August 31, 2009

New Mintel Survey Shows Americans in Denial about Health

Business Wire 09-04-09
CHICAGO, Sep 03, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- We think we're healthier than we actually are, suggests a new survey from market research leader Mintel. Surveying Americans about their health, Mintel found people's perceptions strongly contradict national statistics about obesity, illness and wellness.
Seven in 10 survey respondents (71%) told Mintel they think they're in excellent or good health. But according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions' Connected Care, 100 million Americans suffer from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or hypertension.
On the weighty issue of obesity, people seem to be in denial as well. Only 25% of survey respondents said they suffer from or have been diagnosed as obese or overweight. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), however, two-thirds (67%) fall into these categories. Mintel calculated the body mass index (BMI) of survey respondents for a separate report on obesity and likewise found that 65% of people are overweight or obese.
"The challenge clearly lies in getting Americans to accept and admit that their health isn't optimal," comments Krista Faron, senior analyst at Mintel. "Right now we say one thing, but then our actions contradict those perceptions and best intentions. All companies, from healthcare to food, need to get adults who are at risk or ill to recognize their issues, accept responsibility and make lifestyle changes."
Mintel found 70% of adults think they should exercise more. Fewer than two in five (37%) say they exercise regularly, and half of them (48%) only work out twice a week or less. The CDC recommends moderate aerobic activity for 150 minutes per week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening.
The dichotomy between perceived health and actual behavior emerges further in attitudes towards food. Two-thirds of Mintel respondents (65%) said they "try to eat healthier food these days", but nearly the same percentage (59%) said they eat the foods they like "regardless of calories". Similarly, just over half (52%) said they're on a diet, but nearly the same number (45%) feel they often overeat.
"People have lofty, admirable goals of eating healthier, exercising more and treating their bodies better. Our research suggests though, that implementation of these goals is challenging. Many people need help and guidance to understand where their health is lacking and how they can improve it," recommends Krista Faron.
About half of Mintel survey respondents (51%) consider it "very important" to live a healthy lifestyle; another four in 10 (39%) consider it "somewhat important".
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8713&Section=Disease

Folate may improve artery function and heart health

Nutraingredients.com, 04-Sep-2009

Supplements of folic acid may improve cardiovascular health and reduce the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), suggests a new study.
Daily doses of 400 micrograms of the B vitamin led to significant improvements in blood pressure and improved blood flow after 16 weeks of supplementation, according to results published in the British Journal of Surgery.
Furthermore, equal doses of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), the naturally circulating form of folate, produced the same results, leading the researchers to conclude that “5-MTHF may be a safe and effective alternative to folic acid”.
“Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of 5-MTHF compared with folic acid in increasing plasma folate indices and reducing plasma homocysteine,” explained the researchers. “Reports on the bioavailability of 5-MTHF compared with folic acid are not consistent.”
A range of studies has linked increased blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It has been suggested that by lowering the levels of homocysteine in the blood with B-vitamins, people could cut the risk of CVD.
However, a number of high profile randomised intervention trials have reported negative or null effects, most notably the Women's Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study (WAFACS), the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) 2 trial and the Norwegian Vitamin (NORVIT) trial reported that B-vitamin supplements did lower homocysteine levels but did not reduce the risk of certain cardiovascular diseases.
The new study, by scientists from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, the University of East Anglia, and the Institute of Food Research, report that supplements of either folic acid or 5-MTHF could reduce homocysteine levels, and improve blood flow in people with PAD.
PAD is associated with decreased blood flow in the legs, and occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits. According to 2008 statistic from the American Heart Association, PAD affects about 8 million Americans and is associated with significant disease and death.
Study details
Dr N. Khandanpour and his co-workers recruited 133 people with PAD and randomly assigned them to receive daily supplements of folic acid (400 micrograms), 5-MTHF (400 micrograms), or placebo for 16 weeks.
At the end of the study, the researchers noted that, compared to the placebo group, that both the folic acid and 5-MTHF groups displayed significant reductions in homocysteine of 2.12 and 2.07 micromoles per litre, respectively.
Measures of blood flow, namely the so-called pulse wave velocity (PWV), decreased in the 5-MTHF group by 1.1 metres per second, and by 0.9 m/s in the folic acid group.
“Plasma homocysteine has a significant association with PWV in both healthy individuals and people with vascular diseases,” wrote the researchers. “The present study suggested that lowering plasma homocysteine was associated with an improvement in PWV.”
“This study found that folate supplementation substantially reduced plasma homocysteine and produced a statistically significant but clinically modest improvement in peripheral arterial circulation compared with placebo,”concluded the researchers.
Source: British Journal of Surgery
September 2009, Volume 96, Issue 9, Pages: 990-998
“Randomized clinical trial of folate supplementation in patients with peripheral arterial disease”
Authors: N. Khandanpour, M. P. Armon, B. Jennings, P. M. Finglas, G. Willis, A. Clark, F. J. Meyer
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Folate-may-improve-artery-function-and-heart-health

Prebiotics may stop early stage colon cancer: Study

Nutraingredients.com, 04-Sep-2009

The products of prebiotic fermentation in the gut may prevent the growth, and promote the death of cancer cells in the colon, says a new study from Germany.
When human colon cells representing early and late stages of colon cancer were exposed to short chain fatty acids, which are produced during the fermentation of prebiotic fibres by gut bacteria, the early stage cells “responded more sensitively”, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“Since early [cancer] cells were found to be more sensitive, this may have important implications for chemoprevention when translated to the in vivosituation, because survival of early transformed cells could be reduced,” wrote the researchers, led by Daniel Scharlau from the Institute for Nutrition at the Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena.
Prebiotics are defined as: “A selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora, that confers benefits upon health wellbeing and health.” (2004)
The German researchers used fermentation products prepared by incubating bacterial samples from faeces with a Beneo Orafti’s Synergy1 prebiotic, which is composed of a mixture of inulin enriched with oligofructose.
Interpret with caution
Commenting on the study, Anke Sentko, VP of regulatory affairs and nutrition communication for the Beneo Group told NutraIngredients that while the study is“an interesting in vitro study it should not be over interpreted”.
“Inulin, fermented in the lower gut, contributes to a healthy gut environment. This study supports this," added Sentko.
The most extensive research to date is with these inulin-type fructans, and the reported health benefits of prebiotics relate to improving bones health, reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, boosting immunity, and enhancing satiety and aiding weight management.
The most extensive research to date is with these inulin-type fructans, and the reported health benefits of prebiotics relate to improving bones health, reducing the risk of colorectal cancer, boosting immunity, and enhancing satiety and aiding weight management.
In terms of colon cancer, numerous animal studies have reported that prebiotic and/or probiotic intake may reduce the risk of developing the disease. The results of the EU-sponsored SynCan project show that the combination of pre- and probiotics (BeneoOrafti's Synergy1 plus Lactobacillus GG and Bifidobacteria) could favourably shift the populations of faecal bacteria, with larger populations of protective bacteria and reduced numbers of cancer-promoting bacteria. (Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 2007, Vol. 85, pp. 488-496).
Study details
Dr Scharlau and his co-workers used two sets of human colon cell lines, one as a model early stage colon cancer and the other as a model of late stage colon cancer. The cells were then exposed to the prebiotic fermentation products, obtained from incubating bacterial samples from faeces with Synergy1, or a synthetic fermentation mixture.
Upon incubation with Synergy1, the researchers noted a 2.5-fold increase in short chain fatty acid levels, and a 3.4-fold decrease in deoxycholic acid (DCA), a bile acid, compared to a control sample.
“In comparison with HT29 cells, LT97 cells responded more sensitively to the growth-inhibitory activities,” wrote the researchers.
Moreover, a significant increase in the action of a protein associated with programmed cell death (apoptosis).
“The present results indicate growth-inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing effects of fermentation supernatant fractions of inulin,” concluded the researchers.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition 
September 2009, Volume 102, Issue 05, pp 663-671, doi:10.1017/S0007114509274770
“Fermentation products of inulin-type fructans reduce proliferation and induce apoptosis in human colon tumour cells of different stages of carcinogenesis”
Authors: U. Munjal, M. Glei, B.L. Pool-Zobel, D. Scharlau
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Prebiotics-may-stop-early-stage-colon-cancer-Study

Unhealthy habits alter thinking, memory skills
Last Updated: 2009-09-03 14:42:02 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you're having trouble remembering where you left your keys or recalling a word, mull over the number of times and how many years you've continued unhealthy behaviors.
Previous research has linked declining thinking and memory skills with unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, abstaining completely from alcohol, not getting enough physical activity, and not eating enough fruits and vegetables daily.
In the current study, Dr. Severine Sabia and colleagues found the more each of the 5,123 adult participants reported these behaviors the greater their "risk of cognitive deficit," Sabia told Reuters Health in an email.
Over a 17-year period, adult men and women who accumulated the most versus the least number of unhealthy behaviors were nearly three times more likely to show poor thinking skills, and about two times more likely to have declining memory, Sabia and colleagues report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Sabia, of Hopital Paul Brousse in Villejuif, France, and fellow researchers surveyed health behaviors of civil service office workers in London, UK, when the workers were 44 (early-midlife), 56 (midlife), and 61 (late-midlife) years old.
After allowing for the impact of age, gender, and social and economic status, the investigators found current smokers more likely to show the lowest memory, verbal, and math-related thinking and reasoning skills at each survey.
The investigators noted similar findings among non-drinkers versus those who had between 1 and 14 alcoholic drinks a week, and those who ate fewer versus more than 2 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Men and women who reported lower levels of physical activity during midlife and late-midlife also showed greater risk for cognitive deficit.
Considering the unhealthy behaviors assessed in the current study are modifiable, Sabia's team calls for greater promotion of healthy lifestyles to protect against later-life cognitive deficits.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2009
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/03/eline/links/20090903elin001.html

Food stamp list soars past 35 million: USDA
Last Updated: 2009-09-03 16:40:02 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 35 million Americans received food stamps in June, up 22 percent from June 2008 and a new record as the country continued to grapple with the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The food stamp program, which helps cover the cost of groceries for one in nine Americans, has grown in step with the U.S. unemployment rate which stood at 9.4 percent in July.
The Labor Department will release August employment figures on Friday.
June was the seventh straight month in which food stamp rolls set a record. The average benefit in June was $133.12 per person.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/03/eline/links/20090903elin018.html

Eating late at night adds weight
Late-night snackers are more likely to gain weight, research suggests.
A team from Northwestern University, Illinois, found that when you eat, not just how you eat, could make a big difference.
Scientists found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.
The study, in the journal Obesity, is said to be the first to show directly that there is a "wrong" time to eat.
“ How or why a person gains weight is very complicated - but it is clearly not just calories in and calories out ” 
Fred Turek Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology
Recent studies have suggested that circadian rhythms, the body's internal clock, have a role in how our bodies use up energy. However, this had been difficult to definitively pin down.
Deanna Arble, lead author of the study, said: "One of our research interests is shift workers, who tend to be overweight.
"This got us thinking that eating at the wrong time of day might be contributing to weight gain."
The experiment looked at two groups of mice over a six-week period. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet, but at different times of the mice "waking cycle".
One group of mice ate at times when they would normally be asleep. They put on twice as much weight.
This was despite them doing the same level of activity, and eating the same amount of food, as the other mice.
Groundbreaking
The findings may have implications for people worried about their weight.
"How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it is clearly not just calories in and calories out," said Fred Turek, from the Northwestern's Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology, where the research took place.
"Better timing of meals could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity."
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, agreed. He said: "It is groundbreaking. It really gets you thinking why this has not been done before.
"It could be very dramatic if it affects whether you are going to get fat or not."
At this stage, the results could still be interpreted as controversial when applied to humans.
The scientists now hope they can find out more about how the process works. It is thought that sleep, hormones and body temperature all play a part in how we gain weight.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8234386.stm

Climate change could devastate US crop yields: Study

Foodnavigator-USA.com, 01-Sep-2009

Climate change could result in severe shortages of two of America’s most important grains, according to the authors of a new study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The research was conducted by two economists, Dr Michael Roberts of North Carolina State University and Dr Wolfram Schlenker at Columbia University, who used a well-known climate change prediction model to assess how much yields could decline by the end of the century. They found that corn, soy and cotton yields could fall by 30 to 46 percent in this time under the slowest warming scenarios – if greenhouse gas emissions are cut to 50 percent of 1991 levels by 2050 – and by 63 to 82 percent if emissions continue at current levels.
They wrote that although yields increase with temperature up to 29C for corn and 30C for soybeans, there is a sharp decline in yield above these thresholds.
Roberts said: "While crop yields depend on a variety of factors, extreme heat is the best predictor of yields. There hasn't been much research on what happens to crop yields over certain temperature thresholds, but this study shows that temperature extremes are not good."
Soaring food prices
And decreasing yields mean that prices of staple grains are likely to skyrocket, bringing serious consequences for consumers as well as food manufacturers, many of which are still reeling from last year’s record-high input prices.
The study comes on the heels of a report released last week by the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, warning Americans thatfood prices are once more on the rise. Overall it said that grocery prices are likely to rise by two to three percent this year, although that compares to a huge 6.4 percent jump in 2008, the largest increase for nearly two decades.
This latest study adds to a bleak picture, considering that experts estimate that global food supplies need to increase by at least 70 percent by 2050 in order to feed the world’s booming – and increasingly urbanized – population.
Dramatic change
On his blog, Roberts wrote: “To my mind, what this study makes very clear is that the worldwide face of agriculture is going to change dramatically. Even in the best-case scenario, in which losses in areas like the US are made up with gains elsewhere, we will see different crops cultivated all around the world.”
He sees three ‘caveats’ which could ease the problem: The so-called ‘greening theory’ in which more CO2 could offset some negative effects, which he mentions is still a topic of intense debate; the development of heat tolerant crops by companies like Monsanto, although he says that there is “little evidence of adaptation in the past”, and by farmers shifting where they grow different kinds of crops.
“But with projected damages this large for the world's biggest bread basket, no clear evidence of adaptation to warmer temperatures in the historical data, and with projections already rather dismal for much of tropics and subtropics, at present I don't know why we should be particularly optimistic,” he wrote.
Although the study focused on US crop yields alone, the authors said that their findings have global implications due to the quantity of grains exported from the US, which produces 41 percent of the world’s corn and 38 percent of its soybeans.
Roberts said: "Effects of climate change on US crop production will surely be felt around the globe, especially in developing countries.”
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Climate-change-could-devastate-US-crop-yields-Study

Vitamin C Deficiency Impairs Early Brain Development, Guinea Pig Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2009) — New research at LIFE – Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen shows that vitamin C deficiency may impair the mental development of new-born babies.
In the latest issue of the well-known scientific journal The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of researchers headed by professor Jens Lykkesfeldt shows that guinea pigs subjected to moderate vitamin C deficiency have 30 per cent less hippocampal neurones and markedly worse spatial memory than guinea pigs given a normal diet. Like guinea pigs, human beings are dependent on getting vitamin C through their diet, and Jens Lykkesfeldt therefore speculate that vitamin C deficiency in pregnant and breast-feeding women may also lead to impaired development in foetuses and new-born babies.
The brain retains vitamin C
Several factors indicate that the neonatal brain, in contrast to other tissue, is particularly vulnerable to even a slight lowering of the vitamin C level. The highest concentration of vitamin C is found in the neurons of the brain and in case of a low intake of vitamin C, the remaining vitamin is retained in the brain to secure this organ. The vitamin thus seems to be quite important to brain activity. Tests have shown that mouse foetuses that were not able to transport vitamin C develop severe brain damage. Brain damage which resembles the ones found in premature babies and which are linked to learning and cognitive disabilities later in life.
Widespread vitamin C deficiency
In some areas in the world, vitamin C deficiency is very common – population studies in Brazil and Mexico have shown that 30 to 40 per cent of the pregnant women have too low levels of vitamin C, and the low level is also found in their foetuses and new-born babies. It is not yet known to what extent new-born babies in Denmark or the Western World suffer from vitamin C deficiency but a conservative estimate would be 5 to 10 per cent based on the occurrence among adults.
“We may thus be witnessing that children get learning disabilities because they have not gotten enough vitamin C in their early life. This is unbearable when it would be so easy to prevent this deficiency by giving a vitamin supplement to high-risk pregnant women and new mothers" says Jens Lykkesfeldt whose research group is currently studying how early in pregnancy vitamin C deficiency affects the embryonic development of guinea pigs and whether the damage may be reversed after birth.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112115.htm

Exercise Minimizes Weight Regain By Reducing Appetite And Burning Fat First, Carbs Later

ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2009) — Exercise helps prevent weight regain after dieting by reducing appetite and by burning fat before burning carbohydrates, according to a new study with rats. Burning fat first and storing carbohydrates for use later in the day slows weight regain and may minimize overeating by signaling a feeling of fullness to the brain.
The University of Colorado Denver study also found that exercise prevents the increase in the number of fat cells that occurs during weight regain, challenging the conventional wisdom that the number of fat cells is set and cannot be altered by dietary or lifestyle changes.
These coordinated physiological changes in the brain and the body lower the ‘defended’ weight, that is, the weight that our physiology drives us to achieve, and suggest that the effects of exercise on these physiological processes may make it easier to stay on a diet.
The study is “Regular exercise attenuates the metabolic drive to regain weight after long term weight loss.” Paul S. MacLean, Janine A. Higgins, Holly R. Wyatt, Edward L. Melanson, Ginger C. Johnson, Matthew R. Jackman, Erin D. Giles, Ian E. Brown and James O. Hill, all of the University of Colorado Denver, conducted the study. The American Physiological Society published the research in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
How exercise works
Weight gain is, on the surface, remarkably simple, occurring when the calories consumed exceeds the calories expended. On closer examination, the process is remarkably complex. Laboratory, animals eat according to physiological signals that may suppress appetite or arouse the desire to eat. These signals are relatively weak in humans, as their intake is largely influenced by psychological, cognitive and lifestyle factors. After dieting, however, the physiological signals emerge to play a more substantial role in controlling intake. Being persistently hungry after losing weight with restricted diets is a big part of the weight regain problem. Most people are unable to ignore this physiological cue and are pushed by their biology to overeat and regain the weight they worked so hard to lose.
Some people are successful at keeping the weight off, and those tracked by The National Weight Control Registry share a number of common characteristics, including a program of regular exercise. The aim of this investigation was to uncover how exercise affects the body’s physiology to minimize weight regain.
The researchers used obesity-prone rats. For the first 16 weeks, the rats ate a high-fat diet, as much as they wanted, and remained sedentary. They were then placed on a diet. For the following two weeks, the animals ate a low-fat and low-calorie diet, losing about 14% of their body weight. The rats maintained the weight loss by dieting for eight more weeks. Half the rats exercised regularly on a treadmill during this period while the other half remained sedentary.
In the final 8-weeks, the relapse phase of the study, the rats stopped dieting and ate as much low-fat food as they wanted. The rats in the exercise group continued to exercise and the sedentary rats remained sedentary.
Compared to the sedentary rats, the exercisers:

• regained less weight during the relapse period
• developed a lower ‘defended’ body weight
• burned more fat early in the day, and more carbohydrates later in the day
• accumulated fewer fat cells and less abdominal fat during relapse
• reduced the drive to overeat
• enhanced the ability to balance energy intake with energy expended

During feeding, the sedentary group preferentially burned carbohydrates while sending fat from the diet to fat tissue. This preferential fuel use stores more calories because it requires less energy to store fat than to store carbohydrates. In addition, burning away the body’s carbohydrates may contribute to the persistent feeling of hunger and large appetite of the sedentary animals.
Exercise blunted this fuel preference, favoring the burning of fat for energy needs and saving ingested carbohydrates so that they could be used later in the day. Taken together, the exercise led to a much lower appetite and fewer calories ending up in fat tissue.
The researchers also found that exercise prevented the increase in the number of fat cells observed with weight regain in sedentary rats. In sedentary rats, a population of very small, presumably new, fat cells appears early in the relapse process. Small, new fat cells would not only accelerate the process of regain, but also increase fat storage capacity in the abdomen. It would also explain why sedentary rats overshoot their previous weight when they relapse.
Conventional wisdom holds that the number of fat cells is determined by genetics, rather than being regulated by diet or lifestyle. Because this effect of exercise is a novel finding, the team will do further research to demonstrate that exercise is, indeed, preventing the formation of new fat cells early in relapse and not simply altering the size of pre-existing fat cells.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112103.htm

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8703&Section=Disease

Alcohol affects circadian rhythms

United Press International 09-02-09
KENT, Ohio, Sep 2, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Chronic alcohol consumption blunts the ability of the body's biological clock to synchronize daily activities to light, U.S. researchers said.
Christina L. Ruby, Allison J. Brager, Marc A. DePaul and J. David Glass, all of Kent State University, and Rebecca A. Prosser of the University of Tennessee, said disruption of the circadian rhythms dramatically increases the risks of developing cancer, heart disease and depression.
The researchers divided hamsters into three groups, differing only in what they drank. The control group received water only, a second group received water containing 10 percent alcohol and the last third received water containing 20 percent alcohol.
If given a choice, hamsters prefer alcohol, the researchers said.
The animals drank as much as they wanted and lived in an environment that provided 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness each day. The researchers also changed the amount and intensity of light.
The researchers said the hamsters that drank alcohol had the hardest time shifting their rhythms after exposure to dim light, and the more alcohol they drank, the harder it was to adjust.
The findings are published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8702&Section=Disease

Polyphenols may protect omega-3 formulations

Nutraingredients.com, 03-Sep-2009

The shelf-life of omega-3 formulations may be extended by adding quercetin, an antioxidant polyphenol found in onion, apples, and tea, suggests a new study.
Quercetin performed better than the synthetic antioxidant BHT (butylhydroxytoluene) in bulk fish oil, and better than vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in an emulsion system, according to findings published in the journalFood Chemistry.
“Considering the consumer preference for ‘natural’ products and their existence in a wide array of fruits and vegetables, naturally sourced flavonols such asquercetin glycosides could be used as effective antioxidants for stabilising omega- 3 PUFA-containing foods and nutraceuticals while providing potential additional health benefits,” wrote the researchers from Nova Scotia Agricultural College and the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Quercetin is found in a range of foods, including capers, onions, tea, and apples. Previous studies from around the globe have reported that the flavonol may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, improve blood sugar regulation in diabetics, and benefit heart health by reducing blood pressure.
Omega-3 stability
The new study, published in the journal Food Chemistry, indicates that formulators may use the flavonol as a natural alternative to synthetic additives, like BHT, in fish oil supplements and fortified products.
Oxidation processes in food can lead to organoleptic deterioration in taste, colour and texture. And fish products are particularly susceptible to oxidation processes because of the high unsaturated lipid content.
The food and nutrition industries have long been aware of this, and are increasingly seeking natural solutions rather than artificial additives, such as like butylhydroxyanisole (BHA) and BHT, to extend the shelf life of products.
The new study suggests that the antioxidant was “greater than that of alpha-tocopherol in the emulsions”.
However, quercetin and quercetin-3-O-glucoside did not perform as well as BHT in the emulsions of omega-3 PUFA and fish oil systems, noted the researchers.
Formulation issues
The Canadian researchers added the flavonols, BHT, or alpha-tocopherol to bulk fish oil (Ocean Nutrition Canada), or to oil-in-water emulsions systems prepared using methyl linolenate (MLN), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or fish oil.
“An emulsion model system of MLN, DHA and fish oil was used to resemble food products which contain lipids dispersed in an aqueous phase oil-in-water) such as milk, salad dressings, beverages, soups and sauces,” explained the researchers.
“Although flavonols were found to be less effective in oil-in-water emulsions than, BHT, they were as effective as alpha-tocopherol,” wrote the researchers.“Interestingly, flavonols exhibited a better antioxidant activity in bulk fish oil than BHT.”
Frost and Sullivan’s European analysis revealed an omega-3 ingredients market growing at 24.3 per cent annually and projected all the way out to 2014, when it would be worth $1.6bn. This figure includes marine, algae and flaxseed sourced omega-3s.
In foods, most predictions are similarly ebullient. In a 2007 report, Packaged Facts estimated the US market was worth $2bn for foods and beverages bearing EPA, DHA and ALA either in combination or alone. Packaged Facts predicted the market would be worth $7bn by 2011.
Source: Food Chemistry Volume 117, Issue 2, Pages 290-295 "Inhibition of oxidation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and fish oil by quercetin glycosides" Authors: Gwendolyn M. Huber, H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe, Fereidoon Shahidi
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Polyphenols-may-protect-omega-3-formulations

Early vitamin C deficiency linked to impaired brain development

Nutraingredients.com, 03-Sep-2009

Vitamin C deficiency in the first weeks and months of life may impair the development of neurones in the brain, and decrease spatial memory, says a new animal study from Denmark.
Guinea pigs subjected to moderate vitamin C deficiency were found to have 30 per cent fewer hippocampal neurons and poorer spatial memory, compared with guinea pigs given a normal diet, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The Danish researchers used guinea pigs because, like humans, the animals cannot synthesise vitamin C, and can only obtain it via the diet.
“Although a direct extrapolation of this new phenomenon to humans is not currently possible, we found that the relatively high prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in humans, including infants and toddlers, warrants future clinical studies to clarify whether a similar link to brain development exists in humans,”wrote the researchers, led by Jens Lykkesfeldt, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Copenhagen.
“We speculate that the lack of vitamin C supplementation in high-risk individuals, such as pregnant women and newborns with poor vitamin C status, could be detrimental to normal brain development and lead to neurologic disabilities later in life.”
Prof Lykkesfeldt told NutraIngredients that this was the first study to reveal a link between vitamin C deficiency and brain development.
C-ing the issue
Many consumers have a positive image of vitamin C, with public perception linking the vitamin to improved immune system health. This is translated into very impressive market figures for vitamin C supplements. According to Frost and Sullivan, the US market generated $151.7m (€127.4m) in 2005. In Europe, revenue was calculated at $160.3m (€134.6m) for 2005, and is expected to grow to $192.5m (€161.6m) by 2011.
However, despite this apparent popularity, vitamin C deficiency is reportedly very common in some areas in the world. In Brazil and Mexico, for example, studies have shown that 30 to 40 per cent of the pregnant women have too low levels of vitamin C, and the low level is also found in their foetuses and new-born babies.
While current vitamin C deficiency in the Western World is not known, conservative estimates put it between 5 and 10 per cent based on the occurrence among adults.
"We may thus be witnessing that children get learning disabilities because they have not gotten enough vitamin C in their early life. This is unbearable when it would be so easy to prevent this deficiency by giving a vitamin supplement to high-risk pregnant women and new mothers" says Jens Lykkesfeldt
Study details
The Danish researchers took 30 new born guinea pigs and randomly assigned them to one of two groups: One group was fed a vitamin C-sufficient diet, while the other group was fed the same diet but low in vitamin C. Levels of vitamin produced deficiency, but were not extreme enough to cause scurvy.
After two months, the animals were tested in a water maze, and hippocampal neuron numbers were measured. Prof Lykkesfeldt and his co-workers report that the vitamin C deficient animals had a lower number of neurons in the hippocampus, and also performed worse in the maze tests.
Clinical implications
Commenting on the possible reasons for the effects, the researchers noted that the highest concentration of vitamin C is found in the neurons of the brain. Even at times of low vitamin C intake, the remaining vitamin is retained in the brain to secure this organ.
Studies with specially engineered mice showed that mouse foetuses that were not able to transport vitamin C developed severe brain damage, resembling damage found in premature babies and which are linked to learning and cognitive disabilities later in life.
“We speculate that this unrecognized effect of vitamin C deficiency may have clinical implications for high-risk individuals, such as in children born from vitamin C–deficient mothers,” concluded the researchers.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27954
"Vitamin C deficiency in early postnatal life impairs spatial memory and reduces the number of hippocampal neurons in guinea pigs" Authors: P. Tveden-Nyborg, L.K. Johansen, Z. Raida, C.K. Villumsen, J.O. Larsen, J. Lykkesfeldt
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Early-vitamin-C-deficiency-linked-to-impaired-brain-development

Med diet beats low-fat for diabetes benefits: Study

Nutraingredients.com, 02-Sep-2009

Consuming a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes, is more effective for diabetes control than a low-fat diet, says a new study.
In addition to improvements in blood sugar control, as well as coronary risk factors, the Mediterranean style diet also delayed the need for anti-hyperglycemic drug therapy in overweight patients with type-2 diabetes, according to findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Perhaps most important, the findings reinforce the message that benefits of lifestyle interventions should not be overlooked despite the drug-intensive style of medicine fueled by the current medical literature,” wrote the researchers, led by Katherine Esposito from the Second University of Naples.
An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, equal to four per cent of the total population. This figure is projected to increase to 26 million by 2030.
In the US, there are almost 24 million people with diabetes, equal to 8 per cent 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.
If the results of the new study are repeated in the future it may see a reduction in these excessive medication costs, as the Neapolitan researchers report:“Participants assigned to the Mediterranean-style diet lost more weight and experienced greater improvements in some glycemic control and coronary risk measures than did those assigned to the low-fat diet.”
The Med diet, rich in cereals, wine, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains, fish and olive oil, and low in dairy, meat, junk food and fat , has been linked to longer life, less heart disease, and protection against some cancers. The diet's main nutritional components include beta-carotene, vitamin C, tocopherols, polyphenols, and essential minerals.
Study details
Esposito and her co-workers recruited 215 overweight people with newly diagnosed type-2 diabetes and randomly assigned them to consume the Mediterranean-style diet, characterized by less than half of all daily calories being obtained from carbohydrates, or a low-fat diet, characterized by less than 30 per cent of all daily calories coming from fat.
After four years of study, the researchers note that only 44 per cent of people in the Mediterranean-style diet group required anti-hyperglycemic drug treatment, compared to 70 per cent in the low-fat diet group.
While both diets were associated with weight loss, the Mediterranean-style diet was associated with a 2 kg greater loss, as well as greater improvements in body mass index (BMI).
Benefits beyond weight loss
“The between-group difference in the proportion of people needing anti-hyperglycemic drug therapy increased over the course of the trial and favored the MED diet, whereas the between-group differences in weight loss decreased,”wrote the researchers.
“Analyses adjusted for weight change suggested a statistically significant reduced rate of needing drug therapy, so the effect of the MED diet goes beyond weight reduction.
“Consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids is thought to increase insulin sensitivity, and this component of the diet might explain the favorable effect of the MED diet on the need for drug therapy,” they added.
The researchers note that their study was not double-blind, and that this may be a limitation for the study.
The study was primarily funded by the Second University of Naples.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 151, Pages 306-314 “Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes - A Randomized Trial” Authors: K. Esposito, M.I. Maiorino, M. Ciotola, C. Di Palo, P. Scognamiglio, M. Gicchino, M. Petrizzo, F. Saccomanno, F. Beneduce, A. Ceriello, D. Giugliano
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Med-diet-beats-low-fat-for-diabetes-benefits-Study

Battle lines drawn over soda, junk food taxes
Last Updated: 2009-09-02 10:15:51 -0400 (Reuters Health) By Lisa Baertlein
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Increasingly vocal calls for taxes on sugary drinks and junk food are fueling a behind- the-scenes battle that public health officials say is reminiscent of America's war on cigarettes.
The U.S. obesity epidemic has blossomed into a public health crisis and overweight adolescents are starting to suffer problems that used to plague middle-aged adults -- early heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
While restaurant operators and food and soda makers promote personal responsibility and moderation, backers of the taxes say levies on foods that quickly add extra pounds are a necessary part of any successful anti-obesity effort.
Backers suggest taxes could help offset the estimated $147 billion cost of treating obesity-related diseases and fund programs to battle the expanding girths of Americans.
Adding to the pressure is the fact that cash-poor state and local governments are scrambling to raise revenue. Junk food taxes give them an opportunity to boost taxes under the guise of doing good, says Bob Goldin, executive vice president at restaurant consulting firm Technomic.
"The train has left the station," Goldin added.
SWEET SOURCE OF REVENUE
The Congressional Budget Office estimated in December that a tax of 3 cents on every 12-ounce can of soda would raise $50 billion over 10 years. Not surprisingly, a soda tax is among the revenue streams being eyed as U.S. lawmakers tackle healthcare reform.
About 58 percent of Americans are willing to bear a tax increase of 1 percent or more to support healthcare reform, according to a recent Thomson Reuters survey.
Although a debate rages over the efficacy of taxes on soda and other items, supporters point to the fall in smoking rates after taxes sent cigarette prices soaring.
"The research around tobacco has shown that large increases on taxes on cigarettes has been the single most effective policy to reduce tobacco use," said Mary Story, a dietitian and public health professor at the University of Minnesota.
Story figures that a 10 percent increase in sugar-sweetened beverage prices could cut consumption by 8 percent to 10 percent.
Taxing by the ounce would be more effective than a flat tax because it would put a larger burden on bigger soda bottles, which often sell for much less money per ounce, said Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center For Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.
"It's just a matter of time" before taxes come into effect, said Brownell, who published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in April arguing for a tax on sweet drinks. The article was coauthored with then-New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden, who is now director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Frieden's watch, New York banned artery-clogging trans fats from restaurants, required some chain restaurants to publicly post the calorie content of the food they serve and banned smoking in all restaurants.
Now, on the heels of a new American Heart Association recommendation to dramatically cut dietary sugar intake, New York City's health department is launching an anti-sugary drink ad campaign that reads: "Are you pouring on the pounds? Don't drink yourself fat."
BITTER BATTLE
Critics say new "sin tax" plans would turn the nation into a nanny state, hurt business, threaten an already weak economy and place an unfair burden on low-income shoppers. And groups such as Americans Against Food Taxes are striking back.
That organization has big-name backers such as juice maker Welch's, PepsiCo Inc, the American Beverage Association, the Corn Refiners Association, agribusiness giant Cargill Inc and restaurant chains ranging from fast-food purveyors McDonald's Corp and Burger King Holdings Inc to Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants Inc.
Its website warns that taxes on sugary drinks would have a "negative impact on American families struggling in this economy." A narrator on its television ads, which feature a family camping trip, says: "Taxes never made anyone healthy. Education, exercise and balanced diets do that."
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/02/eline/links/20090902elin012.html

Healthy habits prevent breast cancer: study
Last Updated: 2009-09-01 11:17:43 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 40 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States could be prevented if women kept a healthy weight, drank less alcohol, exercised more and breastfed their babies, according to a report published on Tuesday.
The report, which reviewed 81 new studies on the links between lifestyle and cancer, showed that 70,000 breast cancer cases could be prevented in the United States alone every year.
"We are now more certain than ever that by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and limiting the amount of alcohol they drink, women can dramatically reduce their risk," Dr. Martin Wiseman of the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund, who led the study, said in a statement.
"We estimate that almost 40 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States, or about 70,000 cases every year, could be prevented by making these straightforward everyday changes," added the AICR's Susan Higginbotham.
The report, posted at www.dietandcancerreport.org/, recommends that people exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. Men should limit alcohol to two drinks a day and women should have just one.
Breast cancer kills 400,000 women and a few men globally every year, and 40,000 in the United States alone.
Many studies have shown a low-fat diet, regular exercise, keeping a lean weight and breastfeeding babies can prevent breast cancer. However, a significant percentage of cases are caused by faulty genes and not linked to lifestyle.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/01/eline/links/20090901elin014.html

Wine may curb toxic skin effects of radiation
Last Updated: 2009-09-01 16:09:15 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment may want to sip some red wine before treatment.
A study in women with breast cancer found that drinking red wine can help limit the toxic effects of radiation therapy.
"The possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions can reduce radiation-induced toxicity is very intriguing," Dr. Gabriella Macchia, of Catholic University, Campobasso, Italy, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
It's already known that some wine components may protect against the harmful effects of radiation. These components include polyphenols in particular, and the tannins.
In the current study, Macchia and colleagues evaluated the potential protective effects of varying levels of self-reported red wine consumption in 348 women treated with radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery.
The findings were "interesting," Macchia said.
The incidence of radiation-induced skin toxicity greater was 38.4 percent in non-drinkers, 31.8 percent in women drinking only half a glass of wine daily, 13.6 percent in those drinking one glass daily, and 35 percent in those drinking two glasses daily.
Women who drank only one glass daily had a much lower risk of suffering skin effects from radiation therapy. Specifically, their risk of significant skin toxicity was about 75 percent less than that in non-drinkers, the researchers found.
"If wine can prevent (radiation)-induced toxicity without affecting antitumor efficacy, as we observed, it also has the potential to enhance the therapeutic benefit in cancer patients without increasing their risk of serious adverse effects," Macchia said.
"The possible protective effect of wine, which we assessed only in women with breast cancer, should also be evaluated in male and female patients with other types of tumors (e.g., prostate carcinoma) who are undergoing radiotherapy," she concluded.
SOURCE: International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html

Early Warning Signals Of Change: 'Tipping Points' Identified Where Sudden Shifts To New Conditions Occur

ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2009) — What do abrupt changes in ocean circulation and Earth's climate, shifts in wildlife populations and ecosystems, the global finance market and its system-wide crashes, and asthma attacks and epileptic seizures have in common?
According to a paper published this week in the journal Nature, all share generic early-warning signals that indicate a critical threshold of change dead ahead.
In the paper, Martin Scheffer of Wageningen University in The Netherlands and co-authors, including William Brock and Stephen Carpenter of the University of Wisconsin at Madison and George Sugihara of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., found that similar symptoms occur in many systems as they approach a critical state of transition.
"It's increasingly clear that many complex systems have critical thresholds--'tipping points'--at which these systems shift abruptly from one state to another," write the scientists in their paper.
Especially relevant, they discovered, is that "catastrophic bifurcations," a diverging of the ways, propel a system toward a new state once a certain threshold is exceeded.
Like Robert Frost's well-known poem about two paths diverging in a wood, a system follows a trail for so long, then often comes to a switchpoint at which it will strike out in a completely new direction.
That system may be as tiny as the alveoli in human lungs or as large as global climate.
"These are compelling insights into the transitions in human and natural systems," says Henry Gholz, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Environmental Biology, which supported the research along with NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.
"The information comes at a critical time--a time when Earth's and, our fragility, have been highlighted by global financial collapses, debates over health care reform, and concern about rapid change in climate and ecological systems."
It all comes down to what scientists call "squealing," or "variance amplification near critical points," when a system moves back and forth between two states.
"A system may shift permanently to an altered state if an underlying slow change in conditions persists, moving it to a new situation," says Carpenter.
Eutrophication in lakes, shifts in climate, and epileptic seizures all are preceded by squealing.
Squealing, for example, announced the impending abrupt end of Earth's Younger Dryas cold period some 12,000 years ago, the scientists believe. The later part of this episode alternated between a cold mode and a warm mode. The Younger Dryas eventually ended in a sharp shift to the relatively warm and stable conditions of the Holocene epoch.
The increasing climate variability of recent times, state the paper's authors, may be interpreted as a signal that the near-term future could bring a transition from glacial and interglacial oscillations to a new state--one with permanent Northern Hemisphere glaciation in Earth's mid-latitudes.
In ecology, stable states separated by critical thresholds of change occur in ecosystems from rangelands to oceans, says Carpenter.
The way in which plants stop growing during a drought is an example. At a certain point, fields become deserts, and no amount of rain will bring vegetation back to life. Before this transition, plant life peters out, disappearing in patches until nothing but dry-as-bones land is left.
Early-warning signals are also found in exploited fish stocks. Harvesting leads to increased fluctuations in fish populations. Fish are eventually driven toward a transition to a cyclic or chaotic state.
Humans aren't exempt from abrupt transitions. Epileptic seizures and asthma attacks are cases in point. Our lungs can show a pattern of bronchoconstriction that may be the prelude to dangerous respiratory failure, and which resembles the pattern of collapsing land vegetation during a drought.
Epileptic seizures happen when neighboring neural cells all start firing in synchrony. Minutes before a seizure, a certain variance occurs in the electrical signals recorded in an EEG.
Shifts in financial markets also have early warnings. Stock market events are heralded by increased trading volatility. Correlation among returns to stocks in a falling market and patterns in options prices may serve as early-warning indicators.
"In systems in which we can observe transitions repeatedly," write the scientists, "such as lakes, ranges or fields, and such as human physiology, we may discover where the thresholds are.
"If we have reason to suspect the possibility of a critical transition, early-warning signals may be a significant step forward in judging whether the probability of an event is increasing."
Other co-authors of the paper are Jordi Bascompte and Egbert van Nes of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Scientificas, Sevilla, Spain; Victor Brovkin of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany; Vasilis Dakos of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Potsdam, Germany; and Max Rietkerk of Utrecht University in The Netherlands.
The research also was funded by the Institute Para Limes and the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies, as well as the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research and the European Science Foundation, among others.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902133625.htm

Stop Emitting Carbon Dioxide, Or Geoengineering Could Be Only Hope For Earth's Climate, Experts Warn

ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2009) — The future of the Earth could rest on potentially dangerous and unproven geoengineering technologies unless emissions of carbon dioxide can be greatly reduced, the latest Royal Society report has found.
The report (published September 1, 2009 by the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science) found that unless future efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are much more successful than they have been so far, additional action in the form of geoengineering will be necessary if we are to cool the planet. Geoengineering technologies were found to be very likely to be technically possible and some were considered to be potentially useful to augment the continuing efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions. However, the report identified major uncertainties regarding their effectiveness, costs and environmental impacts.
Professor John Shepherd, who chaired the Royal Society’s geoengineering study, said, “It is an unpalatable truth that unless we can succeed in greatly reducing CO2 emissions we are headed for a very uncomfortable and challenging climate future, and geoengineering will be the only option left to limit further temperature increases. Our research found that some geoengineering techniques could have serious unintended and detrimental effects on many people and ecosystems - yet we are still failing to take the only action that will prevent us from having to rely on them. Geoengineering and its consequences are the price we may have to pay for failure to act on climate change.”
The report assesses the two main kinds of geoengineering techniques – Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM). CDR techniques address the root of the problem – rising CO2 – and so have fewer uncertainties and risks, as they work to return the Earth to a more normal state. They are therefore considered preferable to SRM techniques, but none has yet been demonstrated to be effective at an affordable cost, with acceptable environmental impacts, and they only work to reduce temperatures over very long timescales.
SRM techniques act by reflecting the sun’s energy away from Earth, meaning they lower temperatures rapidly, but do not affect CO2 levels. They therefore fail to address the wider effects of rising CO2, such as ocean acidification, and would need to be deployed for a very long time. Although they are relatively cheap to deploy, there are considerable uncertainties about their regional consequences, and they only reduce some, but not all, of the effects of climate change, while possibly creating other problems. The report concludes that SRM techniques could be useful if a threshold is reached where action to reduce temperatures must be taken rapidly, but that they are not an alternative to emissions reductions or CDR techniques.
Professor Shepherd added, “None of the geoengineering technologies so far suggested is a magic bullet, and all have risks and uncertainties associated with them. It is essential that we strive to cut emissions now, but we must also face the very real possibility that we will fail. If “Plan B” is to be an option in the future, considerable research and development of the different methods, their environmental impacts and governance issues must be undertaken now. Used irresponsibly or without regard for possible side effects, geoengineering could have catastrophic consequences similar to those of climate change itself. We must ensure that a governance framework is in place to prevent this.”
Of the CDR techniques assessed, the following were considered to have most useful potential:

• CO2 capture from ambient air – this would be the preferred method of geoengineering, as it effectively reverses the cause of climate change. At this stage no cost-effective methods have yet been demonstrated and much more research and development is needed.
• Enhanced weathering – this technique, which utilises naturally occurring reactions of CO2 from the air with rocks and minerals, was identified as a prospective longer-term option. However more research is needed to find cost-effective methods and to understand the wider environmental implications.
• Land use and afforestation – the report found that land use management could and should play a small but significant role in reducing the growth of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However the scope for applying this technique would be limited by land use conflicts, and all the competing demands for land must be considered when assessing the potential for afforestation and reforestation. Should temperatures rise to such a level where more rapid action needs to be taken, the following SRM techniques were considered to have most potential:
• Stratospheric aerosols – these were found to be feasible, and previous volcanic eruptions have effectively provided short-term preliminary case studies of the potential effectiveness of this method. The cost was assessed as likely to be relatively low and the timescale of action short. However, there are some serious questions over adverse effects, particularly depletion of stratospheric ozone.
• Space-based methods – these were considered to be a potential SRM technique for long-term use, if the major problems of implementation and maintenance could be solved. At present the techniques remain prohibitively expensive, complex and would be slow to implement.
• Cloud albedo approaches (eg. cloud ships) – the effects would be localised and the impacts on regional weather patterns and ocean currents are of considerable concern but are not well understood. The feasibility and effectiveness of the technique is uncertain. A great deal more research would be needed before this technique could be seriously considered.

The following techniques were considered to have lower potential:

• Biochar (CDR technique) – the report identified significant doubts relating to the potential scope, effectiveness and safety of this technique and recommended that substantial research would be required before it could be considered for eligibility for UN carbon credits.
• Ocean fertilisation (CDR technique) – the report found that this technique had not been proved to be effective and had high potential for unintended and undesirable ecological side effects.
• Surface albedo approaches (SRM technique, including white roof methods, reflective crops and desert reflectors) – these were found to be ineffective, expensive and, in some cases, likely to have serious impacts on local and regional weather patterns.

For more information, see: http://www.royalsociety.org/geoengineeringclimate

How Much Omega-3 Fatty Acid Do We Need To Prevent Cardiovascular Disease?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2009) — A team of French scientists have found the dose of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that is "just right" for preventing cardiovascular disease in healthy men. In a research report appearing in the September 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the scientists show that a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. This study is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health.
"This study shows that regularly consuming small amounts of DHA is likely to improve the health status of people, especially in regards to cardiovascular function," said Michel Lagarde, co-author of the study.
To determine the optimal dose of DHA, Lagarde and colleagues examined the effects of increasing doses of DHA on 12 healthy male volunteers between ages of 53 and 65. These men consumed doses of DHA at 200, 400, 800, and 1600 mg per day for two weeks for each dose amount, with DHA being the only omega-3 fatty acid in their diet. Blood and urine samples were collected before and after each dose and at eight weeks after DHA supplementation stopped. The researchers then examined these samples for biochemical markers indicating the effects of each dose on the volunteers.
"Now that we have a very good idea about how much DHA is just right, the next step is to try it out in an expanded clinical trial that involves many more people," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Until then, I'll stick with tasty foods that contain DHA, like fish, rather than getting a quick fatty-acid fix at the local vitamin store."
Nicolas Guillot, Emilie Caillet, Martine Laville, Catherine Calzada, Michel Lagarde, and Evelyne Véricel. Increasing intakes of the long-chain  -3 docosahexaenoic acid: effects on platelet functions and redox status in healthy men. The FASEB Journal, 2009; 23 (9): 2909
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130751.htm

Depression looms as global crisis
The World Health Organization predicts that within 20 years more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem.
BBC NEWS, September 2, 2009
According to the WHO, depression will be the biggest health burden on society both economically and sociologically.
Yet, it says most developing countries spend less than 2% of their national budgets on mental healthcare.
The warning comes as the first Global Mental Health Summit starts in Athens, Greece.
“ In 2030 this will be the single biggest cause for burden out of all health conditions ” 
Dr Shekhar Saxena, WHO
WHO figures reveal that currently, over 450 million people are directly affected by mental disorders or disabilities, most of whom live in developing countries.
The five-day summit in Athens will provide the opportunity to address what the organisers are calling a crisis in global mental healthcare.
"WHO figures clearly show that the burden because of depression is likely to increase - so much so that in 2030 this will be the single biggest cause for burden out of all health conditions," Dr Shekhar Saxena of the Department of Mental Health at the WHO, told the BBC World Service.
The scientific concept of "burden" is the measure of years lost of life, due to early death or severe disability brought on by a certain illness, in this case depression.
Silent epidemic
Dr Saxena says depression is much more common than some other diseases that are more widely feared such as HIV-Aids or cancer.
"One could call it a silent epidemic because depression is more often being recognised, but it has been there throughout and is likely to increase in terms of proportion when other diseases are actually going down."
The increasing burden will be a particular problem for developing countries because they have fewer resources to allocate to mental health.
THE SILENT EPIDEMIC 
   About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14
   Around 20% of the world's children and adolescents are estimated to have mental disorders or problems
   Most low- and middle-income countries have only one child psychiatrist for every 1 to 4 million people
   About 800,000 people commit suicide every year, 86% of them in low- and middle-income countries
   More than half of the people who kill themselves are aged between 15 and 44
   The highest suicide rates are found among men in eastern European countries Source: WHO
"We have figures to show that poorer countries have actually more depression compared to richer countries and even poor people in rich countries have a high incidence of depression compared to the richer people in the same countries," says Dr Saxena.
Yet high-income countries allocate 200 times more resources to mental health than low-income ones.
It accounts not only for a significant proportion of government spending in developed countries, it also makes a impact on their GDP as well.
Professor Martin Prince, professor of epidemiological psychiatry at King's College, London has tried to calculate in financial terms how much of a burden a depressed person can become.
"Part of this is through lost productivity because people with serious depression are much less likely to be employed and to stay employed. Then there's the cost to society of providing, for example, incapacity and unemployment benefits, particularly in rich developed countries," he says.
"These costs combined amount in the UK, it's estimated, to about £12bn ($19bn) per year or around 1% of the gross national product, so these are absolutely enormous sums."
With the expectation that the burden from mental illness is going up and will continue to increase in coming years, Dr Saxena says societal attitudes towards mental illness need to change.
"Depression is as much of a disease as any other physical disease that people suffer from and they have a right to get correct advice and treatment with in the same health care settings which look after other health conditions."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8230549.stm

Healthy People Taking Antibiotics May Spread Superbug Infection

S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  September 3, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Clostridium difficile, usually known as simply C. difficile, is a bacterium that spreads by bacterial spores. And a new study raises the disturbing possibility that antibiotics taken by people who aren't even ill from these bacteria can spur the germ into becoming a kind of bacterial spore spewing mega factory. So why is this concerning? It's true that C. difficile can exist in the human body and never make you sick. But it can also cause serious illness and even be fatal -- and incidences are of the infection are increasing. What's more, strains of the bacteria are showing signs of becoming a serious drug-resistant superbug infection.

C. difficile can cause illness when the germ grows out-of-control after a person takes antibiotics, especially fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, clindamycin and penicillins. By killing off the normal body flora that should keep C. difficile in check, antibiotics can cause the bacteria to proliferate wildly and, when this happens, the bacteria produce toxins that attack the lining of the intestine. The result can be diarrhea, colitis and even death. 

Although people who are elderly and already sick may succumb to C. difficile, just stopping antibiotics can help most people recover from the infection and taking probiotics can facilitate healing and restoring the body to normalcy, too. Ironically, however, in hopes of destroying the bacteria doctors often treat C. difficile with even more antibiotics, specifically heavy duty, side-effects heavy metronidazole (Flagyl) and vancomycin. 

But these super powerful take-no-prisoners kind of antibiotics aren't always able to zap C. difficile any more. According to the Mayo Clinic, an aggressive strain of the bacteria has emerged that produces far more deadly toxins than ever before. And this new strain has taken on characteristics of a superbug by showing resistance to antibiotics. Now research just published in the journal Infection and Immunity suggests that antibiotictreatment could be asymptomatically causing the transmission of huge numbers of C. difficile spores and contributing to the outbreaks that have recently been widely reported in hospitals and other environments. 

Humans shed spores of this bacteria in their feces and these spores can survive dormant in the environment for long periods of time, under harsh conditions and in temperatures up to 70 degrees C. A new human host is infected when he or she happens to touch a surface contaminated with the spores and then touches and eats food or touches their lips. 

Currently, healthcare professionals attempt to keep the threat of C. difficile under control by hand washing and by isolating patients who exhibit the symptoms of infection such as fever and diarrhea. But the new study suggests infection control in hospitals should include all patients receiving antibiotic treatment because these drugs could be causing even people with no symptoms of C. difficile infection to transmit large numbers of the bacteria's spores. 

"C. difficile is a highly resistant and highly infectious pathogen and resistant to many front line antibiotics," explained Dr Trevor Lawley, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute researcher and lead author on the study, in a statement to the press. "Until now, animal studies have focused on the observable, acute symptoms of C. difficile. But, to understand how this highly infectious pathogen spreads, investigating the entire cycle of transmission is absolutely vital. We looked at mice carrying C. difficile and observed that they shed low levels of spores and, crucially, they did not infect other mice."

The scientists treated mice with antibiotics and the balance of the microbial ecosystem inside the animals was thrown out of whack. Because C. difficile is now resistant to many antibiotics, the bacteria thrived, increased and dominated the microbiota of the mice -- the same scenario that can happen in people.

The research team saw a dramatic rise in the levels of spores shed in the mice treated with antibiotics. The scientists have labeled the phenomenon asupershedder state which causes an increase in the transmission of C. difficile even in the absence of clinical symptoms. And the research raises the possibility that even after stopping antibiotics, the supershedder state could remain for some time.

"We treated mice with short and longer courses of antibiotics," says Professor Gordon Dougan, Head of Pathogen Genetics at the Sanger Institute and senior author on the study. "After a short course most mice had dropped back to normal spore shedding levels around two weeks after cessation of the treatment. But after long term exposure to antibiotics some of the mice remained in their 'supershedder' state for weeks or even longer after treatment was stopped. We should consider that patients still pose a considerable transmission threat some weeks after treatment is terminated even if they have not exhibited signs of C. difficile disease."

The scientists also found that there was a considerable threat from environmental contamination from even short-term housing of supershedder mice. That suggests that even a brief environmental contamination with these high levels of spores is a potential infection threat.

"C. difficile is a high-profile and rapidly emerging pathogen and is responsible for the death of a patient every hour in our hospitals -- but its biology and transmission are so far poorly understood," says Brendan Wren, Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases. "At last we can monitor the transmission of this major pathogen using a tractable model system. This will be invaluable in determining the role of spore formation in transmission and how and why some C. difficile strains are more virulent and transmissible than others."

The scientists also used their study to test disinfectants commonly used in hospitals to see if they really work at controlling C. difficile infection. Alcohol-based disinfectants were found to not work at all in preventing transmission. Instead, it took a 20 minute treatment with a strong spore-killing agent to reduce environmental C. difficile spore contamination enough to eliminate transmission of the germs. Bottom line: the standard methods used in hospitals to supposedly protect patients, visitors and healthcare personal from exposure to C. difficile are probably useless.

"This research has far reaching implications for treatment and infection control of a pathogen that is increasingly raising alarm among the global healthcare community," Cambridge microbiologist Fiona Cooke stated in the media release. She explained that the research provides a better understanding of the interactions between C. difficile, the intestinal microbiota and the immune system of the host. "This opens up numerous opportunities including the development of new probiotic approaches, which could restore the balance of the intestinal microbiota and promotehealth,"she said.

Editor's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which they were acquired.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026969_antibiotics_antibiotic_bacteria.html

White Tea Fights Obesity

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  September 3, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Regular consumption of white tea might help prevent obesity and encourage weight loss, according to a study conducted by researchers from the German health food company Beiersdorf AG and published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism.

"In the industrialized countries, the rising incidence of obesity-associated disorders including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes constitutes a growing problem," said Beiersdorf nutritionist Marc Winnefeld. "We've shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances." 

Made from the same plant as other true teas such as green, black or oolong tea, white tea is brewed from undamaged leaves that have been only lightly steamed, rather than being fermented or allowed to wilt or bruise. It is typically made with the youngest leaves of the plant and may also contain unopened tea buds, which are covered with a downy white hair that gives the tea variety its name.

Researchers exposed laboratory-grown human fat cells (adipocytes) to an extract of white tea. They found that exposure to the tea extract led a decrease in activity among the genes associated with new adipocyte formation, "while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain."

Scientists believe that because it is the least processed variety of tea, white tea contains the highest levels of health-promoting phytochemicals. The Beiersdorf researchers believe that methylxanthines and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) contributed to the effects seen in the current study.

The earliest evidence of white tea consumption dates to the Ming Dynasty, between 1366 and 1644 CE. It is now more popular in Western countries than in China. To prevent it from becoming bitter, white tea should not be brewed at any temperature higher than 180 degrees Fahrenheit (80C). The ideal tea to water ratio, according to experts, is 1.5 teaspoons per 200 milliliters (6.7 fluid ounces).

Previous research has linked white tea to lower blood pressure, increased bone strength and a reduced risk of cancer.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026968_white_tea_health_obesity.html

Use Natural Remedies for the Common Cold

Barbi Trejo, NaturalNews.com  September 3, 2009 

(NaturalNews) During sometime in this year, you will most likely succumb to the common cold. Even the strongest or the bravest person will at times have the nasty old "common cold" bug. Many confuse the flu with the cold and there are some simple differences to help you know which treatment to take. Natural medicines should be taken at all times, as antibiotics will only suppress your immune system.

When is it more than just a cold?

- Shortness of breath or wheezing
- Sore throat
- Little or no appetite
- Excessive pain in the lungs, throat or ears
- A temperature over 101 degrees for more than 3 days
- A fever of 103 degrees or more.

It is important when looking at any natural remedy, to first increase your immune system and then attack the bug. A clean body cannot get the cold or the flu. There are approximately 200 different viruses that cause the common cold and the most known virus is called "Respiratory Syncitial Virus" (RSV). Colds are infectious disease and can be passed on to others.

What is the difference between asthma and the flu or common cold?

- Fever

What is the difference between the flu and the common cold?

- The common cold is basically an illness above the neck
- With the flu, you will feel bad all over
- lack of energy
- flushed face
- fever of 102-106 degrees

What are the symptoms of the common cold?

- Sneezing
- Runny and dripping nasal problems
- Nasal congestion

What are the natural remedies for the common cold?

- Vitamin C - Immediately increase your intake of vitamin C.

- Olive leaf - As soon as you get the first cold symptoms, you should take twenty-one capsules of dried olive leaf. The following days you should take 9 capsules each day. In most cases, the cold will not last longer than one day, if you catch the cold in the beginning stages.

- For a dripping nose problem, use a warm salt water solution - Take a tea glass of warm water and place one tablespoon of salt in the water and dissolve the salt. You can either use a dropper or the "push method." If you want to use the push method, then place the salt water in your cupped hand and push quickly to the nose and inhale. Do this for both nostrils.

- Chamomile tea - Boil a medium size pot of chamomile tea and take the pot over to a table. Place your head over the pot and inhale the fumes with a towel over your head. Immediately go to bed and pull the covers over your head and try to go to sleep.

- Chicken Soup - Researchers found that eating some chicken soup helped to unclog your nose. They are not sure if it is the aroma of the soup or the taste, but it did help to clear the nasal passages.

- Liquids - Drink between 6-8 glasses of water, juice, tea or liquids every single day. Stay away from all milk products.

- No smoking - Smoking aggravates the throat and interferes with the infection fighting cilia, microscopic "fingers" that remove the bacteria from your throat. So put out the "butt."

- Sip on hot teas - As your throat will be tender, the best solution is a nice herbal tea. Peppermint or chamomile tea will work wonders.

- Showers - Take a nice hot steamy shower. A nice hot shower clears up nasal congestion. This relieves your cough by moistening your throat.

- Garlic - Take at least 4-5 gloves of garlic per day.

- Echinacea and goldenseal - Both of these herbs are excellent natural antibiotics. Echinacea is best when you buy the fresh root and suck on the plant itself.

- Make sure your diet is full of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. It is important to keep your immune system in very good shape, so go raw and go natural.

- Vitamins - At the onset of the cold, take your vitamins such as A, B, C, D and E. Ginger is very good for stomach inflammation also. So brew up a nice cup of ginger tea.

Ginger Tea:

1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Bring the water and ginger to boil and then remove the pot from the fire and let it cool for 30 minutes. Then you may add some honey and sip the tea slowly. It will also soothe the throat.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026964_common_cold_water_natural_remedies.html

Inflammatory diseases linked to cardiovascular risk

Times of India   2 September 2009
Patients with two serious autoimmune disorders that cause mascular inflammation-Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM)- are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a group of Montreal researchers. 

This is the first time that researchers led by Dr. Christian A. Pineau, at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), have linked muscular inflammation to increased cardiovascular risk. 

PM and DM are most common in women and seniors and both diseases are caused by a hyperactive immune system, which attacks healthy tissue, almost as if the body had become allergic to itself. 

This results in serious inflammation of muscle tissue in the body, leading to weakness, reduced mobility and, in the case of DM, rashes. Muscles in the heart and the lungs may also be affected. 

"Inflammation has recently been recognized as a risk factor - along with hypertension and cholesterol problems - for arterial diseases that can lead to events such as heart attacks," said Pineau. 

"Our results indicate that the risk of heart attack is twice as high in these people as in the general population. Each year, one out of every 200 people with muscle inflammation, or myositis, succumbs to a stroke and one out of 75 to a heart attack," said Dr. Sasha Bernatsky, a study co-author. 

The scientists also pointed out that the currently used immunosuppressive therapies for treating PM and DM may have a preventive effect against heart attacks. 

"This is an extremely interesting finding for patients who are suffering from PM and DM but who may be hesitant to undergo this type of treatment," added Pineau. 

He even noted that some patients are concerned about the possible side effects of immunosuppressive therapies, such as reduced immunity to infection. 

"Sometimes patients do not want to undergo immunosuppressive treatment, which can last for years. Knowing that it has additional preventive effects may help some people decide to opt for the treatment," added Bernatsky. 

Cardiovascular diseases are the world's leading cause of death, and the researchers hope that their results will provide a clearer picture of the possible benefits and possibilities of immunosuppressive treatment. 

Thus, the researchers are now turning their attention to possible benefits of immunosuppressive therapy on other health risks associated with inflammatory diseases. 

The results have been published in The Journal of Rheumatology.

Studying ancient man to learn to prevent disease

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services 08-31-09
Health care as we know it didn't exist 3,000 years ago. But along the Georgia coast, the Pacific Northwest, and coastal Brazil, people grew tall and strong and lived relatively free of disease. They ate game, fish, shellfish, and wild plants.
But as corn farming spread through various regions of the Americas, people got shorter. Many became prone to anemia and began dying of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
"It's counterintuitive -- with agriculture, people should have been better nourished," said Emory University anthropologist George Armelagos. But a different story is emerging from studies of ancient bones and teeth as well as blood samples from isolated hunters and farmers.
Hunters, of course, were not exactly invulnerable. Their skeletons showed many fell prey to violence. But new evidence may overturn what we understood about the diseases that killed humans over the centuries and how those threats have changed in the modern world.
With prevention now being touted as a strategy to counter crushing health-care costs, insights from the past could help us better understand whether we can really prevent disease and how to best go about it.
The latest effort is mapping health over at least the last 3,000 years across the globe. Although that study is just gearing up, the results are backing up earlier work showing that people were probably healthier 3,000 years ago than they were 300 years ago.
In Europe and America, health started to improve only recently -- about 150 years ago -- with safer food and better sanitation, and the rise of modern medicine.
"Our health conditions didn't pop out of nowhere," said Clark Spencer Larsen, an anthropologist at Ohio State University. "Our interest is in looking at the context for our health today."
Emory's Armelagos said this work might help settle debates over the so-called Paleolithic diets, which periodically become trendy, advocating little more than wild meat, seafood, a few nuts, and vegetables.
Did humans really evolve to eat this way, or has our species adapted to dairy products, domestic animals, and grain?
A surprising amount of information can be gleaned from skeletons, said Larsen, so he and colleagues are studying 17,000 of them as part of the Global History of Health Project. They unveiled their first results, which covered Europe, this year.
The global project followed a similar one that compared different populations living in the Americas over the last 3,000 years.
That project showed that the rise of farming often came along with a fall in health. One common measure of health is height, said project leader Richard Steckel of Ohio State University. This can be approximated by thighbone length when researchers don't have complete skeletons. When people are poorly nourished, their children fail to grow to their full potential height.
People got shorter through most of the last 3,000 years, reaching the lowest point between the 1600s and late 1800s, Steckel said. That's when British philosopher Thomas Hobbes coined the phrase "nasty, brutish, and short" to describe life before civilization.
Several other telltale signs on the bones show that farming populations often suffered from anemia and Vitamin B-12 deficiency. There was also more infectious disease -- TB, for example.
Armelagos, who was not in the project, said it was not that surprising that infectious diseases would rise with farming since it allowed denser centers of populations. Humans have certainly always gotten sick, but disease was less likely to spread into epidemics when populations were sparse, he said.
With the rise of cities, crowding and exposure to human waste allowed disease to spread as never before. Raising animals also allowed new pathogens to jump to humans. Livestock hosted influenza, allowing the viruses to mutate and evolve, leading to ever more deadly pandemics.
And when farming of grains brought about greater quantities of food, he said, what people ate lacked certain nutrients -- iron and Vitamin B-12, for example, whose effects show up in the bones and teeth.
The only health measure that was generally worse for hunter-gatherers was violence, said Ohio State's Steckel. Many of their skeletons had signs of injuries inflicted by other humans. Otzi, the 5,300-year-old "ice man" discovered frozen in the Alps, may have been typical. An analysis shows he was 45 years old and the cause of death was an arrow lodged in his shoulder.
Longevity will be harder to estimate -- but more research may eventually reveal whether hunter-gatherers who avoided spears in the back lived longer than their farming counterparts.
Some clues may come from isolated pockets of modern people who still live more ancient lifestyles. This month, for example, a collaboration of gerontologists and anthropologists published a study on a remote group in Bolivia called the Tsimane.
These indigenous people got most of their food from growing rice and a starchy vegetable called manioc, with some added protein from game and fish.
They live in groups of 50 to 100 people with no sanitation, running water, electricity, or modern medical care.
"This population lives in conditions as close to those of a historical population as we can get in the real world today," said team member Eileen Crimmins, a gerontologist from the University of Southern California.
For this study, the researchers focused on the concept of inflammation as an agent of our deterioration and aging. Though inflammation can help the body clear infections, it's also been associated with heart disease as well as cancer and Alzheimer's. One common signpost of inflammation is a substance called C-reactive protein, or CRP.
The Tsimane CRP was so high that they appeared to be suffering sky-high inflammation levels -- enough that they should be dropping dead from heart attacks. And yet they had very little evidence of heart disease or the sort of deterioration of the vascular system that appears to be almost inevitable among Western populations.
Working in their favor, most Tsimane had low body fat and low cholesterol, though they had unusually low levels of the "good" HDL cholesterol.
Their overall life expectancy is in the 40s, but the average is brought down by a high infant mortality rate, said collaborator Hillard Kaplan of the University of New Mexico. Those who reach adulthood usually live into their 60s or early 70s.
"What's really fascinating is that as different as our environments are, the schedule of life isn't all that different from ours," Kaplan said. "A 65-year-old Tsimane looks and acts pretty similar to a 65-year-old American."
But instead of dying from heart disease, the Tsimane die from infections. Kaplan suspects that fighting a relentless onslaught of infection eventually breaks down their immune systems by the time they reach 70.
Thomas McDade, an anthropologist from Northwestern University, recently discovered that Tsimane of the past may have benefited from traditional medicine. He found parents with the greatest traditional knowledge of local medicinal plants had the healthiest children. The sickest children belonged to those who had lost this knowledge.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8697&Section=Aging

Try natural remedies for varicose and spider veins

Tulsa World, Okla. 08-31-09
Aug. 29--Dear Pharmacist,
I have such bad varicose veins in my legs that I hide them from my husband. I never wear shorts either. Are there vitamins that can make them disappear?
e_SEmD
T.G. Dallas
Answer:
Before taking supplements, visit a physician who specializes in vein diseases or "phlebology" because varicose veins may indicate bigger problems including heart disease, deep vein thrombosis or venous insufficiency.
Below are some natural supplements that are sold without prescription. Consult your physician, especially if you have kidney, liver or bleeding disorders or take medications that interact with grapefruit (citrus):
Hesperidin:
An antioxidant found in lemons and oranges that is also sold as a dietary supplement. Hesperidin can strengthen the blood vessel walls, which reduces swelling and easy bruising.
It's useful for hemorrhoids as well as leg varicosities. Hesperidin and its sisters rutin and quercetin are fabulous antioxidants so they do great housekeeping on your cells.
Diosmin:
This is derived from hesperidin and found in numerous over-the-counter vein and hemorrhoidal formulas. It's used widely in Europe and may improve circulation, reduce sensations of leg heaviness and prevent night cramps.
A few small studies have demonstrated a beneficial effect of diosmin, especially when combined with hesperidin.
Bromelain extract:
From pineapples, this supplement
helps to break down fibrin, which is what collects around the varicose veins causing lumps and bumps.
Horse chestnut extract:
The active ingredient in this herb is called "aescin" and it may block enzymes that would otherwise damage delicate capillary walls. Researchers think that it might reduce leg pain and swelling.
Other considerations for vein and circulatory health include B vitamins, rutin, Gotu Kola and Butcher's Broom.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8694&Section=Nutrition

Fasting puts worm reproduction on hold

LIFE EXTENSIONS, August 28, 2009
In an article published online on August 27, 2009 in the journal Science, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center report that restricting the calories of roundworms known as C. elegans destroys all but a few stem cells of the reproductive system, however, restoring normal food conditions regenerates it. The finding contradicts the commonly held belief that females are born with a lifetime supply of eggs that eventually becomes exhausted, ending fertility.
"For many, it has been assumed that cells and organs remain relatively stable during periods of starvation or caloric restriction," observed lead author and molecular physiologist Marc Van Gilst, PhD. "The idea that an entire system would kill itself off during starvation and then regenerate upon food restoration was very surprising. The fact that extremely old worms could generate new eggs and produce healthy offspring long after their normally fed counterparts had reproduced and died was also unexpected."
For their research, Dr Van Gilst and his associates withheld food from genetically normal worms and worms that lacked a functioning gene known as NHR-49, which expresses a signaling receptor protein in the nuclei of cells that promotes a metabolic response to calorie restriction. The worms were monitored during fasting and subsequent feeding restoration, and changes in ovulation, cell death, germline stem cell survival, and fertility noted. "In worms that contained an inactive NHR-49 gene, reproductive recovery and fertility after starvation were severely impaired," Dr Van Gilst stated. "We found that reproductive arrest and recovery are highly dependent on a functioning NHR-49 gene."
"The identification of a nuclear receptor that turns on and off the beneficial response to nutrient deprivation would be of great interest because it would be a candidate for drugs aimed at tricking the body, or specifically the reproductive system, into thinking they are calorically restricted or starved, even when food intake is normal,” he added.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_08.htm#fasting-puts-worm-reproduction-on-hold

Easterners, Westerners see emotion differently
Last Updated: 2009-08-28 13:40:10 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The eyes-and not the mouth-are the true windows to the soul, at least among East Asians, new research in the journal Current Biology suggests.
Using tiny cameras to track the eye movements of 13 Europeans and 13 Chinese or Japanese university students as they viewed faces representing seven different emotional states, Dr. Rachael E. Jack of the University of Glasgow in Scotland and her colleagues found that while the Europeans looked at both the eyes and mouth, Asians focused on the eyes almost exclusively.
Jack and her colleagues conducted the study to better understand why Asians might have a harder time recognizing certain "negative" facial expressions than Westerners do, as some studies have suggested. The conventional wisdom, they explain, has been that facial expressions are a universal language, with a scary face and a happy face meaning the same thing to everyone no matter their cultural background.
Jack and her team recruited 12 Chinese students and 1 Japanese student to participate in the study. All had just arrived at the University of Glasgow to study, having been in the country for about a week, on average, and none had visited a Western country before.
The pictures Jack and her team used included both Asian and Western faces, and included "happy," "surprised," "fearful," "disgusted," "angry," "sad," and "neutral" expressions.
Eye tracking revealed that the Asian individuals spent most of their time looking at eyes, while Westerners divided their attention between the eyes and mouth. Asian study participants made more mistakes than Westerners in categorizing the emotions expressed, in particular mixing up fear and surprise, as well as anger and disgust.
This is probably because, Jack told Reuters Health in an interview, the eyes of an angry or disgusted person look pretty similar, while the same is true for a surprised or fearful person.
She and her colleagues are now investigating what these emotions look like to East Asian people, as opposed to Westerners.
"Our results are quite nicely reflected by emoticons that are used to convey emotions in cyberspace," Jack said. For example, she noted, when a Westerner would use :) to represent a happy face, an Easterner might type this instead: ^.^
SOURCE: Current Biology, online August 13, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/08/28/eline/links/20090828elin006.html

Citrus hybrids may offer antioxidant-rich extracts for nutraceuticals

Nutraingredients.com, 31-Aug-2009

Crossing clementines and blood oranges may yield a new citrus hybrid with an enhanced content of antioxidant phytochemicals, according to new research from Europe.
Italian and German scientists found that two new hybrids contained high levels of both polyphenols and vitamin C, and exhibited a high antioxidant activity,“suggesting that their consumption could be useful in the prevention of diseases in which free radicals are involved”.
Results of the EU-funded FLORA Project, a European sixth framework programme, also found that one hybrid known as OTA 9 contained high levels of an anthocyanin called cyanidin 3-glucoside, which reportedly has a stronger antioxidant activity than other common anthocyanins.
“Consumption of OTA 9 fruit or juice might be useful for disease prevention and health promotion,” wrote the researchers, led by Paolo Rapisarda from Italy’s CRA-Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee.
The new study taps into ongoing interest in the potential health benefits of citrusfruit extracts. In recent years antioxidant-rich extracts have been linked to cholesterol reductions, as well as neurological and joint health benefits.
While many earlier studies have focussed on purely established cultivars, the Italian researchers, in collaboration with Hans-Peter Mock from Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetic and Crop Plant Research, sought to develop new hybrids by crossing clementine cv. Oroval with different cultivars of blood oranges.
According to findings published in Food Chemistry, some of the hybrids showed a high antioxidant activity due to considerable improvements in their polyphenol content, compared to their parents.
The OTA 9 hybrid was singled out as the best source of polyphenols, including flavanones and hydroxycinnamic acids. “These components are of great interest as [...] agents in human health and nutrition. As a result, their recovery from a plentiful source might be economically important,” wrote the researchers.
Some hybrids displayed elevated acid levels and the researchers therefore considered that “neither of these two hybrids was fit to eat as a dessert fruit”.
The antioxidant activity of the hybrids was evaluated using the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) assay as well as the induced linoleic acid peroxidation (InLAP) assays.
Results showed that the OTA 9 hybrid had an ORAC score of 6688 units, compared to only 1592 units for its clementine parent. This was the highest value, and double most of the other hybrids. Furthermore, the InLAP score of 88.5 per cent was the highest amongst the other hybrids tested.
“Recent research has demonstrated the possibility of recovering anthocyanins, flavanones and hydroxycinnamic acids from blood orange juice or citrus byproducts and using this extract as an antioxidant ingredient for dietary supplements,” wrote the researchers.
“Having the highest concentration of polyphenols, the OTA 9 juice represents a richer source of antioxidant compounds than blood orange juice; it could potentially be used as raw material to make functional food or pharmaceutical and cosmetic products,” they concluded.
Source: Food Chemistry Volume 117, Issue 2, Pages 212-218 “Juice of New citrus hybrids (Citrus clementina Hort. ex Tan.xC. sinensis L. Osbeck) as a source of natural antioxidants” Authors: P. Rapisarda, S. Fabroni, S. Peterek, G. Russo, H.-P. Mock
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Citrus-hybrids-may-offer-antioxidant-rich-extracts-for-nutraceuticals

Antioxidant content of fruit more than previously thought?

Nutraingredients.com, 31-Aug-2009

We may be underestimating the antioxidant content of fruit and vegetables, according to an international team of scientists from Spain and the UK.
While the polyphenol content of fruits usually refers to extractable polyphenols, new research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that the non-extractable polyphenol content is up to five times higher than extractable compounds.
According to studies with apple, peach and nectarine, previous measures to quantify polyphenols may have been limited by the extraction technique.
"These [non-extractable] polyphenols need to be treated with acid to extract them from the cell walls of fruit in the lab," said lead author Sara Arranz from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Madrid. "If non-extractable polyphenols are not considered, the levels of beneficial polyphenols such as proanthocyanidins, ellagic acid and catechin are substantially underestimated."
In collaboration with the Institute of Food Research in the UK, Arranz states that this represents the first report on using methanol and sulfuric acid to analyse the non-extractable polyphenol content of apples, peaches, and nectarines.
"In the human body these compounds will be fermented by bacteria in the colon, creating metabolites that may be beneficial, for example with antioxidant activity," said Paul Kroon from IFR.
Knowledge of the contributions of such compounds is important, suggest he researchers, since non-extractable polyphenols are not usually considered in nutritional studies, but are actually are a major part of bioactive compounds in the diet.
"These polyphenols are major constituents of the human diet with important health properties. To consider them in nutritional and epidemiological research may be useful for a better understanding of the effects of plant foods in health,"said the study’s leader, Professor Fulgencio Saura-Calixto.
Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 
Volume 57, Issue 16, Pages 7298-7303, doi: 10.1021/jf9016652
“High Contents of Nonextractable Polyphenols in Fruits Suggest That Polyphenol Contents of Plant Foods Have Been Underestimated”
Authors: S. Arranz, F. Saura-Calixto, S. Shaha, P.A. Kroon
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Antioxidant-content-of-fruit-more-than-previously-thought

Wild lupins’ protein could rival soy, say Spanish researchers

Foodnavigator-USA.com, 31-Aug-2009

Wild varieties of lupin seeds could be tapped for their high quality protein content, report researchers in Spain, and could reduce the need to import soybean to Europe from places such as the US, Brazil and China.
Lupin, or lupinus, is an ancient legume cultivated in the Mediterranean and the South American Andes. Amongst the major cultivated species are Lupin albus(white lupin), L. mutabilis (pearl lupin) and L, angustifolius (blue lupin). One of the major uses of lupin seeds is in animal feed, but they can be eaten by humans if the bitterness is removed.
Lupin seed flours can also be used for making protein isolates; and a lupin seed derived ingredient from German firm Hochdorf is geared to the soy-free and lactose-free markets, as well as fat replacement for meat and bakery products.
While cultivated lupins have been seen to have a nutritional value comparable tosoy beans – but suitable for quite different climates and soils – areas under cultivation have decreased in the last century, Javier Vioque of the Instituto de la Grasa in Seville and colleagues report.
They set out to evaluate the nutritional characteristics of seed proteins from six lupin species that grow in Southern Spain: L. angustifolius, L. consentinii, L. gredensis, L. luteus and L. micranthus. The seeds were collected from wild populations.
Comparable protein
The team found that the wild lupin seeds had protein levels ranging from 23.8 per cent for L. gredensis to 33.6 per cent for L. luteus. Although cultivated lupin seeds tended to have more protein (for instance wild L. angustifolius averaged compared to 33.8 per cent in commercial samples ), these levels are still higher than other commonly consumed legumes like chick peas (24.7 per cent).
The animo acid composition was also analysed, as this indicates the nutritional quality of the protein. L. cosentinii was seen to have the most balanced animo acid make up, which was short only on lysine, and L. hispanicus, which was also short on sulphur amino acids and tryptophan.
These amino acids are released on digestion, so an in vitro protein digestibility tests were conducted. Here the highest result was seen for L. cosentinii, with 89 per cent, and the lowest for L. gredensis with 82.3 per cent.
These figures are comparable to white lupin (86.9 to 88.8 per cent), soybean (85.8 per cent) and rice (84.8 per cent), and higher than for chickpea (76.2 per cent).
“Results confirm interest in studying wild populations if cultivated and non-cultivated Lupinus species as a source of seeds with good nutritional characteristics,” wrote the authors. “This may help in the domestication of new species or the use of wild populations in breeding programmes, favouring the bio-conservation of Lupinus.”
Source
Food Chemistry 117 (3): 466-469, 2009
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/Wild-lupins-protein-could-rival-soy-say-Spanish-researchers

Plant Essential Oil Eyed As Mosquito, Ant Repellent

ScienceDaily (Aug. 30, 2009) — Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have teamed up with researchers from a company in American Samoa to investigate the chemical makeup of a mosquito- and ant-repellent essential oil from a native Samoan plant.
The ARS scientists and researchers at Agro Research, Inc., in Pago Pago, American Samoa, discovered that the oil from a local plant repelled mosquitoes and pest ants in preliminary studies, which were conducted under a material transfer agreement. The isolation and identification of the active component (or components) will be done as part of a recently established one-year cooperative research and development agreement.
The plant is one of the 540 native species of flowering plants in American Samoa, a U.S. island territory in the South Pacific.
ARS chemists Robert Vander Meer and Ulrich Bernier at the agency’s Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville, Fla., are working with Agro Research, Inc.’s Pemerika Tauiliili to identify the active ingredients in the plant essential oil.
Two mosquito species—Aedes aegypti and Anopheles albimanus—were used to evaluate the essential oil’s repellency. A. aegypti transmits viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya. A. albimanus transmits malaria parasites and is not as susceptible to repellents as many other mosquito species.
The essential oil was also tested on the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. Significant repellency was observed with concentrations diluted more than 100-fold, and the active components are likely a small fraction of the total oil.
While American Samoa is malaria-free, mosquitoes pose significant problems for the Samoan population due to transmission of dengue virus.
Exploration for new active ingredients among botanical extracts has value because it can lead to the discovery of new synthetic analogs with unique and useful properties.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090830100003.htm

Asia Faces Food Shortage By 2050 Without Water Reform

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2009) — A comprehensive new study of irrigation in Asia warns that, without major reforms and innovations in the way water is used for agriculture, many developing nations face the politically risky prospect of having to import more than a quarter of the rice, wheat and maize they will need by 2050.
This warning, along with related forecasts and possible solutions, appear in a report entitled, "Revitalizing Asia's Irrigation: To Sustainably Meet Tomorrow's Food Needs", which was presented August 17 at 2009 World Water Week in Stockholm by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). IWMI, FAO and partner researchers obtained the findings using a computer model called WATERSIM, which helps examine difficult tradeoffs between food security and the environment, specifically in relation to water supplies.
The study was carried out by IWMI and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) along with researchers from partner organizations with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It outlines three options for meeting the food needs of Asia's population, which will expand by one and a half billion people over the next 40 years. The first is to import large quantities of cereals from other regions; the second to improve and expand rainfed agriculture; and the third to focus on irrigated farmlands.
"In the wake of a major global food crisis in 2007 and 2008, cereal prices are expected to be higher and more volatile in the coming years," said Colin Chartres, director general of IWMI, whose research is supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). "Asia's food and feed demand is expected to double by 2050. Relying on trade to meet a large part of this demand will impose a huge and politically untenable burden on the economies of many developing countries. The best bet for Asia lies in revitalizing its vast irrigation systems, which account for 70 percent of the world's total irrigated land."
Asian agriculture registered dramatic advances during the 1960s and 1970s through a combination of irrigation, improved crop varieties and fertilizers. The resulting Green Revolution made it possible to avert widespread hunger and raise living standards. From 1970 to 1995, the area under irrigation in Asia more than doubled, according to the IWMI-FAO report, making this the world's most intensively irrigated continent.
"Today, the option of expanding irrigated land area in Asia to feed a growing population is becoming increasingly problematic due to land or water constraints," explained Aditi Mukherji, IWMI scientist and one of the lead authors of the report.
To meet expected cereal demand by 2050, IWMI's projections show that, with present trends of yield growth, we would have to increase by 30 percent the amount of irrigated farmland in South Asia, and 47 percent in East Asia. Without water productivity gains South Asia would need 57 percent more water for irrigated agriculture and East Asia 70 percent more. Given the existing scarcity of land and water, and growing water needs of cities, such a scenario is untenable. This clearly points to a need for dramatic increases in water productivity, which can only be achieved with a complete revitalization of irrigation infrastructure, management and policy.
The scenarios presented in the IWMI-FAO report do not factor in climate change, which will likely make rainfall more erratic and increase the strain on already overstretched irrigation systems. As a result, even the study's pessimistic assumptions may prove overly optimistic, according to modeling experts.
The potential for improvement is particularly great in South Asia, where more than half of the harvested area is irrigated yet yields are low. Asia as a whole could obtain as much as three-quarters of the additional food it will need by improving the performance of irrigated crop production, and South Asia could satisfy all of its additional demand.
"Another option is to shift more land to rainfed farming," said Mukherji. "But the scope for expansion is extremely limited."
In South Asia, for example, 94 percent of the land suitable for farming is already in production. As a consequence, significant expansion of rainfed farming would come largely at the expense of fragile marginal areas with high environmental costs in terms of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the report, IWMI and FAO propose a comprehensive and innovative strategy to improve the performance of Asia's irrigated agriculture. "This involves a comprehensive transition from outdated models, technologies and institutions to a more economically sustainable, service-oriented approach," said Thierry Facon, FAO's senior irrigation expert.
The key element of the strategy is to modernize the region's large-scale irrigation systems, which were built to rely on surface water. Constructed throughout much of Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, these systems are currently in poor condition. As cereal prices declined during the period of infrastructure expansion, investments in irrigation became less attractive. Furthermore, agriculture diversified toward high-value crops, such as vegetables and fruits, which required more flexible approaches to irrigation.
A recent project in Sri Lanka, which takes into account lessons learned from many years of experience, offers a model for improving irrigation management. It combines the best of traditional and new technologies in schemes referred to locally as "village tank cascade systems."
Another critical measure is to selectively support rather than thwart the trend toward individual farmers' use of inexpensive pumps to extract groundwater for irrigation. In India, an estimated 19 million such pumps are providing water for more than 60 percent of the nation's total irrigated area. South Asia as a whole uses about 250 cubic kilometers of groundwater annually, accounting for almost half the world's total groundwater use.
"Governments' inability to regulate this practice is giving rise to scary scenarios of groundwater over-exploitation, which could lead to regional food crises and widespread social unrest," said Tushaar Shah of IWMI and a co-author of the report. "Rather than condemn such a widespread practice, governments should actively support innovative initiatives."
Another important component of the IWMI-FAO strategy is to involve the private sector more actively in publicly managed irrigation systems. Positive experiences in China and elsewhere attest to the potential of that approach.
"Irrigation and the water sector more generally have direct links with energy, trade, labor and other sectors that are crucial to Asia's larger political economy," Shah added. "To address challenges of food security and water management, we must look beyond the irrigation sector for solutions."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143558.htm

Job Insecurity Leads To Health Problems In US Workers

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2009) — Persistent job insecurity poses a major threat to worker health, according to a new study published in the September issue of the peer-reviewed journal Social Science and Medicine.
The study used long-term data from two nationally representative sample surveys of the U.S. population to assess the impact of chronic job insecurity apart from actual job loss.
"Dramatic changes in the U.S. labor market have weakened bonds between employers and employees and fueled perceptions of job insecurity," said University of Michigan sociologist Sarah Burgard, a research assistant professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research. "This study provides the strongest evidence to date that persistent job insecurity has a negative impact on worker health. In fact, chronic job insecurity was a stronger predictor of poor health than either smoking or hypertension in one of the groups we studied."
Burgard and colleagues Jennie Brand at the University of California, Los Angeles, and James House at U-M, analyzed data on more than 1,700 adults collected over periods from three to 10 years. By interviewing the same people at different points in time, the researchers were able to disentangle the connection between poor health and job insecurity, and to control for the impact of actual job loss and other factors. One of the studies was conducted between 1986 and 1989, the other between 1995 and 2005.
"It may seem surprising that chronically high job-insecurity is more strongly linked with health declines than actual job loss or unemployment," said Burgard, who is also affiliated with U-M's Department of Sociology and School of Public Health. "But there are a number of reasons why this is the case. Ongoing ambiguity about the future, inability to take action unless the feared event actually happens, and the lack of institutionalized supports associated with perceived insecurity are among them."
To measure feelings of job insecurity, participants in one study were asked, "How likely is that during the next couple of years you will involuntarily lose your main job?" Participants in the other study were asked, "If you wanted to stay in your present job, what are the chances you could keep it for the next two years." At any given time, as many as 18 percent of those surveyed felt insecure about their jobs. But only about 5 percent of respondents in the first survey and 3 percent of respondents in the second survey reported feeling anxious about their jobs both times they were interviewed.
To reduce the chances that underlying pessimism or negativity was responsible for the degree of job insecurity participants felt, the researchers also controlled for neuroticism, asking participants to what extent they would describe themselves as moody, a worrier, nervous and calm. They also controlled for race, marital status, education and job characteristics, including self-employment.
According to Burgard, the findings have potential implications for both policy and intervention.
"Programs designed for displaced or unemployed workers are unlikely to solve the problems faced by workers who are still employed but are persistently insecure about their jobs," she said. "When you consider that not only income but so many of the important benefits that give Americans some piece of mind—including health insurance and retirement benefits—are tied to employment for most people, it's understandable that persistent job insecurity is so stressful.
"We need to learn more about the conditions that generate or change worker perceptions of their job insecurity. Then organizations might want to intervene to reduce perceptions of insecurity or perhaps broader governmental policies might help to mitigate the degree of stress associated with perceived job insecurity. Additional acute and chronic strains at work and in other areas of life might also worsen or mitigate the health impact of long-term job insecurity.
"Certainly job insecurity is nothing new, but the numbers experiencing persistent job insecurity could be considerably higher during this global recession, so these findings could apply much more broadly today than they did even a few years ago."
The researchers received support for this work from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The research uses data from the Americans' Changing Lives Study, supported in part by the National Institute on Aging and from the Midlife in the United States Study, funded in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827180751.htm

World Must Stop Burning Coal to Save Climate

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  August 30, 3009 

(NaturalNews) The only way to avoid catastrophic climate change is to stop burning coal entirely, leaving a full three-quarters of the planet's fossil fuel reserves untouched, according to two studies published in the journal Nature.

Scientists around the world have warned that any rise in average global temperature greater than two degrees Celsius (2C) from pre-industrial times would result in worldwide catastrophe. Temperatures have already risen by 0.7 degrees since the industrial revolution, and are expected to rise at least as much again even if all fossil fuel use is stopped today.

While more than 100 countries have committed to averting a 2C or greater rise, they have adopted an approach of setting caps on the amount of greenhouse gases that may be emitted in any given year. Myles Allen of Oxford University warns that this is the wrong approach.

"To avoid dangerous climate change, we will have to limit the total amount of carbon we inject into the atmosphere, not just the emission rate in any given year," he said. "Climate policy needs an exit strategy; as well as reducing carbon emissions now; we need a plan for phasing out net emissions entirely." 

According to an analysis by Allen and colleagues, total carbon dioxide emissions of one trillion tons would push the world over the 2C mark.

"It took us 250 years to burn the first half trillion, and on current projections we'll burn the next half trillion in less than 40 years," he said.

A second study concluded that gradual reductions in emissions like those being pursued by most nations are unlikely to avert climate catastrophe.

"Only a fast switch away from fossil fuels will give us a reasonable chance to avoid considerable warming," said researcher Malte Mainshausen of the Potsdam Institute. "If we continue burning fossil fuels as we do, we will have exhausted the carbon budget in merely 20 years, and global warming will go well beyond 2C." 

Mainshausen and colleagues concluded that only 25 percent of known fossil fuel reserves can be burned without exceeding the 2C mark. This would mean leaving all remaining coal reserves unburned.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026939_coal_emissions_climate_change.html

Consumers Duped by Trans Fat Labeling

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  August 29, 3009 

(NaturalNews) FDA food labeling rules make it possible for consumers to exceed their maximum recommended daily intake of trans fats even if they eat only foods labeled "zero trans fats" per serving.

Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated oils, are synthetically produced by adding hydrogen atoms to unsaturated vegetable oils. Unlike natural unsaturated or saturated fats, trans fats have no nutritional value. They have been overwhelmingly shown to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, such that several large cities and the state of California have banned their use in restaurants.

The fats are favored by food producers because they have a longer shelf life than natural fats. But growing consumer awareness over the dangers oftrans fats has led more and more people to avoid them. According to a recent survey by Greenfield Online, 72 percent of U.S. residents read nutritional labels to make food purchasing decisions, and 61 percent believe that "zero trans fats" is the most important claim for a heart-healthy food.

Yet because the FDA allows nutrient content to be rounded to the nearest half gram, all food producers need to do to make a "zero trans fats" claim is set the serving size low enough that it contains no more than 0.49 grams of trans fats.

According to Steve Hughes, chief executive officer of Smart Balance, even consumers looking out for trans fats on nutritional labels "could exceed the daily limit before they even sit down to dinner."

The FDA recommends a maximum daily trans fat intake of two grams.

Consumers can still avoid trans fats by reading ingredient labels. Any food that contains "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils actually contains trans fats, regardless of what it might say on the label or in the nutritional information box.

"The good news is Americans are making healthier food choices a priority and they clearly recognize the dangers of trans fat," said dietitian Alyse Levine. "But unfortunately reading the fine print is necessary to ensure they're not getting more trans fat and putting their health at greater risk than they bargained for."
http://www.naturalnews.com/026930_trans_fat_fats_trans_fats.html

New flu hit estimated 10 percent of New Yorkers

REUTERS  Sun Aug 30, 2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new H1N1 swine flu is estimated to have infected about 800,000 people in New York City in the spring, a top U.S. health official said on Sunday, citing a study due to be released later this week.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, who heads the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said surveys suggested the virus was widely spread around the city. Frieden was New York City's health commissioner before taking the top CDC job in June.
"In New York City where we had a lot of H1N1 this last spring the estimate is about 800,000 people, about 10 percent of New York City residents, got infected with the flu," Frieden said in an interview with C-SPAN television aired on Sunday.
"That's a lot of people."
New York City health department officials say the full study is being finished and will be released within days.
Frieden said there had been a twenty-fold variation in influenza infections around the country. "We expect that some places will have more flu. Some places will have less," he said.
Swine flu has infected well over 1 million people in the United States, and is now the CDC's No. 1 priority. Other research also shows that older children and young adults are by far the most likely to be infected with the new virus.
The World Health Organization predicts a third of the world's population will eventually be infected.
The virus is still circulating and most health experts expect a resurgence in the northern hemisphere's autumn as temperatures cool and schools, traditional breeding grounds for infection, reopen after summer holidays.
Detailed reports on outbreaks can help health officials prepare for epidemics in their communities.
Every year, seasonal flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of a given population and kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally. Because hardly anyone has immunity to the new H1N1 virus, experts believe it will infect far more people than usual, as much as a third of the population.
It also disproportionately affects younger people, unlike seasonal flu which mainly burdens the elderly, and as a result may cause more severe illness and deaths among young adults and children than seasonal flu.
Chicago health authorities said last week that the pandemic H1N1 flu infected 14 times as many children as adults over 60 there, and also disproportionately affected blacks and Hispanics.
WHO said pregnant women and people with asthma, diabetes and heart diseases are at special risk of severe complications of death from H1N1 flu.
Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalized with the new H1N1 pandemic virus have needed intensive care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said on Friday.
Companies are preparing vaccines against H1N1, which will be given in addition to the regular seasonal influenza immunization.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE57T26Y20090830

Cell Phone, Cancer Link Claimed

An international study has revived the debate over the risk of cancer from cell phone use.

PC WORLD, Saturday, August 29, 2009 09:24 AM PDT
A group of international scientists released a report last week that again raises concerns about cell phone usage and brain tumors, noting that one recent Swedish study saw a 400% increased risk for teenage cell phone users.
The 37-page report, from a group calling itself the International EMF (Electromagnetic Field) Collaborative, summarized what it said are the dangers of cell phone use, especially for children, and attempted to blunt an upcoming study being developed by the wireless industry in 13 countries, mainly in western Europe.
"Some countries are already banning cell phones over health concerns, with France saying children in elementary schools can only use them for texting," said the report's author, Lloyd Morgan, in an interview.
"Cell phones can be used appropriately and have a certain usefulness, but I fear we will see a tsunami of brain tumors, although it is too early to see that now since the tumors have a 30-year latency," he added. "I pray I m wrong, but brace yourself."
However, John Walls, vice president of public affairs for the CTIA, a group representing wireless carriers and handset makers in the U.S., issued a statement saying "peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices do not pose a public health risk." He noted that the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have all concurred that wireless devices are not a public health risk.
Morgan, a retired electronics engineer based in Berkeley, Calif., and a member of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, wrote the report, Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern , with the endorsement of 43 scientists and experts from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. Groups endorsing the findings include the EMR Policy Institute, the Peoples Initiative Foundation, ElectromagneticHealth.org, The Radiation Research Trust and Powerwatch. A copy of the report and a short video are available at RadiationReserarch.org .
Morgan said the most damning research linking cell phone usage to brain tumors was noted in a study published in May 2009 in the International Journal of Oncology by a Swedish team of scientists led by Professor Lennart Hardell. It noted that digital cell phone and cordless phone use by users who started when they were teenagers or younger led to a 420% increased risk of brain cancer. Hardell had earlier found that analog cell phones caused a 700% greater risk of cancer, although today's digital phones lessen the power requirements and reduce the risk.
The higher cancer risk comes from holding a cell phone close to the head over longer periods of time, the Collaborative study notes, and recommends eight steps for reducing exposure to cell phone radiation for adults and children. The steps include using a wired headset on a call, not a wireless headset, or sending messages by texting. Also, the study recommends keeping the cell phone away from your body, including in pockets, and avoiding use in a moving vehicle, since that tends to increase the power and the radiation required as the device moves farther from a cell tower.
The study also recommends using the cell phone like an answering machine, keeping it off until the user is ready to return calls. Avoiding use inside a building will reduce the power and radiation needed, ithe study said. It also urged using a corded, landline phone whenever possible. The study further recommended that children not be allowed to sleep with a cell phone under a pillow and cautioned parents not to allow a child under 18 to use a cell phone except in an emergency.
A significant point of the collaborative study details 11 flaws in the upcoming Interphone study, which is due out this fall from major carriers in 13 countries, not including the U.S. The flaws of that Interphone study, based on components already published, include that it eliminates subjects who use portable phones, even though those devices also emit microwave radiation as cell phones do. The collaborative said the Interphone study also excluded many types of brain tumors from study and eliminated subjects who died or were too ill be interviewed. The Interphone study also does not include children and young adults, who are more vulnerable, it said.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/171012/cell_phone_cancer_link_claimed.html

Graviola Shows Promise in Cancer Cures and Arthritis

Melanie Grimes, NaturalNews.com  August 30, 3009 

(NaturalNews) Graviola, or Annona muricata, is a tropical fruit that has been found to have amazing healing properties. Also called soursop guanababa, or pawpaw, the Graviola fruit, leaves, bark and roots have been used as sedatives in folk medicine. Native South American healers used the tree to heal liver, asthma, heart problems as well as arthritis. Research on Graviola has shown good results in test tube studies, but there have been no clinical trials on animals or humans, even though the plant shows remarkable healing potential. The plant grows in South and Central America and has been cultivated for its healing properties for over three thousand years.

The first modern-day research on Graviola was conducted in 1976 by the National Cancer Institute, though the plant has been under investigation since the 1940s. Their findings reported that the leaves of the Graviola plant were effective in destroying malignant cancer cells. Tests at Perdue University on cancer cells of prostate, pancreas and lungs have all shown results. Twenty further studies investigated the chemical effects of the Graviola in laboratory tests, but tests on animals or humans are needed to confirm the results. A Korean study found that Graviola killed colon cancer cells better than a chemotherapy drug called Adriamycin. Graviola results were ten thousand times stronger than the chemotherapy. And, unlike chemotherapy drugs, Graviola did not damage any cells except the carcinogenic cells. This means that there would likely be no hair loss or nausea as side effects from using Graviola as a treatment for cancers.

In the traditional folk medicine of Graviola seeds are used to help eliminate parasites. In Guyana, the leaves are used as both a sedative and a heart tonic. Brazilians drink Graviola tea for relief of liver problems, and apply the oil from the seeds to relieve arthritis and rheumatism. In Jamaica and the West Indies, the fruit is eaten to reduce fevers and to treat diarrhea.

The active ingredients in Graviola are called Annonaceous acetogenins. These substances have shown strong anti-tumor effects in test tubes, and what is more promising is that small doses seem to have great effect. Research using one part per million has shown results.

There are over two thousand varieties of plants in the Annonaceae species worldwide, many of which may provide additional sources of useful medicines for mankind. It is hoped that further research will enable this plant, used for millennium in folk medicine, to find its rightful place in modern science and global healing.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026945_graviola_cancer_cancer_cures.html

Solve the Puzzle of Food Allergies: The H Pylori Bacteria Connection

Kerri Knox, NaturalNews.com  August 30, 3009 

(NaturalNews) Most doctors don't test for or treat the H pylori bacteria except in cases of unrelenting heartburn or in active ulcers and consider it an 'asymptomatic' pathogen that lives with most of us without hurting us. However, research shows that simply having the H pylori bacteria could be a risk factor in the development of the recent epidemic of both immediate and delayed reaction food allergies that so many people are reporting.

The Helicobacter Pylori bacteria, most commonly known as H pylori, are ancient bacteria that have been infecting humans for as long as we have been on the earth. They are present in up to half of the world's population according to some studies, and have been found in nearly every bodily fluid and every organ in humans and even in some animals as well. They have become most famous in recent decades with the findings that mostulcers are caused by an H pylori infection. While the information about H pylori and ulcers earned the discoverers of this phenomenon the Nobel Prize in 2005 for their 1982 discovery, doctors pretty much ignore this bacteria UNLESS a person has active ulcers or has persistent unrelenting heartburn.

But are doctors missing an important connection with the recent rise in food allergies? The incidence of SEVERE food allergies has risen to epidemic proportions in recent decades, with even airplanes and elementary schools declaring themselves 'Peanut Free Zones' in order to help protect people with these serious allergies. Food allergies have become a serious PUBLIC health issue as well as a serious PERSONAL health issue for growing numbers of people.

These obvious food allergies get a lot of attention because of their severity, but less obvious 'delayed sensitivity reactions' are a serious problem for the hundreds of thousands who become exhausted, get joint pains, have 'brain fog' and have other debilitating symptoms after a meal that contains an offending food. Interestingly, research is showing that these two seemingly unrelated phenomena of H pylori and food allergies are actually connected in a cause and effect fashion. Doctors only consider H pylori to be 'symptomatic' when the infected person has heartburn, ulcers or persistent stomach pains. But whether H pylori causes these problems or not, it is an INFECTION, and infections always without exception cause an immune reaction and inflammation. Inflammation in the stomach causes the stomach cells, which are usually as tightly fitted as puzzle pieces, to become damaged and pulled apart leaving gaps and spaces in between. While some tolerate this inflammation well and have no symptoms, people with food allergies and H pylori infection may have food particles actually 'leaking' between the stomach cells into the bloodstream- causing an immune system reaction to these food particles.

"...this increased permeability to antigens could be responsible
for an allergic sensitization to bystander food antigens occurring
in some patients who test positive for H. pylori."

'Food Allergy and Helicobacter Pylori'

Unfortunately, these H pylori carriers often don't have the 'classic' symptoms of heartburn or stomach pains that doctors are taught to recognize as H pylori infection. And even when they do they are often simply given an 'acid blocker' to relieve their heartburn, leaving the H pylori infection to continue causing inflammatory damage that could lead to ulcers and even stomach cancer down the road. In addition, many doctors don't recognize delayed food allergies in their patients either, and they certainly don't recognize that H pylori infection could be the culprit in these food allergies. Sadly, this leaves many to suffer with vague debilitating symptoms of chronic illness, sometimes for decades, that are really just the inflammatory and immune response set off by H pylori along with the debilitating effects of unrecognized food allergies.

For those who suspect that their symptoms may be due to H pylori, both blood testing and stool testing are accurate and inexpensive ways to be tested for this common bacterium. In addition to standard medical treatments of antibiotics for 'eradication' of this infection, there are also effective natural remedies that can control and even eliminate this bacteria altogether, thus eliminating the underlying CAUSE of the food allergies, inflammation and immune reaction that can masquerade as so many other chronic health problems.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026943_food_bacteria_allergies.html

Avoid Table Salt: Learn Why You Should Switch to Unrefined Sea Salt

Elizabeth Walling, NaturalNews.com  August 30, 3009 

(NaturalNews) Most modern health problems that have been linked to sodium are actually caused by the condition of the salt we eat. The typical modern salt product can be compared to refined sugar and refined flour - it used to be a healthful, whole food, but it has now been stripped and processed into a disaster waiting to happen. What began as an essential nutrient is disfigured into a detriment to our health.

Salt has earned a bad reputation in recent years, so it comes as quite a surprise to hear this seasoning is actually necessary for good health. In fact, every cell in the body requires salt to function. Salt is needed for countless functions in the body, including everything from blood sugar regulation to bone density to circulatory health. And because we lose salt constantly during the day through urine and perspiration, it`s important that we replenish it. It's impossible to try and replace lost sodium with commercial table salt because it is refined and incomplete. Instead, include a high-quality unrefined sea salt in your diet to replenish the sodium, trace minerals and electrolytes your body needs.

Commercial salt is refined by drying at a heat in excess of 1,000 degrees which destroys beneficial substances in salt. This heat also causes chemical distortions that turn salt into sodium chloride, a substance that does no good in the body. Table salt is full of additives, fluoride, anti-caking agents, excessive amounts of potassium iodide and other poisons. Many versions of commercial salt also contain aluminum derivatives, which are known to be highly toxic. These additives can cause discoloration in salt, so bleaching agents are then used to restore the desirable white color. It`s no wonder refined commercial salt is causing so many health problems.

Unrefined sea salt, naturally harvested and dried in the sun, contains a wealth of trace minerals and electrolytes. Our bodies only need small amounts of these nutrients, but they are absolutely vital for a variety of functions in the body. They are key players in enzyme production as well as immune system, adrenal and thyroid function.

Table salt causes imbalances of fluid throughout the body and puts a great deal of strain on the elimination systems. Unrefined sea salt allows the body to achieve a balance of water both inside and outside cells. With adequate natural sodium and pure water, conditions like gout, muscle cramps, water retention and edema disappear.

Real salt stimulates the production of enzymes and digestive juices which are necessary for the body to utilize nutrients from the foods we eat. This can be especially beneficial for people whose diet consists mainly of cooked foods, since cooking foods destroys enzyme content. Unrefined sea salt can help the body digest these foods properly.

Packaged and processed foods are hidden sources of commercial salt. Avoid these types of foods as much as possible, and be careful to check the labels of the other foods you buy. Even fresh meats are often packaged in broths made with refined salt.

Although unrefined sea salt can be considered a health food, it should still be used with wisdom and moderation. Excess salt is not healthy for anyone, and certain individuals may be more sensitive to sodium than others.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026938_salt_health_food.html

Essiac Tea is a Cancer Cure Big Pharma Does Not Want You to Know About

Paul Fassa, NaturalNews.com  August 28, 3009 

(NaturalNews) A simple inexpensive four herb tea that cures cancer? Even AIDS maybe? This has been a critical concern since Essiac tea was introduced in Canada during the early 1920's. For over 50 years, a humble nurse, Rene Caisse (pronounced Reen Case), used the tea successfully with many terminal cancer patients from her clinic in the tiny Canadian village of Bracebridge, north of Toronto.

At first, she accepted whatever anyone could easily afford, even eggs and produce, for her services. She turned no one down. After 1937, she charged no fees! She didn't make money off the tea though she successfully treated many hundreds. Her rewards were harassment by the Canadian Health Ministry, and betrayal by a private corporation she had hoped would help make Essiac tea a legal cancer cure.

Though the name of the tea, Essiac, was derived from spelling Rene's surname Caisse backwards, she was not the original formulator. The ingredients and recipe came originally from an Ojibway Native American medicine man in remote northern Canada.

Essiac's Origin

Rene Caisse was an RN in a Canadian hospital in 1922 when she came upon an elderly patient who had survived breast cancer 30 years earlier. At that time, the woman was living in remote northern Canadian mining camp with her husband. She was admitted to a hospital for breast cancer and told her breasts would have to be removed.

She decided against surgery and went back to the mining camp. In the camp area, she had earlier come upon an Ojibway medicine man who claimed he could cure her cancer. Upon her return, he showed her which herbs to use, how to pick and culture them, and how to prepare the tea. She followed his instructions and within several months was completely cured. She lived in good health for another 30 years.

Since Rene had an aunt and step father with cancer at the time, she was interested in the herbs and how to prepare the tea. So that elderly woman conveyed the Ojbway medicine's ingredients and recipe to nurse Caisse, who in turn treated her cancer stricken family members. Regarding her stepfather: "It took some time, said Rene, but eventually he was cured."

From then, she continued with so much success that in 1933 the small town of Bracebridge allowed her to use the defunct British Lion Hotel as a clinic for virtually no rent, one dollar per month. She continued her work in the clinic from 1934 to 1942. Hundreds of Cancer patients were treated successfully, while she charged little or nothing. She cultivated the herbs, brewed the tea in the kitchen, and administered it both orally and by injection.

Of course, during that time and after, Rene Caisse was the center of controversy and harassment from Canadian authorities. She has stated that the only reason she was not imprisoned was because of popular support from Bracebridge's Town Council, several prestigious doctors, and of course her many cured patients. One of whom was cured of both cancer and diabetes.

The diabetes cure surprised even Rene! Due to this support, from 1937 on, Nurse Caisse was permitted to treat cancer under the strict conditions of 1) treating only terminally ill patients, 2) using an established medical doctor for prognosis and diagnosis, and 3) not accepting any fees for her services. She agreed to those terms and continued.

Regarding her over 50 years of harassment, Rene lamented, "I never dreamed of the opposition and the persecution that would be my lot in trying to help suffering humanity with no thought of personal gain."

Essiac Makes It's Way to the USA

Despite so many successfully treated cancer patients' testimonies, the general public was kept in the dark about Essiac Tea. Caisse made an effort to get the Essiac out into the public light in 1977, a year before her death. She made a deal with a company called Resperin, whom she thought had the clout to legalize her Essiac tea. But Caisse was told she was no longer needed after the agreement.

Resperin was actually in the pocket of the Canadian government and medical authorities. So that project vaporized, and the formula seemed destined to obscurity. Then along came a successful California chiropractor who specialized in treating world class athletes of all types, Dr. Gary Glum. He had heard about Essiac's healing qualities and started his search for the formula and recipe.

He eventually came upon someone in Detroit, who chooses to remain anonymous, who was cured with Essiac of what was diagnosed as incurable cervical cancer. She had the original formula, and Gary bought it from her. Then Gary went to Canada to interview Mary McPhearson, a close personal friend and assistant to Nurse Caisse before Rene passed on in 1978.

There Dr. Glum also confirmed the authenticity of the formula he had purchased, and uncovered enough information about Rene Caisse and her work to begin writing his book, Calling of an Angel. In that book, Dr. Glum told the story of Rene Caisse, and he told how and where to get the formula, which since has been disseminated all over the western world.

Gary Glum had to self publish the book because it was so threatening to the cancer industry, and there was the danger of slam dunk wrongful death lawsuits on publishers since Essiac was not FDA approved. So no one would risk publishing it. That book and his second, Full Disclosure, which reveals the true source of AIDS as man made and the depopulation agenda, put Glum in harm's way for some time.

He was harassed by US Marshals and almost completely financially ruined by bogus IRS claims, and a Naval Intelligence operative later threatened his life and the lives of his family if he continued publishing his two books. Only a few of Gary's books are still available, but there are summarized pdf versions available free on line.

Here's what Dr. Glum had to say about Essiac for AIDS in an interview circa 1990: "I also worked with the AIDS Project Los Angeles . . . . They had sent 179 patients home to die. They all had pneumocystis carinii and histoplasmosis. Their weight was down to about 100 pounds. Their T-4 cell counts were less than ten."

"The Project gave me five of these patients. I took them off the AZT and the DDI and put them on Essiac three times a day. Those are the only ones alive today. The other 174 are dead. But this information is not being disseminated either, because AIDS is on the horizon as another big moneymaker.

Dr. Glum also had success with a few cancer patients that came his way. For example, he was involved with treating one young boy with a virulent form of terminal leukemia. The boy recovered completely with Essiac Tea, only to die later from heart failure. The damage to his heart that caused the failure was traced to his earlier chemotherapy treatments!

While researching for his book, Gary Glum came across Dr. Charles A. Brusch, who was a personal physician for the late President John F. Kennedy. Dr. Brusch also ran a cancer clinic in Boston, MA. He had Rene Caise work there with him from 1959 to 1962. Dr. Brusch treated both his own cancer and Ted Kennedy's son's incurable cancer successfully with Essiac. Unfortunately, he was hit with a gag order and told to keep quiet or wind up in prison for the rest of his life.

Of course, Dr. Charles Brusch chose to remain silent publicly. However, Dr. Glum, in his book Calling of an Angel, had this quote from Dr. Brusch, "The results we obtained with thousands of patients of various races, sexes and ages, with all types of cancer, definitely prove Essiac to be a cure for cancer. All studies done in four laboratories in the United States and one more in Canada fortify this claim."

Immediately after Rene Caisse's death, authorities ransacked her home and burned Nurse Caisse's records. But her friend Mary McPherson had saved some, and a series of autobiographical articles by Nurse Caisse had become public record. The few privy to the treatment's ingredients and protocol kept a low profile to avoid harassment.

But thanks to Dr. Glum's investigative journalism, the secret is out, albeit among the scattered few, and without the caveats that should be known widely among those scattered few. First the ingredients, then the caveats.

Essiac Ingredients

Despite the development of 6 and 8 herb Essiac teas recently, the 4 herb version remains as a staple. It has a proven record of cured patients since the late 1920's. Brewing your own Essiac tea is favored by most upon ordering the herbs, which are sometimes packaged individually, or pre-mixed into one bag.

* 6 1/2 cups of burdock root (cut)

* 1 pound of sheep sorrel herb (powdered)

* 1/4 pound of slippery elm bark (powdered)

* 1 ounce of Turkish rhubarb root (powdered)

These amounts of ingredients combine to make 8 quarts or 2 gallons of the tea. Cutting each amount in half makes one gallon at a time. Some instructions say to mix all the ingredients well before placing them in water, store the dry herbal mix in a glass jar in a dark dry place, and take out one ounce per 32 ounces of water (one quart) at a time.

Which ever way you wish to parse it out, the herbs are boiled hard without a lid for 10 minutes, some say 20; then, cover with a lid and steep over night on the stove. In the morning, heat it up to steaming hot (not boiling), then let it settle and pour into glass or ceramic containers. Use stainless steel or cast iron pots for boiling, and glass or ceramic containers for storing. Keep the containers or container with the tea capped in a dark cool place until first used. After opening, it must be refrigerated.

The dosage depends on the condition. For immune tonic use or very mild ailments, 2 ounces once daily. Increase the frequency up to 3 times daily with up to 3 ounces each time according to the severity of the ailment, which is usually cancer. The refrigerated tea can be added to hot water or warmed up for consumption. Cancer patients undergoing other treatments, even with allopathic drugs, have used the tea as well.

However, cancer or AIDS should be treated holistically by abstaining as much as possible from toxic medicines, toxic foods, toxic household and cosmetic items, and toxic thinking. The cancer patient should also have a meatless diet of organic food and get as much sunshine and Vitamin D and C supplementation as possible. Using Essiac tea while indulging in old life style habits that probably started the cancer or any other disease is not the best way to heal.

Essiac Caveats

The quality of the ingredients is the most important aspect of beneficial Essiac. There are too many watered down versions out there. Dr. Glum has stated that some providers are using irradiated herbs and even replacing sheep sorrel herbs, a common weed declared as illegal for use in Canada, with curly dock, a weed similar to red sorrel. This is critical since it has been laboratory tested and proven that sheep sorrel is the actual cancer cell killer in Essiac Tea.

The other ingredients combine for a synergistic immune booster and blood purifier. Even as important is the fact that Rene Caisse used the whole sheep sorrel weed, roots and all. She discovered the roots to be very critical for sheep sorrel's efficacy. Most Essiac herbal or ready made tea providers use only the leaves of sheep sorrel even if they do use the weed. It's easier and cheaper to harvest the leaves from the weeds while leaving the roots intact to grow more leaves.

To avoid irradiation, order via commercial overland courier services, such as UPS and FedEx, not the postal service, which is required to irradiate herbs. Even if flown in by a commercial service, there is a strong chance of irradiation, especially if coming from another country. This is a problem with Turkish rhubarb root, which is not naturally indigenous to America.

However, there is a possibility of getting Turkish rhubarb root cultivated in North America, as well as the powdered sheep sorrel complete with roots. There are many people who have survived cancer, and a few have used Essiac to cure AIDS as well. Many have improved their overall health by using Essiac Tea as a tonic. Yet there are some who complain about little or no effect from Essiac.

This discrepancy points at least partially to the herb quality issue. The proper high quality 4 herb mixture has been effective on cancer, AIDS, and diabetic patients. Rene Caisse never compromised on the ingredients, and she could be stubborn about mixing protocols as well! It's important that anyone using Essiac have the best ingredients the way Nurse Caisse did.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026928_cancer_Essiac_Tea_health.html

Flu rating system faulty: experts

 Alerts should tell public how dangerous the outbreak is, say Canadian researchers
 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN  AUGUST 31, 2009 6:34 AM
OTTAWA — As the world waits for the second wave of the H1N1 swine flu, two Canadian infectious disease experts say the World Health Organization’s pandemic alert system has failed and must be revamped.
The WHO’s alert system determines when a flu outbreak or epidemic has turned into a worldwide pandemic, and allows governments and public health agencies to respond appropriately to protect people.
But Dr. Brian Ward and Dr. Michael Libman, both of McGill University, say swine flu has exposed a major weakness in the rating system that must be fixed: the failure to articulate a real sense of the gravity of the flu outbreak, and how much of a public danger it really is.
“All the WHO criteria were based on spread and geography without any indication of severity … and what happened was that they were caught with an inadequate system of classification,” says Ward, associate director of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.
Libman agrees, saying there is growing recognition among experts that some changes have to be made.
“To be useful, the rating has to have relevance to the actual danger that is present,” said Libman, director of the division of infectious diseases at McGill.
“It is recognized now and there is some movement to look at how to revise this type of scheme so it has more relevance to the public.”
The WHO’s alert system rates the threat of pandemics on a scale of 1 to 6. Level 1 indicates normalcy, while Level 2 shows a virus circulating among animals is known to have infected people and therefore poses a potential pandemic threat. Level 6 signals a global pandemic, with sustained human-to-human transmission over many countries and continents.
Declaring a flu a pandemic is a serious step, because it says that the world is on the brink of a catastrophic health emergency that could cost millions of lives. When people think of a pandemic, it conjures up images of global calamities like the Black Death or Spanish Flu — and in response, the headlines scream catastrophe.
So when the WHO declared the H1N1 pandemic in June following the swine flu outbreak in Mexico in April, that’s exactly what happened — the world reacted with a sense of foreboding.
In reality, pandemic declarations are based on a geographical spread of the virus across several continents — not its deadliness. But that fact was lost on the public. Unable to make sense of a pandemic that for the most part turned out to be no worse than the common flu, many people began to question whether H1N1 really poses any serious danger at all. Some claimed it was all government and media hype.
Ward and Libman acknowledge that part of the confusion lies with the WHO rating system. They say it operates on the assumption, based on historical evidence, that by the time a flu spreads across continents to become a pandemic, it is indeed lethal.
“The WHO found itself in the uncomfortable position of a rating system where nobody ever anticipated that there would a global pandemic that wasn’t really nasty, nastier than the common flu,” Ward says.
But now that H1N1 has so far proved that theory wrong, adjustments must be made to maintain confidence in the WHO’s alert system, which is a critical part of the world’s response to pandemics.
Ward says a new, “modulated” classification that also assesses the severity of pandemics, and includes it in the overall rating, might be more useful in avoiding unnecessary panic. He says something like: Level 6, grade 1 or 2, to denote severity, would bring a sense of proportion and much wider public acceptance of the rating system.
“I think in the coming year or years, we will probably see a new WHO classification that includes a severity indicator,” Ward said.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/rating%20system%20faulty%20experts/1945596/story.html

Aspirin may harm healthy people

TIMES OF INDIA   31 August 2009
Taking aspirin to prevent heart attack can do more harm than good for healthy individuals without any history of heart attack, revealed a study. 

A large number of people - including a substantial number of the "worried well" - take a daily dose of the drug in the belief it will keep them healthy. 

However, at a conference for leading doctors, British scientists have claimed that they have found that for healthy people, taking aspirin does not significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack. 

The researchers also found that it almost doubles the risk of being admitted to hospital due to internal bleeding. 

The findings show that for otherwise healthy people, the risks of taking aspirin outweigh the benefits. 

The doctors suggested that the patients who had already suffered a heart attack should continue to take the drug. 

They also advised that aspirin could be included in a so-called ''polypill'' with an anti-cholesterol statin and a blood pressure drug, which could be taken by everyone aged over 50. 

Experts have said that a substantial numbers of ''worried well'' take aspirin as a ''just in case'' measure believing that because it has been around for such a long time it is completely safe. 

The results of the Scottish study have added to the growing evidence that the risks outweigh the benefits for healthy people. 

"Our research suggests that aspirin should not be prescribed to the general population at this stage," the Telegraph quoted Prof. Gerry Fowkes, of the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Disease in Edinburgh, as saying. 

He added: "Aspirin probably leads to a minor reduction in future events but the problem is that has to be weighed against an increase in bleeding. Some of that bleeding can be quite serious and lead to death." 

Prof. Peter Weissberg, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, which part-funded the study, said: "A lot of the worried well buy a small dose of aspirin over the counter not understanding that they are increasing their risk substantially of a major bleed." 

He said that it is known that aspirin does reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems but this must be countered against the increased risk of internal bleeding. 

In patients who have already had a heart attack the risk of a second is so much higher that the balance is in favour of taking aspirin. 

However, for people who have not had a heart attack the risks do not normally outweigh the benefits. 

In the study conducted in Scotland 29,000 men and women aged between 50 and 75 were screened to see if they had furred arteries in the legs, which means they are at high risk of developing heart disease but do not yet have symptoms. 

More than 3,000 men were randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of aspirin or a dummy pill and were followed up for an average of eight years. 

The researchers found no difference in the rate of heart attacks or stroke between the two groups and deaths from any cause were similar. 

However, there were 34 major bleeds in people taking aspirin, or two per cent, compared with 20 or 1.2 per cent of those on the placebo. 

He said the tablets were only taken 60 per cent of the time during the trial, which reflects real life experience in people who have not had a heart attack. 

He said that in secondary prevention, where people have already had one attack and are trying to prevent a second one, compliance is usually better. 

The study has been presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/LIFE-STYLE/Health-Fitness/Health/Aspirin-may-harm-healthy-people/articleshow/4953643.cms

Hot chillies can prevent diabetes

TIMES OF INDIA  31 August 2009
An Indian researcher has found that the flavour-potent chilli could wallop diabetes and cardiovascular disease which are the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. 

University of Tasmania School of Human Life Sciences research fellow Kiran Ahuja said it was possible that one day chillies would replace aspirin, or be combined with aspirin as a medication for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. 

"Aspirin... has a nasty side effect, which causes stomach bleeding in patients," said Ahuja. 

The university research team is investigating the biological activity of two of its active ingredients - capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. 

Their work has shown that the capsaicinoid chemicals have the potential to lower blood glucose and insulin levels, reduce the formation of fatty deposits on artery walls and prevent blood clots - minus some of the nasty side-effects of traditional medications. 

This work on blood coagulation follows Ahuja's earlier investigations that showed a potential role of chilli in prevention of diabetes and formation of fatty deposits on artery walls. 

The research could lead to chillies replacing or being used along with current medications for treating and preventing cardiovascular disease, according to a university release. 

Pro vice-chancellor for research Johanna Laybourn-Parry, a professor, said despite the provision of multiple medical treatments, cardiovascular disease remains one of the biggest causes of death. 

"Cardiovascular disease continues to generate a considerable burden on population in terms of illness and disability and the development of improved methods for prevention and treatment are essential," Laybourn-Parry added. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/LIFE-STYLE/Health-Fitness/Health/Hot-chillies-can-prevent-diabetes/articleshow/4953604.cms