Adding gold kiwifruit to your diet may lead to less suffering from symptoms of common illnesses such as colds, research suggests.
A study led by Plant & Food Research has shown that eating gold kiwifruit is beneficial in reducing some cold symptoms in healthy, older people (65 years+). The research, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, shows that eating gold kiwifruit daily significantly reduced the duration and severity of some cold symptoms, including sore throats and head congestion.
“This study shows that the micronutrients provided by regular eating of gold kiwifruit appear to be important in reducing symptoms of colds and other upper respiratory infections,” says Dr Denise Hunter, one of the researchers involved with the study. “While we do not know what compounds produce these results, these findings suggest that eating gold kiwifruit on a regular basis throughout the winter period may reduce the severity of some cold symptoms.”
“This study shows that eating certain fruits can have measurable effects on the health and wellness of an individual,” says Dr Kieran Elborough, General Manager Science, Food Innovation. “This research demonstrates that gold kiwifruit are a functional whole food, providing a level of protection against the symptoms of cold and flu. This supports our ongoing research into functional foods from fruits and vegetables that enhance the wellness of individuals, either as whole foods or as functional ingredients.”
The 20 week study was conducted over the winter and spring period, and tracked the health of 37 healthy older people. The participants were asked to eat four ZESPRI® GOLD Kiwifruit daily for four weeks then switch to banana (or vice versa) with a four week kiwifruit/banana free period prior to each treatment period. Blood samples were tested for levels of plasma antioxidants and changes to immune function at the beginning, end and every four weeks throughout the study.
The results showed a reduction in self-reported cold symptoms with gold kiwifruit compared to banana, with sore throat symptoms reducing from 5.4 to 2.0 days and head congestion from 4.7 to 0.9 days. Head congestion symptoms were also reported to be less severe during the gold kiwifruit period. Consumption of gold kiwifruit also led to higher concentrations of plasma vitamin C and antioxidants, as well as maintaining normal levels of plasma immune and inflammatory factors.
The research was funded by ZESPRI® International Limited, and was conducted in association with the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health at Massey University. ‘Hort16A’, marketed as ZESPRI® Gold Kiwifruit, was developed by Plant & Food Research, and the Institute receives a royalty based on sales.
A presentation of the research, recorded at the Functional Food Symposium 2011, can be found at www.youtube.com/plantandfood.
Denise C. Hunter, Margot A. Skinner, Frances M. Wolber, Chris L. Booth, Jacelyn M. S. Loh, Mark Wohlers, Lesley M. Stevenson and Marlena C. Kruger Consumption of gold kiwifruit reduces severity and duration of selected upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and increases plasma vitamin C concentration in healthy older adults. British Journal of Nutrition, Available on CJO 2011 doi:10.1017/S0007114511006659
Related posts:
Gold kiwifruit reduces cold symptoms
Aged garlic shortens cold and flu duration
Green tea supplements beat flu better than vaccinations
Tamiflu-resistant flu virus spreading in Australia
Top 5 anti-flu herbs
Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1112/S00075/gold-kiwifruit-each-day-reduce-cold-symptoms.htm
Welcome to my collection of health articles. Most of them contain little nuggets of health wisdom that we can easily apply to our daily lives. As you can gather, I've been consuming all sorts of supplements over the years, most of them from iherb. They deliver on time (DHL), and prices are good. If you're a first-time buyer, use my code 'pot089' to enjoy up to $10 off.
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Eggs offer many health benefits
Perhaps you've skipped this breakfast gem for fear of raising your
cholesterol. Free yourself from that misconception and indulge in the
treasure that a good ol' egg has to offer. Three eggs per day over a
12-week period for obese participants on a carbohydrate restricted diet
actually lowered the bad LDL cholesterol and raised the good HDL(1).
Another study showed that two eggs per day for six weeks did not affect
cholesterol levels or brachial artery endothelial function (2). Yet
another study demonstrated that people eating equal to or more than 4
eggs per week had lower cholesterol levels than those eating less than
or one egg per week (3).
That aside, eggs are packed with vitamins A, D, E, B2, B6, B9, iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and choline (4). Now, when you think choline, think brains and babies. One egg supplies 20% of the daily recommended intake of choline, and it is used as a building block for phospholipids used in all cell membranes and is particularly integral in brain and nerve health. Share with all pregnant women you know that choline from eggs is essential for proper fetal brain development and decreased neural tube defects, and it is a necessary constituent in breast milk. In addition, choline proves important in: memory function, reducing breast cancer risk, and maintaining normal homocysteine levels. It also lowers: plasma C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin 6. In fact, in one study, lack of dietary choline resulted in fatty liver, muscle damage and some organ dysfunction (5).
Lutein and zeaxanthin are the carotenoids that imbue the bright sunshine to the yolk, so think eyes and a healthy macula when the rays beam your way. Lutein levels from eggs beat both cooked spinach and lutein supplements by three times in blood serum, and 12 weeks of eating eggs increased subjects' zeaxanthin serum levels and macular pigment (6,7).
Tryptophan and tyrosine are two amino acid egg antioxidants. Tryptophan, with a little help from a carbohydrate meal, crosses the blood brain barrier and is converted to serotonin. Serotonin, a potent mood enhancer (as many anti-depressants induce elevated levels of) can be then converted in the pineal gland to melatonin, which promotes sleepiness(8). Tyrosine is a precursor to epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine and thyroid hormones all modulating your go-go, good feelings, and alertness.
Now before you go out and buy out the market, keep in mind that pasture raised, free-grazing hens produce a superior quality egg and are less prone to salmonella contamination (9). Free hens lay eggs with 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta-carotene, 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, and 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids (10).
A great bargain, eggs are easy on the wallet and packed with goodness. So, be brave, be an egghead, and see what these capsules of dense nutrition can do for you.
1.Mutungi G, Ratliff J, Puglisi M, et al. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate-restricted diet. J Nutr 2008;138:272-6.
2.http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...
3.Song WO, Kerver JM. Nutritional contribution of eggs to American diets. J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19:556S-62S.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)
5.http://www.cholineinfo.org/pdf/you_...
6.http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/...
7.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136...
8.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypto...
9. http://www.naturalchoices.co.uk/Sal...
10. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real...
That aside, eggs are packed with vitamins A, D, E, B2, B6, B9, iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and choline (4). Now, when you think choline, think brains and babies. One egg supplies 20% of the daily recommended intake of choline, and it is used as a building block for phospholipids used in all cell membranes and is particularly integral in brain and nerve health. Share with all pregnant women you know that choline from eggs is essential for proper fetal brain development and decreased neural tube defects, and it is a necessary constituent in breast milk. In addition, choline proves important in: memory function, reducing breast cancer risk, and maintaining normal homocysteine levels. It also lowers: plasma C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin 6. In fact, in one study, lack of dietary choline resulted in fatty liver, muscle damage and some organ dysfunction (5).
Lutein and zeaxanthin are the carotenoids that imbue the bright sunshine to the yolk, so think eyes and a healthy macula when the rays beam your way. Lutein levels from eggs beat both cooked spinach and lutein supplements by three times in blood serum, and 12 weeks of eating eggs increased subjects' zeaxanthin serum levels and macular pigment (6,7).
Tryptophan and tyrosine are two amino acid egg antioxidants. Tryptophan, with a little help from a carbohydrate meal, crosses the blood brain barrier and is converted to serotonin. Serotonin, a potent mood enhancer (as many anti-depressants induce elevated levels of) can be then converted in the pineal gland to melatonin, which promotes sleepiness(8). Tyrosine is a precursor to epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine and thyroid hormones all modulating your go-go, good feelings, and alertness.
Now before you go out and buy out the market, keep in mind that pasture raised, free-grazing hens produce a superior quality egg and are less prone to salmonella contamination (9). Free hens lay eggs with 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta-carotene, 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, and 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids (10).
A great bargain, eggs are easy on the wallet and packed with goodness. So, be brave, be an egghead, and see what these capsules of dense nutrition can do for you.
1.Mutungi G, Ratliff J, Puglisi M, et al. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases plasma HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate-restricted diet. J Nutr 2008;138:272-6.
2.http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...
3.Song WO, Kerver JM. Nutritional contribution of eggs to American diets. J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19:556S-62S.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_(food)
5.http://www.cholineinfo.org/pdf/you_...
6.http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/...
7.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136...
8.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypto...
9. http://www.naturalchoices.co.uk/Sal...
10. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real...
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Tamiflu-resistant influenza virus spreading in Australia
A variation of the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) influenza virus that is resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu, Roche) appears to be spreading in Australia, at least in the state of New South Wales, according to a letter to the editor published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The report adds extra weight to a recent analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that shows an uptick in the same oseltamivir-resistant influenza strain in the United States. If such resistance becomes widespread, it would deprive clinicians of a tried and true antiviral drug to treat serious influenza infections.
The 2 new studies on antiviral resistance comes on the heels of a CDC report released December 23 that describes yet another way in which influenza viruses are mutating. The CDC has disclosed that since July 2011, 12 patients have been infected with a swine-origin A(H3N2) virus that borrows a gene from the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus (the latter virus is now considered seasonal, and seasonal influenza vaccines are designed to guard against it).
In the Australian study, 29 (16%) of 182 patients infected with the pandemic influenza virus between May 2011 and August 2011 harbored a version of the virus that was oseltamivir-resistant, write Aeron Hurt, PhD, a researcher at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues. The 182 patients hailed from the New England–Hunter region of New South Wales. Of the 29 patients with the oseltamivir-resistant virus, only 1 had received the antiviral medicine before a virus sample was collected.
According to earlier studies, the oseltamivir-resistant virus is detected in less than 1% of patients with the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus who have not been treated previously with the antiviral. In addition, "transmission has been documented only in closed settings or settings involving close contact with infected persons."
Among the patients with the resistant strain, 2 had shared a short car ride, and 8 belonged to 4 households with 2 members each. The remaining 19 patients had no known epidemiological link with each other. Most of the 29 patients lived within 31 miles of the city of Newcastle.
The virus strains of these 29 patients were closely related, "suggesting the spread of a single variant," Dr. Hurt and colleagues write.
Although the virus was resistant to oseltamivir, it was still susceptible to the antiviral medication zanamivir (Relenza, GlaxoSmithKline).
The Australian study was conducted during that country's influenza season, coinciding with winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The authors write that as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, public health authorities there should rapidly analyze pandemic virus strains from the outset to determine whether an oseltamivir-resistant version is spreading.
Resistant strains in the United States no longer linked to prior drug exposure
Public health authorities in the United States do not need too much nudging to watch for antiviral resistance. On December 19, Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC journal, published an article online reporting that from October 2010 through July 2011, 1.0% of pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus strains tested resistant to oseltamivir, up from 0.5% during the 2009 to 2010 influenza season.
Although the increase is small, the epidemiology behind the numbers suggests a low level of community transmission of the rogue virus, according to the authors. During the 2009 to 2010 influenza season, most patients with the resistant virus had been previously exposed to the antiviral drug, and many were severely immunocompromised, which may have increased the risk of developing resistance during oseltamivir treatment. During the 2010 to 2011 period, however, the opposite was true: most patients with the resistant virus had no history of oseltamivir exposure.
The authors call the rise of pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus strains with oseltamivir resistance "concerning," in light of how prepandemic versions had mutated to gain this edge. They note that the prevalence of such oseltamivir-resistant strains had risen to 12% in the 2007 to 2008 influenza season, and had topped 99% in the 2008 to 2009 season. This increase was not linked to prior exposure to the antiviral drug.
The loss of oseltamivir from the clinical arsenal would leave physicians and patients with only 1 effective antiviral drug, zanamivir, to treat a severe infection caused by the pandemic virus now in seasonal circulation, write the authors. They note that more than 99% of the strains of this virus are "inherently resistant" to the adamantane family of antivirals.
Related posts:
Green tea supplements beat flu better than vaccinations
TCM formula relieves mild H1N1 cases (Swine Flu) as well as Oseltamivir
Outbreak of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 in Australia
New antiviral Laninamivir works against Oseltamivir resistant viruses
Top 5 anti-flu herbs
Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756204?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne
The report adds extra weight to a recent analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that shows an uptick in the same oseltamivir-resistant influenza strain in the United States. If such resistance becomes widespread, it would deprive clinicians of a tried and true antiviral drug to treat serious influenza infections.
The 2 new studies on antiviral resistance comes on the heels of a CDC report released December 23 that describes yet another way in which influenza viruses are mutating. The CDC has disclosed that since July 2011, 12 patients have been infected with a swine-origin A(H3N2) virus that borrows a gene from the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus (the latter virus is now considered seasonal, and seasonal influenza vaccines are designed to guard against it).
In the Australian study, 29 (16%) of 182 patients infected with the pandemic influenza virus between May 2011 and August 2011 harbored a version of the virus that was oseltamivir-resistant, write Aeron Hurt, PhD, a researcher at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues. The 182 patients hailed from the New England–Hunter region of New South Wales. Of the 29 patients with the oseltamivir-resistant virus, only 1 had received the antiviral medicine before a virus sample was collected.
According to earlier studies, the oseltamivir-resistant virus is detected in less than 1% of patients with the pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus who have not been treated previously with the antiviral. In addition, "transmission has been documented only in closed settings or settings involving close contact with infected persons."
Among the patients with the resistant strain, 2 had shared a short car ride, and 8 belonged to 4 households with 2 members each. The remaining 19 patients had no known epidemiological link with each other. Most of the 29 patients lived within 31 miles of the city of Newcastle.
The virus strains of these 29 patients were closely related, "suggesting the spread of a single variant," Dr. Hurt and colleagues write.
Although the virus was resistant to oseltamivir, it was still susceptible to the antiviral medication zanamivir (Relenza, GlaxoSmithKline).
The Australian study was conducted during that country's influenza season, coinciding with winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The authors write that as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, public health authorities there should rapidly analyze pandemic virus strains from the outset to determine whether an oseltamivir-resistant version is spreading.
Resistant strains in the United States no longer linked to prior drug exposure
Public health authorities in the United States do not need too much nudging to watch for antiviral resistance. On December 19, Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC journal, published an article online reporting that from October 2010 through July 2011, 1.0% of pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus strains tested resistant to oseltamivir, up from 0.5% during the 2009 to 2010 influenza season.
Although the increase is small, the epidemiology behind the numbers suggests a low level of community transmission of the rogue virus, according to the authors. During the 2009 to 2010 influenza season, most patients with the resistant virus had been previously exposed to the antiviral drug, and many were severely immunocompromised, which may have increased the risk of developing resistance during oseltamivir treatment. During the 2010 to 2011 period, however, the opposite was true: most patients with the resistant virus had no history of oseltamivir exposure.
The authors call the rise of pandemic 2009 A(H1N1) virus strains with oseltamivir resistance "concerning," in light of how prepandemic versions had mutated to gain this edge. They note that the prevalence of such oseltamivir-resistant strains had risen to 12% in the 2007 to 2008 influenza season, and had topped 99% in the 2008 to 2009 season. This increase was not linked to prior exposure to the antiviral drug.
The loss of oseltamivir from the clinical arsenal would leave physicians and patients with only 1 effective antiviral drug, zanamivir, to treat a severe infection caused by the pandemic virus now in seasonal circulation, write the authors. They note that more than 99% of the strains of this virus are "inherently resistant" to the adamantane family of antivirals.
Related posts:
Green tea supplements beat flu better than vaccinations
TCM formula relieves mild H1N1 cases (Swine Flu) as well as Oseltamivir
Outbreak of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 in Australia
New antiviral Laninamivir works against Oseltamivir resistant viruses
Top 5 anti-flu herbs
Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756204?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne
Yerba Mate linked to higher bone density in women
Postmenopausal women who consumed yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis)
tea had higher bone mineral density (BMD) compared with women who did
not drink the tea, Andrea Conforti, MD, from the Program for the
Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis in Mendoza, Argentina, and colleagues report in the January 2012 issue of Bone.
Yerba mate is a xanthine-containing beverage that is popular in South America. It may be prepared as an infusion of dried leaves steeped in hot water and then filtered. More commonly, it is consumed through a metal straw inserted into a dried gourd containing the leaves, over which hot water is poured repeatedly, and it was these users who were included in the study. By this method, the tea contains caffeine at a concentration of about 330 mg/L.
In this cross-sectional, observational study, investigators identified postmenopausal women in the osteoporosis program who drank at least 1 L of yerba mate tea daily for at least 5 years (n = 146) and matched them by age and time since menopause with an equal number of women who did not drink yerba mate tea. Both groups were fairly sedentary, defined as not being in a program of physical exercise.
The 2 groups were well matched for age, time since menopause, height, body mass, and calcium intake. However, the tea drinkers had a body mass index 1.1 kg/m2 greater than the nondrinkers.
Current or former cigarette smokers, women who consumed more than 50 g of alcohol per week, those currently receiving hormone replacement therapy, those who had received bisphosphonate treatment for more than 6 months, or those who received chronic corticosteroid treatment were excluded.
One of the investigators, who was blinded to the yerba mate drinking status of each participant, performed the analysis of all the BMD measurements.
Measuring BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the researchers found that the tea drinkers had 9.7% greater lumbar spine BMD compared with non–tea drinkers (0.952 g/cm2 vs 0.858 g/cm2, respectively; P < .0001), as well as 6.2% greater femoral neck BMD (0.817 g/cm2 vs 0.776 g/cm2, respectively; P = .0002). By a multiple regression analysis, the researchers found that in addition to body mass index, drinking yerba mate tea was the only variable that significantly correlated with BMD at these sites (P = .0028).
Although the yerba mate group had higher lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD at all ages compared with control patients, the slopes of the regression lines for BMD vs age did not differ between the groups, indicating that loss of BMD over time was similar for the tea-drinkers and the control participants.
At the time of DXA scanning, the number of low-impact bone fractures was similar between the groups (13 for tea drinkers and 17 for control patients; P = .5637).
The authors conclude that chronic consumption of yerba mate tea was associated with greater BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, "suggesting a protective effect of this tea on bone mass of postmenopausal women." They also note that their earlier hypothesis that yerba mate consumption, based on other investigators' reports of a deleterious effect of caffeine on BMD, "should be rejected."
Limitations of the study are its retrospective nature, participants' self-reports of yerba mate consumption, and that the study participants were a selected population of postmenopausal women in a program for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis. Results may not be generalizable to younger women, men, or children.
The study was supported by Obra Social de Empleados Públicos, Mendoza, Argentina. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756242?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne
Yerba mate is a xanthine-containing beverage that is popular in South America. It may be prepared as an infusion of dried leaves steeped in hot water and then filtered. More commonly, it is consumed through a metal straw inserted into a dried gourd containing the leaves, over which hot water is poured repeatedly, and it was these users who were included in the study. By this method, the tea contains caffeine at a concentration of about 330 mg/L.
In this cross-sectional, observational study, investigators identified postmenopausal women in the osteoporosis program who drank at least 1 L of yerba mate tea daily for at least 5 years (n = 146) and matched them by age and time since menopause with an equal number of women who did not drink yerba mate tea. Both groups were fairly sedentary, defined as not being in a program of physical exercise.
The 2 groups were well matched for age, time since menopause, height, body mass, and calcium intake. However, the tea drinkers had a body mass index 1.1 kg/m2 greater than the nondrinkers.
Current or former cigarette smokers, women who consumed more than 50 g of alcohol per week, those currently receiving hormone replacement therapy, those who had received bisphosphonate treatment for more than 6 months, or those who received chronic corticosteroid treatment were excluded.
One of the investigators, who was blinded to the yerba mate drinking status of each participant, performed the analysis of all the BMD measurements.
Measuring BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the researchers found that the tea drinkers had 9.7% greater lumbar spine BMD compared with non–tea drinkers (0.952 g/cm2 vs 0.858 g/cm2, respectively; P < .0001), as well as 6.2% greater femoral neck BMD (0.817 g/cm2 vs 0.776 g/cm2, respectively; P = .0002). By a multiple regression analysis, the researchers found that in addition to body mass index, drinking yerba mate tea was the only variable that significantly correlated with BMD at these sites (P = .0028).
Although the yerba mate group had higher lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD at all ages compared with control patients, the slopes of the regression lines for BMD vs age did not differ between the groups, indicating that loss of BMD over time was similar for the tea-drinkers and the control participants.
At the time of DXA scanning, the number of low-impact bone fractures was similar between the groups (13 for tea drinkers and 17 for control patients; P = .5637).
The authors conclude that chronic consumption of yerba mate tea was associated with greater BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, "suggesting a protective effect of this tea on bone mass of postmenopausal women." They also note that their earlier hypothesis that yerba mate consumption, based on other investigators' reports of a deleterious effect of caffeine on BMD, "should be rejected."
Limitations of the study are its retrospective nature, participants' self-reports of yerba mate consumption, and that the study participants were a selected population of postmenopausal women in a program for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis. Results may not be generalizable to younger women, men, or children.
The study was supported by Obra Social de Empleados Públicos, Mendoza, Argentina. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756242?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne
Red meat consumption linked to kidney cancer risk
People who eat lots of red meat
may have a higher risk of some types of kidney cancer, suggests a large
U.S. study.
Previous studies examining the link between red meat and kidney cancer arrived at mixed conclusions, according to Dr. Carrie Daniel, from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and her colleagues.
For their study they used data on close to 500,000 U.S. adults age 50 and older, who were surveyed on their dietary habits, including meat consumption, and then followed for an average of nine years.
During that time, about 1,800 of them – less than half a percent – were diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. Those cases included 498 clear cell and 115 papillary adenocarcinomas, the researchers reported online December 14 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
On average, men in the study ate two or three ounces of red meat per day, compared to one or two ounces among women. Participants in the top quintile of red meat consumption – about four ounces per day – were 19% more likely to be diagnosed with kidney cancer than those in the bottom quintile, eating less than one ounce per day.
That was after accounting for other aspects of diet and lifestyle that could have influenced cancer risks, such as age, race, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking and drinking and other medical conditions including high blood pressure and diabetes.
When the researchers looked at the most common types of kidney cancers, they found that the association between red meat and cancer was stronger for papillary cancers, but there was no effect for clear-cell kidney cancers.
People who ate the most well-done grilled and barbecued meat – and therefore had the highest exposure to carcinogenic chemicals from the cooking process – also had an extra risk of kidney cancer compared to those who didn't eat meat cooked that way.
Dr. Daniel and her colleagues said more research is needed to figure out why red meat may be linked to some types of kidney cancers but not others.
But for now, meat-related cooking chemicals "can be reduced by avoiding direct exposure of meat to an open flame or a hot metal surface, reducing the cooking time, and using a microwave oven to partially cook meat before exposing it to high temperatures," Dr. Daniel told Reuters Health in an email.
"Our findings," she concluded, "support the dietary recommendations for cancer prevention currently put forth by the American Cancer Society – limit intake of red and processed meats and prepare meat by cooking methods such as baking and broiling."
Source:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756157?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne
Previous studies examining the link between red meat and kidney cancer arrived at mixed conclusions, according to Dr. Carrie Daniel, from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and her colleagues.
For their study they used data on close to 500,000 U.S. adults age 50 and older, who were surveyed on their dietary habits, including meat consumption, and then followed for an average of nine years.
During that time, about 1,800 of them – less than half a percent – were diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. Those cases included 498 clear cell and 115 papillary adenocarcinomas, the researchers reported online December 14 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
On average, men in the study ate two or three ounces of red meat per day, compared to one or two ounces among women. Participants in the top quintile of red meat consumption – about four ounces per day – were 19% more likely to be diagnosed with kidney cancer than those in the bottom quintile, eating less than one ounce per day.
That was after accounting for other aspects of diet and lifestyle that could have influenced cancer risks, such as age, race, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking and drinking and other medical conditions including high blood pressure and diabetes.
When the researchers looked at the most common types of kidney cancers, they found that the association between red meat and cancer was stronger for papillary cancers, but there was no effect for clear-cell kidney cancers.
People who ate the most well-done grilled and barbecued meat – and therefore had the highest exposure to carcinogenic chemicals from the cooking process – also had an extra risk of kidney cancer compared to those who didn't eat meat cooked that way.
Dr. Daniel and her colleagues said more research is needed to figure out why red meat may be linked to some types of kidney cancers but not others.
But for now, meat-related cooking chemicals "can be reduced by avoiding direct exposure of meat to an open flame or a hot metal surface, reducing the cooking time, and using a microwave oven to partially cook meat before exposing it to high temperatures," Dr. Daniel told Reuters Health in an email.
"Our findings," she concluded, "support the dietary recommendations for cancer prevention currently put forth by the American Cancer Society – limit intake of red and processed meats and prepare meat by cooking methods such as baking and broiling."
Source:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756157?sssdmh=dm1.747366&src=nldne
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Fisetin helps fight cancer and protects the brain
Fisetin is a unique flavonoid compound found naturally in many fruits and vegetables including strawberries, blueberries and the skin of cucumbers. A wealth of scientific research now explains how a diet packed with raw fruits and vegetables can help prevent amyloid plaque formation in the aging brain and can promote the early destruction of cancer cells by triggering the body's innate immune response.
Researchers reporting in the journal Neuroscience Letters found that fisetin is neuro-protective and helps to maintain normal memory processes while inhibiting plaque formation around synapses. The International Journal of Oncology has published the work of Chinese scientists documenting how fisetin promotes the natural death of potentially malignant breast cancer cells. Fisetin is rapidly emerging as a powerful tool in the arsenal against a number of diseases associated with premature aging.
Fruits and vegetables in their natural state are typically packed with polyphenols; these polyphenols are structurally bioactive and target specific areas of the body or help to lower oxidative stress and inflammation that is behind many disease processes. The brain is particularly sensitive to stress from a high rate of metabolism necessary to oxygenate and fuel the sensitive neurons that control memory and cognition.
Fisetin helps prevent inflammation in the brain to boost memory and cognition
Researchers have found that fisetin operates in a very specific pathway to boost nerve cell glutathione levels and to reduce one of the most damaging free radicals, peroxynitrite. Scientists have determined that the natural compound protects nerve cells from damage during stroke, while at the same time maintaining vital energy production in the brain.
Fisetin also prevents excess activation of specialized glial cells in the brain that helps deter inflammatory nerve damage, excitotoxicity, and declining neurological health. And fisetin reduces amyloid beta fiber accumulation to improve memory and thwart cognitive decline.
In a separate body of research, scientists examined the effect of fisetin from dietary and supplemental sources on breast cancer programmed cell death. Cancer cells normally are detected and destroyed by an alert immune system response. Inflammatory messengers such as TNFa (tumor necrosis factor alpha) allow cancer cells to become cloaked and invisible to our immune system, which prevents cancer cell death through the process known as apoptosis. Fisetin negates the damaging effect of TNFa, reducing systemic inflammation and enabling the normal immune response.
Many health-conscious individuals may not be immediately familiar with fisetin, although they already consume therapeutic quantities from their healthy dietary choices. Nutrition experts recommend including fruits such as strawberries and mangoes as a source of dietary fisetin or supplementing with 50 mg per day to boost memory and high-level brain function and to promote natural cancer cell death.
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034545_fisetin_fruits_cancer.html#ixzz1iOHcCAtO
Researchers reporting in the journal Neuroscience Letters found that fisetin is neuro-protective and helps to maintain normal memory processes while inhibiting plaque formation around synapses. The International Journal of Oncology has published the work of Chinese scientists documenting how fisetin promotes the natural death of potentially malignant breast cancer cells. Fisetin is rapidly emerging as a powerful tool in the arsenal against a number of diseases associated with premature aging.
Fruits and vegetables in their natural state are typically packed with polyphenols; these polyphenols are structurally bioactive and target specific areas of the body or help to lower oxidative stress and inflammation that is behind many disease processes. The brain is particularly sensitive to stress from a high rate of metabolism necessary to oxygenate and fuel the sensitive neurons that control memory and cognition.
Fisetin helps prevent inflammation in the brain to boost memory and cognition
Researchers have found that fisetin operates in a very specific pathway to boost nerve cell glutathione levels and to reduce one of the most damaging free radicals, peroxynitrite. Scientists have determined that the natural compound protects nerve cells from damage during stroke, while at the same time maintaining vital energy production in the brain.
Fisetin also prevents excess activation of specialized glial cells in the brain that helps deter inflammatory nerve damage, excitotoxicity, and declining neurological health. And fisetin reduces amyloid beta fiber accumulation to improve memory and thwart cognitive decline.
In a separate body of research, scientists examined the effect of fisetin from dietary and supplemental sources on breast cancer programmed cell death. Cancer cells normally are detected and destroyed by an alert immune system response. Inflammatory messengers such as TNFa (tumor necrosis factor alpha) allow cancer cells to become cloaked and invisible to our immune system, which prevents cancer cell death through the process known as apoptosis. Fisetin negates the damaging effect of TNFa, reducing systemic inflammation and enabling the normal immune response.
Many health-conscious individuals may not be immediately familiar with fisetin, although they already consume therapeutic quantities from their healthy dietary choices. Nutrition experts recommend including fruits such as strawberries and mangoes as a source of dietary fisetin or supplementing with 50 mg per day to boost memory and high-level brain function and to promote natural cancer cell death.
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034545_fisetin_fruits_cancer.html#ixzz1iOHcCAtO
Selenium may protect against pancreatic cancer
High levels of selenium in the body appear to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in December 2011 in Gut, the journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology.
Pancreatic cancer is particularly lethal. It tends to be diagnosed only in advanced stages and 80% of patients die within a year of diagnosis. Statistics show that only 5% of pancreatic patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. In the US, it is the fourth leading cancer in terms of mortality. For 2011, the National Cancer Institute estimated 44,030 new cases of the disease and 37,660 deaths from this form of cancer.
Nail clippings reveal trace elements
The Gut article was based on a study looking at patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer, the most common form of the disease. An international research team analyzed trace element levels in the toenails of 118 pancreatic cancer patients, comparing them with 399 hospital patients without cancer. Researchers choose this method because nails, especially toenails, are believed to be the most reliable indicators of trace element levels.
Selenium and Nickel Among Non-Cancer Group
Patients without cancer exhibited high levels of selenium in their toenail clippings. Selenium boosts immune system function and reduces inflammation. Previous studies have shown selenium can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, broccoli, spinach, oily fish like tuna and sardines, molasses, mushrooms and garlic are all good sources of selenium. Levels of selenium can also vary geographically. Produce and livestock grown in regions with a high selenium concentration in the soil contain more of this element.
In addition to the selenium, researchers also found higher levels of nickel among the toenail clippings of the patients who did not have pancreatic cancer. Nickel enables dietary iron absorption and contributes to the development of red blood cells. Good food sources of include lentils, asparagus, oats, mushrooms, beans and pears. Patients with the highest levels of nickel and selenium were between 33 per cent and 95 per cent less likely to have pancreatic cancer compared with those with the lowest levels. The positive influence of selenium and nickel appeared to be unchanged even after researchers accounted for other known risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity.
Arsenic and Cadmium Among Cancer Group
On the other hand, researchers found high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium among the cancer group. They determined that high levels of lead were six times more likely to occur among cancer patients than those without cancer. High concentrations of arsenic and cadmium were two to three times more common among the pancreatic cancer sufferers. The high cadmium levels relate to cigarette smoking as this element is present in tobacco. Health experts believe as many as one-third of all pancreatic cancer cases are linked to smoking.
In the Gut article, the researchers wrote "Our results support an increased risk of pancreatic cancer associated with higher levels of cadmium, arsenic and lead, as well as an inverse association with higher levels of selenium and nickel." They suggested that clinical trials directly test selenium as a preventative measure for people at high risk of pancreatic cancer.
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034550_selenium_pancreatic_cancer_prevention.html#ixzz1iOFxVtLb
Pancreatic cancer is particularly lethal. It tends to be diagnosed only in advanced stages and 80% of patients die within a year of diagnosis. Statistics show that only 5% of pancreatic patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. In the US, it is the fourth leading cancer in terms of mortality. For 2011, the National Cancer Institute estimated 44,030 new cases of the disease and 37,660 deaths from this form of cancer.
Nail clippings reveal trace elements
The Gut article was based on a study looking at patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer, the most common form of the disease. An international research team analyzed trace element levels in the toenails of 118 pancreatic cancer patients, comparing them with 399 hospital patients without cancer. Researchers choose this method because nails, especially toenails, are believed to be the most reliable indicators of trace element levels.
Selenium and Nickel Among Non-Cancer Group
Patients without cancer exhibited high levels of selenium in their toenail clippings. Selenium boosts immune system function and reduces inflammation. Previous studies have shown selenium can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, broccoli, spinach, oily fish like tuna and sardines, molasses, mushrooms and garlic are all good sources of selenium. Levels of selenium can also vary geographically. Produce and livestock grown in regions with a high selenium concentration in the soil contain more of this element.
In addition to the selenium, researchers also found higher levels of nickel among the toenail clippings of the patients who did not have pancreatic cancer. Nickel enables dietary iron absorption and contributes to the development of red blood cells. Good food sources of include lentils, asparagus, oats, mushrooms, beans and pears. Patients with the highest levels of nickel and selenium were between 33 per cent and 95 per cent less likely to have pancreatic cancer compared with those with the lowest levels. The positive influence of selenium and nickel appeared to be unchanged even after researchers accounted for other known risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, and obesity.
Arsenic and Cadmium Among Cancer Group
On the other hand, researchers found high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium among the cancer group. They determined that high levels of lead were six times more likely to occur among cancer patients than those without cancer. High concentrations of arsenic and cadmium were two to three times more common among the pancreatic cancer sufferers. The high cadmium levels relate to cigarette smoking as this element is present in tobacco. Health experts believe as many as one-third of all pancreatic cancer cases are linked to smoking.
In the Gut article, the researchers wrote "Our results support an increased risk of pancreatic cancer associated with higher levels of cadmium, arsenic and lead, as well as an inverse association with higher levels of selenium and nickel." They suggested that clinical trials directly test selenium as a preventative measure for people at high risk of pancreatic cancer.
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034550_selenium_pancreatic_cancer_prevention.html#ixzz1iOFxVtLb
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