July 30, 2009

Genistein target identified in prostate cancer cells
Life Extensions, July 29, 2009
An article published online on July 28, 2009 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported the discovery of researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago of the target for the soy isoflavone genistein in preventing the spread of prostate cancer.
Epidemiological studies have associated increased genistein intake with a reduction in metastatic prostate cancer rates. Although genistein has been shown to block the activation of a proinvasion pathway known as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), genistein’s specific upstream target for inhibiting cell invasion had been unknown.
Previous research demonstrated that p38 MAPK increases matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression and cell invasion. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 has been found to be elevated in invasive prostate cancer tissue. Using six prostate cell lines, Li Xu, MD, PhD, and Raymond C. Bergan, MD, of Northwestern’s Department of Medicine and their associates found that genistein binds to the active site of a protein upstream from p38 MAPK known as mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 (MEK4), which, when overexpressed, increased matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression and cell invasion in all lines. Enzymatic assay confirmed MEK4 activity inhibition by genistein.
In a randomized trial of 24 prostate cancer patients, matrix metalloproteinase-2 levels in normal prostate epithelial cells were found to be lower in genistein-treated patients than in those who did not receive genistein. “We showed, to our knowledge for the first time, that genistein treatment, compared with no treatment, was associated with decreased levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 transcripts in normal prostate cells from prostate cancer-containing tissue,” the authors write. “This finding supports the possibility that destabilization of a premalignant field can potentially be prevented by therapeutically targeting cell motility processes that are linked to cancer, as has been proposed previously.”
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_07.htm#genistein-target-identified-in-prostate-cancer-cells

US spends more on obesity than cancer: Sebelius

Agence France-Presse 07-29-09
The US medical system spends around twice as much treating preventable health conditions caused by obesity than it does on cancer, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday.
"We're spending just under 150 billion dollars a year on health conditions related to obesity," Sebelius told the first-ever national conference on obesity to be organized by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"We have a situation where health conditions related to obesity have nearly twice the cost-impact on the health system as all the cancers combined in this country."
The American Cancer Society, she noted, estimates that all cancers combined cost the health system around 93 billion dollars a year.
Her comments came a day after a study released at the conference found that medical spending on obesity-related conditions could reach a whopping 147 billion dollars a year.
Two-thirds of US adults and one in five children are overweight or obese, putting them at greater risk of chronic illness like heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, according to reports released Monday at the three-day "Weight of the Nation" conference.
"If there were an epidemic in this country of children getting cancer at the rate they are presenting with diabetes, I think we would have people crying out for some sort of national solution," said Sebelius.
"But weight problems -- because they don't present themselves as dramatic problems till later in life -- we have been slow to act."
But Sebelius pledged that would change, as reducing rampant obesity in the United States was at the heart of President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul the healthcare system that leaves some 47 million Americans uninsured.
"President Obama and I are committed to delivering a healthcare system that provides all Americans with better quality and lower costs, and fighting obesity is at the heart of these goals," Sebelius told the conference.
"Keeping people healthy and reducing chronic disease will dramatically lower our costs... chronic diseases are not only responsible for 75 percent of the costs but also for about 70 percent of the deaths.
"Reducing obesity would be one of the biggest steps we could take towards this," she added.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8573&Section=Disease

WHO: Tanning beds can cause cancer

United Press International 07-29-09
LONDON, Jul 29, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Ultraviolet radiation tanning beds and UV radiation were moved up to the highest cancer risk category by a World Health Organization agency, officials said.
A special report in the August edition of The Lancet Oncology said the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of WHO, moved tanning beds up to the highest cancer risk category -- carcinogenic to humans. The use of sunlamps and sunbeds was previously classified as probably carcinogenic to humans.
Dr. Fatiha El Ghissassi and colleagues at IARC in Lyon, France, said the comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that the risk of skin melanoma is increased by 75 percent when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age.
In addition, all types of ionizing radiation were also classified as carcinogenic to humans including:
-- Radon gas, which seeps from soil, rocks and building materials, causing lung cancer.
-- Plutonium and its decay products.
-- Radium and its decay products, affecting the bones of medical patients.
-- Phosphorous-32 and its decay products, causing acute leukemia in medical patients.
-- Radioiodines, affecting the thyroids in children and adolescent survivors of nuclear reactor accidents.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8570&Section=Disease

Nutrigenomics explains omega-3’s immune health benefits

Nutraingredients.com, 30-Jul-2009

Omega-3-rich fish oil beneficially affects gene expression, says a new nutrigenomic study that enhances our understanding of the health benefits of omega-3.
The study is said to be the first to show that DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) andEPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) can affect gene expression to a more anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory status.
Lead researcher Lydia Afman told NutraIngredients: “The most exciting finding of this study is the demonstration of less pro-inflammatory gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after a 6 months fish oil intervention in a healthy elderly population.”
Because PBMCs are immune cells, and play a vital role in inflammation and the development of cardiovascular diseases, the results may go some way to explaining the cardio-protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids.
In addition to a large body of science linking DHA and EPA to improved cardiovascular health, the omega-3 fatty acids have also been linked to reduced risks of certain cancers, good development of a baby during pregnancy, improved joint health, and improved behaviour and mood
Results of the nutrigenomics study are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Study details
Dr Afman and her co-workers from the Nutrition, Metabolism and Genomics Group at Wageningen University recruited 111 healthy Dutch elderly subjects and randomly assigned them to one of three groups: To consume 1.8 or 0.4 g of EPA plus DHA every day (Lipid Nutrition/Loders Croklaan), or to consume 4.0 grams of high-oleic acid sunflower oil per day, for six months.
Microarray analysis of gene expression in PBMCs revealed that that high EPA plus DHA supplement resulted in altered gene expression of 1040 genes, while the sunflower oil supplement altered gene expression of 298 genes.
“Of these genes, 140 were overlapping between the groups, which resulted in 900 uniquely changed genes in the EPA plus DHA group,” said the researchers.
Furthermore, the altered genes were involved in inflammatory- and atherogenic-related pathways, said the researchers.
“These results are the first to show that intake of EPA plus DHA for 26 weeks can alter the gene expression profiles of PBMCs to a more anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic status,” conclyuded the researchers.
Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a major risk factor for CVD.
Implications for nutrigenomics
Dr Afman told this website: “PBMC gene expression profiles are known to be quite constant within persons but vary between persons in time. Therefore, it is interesting to observe that PBMCs gene expression profiles are susceptible to nutritional changes and represent effects that maybe difficult or even impossible to measure using other techniques.
“PBMC gene expression profiles are therefore promising candidates to be used as biomarkers for nutritional status or systemic metabolic health or - capacity.”
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Volume 90, pages 415-424, doi: 0.3945/ajcn.2009.27680 “Fish-oil supplementation induces antiinflammatory gene expression profiles in human blood mononuclear cells” Authors: M. Bouwens, O. van de Rest, N. Dellschaft, M. Grootte Bromhaar, L.C.P.G.M. de Groot, J.M. Geleijnse, M.Muller, L.A. Afman
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Nutrigenomics-explains-omega-3-s-immune-health-benefits

Probiotics may reduce cold and 'flu symptoms for children

Nutraingredients.com, 30-Jul-2009

A daily supplement of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains may reduce the incidence of cold and 'flu-like symptoms in children by 50 per cent, says a new study from Danisco.
A combination of the two strains was linked to reductions in fever incidence by 73 per cent, a reduction in the occurrence of runny noses by 59 per cent, and drop in the incidence of coughing by 62 per cent, according to findings published in Pediatrics.
“Daily probiotic dietary supplementation during the winter months was a safe effective way to reduce episodes of fever, rhinorrhea, and cough, the cumulative duration of those symptoms, the incidence of antibiotic prescriptions, and the number of missed school days attributable to illness,” wrote the authors, led by Gregory Leyer from the Department of Research and Development for Daniscoin Madison.
“L acidophilus NCFM alone was effective. There was, however, a trend for a broader protective effect with the combination of L acidophilus NCFM and B lactisBi-07.”
Indeed, when L. acidophilus NCFM was used alone the fever incidence was cut by 53 per cent, the occurrence of runny noses was reduced by 28 per cent, and the incidence of coughing fell by 41 per cent.
According to UNICEF, a global average of 16 per cent of children under five suffer from acute respiratory infections.
Study details
Leyer and his co-workers from Tongji University (Shanghai), the University of Texas at Houston, and Sprim USA (Frisco) recruited 326 children aged between three and five in a child care centre in China.
The children were randomly assigned to one of three groups, and received twice a day for six months the single L. acidophilus NCFM strain, the combination of the strains, or placebo.
In addition to the reductions in the incidence in fever, coughing, and runny noses, the researchers noted a reduction in the use of antibiotics in children either of the probiotic interventions, while these children also missed fewer days of child care.
“Although the reduced incidence of antibiotic prescriptions for all indications noted in an earlier study was confirmed, this study is the first to indicate a trend toward more-significant results with a combination versus single strain preparation,” wrote the authors.
The duration of symptoms was also reduced in the placebo groups, with a 32 and 48 per cent decrease observed in the single strain and combination groups, respectively.
Commenting on the mechanism, the researchers said that an immune-enhancing effect was the “likely explanation, because numerous studies with various probiotic bacteria have demonstrated their ability to modulate immune responses through interactions
with toll-like receptors”.1
Furthermore, they note that part of the rationale behind the strain choice for this study lay in the strains’ ability to stimulate cells called dendritic cells that play a role in immune systems function.
Source: Pediatrics 
2009, Volume 124: e172-e179
“Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children”
Authors: G.J. Leyer, S .Li, M.E. Mubasher, C. Reifer, A.C. Ouwehand
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Probiotics-may-reduce-cold-and-flu-symptoms-for-children

Self-affirmations sabotage self-esteem for some
Last Updated: 2009-07-29 13:00:42 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Repeating positive statements about oneself -- like "I'm a lovable person" -- may backfire for people most in need of a self-esteem boost, new research published in the journal Psychological Science shows.
Dr. Joanne V. Wood of the University of Waterloo in Ontario and her colleagues found that people with low self-esteem actually felt worse after repeating positive self-statements.
Unfortunately, Wood told Reuters Health, there's no handy alternative to self-affirmation to help people who are feeling down about themselves. "It's surprising how little we know about how to improve people's self-esteem," the researcher said in an interview.
Wood and her colleagues set out to test the widespread belief that people who think or say nice things about themselves will start believing them. They conducted three studies with college students.
In the first, they asked 47 male and 202 female undergraduates about how they used positive self-statements. Most said they did so fairly often, and people with higher self-esteem did so more frequently -- and found these statements more helpful. The worse a student's self-esteem, the more likely he or she was to say using positive statements made them feel worse sometimes rather than better.
Next, the researchers had 68 psychology students write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. During that time, half were told to repeat "I am a lovable person" to themselves when they heard a bell sound, which rang every 15 seconds. The study participants then completed two tests that measured mood indirectly, and one that gauged how they felt about themselves at that particular moment.
People with high self-esteem were in cheerier moods than those in the low self-esteem group. After repeating the "lovable person" statement, people with low self-esteem felt worse, while those with high self-esteem felt better, so the exercise actually increased the difference in mood between the high and low self-esteem individuals.
Finally, Wood and her team tested their hypothesis that thinking positive thoughts might make some people feel worse because it underscored the disconnect between these thoughts and their real feelings. They had 116 undergraduates either focus on the ways the statement "I am a lovable person" was true, and occasions in which it was true, or think about ways it "may be true of you and/or ways in which [it] may not be true."
Just as the researchers had hypothesized, individuals with low self-esteem who were directed to think only about the positive felt worse after the exercise than those who were given the option of thinking about ways the statement wasn't true.
Overall, the researchers found, thinking positive thoughts had negative consequences for people with low self-esteem, while these thoughts helped people who already had high esteem feel a bit better about themselves.
The findings fly in the face of many self-help books out there, which encourage positive thinking at all costs, Wood noted. "Most self help books aren't based on any research whatsoever," she added. "People don't realize that."
The one strategy people with self-esteem issues could try is to work on improving their mood, Wood said, pointing out that people who are in good moods feel better about themselves, and vice versa.
And perhaps, she added, just recognizing that positive self-statements are no self-esteem panacea may be helpful too. "I've heard from people all over the world who've said thank you for reporting this," Wood said. "I think that message is resonating with people."
SOURCE: Psychological Science, online May 21, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/07/29/eline/links/20090729elin002.html

Calcium rich kid diet has long term benefits
Last Updated: 2009-07-29 15:01:29 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A childhood diet rich in calcium may lower the risk of death from stroke in adulthood, while a diet high in dairy or calcium in childhood may lower the risk of death from any cause later in life, according to results of a study published online ahead of print in the journal Heart.
"The practice of giving extra milk to school children to encourage growth was common in Europe in the 20th century and milk consumption by children is still encouraged in many European countries and worldwide," Dr. Jolieke C. van der Pols of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues note in their report.
"Yet concern has been expressed about the possible long-term health effects of dairy consumption in relation to cancer and cardiovascular disease risk and safe intake levels are being debated," they note.
Against this backdrop, van der Pols and colleagues carried out a 65-year follow-up of a British study of family food intake conducted from 1937 to 1939. They determined causes of death between 1948 and 2005 for 4374 traced cohort members who participated in the study.
By the end of the follow-up period, 1468 of the 4374 study subjects (34%) had died, including 378 from heart disease and 121 from stroke.
According to the investigators, a high calcium diet in childhood was associated with reduced risk of death from stroke. Specifically, they observed that a calcium intake of approximately 400 milligrams per day was associated with 40% to 60% lower mortality due to stroke compared with a daily calcium intake below this level.
There was no strong evidence that a high childhood intake of dairy products was associated with death from heart disease or stroke.
However, children who were in the group that had the highest calcium intake and dairy product consumption (milk, in particular) were found to have lower death rates than those in the lower intake groups.
"As far as we know, this is the first study to provide evidence for an association between childhood dairy and calcium intake and mortality due to stroke or all-causes in adulthood," the investigators note.
They say further studies are needed to replicate these findings; "in particular of studies that involve a more complete life-course assessment of dairy intake and cardiovascular disease outcomes."
SOURCE: Heart 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/07/29/eline/links/20090729elin023.html

Military to Deploy on U.S. Soil to "Assist" with Pandemic Outbreak
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews.com  July 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Until now, what I'm about to tell you would have been easily dismissed as a conspiracy theory. It's the kind of story that you might expect from some extreme fringe blogger... the kind of story that never appears in the mainstream media. Only today, it did. And it's not a conspiracy theory, either.

CNN is reporting this evening that the U.S. military is gearing up to get involved in the H1N1 swine flu outbreak widely expected to strike the U.S. this fall. As CNN reports, "The U.S. military wants to establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities in the event of a significantoutbreak of the H1N1 virus this fall, according to Defense Department officials." (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/07/2...)

When it comes to the U.S. military, the word "assist," of course, could mean almost anything. Typically, the U.S. military offers assistance at the end of a rifle. This "assistance" could mean assisting with quarantines, assisting with rounding up infected people or assisting with arresting and imprisoning people who resist vaccine shots.

Just to make it even more interesting, this operation will include "personnel from all branches of the military" and it will involve cooperation with FEMA -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA is the group of geniuses who handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They're the ones who confiscated firearms from law-abiding citizens defending their own homes, then thrust people into toxic temporary housing that caused neurological symptoms and breathing problems.

Internationally, FEMA is known as the Federal Emergency Laughing Stock Administration. But now, with H1N1 swine flu, FEMA will be backed by the power of highly-trained, heavily-armed military personnel.
Imagine one possible future in America...
There's a knock on your door. A peek through the window reveals two young soldiers in urban camo fatigues gripping M16 rifles slung across their chests. In front of them, an official-looking doctor person sports an N95 mask and carries a clipboard thick with ruffled papers.

Knock knock. "Is anyone home?"

One of the soldiers catches a glimpse of you peering through a sliver of curtain covering the living room window. "I've got movement." He tightens his grip on his rifle and elbows the soldier next to him. "Someone's home. Knock again."

Knock KNOCK. "We're here from the pandemic response team," insists the doc. "We're here to help. Open up or we'll be forced to come in."

Reluctantly, you inch towards the door and grip the doorknob with damp, sweaty hands. Your pulse pounds hard as you crack open the door.

But the doctor isn't in front of your door anymore. It's one of the soldiers -- the larger one -- and he wedges his foot between your door and its frame, prying it open and forcing his intimidating self into your doorway. "We're with FEMA. Please step away from the door."

"Our records show you haven't received the swine flu vaccine yet," squeaks the doctor from behind the bulk of the domineering soldier now squarely positioned in front of you. "We're here to administer your vaccine."

"I don't want a vaccine," you protest. "They're not safe."

The soldier chuckles, blurts out, "They're as safe as the U.S. government says they are."

The doctor peers out from behind his military companion and makes eye contact. "Sir, as you well know, vaccines have been required for all U.S. residents since President Obama's emergency pandemic declaration last month. Please extend your arm and we'll be on our way."

He produces a syringe and stabs it into a half-filled vaccine cylinder. As he pulls the plunger and liquid races into the syringe, you realize you have mere moments to make a decision. Will you willingly accept the vaccine and avoid being beaten, arrested or shot by the two armed enforcers at your door, or will you resist and pay the consequences?

"Please extend your arm now," the doctor says. The military grunt clenches his jaw, eyeing your hesitation with obvious scorn. He fingers the safety on his rifle and clears his throat...

... what will your choice be?
We're only here to help
That scenario might seem like fiction now, but it could unfold in America in the next few months. What seems outlandish today could become a police state reality before Christmas.

But this is no joke. These people are serious. Even the words tell too much: The order to approve all this is about to be signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and it's called an "execution order."

So what, exactly, would military personnel be doing in your neighborhood in the event of a swine flu outbreak? The CNN story says they could assist with the "...testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients." There's nothing in the story about rounding people up, maintainingquarantine road blocks or cremating the infected bodies of the dead. These realities of a pandemic outbreak are better left unsaid if you're the U.S. military (or the mainstream media).

That's why the full story of what the U.S. military is planning for will never be told to the masses. It's too disturbing. But make no mistake: The military is planning for a worst-case scenario (that's what the military does), and a worst-case pandemic outbreak scenario would involve gunpoint-enforced isolation, military-enforced quarantine zones and most likely the forced vaccination of nearly everyone. Those who resist the vaccinations would be arrested (or detained) and injected at gunpoint, then set free back into the population.

Hollywood has already imagined some of what might happen in such a scenario. Rent the movie The Siege (Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington) to catch an imaginative glimpse of how the U.S. military might handle things in an "emergency situation." It's not a documentary, of course, but much of what it presents seems strangely on track with what's shaping up if a pandemic outbreak occurs.

The very fact that the military is now leaking this story to CNN says something all by itself: The U.S. military is preparing to be stationed on U.S. soil, and whatever freedoms you mistakenly think are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution will be long gone by the time the soldiers arrive at your door.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026732_military_pandemic_outbreak.html

Codex Threatens Health of Billions
Barbara Minton, NaturalNews.com  July 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Your right to eat healthy food and use supplements of your choice is rapidly vanishing, but every effort has been made to keep you in the dark about the coming nutricide. Codex Alimentarius is scheduled for full global implementation on December 31, 2009, and not a word has been spoken in main stream media about this threat to humanity. Yet, according to the projections based on figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a minimum of 3 billion people will die from the Codex mandated vitamin and mineral guideline alone.

Former Nazi is father of contemporary Codex

Codex is the enemy of everyone except those who will profit from it. Codex has an association with those who committed crimes during the Nazi regime. At the end of World War II, the Nuremberg tribunal judged Nazis who had committed horrendous crimes against humanity and sentenced them to prison terms. One of those found guilty was the president of the megalithic corporation I.G. Farben, Hermann Schmitz. His company was the largest chemical manufacturing enterprise in the world, and had extraordinary political and economic power and influence with the Hitlerian Nazi state. Farben produced the gas used in the Nazi gas chambers, and the steel for the railroads built to transport people to their deaths.

While serving his prison term, Schmitz looked for an alternative to brute force for controlling people and realized that people could be controlled through their food supply. When he got out of prison, he went to his friends at the United Nations (UN) and laid out a plan to take over the control of food worldwide. A trade commission called Codex Alimentarius (Latin for food code) was re-created under the guise of it being a consumer protectioncommission. But Codex was never in the business of protecting people. It has always been about money and profits at the expense of people.

In 1962, the timetable was set for Codex to be fully implemented on a global level by December 31, 2009. Under Codex, committees were established to create guidelines on such topics as fish and fisheries, fats and oils, fruits and vegetables, ground nuts, nutrition, food for specialized uses, and vitamins and minerals. There were 27 committees in all, creating a huge bureaucracy. Under Codex there are over 4,000 guidelines and regulations on everything that can be put into your mouth with the exception of pharmaceuticals which are not regulated by Codex.

Codex is a weapon being used to reduce the level of nutrition worldwide

Codex is an industry dominated regulation setting organization, and as such has no legal standing. Participation in Codex is said to be voluntary. But Codex has risen to the level of de facto legal standing because Codex is administered by the WHO and FAO. They fund it and run it at the request of the UN. Since the WHO and FAO are supposed to be about health, there is conflict of interest. The committees of Codex work up guidelines, rules and regulations, and present them to a Codex commission for ratification. Once they are ratified and approved by consensus, they become mandatory standards for any country that is a member of the WHO.

Codex was accepted when the WTO was formed in 1994 as a means of harmonizing food standards globally for easy trade between countries. As a result, countries must harmonize with Codex if they want to have any standing in a trade dispute. When disputes arise and countries are pulled in to WTO, the one that is Codex compliant automatically wins, regardless of the merits of its case.

Codex has become a weapon to make every nation scurry to become compliant to its mandated decline in nutritional standards. Compliance in the U.S. will mark the end of its consumer protection laws. Codex will not serve consumers. Codex will serve the interests of the medical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, and big agricultural industries.

Under Codex, nutrients are classified as poisons

The Dietary Substances Health and Education Act (DSHEA), was signed into law in 1994 for the purpose of ensuring that safe and appropriately labeled products would remain available to those who wanted to use them. In the findings associated with this law, Congress stated that there may be a positive relationship between sound dietary practice and good health, and a connection between dietary supplement use, reduced health-care expenses, and disease prevention. Under DSHEA, nutrients and herbs are classified as food. There is no upper limit set, and access is freely given. Americans are allowed to have any nutrients they want, because under English common law, anything that is not expressly forbidden is permitted.

Codex, on the other hand, is based on Napoleonic law and is much more restrictive. In 1994, the same year DSHEA was signed, Codex had nutrients declared to be toxic and poisonous. And as poisons, they claimed people must be protected from them through the use of toxicology and risk assessment, under which scientists test small doses on animals until they are able to discern an impact. They then take the first sign of the most minimal impact and divide this amount by 100 to establish a safety margin required from these poisons. This means that the largest dose of any nutrient allowed under Codex is 1/100th of the amount shown to produce the first discernable impact.

Nutrients allowed under Codex are limited to those on the positive list, expected to contain only 18 nutrients, one of them being fluoride. Although fluoride has no biological benefit whatsoever, it does make people complacent.

The Codex proponents now have several bills before Congress designed to overturn and get rid of DSHEA. Once this is accomplished, the U.S. will have been harmonized with the vitamin and mineral guidelines of codex. High potency, therapeutically effective, significant nutrients will then be illegal in the way that heroin is illegal. They will not even be available by prescription.

Codex supports toxic food additives, pesticides and GM foods

Codex poses a significant threat to the food supply, according to Dr. Robert Verkerk, founder and director of the Alliance for Natural Health. About 300 dangerous food additives that are mainly synthetic will be allowed under Codex, including aspartame, BHA, BHT, potassium bromate, tartrazine, and more. Dr. Verkerk is particularly concerned that no consideration has been given to potential risks associated with long-term exposure to mixtures of additives.

Codex sets limits for the dangerous industrial chemicals that can be used in food, but they are incredibly high, and the list of chemicals that can be used is long. In 2001, 176 countries including the U.S. got together and decided that 12 highly toxic organic chemicals, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPS), were so bad that they had to be banned. There are many more than 12 toxic chemicals used on food, but these 12 were unanimously declared to be the worst. Of these, 9 are pesticides.

Under Codex, 7 of the 9 forbidden POPS will again be allowed in the production of food. All together, Codex allows over 3,275 different pesticides, including those that are suspected carcinogens or endocrine disrupters. There is no consideration of the long-term effects of exposure to mixtures of pesticide residues in food.

Organic food governance will be dumbed down to suit the interests of large food producers. Various synthetic chemical additives and processing aids will be allowed, and food labeled as organic may be irradiated. Labeling will permit the use of hidden, non-organic ingredients.

Monsanto, a member of Codex, will benefit greatly as production of genetically modified (GM) foods are stepped up and more GM plants are given the green light. Terminator seeds will be approved for international trade. GM food animals will also be on the way.

Under Codex, every dairy animal can be treated with growth hormone, and all animals in the food chain will be treated with sub-clinical levels of antibiotics. Codex will lead to the required irradiation of all foods with the exception of those grown locally and sold raw.

Codex is food regulations that are in fact the legalization of mandated toxicity and under-nutrition. Of the 3 billion people initially expected to die as the result of the Codex vitamin and mineral guidelines, 2 billion of them will die from the preventable diseases that result from under-nutrition, such ascancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many others. Those who will live will be the wealthy elites who are able to somehow provide themselves with sources of clean food and other nutrients.

Codex is legalized genocide

Dr. Gregory Damato, Ph.D., writing for Natural News, has characterized Codex as "population control for money". He sees Codex as run by the U.S. and controlled by the big pharmaceutical corporations and the likes of Monsanto with the purpose of reducing the population of the world to a level considered sustainable by those promulgating the New World Order. This would mean a reduction of approximately 93 percent of the current world population.

Once Codex standards are adopted there will be no turning back. When Codex compliance is instigated in any area, as long as the country remains a member of the WTO, those standards cannot be repealed, or altered in any way.

The time for modifying Codex guidelines is rapidly disappearing

Some hope remains. Over the years, the WTO has accepted Codex standards as presumptive evidence of the rules of trade between countries. However, several times in history, the WTO has refused to make Codex the single and only standard to be used in trade disputes. Under Codex`s own statutes, their guidelines are claimed to be "advisory", and nations are able to set up their own guidelines as long as they are more restrictive than those of Codex.

Since compliance with Codex standards is simply presumptive evidence, and not finally determinative, a nation can opt out of the guidelines in an effort to protect its traditional foods and remedies. The Codex two step process is a legal strategy developed to help nations wanting to do this. Under step one, the country develops its own food and health guidelines that may be at variance with Codex guidelines. For example, it may be much stricter on the issues of toxins in the food supply or on the issue of genetically modified foods. It may require, for example, that companies using GM ingredients be required to indicate them on food labels. In countries that refuse to use GM foods, this can be indicated on their label too, so that people can make informed choices. The second step is to adopt a national law that implements those guidelines on a sound scientific basis.

Normally, in a trade dispute before the WTO, the country that has adopted Codex guidelines will be the winner of that dispute based on those guidelines being presumptive evidence. However, when countries have gone through the two step process to create their own guidelines, there is no such presumption, and the WTO will look at the science behind the guidelines.

In the U.S. the door is open to Codex

In 1995, the FDA issued a policy statement saying that international standards such as Codex would supersede U.S. laws governing all food. Under the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which is illegal under current U.S. law, but is legal under international law, the U.S. is required to conform to Codex as it stands on December 31, 2009, unless it creates its own guidelines and gets them approved under the two step process. Given current government sentiment, this seems unlikely. Besides, as guidelines are one-by-one chiseled into standards, time is running out.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026731_CODEX_food_health.html

Anesthesia in Young Kids Leads to Learning Disabilities (because chemicals harm the brain)
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  July 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Exposure to anesthesia more than once before the age of three appears to significantly increase a person's risk of developing learning disabilities in childhood, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Medical School and published in the journal Anesthesiology.

The researchers examined the medical records of all children born in one of five towns in Olmstead County, Minn., between the years of 1976 and 1982. They compared data on anesthesia exposure before the age of three and the diagnosis of a learning disability before the age of 19 in the 5,357 of these children who had lived in Olmstead County until at least the age of five.

Among children who had been exposed to anesthesia once before the age of three, the risk of learning abilities was the same as among children who had never been exposed. Two anesthesia exposures, however, increased the risk of learning disabilities by 59 percent, while three or more exposures increased the risk by 160 percent.

This is the first study to directly demonstrate a connection between early anesthesia exposure and learning disabilities in humans. Prior human studies have shown connections between early surgeries and the later development of developmental or behavioral problems.

The most common drugs used to anesthetize the children in the study were nitrous oxide and halothane. Halothane has been discontinued in the United States, but has been replaced by drugs that act similarly in the body. Nitrous oxide remains popular.

Lead author Robert Wilder warned that the study does not mean that parents should keep their children from undergoing potentially life-saving operations.

"Even if I knew for a fact that anesthesia might be increasing the risk for learning disabilities, my advice would still be, if your kid needs to have surgery done, they're better off having the anesthetic," Wilder said.

"Of course, you don't want to submit your kid to any unnecessary surgical or medical procedure, but that would have been my advice before studying this."
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026730_learning_anesthesia_learning_disabilities.html

Use the Healing Properties of Helichrysum Essential Oil
Sheryl Walters, NaturalNews.com  July 30, 2009

(NaturalNews) Using essential oils to cleanse and heal the body, mind and soul is not a new concept. In fact using different fragrances to alter your state of mind has been used within religious ceremonies for centuries. But today Aromatherapy has become so popular that anything that has a scent is labeled as an aromatherapy product. Many of these so called essential oils are not the real thing, which leads many people to look at aromatherapy very negatively. But the truth is that using real essential oils in many different forms of aromatherapy can be a very effective healing and relaxation tool. Helichrysum essential oil is known as the "everlasting" or "immortal" essential oil. Unlike most essential oils it can be stored and left in the cupboard for a very long time. Helichrysum essential oil is found mainly in France and Italy. Its rarity makes it one of the most expensive essential oils to buy, but it is also known as one of the best as it has a long list of healing properties.

In ancient times Helichrysum was used along with Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard, and Rose to help open the heart and mind to the infinite possibilities of the spiritual life. But now Helichrysum is known to help all sorts of medical ailments from ridding the body of scar tissue and stretch marks to relieving the pain of arthritis and regulating blood pressure.

A study conducted at the University of Nigeria found that the active ingredients in Helichrysum that help lower blood pressure are called curcumene and caryophyllene. They also found significant evidence that rubbing the oil over scars does significantly reduce their appearance, even if the scars have been there for some time.

But it is the oil's anti spasmodic, anti coagulant and anti allergenic properties that have excited most of the medical profession. Due to the rising number of people suffering from heart attacks and heart disease there is now a lot of research going in to natural substances that show anticoagulant (Blood Thinning) properties. Everything from mosquito saliva to ginger and turmeric have been tested, but none of them seem to be able to match the powers of Helichrysum essential oil. The oil has also been found to be a powerful anti allergenic. Not only does it help reduce the superficial signs of allergies such as skin rashes and stomach aches, but it has also been found to protect the liver, spleen and lungs, which is where the first signs of an allergic reaction may occur.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026726_aromatherapy_essential_oils_blood.html

Cancers Set To 'Explode' In Latino/a Populations, Researcher Says

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2009) — The Latino/a population in the United States is expected to triple by 2050, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau. And along with that growth, says University of Illinois professor Lydia Buki, will come a rise in the number of individuals from that population who are diagnosed with cancer.
In particular, based on current statistics, Buki expects that diagnoses of breast and cervical cancers among Latinas will increase significantly.
“It’s just going to explode,” she said. “It’s really a train wreck waiting to happen, and we’re not doing enough to anticipate women’s needs. Even right now, we are not doing a good job of providing services for these women.”
To better serve the physical and mental health needs of this population, with respect to cancer prevention, detection and treatment, Buki said, improvements must be made in two areas: knowledge and access.
“It’s women knowing the importance (of cancer screening), and at the same time being able to access information and screening services,” she said. “Also, we need to provide information and access to support services to women already diagnosed.”
A licensed psychologist and professor of community health, Buki is a co-author with U. of I. doctoral student Melissa Selem of “Cancer Screening and Surviorship in Latino Populations: A Primer for Psychologists,” a chapter in the “U.S. Handbook of Latina/o Psychology” (recently published by Sage).
Buki, who also has appointments in educational psychology, medicine and
Latino/a studies, will present the work at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto Aug. 6-9.
The U. of I. researcher, who chairs the APA’s Committee on Women in Psychology, began studying issues related to cancer detection and treatment among Latinos in 1996 when she worked for the National Hispanic Council on Aging on a federally funded cancer-screening project. She said a number of “psychosocial and institutional factors” often combine to deter prevention, detection and treatment in Latino populations.
“These include low levels of health insurance, limited proficiency with the English language, low levels of formal education, low income, cultural factors and institutional racism.”
In addition to making psychologists and other therapists aware of specific cultural  and other barriers characteristic of this population, Buki and Selem identify and provide incidence and mortality rates for four types of cancer that are prevalent within Latino populations: breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate.
Breast cancer, they note, ranks No. 1 among all cancers afflicting U.S. Latinas, and the five-year survivorship rate for Latinas is lower than that for non-Latina whites. Incidence rates of cervical cancer are up to three times higher than those for non-Latina whites.
Among Latinas and Latinos, incident rates for colorectal cancer rank second, and mortality, third.
“Evidence suggests that Latinos develop greater risk for this type of cancer across generations, given the changes in diet that take place across generations in the United States,” according to Buki and Selem. “As Latinos spend more time in the United Sates, their eating habits become more like those of non-Latino whites, with diets higher in fat and lower in fiber, fruits and vegetables.” And they note, Latinos are more likely than non-Latino whites to present with larger tumors or at more advanced stages of the disease.
Among Latino males, the authors indicate that prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, accounting for the second highest mortality rate of all cancers.
Much of Buki’s past research has focused on breast and cervical cancer prevention and control, diagnosis and treatment among Latina populations. From that work, the U. of I. professor has taken away a key piece of knowledge, which she believes is critical for psychologists, therapists, social workers, doctors and other health-care practitioners providing care for this population to take into account. That is, the “Latina” label is not a one-size-fits-all descriptor.
And Latinas from different geographic regions may have very different cultural beliefs regarding the body, disease and health practices.
For example, in a 2004 study focusing on immigrant women of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran and South American ancestry, Buki found that Mexican women were not only highly embarrassed when touching or showing their breasts, they also were embarrassed about being ill. In addition, they exhibited extreme fear of even visiting a doctor, because of fatalistic beliefs about cancer.
“Many of the participants from Mexico did not want to go to the doctor for fear that they will be told they will die,” she said.
On the other hand, only some of the Puerto Rican women surveyed in that study reported embarrassment in regard to touching their breasts as part of breast-cancer self-exams. South American women were not embarrassed when performing breast self-exams; however, some believed it would be embarrassing to reveal themselves to health-care practitioners during a clinical breast exam.
With respect to communicating the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening, Buki noted that the use of promotoras de salud – or peer role models – can be effective in “helping women navigate the health-care system to obtain the exams.”
“Moreover, by discussing cancer, a topic that has been taboo in traditional Latino culture, promotoras are helping create a dialogue in the community around cultural issues such as cancer stigma, fatalism and fear,” she noted. “These discussions, in turn, have the potential to break down barriers to screening.”
Again, protocols and strategies followed when employing promotoras varies from group to group within the U.S. Latina immigrant population.
In another study examining the effectiveness of peer-based programs in four cities in diverse regions of the U.S., Buki found that Mexican women benefited most from health fairs that encouraged participation by entire families.
“For Puerto Rican women, door-to-door (campaigns) seemed to work best, along with attending community events,” she said.
In Washington, D.C., Buki was surprised to find that after advertising free mammograms on a Spanish radio program, within two days, “we had more women than the 80 slots we had available. That was unprecedented.”
Conversely, she said, getting women of Mexican ancestry in Dallas to take advantage of a similar program was “very difficult.”
The key to the success in Washington, according to Buki, was that the Spanish radio station featured a five-minute daily program by Dr. Elmer Huerta, a trusted physician from Peru who was known nationally and internationally for his expertise and advice on health promotion.
“The mechanism behind it is the same as with the promotoras – someone who is trusted, who speaks their language, knows their culture and tells them, ‘this is what you need to do.’ ”
In addition to cultural barriers, those posed by language, low education and incomes also must be addressed by providing additional, better and more innovative forms of access to social services and psycho-social programming, Buki said.
“Among Latina women, those who have immigrated experience the most language barriers and limited access to health care,” she said.
And while some may argue that an emphasis on English-language learning might be a critical place to start, in terms of ameliorating problems related to lack of knowledge and information, Buki said the issue is not so clear cut.
“Do you feed people fish, or do you teach them how to fish? That’s a conversation I’ve had with other Latina breast-cancer-survivor advocates,” she said. “I think the women should take some responsibility for their own condition and for learning English.
“But that’s not going to happen overnight. We need to provide them with support to enable them.”
If that doesn’t happen, she said, the outcome is certain.
“We’re headed down a road where we’re going to lose a lot of human potential in this country if we don’t start addressing the needs of this population.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729140925.htm

Rates Of Severe Childhood Obesity Have Tripled

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2009) — Rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled in the last 25 years, putting many children at risk for diabetes and heart disease, according to a report in Academic Pediatrics by an obesity expert at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
"Children are not only becoming obese, but becoming severely obese, which impacts their overall health," said Joseph Skelton, M.D., lead author and director of the Brenner FIT (Families in Training) Program. "These findings reinforce the fact that medically-based programs to treat obesity are needed throughout the United States and insurance companies should be encouraged to cover this care."
The research was published online and will appear in the September print edition. Skelton and colleagues compared data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They looked at the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in a study population of 12,384 children, representing approximately 71 million U.S. children ages 2 to 19 years.
Severe childhood obesity is a new classification for children and describes those with a body mass index (BMI) that is equal to or greater than the 99th percentile for age and gender. For example, a 10-year-old child with a BMI of 24 would be considered severely obese, Skelton said, whereas in an adult, that is considered a normal BMI. An expert committee convened by the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services proposed the new classification in 2007.
The research by Skelton and colleagues is the first of its kind to use the new classification and detail the severity of the problem. They found that the prevalence of severe obesity tripled (from 0.8 percent to 3.8 percent) in the period from 1976-80 to 1999-2004. Based on the data, there are 2.7 million children in the U.S. who are considered severely obese.
Increases in severe obesity were highest among blacks and Mexican-Americans and among those below the poverty level. For example, the percentage of Mexican-American children in the severely obese category was 0.9 percent in 1976-80 and 5.2 percent in 1999-2004.
Researchers also looked at the impact of severe obesity and found that a third of children in the severely obese category were classified as having metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for heart attack, stroke and diabetes. These risk factors include higher-than normal blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels.
"These findings demonstrate the significant health risks facing this morbidly obese group," wrote the researchers in their report. "This places demands on health care and community services, especially because the highest rates are among children who are frequently underserved by the health care system."
The research was supported, in part, by the National Institutes of the Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Co-researchers were: Stephen Cook, M.D., M.P.H.; Peggy Auinger, M.S.; Jonathan Klein, M.D., M.P.H.; University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; and Sarah Barlow, M.D., M.P.H., Baylor College of Medicine.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729121708.htm

Nanotech Particles Affect Brain Development In Mice
ScienceDaily (July 30, 2009) — Maternal exposure to nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) affects the expression of genes related to the central nervous system in developing mice. Researchers found that mice whose mothers were injected with the nanoparticles while pregnant showed alteration in gene expression related to neurological dysfunction.
Ken Takeda led a team of researchers from the Tokyo University of Science, Japan, who carried out the tests. He said, "Nanotechnology and the production of novel man-made nanoparticles are increasing worldwide. Titanium dioxide in its nanoparticle form has a high level of photocatalytic activity, and can be used for air and water purification and self-cleaning surfaces. Our findings, however, add to the current concern that this specific nanomaterial may have the potential to affect human health".
For this study, the researchers injected pregnant mice with Ti02 nanoparticles. The brains were obtained from male fetuses/pups on the 16th day of gestation and at several points after birth. Comparing these brains to those of control animals, the researchers were able to demonstrate changes in expression of hundreds of genes. According to Takeda, "Diseases associated with these genes include those we normally consider to develop in childhood, such as autistic disorder, epilepsy and learning disorders, and also others that arise mainly in adulthood or old age, such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease."
Nanotechnology deals with engineering at the molecular scale. Materials reduced to nanoparticles behave in ways dissimilar to those we're used to - altering their reactivity, surface area to volume and any number of other properties. While larger TiO2 particles are commonly used in paints and sunblocks, nanoparticles of TiO2 are specially created for new applications in coatings and self-cleaning surfaces and their effects on living tissue are only beginning to be understood. It should be noted that this gene expression data cannot be interpreted as a direct health effect. In addition, the nanoparticles were deliberately injected at a high dose, so the relevance to real-life exposure may be limited.
Midori Shimizu, Hitoshi Tainaka, Taro Oba, Keisuke Mizuo, Masakazu Umezawa and Ken Takeda. Maternal exposure to nanoparticulate titanium dioxide during the prenatal period alters gene expression related to brain development in the mouse. Particle and Fibre Toxicology, (in press) [link]
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728201737.htm

Antioxidant In Substance From Honeybees May Protect Athletes From Overheating

ScienceDaily (July 29, 2009) — A compound from honeybees known as propolis, the substance bees use to seal their hives, may protect against heat stress in athletes, according to an article in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.
Honeybee propolis, or bee glue, has been widely used as a folk medicine. An active ingredient in propolis known as caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE, has a broad spectrum of biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. Hyperthermia, or heat stress, is considered to be the main factor underlying the early fatigue and dehydration seen during prolonged exercise in the heat.
“Since hyperthermia and free radical generation are related to exercise-induced physical damage, it is reasonable to test whether an antioxidant can prevent or reduce hyperthermia-induced free radical generation and damage,” says lead researcher Yu-Jen Chen of Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.
Researchers examined blood from 30 competitive cyclists who engaged in endurance training for two to four years prior to the investigation. None participated in any competitions or intensive training or had any clinical illness or medical or surgical treatments four months prior to the study.
“CAPE rescued mononuclear cells from hyperthermia-induced cell death,” writes Yu-Jen Chen. “This implies that CAPE might not only promote athletic performance but also prevent injury secondary to endurance-exercise-induced hyperthermia.” In addition, researchers indicated that further human studies need to be conducted to solidify their findings.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728172355.htm

L-carnitine pills may prevent pregnancy-related declines
Nutraingredients.com, 29-Jul-2009
Daily supplements of L-carnitine during pregnancy may reverse the decline in the nutrient’s levels that occurs naturally during pregnancy, says a new study supported by Lonza.

Levels of carnitine have already been shown to decrease during pregnancy, while the reason is unknown. The new study suggests that this may be due to decrease in the rate of carnitine biosynthesis, which may be due to an inadequate iron status in the women.
Supplementation with L-carnitine was found to prevent that reduction in plasma carnitine levels that was observed in the women in the placebo group.
In the control group, there was a marked reduction of plasma carnitine concentration from the 12th week of gestation to term. This reduction was prevented by the supplementation of carnitine.
“We’re glad to be the first to show that even with a daily dose of 500 mg L-Carnitine the low plasma levels can be restored in pregnant women,” said lead researcher Professor Klaus Eder from Martin-Luther University in Germany.
Findings of the study, which used Lonza’s Carnipure ingredient and was funded by the Swiss company, are published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
L-Carnitine, a vitamin-like nutrient, occurs naturally in the human body and is essential for turning fat into energy. It is frequently used as a dietary supplement by physically active people to help with post-exercise recovery.
Lonza, which claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of L-Carnitine, has said that extensive scientific research shows the supplement promotes cardiovascular health and that other studies suggest the nutrient may be useful in weight management.
Study details
The German researchers recruited 26 healthy pregnant women and randomly assigned them to receive either a daily 500 mg L-carnitine supplement as L-carnitine L-tartrate, or placebo from week 13 of pregnancy until the birth of the child.
While the placebo group experienced a reduction in plasma carnitine levels during the course of the study, the women receiving the carnitine supplement did not.
According to Lonza, previous studies have indicated that restoring plasma levels of carnitine via supplementation during pregnancy may also help prevent the development of gestational diabetes, especially in overweight women, by decreasing elevated plasma free fatty acids.
Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print,doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2009.36
“Carnitine status of pregnant women: effect of carnitine supplementation and correlation between iron status and plasma carnitine concentration”Authors: U. Keller, C. van der Wal, G. Seliger, C. Scheler, F. Ropke, K. Eder
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/L-carnitine-pills-may-prevent-pregnancy-related-declines

Antioxidants from black tea may aid diabetics

Nutraingredients.com, 29-Jul-2009

Polysaccharides from black tea may blunt the spike in sugar levels after a meal more than similar compounds from green and oolong tea, and offer potential to manage diabetes, says a new study.
The black tea polysaccharides also exhibited the greatest activity for scavenging free radicals, which are linked to development of diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, according to new findings published in the Journal of Food Science.
Interest in tea and its constituents has bloomed in recent years, with the greatest focus on the leaf’s polyphenol content. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea.
The new research looked at the polysaccharide content of green, black and oolong tea, and measured their ability to inhibit the effects of alpha-glucosidase activity. By inhibiting this carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzyme, it is possible to reduce the spike in glucose levels in the blood following a meal (postprandial hyperglycemia).
If additional studies support the potential effects of the polysaccharides, it could see the black tea extracts positioned in the diabetic supplements market. An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, equal to four per cent of the total population. This figure is projected to increase to 26 million by 2030.
In the US, there are almost 24 million people with diabetes, equal to 8 per cent of the population. The total costs are thought to be as much as $174 billion, with $116 billion being direct costs from medication, according to 2005-2007 American Diabetes Association figures.
Study details
“Many efforts have been made to search for effective glucose inhibitors from natural materials,” said lead researcher Haixia Chen. “There is a potential for exploitation of black tea polysaccharide in managing diabetes.”
Researchers from Tianjin University isolated three polysaccharide-rich fractions from green, black, and oolong tea. The black tea was found to contain lower molecular weight polysaccharides. Green tea had a range from 9.2 to 251.5 KDa, while black tea polysaccharides ranged from 3.8 to 32.7 KDa.
When tested for their ability to inhibit alpha-glucosidase, as well as antioxidant activities relating to hydroxyl radicals and DPPH radicals, the black tea polysaccharides were found to produce the best results, said Chen and co-workers.
“The differences in antioxidant activities and glycosidase inhibitory properties among the three polysaccharide-rich fractions appeared to be related to differences in monosaccharide composition and molecular weight distribution of the polysaccharide,” wrote the researchers.
Source: Journal of Food Science Published online ahead of print, Early View, doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01231.x “Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Capacity of 3 Polysaccharides from Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Black Tea” Authors: H. Chen, Z. Qu, L. Fu, P. Dong, X. Zhang
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Antioxidants-from-black-tea-may-aid-diabetics

New research to explore how food allergies are triggered

Foodnavigator-USA.com, 28-Jul-2009

University of Chicago researchers have been awarded a $433,100 grant to investigate how food allergies are triggered, in a study that could eventually help explore whether GM crops cause allergies.
The study, which was awarded the funding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), could lay the groundwork for assessing whether genetically modified (GM) crops are more likely to cause food allergies than non-GM crops, the agency said – a question that many consumers have been asking.
More than 12m Americans suffer from a food allergy, or about four percent of the population, and the incidence of food allergies in the US has doubled over the past decade, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. Public concern about the possibility of allergies being triggered by GM crops has centered on inherent insect resistant traits in some GM plants, but scientists do not yet know what has caused the rapid rise in the number of allergy sufferers.
One of the researchers working on the study, associate professor at the University of Chicago Anne Sperling, told FoodNavigator-USA.com that she thinks it is unlikely that GM crops trigger more food allergies than non-GM crops, but added: “We don’t understand allergy very well at all, so before we can understand genetically modified crops we have to understand food allergy better.”
For now, the researchers are focusing on egg and peanut allergens by examining antibodies in mice that have gone through a process which gives them an allergy to the foods.
Sperling said that whereas other studies have examined an antibody called IgE, this study will also look at another antibody known as IgG, which binds to allergens, in an effort to better understand why some people’s immune systems overreact to particular foods, resulting in an allergic reaction.
“IgE has been known for a long time to be linked to allergy because it’s involved in the release of antihistamines. IgG has not been particularly looked at before,”she said.
At present the only available treatment for food allergy is complete avoidance of the allergen – but the researchers hope that their work may help form the basis of an eventual treatment.
“The long term goal is to come up with a strategy for therapy or a biomarker for diagnosis,” said Sperling, “But it’s a long road which takes a lot of work.”
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the most common allergies among children are cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soybeans and wheat.
The most common allergies among adults are peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, fruits and vegetables.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/New-research-to-explore-how-food-allergies-are-triggered

It is Official: WHO Recommends Mandatory Injections to Almost Two Hundred Countries
Barbara Minton, NaturalNews.com July 29, 2009

(NaturalNews) Executives from Baxter, Novartis, Glaxo-Smith Kline, and Sanofi Pasteur have seats at the advisory group that on July 13th recommended mandatory H1N1 vaccination of everyone in all 194 countries that belong to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a report just issued by journalist Jane Burgermeister. WHO spokesperson Alphaluck Bhatiasevi confirmed that Dr. Margaret Chan did not give the press briefing at WHO headquarters in Geneva as anticipated. At short notice, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny stepped in to announce that "vaccines will be needed in all countries."

According to WHO documents, vaccines "such as those that are formulated with oil-in-water adjuvants and live attenuated influenza vaccines are important." Health workers, pregnant women, healthy young adults of 15 to 49 years, and healthy children will be the targeted groups of the world wide vaccine effort.

"All countries should immunize their health-care workers as a first priority to protect the essential health infrastructure. As vaccines available initially will not be sufficient, a step-wise approach to vaccinate particular groups may be considered," according to Paule-Kieny. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation established by the Director-General of the WHO in 1999, suggested the following groups for consideration, noting that countries need to determine their order of priority based on country-specific conditions: pregnant women; children over the age of 6 months with one of several chronic medical conditions; healthy young adults of 15 to 49 years of age; healthy children; healthy adults of 50 to 64 years of age; and healthy adults of 65 years of age and above.

In view of the anticipated limited vaccine availability at global levels and the potential need to protect against "drifted" strains of virus, SAGE recommended that promoting production and use of vaccines such as those that are formulated with oil-in water adjuvants and live attenuated influenza vaccines was important.

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan endorsed the above recommendations on July 11, 2009, acknowledging that they were well adapted to the current pandemic situation. She also noted that the recommendations will need to be changed if and when new evidence becomes available.

Three-stage vaccinations may create perfect cytokine storm

The vaccine is to be given by a series of three injections. Speaking on the Republic Broadcasting Network with Dr. Rebecca Carley as host on July 11th, meta-analyst and vaccine researcher Patrick Jordan reported belief that the first injection will be for the purpose of turning off the victim'simmune system. The second injection will be for the purpose of loading people with deadly organisms. And the third injection will be to turn the immune system back on for the purpose of creating a cytokine storm that will deal a lethal blow to the body.

In his chronicle of the connection between vaccines and death, Jordan pointed out that in 1915 the pertussis vaccine became available and was widely given. This bacterial poison from whopping cough, called pertussis coxon, so depresses the immune system that it is used in laboratories today to turn off nutrafils and reduce white blood cell counts. Then, in 1918, soldiers who had received the pertussis vaccine were deployed to Europe, where they were given another unknown vaccine. They were then exposed to a Lucite gas, which is an arsenic compound, and phosgenegas, a chlorine compound. As a result, their immune systems kicked in with a cytokine storm that killed many of the otherwise healthy young men. This is the 1,2,3 punch Jordan is warning will come again with the "swine flu" vaccinations.

We have been conditioned to think of external microbes as our enemy during a time of influenza. But our own immune systems are potentially more lethal. When the body detects foreign microorganisms indicating an infection, it can respond by overprotecting the site of that infection. In its hurry to get antibodies to the infection site, the body may dispatch so many that the level of cytokines becomes highly elevated, creating a cytokine storm that can be fatal. For example, during a lung infection, a cytokine storm can potentially block airways and result in suffocation. (What is a Cytokine Storm, www.wisegeek.com)

Jordan continued by painting a picture outlined in the WHO Memorandum Number 1 with a study that found virus infections make antibody and antigen complexes. These complexes can clog blood vessels or implant tissue, making the body eventually attack itself. The main focus of this study was kidney disease. Animals with induced immune system deficiency were infected with lethal virus until every single cell in their bodies reflected the disease. But for a time these animals ran around like there was nothing wrong with them because their immune system was so depressed that it was making no effort to fight the disease, and there was no immune response. The WHO experimenters then took their lab animals and stimulated the cell-mediated immune response, and the animals died immediately from their bodies attacking themselves in the kind of cytokine storm associated with the 1918 Spanish flu.

Even if this described scenario does not develop, Jordan points out that the current "swine flu" vaccine is made with an adjuvant that may contain a material poison, salmonella, or typhoid fever toxin, along with squalene. Although not known with certainty, the second round of injections given to the soldiers in 1918 is believed to have contained typhus. Squalene produces auto-immunity and eventually death in everyone who takes it.

Squalene contributed to the cascade reactions known as Gulf War Syndrome that left GIs with arthritis, fibromyalgia, lymphadenopathy, photosensitive rashes, chronic fatigue, chronic headaches, ulcers, dizziness, weakness, memory loss, seizures, mood changes, neuro-psychiatric problems, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and other diseases.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026723_health_vaccines_immune_system.html

Gardasil Causes 400 Percent More Deaths than Other Common Vaccine
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com July 29, 2009

(NaturalNews) A federal report has concluded that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil has a 400 percent higher rate of adverse effects than another comparable vaccine, the Menactra anti-meningitis shot.

"It is unusual for there to be such a big discrepancy between two vaccines used in similar populations involving serious and relatively rare life threatening adverse events and autoimmune disorders," the researchers from the federal Vaccine Events Reporting System wrote.

Gardasil, marketed by Merck, prevents againt the strains of HPV believed to be responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts cases. GlaxoSmithKline's competing Cervarix vaccine protects against the same cervical cancer-causing strains.

The researchers considered Gardasil and Menactra equivalent for the purposes of comparison because they are given to similar age groups at similar frequencies. Their study concluded that Gardasil was associated with twice as many emergency room visits, four times as many deaths, four times as many heart attacks, seven times as many "disabled" reports and 15 times as many strokes. All reported cases of blood clots and heart attacks associated with Gardasil occurred when the vaccine was given alone, not in conjunction with other drugs.

"Fainting, which has been attributed by doctors and health officials as 'fear' of needles in teenage girls, is reported six times as often ... after receipt of Gardasil than Menactra even though Menactra is also given to girls in the same age group," the researchers noted.

The report recommends that the government more thoroughly investigate reports of dangerous side effects from the HPV vaccine, that research be conducted into mechanisms by which the vaccine might cause these effects, and that patients and parents be more adequately warned of the risks before vaccination. It also recommends that Congress investigate how the vaccine was fast-tracked for approval in the absence of safety data on girls younger than 17.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026722_Gardasil_HPV_cervical_cancer.html

Eight Fat Busting Supplements Backed by Science
Stephanie Ann Whited, NaturalNews.com July 29, 2009

(NaturalNews) Although specified quantities are a little vague, there are a few supplements that are gaining support (from research in mainstream studies!) as fat busters. These are not diets and quick fixes; but these supplements have been shown to be advantageous in the fight against fat.

Vinegar - "Modern scientific research suggests that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, may help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and fat accumulation." Apple cider vinegar has long been an alternative health staple, even a cure-all, with claims ranging from weight loss to the elimination of gout, arthritis, and acne. It`s nice to see a powerful folk remedy finally tested in its claims and undoubtedly validated.

Lignans - This link is only a correlation, but pretty strong. "High intake of lignans was associated with lower body fat mass and BMI, compared to women with the lowest average intakes." The highest amount of lignans are found in flax seed, and some other notable lignacious foods are sesame seed, sunflower seed, kale, broccoli with red wine topping out the best of the beverages. So can you eat as much food with lignans as you want? Probably not. Calories cannot be ignored, though these foods may lead to a feeling of fullness that could help you eat less. For a more complete list of foods with lignans, see http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/lig...

White Tea - While green tea may be the most publicly touted for weight loss (with an equal amount of controversy), white tea`s anti-fat nature has been tested and proven in the lab. Researchers found that white tea actually stopped the development of new fat cells and increased the fat use of old cells. But why white tea? Well, white, green, and black teas can all be made from the same tea leaves, white tea is just picked earliest. It`s made from the first buds of the plant and is "less processed than the other teas and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells."

Curcumin (in Turmeric) - When fed a high fat diet, mice fed curcumin gained less weight. BONUS: These lucky mice also showed lower cholesterol levels and separate studies show curcumin can lower rates of dementia!

Red Pepper - Capsaicin, the hot part of hot peppers stopped immature fat cells in the lab from growing up and filling with fat. Just like some diners with timid tastebuds, capsaicin can also cause some fat cells to self-destruct. Extra hot sauce, please.

Melon Extract - The study was carried out on hamsters because they experience cholesterol build up similarly to us. Two groups of hamster were fed high fat diets, but by the end of the studies, the hamsters that also took melon extract had lower body weights, by 29%! Bonus: This supplement has also been proven to lower perceived stress and improve quality of life which makes sense it would also help with weight gain since added stress can mean added weight.

CLA & Safflower oil - Fellow Natural News writer Sherry Baker has the scoop here: http://www.naturalnews.com/026599_b...

These are not get thin quick schemes and are certainly not diets on their own. None of this research says if you add these supplements to your diet you will immediately drop massive amounts of weight; they do not cure obesity. When added to a high fat, high calorie lifestyle, these diet accessories will allow you to gain less weight than overeating without their help. It is more realistic to think they can help you maintain a healthy weight and help balance out those occasional days of overconsumption. Most people know when they`ve overeaten. If you`re trying to lose weight, intuitively find your baseline for satiation and stay true to yourself.
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026721_health_food_lignans.html

Side Effects of Mental Illness Drugs Cause Sudden Death
Kerri Knox, NaturalNews.com July 29, 2009

(NaturalNews) Schizophrenia is a scary and difficult chronic mental illness- both for the person AND for their family who all have to live with the diagnosis. In most cases, antipsychotic medications need to be taken forever to control the disturbing symptoms. But rarely is anyone told that these medications not only double the risk of sudden cardiac death, but also put the sufferer at risk for several other chronic illnesses as well.

The severe mental condition that has been termed schizophrenia is NOT the 'multiple personality disorder' that many think of when they hear the term, but is a different mental illness characterized by bizarre behaviors like paranoia, hearing voices, and having hallucinations. It is often acquired after a stressful life event and occurs swiftly and unpredictably in what is known as a 'psychotic break'. This is devastating for the patient and their family who suddenly have to live with a diagnosis of mental illness. And that is just the first step in a life filled with doctors, hospitals, medications and psychiatrists- with little hope to ever really have a normal life again.

Schizophrenia and a handful of medications forever..

There is no 'cure', in traditional medicine, for Psychosis; and a prescription for one or more 'antipsychotics' with names like Haldol and Risperdal, along with a cocktail of other drugs often prescribed for anxiety, depression and sleep are frequently on the menu. But what these people are rarely, if ever, told about are the long term side effects of these drugs. While doctors are ever prescribing anticholesterol 'statins', aspirin and blood pressuremedications in order to achieve a 1 - 2% reduction in heart disease, they are knowingly giving schizophrenic individuals, who generally get their first psychotic break as a teenager or young adult, a shortened lifespan from the medications that they are prescribing.

In the research available on these drugs, it is well known that Sudden Cardiac Death is a 'side effect' of antipsychotic medications. In fact, these medications DOUBLE the risk of sudden cardiac death. In the beginning, however, it does not give them the "heart disease" of clogged arteries that we associate with heart attacks. The immediate risk of antipsychotics is that they give sufferers a high risk for a very specific disorder called 'Prolonged Q-T interval'.

Prolonged Q-T Interval gets its name from the prolonged time that it takes for the electrical activity of the heart to return to normal after each heartbeat. But this extra time isn't measured in minutes or seconds, but in hundredths of a second- making it difficult to diagnose. But this extra millisecond can have the devastating consequence of putting the taker of these medications into an abnormal cardiac rhythm called Ventricular Fibrillation- which will quickly lead to death without immediate emergency care. And this will come on without pain, shortness of breath or any of the other 'warning signs' of a heart attack because it is not clogged arteries that are the problem, but the electrical system that is the primary problem.

Even worse, antipychotics don't just put people into your vanilla, standard everyday Ventricular Fibrillation that generally responds well to the dramatic 'paddles on the chest, everybody get away from the patient and shock them' type of defibrillation that you see on television. It actually puts them into a very specific TYPE of Ventricular Fibrillation called Torsades de Pointes, that doesn't change to a normal rhythm with the shocks and heart starting medications that are the 'standard protocol' for restarting the heart. Instead, 'Torsades' requires an immediate infusion of intravenousmagnesium. As hospitals and emergency rooms have magnesium at hand, this shouldn't be such a hard thing to do; but unfortunately, Torsades de Pointes is fairly rare and is difficult to recognize, so in many cases it is not even considered until the shocks and CPR are not working- and by then it is often too late for the magnesium to be effective.

But wait, there's more...

Not only do antipsychotics double the risk of deadly heart rhythms, but they ALSO increase the risk of getting diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity- which are risk factors for 'regular' heart disease complete with clogged arteries, angioplasty and open heart surgery. Fortunately, true psychosis is rare- so doctors don't prescribe these dangerous medications unless they are absolutely necessary... right?

Unfortunately, this is not the case at all. In fact, over 200,000 people in the US are newly diagnosed each year and hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for antipsychotics are written every year. And despite virtually NO studies having been done, they are being given to adolescents, children and even PRESCHOOLERS as young as TWO YEARS OLD! Most of these are prescribed by PRIMARY physicians without the child having even had an evaluation by a psychiatrist. And almost half were written, not for schizophrenia as they are intended, but for ADD and ADHD for which the drugs have never even been tested!

"Rates of (doctor's office) visits that resulted in a psychotropic prescription increased from 3.4 percent in 1994-1995 to 8.3 percent in 2000-2001. By 2001, one out of ten office visits by adolescent males resulted in a prescription for a psychotropic medication." Trends in the use of psychotropic medications among adolescents, 1994 to 2001.

So, while researchers who study the cardiac death risk profile of antipsychotic drugs are advocating "sharp reductions" in the use of these agents- doctors are ignoring this advice and are steadily increasing the number of antipsychotic drugs prescribed each year. These patients, who are often children and teens without true schizophrenia, will somehow have to deal with several chronic health conditions that will not only shorten their lives, but decrease the quality of a life already made more difficult by mental illness.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026719_drugs_drugss_drugs.html

Vitamin B 12 Deficiency and Metformin Usage Trigger Peripheral Neuropathy
Melanie Grimes, NaturalNews.com July 29, 2009

(NaturalNews) Vitamin B12 is an important nutrient used in the nerves and the blood. Deficiency has now been shown to trigger peripheral neuropathy in diabetes patients who take the drug Metformin. Because B12 is difficult to absorb, many people have deficiencies and are not aware of its effect on their health. B12 is not prevalent in the diet and most people need additional supplementation. The only sources of vitamin B12 are in animal and dairy products. For the over seven million vegetarians, adding B12 to their diet is a necessity.

Metformin, a popular drug given to treat diabetes and insulin resistance, can also cause a B12 deficiency. A recent survey found that 40% of metformin users were deficient in vitamin B12. Three-quarters of those metformin users also displayed the peripheral neuropathy typically found in diabetics. These findings were reported at the American Diabetes Association`s 69th Annual Scientific Sessions in June, 2009. This prompted a recommendation that anyone using Metformin who has peripheral neuropathy be screened for vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient. One of its most important functions is to build the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Another function is in the nerves, where B12 assists in the firing of nerves, sending important messages from the brain to the body.

B12 deficiency can cause fatigue, low blood pressure, dementia, depression, muscle weakness, hallucinations and vision problems, and tingling in the limbs. Some forms of dementia and Alzheimer`s disease are reversible with proper B12 supplementation. Levels of vitamin B12 just under normal can cause symptoms, even before symptoms of anemia are observed.

To properly digest vitamin B12, stomach acid is required. Stomach acid decreases with aging, and it is estimated that as much as 30% of the population over the age of 50 lacks enough stomach acid to properly digest B12 from food. Gastric cells secrete a substance called intrinsic factor. This substance binds to the B12 to absorb it. If the body doesn`t produce enough intrinsic factor, vitamin B12 deficiency can result.

Toxic colon can also prevent absorption of vitamin B12. Overgrowth of unfriendly intestinal bacteria can cause a B12 deficiency, and a third of adults over the age of 50 are presumed to have this condition as well. Antibiotics can disrupt intestinal flora and trigger an overgrowth. Probiotics in products such a yogurt can help restore a proper digestive environment that would be more conducive to vitamin B12 absorption.

Some people require higher doses of vitamin B12 than others. This group includes pregnant and nursing mothers, people on ulcer medication or those who have pernicious anemia or digestive disorders.

B12 supplements can be given orally or by injection. Recommended dosage is 500 mcg. per day. A simple blood test can be used to diagnose a B12 deficiency. Those taking Metformin are advised to have their B12 levels checked.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026718_Metformin_vitamin_B12_vitamin_B.html

Kidney Stones: A Squeeze of Lemon Juice Prevents the Most Painful Condition Known to Man
Kerri Knox, NaturalNews.com July 28, 2009

(NaturalNews) Kidney Stones truly are one of, if not THE, most painful medical problems on earth. This disabling illness sends tens of thousands to the Emergency Room in excruciating pain each year. But the research is clear: drinking a small amount of Lemon Juice every day is an effective way to prevent these painful stones from ever having to happen in the first place.

One of the worst pains that anyone can ever imagine is a kidney stone. Women who have experienced both natural childbirth and kidney stones say that the pain of having a kidney stone is far worse. And it is far scarier because it comes on so suddenly, without prior warning and seemingly no reason why it is happening. Without knowing what is going on, this frightening experience has nearly anyone who experiences it going to the emergency room within minutes believing that they are dying.

Yet as painful as one is, it is simply a tiny crystal the size of a grain of sand or smaller that has lodged in the urinary outlet that causes so much pain. However, the vast majority of stones actually pass out of the body on their own whether medical treatment is given or not. Once someone has had a kidney stone, the probability of getting another is almost 50%- and some people get several in their lifetime. Unfortunately, the only advice that most doctors have to give is to drink lots of fluids and avoid calcium which is the usual component of kidney stones. But avoiding calcium is not only worthless at preventing kidney stones, but it can be dangerous- increasing the risk of osteoporosis unnecessarily.

However, there is a cheap and easy way to prevent kidney stones from EVER happening in the first place. Juice- particularly citrus juice- has been shown to be an effective way to prevent kidney stones from ever forming. While preventing kidney stones seem to be an enigma to medical science that doesn't understand the connection with diet, there is really a very easy explanation as to why this works. Kidney stones are formed when calcium in the blood is unable to dissolve into solution. The undissolved calcium then forms crystals that end up passing through the kidneys and into the urinary tract- causing pain when one is large enough to get stuck. But juices are usually acidic, and citrus juices have an acid called citric acid that allows the calcium to dissolve in the blood, be absorbed into the digestive tract and therefore be unable to cause kidney stones.

Study after study has shown this treatment works, to the point that it is not debated WHETHER juice works to prevent kidney stones, but WHICH TYPE of juice works best. Lemon juice and orange juice, with their high content of citric acid, seem to be the most effective, while grapefruit juice and cranberry juice have shown mixed results and have caused higher rates of kidney stones in some studies. Even apple juice, which contains malic acid, seems to work well. But make sure that your juice is JUST juice and does not contain high fructose corn syrup, as that has been shown to be aCAUSE of kidney stones and could make your problem worse. So drink your juice and prevent the most painful condition known to man from ever happening to you.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026714_kidney_stones_lemon_juice_calcium.html

Licorice Treats Peptic Ulcers and Helicobacter Pylori Infection
Melanie Grimes, NaturalNews.com July 28, 2009

(NaturalNews) Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) is a natural treatment for ulcers and has been used with great success to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers. Licorice treats the cause of the ulcers and promotes healing of the digestive tissues. Peptic ulcers are created by sores in the lining of the stomach or intestines, which need the enzyme pepsin in order to form. One in every ten American has ulcers, mostly in the small intestines. Ulcer symptoms can alternate every few days, and occur a few hours after eating. They are often relieved by food.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria are know to cause most peptic ulcers. Twenty percent of adults over the ages of 40 and half of those over 60 are thought to be infected with these bacteria. A simple blood test can detect presence of these H. pylori. A breath test, called a urea breath test, can be used after treatment to ascertain results.

Traditional treatment of peptic ulcers is with antibiotics, along with acid-suppressing drugs and stomach-lining protectors. The major concern in treatment is to prevent a perforation of the stomach lining, which would cause bleeding and infection. For this reason, proper diagnosis of this condition is advised.

As far back as 1982, researchers reported that licorice was as effective in curing gastric ulcers as cimetidine, marketed under the trade name Tagament. Zantac, Prolosec, Prevacid, and Pepcid are often prescribed as well. Another study published in the journal Lancet reported similar findings on the value of licorice in treating ulcers.

Licorice root extract's mode of action is to stimulate the release of a substance that protects stomach's mucus lining. This substance, called secretin, is released by the body and appears to be stimulated by DGL. The advantage of licorice therapy is that is does not have the side effects associated with other treatments. DGL does not neutralize stomach acids; therefore, it does not interfere with digestion. Licorice acts by stimulating the body's normal response of secreting secretins, to improve gastric mucosa.

Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice is processed in a manner that prevents the side effects that can be caused by natural licorice. Suggested usage is 750-1,500 mg taken twenty minutes before eating. Best results are seen when the licorice is chewed and swallowed on an empty stomach. Usage for eight to sixteen weeks has shown the best results in reducing ulcers and inflammation. DGL can be taken along with antibiotics and can improve the results of antibiotic therapy. DGL can also prevent a relapse of ulcers, as it treats the cause and not just the symptoms.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026711_ulcers_licorice_peptic_ulcers.html

Scientists Expect Wildfires To Increase As Climate Warms In Coming Decades
ScienceDaily (July 29, 2009) — As the climate warms in the coming decades, atmospheric scientists at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and their colleagues expect that the frequency of wildfires will increase in many regions. The spike in the number of fires could also adversely affect air quality due to the greater presence of smoke.
The study, led by SEAS Senior Research Fellow Jennifer Logan, was published in the June 18th issue of Journal of Geophysical Research. In their pioneering work, Logan and her collaborators investigated the consequences of climate change on future forest fires and on air quality in the western United States. Previous studies have probed the links between climate change and fire severity in the West and elsewhere. The Harvard study represents the first attempt to quantify the impact of future wildfires on the air we breathe.
"Warmer temperatures can dry out underbrush, leading to a more serious conflagration once a fire is started by lightening or human activity," says Logan. "Because smoke and other particles from fires adversely affect air quality, an increase in wildfires could have large impacts on human health."
Using a series of models, the scientists predict that the geographic area typically burned by wildfires in the western United States could increase by about 50% by the 2050s due mainly to rising temperatures. The greatest increases in area burned (75-175%) would occur in the forests of the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. In addition, because of extra burning throughout the western U.S., one important type of smoke particle, organic carbon aerosols, would increase, on average, by about 40 percent during the roughly half-century period.
To conduct the research, the team first examined a 25-year record of observed meteorology and fire statistics to identify those meteorological factors that could best predict area burned for each ecosystem in the western United States. To see how these meteorological factors would change in the future, they then next ran a global climate model out to 2055, following the A1B scenario in greenhouse gas emissions. This scenario, one of several devised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, describes a future world with rapid economic growth and balanced energy generation from fossil and alternative fuels. Relative to the other scenarios, it leads to a moderate warming of the earth's average surface temperature, about 3oF (1.6 oC) by 2050.
"By hypothesizing that the same relationships between meteorology and area burned still hold in the future, we then could predict wildfire activity and emissions from 2000 to the 2050's," explains Logan.
As a last step, the researchers used an atmospheric chemistry model to understand how the change in wildfire activity would affect air quality. This model, combining their predictions of areas burned with 2050's meteorology data, shows the emissions and fate of the smoke and other particles emitted by the future wildfires. The resulting diminished air quality could lead to smoggier skies and adversely affect those suffering from lung and heart conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.
The authors expect the work will help policymakers gauge the "climate penalty" related to ongoing efforts to reduce air pollution across the United States. In addition, the study underscores the need for a vigorous fire management plan.
The team next plans to focus on future wildfires and air quality over the densely populated areas in California and in the southwest United States.
Logan's collaborators included SEAS Research Associate Loretta Mickley and former postdocs Dominick Spracklen (now at University of Leeds), Rynda Hudman, and Rosemarie Yevich; Michael D. Flannigan, Canadian Forest Service; and Anthony. L. Westerling, University of California, Merced. The authors acknowledge the support of a STAR (Science to Achieve Results) grant from National Center for Environmental Research of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Spracklen, D. V., L. J. Mickley, J. A. Logan, R. C. Hudman, R. Yevich, M. D. Flannigan, and A. L. Westerling. Impacts of climate change from 2000 to 2050 on wildfire activity and carbonaceous aerosol concentrations in the western United States. J. Geophys. Res., 2009; DOI: 10.1029/2008JD010966
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728123047.htm

Reducing Salt Intake Can Lower Blood Pressure

ScienceDaily (July 29, 2009) — Adults who use less salt in their diet can experience a slight reduction in their blood pressure in the medium term. However, whether in the long term this can also reduce the risk of late complications in people with sustained high blood pressure, otherwise known as essential hypertension, and whether in the long term their anti-hypertensive medication can be reduced remains unresolved.
This is the conclusion of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in its final report published in the form of a rapid report on 20 July 2009. This rapid report is part of a package commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), in which the benefit of various non-drug treatment strategies for high blood pressure are to be assessed. Stress management and more physical activity are also included, as well as giving up smoking and cutting down alcohol consumption. IQWiG has already completed a report on the effect of weight reduction on blood pressure.
Assessment was based on secondary literature
IQWiG's benefit assessments are generally based on systematic searches and analysis of clinical trials, in other words, primary literature. However, this rapid report was prepared on the basis of secondary literature. In principle, this can be done - and is included in IQWiG's General Methods - if current, high quality systematic reviews are already available on a given topic. This was the case with reducing salt intake in hypertension, as IQWiG's preliminary search revealed.
IQWiG searched for systematic reviews (these basically provide an analysis of studies in summary) that compared the following patients with hypertension: an intervention group, which was to follow a low-salt diet over a long period, versus a control group, which either did not have this target or whose salt reduction was not so great as in the intervention group. The minimum duration of the studies had to be 4 weeks. In order not to overlook any current and potentially relevant studies, IQWiG also conducted an update search of recently published primary studies.
IQWiG was able to include in its assessment 7 reviews, in which the results of between 520 and 3391 participants from a total of 62 randomized controlled trials were analysed together.
No conclusions on cardiovascular disease or mortality possible
IQWiG found that no conclusions on late complications could be drawn from the available data. The reason for this is that none of the studies had the primary goal of investigating the effects of a low-salt diet on cardiovascular disease or all-cause mortality. Moreover, most of the studies were only of a few months' duration and had low numbers of participants, which meant that possible differences in late complications might not have been detected with certainty.
Uncertainty whether the reduction in blood pressure is sustainable
However, the investigations consistently show that a reduction in salt intake can assist in lowering blood pressure: over a period of up to one year, there was a mean drop of 3.6 to 8 mmHg in systolic values and a mean drop of approximately 2 to 3 mmHg in diastolic values. This applied primarily to patients who did not take any additional anti-hypertensive drugs.
The sustainability of this effect, however, remains unclear. The authors of at least one review report that the observed advantage disappears when the analysis is restricted to studies of a longer duration (at least 6 months).
None of the reviews solely considered patients who were simultaneously taking anti-hypertensive drugs or separately analysed data for participants on concomitant medication. The additional blood pressure-lowering effect of a low-salt diet in these patients is therefore uncertain.
Basically, it is still not known whether people with essential hypertension can reduce their drug dosage through less salt intake.
The report was produced in collaboration with external experts. A preliminary version was reviewed by a further independent research group and the final version was despatched to the G-BA on 22 June 2009.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090729092534.htm

New Silver Nanoparticle Skin Gel For Healing Burns
ScienceDaily (July 28, 2009) — Scientists in India are reporting successful laboratory tests of a new and potentially safer alternative to silver-based gels applied to the skin of burn patients to treat infections. With names like silver sulfadiazine and silver nitrate, these germ-fighters save lives and speed healing. The researchers describe gel composed of silver nanoparticles — each 1/50,000th the width of a human hair — that appears more effective than these traditional gels.
Kishore Paknikar and colleagues note that antimicrobial silver compounds have been used for decades on burn patients, whose damaged skin is highly vulnerable to bacterial infections. However, topical silver agents now in use can loose effectiveness in the body, cause skin discoloration, and damage cells. Drug-resistant bacteria can make these treatments less effective.
The scientists demonstrated that their gel killed a broad range of harmful bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most common causes of burn infections, as well as several drug-resistant microbes. The gel, which contains 30 times less silver than silver sulfadiazine, did not have any apparent toxic effects when applied to the healthy skin of test animals. "These results clearly indicate that silver nanoparticles could provide a safer alternative to conventional antimicrobial agents in the form of a topical antimicrobial formulation," the article states.
Jain et al. Silver Nanoparticles in Therapeutics: Development of an Antimicrobial Gel Formulation for Topical Use. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2009; 090710072924098 DOI: 10.1021/mp900056g
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722110856.htm

Freshly crushed garlic better for the heart than processed
American Chemical Society, July 29, 2009
A new study reports what scientists term the first scientific evidence that freshly crushed garlic has more potent heart-healthy effects than dried garlic. Scheduled for the Aug. 12 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it also challenges the widespread belief that most of garlic's benefits are due to its rich array of antioxidants. Instead, garlic's heart-healthy effects seem to result mainly from hydrogen sulfide, a chemical signaling substance that forms after garlic is cut or crushed and relaxes blood vessels when eaten.
In the study, Dipak K. Das and colleagues point out that raw, crushed garlic generates hydrogen sulfide through a chemical reaction. Although best known as the stuff that gives rotten eggs their distinctive odor, hydrogen sulfide also acts as a chemical messenger in the body, relaxing blood vessels and allowing more blood to pass through. Processed and cooked garlic, however, loses its ability to generate hydrogen sulfide.
The scientists gave freshly crushed garlic and processed garlic to two groups of lab rats, and then studied how well the animals' hearts recovered from simulated heart attacks. "Both crushed and processed garlic reduced damage from lack of oxygen, but the fresh garlic group had a significantly greater effect on restoring good blood flow in the aorta and increased pressure in the left ventricle of the heart," Das said.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-07/acs-fcg072909.php

Intense exercise cuts risk of cancer in men

Times of India,  28 July 2009

PARIS: Men who regularly do heart-pounding exercise are less likely to develop cancer, according to a study released on Tuesday. 

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that the key factor in the reduced risk of cancer was a higher rate of oxygen consumption. 

A team of researchers from the universities of Kuopio and Oulu in Finland studied the leisure-time physical activity over a 12-month period of 2,560 men between 42 and 61 years old with no history of cancer. 

Over an average follow-up period of 16 years, 181 of the subjects died from cancer, mostly of the stomach or intestines, lungs, prostate and brain.

Using an intensity scale for physical exercise that measured "metabolic units" of oxygen consumption, the scientists found that the men who exercised for at least 30 minutes a day were half as likely to get cancer as those who did not. 

The sharpest reductions occurred in gastrointenstinal and lung cancers, and held true even when other factors - age, alcohol consumption, smoking, weight - were taken into account. 

"The intensity of leisure-time physical activity should be at least moderate so that beneficial effect for reducing overall cancer mortality can be achieved," the researchers conclude.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/Health-Science/Health/Intense-exercise-cuts-risk-of-cancer-in-men/articleshow/4828878.cms

Meats with additives harmful to kidneys

Times of India  27 July 2009

WASHINGTON: Uncooked meat products with food additives may contain high levels of phosphorus and potassium that find no place in food labels. This can make it difficult for people to limit these minerals that at high levels are harmful to kidney disease patients, according to a new study. 

Dialysis patients must watch their intake of phosphate so that their blood phosphate levels do not rise, which may then cause premature death. 

Kidney disease patients also must limit their intake of potassium, because high blood potassium levels can cause sudden death. 

One growing source of dietary phosphorus and potassium is through "enhanced" fresh meat and poultry products. These foods are injected with a solution of water with sodium and potassium salts (particularly phosphates) as well as anti-oxidants and flavourings. 

While ingesting phosphates and potassium can be dangerous for dialysis patients, there is no requirement that these ingredients be included in nutrition labels. 

There have also been no studies on the levels of phosphates and potassium contained in fresh meat and poultry products that have been "enhanced." 

Richard Sherman and Ojas Mehta, from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, examined potassium and phosphate content in a variety of "enhanced" and additive-free meat and poultry products available in local supermarkets. 

They found that products that were labelled as "enhanced" had an average phosphate concentration that was 28% higher than additive-free products, with some products almost 100% higher. 

"The burden imposed on those seeking to limit dietary phosphorus and potassium could be ameliorated by more complete food labelling by manufacturers," the authors wrote. 

The study will appear in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/Health-Science/Health/Meats-with-additives-harmful-to-kidneys/articleshow/4825357.cms

Body secretes protein that destroys cancer, finds Indian doc

Times of India, 25 July 2009

NEW DELHI: Last year, he hit the headlines for creating the world's first breed of super mice, which are resistant to all forms of cancer. Now, Mumbai-born, US-settled, Dr Vivek Rangnekar, professor of radiation medicine at the University of Kentucky, has in another breakthrough discovered that the Par-4 protein (mass killer of cancer cells) is produced within the human body itself and spreads through circulation to distant organs. 

This finding will now help scientists look at ways to naturally increase the secretion of the protein, for example, by certain natural diets and develop resistance to the growth of cancer. Scientists can also develop approaches to safely inject the Par-4 protein to inhibit cancer. 

The team headed by Dr Rangnekar has also found that Par-4 protein is capable of killing cancer cells, when applied from outside. Till this discovery, scientists believed that Par-4 protein has to be present inside cancer cells to kill them. 

Since it isn't easy to deliver large amounts of the protein inside cancer cells, scientists have been studying other methods to target and kill cancer cells. 

Par-4, after being secreted by human tissues, has also been found to kill only cancer cells. It didn't harm normal cells, proving they aren't toxic. The presence of large amounts of the Par-4 protein in the super mice had made them completely immune to cancer. Not only did they not develop tumours, they even lived longer. 

According to Dr Rangnekar, who is associate director of University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center, what these findings mean for the future is that it may not be necessary to use invasive or genetic approaches to inhibit the growth of cancer. 

``Par-4, secreted inside the human body by the kidney, lung and prostate, can now be developed so as to inject the protein to treat cancer. Not only primary tumours, but also metastatic tumours that have spread to other tissues should be killed by the Par-4 protein,'' Dr Rangnekar, who spent over 25 years of his life in Matunga, Mumbai, told TOI. 

``Increased Par-4 protein in circulation, in the blood and serum of the super mice, is one of the reasons they are resistant to cancer,'' Dr Rangnekar added. According to his team, a person is susceptible to cancer when the amount of this Par-4 protein secreted by the cells of that individual is low and inadequate. 

``This needs to be tested on an individual basis. The next step is to test whether human cancer can be prevented/treated by increasing the amount of protein produced,'' the doctor said. 

And how will the team do that? ``Either by injecting Par-4 protein or by trying different diets,'' Dr Rangnekar said. 

Reporting this breakthrough in the journal `Cell' on Friday, Dr Rangnekar, who studied at Don Bosco School and Indian Education Society School in Dadar, added, ``The novelty is that the Par-4 molecule binds to its receptor GRP78 on the surface of a tumour cell and then triggers a biological process called apoptosis or cell suicide, killing the cancer cells.'' 

Is the finding that Par-4 gene is present inside humans new? Dr Rangnekar said, ``We knew previously that Par-4 is expressed (present) inside human tissues and cells. This new finding shows that it is also secreted and in circulation in humans, just like it is in circulation in the blood/serum of super mice.'' 

So does this mean humans can in the future become completely invulnerable to cancer? ``Yes, one can extrapolate that humans have the secret inside themselves to be invulnerable to cancer. The levels within individuals may vary, and we have to find ways to increase those levels naturally. We are starting studies on the role of natural dietary compounds to increase secretion.'' 

``It was a pleasant surprise when we noticed that Par-4 protein is secreted by human cells. This means it is not necessary to make genetic modifications, or to employ recombinant viruses, to deliver the Par-4 gene to cancer cells,'' he added. 

Rangnekar first discovered the Par-4 gene in 1993. In 2007, his team introduced the gene into a mouse embryo, creating the super mouse.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/Health-Science/Health/Body-secretes-protein-that-destroys-cancer-finds-Indian-doc/articleshow/4818076.cms

NAC may help reduce compulsive behaviors
Life Extensions, July 24, 2009
In the July, 2009 issue of the American Medical Association journal Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine report that supplementing with the amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC) helps reduce trichotillomania, a condition in which women, men and even pets engage in compulsive hair pulling that results in noticeable hair loss. "Trichotillomania is characterized by the following diagnostic criteria: the recurrent pulling out of one's hair, which results in noticeable hair loss; an increasing sense of tension immediately before pulling out the hair or when attempting to resist the behavior; and pleasure, gratification or relief when pulling out hair," the authors reveal in their introduction to the article. "Psychosocial problems are common in individuals with trichotillomania and include significantly reduced quality of life, reduced work productivity and impaired social functioning."
Acting on previous findings of an ability for N-acetylcysteine to help control urges such as those associated with cocaine and gambling, Jon E. Grant, JD, MD, MPH and his associates randomized 5 men and 45 women to receive 1200 to 2400 milligrams per day of NAC or a placebo for 12 weeks. While 16 percent of the placebo group experienced improvement, 56 percent of those who received NAC reported being “much or very much” improved. Progress was noted as early as after 9 weeks of treatment, and no adverse effects were observed. The benefit associated with NAC was greater than that provided by medications prescribed for the condition, and comparable to results achieved with cognitive behavior therapy.
N-acetylcysteine appears to work by affecting the glutamate system, which is the largest neurotransmitter system in the brain. "Pharmacologic modulation of the glutamate system may prove to be useful in the control of a range of compulsive behaviors,“ the authors conclude.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_07.htm#NAC-may-help-reduce-compulsive-behaviors

Research from Tufts University, Department of Agriculture provides new data on osteoporosis

NewsRx.com 07-24-09
"In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that carotenoids may inhibit bone resorption, yet no previous study has examined individual carotenoid intake (other than beta-carotene) and the risk of fracture. We evaluated associations of total and individual carotenoid intake (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein + zeaxanthin) with incident hip fracture and nonvertebral osteoporotic fracture," scientists in the United States report (see also Osteoporosis).
"Three hundred seventy men and 576 women (mean age, 75 5 yr) from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 1988-1989 and were followed for hip fracture until 2005 and nonvertebral fracture until 2003. Tertiles of carotenoid intake were created from estimates obtained using the Willett FFQ adjusting for total energy (residual method). HRs were estimated using Cox-proportional hazards regression, adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, height, total energy, calcium and vitamin D intake, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, multivitamin use, and current estrogen use. A total of 100 hip fractures occurred over 17 yr of follow-up. in the highest tertile of total carotenoid intake had lower risk of hip fracture (p = 0.02). with higher lycopene intake had lower risk of hip fracture (P = 0.01.) and nonvertebral fracture (p = 0.02). A weak protective trend was observed for total beta-carotene for hip fracture alone, but associations did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.10). No significant associations were observed with alpha-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, or lutein + zeaxanthin. These results suggest a protective role of several carotenoids for bone health in older adults. J Bone Miner Res 2009;24:1086-1094," wrote S. Sahni and colleagues, Tufts University, Department of Agriculture.
The researchers concluded: "Published online on January 5, 2009; doi: 10.1359/JBMR.090102."
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8555&Section=Aging

Report summarizes colon cancer study findings from German Cancer Research Center

NewsRx.com 07-24-09
Researchers detail in 'Meta-analysis: longitudinal studies of serum vitamin D and colorectal cancer risk,' new data in colon cancer. "In 1980, Garland hypothesized that lower levels of vitamin D resulting from much weaker UV-B radiation at higher latitudes may account for the striking geographical pattern of cancer mortality. Further research has been conducted over the past 20 years," scientists writing in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics report (see also Colon Cancer).
"To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies on the association between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Relevant studies published until September 2008 were identified by systematically searching Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases and by cross-referencing. Due to the heterogeneity of studies in categorizing serum vitamin D levels, all results were recalculated for an increase of serum 25(OH)D by 20 ng/mL. Summary odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using meta-analysis methods. Overall, eight original articles reporting on the association between serum 25(OH) D and CRC risk were included. In meta-analyses, summary ORs (95% confidence intervals) for the incidence of CRC, colon cancer and rectal cancer associated with an increase of 25(OH)D by 20 ng/mL were 0.57 (0.43-0.76), 0.78 (0.54-1.13) and 0.41 (0.11-1.49). No indication for publication bias was found," wrote L. Yin and colleagues, German Cancer Research Center.
The researchers concluded: "Our results support suggestions that serum 25(OH)D is inversely related to CRC risk."
Yin and colleagues published their study in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics (Meta-analysis: longitudinal studies of serum vitamin D and colorectal cancer risk. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2009;30(2):113-25).
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8556&Section=Aging

Vit D-curcumin combo offers brain health potential

Nutraingredients.com, 27-Jul-2009

A combination of vitamin D3 and curcumin, from tumeric, may boost the immune system, and help it clear the protein plaques linked to Alzheimer’s, says a new study.
The new data, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, may lead to new approaches in preventing Alzheimer's by using vitamin D3 alone or in combination with natural or synthetic curcumin to boost the immune system in protecting the brain against beta-amyloid.
The build-up of plaque from beta-amyloid deposits is associated with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative stress. This is related to a loss of cognitive function and an increased risk of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide.
The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100 bn (€81 bn) in the US, while direct costs in the UK are estimated at £15 bn (€22 bn).
"We hope that vitamin D3 and curcumin, both naturally occurring nutrients, may offer new preventive and treatment possibilities for Alzheimer's disease," said Dr Milan Fiala from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Study details
Monocyte cells, which transform into macrophages and in turn boost the immune system, were isolated from the blood samples were taken from nine Alzheimer's patients, one patient with mild cognitive impairment and three healthy control subjects.
The macrophages were then incubated with beta-amyloid, vitamin D3 and natural or synthetic curcumin. The synthetic curcuminoid compounds were developed in the laboratory of John Cashman at the Human BioMolecular Research Institute.
The naturally occurring curcumin was found to be poorly absorbed, making it less effective than the synthetic curcuminoids, said the researchers.
The curcuminoids were found to enhance binding of beta-amyloid to macrophages, and that vitamin D could strongly stimulate the uptake and absorption of beta-amyloid in macrophages in most of the patients.
Previous research by same scientists found that there are two types of Alzheimer's patients: Type 1 patients, who respond positively to curcuminoids, and Type II patients, who do not. This depends on the genes MGAT III and TLR-3 that are associated with the immune system's ability to better ingest amyloid beta, said the researchers.
"Since vitamin D and curcumin work differently with the immune system, we may find that a combination of the two or each used alone may be more effective — depending on the individual patient," said Fiala.
The UCLA researchers stressed that the research is still in its early stages and that no doses of either compound can be recommended at this point. They noted that larger vitamin D and curcumin studies with more patients are planned.
A growing number of studies have linked deficiency of vitamin D to increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, and periodontal disease, all of which have been linked to some degree to increased risks for dementia.
Source: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Volume 17, Number 3, Pages 703-717, doi: 10.3233/JAD-2009-1080 
“1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D_{3} Interacts with Curcuminoids to Stimulate Amyloid-β Clearance by Macrophages of Alzheimer's Disease Patient” Authors: A. Masoumi, B. Goldenson, S. Ghirmai, H. Avagyan, J. Zaghi, K. Abel, X. Zheng, A. Espinosa-Jeffrey, M. Mahanian, P.T. Liu, M. Hewison, M. Mizwicki, J. Cashman, M. Fialas
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Vit-D-curcumin-combo-offers-brain-health-potential

Phytosterols may prevent cancer development: Review

Nutraingredients.com, 27-Jul-2009

Phytosterols, commonly consumed to reduce cholesterol levels, may also “potentially prevent cancer development”, according to a new review of all the science.
The ingredients may work via the traditional route of reducing cholesterol, particularly in the membrane of cancer cells, and by activating an enzyme called caspase which is known to play an essential role in programmed cell death (apoptosis).
“This combined evidence strongly supports an anticarcinogenic action ofphytosterols and hence advocates their dietary inclusion as an important strategy in prevention and treatment of cancer,” wrote the reviewers from the Department of Animal Science and the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, at the University of Manitoba.
The reviews findings are published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Phytosterols, cholesterol-like molecules derived from plants, are increasingly well known to consumers due to their scientifically proven ability to reducecholesterol levels. As consumer awareness has increased, the number of products containing plant sterols or plant stanols and their esters has increased.
Numerous clinical trials in controlled settings have reported that daily consumption of 1.5 to 3 grams of phytosterols/-stanols from foods can reduce total cholesterol levels by eight to 17 per cent, representing a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Anti-cancer data
The Manitoba-based researchers “critically examine results from recent research regarding the potential effects and mechanisms of action of phytosterols on forms of cancer”.
According to emerging evidence, the phytosterols have shown potential in inhibiting cancers of the stomach, lung, ovaries, and breasts.
Commenting on the mechanism, Peter Jones and his colleagues stated that phytosterols may be linked to increased activity of caspase enzymes. This is achieved by the sterols being incorporated into the cell membranes, resulting in changes to the structure and function of the membranes. These changes ultimately result in an activation of caspase enzymes, said the researchers.
A second potential mechanism could also involve the sterols ‘traditional’ modus operandi of reducing blood cholesterol. “High blood cholesterol level and hence the concentration of cholesterol in lipid rafts of cell membranes are associated with reduced apoptosis of cancer cells,” they said.
Saftey concerns at a recommended daily intake level of two grams appear unfounded, added the researchers, noting that such a dose “does not cause any major health risks”.
“Mounting evidence supports a role for phytosterols in protecting against cancer development,” wrote the researchers.“Hence, phytosterols could be incorporated in diet not only to lower the cardiovascular disease risk, but also to potentially prevent cancer development,”they concluded.
Healthy heart market
According to a recent market research conducted by Frost & Sullivan, the heart health market is dominated by four ingredients: phytosterols; omega-3s; beta-glucans and soy protein. Phytosterols are the most heart health targeted, said the market analysts, and benefited from approved health claims in many markets (as well as recently approval from the European Food Safety Authority).
Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition  Volume 63, Pages 813-820, doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.29 “Anticancer effects of phytosterols” Authors: T.A. Woyengo, V.R. Ramprasath, P.J.H. Jones
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Phytosterols-may-prevent-cancer-development-Review
Long-term tea drinking may cut stroke risk
Last Updated: 2009-07-24 15:24:55 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There could be good news brewing for tea drinkers: Drinking tea consistently -- particularly two kinds -- is linked to a significantly lower risk of stroke, according to a study of people in southern China.
In a study of the tea drinking habits of 838 Chinese men and women, Dr. Andy H. Lee, of Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia, and colleagues found that those who reported drinking at least one cup of tea per week for more than 30 years had a 60 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke.
Ischemic stroke occurs when oxygen-delivering arteries in the brain become partially or completely blocked. It's unclear why tea would protect against stroke, but the authors of the study note that previous research has suggested that tea or its components might reduce high blood pressure and other risk factors.
Those who drank more than 2 cups of tea daily had about a 40 percent lower risk of such strokes, and the risks were even lower in those who drank 2 cups daily of particular teas: Their study in the journal Stroke links drinking green and oolong teas with 72 and 79 percent lower risk for ischemic stroke, respectively.
"Tea is a safe and healthy beverage," Lee told Reuters Health. To obtain optimal benefits, "long-term tea drinking should be encouraged," he said.
The people in the study had an average age of 69 years. Of these, 374 had a medically confirmed ischemic stroke, and 464 (the "control" group) had no history of cardiovascular disease or medical conditions that placed them at increased stroke risk.
As expected, the stroke group had higher rate of high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking. By contrast, the control group reported higher fruit and vegetable intake and a longer duration of tea drinking.
The researchers also took into account gender, body mass, level of education, lifelong physical activity, smoking and alcohol intake, the presence of high blood pressure, cholesterol level, diabetes, and weekly dietary intake.
There also seemed to be a benefit to using more tea leaves: Lee's team also saw 73 percent reduced risk associated with a "larger quantity of tea leaves used in tea brewing," Lee said.
Though these findings are consistent with previous research from Japan, Lee and colleagues suggest further investigations among populations in other countries, plus studies to "ascertain whether tea consumption can enhance survival of stroke patients," Lee said.
SOURCE: Stroke, July 2009
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/07/24/eline/links/20090724elin022.html

High Glycemic Foods Damage Arteries
S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  July 2 7, 2009

(NaturalNews) Anyone interested in healthy and nutritious foods has probably heard that whole grains are far better for you than the processed variety like white bread and sugar-laden cereals. There are several reasons for this, including the fact whole foods tend to be richer in fiber and they also have low glycemic indexes. That means they keep blood sugar and insulin levels steady without wide fluctuations. But a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology concludes there's another important reason to avoid high glycemic foods like white bread and corn flakes. For the first time, scientists have documented how eating these foods can directly damage artery walls and cause cardiac problems.

"It's very hard to predict heart disease," Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center, said in a statement to the media. "But doctors know that high glycemic foods rapidly increase blood sugar. Those who binge on these foods have a greater chance of sudden death from heart attack. Our research connects the dots, showing the link between diet and what's happening in real time in the arteries."

For his study, Dr Shechter and colleagues worked with 56 healthy volunteers who were divided into four groups. One group ate cornflake cereal mixed with milk, a second consumed a pure sugar mixture, the third group ate bran flakes and the last group took water (as a placebo control). Over the course of four weeks, Dr. Shechter applied brachial reactive testing to the research subjects in each group. This test, a clinical and research technique pioneered by Dr. Shechter's laboratory, uses a blood pressure type cuff on the arm that is able to visualize what happens inside arteries before, during and after eating various foods.

Before any of the study participants ate, the function of their arteries was essentially the same. After eating, however, all except the placebo group had reduced arterial functioning -- especially the research subjects who ate cornflakes and sugar. In fact, the testing documented that during the consumption of these foods high in sugar, there was a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelium, the thin layer of cells that line the inside of arteries and reduce turbulence as blood flows throughout the entire circulatory system.

This is a critical finding because, when repeated over time, a sudden expansion of artery walls can cause a host of negative effects on healthincluding damage to endothelial cells. That can reduce elasticity in arteries, resulting in heart disease or even sudden death. In fact, according to Dr. Shechter, endothelium dysfunction can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body. 

"We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," Dr. Shechter explained in the press statement. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, French fries, and sweetened soda all put undue stress on our arteries. We've explained for the first time how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease." 

Dr. Shechter agrees with natural health advocates who have long advised staying away from highly processed, high glycemic foods and eating a diet rich in low glycemic whole foods such as oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts. In addition to helping protect your heart, this style of eating has other advantages. According to the Harvard School of Public Health web site, these healthy foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients. 

On the other hand, white bread, white rice, pastries, sugared sodas, and other highly processed foods tear down instead of build health -- they contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss, and promote diabetes and heart disease. As reported earlier in Natural News, processed foods have also been linked with an increased risk for cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/022025.html) and recent studies indicate many processed foodstuffs, from bread to candy bars, may be contaminated with toxic mercury, too (http://www.naturalnews.com/025442_m...).
http://www.naturalnews.com/026706_foods_health_sugar.html

Monsanto GM Corn a Disaster in South Africa
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  July 2 7, 2009

(NaturalNews) Farmers in South Africa have reported an inexplicable failure to seed in three different varieties of corn genetically modified (GM) by the Monsanto Corporation.

"One can't see from the outside whether a plant is unseeded," said Kobus van Coller of Free State province. "One must open up the cob leaves to establish the problem."

The problems occurred only in corn engineered by Monsanto for increased yields or for resistance to the company's trademark herbicide, Roundup (glyphosate). Failure to seed has been documented in the provinces of Free State, Mpumalanga and North West.

According to Monsanto, the crop failure occurred due to "underfertilization processes in the laboratory," and has only been a problem in "less than 25 percent" of the seed from the three corn varieties.

Marian Mayet of the Africa Center for Biosecurity disputed the company's claims, however. According to her sources, some farms have experienced crop failures as high as 80 percent. She also expressed doubt over Monsanto's explanation for the problem, laying the blame instead on the GM technologies used to produce the seed. 

"Monsanto says they just made a mistake in the laboratory, however we say that biotechnology is a failure," Mayet said. "You cannot make a 'mistake' with three different varieties of corn. We have been warning against GM-technology for years, we have been warning Monsanto that there will be problems."

Mayet called on the government to launch an investigation into the crop failures and to institute an immediate ban on the cultivation of all GM crops inSouth Africa.

South Africa was one of the first countries after the United States to adopt GM corn. Like the United States but unlike many European countries, South Africa does not require that GM ingredients be labeled as such on food packaging.

The South African grocery chain Woolworths imposed a ban on carrying any GM foods in 2000.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026705_Monsanto_corn_GM_corn.html

The New Mr. America: Bankrupt, Diseased and Running Out of Options
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews.com  July 2 7, 2009

(NaturalNews) With a military rifle in one hand and a bottle of prescription medications in the other, the new "Mr. America" is over-fed, under-nourished, over-medicated, over-spent and "over there" (waging war in the Middle East). And soon, with Obama's new disease care reform proposals, America will find itself destitute and diseased, unable to climb out of the medication dependence pit it has dug for itself.

See the political cartoon on this topic here: http://www.naturalnews.com/026686_d...

To understand why this is true from a financial point of view, take a look at these numbers:

If you read the actual federal budget for 2009, it's an astonishing $3.1 trillion. The size of the number itself is mind-boggling, but it's even more disturbing when you realize just how much of the federal budget is spent on these three things:

WAR
DISEASE
DEBT

In fact, let me ask you this question right now: What percentage of the federal budget do you think is spent on these three things? War, Disease and Debt.

Is it 10 percent? Twenty-five percent? Fifty percent?

Keep going...

Of course, if you actually work in Washington, you won't even describe these as "War, Disease and Debt." Instead, you call them:

DEFENSE
HEALTH
THE ECONOMY

It all sounds much nicer when phrased that way. But these terms are intentionally deceptive. We're not really "defending" our way into Iraq, Afghanistan and seventy-five other countries where we have a military presence. Spending on "health care" doesn't have anything to do with health (it's all about disease). And people who say spending more debt money to "help the economy" are mathematical retards. You can't get yourself out ofdebt by spending more money (even though V.P. Joe Biden insists you can...).

So are you ready for the actual number?

It's an eye-opener. The actual percentage of the U.S. federal budget spent on WAR, DISEASE and DEBT is 87 percent.

Here's how it breaks down according to publicly-available numbers: (Source = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United... )

Total U.S. Federal Budget for 2009: $3.1 trillion

1) WAR: Department of Defense ($515.4 billion) + War on Terror ($145.2 billion) + Dept. of Veterans Affairs ($44.8 billion) + Dept. of Homeland Security ($37.6 billion) = $743 billion

2) DISEASE: Medicare ($408 billion) + Medicaid ($224 billion) + Dept. of Health and Human Services ($70 billion) = $702 billion

3) DEBT: Debt to the people: Social Security ($644 billion), Social Security Administration ($8.4 billion), Welfare ($360 billion) and Interest on National Debt ($260 billion) = $1,272 billion

(Note: This does not even include the financial cost of the War on Iraq or the War in Afghanistan, as those are budgeted separately as appropriationsand are not included in the Dept. of Defense budget. So the actual numbers are far worse than what's shown here...)

Combined spending on War, Disease and Debt: $2,717 billion ($2.7 trillion), which is 87% of the total expenditures by the federal government ($3.1 trillion).
How do you dig yourself out of this hole?
For every tax dollar you send to Washington (and it's about to become a whole lot more of 'em), 87 cents gets spent on war, disease and debt. That leaves just 13 cents on the dollar for roads, schools, parks, technology, science, the environment, adult education and other programs.

If you spent 87% of your own household income on war, disease and debt, leaving only 13 cents on the dollar for food, clothing, transportation and entertainment, how long would your own finances stay solvent? Not very long...

It doesn't take a financial genius to realize that the United States of America has dug itself into a financial trench so deep and so infected with really bad planning that there is virtually no way it can get out. As a result, the American people are increasingly bankrupt, diseased and homeless. (I predict a new wave of tent cities springing up across the American landscape as increasing numbers of Americans lose their jobs and their homes.)

"Mr. America" is burned out, stressed out, tapped out and about to be rubbed out.

It is only a matter of time before economic reality sets in and the American people find their currency is phased out, too.
An economic prison to keep you trapped and penniless
It's easy to see this from afar (from South America, in my case, where I live full time): America is living in a fantasy world, where the laws of economics have been (temporarily) suspended. There's no such thing as too much spending. No such thing as too many prescription drugs or vaccines. No such thing as too much war. It's all justifiable by the relentless fools in Washington who claim, "We saved the economy!"

Because, you see, we are past the point of dealing with reality in America. There will be no saving the nation from financial demise. There will be no meaningful health care reform. There will be no real changes that preserve your freedom or your bank account. Instead, one hundred percent of the efforts are now focused on preserving the illusions that keep America artificially propped up like a morbid human puppet.

The new Congressional bills, the financial bailouts, the empty talk of health care reform -- these are all designed to distract you from the sobering, unavoidable and simple truth: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind. [Recognize it?]

That prison keeps you working 60-hour weeks. It keeps you paying your taxes. It keeps you medicated and indoctrinated like a slobbering idiot who buys brand-name products because the logos seem somehow emotionally familiar (TV programming). It keeps you slaving away your precious hours, shoveling the fruits of your labor into a mindless, heartless machine of Big Government that has already mortgaged your assets, sacrificed your health and stolen your future.

And there's always a seductive motivation beckoning you to sacrifice more. If you only work another job, you'll be able to afford that giant TV screen you've always wanted. Here's a credit card to make it easy, or you can just sign over your home. Here, take this vaccine shot for your own protection. Vote for me, and I'll give you free health care. I'll stabilize the economy by spending future generations into yet more debt. Don't worry about paying anything back... we'll let the next President deal with that.

The fraud continues, year after year, with new faces and names at the helm, but the same old failed thinking at the core. You cannot spend your way to prosperity, you must SAVE your way there. You cannot make a population healthy by drugging more people. You cannot make peace by waging war. And you cannot make a nation great by abandoning the real needs of the people and selling out to corporations and their lobbyists.

Sadly, while Mr. America was once a healthy, thriving, hard-working individual, he's now a jobless, indebted medicated heart patient with a caffeine habit and an upside-down mortgage on the home he's about to lose. And the worst part is that the lawmakers in Washington are doing everything in their power to make sure Mr. America stays that way.

Don't Worry, Be Happy, America! (Tens Reasons Why)
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews.com  July 2 7, 2009

(NaturalNews) Following the publication of my story about "the new Mr. America: Bankrupt, Diseased and Running Out of Options," we received a number of complaints from some readers who thought the story was too dark. It's just "too negative" to talk about the actual financial numbers in the U.S. budget, it seems. Who really cares about all that accounting, anyway? (Congress obviously doesn't...) What Americans really want is more happy talk!

Keep it positive. Stay upbeat. Talk about the good news!

I think that's a great idea, actually. So this weekend, I'm publishing ten pieces of good news about America's future, based on the very same financial numbers contained in my "dark" story (actually, a factual report of America's financial demise) published yesterday (http://www.naturalnews.com/026693_d...).

So for those who want to be happy, here's a list of the top ten things that are really positive about America's future!

The top ten good news things about America's future
Good News Item #1) When the stuff hits the fan, Americans will awaken from their slumber and remember their roots! Americans eventually do the right thing, after all, but only after trying every other alternative first. The spirit of ingenuity and self-reliance hasn't been snuffed out of American culture; it's just been buried under a torrent of bureaucratic stupidity. When Big Government goes broke and Americans are forced to rely on themselves, their neighbors and their communities for support, they will rediscover the same spirit of resourcefulness that once made America great (and can make it great again, under new management).

Good News Item #2) Your health is in your hands. You have near-total control over your own health. You don't have to wait for some government to mandate a new system of forced health care coverage at rip off prices. You can create your own health care plan right now by changing your diet, boosting your exercise and upgrading your lifestyle.

Good News Item #3) Gold, land and food will always be worth something. Wondering where to put a few dollars to protect them from the coming changes? Gold, land and food will always be worth something. These things have value that persists regardless of systems of currency or debt. (Hint: If you don't own gold, land or food, you might want to reposition your assets in the near future...)

Good News Item #4) When the U.S. government goes bankrupt, so will the FDA! And that means an end to the tyranny and oppression against thenatural health industry. Remember this: U.S. government employees are but one paycheck away from disloyalty. There's a whole universe of knowledge about natural remedies just bursting to emerge once the heavy hand of oppression is lifted.

Good News Item #5) When the U.S. currency suffers hyperinflation and becomes worthless, it will remind people of what's really important in life: Health, family, a roof over your head and a piece of land with a garden on it. All the jobless Americans will have more time with their families! (This is not said in satire. I'm serious about this. Less time working and more time with family improves quality of life.) Besides... since when did working more hours ever make anyone happier?

Good News Item #6) The financial demise of the U.S. government will bring down Big Pharma, too, resulting in a new age of natural health remedies becoming more readily available across North America. Why is this the case? Because Big Pharma relies primarily on government revenues to stay in business, and once Big Government goes broke, Big Pharma will have no easy way to extract revenues directly from the people. They only get away with it now because they can lobby Washington to steal taxpayers' dollars and transfer them to drug companies.

Good News Item #7) America's military imperialism will soon end. Why? Because America can't afford it. Paying to send soldiers, tanks and bombs to other countries costs a fortune, after all. When the U.S. military stops paying soldiers, we will have an outbreak of sudden peace.

Good News Item #8) The age of complacency in America is coming to an end, too. Those who are complacent will not do well in the coming economic, cultural and political turmoil. They will be forced to adapt and learn new skills. People who are adaptable, self-reliant and determined will find plenty of success in the Next Society that follows the fall of America.

Good News Item #9) Mother Nature will prevail. Whatever humanity throws at Mother Nature -- through pollution, species extinction, climate change or deforestation -- nature will eventually recover and regain its health (with or without humans).

Good News Item #10) You have more options than you think! You are not stuck in any particular job or health status. You can change your circumstances by making new, better decisions. You have the resources within you to set a new course for the rest of your life.

BONUS Good News Item #11) As long as you can read this, there is still hope for freedom! As long as you can still reach "freedom" websites (even ones you don't agree with) like NaturalNews, Rense.com, Alex Jones or other similar sites, there's still a glimmer of hope for true freedom. The internet, of course, remains the last bastion of free thinking in modern society. Help keep it free, and you'll help protect the tools of communication that can let freedom ring throughout the world. (This is one reason to oppose so-called "hate crime" laws, by the way. The purpose of hate crime laws is to outlaw any non-conforming speech by categorizing it as "hate.")

So you see, there's actually a whole lot of good news in America. It's not as dark as you might think. Unless, of course, you believe national debts don't matter, or that your government will save you, or that socialized health care will solve your personal health problems. People who believe those things will find those beliefs rudely shattered. For them, the future may be quite dark, indeed.

But for those who have a grip on reality, the future looks very bright! The future, after all, is what we make of it, and those with the brightest minds and the deepest determination hold most of the power in shaping our collective future.

And the best way to have a bright future is to accept the reality of what's coming and then prepare for a more challenging future ahead. By preparing for big changes, you turn a potentially negative situation into a positive opportunity. So, you see, even bad news can be good news... especially if you deal with it instead of ignoring it.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026700_America_good_news_health.html

Obesity Breakthrough: Citrus Fruit Flavonoid Controls Weight, Causes Fat Loss
Sherry Baker, NaturalNews.com  July 25, 2009

(NaturalNews) Flavonoids are compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and certain beverages (including tea, coffee, fruit juices and wine) that have aroused scientific interest in recent years because they seem to benefit the human body in a host of ways -- from fighting viruses to preventing inflammation and infections. Research has found certain flavonoids have anti-tumor and anti-stroke properties, too. Now weight control can be added to the list of remarkable ways flavonoids can help promote good health naturally. A new study just published in the journal Diabetes concludes a citrus fruit flavonoid can cause the liver to burn fat and control weight.

A team of scientists headed by Murray Huff of the Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario, investigated a citrus fruit flavonoid called naringenin. They fed one group of mice a typical Western style high-fat diet in order to induce the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome, a frequent precursor to diabetes, is defined by a cluster of physical signs such as abdominal fat, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels and insulin resistance. Then another matched group of mice ate the same diet with the addition of naringenin.

The results? Naringenin brought down the high triglyceride and cholesterol levels to normal and prevented the development of insulin resistance. In fact, the flavonoid totally normalized glucose metabolism. "These studies show naringenin, through its insulin-like properties, corrects many of the metabolic disturbances linked to insulin resistance and represents a promising therapeutic approach for metabolic syndrome," Huff said in a statement to the media.

But the natural, grapefruit-derived compound was found to do even more. It brought the fat mice down to a healthy, slim weight by genetically reprogramming their livers to burn up excess fat. The result was a lack of stored fat. The mice were cured of obesity.

"What was unique about the study was that the effects were independent of caloric intake, meaning the mice ate exactly the same amount of food and the same amount of fat. There was no suppression of appetite or decreased food intake, which are often the basis of strategies to reduce weight gain and its metabolic consequences," stated Huff, Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts and Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Does naringenin have the same impact on people? The research team wants to explore that possibility by conducting clinical trials with humans to see if the natural compound can treat obesity and other metabolic problems. The researchers are also planning additional animal studies to see if the flavonoid can prevent heart disease.

Author's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which they were acquired.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026699_obesity_health_insulin.html

The Mothers Act Disease Mongering Campaign - Part II
Evelyn Pringle, NaturalNews.com  July 2 7, 2009

(NaturalNews) The Mothers Act legislation specifically defines the term "postpartum conditions" as "postpartum depression" or "postpartum psychosis." Use of the Act as an 8-year disease mongering campaign to further promote the new cottage industry of "reproductive psychiatry," or "reproductive mental health," comes from websites often run by people who will financially benefit from passage of the Act.

In 1992, the late journalist Lynn Payer wrote a book titled, "Disease Mongering," and defined disease mongering as, "trying to convince essentially well people that they are sick, or slightly sick people that they are very ill."

Tactics identified in the book currently used in the Mothers Act campaign include: (1) Framing the issues in a particular way, (2) Taking a normal function and implying that there's something wrong with it and it should be treated, (3) Defining as large a proportion of the population as possible as suffering from the 'disease', (4) Selective use of statistics to exaggerate the benefits of treatment, and (5) Getting the right spin doctors.

"Since disease is such a fluid and political concept, the providers can essentially create their own demand by broadening the definitions of diseases in such a way as to include the greatest number of people, and by spinning out new diseases," Payer explained in the book.

Although the mandatory screening language was removed from the Mothers Act last year, due to strong opposition, the words and actions by the bill's supporters demonstrate that the screening dragnet was always the main component of this disease mongering campaign. The language in the previous bill stated in part: "To ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services."

The main sponsor of the Act in the House was Illinois Democratic Congressman, Bobby Rush. On March 30, 2009, the Postpartum Support International website posted the headline: "Congressman Rush passes The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in the U.S. House of Representatives... now it's on to the senate!!"

In a speech on the House floor that day, Rush made the following ridiculous disease mongering statement: "Madame Speaker, today, 60 to 80 percent of new mothers experience symptoms of postpartum depression while the more serious condition, postpartum psychosis, affects up to 20 percent of women who have recently given birth."

He then took it a step further and told members of Congress: "Experts in the field of women's health like Susan Stone, Chair of the President's Advisory Council of Postpartum Support International, says that these statistics do not include mothers whose babies are stillborn, who miscarry, or who are vulnerable to these devastating disorders which raises those at risk into the millions."

"Every 50 seconds a new mother will begin struggling with the effects of mental illness," he added.

"After eight long years," Rush said, "today marks an important step forward in the journey for Congress to fully recognize postpartum depression as a national women's health priority."

"H. R. 20 will finally put significant money and attention into research, screening, treatment and education for mothers suffering from this disease," he reported.

In a 2005 paper in the Psychiatric Bulletin titled, "Psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry: who pays the piper?," a perspective from the Critical Psychiatry Network, the authors, Joanna Moncrieff, Steve Hopker, and Philip Thomas, point out that psychiatry is particularly vulnerable to the influence of the pharmaceutical industry for a number of reasons.

"There is no objective test for external validation of psychiatric disorders," they explain. "This means the boundaries of 'normality'and disorder are easily manipulated to expand markets for drugs."

"The adverse effects of drugs are downplayed, and alternative approaches to distress neglected," they warn. "Patients and carers are led to believe that there are simple, drug-based solutions to their problems, leading to disillusion and disappointment when this turns out not to be so."
Self-Promoted Experts
"Disease mongering turns healthy people into patients, wastes precious resources, and causes iatrogenic harm," Ray Moyniahan and David Henry warn in the April 11, 2006 paper in PLoS Med, titled, "The Fight against Disease Mongering," in words that certainly apply to the Mothers Act campaign.

"As an initial step toward combating disease mongering at a health policy level," the authors "urge decision makers to promote a renovation in the way diseases are defined."

"Continuing to leave these definitions to panels of self-interested specialists riddled with professional and commercial conflicts of interest is no longer viable," they warn.

Susan Stone, the "expert" Bobby Rush referred to, runs PerinatalPro, a blatant profiteering website used to advertise her treatment and training services at a facility in New Jersey, which tells readers:

"Welcome to Perinatal Pro, the website presence of Blue Skye Consulting, LLC, posted by women's reproductive mental health expert Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, to help educate and inform women, families and health care providers about the often unexpected challenges of mood changes during pregnancy, the postpartum and throughout a woman's reproductive life."

Susan is not a psychiatrist nor a psychologist, she is a social worker and a past president of Postpartum Support International. Yet she maintains a private practice, "specializing in women's reproductive mental health across the life cycle," according to her bio.

The "Clinical Focus" of treatment advertised for Blue Skye with PerinatalPro includes: Perinatal Mood Disorders and Postpartum Depression; Perimenopause and menopause; Bereavement associated with child loss, stillbirth or miscarriage; Lifestyle changes and loss (divorce, remarriage, health issues); Depression associated with medical conditions; Disordered Eating and Body Dysmorphic Disorder; Trauma/PTSD; and Affective Disorders including depression and anxiety.

"We work with your physician, psychiatrist or other healthcare provider to ensure a continuum of care," the website says.

A more likely explanation for this collaboration would be that a social worker is not qualified to diagnose patients with mental disorders and a doctor would have to sign off on the diagnosis in order to bill public and private insurance programs for treatment. Susan would also need a doctor to prescribe drugs to her "patients." In return, the doctor would profit from the fees paid for the brief office calls required to obtain the prescriptions.

The PerinatalPro site even has a link to schedule an appointment at Blue Skye, through an email address with Susan Stone's name in the box. The joint is open for business on Monday through Friday beginning at 7 am and ending at 9 pm, "most evenings."

Blue Skye "also provides licensed professionals who will come to your office, agency or Grand Rounds to facilitate groups or educational presentations on mental health topics of interest to your staff," the website advertises. "In addition, we work with EAP's to provide therapy on or off site to your clients."

Susan posts a running list of groups that endorse the Mothers Act on her website and just about every Big Pharma funded pill pushing front group in the US is on it. The drug company dollar amounts funneled to these "non-profits" in recent years is broken down in my article, "Just Say No to the Mothers Act," which can be found with a google search of the internet.

Amy Philo, the leader of "Unite For Life," a movement of 53 groups against the Act, posted the estimated amount traceable to the main supporters on her website, based on the "Just Say No," article, with a total of between $13,095,010 and $16,487,497. The wide estimate resulted from the fact that groups' annual reports will often list the amounts given with wide margins.

For instance, the 2006 report for "Mental Health America," shows the "non-profit" received over $1 million from Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Wyeth. Janssen and Pfizer gave between $500,000 and $1,000,000, and AstraZeneca and Forest Labs donated between $100,000 and $499,000. GlaxoSmithKline gave between $50,000 and $100,000.

Pfizer's 2008 grant report shows a $20,000 grant to a Mental Health America group in Georgia to sponsor: "Project Healthy Moms: Education for Prevention/Treatment for Perinatal Depression Disorders."

Big Pharma money is funneled to front groups to make sure the leaders of the "non-profits" are extremely well-paid. Mental Health America's 2002 tax returns show the President, Michael Faenza, received compensation of $306,727, and another $35,275 to employee benefit plans and deferred compensation that year, for a 35 hour work week.

Lea Ann Browing-McNee, the Senior VP, received $122,007, and $14,353 in contributions to employee benefit plans and deferred compensation for 35 hours a week. The VP, Charles Ingoglia, was paid $121,673, and $15,907 to employee benefit plans and deferred compensation, for a 35 hour week.

In a May 29, 2009, blog on PerinatalPro Susan wrote: "I humbly announce that I will be honored by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey at an event on June 10th for advocacy and clinical work related to national ppd initiatives".

The "Association" Susan refers to is actually a "Mental Health America" group.

In the same her blog, Susan mentions how the Mothers Act might help fund "inpatient maternal mental health" programs all across the US.

"Just this morning," she wrote, "I completed an interview with Parenting Magazine, which plans to feature an article about the nation's first inpatient maternal mental health unit at UNC, Chapel Hill, NC, as well as focus on the federal legislation and how this bill might help fund other such programs across the country."

The PerinatalPro site also provides links to buy Susan's book, co-authored with Alexis E Menken, titled: "Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders Perspectives and Treatment Guide for the Health Care Practitioner," listed for $54.00 on one site, with a product description including the following disease mongering comments:

"Statistics on the prevalence of perinatal mood disorders suggest that up to 20% of women experience diagnosable pregnancy related mooddisorders."

"Over the past three years, pregnancy related mood disorders have become the focus of health care advocates and legislators alike with subsequent reflection in nationwide media."

"This increasing awareness has also resulted in recent legislative and healthcare initiatives to screen, assess, and treat such disorders," the Amazon website states, using the "screen" word.

Karen Kleiman, another social worker transformed into a "medical expert," runs a treatment facility called the "Postpartum Stress Center," in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.

"The Postpartum Stress Center specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety disorders," Kleiman's site says.

"Referrals to The Postpartum Stress Center come from Psychiatrists, OBGYNs, Family Practitioners, Pediatricians, RNs, other therapists, Depression After Delivery, Midwifery groups, Women Centers, Breastfeeding support groups, and direct referrals from the mother or family members," the site states.

As a social worker, like Susan Stone, Kleiman would also need a doctor to diagnose women with mental disorders before she could bill public and private insurance programs to "treat" them. And, she would need a doctor to prescribe the drugs.

Kleiman wrote a raving review of Susan's book on the Amazon website, and as luck would have it, three books listed as "Frequently Bought Together" on Amazon, include Susan's and two by Kleiman. The deal price for purchasing all three together is $95.65.

Kleiman sells seven books on her website that she either wrote or contributed to. Some can even be purchased with a direct payment through a paypal account, to bypass Amazon.

Kleiman conducts a workshop at her Center every three months titled: "Advanced Practice Development Workshop: Launching your private practice," and uses her internet blogs to recruit paying participants.

In this four-hour training session, future "private practice" owners learn in part: "Which marketing strategies are most effective for this population of clients and the medical community".

They also learn: "How to connect with the community at large and maximize the need and desire for your services".

Participants receive a copy of the Center's Guide to "Enhancing your PPD Private Practice: A checklist for successful practice", as well.

The class is part of a two-day deal with another 6-hour workshop titled, "Fundamentals of PPD," for a total of 10 hours at a cost of $750. The website says they try to keep the classes small (6 to 10), so that would mean Kleiman's take would be between $6,000 and $7,500, or between $24,000 and $30,000 for 40 hours work in four seminars a year teaching people how to "Launch" their own private practice.

At $100 a crack, Blue Skye Consulting seems like it offers a better deal for half-day workshops for professionals "to help develop a specialty in perinatal mood disorders," including two titled: "Identifying Perinatal Mood Disorders," and "Treating Perinatal Mood Disorders."

But then Susan Stone's course may not teach people how to "Launch" their own private practice.

In a June 4, 2007, blog on the Center's webite, Kleiman reported a new study that found 79% of doctors were unlikely to formally screen for postpartum depression and noted that the co-author of the study "reminds us that in addition to the Edinburgh (EPDS) Screening tool (most commonly used), healthcare practitioners can check for signs of PPD by a simple 2-question tool, developed by Whooley et al."

Further elaborating on this pop quiz, Kleiman wrote: "It has been shown that these two questions may be as effective as longer instruments," and listed the questions as: (1) "Over the past 2 weeks, have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?", and (2) "Over the past 2 weeks, have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things?"

"A positive response to either question indicates a positive screen and should be followed by an comprehensive history and assessment to confirm the diagnosis of depression," she wrote.

Under a heading: "Doctors take note" she stated: "We should not need state legislation to mandate what we know to be medically significant. Patients should be screened for postpartum depression. It is easy. It take 5 minutes. It can save lives."

She followed up with a heading: "Clinicians take note," and wrote: "Healthcare practitioners need this information. Take the time to get this information to the doctors you work with or want to market to. Arm yourself with screening tools and literature to substantiate this practice."
How to Practice Medicine Without a License
Kleiman is listed as a postpartum depression "expert" on another propaganda pumping internet site called StorkNet, complete with her own bio page, where she posts advice for pregnant and nursing mothers to access over the internet and provides a live link to her treatment center. In response to the question, "what are the best drugs for a breastfeeding mom with postpartum depression?", Kleiman wrote in part:

"Keep in mind that this information is based on MY practice and will vary considerably from doctor to doctor."

"The SSRI antidepressants (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) we are most comfortable using based on the research we have are: Zoloft(Sertraline) and Paxil (Paroxetine). Other antidepressants (tricyclics) that are used are Pamelor (Nortriptyline) and Desipramine (Norpramin), although it seems that the SSRIs are preferable these days because they have fewer side effects and are easily tolerated."

In answering questions on "How Long to Take Medication," Kleiman said to think of antidepressants as a "Serotonin vitamin," and cited a recommendation from the American Psychiatric Association for staying on antidepressants for 6 to 9 months after the woman is feeling better.

"That's not 6-9 months after you start taking the pill, it's after you start feeling better!" she wrote. "The reason they recommend that you remain on it that long is because studies show there is a high risk of relapse if you get off the meds too early. And if you relapse, the symptoms are often harder to treat."

"For that reason," she said, "I tell my patients to try to think of this as a Serotonin vitamin; just take it, don't think about "why" you're taking it, you need it, it's helping, and you'll worry about getting off of it later."

In 2008, Zoloft maker, Pfizer, donated more than $700,000 to the "non-profit" American Psychiatric Association.

Eli Lilly, the maker of Cymbalta, Prozac, and Symbyax, a drug that combines Zyprexa and Prozac, gave the APA grants worth more than $600,000 in both the first and second quarters of 2008. In 2007, the group received over $400,000 from Lilly, and roughly $450,000 more was given to the American Psychiatric Foundation for the APA fellowship program.

"Antidepressants are one of the most efficient and effective treatments for PPD," Kleiman boldly tells women reading her StorkNet advice.

In another blog Kleiman wrote: "Women who experience depression during pregnancy are at an increased risk for PPD."

"Current research supports the use of antidepressants immediately after delivery to reduce the likelihood of PPD."

"Many women and their doctors choose this option," Kleiman said, "to start their medication right after the baby is born, and I mean right in the delivery room!"

Doesn't sound like any alternative therapies are considered, or tried, by this "expert" before dosing nursing infants with psych drugs.

On May 30, 2007, Kleiman ran the headline, "SSRIs and Pregnancy: Encouraging Study," and wrote the following paragraph in a blog on the Postpartum Stress Center website:

"As presented at a poster session at the 2007 American Psychiatric Association (APA) conference, "APA: SSRIs in Pregnancy Not Associated With Cardiac or Pulmonary Problems"--there is a preliminary data which offers encouraging support for the use of SSRIs during pregnancy."

"While a retrospective chart review isn't the best methodology (it's certainly the best bet for pregnancy)," Kleiman said, "this is very positive and evidence-based study with a large number of patients, supporting the safety of SSRIs in pregnancy."
True Experts Weigh In
"If a woman has been informed that an SSRI will not harm the fetus, then she has been misinformed," says Dr Grace Jackson, author of "Rethinking Psychiatric Drugs: A Guide to Informed Consent," and the new book, "Drug Induced Dementia: A Perfect Crime."

"Research in non-human animal species and epidemiological human studies suggest that SSRIs pose direct and indirect risks to the embryo and fetus," she reports, "especially to the formation of the brain, heart, and craniofacial skeleton."

"Because SSRIs pass through the placenta," she explains, "they may exert toxic effects directly by inhibiting or accelerating the process of apoptosis (programmed cell death)."

"Alternatively, SSRIs may exert toxic effects indirectly by disrupting maternal levels of serotonin and other hormones (including prolactin, thyroid hormone, and glucose), all of which participate in the development of the unborn child," Dr Jackson advises.

"For humans," she states, "the long-term risks of prenatal or neonatal exposure to SSRIs remain uncharacterized."

"However," she says, "it should concern medical professionals that research in rodents has repeatedly and consistently revealed a link between early exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitors and the emergence of potentially long-lasting decrements in learning, memory, and emotion (e.g., abnormal responses to fear-producing stimuli, diminished capacity for nurturance and attachment, and depression)."

Julie Edgington took Paxil for a couple of weeks before she learned she was pregnant. Despite stopping the drug in the first trimester, Julie's son Manie was born with "Transposition of the Great Arteries," a condition where the aorta and pulmonary arteries in the heart are switched.

At 8-days-old, Manie had to undergo a 12-hour open heart surgery. Because of the surgery, he has a leaky heart valve and has had to undergo several more medical procedures. Manie also must take drugs for high blood pressure.

For a long time, Julie did not know Paxil caused Manie's heart defect. "The guilt I feel will never go away even though it was not my fault," she states.

She has this warning for pregnant women. "If you think you are depressed now wait until your life is flipped upside down when your baby is born with a horrible birth defect like Manie."
Shameless Self Promotion
On April 28, 2008, Kleiman posted a blog announcing that her new book would be out in September 2008, which began with the comment: "Shameless self-promotion alert! ;)".

She also pasted an excerpt from the book's forward in the blog, written by Dr Shari Lusskin. "There is a treasure trove of 'clinical pearls' in this eminently readable book which even the most experienced clinician will be able to use right away," Lusskin told potential buyers of the book.

A glowing review of Susan Stone's book by Lusskin appears on the Amazon website as well.

Lusskin is an adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences at Mt Sinai School of Medicine. Her specialty is "Psychopharmacology," according to her bio on the New York University Langone Medical Center website.

She is also an advisory council member of Postpartum Support International and has her own website.

The "Pregnancy-related Mood Disorders," section of Lusskin's site warns that: "Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Eating Disorders may also develop or worsen during pregnancy and postpartum. Women with Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Schizoaffective Disorder are particularly vulnerable during pregnancy and postpartum."

"Medications (pharmacotherapy) and psychotherapy (using interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral techniques) both play a role in the treatment of perinatal psychiatric disorders," Lusskin advises on her site, with medications of course listed first.

A May 28, 2005 presentation brochure shows Lusskin is a paid speaker for the psychiatric drug makers, Glaxo, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Wyeth.

Lusskin's site explains that: "Reproductive Psychiatry is a specialty that helps women deal with psychiatric conditions that develop in relation to specific points in their reproductive life cycle, such as their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and perimenopause."

"Women with psychiatric disorders that develop in relation to their reproductive life cycle are an under-served population that can benefit from treatment which considers both psychiatric and gynecologic factors," Lusskin's site states.

"Dr. Lusskin is one of a small number of physicians in the United States who specialize in this relatively new field," her website claims.
Victim of "Reproductive Psychiatry"
Bobby Fiddaman runs the popular website Seroxat Sufferers. Seroxat is sold as Paxil in the US. He recently forwarded a story sent to him by Kimberly S, a young mother who went to a doctor for problems with mood swings before her menstrual cycle, with permission to reveal the story.

In a nutshell, Kimberly was prescribed Paxil first, and ended up on Remeron, benzodiazapines, Ritalin, Zyprexa, Lithium and sleeping pills, before her 3-year nightmare that included two suicide attempts and two lengthily stays in mental institutions was over.

The suicide attempts occurred when she tried to go off Paxil, without any warning about the severe withdrawal syndrome that can lead people to become suicidal. After the second attempt, Kimberly was on life-support for 3 days and then transferred to a mental institution where nothing she said was taken seriously because of course by now she was considered too mentally ill to be believable. She explains this situation as follows:

"When you are suffering from any kind of mental illness you have no credibility. If you get angry you are mental. If you cry it's because you are mental. If you complain it's because you are mental and all of this will wind you up on more medication that creates a vicious cycle you have little chance of breaking free from."

"A psychiatric diagnosis is a prison sentence at first which can easily become a death sentence," she warns. "You might not die physically but your soul and who you are dies eventually if you don't break free from it."

Kimberly finally found a doctor who alerted her to the Paxil withdrawal syndrome and helped her taper off the drug. "Had he not I don't know where I would be today," she says. "Probably 7 feet under."

However, Kimberly was on her own when she stopped taking the other drugs. "I was by myself and at home on the floor, in a pool of sweat and vomit, screaming at those fierce anxiety attacks and the debilitating memories of everything that had happened," she recalls.

"There were many times I wanted to give up and go back on those drugs because it was hell getting off," she says. "There were times I did not think I was strong enough and my poor kids had already endured enough."

But Kimberly did not give up, and today she is living a drug free normal life with her children, back at work and healthy, she reports.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026707_health_disease_depression.html

Una De Gato is the Clawed Medicinal Vine of the Amazon

Zephyr Faegen, NaturalNews.com  July 2 7, 2009

(NaturalNews) Una de gato (Uncaria tomentosa) or Cats claw is an Amazonian vine that can be found in the high altitude Rainforest throughout Central and South America as well as in Trinidad and grows to lengths of more than 30 meters (100 feet) into the rainforest canopy. This wonderfully medicinal plant has been used for over 2,000 years for the treatment of numerous medical ailments by the Ashaninka, Shipibo, Conibo, and several other tribes throughout the South American Continent. It has been studied pharmacologically at research facilities since the 1970's in countries like Austria, Germany, England, Japan, and Peru, but has until recently been fairly unknown to the majority here in the United States. That trend is changing with Americans becoming more and more health conscious in the 21st Century.

Cats Claw's main medicinal use comes from the harvesting of its inner bark and root. This soft inner material contains a plethora of curative chemicalsthat have had a long history of treating ailments that include asthma, cirrhosis, rheumatism, various types of inflammation, diverticulosis, as well as degenerative diseases which include, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and various types of cancer. Since Klaus Keplinger's initial studies in the 1970's in Austria it can be fairly stated that Cats Claw is one of the most studied Amazonian plants of the 20th Century. The documented research into Cats Claw can be divided into three main areas of study: immuno-stimulant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumorous or anti-cancerous. The majority of study has focused on two groups of chemicals, oxidole alkaloids and quinovic acid glycosides. The unique synergy of these two groups of chemicals constitutes most of the remarkable curative factors of this plant.

In the research that Klaus Keplinger conducted in the 1970's as well as more resent supporting research done in Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Peru and the United States it has been found that the oxidole alkaloids in the whole cats claw extract can create an increased immuno-response of up to fifty percent. Other in vitro studies conducted in Italy and Sweden have shown that the oxidole alkaloid properties of cats claw can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells by up to ninety percent as well as inhibit the growth of lymphoma and leukemia cells. The studies done on the quinovic acid glycosides within cats claw have found that they can greatly reduce inflammation up to eighty nine percent. These phytochemicals have shown promising results with the reduction of the inflammatory responses in Arthritis, rheumatism, Irritable Bowel syndrome, and stomach ulcers as well as having anti-viral properties. A lesser known alkaloid in cats claw called rhynchophylline has shown that it prevents blood clots and thins the blood.

Cats claw has been a natural staple in South American Medicine for generations and its healing factors have been well documented. As the use of this plant becomes more common in mainstream society as a method of primary and complementary treatment the benefits of it's impact will speak for itself. If you are interested in learning more on cats claw please refer to the references below. If you are thinking of taking cats claw for curative purposes please make sure that you consult your doctor as the blood thinning and immuno-stimulant properties can have side effects if you are already on either a blood thinning or immuno-suppressant medication.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026695_una_de_gato_Peru_blood.html

Human Cells Secrete Cancer-killing Protein

ScienceDaily (July 27, 2009) — Human cells are able to secrete a cancer-killing protein, scientists at the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center have found.
Researchers led by Vivek Rangnekar, UK professor of radiation medicine, have determined that the tumor-suppressor protein Par-4, initially thought to be active only within cells expressing the Par-4 gene, is in fact secreted by most human and rodent cells and can target large numbers of cancer cells by binding to receptors on the cell surface.
This discovery, published today in the leading journal Cell, makes Par-4 a very attractive molecule for future research aimed at developing new cancer treatments.
"It was a pleasant surprise, when we noticed that Par-4 protein is secreted by cells," Rangnekar said. "This new finding means it is not necessary to make genetic modifications, or to employ recombinant viruses, to deliver the Par-4 gene to cancer cells, and it significantly expands the potential applications of Par-4 to selectively kill cancer cells."
Funded by several grants from the National Institutes of Health, Rangnekar's study found that when the Par-4 molecule binds to its receptor GRP78 on the surface of a tumor cell, it triggers a biological process called apoptosis or "cell suicide." Consistent with previous research by Rangnekar's laboratory with intracellular Par-4, the newly discovered secreted Par-4 acts selectively against cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed. Few other molecules are known to exhibit such selectivity.
One molecule, known as TRAIL, also exerts cancer-cell-specific effects. However, Rangnekar's most recent study discovered that apoptosis inducible by TRAIL is dependent upon extracellular Par-4 signaling via cell surface GRP78. Thus, the researchers conclude, Par-4 activates a novel pathway involving cell surface GRP78 receptor for induction of apoptosis. In other words, without Par-4, TRAIL lacks the ability to cause "cell suicide."
Rangnekar first discovered the Par-4 gene in 1993. In 2007, Rangnekar's team introduced the gene into a mouse embryo, creating a cancer-resistant "supermouse" that did not develop tumors. In fact, the mice possessing Par-4 actually live a few months longer than lab mice without the gene, indicating that Par-4 mice have no toxic side effects.
While Par-4 is not necessarily a "magic bullet" — it does not target every type of cancer cell — Rangnekar says it could play a major role in developing new combination treatment modalities for cancer patients. His hope is that the next generation of treatments will be even more effective than conventional treatments available today, with fewer and less severe side effects.
"I look at this research from the standpoint of how it can be developed to benefit the cancer patient, and that's what keeps us focused," Rangnekar said, discussing the potential of Par-4 in 2007. "The pain that cancer patients go through — not just from the disease, but also from the treatment — is excruciating. If you can treat the cancer and not harm the patient, that's a major breakthrough."
Rangnekar holds the Alfred Cohen, M.D., Endowed Chair in Oncology Research at the UK College of Medicine.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723150826.htm

Diet High In Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Prevent A Leading Cause Of Blindness Among Elderly

ScienceDaily (July 25, 2009) — Current research suggests that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent one of the leading causes of legal blindness among the elderly. The related report by Tuo et al, "A high omega-3 fatty acid diet reduces retinal lesions in a murine model of macular degeneration," appears in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), loss of vision in the center of the visual field (macula) due to retinal damage, is one of the leading causes of legal blindness among the elderly. Approximately 10% of people from 66 to 74 years of age will develop some level of macular degeneration, making it difficult for them to read or even recognize faces.
A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids has been found to protect against a variety of diseases including atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Retrospective studies have suggested that diets high in fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids may also contribute to protection against AMD. A group led by Dr. Chi-Chao Chan at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD examined the direct effect of omega-3 fatty acids on a mouse model of AMD. A diet with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids resulted in slower lesion progression, with improvement in some lesions. These mice had lower levels of inflammatory molecules and higher levels of anti-inflammatory molecules, which may explain this protective effect.
Tuo et al suggest that "a diet enriched in EPA and DHA can ameliorate the progression of retinal lesions in their mouse model of AMD" and that "the results in these mice are in line with the epidemiological studies of AMD risk reduction by long chain n-3 fatty acids." The results "further provide the scientific basis for the application of omega-3 fatty acids and their biologically active derivatives in the prevention and treatment of AMD." In future studies, Dr. Chan and colleagues plan to use this murine model "to evaluate [other] therapies that might delay the development of AMD." Their ongoing projects include the "testing of systematic delivered pharmacochaperones and antioxidative molecules, as well as intraocularly delivered gene therapies."
This work was supported by grants from The Intramural Research Program of the National Eye Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Health Assistance Foundation.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723081518.htm

http://www.ssib.org/web/index.php?page=press&release=2009-1

Meats with additives harmful to kidneys

Times of India,  27 July 2009

WASHINGTON: Uncooked meat products with food additives may contain high levels of phosphorus and potassium that find no place in food labels. This can make it difficult for people to limit these minerals that at high levels are harmful to kidney disease patients, according to a new study. 

Dialysis patients must watch their intake of phosphate so that their blood phosphate levels do not rise, which may then cause premature death. 

Kidney disease patients also must limit their intake of potassium, because high blood potassium levels can cause sudden death. 

One growing source of dietary phosphorus and potassium is through "enhanced" fresh meat and poultry products. These foods are injected with a solution of water with sodium and potassium salts (particularly phosphates) as well as anti-oxidants and flavourings. 

While ingesting phosphates and potassium can be dangerous for dialysis patients, there is no requirement that these ingredients be included in nutrition labels. 

There have also been no studies on the levels of phosphates and potassium contained in fresh meat and poultry products that have been "enhanced." 

Richard Sherman and Ojas Mehta, from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, examined potassium and phosphate content in a variety of "enhanced" and additive-free meat and poultry products available in local supermarkets. 

They found that products that were labelled as "enhanced" had an average phosphate concentration that was 28% higher than additive-free products, with some products almost 100% higher. 

"The burden imposed on those seeking to limit dietary phosphorus and potassium could be ameliorated by more complete food labelling by manufacturers," the authors wrote. 

The study will appear in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4825357,prtpage-1.cms

Prolonged consumption of tea could weaken bones

Times of India,  27 July 2009

TOKYOA: Prolonged consumption of tea, especially the oolong and black variety, could weaken human bones due to the presence of toxic fluorine in tea beverages, Japanese researchers say. 

The researchers, including Tetsuo Shimmura, who is senior research scientist of Toyama Institute of Health in Toyama Prefecture, reported the existence of the chemical in beverages such as oolong tea and black tea at a meeting of Japan Society for Biomedical Research on Trace Elements in Tokyo recently, Kyodo news agency reported. 

They confirmed that the fluorine content in tea exceeds the standard for tap water in terms of density in about 70 per cent of the 130 instances they analysed. 

There is no criterion for the amount of fluorine in green tea, black tea and oolong tea beverages, but for raw water and tap water it is under 0.8 milligrams per liter and for mineral water it is under 2 milligrams per litre. 

"In our study of people's health in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (in China), we found that the bones of those who consumed water and beverages containing high fluorine density over a long time could develop a propensity to break," Shimmura said. 

"They are not in any immediate risk. However, it is desirable that a standard be set and displayed for tea drinks. 

Prolonged-consumption-of-tea-could-weaken-bones/articleshow/4825301.cms