Current Health News and Studies About Nutrition and Exercise

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June 6, 2008: there was a time when cirrhosis of the liver was confined to alcoholic adults. Not any more. Now children are being diagnosed with the disease.

The reason is America's love affair with an overindulgence in fast food. A European study revealed that a diet high in sugar and fat--your typical fast food meal--can seriously damage the liver.

"There's strong evidence now that a fast food type of diet--high in fat and sugar, the kind of diet many Americans subsist on--can cause significant damage to your liver and have serious consequences for your health," states Brent Tetri, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the Saint Louis University Liver Center and one of this country's leading experts on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

When given a diet that resembles the typical fast food diet, mice had an increase in liver enzymes--an indicator for liver damage--and the initiation of insulin resistance which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

There is, however, good news. The liver damage can be undone.

June 7, 2008: more and more we are finding out just how important vitamin D is. A new study has now linked low levels of vitamin D to a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes.)

Type 1 diabetes is the condition where the body does not produce insulin. This form of diabetes is second to asthma as the most common chronic disease in children.

According to Cedric F. Garland, professor of Family and Preventive Medicine in the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, "This is the first study, to our knowledge, to show that higher serum levels of vitamin D are associated with reduced incidence of rates of type 1 diabetes worldwide."

Dr. Garland says that type 1 diabetes in children may be preventable with a daily intake of 1,000 IUs of vitamin D3. Ideally this will include 5 to 10 minutes, more if your complexion is darker-skinned, exposure to sunlight around noontime.

June 8, 2008: a recent review of published studies of milk and calcium found that neither low-fat milk nor calcium, touted as being able to enable people to lose weight, are untrue.

Out of a total number of 49 clinical trials, 41 showed no effect of calcium or dairy on weight, two showed a gain of weight along with dairy products, and one showed a lower rate of weight gain. Only five studies showed weight loss.

Source:
Reuters May 14, 2008

June 9, 2008: the definition of raw milk is: milk from grass-fed cows that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. Butterfat in whole raw milk has unique nutrients that support thyroid function and assist the body develop muscle rather than fat.

Raw milk has good bacteria, enzymes, raw fat, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA.) CLA is a cancer-fighter as well as a fat which helps to build muscle and get rid of body fat.

Even people who are lactose intolerant (cannot digest the milk sugar lactose) have no problem with raw milk.

Raw milk was successfully used by Dr. J. R. Crewe, MD at the Mayo clinic in the early 1900s. It was used to treat cancer, weight loss, kidney disease, allergies, skin problems, urinary tract and prostate problems, chronic fatigue, and many other chronic illnesses. Dr. Crewe was one of the founders of the Mayo Foundation.

As far as safety is concerned, disease-carrying bacteria stem from industrial farming practices that produce diseased animals which in turn make contaminated milk. If the raw milk comes from clean, well-run farms, it will be much less dangerous than pasteurized milk.

To prove the safety of raw milk, Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures, the largest raw dairy in the United States, has inoculated pathogenic contaminants such as E.coli, Listeria, and Salmonella into his raw milk and into pasteurized milk. None of the pathogens lived in the raw milk because its natural bacteria protected it.

The pathogens were able to dominate the pasteurized milk due to the fact that the milk's enzymes and bacteria were destroyed.

June 14, 2008: According to the May 25, 2008 edition of the Daily Telegraph, the number of people using mobile phones jumped to over 3.3 billion globally. While Africa had the greatest increase, over two-thirds of all cell phone users are from third-world countries.

The cell phone industry funded a study of cell phone users in 1998 which was headed by Dr. George Carlo. His findings were as follows:

A 2000 Swedish study and a 2002 Italian study confirmed Dr. Carlo's findings. Other medical risks associated with cell phone usage is Alzheimer's disease, autism, and impotence.

The development of cancer from heavy cell phone usage is potentially more dangerous than tobacco usage which came to a head in the '90s. The numbers worldwide are much greater. Cases of brain cancer are projected to grow to 500,000 by 2010, and over a million cases in the United States alone by 2015!

Children are much more at risk because their skulls are not as thick as adult's. Cell phone usage should be minimized by using landlines whenever possible. I make certain that when I do use a cell phone, I alternate ears. (See also...)

June 17, 2008: a small study discovered that making comprehensive lifestyle changes, including a nutritious diet and more exercise, can make a physical change to your genes.

The study, led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, looked at thirty men who had low-risk prostate cancer. These men decided not to undergo surgery, radiation, or hormone therapy.

Substituting for conventional medical treatment, the thirty men ate a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and soy products, engaged in moderate exercise for a half hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management. They followed this program for three months.

Prostate biopsies were taken before the program, and then afterwards. After the end of three months, the activity of disease-preventing genes increased and a number of disease-promoting genes, including genes involved in prostate and breast cancer, shut down.

Commented Dr. Ornish, "In just three months I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live? That's pretty exciting. The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."

June 19, 2008: what does it tell you when neurosurgeons (brain surgeons) refuse to hold cell phones to their ears? This is what neurosurgeons Dr. Keith Black, Dr. Vini Khurana, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, told CNN's Larry King.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was recently diagnosed with glioma, a type of tumor that some have associated with cell phones use. Glioma develops in the brain. Sen. Kennedy's tumor was located in the upper part of the brain, just above the ear!

Although the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) concluded that three large epidemiology studies conducted since the year 2000 show no harmful effects, the average time of cell phone use was only three years.

However studies of cell phone users that show a correlation between cell phone use and brain cancer have an average use of ten years. (See above...)

June 23, 2008: a new and extensive study undertaken by Pain Treatment Topics reveals that low vitamin D is linked to chronic painful conditions such as bone and joint pain, muscle pain, fibromyalgia syndrome, rheumatic disorders, and osteoarthritis.

Dr. Stewart B. Leavitt, MA, PhD, author of the report stated, "our examination of the research, including 22 clinical investigations of patients with various chronic pain and fatigue syndromes, found that these persons almost always had inadequate levels of vitamin D. When sufficient vitamin D supplementation was provided, the aches, pains, weakness, and related problems in most of them either vanished or were at least helped to a significant extent."

According to research, most children and adults need a minimum of 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day. People with chronic musculoskeletal pain should get 2,000 IU per day or more.

July 3, 2008: an article published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry says that prunes (dried plums) may help to fight osteoporosis. Researchers took the cells of mice and introduced polyphenols, an antioxidant, from dried plums. The results were a stepped up production in the enzymes responsible for bone formation.

Additionally, the researchers discovered a lessening in the production of enzymes linked to bone loss.

AMD is the leading cause of loss of vision in adults 60 years old and over. The research which shows a possible connection between junk food and AMD is based on detailed dietary histories of 4,099 men and women who had participated in the nationwide Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS.)

According to the data, 20% of study participants whose diets were highest in high-glycemic foods had a 40% increased risk of AMD. The higher the diet of high glycemic foods, the higher the risk of AMD.

The scientists separated 24 men who had pre-cancerous lesions that increase prostate cancer risk into two groups. One group was given four extra servings of broccoli to eat each week for a year while the orher group was given peas. Tissue samples were taken over the period of the study.

"When people get cancer some genes are switched off and some are switched on. What broccoli seems to be doing is switching on genes which prevent cancer developing and switching off other genes that help it spread," said lead researcher Richard Mithen, a biologist.

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables contain a compound known as isothiocyanate. However broccoli specifically has a very strong type of the compound called sulforaphane.

July 6, 2008: research has long established that people tend to gain weight during the holiday seasons-particularly between Thanksgiving Day and New Years. But now recent research has shown that weekends are a problem.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that people on weight loss and exercise programs eat more on weekends, and therefore lose weight more slowly.

"We thought weekends would present a problem for some people attempting to lose weight, but the consistency of our finding before and during the intervention was surprising. Subjects in the diet group lost weight during the week, but over the weekend they stopped losing weight because they were eating more," said Susan B. Racette, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy and of medicine.

July 7, 2008: prepare for more Frankenfood to appear in your non-organic food products this year. American Crystal and several other leading United States sugar providers have disclosed that they will be sourcing their sugar from genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets this year (See also...)

The products which will contain the GE sugar will also make their appearance this year on store shelves. Approximately half of all processed foods contain sugar made from sugar beets. There is currently no law which stipulates that food companies must label that their products contain anything that is genetically engineered.

Right now, genetically engineered (or modified) corn and soy are in non-organic processed foods. (Genetically engineered ingredients are untested and potentially dangerous, and the American public is being made unknowing guinea pigs.)

Food manufacturer Kellogg's has made it known that it will use genetically modified sugar in its products destined for the United States. The Europe Union does not allow genetic engineering so Kellogg's products destined for Europe will not contain any.

Organic Consumers Association and several allies have sent a letter to Kellogg's urging them to not use GE sugar in its products. Kellogg's reply was that American's don't care if GE ingredients are used in their products.

But poll after poll has shown that Americans want GE foods to be clearly labeled and restricted!

July 7, 2008: the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new cholesterol guidelines for children. They are recommending that some children as young as 8 years old be prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs to thwart any future heart problems.

"If we are more aggressive about this in childhood, I think we can have an impact on what happens later in life ... and avoid some of these heart attacks and strokes in adulthood," said Dr. Stephen Daniels, of the academy's nutrition committee [emphasis mine.]

Statin drugs are Big Pharma's (the drug industry) biggest seller. These drugs are very dangerous for adults and now more and more children will be prescribed them (Read...)

July 8, 2008: Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most popular of fish among Americans, is high in omega-6 fatty acids and very low in omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine say that the omega-6 to omega-3 imbalance may be dangerous for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases.

A high omega-6/omega-3 ratio can cause an inflammatory response. Inflammation damages blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract. It is also at the root of several chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Tilapia has higher levels of potentially dangerous long-chain omega-6 fatty acids than even 80 percent lean ground beef, doughnuts, and pork bacon.

"For individuals who are eating fish as a method to control inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, it is clear from these numbers that tilapia is not a good choice. All other nutritional content aside, the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia" (from an article published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.)

One type of omega-3 fatty acid found in tilapia is arachidonic acid. Farmed tilapia has less than one-half a gram per 100 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. In contrast, farmed salmon and trout contain almost 3 and 4 grams respectively.

July 9, 2008: Iowa State researchers found that the difference between obese women and women who were lean was not in the genes nor metabolism. Lean women stand longer than obese women!

In the study which was published in the research journal Obesity, research showed that obese women stood two hours less and sat two and a half hours more daily than lean women. The result is obese women burned 315 less calories per day.

The Iowa State researchers found that there was no difference in the RMR (resting metabolic rates) of obese women and women of normal body weight. This means that obesity cannot be blamed on a slower metabolism.

July 14, 2008: if you want to lose weight become more active and keep sitting to a minimum. A new study published in the journal Diabetes finds that sitting for an extended length of time causes your body to shut down its fat-burning mechanisms.

Rats and pigs were injected with a small dose of radioactive fat, and researchers tracked where that fat went in their bodies. In stationary animals, fat in the muscle's blood vessels moved to adipose (connective tissue composed of adipocytes that stores energy in the form of fat) tissue in organs such as the kidneys. Fat in the blood vessel's of muscles is easily burned while fat in adipose tissue is not.

The researchers also discovered that after the laboratory animals were kept from moving for several hours, the fat-burning enzyme lipase was suppressed to 10 percent of normal.

When researchers turned to humans, they found that when sitting, lipase was effectively shut off. This led to elevated levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, a slower metabolism, and increased retention of fat.

Researchers say that merely exercising more to counteract lengthy sitting is not enough. It is necessary to stand up and move around.

July 18, 2008: vitamin D, commonly known as the sunshine vitamin because sunlight is the best and most abundant source, shuts down cancer growth and the creation of blood vessels that supply nutrients to cancer cells.

In a breast cancer study, 76 percent of the patients who did not have sufficient levels of vitamin D were more likely to have the cancer metastasize (spread from one organ to another) or recur ten years later. Also, 73 percent of those with insufficient levels had a higher risk of dying.

The International Journal of Cancer carried a study which found that vitamin D protects your body's cells from oxidative stress.

July 18, 2008: a study published by scientists at the Kao Corporation in Tochigi, Japan and published in the Journal of Nutrition says that a diet that incorporates fish oil may assist the body to metabolize fat better. Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Better digestion of fat results in less weight gain.

This study confirmed an Australian study which found that overweight adults between 25 and 65 years old who exercised and took a fish oil supplement every day reduced their body fat by about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds.) Triglyceride levels dropped by 14 percent and blood levels of good cholesterol (HDL) went up by 10 percent.

The Australian study participants were given 260 mg of DHA and 60 mg of EPA every day. DHA and EPA are omega-3 fatty acids.

Another study by researchers at the University of Georgia in 2006 discovered that DHA seemed to have decreased fat buildup and positively affected programmed death of fat cells.

July 22, 2008: people who are classified as having prehypertension are at a higher risk of suffering heart disease and a heart attack. Prehypertension is defined as having blood pressure greater than normal (120/80) but less than 'high blood pressure' (140/90.)

An analysis of data covering 50 years from the Framingham Heart Study showed that patients classified as prehypertensive were 3 times more likely to have a heart attack and 1.7 times more likely to develop heart disease than people with normal blood pressure.

July 23, 2008: The July 6, 2008 edition of the New York Times ran article about the cancer drug Avastin. Drug sales hit $3.5 billion worldwide with sales of $2.3 billion in the United States alone. Avastin is one of the most popular cancer drugs in the world.

But, like almost all pharmaceutical drugs, Avastin has a dark side. It is extremely expensive–with a cost that can reach $100,000 per year. The New York Times reported that studies point out that this drug lengthens a patient’s life span by only a few months.

This is not all. Newer studies hint that Avastin may not be as effective against cancer as the Food and Drug Administration believed when they first approved it. Following are some of Avastin's side effects:

Some fatalities resulted from Avastin use.

Approximately 100,000 patients in the United States are on Avastin medication. In the meantime, studies are taking place to get the drug approved for earlier stages of cancer.

July 26, 2008: the poultry industry uses arsenic compounds in its feed. The arsenic acts as a stimulant to accelerate chicken growth.

At a nominal chicken consumption of 60 grams per person, 1.38 to 5.24 micrograms of inorganic arsenic may be eaten every day. This amount combined with what is breathed from the environment can lead to prostate cancer.

Hundreds of tons of arsenic are released into the atmosphere every year through feeding it to chickens. This is in the form of poultry manure which is used as fertilizer.

July 28, 2008: Dr. Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh is convinced that studies that say cellphones causes cancer may have some merit. In a memo which he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff at the university he stressed that children should use cellphones only in an emergency because their brains are still developing.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe than sorry later," says Dr. Herberman.

According to Dr. Herberman, adults should keep phones away from their heads and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset. He warns against using cellphones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic field.

August 4, 2008: researchers at Emory University School of Medicine started to study the Chinese and Japanese herb honokiol in 2003 when they found that it stopped tumor growth in laboratory mice. Honokiol is a compound found naturally in magnolia cones.

The scientists concentrated their efforts on the family of genes known as Ras. Their mutation initiates the growth of multiple types of cancer. One undesirable trait of Ras genes is that they take away chemotherapy drugs from cancer cells. It appears that Honokiol prevents that from happening.

Honokiol seems to be effective against breast, lung, and bladder cancers.

August 8, 2008: a study which was performed in Australia showed that people who ate fish experienced a 40 percent reduction in melanoma.

(UVA rays from the sun strikes deeper in your skin and causes a lot more free radical damage. These rays are always present all day throughout the year. UVB rays on the other hand are low in the early part of the day and in the evening, but strong at midday.

Two nontoxic ingredients that scatter UVA and UVB rays are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

According to research by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, commercial sunscreens protect against basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas,but not against melanoma.

Sulforaphane promotes the creation of enzymes that protect blood vessels and reduces the amount of molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause cell damage.

Those with diabetes face up to a 500 percent increase in risk of developing cardiovascular disease which is linked to damaged vessels. Above normal blood sugar levels can cause levels of ROS to skyrocket three times.

Sulforaphane turns on a protein known as nrf2 which protects blood vessels and decreases the levels of ROS by 73 percent.

August 13, 2008: there has always been sharp differences of opinions concerning low-fat and low-carb dieting. Now a definitive study has been conducted in Israel to settle the question once and for all.

The Israeli study lasted two years. It was conducted in an isolated nuclear research facility. Study participants (322) ate at a cafeteria at the facility. The following plans were used:

Study participants lost weight on all three regimens. However, those who followed the Mediterranean-type diet and the low-carb diet lost more. The low-carb diet was most beneficial.

The myth that eating fat will make you fat has been circulating for decades. This, however, is not true.

Your body will burn sugar or fat to get its energy. But it accesses its fat reserves only when sugar has been depleted. And if you can't burn all of the carbs you've consumed, it will be stored as fat. And by over-consuming carbs which is a part of the standard American diet, your body begins to prefer carbs to fat.

According to Dr. Ron Rosedale, "Most people become very adapted at burning sugar; your body continues to want to 'keep playing' sugar, to burn more sugar, even when you are not eating. When you're sleeping at night, your body then prefers to burn sugar and it gets that sugar by breaking down proteins in your body, which means lean body mass, which includes muscle and bone. People get fat not so much because they eat fat, but because they have forgotten how to burn it, and because of poor hormonal communication" (fat...) Read...

August 15, 2008: new research shows that low-carb dieting is effective. This study specifically focused on the effects of fructose on weight. More than any other sugar, fructose turns preferentially into body fat.

Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and lead author of the study comments, "Once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it's hard to slow it down,… the bottom line of this study is that fructose very quickly gets made into fat in the body."

The liver makes almost all fats. When sugar enters your liver, it has to decide if it should be burned for energy, stored as fat, or store. However fructose somehow bypasses that system. It is quickly turned into fat.

Fructose is found mainly in the form of high fructose corn syrup in processed foods. These include 'natural' low-carb products which use fructose as a sweetener.

As found in its natural form in fruits, fructose doesn't pose a problem.

August 19, 2008: a new study which was conducted by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine suggests that weight training may allow the maintenance of a healthy weight and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Scientists have long maintained that only aerobic or cardiovascular exercise could affect a person's metabolism so that healthy weight would be maintained. This type of training creates what is known as type I or endurance muscle. Type I endurance muscle allows for long-term energy output.

Type II muscle on the other hand allows short-term bursts of energy such as that in sprinting and weight lifting. Researchers genetically engineered mice so that their bodies would produce more type II muscle when a specific gene was switched on. With the gene switched off, the mice were fed a high-calorie, sugary diet for eight weeks. As expected, the mice became obese, developed fatty liver deposits and became insulin resistant, just like humans on a similar diet.

When the researchers turned the genetically engineered mice gene on, they developed type II muscle. Not only did the mice become muscular, but they also lost fat weight, and became cured of their insulin resistance and fatty liver disease.

"We've shown that type II muscle does more than allow you to pick up heavy objects," said researcher Kenneth Walsh. "It is also important in controlling whole-body metabolism...These data ... suggest that strength training, in addition to the widely prescribed therapy of endurance training, may be of particular benefit to overweight individuals."

August 21, 2008: the results of a study of the phenol contents of common herbs and spices were published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods. The study showed that the phenol content of herbs and spices prevented glycation and the creation of AGEs (advanced glycation end products.) AGEs are strongly responsible for premature aging and heart disease.

The top ten herbs and spices containing high phenolic levels are:

'Glycation' is a process by which sugar such as glucose, fructose, etc., bonds with proteins and form AGEs. These AGEs produce inflammation which triggers an immune response from the body.

One such immune response is macrophages. Macrophages are scavengers that contain special receptors called RAGEs for attracting AGEs. RAGEs bind to AGES and eliminates them from the body.

AGEs accumulate in the body and slowly breaks it down. They cause the formation of scar tissue known as plaque in the arteries.

The bagel breakfast is composed of high-glycemic carbohydrates. The men and women who ate eggs for breakfast reported that they felt more satisfied (filling), and they ate fewer calories the following meal. In general they: (a) lost 65% more weight and (b) had a 61% greater reduction in BMI.

August 22, 2008: starting today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may secretly irradiate spinach, lettuce, and other vegetables before they reach your local grocery stores. Why are they doing it in secret? Apparently the FDA does not think highly of the American consumer's intellect. According to their own statement, "...too confusing to consumers."

Part and parcel of this nefarious campaign of secrecy, irradiated foods will not be labeled.

September 1, 2008: another powerful cancer-fighter has been discovered in ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is an antioxidant found in greatest quantities in raspberries.

Ellagic acid serves to regulate growth and seed germination, protects plants from microbial infections and heavy metal poisoning and prevents insects from eating them.

Gary Stoner, Ph.D, and director of the cancer chemoprevention and etiology laboratory at Ohio State University has done extensive research on ellagic acid. Dr. Stoner says that this phytonutrient stimulates the activities of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens. Ellagic acid is also anti-mutagenic, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial.

In essense, ellagic acid:

Dr. Stoner states that, "We do believe that [raspberries] protect the esophagus and the colon because they are absorbed by these organs as the food moves through the digestive tract...Black raspberries are loaded with nutrients and [plant chemicals] that may prevent the development of cancer."

Researchers at the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina have been studying ellagic acid too. They found that ellagic acid slows the growth of abnormal colon cells in humans and prevents cells infected with human papilloma virus (HPV), which is linked to cervical cancer, from developing.

Ellagic acid may be effective against prostate, breast, lung, esophageal, colon, and skin cancers.

Although found in greatest amounts in raspberries, ellagic acid may be found in lesser amounts in strawberries, pomegranates, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, pecans, and walnuts.

September 3, 2008: researchers from Ohio State University have discovered that phytonutrients in avocados stops the growth of precancerous cells that leads to oral cancer--or destroys them. The research was performed on Hass avocados. This variety is in almost any food store.

Hass avocados are distinguished by their bumpy skin. This skin changes color from green to purplish-black as it ripens.

Avocado extracts selectively blocks the growth of human oral cancer cells while simultaneously allowing regular oral cells to grow normally. Plant compounds in avocados signal cancer cells to 'commit suicide', a process known as apoptosis.

September 4, 2008: more women will die from osteoporosis than from breast cancer this year. In the United States, 20 percent of hip fracture patients are permanently disabled every year. And of this number, 20 percent die from hip fracture complications.

Hip fractures lead to loss of mobility which raises the likelihood of developing blood clots, superficial infections, and other complications. The risk for significant mortality occurs when large bones like the hip breaks. Breaks may lead to other clots-thromboembolism, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, etc.

Non-Hispanic Caucasian women are at the greatest risk of suffering from osteoporosis- 17% to 20%; the risk for Hispanic women ranges from 10% to 15%; Black women run the lowest risk-5% to 10%.

September 6, 2008: the news agency Reuters reports that the popular energy drink Red Bull poses a danger to those who drink it. One can of this stimulant can raise person's risk of stroke or heart attack. This is seen in young people too.

Red Bull makes the blood sticky; this is a precursor to a range of cardiovascular problems.

Red Bull is banned in Norway, Uruguay, and Denmark.

Last year, 3.5 billion cans of Red Bull were sold globally. Its primary ingredients are caffeine and sugar.

September 10, 2008: African-Americans with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) seem to have a greater risk of developing lung cancer than whites. The new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas and published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

The researchers used a new model that they developed specifically for African-Americans. Previous methods have focused on white adults. Lead researcher Dr. Carol Etzel stated that, "...The one size fits all risk prediction clearly does not work..."

African-Americans with COPD were over six times as likely to develop lung cancer as those who did not have COPD. This is the same risk factor as it is for those who smoke. However it is twice the risk for whites who have been diagnosed with COPD.

September 23, 2008: the results of a study published in the June 5, 2008 issue of Phytomedicine show that red clover can prevent the brain from the potential harm caused by eating monosodium glutamate (MSG.) Monosodium glutamate is an excitotoxin.

Red clover is a herb that grows all through Europe and Asia. It is a good source of calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C. Isoflavonoids in red clover fights infection, reduces appetite, and purifies the blood.

Because red clover strengthens the immune system, it has been used as a traditional herbal treatment for cancer. Red clover stops the growth of cancer cells and is good for prostate and liver health.

November 10, 2008: British research has shown that simple lifestyle changes can counter even the most aggressive form of prostate cancer. Of the estimated 35,000 men diagnosed with the disease each year, 36 percent, or about 12,000 could be saved by eating more oily fish, reducing consumption of processed food, and exercising.

The study found that 4 out of 10 men with advanced prostate cancer did not need planned surgery or radiotherapy after making positive lifestyle changes. In addition to exercise and healthy eating, the men lost weight if necessary.

November 18, 2008: science has discovered that black pepper's value extends beyond bringing out taste in foods. Piperine, the primary alkaloid in black pepper, increases the bioavailability of nutrients from foods and supplements in the body.

Piperine uses several different mechanisms to up bioavailability of nutrients. It blocks several enzymes responsible for metabolizing nutritional substances, stimulates amino-acid transporters in the intestinal lining, inhibits removal of substances from cells so they continue to be available for use, and decreases the intestinal activity allowing more of the substances to enter the body in active form.

Amazingly, the piperine in black pepper has been found to be highly effective against colon cancer.

December 1, 2008: Apigenin, a naturally-occurring antioxidant found in fruits, vegetables, and nuts, has been found to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Apigenin activates p53, a protein that nullifies tumors, and carries it to the cancerous cell. When these cells are activated, approximately 53 percent of cancerous cells die.

Apples, cherries, grapes, celery, parsley, artichokes, leeks, and onions contain high levels of apigenin. When apigenin is used in conjunction with chemotherapy, the therapy becomes two and a half times more effective than chemotherapy alone.

December 3, 2008: an independent study conducted by the NCEPOD (National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death) has found that chemotherapy given to terminally ill patients can harm more than help.

According to the study, four out of ten terminally ill patients suffered potentially fatal effects from chemotherapy towards the end of their lives. It also stated that the treatment was inappropriate in one-fifth of the cases.

The NCEPOD study of over 600 patients who died within 30 days of receiving chemotherapy found that the treatment most likely caused or hastened the death of 27 percent.

December 9, 2008: December 8-14 has been set aside as the "National Influenza Vaccination Week" by U.S. public health officials. This is a part of their national campaign to publicize the flu shot to all Americans. December 9 has been called "Children's Vaccination Day" while December 11 will be "Seniors' Vaccination Day." Oh, just to make sure that no one is left out, December 12 will target health care workers.

According to health officials, 36,000 Americans die from the flu every year. However, that number alone is misleading. According to the National Vital Statistics Reports which are put together by the CDC (Centers of Disease Control), only 1,138 people actually die from the flu itself.

The balance of the 36,000 so-called 'flu' deaths, 34,862 to be exact, are due to pneumonic and cardiovascular issues. There is a serious lack of credible evidence that young children are helped by the flu shot. As a matter of fact, a comprehensive review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children ranging in age from 6 to 23 months showed a lack of evidence that the flu shot was any more effective than a placebo (sugar pill.)

Since the flu vaccination contains mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde, there is a possibility of it doing harm. Dr. Joseph Mercola says the following in a published article: 'As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states:

“In some years when vaccine and circulating strains were not well-matched, no vaccine effectiveness can be demonstrated in some studies, even in healthy adults. It is not possible in advance of the influenza season to predict how well the vaccine and circulating strains will be matched, and how that match may affect the degree of vaccine effectiveness.”

So let’s sum things up. When you get the flu shot, it may or may not protect you against the flu. Further, recent studies suggest the shot is largely ineffective for two of the key populations to which it’s pushed: children and the elderly.

What you CAN be sure of when you get the flu shot is that you’ll be injected with a laundry list of hazardous ingredients, which are included as additives to the vaccines.' (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/09/prominent-physician-advises-against-flu-shots.aspx.)

So what can you do to protect yourself against the flu? Dr. Donald Miller, a cardiac surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Washington believes that vitamin D is the answer. "Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot...avoid the flu shot and take vitamin D instead”

December 13, 2008: Researchers found that if fast food advertising was removed from television, obesity in children would by reduced by a whopping 18 per cent! It was also discovered that if the tax deductibility associated with TV advertising were eliminated, childhood obesity could be further reduced ... although not by as much.

The above study was conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and published in the November, 2008 issue of Journal of Law and Economics.

Studies indicate that the typical American child watches an astounding 38 hours of television programming with its targeted commercials per week! This undoubtedly contributed to the doubling of childhood obesity in the last 25 years. Childhood diabetes has skyrocketed ten times in the last 20 years. Currently, about 30 per cent of American children are overweight.

December 27, 2008: the importance and need for adequate levels of vitamin D continues to be supported by good science. In a meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials, mortality from all causes was significantly reduced. This analysis was published in the March, 2008 issue of Alternative Medical Review.

Included in this meta-analysis was the medical, ethical, and legal implications of promptly diagnosing and adequately treating vitamin D deficiencies. The Alternative Medical Review also stated that vitamin D deficiency is part of the reason for most of the diseases of modern society; said deficiencies are also very common.

One of vitamin D's final metabolic product targets over 200 human genes in many different tissues. A crucial gene that vitamin D up-regulates is called cathelicidin; this gene is a naturally-occurring broad-spectrum antibiotic.

The following table lists some of the chronic conditions for which a deficiency of vitamin D has been implicated:

The source of vitamin A in the human body is carotenoids in the intestines from vegetables. The body uses these carotenoid substrates to make the right amount of retinol (vitamin A.) However, when retinol as vitamin A is taken directly as from cod liver oil, the body's safety mechanism is by-passed.

The best way to get the correct balance of vitamin D to vitamin A is through vegetables and plenty of natural sunlight.

"One of the most important pieces of new information that influenced my thinking on this issue was two recent meta-analyses. The first one showed that people who took vitamin A in the form of cod liver oil or other supplements, had a 16 percent increase in dying.

"The other study showed that unlike third world countries where vitamin A supplementation appears to decrease infections, vitamin A supplementation in developed countries like the U.S. actually increased infections" (Dr. Joseph Mercola of mercola.com.)

Research has confirmed that it is the retinol of vitamin A which is problematic, not beta-carotene which is a pre vitamin A.

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