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Isotonic Resveratrol

Drink your Resveratrol

TUESDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) — Strenuous exercise appears to stop the body’s cells from killing themselves as they’re programmed to do, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that cells of people who had just run a marathon didn’t engage in what is called apoptosis — the natural death of cells.

“Apoptosis is a normal physiological function dependent on a variety of signals, many of which can be modulated by strenuous exercise. Here, we’ve shown for the first time that exercise modulates expression of the sirtuin family of proteins, which may be key regulators of training,” study lead author Gabriella Marfe, of the University of Rome, said in a news release.

Marfe and colleagues took blood samples from 10 male athletes who’d taken part in a 42-kilometer run and found a shift in the balance between expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes after the race.

The researchers think that proteins in the sirtuin family may play a protective role in preventing cell death through exercise.

So should you go out for a run? Be careful if you haven’t been training, Marfe said. “Untrained amateur athletes often do hard training without professional advice. Such intense and exhaustive exercise can be harmful to health,” she said. To achieve beneficial effects, the authors recommend that exercise be part of a lifelong regimen with expert medical advice and supervision.

The study was published May 10 in the journal BMC Physiology.

More information

St. George’s University of London has more about apoptosis.

I do not run marathons. But I take Resveratrol in isotonic form. Resveratrol promotes apoptosis (programmed cell death) in unhealthy cells

SOURCE: BioMed Central, news release, May 10, 2010

By TODD NEALE
June 5, 2010
Eating a Mediterranean diet — one high in fruits, fish, and vegetables and low in saturated fat — is associated with a reduced likelihood of asthma in children, a large observational study reaffirmed.
Overall, choosing foods increasingly similar to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower prevalence of both wheeze and asthma, Dr. Gabriele Nagel, of Ulm University in Germany, and colleagues reported in the June issue of Thorax.
In contrast, children who ate burgers at least three times a week had increased odds of having asthma.
“Fast food is rich in industrially hydrogenated vegetable fats such as margarine and meat from ruminant animals which are dietary sources of trans-fatty acids,” the researchers noted. “There is some evidence that dietary intake of trans-fatty acids is associated with asthma and atopy [allergic sensitivity].”
The findings support previous studies that identified links between increased consumption of fish, fruits, and vegetables with reduced asthma symptoms, although the researchers noted that causal connections could not be established.
Also here is more information on ongoing research
These are the findings of a study to be presented this week at the American Thoracic Society ATS 2010 International Conference in New Orleans that is taking place from May 14th to 19th.
Dr. Lisa Wood, a research fellow of the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, and colleagues monitored asthma patients after they ate low and high fat meals and found that within hours of eating the high fat meal they were showing signs of airway inflammation not seen when they ate the low fat meal, and the high fat meal also appeared to inhibit their response to the asthma reliever Ventolin (albuterol).
Rates of asthma have gone up in westernized countries in recent decades, and experts suggest environmental factors like lifestyle and diet may be an important factor, especially since westernized diets have considerably more fat than more traditional ones.
Previous research shows that high fat diets stimulate the immune system, causing higher levels of inflammation markers in the blood. However, the researchers believe this is the first study to examine how a high fat meal may affect airway inflammation.
The high fat, high calorie meal of fast food burgers and hash browns contained about 1,000 calories, with over 50 per cent of them coming from fat.
The low fat, low calorie meal of reduced fat yogurt contained about 200 calories, with only 13 per cent of them from fat.
Wood said the study was important because it was the first to show a high fat meal can produce this effect.
For more information: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsletters.php for details.
All this supports what everyone knows already -fatty food is bad for you.

Cancer?

Author: Nathan
June 6, 2010

“Those who fail to take the time to be healthy
will ultimately have to take the time to be sick.”
~ Dr. James Chappell
Cancer does not develop for some unknown reason. Once you understand why and how it develops, and learn how to support your body so that it may more effectively fight cancer, it may never be too late to get healthy again. (No matter what type, they have the same underlying causes.)
Cancer is a natural process where, to put it simply, an overworked and weakened immune system cannot kill it as fast as it is multiplying. Toxin, carcinogens, radiation, even viruses, combined with an unhealthy internal environment , and in conjunction with a weakened immune system, cause more cells to turn cancerous, and allows them to thrive.
Cancer is a perfectly natural process. A very small percentage of cells in every person who has ever lived turn cancerous. And the body usually gets rid of those cancerous cells before they do harm. This process has been going on for eons. It is only when more cancer cells are being created than the body can get rid of that the problem comes. With increased toxins, viruses, carcinogens, etc. our immune systems have become significantly overworked and weakened.
Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.
18 things that CAUSE cancer: (in no particular order)
Smoking cigarettes
Drinking non-organic milk or eating non-organic dairy products
Hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids
Mammography radiation
Chemotherapy and radiation
Perfumes and fragrance products
Cosmetics and personal care products
Home cleaning products, including laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc.
Plastic food containers – includes plastic lining inside food cans
Sodium nitrite – found in most processed meats
Pesticides, PCBs, chlorine and other chemicals
Acrylamides (formed during high-heat food processing such as frying)
Watching television / lack of exercise
Severe emotional distress or relationship stress
Refined sugars / refined grains
Dry cleaning chemicals
Hair color chemicals
Nail polish remover
22 things that PREVENT cancer:
Anti-cancer foods
Green tea
Medicinal mushrooms – reishi, shiitake, agaricus blazei, etc.
Lycopene and tomatoes
Infra-red saunas and sweat lodges – because sweating expels toxins
Chlorella
Pomegranate seeds
Rainforest herbs – There are many anti-cancer rainforest herbs, including graviola and Cat’s Claw (Una de Gato).
Juice detoxification
Acupuncture – helps move blood and chi (body’s energy)
Sprouts – ALL sprouts are anti-cancer. Best sprouting machine is the EasyGreen Automatic Sprouter (use any search engine to find resellers)
Red clover – Helps cleanse the blood. Find from any supplement maker.
Deep breathing / oxygenation / stress reduction
Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates – These all boost lymph circulation
Cacao – (real chocolate)
Therapeutic massage – helps move lymph, boost circulation
Mint – grow your own (the easiest plant to grow)
Apricot pits / laetrile / vitamin B17

May 29, 2010

So what do we do?

We do need the sun exposure for vitamin D production but how much sun is too much?

Here are some suggestions from US News and World report.

Coinciding with the first week of summer, a study published today underscores the importance of getting adequate amounts of sunlight for its vitamin D-boosting benefits. The research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that those with the lowest vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period compared with those with the highest vitamin D levels. The researchers cite “decreased outdoor activity” as one reason that people may become deficient in vitamin D. Another recent study found an increased risk of heart attacks in those with low vitamin D levels.
The sunshine vitamin may protect against a host of diseases, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon. What’s more, sunlight has other hidden benefits—like protecting against depression, insomnia, and an overactive immune system.
Given all the upsides of basking at least briefly in the summer sun, many experts now worry that public-health messages warning about skin cancer have gone overboard in getting people to cover up and seek the shade. U.S. News got in touch with Robyn Lucas, an epidemiologist at Australian National University who led a study published in the February issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology . Her finding: Far more lives are lost to diseases caused by a lack of sunlight than to those caused by too much.
Sun protection messages arose in response to rapidly increasing rates of skin cancers, and they were an essential public-health message. But we now recognize that some sun exposure is important for health, at the very least, to maintain healthful vitamin D levels. (Sunscreen blocks out nearly all UV radiation.) Taking this into account, the Cancer Council of Australia has eased its sun protection message a little over the last few years and now recommends that if you’re out in the sun for relatively short periods, with a UV index less than 3, which indicates a moderate amount of UV rays hitting your area on a given day, then sunscreen and other sun protection (like hats and protective clothing) are not required. Beyond this, I believe we all need a little unprotected time in the sun during the middle hours of the day when the sun is at its highest and UV-B rays can penetrate the atmosphere.

Salba is a grayish-white seed new to the U.S., but it’s been around a long time. There are many reasons why I consider it a super nutritional star for women’s hormonal health. It has the highest known whole-food source of omega-3 fatty acids found anywhere in nature. It contains a perfect 1:4 ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s. That ideal ratio is required for optimal health and hormones: regulating heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, immune support, and reduction of inflammation. Inflammation is now understood to play a major role in chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Inflammation is also a factor in many women’s hormonal issues, such as endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, PMS, fibroids, and fibrocystic breasts. Studies have shown that eating a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids reduces your risk of breast cancer. Salba also has the highest fiber content of any food; insoluble fiber is important for hormone balance. It helps to decrease estrogen overload by binding to the extra estrogen in the digestive tract. This extra estrogen is later eliminated from the body through the feces.

What vitamins and minerals are most women lacking?
In general, women are really deficient in minerals. Most women need to supplement with magnesium, selenium, chromium, and iodine. Our endocrine glands need these minerals. In the vitamin department, women (and men) are generally very deficient in vitamin D. This vitamin, which is really a hormone, is critical for immune support, cancer prevention, preventing depression, and even preventing Alzheimer’s.

It seems that Americans are looking for a SUPER food or supplement to fix their health problem.
Great. At least we are looking.
But why not to take care of your health while you are still healthy?
What is wrong with prevention?
Good supplements will certainly help.
But it is not enough!
Get your butt of the couch. Don’t pig out. Forget fast food joints.
Educate yourself about chemicals in your life.
And finally take your supplements if you like.

May 13, 2010

By US News and World Report.
Have frequent heartburn? Take Nexium. An advertising blitz for that little purple pill helped it become the No. 2 best-selling prescription drug in the U.S., with sales of $6.3 billion last year–and let’s not forget the billions spent on its over-the-counter cousin, Prilosec. Now, though, researchers are warning that this category of heartburn drugs, called proton pump inhibitors, may do more harm than good, at least for people with garden-variety heartburn. A series of new studies, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that daily use of these drugs, which suppress the production of stomach acid, increases the risk of infection with an intestinal bacteria and increases the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. Previous research has shown that they also increase the likelihood of contracting pneumonia.
“About 60 to 70 percent of people taking these drugs have mild heartburn and shouldn’t be on them,” says Mitchell Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health who wrote an editorial that accompanied the new studies. “It’s not just a question of unnecessary costs, but unnecessary side effects.” Where PPI’s do help, he says, is for the treatment of bleeding ulcers, infection with the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori, or management of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare condition that causes the stomach to produce excess acid. They are also warranted in cases of severe reflux, where an endoscopy reveals damage to the esophagus.
1. Avoid heartburn-triggering foods. These vary from person to person, but common offenders include orange juice, chocolate, tomato sauce, spicy foods, mint, garlic, and vinegar. Fatty, greasy foods, like cheeseburgers and fries, are also heartburn instigators.
2. Stay upright for a few hours after you eat. Sitting up works with gravity to keep food and stomach acid from flowing up into your esophagus. Better yet, move about a bit to help speed digestion. “Our grandparents had it right when they headed out for a walk after a large meal,” he says.
3. But abstain from exercise right after eating. Intense workouts slow digestion, making reflux more likely. Better to exercise first thing in the morning or a few hours after a meal. If you still experience heartburn symptoms after a workout, drink extra water. Staying hydrated helps improve digestion to keep symptoms at bay.
4. Eat smaller meals. To avoid heartburn, aim to eat up to six mini-meals a day, as opposed to three large ones. The worst? Eating a large meal right before bed. Try to abstain from food or drinks within an hour or two of bedtime. Even a tall glass of water before lying down can trigger symptoms in susceptible individuals.
5. Go easy on caffeine and alcohol-and avoid cigarettes. All three can relax the esophageal sphincter muscle, which normally keeps stomach acid from splashing up into the esophagus. Carbonated beverages can also cause this problem.
6. Don’t eat too quickly. Try chewing slowly and putting your fork down between bites. Hot soups are a good appetizer because they take longer to consume.
7. Wear looser-fitting clothes. Tight belts, waistbands, and pantyhose constrict the stomach, sometimes triggering reflux.
8. Find ways to relax. Stress may increase stomach acids, raising the likelihood of heartburn.
9. Aim to lose a few extra pounds. The pressure of excess weight-especially around the abdomen-increases the chance that stomach acid will backwash into the esophagus.
10. Try chewing gum. This can boost the production of saliva, which neutralizes stomach acid.
11. Bend with your knees. Bending over at the waist tends to promote heartburn symptoms.
12. Elevate the head of your bed. Place blocks or bricks under your bedposts to raise the head of your bed 6 inches. Elevating your head and chest during sleep helps prevent nighttime reflux. A wedge pillow may also work.
Also in case I get heartburn I drink 2 oz of Aloe Vera juice. In 5-10 minutes the heartburn is gone!

Also in case I get heartburn I drink 2 oz of Aloe Vera juice. In 5-10 minutes the heartburn is gone!

May 11, 2010

Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?Learn the difference between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts. Decide which is best for you, considering nutrition, quality, taste, cost and other factors.

By Mayo Clinic staff

You’re in a bit of a dilemma standing in front of the produce section of your local supermarket. In one hand, you’re holding a conventionally grown Granny Smith apple. In your other hand, you have one that’s labeled organically grown. Both apples are firm, shiny and green. Both provide vitamins and fiber, and both are free of fat, sodium and cholesterol.
The conventionally grown apple costs less and is a proven family favorite. But the organic apple has a label that says “USDA Organic.” Does that mean it’s better? Safer? More nutritious? Several differences between organic and nonorganic foods exist. Become a better informed consumer for your next trip to the supermarket.
Conventional vs. organic farmingThe word “organic” refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don’t use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay.
Here are other differences between conventional farming and organic farming:

Conventional farmers Organic farmers
Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth. Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.
Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease. Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.
Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds. Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth. Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease.

April 28, 2010|By Judy Hevrdejs, Tribune Newspapers

Turmeric, a tawny orange-gold spice that is an integral part of curry powder and ballpark mustard, has been garnering some nice press lately — and not just among foodies.

Its health benefits, from aiding digestion to easing inflammation, have caught the attention of researchers, including the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Investigators there are “studying the active chemicals in turmeric and their effects — particularly anti-inflammatory effects — in people to better understand how turmeric might be used for health purposes.”

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) does more than turn foods yellow. When used without being heated (in pickled vegetables, for example), turmeric will impart a floral, almost grass-like taste, said Julie Sahni, a New York-based cooking teacher and author of several books on Indian cooking. Once cooked, it will develop a woody scent, but, Sahni cautioned, “be careful when heating turmeric so you don’t burn it.”

We like to add turmeric to a bottled garlic-pepper blend to sprinkle on grilled meats and fish. Or use the blend to sprinkle on pacurcumin1.jpgn-fried cubed white and sweet potatoes with lots of chopped onion.

Curcumin Extreme™ with BCM-95® has superior bioavailability and absorption. BCM-95 contains the natural spectrum of the turmeric rhizome and is 100 percent natural. Curcumin Extreme promotes liver detoxification, promotes healthy glutathione levels and normal cellular regeneration. Taking Curcumin Extreme every day can help detoxify impurities in your body that build up over time

By Deborah H. Land

a. Cholesterol Truths – Good and Bad

There are actually two types of cholesterol, which is not a known fact for people who misconstrue it as something bad. HDL is the name of the good cholesterol, while the bad one is called LDL. A bloodstream with too much LDL will result in plaques in the arteries. Over time, blood will have a difficult time travelling your arteries because the opening becomes narrow thanks to the amount of bad cholesterol in it. Dietary cholesterol is not the culprit for your having high cholesterol in the blood. Rather, it is copious amounts of saturated fat along with Tran’s fat that is to blame for the tightening of the artery. To keep your cholesterol on the low level, you should eat plenty of unsaturated fats and fibrous foods, as well as exercise often.

b. Number Relevance in Cholesterol

Adults should see to it that they have their cholesterol checked every 5 years. Four results are given to you, which will show the levels for your LDL cholesterol, Triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.

Should you find your cholesterol levels over or even under the normal range, you need to diet and exercise as a result.

Total Cholesterol – less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L)

LDL Cholesterol – less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)

HDL Cholesterol – greater than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)

Triglycerides – less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)

c. Vitamin E and Heart Protection

You can find Vitamin E in many nuts, leafy vegetables and vegetable oils. While it cannot prevent a stroke, Vitamin E can still reduce your risk for heart disease.

d. Five Fabulous Foods to Decrease Cholesterol Levels

1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran: These contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL.

2. Fish: Fish is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which lowers LDL and raises HDL.

3. Nuts: Not only are nuts high in fiber, but they contain the healthy fats you need to keep LDL in check.

4. Plant Sterols: This is found in foods like margarine, salad dressing, orange juice, and functional cookies. 2 grams per day will lower your LDL by 10-15%.

5. Soy: This popular meat replacement can lower LDL by up to 3%.

e. Plant Sterols and Benefits to Health

Foods such as VitaTops Muffin Tops, Benecol Spread, granola bars and fat free milk are rich sources of plant sterols. You can easily help your heart when you start eating foods packed with plant sterols and avoid eating foods that contain saturated fats. A saturated fat-filled diet is not canceled out by this. Exercising often as well as eating healthy food will keep your cholesterol in check.

About the Writer – Deborah H. Land writes for the <a href=”http://www.cholesterolloweringdiets.net/” mce_href=”http://www.cholesterolloweringdiets.net/”>low carb low cholesterol diet</a> site, her personal hobby blog she uses to help people lower bad cholesterol levels.

THURSDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) — The tuna sushi that you order in restaurants may have higher concentrations of mercury than the sushi you buy at your local supermarket, a new study finds.
Supermarkets tend to sell sushi made from yellowfin tuna, which contains less mercury than other tuna species, researchers report.
“We found that mercury levels are linked to specific species,” Jacob Lowenstein, a graduate student working with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, said in a news release from the museum. “So far, the U.S. does not require restaurants and merchants to clarify what species they are selling or trading, but species names and clearer labeling would allow consumers to exercise greater control over the level of mercury they [consume],” he added.
For their study, the researchers combined two efforts: DNA barcoding performed at the museum to identify specific species; and a mercury content analysis from experts at Rutgers University. The report was published online April 21 in Biology Letters.
“People who eat fish frequently have a particular need to know which species may be high in contaminants,” said Michael Gochfeld, professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. “Some agencies have been afraid that any mention of contaminants will discourage people from eating any fish.”
Higher mercury levels were found in bigeye tuna and bluefin akami, which is a lean, dark red tuna, than in bluefin toro, a fatty tuna, and yellowfin tuna akami, the researchers said. Mercury tends to accumulate in muscle rather than fat, so mercury content is usually — but not always — higher in leaner fish. Yellowfin tuna, for example, is lean, but may accumulate less mercury because it is smaller and harvested earlier than other species, they said.
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