Omega-3s: Nothing beats the real thing

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19681540/

Mercury in Tuna

All about mercury in fish and what is safe to eat:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19441470/

Blueberries may prevent colon cancer

Pterostilbene, a compound in blueberries, reduced preneoplastic lesions in male rats.

http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/13/1/350

http://www.newstarget.com/021951.html

A compound found in blueberries called pterostilbene reduced pre-cancerous lesions and inhibited genes involved in inflammation. . "This study underscores the need to include more berries in the diet, especially blueberries," said study leader Bandaru Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the chemical biology department at Rutgers. Although the blueberry compound won't cure colon cancer, it represents a strategy for preventing the disease naturally, said Reddy, who specializes in studying the relationship between nutrition and colon cancer.The researchers studied 18 rats in which colon cancer had been induced in a manner similar to human colon cancer development. All of the animals were placed on a balanced diet, with half of the animals' diets supplemented with pterostilbene. After eight weeks, the rats fed pterostilbene had 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous colon lesions compared to the control group. The researchers also noted that pterostilbene inhibited certain genes involved in inflammation, considered a colon cancer risk factor. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. It has been linked to a high intake of saturated fats and calories common in Western diets. Pterostilbene may be able to reverse this process, possibly by lowering lipids, Reddy said. Reddy cited a recent study by co-author Agnes Rimando of the Department of Agriculture. Rimando demonstrated that blueberries, particularly their skins, can lower cholesterol when fed to animals. Some thirty different species of blueberries are native to North America. The berries are rich in anthocyanins, widely recognized for their antioxidant qualities. Blueberries are also a good source of ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer.

http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/13/1/350

GMO Foods Lack Investors

So shall we rely on the FDA to conduct rigorous studies to determine safety? The same regulatory agency who approved aspartame?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/washington/30animal.html?ex=1343534400&en=36b102d7cfdc9974&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

WSJ.com - Should You Sip Your Vitamins Through a Straw?

Soda, juice and other drinks are being fortified with vitamins and minerals, not exactly providing the DRIs and yet one student created a group on Facebook called " I Get All My Vitamins from Propel" a vitamin-enhanced water made by PepsiCo. But what else are in these drinks? They are also loaded with either sucrose, high fructose corn sweeteners and/or artificial sweeteners like sucrolose and aspartame.

http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB118523686276375626-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB118523686276375626-lMyQjAxMDE3ODI1OTIyMzk2Wj.html

Study on the effect of echinachea on the common cold

A review of more than 700 studies has concluded that the herb has a substantial effect in preventing colds and in limiting their duration.
see NYTimes link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/health/24echi.html?ex=1343188800&en=a31563d6ba015c66&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

From the The Lancet: Infectious Diseases
Evaluation of Echinacea for the Prevention and Treatment of the Common Cold: A Meta-Analysis

Another Benefit Is Seen in Buying Organic Produce

A new study finds that organically grown tomatoes have higher levels of flavonoids, which may protect against cardiovascular disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/health/nutrition/17nutr.html?ex=1342324800&en=26f73ba16682498c&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Semen quality of fertile US males in relation to their mothers' beef consumption during pregnancy

The authors found that men whose mothers ate more than 7 beef meals per week during their pregnancies had sperm concentrations 24.3% lower and a risk of fertility problems three times the normal rate.

Could it be because that the cattle in the US and Canada is still being pumped up with sex hormones? The FDA still allows the use of these hormones while it has been completely banned in Europe since 1988.

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/22/6/1497

One Billion People Don't Get Enough Vitamin D

July 19, 2007 08:40:37 PM PST

THURSDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem that can lead to a number of serious health conditions, but it can be prevented, says one expert.
People get vitamin D from sun exposure, diet and supplements. Yet vitamin D deficiency is all too common.
In utero and in childhood, not getting enough vitamin D can cause growth retardation, skeletal deformities and increase the risk of future hip fractures. In adults, too little vitamin D can lead to or exacerbate osteopenia, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
In the July 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Michael Holick, director of the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic at Boston Medical Center, published an overview of his work on vitamin D.
According to Holick, it has been estimated that one billion people in the world are vitamin D deficient or insufficient.
Without vitamin D, only 10 percent to 15 percent of dietary calcium and about 60 percent of phosphorus is absorbed by the body. This can have a direct effect on bone mineral density.
There is evidence that people who live at higher latitudes -- where the angle of the sun's rays is not sufficient to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D in the skin -- are more likely to develop and die of Hodgkin's lymphoma, colon, pancreatic, prostate, ovarian, breast and other cancers. And there is an association between low levels of vitamin D and increased risk for type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Holick says that the current recommended adequate intake for vitamin D needs to be increased to 800 to 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 per day.
"However, one can not obtain these amounts from most dietary sources unless one is eating oily fish frequently. Thus, sensible sun exposure (or UVB radiation) and/or supplements are required to satisfy the body's vitamin D requirement," Holick said in a prepared statement.
Holick added, "The goal of this paper is to make physicians aware of the medical problems associated with vitamin D deficiency. Physicians will then be able to impart this knowledge to their patients so they, too, will know how to recognize, treat and most importantly, maintain adequate levels of this important vitamin."
More information
The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements has more about vitamin D.

Study Finds Dietary Link to Risk of Eye Disorder

Certain kinds of carbohydrates may play a role in the development of age-related macular degeneration, a new study suggests.

Heavy consumption of foods with a high glycemic index has been implicated in the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, according to background information in the paper, which appears in the July issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/health/17eye.html?ex=1342324800&en=14b9827e71ef7897&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Can meditation extend our lives?

Finding Clues to Aging in the Fraying Tips of Chromosomes
Elizabeth H. Blackburn studies aging and biochemical changes in cells that are related to the diseases of old age and may have a shot at the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

As we age the telomeres found at the tips of our chromosomes shorten and the enzyme that helps to repair the telomeres, telomerase, diminishes. We know that chronic stress has a detrimental effect on health, and researchers have found that the higher the stress levels in the body, the shorter the telomeres and the less telomerase available for repair. Other research suggests that reducing stress may actually increase levels of telomerase. A study is now being conducted to evaluate the effects of meditation on increasing telemerase levels. This has tremendous implications for the benefits of meditation and other mind/body approaches in reducing stress related diseases and diseases of aging.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/science/03conv.html?ex=1341201600&en=9b27725a20b0f884&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

More about chocolate and blood pressure

A Bite of Chocolate a Day May Keep Blood Pressure at Bay

TUESDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Chocolate lovers can rejoice again: More research has found that the antioxidants in dark chocolate can help slightly lower blood pressure.
But the good news comes with a caveat -- the chocolate portions have to be limited to 30 calories a day, which works out to slightly more than one Hershey's Kiss.
Such small amounts of the flavanol-rich cocoa found in dark chocolate "may be a promising behavioral approach to lower blood pressure in individuals with above-optimal blood pressure," the German researchers reported in their study.
Unlimited quantities of chocolate won't work, they added, because "the potential blood pressure reduction contributed by the flavanols could be offset by the high sugar, fat and calorie intake with the cocoa products."
The current study, published in the July 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, included 44 adults between the ages of 56 and 73 who either had blood pressure levels in the upper range of normal (considered prehypertension) or they had stage 1 high blood pressure.
None of the study volunteers had other risk factors for heart disease, which means they weren't overweight, didn't smoke, didn't have diabetes or high cholesterol or kidney disease. Additionally, the study participants didn't take additional vitamins or supplements, and the only cocoa-containing products they consumed during the study period were those provided by the researchers.
For 18 weeks, half of the group was asked to consume 30 calories a day of dark chocolate containing polyphenols (a type of antioxidant), while the other half was given 30 calories a day of white chocolate, which has nearly all of the same ingredients as the dark chocolate but no polyphenols.
By the end of the study, the average systolic blood pressure (the top number, which measures the force of blood coming from the heart) dropped by 2.9 mm Hg and the average diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number, which measures the force of blood returning to the heart) dropped by 1.9 mm Hg in the dark chocolate group. There was no change in blood pressure for the white chocolate group.
"Although the magnitude of the BP reduction was small, the effects are clinically noteworthy. On a population basis, it has been estimated that a 3-mm/Hg reduction in systolic BP would reduce the relative risk of stroke mortality by 8 percent, of coronary artery disease mortality by 5 percent, and of all-cause mortality by 4 percent," the authors reported in a prepared statement.
The research was led by Dr. Dirk Taubert, of University Hospital of Cologne, who has done previous research on the effects of cocoa on high blood pressure.
The authors suspect that dark chocolate may increase levels of nitric oxide, a compound that helps to relax and open the blood vessels.
An American nutrition expert found the results promising.
"If you're someone with marginal high blood pressure, and if you eat chocolate anyway, switching to a small piece of dark chocolate daily may give you some benefit. It lowered the upper number about 3 points," said Jo Ann Carson, a professor of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Carson recommended looking for dark chocolate that has cocoa content higher than 50 percent. She also pointed out that people who are sensitive to caffeine's effects should be careful about consuming dark chocolate, because the caffeine content is higher than in milk chocolate.
"Dark chocolate doesn't give you as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but if you start eating it in the evening, you might notice the caffeine," she said.
Additionally, if you have underlying health problems, this study's results probably don't apply to you, according to nutritionist Angela Kurtz, from New York University Medical Center.
"This study was designed to look at the effects of chocolate in individuals who didn't have severe hypertension or other medical problems, and they weren't overweight. If you're diabetic or you have kidney disease, you cannot add chocolate to your diet," she said.
"Moderation is the key. As long as you can have good control of your eating habits, and you can balance chocolate consumption with physical activity to offset the calories, then you can enjoy it," Kurtz added.
But she also cautioned that "chocolate is not a magic bullet but is one little tool for people who are relatively healthy."
More information
The American Heart Association details a previous study on the benefits of dark chocolate for blood pressure.

Welcome to the BC CAM Blog

Welcome to the Brooklyn College CAM nutrition blog. This blog has been created for Health and Nutrition Science majors who have taken HNS 73, Recent Trends in Nutrition, to keep abreast of all the latest info on nutrition and complementary and integrative medicine. You will have the opportunity to post your opinions as well. So let's begin...