cmcole
08-23-2006, 06:27 AM
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_1_36/ai_n15895453/print
Powerful parsley: promote this garnish to salad centerpiece for clean breath, a settled stomach, and a big hit of antioxidants
Michael Castleman PITY POOR PARSLEY. Most Americans relegate it to an untouched splash of green on a dinner plate. But parsley is much more than a mealtime accessory. This natural breath-freshener has impressive nutritional and medicinal benefits. It's a good source of antioxidant vitamins A and C, plus calcium, iron, and other vitamins and minerals.
In traditional herbal medicine, bruised parsley leaves have been made into poultices for insect bites, contusions, and itchy or chapped skin; the leaves or seeds used to settle the stomach, decrease flatulence, and treat colic; and the leaves and roots employed as a diuretic.
According to studies at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, rats given extract of parsley seed (which has a higher risk factor than the root or leaf) urinated significantly more than when they drank water. Diuretics are used to treat hypertension, so if you have high blood pressure, ask your physician about supplementing your medication with parsley tea.
Another animal study, at Turkey's Istanbul University, found that parsley extract reduced levels of blood sugar in diabetic rats. And a Saudi Arabian investigation hints that tincture of parsley may help protect the stomach against ulcers.
seeds, oils, & leaves
IF YOU'D LIKE to add more parsley to your diet, don't go picking it in the wild. Several poisonous plants, including hemlock, look remarkably like it.
Parsley itself can be dangerous under certain circumstances. While parsleyleaf tea may help soothe painful menstruation, the more potent parsley oil has been known to induce abortion. A woman who is pregnant or may become pregnant should not ingest parsley seeds or the juice or oil derived from them. Parsley supplementation is also not suggested for people with kidney problems.
If you're allergic to carrots, fennel, or celery, you may also be sensitive to parsley, which is in the same botanical family. Assuming that you're not allergic, eat as much leafy parsley as you like. To make parsley seed tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of bruised seed per cup of boiling water; steep for 10 minutes. In supplement form, the usual dose is 1,800 to 2,700 milligrams a day.
Tabblouleh3/4 cup bulgur 1 cup hot water 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 clove garlic, minced1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves1/4 cup finely chopped scallions 1 large tomato, chopped1. Combine the bulgur withthe hot water; let stand for1 hour or until the bulguris softened.2. Stir in the olive oil, lemonjuice, garlic, and salt. Addthe remaining ingredients,mix gently, and chill. Servewrapped in romaine leaves orwith pita bread. For variations,add cucumber, fresh peas, orchickpeas, and sprinkle withfeta cheese before serving.Per serving: 200 calories,46% fat (10.7 g; 1.46 g saturated),46% carbohydrate(25 g), 8% protein (4 g), 6 gfiber, 39 mg calcium, 1.7 mgiron, 307 mg sodium.COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
Now, I wouldn't necessarily go for the salad, but the article is interesting.
cmcole
08-23-2006, 06:35 AM
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_258/ai_n8592738/print
Nutritional excellence from the antioxidants, probiotics, enzymes, fiber, and proteins packed into Ruby Reds™
Morton Walker An October 2004 clinical study to assess the role of nutrition for the promotion of human physiological homeostasis, carried out by the Australian government's key research group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), made a major finding about fresh plant foods. CSIRO found that daily ingestion of food concentrates from naturally colored fruits and vegetables definitely reduces cancer risk in the mouth, larynx, stomach, and almost every other gastrointestinal site by up to 50%. The chief bureau for Reuters International News Service published these results for public education.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Reuters also states that eating just a single extra serving of citrus fruit in addition to the current United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables each day brings about a lower risk of stroke by almost 20%. This sixth serving each day additionally lowers a person's risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes. Thus, the whole of human physiology (physical, mental, emotional) is maintained by sufficient ingestion of fruits and vegetables.
Rather than his penchant for eating artery-clogging fast food, President Bill Clinton would have benefited by understanding this natural food information before requiring his September 2004 quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery. An angiogram had revealed his 90% atherosclerotic occlusion in the major arteries. The immediate bypass surgery was prescribed to prevent the 58-year-old former president from suffering a massive heart attack.
Australia's CSIRO had reviewed 48 separate international investigations on the health benefits of eating vegetables and fruits (especially citrus which specifically included tomatoes). The CSIRO concluded that these foods containing colors protect the body through their antioxidant, enzymatic, and colon health properties, as well as by strengthening the immune system. They inhibit tumor growth and normalize neoplastic cells as the result of anti-malignancy ingredients stored as phytochemicals within plant foods.
While all red, yellow, orange, blue, purple, and other colored fruits and vegetables are known for their high antioxidant levels, the chief researcher for CSIRO, Katrine Baghurst, PhD, told Reuters that oranges, grapefruit and other citrus products have the highest level of antioxidants, each with more than 170 different phytochemicals. Included among them are over 60 flavonoids shown to have anti-inflammatory, cancer-fighting, blood-clot-inhibiting, and additional disease-preventing support properties. (1)
Biologically Active Phytochemicals in Plant Foods
Phytochemicals are the biologically active substances in plants responsible for giving them color, flavor, and natural health-promoting characteristics. Without question they fight off the circumstances which bring on benign tumors and malignancies.
Phytochemicals in the colored foods such as berries help the body to cope with cancer by blocking one or more of the steps that lead to malignant-type mutagenic changes in normal cells. To illustrate, cancer is believed by oncology scientists to begin when carcinogenic molecules--from wrong food eaten (e.g. smoked meats) or inhaled polluted air (e.g. cigarette smoke)--invades cellular tissues. But if sulforaphane, the phytochemical present in broccoli, also reaches the cells as a result of metabolizing this vegetable, the sulforaphane activates groups of the body's enzymes which whisk the carcinogens out of tissue cells before they can cause any harm.
There are numerous other phytochemicals that do this, too. They are:
Bioflavonoids, found in carrots, melons, prunes, citrus fruits and berries (in particular blueberries such as the European bilberry). The bioflavonoids keep almost all cancer-producing hormones from latching onto normal cells initially so that they are not predisposed to mutagenesis (abnormal cell division).
Genistein, constituting a considerable portion of soybeans, kills malignant tumors by preventing the formation of those capillaries usually needed to feed them. Thus, genistein exhibits an anti-angiogenesis effect that eventually starves tumors out of existence.
Indoles, chemical components in cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage, increase immune activity and make it easier for the body to excrete toxins from cellular deposit sites such as adipose tissue.
Saponins, present in kidney beans, chickpeas, soybeans, and lentils stop cancer cells from multiplying. They are any of numerous glycosides, derived from sugars, Saponins are characterized by their ability to foam in water, their physiological effect is to reduce blood cholesterol to normal.
Chlorogenic acid and P-coumaric acid, a part of tomatoes, interfere with certain chemical unions which create carcinogens. In fact, tomatoes contain an estimated 10,000 different phytochemicals, the most important being the antioxidant lycopene.
Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), found in cabbage and turnips, inhibits the growth of lung cancer and protects the cellular DNA from a potent carcinogen that makes up much of the toxins in tobacco smoke.
Almost all grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables known to nutritional scientists and tested in laboratories around the world have been confirmed to contain the beneficial phytochemicals mentioned and many more. Indeed, it's likely that hundreds of thousands of phytochemicals do exist, and they merely need to be identified to establish their individual advantage for humankind. (2)
A Lancet Published Report on Colored Fruits & Vegetables
The British medical journal, The Lancet, tends to verify the truth of the above-cited Australian study by publishing the American university-based findings of a Danish scientist, William Hart, PhD, RD. Dr. Hart teaches courses in biochemistry and human nutrition as an associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. He emphatically writes, "The bottom line is to forget nutritional supplementation with pills and instead eat good foods consisting of lots of whole grains, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. To thrive, you should limit the intake of meat, high fat milk products, and all other sources of animal fat."
Dr. Hart's report in The Lancet examined 20 years of his research on people believed to be at high risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers who used antioxidant supplements in pill form. His anti-pill studies were carried out on capsules and tablets containing selenium and other minerals plus the vitamins A, C, and E. He labelled the taking of vitamin pills "useless" in preventing common digestive cancers. But Dr. Hart added that more study is needed on whether selenium can fight liver cancer.
"This research confirms what I have been saying during my whole professional career in nutrition," says Dr. William Hart. "Eating a good diet with lots of whole grains, highly colored vegetables with fresh fruits, and limiting meats and fat is the best way to ensure that you maximize your own genetic potential to avoid or delay all sorts of chronic diseases." (3)
It turns out that eating full quantities of whole grains, the usual green leafy vegetables, plus elevated amounts of colored fresh fruits and vegetables not only furnishes you with a healthy homeostasis to ward off illness, but such phytochemical ingestion is therapeutic, too. (See the interviews below of three nutrition experts.)
The Phytochemicals-Packed Supplement: Ruby Reds[TM]
This article provides you with my medical journalist report of a truly innovative biologic which is packed with phytochemicals. It is a concentrated adjunctive food powder made for mixing in purified water or another appropriate liquid such as juice or herbal tea for nourishment. The red powder creates a good-tasting fruit-like drink brand-named Ruby Reds[TM]. When mixed as a drink it contains in excess of 40 power-packed generic nutritious ingredients, including probiotics, fiber, carotinoids, bioflavonoids, carotenes, enzymes, essential fatty acids, cardiovascular enhancers, free radical quenchers, lesser known antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and lots more.
Ruby Reds[TM] has been formulated by the naturopathic physician, herbalist, and astute clinical nutritionist Tony O'Donnell, ND (see Photograph 1). Dr. O'Donnell's formulation is manufactured and distributed by GW Health Products, LLC of West Los Angeles, California. (See the Resource section.)
Compressed into his product, Tony O'Donnell has concentrated 4,500 Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity (ORAC) units per serving, so that taking the recommended two scoops or servings per day of Ruby Reds[TM] provides you with 9,000 ORAC units, Thus, ingesting the full daily dose of O'Donnell's formulation provides twice the amount of 3,000- to 5,000-ORAC units suggested by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Test units for the ORAC value system came from nutritional research laboratories located at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. ORAC determines a product's antioxidant strength (value), actually measuring the amount of antioxidant protection afforded from taking a particular supplemental nutrient. A high ORAC score alerts a health professional, patient, or any consumer, of the value of a supplemented nutrient. Antioxidants as fresh fruits and vegetables are all important for health and longevity. By taking Ruby Reds[TM], an individual is giving his or her body excellent nutritional protection against the onslaught of pesticides, herbicides, toxic metals, radiation, carcinogens, and other harmful pollutants.
Antioxidants, the Most Voluminous Nutrient in Ruby Reds[TM]
Earl Mindell, PhD, author of the best seller, The Vitamin Bible, and 51 other health books, is known to drink Ruby Reds[TM] every day for its antioxidant qualities. Dr. Mindell says, "For 40 years I've been in favor of taking in carotinoids, bioflavonoids, carotenes, anthocyanins, and other health-creating antioxidants. The generics in this powdered supplement does it for me. The Sad American Diet has become universal among affluent nations causing massive amounts of illness among their populations. Our government tells us we need at least five servings of fruits and vegetables to prevent the Western type of civilized diseases that kill most of us. The Sad American Diet may best be labeled as the 'Twinkies[R], Dingdong[R], donut, pizza, Prozac[R], Pepsi[R] diet.' It is SAD to behold."
Antioxidants are among the chief ingredients in Ruby Reds[TM]. Antioxidants, a term actually designating the nutraceutical classification for several types of organic substances, include, for example, vitamin A (converted from beta-carotene) plus vitamins C and E as well as minerals such as magnesium. (Identified as "protectors," these four named nutrients are among the most effective commonly known antioxidants.) Facts presented in this medical journalist report indicate that such antioxidant vitamins work best as fresh whole foods rather than as pills.
An antioxidant keeps free radicals (oxidants) from forming, and stops toxic metals such as copper, cadmium, mercury, and lead from initiating oxidation. The antioxidant defense system intercepts formed oxidants and stops chain reactions of oxidation. Then this system works to repair damage from free radicals by going on to eliminate and replace damaged molecules. (4,5)
Nutritional scientists believe that just one of several ways antioxidants work their magic is by slowing or even preventing the development of arterial blockages so as to deter the collection of atherosclerotic plaque on arterial walls.
As indicated, the daily consumption of certain food components containing quantities of antioxidants such as tomatoes, papayas, pomegranates, cranberries, blueberries, peaches, mangoes, apple pectin, flax seed, plus more is a delicious way to keep stroke away and cancer at bay. And all of these colored fruits and vegetables are found in Ruby Reds[TM].
Dr. Bob Martin is an Enthusiastic Exponent of Ruby Reds[TM]
A chiropractic physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, who is double-board certified in clinical nutrition and in longevity medicine, Robert Martin, DC, CCN, has strictly been a nutritional consultant and not practiced chiropractic for six years. But Dr. Bob Martin is nationally known from broadcasting his syndicated radio show.
"For people to make the correct food choices, Ruby Reds[TM] makes it convenient for them to meet the USDA's requirement of five-to-nine servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Now the government is expanding that requirement to five-to-thirteen fresh plant foods per day for children and adults. In this country, we are hardly meeting those needs," advises Dr. Bob Martin. "Adults may erroneously think, 'I am eating vegetables in the form of French fried potatoes and my children are eating Fruit Loops[R], Fruit Pops[R], and Fruit Rollups[R]. So we are doing all right!'
"Thus, there is an awful lot of nutritional illiteracy out there, for education is lacking about what is proper nutritional intake. Except that they're exposed to massive amounts of television propaganda and advertising pushing junk food. Such ads involve no recommendations for eating fruits and vegetables," Bob Martin says. "A product such as Ruby Reds[TM] is mandatory for consumers inasmuch as it has at least 40 fruits and vegetables concentrated in it. Ingesting its powdered fruits and vegetables helps to lessen body fat, and that statement is factual as published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"If people will eat fruits in concentration such as supplied by Ruby Reds[TM], their body appestats will be satisfied sufficiently that they won't go seeking foods that are sweet. Intake of the Ruby Reds[TM] product allows a person to keep his or her blood sugar steady. Tony O'Donnell has selected a great number of berries for inclusion in his food powder. He deserves credit for his wise choice of concentrated nutrients. All the antioxidants in colored fruits are highly nutritious, and then he takes his formulation a step further by augmenting them with probiotics, essential fatty acids, enzymes, proteins, and fiber," points out Dr. Bob Martin.
"All of these nutrients are provided in a serving of only 30 calories with no fat and no cholesterol. Ruby Reds[TM] discourages people from overeating because the brain and body accept that nutritional needs have been met by the product's components. It presents a beautiful set of circumstances in patients for observation by a clinical nutritionist. The mechanism of satiety is being met," says Dr. Bob Martin. "Ruby Reds[TM] is a product whose time has come."
The Ruby Reds[TM] Powder Contains Probiotics
Probiotics, therapeutic live cultures of bacteria friendly to the human gut, are contained in Ruby Reds[TM]. The term probiotic is taken from Greek words meaning "for life," and it covers the beneficial microorganisms--mostly bacteria--present as the major portion of flora in a healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Nearly all of the degenerative GI diseases develop when a person's gut fails to contain a goodly number of probiotic bacteria.
When a healthy diet is followed, the billions of friendly bacteria living in the human digestive tract outnumber the bad bacteria, 85% to 15%, and do a fine job of assisting in the assimilation of food. However, the modern American SAD diet so graphically described by Dr. Earl Mindell, promotes a state of dysbiosis, in which an imbalance develops between the good and bad intestinal bacteria. Dysbiosis leads to digestive tract disorders and symptoms, such as heartburn, gas, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, constipation, intestinal toxemia (autointoxication with poisoning by one's own wastes), cold sores, vaginal and urinary tract infections, and worse. (6)
Drinking eight ounces of beverage made with Ruby Reds[TM] powder twice each day prevents such symptoms of illness. That's because the powder contains large amounts of probiotics, which support digestion with useful resident and transient bacteria. Of all the dozens of probiotic bacterial species, Ruby Reds[TM] furnishes at least four that are especially important as food supplements. Its four probiotics are: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum. They produce substances, including acetic acid, that protect the entire digestive system against disease-promoting organisms. Collectively, the beneficial microorganisms aid digestion in a number of ways. Ruby Reds[TM] probiotics:
1. promote the development of enzymes that assist in the digestion of protein and fat, (7,8)
2. normalize the bowel's action to increase the speed at which food passes through the gastrointestinal system, (9)
3. reduce the amount of gas produced by the intestines, (10)
4. aid in the digestion of lactose which counteracts the gas, bloating, and cramps produced by lactose intolerance, (11,12)
5. manufacture B vitamins and some amino acids, (13-16)
6. prevent the overgrowth of Candida albicans.
Ruby Reds[TM] Contains Digestive Enzymes
The digestive system is affected by a wide range of acute and chronic illnesses. Some of them are fairly common, such as ulcers and hepatitis; others such as cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and pancreatitis, occur less frequently but have devastating effects. More Americans are hospitalized for digestive disorders than for any other type of illness, and the illnesses cost 1.2 trillion dollars annually in both direct expenditures and in lost work time and productivity.
All gastrointestinal illnesses are improved by ingestion of digestive food enzymes including amylase, lipase cellulose, invertase, lactase, and more. These nutritional treasures are furnished in quantity in Ruby Reds[TM]. (17)
Each enzyme in Ruby Reds[TM] is a protein which incorporates a vitamin and one or more minerals produced by living cells from plant foods from which the product is manufactured. Neither altered nor destroyed during the process, the enzyme brings on a chemical reaction that starts in motion a chain of biochemical events within the human body. Thus, the enzymes of Ruby Reds[TM] are "organic catalysts," promoting metabolic health. (18)
Mark Twain, who was clever but occasionally wrong in his statements, did say incorrectly, "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." Often the digestion of food needs a little help in the form of enzymatic digestive aids. Food and nutrient absorption is frequently obstructed, and helping it by the addition of enzymes to one's diet brings about improvement in any form of GI illness. While enzymes derived from animals are effective, those coming from plants are better tolerated and remain active throughout the GI tract.
The 3000 enzymes used by a human body do more than digest food. They contribute to building DNA, reducing inflammation, strengthening immunity, fighting cancer and more. (19) The plant-based digestive enzymes furnished by raw materials present in powdered Ruby Reds[TM] produce a therapeutic effect essential to metabolism.
Fiber for Colon Health in Ruby Reds[TM]
Fiber in the form of apple pectin, oat bran, rice bran, flax seed, and other components in Ruby Reds[TM] is one of the more staunch bodily defenders against pollution. Fiber promotes colon elimination for the maintaining of normal cholesterol blood levels by carrying pollution out with the feces. (20)
Sources of fiber that you will find in Ruby Reds[TM] are whole grains, including whole wheat, oats, brown rice, acorn squash, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, green peas, kale, radishes, spinach, winter squash, and yams. Also you'll find there soluble and insoluble fibers from apples, blackberries, blueberries, pears, raspberries, and strawberries (see Photograph 2).
The author of a best-selling book, The Total Health Program, Joseph Mercola, DO, of Schaumburg, Illinois, says in his highly popular on-line newsletter, eHealthy News You Can Use: Alternative Medicine Review, that berries are the best overall food for your health. "They are among the best fruits on the planet," writes Dr. Mercola. "They are densely packed with a variety of potent phytochemicals that do wonders to normalize and improve health--high in fiber, low in sugar, and they won't stimulate severe insulin swings if eaten in moderation." (21) (see Photograph 3)
Mark Anthony, DC, Uses Ruby Reds[TM] in Practice
"I use Ruby Reds[TM] as my nutritional enhancer and therapeutic agent in a variety of ways," says Mark Anthony, DC, clinical director of Anthony Chiropractic in La Crescenta, California. "So many patients do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. By dispensing powdered Ruby Reds[TM] to them with instructions to consume a scoop per day, [about 1 tablespoonful], I have such patients doing something truly constructive. Taking the product increases their intake of good nutrition tremendously. It's much easier for people to add a scoop of Ruby Reds[TM] to pure water or another liquid for drinking than it is for them to eat five-to-ten servings of fruits and vegetables in a day.
"I also recommend Ruby Reds[TM] for children. Because it tastes delicious, children of all ages enjoy the drink made from this powder which is readily added to baby formula or sprinkled onto breakfast cereal," says Dr. Anthony. "I am using it for my own family's nutritional enhancement, and I have applied it in practice for at least two years, from the time Ruby Reds[TM] was first introduced by Tony O'Donnell. It is loaded with high-density nutrition so that much improvement is observed in my patients' health. For instance, their hunger cravings for junk food disappear from the immense amounts of concentrated nutrients such as enzymes, fiber, probiotics, and much more jammed into every scoop. People can actually use the food powder as a meal substitute to eliminate hunger, and they lose weight fast too.
"I've seen some dramatic changes in patients; one such 48-year-old obese woman, a telephone company operator, has dropped over 100 pounds--down from 352 lbs. When she stepped off of my medical scale, she expressed gratitude for my having introduced her to the powder. 'There is no doubt,' the patient told me, 'Ruby Reds[TM] is responsible for my improvement in body shape and physical health in just these last six months.' The telephone operator had not realized that her weight loss was so great because always before no scale--not even those in doctors' offices--was able to measure her," states Dr. Anthony. "Originally I had recommended the product to her for purposes of increasing her nutrition and not specifically to cause a loss of weight; yet, where there is too much weight invariably you will find there is inadequate intake of good nutrition. This woman's energy and stamina have grown much greater too.
"Another patient who is currently training to run a marathon is taking the Ruby Reds[TM] specifically for an increase in stamina. She is doing this in order to assure her ability to sustain the marathon's cross-country run of 26 miles," Dr. Mark Anthony states. "I am very happy with the effect of Ruby Reds[TM] on my patients, my family, and myself."
Resource
To learn a great deal more about Ruby Reds[TM], contact Tony O'Donnell, ND, President of GW Health Products, LLC, 1831 Barry Avenue, Suite 7, West Los Angeles, California 90025 USA; Telephone order line 310-575-9606; cell 310-948-1517; teleFAX 310-456-1322; Email: doctony3@netzero.com
References
1. Search Google: "Who Knew Oranges Did This? An orange a day may keep cancer away." Compuserve, Home and Real Estate, October 12, 2004.
2. Balch, J.F. & Balch, P.A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Second Edition (New York City: Avery Division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1997), p. 7.
3. Medical News: "Foods Fight Cancer Better Than Vitamin Pills." Netzero, Nutrition Diet, Cancer Supplements, Vitamins, 12 October 2004.
4. Taming Oxygen's Wild Side: How Antioxidants Guard You Health (New York City: Tapestry Press, 1988), p. 9.
5. Balch, J.F. The Super Antioxidants: Why They Will Change the Face of Healthcare in the 21st Century (New York City: M. Evans & Co., Inc., 1998), p. 92.
6. Balch, J.F. & Walker, M. Heartburn and What to Do About It. (Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group, 1998), pp. 129-132.
7. Lee, H.; Friend, B.A.; Shahani, K.M. "Factors affecting the protein quality of yogurt and acidophilus milk." Journal of Dairy Science 71:3203-3214, 1988.
8. Fernandes, C.F.; Shahani, K.M.; Amer, M.A. "Therapeutic role of dietary lactobacilli and lactobacilli fermented dairy products." FEMS Microbiology Review 46:343-356, 1987.
9. Pollman, D.S.; Danielson, D.M.; Wren, W.B.; Peo, E.R.; Shahani, K.M. "Influence of Lactobacillus acidophilus inoculum on guotobiotic and conventional pigs." Journal of Animal Science 51:629-637, 1980.
10. Yamamoto, F. et al. "Effect of lactic acid bacteria on intestinally decomposed substance-producing bacteria of human source." Basics and Clinics 20 (14): 123, 1986."
11. Walker, M. "Lively components of yogurt." Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, December 1993, pp. 1184-1187.
12. Fernandes, C.F. & Shahani, K.M. "Lactose intolerance and its modulation with lactobacilli and other microbial supplements." Journal of Applied Nutrition 1:50-64, 1989.
13. Filliland, S.E. "Health and nutitional benefits from lactic acid bacteria. FEMS Microbiology Review 87:175-188, 1990.
14. Honma, A. "On effects of lactic acid bacteria-No. 2: clinical effects." New Medicines and Clinics 35(12):31, 1986.
15. Shahani, K.M. & Ayebo, A.D. "Role of dietary lactobacilli in gastrointestinal microecology." Journal of Clinical Nutrition 33:2448-2457, 1980.
16. Rao, D.R. & Shahani, K.M. "Vitamin content of cultured dairy products.' Cultured Dairy Products Journal 22(1): 6-10, 1987.
17. Op. cit., Balch, J.F., & Walker, M., pp. 15-45.
18. Atkins, R.C., Dr. Atkins' Nutrition Breakthrough: How to Treat Your Medical Condition Without Drugs (New York: Bantam Books, 1981), pp. 27 & 28.
19. Atkins, R.C., Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution: Nature's Answer to Drugs (New York City: Simon & Schuster, 1998), pp. 235 & 236.
20. Quillin, P. Healing Nutrients: The People's Guide to Using Common Nutrients that Will Help You Feel Better than You Ever Thought Possible (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1987), pp. 335 & 336.
21. Mercola, J. with Droege, R. "Berries--the best overall fruits for your health,"
http://www.mercola.com/2003/Sept/24/berries_health.htm
by Morton Walker, DPM with Randall Walker
Copyright 2005 by Dr. Morton Walker
Freelance Communications
484 High Ridge Road * Stamford, Connecticut 06905 USA
Phone 203-322-1551 * Fax 203-322-4656
Email: Drmortwalker@cs.com * Website: www.Drmortonwalker.com
COPYRIGHT 2005 The Townsend Letter Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
cmcole
08-23-2006, 06:38 AM
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_7_66/ai_n6080507/print
Cocktail, anyone? Antioxidants that work better in teams
Kim Schoenhals In this day and age of the quick fix, consumers often look for a single tablet or pill that will cure what ails them. Scientists are no exception, often conducting studies on single ingredients to determine how they individually contribute to health and nutrition. However, countless studies have shown that nature's mixture of nutrients is often healthier than single ingredients alone. Antioxidants, for example, frequently gain power when they're consumed in synergistic cocktails.
The public has followed the saga of antioxidants versus free radicals with growing passion, religiously taking antioxidant supplements in the quest to stave off chronic disease. "You've probably heard of free radicals as factors that contribute to disease and aging--and this is true, because these oxidative culprits cause chromosomal damage and impair cellular function," writes Gary Null, PhD, in Gary Null's Power Aging (New American Library, 2003). "On the other side of the battle lines are the antioxidants--substances such as vitamin E and selenium that we get from good food and that neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals."
Scientists believe that when this balance is out of whack, the ensuing chromosomal and cellular damage may lead to chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration as well as reduced immune function. However, it is also widely accepted that free radical formation is an inevitable and even necessary component of natural metabolism. "It is important to note that free radical formation accompanies normal and essential biological processes and, thus, can never be fully eliminated," Null says. "For example, when our immune system is called into action to fight off bacteria or viruses, a by-product of that activity is the generation of free radicals.... But while we cannot eradicate the free radical, we can control it. This is where antioxidant foods and supplements come into play."
Consuming antioxidants as part of a healthful diet and supplement program can assist in regulating the balance between free radicals and antioxidants, thereby reducing the risk of chrome disease. Here are some of the more popularly recognized antioxidant combinations.
Garlic + Fish Oil
A tasty addition to countless foods, garlic is also a known antioxidant. According to the December 2003 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, garlic skin is recognized for having antioxidant properties, and researchers from Wakunaga Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan have identified six antioxidant compounds within the herb's skin. In fact, aged garlic extract is believed to be more of a free radical fighter than raw garlic, as noted by the same researchers ill a 2002 paper published in BioFactors. Researchers at Livelpool John Moores University in England reported in the February 2003 issue of Life Sciences that aged garlic extract protects against heart disease by inhibiting LDL oxidation.
When combined with fish oil, garlic is an even more potent protector of heart health. In 2001, researchers from the University of California, Irvine, published animal research in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research; the study showed fish oil plus garlic significantly suppressed triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL levels. The same investigators reported in a 1997 issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association that the combination significantly improved lipid profiles after only 1 month. The researchers concluded: "These results suggest that in addition to the known anticoagulant and antioxidant properties of both fish oil and garlic, the combination causes favorable shifts in the lipid subfractions within 1 month."
Lutein + Zeaxanthin
Macular pigment--an area of the eye where lutein and zeaxanthin collect--is believed to be key in preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) through its light-screening and antioxidant capacities, according to researchers from Florida International University in Miami. While their April 2003 study in The Journal of Nutrition showed an increase in macular pigment after supplementation, researchers concluded more definitive research is needed to correlate supplementation with a reduced risk of AMD.
Preliminary evidence is still supportive of the carotenoids' role against AMD according to the December 2003 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, which suggested the combo increases macular pigment density. Researchers from the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital concluded from their trial (published in the February 2001 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science) that lutein and zeaxanthin may delay or prevent AMD because the two biggest risk factors involve a lack of pigment, and this combination increases the pigment.
Selenium + Vitamin E
In 2001, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) started enrolling men in a study called SELECT (the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial), which will include more than 32,000 men. Designed to reveal what effects vitamin E and selenium have against prostate cancer, fire study will take 12 years to complete.
According to NCI, the two nutrients were chosen based on studies showing that each nutrient reduced the risk of prostate cancer. In vitro research published this year in Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases validated the SELECT trial, showing that selenium and vitamin E used together were more anticarcinogenic than either alone. Another study published in the October 2003 issue of Cancer Research indicated the combination was more effective than either antioxidant alone.
Zinc Combinations
Zinc is one of the more popular antioxidants used to stave off colds and flu. When it is used in combination with other trace elements and/or vitamins, however, it gains immune-boosting power. Research published in the March 2003 issue of Allergie et immunologie (Paris) indicated that zinc, vitamin C and magnesium are important nutritional factors for preventing complications of rhinitis. A 1997 study in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism showed zinc plus selenium, or the two combined with antioxidant vitamins, reduced the risk of infection in 81 elderly adults. More recently, researchers at Comenius University in Slovakia conducted a review detailing the importance of selenium and zinc in protecting immune function. Their review, published in a 2003 issue of Folia Microbiologica, also indicated that zinc supplementation can restore immune response and prevent infection in the elderly.
COPYRIGHT 2004 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
cmcole
08-29-2006, 07:34 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4777607.stm
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/printer_friendly/news_logo.gif
Getting the best out of your food
By Rebecca Morelle
Health reporter, BBC News
A balanced diet is the key to a happier, healthier life, so the mantra goes.
Experts advise us to eat more fruit and veg; boost protein and fibre intake; make sure we get the optimum levels of vitamins and minerals.
But what actually happens to these nutrients once they are inside the body?
Food scientists, working in an area called bioavailability, are trying to answer this very question in a bid to discover how people can get the very best out of what they eat.
Toni Steer, a nutritionist at the Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridgeshire, said: "The idea that we absorb everything we eat just isn't true.
"While you may have a certain amount of a nutrient within a food, what is actually absorbed may be less.
"Bioavailabity means how much of that nutrient within a food is usefully absorbed."
But, she says, bioavailability is not set in stone, and researchers are working to find ways of manipulating the levels of nutrients that can be absorbed by the body.
"If people are meeting dietary requirements, all of the nutrients they need are probably being absorbed.
"But for people who suffer vitamin or mineral deficiencies, or for those in developing countries where nutrition is poor, research into bioavailability can be very useful."
Pop-Eye's favourite
Take iron - a lot of people are just not getting enough of it, and too little can lead to anaemia and increased susceptibly to infections.
But how we get our iron can impact on the amount we absorb, says Richard Faulks, a senior researcher at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich.
While red meat contains the type of iron - haem-iron - that is most readily absorbed by the body, vegetarians are pointed towards iron-rich foods like as spinach.
However, this vegetable contains the mineral in a form that is not so readily absorbed - non-haem iron.
But, explains Mr Faulks, a glass of orange juice alongside your plate of spinach can make all the difference.
"Vitamin C in orange juice changes the iron to its non-oxidised state (haem iron) - which is much more readily absorbed than the oxidised iron (non-haem iron).
"You can manipulate to some extent the gastric and small intestinal chemistry by what you eat and combine."
Conversely, explains Dr Steer, tea and coffee contain compounds called phenols that inhibit iron absorption - so they shouldn't be consumed alongside iron-rich foods.
Raw vs cooked
Whether your food is raw or cooked can also make a difference.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a form of antioxidant. Antioxidants have been hailed for their ability to neutralize free radicals, which are linked to ageing, stroke and heart disease.
"If you have fresh tomatoes, they have a total antioxidant potential of about 80," explains Dr Catherine Collins, a dietician at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust.
Once you can manipulate how nutrients are delivered into the body, it can help you to tailor a product that can deliver certain attributes
Richard Faulks
"But if you boil or can them the antioxidant potential goes up five or six-fold."
"This happens because the lycopene in the raw tomato has been transformed to trans-lycopene in the cooked version, and trans-lycopene is much more readily absorbed."
Likewise, says Dr Collins, cooking carrots makes the beta-carotene, another form of antioxidant, more available because you break down the cell wall with the cooking process.
Fat-loving
A nutrients relationship with water and oil can also alter bioavailability.
Mr Faulks said: "To absorb fat-soluble nutrients, you have to get them out of the cellular structure, and then they have to be transferred into lipophilic - or fat-loving - carriers in the gut to absorbed."
Lutein is one such nutrient. Present in spinach and other green vegetables such as kale, broccoli and peas, some evidence suggests it can protect or slow age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.
"Lutein is actually absorbed more efficiently if it is eaten with a little bit of fat, the oil helps it to hop onto to the fatty acids in the gut and to be absorbed," said Dr Steer.
Mr Faulks believes bioavailability is a growing area, and something that has the potential to impact on the health-food industry: "Once you begin to understand and can manipulate how nutrients are delivered into the body, it can help you to tailor a product that can deliver certain attributes."
However, says Dr Steer, it is a complex field, especially because different nutrients interact in different ways.
"For a long time breakfast cereals have been fortified with added iron. But they also contain phytates - an energy store - which are present in whole-grain cereals, and these actually inhibit the absorption of iron.
"And calcium in dairy products can also inhibit iron absorption. So you have your cereal with iron and phytates, but then you pour on your milk that will also contribute to inhibition of the absorption of iron. It can get very complicated."
Jigsaw puzzle
According to researchers, there are pros and cons of combining food in this way.
By cooking tomatoes to gain antioxidants, vitamin C is degraded. By adding fats to green vegetables, your cholesterol intake is boosted.
And, experts add, more is not always best. High intake of some vitamins and minerals has been associated with risks.
But, says Dr Steer, the more we understand about how the body absorbs nutrients, the better the dietary recommendations we can make.
"It is all about understanding how these nutrients are absorbed in the body, and how much of them we need to reduce or even prevent certain diseases while avoiding any adverse symptoms.
"Understanding bioavailability it is really part of the jigsaw of understanding optimum nutrition."
FOOD PREPARATIONS AND THEIR BENEFITS Food Nutrient Benefit Why it works Spinach and orange juice Iron Helps prevent anaemia, energy loss, infections Juice turns iron into more easily absorbed form Canned or cooked tomatoes Lycopene Antioxidant thought to halt cell damage Lycopene turned into more readily absorbed form Cooked rather than raw carrots Beta-carotene Antioxidant Cooking breaks down cell wall allowing easier absorption Leafy vegetables dressed in oil Lutein May prevent eye disease Lutein is fat-soluble, so oil aids absorption
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/4777607.stm
Published: 2006/08/29 07:05:01 GMT
© BBC MMVI
vBulletin® v3.8.2, Copyright ©2000-2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.