Carotenoids Inhibit Oxidative DNA Damage

Protection against oxidative DNA damage in lymphocytes and the many chronic, degenerative diseases it can cause, is achieved by various carotenoids, according to a study published in the January issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Jean Mayer Research Center at Tufts University, in conjunction with scientists from the Instituto Chimico Farmaceutico Tossicologice, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, and BASF, investigated the effects of dietary carotenoids in 37 healthy, nonsmoking postmenopausal women aged 50 to 70.

In the randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, the women were randomly assigned to one of five distinct groups of women and given either a daily dose of mixed carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene: 4 mg each), 12 mg of a single carotenoid (beta-carotene, lutein or lycopene) or placebo for a total of 56 days. Researchers analyzed plasma concentrations and measured lymphocyte DNA damaged.

Following the supplementation period, each carotenoid group exhibited significantly reduced DNA damage, whereas the placebo group showed no improvement. Both mixed carotenoid and the beta-carotene groups further displayed significantly less oxidative DNA damage as early as 15 days into supplementation.

Scientists concluded that significant reductions in oxidative DNA damage can be achieved by supplementation with 12 mg per day of individual carotenoids or with 12 mg total of mixed carotenoids—4 mg each of lutein, beta-carotene and lycopene.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 83(1):163-169, 2006

Green Tea and Longevity

Everyone wants to lead a long and healthy life. Now it appears that green tea can help you achieve your goals. A study completed by a research team from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that green tea “reduced mortality due to all causes.”

At the beginning of the study, researchers noted “Green tea polyphenols have been extensively studied as cardiovascular disease and cancer chemopreventive agents in vitro and in animal studies. However, the effects of green tea consumption in humans remains unclear.” So they decided to “investigate the associations between green tea consumption and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.”

Researchers began the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort Study in 1994 among 40,530 Japanese adults aged 40 to 79 years without a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer. Participants were followed for up to 11 years for all-cause mortality and for up to seven years for cause-specific mortality. Study participants lived in northeastern Japan, where green tea is a popular beverage.

More than 4,000 of the participants died over the total 11 years of follow-up. During the seven years of the study that focused on specific causes, 892 people died from cardiovascular disease and 1,134 from cancer.

Comparing death rates and green tea consumption, the research team found that individuals who drank five or more cups per day had a risk of death from all causes that was 16% lower than people drinking less than one cup per day. Deaths from cardiovascular disease were 26% lower for tea drinkers, compared to those who avoided the beverage. Green tea appeared to have no effect on cancer risk, however in this particular study.

Women fared even better in the study. Women who drank five or more cups of green tea per day had a 31% lower risk of death from heart disease and stroke death compared to women who drank less than a cup a day.

Journal of the American Medical Association 296(10):1255-1265, 2006

Healthy Fun Facts!

Fact #1:
Why are all dumb blonde jokes one-liners?

So men can remember them.
Low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) -- the "good" cholesterol -- in middle age may increase the risk of memory loss and lead to dementia later in life, researchers have recently reported. "Memory problems are key in the diagnosis of dementia," said Archana Singh-Manoux, Ph.D., lead author of the study and Senior Research Fellow with the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM, France) and the University College London in England. "We found that a low level of HDL may be a risk factor for memory loss in late midlife. This suggests that low HDL cholesterol might also be a risk factor for dementia."

DFH carries several products that may help with supporting healthy lipid balance such as our Chromium Synergy.

Source: Low HDL Cholesterol Is a Risk Factor for Deficit and Decline in Memory in Midlife. The Whitehall II Study.

Fact #2:
I’m nuts for almonds.
Recently published work by the Institute of Food Research has identified potential prebiotic properties of almonds that could help improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria. The study found that finely ground almonds significantly increased the levels of certain beneficial gut bacteria. This effect was not seen when the fat content was removed from the almond preparation, suggesting that the beneficial bacteria use the almond lipid for growth, and this is the basis for the prebiotic effect of almonds.

DFH’s Chocolate flavor and Vanilla Almond PaleoBars contain almond butter and FOS to help insure GI health.

Source: Investigation of the potential prebiotic properties of almond (Amygdalus communis L.) seeds.

Fact #3:
The key to breast health may be in your head…
Low melatonin levels are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to a prospective case-control study. The researchers found that women with the lowest levels of melatonin had a statistically significantly higher incidence of breast cancer than those with the highest levels.

To learn more about hormones, hormone testing and subsequent therapies, please click here to listen to Wednesday’s Clinical Rounds discussion with Dr. Dan Gleason.

Source: Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Fact #4:
…or it may be in your glass.
Resveratrol, the polyphenol found in grape skins and seeds and in wine, was found to have aromatase inhibitory qualities in breast cancer cell lines. In past studies, resveratrol, which has a structural similarity to estrogen, has shown agonistic and antagonistic properties on estrogen receptors. Here, resveratrol demonstrated aromatase inhibition at both the enzyme and mRNA levels.

This is one of the many reasons DFH included resveratrol in our FemGuard + Balance product designed to not only balance hormones but help to ward off estrogen- dependent cancers. DFH’s Resveratrol Synergy contains 200 mg of resveratrol per capsule and also contains 200 mg. of quercetin per capsule.

Source: The red wine polyphenol resveratrol displays bilevel inhibition on aromatase in breast cancer cells.

Fact #5:
You may want to add some EGCg to your cardiovascular protocol.
A study found that the consumption of green tea rapidly improves the function of (endothelial) cells lining the circulatory system; endothelial dysfunction is a key event in the progression of atherosclerosis. The study was a randomised trial involving the diameter measurement (dilatation) of the brachial artery of healthy volunteers on three separate occasions - after taking green tea, caffeine, and hot water (for a placebo effect). The measurements were taken at 30, 90 and 120 minutes after consumption.

Results showed that endothelium-dependent brachial artery dilatation increased significantly after drinking green tea, with a peak increase of 3.9 per cent 30 minutes after consumption.

Source: The acute effect of green tea consumption on endothelial function in healthy individuals.

Healthy Fun Facts!

Fact #1:
Maybe I’m wrong, but I believe Superman’s x-ray vision may have come from these.
Scientists have identified the protein responsible for transporting nutrients to the eye that are believed to protect against the development of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss in elderly Americans. According to the study, the protein SR-B1, or scavenger receptor class B, type 1, plays a central role in transporting the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin from the bloodstream to cells in the eye. Various studies have suggested that high concentrations of these two dietary compounds in particular, known as xanthophylls, have properties that can prevent macular degeneration.

The recommended dose of DFH’s OcuForce contains 10mgs of Xangold Lutein Esters and 2mgs of Zeaxanthin Esters.

Source: Xanthophylls are preferentially taken up compared with {beta}-carotene by retinal cells via a SRBI-dependent mechanism.

Fact #2:
Aren’t the Laker’s looking for a center who can rebound?
Zinc has been shown to induce growth in short children with zinc deficiency according to a Japanese study.

Source: Mild to moderate zinc deficiency in short children: effect of zinc supplementation on linear growth velocity.



Fact #3:
Eating less is not only good for the waste line but also good for the planet.
A healthier diet and a return to traditional farming can help reduce energy consumption in US food system by 50 percent says a recent study. According to the study, individuals should eat less, especially considering that the average American consumes an estimated 3,747 calories a day, a staggering 1200-1500 calories over recommendations. Traditional American diets are high in animal products and junk and processed foods in particular, which by their nature use more energy than that used to produce staple foods such as potatoes, rice, fruits and vegetables. By just reducing junk food intake and converting to diets lower in meat, the average American could have a massive impact on fuel consumption as well as improving his or her health.

Source: Reducing Energy Inputs in the US Food System

Fact #4:
This mushroom may not make good soup but… The medicinal mushroom reishi or gandoderma lucidum is a known immunmodulator and has potent antioxidant properties. In a recent study water extracts of demonstrated chemopreventive properties in bladder cell DNA.

DFH’s Immunitone Plus contains 4 different immunomodulating medicinal mushroom species.

Source: The dual roles of Ganoderma antioxidants on urothelial cell DNA under carcinogenic attack.

Fact #5:
More on the mercury scourge.
A recent paper is one of the first, if not the first, to offer scientific documentation of the infiltration of mercury from a contaminated body of water into a purely terrestrial ecosystem. “In bodies of water affected by mercury, it’s always been assumed that only birds or wildlife that ate fish would be in danger,” said Professor Cristol, an associate professor in William and Mary’s Department of Biology. “But we’ve now opened up the possibility that mercury levels could be very high in the surrounding terrestrial habitat, as well. It’s not just about the fish, the people who eat the fish and the animals that eat the fish. We’ve also got to look at a strip of habitat all the way around the lake or river that is affected.”

“The birds eat a lot of spiders. Spiders are like little tiny wolves, basically, and they’ll bioaccumulate lots of contaminants in the environment. The spiders have a lot of mercury in them and are delivering the mercury to these songbirds,” Cristol said. “The question that remains is this: How are the spiders getting their mercury?”


Source: The movement of aquatic mercury through terrestrial food webs.

Fish Oils and Low Calorie Diet May Reduce the Risk of Inflammation

By: iHealthTube, S. - 4/2/2008


A diet high in fish oil and low in calories could reduce markers of inflammation by up to 90%, according to a study published in the journal Life Sciences.

The study looked at the effects of fish oil and/or low-calorie diets on markers of inflammation-such as lipid oxidation levels and concentrations of superoxides, prostaglandins and leukotriene B4-in both young and old mice. The animals received either corn oil or fish oil and those on calorie-restricted diets received the same dosages of corn oil or fish oil as did the controls.

Older mice on the corn oil diet had superoxide levels about 18% higher than their younger counterparts. Younger mice on the calorie-restricted diet had superoxide levels about 35% lower, while for those on the fish oil diet the decrease was about 60%. In calorie-restricted younger mice consuming fish oil, superoxide levels were decreased by 90%.

Life Sciences 78(21):2523-2532, 2006