Keverne's Fun Facts-August 8,2008

Fact #1:
My colon is nuts for almonds.
According to a recent study almonds have been found to possess prebiotic effects, increasing populations of bifidobacteria and Eubacterium rectale more effectively than commercial prebiotics.

DFH’s PaleoBars contain almonds and almond butter giving them an additional benefit beyond their low glycemic, high protein profile.

Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2008, p. 4264-4270, Vol. 74, No. 14
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.00739-08
American Society for Microbiology

Fact #2:
Is there anything that green tea doesn’t do
In a study done at the University of Connecticut by Dr. Richard Bruno, green tea extract was shown to protect against the development of hepatic steatosis and reduce hepatic injury in mouse models. This finding suggests that green tea extract may be used as a potential dietary strategy for preventing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.


Source: Green Tea Extract Protects Leptin-Deficient,Spontaneously Obese Mice from Hepatic
Steatosis and Injury1,2
Richard S. Bruno,3* Christine E. Dugan,3 Joan A. Smyth,4 Dana A. DiNatale,3 and Sung I. Koo3
Departments of 3Nutritional Sciences and 4Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-4017

Fact #3:
“Hey doc! There’s something buggy going on with my stomach.”
In patients who've had surgery for stomach cancer, removing Helicobacter pylori bacteria from the stomach greatly reduces the risk of cancer recurrence, a Japanese study finds.

"The results of our study suggest that treatment to eradicate H. pylori reduces the risk of developing new gastric carcinoma in patients who have a history of such disease and are thus at risk for developing further gastric cancers we believe that our data add to those from previous studies showing a causal relationship between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer, and also support the use of H. pylori eradication to prevent the development of gastric cancer," the researchers concluded.

GastroMend-HP was specifically designed to eradicate Helicobacter pylori from the stomach.

Source: Is it time to screen and treat H pylori to prevent gastric cancer?
Nicholas J Talley
The Lancet - Vol. 372, Issue 9636, 2 August 2008, Pages 350-352

Fact #4:
Taking a stand for our children.
A new Federal Trade Commission report has revealed that food and beverage corporations spent $1.6 billion dollars in food advertising in 2006. As parents and public health officials understand, the nation's alarming surge in childhood obesity and diabetes are directly related to increased consumption of junk food. Senator Tom Harkin has urged industry and government regulators to redirect the massive funds spent every year in junk food advertising toward education and programs focused on healthy eating.

Source:http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/07/foodmkting.shtm

Fact #5:
Maybe vitamin C, zinc and quercitin can get you into swimsuit shape faster than you thought.
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found the brain's appetite center uses fat for fuel by involving oxygen free radicals—molecules associated with aging and neurodegeneration. The findings, reported in the journal Nature, suggest that antioxidants could play a role in weight control.

"In contrast to the accepted view, the brain does use fat as fuel," said Tamas Horvath, one of the lead authors of the study. "Our study shows that the minute-by-minute control of appetite is regulated by free radicals, implying that if you interfere with free radicals, you may affect eating and satiety."

"The timing of taking antioxidants may be critical for the control of appetite," said coauthor Sabrina Diano. "If taken on an empty stomach antioxidants may further increase appetite, however when taken with food, they may affect satiety.

Source: Andrews et al. UCP2 mediates ghrelin's action on NPY/AgRP neurons by lowering free radicals. Nature, 2008; DOI 10.1038/nature07181

Why did the fish blush?

Fact #1:
Why did the fish blush?

Because he saw the boat’s bottom.
While the medical establishment remains mired in it’s obsession with cholesterol as a risk for heart disease they continue to miss an important and naturally modifiable risk factor by ignoring the fatty acid status of their patients. According to a recent study, testing for omega-3 fatty acid (found primarily in fish and fish oils) status "compares very favorably with other risk factors for sudden cardiac death."


Source: Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: a case for omega-3 index as a new risk factor.

Fact #2:
No problem. Just give ‘em some Vioxx.
The FDA has issued a new warning that a popular class of osteoporosis drugs may lead to severe, chronic and even permanent pain in muscles, joints and bones. But according to the FDA, many doctors do not appear to be aware that the drugs may be linked to severe pain in their patients.

The bisphosphonate drug family includes Merck's Fosamax; Roche and Glaxo SmithKline's Boniva; Novartis' Aredia, Zometa and Reclast (marketed as Aclasta outside the United States); Procter & Gamble's Didronel; Sanofi-Aventis' Skelid; and Actonel, sold by Procter & Gamble and Sanofi-Aventis.

Source: FDA Information on Bisphosphonates

Please click here to access DFH’s protocol for osteoporosis.

Fact #3:
Antioxidants for diabetics can mean anti-memory loss.
Daily doses of 1000 mg of vitamin C and 800 IU of vitamin E improved mental function after carbohydrate-rich meals and may protect against memory loss, according to a small study with 16 diabetics published in the journal Nutrition Research. "Results from this study suggest that postprandial oxidative stress is a potential contributor because deficits in [cognitive performance] after test meal consumption could be minimized by co-consumption of the test meal with high doses of antioxidant vitamins," wrote Michael Chui and Carol Greenwood from the University of Toronto.

Source: Antioxidant vitamins reduce acute meal-induced memory deficits in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Fact #4:
Adding more fuel to the mercury fire.
A newly published study of Texas school district data and industrial mercury-release data, conducted by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, indeed shows a statistically significant link between pounds of industrial release of mercury and increased autism rates. It also shows -- for the first time in scientific literature -- a statistically significant association between autism risk and distance from the mercury source.

To learn more about autism, please click here to listen to last Wednesday’s Clinical Rounds discussion with Kelly Barnhill, CCN.

Source: Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism prevalence.

Fact #5:
“You’re getting sleepy…your eyes are getting heavy…sleepy, sleepy…you are now asleep. NOW WAKE UP, PUT THAT SHOT AND MAKE US PROUD!!”
According to a research abstract that was presented on June 9 at the SLEEP 2008 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, getting extra sleep over an extended period of time improves athletic performance, mood and alertness.

“These results begin to elucidate the importance of sleep on athletic performance and, more specifically, how sleep is a significant factor in achieving peak athletic performance,” said lead author Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory. “While this study focuses specifically on collegiate swimmers, it agrees with data from my other studies of different sports and suggests that athletes across all sports can greatly benefit from extra sleep and gain the additional competitive edge to perform at their highest level.”

Source: Extra Sleep Improves Athletic Performance.

Healthy Fun Facts from Designs for Health

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.