A diet rich in fish, fruits, and vegetables, with moderate consumption of alcohol, and low in dairy products has been associated with lower levels of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.  It is however not clear as to how the consumption of these food roots affect endothelial dysfunction and/or low-grade inflammation over time.

A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that fish consumption, but not fruit, vegetable, alcoholic beverage, or dairy product intake was associated with lowered endothelial dysfunction, the inner lining of the art series, and low-grade inflammation, and healthy adults.

The authors measured diet by the and computer assisted cross check diet history method among women with an average age of 36 years.

At 36 to 42 years of age, the authors measured various markers of inflammation in the blood and investigated the association between food groups and changes in the markers related to endothelial dysfunction and low-grade inflammation.  Higher amounts of these two types of markers is associated with a higher risk and incidence of developing cardiovascular disease.

After adjusting for sex, energy intake, the am I, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking behavior, and other full groups, fish consumption greater than 3 ounces per week, but none of the other food groups, was inversely associated with changes and endothelial dysfunction and low-grade inflammation.

EPA and DHA, to omega-3 fatty acids were inversely associated with changes and endothelial dysfunction and explained 83 and 40% of the patient between fish and changes in the two markers.

Source:

The Journal of Nutrition

A recent report released by environmental working group, a consumer protection agency, has found that many popular sunscreens contain chemicals that are known carcinogens, which defeats their intention of preventing skin cancer.

The research shows that sunlight combined with certain sunscreen ingredients  can damage skin cells, which leads to the development of cancer cells.   Unfortunately, the United States FDA, has supposedly been aware of this critical research for the last decade, but has not acted to warn consumers about it.

According to a news story released by AOL news, approximately 50% of sunscreens tested contained vitamin a ingredients and derivatives like retinol and retinyl  palmitate, which studies conducted by the FDA have demonstrated its ability to cause cancer when exposed to sunlight.

Also, an older FDA study explains that sunscreens containing vitamin A ingredients cause  tumors and lesions to develop and spread almost 21% faster than sunscreens that do not contain vitamin A ingredients.

To be clear, vitamin A found in food and nutritional supplements is absolutely essential for good health.  Vitamin A added to sunscreens are chemically different, and their interactions with sun rays, in particular, ultraviolet rays actually create carcinogens in the scan.

According to Jane Houlihan, when questioned by AOL news about the issue, “The FDA continues to remain silent about the dangers of vitamin A and sunscreen, including its recent updated sunscreen guidelines that make no mention of them.

“There was enough evidence 10 years ago for the FDA to caution consumers against the use of vitamins A in sunscreens.  The FDA launched this one is study, completed their research, and now 10 years later, they say nothing about it, just silence.”

AOL news question the FDA about this matter, and a spokeswoman responded by claiming that the agency “thoroughly checked” its records and could not find any evidence of such a study.

However, a report issued in 2000 by the United States national toxicology program site the same FDA research which found that vitamin A derivatives are both phototoxic and photocarcinogenic.

The Environmental No Working Group tested numerous sunscreens and found that only 7.8% that were tested as part of its annual analysis turned out to be “Safe effect was a warning to the group’s safety standards.  The remaining 92.2%, which represented hundreds of sunscreens on the market currently, contain one or more ingredients known to be harmful to health, which is a very shocking number when considering how widespread their use is. .

Regarding safe sunscreens to use, the group recently released its fifth annual sunscreen guide, a database of more than 1700 sun products from 292 brands that are recognized as containing non-toxic and safe ingredients.

Ideally for health, however regular exposed to sunshine without the use of a sunscreen is necessary for obtaining and maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D.  The vast majority of sunscreens block the ultraviolet B sunrays that are responsible for stimulating the production of vitamin D in the skin.

The vitamin D Council, a nonprofit group dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of vitamin D for health, recommends that all individuals use the Sun as their primary source of gain vitamin D.  Depending on your skin type, meaning your level of pigmentation, you will need anywhere from 15 minutes to over a half an hour of daily sunlight exposure.  In order to achieve and maintain optimal vitamin D levels.

Source:

AOL news

www.vitamindcouncil.org

Researchers in Tel Aviv, Israel, have found that a minimum bark extract, called CEppt, may be a key player in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Michael Ovadia, he was led to investigate the healing properties of cinnamon, after reading a passage in the Bible.  Cinnamon was used in a holy ointment by high priest, presumably intended to prevent the development of infectious diseases and after discovering it had antiviral properties.

Ovadia and colleagues isolated CEppt, then set it to genetically engineered fruit flies and mice.

Their research was published in the Journal PLoS ONE, determined that after four months, the development of Alzheimer’s disease significantly decrease, while the animals longevity and activity levels were similar to that of their healthy counterparts.

Unfortunately, the researchers advises against taking cinnamon for these purposes, because it will require a far more toxic level of the spies, more than 10 g of raw cinnamon a day, to experience the beneficial effects.

According to Ovadia, “The medical catch-22 would be to extract the active substance from cinnamon, separating it from the toxic elements.  The discovery is extremely exciting.  While there are companies developing synthetic Alzheimer’s disease inhibiting substances, our extract would not be a drug with side effects, but a safe, natural substance that human beings have been consuming for millennia.”

Source: UPI Health

A study found that cholesterol lowering drugs, also known as statin drugs, are associated with decreased heart muscle function.

These drugs are linked to muscle damage,  weakness and a breakdown of muscle fibers resulting in the release of muscle fiber contents into the bloodstream.

Statin drugs are highly toxic because they stop the cells from producing a key vitamin, CoQ10, which is the cause of the side effects.  Relatively low doses of statin drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor effectively reduce plasma cholesterol levels. These drugs function by halt an enzyme that changes the chemical HMG-CoA to mevalonate, which is an early and rate-limiting step in cholesterol production. A branch of the mevalonate cholesterol pathway in mammalian cells leads to the formation of CoQ10. Also, high levels of statin drugs can reduce CoQ10 in the liver and compactin reduces LDL-bound CoQ10 at doses prescribed by physicians.

Unfortunately, most doctors are unaware of the cause of these complications, and could recommend taking CoQ10 supplements to their patients when prescribing these drugs.   Pharmaceutical company even has a patent on the drug and CoQ10 combination, since but never released it.

A Unique Drug Vitamin Patent

In 1989, Merck& Co., makers of lovastatin was awarded patent #4,933,165.  Tthe reasons for the combination of statin drug plus CoenzymeQ10 are as follows:

Coenzyme Q10 is a redox component in the respiratory chain and is found in all cells having mitochondria. It is thus an essential co-factor in the generation of metabolic energy and is particularly important in muscle function.

Researchers, led by Dr Karl Folkers, have measured the levels of Coenzyme Q10 in heart tissue biopsy samples taken from patients with varying stages of damage to the heart muscle.  These researchers observed decreasing tissue levels of CoQ10 with increasing severity of the symptoms of cardiac disease.

No FDA Warning

Unfortunately, the FDA doesn’t warn consumers of this dangerous and reversible side effect.

There are no official warnings in the U.S. regarding CoQ10 depletion from taking statin drugs, and many physicians fail to inform you about this problem as well. Labeling in Canada, however, clearly warns of CoQ10 depletion and even notes that this nutrient deficiency “could lead to impaired cardiac function in patients with borderline congestive heart failure.”

The majority of people who use statin cholesterol-lowering drugs are doing so because they believe lowering their cholesterol will prevent heart attacks and strokes. However, new research shows they are linked to heart muscle damage and an increased risk of having  stroke!

A study published in Clinical Cardiology determined that the heart muscle function in the control group, the participants who didn’t take a statin drug was much better compared to those who did.

Also, the usefulness of statin drugs has received tough scrutiny in recent months, and that scrutiny is well deserved.  A study published in Clinical Cardiology found that heart muscle function was “significantly better” in the control group than in those taking statin drugs! The researchers concluded:

“Statin therapy is associated with decreased myocardial [heart muscle] function.”

What’s often the end result when your heart muscle function is weakened or decreased? Heart failure!

How Statin Drugs Damage the Heart

The Clinical Cardiology study did not address causes, because statin drugs damage muscle, it is completely logical to see how the heart can be damaged by this drug, since it is a specialized muscle.

In addition to halting CoQ10 production, these drugs,  also reduce the blood cholesterol that transports CoQ10 and other fat-soluble antioxidants.

The loss of CoQ10 leads to loss of cell energy and increased free radicals which, in turn, can further damage your mitochondrial DNA, effectively setting into motion an evil circle of increasing free radicals and mitochondrial damage.

As your body gets more and more depleted of CoQ10, you may suffer from fatigue, muscle weakness and soreness, and eventually heart failure, so it is imperative if you take statin drugs that you take CoQ10 or, if you are over the age of 40, the reduced version called ubiquinol.

In our next issue, we’ll take a look at its role in increased stroke risk and other diseases.

Source:

Clinical Cardiology December 2009; 32(12):684-9

The mineral zinc, may protect diabetics (type 2-adult onset), according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests.

According to Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy, a professor of chemistry and of biophysics,  amylin,  a protein forms dense clumps that shut down insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and disrupts the body’s ability to control  blood sugar levels. Zinc  may help prevent this disruption that amylin causes.

Healthy people with normal zinc levels, in the pancreas, this protein helps to regulate blood sugar leves.  It’s analog, a chemical compound similar to a nature substance — of amylin called symlin works together with  insulin to manage blood sugar levels in diabetics, Ramamoorthy says.

Amylin is helpful because zinc acts to regulate and modify it’s destruction properties.  However, when type 2 diabetics  are zinc deficient,  But in a zinc-starved cellular environment of a patient with type 2 diabetes, amylin is missing a critical regulator to  rein it in and it is free to clump together with other amylin molecules, and cause damage.

Source: Journal of Molecular Biology.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/07/01/Zinc-may-help-with-type-2-diabetes/UPI-15051309573358/print/#ixzz1R3A1lviU

A study finds in addition to benefits related to the common cold and cancer, vitamin C helps reduce both the physical and psychological effects of stress on people.

Research studies have found that vitamin C recently helps reduce both the physical and psychological effects of stress on people.

People who have high levels of vitamin C do not show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to acute psychological challenges. What’s more, they bounce back from stressful situations faster than people with low levels of vitamin C in their blood.

Earlier studies showed that vitamin C stopped cortisol release in stressed animals. It is  a hormone created by our adrenal glands in response to stress. Cortisol stimulates our “fight or flight” response to stress. That allows us to spring into action when we sense danger. Once it gets into the circulatory system, it is responsible for triggering a protective response to the entire body.

German researchers subjected 120 people to a well known stressor, public speaking, combined with solving math problems. Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Indicators of stress, include elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high blood pressure were much higher in those who did not receive the vitamin supplement. The participants taking  vitamin C experienced feeling less stress when they got the vitamin.

Our bodies easily recover from a short term release of this hormone.  But continuous high levels of cortisol,  overstimulates our cells and can lead to tissue and organ damage. Thus making us more susceptible to memory loss, learning impairment, the development of chronic diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and cognitive impairment.

In the animal studies, vitamin C fed to rats undergoing stress not only maintained normal cortisol levels, it also stopped the  animals from exhibiting the known signs of physical and emotional stress, including loss of body weight. Those that did not receive vitamin C had t a three -fold increase  of stress hormones.

The current recommended daily amount (RDA) for vitamin C for adults is 60 milligrams—a fraction of the 1,000 mg given and found helpful in the new stress study.  Many believe, the  RDA for vitamin C is vastly underestimated.  It was set several decades ago and is based on the minimum on the amount of the vitamin needed to ward off scurvy (vitamin C deficiency disease).

Current thinking looks at vitamin C from the opposite direction: The amount needed to promote health under varying environmental conditions. That appears to be a lot greater than the amount needed to prevent deficiencies.

There’s also evidence suggesting that our ancient ancestors had a tropical diet  fruit rich diet that allowed the consumption of  large amounts of vitamin C in a.  If so, the physiological constitution we have inherited may require far larger daily doses of vitamin C than the current RDA, perhaps as high as 1,000 mg.

Vitamin C is found in fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits and red and green peppers. It’s also found in papayas, cantaloupes, strawberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, asparagus and parsley. Vitamin C is not present in meats, and a small amount in raw fish.

Source:

http://clinicalstudiespublishing.com/pdf/supplemental/intjsptmed2001_22.pdf

Senior citizens consuming diet rich in olive oil have  lower risk of developing  stroke, compared to those who  do not.   For five years, French researchers at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux, France studied more than 7,000 people over 65 residing in three cities, Bordeaux, Dijon and Montpellier.

The participants were divided into groups, according to their olive oil consumption, ranging from those who did not use it at all to those who used it in cooking, dressings and on bread.

During the course of the study 148 participants experienced a stroke.

When the researchers analyzed the data, after adjusting for factors such weight, physical activity, and diet, they determined that the “intensive” olive oil users had a 41 per cent lower risk of having  stroke compared to those who had no olive oil consumption.

The findings were published in Neurology, the medical publication of the Academy of Neurology.

Study author, Cecilia Samieri noted, “Our research suggests that a new set of dietary recommendations should be issued to prevent stroke in people 65 and older.

“Stroke is so common in older people and olive oil would be an inexpensive and easy way to prevent it.”

Source: Yahoo news

A green tea compound was recently found to have a powerful ability to increase the number of T cells that play a regulatory role, a key participant in the immune system function.

Emily Ho, of the Linus Pauling Institute, located at Oregon State University, says that this finding may be one of the reasons that green tea is beneficial in controlling inflammation, improving  immune system function and preventing cancer.

Drugs with a similar function, have be the source of great interest and research among pharmaceutical companies, but they have toxicity problems.

Dr. Ho notes, “This appears to be a natural, plant-derived compound that can affect the number of regulatory T cells, and in the process improve immune function.

“When fully understood, this could provide an easy and safe way to help control autoimmune problems and address various diseases.”

In this study, the researchers experimented with the green tea compound, EGCG, a powerful polyphenol, antioxidant with known health benefits.  EGCG is believed to be responsible for many of green tea’s beneficial properties. It possesses anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory characteristics.

The researchers found that EGCG caused a larger number of regulatory T cells to be produced.  While it’s effects weren’t as potent as drugs, but had fewer concerns about toxicity or long term use.

“EGCG may have health benefits through n epigenetic mechanism, meaning we aren’t changing the underlying DNA codes, but just influencing  what gets expressed, what cells get turned on, Dr. Ho says.

Laboratory studies done with mice, Ho said, showed that treatment with EGCG significantly increased the numbers and frequencies of regulatory T cells found in spleen and lymph notes, and in the process helped to control the immune response.

“Epigenetic regulation can be potentially exploited in generating suppressive regulatory T cells for therapeutic purposes, and is of significant clinical importance for the suppression of autoimmune diseases,” the researchers said in their study.

The research was done by scientists from OSU, the University of Connecticut, and Changwon National University in South Korea. The work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.

The study was published in Immunology Letters.

Source:

http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2011/jun/mechanism-discovered-health-benefit-green-tea-new-approach-autoimmune-disease

According to a recent study, conducted at several research institutions across the United States, – Vitamin D deficiency is present in almost all patients who’ve experienced an acute heart attack (acute myocardial infarction).

The active Vitamin D 25(OH)D levels were measured in 239 patients  that were participants in  a 20 hospital prospective myocardial infarction registry. Patients enrolled from June 1 to December 31, 2008, had blood samples sent to a centralized laboratory  and analyzed. Normal 25(OH)D levels are ≥30 ng/ml, and patients with levels <30 and >20 ng/ml were classified as insufficient and those with levels ≤20 ng/ml as deficient.

Over 75% Were Vitamin D Deficient

Of the 239 enrolled patients, 179 (75%) were 25(OH)D deficient and 50 (21%) were insufficient, for a total of 96% of patients with abnormally low 25(OH)D levels.

No significant differences  was observed among age or gender subgroups, but 25(OH)D deficiency was more commonly seen in non–Caucasian patients and those with lower social support, no insurance, diabetes, and lower activity levels.

Radiation Protection

While our knowledge of Vitamin D increases, it is becoming clear that the most active form, Vitamin D3 (calcitriol), has the ability to provide  protection against a spectrum of cellular damage caused by radiation. It’s protective action is carried coordinated by a wide variety of mechanisms.

A paper in the International Journal of Low Radiation argued that vitamin D should be considered among the prime nonpharmacological agents that offer protection against low radiation damage and radiation-induced cancer — or even the primary agent.:

“… [O]ur understanding of how vitamin D mediates biological responses has entered a new era … In view of the evidence that has been presented here, it would appear that vitamin D by its preventive/ameliorating actions should be given serious consideration as a protective agent against sublethal radiation injury, and in particular that induced by low radiation”.

Sources:

www.sciencedailynews.com

International Journal of Low Radiation 2008; 5(4)

Did you know there are substances, food additives that destroy your brain cells and are linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, brain tumors and seizures? Do you drink diet sodas? Do you eat “fat free” foods? Do you consume artificial sweeteners? You might want to reconsider what you’re putting in your body.

Do you read your food package labels, before you buy the food?  Perhaps you should.

Many years ago, shortly after it came on the market, I heard that Nutrasweet was very toxic. Initially, I found that hard to believe. I thought for sure if it was toxic, the FDA wouldn’t have approved it. But years later, while watching a 60 minute program on brain tumors, and the link between I was surprised to discover the story behind its approval and the harmful effects it had on humans.

Initially the FDA initially refused to approve aspartame, but later did, without any additional research or proof that it was safe for human consumption?

CBS’ 60 Minutes” television program in December of 1996 pointed out that the alarming rise in brain tumors in the United States was in direct proportion to the rise in the use of aspartame in the United States since aspartame was allowed to be introduced into foods and beverages by the FDA around l981. After viewing that program, I have not touched a food product or diet drink containing aspartame! Prior to that I drank a huge number of Diet Cokes daily, and sweetened most all my foods and beverages with it.

Another very concerning additive that’s in many processed food products is MSG-monosodium glutamate.  Glutamate, is an amino acid that’s proven to be an excitotoxin.  Excitoxins, are substances that overstimulate brain cells that causes the stimulation of a particular gene, that triggers its death.  MSG has been added to foods since the 1950s, and research has shown that it over stimulates the same areas of the brain linked to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ADD, and other serious brain disorders.

Research studies have also determined that exposure before birth, during infancy and childhood in all animals exposed is linked to adult obesity, aggressive violent behavior, high cholesterol levels and other illnesses.

MSG is also linked to severe damage of the retina ( a part of the eye).

Other names for MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)

Carragenan

Yeast extract

Natural flavors

Hydolyzed Protein Extract

More Information:

I’d encourage you to set aside the time and watch this outstanding lecture given by Russell Blaylock, MD, a retired neurosurgeon, author and lecturer.  He eloquently explains the history, activity and toxicity, and dangers of MSG.

Here’s a link to the 60 Minute segment How Sweet Is It?

Deadly deception:

http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/deadly_deception.htm