells
Intakes of omega-3 exceeding levels consumed by the general US population may significantly reduce the risk of chronic disease, suggests a new study with Yup'ik Eskimos.
High levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) were associated with lower levels of triglycerides, as well as higher levels of HDL cholesterol, according to data from 357 Yup'ik Eskimos published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 19, 2010
Fish Oil - Triglycerides Better for Omega-3 Index Increase
By Stephen DaniellsFish oil omega-3s in the triglyceride form are better for boosting the omega-3 index than the ethyl ester form, says a new study from Germany, a result which echoes recent Danish findings.Scientists from Leibniz Universitat Hannover and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich report that the omega-3 index – a quantification of the fatty acid status of a person – increased “faster and higher” when supplementation used omega-3s in the triglyceride form, compared with the ethyl ester form.
Writing in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the scientists report that six months of supplementation with EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the triglyceride form increased the omega-3 index by 197 percent, compared with 171 percent following supplements of EPA and DHA in their ethyl ester form.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 18, 2010
The Antibiotic Bubble is Bursting
Times must be changing. The Journal of the American Medical Association publishes an article this week that forwards the idea that doing nothing if your child has an ear infection is less risky that treating it with an antibiotic. The lead author makes what only a decade ago would have been a blasphemous statement, “Our findings reinforce the existing knowledge that the best antibiotic treatment for common childhood ear infections may be no antibiotic treatment at all,” said Dr. Tumaini R. Coker, a pediatrician at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA.
Read more here!
Nov. 17, 2010
Research - Breast Cancer Prevention
Joey Holleman
The State, Columbia, S.C. Proceeds from many of the pink products for sale during Breast Cancer Awareness Month help fund research. Some of that important research is being done at the University of South Carolina.
The USC studies have found sunlight and seaweed might help prevent breast cancer. Does that mean women should spend all day outside eating seaweed? No. But the studies give researchers hints at prevention strategies worth further study.
Here are some of the USC efforts in recent years.
Nov. 16, 2010
Pilots Assoc. Urges Pilots to Opt Out of TSA Body Scanners
(NaturalNews) In yet another significant blow to the TSA's naked body scanners, the president of the Allied Pilots Association (APA) issued a letter urging all pilots to
opt out of the naked body scanners, also known as
Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT).
"Backscatter AIT devices now being deployed produce ionizing radiation, which could be harmful to your health," wrote Allied Pilots Association president Dave Bates. He then went on to add:
"We are exposed to radiation every day on the job. For example, a typical Atlantic crossing during a solar flare can expose a pilot to radiation equivalent to 100 chest X-rays per hour. Requiring pilots to go through the AIT [naked body scanner] means additional radiation exposure. I share our pilots' concerns about this additional radiation exposure and plan to recommend that our pilots refrain from going through the AIT. We already experience significantly higher radiation exposure than most other occupations, and there is mounting evidence of higher-than-average cancer rates as a consequence."He goes on to call for airline pilots to be exempted from security screening.
Read more here.
Nov. 15, 2010
Holiday Heart Attacks
Food is fun, but overeating can be extremely hard on your heart–especially if you are not as healthy as you would like to be. This is an urgent message that we hope you'll forward to all your loved ones.
Next week's Thanksgiving Day launches us into the annual holiday eating season. Food is an integral part of holiday festivities with the likes of roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberries, green beans, mashed potatoes and of course, pumpkin pie!
Join us today as Leonard Smith, MD and I discuss just what happens in the body during a typical holiday "splurge" dinner. And join Monica and me later this week, when we'll present The Holiday Splurge Diet–practical tips to make this holiday season one that advances you and your family toward Super Health! Make it your goal this holiday eating season to incorporate The Holiday Splurge Diet into your lifestyle during the 2010 holiday season!
Here's to your SuperHealth!
KC
Nov. 15, 2010
Omega-3s Decrease the Incidence of Gum Disease
Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease in which gum tissue separates from teeth, causing an accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss. Asghar Naqvi, from Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues studied data collected on 9,182 adults, ages 20 years and older, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004. The researchers found that those subjects who consumed the most DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a type of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, were at 20% reduced risk of developing periodontitis. In adopting a therapeutic strategy aimed at reducing the inflammatory response associated with periodontitis, the team concludes that: “Higher dietary intakes of [docosahexaenoic acid] and, to a lesser degree, [eicosapentaenoic acid], were associated with lower prevalence of periodontitis.“
Read more here.
Nov. 13, 2010
Breast Cancer Highly Treatable for Men
ZACHARY REID ZACHARY REID
Richmond Times-Dispatch There's good news and bad news when it comes to male breast cancer. The good news is, the disease is exceedingly rare and highly treatable. The bad news is, it's still cancer, with all the fear that diagnosis brings.
"It is rare," said Dr. James L. Khatcheressian, the breast- program leadership chairman at Henrico Doctors' Hospital and the medical director of research at the Virginia Cancer Institute. "The onus is really on primary-care physicians to catch it."
Less than 1 percent of breast-cancer cases each year involve men, according to statistics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were 191,400 diagnosed cases of breast cancer and 40,820 women died of the disease.
Read more about the story here.
Nov. 12, 2010
DHA Improves Stroke Recovery
An article published online in the journal Translational Stroke Research reports a neuroprotective effect for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) if given within 5 hours following ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke is caused by the blockage of blood flow to the brain as a result of a clot or plaque in the arteries. Damage to the area surrounding the site of the blockage becomes irreversible within a few hours without the reestablishment of blood flow and the administration of therapies that protect against inflammation and free radical formation.Read more about the research here.
Nov. 11, 2010
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Fifty-eight-year-old Jim from Seattle is crushed as he hears the devastating news from his doctor: prostate cancer. Unfortunately, Jim is now counted among the one in six American men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer sometime in their lifetime and one of 217,730 estimated new diagnoses of prostate cancer in 2010 according to the American Cancer Society.
The truth is that the ultimate cure for any cancer is not getting cancer in the first place. While this may sound overly simplistic as the causes of cancer are varied and complex, we can begin today to create an environment in our body where cancer cells are starved. How do we do this? This is our topic today on LivingFuelTV in Part Two on prostate health with Leonard Smith, M.D.
Join us as we discuss:
- the major risk factors associated with prostate cancer,
- the critically important role of diet and nutrition, and
- how to minimize damaging and cancer-feeding toxic build-up in our bodies
The information you learn today could quite literally save your life or the life of someone you love.
Click here to watch.
Here’s to your SuperHealth!
KC Craichy
Founder & CEO
Living Fuel, Inc.
Nov. 10, 2010
Study - Tai Chi Reduces Arthritis Pains
Agence France-Presse The Chinese exercise regimen Tai Chi helps reduce fatigue and arthritis pain, a new study has found.
"Our study shows that there are significant benefits of the Tai Chi course for individuals with all types of arthritis, including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis," said Leigh Callahan, the study's lead author and associate professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
"We found this in both rural and urban settings across a southeastern state and a northeastern state."
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 9, 2010
Very High Omega-3 Intakes Linked to Big Health Benefits
By Stephen Daniells
High levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) were associated with lower levels of triglycerides, as well as higher levels of HDL cholesterol, according to data from 357 Yup'ik Eskimos published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Raised levels of the fatty acids were also associated with decreased levels of markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), which is produced in the liver and is a known marker for inflammation. Increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. CVD causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169 billion ($202 billion) per year.
The study of omega-3 intakes in inuits is nothing new. The first reports of the heart health benefits of the marine fatty acids were reported in the early 1970s by Jørn Dyerberg and his co-workers in
The Lancet and
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The young Danes sought to understand how the Greenland Eskimos, or Inuit as they prefer to be called, could eat a high fat diet and still have one of the lowest death rates from cardiovascular disease on the planet.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 8, 2010
Greater Flavonoid Intake Linked With Lower Cancer Risk
In a study reported in the latest issue of Nutrition and Cancer, researchers in Milan uncovered an association between a lower risk of several types of cancer and an increased intake of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins. These polyphenolic compounds are found in fruit, vegetables and plant-sourced beverages, and may be responsible for the protective effects observed for plant foods against a number of chronic diseases.Read more about the study here.
Nov. 6, 2010
Study - Obesity is Contagious Among Friends
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY
The more obese friends you have, the more likely you are to become obese, a new study suggests. This confirms previous research that gaining weight may be socially contagious.
The research also shows that if nothing changes significantly in the environment and culture in the USA, about 42% of adults will be obese in about 40 years and then the obesity rate will level off.
About a third of Americans are obese -- that is, roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. Those extra pounds increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer.
After decades of skyrocketing growth in obesity, some experts have suggested that the rate may be leveling off. But Harvard researchers, in an effort to come up with a best-case scenario for the obesity epidemic, came to the 42% projection by applying an infectious-disease mathematical model to data from the Framingham Heart Study.
Their findings are reported online in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 5, 2010
UK Sodas to Carry Hyperactivity Warning
(NaturalNews) The European Union has passed a law requiring all beverages that contain certain artificial colors to carry a warning that consumption of those products may lead to hyperactivity in children. As a consequence, two of the United Kingdom's best-selling beverages will now need to display this warning.
The law stems from a 2007 study conducted by the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) finding that six artificial colors and the preservative sodium benzoate (E211) could produce hyperactivity and attention disorders in children. The FSA responded a year later by asking manufacturers to voluntarily end their use of the ingredients. Many manufacturers did not do so, leading to the adoption of the new E.U. rule.
Read more about the new law here.
Nov. 4, 2010
Prostate Health with KC & Dr. Smith
Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in American men. You’ve likely heard of a man’s PSA score and its relationship to prostate cancer. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is a specific protein found in high levels in men with prostate cancer. It’s an important marker, but is it all-important? If you or someone you love are told your PSA score is unusually elevated, are there steps you can take before electing an invasive biopsy, surgery or even debilitating chemotherapy?
We’ve heard from many viewers that have been personally impacted by prostate cancer asking for our insights on the subject. Today, we welcome back to LivingFuelTV our friend Leonard Smith, M.D. Dr. Smith is a renowned nutrition and natural medicine expert, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon and integrative medicine adviser to the University of Miami’s School of Medicine.
Today on LivingFuelTV, we begin a two-part series on prostate health and prostate cancer with Dr. Smith.
Click here to join us. And consider forwarding this to a friend or loved one who will benefit from this information.
Nov. 3, 2010
Study - Link Between Weight Loss and Acupuncture
PRNewswire CHICAGO -- Could a few sticks from a needle make someone thinner? Evidence weighs heavily in favor of that proposition, according to the results of a new study to be presented at the Pacific Symposium in San Diego this week. The groundbreaking study, "The Effects of Acupuncture on Weight-Loss in Over-Weight and Obese Adults Over 24 Years Old," reports that 95 percent of its subjects lost weight in a six-week period after receiving regular acupuncture treatments. Of those subjects, another 50 percent continued to lose weight after treatments stopped.
Dr. Edward Lamadrid, a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine (DAOM), conducted the study and authored its findings. As one of the country's approximately 100 DAOMs, Lamadrid has treated thousands of patients with a variety of problems and health conditions, and he has long suspected that acupuncture assists in weight loss. However, it wasn't until this controlled, scientific study that the Chicago-based expert could positively confirm a more formal hypothesis and the positive conclusions.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 2, 2010
Walnuts Improve the Stress Response
Omega-3 fatty acids – such as alpha linolenic acid found in walnuts – are a type of polyunsaturated fat that may help to reduce the body’s biological responses to stress. Sheila G. West, from Penn State University (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues studied 22 healthy adults with elevated LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, supplying each subject with meal and snack foods during three diet periods of six weeks each.
Read more about the study here.
Nov. 1, 2010
Higher Vitamin D Levels and Lower Risk of Bladder Cancer
An article published online in the journal Cancer Research reveals an association between higher levels of serum vitamin D and a lower risk of bladder cancer in men. The finding adds another cancer to the list of those for which vitamin D appears to have a protective benefit.The current study involved 500 participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, a randomized, double-blinded trial of Finnish male smokers conducted to determine the effects of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplementation on cancer risk. Participants were cancer-free at the beginning of the study. Blood samples drawn upon enrollment between 1985 and 1988 were analyzed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and other factors.Read more about the study here.
Oct. 28, 2010
How Not to Die of a Broken Hip
Bottom Line Secrets ---
John E. Morley, MD
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
About 25% of hip-fracture patients 65 years and older die within six months of the fracture... two-thirds die within two years.
Surgery is almost always necessary to repair a hip fracture. Generally, the better your health before a hip fracture, the better your chances for a complete recovery. But for elderly patients, especially those with health problems, a hip fracture can be deadly.
How not to die of a broken hip -- plus how to prevent one in the first place...
Read about the basics here.
October 26, 2010
Reduced Testosterone Levels Linked To Increased Deaths
A report published in the November, 2010 issue of the British journal Heart reveals an increased risk of premature death from all causes and cardiovascular disease among men whose testosterone levels were deficient.Researchers at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, England analyzed data from 930 men with cardiovascular disease who underwent elective coronary angiography in a cardiac referral center between June 2000 and June 2002. Serum total testosterone and bioavailable testosterone were measured on the day of the procedure.Read more about the study here.
October 25, 2010
Is the "super vaccine" for seniors safe?
(NaturalNews) The vaccine industry has now decided that injecting senior citizens with the "standard" vaccine dose just isn't working. (Gee, really?) So now they've decided the way to make it work better is to offer a
quadruple viral potency vaccine that packs 400% more viral fragments into one toxic shot.
The target for this quadruple vaccine injection? Senior citizens, of course -- the very people most likely to suffer the most serious side effects from a vaccine overdose. The FDA reportedly approved the new vaccine in April even though no scientific tests have ever been done to show it reduces flu symptoms. Then again, since when did vaccines have anything to do with real science in the first place?
Read more of the
NaturalNews report here and watch a special video about
Vaccine Dangers by KC here.
October 24, 2010
Study - More Tissue Taken From Breast Tumor Better
United Press International Removing 2 millimeters of tissue around breast cancer tumors prevents the disease from recurring in 98 percent of patients, British researchers say.
Dr. Stephen Ward of Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, England, and colleagues studied 303 women who had breast-conserving surgery at the hospital from 2002 to 2008.
Read more about the study here.
October 23, 2010
Gamma-Tocotrienol Inhibits Prostate Cancer Stem Cells
Researchers at Australia's Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have found that gamma-tocotrienol, one of eight forms of vitamin E, could help prevent prostate cancer regrowth due to an ability to inhibit prostate cancer stem cells. The research was described in an article published online on July 8, 2010 in the International Journal of Cancer."Emerging evidence supports that prostate cancer originates from a rare subpopulation of cells, namely prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs)," Dr Patrick Ling and his colleagues write in their introduction to the article. "Conventional therapies for prostate cancer are believed to mainly target the majority of differentiated tumor cells but spare CSCs, which may account for the subsequent disease relapse after treatment. Therefore, successful elimination of CSCs may be an effective strategy to achieve complete remission from this disease."Read more about the study here.
October 22, 2010
Study - Potential Fountain of Youth?
Researchers have uncovered a potential “fountain of youth” in the form of a bile acid called lithocholic acid (LCA). Vladimir Titorenko, Research Chair in Genomics, Cell Biology and Aging and a professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), and colleagues screened more than 19000 small molecules to see if any had the ability to extend the lifespan of yeast. Results showed that LCA significantly extended yeast lifespan under both normal and stressed conditions.
"Our findings imply that LCA extends longevity by targeting two different mechanisms," said first author Alexander Goldberg. "The first takes place regardless of the number of calories and involves the day-to-day or housekeeping proteins. The second system occurs during calorie-restriction and involves stressor proteins. Regardless of their triggers both of these mechanisms work to suppress the pro-aging process." Yeast do not synthesize LCA, or any other bile acid found in mammals.
The researchers believe that yeast may have evolved to sense bile acids as being mildly toxic and that they respond to them by undergoing life-extending changes. They also believe that it is “conceivable” that LCA may be of benefit to humans.
“Bile acids are beneficial to health and longevity. For example, they have shown to accumulate in the serum of long living mice and play a role in improving rodent liver and pancreatic function,” said Titorenko. "This leads us to believe that bile acids have potential as pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and various metabolic disorders, all of which are age-related.”
Read more about the study here.
October 21, 2010
Vitamin B Slashes Brain Changes that May Trigger Alzheimer’s
Brain shrinkage (atrophy) is accelerated in people experiencing memory issues, including Alzheimer’s Disease. In that homocysteine is a risk factor for brain atrophy, A. David Smith, from University of Oxford (United Kingdom), and colleagues explored whether Vitamin B supplementation could slow the rate of brain atrophy in people with mild cognitive impairment.
The team enrolled 168 men and women, ages 70 years and older, administering high doses of folic acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 daily, for a 24-month period. Measuring the rate of brain atrophy by MRI, the team found that the daily Vitamin B supplementation reduced brain shrinkage associated with dementia by up to 53%.
Writing that: “The accelerated rate of brain atrophy in elderly with mild cognitive impairment can be slowed by treatment with homocysteine-lowering B vitamins,” the researchers posit that: “Since accelerated brain atrophy is a characteristic of subjects with mild cognitive impairment who convert to Alzheimer's disease, trials are needed to see if the same treatment will delay the development of Alzheimer's disease.”
Read more about the research here.
October 20, 2010
Awareness Is Fine, But Now It's Time to Find the Cause
By Meredith Moss Staff Writer
Dayton Daily News When renowned breast cancer expert Dr. Susan Love visited Dayton a year ago as the featured speaker at the Ribbon of Hope luncheon, she pleaded with audiences to join her Love/Avon Army of Women project designed to eradicate the dreaded disease.
The innovative initiative seeks women who are willing to consider volunteering for breast cancer research. Many, including women from the Miami Valley, have heeded that call. According to Love, 338,000 women have signed on to help.
We invited the author of "Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book," to provide an update. In October, says Dr. Love, she knows just how an accountant must feel in April.
Read the interview with Dr. Love here.
October 19, 2010
Correct Vitamin D Deficiency Before Surgery
A recent issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery reports that almost half of orthopedic surgery patients are deficient in vitamin D, a condition that impairs bone healing, muscle function and surgery recovery.Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery Joseph Lane, MD and colleagues reviewed the charts of 723 men and women scheduled for orthopedic surgery from January, 2007 to March, 2008. Forty-three percent of the patients had insufficient preoperative vitamin D levels, defined as 20 to 32 nanograms per milliliter, and 40 percent had deficient levels of less than 20 nanograms per milliliter. Younger individuals, men, and those with dark skin were likeliest to be low in vitamin D.Dr Lane explained that healing of bony tissue takes place two to four weeks following bone surgery, and sufficient vitamin D is needed for this process. "In the perfect world, test levels, fix and then operate," Dr Lane stated. "If you put people on 2,000-4,000 [milligrams] of vitamin D based on what their deficient value was, you can usually get them corrected in four to six weeks, which is when you are really going to need the vitamin D. If you are really aggressive right before surgery, you can correct deficient levels quickly, but you have to correct it, measure it, and then act on it."Read more here about Dr. Lane's recommendation PLUS watch a video about the Power of Vitamin D.
October 18, 2010
Study - Pre-exercise Supplements May Improve Running
By Nathan Gray
The new study, published in
Nutrition Research, suggests that a pre-exercise supplement drink containing a combination of traditional sports drink ingredients such as carbohydrates and electrolytes and performance based supplements can effectively boost anaerobic running capacity but have little effect on aerobic systems.
“The current investigation cannot be used as an assessment of the individual contributions of specific supplements, but a combinatory effect of several ingredients may have led to improved anaerobic running capacy and supramaximal time to exhaustion,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr. Jeffery Stout, Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the University of Oklahoma.
Read more about the study here.
October 15, 2010
Multivitamin Use Linked to Fewer Heart Attacks for Women
Women who take a daily multivitamin may be at a reduced risk of heart attacks, according to new research.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, observed multivitamin use to be inversely associated with myocardial infarction in women with no history of cardiovascular disease. The researchers noted that the association grew stronger with long-term use, and was not affected by how often supplements were taken.
“From a public health point of view, it is important to evaluate whether multivitamins should be recommended to prevent myocardial infarction,” stated the researchers, led by Dr Susanne Rautiainen, from the Divisions of Nutritional Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
The new research shows correlation and not causation, however, and the researchers noted that further research must be completed in order to confirm or refute their findings. If such findings supported this study’s observation then it would be important to “clarify what composition of multivitamins (doses and ingredients included) and duration of use is needed to observe beneficial effects on myocardial infarction,” wrote Dr Rautiainen and her co-workers.
Read more about the study here.
October 14, 2010
Breast Cancer–Cutting Through the Sea of Pink
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Imagine that a new pharmaceutical drug is released to the public amidst a flood of news reports and television advertising. This pill has been has been clinically and conclusively proven to dramatically reduce the risk of breast cancer by as much as 80%. Do you think this would be a popular prescription?
It may come as a surprise to know that healthy lifestyle habits and diet have been clinically shown in a significant number of studies to substantially reduce the risk of breast and other cancers that plague our modern society. A vast majority of the fund-raising activities for the pink ribbon organizations are rooted in good people with noble intentions, however, with over a billion dollars spent on the "cure", little progress has been made in this fight.
In today's LivingFuelTV's HealthAlert, we turn our attention from awareness to prevention. Join us as we explore key factors that increase women's risk and those factors that decrease the risk of breast cancer. This is vital information you are not likely to hear from conventional medicine.
Take control of your health today!
KC
October 12, 2010
Study - Resveratrol Shows Metabolic Benefits for Obese
By Stephen Daniells
Daily intakes of resveratrol – a compound from red wine – may improve the metabolic profile of people with obesity, according to a new study from Denmark.
Writing in the
International Journal of Obesity, researchers from Aarhus University report that resveratrol changed the production of certain compounds called adipokines from human fat cells, and produced an anti-inflammatory effect.
The study is reported to be the first to
in vitro suggest resveratrol has anti-inflammatory effects on adipokine expression and secretion in human fat tissue.
“Small interfering molecules such as resveratrol are in this matter hypothesized to possess beneficial effects and might improve the metabolic profile in human obesity,” wrote the researchers, before adding that the results need to be replicated
in vivo.
Read more about the study here.
October 12, 2010
Study - Calcium & Vitamin D May Boost Weight Loss
Previous research has suggested a causal relationship between dairy intake and weight reduction. Danit R. Shahar, from Ben-Gurion University (Israel), and colleagues assessed data collected from 322 men and women, mean age 52 years, with a BMI of 31 kg/m2. Of this initial group, 126 subjects were followed for 6 additional months to track changes in blood level of Vitamin D.
The researchers found that those participants with average calcium intakes of 580 milligrams per day and blood levels of vitamin D of 30.2 nanograms per milliliter lost an average of 5.3 kilograms over a two-year period. Lower calcium intakes, at 156 milligrams, and blood levels of vitamin D of 14.5 nanograms per milliliter, were associated with an average loss of 3.3 kilograms over two years.
The team concludes that: “Our study suggests that both higher dairy calcium intake and increased serum vitamin D are related to greater diet-induced weight loss.”
Read more about the study here.
October 11, 2010
Apples Can Keep You Mentally Sharp
Hara Estroff Marano PSYCHOLOGY TODAY MAGAZINE
Buffalo News It's not as if apples didn't have enough virtues. Sure, one a day keeps the doctor away. That's because they're rich in vitamin C and loaded with fiber, particularly pectin, a soluble fiber that not only promotes digestive health but lowers blood-cholesterol levels.
Increasingly, however, researchers are finding that apples have functional properties well beyond their nutritional value, and many of the goodies are in the juice as well as the flesh. But now comes evidence that apples can keep you mentally sharp as you age. They protect neurons from the cognitive decline that typically accompanies aging; improve nerve-cell communication; and can prevent, halt, and even reverse some signs of Alzheimer's disease.
It's not clear which apple components do what, but several antioxidants and flavonoids are likely active in multiple ways. Drinking two cups of apple juice a day may be the easiest way to save your brain.
Read more of this report here.
October 9, 2010
Weight-Loss Drug Meridia Pulled From U.S. Market
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- The obesity drug Meridia has been withdrawn from the U.S. market because of an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, federal health officials said Friday.
Pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories voluntarily agreed to pull the drug after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration review of data that showed a 16 percent increased risk for heart attack, stroke and death among people taking Meridia (sibutramine), compared with those taking a placebo.Earlier Friday, Health Canada, the nation's health department, said Abbott would voluntarily pull the drug from the market there. "FDA requested this withdrawal after concluding that the continued availability of this product is not justified since patients taking the drug are at an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke," Dr. John Jenkins, director of the Office of New Drugs in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said during an afternoon news conference.Read more about this story here.
October 8, 2010
Study - Lower Heart Attack Risk in Women
An article published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports an association between multivitamin use and a reduced risk of myocardial infarction (MI or heart attack) in older women.
The current study included 2,262 women with a history of cardiovascular disease and 31,671 women with no history of the disease who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort established between 1987 and 1990. The participants completed a dietary questionnaire in 1997 which provided the Karolinska Institutet researchers with information concerning supplement use.
Read more about the study here.
October 7, 2010
HealthAlert - Urgency in the ER
Dear Living Fuel Family,
It's a bit of an oxymoron to ask "Are you prepared for the Emergency Room?" By definition, an emergency is sudden and unexpected. However, now is the time to educate yourself with information you may unfortunately need as early as this afternoon.
In today's brief LivingFuelTV HealthAlert, we share a real-life story of a recent ER visit with my 14-year-old son, Austin. Our experience clearly highlights the need for all of us to be prepared for potential quick decisions we may face in the ER. We also present two items that you must know about to protect yourself and those you love from the hazards of medical radiation.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC
October 6, 2010
Study - Blueberries May Reduce Diabetes Risk
Blueberries are rich in flavonoids, a type of antioxidant compound, and in-particular the antioxidants known as anthocyanins and flavanols. William T. Cefalu, from Louisiana State University (Louisiana, USA), and colleagues enrolled 32 obese, non-diabetic, and insulin-resistant men and women, average age of 51.5 years and an average BMI of 37.4 kg/m2, in a six-week long study.
Subjects either received a smoothie containing 22.5 grams of blueberry bioactives or a placebo blend equal nutritional value. Subjects consumed two smoothies daily for six weeks. At the end of the study, the team found that 67% of subjects who consumed the blueberry smoothie experienced at least a 10% or greater favorable change in insulin sensitivity.
The researchers propose that: “Daily dietary supplementation with bioactives from whole blueberries improved insulin sensitivity in obese, nondiabetic, and insulin-resistant participants.”
Read more about the study here.
October 5, 2010
Study - Amino Acids Extend Life
Enzo Nisoli of Milan University and his colleagues report in the October, 2010 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism that branched-chain amino acids, which include leucine, isoleucine and valine, extended the average life span of mice when administered in their drinking water. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins in the body. In humans, eight essential amino acids, including the branched-chain amino acids, cannot be manufactured and must be obtained via the diet.Previous research uncovered a survival benefit for branched-chain amino acids in single-celled yeast organisms. Dr Nisoli and his associates tested the effects of branched-chain amino acid supplementation on normal mice and in mice bred to lack endothelial nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that is involved in vasodilation.Read more about the research here.
October 4, 2010
Higher Serum Selenium Levels linked /w Lower Prostate Cancer
A recent article published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention reports a benefit between higher levels of the mineral selenium and a reduced risk of prostate cancer. The finding contradicts the conclusion of other research which failed to determine a protective benefit for selenium in the disease.
In their introduction, the authors remark that "Increased intake of selenium has been suggested to have anticarcinogenic effects and numerous mechanisms have been proposed to explain this property: reduction of DNA damage, oxidative stress or inflammation; also, induction of phase II enzymes, enhancement of immune response, inhibition of cell cycle and angiogenesis and induction of apoptosis . . . Intervention studies in humans have shown that supplementation of selenium leads to an increase in concentration and/or activity of circulating selenoproteins, such as selenoprotein P (SePP) or glutathione peroxidases (GPx), and plasma SePP and GPx3 represent common markers of selenium status. Since GPx are important components of the redox control system in humans, reduction of cellular oxidative stress and subsequent DNA damage could be a major mechanism to explain the anticancer effects of selenium."
Read more about the research here.
October 2, 2010
A recent report published online in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed a protective effect for a number of antioxidant nutrients against all-cause and disease-specific mortality in older individuals over a 13 year average period.
"The purpose of the present paper is to explore the predictive significance of a selection of biochemical indices for nutrients that are believed to mediate redox-modulatory (antioxidant or pro-oxidant) functions in living tissues," the authors write. "Evidence that subsequent all-cause mortality may be predicted by vitamin C intakes and/or status has been obtained in several previous studies, and similarly for carotene and selenium."
Read more of the report here.
October 1, 2010
Study - Probiotics Show Potential Against Common Cold
Daily supplements with probiotic
Lactobacillus strains may reduce the incidence of acquiring the common cold by 12 percent, according to new research from probiotic player Probi.
Results of a randomised, parallel, double-blind placebo-controlled study with 272 subjects showed that daily consumption of
Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL 9 (DSM 15312) and
Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 (DSM 13434) reduced the incidence of one or more episodes of the common cold from 67 percent in the placebo group to 55 percent, according to findings published in the
European Journal of Nutrition.
Furthermore, the number of days of symptoms for the cold was significantly reduced in people taking the probiotic supplements, from an average of 8.6 to 6.2, compared with placebo.
Read more about the study here.
September 30, 2010
HealthAlert - Mosquito Flu?! Does the Flu Vaccine Protect?
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Remember 2009's exaggerated H1N1 swine flu story? For weeks, we were barraged with countless news reports with public health "experts" ratcheting up the panic and warning of the coming pandemic. We were urged to have our families vaccinated with the only real protection, the H1N1 vaccine, or else!
So, here we are one year later and the "dreaded" flu season is upon us. Major media is presenting only one side of this story. And absent the fear of the swine flu virus, drug companies are now incentivizing us in more creative ways like offering drug store flu shot gift cards.
As we head into the flu season, we bring you a brief, but vitally important HealthAlert on LivingFuelTV.
You may have heard that there is no longer the toxic heavy metal mercury in vaccines, but that is not the case for flu vaccines. Here is a list of just a few of the ingredients:
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Mercury or Thimerosal (49% mercury by weight, used to disinfect and preserve the vaccine), mercury is a neurotoxin with a toxicity level one-thousand times the level of lead
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Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent
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Aluminum, a neurotoxin suspected as playing a role in Alzheimer’s disease
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Ethylene Glycol, an antifreeze
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Carbolic Acid
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Polysorbate 80
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Triton X-100, a detergent
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and a variety of antibiotics
It's well-documented that vaccines can cause harm. So, is the benefit worth the risk? This question is one that you will have to answer for yourself and your family. First, educate yourself then make an informed decision.
And what does all this have to do with mosquitoes?
Click here to watch.
September 27, 2010
Sleep Less Than 6 Hours Ups Diabetes Risk
United Press International
People who sleep less than 6 hours a night aren't able to regulate glucose efficiently, increasing the risk of heart disease, British and U.S. researchers say.
Dr. Saverio Stranges of the Warwick Medical School and colleagues at the University at Buffalo find sleep duration is associated with an elevated risk of a pre-diabetic state -- known as incident-impaired fasting glycemia.
The researchers looked at six years of data from 1,455 participants ages 35-79 in the Western New York Health Study. The study participants completed a clinical examination that included measures of resting blood pressure, height and weight. They also completed questionnaires about their general health, well being and sleeping patterns.
Read more about the study here.
September 25, 2010
Lethal Danger of CT Scans
By William FaloonWe tried everything… from pleading with arrogant physicians to providing irrefutable documentation to support our position. The response was always the same: we were “out of our minds” for suggesting that medical X-rays increase future cancer risks.Our opposition could never substantiate that exposing healthy cells to ionizing radiation was safe. They did at one point rely on the Atomic Energy Commission, who claimed there were no dangersto low-level radiation exposure. The Atomic Energy Commission was created to “manage the development, use, and control of atomic (nuclear) energy for military and civilian applications.” Like so many federal agencies, the priority was not to protect the public’s health. Instead this tax-funded bureaucracy (like the FDA) functioned to guarantee the economic success of the industries it regulated.By ridiculing those who warned about the carcinogenic effects of X-rays, the federal government and medical establishment enabled companies making CT scanners (and other radiation devices) to earn tens of billions of dollars in profit, with Medicare and private health insurance picking up most of the costs.Read more here.
September 24, 2010
Mild Memory Loss is Not a Part of Normal Aging
NewsRx.com
Simply getting older is not the cause of mild memory lapses often called senior moments, according to a new study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. The study, published in an online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that even the very early mild changes in memory that are much more common in old age than dementia are caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
"The very early mild cognitive changes once thought to be normal aging are really the first signs of progressive dementia, in particular Alzheimer's disease." said Robert S.Wilson, PhD, neuropsychologist at Rush University Medical Center. "The pathology in the brain related to Alzheimer's and other dementias has a much greater impact on memory function in old age than we previously recognized."
Read more about the study here.
September 23, 2010
Get Fit, Flexible and Fast - The Demonstration
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Today we conclude our series Get Fit, Flexible & Fast with elite performance coach Dave Herman. Dave's revolutionary resistance training programs incorporate large rubber bands, exercising and strengthening the body through natural movement. This week on LivingFuelTV we bring you a fun and interesting demonstration of this program that's designed for anyone — from the world-class golfer to the high school quarterback to the busy working mother.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC
September 20, 2010
Cinnamon Helps to Improve Antioxidant Status
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) team finds that a water soluble extract of cinnamon, rich in antioxidant compounds, could help reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease. Richard A. Anderson and colleagues enrolled 22 obese subjects with impaired blood glucose values (prediabetics), for a 12-week long study. Subjects either received 250 milligrams of a dried water-soluble cinnamon extract twice daily, or a placebo, along with their usual diets. Among those who received the water-soluble cinnamon extract, researchers observed improvements in a number of antioxidant variables by as much as 13 to 23%, resulting in improvement in antioxidant status and corresponding decrease in fasting glucose. The team concludes that: “This study supports the hypothesis that the inclusion of water soluble cinnamon compounds in the diet could reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
Read more about the study here.
September 18, 2010
Study - Even Modest Weight Gain Causes Problem
Endothelial cell dysfunction, affecting the cells that line the blood vessels and control the ability of the vessels to expand and contract, is associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease and cardiovascular events. Virend K. Somers, from the Mayo Clinic (Minnesota, USA), and colleagues studied 43 healthy men and women, mean age 29 years, assessing for endothelial dysfunction and tracking weight changes, for an eight-week study period. Among those who gained weight in their abdomens (known as visceral fat), even though their blood pressure remained healthy, researchers found that the regulation of blood flow through their arm arteries was impaired due to endothelial dysfunction. Once the volunteers lost the weight, the blood flow recovered.
Read more about the study here.
September 17, 2010
Green Leafy Vegetables Help Reduce Diabetes Risk
Whereas diets high in fruit and vegetables are known to help reduce both cancer and heart disease, but the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and diabetes has not been well elucidated. Patrice Carter, from the University of Leicester (United Kingdom), and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of six studies involving over 220,000 participants that focused on the links between fruit and vegetable consumption and type-2 diabetes. The team found that a greater intake of green leafy vegetables, equivalent to eating 1.5 extra servings daily, was associated with a 14% reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, the showed no significant benefits of increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruit, or fruit and vegetables combined. The researchers conclude that: “Increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and should be investigated further.”
Read more about the study here.
September 16, 2010
Dear Living Fuel Family,
We all have in common twenty-four hours in our day. For those of us who spend some of this valuable and finite time exercising, it’s important that we address how we fuel these efforts. Nutrition plays a key role in the success of any fitness program — from the intense regimens of professional golfer Trevor Immelman or Olympic great Dara Torres, to the busy stay-at-home mom in pilates class, to the sophomore on the high school tennis team. Everyone can couple fitness with nutrition and see exponential benefits. In other words, 1+1=3. And this principle applies to us all — from the world-class athlete to the health-challenged.
Today on LivingFuelTV, we’re joined again by elite performance coach Dave Herman. Learn three critical factors to maximize the effectiveness of your efforts and how recovery is as important as the number of repetitions you complete or the number of miles you log.
Click here to join the conversation.
Here’s to your Super Health!
KC Craichy
Founder & CEO
Living Fuel, Inc.
September 15, 2010
Sweet Pepper Compounds, Energy and Weight
Capsinoids, the non-pungent compounds found in sweet pepper, help to boost energy utilization, thus suggesting a role in weight management. Stuart M. Phillips, from McMaster University (Canada), and colleagues studied how capsinoid ingestion affects energy expenditure, including its role in exercise. The team recruited 12 healthy young men (average age 24.3 years, average BMI 255.5 kg/m2), who were randomly assigned to receive a 10mg capsule of purified capsinoids or placebo (control group). The subjects then engaged in 90 minutes of moderately intense cycling. Finding that: “The ingestion of 10 mg of capsinoids increased adrenergic activity, energy expenditure, and resulted in a shift in substrate utilization toward lipid at rest but had little effect during exercise or recovery,” the team submits that their data shows that: “The thermogenic and metabolic effects of capsinoids at rest and further promote its potential role as an adjunct weight loss aid, in addition to diet and exercise.”
Read more here.
September 15, 2010
Study - Organic Strawberries Are Healthier Than Conventional
Robin Shreeves
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Many people buy organic foods because they believe organic foods have higher nutritional values than their non-organic counterparts. Researchers at Washington State University wanted to find out if these consumer beliefs were accurate. They tested both organic and conventional strawberries grown in 13 side-by-side California fields.
Check out the findings here.
September 14, 2010
Study - Vitamin B, the Brain, and Anti-Aging
The results of a double-blinded clinical trial reported online on September 8, 2010 in the journal PLoSONE revealed that men and women with mild cognitive impairment who were supplemented with vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid experienced a reduction in the rate of brain atrophy compared with those who received a placebo. Brain atrophy, which involves the loss of neurons and their connections, occurs in older individuals and has been linked with elevated plasma homocysteine, a toxic amino acid that is lowered by specific B vitamins. The study included 168 men and women aged 70 and older diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment who participated in the Homocysteine and B Vitamins in Cognitive Impairment (VITACOG) trial. A. David Smith and colleagues at the University of Oxford in England randomized the subjects to receive 20 milligrams vitamin B6, 500 micrograms vitamin B12 and 800 micrograms folic acid per day for 24 months. Cognitive testing, blood sample analysis, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain to assess the rate of atrophy were conducted before and after the treatment period.Read more about the study here.
September 13, 2010
Vitamin D May Help Control Asthma
United Press International A review of 60 years of studies suggests vitamin D added to an asthma action plan may improve asthma control, U.S. and Canadian researchers find.
Lead author Dr. Manbir Sandhu, a Vancouver allergist, and colleagues conducted a review of the research on asthma and vitamin D and found vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased airway hyper-responsiveness, lower lung functions and inferior asthma control.
Read more about the report here.
September 10, 2010
Fish Oil Helps the Heart
Previous studies have shown that dietary fat intake plays a critical role in the development of Metabolic Syndrome , a group of health risk factors that are associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Factors include enlarged waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and high fasting glucose levels. Jose Lopez-Miranda, from the University of Cordoba (Spain), and colleagues studied the effects of four different diet combinations on blood lipid metabolism, in 117 men and women with metabolic syndrome.
Read more about the report here.
September 10, 2010
Good News for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
The September, 2010 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a trial conducted by researchers in Taiwan which found an anti-inflammatory benefit for pyridoxine (vitamin B6) supplementation in rheumatoid arthritis patients."In conclusion, 100 mg/day of vitamin B6 supplementation suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (that is, interleukin-6 and TNF-a) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis," the authors write. "Our results provide valuable reference data for clinical practice with regard to the potential beneficial use of vitamin B6 to suppress inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis patients." Read more about the study here.
September 9, 2010
Get Fit, Flexible and Fast - Dave's Story
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Welcome back to LivingFuelTV!
Today, we hear more from professional sports performance coach and elite trainer Dave Herman. Dave shares what ignited and what fuels his passion for fitness, performance and wellness. We call Dave "The Band Man", a reference to his revolutionary and effective resistance band training program employed by some of the world's top athletes. What helps them perform at elite levels can help you and your family on the journey to Super Health!
Click here to watch the video.
Browse the
LivingFuelTV HealthAlert Archive for topics that interest you or to revisit an episode. For more about Living Fuel visit
www.livingfuel.com or call 1-866-580-FUEL (3835). And for more about Dave Herman, visit
www.athletestraining.com.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC
September 9, 2010
Stand Up For Your Life
Katie Holland
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga. The American Cancer Society has a message for Americans: Stand up.
Simply getting out of your office chair of off your couch and standing or taking a quick walk around the office or house can help people live longer, according to a recent study published in the July edition of American Journal of Epidemiology.
The study states: "It's not just how much physical activity you get, but how much time you spend sitting that can affect your risk of death."
The study results didn't surprise Columbus Regional Healthcare System's wellness program manager Dayton Preston, who said that excessive amounts of sitting contribute to a detrimental cycle of lethargy.
"The body is made to physically move," Preston said. "And when we don't do that, there's a lot of repercussions. We've got a combination of many things that can, bottom line, impact not only length of life, but quality of life."
Read more about this report here.
September 8, 2010
New Study About Lowering Risk of Bladder Cancer
In a meta-analysis reported in the September, 2010 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Center and the U.S. National Cancer Institute conclude that the mineral selenium may have a protective effect against bladder cancer, one of the most common types of cancer worldwide.Núria Malats, MD, PhD and colleagues analyzed data from 7 epidemiologic studies that reported the association between bladder cancer incidence and selenium levels measured in blood, serum, nails, hair or saliva. The studies included a total of 1,910 bladder cancer patients and 17,339 controls or cohort members who did not have the disease. The researchers found a 39 percent lower risk of bladder cancer in those with high versus low selenium levels. The protective effect extended mainly to women, who are at lower risk of developing the disease than men.Read more about the study here.
September 7, 2010
'Fat Genes' Don't Mean Fat Jeans
By Nanci Hellmich
USA TODAY If you've been blaming your weight on your genes, get out and take a brisk walk. It will help fight your tendency toward overweight, a new study shows.
Researchers in Great Britain studied 12 genetic variants known to increase the risk of obesity and tracked the physical activity levels of 20,430 people.
They created a genetic summary score to quantify a person's risk of obesity and then examined whether an active life could reduce the genetic influence.
Findings: Physical activity can reduce the genetic tendency toward obesity by 40%, according to the research, reported Tuesday in PLoS Medicine.
"Our findings challenge the popular myth that obesity is unavoidable if it runs in the family," says senior researcher Ruth Loos of Great Britain's Medical Research Council in Cambridge. "We see this as a hopeful message."
Read more of the report here.
September 4, 2010
Lowering Insulin Resistance and Chronic Inflammation
An article published in the September 3, 2010 issue of the journal Cell reports the discovery of researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine of the mechanism used by omega-3 fatty acids in lowering insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.Recent research revealed that five members of a family of molecules known as G protein-coupled receptors respond to free fatty acids. Using cell cultures, Jerrold Olefsky, MD and colleagues found that exposure to omega-3 fatty acids activates one of these cellular receptors. The receptor, known as GPR120, is located on macrophages in mature fat cells and, when activated, prevents the macrophages from causing inflammation."It's just an incredibly potent effect," enthused Dr Olefsky, who is a professor of medicine and associate dean of scientific affairs for the UC San Diego School of Medicine. "The omega-3 fatty acids switch on the receptor, killing the inflammatory response."Read more about the report here.
September 3, 2010
Study - Blood Pressure Diet May Reduce Heart Risks
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
AScribe Newswire BALTIMORE-- A new study suggests yet another reason for Americans to abandon their current fatty diets in favor of one rich in fruits a nd vegetables and low in saturated fat. Choosing these healthier options appears to significantly reduce the long-term risk of heart disease in patients with mildly elevated blood pressure, particularly African Americans.
Long known to reduce blood pressure and now recommended in national guidelines, this healthier diet -- known as the DASH diet -- also reduces heart disease risk, even in people who do not lose weight, according to a Johns Hopkins study being published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Read more about the study here.
September 2, 2010
Supplement Produces a 'Striking' Endurance Boost
Research from the University of Exeter has revealed taking a dietary supplement to boost nitric oxide in the body can significantly boost stamina during high-intensity exercise.
The study has important implications for athletes, as results suggest that taking the supplement can allow people to exercise up to 20% longer and could produce a 1-2% improvement in race times.
This comes on the back of previous research from Exeter which showed that the high nitrate content of beetroot juice, which also boosts nitric oxide in the body, has a similar effect on performance.
However, the latest study gets the nitric oxide into the body through a different biological process – and now the researchers are hoping to find out whether combining the two methods could bring an even greater improvement in athletic performance.
Professor Andrew Jones, from the University's School of Sport and Health Sciences, said: "The research found that when the dietary supplement was used there was a striking increase in performance by altering the use of oxygen during exercise.
"This is important for endurance athletes as we would expect the supplement to bring a 1-2% improvement in race times. While this may seem small, this is a very meaningful improvement – particularly at elite levels where small gains can be the difference between winning and losing."
Read more about the research here.
September 1, 2010
How to Avoid Salmonella Contaminated Eggs
(NaturalNews) In response to the massive egg recall, some mainstream news outlets have begun addressing the real cause of food contamination: inhumane and unsanitary food production methods. A recent MSNBC article explains that organically-grown eggs from chickens who live and feed in natural pastures are healthier and safer than the caged, industrially-grown ones most people buy.
According to the report, more than 90 percent of store-bought eggs come from chickens who live in tight, filthy cages. Such conditions actually encourage the growth and spread of dangerous bacteria like salmonella. Commercial chickens regularly eat unnatural feed as well, and are typically unable to go outside and get any exercise, which greatly affects the quality and integrity of both their eggs.
Read the rest of the report here.
August 31, 2010
Are the Brains of Walkers Better Connected?
United Press International U.S. researchers suggest walking enhances brain circuit connectivity and brain function.
Moderate walking for 40 minutes three times per week for a year -- rather than just stretching and toning -- helped increase brain function in older adults.
University of Illinois at Champaign study leader Art Kramer and colleagues looked at brain regions functioning together -- especially the "default mode network" that dominates brain activity while passively observing or simply daydreaming.
The study, published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, finds in healthy young brains, activity in the default mode network quickly diminishes when a person engages in an activity requiring focus on the external environment. The researchers also say default mode network connectivity significantly improved in the brains of the older walkers.
"The higher the connectivity, the better the performance on some of these cognitive tasks, especially the ones we call executive control tasks -- things like planning, scheduling, dealing with ambiguity, working memory and multitasking," Kramer says in a statement.
Read more about this research here.
August 30, 2010
Study - Vitamin D, Cancer & Autoimmune Diseases
(NaturalNews) A new study out of Oxford University pinpoints vitamin D deficiency as a culprit in serious illnesses like cancer and autoimmune disorders. According to the report, which was recently published online in the journal
Genome Research, genetic receptors throughout the body need adequate vitamin D levels to prevent these and other serious illnesses from developing.
The Oxford team made specific observations about the importance of vitamin D in the genome regions associated with autoimmune diseases and
cancer, noting that the nutrient is absolutely vital in helping to prevent these diseases from forming.
Read more about the study here.
August 27, 2010
Muscle Building Exercise Strategy Revealed
A team from McMaster University (Ontario, Canada) reveals a strategy to muscle building that counters the prevailing notion that holds that to build muscle size, you need to lift heavy weights. Nicholas Burd and colleagues assessed the effect of resistance exercise intensity (% 1 repetition maximum—1RM) and volume on muscle protein synthesis, anabolic signaling, and myogenic gene expression, enrolling 15 men (average age 21 years, BMI 24 kg/m2) to lift light weights that represented a percentage of what the subjects could maximally lift.
At 30%, the team observed that subjects could lift that weight at least 24 times before they felt fatigue. The researchers report that: “These results suggest that low-load high volume resistance exercise is more effective in inducing acute muscle anabolism than high-load low volume or work matched resistance exercise modes.”
Read more about the strategy here.
August 26, 2010
Let Your Food Be Your Medicine
You’ve held your learners permit for the past year, logged hundreds of miles behind the wheel and feel confident at a four-way stop and in thorny rush hour traffic. You’re a bit tired of borrowing the family sedan, so all that’s missing is a car of your own. And now, on your 16th birthday, your parents present you with a beautiful brand new car – a dream come true!
There’s just one catch. This car will be the only one you’ll own for your lifetime. Imagine the care and attention you’d give your new prized possession—only the best oil, the highest quality gasoline and regularly scheduled preventative maintenance from your mechanic. This allegory applies to your body—the single most complex and high-performing machine you’ll ever own.
Today, we conclude our well-received series of interviews with Dr. Patrick Purdue, Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DO) and Doctor of Naturopathy (ND). Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine said “Let your food be your medicine.” Our topic today is nutrition, specifically the food we choose as fuel for our bodies. What we eat and what we give our family to eat significantly impacts our health today and in the years to come.
Click here to watch and join the conversation.
August 25, 2010
Genetic Research Highlights Vitamin D Disease Role
Vitamin D has a significant effect on at least 229 genes some of which have been associated with Crohn’s disease and type 1 diabetes, according to UK and Canadian researchers.
The research, published in
Genome Research, found 2776 ‘binding sites’ where vitamin D attached to the genome, many of which were concentrated around genes that have been linked to autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis and diseases such as colorectal cancer and lymphocytic leukaemia.
The researchers said the findings backed the role of vitamin D in maintaining health in a world where one billion people are estimated to be vitamin D deficient due to either diet or lack of sunlight.
"There is now evidence supporting a role for vitamin D in susceptibility to a host of diseases,” said lead author Dr Sreeram Ramagopalan from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics.
Read more about the research here.
August 25, 2010
Tooth-friendly Probiotic Products Are On Horizon
Consumer products containing a patented ingredient that binds bacteria in the mouth responsible for tooth caries and stops them sticking to teeth could reach the market this year, according to German chemicals giant BASF.
The firm’s functional ingredient Pro-t-action contains the active probiotic
Lactobacillus paracasei. BASF claims that it is tasteless, odourless, pH-neutral and works within 10 seconds, and touts application in everything from chewing gum and sugar-free sweets to toothpaste and mouthwash.
Read more here.
August 24, 2010
Berries Protect the Brain in Several Ways
The 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society held this week in Boston was the site of a presentation by Shibu Poulose, PhD, of the US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, of new findings for berries in protecting aging brains.A reduction in the ability to protect oneself from inflammation and oxidative damage can result in degenerative brain diseases, as well as heart disease and other disorders, notes Dr Poulose. In previous research conducted by Dr Poulose and laboratory director James Joseph, PhD, aged rats given diets that contained 2 percent strawberry, blueberry or blackberry extract for two months experienced a reversal in the age-associated decline in nerve function and behavior that results in impairment of memory and learning. "The good news is that natural compounds called polyphenolics found in fruits, vegetables and nuts have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect that may protect against age-associated decline," Dr Poulose remarked.Read more about the research here.
August 23, 2010
Healthy Proteins Lower Heart Disease Risk
Previous studies have linked consumption of red meat to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Adam M. Bernstein, from Harvard School of Public Health (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues studied data collected on 84,136 women, ages 30 to 55 years, enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study. The team examined the medical history and lifestyles of these women, including dietary habits, and tracked the incidence of non-fatal heart attack and fatal coronary heart disease, for a 26-year follow-up period. The researchers found that women who consumed two servings per day of red meat, as compared to those who had a half a serving per day, were at a 30% higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. The data also showed that eating more servings of poultry, fish and nuts was significantly associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease.
Read more about the study here.
August 23, 2010
Critical Need to Test Blood of Young Adults
We strongly suspected but up until now could not absolutely prove that elevated LDL in one’s younger years was a definitive risk factor for
mid-life coronary atherosclerosis.
A meticulous study published this week in the
Annals of Internal Medicine looked at 3,258 people whose blood was initially tested between ages 18–30. Seven
additional blood tests were done on each subject over a 20-year period. The results showed that those with the
highest LDL (over 160 mg/dL) were 5.6 times
more likely to have calcium buildup in their coronary arteries by age 45.
Coronary calcification is a strong indicator that one has diseased arteries that feed the heart muscle. This study showed that young people with even moderately elevated LDL (100–129 mg/dL) were 2.4 times
more likely to have coronary calcification by mid-life.
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) transports cholesterol from the liver throughout the vascular system. In the presence of
excess LDL, too much cholesterol saturates the blood. Through a series of oxidative-inflammatory pathways, excess LDL contributes to arterial occlusion. The debate has been what constitutes dangerously high levels of LDL.
This study on young people (18–30 years old) showed that those with the
lowest LDL numbers (
below 70 mg/dL) were the
least likely to have coronary calcium deposition. Experts commented that doctors need to be more aggressive in testing the blood of children and young adults for cardiac risk factors.
Read more about the study here.
August 22, 2010
Study - Obesity Hurts Quality and Length of Life
A study by Haomiao Jia from Columbia University (New York, USA), and Erica I. Lubetkin from The City College of New York (New York, USA) indicates that Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost to U.S. adults due to morbidity and mortality from obesity have more than doubled from 1993-2008 and the prevalence of obesity has increased 89.9% during the same period.
They found that the overall health burden of obesity has significantly increased since 1993 and such increases were observed in all gender and race/ethnicity subgroups and across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Read more about the study here.
August 21, 2010
New Study - Even Modest Weight Gain Can Harm Blood Vessels
Business Wire
Mayo Clinic researchers found that healthy young people who put on as little as 9 pounds of fat, specifically in the abdomen, are at risk for developing endothelial cell dysfunction. Endothelial cells line the blood vessels and control the ability of the vessels to expand and contract.
"Endothelial dysfunction has long been associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease and cardiovascular events," says Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. "Gaining a few pounds in college, on a cruise, or over the holidays is considered harmless, but it can have cardiovascular implications, especially if the weight is gained in the abdomen."
For the study, which was published in last week's Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Somers and his team recruited 43 healthy Mayo Clinic volunteers with a mean age of 29 years. They were tested for endothelial dysfunction by measuring the blood flow through their arm arteries. The volunteers were assigned to either gain weight or maintain their weight for eight weeks, and their blood flow was tested. The weight-gainers then lost the weight and were tested again.
Among those who gained weight in their abdomens (known as visceral fat), even though their blood pressure remained healthy, researchers found that the regulation of blood flow through their arm arteries was impaired due to endothelial dysfunction. Once the volunteers lost the weight, the blood flow recovered. Blood flow regulation was unchanged in the weight-maintainers and was less affected among those who gained weight evenly throughout their bodies.
Read more about the study here.
August 21, 2010
Spice Up Your Diet And Do Your Body Good
M2 Communications
FORT COLLINS - Though spices and herbs are often spoken of as one-in-the-same, they're not. Spices are aromatic seasonings from the bark, buds, roots, seeds, berries or fruit of various plants and trees. Common spices include cinnamon, which comes from bark; cloves from buds; ginger from a root; cumin from seeds; black peppercorns from berries; and paprika from the fruit of a plant. Herbs, however, only come from the leaf of a plant. Familiar herbs include basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage and chives.
Spices and herbs offer health benefits in addition to flavoring food, but there are currently no specific recommendations for how much to include in your diet.
Read more here.
August 20, 2010
Study - Chili Peppers Slash Elevated Blood Pressure
In that previous studies have suggested a role for plant compounds in lowering cardiovascular risks including hypertension (high blood pressure), Zhiming Zhu, from the Third Military Medical University (China), and colleagues completed a study examining the effects of long-term treatment with capsaicin on high blood pressure in a laboratory animal model. The team found that long-term dietary consumption of capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers that lends the vegetable’s spiciness, reduced blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats.
Read more of the study here.
August 19, 2010
New Leading Cause of Death in the US
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Do you know the leading cause of death in the United States? Is it cancer, heart disease or accident? Learn the answer today in this week's must-see HealthAlert. The answer may shock you.
We sit down again with our friend Dr. Patrick Purdue, Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DO) and Doctor of Naturopathy (ND). Join us as we discuss research and information that you'll not likely watch, hear or read elsewhere. As always, we encourage you to take you and your family's health care into your own hands - educate yourself to make informed and wise medical decisions.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC Craichy
Founder & CEO
Living Fuel, Inc.
August 18, 2010
Study - Vitamin D Needed for Both Mother and Baby
Feeding children vitamin D-rich foods and supplements after birth may be too late to ensure optimal bone health if mom’s intake was inadequate during pregnancy, new data has revealed.
A study with guinea pigs has revealed that sufficient vitamin D for a newborn may not be sufficient to reverse vitamin D deficiency in the womb, researchers from McGill University in Quebec report in the
Journal of Nutrition.
“This study demonstrates the importance of vitamin D in bone health as well as the implications that a mother’s nutrient deficiency has a profound effect on her offspring during gestation and infancy” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Hope Weiler.
“This study is highly suggestive that efforts to optimize maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy are needed along with maintenance in infancy rather than relying on postnatal supplementation to restore vitamin D status and bone mass.” Read
more about the study here.
August 18, 2010
Study - Omega-3s Could Improve Metabolic Syndrome Outcomes
Omega-3-rich supplements may improve blood lipid levels of people with metabolic syndrome, reducing the risks of developing serious health problems, says a new study.
The research, published in
The Journal of Nutrition, suggests that the effects of metabolic syndrome – a major risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes - can be reduced through the addition of omega-3 fatty acids in low-fat, high-complex carbohydrate diets.
“Fish oil supplements correct many metabolic alterations associated with insulin resistance, including reduced postprandial plasma triglyceride concentration” stated the researchers, led by Jose Lopez-Miranda from the University of Cordoba, Spain.
Read more about the study here.
August 17, 2010
Researchers - Vitamin C Helps Fight Cancer
Rebecca TODD
The Press Christchurch researchers have come up with another good reason to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables - they help fight cancer.
Otago University, Christchurch, research published in the international journal, Cancer Research, shows vitamin C can help prevent cancer and curb the growth of cancer cells.
Study leader Associate Professor Margreet Vissers said the research was the first real evidence of a connection between vitamin C and tumour growth, which had been debated for years.
People with cancer used more vitamin C than usual, so their levels tended to be lower.
She said the study showed eating vitamin C-rich fruit and vegetables such as oranges, kiwifruit and red peppers could prevent the formation of tumours and increase patients' responsiveness to chemotherapy.
Read more about the research here.
August 17, 2010
Researchers - Vitamin C Improves Hospitalized Patients' Mood
Researchers at McGill University and Jewish Medical Hospital in Montreal report on August 6, 2010 in the journal Nutrition the finding of an improvement in mood among acutely hospitalized patients supplemented with vitamin C.In their introduction to the article, Michelle Zhang and her coauthors remark that a recent survey uncovered reduced levels of vitamin C in 60 percent of acute medical ward patients in a Montreal teaching hospital, compared to 16 percent of those tested in the hospital's outpatient department. A response to systemic inflammation that often occurs in hospitalized patients could redistribute vitamin C or increase breakdown of the vitamin, resulting in deficiency.Read more about the research here.
August 16, 2010
Eating Well-done Meat Could Double Risk of Bladder Cancer
(NaturalNews) You may want to think
twice about cooking that meat well-done, according to a new study out of the University of Texas. Researchers there have found that charring meat by frying, barbecuing or otherwise heavily cooking it can lead to the formation of cancer-causing chemicals in the meat.The study explains that people who eat well-done meat double their risk of developing bladder cancer when compared to people who eat meat on the rarer end of the spectrum. This is due primarily to the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that form when meat is cooked at very high heat.Researchers found that three different HCA chemicals form during high-heat cooking that, collectively, raise a person's cancer risk by more than 250 percent. And in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease from the meat, the risk jumps nearly 500 percent.Read more of the research report here.
August 16, 2010
Greater Antioxidant Intake and Lower Esophageal Cancer Risk
In a recent article published online in the
Journal of Nutrition, researchers from Ireland report the association of a reduced risk of esophageal cancer among men and women who consumed higher amounts of antioxidants compared to those with a lower intake. Esophageal cancer can develop in individuals with Barrett’s esophagus, a condition in which the mucosa of the esophagus undergoes changes incurred by
gastroesophageal reflux. Reflux esophagitis, a condition characterized by esophageal inflammation, is believed to precede Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer.
The study included men and women who participated in the Factors Influencing the Barrett’s Adenocarcinoma Relationship study. Seamus J. Murphy of Queen’s University Belfast and colleagues compared 219 individuals with reflux esophagitis, 220 with Barrett’s esophagus and 224 with esophageal cancer to 256 gender and age-matched controls who did not have the disorders. Dietary questionnaire responses were analyzed for the intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, total carotenoids, zinc, copper, and selenium.
Overall antioxidant index was associated with a lower risk of esophageal cancer. Those in the top one-third had a 43 percent lower adjusted risk of esophageal cancer compared to those whose antioxidant index was lowest. Among individual antioxidants, participants in the top third of vitamin C intake had a 63 percent lower risk of esophageal cancer and a 52 percent lower risk of reflux esophagitis compared to those in the lowest third.
Read more here.
August 13, 2010
Staying Up Late May Up Heart Disease Risk
United Press International Staying up until 2 a.m. and upsetting the body's internal clock might come with serious consequences for lipid metabolism, a U.S. researcher suggests.
M. Mahmood Hussain of the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center says circadian rhythm gets thrown off by staying up late or by traveling it may result in high triglycerides -- fatty acids in the blood -- a risk factor for heart disease.
Plasma triglycerides double or triple during the course of the day, reaching their lowest point at night when nocturnal animals eat and are most active.
In a study using normal mice and mice with altered circadian rhythms, the researchers found the normal mice had triglycerides reach a high once a day, while the altered mice had high triglycerides all the time, Hussain says.
"Metabolic syndrome and obesity are major metabolic disorders characterized by high plasma lipid concentrations," the researchers say in a statement. "Plasma lipids are tightly controlled by mechanisms regulating their production and clearance. Here, we show that light-entrained mechanisms involving clock genes also play a role in regulating plasma triglyceride."
Read more about the study here.
August 13, 2010
Gluten-Free Chestnut Flour Could Add Nutritional Value
Chestnut flour could be used in gluten-free breads to give nutritional and health benefits, according to a new study from Turkey.
Formulating products with chestnut flour – reportedly the first study of its kind – may enhance the vitamin B, iron, folate, and dietary fibre content of gluten-free products, claim researchers at the Department of Food Engineering, Middle East Technical University in Turkey. The study, published in the
Journal of Food Engineering, observes that using 30/70 chestnut/rice flour ratio containing xanthan–guar blend and emulsifier, provides the best quality gluten-free dough formulation.
Read more of the report here.
August 12, 2010
Medical Radiation - Must Know Info
Dear Living Fuel Family,
Imagine for a moment that today is April 26, 1986. You and your family live in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, one mile from the sprawling Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Technicians there perform an operational test that goes severely wrong, shrill alarms pierce the air and a series of thunderous nuclear explosions occur, followed by the subsequent toxic nuclear fallout. The immediate and debilitating effect on your family's health is incalculable. Even today, 24 years later, in the nation known as Ukraine, the residents of Chernobyl and the surrounding area still face the devastating health effects of this disaster. What you may not know, however, is that the lifetime cumulative effect of various forms of medical radiation could have a similar effect on your family's health where you live today.
Today, we continue our special series of interviews with Dr. Patrick Purdue, Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DO) and Doctor of Naturopathy (ND). We discuss the little-publicized dangers of medical radiation and share important information that we should all consider as we make important medical decisions for our families. Dr. Purdue and I also present safer alternatives to conventional medical radiation that you need to be aware of. We also tell you what you can do to protect yourself if you have an ionizing radiation test. Take your and your family's health care into your own hands - educate yourself to make informed and wise medical decisions.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC
August 12, 2010
Study - Citrus Extract Shows Benefits for Diabetics
Daily supplements of citrus-derived flavanoids and limonoids may reduce risk factors for diabetes like glucose tolerance, suggests data from an animal and pilot study with humans.
The branded Diabetinol ingredient produced significant reductions in glucose intolerance, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels, according to findings published in the
Journal of Functional Foods.
“These data suggest that Diabetinol as a natural food product may have a protective effect in individuals with a combined impaired fasting glucose and hyperlipidemia,” wrote the researchers, led by Malkanthi Evans from Ontario, Canada-based KGK Synergize.
Diabetes affects an estimated 24 million Americans, equal to 8 percent of the population. The total costs are thought to be as much as $174 billion, with $116 billion being direct costs from medication, according to 2005-2007 American Diabetes Association figures.
Read more about the study here.
August 12, 2010
Astaxanthin’s Heart Benefits Get Human Data Support
Daily supplements of the carotenoid astaxanthin may improve HDL ‘good’ cholesterol levels in people with mildly abnormal blood lipid levels, suggests new data from a human trial.
Doses up to 18 milligrams per day for 12 weeks improved blood levels of HDL cholesterol, as well as adiponectin concentrations, a protein hormone linked to various metabolic processes, according to findings published in
Atherosclerosis.
Researchers from Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital in Japan and Fuji Chemical Industry used Fuji’s commercially available AstaReal astaxanthin ingredient, and the trial involved 61 non-obese people with mildly elevated triglyceride levels.
According to the researchers, the potential benefits of astaxanthin with regards to HDL cholesterol and triglycerides have been demonstrated previously in animal studies, but supporting data from humans have been lacking.
“The present double-blind, placebo-controlled study could be the first to clearly demonstrate that the administration of astaxanthin at doses of 12 and 18 mg/day significantly decreased triglyceride and increased HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin in humans,” wrote the researchers, led by Jikei University’s Hiroshi Yoshida.
Read more of the report here.
August 11, 2010
Scientists Call For Global Policy Change On Vitamin D
International experts have again called out for an increase in daily recommendations for Vitamin D, which they say is crucial to reduce the risk of a host a diseases.
The latest call comes from scientists in Europe and the US, who say that higher intake levels of the vitamin could help protect against conditions such as childhood rickets, adult osteomalacia, cancer, autoimmune type-1 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity and muscle weakness.
Writing in a recent issue of
Experimental Biology and Medicine, the authors propose worldwide policy changes to increase recommended intake levels of the sunshine vitamin. This, they said, would reduce the frequency of certain diseases, increase longevity and reduce medical costs.
"It is high time that worldwide vitamin D nutritional policy, now at a crossroads, reflects current scientific knowledge about the vitamin's many benefits and develops a sound vision for the future," said Anthony Norman, a professor emeritus of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside.
Read more of the report here.
August 11, 2010
Study - Adequate Zinc Eases Pneumonia in Elderly
M2 Communications A high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations during an observational study funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute on Aging. The scientists found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than those with low concentrations.
The study was led by Simin Nikbin Meydani, director of the Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA.
HNRCA researchers have been studying immune response and respiratory infections in about 600 elderly residents in 33 nursing facilities in the Boston area. Meydani and colleagues previously reported that among the facility residents, those who consumed 200 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily for one year were 20 percent less likely to get upper respiratory infections, such as colds, than those who took a placebo.
Read more of the report here.
August 10, 2010
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts May Stop Spread of Cancers
(NaturalNews)
Scientists have discovered that broccoli and Brussels sprouts have the ability to stop the spread of cancer. Eating the vegetables encourages the body to produce a substance known as 13C (indole-3-carbinol) which fights cancer and blocks cancer cells from proliferating.
In the study just published in
Cancer Prevention Research, researchers at the Ohio State University found compelling evidence indicating that 13C could have anticancer effects and other health benefits.
Read more here.
August 10, 2010
Researcher - Vegetable-Rich Diet May Avert Some Cancers
Stephanie Innes
The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson When it comes to cancer prevention, Arizona Cancer Center researcher Cynthia A. Thomson is a champion of cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts. They're all excellent, she says.
Thomson, an associate professor of nutritional science at the University of Arizona, evaluated data from a dietary study and showed women being treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer who ate a diet high in cruciferous vegetables had lower rates of recurrence than those who did not eat a cruciferous-rich diet.
Now Thomson is part of a local team that received $3.2 million from the National Institutes of Health to pay for a five-year study that will continue her initial work. The new research is looking at the effect of a bioactive compound found in cruciferous vegetables -- diindolylmethane -- on women being treated for breast cancer.
An expert on diet and cancer prevention, Thomson leads a local program that goes into schools giving nutrition and cancer-prevention information.
She will be speaking about new research methods in diet and cancer at the World Cancer Congress in Shenzhen, China, this month.
Read a fascinating
Q&A with Cynthia Thomson.
August 9, 2010
Flawed Analysis Misleads Public - Calcium and Heart Attacks
Life Extension NewsThe media is at it again — reporting
deceptive propaganda by the medical establishment as if it were scientific fact.
Just imagine the epidemic of osteoporosis that will occur if women stop taking their calcium supplements. That will happen if the public relies on mainstream news reporters to make their health decisions.
In a biased and horrifically flawed analysis, a group of doctors came to the conclusion that calcium supplements increase heart attack risk by 27%.
Omitted from the media reports were critical facts such as the
exclusion of people who took vitamin D, magnesium or other nutrients typically found in bone protection formulations.
In other words, calcium-supplemented study subjects (who the mainstream claims suffered higher heart attack rates) would have been seriously
deficient in vitamin D and magnesium — two essential nutrients that protect against heart attack.
The doctors who compiled this analysis also conveniently
omitted major clinical trials showing that those with
higher calcium intake had significantly
lower cardiovascular rates.
Read full report with references here.
August 9, 2010
Aging and Longevity Tied to Specific Brain Region in Mice
NewsRx.com Researchers watched two groups of mice, both nearing the end of a two-day fast. One group was quietly huddled together, but the other group was active and alert. The difference? The second set of mice had been engineered so their brains produced more SIRT1, a protein known to play a role in aging and longevity (see also Central Nervous System).
"This result surprised us," says the study's senior author Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, an expert in aging research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "It demonstrates that SIRT1 in the brain is tied into a mechanism that allows animals to survive when food is scarce. And this might be involved with the lifespan-increasing effect of low-calorie diets."
Imai explains that the mice with increased brain SIRT1 have internal mechanisms that make them use energy more efficiently, which helps them move around in search of food even after a long fast. This increased energy-efficiency could help delay aging and extend lifespan.
Read more here.
August 6, 2010
The Pill May Increase Breast Cancer Risk
United Press International A study involving African-American women found those who used oral contraceptives had an increased risk of getting breast cancer, U.S. researchers say.
Lead investigator Lynn Rosenberg, an associate director of the Slone Epidemiology Center and professor of epidemiology at Boston University Medical Center, says the researchers used data from the Black Women's Health Study.
The researchers tracked 53,848 participants in the BWHS for 12 years, during which time 789 cases of breast cancer developed on which information on receptor status was obtained. The incidence of estrogen receptor negative cancer was 65 percent greater among women who had ever used oral contraceptives than among non-users of contraceptives.
Read more here.
August 6, 2010
Calorie Restriction, Exercise Rejuvenate Nerve Connections
An article published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals a mechanism for exercise and calorie restriction in delaying some of the effects of aging.In their introduction, Joshua R. Sanes and his Harvard University colleagues explain that "The cellular basis of age-related behavioral decline remains obscure but alterations in synapses are likely candidates. Accordingly, the beneficial effects on neural function of caloric restriction and exercise, which are among the most effective anti-aging treatments known, might also be mediated by synapses."Dr Sanes' team found a variety of age-related differences between the synapses of the young and old mice, which were significant by 18 months of age and severe at 24 months. However, animals fed a calorie-restricted diet initiated at 16 weeks of age had significant reductions in these age-associated changes. Additionally, one month of exercise performed by 22 month old mice partially reversed changes that had already occurred. The authors remark that although studies have found an association between life-style improvements and behavioral performance, to their knowledge there has been no previous evidence documented for the reversal of age-related structural alterations that could account for this. Read more here.
August 5, 2010
Pain - Must Know Info
Dear Living Fuel Family,
For many, pain is a constant companion. Lower back, neck, knee, joint and shoulder pain are all-too-common in today's society for a variety of reasons. Our conventional medical system often simply prescribes a pharmaceutical to mask the pain and seldom targets the root cause. In numerous cases this approach eventually leads to surgery, which is thought to be the only option.
However, there are safe and effective alternative treatments administered everyday that we do not hear about. Why? Because these procedures often lack the marketing reach and profit potential of conventional medicine.
Today, we present our second in a series of interviews with Dr. Patrick Purdue, Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DO) and Doctor of Naturopathy (ND). We introduce you to prolotherapy, a simple, nonsurgical, non-toxic treatment for chronic pain that both triggers and works in concert with your body's own innate healing abilities. This "new" treatment option has actually been used for many years. We strongly urge you to explore the possibility of prolotherapy before considering surgery for chronic pain or injury!
Click here to learn more and for useful links to more information on prolotherapy. And consider forwarding this important message to a friend or loved one who endures these types of daily pains.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC Craichy
Founder & CEO
Living Fuel, Inc.
August 4, 2010
Diet, Alcohol Affect Breast Cancer Growth
United Press International
U.S. researchers say diet and alcohol may affect the development of breast cancer tumors.
Researchers at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and the University of California, San Francisco, have linked environmental risk factors -- such as alcohol consumption and diet -- to genetic changes within breast cancers that may provide insight into how the disease will progress in an individual.
The study, published in PLoS Genetics, suggests the new biomarkers may give a more detailed view of tumor development and provide future diagnostic and treatment improvements as well as more personalized recommendations to help prevent the recurrence of cancer.
"This study provides a new window for finding environmental links to breast disease," senior author John Wiencke of San Francisco says in a statement. "Our work indicates that we will soon have new ways to monitor and assess lifestyle and environmental factors for breast cancer."
Read more here.
August 4, 2010
Obesity May Worsen Memory
In that overweight/obesity has previously been linked to increased risks of cognitive decline and dementia in older people, Diana R. Kerwin, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Illinois, USA), and colleagues studied 8,745 postmenopausal women, ages 65 to 79 years, who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative.
All subjects were free of dementia, as assessed by the 100-point standardized Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination, at the study’s start. After adjusting for confounding factors , the team found that for every one-point increase in a woman's BMI, her memory score dropped by one point. In addition, women who carried weight around the hips (“pear-shaped”) experienced more memory and brain function deterioration than women storing fat around the chest and abdomen (“apple-shaped”). The team posits the difference may be due to cytokines, hormones released by the predominant kind of fat in the body that can cause inflammation and likely affect cognition, that release differently based on the type of fat and location of deposits on the body.
The team concludes that: “Higher [body mass index] was associated with poorer cognitive function in women with smaller [waist-to-hip ratio]. Higher [waist-to-hip ratio], estimating central fat mass, was associated with higher cognitive function in this cross-sectional study."
Read more here.
August 3, 2010
Fiber Slashes Heart Disease Risk
In that previous studies have suggested that dietary fiber protects against coronary heart disease, Ehab S. Eshak, from Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan), and colleagues examined the association between dietary fiber intake and deaths due to cardiovascular disease in a group of 58,730 Japanese men and women, ages 40 to 79 years.
Subjects completed a dietary questionnaire, and the team measured fiber and nutrient intake levels. The incidence of cardiovascular-related deaths was tracked, during the 14-year long study. The team found that those men and women consuming the most fiber (14 grams per day) were 18% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, as compared to those consuming the least (6.8 grams per day).
With regard to coronary heart disease, the men who consumed the most fruit fiber were 58% less likely to die, and women 45% less likely. Noting that: “For fiber sources, intakes of fruit and cereal fibers but not vegetable fiber were inversely associated with risk of mortality from [coronary heart disease],” the researchers conclude that: “Dietary intakes of fiber, both insoluble and soluble fibers, and especially fruit and cereal fibers, may reduce risk of mortality from [coronary heart disease].”
Read more here.
August 2, 2010
Fish Oil May Slash Breast Cancer Risk
A number of previous studies have suggested that fish oil supplements may play a role in preventing chronic disease. Emily White, from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Washington, USA), and colleagues surveyed 35,016 postmenopausal women who did not have a history of breast cancer on their use of non-vitamin, non-mineral "specialty" supplements and tracked the incidence of breast cancer during a six-year follow-up period. The team found that those women who regularly used fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, had a 32% reduced risk of breast cancer, with the risk reduction limited to invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common type of the disease. Writing that: “Fish oil may be inversely associated with breast cancer risk,” the researchers urge that: “Fish oil is a potential candidate for chemoprevention studies.”
Read more here.
July 30, 2010
Peaches and Plums May Help Fight Breast Cancer
A recent study performed at Texas A&M University revealed that peaches and plums may present an even sweeter, juicier treat in their ability to fight breast cancer. According to research scientists Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos and Dr. David Byrne from AgriLife Research at Texas A&M, extracts found in commercial varieties of peaches and plums have been shown to kill breast cancer cells while not harming normal cells.
The AgriLife research scientists identified two phenolic compounds within the Rich Lady peach and Black Splendor plum that are responsible for killing the cancer cells. Phenols are organic compounds that occur in fruits and may affect traits such as aroma, taste or color. Stone fruits such as peaches and plums have especially high levels of phenols.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the cancer suppression activity of extracts from a commercial variety of a yellow-fleshed peach and a red-fleshed plum and identify the phenolic fractions that may possess potential as chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic natural compounds. Based on analysis of phenolic compounds, both peach and plum extracts effectively inhibited the proliferation of the estrogen independent MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells while not affecting normal cells.
Read more here.
July 29, 2010
Resveratrol Suppresses Inflammation in Human Trial
A report published online in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals the finding of a trial conducted at Kaleida Health's Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York of an anti-inflammatory benefit for resveratrol."Resveratrol has been shown to exert an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress effect in vitro and in animal models," Husam Ghanim, PhD and colleagues write. "Resveratrol has also been shown to prolong life expectancy and to reduce the rate of aging in the yeast and lower animals like yeast, Caenorhabtidis elegans and Drosophila. Resveratrol actions are thought to be mediated by increased expression of sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1), a gene associated with longevity."Read more here.
July 28, 2010
Chili Pepper Ingredient May Fight Fat
United Press International 07-28-10
Researchers in South Korea say chili peppers contain an ingredient -- capsaicin -- that may cause weight loss and fight fat.
Jong Won Yun and colleagues at Daegu University in South Korea say laboratory studies suggest capaicin, which produces the "hot" in hot peppers, triggers proteins that help fight obesity by decreasing calorie intake, shrinking fat tissue and lowering fat levels in the blood. However, they say, it is not known exactly how capsaicin might trigger such beneficial effects.
The report, published in the American Cancer Society's Journal of Proteome Research, reports capsaicin-treated rats lost 8 percent of their body weight and showed changes in levels of at least 20 key proteins found in fat.
Read more here.
July 26, 2010
Researchers Say Vitamin C Can Curb Cancer Growth
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) Wellington (dpa) - Vitamin C can help curb the growth of cancer cells, according to New Zealand scientists who claim breakthrough research to provide the first real evidence of a connection between the vitamin and the development of tumours.
"Our results offer a promising and simple intervention to help in our fight against cancer at the level of both prevention and cure," Associate Professor Margreet Vissers, of the University of Otago's Free Radical Research Group, said recently.
She said the role of vitamin C in cancer treatment had been the subject of debate for years, with many anecdotal accounts of the vitamin's beneficial role.
Read more here.
July 23, 2010
Antioxidant Vitamins Promote Healthy Arteries
In that a number of previous studies have found that antioxidant supplementation has the potential to alleviate the atherosclerotic damage caused by excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), Reuven Zimlichman, from Tel Aviv University (Israel), and colleagues evaluated the effects of prolonged antioxidant treatment on arterial elasticity, inflammatory and metabolic measures in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The team enrolled 70 patients from a hypertension clinic, who were randomized to receive either antioxidants or placebo capsules for six months. Tests at the beginning of the trial, after three months and at the six month mark revealed that the patients in the antioxidant group had more elastic arteries (a measure of increased cardiovascular health) and better blood sugar and cholesterol profiles. Observing that: “Antioxidant supplementation significantly increased large and small artery elasticity in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors,” the researchers write that: “This beneficial vascular effect was associated with an improvement in glucose and lipid metabolism as well as decrease in blood pressure.”
Read more here.
July 23, 2010
Tai Chi & Qigong Boost Physical & Psychological Health
Tai Chi and Qigong, two Chinese wellness practices, have been previously associated with a variety of physical and mental health benefits. Linda Larkey, of Arizona State University (Arizona, USA), and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 77 peer-reviewed journal articles that reported on the results of Tai Chi and Qigong interventions. Assessing data on the 6,410 men and women involved in the 77 studies, the team found that subjects were significantly improved on the health parameters of cardiopulmonary fitness, immune function, bone density, and quality of life, as compared to sedentary counterparts. The researchers write that: “Research has demonstrated consistent, significant results for a number of health benefits in [clinical trials], evidencing progress toward recognizing the similarity and equivalence of Qigong and Tai Chi.”
Read more here.
July 22, 2010
Omega-3 Must Know Info, Part 2
The health benefits of optimal omega-3 levels are astounding and just about everyone you know is deficient.
We've been teaching about omega-3 for many years as a cornerstone of
The Four Corners of Superfood Nutrition. It's a nutrient that you and your family simply must have! Recently, you've heard much about this essential fatty acid in the news, in your favorite magazine, from your doctor, trainer or perhaps your friends. You've determined that your family should add an omega-3 supplement to your daily regimen, so which omega-3 product on the market is the very best? And if you already have a favorite brand, what other nutrients must you take to protect yourself?
In this week's video HealthAlert, we revisit our useful guide to evaluating and choosing your family's fish oil, including a look at the philosophy and science behind Living Fuel's popular
SuperEssentials Omega.
Here's to your Super Health!
KC & Monica
July 21, 2010
Study Suggests Link of Cleaners to Breast Cancer
Misti Crane
The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio A survey of Massachusetts women has found a potential link between the use of household cleaners and air fresheners and breast cancer.
The study included interviews with 787 women who had breast cancer and 721 who did not. Researchers asked all the women about pesticide use but found little association.
But when about 400 women in each group were asked about cleaning products, researchers found a potential connection.
Read more here.
July 20, 2010
Late Onset Calorie Restriction May Be Positive for Anti-Aging
Research presented at the British Society for Research on Ageing conference, held July 15-16 in Newcastle, England reveals that calorie restriction, even started later in life, reduces cellular senescence: the point at which a cell can no longer replicate, which has been hypothesized to be a major cause of aging due to its impact on the body's tissues.Read more here.
July 17, 2010
Weight Loss And Vitamin E Two Liver-disease Fighters
Drs. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden
The Sacramento Bee, Calif. 07-16-10
Liver disease is a huge problem worldwide, and one of the contributors is the epidemic of obesity. Persistent obesity often leads to fat deposits and inflammation in the liver, and unchecked inflammation ultimately produces scarring and even cirrhosis.
Perhaps you've thought of cirrhosis of the liver as a drinker's disease; in fact, obesity is now a common cause of cirrhosis. More than 20 percent of all liver disease in the United States is now attributed to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, also known as NAFLD.
So how do we treat inflammation in the liver when it's caused by fat? The most obvious answer is to lose weight, but for many people this is difficult. Thus, scientists have looked for ways to reduce inflammation in the liver before scarring sets in.
A recently published study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that high-dose vitamin E might be one answer.
Read more here.
July 16, 2010
Low vitamin D Levels Can Predict Parkinson's Disease
In yet another study to reveal the far-reaching benefits of vitamin D, researchers at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland report in the July, 2010 issue of the AMA journal Archives of Neurology the finding of a correlation between reduced blood levels of vitamin D and an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.Average vitamin D levels among the participants were approximately half of current recommended levels, which is most likely attributable to Finland's higher latitude. Those whose serum vitamin D levels were among the top 25 percent of the subjects at 50 nanomoles per liter or greater had one-third the adjusted risk of developing Parkinson's disease than that of subjects whose vitamin D levels were among the lowest fourth at less than 25 nanomoles per liter.Read more here.
July 15, 2010
Can Omega 3s Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer?
(NaturalNews) A study released by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has found that high omega-3 consumption helps to prevent colon cancer. Dr. Sangmi Kim and her team discovered what many other studies have already found, mainly that omega-3s are anti-inflammatory cancer fighters.
The research team compared groups of people who consumed varying levels of omega-3s and found that those in the top fourth bracket of omega-3 consumption had half the risk of developing colon cancer when compared to those in the bottom fourth.
The team also found that high intake of omega-6s compared to omega-3s indicates an increased risk of developing colon cancer. That is why many health experts recommend consuming a proper balance of omega-3s and omega-6s, with an ideal ratio of about 1:1.
Read more here.
July 14, 2010
Carbo Unloading
by Paula Goodyer
Sunday Star-Times 07-14-10
WHEN CONSIDERING which foods increase the risk of heart disease, you might think of fatty bacon rashers, but not a bowl of refined breakfast cereal. But to defend arteries from the thickening and hardening that can lead to heart disease and stroke, it might pay to be choosy about your carbs.
We're all familiar with the standard dietary advice to head off heart disease - avoid saturated fat and trans fats in favour of healthier fats. But, according to Professor Jennie Brand-Miller of the School of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Sydney, there's growing evidence that too many carbohydrates with a high Glycemic Index (GI) - the kind that cause rapid rises in blood sugar - may also contribute to heart disease.
The trouble with a diet heavy on rapidly digested carbohydrate foods - such as many white breads, refined breakfast cereals, processed snack foods, biscuits and potatoes - is their potential to increase levels of blood glucose. High levels of glucose are "toxic" to arteries, Brand-Miller explains. "Not only do they encourage plaque to form in the artery walls, they also cause inflammation that ages arteries, making them stiffer and less elastic, while also increasing the formation of blood clots."
Read more here.
July 13, 2010
Reduced Vitamin D Levels Linked to Cognitive Decline
A study conducted by an international team of researchers, published in the July 12, 2010 issue of the American Medical Association journal Archives of Internal Medicine, found a greater risk of cognitive decline in older individuals with vitamin D insufficiency compared to those with sufficient levels.Researchers from the University of Exeter, the UK Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, the University of Michigan, Perugia University Hospital and Medical School in Italy, and the US National Institute on Aging analyzed data from more than 850 men and women who participated in the InCHIANTI study from 1998 to 2006. Cognitive function assessments, including measures of cognitive performance, mental flexibility and mental speed, were conducted at the beginning of the study, and at three and six years.Read more here.
July 12, 2010
Exercise, Drink Tea to Prevent Dementia
By Mary Brophy Marcus
USA TODAY 07-12-10
Improved living and diet habits -- including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels -- could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies presented Sunday.
"These are encouraging," says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "
The studies were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Honolulu.
Read more here.
July 12, 2010
Can Antioxidant Rich Foods Improve Insulin Resistance?
(NaturalNews) According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDKD), insulin resistance is a condition in which the pancreas eventually can't keep up with the body's demand for insulin (a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy). Eventually, an excess of glucose builds up in the bloodstream -- and that sets the stage for type 2 diabetes.
New research just presented at the Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting, held in San Diego, shows that natural antioxidants in the diet can be a powerful way to improve insulin resistance -- even in people who are obese and suffering from metabolic syndrome.
A precursor of diabetes associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions (including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels) that raise the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes.
Read more here.
July 9, 2010
Simple Lifestyle Modifications May Slash Stroke Risk
Researchers involved in the Interstroke study, involving 22 countries, find that ten leading risk factors may account for 90% of risk of stroke. Comparing the lifestyle of 3,000 stroke patients with a matched group of 3,000 healthy counterparts (serving as the control group), Martin J O'Donnell, from McMaster University (Ontario, Canada), and colleagues observed that high blood pressure, smoking, a fat stomach, poor diet and lack of exercise accounted for 80% of stroke cases.
Five additional factors of diabetes, excess alcohol, stress and depression, heart disorders and the presence of apolipoproteins in the blood were found to account for 10% additional stroke cases. Noting that many of the risk factors coincide with those linked to heart attack risk, the team concludes that: “Our findings suggest that ten risk factors are associated with 90% of the risk of stroke. Targeted interventions that reduce blood pressure and smoking, and promote physical activity and a healthy diet, could substantially reduce the burden of stroke.”
Read more here.
July 9, 2010
The Right Shades Are Important
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News A recent survey by the American Optometric Association lays out guidelines for choosing the right sunglasses, and reveals that many Americans are at risk for sun-related eye problems.
Just as folks slather on the sunscreen before heading outdoors, precautions also need to be made for the eyes. Exposure to ultraviolet rays can lead to cataracts, benign growths, cancer of the eyelids and macular degeneration (damaged retinas), among other maladies. The survey, released in May, shows that two-thirds of people surveyed did not list UV protection as a factor in choosing protective eyewear.
Dr. Tim Fields, a local optometrist, said exposure to sunlight has a cumulative affect, which is why it's important for parents to make their children wear protective eyewear. According to the survey, less than 45 percent of parents take such measures.
"It's not something that just goes away," he said of the problems that come with prolonged exposure, "so children are much more at risk to the UV light."
Read more here.
July 9, 2010
Long-Term Antioxidant Supplementation Improves Arterial Health
An article published online on July 6, 2010 in Nutrition and Metabolism reports the outcome of a clinical trial which found that supplementing with four important antioxidants improved arterial elasticity and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels while reducing hemoglobin A1C (glycated hemoglobin, or HbA1C, a marker of prolonged elevated blood glucose) in men and women at risk of cardiovascular disease.Reuven Zimlichman and colleagues at Israel's Wolfson Medical Center enrolled 70 patients from the Center's hypertension clinic who had at least two of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, low HDL cholesterol or cigarette smoking. Participants were randomized to daily supplementation with 1000 milligrams vitamin C, 400 international units vitamin E, 200 micrograms selenium and 120 milligrams coenzyme Q10, or a placebo for 6 months. Arterial elasticity and blood levels of lipids, HbA1C and other factors were evaluated before treatment and at three and six months.By the end of the treatment period, HDL-cholesterol increased and blood pressure and HbA1C were reduced compared to baseline levels among those who received antioxidants while remaining relatively unchanged in those who received a placebo. Small and large arterial elasticity also significantly improved in the antioxidant-supplemented group.Read more here.
July 9, 2010
Fish Oil May Cut Breast Cancer Risk
Postmenopausal women who take fish oil supplements for at least 10 years may be at less risk of developing breast cancer, according to the results of a recent report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Regular consumption of fish oil supplements, which contain high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, was linked with a 32 percent reduced risk of breast cancer concluded the observational study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington. The reduction in risk seemed to be limited to invasive ductal breast cancer, the most common type of the disease. Read more here.
July 9, 2010
Low Vitamin D linked to metabolic syndrome in seniors
Insufficient and deficient levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by about 40 percent, according to new findings. According to findings presented at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego, of the 1,300 white Dutch men and women ages 65 and older surveyed almost 50 percent were vitamin D deficient, and about 37 percent of the total sample had the metabolic syndrome. “Because the metabolic syndrome increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, an adequate vitamin D level in the body might be important in the prevention of these diseases,” said study co-author Marelise Eekhoff, MD, PhD, of VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam.The study supports previous findings from other studies. A report in Diabetes Care last year showed that about 40 percent of elderly Chinese people may have metabolic syndrome, linked to insufficient or deficient levels of vitamin D.Read more here.
July 8, 2010
Fruits & Vegetables Must Know Info
Dear Living Fuel Family,
It’s hard to top a cold, crisp fresh-cut watermelon on a scorching summer day. Fresh fruit and vegetables are among the most powerful (and flavorful) fuel for our bodies! In today’s timely HealthAlert, we explore how we can maximize the nutrition of our favorite produce and protect our families from potential hazards such as herbicides and pesticides.
It’s best to shop the perimeters of our grocery store, but how do we safely navigate the vast array of colorful fruits and vegetables in the produce section? Which non-organic fruits and vegetables are OK to eat when the organically-grown equivalent is not available? Which should you always try to purchase organically and why? Which fruits and vegetables are genetically-modified? Which are listed in the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” and which are on the “Clean 15″? What is a PLU number and why is it important?
Learn the answer to these questions, have a pen handy and empower yourself by clicking here to watch.
For more information, visit our enhanced website at www.livingfuel.com or call 1-866-580-FUEL (3835).
Here’s to your SuperHealth,
KC and Monica Craichy
Founder & CEO
Living Fuel, Inc.
July 8, 2010
Nutrition's Potential to Save Sight
While 20/20 vision is a symbol of visual acuity, between now and the year 2020, more and more people will experience some extent of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other sight-robbing diseases.
Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists at the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research are finding that healthy eating can reduce not only health care costs, but also the decline of quality of life due to these diseases. The laboratory, directed by Allen Taylor, is part of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Mass.
One study indicated that regularly consuming a combination of protective nutrients and a low-glycemic-index, or "slow carb," diet provided an AMD protective effect. A food's glycemic index is an indicator of how fast the carbohydrate it contains will spike blood sugar levels. The macula is a 3-millimeter-wide yellow spot near the center of the retina responsible for the central field of vision.
Read more here.
July 7, 2010
Antioxidants Demonstrate Brain Health Benefits
Dr David Vauzour, a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Reading, is leading research into how antioxidants may improve brain function - with animal studies throwing up interesting results.
At the NutraIngredients Antioxidants 2010 conference in Brussels, Dr Vauzour explained how the interaction between antioxidant compounds and the architecture of the brain can produce benefits such as reduced rates of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
Watch video interview of Dr. Vauzour.
July 6, 2010
Decreased Salt Consumption May Lead to Iodine Deficiency
Xinhua News Agency - CEIS The trend among Americans to reduce salt consumption raises concern about iodine deficiency, particularly among pregnant women and infants, thyroid experts say.
Cutting salt consumption may be good for the heart, but it might also lead to lower levels of iodine, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) said in a report published in the June issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Iodized salt is an important source of dietary iodine in the U.S. and worldwide. Iodine, essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, is obtained solely through diet," the report noted.
Read more here.
July 6, 2010
Stay Hydrated in Summer
The Sacramento Bee, CaliforniaWe all make plans to enjoy the outdoors in summer. But did you make plans for ensuring that you are well-hydrated?
Dehydration can take place quickly and can be dangerous, even fatal. It occurs when too much water is lost from the body, not enough is taken in, or both.
The three major ways we lose water are through breathing out, sweating and urinating. Diarrhea, vomiting and uncontrolled diabetes can also be causes of excess water loss.
Many summer activities involve outdoor exertion, and it is important to remember that sweating can lead to rapid depletion of water. Just taking an energetic walk in hot weather can cause as much as 16 ounces of fluid to leave the body. More significant exertion or sports - beach volleyball, biking, hiking, swimming - can lead to much greater water loss.
Read more here.
July 6, 2010
Vitamin D And Mental Agility in Elders
At a time when consumer interest in health-enhancing foods is high, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have contributed to a limited but growing body of evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function.
Cognitive function is measured by the level at which the brain is able to manage and use available information for activities of daily life. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of age-related dementia, affects about 47 percent of adults aged 85 years or older in the United States. Identifying nutritional factors that lower cognitive dysfunction and help preserve independent living provides economic and public health benefits, according to authors.
Read more here.
July 5, 2010
Olive Oil’s Anti-Inflammatory Benefits and Gene Expression
Phenolic compounds in olive oil could help repress genes linked to inflammation, thereby providing a molecular basis for the reduction of heart disease risk already linked to the consumption of olive oil.
The study, published in Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics, tested the impact of consuming an olive-oil rich breakfast in people suffering from metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions linked to heart disease and diabetes.
“This study shows that intake of virgin olive oil based breakfast, which is rich in phenol compounds is able to repress in vivo expression of several pro-inflammatory genes, thereby switching activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to a less deleterious inflammatory profile,” wrote the researchers.
“These results provide at least a partial molecular basis for reduced risk of cardiovascular disease observed in Mediterranean countries, where virgin olive oil represents a main source of dietary fat.”
Read more here.
July 1, 2010
Resveratrol Boosts Brain Blood Flow in Humans
In a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from Northumbria and Newcastle Universities in England report the results of a double-blinded, crossover study which found a benefit for oral resveratrol consumption on cerebral blood flow.Resveratrol was found to dose-dependently increase blood flow during task performance, as demonstrated by increased total hemoglobin concentrations. Deoxygenated hemoglobin also increased following both doses of resveratrol, suggesting increases in oxygen extraction and utilization. No significant differences in cognitive function were observed.Read more here.
June 28, 2010
Dirty Teeth Linked To Heart Disease
Agence France-Presse People with poor oral hygiene are more at risk of heart disease compared with counterparts who brush their teeth twice a day, according to a recent Scottish study.
University College London researchers looked over data from an investigation into 11,000 people in Scotland, covering their medical history, family records of disease and lifestyle.
Seven out of 10 reported they brushed their teeth twice a day, and six out of 10 said they visited the dentist every six months.
Those who were less frequent in their brushing, though, had a 70 percent extra risk of heart disease.
Read more here.
June 25, 2010
B-Vitamins May Curb Depression
WorldHealth.net
Kimberly A. Skarupski, from Rush University Medical Center (Illinois, USA), and colleagues collected data on 3,500 Chicago-area men and women, ages 65 years and older, surveying their dietary habits and assessing for symptoms of depression, following the subjects for an average of 7.2 years.
What did they find and how does it affect you?
Read about it here.
June 24, 2010
Resveratrol Supplementation Reduces Weight Gain in Primate
In an article published online on June 22, 2010 in the journal BMC Physiology, Fabienne Aujard and Alexandre Dal-Pan of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, along with Stéphane Blanc of the Université de Strasbourg, report that resveratrol reduces seasonal body-mass gain in a primate model of weight gain. Resveratrol, which is found in red grapes and other plant foods, had been demonstrated to protect rodents from diabetes and obesity caused by a high-fat diet; however, the compound's effects on weight loss had not been studied in higher animals.Dr Aujard and her associates tested the effect of four weeks of resveratrol supplementation in grey mouse lemurs. These animals gain a significant amount of weight during the winter months by entering a daily state of inactivity (torpor) accompanied by a reduction in body temperature in order to conserve energy.Supplementation with resveratrol reduced the animals' seasonal weight gain by decreasing calorie intake by 13%, inhibiting the depth of daily torpor, and increasing resting metabolic rate by 29%. While a hormone which promotes the mobilization of fat stores (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) increased, no other significant changes in satiety hormone levels were noted.Read more here.
June 22, 2010
Decreased Salt Consumption May Lead to Iodine Deficiency
Xinhua News Agency - CEIS
LOS ANGELES, (Xinhua) -- The trend among Americans to reduce salt consumption raises concern about iodine deficiency, particularly among pregnant women and infants, thyroid experts say.
Cutting salt consumption may be good for the heart, but it might also lead to lower levels of iodine, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) said in a report published in the June issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Iodized salt is an important source of dietary iodine in the U.S. and worldwide. Iodine, essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, is obtained solely through diet," the report noted.
Overall, Americans still receive sufficient iodine, but many pregnant women may be iodine-deficient due to reduced consumption of iodized salt.
Read more here.
June 21, 2010
Study - Supplements Beat Sun for Vitamin D Boost
Adequate vitamin D levels are best achieved by supplements because of the side-effects of UV exposure, says the results of a new computer simulation model from the US.
We can produce vitamin D in our skin on exposure to sunlight, but the merits of getting the supplement via sunlight or supplements is a source of ongoing debate.
In the US, where over 1.5 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, experts are pushing supplements, claiming recommendations for sun exposure are "highly irresponsible".
Scientists from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research in Tromsø used a computer model to determine optimal sun exposure times to produce blood levels of vitamin D3 equivalent to 400 or 1000 IU of vitamin D.
Read more here.
June 20, 2010
Dental X-rays Increase Risk of Cancer
A study of 313 cancer patients found the chances of developing thyroid cancer rose with repeated exposure to dental X-rays, British scientists said.
The results suggest dental X-rays should only be prescribed for a specific clinical need, rather than as part of a routine checkup, said the study's lead author, Dr. Anjum Memon of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
The thyroid gland, located in the neck, is sensitive to ionizing radiation, especially in children, Memon and his team said.
The findings of the study were consistent with previous reports of increased risk of thyroid cancer in dentists, dental assistants and X-ray workers, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday. Dental X-rays also have been linked with an increased risk of brain and salivary gland tumors.
"The public health and clinical implications of these findings are particularly relevant in the light of increases in the incidence of thyroid cancer in many countries over the past 30 years," Memon said.
Read more here.
June 17, 2010
Greater Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Delay Age-related Hearing Loss
An article published online in a recent American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals the finding of Australian researchers of a protective effect for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and fish consumption against the development of age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis.For the current research, Paul Mitchell of the University of Sydney and his colleagues evaluated data from participants in the Blue Mountains Hearing Study of age-related hearing loss conducted between 1997 and 2004. The participants underwent audiologic examinations upon enrollment and at 5 and 10 year follow-up visits. Food frequency questionnaire responses were analyzed for dietary intake of fish and the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), in addition to the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-6 fatty acids.Greater total omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with a lower risk of hearing loss at the beginning of the study, and increased long chain omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with a reduced risk of developing hearing loss over follow-up. A reduction was also observed among those who consumed at least 2 servings of fish per week, who had a 42 percent lower risk of hearing loss at the 5 year follow-up compared with those who ate 1 serving per week. Additionally, a reduced risk of hearing loss progression was observed in those who consumed 1 to 2 servings of fish per week.Read more here.
June 16, 2010
LivingFuel HealthAlert: Study - White Rice Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk
Agence France-Presse 06-15-10
A US-based study on Monday linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety.
People who ate at least five servings of white rice per week had a 17 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than those who consumed less than one serving per month, Harvard School of Public Health scientists found.
Examining data from over 197,000 adults for up to 22 years, the study also found that consuming two or more servings of brown rice per week was associated with an 11 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than one serving a month.
Patients with diabetes have high blood sugar levels, which are linked to the body's inability to produce enough insulin in order to properly break down sugars and starches into glucose for energy.
"We believe replacing white rice and other refined grains with whole grains, including brown rice, would help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes," said lead author Qi Sun, of Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Read more here.
June 15, 2010
The Right Diet Could Lower the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
A recent article published online in
FASEB Journal reports the discovery of Temple University researchers of the benefit of a low methionine diet in slowing or reversing early to moderate stage Alzheimer's disease in an animal model.
Methionine is an essential amino acid that occurs in relatively high amounts in red meat, fish, eggs and other foods. A byproduct of methionine metabolism is homocysteine, another amino acid that has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease as well as cardiovascular disease when elevated.
Acting on previous findings of an association between a methionine-rich, homocysteine-elevating diet and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model, Domenico Praticò and postdoctoral student Jia-Min Zhuo sought to determine the effects of lowering homocysteine in the same strain of transgenic mice. In the current study, the animals were divided to receive a high methionine diet or a healthy (control) diet for 5 months, following which the group receiving the methionine-rich diet was subdivided to receive either the same regimen or the healthy diet for two months. "The question we asked now as a follow-up is if, for whatever reason, you had made bad choices in your diet, is there a chance you can slow down or even reverse the disease or is it too late — that there is nothing you could do," Dr Praticò explained.
Read more here.
June 14, 2010
Americans Get Most Radiation From Medical Scans
Americans get the most medical radiation in the world, even more than folks in other rich countries. The U.S. accounts for half of the most advanced procedures that use radiation, and the average American's dose has grown sixfold over the last couple of decades.
Too much radiation raises the risk of cancer. That risk is growing because people in everyday situations are getting imaging tests far too often. Like the New Hampshire teen who was about to get a CT scan to check for kidney stones until a radiologist, Dr. Steven Birnbaum, discovered he'd already had 14 of these powerful X-rays for previous episodes. Adding up the total dose, "I was horrified" at the cancer risk it posed, Birnbaum said.
Radiation is a hidden danger — you don't feel it when you get it, and any damage usually doesn't show up for years. Taken individually, tests that use radiation pose little risk. Over time, though, the dose accumulates.
Read more here.
June 11, 2010
Heavy Drinking Linked to Pancreatic Cancer
United Press International
The more alcohol a man consumes, the higher his risk of pancreatic cancer, U.S. researchers suggest.
Researchers did not find the association among women, possibly due to the lower proportion of women who reported heavy or binge drinking, U.S. researchers suggest.
Lead author Dr. Samir Gupta, assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who conducted the research while at the University of California, San Francisco, finds men who drank alcohol increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by 1.5 to 6 times compared with those who didn't drink alcohol or who had less than one drink per month.
For the use of the study, the researchers defined one drink as one can, bottle or 12 ounces of beer; a 4-ounce glass of wine; or one shot of liquor. The heaviest drinkers consumed 21 to 35 drinks per week, while binge drinking was defined as five or more drinks in one episode.
The study did not find a pancreatic cancer/alcohol link in women, perhaps because they often drink fewer drinks compared to men, Gupta says.
Read more here.
June 11, 2010
Tanning Beds Can Quadruple Risk for Dangerous Skin Cancer
The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
The biggest study ever done on tanning beds and melanoma finds that indoor tanning can raise the risk of that cancer roughly two to four times.
Scientists have long known that heavy exposure to ultraviolet rays, including sunburns and heavy tanning, can cause skin cancer. That link is one reason tanning businesses were taxed in the recent health reform law, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may beef up warnings and ban teens from using tanning beds.
But doctors are still trying to figure out just how risky indoor tanning is. After studying more than 2,200 tanners and their pale peers, scientists report that regular indoor tanning raised a person's risk of melanoma -- the deadliest skin cancer -- between 74 percent and 340 percent. People who tanned longer had higher risk, as did people who tanned in beds that mostly use UVA radiation, not a related kind known as UVB.
"Too many teenagers tend to live a life ignorant of risk," said researcher Electra Paskett. "We need to encourage a shift in social norms about tanning similar to what was done with smoking because the risk is that high."
Read more here.
June 10, 2010
Blueberries May Counteract Damage from Overexercise
In that skeletal muscle damage can result from unaccustomed or excessive exercise, muscle dysfunction has been observed to occur as a result of an increased level of reactive oxygen species (free radicals).
Roger D. Hurst, from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (New Zealand), and colleagues exposed developing skeletal muscle fibers (myotubes) to various concentrations of fruit extracts, along with two compounds that induce cellular stress.
The team found blueberry extract to protect the muscle fibers in a dose-dependent fashion. Containing malvidin galactoside and malvidin glucoside, the team suggests these two antioxidant compounds “may be beneficial in alleviating muscle damage caused by oxidative stress.”
Read more here.
June 9, 2010
Study Shows How Radiation Causes Breast Cancer
(NaturalNews) It's well-established that exposure to ionizing radiation can trigger mutations and other genetic damage and cause normal cells to become malignant. So it seems amazing how mainstream medicine frequently dismisses the idea that medical imaging tests from mammograms to CT scans could play much of a role in causing breast cancer.
Common sense suggests there is plenty of reason to be worried about radiation causing breast cancer. And now there's a new reason to be concerned. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered that radiation exposure can alter cells' microenvironment (the environment surrounding cells). And that greatly raises the odds future cells will become cancerous.
Read more here.
June 8, 2010
Less Depression Linked to Vitamins B6 and B12
A recent report published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals a lower risk of developing depression among men and women who consume greater amounts of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Read more here.
June 8, 2010
Drinking Soda May Accelerate Aging
WorldHealthNet
New research suggests that drinking sodas and eating processed foods, both of which contain high levels of phosphates may accelerate the aging process. M. Shawkat Razzaque, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (US), and Mutsuko Ohnishi from the Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (Japan), studied the effects of high phosphate levels in three groups of mice.
Read more here.
June 7, 2010
Zinc Supplements Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
An article published in the June, 2010 issue of the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition describes a clinical trial involving older men and women which found reductions in markers of oxidative stress and inflammation among those who supplemented with zinc. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are risk factors for atherosclerosis, and zinc deficiency has been observed in a number of other diseases associated with these conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and cancers. "We previously observed that healthy elderly subjects had increased concentrations of plasma lipid peroxidation byproducts and endothelial cell adhesion molecules compared with concentrations in younger adults," the authors write in their introduction. "Zinc was proposed to have an atheroprotective function because of its antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and other properties."
Read more here.
June 4, 2010
Increased Premature Death Risk Linked to Short Duration Sleep
A review of 16 prospective studies involving more than 1.3 million participants has revealed that sleeping for less than 6 hours each night significantly increases the risk of premature death. Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health, and Society Programme at the University of Warwick (UK) and colleagues found that people who sleep for less than six hours each night were 12% more likely to die prematurely than those who get the recommended 6-8 hours. People who sleep for more than 9 hours each night were also found to be more likely to die prematurely, however Professor Cappuccio believes that sleeping for less than 6 hours may represent a cause of ill-health, whereas sleeping for 9 or more hours is thought to be an indicator of ill-health. "Consistently sleeping 6 to 8 hours per night may be optimal for health," said Professor Cappuccio. "The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioral risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counseling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favourable modifications of the physical and working environments."
Read more here.
June 4, 2010
Low Levels of Vitamin D Make Asthma Worse
(NaturalNews)
Asthmatics with low levels of vitamin D may suffer more severely from the disease than patients with sufficient levels of the vitamin, according to a study conducted by researchers from National Jewish Health in Denver and published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
"Our findings suggest that low vitamin D levels are associated with worse asthma," lead researcher E. Rand Sutherland said.
The researchers measured the vitamin D blood levels of 54 asthma patients, along with their lung function, airway hyper-responsiveness and response to steroid drug treatment.
Read more here.
June 2, 2010
Radiation Risks Cited In Full-Body Airport Scans
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
06-01-10
Full-body airport security scanners manufactured by Torrance-based Rapiscan Inc. expose the skin to high radiation levels that may lead to cancer and other health problems, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.
Particularly at risk, the researchers said, are travelers who are pregnant, elderly or have weakened immune systems.
The machines emit X-ray energy levels that would be safe if they were distributed throughout the body, but a majority of that energy is delivered to the skin and underlying tissue at levels that "may be dangerously high," the researchers wrote last month to the White House Office of Science and Technology.
Read more here.
June 1, 2010
Professional Hockey and Vitamin D
PRNewswire-USNewswire
The Chicago Blackhawk team physicians began diagnosing and treating vitamin D deficiency in all Blackhawk players about 18 months ago. Apparently, most players are on 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day. To confirm this assertion, simply ask the Blackhawk organization.
After many losing seasons, last year the Blackhawks came out of nowhere to get to the Western conference finals. This year the Blackhawks are playing even better.
Read more here.
May 28, 2010
Important Study for Women with Type 2 Diabetes
NewsRx.com Women with type 2 diabetes who ate the most bran in a study had a 35 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a 28 percent reduction in death from all causes than women who ate the least amount, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association (see also Type 2 Diabetes).
Bran is a component of whole grain rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
"To my knowledge, this is the first study of whole grain and its components and risk of death in diabetic patients," said Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study. "Patients with diabetes face two to three times the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death compared to the general population."
Read more here.
May 28, 2010
Low Testosterone, Obesity Linked
Obesity, already linked to heart disease and diabetes, may also be associated with low testosterone levels, a condition that affects only men, according to a University at Buffalo study.
Results of the study published in the online version of the journal Diabetes Care showed that 40 percent of obese participants had lower-than- normal testosterone readings. The percentage rose to 50 percent among obese men with diabetes.
The researchers also found that as body mass index -- the relationship of weight to height -- increased, testosterone levels decreased.
"The effect of diabetes on lowering testosterone levels was similar to that of a weight gain of approximately 20 pounds," said Dr. Sandeep Dhindsa, lead author and a UB endocrinology specialist.
Considering that almost one-third of the U. S. population is considered obese, the findings could have significant medical and public health implications, the authors reported.
Read more here.
May 27, 2010
Less Is More When Restraining Calories Boosts Immunity
Scientists funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that volunteers who followed a low-calorie diet or a very low-calorie diet not only lost weight, but also significantly enhanced their immune response. The study may be the first to demonstrate the interaction between calorie restriction and immune markers among humans.
Read more here.
May 24, 2010
Vitamin D and Physical Function in Older Men and Women
Information presented recently as part of the scientific program of the American Society for Nutrition at the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting in Anaheim, California, revealed the discovery of an association between higher vitamin D levels and improved physical functioning among older individuals. Physical function contributes significantly to quality of life, an important consideration in the quest for extended life spans.
Read more here.
May 21, 2010
Broccoli Extract May Shield Skin from UV Rays
Unprotected prolonged exposure to sunlight raises the risk of ultraviolet (UV) radiation to cause or accelerate skin aging as well as skin cancer.
Albena T. Dinkova-Kostova, from Johns Hopkins University (Maryland, USA), and colleagues fed broccoli sprout extracts, high in glucoraphanin, a precursor to compounds in broccoli that have been identified as potent anti-carcinogens, to laboratory mice previously exposed to UV radiation. The researchers found that a daily dose of 10 moles of glucoraphanin inhibited the subsequent development of skin tumors, with skin tumor incidence reduced by 25% and tumor volume by 70%.
Read more here.
May 20, 2010
Processed Meats Linked to Heart Disease
United Press International
Processed meats -- bacon, hot dogs or processed deli meats -- are linked to more than a 40 percent higher risk of heart disease, U.S. researchers found.
Read more here.
May 19, 2010
Vitamin and Calcium Supplements May Slash Breast Cancer Risk
By WorldHealth.net
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with over one million new cases diagnosed annually worldwide. Jaime Matta, from the Ponce School of Medicine (Puerto Rico), and colleagues studied data collected on 268 women with breast cancer, matching it with data from 457 healthy controls. The team found that women were more likely to have breast cancer if they were older, had a family history of breast cancer, had no history of breastfeeding and had lower DNA repair capacity. Notably, vitamin supplements appeared to reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 30 %, whereas calcium supplements reduced the risk by 40%.
Read more here.
May 18, 2010
Omega-3 Linked to Healthier, Stronger Bones
Increased intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, and DHA in particular, may increase bone mineral content and produce healthier, stronger bones, suggest results from a study with rats.
Omega-3 is one of the stars of the nutrition industry, with the ingredients market valued at a whopping $1.6 billion by Frost & Sullivan. The fatty acids, most notably EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), have been linked to a wide-range of health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and certain cancers, good development of a baby during pregnancy, joint health, and improved behaviour and mood.
According to findings of a new study with rats, DHA “appears to be a vital constituent of marrow” and enhances bone mineral content (BMC). The findings did not extend to EPA, however.
Scientists from Purdue University, Indiana University School of Medicine, Korea Maritime University, and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), report their findings in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Read more here.
May 18, 2010
Long-term vitamin E supplementation and reduced COPD Risk
A presentation at the American Thoracic Association 2010 International Conference on May 18, 2010 revealed the discovery by researchers at Cornell University and Brigham and Women's Hospital of a lower risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in women who supplemented with vitamin E, an antioxidant.
"The oxidant/antioxidant balance in lung tissue is hypothesized to contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk, and observational studies consistently report high antioxidant status associated with lower risk of COPD and asthma," write researchers Anne Hermetet Agler and colleagues in an abstract that describes their findings.
The team analyzed data from 38,270 health professionals aged 45 and older who participated in the Women's Health Study, which evaluated the effects of every other day regimens of aspirin or vitamin E in cancer and heart disease prevention over a 10 year period. Follow-up questionnaires ascertained new diagnoses of chronic lung disease, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis.
Read more here.
May 17, 2010
New Study - Probiotics Could Benefit Metabolic Syndrome
A new study by Danisco indicates that probiotics could help improve the metabolic syndrome by counteracting the adverse effects of a high-fat diet.
According to the unpublished findings, which were presented recently at the Keystone Symposium on Diabetes in Canada, the benefit is the result of a reduction in tissue inflammation and metabolic endotaxaemia.
“The new screening tests have revealed that Bifidobacterium lactis B420, in comparison with other probiotic strains, has the potential to reduce the adverse effects associated with high-fat diets and alleviate metabolic diseases,” said Dr Sampo Lahtinen, senior scientist at Danisco’s Health and Nutrition Research Centre in Kantvik, Finland.
Read more here.
May 12, 2010
Treating Chronic Ear Infections Naturally
by Joseph Pizzorno, ND
In the late 1970s, a young couple brought their son to me for help with his chronic ear infections. They were tired of repeated antibiotic treatments since his infections just kept recurring. When their family MD found out they were seeing a naturopath and not using antibiotics again, he reported them to child protective services. Child protective services took their son from them asserting that not using antibiotics was child abuse. Fortunately, the husband was an attorney, but it still took more than a month to get their now traumatized son back. I am willing to give the MD the benefit of the doubt that it was concern for the child rather than injured pride that dictated his actions. But he was wrong. Research now shows that, except in a few specific situations, antibiotics have at best a slight benefit and carry with them adverse effects such as disturbing the gut flora, increasing the incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, etc. In fact, one study showed that the more antibiotics are used, the more frequent the recurrences of ear infections. Recently, an international group of experts could not come to consensus on whether antibiotics should be used in ear infections. They could only agree they should be used less!(1,2) The problem, of course, is that antibiotics rarely treat the true cause of the chronic infections, a common problem with many conventional medicine treatments.
Read more here.
May 11, 2010
Greater Vitamin K Intake Associated With Lower Diabetes Risk
A study conducted in the Netherlands, reported online on April 27, 2010 in the journal
Diabetes Care, has found an association between the intake of both vitamin K1 and K2 with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht analyzed data from 38,094 Dutch participants in the EPIC study cohort who were between the ages of 20 and 70 upon enrollment. Dietary questionnaire responses were analyzed for intake of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2).
Read more here.
May 7, 2010
Sugar and Your Heart
by Monica Reinagel
The idea that excessive sugar intake may play a major role in the development of heart disease is not new. Even the American Heart Association, which changes course about as nimbly as an ocean liner, is finally shifting its sights away from dietary fat and cholesterol and toward added sugars as the primary target for intervention. Two new studies add fuel to the fire.
Read more here.
May 5, 2010
Blueberries May Counteract Damage from Overexercise
In that skeletal muscle damage can result from unaccustomed or excessive exercise, muscle dysfunction has been observed to occur as a result of an increased level of reactive oxygen species (free radicals). Roger D. Hurst, from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited (New Zealand), and colleagues exposed developing skeletal muscle fibers (myotubes) to various concentrations of fruit extracts, along with two compounds that induce cellular stress. The team found blueberry extract to protect the muscle fibers in a dose-dependent fashion. Containing malvidin galactoside and malvidin glucoside, the team suggests these two antioxidant compounds “may be beneficial in alleviating muscle damage caused by oxidative stress.”
Read more here.
May 5, 2010
Weight Loss and Physical Activity Improve Symptoms of GERD
Business Wire
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a debilitating problem for sufferers -- heartburn, difficulty swallowing, chest pain and acid reflux. According to a Mayo Clinic study that will be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2010 in New Orleans May 1-5, even moderate weight gain can exacerbate those symptoms,DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researcher in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
The good news, however, according to Michael D. Crowell, Ph.D., FACG, researcher in Gastroenterologyat Mayo Clinic in Arizona, along with colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Minnesota, is that weight loss through restriction of calories and increasing physical activity significantly improves symptoms of GERD. Improvements persisted for 18 months for study participants. This study strongly suggests that even moderate weight loss by lifestyle modification in overweight and obese patients may be valuable in treating this condition, according to Dr. Crowell.
Read more here.
May 4, 2010
New Study About Benefits of Probiotics
A new study by Danisco indicates that probiotics could help improve the metabolic syndrome by counteracting the adverse effects of a high-fat diet.
According to the unpublished findings, which were presented last week at the Keystone Symposium on Diabetes in Canada, the benefit is the result of a reduction in tissue
inflammation and metabolic endotaxaemia.
“The new screening tests have revealed that Bifidobacterium lactis B420, in comparison with other probiotic strains, has the potential to reduce the adverse effects associated with high-fat diets and alleviate metabolic diseases,” said Dr Sampo Lahtinen, senior scientist at Danisco’s Health and Nutrition Research Centre in Kantvik, Finland.
Read more here.
May 3, 2010
Higher Heart Problem Risk for Women with High Glycemic Index
Consuming carbohydrates with high glycemic index-an indicator of how quickly a food affects blood glucose levels-appears to be associated with the risk of coronary heart disease in women but not men, according to a report in the April 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals (see also JAMA and Archives Journals).
High-carbohydrate diets increase the levels of blood glucose and of harmful blood fats known as triglycerides while reducing levels of protective HDL or "good" cholesterol, thereby increasing heart disease risk, according to background information in the article. However, not all carbohydrates have the same effect on blood glucose levels. The glycemic index is a measure of how much a food raises blood glucose levels compared with the same amount of glucose or white bread. A related measure, the glycemic load, is calculated based on the glycemic index of a given food and also on the total amount of carbohydrates it contains.
Read more here.
April 30, 2010
Congressman Waxman Adds Anti-Vitamin Amendment
(NaturalNews) Of all the sneaky tactics practiced in Washington D.C., this recent action by Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) is one of the most insidious: While no one was looking, he injected amendment language into the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 4173) that would expand the powers of the FTC (not the FDA, but the FTC) to terrorize nutritional supplement companies by greatly expanding the power of the FTC to make its own laws that target dietary supplement companies.
April 30, 2010
Yet Another Attempt on Capitol Hill to Take Away Our Vitamins
From Life Extension
"The threat of a regulatory stranglehold over dietary supplements has intensified.
Earlier this year, Sen. John McCain introduced a bill that would have given the FDA draconian new powers. A citizen’s revolt ensued that caused that bill to be sidelined. We are being watchful that Sen. McCain does not try to slip some of his oppressive original proposals into another Senate bill.
The urgent issue we face today is language Rep. Henry Waxman snuck into the already passed Wall Street Reform Bill (H.R. 4173) that he hopes to get into the Senate bill. This language would give unelected FTC bureaucrats arbitrary authority to impose crippling requirements that will drive up the costs of supplements or remove them from the market entirely."
Read more here.
April 28, 2010
High Fat, High Sugar Diet Activates Weight-Gain Genes
It is not simply a matter of the extra calories in and of themselves. Excessive caloric intake turns on gene signals that actively promote the storage of calories as fat. If those gene signals are repetitively activated and conditioned to stay on, you are in real metabolic trouble. A new study in the FASEB journal is part of an emerging body of science showing how improper food consumption
sets gene-related metabolic signaling that cripples healthy metabolism.
Researchers conducted tests in two groups of mice on the brain’s opioid receptors involved with pleasure signaling and metabolism. One group had the kappa opioid receptor genetically deactivated (“knocked out”) and the other group was normal. Both groups were given a high fat, high sucrose, energy dense diet for 16 weeks. While the control group of mice gained significant weight and fat mass on this diet, the mice with the deactivated receptor remained lean.
Read more here.
April 26, 2010
Dietary Weight Loss Reverses Atherosclerosis
In a fundamental discovery with sweeping public health implications Israeli researchers have proven for the first time that the process of long-term weight loss is capable of
reversing heart disease.
The study tested low-fat, low-carbohydrate, and Mediterranean diets over a two-year period in 140 overweight people (88% men, average age 51). It found that any of the diets could produce cardiovascular benefit as long as a certain amount of weight was lost. This means that it is the process of weight loss, not dietary components, that are responsible for the improvement.
Read more here.
April 23, 2010
Added Sugar Can Increase Heart Attack Risk
United Press International
Added sugars -- especially in processed foods and beverages -- may increase heart disease risk factors, U.S. researchers said.
Study co-author Dr. Miriam Vos, assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed nutritional data and blood lipid (fat) levels in more than 6,000 adult men and women from 1999 to 2006.
The highest-consuming study subjects ate an average of 46 teaspoons of added sugars per day, while the lowest-consuming study subjects are an average of just 3 teaspoons daily.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found those who ate more added sugar were more likely to have higher cardiovascular disease risk factors -- including higher triglyceride levels and higher ratios of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein, the "good" cholesterol.
Read more here.
April 23, 2010
Vitamin, Calcium Supplementation Reduces Breast Cancer?
The American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010 held in Washington, DC, was the site of a presentation on April 18 concerning the finding of a protective effect of vitamins and calcium against breast cancer.
Jaime Matta, PhD of the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and his colleagues compared 268 Puerto Rican women with breast cancer to 457 healthy control subjects. DNA repair capacity (DRC), a biological process involving over 200 proteins, which, when disrupted, increases cancer risk, was measured in the white blood cells of all participants.
Read more here.
April 22, 2010
Dietary Supplement Use and Lower Risk of Cervical Dysplasia
An article published in the April, 2010 issue of the
International Journal of Gynecologic Cancers reports the finding of researchers at Korea University College of Medicine and Korea's National Cancer Center of a lower risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN, also known as cervical dysplasia) among human papilloma virus (HPV) positive women who consumed vitamin supplements. Human papilloma virus has been identified as the agent responsible for cervical cancer, for which cervical intraepithelial neoplasia is a precursor. The condition is detected by a pap smear and graded according to stage as CIN 1, 2 or 3. Although CIN can regress on its own, it is frequently treated with cryocautery, electrocautery or other methods.
Read more here.
April 14, 2010
Can Bread Cause Diabetes?
We know that food -- specifically too much of it and the resulting weight gain -- causes type 2 diabetes. But could what we eat be a cause of type 1 diabetes? Perhaps, says a new study that has linked wheat consumption to development of type 1 diabetes in young people (generally age 40 and younger), in a finding that has surprised many doctors and scientists. This is research that Daily Health News contributing editor, Andrew L. Rubman, ND, says is "quite amazing and hugely important."
Unlike the more common type 2, type 1 diabetes is a progressive autoimmune disorder that people develop early in life. Some cases have clear genetic roots, but scientists have believed that environmental factors could also play a role -- including, possibly, something in the diet. This small study from the University of Ottawa demonstrates that one factor may be wheat consumption.
Read more here.
April 12, 2010
Magnesium Supplementation Improves Asthma Control
The February 2010 issue of the
Journal of Asthma published the findings of a clinical trial involving adults with mild to moderate asthma which noted improvements in asthma control and quality of life after six months of supplementation with magnesium.
Alexandra Kazaks, PhD of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington, along with colleagues at the University of California, Davis, randomized 55 asthmatic men and women aged 21 to 55 to receive 340 milligrams per day magnesium as magnesium citrate or a placebo for 6.5 months. Bronchial responsiveness, as assessed by a methacholine challenge test, and pulmonary function, assessed by spirometry, were evaluated before and after the treatment period. Questionnaires designed to assess asthma control and quality of life were administered at the beginning and end of the study, and exhaled nitric oxide and serum C-reactive protein were measured to evaluate bronchial and systemic inflammation. Additionally, magnesium in serum, red blood cells and urine, and total body magnesium stores were analyzed. Dietary intake of magnesium was quantified via 24-hour dietary records completed prior to the initial visit and at 3 and 6.5 months.
Read more here.
April 12, 2010
Higher Vitamin D Levels Could Save Thousands of Lives a Year
Canadian Press
TORONTO - A new study estimates that if more Canadians increased their intake of vitamin D, the death rate could fall by 16 per cent, or as many as 37,000 premature deaths a year.
The number crunchers factored in the association between vitamin D deficiency and a variety of diseases and conditions, including bone diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
The research was published recently in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.
"The result of this study strongly suggests the personal and economic burden of disease in Canada could be significantly reduced if optimal vitamin D levels are increased," primary author William Grant, of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco, said in a recent release.
Read more here.
April 9, 2010
Multivitamins During Pregnancy May Boost Infant Health
Daily supplements of multivitamins during pregnancy may improve the growth of the baby in the womb, says a study with African American women.
Women who were taking daily
multivitamins in and around the time of conception gave birth to babies who weighed on average half a kilo more than babies from women not taking the supplements, report Heather Burris from Harvard University and Allen Mitchell and Martha Werler from Boston University in the Annals of Epidemiology.
“African American women in the United States deliver preterm and low
birth weight infants two to three times more frequently than their white counterparts,” explained the Boston-based researchers.
Low birth weight has been linked to higher risks of negative health outcomes, including neonatal and infant mortality, poor growth and cognitive development, and higher risks of chronic diseases later in life, like diabetes and heart disease.
Read more here.
April 7, 2010
New Study - Omega-3 May Slash Risk of Heart Failure
By Stephen Daniells
Increased intakes of fatty fish, and the omega-3s they contain, may reduce a woman’s risk of heart failure by about 25 per cent, according to new findings from the US and Sweden.
The benefits appear linked to the
omega-3 content of the fish, report researchers in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The highest intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids linked to a reduction in the risk of
heart failure of 25 per cent.
The heart health benefits of consuming oily fish, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain, are well-documented, being first reported in the early 1970s by Jorn Dyerberg and his co-workers in The Lancet and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. To date, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been linked to improvements in blood lipid levels, a reduced tendency of thrombosis, blood pressure and heart rate improvements, and improved vascular function.
Read more here.
April 6, 2010
Reduced Vitamin K Intake Affect Cancer Mortality?
An article published online in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports the finding of researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and the German Research Centre for Environmental Health of an association between reduced vitamin K2 intake and an increased risk of dying from cancer.
Read more here.
April 5, 2010
Vitamin D Could Save Germany Billions in Health Costs
By Stephen Daniells
Ensuring the German population gets adequate intakes of vitamin D could save the country about €37.5 billion in health care costs, according to a new review.
Writing in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Professor Armin Zittermann from Ruhr University Bochum states that up to 45 per cent of the German population could be
vitamin D insufficient, with an additional 15 to 30 per cent deficient, thereby putting them at risk at a variety of health problems.
In addition, current recommendations are not enough and need to be doubled at least, wrote Prof Zittermann, with daily intakes of 25 micrograms required. This would represent a significant increase from current recommendations, which range from 5 to 10 micrograms per day.
“Adherence to present sun safety policy and dietary recommendations would definitively lead to vitamin D deficiency,” states Prof Zittermann. “Therefore, there is an urgent need to change current sun safety policy and dietary vitamin D recommendations.”
Read more here.