Nutritional Health and Wellness

Do I need more than the RDA level of vitamins and minerals?

2012-02-05T12:27:00.001-07:00

First lets look a the history of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA): The RDA was developed during World War II by Lydia J. Roberts, Hazel Stiebeling and Helen S. Mitchell, all part of a committee established by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to investigate issues of nutrition that might "affect national defense". The committee was renamed the Food and Nutrition Board in 1941, after which they began to deliberate on a set of recommendations of a standard daily allowance for each type of nutrient. The standards would be used for nutrition recommendations for the armed forces, for civilians, and for overseas population who might need food relief. Roberts, Stiebeling, and Mitchell surveyed all available data, created a tentative set of allowances for "energy and eight nutrients", and submitted them to experts for review. The final set of guidelines, called RDAs for Recommended Dietary Allowances, were accepted in 1941. The allowances were meant to provide minimal nutrition for civilians and military personnel, so they would avoid diseases of diffiencey like scurvy, beri beri, plegura, rickets, etc.

Ok, that is good, but if your goal is to just barely avoid these diseases of deficiency, then the RDA is the minimum you should shoot for. But if you want to improve your health and prevent or stave off the multitude of degenerative diseases, then you need levels of many nutrients far above the RDA (or more recently the RDI) levels.

There has been a tremendous amount of research done looking at the benefits of supplementing with vitamins and minerals. Just search www.PubMed.gov for any vitamin or mineral and you'll be amazed by how many published medical research articles are available.

Sadly most doctors and dietitians think that the RDA is the maximum amount you should take, no, it is the minimum! I heard one doctor on the Today Show a year ago or so talking about kids nutrition and warning parents to look at the nutrition in the foods they eat and to not give them supplements because they may exceed the RDA amounts. I also just read an article about marathon training written by a dietitian recommending the same thing. It is insanity for an elite athlete to not supplement. They can't not get all the nutrients their bodies need from food alone. As a proof point, the supplement I take daily is used by thousands of Olympic and elite professional athletes. If you look at the Vancouver olympics about 25% of the Olympic athletes using these advanced supplements took home medals.

There are indeed upper levels which shouldn't be exceeded because it can become toxic. Vitamin A for example. You shouldn't take over 10,000 iu of Vitamin A (Retinol) but beta-caroteen, the pigment that makes carrots orange, can be broken down by your body into Vitamin A as needed. SoThere is no danger if your supplement has Vitamin A as Beta-Caroteen. you're body will convert what it needs and no more. Another one is iron. Iron can be toxic and shouldn't be supplemented unless you are anemic. In addition it is also poorly absorbed as a supplement, better to eat lots of spanish or liver.

So you can equate the RDA to your kids report card. the RDA is just passing, like a D grade. They will get through school and will graduate, but try getting into college with a D average. Wouldn't you rather have your kid get straight As? That is what optimal levels of nutrition are. So upgrade your body from just passing with a D to excelling with As!

Fish Oil for Strength

2012-01-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

A recent study of women in their 60's suggests that taking fish oil when strength-training leads to greater improvements in strength than training alone. Women who took fish oil were not only stronger but had a greater functional capacity, such as being able to rise faster from a chair.

A small study in Brazil looked at the potential benefit of fish oil on strength training in older individuals, based on the fact that omega-3’s play a role in the plasma membrane and cell function of muscles (Rodacki, Am J Clin Nutr 2012). Forty-five mostly sedentary women in their mid-60s were given two doses a day of a gram of fish oil containing 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA. After twelve weeks of supervised lower-body resistance-training (3 times per week), the strength of those taking the fish oil had improved more than those who did not supplement. Functional capacity (e.g., the speed of rising from a chair) also increased more among those who took fish oil. There was no improvement in the strength of women who took fish oil without strength training, and taking fish oil for two months before training started did not confer added benefit.

ConsumerLabs.com is an independent testing organization who tests all types of supplements for quality, potency, contamination, etc. Below is what they had to say about fish oil quality:

Quality Concerns and What CL Tested for:
Because omega-3 fatty acids are obtained from natural sources, levels in supplements can vary, depending on the source and method of processing.

Contamination has also been an issue, because fish can accumulate toxins such as mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Mercury can damage the nervous system -- particularly in a fetus. Dioxins and PCBs may be carcinogenic at low levels of exposure over time and may have other deleterious effects.

The freshness of the oil is also an important consideration because rancid fish oils can have an extremely unpleasant odor and taste. While you can sometimes determine this yourself if you take fish oil directly as a liquid, it can be masked by added flavors and not readily detected if you use a softgel and other encapsulated product. There may be safety considerations with rancid fish oils due to a variety of compounds produced, some of which are odorless, such as peroxides. A study commissioned by the government of Norway (where fish oil supplement use is extremely high) concluded there would be some health concern related to the regular consumption of oxidized (rancid) fish/marine oils, particularly in regards to the gastrointestinal tract, but there is not enough data to determine the risk (The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety, 2011). The study explained that the amount of spoilage and contamination in a supplement depends on the raw materials and processes of extraction, refining, concentration, encapsulation, storage and transportation. However, it saw no significant risk of contamination by microorganisms, proteins, lysophospholipids, cholesterol, and trans-fats.

Additionally, some capsules are enteric-coated and are expected to release the oil after the stomach to theoretically reduce fishy aftertaste or burp. If they release too soon they lose that potential benefit. If they release too late, the oil may not get absorbed.

Neither the FDA nor any other federal or state agency routinely tests fish or marine oil supplements for quality prior to sale. ConsumerLab.com, as part of its mission to independently evaluate products that affect health, wellness, and nutrition, purchased many dietary supplements sold in the U.S. claiming to contain EPA and/or DHA and tested them for their levels of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA and, if listed, ALA), mercury, lead, PCBs, and signs of decomposition. Enteric-coated capsules were tested to see if they properly released their ingredients. One product was additionally tested for dioxins at the request of its manufacturer. Among the products purchased and tested, the majority was for use by people and a few were for use by pets. Most of the supplements were softgel capsules or liquids.

What CL Found:
Among the 24 products that ConsumerLab.com selected for review, only 17 passed quality testing, meeting requirements for freshness and purity, and containing their claimed amounts omega-3 fatty acids. Seven (7) products failed to pass testing due to having less omega-3 than listed, spoilage, contamination, or problems with the enteric coating.

To insure you're taking a quality fish oil product make sure it is manufactured to pharmaceutical good manufacturing practices (GMP) standards by a company which has been NSF certified as complying with pharmaceutical GMPs. Some companies claim their products are "Pharmaceutical Grade", but this is only marketing as there is no definition of pharmaceutical grade for fish oil.

How stress & bad food Wreak Havoc on Your Skin - and What to Do About It!

2012-01-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Holidays are just barely behind us, but now comes the stress of the Christmas bills, we may still not be eating the best either. Stress is the last thing your body, and your skin, needs this time of year. Besides stress, there are other factors that can cause your skin to be dry, blemished, and dull.

Lack of sleep.

Sleep is very important to skin health, because it's the only opportunity your skin gets to repair itself. No matter how many tasks you have to do, make sure you allow at least 7-8 hours for your skin to rejuvenate and heal from the barrages of the day.

What you can do - Ambian, Lunesta, and other sleeping pills aren't the cure as they are addictive to one degree or another. Alcohol also doesn't help as it may help you get to sleep, but then you wake up a few hours later from the sugar. Some things which do help and are healthy are:

Don't eat within 3 hours of going to sleep. If you have a full stomach your body is putting energy towards digesting the meal, not repairing your body. You'l find you may sleep well, but you may not really feel refreshed.
Don't consume caffeine in the afternoon or evening as it can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Even if it has been a hectic day, try to spend 30 minutes letting your brain wind down: Read, meditate, listen to soothing music, etc.
Dim your bedroom. The light from at TV or computer monitor is very harsh and stimulates your brain. Bathe your bedroom in soft warm light, think of a candle light. Your brain associates the reddish lights, like sunset, with approaching night and begins to produce melatonin. The harsh white/blue light from a TV, computer, laptop, tablet, and cell phone resembles daylight and tells your brain to stop producing melatonin and to wake up!!
Speaking of melatonin, it is the sleep hormone and take 0.5 to 2.0 mg and let it dissolve under your tongue and hour before you go to bed and you'll find you'll fall quickly to sleep. Melatonin is a strong antioxidant and is actually good for your skin too. Just use caution with over the counter melatonin as most of what is available comes from the pineal glands and retinas of cows and because they can't get it 100% pure they have found fully intact viruses, like mad cow disease, in melatonin tablets. This is why melatonin is illegal in many countries. The brand of Melatonin I use and recommend is USANA's Pure Rest. They have developed a process to synthesize natural human melatonin in the lab so that it is 100% pure and no chance of any bovine viruses.

Bad food.

Although there is still debate on whether or not diet is linked directly to acne breakouts, the general consensus is that certain foods to certain people can trigger acne flare-ups, and that eating more healthy foods will only help your skin. However, remember that a pimple, papule, or cyst takes days, if not weeks to form and surface. So the results of an overload of candy, chocolate, fatty and salty foods that may contribute to a breakout will appear later in the month. If you want nice, clear skin during, and after, the holidays, try to balance your diet as much as possible, drink plenty of water, and avoid dairy if you can (it is the largest culprit of acne flare-ups). However, don''t be afraid to indulge every now and then; as long as you generally eat well and follow a skin care regimen, your skin will be fine.

In general foods which are High Glycemic, meaning that the rapidly raise your blood glucose levels, will also cause general inflammation which will show in your skin and can cause other damage in your body you can't see. In general avoid white foods. For example, white flour, sugar, white rice, potatoes, etc. These foods are typically highly refined and in the case of flour and white rice, all the fiber and the nutritional parts have been stripped away and all that is left is the starchy part which is very quickly digested, absorbed, and turned to sugar. Not only are these foods bad for your skin, they also cause you to gain weight.

Exposure to the elements

Whether your winter vacations are white and cozy or sandy and sunny, the weather - heat and cold - affects your skin, especially sensitive areas on your face. Cold weather strips your skin of moisture, while hot weather can bring about an overproduction of oil in your skin, as well as too much sun exposure. Both of these problems can be solved with one product - a moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or higher. Your skin will be hydrated and protected from any type of weather that comes your way this winter.

Questionable Fish Oil Supplement Quality

2011-12-06T09:47:00.001-07:00

Consumer Reports recently looked at 15 different brands of fish oil supplements. Overall they all contained the labeled quantities of EPA and DHA, the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids. They did find problems though:

The shortfalls the magazine noted include:

Four of the products had at least one sample with PCB levels that could require a warning label under a California consumer law
One product had "elevated levels of compounds that indicate spoilage"
Two samples of another supplement failed a test for pills with enteric coatings, suggesting the coatings might dissolve more quickly than intended, leaving a fishy aftertaste

Consumer Labs has also reviewed fish oil supplements in the past and found traces of not only PCB, but also lead and mercury. Consumer reports looked at the allowed levels of lead and mercury, if they were detected, but levels were deemed safe, then they got the OK mark. The problem is that lead and mercury are highly toxic and accumulate in your body, so any amount is bad.

A couple of years ago the state of California issued notices to four large supplement manufactures that their products contained levels of PCB that was deemed unsafe by the state and that their products didn't contain the "Prop 65" warning. This says that this product is known to contain known cancer causing ingredients.

Most manufactures use the cheapest source of fish oils, that comes from the waste parts, like livers, of commercial fish like tuna, shark, salmon, etc. These are large fish and have lived many years accumulating these toxins. Even with purification the toxics end up in the product. A friend is an ER doctor. She had a young woman come in displaying the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning. They did tests and she had toxic levels of mercury in her system. After searching, they found that the fish oil she was taking was the source. She was taking a large amount of fish oil for medical reasons and this name brand supplement may have been under the legal limits taking the label amount, but taking a larger amount put her in the hospital. The problem with mercury and lead is that it accumulates and is very hard to get out of your system.

The fish oil I use and recommend is sourced from very small young fish, such as anchovies, minnows, etc, so they haven't been in the ocean long enough to accumulate much, if any of these toxins. In tests of the raw, un purified oil it less than 1/10 of the allowable levels, so perfectly fine for any supplement. But my manufacture then puts it through a double molecular distillation. The end result is a product with is 99.9999999% pure - You can't get any purer. They also manufacture to pharmaceutical manufacturing standards, far above the requirements for supplements. This assures that what is on the label is in the capsule and what isn't on the label isn't.

Fish oil is very helpful for many conditions from heart disease to postpartum depression to ADHD.

A century ago cattle grazed on grass, and chickens, pigs, and fish ate what they'd naturally eaten for thousands of years. In that case their meat, milk, and eggs were naturally high in the healthy Omega-3 oils, so we didn't need to supplement as much. But today cattle, fish, etc are raised in pens and fed an unnatural diet of corn and soy. This disrupts their bodies and causes very low levels of Omega 3 oil and too high of levels of Omega-6. When we eat/drink these we end up putting our bodies into a state of inflammation which causes a whole range of problems from heart disease, cancer, arthritis, etc. Even organic beef, milk, and eggs only mean they've been fed organic corn and soy. Because of this we must supplement with Omega-3 fish oil, and we need to insure we are getting the best available. To choose the least expensive product on the shelf is potentially putting yourself at risk in other ways.

Omega-3 Fish Oil looks promising in Osteoarthritus prevention and treatment.

2011-11-17T18:11:00.001-07:00

A study published in the September, 2011 issue of the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, British researchers report the results of an animal experiment which found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced many of the signs of osteoarthritis. "This study is the first to look at both cartilage and subchondral bone changes with increased dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids,"

They compared the effect of a standard high omega-6 diet containing corn oil vs. a diet enhanced with fish oil, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, over a 20 week period after which cartilage, bone and blood factors were examined for signs of the disease.

Among the arthritis-prone animals given omega-3, the majority of disease indicators were reduced in comparison with animals that received diets that did not contain fish oil. "There was strong evidence that omega-3 influences the biochemistry of the disease, and therefore not only helps prevent disease, but also slows its progression, potentially controlling established osteoarthritis,"

Most diets in the developed world are lacking in omega-3, with modern diets having up to 30 times too much omega-6 and too little omega-3. Taking omega-3 will help redress this imbalance and may positively contribute to a range of other health problems such as heart disease and colitis.

When animals such as cattle, chickens, salmon, etc. are allowed to eat their normal diets such as then their flesh, milk, and eggs have much more omega-3 vs omega-6. But when they are fed a diet of mainly corn, soy, and grains, which are a a very un-natural diet for these animals, then the amount of omega-3 fatty acids drops and the omega-6 greatly increase.

Because of this you should always eat grass fed beef and buffalo and wild caught fish, especially salmon and shrimp.

Here is some disgusting trivia about farm raise salmon. Look carefully at the ingredients or the back of the package and you'll see that coloring is added to the farm raised salmon to make it pink. It is the krill in the wild that gives the salmon its pink color and it's high omega-6. Grain fed farm raised salmon are white if they don't color them. Another clue is if it is advertised as "Atlantic Salmon" That is most often farm raised.

You must also be careful when purchasing fish oil supplements. Most companies use internal organs from larger, older, fish like shark, tuna, etc. These fish have lived a long time and have accumulated a lot of mercury, PCB, and other toxins. Look for a company which uses small fish like minnows and anchovies for the fish oil. These fish have accumulated very little, if any, toxins. The product I use and recommend only uses small fish and then puts it through a double molecular distillation. The end result is a fish oil which is the purest fish oil available and over 99.999999% pure.

Dirt Has All The Minerals You Need.

2011-11-09T12:30:00.001-07:00

Did you know that plain old garden dirt has all the minerals your body needs? So why do we need to spend money on expensive vitamins? Why not just go out and eat some dirt? Remember the dirt pies we made as kids?

This is really a great idea, but why can't we just eat dirt? Well it is because the minerals in dirt are found as oxides and salts. We can eat these, but our body can't readily absorb them in these forms. They dissolve just fine in our gastric juices, but the free mineral ions by themselves readily bind to something else - usually fiber. Where does fiber go? Yep, straight out the back door and very little is absorbed.

So how do we get our minerals then? Well we need to enlist plants. Plants will pick up those minerals from the soil and chelate them. That means they bind the minerals into organic molecules. When we eat vegetables and fruits the minerals stay bound to the organic molecules like amino acids, which our body wants, and the minerals are absorbed along with the organic molecules.

So does that mean that we can only get minerals from fruits and vegetables. Yes and no. Yes you can, if they are in the soil, but many soils are depleted. In New Zealand for example the soil is almost completely void of selenium, so the produce grown there doesn't have selenium. Many firms tout that their supplement are from dehydrated fruits and vegetables. In theory this is good, but you are hoping that they have all the minerals (and vitamins) in them in the right forms and ratios. I've pressed a couple of manufactures to give me the nutritional breakdown of their plant based supplements and they can't/won't. What you do find when these are analyzed is that they are often very lacking in what you hope is in there. double blind placebo controlled tests of the bioavailability, they often turn up low.

Ok, so what do we do? The highest rated supplements use chelated minerals. These are minerals which are bound to organic molecules as they are found in nature, but they are produced, or extracted, in a controlled process so the quantities of minerals are precisely controlled so you know exactly what you are getting. Do these have to be extracted from plants? No. They can be synthesized to obtain very pure highly bioavailable minerals, or they can be extracted from plants. The problem with plant extraction is that sometimes harsh chemicals are used to do the extraction and these sometimes can't be eliminated from the final product, so you get a known quantity of minerals, but some undesirable chemicals come along for the ride.

You'd assume every company would use chelated minerals right? Nope, most use the very inexpensive salts and oxides, like you find in dirt. They know they are poorly absorbed, but they also know that most consumers don't know what to look for, so they see 100% of the RDA and pick the cheapest brand there is - You'd be better off just to leave the bottle on the shelf. Assume that if it doesn't specifically list chelated forms in the ingredient statement, that they used salts. You can spot these as they usually end in "die" like magnesium oxide, potassium iodide, etc.

I've also seen come companies making claims that only nutrients from living plants are absorbed because of a living resonance frequency, or some similar claim. This makes great marketing material, but there isn't a single scientific study which proves this - these companies will claim they have proof, but it is usually a thesis written by the founder or marketing department and nothing factual.

So what do you do? Simple:

Look for minerals in a supplement which are "Chelated" These will often end in the "ate" such as chromium picolinate, calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, zinc citrate, copper glutamate, etc.
The above must be listed in the supplement fact panel next to the weight or below in a section titled "Ingredients". If they are listed in a section labeled "Other Ingredients" they they are being deceitful on the labeling and the product contains much cheaper salts.
Insure that the products are manufactured to pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) This is your assurance that if it says there is 100mg of an ingredient, that it is actually in there.
See how the product you use is ranked against other products by an independent research firm. The best is published in the "Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements" by NutriSearch. There are three top rated nutritional supplements rated out of over 1,600. These three do use the forms with the highest bioavailability of both the vitamins and minerals. They also verified that what was on the label was in the tablet. They verified that they were manufactured to stringent pharmaceutical GMPs. This guide can be purchased on Amazon, or feel free to write me and I'll let you know how your product in question was ranked. Click This Link and click the "Contact Me" link at the top of the page and you can write me.

Vitamin D better than fluoride at preventing cavaties.

2011-10-30T12:40:00.000-06:00

We've all heard for years that fluoride in your water helps prevent cavities, but fluoride is a dangerous poison. Don't think so? Look at the danger labels on fluoride tooth paste and mouth washes. If you swallow any, call the CDC Poison Control Center immediately - And flouride is in many city water supplies! A much safer alternative exists. Just take a walk in the sun to help prevent cavities or make sure you are supplementing with Vitamin D. This research goes back to the 1920s. Below is an excerpt from the nonprofit Vitamin D Council:

"There were also several studies reported on vitamin D and dental caries in the 1920s and 1930s. May Mellanby and coworkers in Sheffield, England, did studies on the role of vitamin D on teeth in the 1920s.

The first experiments were with dogs, where it was found that vitamin D stimulated the calcification of teeth. Subsequently, they studied the effect of vitamin D on dental caries in children, finding a beneficial effect.

Additional studies were conducted on children in New York regarding dental caries with respect to season, artificial ultraviolet-B (UVB) irradiance, and oral intake of vitamin D with the finding that it took 800 IU/day to prevent caries effectively."

"Use of vitamin D appears to be a better option for reducing dental caries than fluoridation of community water supplies, as there are many additional health benefits of vitamin D and a number of adverse effects of water fluoridation such as fluorosis (mottling) of teeth and bones."

Now that we are heading into winter it is almost impossible to get enough vitamin D from the sun in most of the US, unless you're laying on the beach in Florida, so you must supplement. Make sure you're children are getting adequate vitamin D as well - we know how hard it is to get them to brush well, so Vitamin D may help.

Make sure your supplements are only vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) as this will convert into the active form of vitamin D in your system. Not all supplements are created equal. Some will use inferior, and cheaper, ingredients. Others may contain less than what is on the label or be contaminated. Make sure your supplements are manufactured to pharmaceutical GMPs (Good Manufacturing Procedures) and have been audited by external 3rd parties such as NSF.org.

Vitamins and Minerals for Acne Treatment

2011-10-21T13:04:00.000-06:00

Acne is a common concern among adolescents and adults alike. No one is happy about looking in the mirror and seeing pimples and blackheads on their face glaring back at them. The ideal is to see a reflective smile along with a clear complexion and healthy glow in your cheeks.

Healthy and radiant skin requires proper nutrition. However, according to a 2007 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 39.5 percent of Americans eat less than the recommended three to five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can affect the body’s ability to function optimally. Vitamins and minerals can be taken to supplement our diets when our nutritional needs are lacking through food consumption alone.

However, multivitamins should not be taken as a substitute for eating healthy foods. They are a complement to a well balanced diet rich in fruits and vegitables.

Vitamin A – Retinoids, derivatives of vitamin A, are used to treat acne and other skin disorders. Retinoids are prescribed by dermatologists both topically and orally. A common type of retinoid used in the oral treatment of acne is isotretinoin. Look for a supplement which uses beta-caroteen instead of pure vitamin A as retinal as this can become toxic at higher levels. Beta caroteen on the other hand is harmless and your body breaks it down into vitamin A as needed.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, chromium, zinc, and selenium are nutrients that may have both anti-acne and mood regulating properties according to an acne study conducted at the Lasky Skin Clinic in 2008. Make sure you obtain your Omega-3 from wild caught fatty fish, not farm raised. For supplements make sure they are pharmaceutical grade to insure minimal exposure to mercury, PCB, and other toxins commonly found in fish oil capsules.

Zinc – The National Library of Science recognizes that zinc may be effective in the treatment of acne based on available science evidence. The Department of Dermatology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York also recognizes zinc, along with vitamin A, and tea tree oil (also ayurvedic therapies) as over-the-counter remedies available for treating acne. However, its position on these remedies is that additional and better studies are needed to clarify the benefits.
Essential Vitamins for Skin Care in General

Vitamin A – According to Dr. Eugene S. Bereston “the therapeutic use of Vitamin A began almost with the discovery of the vitamin.” Bereston also noted that the first property of vitamin A is its ability to stimulate growth. The American Academy of Dermatology reports that vitamin A is vital to the health of both your skin and your eyes. The academy recommends a daily dose of vitamin A. Examples of vitamin A enriched foods include citrus fruits, carrots, tomatoes, yellow squash, and pumpkin. Vitamin A can also be applied to the skin topically with creams to promote cell growth.

Vitamin B – The Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institute of Health states that inflammation of the skin is one sign of B6 deficiency. Clinical signs of vitamin B6 deficiency are rarely seen in the United States. Alcoholics and aging adults are at the highest risk for B6 deficiencies due to poor dietary habits.

Vitamins C and E – The American Academy of Dermatology recommends daily oral dosages of vitamins C and E to protect the body and for its antioxidant properties that are important for healthy skin.

Zinc – A study conducted at Duke University provides evidence that Zinc is an important antioxidant supporting healthy skin. Among the findings: “Zinc protects against UV radiation, enhances wound healing, contributes to immune and neuropsychiatric functions, and decreases the relative risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.” So, in addition to the antioxidant benefits zinc offers to our skin, zinc is also important for the proper functioning of the immune system.

Of course it should go without saying that diet is also important. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, nuts, etc. are the foundation of a good diet to help your general health and your skin. Add to that supplements to make sure you’re receiving optimal levels of the essential vitamins and minerals. Remember that your skin the only organ which is simultaneously inside and outside of your body. So what you seen in your skin reflects the health of your entire body.

News report on NBC tonight about dangers of supplement use.

2011-10-10T18:29:00.001-06:00

Did you see the spot on the NBC News tonight? The teaser was that a study showed that women who consumed supplements had a slightly higher death rate. I encourage you to read this comment issued by the Council for Responsible Nutrition - A Washington D.C. trade association http://www.crnusa.org/CRNPR11AIM101011.html

The pharmaceutical companies know that high quality nutritional supplements do work and can prevent many diseases, which is a direct threat to their extremely profitable prescription drugs. Many ones like the study talked about on the news tonight are slanted to find problems with supplements, often excluding studies or results which don't support their cause. This is one of those.

Think about this: Centrum, one of the largest selling supplements, is owned by Wythe Labs. Wythe is in turn owned by the drug company Pfizer. Why would Pfizer sell Centrum if it potentially could hurt its much more profitable drug sales? Well you need to look a the effectiveness of Centrum. In the Comparative Guide to Nutritional supplements published by NutriSearch.ca, a Canadian research firm which analyzed over 1,600 different multi-vitiams, Centrum was rated one of the poorest supplements available. On a 0-5 scale, Many Centrum products rated a 0.0. So basically pressed dirt. So what does Pfizer gain by selling Centrum? Well millions of people around the world take Centrum thinking they are helping their health, but in reality they do almost nothing for your health, so eventually they will find themselves on Pfizer's very profitable drugs.

Contrast that with the supplements I use, the Usana Essentials, which are the top rated product in the Comparative Guide. The FDA will not allow me to say what these products have done for my health and my families health in the six years we have been using them, but let me use an analogy: Imagine you need to get onto the roof of your house. You have two ladders. They both look the same and say 10' ladder on the side, and both weight about the same. One is much cheaper than the other, but just looking, you can't tell the difference. You try the cheaper ladder, and it breaks when you put your weight on the first or second rung, you'll never reach the roof. Upon analysis one is made of cardboard, the other is made of titanium. The titanium ladder costs more, but you're able to climb all the way onto the roof over and over. Unfortunately with supplements most people don't know which they bought.

Unfortunately when these companies do studies they don't make a distinction between which brand is used or what the ingredient makeup is. In Centrum, and many of the popular brands, most of the minerals are salts or oxides, like what you'd find in dirt. In the higher quality supplements the minerals are chelated. This means they are in a form as you'd find them in a plants or meat, that is a form your body can absorb. These are far more effective, but much more expensive. Same with many of the vitamins, the Centrum's of the world will use the cheapest form available, even if it is poorly absorbed. High quality supplements will use the natural forms of vitamins, as you'd find in food. Again, much more effective, but more expensive. You need a well trained eye, or very sophisticated lab equipment to tell the good from the bad.

Grape seed extract is an anti-cancer powerhouse

2011-10-08T16:05:00.000-06:00

The therapeutic potential of grape seed extract as anti-oxidant, anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory is so well established that this natural supplement is now being used in seven on-going clinical trials, only one of which is on cancer (of the breast). But the spotlight may soon shift to grape seed extract's anti-cancer potential as recent landmark studies on human patients have just uncovered its remarkable protective effects against three major cancers: squamous cell carcinoma, prostate and hematologic malignancies. Even more remarkable is that this breakthrough in the science of natural medicine was not due to the foresight of medical practitioners who designed the trials, but to the patients who took grape seed extract, on their volition, as a nutritional supplement to support general health.

74% Risk Reduction of Skin Cancer (SCC)
A recent study, just published in June 2011, was carried out in northern California on 830 participants to test the effects of general supplement use on the occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma (the second most common skin cancer). The supplements in use included vitamins A, C, D, E, multivitamins and grape seed extract. Only the users of grape seed extract experienced a significant reduction in risk (P = 0.031) of squamous cell carcinoma--by an astounding 74%. Multivitamin users experienced 29% reduced risk, but this was only borderline statistically significant.

62% Risk Reduction of Prostate CancerA much larger study conducted in Washington State tracked 35,239 male participants starting in the year 2000 in the VITamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort. Participants, aged 50-76 years, answered detailed questionnaires about specialty supplement use for the 10 years prior to the start of the study. Prostate cancer risk was assessed after a median follow-up time of 6.1 years. The results showed grape seed extract to be the stand-alone winner. Men, who used an individual grape seed extract supplement with "high average use" over 10 years, experienced a significant 62% risk reduction of prostate cancer compared to non-users, while average users of grape seed extract supplements experienced a 41% risk reduction. None of the other supplements observed in this study (CoQ10, fish oil, garlic pills, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucosamine, chondroitin or saw palmetto) were seen to offer protection against prostate cancer. Note, however, that green tea was not one of the supplements considered. This study was published in May 2011.

43% Risk Reduction of Hematologic CancersThe same VITAL cohort as used for the prostate cancer study was also used to assess risk of hematologic cancers (involving blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes). The population was expanded to include women, for a total of 66,227 participants. Those who had ever used grape seed supplements saw a 43% risk reduction for hematologic cancers. This was only matched by those with a "high use" of garlic, who saw a 47% reduction of risk. No other supplements offered significant protection. This study was published in August 2011.

In addition to the above cancers, grape seed extract has already demonstrated cytotoxicity against breast cancer, colon cancer, glioblastoma, and NSC lung cancer cells in laboratory studies. But the three study results on human populations given above provide a dramatic leap forward for the science backing grape seed extract as an anti-cancer supplement. It is astounding, then, that none of the above studies received much media attention. That will likely require full-blown clinical trials, which will almost certainly be kicked-off as a result of these studies, but will take years to complete. Until then, the latest findings on grape seed extract make a compelling case for its consideration in any program or supplement regimen meant to reduce cancer risk.

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/r...
http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...

About the author

Ethan Evers is author of the award-winning medical thriller “The Eden Prescription,” in which natural medicine outperforms a billion-dollar chemo drug and threatens the entire $50 billion cancer drug industry. Ethan based The Eden Prescription on the latest science on natural medicine for cancer, and wrote it to show the future reality that natural medicine can bring us—and to warn of the strategies now being used by those who are trying to stop it. Ethan has a PhD in Applied Science.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce High Blood Pressure

2011-10-05T18:33:00.002-06:00

The August, 2011 issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine published the findings of American researchers of a reduction in the incidence of high blood pressure in men and women who consumed higher amounts of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish. While the cardiovascular benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (which include EPA and DHA) are well known, the current research sought to determine potential interactions with the body's levels of selenium and mercury, elements that also occur in fish.

The current study involved 4,508 men and women enrolled in 1985 in the ongoing Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Dr Ka He of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and colleagues utilized responses to dietary questionnaires conducted upon enrollment and at the seven and twenty year follow-up examinations to determine average omega-3 fatty acid intake. Blood pressure was measured at all six follow-up visits, and incidences of high blood pressure or initiation of antihypertensive medication were noted. Selenium and mercury levels were determined by measuring the amounts contained in toenail clippings collected in 1987.

Dr He's team found a 35 percent lower adjusted risk of developing hypertension among men and women whose EPA and DHA levels were among the top 25 percent in comparison with those whose intake was among the lowest fourth. When the fatty acids were separately evaluated, DHA was associated with the greatest protective effect. The benefit for omega-3 fatty acids appeared to be greater among those with higher selenium and lower mercury levels.

"To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated three-way interactions of selenium, mercury and long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to incidence of hypertension," the authors write. "The possible mechanisms explaining the modification of selenium and mercury on the antihypertensive effect of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may lie in that both selenium and mercury are somehow involved in the process of oxidative stress and cardiac function through the same pathway by which long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids regulate blood pressure."

"Additional studies are warranted to elucidate the complex interactions amongst selenium, mercury and long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, three important components in fish, in terms of hypertension prevention," they conclude.

Salmon is one of the best crouches of omega-3 fatty acid, but not all salmon is equal. You want to only consume wild caught salmon. Most of what you find in stores and restaurants is farm raised. The difference is that salmon obtain the omega-3 oil from their main food source, krill. Krill also give the wild salmon their characteristic pin/orange color. Farm raised salmon on the other hand are raised in pens in near the short or in bays. The are fed corn, soy, and things you don't want to know about. Farm raised salmon is white, so they add dye to the fish to make them look like real salmon. In farm raised salmon, often called Atlantic Salmon, the omega-3 oil levels are much lower.

Another options is fish oil capsules. Caution is necessary here as well. Most fish oil comes from large fish and usually from the organs and liver. These large fish are older and higher up the food chain, so they accumulate the mercury, PCB, and other toxins. Some very popular commercial brands of fish oil were fined in California because they contained dangerous levels of PCB and didn't have California's Prop-65 warning on them. A friend is a ER doctor and she had a young woman come into the ER with what turned out to be mercury poisoning. After investigation it turned out that she was taking several fish oil capsules she'd purchased at a big box store. They had so much mercury that with here taking a higher dosage, it gave her mercury poisoning.

The fish oil I take and recommend comes from small young fish such as anchovies, sardines, etc. The raw oil has less than 1/100th the amount of mercury allowed by the FDA. Then it goes through a double molecular distillation and the final product is 99.99999999% mercury free. You can't get a purer fish oil. They also add lemon oil so you don't have a fishy after taste, intact we give it to kids by just having them crew up the gel cap, and they love the lemon taste. Then they just spit out the gel cap.

Contact me if you 'd like more information on the one I recommend.

L-Carnitine and Sports Performance

2011-10-01T16:20:00.000-06:00

First what is L-Carnitine? L-Carnitine is a natural nutrient also used to be known as vitamin BT. L-Carnitine is a physiological substance, essential for energy production and for fat metabolism. L-Carnitine can be synthesized in the human liver, but insufficient amounts may be produced in infants, in adolescents and in adults under certain physiological conditions.

Where does L-Carnitine come from? L-carnitine, also known as carnitine, is made in the liver and kidneys. It is a quaternary ammonium compound synthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine and performs some of the same functions, such as helping metabolize food into energy, transportation of fatty acids and consumption and disposal of fat in the body.

What are the Benefits of L-Carnitine in sports? L-carnitine transfers long-chain fatty acids, such as triglycerides into mitochondria (a cell’s energy powerhouse), where they may be oxidized, releasing energy. L-carnitine is a very popular supplement that promotes fatty acid metabolism as well as growth and development. It is also used for fat-burning, increasing energy, and improving resistance to muscle fatigue. L-carnitine also helps to build muscle. It also helps to transport the toxic byproducts of energy composition out of the mitochondria to prevent accumulation.

What foods are high in L-Carnitine? The following foods contain a high concentration of L-Carnitine
L-Carnitine is found primarily in red meats (especially lamb and beef) and dairy products.
Please note that these foods do not contain enough L-Carnitine to be realistically considered as a method of L-Carnitine supplementation.

What is Acetyl-L-Carnitine, what does it do and how does it differ from L-carnitine? Acetyl-L-carnitine is simply an acetylated form of L-carnitine. It is claimed to provide several benefits including life extension. There may be some benefit in cases of end stage renal disease or peripheral arterial disease. When supplemented alongside Lipoic acid, it appears to reverse some of the damage to mitochondria associated with aging.

Turning up your metabolism with the right nutrients is essential for weight loss. There is significant evidence that increased levels of carnitine in tissue leads to increased fat burning.

The sports performance drink I use and recommend is Rev3 by USANA Health Sciences.

It contains 375 mg of L-Carnitine to aid in burning fats for energy.
It also contains caffeine from green tea
It contains all the ingredients necessary for energy production such as malice acid, citric acid, Korean ginseng, rhodiola, and others.
It has 70 calories per serving which are very low glycemic, so like other sports drinks which have simple sugars which lead to the sugar crash, Rev3 won't let you down midway through your run, ride, or workout.

Here are several examples of the improvements people have seen.

One client in marathon training was doing a 12 mile training run. She drank a Rev3 before heading out and found that she was on a record pace and that she beat her best 12 mile run by two minutes.
Another client was training for the same marathon did a 20 mile run. She completed the 20 miles 2-1/2 minutes better that her best time. She said mile by mile she was ahead her best time through about 12-23 miles then fell back to just above her regular pace, but never crashed.
Bob is 58 and an avid bike rider. He did a ride from Boulder to the summit in Rocky Mountain National Forest, a 120 mile round trip. Though he didn't time his ascent he was the first one to the summit in his group by 10 minutes - normally he is towards the end of the pack. His group tried to keep up with him but non could - some were 30 years younger too!
There are a number of medal winning Olympic athletes who use Rev3.

For information about where to purchase Rev3 please contact me at mikeha77@gmail.com or Click Here to purchase Rev3

curcumin, is demonstrating in the lab exactly why traditional healers have used it for thousands of years.

2011-09-24T16:53:00.001-06:00

The modest ginger root, curcumin, is demonstrating in the lab exactly why traditional healers have used it for thousands of years.

Curcumin, an ancient spice in the ginger family, also known as turmeric root, is gaining plenty of attention for its positive impact on a number of ailments. It is shining as an antioxidant, for example, as well as for its beneficial effects in prohibiting tumors, for its anti-inflammatory properties, and even for its ability to retard some of the progress of the virus that causes AIDS.

This sounds like a lot of claims for a seemingly unpretentious kitchen spice. But, in fact, curcumin's use dates back to the time of Egyptian pharaohs and Indian rajas more than 6,000 years ago. A tall, stemless, perennial plant cultivated throughout the tropics, especially in India, China and Indonesia, turmeric is what gives curry its unique flavor and color.

But in addition to its kitchen uses, curcumin has been used by traditional medicine for liver disease (particularly jaundice), indigestion, urinary tract diseases, blood purification, inflamed joints (rheumatoid arthritis), insect bites, dermatological disorders and as an atherosclerosis preventative. Although the chemical structure of curcumin was determined in 1910, it was only during the mid 1970s and 1980s that the potential uses of curcuminoids in medicine began to be extensively studied.

For example, curcumin has demonstrated, in vivo, the ability to decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in serum, and to increase the beneficial HDL cholesterol. It inhibits platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid, adrenaline and collagen. Where lipid peroxidation was induced by carbon tetrachloride, curcumin significantly decreased the level of lipid per oxidation.

In one study, bile acid output was increased by nearly 100 percent. In another study of mice and hamsters that were fed a special diet to induce cholesterol gallstones, the incidence of cholesterol gallstones was reduced by cur cumin.

(Since curcumin lowers cholesterol levels by increasing the flow of bile out of the liver, those with biliary tract obstruction should not use curcumin. Always take curcumin with food.)

Other studies have demonstrated curcumin's positive impact against ulcers, hardening of the arteries, and in warding off harmful stomach bacteria. Let's examine the science behind the claims.

Free Radicals do their damage with a sequence of changes resulting from an injury (burn, thermal shock, etc.), and ultimately oxidative stress from the depletion of antioxidant defense mechanisms. Curcuminoids, and other antioxidants, have the ability to merge with potential radical molecules, preventing free-radical formation.

An interesting benefit of turmeric and curcumin appears to be its significant antioxidant activity. To fully understand the antioxidant properties of curcuminoids, let's begin with the role of oxygen in our body. The trade-offs for oxygen utilization (metabolism) in the body are oxygen by-products. They become waste that pollutes the body and causes damage to our DNA (genetic material which is the blueprint for the cells' command center), proteins, lipids and other molecules in the cell.

Snaring Free Radicals

Even the defense of the body against foreign invasion, like microbial infection, involves a trade-off. These defense mechanisms naturally produce oxidants which can kill the invading bacteria, but may also cause injury to the body cells.

Other oxidants produced by the body are cytochrome enzymes, which are abundant in the lungs and liver. These organs protect the body against toxins entering from air, water and food. Outside influences, such as an excess of metals like iron and copper (and their salts), and oxidized fats, may generate oxidants in the body.

As a defense reaction, normal body functions generate oxidants such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals and lipid peroxides. Such oxidants are referred to as free radicals-"radical" (as opposed to the stable molecules), and "free" (to start a chain reaction in the body that will destabilize surrounding cells).

This process leads to tissue and organ degeneration that will eventually result in chronic inflammation, heart disease, accelerated aging and disorganized cell growth that may result in cancer. Antioxidants can stop free radical damage by either minimizing or preventing the oxidants' initial formation, or by neutralizing the existing free radicals in the body.

The aging process exemplifies the cumulative result of free-radical damage to cells, tissues and organs. The body has built-in mechanisms for counteracting free radicals but, unfortunately, the aging process and disease gradually overwhelm the antioxidant defense reaction. Fortunately, some vitamins, minerals, herbs and their compounds such as phonemics, flavanoids and carotenoids, have the ability to scavenge or neutralize free radicals. Curcuminoids, for example, merge with these potential radical molecules and thus prevent free-radical formation.

Inflammation is known to be associated with increased levels of lipid peroxides and free radicals, which are generated by the liver as well as by inflamed tissues in the body. Animals fed curcumin showed decreased levels of lipid peroxides and subsequent reduction in the processes of inflammation. One study showed curcumin to be eight times more powerful that vitamin E in preventing lipid peroxidation. Taken in group arrangements such as C-complex, curcuminoids are three times as potent in neutralizing free-radical molecules.

In summary, the antioxidant mechanisms of curcuminoids may include one or more of the following interactions: They may intervene in oxidative attacks to restrict or prevent them from happening; scavenge or neutralize free radicals; and break the oxidative chain reaction caused by free radicals.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Curcuminoids inhibit enzymes which participate in the synthesis of inflammatory substances in the body. The natural anti-inflammatory activity of curcuminoids is comparable in strength to steroidal drugs, and such nonsteroidal drugs as indomethacin and phenylbutazone, which have dangerous side effects.

Inflammation results from a complex series of actions and/or reactions triggered by the body's immunological response to tissue damage. This damage may be caused by physical traumas including various diseases and surgery. Moderate inflammation is necessary for the healing process; however, continuous inflammation leads to chronic conditions like arthritis and its associated pain. In a double-blind, controlled study, three groups of patients received either curcumin (400 mg), the anti-inflammatory prescription drug phenylbutazone (100 mg), or a placebo (250 mg of lactose powder) three times daily for five consecutive days after surgery. They had been admitted for either a hernia condition or an accumulation of fluid in the scrotum. The results: curcumin was just as effective as phenylbutazone in reducing post-operative inflammation.

Curcuminoids prevent the synthesis of several inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes. When the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin were tested in a double-blind clinical trial in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin produced significant improvement in all patients, and again the therapeutic effects were comparable to those obtained with phenylbutazone.

Further, oral administration of curcumin to rats, at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight, and sodium curcumin at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, inhibited formalin-induced arthritis in the animals. In fact, curcumin once again was comparatively as effective as phenylbutazone in this application. In a double-blind trial in 49 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, when curcumin was given at a dose of 1,200 mg per day for five to six weeks, there was an overall improvement in morning stiffness and physical endurance; this yielded comparable effects to those obtained with phenylbutazone.

Other inflammation-related illnesses? Patients with chronic respiratory disorders experience significant relief in symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath. Eye drops of a turmeric mixture were administered in 25 cases of bacterial conjunctivitis, an inflammatory condition of the eye. Symptoms such as eye redness or a burning sensation began subsiding after the third day of treatment. During the six-day treatment period, it was determined that 23 of the 25 patients were relieved of all symptoms.

Curcumin has a similar action to aspirin. However, unlike aspirin curcumin inhibits synthesis of inflammatory prostaglandins, but does not affect the synthesis of prostacyclin, an important factor in preventing vascular thrombosis. Any drug that affects its synthesis (especially when used in large doses) may increase the risk of this dangerous condition. Curcumin may therefore be preferable for patients who are prone to vascular thrombosis and require anti-inflammatory and/or anti-arthritic therapy.

In a recent study, cats exposed to myocardial ischemia-reduced blood flow in the heart tissues, a condition resulting from the consequences of a heart attack, were evaluated using curcumin and quinidine, a standard antiarrhythmic drug. Both of the substances protected the animals against a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure following restricted blood flow to the heart.

Curcumin and AIDS

Therapy for an immune system disease such as HIV infection, which causes AIDS, is currently being approached in two different ways:

The attempt to restore the immune system's ability to defend the body using a biological response modifier; and
Through ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine against the HIV infection, which so far has been unsuccessful.

Curcumin inhibits the HIV-1 integrase protein. Therefore, this integrase inhibition may contribute to the anti-HIV activity of curcumin, which currently is in clinical trials for AIDS patients. Here is some AIDS background as to why curcumin may have this benefit:

CD-4 and CD-8 cells are acronyms for the immune cells called T-lymphocytes, which are responsible for some of the most sophisticated activity of the immune system. The T-lymphocytes function to regulate the entire immune response. With regard to this regulatory function, the T-lymphocytes can be divided into T-helpers and T-suppressors. The T-helpers stimulate the immune response to provide protection against invading microorganisms.

The function of T-suppressors is to stop this action when appropriate-for example, at the point at which infection has been overcome-in order to avoid excessive immune system activity being turned against the body itself. Balanced interaction between T-helper and T-suppressor cells represents self-regulation of the immune response. Self-regulation is regarded as the most crucial aspect of this response.

In HIV infection and AIDS, T-helpers cells become a primary target of the infection, becoming increasingly incapacitated and destroyed by the virus. The current definition of AIDS includes HIV infection with T-helper (CD-4) cell counts lower than 200 per ml of blood. This immune system is usually unable to defend the body against various viral, bacterial and parasitic infections. The microorganisms take advantage of the weakened defense system and invade the body; hence those infections are referred to as opportunistic infections.

HIV cannot live without being fully integrated in the live body cell. The enzyme integrase facilitates integration of the virus genetic material with the genetic material in the cell. The genetic material of the cell begins to serve the virus, not the cell.

Now, here is the potential payoff: curcumin was found to inhibit the activity of integrase, potentially preventing HIV from finding a home in CD-4 and CD-8 cells.

In a study, the administration of 2,000 mg of curcumin given to 18 HIV-infected patients for approximately 20 weeks resulted in a significant increase in the CD-4 and CD-8 cell counts, as compared with the placebo-receiving patients. The CD-4 cell count before the treatment ranged from 5 to 615 cells per ml of blood, and the respective range after treatment was 283 to 1,467 cells/ml of blood.

Other Protective Properties

Diets supplemented with curcuminoids protect the integrity of biomolecules in the body. Preventing the deterioration of food, and keeping nutrients in tissues from degenerating, appear to be closely related. For example, the properties in turmeric which prevent meat from becoming rancid help to provide edible animal protein that contains less oxidized fat or free radicals. When this type of food is ingested, it supplies clean nutrients rather than free radical-damaged nutrients.

The same attributes of turmeric that preserve the freshness of food may also protect living tissue from degenerative disease. Feeding curcuminoids to laboratory animals resulted in elevated levels of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase, an important index of the efficiency of detoxification.

For centuries, turmeric has been used as a food additive, a medicinal agent and a dye for cosmetics and fabrics without manifesting side effects. This record of safety has been one of the deciding factors that allowed the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization expert committee on food additives to approve curcuminoids as natural food coloring agents.

By Leonard Goidwyn

My daily multivitamin and a product I take for my joints both contain turmeric.

Vitamin D for Diabetes Prevention

2011-09-12T18:14:00.000-06:00

Go on, head outside for a sunny spring walk: The vitamin D we get from everyday sunlight—as well as from fish, fortified milk, and supplements—may curb diabetes risk, suggests new research.

In the 17-year Finnish study, people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D reduced their chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 40 percent. Of the more than 4,000 people in the study, the 187 diagnosed with type 2 registered the lowest vitamin D levels, regardless of age, sex, or time of year.

The vitamin D effect remained even when the researchers controlled for education, smoking, body weight, blood pressure treatment, and exercise, though it weakened slightly.

Also interesting was a discovery that people who exercised the most also showed the highest vitamin D levels, says lead researcher Paul Knekt, PhD, of the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki.

Why might vitamin D be higher in exercisers? Is it due to more time jogging in the sun? A healthier, fish-rich diet in this health-conscious group? More vitamin D supplementation? Or might exercise itself affect the body’s vitamin D processing?

That’s all fodder for future research, says Knekt, as is the question of whether vitamin D can reverse type 2’s progression. “Similar studies should be replicated before we can make firm conclusions about the role of vitamin D in diabetes prevention,” Knekt says.

The findings were published in the October 2007 issue of Diabetes Care.

Just remember that as the sun is going lower in the sky it is more difficult to produce Vitamin D from the sun, so you'll need to supplement over the winter. In the northern half of the US it is almost impossible to produce enough vitamin D from the sun as the sun's rays aren't strong enough.

What may really cause the winter colds & flu

2011-09-07T10:47:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been quiet for a bit, but we were on vacation for a bit.

OK, we all know too well that winter brings a rash of colds and the dreaded flu. It has been assumed for years that being indoors and in close proximity to others and with the windows closed enables the viruses to spread easier. This may all be wrong. What recent research is showing is that it may all be linked to our vitamin D levels.

In the summer you are out in the sun more, with more skin exposed, and with the sun's rays are more intense with the sun higher in the sky, so vitamin D levels are higher. But when winter comes, the sun's rays aren't strong enough to produce sufficient, or any, vitamin D in the northern (or southern) latitudes. Plus we are inside more, and if we are out side we have more clothes on. So very little chance to to produce vitamin D.

Research is showing a very strong link between vitamin D levels and immune system strength. If you want to beat the winter cold and flu cycle, maybe try supplementing with 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D. Personally I take 4,000 IU/day and haven't had a cold or flu over the 6 years I've been supplementing with Vitamin D. (Initially it was lower levels)

Not that I'm totally immune, I may get the tickle in the back of the throat which has always preceded a cold for me, but now that tickle comes, is there for a day, and it then goes away. Maybe my immune system is just stronger and can defeat the invaders before they take control of my whole respiratory tract.

How to Read a Nutritional Supplement Label to Separate the Good from the Bad.

2011-08-16T18:13:00.000-06:00

If you pick up a bottle of any nutritional supplement you'll see a Supplement Facts Label similar to the one below. Much of this is stipulated by the FDA, but manufactures have some flexibility as to how this information is presented. Some companies can even mislead you about what is in their product. Below I'll explain a few of the key sections, how to decipher each, and how to know if you're being misled.

If you look at the Supplement Facts panel to the right you'll see the serving size, then below that all the Active Ingredients, the weight of each, and the %DV. Key is that thin line around the active ingredients. This is the official part of the label, the rest is informational. Lets look at a few key sections which are part of the Supplement
Facts:

Supplement Facts: This section lists the serving size, nutrients, weights of each, and the %DV. Here the example lists Copper (as Copper Gluconate). So you know which form of copper is used, the amount and the %DV. You could also list multiple forms of an ingredient, for example look at Calcium (As Calcium Citrate and Carbonate). This tells you that are two forms of calcium and they are listed in descending weight order. You don't know how much of each, but only that there is more of the first listed than the next. If it said Magnesium (As Magnesium Oxide and Gluconate) then you'd know that there was more magnesium oxide (the cheaper form) than the chelated form. It could be 51% to 99% of Magnesium Oxide - I'd probably bet it would be closer to 99%.
Ingredients: Optionally a company can list just Copper in the fact panel then in the ingredients list they list all the ingredients in decreasing weight order. So someplace in that list it would say Copper Cluconate, Copper oxide, etc. or could list both. If both are listed pay close attention to where they are in the list. If the Copper Gluconate is early in the list and the Copper Oxide is near the end, then you know there is much more of the good form (Gluconate) vs the cheap Oxide form. What if it is the opposite? Well then they are loading it up with the cheap form and putting a sprinkling of the good in - In this case the position in the list is very important and telling. What if they don't list the form of copper (chelate, salt, or oxide) well then you don't know, but a good rule of thumb is that if they don't specify which, then they probably used the cheapest form and unfortunately the cheapest form also has the poorest absorption. So if it says say Copper Gluconate in the supplement facts or in the ingredients list, then you know that they chelated form of copper is being used - If it doesn't say, then you don't know. (The chelated forms of minerals have the best absorption and are the most expensive.)
Other Ingredients: This is officially outside of the nutritional fact panel and is intended to list the other ingredients used in the tableting or encapsulation process, flavors, sweeteners, etc. that don't add any nutritional value to the ingredient weight or %DV of the listed nutrients - Like the Sodium Citrate in the example above. What some companies do to hide the poor quality of their ingredients is add a nutritionally insignificant amount of high quality ingredients to the product and list them in the Other Ingredients section. This is commonly referred to as “Pixie Dust”. This way they get a high quality ingredient on the label and don't disclose what the real source of each vitamin, mineral, and nutrient are.
Proprietary Blend: You may see Proprietary Blend listed in the supplement facts or the ingredients. This is another way manufactures can hide the real ingredients. Under the Proprietary Blend they can put anything, or sometimes nothing. Proprietary Blends aren't always bad, but take them with a grain of salt.

So knowing how to read the label can help you sort out the good from the bad. For example even if the front of the bottle says "Chelated Minerals" but you don't see them listed in the the Supplement Facts or the Ingredient List, then you can rest assured that they are not in there. If you see the chelated forms listed in the Other Ingredients section, then ignore it, you're being misled.

So, knowing how to read a label can give you great insight into the quality of the product.

Why do I need nutritional supplements?

2011-08-08T17:55:00.000-06:00

For more than 50 years, the general public has been led to believe that RDA nutrient levels are adequate...

...but adequate for what? Adequate to prevent clinically obvious nutritional deficiencies like scurvy, beriberi, rickets, and pellagra?

According to the Food and Nutrition Board (under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health):

"The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the requirement of nearly all apparently healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group."

The Food and Nutrition Board further defines "requirement" as:

"...the lowest continuing intake level of a nutrient that, for a specified indicator of adequacy, will maintain a defined level of nutriture in an individual."

Basically, the RDA is - by definition - the lowest level of nutrient intake necessary to prevent deficiencies. This is clearly important for helping individuals avoid acute deficiency diseases, but it fails to address the issue of optimal nutrition.

It is wonderful that the RDAs have been so successful in reducing blatant deficient diseases (including scurvy, pellagra, rickets and beriberi) to their lowest levels in recorded history. It is also good that products based on RDA amounts help combat deficiency diseases by providing minimal amounts of important vitamins and minerals.

However, as more and more of the general population is able to meet minimal nutrient requirements, new questions arise. For example, are RDA levels of vitamins and minerals enough to help prevent other degenerative diseases? What about providing protection from oxidative damage?

Nutritional researchers believe there are more benefits to nutritional supplementation than merely preventing increasingly rare deficiency diseases.

The top rated nutritional products are formulated with the most up-to-date nutritional research in mind, which may or may not have relevance to the RDAs. Rather than just looking to prevent total vitamin deficiencies, we are concerned with the vast majority of people who are "apparently" healthy. Many degenerative diseases and chronic illnesses develop over a lifetime, striking otherwise healthy individuals when they least expect it. For the millions of "apparently" healthy individuals in the world, minimal nutrient intakes may not be adequate to address modern health challenges.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), much of the illness, disability, and death associated with chronic disease is avoidable through known prevention measures. Furthermore, recent studies examining the potential economic benefits of vitamin supplementation have concluded that substantial cost reductions can be associated with the use of vitamin supplements, based on principles of preventative nutrition.

One question that commonly arises is, "if I eat a healthy diet, do I still need to take supplements?" Let it be clearly stated that a healthy diet is a necessary foundation for any program of optimal nutrition, and there is no substitute for eating well. In this context, nutritional supplements are designed to complement a healthy diet, not replace it. Top rated supplements are designed to provide advanced levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are difficult to obtain from diet alone - levels that individuals can use every day to promote a lifetime of good health.

Researchers are certainly not the only group convinced of the health benefits of nutritional supplements. In June 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association published two articles by health researchers at Harvard University. The articles were entitled "Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults". Through their research, these independent researchers concluded:

"...suboptimal intake of some vitamins, above levels causing classic vitamin deficiency, is a risk factor for chronic diseases and common in the general population, especially the elderly. Suboptimal folic acid levels, along with suboptimal levels of vitamins B6 and B12, are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures; and low levels of the antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E and C) may increase risk for several chronic diseases."

The scientific evidence supporting health benefits of nutritional supplements is solid and growing daily, and more health care professionals than ever before are now siding with these conclusions.

The levels of supplements discussed above are far above what you'd find in Centrum, One A Day, Kirkland, Nature Made, etc. Less than 1% of the nutritional supplements available in North America meet these optimal levels - far above the RDA. The on I use and recommend is the #1 rated in North America in the 5th edition of the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.

REFERENCES OF INTEREST

Bendich A, Mallick R, Leader S. Potential health economic benefits of vitamin supplementation. West J Med 1997 May; 166(5):306-12. This study used published relative risk estimates for birth defects, premature birth, and coronary heart disease associated with vitamin intake to project potential annual cost reductions in U.S. hospitalization charges. Epidemiological and intervention studies with relative risk estimates were identified via MEDLINE. Preventable fraction estimates were derived from data on the percentage of at-risk Americans with daily vitamin intake levels lower than those associated with disease risk reduction. Hospitalization rates were obtained from the 1992 National Hospital Discharge Survey. Charge data from the 1993 California Hospital Discharge Survey were adjusted to 1995 national charges using the medical component of the Consumer Price Index. Based on published risk reductions, annual hospital charges for birth defects, low-birth-weight premature births, and coronary heart disease could be reduced by about 40, 60, and 38%, respectively. For the conditions studied, nearly $20 billion in hospital charges were potentially avoidable with daily use of folic acid and zinc-containing multivitamins by all women of childbearing age and daily vitamin E supplementation by those over 50.

Fairfield KM, Fletcher RH. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: scientific review. JAMA 2002; 287:3116-3126. CONTEXT: Although vitamin deficiency is encountered infrequently in developed countries, inadequate intake of several vitamins is associated with chronic disease. OBJECTIVE: To review the clinically important vitamins with regard to their biological effects, food sources, deficiency syndromes, potential for toxicity, and relationship to chronic disease. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: We searched MEDLINE for English-language articles about vitamins in relation to chronic diseases and their references published from 1966 through January 11, 2002. DATA EXTRACTION: We reviewed articles jointly for the most clinically important information, emphasizing randomized trials where available. DATA SYNTHESIS: Our review of 9 vitamins showed that elderly people, vegans, alcohol-dependent individuals, and patients with malabsorption are at higher risk of inadequate intake or absorption of several vitamins. Excessive doses of vitamin A during early pregnancy and fat-soluble vitamins taken anytime may result in adverse outcomes. Inadequate folate status is associated with neural tube defect and some cancers. Folate and vitamins B(6) and B(12) are required for homocysteine metabolism and are associated with coronary heart disease risk. Vitamin E and lycopene may decrease the risk of prostate cancer. Vitamin D is associated with decreased occurrence of fractures when taken with calcium. CONCLUSIONS: Some groups of patients are at higher risk for vitamin deficiency and suboptimal vitamin status. Many physicians may be unaware of common food sources of vitamins or unsure which vitamins they should recommend for their patients. Vitamin excess is possible with supplementation, particularly for fat-soluble vitamins. Inadequate intake of several vitamins has been linked to chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications. JAMA 2002; 287:3127-3129. Vitamin deficiency syndromes such as scurvy and beriberi are uncommon in Western societies. However, suboptimal intake of some vitamins, above levels causing classic vitamin deficiency, is a risk factor for chronic diseases and common in the general population, especially the elderly. Suboptimal folic acid levels, along with suboptimal levels of vitamins B(6) and B(12), are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer; low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures; and low levels of the antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E, and C) may increase risk for several chronic diseases. Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements. The evidence base for tailoring the contents of multivitamins to specific characteristics of patients such as age, sex, and physical activity and for testing vitamin levels to guide specific supplementation practices is limited. Physicians should make specific efforts to learn about their patients' use of vitamins to ensure that they are taking vitamins they should, such as folate supplementation for women in the childbearing years, and avoiding dangerous practices such as high doses of vitamin A during pregnancy or massive doses of fat-soluble vitamins at any age.

Kant AK. Consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods by adult Americans: nutritional and health implications. The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Am J Clin Nutr 2000 Oct; 72(4):929-36. BACKGROUND: Current dietary guidance recommends limiting the intake of energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods, but little is known about recent consumption patterns of these foods. OBJECTIVE: The contribution of EDNP foods to the American diet and the associated nutritional and health implications were examined. DESIGN: Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 15611; age >/=20 y) were used. EDNP categories included visible fats, nutritive sweeteners and sweetened beverages, desserts, and snacks. The potential independent associations of EDNP food intake with intakes of energy, macronutrients, micronutrients, and serum vitamin, lipid, and carotenoid profiles were examined with linear and logistic regression procedures. RESULTS: EDNP foods supplied approximately 27% of energy intake; alcohol provided an additional 4%. The relative odds of consuming foods from all 5 food groups and of meeting the recommended dietary allowance or daily reference intake for protein and several micronutrients decreased with increasing EDNP food intake (P: < 0.0001). Energy intake and percentage of energy from fat were positively related to EDNP intake. Serum concentrations of vitamins A, E, C, and B-12; folate; several carotenoids; and HDL cholesterol were inversely related (P:

Patterson BH, Harlan LC, Block G, Kahle L. Food choices of whites, blacks, and Hispanics: data from the 1987 National Health Interview Survey. Nutr Cancer 1995;23(2):105-19. Dietary guidelines posit an association between diet and cancer. Different cancer mortality rates among whites, blacks, and Hispanics may be related to differences in diet. Food frequency data from the 1987 National Health Interview Survey on 20,143 adults were used to estimate the percentage of adults, by gender and race/ethnicity, who consume some 59 foods six or more times per year, median number of servings for consumers, and frequency of consumption of skin on poultry and fat on red meat. On the basis of percent consumption of these foods, women appear to have a more diverse diet than men. Women eat more fruits and vegetables, less meat, and fewer high-fat foods and drink fewer alcoholic beverages. Whites eat a more varied diet than blacks and Hispanics; blacks eat more fried and high-fat food; consumption of high-fat foods is lowest among Hispanics. Public health messages, especially those aimed at cancer prevention, should be targeted at increasing the overall consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing consumption of high-fat foods, especially among white and black men, and increasing consumption of those healthful foods already consumed by particular race/ethnicity groups.

Starkey LJ, Johnson-Down L, Gray-Donald K. Food habits of Canadians: comparison of intakes in adults and adolescents to Canada's food guide to healthy eating. Can J Diet Pract Res 2001 Summer;62(2):61-9. Over 25 years have elapsed since national food and nutrient intake data became available in Canada. Our goal was to describe present dietary intakes based on sociodemographic and 24-hour recall dietary interviews with adults and adolescents from households across the country. Within a multistage, stratified random sample of 80 enumeration areas, 1,543 randomly selected adults (aged 18-65) were enrolled in the study; 178 adolescents within the sampled households also participated. A comparison of food intake with Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating indicated that only males aged 13-34 met the minimum recommended intake levels for all four food groups. Mean milk products intake was below the minimum recommended level for all age groups of females and for men aged 35-65 years. Adolescent girls had low intakes of meat and alternatives. Daily grain product intakes were below five servings for women aged 50-65, as were vegetable and fruit intakes for women aged 18-40. Food choices from the "other foods" group contributed over 25% of energy and fat intake for all age and gender groups. These up-to-date data will be useful to dietitians, nutrition researchers, industry, and government in their efforts to promote Canadians' continued progress toward meeting food intake recommendations.

Nicklas TA, Baranowski T, Baranowski JC, Cullen K, Rittenberry L, Olvera N. Family and child-care provider influences on preschool children's fruit, juice, and vegetable consumption. Nutr Rev 2001 Jul;59(7):224-35. Children's intakes of fruit, juice, and vegetables (FJV) do not meet the recommended minimum of five daily servings, placing them at increased risk for development of cancer and other diseases. Because children's food preferences and practices are initiated early in life (e.g., 2-5 years of age), early dietary intervention programs may have immediate nutritional benefit, as well as reduce chronic disease risk when learned healthful habits and preferences are carried into adulthood. Families and child-care settings are important social environments within which food-related behaviors among young children are developed. FJV preferences, the primary predictor of FJV consumption in children, are influenced by availability, variety, and repeated exposure. Caregivers (parents and child-care providers) can influence children's eating practices by controlling availability and accessibility of foods, meal structure, food modeling, food socialization practices, and food-related parenting style. Much remains to be learned about how these influences and practices affect the development of FJV preferences and consumption early in life.

Magarey A, Daniels LA, Smith A. Fruit and vegetable intakes of Australians aged 2-18 years: an evaluation of the 1995 National Nutrition Survey data. Aust NZ J Public Health 2001 Apr;25(2): 155-61. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the fruit and vegetable intakes of 2 to 18-year-old Australians. METHODS: Intake data were collected as part of the National Nutrition Survey 1995 representing all Australian States and Territories, urban, rural and remote areas. Dietary intake of 3,007, two to 18-year-olds was assessed using a 24-hour structured diet recall method. Intake frequency was assessed as the percentage of participants consuming fruit and vegetables on the surveyed day, and variety was assessed as the number of sub-groups of fruit and vegetables eaten. Intake levels were compared with the recommendations of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, the 1993 Goals and Targets for Australia's Health in 2000 and beyond, and intakes of the 1985 National Dietary Survey. RESULTS: One-quarter of children and adolescents did not eat fruit on the day of survey and one fifth did not eat vegetables. Adolescents were less likely to include fruit (65%) than young children (80%) but slightly more adolescents (85%) included vegetables than young children (77%). Less than 50% of all participants (<25% of adolescents) had an adequate fruit intake, and only one-third of children and adolescents met the vegetable intake recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Fruit and vegetable intakes of Australian children and adolescents fall well below recommendations and appear to have declined in the past 10 years. IMPLICATIONS: Strategic approaches involving a broad range of sectors are urgently needed to create a supportive environment for consuming recommended levels of a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.

Kantor LS, Variyam JN, Allshouse JE, Putnam JJ, Lin BH.Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains: a challenge for consumers. J Nutr 2001 Feb; 131(2S-1):473S-86S. The 2000 edition of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the first to include a specific guideline for grain foods, separate from fruits and vegetables, and recognize the unique health benefits of whole grains. This paper describes and evaluates major tools for assessing intakes of total grains and whole grains, reviews current data on who consumes grain foods and where, and describes individual- and market-level factors that may influence grain consumption. Aggregate food supply data show that U.S. consumers have increased their intake of grain foods from record low levels in the 1970s, but consumption of whole-grain foods remains low. Data on individual intakes show that consumption of total grains was above the recommended 6 serving minimum in 1994-1996, but consumption of whole grains was only one third of the 3 daily servings many nutritionists recommend. Increased intake of whole-grain foods may be limited by a lack of consumer awareness of the health benefits of whole grains, difficulty in identifying whole-grain foods in the marketplace, higher prices for some whole-grain foods, consumer perceptions of inferior taste and palatability, and lack of familiarity with preparation methods. In July 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a health claim that should both make it easier for consumers to identify and select whole-grain foods and have a positive effect on the availability of these foods in the marketplace.

Cavadini C, Siega-Riz AM, Popkin BM. US adolescent food intake trends from 1965 to 1996. West J Med 2000 Dec; 173(6):378-83. OBJECTIVE: To examine adolescent food consumption trends in the United States with important chronic disease implications. METHODS: Analysis of dietary intake data from 4 nationally representative US Department of Agriculture surveys of persons aged 11 to 18 years (n = 12,498). RESULTS: From 1965 to 1996, a considerable shift occurred in the adolescent diet. Total energy intake decreased, as did the proportion of energy from total fat (39%-32%) and saturated fat (15%-12%). Concurrent increases occurred in the consumption of higher-fat potatoes and mixed dishes (pizza and macaroni and cheese). Lower-fat milks replaced higher-fat milks, but total milk consumption decreased by 36%. This decrease was accompanied by an increase in the consumption of soft drinks and noncitrus juices. An increase in high-fat potato consumption led to an increase in vegetable intake, but the number of servings for fruits and vegetables is still lower than the recommended 5 per day. Iron, folic acid, and calcium intakes continue to be below those recommended for girls. CONCLUSIONS: These trends, far greater than for US adults, may compromise the health of the future US population.

Johnson RK. Changing eating and physical activity patterns of US children. Proc Nutr Soc 2000 May:59(2):295-301. The number of US children who are overweight has more than doubled over the last decade. This change has broadened the focus of dietary guidance for children to address nutrient overconsumption and physical activity patterns. Total fat consumption expressed as a percentage of energy intake has decreased among US children. However, this decrease is largely the result of increased total energy intake in the form of carbohydrates and not necessarily due to decreased fat consumption. The majority of children aged 5-17 years are not meeting recommendations for Ca intakes. Much of this deficit is attributed to changing beverage consumption patterns, characterized by declining milk intakes and substantial increases in soft-drink consumption. On average, US children are not eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. US adolescents become less active as they get older, and one-quarter of all US children watch > or = 4 h television each day, which is positively associated with increased BMI and skinfold thickness. There is an urgent need in the USA for effective prevention strategies aimed at helping children grow up with healthful eating and physical activity habits to achieve optimal health.

Skin and Sun Tanning (or Burning) and What About Sunscreen

2011-08-04T18:04:00.000-06:00

Skin, the body's largest organ, is its protective covering that receives external sensory stimuli. It consists of the outer layer, or epidermis, over a thicker layer, the dermis.

Epidermis is made of cells that include immune defenses, sensory receptors, pigments cells and keratin producing cells. Keratin producing cells migrate to the surface and form a dead, relatively dry outer layer that continuously sloughs off.

Dermis contains sensory nerves and blood vessels within connective tissue. Fibers of collagen and elastin make skin tough yet elastic.

Is a suntan, as opposed to sunburn, good for you?

No, because there is no safe way to tan. Melanin is the body's substance that gives pigmentation to skin and helps protect the skin from sun. A tan is a telltale sign of skin damage. When ultraviolet rays penetrate the epidermis, the skin's outer layer, the body produces more melanin in response to the injury.

With each tan, damage accumulates. It increases your risk for all types of skin cancer. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and International Agency for Research on Cancer panel have declared ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sunlamps, to be a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).

Ultraviolet light damage also accelerates the aging process. Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light, both natural and artificial, changes the skin's texture, causing wrinkles and age spots.

What in ultraviolet light causes the damage?

Ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays can each cause harm.

UVA rays penetrate deeper into the dermis, the thickest layer of the skin. UVA rays can cause suppression of the immune system, making it harder for your body to protect against development and spread of skin cancer. UVA rays also lead to premature aging of the skin through wrinkling and age spots.
UVB rays are the burning rays. They are the primary cause of sunburn.

How do you treat sunburn?

It can take up to 24 hours for all of the effects of sunburn to show.
The two most common types are first-degree and second-degree burns.
First-degree sunburns cause redness, but will heal, sometimes with peeling, within a few days. Cool baths, moisturizers and over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams can help.
Avoid "caine" products, such a benzocaine, as they might cause sensitivity to broad range of chemicals. Anti-inflammatories, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, can help ease the pain.
Second-degree sunburns cause blisters. Such burns can be considered an emergency, if a large area of skin is affected. Don't break the blisters because it can delay healing and lead to infection. A layer of gauze may be used to cover the area until healed.
If severe sunburn is accompanied by headache, chills or fever, seek medical help immediately.

What about sun and vitamin D?

Sun exposure prompts vitamin D production in the skin.
Wearing sunscreen does decrease the production of vitamin D. Those who worry about not getting enough vitamin D should talk to their doctors about getting sufficient vitamin D from food and vitamin supplements.

Now what about Sunscreen

Is SPF 30 twice as protective as SPF 15? Sadly no,

Definition and Workings of Sunscreen:

Sunscreen is a lotion formulated with unique chemical components to absorb UV light.
When sunscreen is applied to the skin, the chemical molecules form an invisible, protective layer on the skin that protects from penetrating UV rays.
All sunscreens protect from UVB rays, but only “Broad-Spectrum” sunscreens protect from both UVB and UVA rays.
UVB rays affect the top layers of the skin and are responsible for Burning.
UVA rays affect the lower layers of the skin and are responsible for Aging.
Remember to always buy a sunscreen that is broad-spectrum!

SPF... What’s it All About?

SPF stands for “Sun Protection Factor.”
Always wear a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher!
SPF was developed to describe the amount of protection that a sunscreen provides. No sunscreen can protect your skin from all of the UV rays, but a higher SPF number indicates protection from more rays.
The SPF number tells you how much longer you can stay outside without burning while wearing the sunscreen product as opposed to not wearing any sun protection product. SPF measures “time to burn.”

SPF Math

SPF Number x Time to Burn Without Sun Protection = Time to Burn while wearing sunscreen*

*assuming that sunscreen is applied properly

Example: If your skin would burn in 10 minutes in the afternoon sun without any sun protection, and you applied a sunscreen with an SPF 15, you would have 15 x 10 = 150 minutes (2.5 hours) before you would burn.

Percentage of Protection from damaging UV rays:
SPF 15 = 92%
SPF 30 = 97%
SPF 40 = 97.5%

There is some controversy about very high SPF numbers and just how much more protection they provide. As you can see from the percentages of protection of the different SPF numbers, the difference in UV ray protection in SPF numbers becomes minimal as the number increases past about 30 or 40. The difference of protection between SPF 15 and SPF 30 is great (5%), but the difference between SPF 30 and SPF 40 is minimal (0.5%).

The Confusing Part About Sunscreen

Many people think that SPF values can be added. Actually, SPF values cannot be added – if you apply a sunscreen of 8 and then one of 12, you will not have the protection of an SPF 20. You will only be getting the protection of an SPF 12.
Reapplication only helps to ensure that you have the amount of protection and time before you burn that you calculated when you first applied sunscreen that day. Since no sunscreens can protect your skin from all UV rays, some rays will get through.
After your calculated “time to burn” has expired, your skin has absorbed all the UV rays that it can handle before it will start to burn. Even if you reapply sunscreen at this point, you will still burn because some rays will get through to your skin and your skin has already been saturated with UV. Therefore, you need to get out of the sun at this point and let your skin rest before exposing it to more rays.
Reapplication only ensures that you have your original time outside – sunscreen can wear off because of sweat, wind, and other factors you need to reapply in order to be protected.
So what’s the lesson to be learned about sunscreen? If you know that you will be in the sun for a long period of time, start with a higher-SPF sunscreen in order to have protection for the entire time that you are exposed.

Vitamin D levels linked to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer

2011-07-15T18:14:00.000-06:00

Many epidemiological and observational studies have made a link between higher levels of vitamin D and a reduced risk of several types of cancers. A recent review was conducted to analyze blood vitamin D levels and the possible connection to colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.

Researchers identified 35 independent studies that met criteria, and separate analyses for case-control and prospective studies were done.

A trend toward a decreased risk of breast cancer risk was associated with higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, but results from prospective studies only did not support an association between vitamin D status and breast cancer. Researchers found no association between vitamin D levels and prostate cancer.

However, a consistent inverse relationship between serum vitamin D levels and colorectal cancer was found. Analysis of data from nine studies showed that for every 10 ng/ml increase in levels of vitamin D the risk of colorectal cancer decreased by 15 percent.

Researchers suggest that new randomized trials need to be organized to determine whether vitamin D status is a risk factor or a marker for colorectal cancer and how much of an increase is required to change the risk sufficiently to be useful as a public health measure.

S. Gandini et al. Meta-analysis of observational studies of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and colorectal, breast and prostate cancer and colorectal adenoma. International Journal of Cancer. 5 March 2011, Volume 128, Issue 6, pages 1414–1424.

Diabetes becomes a scourge of the young

2011-07-06T17:58:00.000-06:00

A friend recently told me that he took care of himself and is in good shape, but figured in the years down the road when he is in his 70s that he may get the usual old age diabetes. OK, for someone in their 70s that isn't unusual, but still avoidable.

What is sad is the high school and college age kids who are a hundred plus pounds over weight, and sadly so many think there is nothing wrong with it, but unless they do something now, they face blindness, amputations, dialysis, heart disease, stork, and more. Diabetes wont kill them in their 30s, but it will make their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and maybe their 70s miserable as their bodies slowly self-destruct. If you have a young loved one who is over weight, please have them read this article.

I'm in my mid 50s and active skiing, running, and enjoying life. Unfortunately when many of these kids who are 250 or 300 pounds now hit my age, they will be missing a foot or leg, facing blindness, and wishing they were dead - but will live for many more years.....

Below is an article from USA today:

Some people say aiming to look sleek in your swimsuit or wedding duds is the biggest motivator for losing weight. But Mike Durbin's incentive for dropping pounds beats all.

Three years ago, at age 24, Durbin's doctor told him he had type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure. More than 300 pounds at the time, Durbin knew that if he didn't take action, he faced the possibility of an early death.

"I was probably pushing about 340 when I was first diagnosed. As far as the physical changes go, within about three months or so of being diagnosed I dropped about 40 pounds," says Durbin, of Fort Wayne, Ind., who takes a dozen medications now. Always a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, he says he had to learn to eat in moderation and now opts for sugar-free foods more often.

The experience has changed how he looks at his personal life, too. Durbin and his girlfriend of nine years postponed the idea of marriage, and he is not sure about starting a family.

"I don't like the thought that I could have a kid and he could end up with diabetes down the road. And one of the troubling thoughts I have is if something were to happen to me, (his wife) would be left alone as a mother. You really have to stop and think about these things," Durbin says.

Experts are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing number of people in their 20s and 30s coping with type 2 diabetes, which used to be rarely seen in those under 40.

As diabetes becomes more prevalent in young people, the long-term complications of the condition cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, nerve damage, blindness and kidney failure are more likely to occur at younger ages, too, says David Kendall, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

"Children and young adults, and young middle-aged people, are the groups in which the rates are apparently growing the fastest," Kendall says.

Leading diabetes experts will gather Friday in San Diego for the group's 71st Scientific Sessions to present new research and discuss the explosion of diabetes, which afflicts an estimated 25.8 million adults and children in the USA.

The obesity epidemic the fallout of people eating more junk food and getting less exercise is an obvious factor in the rise in diabetes cases among the young, says Martin Abrahamson, chief medical officer at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

But there may be more to it, Kendall says. "We used to just say it was the obesity issue, but I think there's a complexity to it. We can say now that there are also more higher-risk people" living in that higher-risk environment.

He says research suggests there are single genes and clusters of genes that probably make some people more likely to develop diabetes when they gain weight, while others can add pounds and not develop diabetes. Scientists are trying to unravel who's most vulnerable.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.7% of 20- to 44-year-olds have diabetes. Many of those cases are type 2, when either the cells in the body don't respond to insulin (which helps convert food into energy) or when the pancreas has trouble making enough insulin. In 2010, about 465,000 in that age group were newly diagnosed.

Complications of the disease are more likely to occur in middle age if not sooner, especially in young adults who don't take care of themselves or have access to medical care, says Ann Albright, director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation.

"The longer you live with the disease, the more likely you are to develop the complications. If you develop diabetes at a young age, the chances are greater of complications at a younger age," Albright says.

Diabetes will shorten the lives of men diagnosed at age 30 by an average of 14.5 years; if diagnosed at age 20, by 17 years, the CDC says.

For women diagnosed at 30, diabetes shortens life by an average of 16.5 years; if diagnosed at 20, by 18 years.

'A troubling trend'

"Today diabetes is the commonest cause of blindness in the Western world. It's the commonest cause of end-stage kidney disease, and non-traumatic lower limb amputations. People who have type 2 diabetes have a two- to threefold greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease and stroke," Abrahamson says.

Eric Choi, chief of vascular surgery and director of the Limb Salvage Center at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, fears that if young diabetics don't get the care they need, by middle age they'll be marginalized unable to get jobs or participate fully in life like their peers.

"We're seeing more and more younger diabetic patients who require limb salvage work," Choi says. He says his medical team performed 40 or 50 amputations this past year. "Easily 10 were in patients 45 and under. That's a troubling trend."

Choi is particularly concerned for young minority adults who have higher rates of type 2 than whites, according to CDC data, and may be more likely to accept diabetes and its complications because that's what parents and older relatives might have done in the past.

Choi heads a team at Temple working on diabetes-prevention campaigns in the community. He and his team also are using medical techniques, including angiogenesis growing new blood vessels in at-risk diabetes patients when they spot vulnerable wounds to help stop further limb damage.

When a young diabetes patient comes through the emergency department doors, he is placed on a diabetes care fast track, which offers nutrition coaching, a vision checkup, and a cardiovascular workup, among other care, all in one shot because, Choi says, if a patient walks out the door between appointments, he is less likely to return.

Albright says young adults with diabetes haven't been extensively studied. She is part of an ADA team looking at this 18- to 30-year-old "transition" group.

A lot of changes occur in those years that can affect health, she says, especially in someone with a chronic illness: They move out of family homes and away from parents who help monitor health, they enter college and workplaces where food choices are sometimes poorer and where people may not be supportive, they change insurance plans or go without health coverage, and some marry and have children.

Albright says the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which became law in March 2010, has expanded coverage for some in this vulnerable age group. According to the ADA, previously, insurance companies could deny coverage to people with diabetes or charge more for insurance. Under the new law, however, young adults with diabetes can now stay on their parents' plans until age 26. By 2014, young patients with diabetes will be able to buy coverage from any insurer and will be protected from being denied because of their diabetes.

There's "no question" the more effectively you manage diabetes, the more likely you'll live a longer, healthier life, Albright says. That means taking medications, seeing your doctor regularly, monitoring blood sugar often, eating healthfully and exercising, she says.

Getting support

Alexa Hammes, 30, of Hudson, Mass., says that's what she's trying to do since being diagnosed in January. "I was desperately sick. I would commute an hour or more a day both ways, and I couldn't go a half-hour without taking a nap. I couldn't get enough water to drink."

She joined a diabetes management and weight-loss program at Joslin Diabetes Center. Now, instead of having just coffee for breakfast, she drinks a protein shake formulated for people with diabetes. She works out at the gym almost every day and rides her horse for exercise; she also uses the healthy menus the program suggests.

"The menu options are absolutely delicious. One favorite is the turkey-and-bean wrap, another is the salsa chicken over whole-wheat pasta," says Hammes, who has dropped two clothing sizes.

Durbin, who works as an information technology professional, says he turns to his blog and Twitter to help cope with diabetes and his heart problems at a time in life when most people his age aren't thinking at all about life-threatening illnesses.

"There's definitely a huge mental health component to living with diabetes and congestive heart failure. It's a whole lot to deal with at one time," he says. "Most of the inspiration and encouragement I get comes from the online diabetes community."

Says Albright: "You can't achieve perfect control. But the better you take care of yourself, the better shot you're giving yourself at a life without those serious diabetes complications."

(c) Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright USA TODAY 2011

Your Skin Care Products may be Causing Skin Cancer!

2011-06-21T18:21:00.000-06:00

A study in the "The Journal of Investigative Dermatology" found that topical applications of moisturizers such as Dermabase, Dermovan, Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream, Vanicream, or other lotions containing Mineral Oil could increase skin cancer risk.

In the study mice were irradiated with UVB, basically receiving a sunburn, and were treated with the mineral oil containing moisturizers exhibited a significant increase in their rate of tumor formation and increase in tumor size per mouse. Treatment of the mice with these lotions for 17 weeks increased the total number of tumors by 69 percent.

Mineral oil is a known carcinogen and applying it to sunburned skin appears to greatly increase this effect.

In light of the potential tumorigenic effects of mineral oil on UVB-exposed skin, it stands to reason that this is NOT an ingredient you want in your suntan lotion or tanning oil. However, that's just what you'll find in many tanning products. Unfortunately, just because you don't see it on the label, it doesn't mean it's not in there. Mineral oil has countless different names, but each has the same effect... one you'll want to stay away from!

Alternate names include:

Adepsine oil
Albolene
Drakeol
Lignite oil
Liquid paraffin / paraffin oil
Mineral seal oil
Petrolatum
White oil
Baby oil

Mineral oil also clogs your pores and can cause blackheads as well as preventing the absorption of any beneficial ingredients which may be in the products.

I think back on my high school and college days laying on the beach slathered in baby oil.

We're fortunate now though that our skin care line doesn't contain any mineral oil, by any name.

FDA Finally Classifies Formaldehyde as a Carcinogen.

2011-06-15T09:13:00.000-06:00

Formaldehyde is best known as embalming fluid but it is found in many household products including your hair care, skin care, and body care products! It is also found in pressed wood products like particle board. When you walk into a new house under construction that new house smell is formaldehyde.

The FDA just recently added formaldehyde to its list of chemicals known to cause cancer, not that might cause cancer, but does cause cancer. Here is the report from the Department of Health and Human Services http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12

When you look at products you put on your skin you won't see formaldehyde listed as an ingredient because nobody would buy a product with that listed, but there are a number of common chemicals which degrade and breakdown fairly readily and when they break down they release formaldehyde. The most popular chemicals are:

Quaternium 15
2-bromo-2nitropropane-1,3-dio
Diazolidinyl urea
Imidazolidinyl urea
DMDM Hydantoin

If you see these listed on the label, then you're exposing formaldehyde directly to your skin daily.

The skin care product we use and recommend is free from all formaldehyde releasing agents as well as parabens. It also doesn't use irritating natural oils, like tea tree, grapefruit oil, etc. These aren't harmful, but they are irritating to the skin. I won't mention product names here, but email me at my address below and I'll give you information where you can find this product.

Broccoli proven to prevent cancer, particularly prostate and breast cancer.

2011-06-10T17:49:00.000-06:00

Information from Oregon State University

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Sulforaphane, one of the primary phytochemicals in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables that helps them prevent cancer, has been shown for the first time to selectively target and kill cancer cells while leaving normal prostate cells healthy and unaffected.

The findings, made by scientists in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, are another important step forward for the potential use of sulforaphone in cancer prevention and treatment. Clinical prevention trials are already under way for its use in these areas, particularly prostate and breast cancer.

It appears that sulforaphane, which is found at fairly high levels in broccoli, cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, or HDAC enzymes. HDAC inhibition is one of the more promising fields of cancer treatment and is being targeted from both a pharmaceutical and dietary approach, scientists say.

“It’s important to demonstrate that sulforaphane is safe if we propose to use it in cancer prevention or therapies,” said Emily Ho, a principal investigator in the Linus Pauling Institute, lead author on the study and associate professor in the OSU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.

“Just because a phytochemical or nutrient is found in food doesn’t always mean its safe, and a lot can also depend on the form or levels consumed,” Ho said. “But this does appear to be a phytochemical that can selectively kill cancer cells, and that’s always what you look for in cancer therapies.”

The findings were published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, a professional journal. Research was supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the OSU Agricultural Experiment Station.

The Linus Pauling Institute has conducted some of the leading studies on sulforaphane’s role as an HDAC inhibitor – one, but not all, of the mechanisms by which it may help prevent cancer. HDACs are a family of enzymes that, among other things, affect access to DNA and play a role in whether certain genes are expressed or not, such as tumor suppressor genes.

Some of the mechanisms that help prevent inappropriate cell growth – the hallmark of cancer – are circumvented in cancer cells. HDAC inhibitors can help “turn on” these silenced genes and restore normal cellular function.

Previous OSU studies done with mouse models showed that prostate tumor growth was slowed by a diet containing sulforaphane.

“It is well documented that sulforaphane can target cancer cells through multiple chemopreventive mechanisms,” the researchers wrote in their study. “Here we show for the first time that sulforaphane selectively targets benign hyperplasia cells and cancerous prostate cells while leaving the normal prostate cells unaffected.”

“These findings regarding the relative safety of sulforaphane to normal tissues have significant clinical relevance as the use of sulforaphane moves towards use in human clinical trials,” they said.

The results also suggest that consumption of sulforaphane-rich foods should be non-toxic, safe, simple and affordable.

It is hard to eat broccoli several times a day, so I take a daily multivitamin which includes broccoli phytochemicals.

Lack of Prenatal Vitamin Use Linked to Autism

2011-05-27T17:15:00.002-06:00

Women who didn’t take prenatal vitamins early in pregnancy had an elevated risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Rebecca J. Schmidt, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, says the researchers collected data from approximately 700 California families with children ages 2-5, who had autism or typical development. The autism diagnoses were confirmed through testing at the UC Davis MIND Institute, Schmidt says.

Women who participated in the study were asked by telephone whether they took prenatal vitamins, multivitamins or other supplements at any time during the three months prior to and during their pregnancies and during breastfeeding.

“Mothers of children with autism were significantly less likely than those of typically developing children to report having taken prenatal vitamins during the three months before and the first month of pregnancy,” Schmidt says in a statement.

The study, scheduled to be published in the journal Epidemiology in July, found for women with a particular high-risk genetic makeup who reported not taking prenatal vitamins, the estimated risk of having a child with autism was as much as seven times greater than in women who did report taking prenatal vitamins, but who had more favorable gene variants.

So more good reasons to take supplements before you become pregnant and when you are pregnant. But which to take? There was a study done at the University of Maryland of the nine most popular prescription prenatal vitamins and it turned out that only three of the nine tablet dissolved! That means that six out of nine are useless. if they don’t dissolve in a reasonable time, they won’t be absorbed. Here is how you can test yours to see if they dissolve: Look for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal of approval on your vitamin, which means it meets dissolution standards and do this at-home test: Put your vitamin in a half cup of vinegar and stir gently every five minutes or so. Within 20-30 minutes, it should be either dissolved or at least separated into tiny particles. If it doesn’t dissolve, then it is a waste of money and you aren’t getting the benefits.

Dr. Ray Strand recommends that women forgo the specific prenatal vitamin as they are usually nothing more than a low quality multivitamin with extra folic acid. Instead he puts his patients on a high quality pharmaceutical grade with optimal levels of all nutrients.

Low vitamin D levels linked to prediabetes and prehypertension

2011-05-25T17:11:00.000-06:00

Prediabetes and prehypertension have been associated with low vitamin D levels. In a recent issue of the journal Diabetes Care, scientists report a correlation between reduced vitamin D levels and prediabetes and prehypertension in adults. Both prediabetes and prehypertension are estimated to exist in at least one-fourth of disease-free adults.

Researchers analyzed data from 898 men and 813 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2006. Blood pressure measurements were obtained during examinations conducted upon enrollment, and blood samples were evaluated for glucose, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors.

Prediabetes was defined as having a fasting serum glucose of between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter, and prehypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg. Prediabetes was 33 percent higher among those with vitamin D levels of 76.3 nmol/l (30.5 ng/ml) or less compared to those with higher levels. Prehypertension was evident in 61 percent of those with the lower vitamin D levels. Participants with undiagnosed diabetes and untreated hypertension had even lower vitamin D levels on average. Serum vitamin D levels tended to decline with increasing age and body mass.

When the risk of having both conditions was considered, those with low vitamin D levels had 2.4 times the risk of that experienced by subjects with higher vitamin D levels.

It is reasonable that among those with prediabetes or prehypertension, vitamin D supplementation resulting in increased serum vitamin D levels may help reverse subtle changes in fasting serum glucose and resting blood pressure that may lead to more advanced disease states.

Alok K. Gupta, MD, Meghan M. Brashear, MPH and William D. Johnson, PHD. Prediabetes and Prehypertension in Healthy Adults Are Associated With Low Vitamin D Levels. Diabetes Care March 2011 vol. 34 no. 3 658-660.