September 18, 2009

Study Positively Links Sugary Drinks to Obesity
New York Times Syndicate  09-17-09
LOS ANGELES -- A first-of-its-kind study released today definitively links soda consumption and an obesity epidemic, which costs California taxpayers an estimated $41 billion annually.
Using interviews with 43,000 adults and 4,000 adolescents statewide, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research analyzed the correlation between soft drink consumption and weight.
It found that adults who drink at least one soda or sugar-sweetened energy drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese. For children, the risk of obesity soars 60 percent with each daily serving of soda or sugary beverage.
"While we know that this epidemic is here, we need to know specifically and scientifically where the epidemic is coming from," said Harold Goldstein, executive director for the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which commissioned the study.
"For me, the most powerful finding is the link between sugary drinks and obesity," he said. "I have nothing whatsoever against the industry itself, but I have a problem with those products.
"We are drinking soda like it's water, but it's not. It's water packed with 17 teaspoons of sugar. Our kids are drinking bottles of sugar."
The American Beverage Association, an industry group that represents soft drink manufacturers, did not respond to requests for comment.
But in a statement on the group's Web site, it denied there is a direct link between soda consumption and obesity.
"The fact is that the compendium of science, regardless of funding source, does not show that soft drinks or other sweetened beverages uniquely contribute to obesity -- nor, for that matter, that they are uniquely linked to any negative health consequences," the association said.
The UCLA study included a county-by-county look at soda consumption and the percentage of overweight adults.
It found that soda is consumed daily by a quarter of adults in Los Angeles County, where 56 percent of those over age 18 are overweight or obese. Soft drink consumption in neighboring Ventura County is roughly comparable, although the number of overweight and obese adults tops 58 percent there.
Statewide, 24 percent of adults drink at least one soda a day and 56 percent are overweight or obese.
The highest rate of consumption was reported in the Central Valley's Kings County, where 40 percent of adult residents drink soda daily and 64 percent have a weight problem. Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area has the lowest soda consumption, 10 percent, although 44 percent of its adult population is overweight or obese.
According to Goldstein, obesity rates increased by 35 percent across California from 1995 to 2006.
Noting that milk consumption has dropped 38 percent since 1977, researchers were surprised at how much soda is consumed by adolescents -- those aged 12-17 -- and children 2-11. In Los Angeles County, nearly 65 percent of adolescents and 44 percent of younger children drink soda every day. The concern is that these habits will continue as the children grow into adulthood.
Obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiac disease. And while health care reform continues to be debated in Washington, obesity related issues cost California $41 billion a year in medical costs and time lost at work -- double the figure from a decade ago, according to a study released earlier this year by Goldstein's organization.
"It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, Latino or white, if you drink a soda each day, you're at risk," said Susan Babey, research scientist for the UCLA center. "From a health perspective, the best thing is to drink water, and for younger kids white milk.
At the same time, parents face a challenge, with 450 varieties of soda now on the market.
Researchers at both UCLA and the center for public health policy suggest that legislators impose an industry fee on soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, with revenue used to help the community.
"If we're serious about curbing the obesity epidemic, we have to start with the biggest culprit," Goldstein said. "Sodas are at or near the top of the list."
Previous efforts to impose a fee on soft drink manufacturers have been unsuccessful. A 2002 bill that would have imposed a surcharge to help pay for obesity-related costs was amended to ban the sale of soda on school campuses -- a measure that was signed into law the next year. Lawmakers, however, remain concerned about the long-term effects of soft-drink consumption.
"I am planning a hearing in early November where we will hear from experts about the link between soda consumption and obesity," said state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes.
"Parents need to know about the impact soda consumption can have on their children's health. And, we should consider the policy options available to us."
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8763&Section=Nutrition

GO for the GRAIN: Edible grass seeds vital part of healthy diet

The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.  09-17-09
Sep. 16--Whole grains are good.
That simple statement bombards us daily -- on bread and cereal packages, in newspaper and magazine articles, on television ads, in doctors' and nutritionists' advice for healthy eating.
But why are they good, you might wonder. And beyond brown rice or whole-wheat bread, what are they?
Whole or minimally processed grains are good because they contain a wealth of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. They've been shown to help lower the incidence of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and that fiber -- your grandma might have called it "roughage" -- can help reduce cholesterol if consumed on a regular basis.
Whole grains range from the familiar wheat -- also kamut, spelt, emmer and the wheat-rye hybrid, triticale -- to barley, corn and popcorn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum and wild rice (not true rice at all, but the seeds of an aquatic grass). Amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa are used in similar ways but aren't true grains because they aren't members of the grass family. Incorporating more whole grains and foods made with whole grains into the diet is an easy and often inexpensive way to go "green" and eat organic food, says Cassie Knowlton, registered dietitian for the local Women Infants Children nutrition program.
"It's a matter of changing how we think and stepping out there and trying something new that's good for your health. I think people are changing their attitudes."
Knowlton says she "absolutely" recommends eating more whole-grain foods to her WIC clients and notes that the USDA recently changed the WIC food package for the first time in 30 years. That change involved adding whole-grain foods -- a choice between whole-grain bread, brown rice and corn tortillas -- to the foods that can be purchased with WIC vouchers.
"The clients have taken to it pretty well. They're excited to get new foods. We've explained that whole grains have more vitamins and minerals and high levels of antioxidants as well.
"It's been proven that whole grains are healthier than their white
counterparts."
Knowlton says at least half of the grain products a person eats during a day should be whole-grain; or, on a daily basis, a person should have three or more servings of whole-grain food. A serving is equal to one slice of bread or 1 cup of cereal or cup of rice.
And she says it's important to pay attention to labels when buying these foods. The words "high fiber" on a package are good, but don't necessarily mean the product is made from whole grain. Look for the words "100 percent whole wheat" on the package or an ingredient label that has "whole wheat" as the first ingredient listed when you're buying a wheat product such as bread.
The WIC program includes a nutrition-education component and Knowlton says she suggests ways that clients can get more whole grains into their diets, and ways they can substitute whole-grain foods for less healthful ones; for example, a whole-wheat tortilla spread with peanut butter and topped with sliced bananas is a much better snack than a packaged snack cake, she says.
WIC is funded by federal grants and serves pregnant and postpartum women, their infants and children younger than 5.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8764&Section=Nutrition

Vitamin insufficiency may accelerate age-related diseases

Nutraingredients.com, 18-Sep-2009

Current recommendations for vitamin K are not being met, placing people at increased risk of age-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease, says a new analysis.
A new analysis of data from hundreds of published articles dating back to the 1970's by Joyce McCann, PhD, and Bruce Ames, PhD, from Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute also suggests that current recommendations forvitamin K intakes need to be increased to ensure optimal health.
Current recommendations are based on levels to ensure adequate blood coagulation, but failing to ensure long-term optimal levels of the vitamin may accelerate bone fragility, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer.
The findings, published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, strongly support Dr Ames’ triage theory, first mooted in 2006.
The theory may have important implications for determining the optimum intake of all vitamins and minerals, as well as major implications for preventive medicine.
“Encouraging support for the triage theory from our vitamin K analysis suggests that experts aiming to set micronutrient intake recommendations for optimal function and scientists seeking mechanistic triggers leading to diseases of ageing may find it productive to focus on micronutrient-dependent functions that have escaped evolutionary protection from deficiency,” said Dr McCann.
Evolutionary mechanisms
Dr Ames first proposed his triage theory in 2006 (PNAS, Vol. 103, Pages 17589-94) to explain why age-related diseases like heart disease, cancer, and dementia may be unintended consequences of mechanisms developed during evolution to protect against episodic vitamin/mineral shortages.
Since natural selection favours short-term survival over long-term health, Dr Ames hypothesised that this short-term survival was achieved by prioritising the allocation of these scarce micronutrients.
“If this hypothesis is correct, micronutrient deficiencies that trigger the triage response would accelerate cancer, aging, and neural decay but would leave critical metabolic functions, such as ATP production, intact,” explained Dr Ames in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences..
LooKing at K
Applying the theory to vitamin K, the researchers used mice with inactivated versions of the 16 known vitamin K-dependent proteins. They found that five of these proteins required for coagulation had critical functions, meaning that inactive forms were lethal.
On the other hand, five proteins were less critical, and the animals survived through weaning. However, genetic loss of these less critical vitamin K-dependent proteins, inadequate intakes of vitamin K1 from the diet, vitamin K deficiency, and human polymorphisms or mutations were all associated with age-related conditions, including weaker bones and hardening of the arteries, which increased the risk of cardiovascular disease.
An increase in the incidence of spontaneous cancer was also observed.
“A triage perspective reinforces recommendations of some experts that much of the population and warfarin/coumadin patients may not receive sufficient vitamin K for optimal function of vitamin K-dependent proteins that are important to maintain long-term health,” wrote McCann and Ames.
Implications of triage
“If correct, the triage theory has widespread implications for public health because modest vitamin/mineral deficiencies are quite common,” wrote the researchers.
“The theory also suggests a new scientifically based and consistent strategy for establishing optimal vitamin/mineral intake standards, and it provides a research strategy to uncover early biomarkers of chronic disease,” they concluded.
Commenting independently on the article, Dr Leon Schurgers, senior scientist from VitaK, at Maastricht University told NutraIngredients.com that the article addresses an important issue of micronutrient-metabolism, in this case vitamin K.
“The article by Ames and McCann nicely shows that the impairment of these vitamin K-dependent proteins by vitamin K deficiency is associated with age-related diseases such as osteoporosis and atherosclerosis,” he said.
“Although a lot of work has to be done to verify the triage hypothesis, this article definitely points the finger to an intriguing relation.”
The unknown vitamin
The vitamin is less well known than vitamins A to E. Vitamin K has long been linked to blood health because about half of the 16 known proteins that depend on the vitamin are necessary for blood coagulation.
There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamins K2). K1 is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach, and makes up about 90 per cent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet.
K2 makes up about 10 per cent of consumption and can also be obtained from the dietary sources like animal meat, and fermented food products like cheese, and natto. Multivitamins contain either small amounts or no vitamin K at all.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009.27930 “Vitamin K, an example of triage theory: is micronutrient inadequacy linked to diseases of aging?”
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Vitamin-insufficiency-may-accelerate-age-related-diseases

Omega-3 may improve blood pressure in kidney disease patients

Nutraingredientsc.om, 17-Sep-2009

A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may decrease blood pressure and heart rate in kidney disease patients, says a new study.
People with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which increases the risk of heart disease two- to 50-fold, experienced improvements in both blood pressure and heart rate following supplementation with four grams of omega-3 fatty acids, according to findings published in the Journal of Hypertension.
Furthermore, when take in combination with coenzyme Q10 the blood pressure reducing benefits were enhanced, despite CoQ10 alone not being associated with any improvements on its own, report researchers from University of Western Australia and Royal Perth Hospital.
“The finding of an interaction between omega-3 fatty acids and CoQ10 on blood pressure is difficult to explain in view of the lack of effect of CoQ10 alone on blood pressure and needs confirmation,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Trevor Mori.
According to background information in the article, CKD is linked to increased prevalence in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events and hospitalization. These people are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and modifiable risk factors include high blood pressure (hypertension).
Since omega-3 may improve blood pressure, heart rate, blood lipid levels, and vascular function, and CoQ10 may improve blood pressure and vascular function, Dr Mori and his co-workers recruited 85 people with CKD (average age 56.5, average BMI 27.3 kg/m2) and randomly assigned them to receive either 4 grams of omega-3 (Solvay Pharmaceuticals, containing 1,840 mg EPA, 152 mg of DPA, and 1,520 mg DHA), 200 mg of CoQ10 (Blackmores Australia), both, or placebo (4 g olive oil) for 8 weeks.

Results of the double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention showed that people receiving only omega-3 experienced a 3.3 and 2.9 mmHg decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and a reduction of heart rate of 4.0 beats per minute. Furthermore, triglyceride levels decreased by 24 per cent in this group.
In the combined group, systolic and diastolic blood pressure improved by 2.7 and 3.4 mmHg, respectively. CoQ10 did not benefit blood pressure and was associated with a slight increase in heart rate.
“Future studies should include long-term supplementation in order to determine effects of omega-3 fatty acids on renal function in patients with CKD,” wrote the researchers.
“These results show that omega-3 fatty acids lower blood pressure and may reduce cardiovascular risk in non-diabetic patients with moderate- to-severe CKD,” they concluded.
Source: Journal of Hypertension September 2009, Volume 27, Issue 9, Pages 1863-1872 “The effects of omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 on blood pressure and heart rate in chronic kidney disease: a randomized controlled trial” Authors: T.A. Mori, V. Burke, I.B. Puddey, A.B. Irish, C.A. Cowpland, L.J. Beilin, G.K. Dogra, G.F. Watts
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Omega-3-may-improve-blood-pressure-in-kidney-disease-patients

Chocolate may ease migraines: Study

Nutraingredients.com, 17-Sep-2009

Dietary supplements of cocoa may repress inflammatory responses in the brain linked to migraines, suggest results from an animal study.
Results from an animal study indicated that consuming a diet enriched with 10 percent cocoa increased levels of anti-inflammatory compounds in the brain as well as repressing levels of pro-inflammatory processes, scientists from Missouri State University have reported at the International Headache Society's (IHS) 14th International Headache Congress in Philadelphia.
“To our knowledge, this is first evidence for the use of cocoa as a dietary supplement to cause an upregulation of [anti-inflammatory proteins and cytokines] as well as repress expression of acute and chronic inflammatory responses within trigeminal ganglia,” state the researchers in their conference abstract. The trigeminal ganglia which are thought to play a role in migraine.
“Importantly, our data also provide evidence that cocoa contains biologically active compounds that could be beneficial in the treatment of trigeminal-mediated diseases of the head and face.”
Migraine stats
About 12 - 15 per cent of people in the UK, (around nine million people), suffer from migraines, with twice as many women as men affected by the complaint. In the US, about 36 million people suffer with migraine, more than either diabetes or asthma, according to the HIS.
The headaches are sometimes preceded by flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms or legs, or anxiety. Suffers generally experience a pounding sensation in one side of the head and many undergo nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and noise. The symptoms are often severe and debilitating, lasting anywhere between four and 72 hours.
Of mice and men
“Although this is an early animal study, it shows promise in helping researchers understand more about how migraine can be prevented and treated,” said Michael Moskowitz, MD, President of the International Headache Society.

“So much more research is needed in understanding this devastating disease that robs millions of Americans of a productive quality of life.”
Study details
The researchers used Sprague Dawley rats and fed them a control diet or isocaloric diets enriched with 1 or 10 per cent cocoa for 14 days. After two weeks of feeding, the mice were given an injection of capsaicin to produce an acute inflammatory response, or complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA), which produces a chronic inflammatory response.
Rats fed the control diet and injected with capsaicin or CFA expressed higher levels of the inflammatory proteins MAP kinases (MAPK), while supplementation with cocoa was found to suppress these increases, report the researchers.
Additionally, rats fed cocoa-enriched diets were found to have increased levels of the anti-inflammatory proteins MAP kinase phosphatases (MKP), compared to animals on the control diet. The cocoa-fed animals also have higher levels of the anti-inflammatory molecule IL-10 in their neurons.
“Cocoa enriched diets are able to repress the stimulated expression of proteins associated with the promotion and maintenance of inflammatory […] responses,”concluded the researchers.
Source: International Headache Society's 14th International Headache Congress
PO347 “Repression of acute and chronic inflammatory changes in trigeminal ganglion neurons and glia in response to cocoa enriched diets” Source: R.J. Cady and P.L. Durham
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Chocolate-may-ease-migraines-Study

Give your kidneys a break: lose some weight
Last Updated: 2009-09-17 17:00:57 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Shedding some excess weight through diet, exercise or surgery may help obese adults with kidney disease ward off further decline in kidney function, research hints.
The kidneys filter waste products from the blood and excrete them in the urine. When damaged, their ability to perform these vital functions is reduced.
More than a third of US adults are either overweight or obese, putting them at increased risk for kidney trouble, not to mention heart trouble and diabetes. Weight loss has been shown to improve control of diabetes, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and reduce the effects of heart disease.
To see if losing weight might also help protect the kidneys, Dr. Sankar Navaneethan, from Ohio's Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues pooled data from 13 studies that examined the impact on kidney function of weight loss achieved through diet, exercise, or surgery. They report their findings in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology.
The researchers found that, in obese adults with kidney disease, losing weight through diet and exercise reduced one hallmark of kidney damage - namely, excess excretion of protein in the urine - what doctors call "proteinuria."
Diet- and exercise-induced weight loss may also prevent additional decline in kidney function in obese adults with kidney disease, the researchers found.
Weight loss achieved through surgery, on the other hand, seems to help normalize the rate at which the kidneys filter waste products in obese adults with abnormally high filtration rates - a well-known risk factor for the development of kidney disease.
Currently more than 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and it's estimated that by 2015 there will be more than 700,000 people with the most advanced form of kidney disease known as end-stage renal disease or ESRD.
"The health care costs that are associated with this increase are staggering," Navaneethan and colleagues note.
In obese adults, weight loss may offer real benefits in terms of the kidneys, in addition to the heart-related benefits of shedding excess pounds, they conclude.
SOURCE: Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/17/eline/links/20090917elin005.html

New Vitamin K Analysis Supports The Triage Theory

ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2009) — An important analysis conducted by Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute scientists suggests the importance of ensuring optimal dietary intakes of vitamin K to prevent age-related conditions such as bone fragility, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer (1). Vitamin K is concentrated in dark green plants such as spinach or Swiss chard, and is either not present or present in only small amounts in most multivitamin pills.
This finding comes from Associate Staff Scientist, Joyce McCann, PhD, and Senior Scientist, Bruce Ames, PhD, who analyzed data from hundreds of published articles dating back to the 1970's. Their review was designed to test Dr. Ames' "triage" theory that provides a new basis for determining the optimum intake of individual vitamins and minerals (also called micronutrients), and has major implications for preventive medicine. The analysis, which strongly supports his theory, will be published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dr. Ames proposed the triage theory in 2006 (2) to explain numerous observations from his own lab and the scientific literature. The theory explains why diseases associated with aging like cancer, heart disease, and dementia (and the pace of aging itself) may be unintended consequences of mechanisms developed during evolution to protect against episodic vitamin/mineral shortages. If correct, the triage theory has widespread implications for public health because modest vitamin/mineral deficiencies are quite common. The theory also suggests a new scientifically based and consistent strategy for establishing optimal vitamin/mineral intake standards, and it provides a research strategy to uncover early biomarkers of chronic disease.
Vitamin K is known as the "Koagulation" vitamin because about half of the 16 known proteins that depend on vitK are necessary for blood coagulation. The other vitK-dependent proteins are involved in a variety of different functions involving the skeletal, arterial, and immune systems.
Average intakes of vitamin K in the United States and the United Kingdom are less even than currently recommended intakes, which are primarily based on levels to ensure adequate coagulation. McCann & Ames' analysis supports recommendations by some experts that non-clotting functions requiring vitamin K may need higher intakes than are currently recommended.
McCann says, "Encouraging support for the triage theory from our vitamin K analysis suggests that experts aiming to set micronutrient intake recommendations for optimal function and scientists seeking mechanistic triggers leading to diseases of aging may find it productive to focus on micronutrient-dependent functions that have escaped evolutionary protection from deficiency."
This vitamin K analysis is the first in a series of literature-based studies conducted by Drs. Joyce McCann and Ames to test the basic premises of the triage theory. As a reviewer of the manuscript notes, "…this review provides a unique perspective of consequences of vitamin K insufficiency and may serve as an important future reference, as new vitamin K dependent proteins are identified and new (non-clotting) functions of vitamin K are elucidated. More broadly, an assessment of micronutrient sufficiency from the perspective of triage theory may provide a valuable point of view, as current recommendations for nutrient intakes are reconsidered."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917131554.htm

New Evidence That Green Tea May Help Improve Bone Health
ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2009) — Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that green tea — one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide and now available as a dietary supplement — may help improve bone health. They found that the tea contains a group of chemicals that can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown.
The beverage has the potential to help in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases that affect million worldwide, the researchers suggest.
In the new study, Ping Chung Leung and colleagues note that many scientific studies have linked tea to beneficial effects in preventing cancer, heart disease, and other conditions. Recent studies in humans and cell cultures suggest that tea may also benefit bone health. But few scientific studies have explored the exact chemicals in tea that might be responsible for this effect.
The scientists exposed a group of cultured bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) to three major green tea components — epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC), and gallocatechin gallate (GCG) — for several days. They found that one in particular, EGC, boosted the activity of a key enzyme that promotes bone growth by up to 79 percent. EGC also significantly boosted levels of bone mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones. The scientists also showed that high concentrations of ECG blocked the activity of a type of cell (osteoclast) that breaks down or weakens bones. The green tea components did not cause any toxic effects to the bone cells, they note.
Ko et al. Effects of Tea Catechins, Epigallocatechin, Gallocatechin, and Gallocatechin Gallate, on Bone Metabolism. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009; 57 (16): 7293
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916103424.htm

Zinc Deficiencies A Global Concern

ScienceDaily (Sep. 17, 2009) — Other vitamins and nutrients may get more headlines, but experts say as many as two billion people around the world have diets deficient in zinc – and studies at Oregon State University and elsewhere are raising concerns about the health implications this holds for infectious disease, immune function, DNA damage and cancer.
One new study has found DNA damage in humans caused by only minor zinc deficiency.
Zinc deficiency is quite common in the developing world. Even in the United States, about 12 percent of the population is probably at risk for zinc deficiency, and perhaps as many as 40 percent of the elderly, due to inadequate dietary intake and less absorption of this essential nutrient, experts say. Many or most people have never been tested for zinc status, but existing tests are so poor it might not make much difference if they had been.
"Zinc deficiencies have been somewhat under the radar because we just don't know that much about mechanisms that control its absorption, role, or even how to test for it in people with any accuracy," said Emily Ho, an associate professor with the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU, and international expert on the role of dietary zinc.
However, studies have shown that zinc is essential to protecting against oxidative stress and helping DNA repair – meaning that in the face of zinc deficiency, the body's ability to repair genetic damage may be decreasing even as the amount of damage is going up.
Two studies recently published, in the Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found significant levels of DNA damage both with laboratory animals and in apparently healthy men who have low zinc intake. Zinc depletion caused strands of their DNA to break, and increasing the intake of zinc reversed the damage back to normal levels.
"In one clinical study with men, we were able to see increases in DNA damage from zinc deficiency even before existing tests, like decreased plasma zinc levels, could spot the zinc deficiency," Ho said. "An inadequate level of zinc intake clearly has consequences for cellular health."
Many zinc studies, Ho said, have focused on prostate cancer – the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men – because the prostate gland has one of the highest concentrations of zinc in the body, for reasons that are not clearly known.
When prostate glands become cancerous, their level of zinc drops precipitously, and some studies have suggested that increasing zinc in the prostate may at least help prevent prostate cancer and could potentially be a therapeutic strategy. There are concerns about the relationship of zinc intake to esophageal, breast, and head and neck cancers. And the reduced zinc status that occurs with aging may also contribute to a higher incidence of infection and autoimmune diseases, researchers said in one study in the Journal of Nutrition.
Zinc is naturally found associated with proteins in such meats as beef and poultry, and in even higher levels in shellfish such as oysters. It's available in plants but poorly absorbed from them, raising additional concerns for vegetarians. And inadequate intake is so prevalent in the elderly, Ho said, that they should usually consider taking a multivitamin to ensure adequate levels.
Zinc is an essential micronutrient for numerous cellular processes. But taking too much zinc can also be a concern, because in excess it can interfere with the absorption of other important nutrients such as iron and copper. The recommended daily allowance is eight milligrams a day for women, 11 for men, and anything over 50 milligrams a day could be considered excessive, Ho said.
"The consequences of zinc deficiency in adults have been understudied despite the recognition of symptoms of zinc deficiency for decades," researchers wrote in one recent report. "A considerable body of evidence suggests that zinc deficiency may increase the risk of some chronic diseases, including cancer. This link may be attributed to the role of zinc in antioxidant defense and DNA damage repair."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917115700.htm

A Nation on Mind Altering Drugs: Antidepressants Most Commonly Prescribed Drugs in US
S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  September 18, 2009 

(NaturalNews) As NaturalNews has reported in detail (http://www.naturalnews.com/antidepr...), antidepressants like Prozac (fluoxetine) and the growing list of similar selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRIs) not only can have numerous side effects from nausea to headaches -- but they've also been linked to horrendous problems including suicide in teens, sudden death in women (http://www.naturalnews.com/025811.html) and even murders. But has that stopped US doctors from prescribing the drugs or slowed down the antidepressant pill popping by Americans? Apparently not. New research shows that antidepressants are now the most widely prescribed drugs in the country.

According to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of antidepressants since l996. It's not only stressed out middle-aged folks being treated for problems caused by supposed depression, either. Perhaps the most disturbing part of the new study is that it shows a broad expansion in the patient population being put on these drugs -- starting with children as young as six. 
"Several factors may have contributed to this trend, including a broadening in concepts of need for mental health treatment, campaigns to promote mental health care and growing public acceptance of mental health treatments," the researchers stated in their article.

To come up with the new antidepressant statistics, Mark Olfson, M.D., M.P.H., of Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, and Steven C. Marcus, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, studied data from the 1996 and 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to estimate US health care usage and costs. In all, 18,993 people from age six and older were included in the 1996 survey and 28,445 in the 2005 survey which covered information regarding medical visits,prescriptions, conditions for which they were treated and other healthcare details.

In all, the researchers found that the rate of antidepressant treatment increased from 5.84 percent to 10.12 percent between 1996 and 2005. That translates into a remarkable increase from an estimated 13.3 million taking antidepressants to 27 million people now on the mind and body-altering drugs.

Curiously, the only people who aren't apparently being prescribed these medications in droves are those in racial and ethnic minorities, possibly because they may be less likely to afford the expensive drugs or insurance copays. "Significant increases in antidepressant use were evident across all sociodemographic groups examined, except African Americans, who had comparatively low rates of use in both years (1996, 3.61 percent; 2005, 4.51 percent)," the authors wrote. "Although antidepressant treatment increased for Hispanics, it remained comparatively low (1996, 3.72 percent; 2005, 5.21 percent)."

And it isn't only antidepressant usage that is soaring. The report found that among the millions of Americans taking those drugs, huge numbers of them are also now being prescribed antipsychotic medications. The percentage who were also prescribed antipsychotic medications increased between 1996 and 2005 from 5.46 percent to 8.86 percent.

Wouldn't common sense dictate that people who are so mentally ill that they need to be put on strong antipsychotic medications should be getting psychotherapy help, too? The new study shows that isn't the the case. In fact, there's been an enormous drop in the number of people undergoing psychotherapy -- a decrease from 31.5 percent to 19.87 percent -- in recent years.

"Together with an increase in the number of antidepressant prescriptions per antidepressant user (an average of 5.6 vs. 6.93 per year), these broad trends suggest that antidepressant treatment is occurring within a clinical context that places greater emphasis on pharmacologic rather than psychologic dimensions of care," the authors wrote.

In simple terms, too many doctors are handing out prescriptions for powerful drugs that affect the mind and entire body --- supposedly because of mental or emotional illness --- without any attempt to see if counseling or therapy might be a safer, and more sane, approach.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027054_drugs_antidepressants_health.html

Sweet Potatoes: Improve Your Health with this Autumn Super Food
Sheryl Walters, NaturalNews.com  September 18, 2009 

(NaturalNews) One of the most nutritious and beneficial foods that you can add to your diet is also one of the most famous of all the Fall comfort foods - sweet potatoes. Many Americans have this South American tuber (meaning root) as part of their Thanksgiving Day feast. Not only is this beautiful bright orange vegetable a comfort food staple, but it is also one of the most healthy of the so called Super foods. Super foods have a superior amount of nutrients compared to other types of foods.

Sweet potatoes are naturally rich in antioxidants and also contain beneficial anti-inflammatory properties. These natural anti-inflammatory vegetablescan have a positive effect on conditions like asthma, allergies, and even arthritis and have been confirmed to show moderate results to this effect in nutritional studies. Sweet potatoes are also high in natural fiber and calcium. They are vitamin rich containing tremendous amounts of potassium, folate, vitamin c, and beta carotene. These vegetables are so high in beta carotene that, in fact, they are being encouraged for cultivation in parts of the world where malnutrition and a serious lack of vitamin A rich foods have caused deficiencies in children to be wide spread.

One little known fact about sweet potatoes is that they are on the list of beneficial foods for a diabetic diet. They are naturally sweet to the taste buds, but when consumed, sweet potatoes release their natural sugar in the form of glucose into the body at a much slower rate. This process places sweet potatoes on the list of low glycemic index consumables. Foods like these allow diabetics to better manage their blood sugar levels by preventing fast release and quick rise of glucose in the bloodstream.

Sweet potatoes are easy to prepare and their natural sweetness appeals to most people. Even children enjoy eating sweet potatoes. The comfortfood tradition of adding whipping cream or butter and sugar is unnecessary but can be easily simulated by adding some natural applesauce and cinnamon to baked mashed sweet potatoes.

Just by participating in a great American Fall comfort food tradition you can be adding an amazingly nutritious super food to your diet. Sweet potatoes will increase your fiber and calcium, increase your vitamin intake, level out your blood sugar, help with your arthritis, and improve your eyesight. What more could you ask for in a comfort food that is also a super food.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027051_food_foods_sweet_potatoes.html

Organic Milk Linked to Fewer Allergies Including Eczema and Asthma

Julie Knapp, Health Magazine,  September 15th, 2009
Organic milk may cost more, but it may also pay off in the end. A recent Dutch studysuggests that children are one third less likely to suffer from allergies before age two if they’re raised on organic dairy products.
In the study, children and breastfeeding moms ate organic milk, cheese and yogurt. The study author said the connection between choosing organic dairy and less incidence of eczema was clear. The risk for other allergies and asthma also decreased.
So why is organic better? It’s hard to say for sure at this point, but researchers believe it may, in part, be due to the higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acids that are found in organic milk. Studies have shown that organic milk has 71 percent more omega-3 fatty acids, too, another important nutrient for growth and development.
So, you may want to switch to organic dairy for good. One caveat: You have to go all in. Benefits were only seen when children exclusively ate organic dairy, not when they had a mix of some organic and some conventional.
http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/09/15/organic-milk-linked-to-fewer-allergies-including-eczema/

Fig Leaves Provide a Natural Health Remedy for Diabetes
Barbi Trejo, NaturalNews.com  September 18, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Fig leaves are best known for treating diabetes, but there are many other uses for the fig leaves. There are many homemade remedies from treating diabetes to treating bronchitis, genital warts, liver cirrhosis, high blood pressure, skin problems and ulcers. Fig leaves are not used as much as they should be. Most of the remedies for the fig leaves use the sap or the milk of the sacred tree. Fig tinctures or poultices should be used immediately and fresh batches made daily.

The big news with the use of fig leaves is that they have anti-diabetic properties. The diabetic needs less insulin when on a treatment of using the fig leaf extract. The diabetic should take the extract with breakfast, first thing in the morning. An additional remedy is to boil the leaves of the fig in some freshly filtered waster and drink this as a tea.

Figs and Health:

According to the USDA, figs are one of the highest sources of fiber and calcium. Figs have antioxidants and a laxative effect on the body. Figs contain fiber, magnesium, copper, manganese, calcium and vitamins A,B,C and K. Besides these vitamins, the figs also contain folic acid, sodium and zinc.

Benefits of the figs:

- Figs are rich in potassium and fiber, helping to stabilize the blood pressure of the body. The figs contain anti-diabetic and anti-tumor properties. They have calcium, potassium, and soluble fiber, which aids in the reduction of cholesterol.

- Figs promote good sleeping habits and protect the person against insomnia. They increase your energy, promote stronger bones, and are helpful in treating constipation, due to their laxative effect. If the leaves are mashed, they can be used as a skin cleanser for acne and pimples.

- Figs lessen the acids in the stomach and therefore are great for pregnant women. Figs also increase sexual desire and promote overall longevity and good health.

There are many varieties of figs and here are a few available in the market:

The Calimyrna Fig has a nut like flavor and a golden skin. The Mission fig is dark purple and eventually will turn black when sun dried. The Kadota fig is the American type fig, which is nearly seedless and most often dried and canned. The Brown Turkey fig is seen most of the time in the fresh markets. This fig is copper colored in color with small streaks of purple and a white flesh.

Home Remedies using fig leaves:

- Bronchitis - Place two to three fig leaves in a half liter of water with some piloncillo and bring to boil. Let the water boil for 15 minutes and then remove the leaves and drink the tea.

What is Piloncillo?

http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/mex...

- Cardiovascular and Cancer patients: Try drinking some freshly made fig leaf tea. Also, eat some fresh figs daily.

- Genital warts - Take one of the fig leaves and apply the milk or sap from the leaf to the affected areas.

- Hemorrhoid - Place two or three of the leaves in one liter of water and bring to boil. Boil for at least 15 minutes. Remove from the fire and let the pot cool. Remove the leaves from the tea and use as a sitz bath or apply to the affected areas.

- Liver cirrhosis - Take 4 leaves, wash them thoroughly and pound them with any type of sugar candy. Fill a medium glass with water and drink this twice a day.

- Lower blood pressure - Place 3 fig leaves in half liter of water. Boil for 15 minutes and drink daily.

- Ringworm - Cut open a leaf and take the milk or sap. Rub on the ringworm. This procedure works immediately.

- Scalp fungal infections, warts and boils - Follow the above directions.

- Shingles: Place three to four fig leaves in 2 cups of water. Boil for a few minutes, let cool and remove the leaves. Take a wash cloth and dip in the water and apply to the affected area.

- Ulcers - Every day chew two fig leaves and swallow the whole leaf. People with advanced ulcers should do this in the morning on an empty stomach.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027050_figs_health_water.html

Superfood Profile: Blue-Green Algae and Spirulina Offer Many Health Benefits
Elizabeth Walling, NaturalNews.com  September 18, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Today's scientists are only beginning to grasp the incredible nutritional value of blue-green algae and spirulina, but these superfoods have a reputation that reaches far back into history. A form of blue-green algae was consumed regularly hundreds of years ago by Aztecs, while spirulina was a favorite among native peoples in the Sahara desert region of Africa. Today blue-green algae and spirulina are some of the top superfoods, providing extraordinary nutrition in a time when most food sources are of poor nutritional quality.

Blue-green algae and spirulina, which is a specific form of blue-green algae, are found in nature growing in the still, alkaline waters of lakes and ponds. They are natural foods that have existed since life began. Their nutritional content is broad and highly concentrated:

- Blue-green algae and spirulina are rich in vitamins A, C, E and the B-complex vitamins, including vitamins B12 and B6. Since these vitamins are packaged in their natural form, they are in a highly usable state that makes them far superior to modern vitamin supplements. (It should be noted that some experts don't consider the vitamin B12 in spirulina to be bioavailable, while others disagree.)

- These foods are rich in natural minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron. They are also an excellent source of trace minerals that are commonly lacking in today's diet.

- Many of these vitamins and minerals exhibit antioxidant properties which aid in the elimination of toxins and free-radicals, helping the body fight disease and stay healthy. These elements also fight cancer - in fact, preliminary studies point to spirulina as a natural anti-cancer agent.

- Spirulina and blue-green algae are highly effective for heavy metal detox, as multiple studies have shown.

- Phycocyanin gives spirulina its unique blue-green color and perhaps its anti-cancer properties. This specialized blue pigment is only found in blue-green algae.

- Blue-green algae and spirulina are rich in protein, including the essential amino acids. By comparison, spirulina produces twenty times more protein per acre versus soybeans. Considering the rapidly declining reputation of soy, spirulina could be considered a worthy replacement.

- Spirulina is rich in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid which aids in the health of the joints and heart. It is also helpful for specific issues like weight loss and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

- Blue-green algae can help balance the flora in the gut, which aids digestion and fights candida overgrowth.

- Spirulina is known for its ability to temper the appetite and stabilize blood sugar levels. It may also help with food cravings.

- Studies have exhibited spirulina's amazing ability to reduce inflammation in the body. This can be important in preventing and treating a variety of conditions.

In spite of their nutritional punch, blue-green algae and spirulina do not pack a lot of calories. This makes it effortless to incorporate these superfoodsinto your diet regardless of your nutritional needs and preferences. It is important to find a quality source of blue-green algae or spirulina. Poor quality supplements may contain heavy metal contaminants and other toxins. Be sure to examine the source of your blue-green algae and spirulina carefully before buying.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z027053_spirulina_algae_blue-green_algae.html

Green tea compound helps preserve platelets, skin, cartilage
LIFE EXTENSIONS  September 16, 2009
The latest issue of the journal Cell Transplantation contains three articles describing the ability of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) to help extend the shelf-life of stored human and animal tissue.
The research was led by Dr Suong-Hyn Hyon, who is an associate professor at Kyoto University's Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences. In one article, Dr Hyon and associates described the ability of EGCG to help preserve blood platelets, which are only stored for 3 days in Japan. The addition of EGCG prolonged the platelets' ability to aggregate and helped maintain their affinity for surface receptors, which improved their viability after 6 days compared to untreated platelets. "EGCG may lead to an inhibition of platelet apoptosis and lower rates of cell death, offering a potentially novel and useful method to prolong platelet storage period," Dr Hyon observed.
In another study, EGCG improved the storage of frozen rat skin, a finding that could positively impact the preservation of human skin used for grafting. "To provide best outcomes, skin grafts must be processed and stored in a manner that maintains their viability and structural integrity until they are needed for transplantation," Dr Hyon explained. "Transplant dysfunction often occurs as the result of oxidation. A better storage solution could prevent this."
For the study, rat skin treated with EGCG was preserved at 4 degrees Celsius for 2, 8 or 24 weeks and transplanted to nude mice. "The storage time of skin grafts was extended to 24 weeks by cryopreservation using EGCG and the survival rate was almost 100 percent," Dr. Hyon remarked.
A third article describes how rabbit cartilage stored for 2 weeks in a medium containing EGCG was associated with high cell viability and improved retention subsequent to grafting.
"These studies highlight the benefits of using natural compounds such as ECGC to enhance the preservation of stored tissues, possibly due to their antioxidative properties," Cell Transplantation guest editor Dr Naoya Kobayashi concluded.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_09.htm#green-tea-compound-helps-preserve-platelets-skin-cartilage

Fountain of Youth: Constant Learning Keeps Brain Young

The Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA   09-16-09
Keeping our minds agile is something we must continue to do throughout our lives. Neuroscientists are finding out more and more about the brain's amazing ability to adapt and reconfigure itself - not only when it's traumatized, but also as it ages.
It was once thought that as we got older, our brains simply grew dimmer like a light bulb on its last bit of wattage. But lo and behold, it's not so simplistic. Research now indicates that as the brain ages, it begins making connections and cross-indexing in ways it never has before. Our short-term memory may not have the power it once had, and it may be harder to cram in a lot of information, but the minds of older folks have the ability to make associations and infer meanings that are beyond the capacity of younger minds.
For many of us, the aging process actually makes the brain work better. How we take care of our bodies is a big piece of the pie (and too much pie can be a huge problem).
At this point, I think we're all aware that spending half of our lives on the sofa with the remote control in our hand while eating a pile of french fries and onion rings isn't going to help our brains become juicy.
We have to move in order to get enough oxygen to the brain so that we can think clearly. The brain also needs the stimulation of positive emotions, learning experiences, and new ways of being to keep it fresh; and it requires love and support from other humans.
We want to increase neuroplasticity, the lifeblood of our brains, to stay vibrant and alive. There are many ways in which we can embark on this exciting journey to build our minds' capabilities. One of my favorite ways is to make sure I learn something new every day. I find many wonderful bits of knowledge in conversations I have with perfect strangers.
Waiting in line can become a treasure trove of learning. Just start talking to the person next to you and see what happens. There is a huge body of evidence that links a love of learning with longevity. Individuals who are able to maintain interests later in life are likely to be more physically and mentally healthier than their less-engaged peers.
Eartha Kitt said it best: "I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8760&Section=Aging

The Sickness Crisis: America Would Save Over $700 Billion Annually Through Prevention and Health Promotion

PR Newswire   09-16-09
NEW YORK, Sept 16, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- According to every major health organization, many costly and disabling conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic infectious diseases are linked by common preventable risk factors -- smoking, poor dietary habits, physical inactivity and poor hygiene.
Yet, prevention and health promotion are seldom, if ever, factored into the fractious debate about overhauling our health care system. The system is set-up to detect disease and treat acute illness, not to promote health, well-being and prevention.
"America will never win the battle over health care costs if it doesn't address the sickness crisis in this country," says Dr. David Ostreicher, a leading public health professional and author of a new book, "Brush Your Teeth! And Other Simple Ways to Stay Young and Healthy." Dr. David Ostreicher says, "There is no health care crisis, America has a sickness crisis. We are too sick with avoidable illnesses and our present policies, recommendations and legislation do nothing to address this."
Dr. Ostreicher adds, "The answer is not to spend more money on health care. The only answer is to stop getting sick with the most common, avoidable illnesses."
Lack of physical activity costs America over $75 billion a year, according to the World Health Organization, and excessive dietary salt costs America $20 billion, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
Below is a chart illustrating the annual cost savings of $720 billion based on research from prominent national and global health organizations:
THE SICKNESS CRISIS
-------------------
Disease Annual Cost Avoidability Savings
------- ----------- ------------ -------
Colds/Flu $40 Billion (2) 60% $24 Billion
Obesity $147 Billion (3) 90% $132 Billion
Diabetes $174 Billion (4) 90% (10) $157 Billion
Cardiovascular
Disease $394 Billion (5) 80% (10) $315 Billion
Cancer $72 Billion (6) 90% (8,9) $65 Billion
Preterm Births $26 Billion (1) 60% $16 Billion
Drowsy Driving $12.5 Billion (7) 90% $11 Billion
TOTAL $720 Billion
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8758&Section=Disease

Omega-3 may improve blood pressure in kidney disease patients

Nutraingredients.com, 17-Sep-2009

A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may decrease blood pressure and heart rate in kidney disease patients, says a new study.
People with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which increases the risk of heart disease two- to 50-fold, experienced improvements in both blood pressure and heart rate following supplementation with four grams of omega-3 fatty acids, according to findings published in the Journal of Hypertension.
Furthermore, when take in combination with coenzyme Q10 the blood pressure reducing benefits were enhanced, despite CoQ10 alone not being associated with any improvements on its own, report researchers from University of Western Australia and Royal Perth Hospital.
“The finding of an interaction between omega-3 fatty acids and CoQ10 on blood pressure is difficult to explain in view of the lack of effect of CoQ10 alone on blood pressure and needs confirmation,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr Trevor Mori.
According to background information in the article, CKD is linked to increased prevalence in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events and hospitalization. These people are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and modifiable risk factors include high blood pressure (hypertension).
Since omega-3 may improve blood pressure, heart rate, blood lipid levels, and vascular function, and CoQ10 may improve blood pressure and vascular function, Dr Mori and his co-workers recruited 85 people with CKD (average age 56.5, average BMI 27.3 kg/m2) and randomly assigned them to receive either 4 grams of omega-3 (Solvay Pharmaceuticals, containing 1,840 mg EPA, 152 mg of DPA, and 1,520 mg DHA), 200 mg of CoQ10 (Blackmores Australia), both, or placebo (4 g olive oil) for 8 weeks.

Results of the double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention showed that people receiving only omega-3 experienced a 3.3 and 2.9 mmHg decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and a reduction of heart rate of 4.0 beats per minute. Furthermore, triglyceride levels decreased by 24 per cent in this group.
In the combined group, systolic and diastolic blood pressure improved by 2.7 and 3.4 mmHg, respectively. CoQ10 did not benefit blood pressure and was associated with a slight increase in heart rate.
“Future studies should include long-term supplementation in order to determine effects of omega-3 fatty acids on renal function in patients with CKD,” wrote the researchers.
“These results show that omega-3 fatty acids lower blood pressure and may reduce cardiovascular risk in non-diabetic patients with moderate- to-severe CKD,” they concluded.
Source: Journal of Hypertension
September 2009, Volume 27, Issue 9, Pages 1863-1872 doi: 10.1097/HJH.0b013e32832e1bd9
“The effects of omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 on blood pressure and heart rate in chronic kidney disease: a randomized controlled trial”
Authors: T.A. Mori, V. Burke, I.B. Puddey, A.B. Irish, C.A. Cowpland, L.J. Beilin, G.K. Dogra, G.F. Watts
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Omega-3-may-improve-blood-pressure-in-kidney-disease-patients

DHA-enriched formula boosts infant brain development

Nutraingredients.com, 16-Sep-2009

Feeding babies formula enriched with the omega-3 fatty acid DHA may enhance their cognitive skills, compared to babies fed non-enriched formula, says a new study.
A dose of 0.36 per cent DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) was necessary to produce superior problem solving performance, according to findings published in Child Development.
“Given that performance on means-end problem solving is correlated with later IQ and vocabulary, this implies that the cognitive benefits of DHA supplementation might persist well beyond infancy,” wrote the researchers, led by James Drover, formerly of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and now at Memorial University in Canada.
The study used Mead Johnson Nutritionals’ commercial Enfamil with iron infant formula, with or without DHA (0.36 per cent) and ARA (arachidonic acid, 0.72 per cent). The DHA, ARA-containing formulas contained Martek’s single-cell oils, DHASCO and ARASCO.
“Currently, there is no clear consensus on whether infant formula should be supplemented with DHA,” said Drover. “However, our results clearly suggest that feeding infants formula supplemented with high concentrations of DHA provides beneficial effects on cognitive development.”
Infant formula is a highly emotive area, with watchdogs keeping a close eye on companies' marketing tactics lest they drift towards promoting their products as preferable to breast-feeding.
While it is agreed that breastfeeding is the best way to ensure an infant receives the nutrients it needs in its first months, formulas are indispensable in cases where mothers are unable to feed their children - be it for health or logistical reasons. Mothers' desire to give their children the best possible start in life means that there is scope for fortification.
The study, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, followed 229 infants. Babies were randomly assigned to receive either formula supplemented with DHA or traditional infant formula. The babies were given the different formulas either shortly after birth, after 6 weeks of breastfeeding, or after 4 to 6 months of breastfeeding. At nine months of age the babies were given a problem-solving test.
Infants who started receiving the DHA-enriched formula shortly after birth were more successful on the tests, with a 51 percent success rate, compared to only 29 percent for children who received the traditional formula. Furthermore, children given the formula after 6 weeks of breastfeeding also performed better than their counterparts not given the DHA-enriched formula (46 compared to 13 per cent).
Industry welcome
The research was welcomed by fatty acid supplier Martek. A spokesperson for the company told NutraIngredients-USA.com that the study is “significant because it adds to the already strong body of research supporting the important benefits of DHA and ARA for infants.
“Many studies have shown that compared to infants fed formula not supplemented with DHA and ARA, infants fed formula supplemented with DHA and ARA exhibit health benefits like improved mental development and better visual acuity. This body of research has led experts at leading medical institutions, research organizations, regulatory and government agencies across the world to note that DHA and ARA are important nutrients for infant health.
“Human milk represents the optimal form of infant nutrition and Martek agrees that breastfeeding is the best method of feeding infants. However, those parents who need or choose formula should have access to the most nutritionally optimal formula available,” said the spokesperson.
The company’s DHA and ARA are found in 99 percent of infant formulas on the U.S. market, in formula in more than 75 countries around the world. “We believe that research like this will help to support the importance of DHA and ARA to infant nutrition and help to ensure that even more infants worldwide receiving infant formula will benefit from these vital fatty acids,” added the spokesperson.
Source: Child Development
September/October 2009, Volume 80 Issue 5, Pages 1376-1384
“Three Randomized Controlled Trials of Early Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Means-End Problem Solving in 9-Month-Olds”
Authors: J. Drover, D.R. Hoffman, Y.S. Castaneda, S.E. Morale, E.E. Birch
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/DHA-enriched-formula-boosts-infant-brain-development

Current vitamin D doses insufficient for mothers-to-be

Nutraingredients.com, 16-Sep-2009

Many mothers to be are not getting enough vitamin D, even those taking supplements at the recommended doses, says a new study from Northern Ireland.
Almost all of the women in the study had blood levels of the vitamin below 80 nmol/l, a level which is widely considered to be the cut-off for vitamin Dsufficiency, showing that current recommendations may be insufficient.
Currently in the UK, pregnant women are recommended by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to take supplements with a daily dose of 10 micrograms vitamin D. In the US and Canada, where no specific recommendations exist for pregnant women, adequate intakes are inline with the general population and set at 5 micrograms per day.
Dr Maria Barnes from the University of Ulster, Coleraine, told NutraIngredients.com that, as their study was observational, it was impossible to determine the dose of vitamin D required to improve maternal vitamin D status.
“Clearly such recommendations can only be established following a number of well designed double-blinded, randomised placebo controlled vitamin D intervention studies during pregnancy,” said Dr Barnes.
“However, from our study it is evident that general dietary supplementation given to pregnant women may be inadequate to maintain or improve vitamin D status, particularly during wintertime,” she added.
The researchers, from Queen's University, Belfast, the University of Ulster, and Belfast City Hospital report their findings in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Bigger doses needed
A wider debate is ongoing in nutrition circles regarding vitamin D intakes. Late last year the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said children should be consuming 400 International Units (IUs), or 10 micrograms per day. This would mean doubling the current US recommendations. Others have recommended increasing levels to 2,000 IUs.
The US National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) said it will be reviewing its recommendations “in the not too distant future”.
According to Dr Barnes and her co-workers, children born to vitamin D-deficient mothers are at an increased risk of rickets, while maternal insufficiency may detrimentally affect bone build-up, and increase the risk of type-1 diabetes and asthma.

Study details
The researchers recruited 99 pregnant women at 12, 20 and 35 weeks of gestation, and 38 non-pregnant controls living at a latitude of 54 to 55 °N. S
Vitamin D levels, calculated using serum concentrations of 25- hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active 'storage' form of the vitamin in the body, showed that 35, 44 and 16 per cent were vitamin D deficient at 12, 20 and 35 weeks of gestation. Furthermore, 96, 96 and 75 per cent were vitamin D insufficient at the same gestation stage.
While women taking supplements did have higher vitamin D levels, “vitamin D insufficiency was still evident even in the face of supplement use”, wrote Dr Barnes and her co-workers.
“To our knowledge, the present study is the first to measure vitamin D status in free-living Caucasian women with uncomplicated pregnancies, which collected samples longitudinally throughout pregnancy whilst concurrently sampling non-pregnant age-matched controls,” stated the researchers.
“Given the potential consequences of hypovitaminosis D on health outcomes, vitamin D supplementation, perhaps at higher doses than currently available, is needed to improve maternal vitamin D nutriture,” they concluded.
Data on D
Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors - D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation (290 to 320 nm), is said to be more bioactive.
While our bodies do manufacture vitamin D on exposure to sunshine, the levels in some northern countries are so weak during the winter months that our body makes no vitamin D at all, meaning that dietary supplements and fortified foods are seen by many as the best way to boost intakes of vitamin D.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
September 2009, Volume 102, Issue 06, Pages 876-881, doi:10.1017/S0007114509297236
“Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in pregnant women: a longitudinal study”
Authors: V.A. Holmes, M.S. Barnes, H.D. Alexander, P. McFaul, J.M.W. Wallace
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Current-vitamin-D-doses-insufficient-for-mothers-to-be

Deadly MRSA can survive for months on toys
Last Updated: 2009-09-16 16:24:02 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The deadly drug-resistant "superbug" MRSA -- short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- can survive for weeks or even months on toys and other inanimate objects, thereby increasing the risk of transmission to skin, new research shows.
MRSA previously had been a major concern only in hospitals, attacking patients who are already weakened by disease. But recent outbreaks in the community in otherwise healthy people have raised new concerns.
Prior studies have shown that MRSA can be found on various objects in the environment, lead researcher Dr. Rishi Desai, from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, told Reuters Health.
"Our study goes two steps further by showing the exact amount of bacteria that can be found over time and by showing that bacteria not only survives in our environment but transmits to skin for prolonged periods of time," Desai said.
"The biggest findings were that community-associated MRSA can survive and transmit to skin for over two months on plastic objects, such as vinyl and plastic building block toys," Desai added.
Desai reported the findings at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in San Francisco this week.
In the study, the researchers took several objects that have been implicated in prior community MRSA outbreaks and then cut them into 2 x 2 cm squares and sterilized them.
Small amounts of a strain of MRSA found previously in communities were then placed on each object and the objects were then left untouched for varying amounts of time. At each time point, sterile pig skin was pressed on the object and then tested for the super bug.
The researchers found that MRSA could transmit for longer time periods from non-porous surfaces, such as plastic building blocks and vinyl, than from porous surfaces, such as bed sheets. Compared to "hospital-acquired" MRSA strains, community-associated MRSA could still be transmitted from plastic objects after longer periods.
One non-porous object -- razor blades -- was actually very poor at transmitting MRSA; beyond 5 minutes, no transmission was seen.
No skin transmission of MRSA was ever seen on soap bars, the researchers report.
People with community-associated MRSA "should be advised to maintain a clean home environment, especially being mindful about non-porous surfaces," Desai emphasized.
"We would advise cleaning surfaces regularly in homes where community-associated MRSA patients live, to reduce the risk of spread of infection to other household members," the researcher added.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/16/eline/links/20090916elin027.html

Doctors warn on climate failure

BBC News,  September 17, 2009 
Failure to agree a new UN climate deal in December will bring a "global health catastrophe", say 18 of the world's professional medical organisations.
Writing in The Lancet and the British Medical Journal, they urge doctors to "take a lead" on the climate issue.
In a separate editorial, the journals say that people in poor tropical nations will suffer the worst impacts.
They argue that curbing climate change would have other benefits such as more healthy diets and cleaner air.
December's UN summit, to be held in Copenhagen, is due to agree a new global climate treaty to supplant the Kyoto Protocol.
But preparatory talks have been plagued by lack of agreement on how much to cut greenhouse gas emissions and how to finance climate protection for the poorest countries.
“ Effects of climate change on health will... put the lives and wellbeing of billions of people at increased risk ” 
Lancet/UCL report 
"There is a real danger that politicians will be indecisive, especially in such turbulent economic times as these," according to the letter signed by leaders of 18 colleges of medicine and other medical disciplines across the world.
"Should their response be weak, the results for international health could be catastrophic."
Rising risk
Earlier in the year, The Lancet, together with University College London (UCL), published a major review on the health impacts of climate change.
Some of the headline findings were that rising temperatures are likely to increase transmission of many infectious diseases, reduce supplies of food and clean water in developing countries, and raise the number of people dying from heat-related conditions in temperate regions.
But it also acknowledged some huge gaps in research - for example, that "almost no reliable data for heatwave-induced mortality exist in Africa or south Asia".
Nevertheless, the main conclusion was that in a world likely to have three billion new inhabitants by the second half of this century: "Effects of climate change on health will affect most populations in the next decades and put the lives and wellbeing of billions of people at increased risk".
The current Lancet and BMJ editorial that accompanies the letter from doctors' organisations argues that climate change strengthens the cases that health and development charities are already championing.
"Even without climate change, the case for clean power, electric cars, saving forests, energy efficiency, and new agriculture technology is strong.
"Climate change makes it unanswerable."
Written by Lord Michael Jay, who chairs the health charity Merlin, and Professor Michael Marmot of UCL, the editorial argues that there are plenty of "win-win solutions" available.
"A low-carbon economy will mean less pollution. A low carbon-diet (especially eating less meat) and more exercise will mean less cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
"Opportunity, surely, not cost."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8257766.stm

Beijing birth defects rise again

BBC News, September 17, 2009
The birth defect rate rose again in the Chinese capital Beijing last year, mirroring increases elsewhere in the country, according to figures.
The city's birth defect rate has almost doubled in the last decade.
The causes of such defects are not clear, but there are concerns they could be related to heavy pollution.
A growing number of babies in China are being born with abnormalities - ranging from extra fingers and toes and cleft lips to congenital heart disease.
In Beijing last year, according to Chinese officials, the rate was 170 per 10,000 births. That is significantly higher than the global average.
This fits with other reports about sharp rises in birth defects across the country, in both rural and urban areas.
Some provinces with large coal and chemical industries seem to have some of the highest rates.
It is hard to know for sure what's causing these defects, but they are helping to fuel broader concern about the health impact of acute air, water and soil pollution in China.
Sensitive issue
An editorial in Tuesday's China Daily newspaper broadened the argument by pointing to modern urban lifestyles as another possible factor for the growth in birth defects.
As well as worrying about pollution, it said, individuals should also think twice about their busy, stressful schedules.
All this is politically sensitive for China.
More research is needed, for example, detailed mapping to see what correlation there is between different types of defect and pollution levels.
Improvements in health facilities, which give better monitoring of newborns and better diagnosis, may also account for part of the increase.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8257151.stm

On-the-job Pesticide Exposure Associated With Parkinson's Disease
ScienceDaily (Sep. 17, 2009) — Individuals whose occupation involves contact with pesticides appear to have an increased risk of having Parkinson's disease, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The development of Parkinson's disease related to chemical exposure was identified in the late 20th century, according to background information in the article. Since then, occupations such as farming, teaching and welding have all been proposed to increase the risk of Parkinson's disease. However, associations have been inconsistent and few previous studies have evaluated the direct relationship between occupational chemical exposure and disease risk.
Caroline M. Tanner, M.D., Ph.D., of the Parkinson's Institute, Sunnyvale, Calif., and colleagues studied 519 individuals with Parkinson's disease and 511 controls who were the same age and sex and lived in the same location. Participants were surveyed about their occupational history and exposure to toxins, including solvents and pesticides.
Working in agriculture, education, health care or welding was not associated with Parkinson's disease, nor was any other specific occupation studied after adjustment for other factors.
Among the patients with Parkinson's disease, 44 (8.5 percent) reported pesticide exposure compared with 27 (5.3 percent) of controls, such that occupational pesticide exposure was associated with an increased risk of the disease. "Growing evidence suggests a causal association between pesticide use and parkinsonism. However, the term 'pesticide' is broad and includes chemicals with varied mechanisms," the authors write. "Because few investigations have identified specific pesticides, we studied eight pesticides with high neurotoxic plausibility based on laboratory findings. Use of these pesticides was associated with higher risk of parkinsonism, more than double that in those not exposed."
Three individual compounds—an organochloride (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), an herbicide (paraquat) and an insecticide (permethrin)—were associated with a more than three-fold increased risk of Parkinson's disease. All three have been shown to have effects on dopaminergic neurons—affected by Parkinson's disease—in the laboratory.
"This convergence of epidemiologic and laboratory data from experimental models of Parkinson's disease lends credence to a causative role of certain pesticides in the neurodegenerative process," the authors conclude. "Other pesticide exposures such as hobby gardening, residential exposure, wearing treated garments or dietary intake were not assessed. Because these exposures may affect many more subjects, future attention is warranted."
Caroline M. Tanner; G. Webster Ross; Sarah A. Jewell; Robert A. Hauser; Joseph Jankovic; Stewart A. Factor; Susan Bressman; Amanda Deligtisch; Connie Marras; Kelly E. Lyons; Grace S. Bhudhikanok; Diana F. Roucoux; Cheryl Meng; Robert D. Abbott; J. William Langston. Occupation and Risk of Parkinsonism: A Multicenter Case-Control Study. Arch Neurol, 2009; 66 (9): 1106-1113
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914172528.htm

Active Older Adults Live Longer, Have Better Functional Status
ScienceDaily (Sep. 17, 2009) — Older adults who continue or begin to do any amount of exercise appear to live longer and have a lower risk of disability, according to a report in the September 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
"Physical activity is a modifiable behavior associated with health, functional status and longevity, and encouraging a physically active lifestyle has become an accepted public health goal," the authors write as background information in the article. However, most research on the benefits of physical activity has focused on middle-aged populations.
Jochanan Stessman, M.D., and colleagues at Hebrew University Medical Center and Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, studied 1,861 individuals born in 1920 and 1921. Participants underwent assessments in their homes at ages 70, 78 and 85 years, during which they were asked about their physical activity levels. Those who performed less than four hours per week of physical activity were considered sedentary, while those who exercised about four hours weekly, performed vigorous activities such as jogging or swimming at least twice weekly or who engaged in regular physical activity (for example, walking at least an hour daily) were considered physically active.
The proportion of participants who were physically active was 53.4 percent at age 70, 76.9 percent at age 77 and 64 percent at age 85. When compared with those who were sedentary, individuals who were physically active were 12 percent less likely to die between ages 70 and 78, 15 percent less likely to die between ages 78 and 85 and 17 percent less likely to die between ages 85 and 88; were more likely to remain independent and experienced fewer declines in their ability to perform daily tasks; and reported fewer new instances of loneliness (12.2 percent vs. 22.6 percent from ages 70 to 78 and 26.5 percent vs. 44.1 percent from ages 78 to 85) and poor self-rated health (77.3 percent vs. 63.3 percent from ages 70 to 78 and 63.8 percent vs. 82.6 percent from ages 78 to 85).
The benefits associated with physical activity were observed not only in those who maintained an existing level of physical activity, but also in those who began exercising between ages 70 and 85.
"Although the mechanism of the survival benefit is most likely multifactorial, one important finding was the sustained protective effect of physical activity against functional decline," the authors write. Physical activity may delay the spiral of decline that begins with inability to perform daily activities and continues through illness and death by improving cardiovascular fitness, slowing loss of muscle mass, reducing fat, improving immunity and suppressing inflammation.
"Despite the increasing likelihood of comorbidity, frailty, dependence and ever-shortening life expectancy, remaining and even starting to be physically active increases the likelihood of living longer and staying functionally independent," the authors write. "The clinical ramifications are far reaching. As this rapidly growing sector of the population assumes a prominent position in preventive and public health measures, our findings clearly support the continued encouragement of physical activity, even among the oldest old. Indeed, it seems that it is never too late to start."
Jochanan Stessman; Robert Hammerman-Rozenberg; Aaron Cohen; Eliana Ein-Mor; Jeremy M. Jacobs. Physical Activity, Function, and Longevity Among the Very Old. Arch Intern Med, 2009; 169 (16): 1476-1483
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914172524.htm

Changes In Earth's Ozone Layer Predicted To Increase UV Radiation In Tropics And Antarctica
ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2009) — Physicists at the University of Toronto have discovered that changes in the Earth’s ozone layer due to climate change will reduce the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in northern high latitude regions such as Siberia, Scandinavia and northern Canada. Other regions of the Earth, such as the tropics and Antarctica, will instead face increasing levels of UV radiation.
“Climate change is an established fact, but scientists are only just beginning to understand its regional manifestations,” says Michaela Hegglin, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics, and the lead author of the study published in Nature Geoscience on September 6.
Using a sophisticated computer model, Hegglin and U of T physicist Theodore Shepherd determined that 21st-century climate change will alter atmospheric circulation, increasing the flux of ozone from the upper to the lower atmosphere and shifting the distribution of ozone within the upper atmosphere. The result will be a change in the amount of UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface which varies dramatically between regions: e.g. up to a 20 per cent increase in UV radiation over southern high latitudes during spring and summer, and a nine per cent decrease in UV radiation over northern high latitudes, by the end of the century.
While the effects of increased UV have been widely studied because of the problem of ozone depletion, decreased UV could have adverse effects too, e.g. on vitamin D production for people in regions with limited sunlight such as the northern high latitudes.
“Both human and ecosystem health are affected by air quality and by UV radiation,” says Shepherd. “While there has been much research on the impact of climate change on air quality, our work shows that this research needs to include the effect of changes in stratospheric ozone. And while there has been much research on the impact of ozone depletion on UV radiation and its impacts on human and ecosystem health, the notion that climate change could also affect UV radiation has not previously been considered. This adds to the list of potential impacts of climate change, and is especially important for Canada as northern high latitudes are particularly affected.”
The research was funded by the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences through the C-SPARC project. The C-SPARC project is a national collaboration between Environment Canada and several Canadian universities.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915113534.htm

Popular Stomach Acid Reducer Triples Risk Of Developing Pneumonia, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2009) — A popular stomach-acid reducer used to prevent stress ulcers in critically ill patients needing breathing machine support increases the risk of those patients contracting pneumonia threefold, according to researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia is the leading cause of infection-related deaths in critically ill patients. It increases hospital stays by an average of seven to nine days, cost of care, and the risk of other complications.
“As best we can tell, patients who develop hospital-acquired pneumonia or ventilator-acquired pneumonia have about a 20 to 30 percent chance of dying from that pneumonia,” said senior study author David L. Bowton, M.D., professor and head of the Section on Critical Care in the Department of Anesthesiology. “It’s a significant event.”
The study, published in a recent issue of CHEST, compared treatment with two drugs that decrease stomach acid: ranitidine, marketed under the name ZantacTM, and pantoprazole, marketed under the name ProtonixTM.
Both drugs decrease stomach acid, but the newer pantoprazole is considered more powerful and has become the drug of choice in many hospitals.
However, in the analysis of 834 patient charts, the researchers found that hospitalized cardiothoracic surgery patients treated with pantoprazole were three times more likely to develop pneumonia.
“We conducted this study, in part, because we thought we were seeing more pneumonias than we were used to having,” said study co-author Marc G. Reichert, Pharm.D., pharmacy coordinator for surgery at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Both acid-reducing drugs can make the stomach a more hospitable place for bacteria to colonize. Patients on breathing machines sometimes develop pneumonia when stomach secretions reflux into the lungs.
Current treatment guidelines to prevent pneumonia recommend raising the head of the bed for patients on breathing machines, which reduces the risk of stomach secretions getting into the lungs.
But the study’s findings suggest some other steps could keep critically ill patients from developing ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Doctors should consider whether an acid reducer is needed at all, Bowton said. The occurrence of stress ulcer bleeding has gone down in recent years, perhaps because patients with breathing tubes are fed earlier, and food in the stomach may neutralize or reduce the effects of stomach acid.
Bowton added that in cases where an acid reducer is needed, ranitidine is recommended, given the apparent decreased risk in developing pneumonia.
Doctors should stop using the drug as soon as the risk of bleeding passes – once the patient is off the breathing machine and eating, either on his/her own or through a feeding tube.
“Stopping the drugs earlier appears to be the best thing for patients,” Reichert said.
Todd A. Miano, Pharm.D., formerly of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and now with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, is the study’s lead author. Co-authors, all from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, are Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D., and Drew A. MacGregor, M.D., of the Department of Anesthesiology; and Edward H. Kincaid, M.D., of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914110957.htm

Why Millions of Americans Don't Need a Swine Flu Vaccine
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews.com  September 17, 2009 

(NaturalNews) The FDA has now suddenly granted approval to four different H1N1 vaccines, all on the same day! With virtually no testing, these fast-tracked vaccines are now approved for use on everyone: Infants, children, adults, senior citizens and even expectant mothers. But does everyone really need these vaccines?

According to the CDC, by June of 2009, one million Americans had already been exposed to H1N1 swine flu. Although the CDC hasn't released official infection statistics in recent months, with the rapid spread of the mild virus, it's not unreasonable to suspect that by now, three months later, the number of Americans who have been exposed to H1N1 swine flu has at least doubled to two million.

Yet here's the interesting part: You don't see two million Americans dying from swine flu.

That's because many of those who were infected by swine flu never had any idea they were infected at all. They were so-called "symptomless carriers," because they never experienced a sniffle or other flu-like symptoms. Their immune systems conquered swine flu automatically and effectively, creating antibodies and overcoming the infection by relying on fundamental human physiology.

Even for those who got sick, virtually everyone survived the sickness. After a few days of extra rest in bed (and hopefully some nutritional supplementation), they were able to kick the virus and return to normal life. This is all a normal part of beating any flu.

All these millions of people who were infected by H1N1 and didn't die have naturally made their own swine flu antibodies. They are now immune to the swine flu, and they now have zero risk of being infected or killed by this H1N1 swine flu in the future.

At the same time, the CDC has no idea how many Americans already have H1N1 antibodies from surviving a swine flu infection. The WHO has no idea of this worldwide figure, either. It is likely in the tens of millions of people around the world.

So here's the relevant question: What happens when you give an H1N1 vaccine to a person who already has H1N1 antibodies?
All of the risk, none of the benefit
The answer is that injecting such a person with an H1N1 vaccine exposes them to all the risks of a vaccine with none of the purported benefits. In other words, such a vaccine cannot help them in any way because they're already immune to H1N1!

The vaccine can only harm them or have no effect.

Given that there is zero reward but some measurable risk for these people taking the vaccine, it only makes sense that people who have existing H1N1 antibodies should never be given an H1N1 vaccine shot.

To determine this, however, each person about to receive a vaccine shot would have to be tested to see if they already have H1N1 influenza antibodies. But to conduct that test for the entire U.S. population would take years to complete. (The CDC testing labs are already overrun and can't handle millions of tests in a timely manner...)

Thus, there is currently no effort to test anyone for H1N1 antibodies before injecting them with the H1N1 vaccine... a vaccine that may have been rendered utterly useless to that person even before the shot!
No medical justification, just FEAR marketing
Millions of people around the world, you see, have already survived H1N1 swine flu. For those individuals, there is absolutely no medical justification for being vaccinated. The only justification for a vaccine is economic -- to sell another vaccine to someone who doesn't need it.

This is, of course, the predominant business model of the pharmaceutical industry: Sell monopoly-priced drugs to people who, for the most part, don't really need them. That's how psychiatric drugs are pushed these days, and much the same is true for cholesterol drugs, blood pressure drugs and of course vaccines.

With the swine flu, neither the pharmaceutical industry nor the mainstream media has bothered to address this important question of injecting people who are already antibody positive. It's not only a question of the additional health risk to the recipient of the injection; it's also a question of the efficient use of vaccines when the available supply is limited. For every person who is injected but didn't need the vaccine, there's another person out there who won't get the vaccine (from the point of view of western medicine, of course, which wants everyone to be vaccinated).
You are your own vaccine!
But there's a bigger point in all this. If millions of people have already been infected with H1N1 swine flu and virtually none of them died, it's a powerful demonstration of the awesome defensive capabilities of the human immune system and the human body's ability to make your own vaccine.

As a human being with a functioning immune system, you are a walking vaccine factory. Simply by exposing your body to an invading virus, your immune system gets to work, manufacturing its own "vaccine" and building its own antibodies to make you immune to any further infections from that virus. That's why you only get the chicken pox once. It's why one winter's flu doesn't strike you every winter. It's the reason you are still alive today, and it doesn't require needles, or chemical preservatives, or adjuvants or a trip to the local medical clinic.

And if your human body already has this miraculous nanotechnology known as the immune system, why do you need a vaccine for the ridiculously mild H1N1 swine flu in the first place?

Sure, if H1N1 had a kill rate of five percent, that would be a different story. But we're talking about a flu that's so mild, a single death from it results in national headline news. "Cornell student dies from swine flu..."

As I explained in a related article here on NaturalNews, you are 40 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have your life saved by the swine flu vaccine. (http://www.naturalnews.com/026955_s...)

And that's if you've never been infected by swine flu in the first place. If you've already been infected and you're still alive, your odds of being saved by a swine flu vaccine injection are precisely zero.

Would you buy a lotto ticket if there were zero chance of winning something? Most people wouldn't, and yet many of those very same people are lining up to get ready for a swine flu vaccine lottery that may offer them exactly the same empty odds of success.

That, of course, is why the swine flu vaccine isn't being marketed using statistics, mathematics or reasoned logic. It's being pushed through one mechanism: Fear. Because as the drug companies have long since learned, fear always overcomes reason when it comes to pimping vaccines. And even mathematicians and scientists will line up to get injected with a vaccine they don't even need if they can be properly motivated to discard reason and abandon statistical reality.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027037_swine_flu_H1N1_vaccines.html

Chia is an Ancient Superfood Treasure

Ethan Huff, NaturalNews.com  September 17, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Sustaining a healthy lifestyle is often a challenging feat. Since most convenience foods seem to typify the antonym of health, extra effort is required to strategically map out nutritionally-rich preparations that integrate well within a busy lifestyle; to the health enthusiast this is part and parcel of the daily health regimen. Yet everyone knows that seeking out the most nutritionally-dense "superfoods" aids in simplifying the quest towards optimum health. It alleviates some of the strain involved in trying to consume considerable amounts of salubrious nourishment often not readily available on-the-go. One such "superfood" is the chia seed which packs a punch so strong that it is virtually unmatched in its nutritious profile.

Chia, or salvia hispanica L, literally means "strength" in Mayan and can be traced back over 3,000 years to Central America where the Aztecs utilized it as one of their primary plant sources of food, notably their third most important crop next to corn and beans. Chia was considered more valuable than gold and was often used to pay taxes and tribute to the Aztec nobility.

When the Aztec civilization fell during the Spanish conquest, the Spanish banned chia and many other crops due to their close association with the religious systems of these ancient cultures and replaced the native crops with foreign ones such as wheat and carrots. Remnants of both the Aztec and Mayan civilizations remained in portions of Mexico where small people groups continued using the seeds for making flour, oil, and drinks from the gel that forms when the seeds are mixed with liquid.

Though essentially obfuscated throughout many generations, chia would eventually reemerge as a popular superfood identified as being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, antioxidants, and dietary fiber.

One of the primary benefits of chia seeds is their high concentration of essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are up to four times the concentration of other grains. EFAs are important for the respiration of vital organs, yet the human body is unable to manufacture them itself; they must be obtained through diet.

Chia is also touted as having the highest omega-3 content of any plant-based source, containing 64 percent alpha linolenic acid (ALA). Flax, another popular source of ALA, contains 55 percent. The omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is also highly auspicious in chia, representing a healthy balance of 3:2.

Chia is high in complete protein, containing about 23 percent protein per seed. All essential amino acids are present and appropriately balanced within the protein, making it complete and nutritious in and of itself. Packed with essential vitamins and trace minerals, chia is a phenomenal whole food for any diet. They also behave wonderfully when ground and used in gluten-free recipes.

A great antioxidant source, chia provides high levels of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and flavanol glycosides. These are all strong polyphenols that maintain proper function of bodily organs and tissues and that protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease through the removal of damaging free radicals.

High in fiber, chia is known for its easy digestibility. Its layer is a strong source of mucillois soluble fiber which aids in maintaining healthy digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Absorbing more than seven times its weight when placed in water, chia seeds form a gel that, when eaten, produces a physical barrier between carbohydrates and digestive enzymes in the stomach. This process effectively slows the rate at which carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar, rendering chia a great addition to a diabetic diet.
Similarly, chia consumption contributes to maintaining balanced hydration and electrolyte levels within the body, steadying water intake, assimilation, and absorption.

Chia seeds have an amazingly long shelf life when stored in their natural, dry state. Unlike flax seeds which have a highly impenetrable outer shell, requiring them to be ground into a meal that can turn rancid rather quickly, chia seeds can be stored and eaten just as they are for their full benefits.

All in all, chia seeds are a wonderful, whole superfood that is great for a variety of creative uses. Since they have no flavor of their own and actually perpetuate the flavors of the foods with which they are combined, the uses for chia are limitless. Additionally, chia seeds offer a great protein alternative to soy-based products that contain harmful plant estrogens that can severely alter hormonal balance in both men and women.

As chia continues to gain popularity in the West, it is sure to continue attracting the attention of the medical community and consumers alike who are recognizing it as more than just a seed for growing potter animals. Quickly becoming a staple among the health-conscious, chia is gaining the spotlight as arguably the most diverse superfood available.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027035_chia_seeds_health.html

Beets are an Alternative Cancer Treatment
Kim Evans, NaturalNews.com  September 17, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Beets are one of nature's wonder foods. They've recently been found to increase stamina during exercise by 16 percent and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Beets are known to break up cancers and tumors, and they're known to do so faster than the body can eliminate them.

In fact, in the 1950's, Dr. Ferenczi of Csoma, Hungary used beets exclusively to break up tumors in the body. He had considerable success, and tumors were often completely eliminated. However, he found if patients stopped drinking quantities of beet juice, tumors often reappeared. Dr. Ferenczi recommended drinking about a quarter gallon (2.2 lbs) of beet juice daily to break up tumors, and results were often seen in a few weeks or months.

Because beets can break up tumors so rapidly, it's wise to combine this therapy with other detoxification methods, like colon and liver cleansing, to help your body dispose of the waste released when cancers are broken down.

The key cancer fighting ingredient in beets is called betacyanin; it's what gives red beets their bright purple reddish color. Beets have also been found to increase detoxifying compounds in the body and make it easier for the body to detoxify itself in general. This, of course, adds to health.

Knowing this, perhaps you'll want to start consuming beets regularly? Juiced beets are great, and you can add sliced raw beets to any salad. Cooked beets are also a fabulous side dish or main meal.

To make delicious beets, just boil whole beets for about 40 minutes or until a fork can slide through them. Then just drain, slice and drizzle olive oil over them. Sprinkle with sea salt and for added flavor and nutritional benefits, chop and toss some fresh green onion and organic cilantro over the top.

Three or four large beets make a tasty meal, while one or two make a great side dish.

An estimated forty percent of the population is expected to have a problem with cancer, and tumors often grow for twenty years before they are diagnosed. Eating beets a couple of times a week, or more, can offer considerable protection from this serious problem.

Remember that only red beets will do the trick, and be sure they're organic. These days some beets are genetically altered, and genetically modified plants don't know how not to cross pollinate with neighboring varieties. Of course, nothing genetically altered will make you well; genetically modifiedfoods will only make you sick.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027032_beets_cancer_tumors.html

Chemo Does Not Cure: Often It Inflicts Damage and Spreads Cancer
Tony Isaacs, NaturalNews.com  September 15, 2009 

(NaturalNews) For years now, many of us who advocate natural health and natural approaches to beating cancer have warned against the dangers and the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy. The following report presented at the 27th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium illustrates how chemo actually spreads cancer cells, as well as points out how little we are being told about the dangers of chemo:

"German investigators from Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, have shown that taxol (the "gold standard of chemo") causes a massive release of cells into circulation.

"Such a release of cancer cells would result in extensive metastasis months or even years later, long after the chemo would be suspected as the cause of the spread of the cancer. This little known horror of conventional cancer treatment needs to be spread far and wide, but it is not even listed in the side effects of taxol."

As has oft been stated, chemo does not cure cancer - it merely attempts to eliminate the tumors and cancer cells that are symptoms of the underlying causes of cancer, and does so with little success and great risks. In some instances it may appear to eliminate tumors and cancer cell masses, though most often it merely destroys some of the cancer cells. In the process, it often inflicts a very high price.

Besides spreading cancer cells, chemo inflicts serious and perhaps irreversible damage to the immune system, the body's natural first line of defense against cancer and other illness - thus paving the way for the remaining cancer cells or future cancers to overwhelm a body that is even less able to beat the cancer that got past the immune system in the first place.

Chemo also frequently results in serious and even fatal damage, and major organs are also damaged, particularly the liver - which as cancer pioneer Max Gerson observed is always impaired to begin in those who get cancer. The heart is also frequently seriously damaged.

The end result is that chemo kills more patients than it "cures". Most of those deaths are the result of liver or heart failure. Statistically, it has been estimated that the five year success rate from chemo is only about 3% (meaning only about 3% more patients who opted for chemo survived at least five years than did those who opted to not undergo chemo). But even that meager statistic is misleading in two key ways:

First of all, though survival rates are slightly higher for the first couple of years compared to those who opted out of chemo, after the third year the survival rate for those who opted out is greater than those who were treated with chemo and the gap widens significantly every year after that.

Secondly, and perhaps most important of all, the survival rates compare all of those who either undergo chemotherapy or decide against it. That includes the very large number of people who do little or nothing to address their chemo and naturally and merely forego chemo. If chemo survival rates were compared with those of people who not only opted out of chemo, but also chose a non-invasive natural protocol to eliminate the toxins and other causes of cancer, to boost their immune systems and to attack the cancer naturally without inflicting damage to the rest of the body, there would surely be no comparison.

You can bet that it is a comparison the cancer industry never wants to make.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027028_cancer_health_cancer_cells.html

How Broccoli Can Protect Your Arteries
Organic Jar.com   September 13, 2009
(OrganicJar) It’s long been known that broccoli is good for your heart, and now British scientists think they know why.
Researchers at Imperial College London have found evidence a chemical in broccoli and other green leafy vegetables could boost a natural defense mechanism that protects arteries from the clogging that can cause heart attacks.
In a study funded by the British Heart Foundation charity and conducted on mice, the researchers found that sulforaphane — a compound occurring naturally in broccoli and other brassicas — could “switch on” a protective protein which is inactive in parts of the arteries vulnerable to clogging.
“We know that vegetables are clearly good for you, but surprisingly the molecular mechanisms of why they are good for you have remained unknown for many years,” said Paul Evans of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College.

“This study provides a possible explanation for how green vegetable consumption can promote a healthy heart.”
Scientists already know that arteries don’t clog up in a uniform way, but that there are bends and branches of blood vessels — where blood flow is disrupted or slower — which are much more prone to the build-up of fatty plaques that cause heart disease.
Evans said his research found that in the more vulnerable areas, a normally protective protein known as Nrf2 is inactive.
“What our study showed was that sulforaphane can protect those regions by switching on the Nrf2,” he said.
http://organicjar.com/2009/1996/

The Amazing Health Benefits of Broccoli
OrganicJar.com   September 11, 2009
(OrganicJar) In the world of healthy vegetables, broccoli occupies the special status of being one of the most nutritious vegetables around. Although its flavor has been maligned by many including former President George Bush who reportedly hated the green stuff, it still holds a hallowed place in the world of healthy foods. Just what are the magnificent health benefits of broccoli?
Broccoli is a rich source of a variety of biochemicals that are known to fight cancer. One of the most well known and extensively studied is the isothiocyanates. These powerful chemicals are though to stimulate certain enzymes produced by the liver which act to neutralize the effects of cancer causing agents that enter the body. The result is less damage to DNA which can give rise to tumors. These chemicals are so powerful they have even been shown to slow down the progression of existing cancer cells.
Another important cancer fighting chemical which accounts for the health benefits of broccoli is indole-3-carbinol. This important biochemical has been shown in animals to alter levels of estrogen in such a way as to potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer. The power of indole-3-carbinol to prevent and slow down growth of breast cancer cells has been demonstrated in numerous studies. There are ongoing studies taking place to see if this association holds true in humans as well as animals.
Scientists believe there are other important cancer preventative agents in broccoli that have yet to be identified. It’s unclear as to how much broccoli one would need to eat on a daily basis to get the protective properties this vegetable offers. One way to get the protective effects of broccoli without eating it at every meal is to supplement with broccoli sprouts. Broccoli sprouts have been shown to have anywhere from ten to one hundred times the level of isothiocyanates as the vegetable itself. By sprinkling some sprouts on a sandwich or salad, you can get the health benefits of broccoli without consuming high quantities of the vegetable itself.
As if all that cancer fighting potential isn’t enough, broccoli is also a rich source of fiber, Vitamin C, beta carotene, folate, as well as a variety of other important nutrients. All of this for less than fifty calories per serving. Broccoli is a definite winner on the nutritional front.
If you’re ready to harness the health benefits of broccoli, why not consider adding more of this powerful vegetable to your diet today?

**  Benefits of Broccoli  **

Healthy Eyes

Broccoli and other leafy green vegetables contain powerful phytochemical antioxidants in the carotenoid family called lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are concentrated in large quantities in the lens of the eye.

Improved Immune System

Not only does a cup of broccoli contain the RDA for vitamin C, it also fortifies your immune system with a hefty 1359 mcg of beta-carotene, and small but useful amounts of zinc and selenium, two trace minerals that act as cofactors in numerous immune defensive actions.

Birth Defect Fighter

Pregnant? You really must eat broccoli. A cup of broccoli supplies 94 mcg of folic acid, a B-vitamin essential for proper cellular division because it is necessary in DNA synthesis. Without folic acid, the fetus’ nervous system cells do not divide properly.
Deficiency of folic acid during pregnancy has been linked to several birth defects, such as spina bifida. Despite folic acid’s wide occurence in food (it’s name comes from the Latin word folium, meaning “foliage,” because it’s found in green leafy vegetables), amazing and little known fact time… folic acid deficiency is the most common vitamin deficiency in the world.

Prevent Colds

Helps to get relief from cold symptoms, since it contains Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Strong Bones

Studies have shown that broccoli contains more calcium than most dairy products therefore helping to build bone mass. Great news for lactose intolerant people (and there are a lot of us out there) as obtaining sufficient calcium can be difficult for those not consuming dairy products.

Real Men Go Green!

This and other cruciferous veg like sprouts and cabbage reduce your levels of the female hormone oestrogen, thereby increasing your testerone.

Diabetes

Due to it’s high fibre content and low sugar, broccoli helps fight the war on diabetes. The fibre helps keep blood sugar low and as a result insulin can be kept to a minimum.
NOTICE: Thyroid problems?…beware. Broccoli contains goitrogens, naturally-occurring substances in certain foods that can interfere with the functioning of the thyroid gland. Individuals with already existing and untreated thyroid problems may want to avoid broccoli for this reason. As always consult your doctor if unsure
http://organicjar.com/2009/2001/

Ginger, tulsi, black pepper keep flu away

TIMES OF INDIA  15 September 2009
Afraid of flu and other respiratory aliments which often resemble swine flu? Use ginger, tulsi (basil) and black pepper as part of traditional preventive measures suggested by experts of Indian systems of medicine. 

The Jammu and Kashmir government's department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) has set up a group of experts to suggest remedies useful in the prevention and treatment of flu-like diseases. 

Participating in a workshop here Monday, the group of Ayurveda experts, physicians from local government hospitals as well as private practitioners and from research councils here said that viral epidemics come under the "Vaata Kaphaja Jwara" discipline of Indian system of medicine, a release said. 

The ayurveda experts have advised some preventive measures for building immunity and protection from such diseases which are often seen in autumn and spring with seasonal changes and in moderate climate conditions. 

"The people should avoid cold food, cold drinks, fruit juices during these seasons. They should use tulsi, ginger and black pepper etc. These can be adopted by normal healthy persons as well as those who have mild cold, cough, body pain etc," one of the Ayurveda experts said. 

"The use of these commonly available, centuries-old and time-tested grandmother's recipes would keep flu and other respiratory infections away as they build body's natural resistance against such ailments," the expert added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Ginger-tulsi-black-pepper-keep-flu-away/articleshow/5012827.cms

CoQ10 holds promise for male infertility

LIFE EXTENSIONS  August 31, 2009
The July, 2009 issue of The Journal of Urology published an article by Mohammad Reza Safarinejad of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran, which reported that supplementation with coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) for 6 months improved several aspects of infertility in men. Male infertility accounts for half of the cases in which a couple is unable to conceive, and could be due, in part, to increased exposure to harmful chemicals.
The current trial enrolled 212 infertile men aged 21 to 42 who had abnormalities in sperm count, motility (movement), and morphology (formation). Participants were randomized to receive 300 milligrams coQ10 per day or a placebo for 26 weeks, followed by a 30 week treatment-free phase. Sperm quality, hormones, and blood and seminal coQ10 levels were evaluated at monthly intervals.
After 26 weeks of treatment, plasma and seminal coQ10 levels increased by 85.5 percent and 135 percent in subjects who received the compound, while remaining relatively unchanged in the placebo group. Serum follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels, which, when elevated, can be a sign of testicular problems, declined among those who received coQ10 compared with the placebo.
Significant improvements in sperm count, density, and motility were observed in men who received coQ10 compared with the placebo after 26 weeks. At the conclusion of the 30 week treatment-free phase, sperm count and motility were still higher among those that received coQ10 compared to those that received the placebo, although the difference was not considered significant.
“This study indicates that oral supplementation with coQ10 significantly improves semen parameters compared with that of placebo,” Dr Safarinejad concluded. “Although this observation may not be clinically relevant, we propose that because of its antioxidant effects and safety profile, coQ10 should be considered a good candidate for treatment in infertile men.”
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_08.htm#CoQ10-holds-promise-for-male-infertility

DHA, Crucial To Infant Brain Development, May Prevent ADHD, Depression

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News 09-01-09
Aug. 30--When a woman first learns that she's pregnant, she begins to think differently about the foods that go into her mouth, and eventually become the foundation of her baby's health. Catherine Jones, an award-winning cookbook author and Rose Ann Hudson, RD, LD, a perinatal nutritionist have written Eating For Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be.
A top food in their book is wild salmon, known for its brain and eye boosting developmental properties (DHA). DHA they write is critical for a baby both in the womb and during infancy. In fact, they even list it as a top 10 food for conception.
DHA is the main component of the nervous system, of which the brain is a part. The brain is 70% developed at birth and continues growing afterward through the preschool years. DHA may be beneficial in the prevention of ADHD, as it is a crucial factor in brain development. (PubMed, Mar 2005) (Univ Maryland Medical Center)
"In regard to eye development, DHA is a fundamental component of the retina (30 to 50 percent of the retina is made of DHA). Deficiency is associated with poor night vision and other visual and spatial interpretation problems. Additional research results show that an increased intake of DHA through supplementation during pregnancy may help: --Prevent preterm delivery --Increase head circumference and birth weight --Benefit infant problem solving at nine months and infant visual acuity at four months of age --Prevent depression during pregnancy and postpartum"
A study appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Sep 2008) found that "moderate maternal fish intake" doesn't hurt the fetus, but in fact may help in its development. Further, omega-3 fatty acids which come through breast milk are essential to a child's development. Omega-3 consumption was tied with higher developmental scores.
Another study at the Universite Laval in Quebec City, has shown that Omega-3 intake during the last months of pregnancy boosts a baby's motor and cognitive development. For this study researchers evaluated the DHA concentration in the umbilical cord blood and compared it with the mother's blood level. The researchers concluded that benefits from eating fish with low contamination, such as trout, salmon, and sardines, "outweighed potential risks even during pregnancy."
Because of mercury worries, women have been eating less fish. However, researchers advise that women continue to eat fish, but choose fish lower in mercury contamination. (Larger, older fish contain more mercury.) The Mayo Clinic, FDA, and the EPA recommend women avoid: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. They state that women can safely eat up to 12oz or 340 grams a week of: shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish, or cod.
If you'd like to eat wild salmon, skip the sushi. Raw fish is also on the No No list, as are uncooked seafoods labeled: nova-style, lox, kippered, smoked, or jerky. Women's Health.gov recommends that pregnant women keep up to date with their state health department guidelines on locally caught fish or follow local fish advisories at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov)
The Eating For Pregnancy authors write that the Food and Drug Administration recommends for the general public, not to exceed more than 3 grams/ 3,000 milligrams per day of EPA and DHA omega-3s, with no more than 2 grams/ 2,000 milligrams per day from a dietary supplement. High intake could lead to excessive bleeding in those taking anticoagulants. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not prescribe omega-3s or any other supplement for themselves.
Do consult your doctor. It has been found that omega-3s taken/eaten during pregnancy will quite possibly prevent postpartum depression. (PubMed, May 2002)
Other sources of omega-3s can now be found in DHA-enriched food products like orange juice, cereal, eggs, or pastas. Jones and Hudson add that wild salmon is available in the Eastern United States from May until the end of August. Alaska and the West Coast however, "enjoy a year-round supply." Second choice is wild canned salmon. Great recipes for wild salmon from Eating For Pregnancy include Roasted Salmon with Papaya Salsa and Sauteed Salmon on a Bed of Greens with Citrus Vinaigrette.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8700&Section=Nutrition

DHA daily dose pin-pointed for optimal heart benefits?

Nutraingredients.com, 01-Sep-2009

A daily 200 mg dose of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is enough for preventing cardiovascular disease in healthy men, says a small study from France.
Two weeks of supplementation with 200 mg of DHA was enough to induce an antioxidant effect in men, according to results published today in The FASEB Journal.
"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 study co-author Michel Lagarde from the University of Lyon.
Some action but not enough
Labelling reference intake values for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids – most notably EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA – are a hot topic in industrial, regulatory, and academic circles.
In July, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) determined that 250mg should be the reference intake value for EPA plus DHA.
Such a stance was challenged by “compelling evidence” published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which reported that daily EPA plus DHA intakes should be at least 500 mg per day for healthy individuals, while people with known heart disease or heart failure should aim for up to 1,000 mg daily.
These conclusions are in agreement with recommendations from the American Heart Association, which states that people with coronary heart disease should consume about one gram of EPA plus DHA a day.
A group of prominent lipid scientists also urged the EU to rethink of draft daily reference intake levels for the fatty acids. “Better no regulation than a bad regulation”, they said.
Start small
Led by Dr Evelyn Véricel, the French researchers recruited 12 healthy men aged between 53 and 65 and assigned them to consume increasing doses of DHA of 200, 400, 800, and 1600 milligrams per day for two weeks.
The researchers report that after two weeks of 200 mg per day vitamin E levels in the blood platelets increased, while the same dose was also associated with reductions in levels of isoprostane in the urine. Isoprostanes are accurate markers of oxidative stress in humans. However, the 1600 mg per day dose was associated with increased isoprostane levels, said the researchers.
“Therefore, supplementation with only 200 mg/d DHA for 2 wk induced an antioxidant effect,” said the researchers.
“It is concluded that low consumption of DHA could be an effective and non-pharmacological way to protect healthy men from platelet-related cardiovascular events,” they concluded.
Commenting independently on the study, Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal said: “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.”
Source: FASEB Journal
September 2009, Volume 23, Pages 2909-2916, doi: 10.1096/fj.09-133421
"Increasing intakes of the long-chain -3 docosahexaenoic acid: effects on platelet functions and redox status in healthy men"
Authors: N. Guillot, E. Caillet, M. Laville, C. Calzada, M. Lagarde, E. Véricel
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/DHA-daily-dose-pin-pointed-for-optimal-heart-benefits

Mediterranean diet tops low-fat diet for diabetics
Last Updated: 2009-08-31 17:01:39 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet is more effective than a typical low-fat, calorie-restricted diet for diabetes management, according to a study released Monday.
Not only did the Mediterranean diet lead to greater weight loss, it also resulted in better blood sugar control, delayed the need for blood sugar-lowering medication, and improved some heart disease risk factors, the study team found.
Mediterranean-style eating generally means plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, limited amounts of red meat and processed foods, and a relatively high amount of fat from olive oil and nuts and few carbohydrates. A typical low-fat diet advises cutting down on all types of dietary fat.
Both Mediterranean and low fat diets are recommended for weight loss in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes. However, there have been few direct, long-term studies comparing the two.
This led Dr. Dario Giugliano, from the Second University of Naples, Italy, and associates to randomly assign 215 type 2 diabetic patients to follow either a low carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet or a low-fat diet for four years.
Nutritionists and dietitians counseled both groups of patients in monthly sessions for the first year and bimonthly sessions for the next three years.
After four years, 44 percent of patients in the Mediterranean-style diet group required medication to lower their blood sugar compared to 70 percent in the low-fat diet group, the researchers report in the September 1st issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
After 1 year, patients in the Mediterranean diet group also experienced greater weight loss. The absolute difference in weight loss between the two groups was -2.0 kg (-4.4 lbs). The Mediterranean dieters also had trimmer waistlines.
In addition, significantly greater increases in "good" HDL-cholesterol levels and greater decreases in harmful blood fats called triglycerides were seen in the Mediterranean diet group and these heart-healthy benefits were maintained for the duration of the study.
These findings, the investigators conclude, "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."
SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, September 1, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/08/31/eline/links/20090831elin022.html

Can Psychosocial Stress At Work Increase Risk Of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2009) — A Swedish study published in one of the latest issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics discloses new relationships between stress at work and development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Psychosocial work stress, in terms of high psychological demands, low decision latitude or the combination of these stressors (job strain), is associated with an increased risk of several diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease), but it has not been studied in relation to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, research on the relationship between psychosocial work stress and immunological parameters also suggests a possible association with inflammatory conditions, including RA.
In order to investigate whether high psychological job demands, low decision latitude and job strain are associated with the risk of developing RA, a group of Swedish investigators used data from EIRA, a large population-based case-control study with incident cases of RA. The study base comprised the population, aged 18–65 years, in middle and southern parts of Sweden during 1996–2003. In total, 1,221 cases and 1,454 controls participated.
Psychological job demands and job decision latitude were measured according to questions developed by Karasek and Theorell. Questions were posed about participants’ present work situations; both demands and decision latitude were categorized using the quartiles among the controls (each gender separately) as cut-off points. High psychological job demands, as well as high decision latitude, were defined as a score above the upper quartile. Low psychological job demands, as well as low decision latitude, were defined as a score below the lower quartile. Job strain was defined as the combination of high demands and low decision latitude.
The investigators also performed a classification of psychological job demands and decision latitude based on a job exposure matrix (JEM), in order to avoid potential bias due to differential recall between cases and controls. Among the controls, mean scores of demands and decision latitude were calculated for each latest reported occupation (each gender separately) where the number of controls was at least 3. Both cases and controls were then given the mean scores according to their latest reported occupation. Cut-off points of psychological job demands and decision latitude were calculated in the same way as described above. The odds ratios (OR) of developing RA with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for high compared with low psychological job demands and low compared with high decision latitude. Job strain was compared with relaxed working conditions (low psychological job demands and high decision latitude) and with conditions without job strain. OR were interpreted as relative risks, as the study was population-based, and were adjusted for age, sex, residential area, smoking and social class.
High psychological job demands tended to be associated with a decreased risk of RA, especially in the JEM-derived data (OR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.6–1.0). Low decision latitude was associated with an increased risk of RA (selfreported data: OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2–2.2, JEM-derived data: OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.0–1.7). Self-reported job strain was associated with a 30% higher risk of RA, compared with relaxed working conditions, but the CI was wide and the result was not confirmed by JEM-derived data.
To summarize few methodological considerations, the investigators conclude that the observed association between low decision latitude and risk of developing RA is most likely real, and that the influence of various biases is of limited magnitude. The main new finding of this study was that low decision latitude was associated with an increased risk of developing RA, according to both self-reported and JEM-derived information. Low decision latitude is also the component in the demand-control model that has most consistently been related to risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, some evidence that those with high psychological job demands had a decreased risk of RA was found.
Bengtsson, C.; Theorell, T.; Klareskog, L.; Alfredsson, L. Psychosocial Stress at Work and the Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from the Swedish EIRA Study. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2009; 78 (3): 193
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831214018.htm

Restoring The Ecology Can Boost The Economy

ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2009) — Research co-authored by Bournemouth University (BU) Professor Adrian Newton and published in the journal Science this week shows that ecological restoration in areas of environmental degradation can help reverse global biodiversity losses, as well as promoting recovery of ecosystem services.
However the research also showed that measures of biodiversity and ecosystem services are higher in pristine land, freshwater and marine systems than in restored systems.
Examples of ecosystem services include improved water quality and increased carbon storage, services which benefit human well-being.
The research was carried out by an international team from the University of Alcalá in Spain, the UK’s Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and Bournemouth University in the UK.
Professor Newton, an environmental conservation expert from BU’s Centre for Conservation Ecology and Environmental Change said: "These results highlight the importance of ecological restoration approaches for addressing the environmental degradation that has occurred in many parts of the world. The research suggests that restoration can offer a 'win-win' solution, by increasing the provision of environmental benefits to people, while at the same time increasing biodiversity."
Lead author, Professor José M. Rey Benayas from the University of Alcalá and President of the International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration said: "In addition to the improved biodiversity resulting from ecological restoration, our findings show that such restoration also has benefits for ecosystem services. These services can act as an engine of economy and a source of green employment, so our results give policymakers an extra incentive to restore degraded ecosystems.”
Ecological restoration is widely used to reverse the environmental degradation caused by human activities. However, the effectiveness of restoration actions in increasing provision of both biodiversity and ecosystem services has not previously been evaluated systematically.
The research team analysed results from 89 restoration assessments carried out in a wide range of ecosystem types across the globe. On average, ecological restoration increased provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 44% and 25% respectively. Increases in biodiversity and ecosystem service measures following restoration were positively correlated. However, values of both remained lower in restored than in intact (undamaged) reference ecosystems.
The results indicate that restoration actions focused on enhancing biodiversity should support increased provision of ecosystem services, particularly in tropical terrestrial areas, which hold the largest amounts of biodiversity and are usually subject to high levels of human pressure."
Co-author, Professor James Bullock from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said: "We have shown that across the globe restoration projects are able to help reverse loss of the biodiversity and ecosystem services in areas degraded by human activities. While restoration can help reverse losses, this research shows it is critical for human well-being that we conserve pristine habitats and the biodiversity and ecosystem services they provide."
Benayas et al. Enhancement of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by Ecological Restoration: A Meta-Analysis. Science, 2009; 325 (5944): 1121 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090828150735.htm

Long or Short Term Use: All Hormone Replacement Therapy Raises Ovarian Cancer Risk

S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  September 1, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Cancer of the ovary is rarely found early and, by the time it is discovered, the disease has frequently spread. So prevention is the most important way to fight this frequently deadly malignancy. Unfortunately, new research shows a medical treatment -- hormone replacement therapy (HRT) -- which was hyped for decades as a way to prevent health problems in women while boosting libido and moods can cause ovarian cancer. The study, just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes the ability of HRT to trigger ovarian cancer is so strong that women are at risk whether they are currently taking the hormones or if they took it at all in the past. 

In fact, the increased risk of ovarian cancer persists regardless of the duration of use, the formulation, the dose of estrogen taken, the prescribed regimen of HRT, or the route of administration (by mouth or patch). This is a particularly important fact because HRT is still being advertised, prescribed and pushed as just fine for most women short term, even though previous research has linked to it health problems ranging from breast cancer and dementia to strokes. Bottom line: it is now clear that long or short term use of HRT is risky and downright dangerous.

Scientist Lina Steinrud Morch of Rigshospitalet at Copenhagen University in Denmark, and her research team investigated cases of ovarian cancer associated with the use of HRT. They took on the huge task of studying medical information on all Danish women between the ages of 50 and 79 years whose health records were included in Danish national registers from 1995 to 2005. These records contained data on prescriptions the women took, including their individually updated use of hormones. Then the researchers used the Danish National Cancer Register and Pathology Register in order to gather information on the incidence of ovarian cancer.

In all, this massive study included almost a million women (909,946) who either had not been diagnosed with hormone-sensitive cancer or who had not had both ovaries surgically removed. By the end of the study's follow-up period, 63 percent of the women had never taken HRT, 22 percent were found to have previously taken the hormones, and nine percent were currently taking hormone replacement therapy. Almost half of the current users of HRT had taken the hormones for more than seven years.

The results of the study showed that, compared with women who never took HRT, current users of hormone replacement therapy had an overall 38 percent increased risk of ovarian cancer. When the scientists looked only at the most common form of ovarian malignancy known as epithelial ovarian cancer (which arises from the outer lining of the ovary), the relative risk among current HRT users soared to 44 percent. 

"If this association is causal, use of hormones has resulted in roughly 140 extra cases of ovarian cancer in Denmark over the mean follow-up of eight years, i.e., five percent of the ovarian cancers in this study. Even though this share seems low, ovarian cancer remains highly fatal, so accordingly this risk warrants consideration when deciding whether to use HT," the authors stated in the JAMA paper.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer are expected to be diagnosed in American women in 2009. Deaths attributed to this disease are projected at 14,600.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026954_cancer_ovarian_cancer_HRT.html

Inhalation of Silver Nanoparticles Results in "Miraculous" Protection Against Pneumonia

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  September 1, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Silver-based nanoparticles may prove the most effective method yet of delivering pneumonia medications, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Akron, Ohio, and presented at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society.

Researchers infected a group of mice with the bacteria Pseudomona aeroginosa, a common cause of bacterial pneumonia in humans, especially those on ventilators, those with cystic fibrosis or those with compromised immune systems. All the mice then inhaled aerosolized nanoparticles once per day. In half of the mice, these particles contained antimicrobial particles known as silver carbene complexes (SCCs).

Mice that inhaled the SCCs had significantly lower concentrations of bacteria in their lungs than mice inhaling placebo nanoparticles. Most significantly, none of the mice in the SCC group died, while all the mice in the control group did.

"We were surprised and thrilled to see a 100 percent survival advantage in mice treated daily with SCC22-loaded nanoparticles at doses significantly lower than those used to achieve a similar survival advantage in twice-daily dosing of unencapsulated SCC22," researcher Carolyn L. Cannon said. "During a 72-hour period, all of the infected control mice died, whereas all of the mice that received just two doses of SCC22-loaded nanoparticles spaced 24 hours apart survived."

The researchers noted that in addition to proving effective as an antimicrobial, SCC nanoparticles could also lead to better health outcomes by increasing patient compliance. Patients are significantly more likely to take all the recommended doses of medications that are needed only once daily than they are with drugs that must be taken twice a day, as with the typical inhaled treatment for P. aeroginosa. 

Cannon and colleagues are now investigating whether there are any toxic side effects of the SCC nanoparticle treatment. If none are found, they plan to move on to human clinical trials.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026952_nanoparticles_silver_bacteria.html

Olive Leaf Offers Many Healing Benefits

Barbi Trejo, NaturalNews.com  September 1, 2009 

(NaturalNews) The healing benefits of olive leaf has been used for thousands of years and originated in Ancient Egypt. The olive leaf was used by many as a sign of heavenly power. In the 1850`s, there is documentation showing how olive leaf cured malaria in its final stages.

If you live a stressful life and you normally get colds and flu, then olive leaf is just what you need. Many have had great success with this herb. Olive leaf has a bitter compound called oleuropein, which is the reason for its disease fighting compound.

Olive leaf through many trials has shown its ability to fight any and all attacking viruses. Olive leaf has anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. It has 400 percent more antioxidants than Vitamin C and double the antioxidants of green tea. Olive leaf should be taken daily to achieve the maximum effect.

Olive Leaf benefits:

- Traditionally used to fight off colds and the flu.

- Treating yeast infections

- Viral infections, Epstein Barr, shingles and herpes

- Heart conditions

- Lowering cholesterol and LDL levels

How to prepare the olive leaves:

1. Remove the fresh leaves and wash them and air dry.

2. Place them on a large tray to dry or on a large screen. Dry them in your home, in front of a large window, where there is plenty of sun. You can also place the leaves on a huge blanket to dry. This will take several days.

3. After the leaves are completely dried and very brittle, store in large glass containers. Take a small amount and place in a coffee grinder and grind to a fine pulp.

4. Place in vegetarian capsules, as needed. If the consistency is difficult to place in capsules, you can add some ground fennel or grape seeds and mix with the ground olive leaves.

Dosage:

For normal daily prevention and overall good health, you need 3 capsules, 3 times a day. Each capsule holds 1/4 teaspoon, so that means that you need 2 1/4 teaspoons a day. You can take this with water.

If you have the flu: take 21 capsules all at once and your flu should clear up within 4 hours. Start this protocol at the start of the symptoms.

If you have emphysema, diabetes or high blood pressure, the dosage should be one tablespoon per day.

Anti-viral protocol:

There is no virus that can not be beat, by using this simple, inexpensive solution from Mother Nature.

1. Take 9 capsules a day of olive leaf. At the onset of your flu symptoms, take 21 capsules of the olive leaf, all at once.

2. You should take one teaspoon of honey and Nigella Sativa oil or ground seeds every single day.

3. 4-5 cloves of garlic taken in the afternoon.

4. 2 capsules of grape seed taken daily and preferably in the morning.

5. 2000mg of Vitamin C and Vitamin D3.

The best way is to take these things now and build up your system, do not wait till you are sick. The healing benefits of olive leaf are enormous and available to everyone who wants to be well.

Olive leaf was used to eliminate cancer in this simple protocol.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026950_olive_leaf_disease_health.html

Study Proves Link Between Thimerosal and Autism Neurotoxicity

Aaron Turpen, NaturalNews.com  September 1, 2009 

(NaturalNews) In a study just published, a causal connection between Thimerosal, the preservative often used in vaccines, and the brain pathology found in patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has been established. The study, A Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Impaired Oxidative-Reduction Activity, Degeneration, and Death in Human Neuronal and Fetal Cells Induced by Low-Level Exposure to Thimerosal and Other Metal Compounds was published in the June 2009 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Toxicology & Environmental Toxicology.1

In the study, it was found that the amounts of Thimerosal found in inoculations commonly given to infants in the 1990s and still in use today (though more limited) induced levels of cellular toxicity. This cellular damage was consistent with that found in studies of patients diagnosed with ASD.

Both studies found significant mitochondrial dysfunction, reduced cellular oxidative-reduction activity, cell degeneration, and cell death being tied to ASD. All of these contribute significantly to ASD diagnosis and are also often attributed to other childhood and early development maladies.

Here at Natural News, of course, readers are likely well aware of the links between Thimerosal and autism. Until now, those links have mostly been implied and inferred through anecdotal evidence and court cases. Nevertheless, the link between mercury, Thimerosal and childhood autism rates has been exhaustively covered here.2

Now, conclusive scientific evidence that cannot be ignored has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. This gives those of us concerned with the issue more ammunition to use in forcing lawmakers to acknowledge the link and for pharmaceutical companies who've been pushing their wares on us to become accountable for it.

This study also showed that Thimerosal is much more toxic than other metal compounds included in the study and commonly found in vaccines. Other compounds studied included aluminum sulfate, methylmercury hydroxide (often blamed for autism), lead acetate, and mercuric chloride. This study does not take those compounds off the hook, of course, but does show that Thimerosal is significantly more toxic than even methylmercury.

The explanation for that higher toxicity lies in the fact that Thimerosal is not naturally-based, but manufactured.

First created in the 1920s as a stronger replacement for alkylmercury compound, it's biological transport and intracellular delivery properties were enhanced. The study shows that, in comparison to methylmercury hydroxide, Thimerosal has three distinct toxicity-enhancers:

1. Higher aqueous solubility - the ability to dissolve in water.
2. Higher solubility in cell membranes - the ability to dissolve in cell membranes.
3. Higher intracellular toxicity - the ability to inactivate essential cell processes.

The study was done by CoMeD, Inc. (a non-profit) through a grant from the Brenen Hornstein Autism Research & Education Foundation and the non-profit Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc. Attribution was also given to the Genetic Centers of America.

CoMeD, Inc. and BHARE recommend parents and health care providers have children with ASD diagnosis tested by urinary porphyrin profile analysis (UPPA). More information is available at CoMeD's website Mercury-freeDrugs.org, including free information on ordering UPPA tests as well as papers validating those tests.

Resources:
1 - A Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Impaired Oxidative-Reduction Activity, Degeneration, and Death in Human Neuronal and Fetal Cells Induced by Low-Level Exposure to Thimerosal and Other Metal Compounds http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/co...

2 - Natural News "Thimerosal" articles: http://www.naturalnews.com/GoogleSe...

3 - Press Release from CoMeD on study: http://mercury-freedrugs.org/docs/0..
http://www.naturalnews.com/026953_thimerosal_autism_mercury.html

Longer telomeres found in tea drinkers

LIFE EXTENSIONS, September 11, 2009
A report published online on August 12, 2009 in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed that men who regularly drink tea have telomeres that are longer than those who don’t.
Telomeres are DNA sequences that cap the ends of chromosomes, which shorten with the aging of the cell. Telomere length has been proposed as a biomarker of aging. Environmental and lifestyle factors that affect oxidative stress levels and inflammation influence the rate of cell turnover and, consequently, telomere length.
The current study included 976 men and 1,030 women who participated in a health survey from 2001 to 2003. White blood cell telomere length was measured in DNA extracted from blood samples. Food frequency questionnaires were used to evaluate the intake of food from 13 groups and Chinese tea.
A significant difference in telomere length was observed upon comparison of men who consumed more than three cups of tea per day with those whose tea intake was lowest at an average of a quarter cup or less. The difference corresponded to approximately 5 years of life. Among women, no association between tea drinking and telomere length was observed, however, a greater intake of oils and fats had a borderline association with shorter telomeres.
The authors, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, write that the antioxidative properties of tea may protect telomeres from the oxidative damage that occurs with aging. The survival advantage experienced by women due to hormones and other factors that may provide greater resistance to oxidative stress could explain the reduced impact of diet on telomere length suggested by the current study. The researchers recommend further research to elucidate the mechanisms by which tea and other dietary components influence telomere length.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_09.htm#longer-telomeres-found-in-tea-drinkers

Indulge; Brain Food

The Southland Times  09-14-09
WHY are you overweight? Muffins and beer? Couch potato lifestyle? Too many carbs?
Well, none of the above, says Dr Eric Braverman, author of several books including the new Younger (Thinner) You Diet.
He is the author of the bestselling book, Younger You and director of the PATH Medical Centre and PATH Foundation.
He also is clinical assistant professor of neurological surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr Braverman says forget counting kilojoules or fat grams. Instead, grow new brain cells by having the right foods, supplements, teas and spices.
"People's heads are attached to their bodies," Dr Braverman says.
"It all starts in the brain." Q: This sounds almost too good to be true. No more diets? A: I didn't say that. You can learn, however, to personalise your diet for specific health concerns, and that's really important as you age. Q: And so you are talking about . . . A: A diet that helps heart problems or ageing skin or weak muscles and achy joints. Q: You say every process in your body - including weight loss and disease - is governed by the brain's electricity. And that four brain chemicals - dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA and serotonin - make sure this electricity gets to the body the right way? A: I'm convinced we can actually get smarter as we age. I'm convinced eventually we are all going to grow younger. Wouldn't it be great for mankind to increase capacity with age? That means a whole new world for us.
Confused older leaders are constantly marching young hormone- infested men into destructive ways of living. That's the history of mankind. I'm talking about war.
We have the technology and the creativity to feed everybody, to extend their lives, to keep them warm and stable, to make the world a wonderful, thinner, fitter place. Q: But the Younger (Thinner) You diet? A: By retraining your brain, you will be able to get rid of your food addictions and your cravings so that you are not relying on fattening foods to self-medicate.
By changing the foods you eat to those that enhance brain chemistry, you will increase your metabolism and immediately start to lose weight. Q: There are foods to boost brain energy? A: Yes, in the book I teach you which foods boost dopamine production, for instance. That's the chemical in the brain that starts the fat- burning engine. Q: It sounds more interesting than the old kilojoule- counting diets. A: Trust me. You will lose weight and reverse ageing. I've helped thousands of patients. Q: Why are you the only one teaching this method? A: Modern medicine is a business not a healthcare system. Our medical system is frozen to a degree. Q: What got you started looking to the brain for medical solutions? A: I think I was skewed in the right direction by my mother 30 years ago. She stressed I go to the Princeton Brain Research Centre. She had the perception, and my personal perseverance - I stuck with it in Harvard and Yale - taught me the basics. Like I said, people's heads are attached to their bodies.
Seven teaspoons of spices, seven tea beverages, the ability to combine high-fibre meals with green proteins. Add a hormone component and presto! A whole new way of losing weight and living. MCT
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8750&Section=Nutrition

More than 40,000 Japanese aged 100 or over: survey
Last Updated: 2009-09-11 15:49:47 -0400 (Reuters Health)
TOKYO (Reuters) - More than 40,000 Japanese people are aged 100 or over, up 10 percent over last year, a government survey showed on Friday. The report is the latest reminder of the economic problems facing the world's most rapidly aging country.
Of the 40,399 citizens in their 100s, 87 percent are women, the Health and Welfare Ministry said.
An aging population that is also forecast to shrink is among the challenges facing new prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Democratic Party, elected in a landslide last month.
A smaller workforce will have to shoulder the burden of ballooning pension and healthcare requirements. Just over three people of working age now support each elderly person, but in 50 years the ratio will be closer to one to one.
Hatoyama's Democrats have pledged to standardize the pension system with a minimum of 70,000 yen ($765) per month for those who had low incomes or lacked sufficient contributions to qualify for a pension.
Japan's centenarian numbers rank it second in the world behind the United States, which now has more than 96,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. But the U.S. population is more than double that of Japan.
Japan boasts the longest life expectancy in the world, with experts citing healthy diet, high quality health care and a tradition of active pensioners as factors in the phenomenon.
The survey was issued ahead of Respect for the Aged day, a national holiday, on September 21.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/11/eline/links/20090911elin010.html

Science: Is resveratrol really behind the French Paradox?

Nutraingredients.com, 10-Sep-2009

In the third part of a special series on resveratrol, NutraIngredients looks at the science behind the ingredient. Is the French Paradox exclusively due to resveratrol?
Resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol and anti-fungal chemical, is often touted as the bioactive compound in grapes and red wine, and has particularly been associated with the so-called 'French Paradox'. The phrase, coined in 1992 by Dr Serge Renaud from Bordeaux University, describes the low incidence of heart disease and obesity among the French, despite their relatively high-fat diet and levels of wine consumption.
“Beginning in the early 1990s the word resveratrol started beeping on people’s radar screens,” said Bert Scwhitters, President of INC, a supplier of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs).
Live longer, live healthier
In 2003, David Sinclair and his team from Harvard added life extension to the list of possible benefits with the publication in Nature that resveratrol increased the survival of yeast cells.
Since then studies in nematode worms, fruit flies, fish, and mice have linked resveratrol to longer lives. Further studies with only resveratrol have reported anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. The molecule appears to offer considerable health benefits, and was described by Bill Sardi, co-founder and president of Resveratrol Partners as “one of the most promising molecules on the planet”.
However, attributing the French Paradox solely to resveratrol is a separate issue, and questions over the dosages used to achieve the benefits appear to put this link in doubt.
Some suppliers of resveratrol admit that the link between resveratrol and the French Paradox is not clear cut. “The jury is still out debating on that one,” said Sami Sassi, product manager for Danish company Fluxome. “Red wine and resveratrol may be one of the reasons for the paradox,” he added.
“Resveratrol is still a superlative molecule, but we know the French Paradox occurs in a milieu of molecules that includes resveratrol,” said Sardi, whose company offers the Longevinex product.
Dipak Das, PhD, from the University of Connecticut disagrees. “We are sure that resveratrol is behind the French Paradox,” he said. On the dose question he says“this is very controversial. You have some folks at Harvard saying you need lots, something like 30 bottles per day. We believe we need only very little.”
Considering that one glass of wine contains between one and two micrograms of resveratrol, daily intakes from all sources will give you between 5 and 10 mg, “if you’re lucky”, said Schwitters, then we are still far away from the doses used in many of the animal studies.
“Even if you take supplements with doses of 30 to 150 mg this is still not enough to achieve the quantities that produced the wonderful effects in test animals,”said Schwitters.
“Resveratrol is often presented as the healthy ingredient in red wine, but the moment you start recommending 20, 30, or 100 times the average daily intake, you can no longer make the comparison to red wine,” he added.
The sum greater than the parts?
Studies continue to muddy the waters, however. For example, Italian scientists reported in the Journal of Nutrition last year that found that resveratrol “at concentrations attainable after moderate wine intake” could stimulate the production of nitric oxide, a compound known as a vasodilator, which can lead to blood vessel relaxation, reductions in blood pressure, and improvements in heart health.
A review of the evidence is provided by Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, which states that convincing evidence is currently lacking to support resveratrol’s cardioprotective effects in humans, “particularly in the amounts present in 1 to 2 glasses of red wine”.
Studies are now looking at the synergies with other compounds in wine, including OPCs, catechins, and other polyphenols.
Prof Roger Corder from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, and author of The Wine Diet, asserts that it is the total polyphenols that are responsible for the French Paradox.
Bill Sardi is surer: “We can achieve an anti-ageing pill,” he said. “It’s liquid and it’s corked!”
In an upcoming article NutraIngredients will look at the science behind pure resveratrol.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Science-Is-resveratrol-really-behind-the-French-Paradox

Science: Resveratrol’s miraculous promise

Nutraingredients.com, 14-Sep-2009

In the final part of a special series on resveratrol, NutraIngredients looks at the science behind the ingredient. Is there nothing it cannot do?
In 2003, the research of David Sinclair and his team from Harvard was greeted with international media fanfare. According to their findings, published in Nature,resveratrol was able to increase the lifespan of yeast cells. The results ignited flames of hope for an anti-ageing pill.
According to Sinclair’s findings, resveratrol could activate a gene called sirtuin1 (Sirt1 – the yeast equivalent was Sir2), which is also activated during calorie restriction in various species, including monkeys.
Since then studies in nematode worms, fruit flies, fish, and mice have linked resveratrol to longer lives. Other studies with only resveratrol have reported anti-cancer effects, anti-inflammatory effects, cardiovascular benefits, anti-diabetes potential, energy endurance enhancement, and protection against Alzheimer’s.
“Resveratrol has the biological effects of so many drugs wrapped up in one molecule,” said Bill Sardi, co-founder and president of Resveratrol Partners. Despite the promise of long life, Sardi said that the anti-ageing market has not been the most promising avenue commercially. “Middle-aged men and upwards are more aware of their own mortality, but the general public interest has not been big,” he said.
However, despite the promise, results from human trials are limited.
The funding for such studies should be coming from the US’ National Institutes of health, said Sardi. “NIH should be sponsoring all types of human studies. We’re six years out (from the Nature study) and we haven’t seen anything,” he said.
A review in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (2009, Vol. 53, pp. 115-128) by scientists from Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich and the University of Texas appears to agree with these statements. “In spite of these studies, no systematic clinical trial has yet been done with the pure compound. No data are available on its bioavailability in humans. Such studies should be carried out to realize its full potential,” it states.
Studies are reportedly underway. Philipp Siebrecht, global business manager for resVida, DSM’s high purity resveratrol, says several human studies are ongoing with the company’s ingredient. “Results of the first one will be published early in December at the 4th International Conference on Polyphenols and Health in Yorkshire, University of Leeds, England,” said Siebrecht.
“At DSM Nutrtional Products, we also wanted to make sure that the consumption is safe for consumers and conducted an extensive safety package. However, even more critical to watch here is whether the human body can absorb the resveratrol you consume. [We have] studied this in detail in a human trial and at least for resVida we can say that it is bioavailable, so in other words absorbed by the body,” he added.
Dr Sinclair is currently following a drug route for resveratrol. Working Christoph Westphal, a scientific entrepreneur, he founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. According to the New York Times, clinical trials are now ongoing for its resveratrol formulation. Sirtris was recently snapped up by GlaxoSmithKline for a tasty $720 million.
Dosage concerns
There are some concerns over the active doses for the compound. Because there are so few clinical studies conducted on humans related to the ingredient, there is no golden standard for the necessary dosage levels. However, using animal studies as a guideline, minimum levels are thought to be 30mg per person per day.
DSM, for example, recommends that its branded ingredient is used at 30-150mg per day.
Some resveratrol supplements currently on the market include products from Source Naturals and Jarrow Formulas, both of which recommend 30mg resveratrol per day. Another product from Cellular Health Technologies recommends 100mg per day.
However, Sardi cautions against high doses of the compound. He states that resveratrol is a chelator of copper. "Copper is found in red blood cells and collagen, amongst other places," he said. "Resveratrol is not suitable for children or pregnant women. Resveratrol would not be suitable in a food snack bar for children."
Beyond food
However, not everyone is convinced by the hullabaloo surrounding the ingredient. In response to the animal studies which reported remarkable benefits for resveratrol with respect to lifespan, ageing, cancer protection, Bert Schwitters, President of INC, a supplier of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), said that the high doses used make such studies “completely irrelevant from a nutritional standpoint”.
“Research into the French Paradox was not done with an eye on resveratrol,”said Schwitters.
“All this news on resveratrol is much inflated. It leads the consumer to think that if they take 30 milligrams of resveratrol they are protected against everything that these test animals are protected against,” said Schwitters. “It doesn’t follow the science.”
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/Industry-hits-back-at-anti-supplements-professor

Could soy isoflavones extend life?

Nutraingredients.com, 11-Sep-2009

Soy isoflavones may activate anti-ageing proteins and lead to an extension of life, suggests preliminary research from Newcastle University in the UK.
Scientists at the university’s Human Nutrition Research Centre and Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences at Newcastle University report that the soy isoflavone daidzein may activate a protein called sirtuin1 (Sirt1), previously linked to the regulation of ageing and longevity.
“The concentration of daidzein that elicited [the Sirt1] response (100 mmol) exceeds achievable plasma concentrations but is not unrealistic with respect to local intestinal concentrations following consumption of isoflavone-rich foods or isoflavone supplements,” wrote the researchers in Nutrition Bulletin.
“The long life expectancy and healthy ageing observed in the inhabitants of Okinawa Island in Japan, who in past years consumed a low-energy diet, is often cited as evidence supporting a longevity effect of energy restriction in humans,”they added.
“It is of interest to note that soya provided the principal source of protein in this diet, raising the possibility that some beneficial effects of the diet relevant to healthy ageing and long lifespan may, speculatively, have been the result of soybean isoflavones potentiating effects mediated through the activity of Sirt1.”
Despite these feasible links, the researchers stressed that “extensive further investigation is required to confirm such effects”.
Less is more
Calorie restriction, while avoiding malnutrition, has already been reported to extend lives and reduce the risk of chronic disease in certain species, including monkeys.
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison published findings in Scienceshowing that 80 per cent of rhesus monkeys who consumed a calorie restricted diet were still alive after 20 years, compared to only 50 per cent of control animals who ate freely.
Certain compounds found in the diet may also activate Sirt1, with the most focus being on resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine. David Sinclair and his team from Harvard reported in Nature in 2003 that resveratrol increased the survival of yeast cells.
Hints towards soy’s potential
Laura Ions, Luisa Wakeling and Dianne Ford from Newcastle University report that early observations from their work indicate that soy isoflavones may share many of the functional properties of resveratrol, “and so highlight the potential for a diet rich in these compounds to promote healthy ageing”.
According to the researchers, isoflavones and resveratrol share a degree of structural similarity. They have also been reported to have effects on DNA methylation.
“A recent report providing evidence that daidzein can increase Sirt1 activity suggests to us that the isoflavones may potentially increase DNA methylation through the same hypothetical mechanism we propose for effects of resveratrol and energy restriction - that is, through the removal of acetyl groups from histone proteins by the activity of Sirt1,” wrote the researchers.
“Our preliminary data lend some support to such a mechanism, but extensive further investigation is required to confirm such effects and to elucidate in detail the underlying mechanisms before giving dietary advice concerning potential beneficial effects of soya consumption outwith its probable cardioprotective effect,” they concluded.
The study was supported by an Alpro Foundation Masters Award (UK) and the BBSRC.
Source: Nutrition Bulletin
September 2009, Volume 34, Issue 3, Pages 303-308, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-3010.2009.01764.x
“Can soyabean isoflavones mimic the effects of energy restriction on healthy ageing?”
Authors: L. Ions, L. Wakeling, D. Ford
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Could-soy-isoflavones-extend-life

French study says organic food is healthier

Foodnavigator-USA.com, 11-Sep-2009

A new review from France has concluded that there are nutritional benefits to organic produce, on the basis of data compiled for the French food agency AFSSA. The conclusion opposes that of a UK study published last month.
Whether or not organic food brings nutritional benefits over conventional food has been a matter of considerable inquiry and debate. The issue came to a head last month when a study commissioned by the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) concluded that there is no evidence of nutritional superiority.
Now, however, a review published in the journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development has said drawn wildly different conclusions.
Author Denis Lairon of the University of Aix-Marseille coordinated an “up-to-date exhaustive and critical evaluation of the nutritional and sanitary quality of organic food” for AFSSA, which was originally published in 2003. The new review is based on this, as well as the findings of new studies published in the intervening years.
Lairon concluded that organic plant products contain more dry matter and minerals – such as iron and magnesium – and more antioxidant polyphenols like phenols and salicylic acid. Data on carbohydrate, protein and vitamin levels are insufficiently documented, he said.
Organic animal products were seen to have more polyunsaturated fats.
Is nutrition important?
In the wake of the FSA report publication, organic groups and the media debated the reasons for consumers’ keenness to buy organic produce. Many concluded that nutritional benefit is not necessarily at the forefront of their minds, but they are more driven by food safety and environmental aspects such as pesticide use.
Unlike the authors of the FSA study, Lairon did look at food safety. He concluded that between 94 and 100 per cent of organic food does not contain any pesticide residues, and organic vegetables have about 50 per cent less nitrates.
Organic cereals, however, were seen to have similar levels of mycotoxins overall compared with conventional cereals.
Emphasis on quality
The FSA study looked at evidence from studies published in the English language, and notably drew attention to shortfalls in the methodology of many which means their findings could not be included.
The original AFSSA report, too, placed a high onus on quality or study. Selected papers had to refer to well-defined and certified organic agricultural practices, and have information on design and follow-up, valid measured parametres and appropriate sampling and statistical analysis.
Source:
Agronomy for Sustainable Development (2009) “Nutritional quality an safety of organic food. A review” Lairon, D.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/French-study-says-organic-food-is-healthier

New WHO Data Underscores Global Threat Of World's Leading Child Killer: Pneumonia

ScienceDaily (Sep. 12, 2009) — New World Health Organization data to be published in this week's edition of the Lancet will shed new light on two leading causes of pneumonia, the world's leading killer of children under age 5, both globally and within specific countries. The results, which are the first ever available at the country level, are expected to serve as a clarion call to developing country governments to invest in pneumonia prevention programs.
According to the studies, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b [Hib] infections take the lives of an estimated 1.2 million children under age 5 each year. Safe and effective vaccines exist to provide protection against both diseases. However, use of Hib vaccine has only recently expanded to low-income countries and pneumococcal vaccine is not yet included in national immunization programs in the developing world, where children bear the highest risk for pneumonia and where most pneumonia-related child deaths occur.
Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pneumococcal Disease)
Data from the study show that in 2000, there were an estimated 14.5 million cases of pneumococcal disease worldwide, and 826,000 children under 5 years of age died of the disease. Of the 14.5 million pneumococcal cases, 95% were attributable to pneumonia. While the majority of pneumococcal cases (51%) were found in Asia due to the high population, an estimated 54% of pneumococcal deaths occurred in Africa, where the lack of vaccines, a high prevalence of HIV infection and lack of access to medical care contributed to the death toll.
"Our findings underscore the urgent need for prevention efforts throughout the developing world," said Kate O'Brien, primary author of the pneumococcal study and Associate Professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "The need for vaccination and improved treatment is particularly urgent in Africa and Asia, which together account for 95% of all pneumococcal deaths."
The ten countries with the greatest number and greatest proportion of global pneumococcal cases were in Asia and Africa, and taken together account for 66% of cases worldwide. These countries include India (27%), China (12%), Nigeria (5%), Pakistan (5%), Bangladesh (4%), Indonesia (3%), Ethiopia (3%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (3%), Kenya (2%) and the Philippines (2%).
"In areas of the world where access to quality care is limited, the use of pneumococcal vaccine is particularly necessary to limit disease and save lives," said Thomas Cherian, Coordinator of the WHO Expanded Programme on Immunization. "Implementing pneumococcal vaccine is critical if developing countries are to achieve United Nations Millennium Development Goal 4 for child mortality reduction."
In 2000, only the USA had initiated routine use of pneumococcal vaccine. By August 2008, this expanded to include 24 high and two upper-middle income countries but did not include any from Africa or Asia, the regions with the highest numbers of pneumococcal deaths and cases. According to the study, these 26 countries accounted for less than 0.2% of global childhood pneumococcal deaths in 2000 and the children in these countries, on average, had a 40-fold lower risk of pneumococcal death than the children in countries not yet using the vaccine.
Through the GAVI Alliance (http://www.gavialliance.com), low income countries can access existing and future pneumococcal vaccines with only a small self-financed contribution of as little as US $0.15 per dose. By February 2009, 11 countries had received GAVI Alliance approval for support to introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), including 8 in Africa and Asia. Two of these, Rwanda and the Gambia, have now initiated the use of PCV in their routine infant immunization schedules.
"If fully rolled out in GAVI-eligible countries, the pneumococcal vaccine could save the lives of more than 440,000 children by 2015," said Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt, CEO of the GAVI Alliance. "We encourage all developing countries to apply for this support as an important first step to saving children's lives."
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
Findings from the Hib study indicate that in 2000, Hib caused approximately 8.1 million serious illnesses worldwide and caused 371,000 child deaths. As with pneumococcal disease, the greatest burden of Hib disease lies in Asia and Africa. The ten countries with the highest estimated number of Hib deaths in 2000 include India (72,000), Nigeria (34,000), Ethiopia (24,000), Democratic Republic of the Congo (22,000), China (19,000), Afghanistan (14,000), Pakistan (13,000), Bangladesh (12,000), Angola (9,000) and Niger (8,000).
"The burden of Hib disease is substantial and almost entirely vaccine preventable," said James Watt, Associate in International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Expanded use of Hib vaccine could reduce the global burden of childhood pneumonia and meningitis and reduce child mortality."
Highly effective and safe protein-polysaccharide conjugate Hib vaccines have been available for almost 20 years. These vaccines have virtually eliminated serious Hib disease in the developed and developing countries in which they are in routine use. Widespread use of Hib vaccines was found to have a significant impact on the burden of Hib disease in the United States and Europe. The study indicates that among children born in 2000, approximately 338,000 Hib cases and 12,500 Hib deaths were averted by Hib vaccination.
The World Health Organization and the GAVI Alliance, which is supporting the Hib Initiative, have been working to expand supplies of Hib vaccine, reduce vaccine cost and assist countries with vaccine introduction. There is substantial regional variability in vaccine use, and the study suggests that expanded use of Hib vaccines could have considerable benefit in reducing child mortality worldwide.
"Prevention of pneumococcal and Hib cases and deaths is imminently achievable, but countries must demonstrate the political will to prioritize prevention," said Orin Levine, Executive Director of PneumoADIP at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Together with financial assistance now available through the GAVI Alliance, these findings give countries the information they need and should now provide a mandate for local and regional policymakers to prioritize investment in pneumonia prevention."
"These estimates provide the missing link for country policy makers seeking justification for investments in lifesaving vaccines," said Anne Schuchat, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Both studies were funded by the World Health Organization, GAVI Alliance and the Vaccine Fund, undertaken through a collaboration between scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organization, Geneva, and will be published in the Lancet (http://www.thelancet.com) on September 12. For more information and country-specific estimates, visithttp://www.who.int/immunization_monitoring/burden/en/.

Dramatic Biological Responses To Global Warming In The Arctic

ScienceDaily (Sep. 11, 2009) — "The Arctic as we know it may soon be a thing of the past," says Eric Post, associate professor of biology at Penn State University. Post leads a large, international team that carried out ecosystem-wide studies of the biological response to Arctic warming during the fourth International Polar Year, which ended in 2008. The team's results will be reported on 11 September 2009 in the journal Science.
The team's research documents a wide range of responses by plants and animals to the warming trend. The scientists found that the increase in mean annual surface temperature in the Arctic over the last 150 years has had dramatic effects. In the last 20 to 30 years, for example, the seasonal minimal sea ice coverage has declined by a staggering 45,000 square kilometers per year. Similarly, the extent of terrestrial snow cover has declined steadily, with earlier melting and breaking up and an earlier start to the growing season.
"Species on land and at sea are suffering adverse consequences of human behavior at latitudes thousands of miles away," declares Post. "It seems no matter where you look -- on the ground, in the air, or in the water -- we're seeing signs of rapid change."
The study led by Post shows that many iconic Arctic species that are dependent upon the stability and persistence of sea ice are faring especially badly. Loss of polar ice habitat is causing a rapid decline in the numbers of ivory gull, Pacific walrus, ringed seal, hooded seal, narwhal, and polar bear. The researchers found that Polar bears and ringed seals, both of which give birth in lairs or caves under the snow, lose many newborn pups when the lairs collapse in unusually early spring rains. These species may be headed for extinction.
The research also reveals that species once confined to more southerly ranges now are moving northward. Among the most visible invaders are red foxes, which are displacing Arctic foxes from territories once too cold for red foxes. Some of the less showy invaders that the scientists found also are moving northward include the winter moth, which defoliates mountain birch forests, and species of Low Arctic trees and shrubs, which affect the dynamics of trace-gas exchange. The presence of more shrubs and trees promotes deeper snow accumulation, increasing soil temperatures during the winter, and more microbial activity in the soil, which in turn makes the habitats more suitable for shrubs. Increasing the shrub cover may lengthen the period during the plant growing season when the tundra acts as a carbon-dioxide sink.
Countering this change, the research reveals, are musk oxen and reindeer, which browse on shrubs, limiting their carbon-soaking capacity and northward expansion to the High Arctic. Grazing, trampling, and defecation by these herbivores promote the growth and spread of grasses, which further attract geese. The geese in turn influence the productivity of lakes, where they rest and graze. The research indicates that complex aquatic and marine food webs like these are extremely vulnerable to alteration due to changes in temperature, precipitation, and nutrient load from the land.
The paper by Post's research team shows that the effects of Arctic warming have been dramatic so far, especially since the warming amounts to only about 1-degree Celsius over the last 150 years. Post said it is difficult to predict what will happen with the anticipated 6-degree warming over the next century.
"The results of our studies so far reveal widespread changes, but also a surprising heterogeneity in biological responses to warming," comments Post. For example, the study shows that wild reindeer on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard actually have benefited from melting of snow during winter, and perhaps also from the earlier seasonal loss of snow cover. With less snow cover and a longer growing season, these nonmigratory reindeer have taken advantage of the increased plant abundance, with the result that reindeer populations and their ability to reproduce are up, while mortality is down.
In contrast, migratory caribou in Low Arctic Greenland and elsewhere are declining in numbers, the study found. The caribou have not been able to adjust their calving season to keep it synchronized with changes in plant growth. Thus, the research shows, the time when the females need the most food no longer matches the time of maximum food availability, so fewer calves survive. The research suggests that hotter summers may result in more insects and parasites to prey on the caribou, which in turn may reduce the annual caribou harvest by local indigenous peoples. "Inuit hunters at my study site in Greenland have all but given up on hunting caribou there. What will be the next component to disappear from their traditional lifestyle, a lifestyle that has worked for thousands of years?" wonders Post.
Many questions remain unanswered as scientists wrestle with forecasting future events and developing plans to conserve the fragile Arctic ecosystems. Because there are relatively few species in the Arctic, ecosystems in this region may be more vulnerable to changes in its climate. "There is little functional redundancy among species in Arctic ecosystems," explains Post. "Therefore, relatively small shifts in species ranges or abundances may cause fundamental changes in a unique ecosystem that also is important for tourism and traditional cultures."
Why do some parts of the ecosystem appear to be unaffected by rising temperatures, while others seem to be heading for collapse? For example, despite heavy harvest and changing environmental conditions, sockeye salmon production in Bristol Bay, Alaska, has remained relatively stable or even increased over the last century. Though hundreds of salmon populations are scattered throughout a range of habitats, the system somehow has compensated for these serious demands.
It has long been assumed that the most important biological activities in the Arctic occur during the growing season, but the work highlighted by Post's team suggests otherwise. One natural winter warming episode in the sub-Arctic led to vegetation damage so extensive that plant productivity in the following summer was reduced by 26 percent over an area of at least 1400 square kilometers. In a different area, there was an unexpectedly large release of methane into the atmosphere at the onset of autumn soil freezing. Though working in the Arctic in the autumn and winter poses logistical problems, the findings indicate the importance of monitoring the dynamics of the ecosystem year-round.
"People have thought of the Arctic as a relatively simple ecosystem that is easily understood, but in fact it is very complex," explains Post. "Not all populations within a given species respond similarly to warming because physical and landscape features that interact with climate can vary tremendously from site to site. I think response heterogeneity is going to be one of the keys to species persistence, community integrity, and ecosystem function as the Arctic continues to warm."
Post's team calls for establishing a pan-Arctic series of integrated baseline studies to monitor the physical drivers of climate change and the biological responses to them over the long term. "We've seen a great deal of emphasis recently on the melting of Arctic ice," Post says. "The broad, rapid, and in some cases devastating changes documented in this paper remind us of why it's important to give consideration to the consequences of rising temperatures."
In addition to Eric Post at Penn State University, the team he led was comprised of biologists, ecologists, geographers, botanists, anthropologists, and fish and wildlife experts from the University of Alberta and the Canadian Wildlife Service in Canada; Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark; the University of Helsinki in Finland; the Arctic Ecology Research Group in France; the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Greenland; the University Centre on Svalbard, the University of Tromsø, and the Centre for Saami Studies in Norway; the University of Aberdeen and the University of Stirling in Scotland; Lund University and the Abisko Scientific Research Station in Sweden; the University of Sheffield in the UK; and the Institute of Arctic Biology and the U.S. Geological Service at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, the Environment and Natural Resources Institute of the University of Alaska-Anchorage, and the University of Washington in the United States.
Support was provided by Aarhus University, The Danish Polar Center, and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142348.htm

Environmental Scientists Estimate That China Could Meet Its Entire Future Energy Needs By Wind Alone

ScienceDaily (Sep. 11, 2009) — A team of environmental scientists from Harvard and Tsinghua University demonstrated the enormous potential for wind-generated electricity in China. Using extensive metrological data and incorporating the Chinese government's energy bidding and financial restrictions for delivering wind power, the researchers estimate that wind alone has the potential to meet the country's electricity demands projected for 2030.
The switch from coal and other fossil fuels to greener wind-based energy could also mitigate CO2 emissions, thereby reducing pollution. The report appeared as a cover story in the September 11th issue of Science.
"The world is struggling with the question of how do you make the switch from carbon-rich fuels to something carbon-free," said lead author Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).
China has become second only to the U.S. in its national power generating capacity— 792.5 gigawatts per year with an expected future 10 percent annual increase—and is now the world's largest CO2 emitter. Thus, added McElroy, "the real question for the globe is: What alternatives does China have?"
While wind-generated energy accounts for only 0.4 percent of China's total current electricity supply, the country is rapidly becoming the world's fastest growing market for wind power, trailing only the U.S., Germany, and Spain in terms of installed capacities of existing wind farms.
Development of renewable energy in China, especially wind, received an important boost with passage of the Renewable Energy Law in 2005; the law provides favorable tax status for alternative energy investments. The Chinese government also established a concession bidding process to guarantee a reasonable return for large wind projects.
"To determine the viability of wind-based energy for China we established a location-based economic model, incorporating the bidding process, and calculated the energy cost based on geography," said co-author Xi Lu, a graduate student in McElroy's group at SEAS. "Using the same model we also evaluated the total potentials for wind energy that could be realized at a certain cost level."
Specifically, the researchers used meteorological data from the Goddard Earth Observing Data Assimilation System (GEOS) at NASA. Further, they assumed the wind energy would be produced from a set of land-based 1.5-megawatt turbines operating over non-forested, ice-free, rural areas with a slope no more than 20 percent.
"By bringing the capabilities of atmospheric science to the study of energy we were able to view the wind resource in a total context," explained co-author Chris P. Nielsen, Executive Director of the Harvard China Project, based at SEAS.
The analysis indicated that a network of wind turbines operating at as little as 20 percent of their rated capacity could provide potentially as much as 24.7 petawatt-hours of electricity annually, or more than seven times China's current consumption. The researchers also determined that wind energy alone, at around 7.6 U.S. Cents per kilowatt-hour, could accommodate the country's entire demand for electricity projected for 2030.
"Wind farms would only need to take up land areas of 0.5 million square kilometers, or regions about three quarters of the size of Texas. The physical footprints of wind turbines would be even smaller, allowing the areas to remain agricultural," said Lu.
By contrast, to meet the increased demand for electricity during the next 20 years using fossil fuel-based energy sources, China would have to construct coal-fired power plants that could produce the equivalent of 800 gigawatts of electricity, resulting in a potential increase of 3.5 gigatons of CO2 per year. The use of cleaner wind energy could both meet future demands and, even if only used to supplement existing energy sources, significantly reduce carbon emissions.
Moving to a low-carbon energy future would require China to make an investment of around $900 billion dollars (at current prices) over the same twenty-year period. The scientists consider this a large but not unreasonable investment given the present size of the Chinese economy. Moreover, whatever the energy source, the country will need to build and support an expanded energy grid to accommodate the anticipated growth in power demand.
"We are trying to cut into the current defined demand for new electricity generation in China, which is roughly a gigawatt a week—or an enormous 50 gigawatts per year," said McElroy. "China is bringing on several coal fire power plants a week. By publicizing the opportunity for a different way to go we will hope to have a positive influence."
In the coming months, the researchers plan to conduct a more intensive wind study in China, taking advantage of 25-year data with significantly higher spatial resolution for north Asian regions to investigate the geographical year-to-year variations of wind. The model used for assessing China could also be applied for assessing wind potential anywhere in the world, onshore and offshore, and could be extended to solar generated electricity.
Yuxuan Wang, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, also contributed to the study. The team's research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142350.htm

Food Habits Are More Important Than Most Important Obesity Risk Gene

ScienceDaily (Sep. 11, 2009) — The risk of becoming obese is 2.5 times higher for those who have double copies of the best known risk gene for overweight and obesity. However, this is only true if the fat consumption is high. A low fat diet neutralizes the harmful effects of the gene.
“This means that the critical factor is what you eat. At least in the case of the FTO gene, the most important obesity gene identified so far,” says Emily Sonestedt, member of Marju Orho-Melanders research group at Lund University Diabetes Centre.
She is the main author of a study that is currently being published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Several studies have found that exercise diminishes the effect of the risk gene but this is the first study where the effect of the gene has been studied in relation to food habits. The risk variant of the FTO gene (fat mass and obesity associated) is common in the general population. 17 percent have double copies, meaning they have inherited it from both parents. Another 40 percent have a single copy.
“It is difficult to calculate how much people eat with any certainty, which is one of the reasons why no one has done this before. But we have good data” says Emily Sonestedt.
The information comes from the large Malmö Diet and Cancer study where food habits were carefully documented using, among other things, an extensive questionnaire, a long interview and a food diaries kept by the participants themselves. When the eating habits of the carriers of the double risk variant for obesity was analyzed the pattern was clear. The risk of obesity was dramatically increased only in the case of high fat consumption.
“Yes, for those who had a diet where less than 41 percent of the energy consumed came from fat, obesity was not more common, in spite of the inherited risk” says Emily Sonestedt.
The FTO genes acts in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates appetite and satiety, and the risk variant has been connected to an increased energy intake, especially in the form of fat.
“It could be that the carriers of the risk gene don’t feel as full from eating fat and therefore consume more and gain weight” says Emily Sonestedt.
The finding that the harmful effects of the gene can be cancelled by changing eating habits could, combined with mapping of the effects of other obesity genes, lead to better and more individualized nutritional counseling for those that want to avoid gaining weight.
“This shows that we are not slaves to our genes. Even if we are born with an inherited predisposition to obesity, life style is important” says Emily Sonestedt.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911072840.htm

Routine Consumption of Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes "A Big Lie"

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  September 14, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Taking an aspirin a day appears to increase a person's risk of dangerous gastric bleeding as much as it decreases their risk of heart attack or stroke, researchers have found.

"We don't have good evidence that, for healthy people, the benefits of long-term aspirin exceed the risks by an appropriate margin," said lead researcher Colin Baigent, of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at Oxford University.

Health experts have been recommending for more than a decade that people considered at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (due to high blood pressure or cholesterol, obesity, advanced age or other risk factors) take one aspirin pill per day, as the medicine has been clinically shown to reduce the risk of serious vascular events in those people. This strategy -- treating people with no symptoms of heart disease -- is known as "primary prevention."

A serious vascular event is a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death.

Many health agencies have shied away from issuing official recommendations, however, such as the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

"There is no definitive guidance," said Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of 
General Practitioners, "and it makes it bewildering when you have a series of papers which then hint it would be beneficial to take aspirin." 

According to Field, many patients are attracted to aspirin as a way to stave off heart attacks because the over-the-counter pills are very inexpensive.

But the findings of the newest study, published in The Lancet, suggest that the risks of aspirin match the benefits in cases of primary prevention. Only in patients who have already had a heart attack or stroke does the benefit appear to outweigh the risk.

"This important study does suggest people shouldn't take aspirin unless indicated by disease," Field said.

While primary prevention recommendations have been based on estimated risks and benefits of aspirin treatments, the current study actually analyzed the effects of the treatment in 22 studies involving more than 100,000 participants. Six of the studies involved 95,000 people with a low to average risk of heart attack or stroke -- the typical primary prevention population -- and the other 16 involved 17,000 people who had already experienced at least one heart attack or stroke.

In both groups, taking an aspirin a day decreased the risk of a serious vascular event by about 20 percent in both men and women. It also increased the risk of gastric bleeding by about 33 percent.

In the lower-risk group, this came out to five fewer serious vascular events each year per 10,000 people taking a daily aspirin. It also meant three extra cases of gastric bleeding, however, and one extra stroke caused by internal bleeding. This led the researchers to conclude that the risks and benefits of the treatment were equivalent.

The results might be explained by the fact that people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease also tend to be at higher risk of gastric bleeding.

Because people who had already experienced a heart attack or stroke had such a heightened risk of further vascular events, however, the benefits exceeded the risks in that group -- roughly 150 serious vascular events prevented per year for every 10,000 people treated, with the same three extra gastric bleeds and one stroke from bleeding.

"Aspirin is of clear benefit for people who already have cardiovascular disease, but the latest research does not seem to justify general guidelines advocating the routine use of aspirin in all healthy individuals above a moderate level of risk for coronary heart disease," the researchers concluded.

"It is better for doctors to weigh up the benefit and risk of prescribing aspirin on an individual basis, rather than develop a blanket guideline suggesting everyone at risk of heart disease is routinely given aspirin," said Ellen Mason of the British Heart Foundation.

http://www.naturalnews.com/027023_aspirin_stroke_disease.html

Too Much Fertilizer Causes Loss of Plant Diversity

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  September 12, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Scientists may have discovered why excessive fertilizer use leads to a loss of species diversity in grasslands, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in the journal Science.

Rain washes fertilizers off of the fields where they are applied and into neighboring ecosystems, leading to an increase in the nutrient content of those soils. For some time, scientists have been aware that this causes biodiversity of grasslands to plummet.

"You would think that more [nutrients] would lead to more biodiversity," said study co-author Andrew Hector. "Yet it is considered to be one of the main threats to biodiversity this century." 

Researchers have put forward two main hypotheses to explain this seemingly paradoxical effect.

"One is that the presence of more resources led to a general increase in the strength of competition among plants," Hector said. "The other is a little bit more mechanistic. When you get an increase in fertilization, you get an increase in productivity, leading to increased plant biomass and increased shading. This shifts the idea to light being the critical resource, with shorter species being shaded out by taller species, resulting in a loss in diversity." 

Hector and colleagues fertilized boxes containing various grasses, then fitted the understory of some of these boxes with lights. They found that adding these lights prevented the loss in diversity typically seen in fertilized fields.

This led them to conclude that fertilizers cause fast-growing grassland species to shade out other, more slow-growing species.

Hector noted that the study offered no solutions for the problem, other than the one scientists have known all along: reduce fertilizer use.

"What our research shows is that competition for light is very asymmetric," he said. "So if a plant can get between the sun and its competitors, not only can it get all the light it needs but it can also block its competitors' access to light. Because this competition for light is such a 'winner takes all', it emphasizes how important it is that we control nutrient enrichment." 
http://www.naturalnews.com/027014_fertilizer_biodiversity_fertilizers.html

Artichokes Contain Amazing Power

Sheryl Walters, NaturalNews.com  September 14, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Artichokes, which can be eaten or taken as artichoke leaf extract, have been shown to improve various digestive health disorders. They significantly lower blood cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease and atherosclerosis, enhance detoxification reactions, as well as protect the liver from damage.

History
The artichoke is a thistle-like plant native to the regions of southern Europe, North Africa and the Canary Islands. The most powerful part of the plant medicinally is its leaves.

The artichoke is one of the oldest medicinal plants dating back to 4th century B.C. Ancient Greeks and Romans used the artichoke for digestive problems. In the 16th century, artichokes were documented as a treatment for liver problems and jaundice. It was not until the 20th century that it became widely popular as a delicious food and a useful medicine.

Health Benefits 

Clinical and experimental trials have shown that eating artichokes may be useful in treating chronic digestive complaints including irritable stomach, nervous gastropathy, flatulence, and irritable bowel.

They are useful in treating specific liver/gallbladder conditions with elevated blood fat values by promoting bile flow in the body, increasing fat digestion and protecting the intestinal mucosa. Bile acids stimulate intestinal peristalsis resulting in better digestion. Bile moves toxins that are ingested through food, water and the air from the liver on to the intestine for further elimination, making it a powerful detoxer.

Artichokes have been proven through clinical studies to be a safe, non-toxic, natural way to prevent and treat high cholesterol. They increase the breakdown of cholesterol to bile salts, thus increasing bile production and flow, and regulate the internal production of cholesterol in the liver.

Artichokes have been shown to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL (good cholesterol). One study showed a decrease in total cholesterol of 18.5 and LDL cholesterol by 23. This amazing plant had actually gained widespread popularity in the 1950`s and 60`s before statin drugs came along. They contain high amounts of luteolin, which is known to play a role in it cholesterol lowering abilities.

Artichokes are packed with antioxidants, making them incredible defenders against cancer, aging, heart disease, and illness. They boost the immune system and lower cholesterol.

Artichokes are packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that increase health and wellbeing. These include:

Quercetin
An anti-carcinogen flavonoid that works as an antioxidant to protect against cancer and heart disease.

Rutin
A flavonoid which promotes cardiovascular health, helps prevent cell proliferation associated with cancer, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties.

Anthocyanins
Color pigments in Artichokes that are powerful antioxidants. They are associated with a lower risk of certain cancers, urinary tract health, memory function and healthy aging.

Gallic Acid
A potent antioxidant also found in red wine and black tea. It has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation in prostate cancer cells.

Luteolin and Cynarin
Very powerful polyphenol antioxidants that may lower cholesterol levels. Artichokes are very concentrated in cyanarin, which may also help in regeneration of liver tissue.

Caffeic Acid and Chlorogenic Acid
Contains anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) and antiviral properties.

Silymarin
A powerful antioxidant that may aid the liver in regenerative tissue growth.

One artichoke contains approximately one fourth of the average adult`s daily fiber requirements. It is also packed with vitamin C, potassium, folic acid and magnesium.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027013_artichokes_health_antioxidant.html

Depression 'cuts cancer survival'
Depression can damage a cancer patient's chances of survival, a review of research suggests.
BBC News, September 14, 2009
The University of British Columbia team said the finding emphasised the need to screen cancer patients carefully for signs of psychological distress.
The study, a review of 26 separate studies including 9,417 patients, features in the journal Cancer.
It found death rates were up to 25% higher in patients showing symptoms of depression.
“ "Cancer patients need not panic if they are experiencing depressive symptoms, but it is certainly reasonable to talk to their physicians about their mental health." ” 
Jillian Satin University of British Columbia 
In patients actually diagnosed with major or minor depression, death rates were up to 39% higher.
The increased risks remained even after other clinical characteristics that might affect survival were taken into consideration.
However, the researchers said more research was needed before any definitive conclusions could be drawn, as it was difficult to rule out the impact of other factors.
They also stressed that, overall, the increased risk of dying from cancer due to depression was small - so patients should not feel they had to maintain a positive attitude to beat their disease.
The studies looked at by the British Columbia team focused on a range of survival times, from one year to 10 years.
The researchers could find no firm evidence to show that depression impacted on the progression of disease - although the number of studies which specifically looked at this was very limited.
Stress impact
Research on animals has suggested that stress can have an effect on tumour growth and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
It is possible that depression could have an impact on hormones or the immune system, or that depressed people tend to engage in behaviour which might affect how long they live.
For instance, depressed people may be less likely to comply with treatment regimes.
However, at this stage there is no firm proof that depression actually causes cancer patients to die earlier than they otherwise would.
Previous research has suggested that depression has a much bigger impact on mortality from heart disease.
Lead researcher Jillian Satin said: "It is quite remarkable that the presence of depressive symptoms or a diagnosis of a depressive disorder can predict mortality in cancer patients.
"But it should be kept in mind that the increased risk is quite small.
"Cancer patients need not panic if they are experiencing depressive symptoms, but it is certainly reasonable to talk to their physicians about their mental health."
Dr Julie Sharp, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "This research adds weight to the importance of identifying depression early in people with cancer and offering them appropriate support and care."
But she added: "There are still many unanswered questions as the effects observed in this study are quite small and may be due to other factors.
"More research will be needed to explain whether these observations are true and if so why."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8246829.stm