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Nutrient profiles reinstated in EU Parliament vote
Members of the European Parliament have voted to put back clauses on nutrient profiling into the proposed food information regulation, after Environment Committee members voted to take them out – but it was a close call. —Nutrient profiles define what products can make claims relating to nutritional content, based on their levels of fat, sugar or salt. The idea is that a product that is exceptionally high in one of these nutrients that should be consumed in moderation, it may not be labelled a ‘low in fat’, say, or ‘low in sugar’. Profiles would also be used in the new health claims regulation, as products exceeding levels of these nutrients would not be able to make positive claims. —Rapporteur for the Parliament’s Envi committee deleted the requirement for nutrient profiles to be established in her amendments, on which Envi voted in March. —In a vote following the first hearing at the parliamentary session in Strasbourg yesterday, however, MEPs voted to keep nutrient profiles in. —-A statement from the Parliament said: “By a single vote, MEPs rejected an Environment Committee recommendation to delete nutrient profiles from existing EU nutrition health claims legislation. Considered unscientific by its critics, the system is seen by others as essential to assess health claims.” –Heart health lobby —-The European Heart Network has send a letter to MEPs prior to the vote asking them to reject the removal of nutrient profiles. The network’s director Susanne Løgstrup wrote: —“Without nutrient profiles, products that are high in fat, sugar or salt may be able to bear claims and this misleads people as to the true nature of the product. Considering the crushing burden of chronic diseases in Europe, it is vital that only products that are overall healthy should be allowed to bear claims. —“Nutrient profiles play a vital role in guiding people towards the healthier option. The absence of nutrient profiles undermines the provision of proper information on product benefits to consumers.” —She argues that nutrient profiling is well-recognised in the scientific literature, and many models exist on how to establish them. “They show that nutrient profiling models that are based on both positive and negative nutrients provide a realistic picture of the nutrition quality of a product.”
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Milestone In The Regeneration Of Brain Cells
ScienceDaily (Aug. 22, 2007) — The research group of Prof. Dr. Magdalena Götz at the Institute of Stem Cell Research of the GSF – National Research Centre for Environment and Health, and the Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, has achieved an additional step for the potential replacement of damaged brain cells after injury or disease: functional nerve cells can be generated from astroglia, a type of supportive cells in the brain by means of special regulator proteins.—The majority of cells in the human brain are not nerve cells but star-shaped glia cells, the so called “astroglia”. “Glia means “glue”, explains Götz. “As befits their name, until now these cells have been regarded merely as a kind of “putty” keeping the nerve cells together.—-A couple of years ago, the research group had been already able to prove that these glia cells function as stem cells during development. This means that they are able to differentiate into functional nerve cells. However, this ability gets lost in later phases of development, so that even after an injury to the adult brain glial cells are unable to generate any more nerve cells.—In order to be able to reverse this development, the team studied what molecular switches are essential for the creation of nerve cells from glial cells during development. These regulator proteins are introduced into glial cells from the postnatal brain, which indeed respond by switching on the expression of neuronal proteins.—-In his current work, Dr. Benedikt Berninger, was now able to show that single regulator proteins are quite sufficient to generate new functional nerve cells from glia cells. The transition from glia-to-neuron could be followed live at a time-lapse microscope. It was shown that glia cells need some days for the reprogramming until they take the normal shape of a nerve cell. “These new nerve cells then have also the typical electrical properties of normal nerve cells”, emphasises Berninger. “We could show this by means of electrical recordings”.— “Our results are very encouraging, because the generation of correctly functional nerve cells from postnatal glia cells is an important step on the way to be able to replace functional nerve cells also after injuries in the brain,” underlines Magdalena Götz.—-Reference: Benedikt Berninger, Marcos R. Costa, Ursula Koch, Timm Schroeder, Bernd Sutor, Benedikt Grothe, and Magdalena Götz: “Functional Properties of Neurons Derived from In Vitro Reprogrammed Postnatal Astroglia” J. Neurosci. 2007 27: 8654-8664; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1615-07.2007—Story Source:—The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by GSF – National Research Center for Environment and Health.
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Forming New Brain Cells: Key Regulatory Peptide Discovered
ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2009) — The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells’ maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue, reveals new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy published in the journal Stem Cells.—Although the research has been carried out using mice and cultured cells, it could lead to a new medicine for human beings, which could be given to patients who have had a stroke or other disorders that damage or destroy the nerve cells. “Our research findings show that it could be possible to use molecules that are similar to the peptide C3a to boost the formation of nerve cells and stimulate the replacement of nerve cells lost due to injury or illness,” says senior lecturer Marcela Pekna who headed the research group at theSahlgrenska Academy.—The peptide C3a is generated through the activation of the complement system, a group of proteins in the blood that is essential for the body’s immune defence. “Our research group was the first in the world to show that the complement system also plays an important role in the repair and regeneration of the brain,” says Pekna. “This was a surprising discovery that opened up a whole new field of research.”
New Nerve Cells—New nerve cells are formed in the brain throughout our lives. The brain’s stem cells are formed in the hippocampus and the subventricular zone, an area next to the fluid-filled cavities (lateral ventricles). Stem cells from the subventricular zone mature into nerve cells in the olfactory bulb, but can also migrate out into the brain to replace nerve cells that have been damaged or destroyed. By finding out more about how new nerve cells are formed and what controls their migration, stem cell researchers hope to find new ways of treating stroke, Parkinson’s disease and other disorders that result from the nerve cells failing to function as they should.—Story Source:–The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Gothenburg.—Journal Reference:—Shinjyo et al. Complement-Derived Anaphylatoxin C3a Regulates In Vitro Differentiation and Migration of Neural Progenitor Cells. Stem Cells, 2009; 27 (11): 2824 DOI: 10.1002/stem.225
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New Source Discovered for Generation of Nerve Cells in Brain
ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2009) — The research group of Professor Magdalena Götz of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich has made a significant advance in understanding regeneration processes in the brain. The researchers discovered progenitor cells which can form new glutamatergic neurons following injury to the cerebral cortex. Particularly in Alzheimer’s disease, nerve cell degeneration plays a crucial role. In the future, new therapeutic options may possibly be derived from steering the generation and/or migration mechanism. —These findings have been published in the current issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience.—Until only a few years ago, neurogenesis — the process of nerve cell development — was considered to be impossible in the adult brain. The textbooks asserted that dead nerve cells could not be replaced. Then researchers discovered regions in the forebrain in humans in which new nerve cells can be generated throughout life. These so-called GABAergic cells use gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter of the central nervous system.—-A research team of scientists led by Magdalena Götz, director of the Institute of Stem Cell Research at Helmholtz Zentrum München and chair of the Department of Physiological Genomics of LMU, has now taken a closer look at this brain region in the mouse model. Their findings: Even in the forebrain, there are other nerve cells that are regularly generated — the so-called glutamatergic nerve cells, which use glutamate as neurotransmitter. The stem cell researchers could prove this by means of a specific transcription factor: Tbr2 is only present in progenitor cells of glutamatergic nerve cells.—-The newly generated nerve cells in the adult organism are located in the olfactory bulb, the region of the brain involved in the sense of smell. Nerve cells that use glutamate as a neurotransmitter are also responsible for memory — storing and retrieving information. In Alzheimer dementia, alterations in the signal transduction pathways of these special cells play a significant role.—-Magdalena Götz explained the reason why this finding is so important: “Neural progenitor cells can generate these newly discovered glutamatergic nerve cells for the neighboring cerebral cortex — for example after brain injury.” The research group was able to demonstrate this on the mouse model: There the cells migrated into the damaged neighboring cerebrum tissue and generated mature neurons. Accordingly, progenitor cells could then replace degenerate nerve cells.—“Now it will be interesting to find out whether this process also takes place in humans, particularly in Alzheimer’s patients,” said Magdalena Götz, “and also whether the process can be kept under control to avoid massive cell death.” One therapeutic approach would then be to attempt to stimulate the body’s own replacement mechanism.—Story Source:–The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health.–Journal Reference:—Brill et al. Adult generation of glutamatergic olfactory bulb interneurons. Nature Neuroscience, 2009; 12 (12): 1524 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2416
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Things that increase GABA
Inositol is a necessary cofactor for many of the functions of GABA.—Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide form) enhances the function of GABA.—Vitamin B6 is an essential cofactor for the conversion of Glutamic Acid to GABA
GABA is a constituent of Reishi Mushrooms—–Saint John’s Wort inhibits the reuptake of GABA (which leads to increased GABA levels and increased GABA activity). This action occurs from the Hyperforin content of Saint John’s Wort. —-Valerian inhibits the breakdown of GABA
ØMake a Tea with Valerian and St johns ( equal parts ) before going to bed —it may take some time ( 3 weeks or longer) but you will see a deeper level of sleep as well as a better Mood and less anxious and clearer thinking as well
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[U1]Sounds like Canada as well—WE will levy UNLAWFUL TAXES on our own Citizens —but foreign investors can come here and rape the country side with GMO or OIL DRILLING or Mineral Mining without any due responsibility to cleaning up or to Give people in Canada a Fair Profit from these exchanges—what is going on Globally is Criminal—with all the distraction of illegal immigrants—Gov’ts use this distraction to Chem trail us—GE our Foods—Pollute recklessly—And in the end we ( the citizens ) are subsidizing our own death—what they give us Freely ( again paid for through our Taxes) is free and clear access to the medical where they prescribe death and do very little in mitigating the illnesses that are occurring
[U2]This is such an oxymoron—the gov’t should be regulating the food industry to eliminate toxic waste that is being put In our foods—and poisons in the creams and Restricting GE and GMO contamination in the fields—Supplements do help in keeping you healthy and alive and viable longer but if the changes are not made at the foundation —food and CLEAN FOODS without SOY—CANOLA—MICROWAVE—SUGAR LOADED—MSG –COLOURS –Not to mention additives then telling people they do not eat right is definitely accurate but then again who regulates the industry—they regulate themselves—and that is alarming
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Show of the Week July16 2010
The GM clause to food security
GM-Spin Meltdown in China
Music Thought To Enhance Intelligence, Mental Health And Immune System
Garlic and onion may boost mineral absorption
Oxidative stress modulation by Rosmarinus officinalis in CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis
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The GM clause to food security
The US Global Food Security Act of 2009 (S. 384) sponsored by Richard Lugar
(Indiana, Republican), Robert Casey (Pennsylvania, Democrat) and seven other US -Senators in February 2009 is [1, 2] “A bill to authorize appropriations for
fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to provide assistance to foreign countries to
promote food security, to stimulate rural economies, and to improve emergency
response to food crises, to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and for
other purposes.”—However, the proposed amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961 has proven controversial. It would “include research on biotechnological advances appropriate to local ecological conditions, including genetically modified technology.”—The bill is supported by the US land grant colleges as well as InterAction (American Council for Voluntary International Action) and its 26 member organizations including WWF, Oxfam, Bread for the World CARE, Save the Children, and ONE [3]. The bill was passed through the Senate foreign Relations Committee on 31 March 2009, and the Senate is expected to vote on it soon in 2010.
Widespread opposition to GM mandate
In April 2010, 140 civil society groups, scientists, and development experts
signed an open letter to US Senators, urging them to “strip the GM mandate” from the Global Food Security Act [4]. While the petitioners applaud the bill’s intention to reform aid programmes to focus on longer-term agricultural development and restructure aid agencies to better respond to crises, they object to the clause effectively earmarking one agricultural technology –
genetic modification – for billions of dollars in federal funding. US$7.7
billion goes with the bill, and no other farming methods or technologies are mentioned. Not surprisingly, Monsanto has lobbied the hardest to support the bill. The US company is the world’s leader in the increasingly concentrated agricultural biotech industry, which is already subject to an anti-trust inquiry (see [5] US Farmers Oppose ‘Big Ag’ in Anti-Trust Hearing, SiS 46 http://www.i-sis.org.uk/US_farmers_oppose_big_ag.php). Monsanto is likely to benefit most from the new research funding stream, and to profit from its patented products (both GM seeds and pesticides).–The petitioning groups represent the anti-hunger, family farms, farm-workers, consumers and those practicing and supporting sustainable agriculture. The letter delivered urges the Senate to reject the bill until it is made
technology-neutral, and calls for agricultural research funding to concentrate
on addressing local challenges faced by small-scale farmers, instead of
mandating a specific and narrow technological fix, particularly one with little
prospect of success and increasingly rejected by countries around the world. “Independent science tells us that genetically modified (GM) crops have neither increased yield nor reduced hunger in the world,” said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Senior Scientist of Pesticide Action Network. “The most credible and comprehensive assessments of agriculture to date say that if we want to end global poverty and hunger, we’ll need to focus on increasing the biodiversity and ecological resilience of small-scale farming systems.”–Mariam Mayet of the African Center for Biosafety based in South Africa pointed out that pressure to import GM crops is wreaking havoc on local economies in Africa.“In South Africa, we are now dumping GM corn into other countries, disrupting local markets and undermining the livelihoods of family farmers there. As a result, Zimbabwe has imposed a ban on GM corn imports, and Kenya, which has a bumper crop of GM-free corn and doesn’t need any imports, is now grappling with a massive, illegal and unwanted shipment of 280 000 metric tons of GM corn from South Africa. A handful of powerful agribusinesses’ obsession with GM is pitting African countries against each other, with Monsanto and international grain traders reaping the benefits and ordinary farmers losing out. The last thing we need from the US is a bill legislating yet more money for GM crops.” “At the end of the day, the GM mandate has more to do with breaking open markets for American biotech corporations than fighting hunger,” explained Annie Shattuck of the Institute for Food and Development Policy. “To get at the root of the global hunger crisis, we need to tackle poverty, something no technological silver bullet can ever do.”Ben Burkett, President of National Family Farm Coalition and Mississippi family farmer, added, “Corporate control over inputs and the free trade agenda have destroyed the livelihoods of so many farmers at home and abroad. That’s why farmers worldwide are calling for food sovereignty—the right to choose fair and sustainable farming practices that protect our local food and livelihood security. This is what works best for our farms and communities.”
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GM-Spin Meltdown in China
Bt cotton in China is often cited as an example of a successful GM crop. In
fact, its widespread use has merely replaced the cotton borer with a serious pest that not only attacks cotton but also many other crops. Prof. Peter Saunders
The ‘success’ of Bt cotton short lived
Genetically modified (GM) crops not only present serious dangers to health and
the environment (see [1] GM Food Angel or Devil, ISIS report for a succinct
recent summary and references), they have not delivered on their promises. For all the investment and effort that has gone into developing and pushing them, it is really only the biotech industry that has profited, especially now that GM crops are leading to serious problems with herbicide resistant weeds and secondary insect pests in the USA, the world’s leading GM producer [2] (GM Crops Facing Meltdown in the USA, SiS 46).-A detailed study on cotton growers in the US state of Georgia published in 2008 found that no transgenic technology system provided greater returns than a non-transgenic system in any year or location [3, 4] (Transgenic Cotton Offers No Advantage, SiS 38). The editor of Nature Biotechnology summed it up [5]: “This journal champions biotech research, so we are not downbeat on its prospects to, one day, generate products that will heal, fuel and feed the world. That is, nevertheless, an outrageous act of faith bordering on the religious.” To support their claim that GM is the way forward, its supporters often cite the example of what they claim is the success of Bt cotton in India and China. Bt cotton is genetically modified to produce a toxin originating from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that kills the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera. We are told that yields have greatly increased since Bt cotton was introduced and that farmers’ profits have correspondingly gone up. Because farmers no longer have to use pesticides against the bollworm, both their health and the environment have improved [6].
If Bt cotton really is an example of what GM crops have to offer, then it is a
warning rather than a promise, because what actually happened is rather
different. Bt cotton has been disastrous in India. It has accelerated farm suicides by increasing the farmers’ burden of debt. Crop failures and bad harvests, exorbitant cost of GM seeds, secondary and new pests, Bt-resistant pests, new diseases, and worst of all, soils so depleted of nutrients that they considerably reduce the productivity of subsequent crops planted after Bt cotton is harvested [7,8] (Farmer Suicides and Bt Cotton Nightmare Unfolding in India, Mealy Bug Plagues Bt Cotton in India and Pakistan , SiS 45).
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Music Thought To Enhance Intelligence, Mental Health And Immune System
ScienceDaily (June 22, 2006) — A recent volume of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences takes a closer look at how music evolved and how we respond to it. Contributors to the volume believe that animals such as birds, dolphins and whales make sounds analogous to music out of a desire to imitate each other. This ability to learn and imitate sounds is a trait necessary to acquire language and scientists feel that many of the sounds animals make may be precursors to human music.–Another study in the volume looks at whether music training can make individuals smarter. Scientists found more grey matter in the auditory cortex of the right hemisphere in musicians compared to nonmusicians. They feel these differences are probably not genetic, but instead due to use and practice.–Listening to classical music, particularly Mozart, has recently been thought to enhance performance on cognitive tests. Contributors to this volume take a closer look at this assertion and their findings indicate that listening to any music that is personally enjoyable has positive effects on cognition. In addition, the use of music to enhance memory is explored and research suggests that musical recitation enhances the coding of information by activating neural networks in a more united and thus more optimal fashion.–Other studies in this volume look at music’s positive effects on health and immunity, how music is processed in the brain, the interplay between language and music, and the relationship between our emotions and music.–The Neurosciences and Music II is volume 1060 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences . –Story Source:The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Blackwell Publishing Ltd., via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS
RECIPE—learn to play any instrument from a harmonica to a guitar to any simple or elaborate instrument—and learn to read music as well
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Garlic and onion may boost mineral absorption
Compounds in both garlic and onion may increase the bio-accessibility of iron and zinc from cereals seven-fold, according to new data from India.
Consuming garlic or onion with cereals increased the uptake of iron by about 70 percent, and zinc by to 160 percent, according to new results published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that could offer opportunities to tackle two of the globe’s major deficiency concerns. —“Both garlic and onion were evidenced here to have a promoting influence on the bio-accessibility of iron and zinc from food grains,” state the researchers, led by Krishnapura Srinivasan from the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India. —“This novel information has the potential application in evolving a food-based strategy to improve the bioavailability of trace minerals and hence contributes to the human health benefit,” they added.
Global problems
Iron deficiency is reported to affect about a third of the global population, with two billion people anemic around the world. In addition, zinc deficiency affects 30 per cent of the world’s population. —The bioavailability of both micronutrients is said to be particularly low from plant foods[U1]. –In attempt to enhance the uptake of these minerals from plant sources, the Mysore-based researchers used a model of the gastrointestinal tract to simulate passage through a human gut. Two cereals – rice and sorghum – and two pulses – chickpea and green gram – were used in their raw and cooked forms, and in the presence of two levels of garlic (0.25 and 0.5 g per 10 g of grain) and onion (1.5 and 3 g per 10 g of grain). —Results showed that iron and zinc uptakes from both cooked and raw cereals were significantly increased in the presence of both garlic and onion, with increases up to 70 percent recorded. Improvements in the bioaccessibility of zinc were also observed for both spices, with increases in cereals ranging from 10.4 to 159.4 percent, and in pulses from 9.8 to 49.8 percent.
How?
Commenting on the potential mechanism behind the improvements, Srinivasan and co-workers point to the high sulfur content in garlic and onion: Sulfur-containing amino acids like cysteine have previously been shown to boost iron and zinc status in lab animals, they said. –“The information generated in this study on the promotive influence of natural sources of sulfur compounds on mineral bioaccessibility from food grains is novel and has a promising application in evolving a food-based strategy for alleviating deficiencies of these minerals in sections of the population,” concluded the researchers.
Into foods
Fortification of foods with iron poses several challenges, depending on the types of iron used. Using water-soluble iron sulfate or iron gluconate offer the advantages of providing high bioavailability, but the disadvantage of adversely affecting the color of the resultant product. On the other hand, water- insoluble elemental iron or ferric phosphate offer poor bioavailability. Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry-Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1021/jf100716t “Higher Bioaccessibility of Iron and Zinc from Food Grains in the Presence of Garlic and Onion”-Authors: S. Gautam, K. Platel, K. Srinivasan
Recipe
Take the minerals Zinc and Selenium ( iron if you have a deficiency then use beet and wine for this ) add MSM to this—what you will do is take approximately 5-10 grams of MSM and add to it 100-200 mgs of zinc and 1000mcgs-1mg of Selenium in this mix —now if you are doing the beet and wine then chop up beet and add 1 cup of wine ( add more depending how big the beet is—) blend in a blender either the Zinc+selenium+MSM or MSM + BEET EXTRACT\
When done place in glass and use ½ tsp of the powder mix throughout the day to insure adequate protection and utilization of these mineral—this combo is extremely potent to protect reproductive organs of both men and women from cancers—they offer hormonal regulating and removal of the hormones
Incredibly poten to asssit several organs such as thyroid –Pancrease Heart
Brain –Liver—
You can as well use the Kyolic brands of Garlic
Preferably the formula 108 and 110
Mix these nutrients in a syrup using honey onion or garlic and these nutrients
Take a look at the new vid in regard to making your own syrup
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Oxidative stress modulation by Rosmarinus officinalis in CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis.
Phytother Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):595-601
Authors: Gutiérrez R, Alvarado JL, Presno M, Pérez-Veyna O, Serrano CJ, Yahuaca P
Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae) possesses antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effects, and so may provide a possible therapeutic alternative for chronic liver disease. The effect produced by a methanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis on CCl(4)-induced liver cirrhosis in rats was investigated using both prevention and reversion models. Over the course of the development of cirrhosis, the increased enzymatic activities of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alanine aminotransferase, and the rise in bilirubin levels caused by CCl(4) administration, were prevented by Rosmarinus officinalis co-administration. When the cirrhosis by oxidative stress was evaluated as an increase on liver lipoperoxidation, total lipid peroxides, nitric oxide in serum, and loss of erythrocyte plasma membrane stability, R. officinalis was shown to prevent such alterations. On cirrhotic animals treated with CCl(4), histological studies showed massive necrosis, periportal inflammation and fibrosis which were modified by R. officinalis. These benefits on experimental cirrhosis suggest a potential therapeutic use for R. officinalis as an alternative for liver cirrhosis.—PMID: 19827016 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Recipe Make a Rosemary Tea and combo this with Milk thistle and Sage to assist in the restoration of the Liver—using light doses of the sprigs ( 3 or 4 ) 1 tablespoon of milk thistle ( go up or down as desired or as needed with the measurements ) and with Sage use again 1-3 sprigs—Bring to boil and let boil for 3-5 minutes and then allow to steep—drink several times a day
FMake a coffee and add rosemary to it—the studies done on coffee expres that coffee has a healing or preventing effect against cirrhosis up to 80 % at a dose of 7 cups a day—-I would add cardamom to reduce the caffeine and would add rosemary and drink half the dose and go up from there if needed
Add again either 1-2 drops of the essential oil of rosemary—or add 1 tsp to a 2 cup amount ( boil the rosemary in a pot and allow to steep and then add the rosemary tea water in a cup and add coffee to it –NO SUGAR OR SYNTHETIC SWEETNER-OR CREAMS or SYNTHETIC OILS in the coffee or tea
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[U1]This is Initially why you are taking vitamins in the First place to offset any deficient nutrient that should be in the foods which are no longer there or have been depleted out through either the harvesting or processing of the foods we eat
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TOP G
HOME
Show of the Week July 19 2010
Popular food additive can cause stomach ache
Studies on antioxidant effects of the red grapes seed extract from Vitis vinifera
Antioxidant effects of a grape seed extract in a rat model of diabetes mellitus.
Dietary-feeding of grape seed extract prevents azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci formation in fischer 344 rats
Antioxidant activities of curcumin and combinations of this curcuminoid with other phytochemicals
Window Farming
Toxicity-Resistant Crops
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Popular food additive can cause stomach ache
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – “Stealth fiber” increasingly added to processed foods, while not a problem for most, can cause gastrointestinal discomfort for some who may not know they’re consuming too much of it, Minnesota researchers warn. The fiber is called “inulin.”–“Normal fiber foods like wheat bran and legumes are self-limiting, it’s hard to over eat them,” Joanne Slavin, a registered dietitian in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota at St. Paul, told Reuters Health.—Inulin, she explained, may be in chocolate bars, drinks, and snacks around the house, and “before you know it, you may eat more than you can tolerate and have gastrointestinal issues you wouldn’t necessarily associate” with those foods.–Inulin is a carbohydrate fiber that occurs naturally in many foods like bananas, wheat, onions and garlic. Found in high concentrations in chicory root, is can be extracted for industrial use. Unlike more familiar carbohydrates, which are broken down in the small intestines and turned into fuel for the body, inulin passes through the small intestines to the colon where it stimulates the growth of “good bacteria” and is fermented by bacteria. In some people it can cause gas, bloating, flatulence, and diarrhea.—Because of its growing popularity as a food additive, Slavin and her colleagues wanted to assess how much inulin it takes to cause gastrointestinal problems.—They designed a study involving 26 healthy men and women aged 18 to 60. After a night of fasting, once a week for five weeks, participants were fed a breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese and orange juice. The orange juice was mixed with a placebo or with 5- or 10-gram doses of two commonly used inulin products — native inulin and shorter-chain oligofructose.—After their “fiber challenge,” participants were called several times over two days and asked about symptoms such as gas/bloating, nausea, flatulence, stomach cramping, diarrhea, constipation and GI rumbling.—Those that got any dose of inulin generally reported “mild symptoms”; the highest scores in every symptom except constipation were reported by those who got 10 grams of oligofructose. The findings are in line with previous research that found the short-chain “sweet” inulin causes faster fermentation in the gut leading to more gas and gastrointestinal symptoms.—Flatulence was the most common symptom reported by all subjects who got fiber although symptoms were “highly variable” among individuals and many subjects did not experience any, the investigators say. Slavin and colleagues conclude, based on their study, that most healthy people can tolerate up to 10 grams of native inulin and 5 grams of the “sweet” inulin a day.—Food manufacturers, faced with demands to reduce calories, fat, and sodium while increasing fiber and flavor, are increasingly turning to products like inulin. They have discovered they can chemically manipulate the chemical structure of inulin to mimic tastes and textures consumers want in food. “It’s like a food manufacturer’s nirvana,” Slavin said.–Inulin can be found in high fiber breakfast bars, ice creams, and beverages among other processed foods. The label may list inulin, chicory root extract, oligosaccharide, or oligofructose. For example, the Fiber One Chewy Bar with 9 grams of dietary fiber lists chicory root extract as its top ingredient. -Slavin and her colleagues urge continued study of tolerance levels of food additives like inulin because their use is likely to continue to grow and “there is the potential for overuse.” The research was funded by Cargill, Inc. a maker of inulin food additives, which provided the product used in the study.- SOURCE: http://link.reuters.com/tur56m Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2010
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Studies on antioxidant effects of the red grapes seed extract from Vitis vinifera, Burgund Mare, RecaÅ in pregnant rats.
Acta Physiol Hung. 2010 Jun;97(2):240-6–Authors: MureÅan A, Alb C, Suciu S, Clichici S, Filip A, Login C, Decea N, Mocan T
To estimate the effects of hydroethanolic red grapes seeds extract obtained from Vitis vinifera, Burgund Mare variety, RecaÅ , Romania (BMR) on oxidant-antioxidant ballance, as compared to ascorbic acid, during pregnancy in rats. Thirty Wistar female rats were assigned to three groups (n=10) which were administered by gavage: Group I, 3 x 100 mg/kg body weight saline, Group II – BMR 3 x 30 mg gallic acid equivalents/kg body weight; Group III – vitamin C 3 x 100 mg/kg body weight on days 1, 7 and 14 of pregnancy. On day 21 blood samples were collected. Malon dyaldehyde, lipid peroxides, protein carbonyls, nitric oxide (as oxidative stress parameters) and hydrogen donor ability and total thiol groups (as antioxidant parameters) serum concentrations were measured. Vitamin C significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of plasma (hydrogen donor ability, p=0.0001; thiol groups, p=0.0001), as well as nitric oxide levels (p=0.001). The extract increased the plasma antioxidant capacity (hydrogen donor ability, p=0.001; thiol groups p=0.001) and did not elevate the nitric oxide plasma levels in pregnant rats. In conclusion, in the chosen dose, the red grapes seed extract enhanced the plasma antioxidant capacity and did not influence the nitric oxide levels in pregnant rats.—PMID: 20511134 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
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Antioxidant effects of a grape seed extract in a rat model of diabetes mellitus.
Diab Vasc Dis Res. 2009 Jul;6(3):200-4–Authors: Chis IC, Ungureanu MI, Marton A, Simedrea R, Muresan A, Postescu ID, Decea N
In the present study we investigated the anti-hyperglycaemic and antioxidant effect of grape seed extract, a polyphenolic flavonoid, in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Group I: non-diabetic control; Group II: diabetic control; Group III: diabetic rats treated with grape seed extract, administered via an intragastric tube (0.6 ml/rat), at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 20 consecutive days after the induction of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes was induced by an i.p. injection with streptozotocin for groups II and III. TheTBARS, carbonylated proteins, were measured in the plasma and in the supernatant of liver homogenisates, and superoxide dismutase and catalase were measured in the haemolysates of RBCs and supernatant of liver homogenisates. The results showed that oral administration of grape seed extract (100 mg/kg/day) reduced the levels of lipid peroxides and carbonylated proteins and improved the antioxidant activity in plasma and hepatic tissue in rats treated with grape seed natural extract as compared with the diabetic control rats. These results suggested that the grape seed extract enhanced the antioxidant defence against reactive oxygen species produced under hyperglycaemic conditions, hence protecting the liver cells.—PMID: 20368212 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
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Dietary-feeding of grape seed extract prevents azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci formation in fischer 344 rats.
Mol Carcinog. 2010 Jul;49(7):641-52–Authors: Velmurugan B, Singh RP, Agarwal R, Agarwal C
Chemoprevention by dietary agents/supplements has emerged as a novel approach to control various malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). This study assessed dietary grape seed extract (GSE) effectiveness in preventing azoxymethane (AOM)-induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation and associated mechanisms in Fischer 344 rats. Six-week-old rats were injected with AOM, and fed control diet or the one supplemented with 0.25% or 0.5% (w/w) GSE in pre- and post-AOM or only post-AOM experimental protocols. At 16 wk of age, rats were sacrificed and colons were evaluated for ACF formation followed by cell proliferation, apoptosis, and molecular analyses by immunohistochemistry. GSE-feeding caused strong chemopreventive efficacy against AOM-induced ACF formation in terms of up to 60% (P < 0.001) reduction in number of ACF and 66% (P < 0.001) reduction in crypt multiplicity. Mechanistic studies showed that GSE-feeding inhibited AOM-induced cell proliferation but enhanced apoptosis in colon including ACF, together with a strong decrease in cyclin D1, COX-2, iNOS, and survivin levels. Additional studies showed that GSE-feeding also decreased AOM-caused increase in beta-catenin and NF-kappaB levels in colon tissues. Compared to control animals, GSE alone treatment did not show any considerable change in these biological and molecular events in colon, and was nontoxic. Together, these findings show the chemopreventive efficacy of GSE against the early steps of colon carcinogenesis in rats via likely targeting of beta-catenin and NF-kappaB signaling, and suggest its potential usefulness for the prevention of human CRC.–PMID: 20564341 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
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Antioxidant activities of curcumin and combinations of this curcuminoid with other phytochemicals.
Phytother Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):500-2
Authors: Aftab N, Vieira A
Biomedical investigations of curcumin (and curcuminoids) have provided evidence of a wide range of molecular and cellular activities, most related to redox reactions and signal transduction. The main goal of the present study was to compare antioxidant activities of curcumin with those of resveratrol, a polyphenol present in some dietary plants such as Vitis vinifera (L.) and Arachis hypogaea (L.) and many other, non-dietary plants. Combinations of the two were also examined for potential synergism in a heme-enhanced oxidation reaction. Curcumin exhibited antioxidant effects at all time points (1-5 min; 10 microM), e.g., 30.5 +/- 11.9% (SEM) oxidation relative to controls without phytochemicals (p < 0.01) at 3 min, a time chosen for comparisons. The same concentration of resveratrol exhibited about half of curcumin’s activity. Curcumin and resveratrol together (5 microM each) resulted in a synergistic antioxidant effect: 15.5 +/- 1.7% greater than an average of individual activities. This synergy was significantly greater (p < 0.05; about 4-fold) than that of curcumin together with the flavonol quercetin. In conclusion, curcumin is a potent antioxidant in a reaction that may be relevant to in vivo toxicity. In relation to two other well-known antioxidants, curcumin shows significantly greater synergism with resveratrol than with quercetin.—PMID: 19927272 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Recipe—take a good red wine you enjoy add 1-1/12 cup of wine—add ¼ cup of tumeric—blend at high speed for 10 minutes to heat the wine and tumeric—strain and bottle in glass and use 1 tablespoon 3 times a day or as needed
ORR—You can buy resveratrol powder and add equal parts to the tumeric powder and add Aloe Vera to this—you would use 1-cup of aloe vera juice an blend til fused —if you want to maintain the solution so it does not separate add ¼ tsp of xanthium gum—use ½ ounce dose 1- 3 times a day or as needed
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—- Window Farming Click on link to take you to another page where there is another “””recipe””–Window Farming
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Toxicity-Resistant Crops
Researchers have engineered aluminum-tolerant crops.
Much of the world’s cropland contains aluminum that stunts crops. But a new study has found a way to make plants grow tall in spite of the metal’s toxic effects. The discovery, by plant biologists at the University of California, Riverside, suggests that genetic engineering could boost yields from fields that today are not ideal for growing crops.—Aluminum is common in soils–it’s a major component of clay–but only in acidic soils does the metal form an ion that can dissolve into liquids and that’s toxic to plants. Acidic soils make up as much as half the world’s croplands, however, and aluminum toxicity is the main factor holding back crop growth in nearly 20 percent of the world’s arable soils, including large areas of the United States east of the Mississippi River and northwestern Europe.—“The problem is, we have all these crop plants–wheat and corn and barley and so on–that didn’t evolve or get developed on aluminum-toxic soils,” study leader and professor of biochemistry Paul Larsen says. “They don’t have natural resistance or tolerance to aluminum.” Plant breeders are working on developing strains that can cope better with toxic aluminum, but they have only been able to make incremental improvements, Larsen says.—[U1]In a study in Current Biology, Larsen and his colleague Megan Rounds have uncovered a simple mutation to a single gene that makes plants thrive in spite of levels of aluminum that would normally be toxic.[U2] Larsen and Rounds found the gene, called AtATR, by combing through mutants of Arabidopsis, a member of the mustard family that’s commonly used in plant-genetics studies. The gene is related to a family of proteins known to help with finding and responding to DNA damage in nearly all multicellular organisms.—Toxic aluminum ions are known to damage DNA, and the new study suggests that plants respond by shutting down growth of cells in the tips of their roots when they accumulate too much DNA damage. Plants may have evolved this response to help them, over generations, cope with aluminum’s toxic effects, Larsen speculates. But in the short run, it means that the plants are less healthy and are stunted and more vulnerable to stressors such as droughts.—But the newly identified mutation inactivates the AtATR protein, so cells don’t respond to DNA damage by shutting down cell division, thereby bypassing that checkpoint, Larsen says. “The plant is effectively blind to what’s happening in the cell.” So the mutant plants can maintain high levels of growth in the presence of toxic levels of aluminum, even if they sustain some DNA damage. —It is not yet clear how much DNA damage the plants sustain, Larsen says. But the strategy could work to promote short-term growth even if it would sacrifice the plants’ DNA. To avoid DNA damage accumulating over generations of growing on aluminum-rich soils, farmers could obtain seeds from mutant plants grown on aluminum-free soil.[U3] This would mirror how farmers in industrialized countries use hybrid seeds from agribusinesses rather than saving their own seeds for planting further generations of crops.—“The work provides the first compelling evidence for a mechanism that explains the toxic effect of [aluminum] on root growth,” says plant biologist Manny Delhaize of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Plant Industry Center, in Canberra, Australia. “There have been numerous theories about how aluminum arrests root growth, and this work provides convincing evidence regarding the molecular process involved.” Delhaize says that another method of keeping the growth rates high, while limiting any DNA damage, might be to engineer plants so that their root tips express molecules that would inactivate AtATR.—However, such a targeted approach may not be necessary, Larsen argues. Even after growing the mutant plants on aluminum-containing soils for several generations, there are “no obvious deleterious effects on growth, viability, [or] seed production,” he says
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[U1]It is a Possibility—an opinion from me—That maybe these plants have not immunity to them because they would carry enough of the metal to be transferred to whatever was being fed and would wind up with aluminum contamination not to mention the re absorption of the metal back into the ground
[U2]How did this change ??? the genetics in the plant was altered but not the environment—so how does this make it safe—it just makes it not die as a result of the poison environment—the plant is still loaded with these elements-Back to being pseudo science
[U3]MORE GMO SEED to be sold and entrench the farmers into a unfair trade with the corporations
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Show of the Week July 23 2010
Insight Into Why Low Calorie Diet Can Extend Lifespan — Even If Adopted Later in Life
Dogs Lived 1.8 Years Longer On Low Calorie Diet: Gut Flora May Explain It
Restricting Food Intake Can Help Fight Disease, New Research Shows
Balancing Protein Intake, Not Cutting Calories, May Be Key to Long Life
Methionine
Harassment By Health Canada On a health food store
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Insight Into Why Low Calorie Diet Can Extend Lifespan — Even If Adopted Later in Life
ScienceDaily (July 16, 2010) — Research is giving scientists new insight into why a restricted diet can lead to a longer lifespan and reduced incidence of age-related diseases for a wide variety of animals. Scientists have known for some time that a restricted diet can extend the lifespan of certain animals but this work shows how it affects ageing mechanisms — and significantly has also shown that the effects occur even if the restricted diet is adopted later in life.—The work could help scientists to better understand, and ultimately, prevent a range of age-related diseases in humans.—The research is being presented at the conference of the British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA) in Newcastle. It was conducted by scientists at the BBSRC Centre for Integrated Systems Biology of Ageing and Nutrition (CISBAN) at Newcastle University.—Working with the theory that cell senescence — the point at which a cell can no longer replicate — is a major cause of ageing the researchers set out to investigate what effect a restricted diet had on this process. By looking at mice fed a restricted diet the team found that they had a reduced accumulation of senescent cells in their livers and intestines. Both organs are known to accumulate large numbers of these cells as animals age.–Alongside this the CISBAN scientists also found that the telomeres of the chromosomes of the mice on restricted diets were better maintained despite their ageing. Telomeres are the protective ‘ends’ of chromosomes that prevent errors, and therefore diseases, occurring as DNA replicates throughout an organisms lifetime but they are known to become ‘eroded’ over time.—The adult mice were fed a restricted diet for a short period of time demonstrating that it may not be necessary to follow a very low calorie diet for a lifetime to gain the benefits the scientists found.—Chunfang Wang, the lead researcher on this project at CISBAN, said: “Many people will have heard of the theory that eating a very low calorie diet can help to extend lifespan and there is a lot of evidence that this is true. However, we need a better understanding of what is actually happening in an organism on a restricted diet. Our research, which looked at parts of the body that easily show biological signs of ageing, suggests that a restricted diet can help to reduce the amount of cell senescence occurring and can reduce damage to protective telomeres. In turn this prevents the accumulation of damaging tissue oxidation which would normally lead to age-related disease.”—Professor Thomas von Zglinicki, who oversaw the research, said: “It’s particularly exciting that our experiments found this effect on age-related senescent cells and loss of telomeres, even when food restriction was applied to animals in later life. We don’t yet know if food restriction delays ageing in humans, and maybe we wouldn’t want it. But at least we now know that interventions can work if started later. This proof of principle encourages us at CISBAN in our search for interventions that might in the foreseeable future be used to combat frailty in old patients.”—CISBAN is one of the six BBSRC Centres for Integrative Systems Biology. The centres represent a more than £40M investment by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to support the development of systems biology in the UK. The centres are also supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.—Systems biology uses the study of a whole, interconnected system — a cell, an organism or even an ecosystem — with computer modelling to better make the outputs of biology more useful to scientists, policymakers and industry.—Prof Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive and keynote speaker at the BSRA Conference, said: “As lifespan continues to extend in the developed world we face the challenge of increasing our ‘healthspan’, that is the years of our lives when we can expect to be healthy and free from serious or chronic illness. By using a systems biology approach to investigate the fundamental mechanisms that underpin the ageing process the CISBAN scientists are helping to find ways to keep more people living healthy, independent lives for longer.”—Story Source:—The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), via AlphaGalileo
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Dogs Lived 1.8 Years Longer On Low Calorie Diet: Gut Flora May Explain It
Study found that dogs on a diet lived on average 1.8 years longer than those with a greater calorie intake. —ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2007) — Changes caused to bugs in the gut by restricting calorie intake may partly explain why dietary restriction can extend lifespan, according to new analysis from a life-long project looking at the effects of dietary restriction on Labrador Retriever dogs.—Bugs in the gut are known as gut microbes and they live symbiotically in human and animal bodies, playing an important role in metabolism. Abnormalities in some types of gut microbes have recently been linked to diseases such as diabetes and obesity[U1].—Today’s research, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, was based on a study in which 24 dogs were paired, with one dog in each pair given 25% less food than the other. Those with a restricted intake of calories lived, on average, about 1.8 years longer than those with a greater intake and they had fewer problems with diseases such as diabetes and osteoarthritis, plus an older median age for onset of late-life diseases.[U2]—The researchers, from Imperial College London, Nestlé Research Center (NRC) and Nestlé-Purina, found long-term differences in the metabolism of the dietary-restricted and non-dietary-restricted dogs. Metabolic profile plays a key role in determining animals’ response to illness and their susceptibility to disease.—The scientists believe that differences in the makeup of gut microbes between the two sets of dogs could partly explain their metabolic differences. The dogs that were not on a restricted diet had increased levels of potentially unhealthy aliphatic amines in their urine. These reflect reduced levels of a nutrient that is essential for metabolising fat, known as choline, indicating the presence of a certain makeup of gut microbe in the dogs. This makeup of gut microbes has been associated in recent studies with the development of insulin resistance and obesity.—Professor Jeremy Nicholson from Imperial College London said: “This fascinating study was primarily focused on trying to find optimised nutritional regimes to keep pet animals such as dogs healthy and as long-lived as possible. However these types of life-long studies can help us understand human diseases and ageing as well, and that is the added bonus of being able to do long-term non-invasive metabolic monitoring.”—The researchers suggest that part of the healthier metabolic profiles of dogs on a restricted diet is related to their changed gut microbial activity, which in turn contributes to their generally improved health and longer lifespan. However, they also found that the overall effects of ageing on restricted and non-restricted animals exerted a greater effect on the metabolic profile than dietary restriction. This in itself is interesting as the lifelong metabolic trajectories of large animals had never been studied in this detail before and such information might be of relevance to ageing humans and their diseases. The team believes that one important outcome of this work will be the ability to improve the design of products’ nutritional properties that mimic the health benefits of dietary restriction in pet dogs.—Story Source:—The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Imperial College London.
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Restricting Food Intake Can Help Fight Disease, New Research Shows
ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2006) — A new study directed by Mount Sinai School of Medicine extends and strengthens the research that experimental dietary regimens might halt or even reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The study entitled “Calorie Restriction Attenuates Alzheimer’s Disease Type Brain Amyloidosis in Squirrel Monkeys” which has been accepted for publication and will be published in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, demonstrates the potential beneficial role of calorie restriction in AD type brain neuropathology in non-human primates. Restricting caloric intake may prevent AD by triggering activity in the brain associated with longevity. —“The present study strengthens the possibility that CR may exert beneficial effects on delaying the onset of AD- amyloid brain neuropathology in humans, similar to that observed in squirrel monkey and rodent models of AD,” reported Mount Sinai researcher Dr. Pasinetti and his colleagues, who published their study, showing how restricting caloric intake based on a low-carbohydrate diet may prevent AD in an experimental mouse model, in the July 2006 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. —“This new breakthrough brings great anticipation for further human study of caloric restriction, for AD investigators and for those physicians who treat millions of people suffering with this disease” says Giulio Maria Pasinetti, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Director of the Neuroinflammation Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “The findings offer a glimmer of hope that there may someday be a way to prevent and stop this devastating disease in its tracks.” –AD is a rapidly growing public health concern with potentially devastating effects. An estimated 4.5 million Americans have AD. Presently, there are no known cures or effective preventive strategies. While genetic factors are responsible in early-onset cases, they appear to play less of a role in late-onset-sporadic AD cases, the most common form of AD. –In this new study, Dr. Pasinetti at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Donald Ingram at the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, maintained the Squirrel Monkeys on calorie restrictive or normal diets throughout their entire lifespan until they died of natural causes. The researchers found that ~30% calorie restriction resulted in reduced AD type amyloid neuropathology in the temporal cortex relative to control fed monkeys. The decreased AD type neuropathology correlated with increased longevity of related protein SIRT1, located in the same brain region that influences a variety of functions including aging related diseases. —Collectively, the study suggests that the investigation of calorie restriction in non-human primates may be a valuable approach towards understanding the role of calorie restriction in human AD pathology. The present study strengthens the possibility that calorie restriction may exert beneficial effects in delaying the onset of AD. The findings also elucidate the important relationship between the expression of longevity genes like SIRT1 in calorie restriction dietary regimens and mechanisms associated with the prevention of AD.—Story Source:–The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Balancing Protein Intake, Not Cutting Calories, May Be Key to Long Life
ScienceDaily (Dec. 6, 2009) — Getting the correct balance of proteins in our diet may be more important for healthy ageing than reducing calories, new research funded by the Wellcome Trust and Research into Ageing suggests.–The research may help explain why ‘dietary restriction’ (also known as calorie restriction) — reducing food intake whilst maintaining sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients — appears to have health benefits. In many organisms, such as the fruit fly (drosophila), mice, rats and the Rhesus monkey, these benefits include living longer. Evidence suggests that dietary restriction can have health benefits for humans, too, though it is unclear whether it can increase longevity.–Dietary restriction can have a potentially negative side effect, however: diminished fertility.[U3] For example, the female fruit fly reproduces less frequently on a low calorie diet and its litter size is reduced, though its reproductive span lasts longer. This is believed to be an evolutionary trait: in times of famine, essential nutrients are diverted away from reproduction and towards survival.—To understand whether the health benefits of dietary restriction stem from a reduction in specific nutrients or in calorie intake in general, researchers at the Institute of Healthy Ageing, UCL (University College London), measured the effects of manipulating the diet of female fruit flies. The results of the study are published December 3 in the journal Nature.—The fruit flies were fed a diet of yeast, sugar and water, but with differing amounts of key nutrients, such as vitamins, lipids and amino acids. The researchers found that varying the amount of amino acids in the mixture affected lifespan and fertility; varying the amount of the other nutrients had little or no effect.—In fact, when the researchers studied the effect further, they found that levels of a particular amino acid known as methionine were crucial to maximising lifespan without decreasing fertility. Adding methionine to a low calorie diet boosted fertility without reducing lifespan; likewise, reducing methionine content in a high calorie diet prolonged lifespan. Previous studies have also shown that reducing the intake of methionine in rodents can help extend lifespan.–“By carefully manipulating the balance of amino acids in the diet, we have been able to maximise both lifespan and fertility,” explains Dr Matthew Piper, one of the study authors. “This indicates that it is possible to extend lifespan without wholesale dietary restriction and without the unfortunate consequence of lowering reproductive capacity.”—Amino acids are the building blocks of life as they form the basis of proteins. Methionine is one of the most important amino acids at it is essential to the formation of all proteins. Whilst proteins are formed naturally in the body, we also consume proteins from many different food types, including meat and dairy products, and pulses. The relative abundance of methionine differs depending on the food type in question; it occurs in naturally high levels in foods such as sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, wheat germ, fish and meats.–“In the past, we have tended to think that the amount of protein is what is important to our diet,” says Dr Piper. “We’ve shown here that in flies — and this is likely to be the case for other organisms — the balance of amino acids in the diet can affect health later in life. If this is the case for humans, then the type of protein will be more important.—“It’s not as simple as saying ‘eat less nuts’ or ‘eat more nuts’ to live longer — it’s about getting the protein balance right, a factor that might be particularly important for high protein diets, such as the Atkins diet or body builders’ protein supplements.”–Because the effects of dietary restriction on lifespan appears to be evolutionarily conserved — occurring in organisms from yeast to monkeys — scientists believe that the mechanisms may also be conserved. This opens up the possibility of using these organisms as models to study how dietary restriction works.–Although the human genome has around four times the number of genes as the fruit fly genome, there is a close relationship between many of these genes. Since it is easy to create mutants and carry out experiments on fruit flies, the functions of many fly genes have been established and newly discovered human genes can often be matched against their fly counterparts. Therefore, even though the fruit fly does not on the surface resemble humans, many findings about its basic biology can be interpreted for human biology. —Story Source:–The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Wellcome Trust.–Journal References:–Grandison et al. Amino-acid imbalance explains extension of lifespan by dietary restriction in Drosophila. Nature, December 3, 2009; DOI: 10.1038/nature08619—-Grandison et al. Amino-acid imbalance explains extension of lifespan by dietary restriction in Drosophila. Nature, December 3, 2009; DOI: 10.1038/nature08619
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Methionine—Methionine lowers circulating levels of Acetaldehyde following Alcohol (ethanol) ingestion. -Minerals—Methionine lowers elevated serum Copper levels.—-Methionine binds (chelates) with and facilitates the excretion of many Toxic Minerals (toxic heavy metals) research including:-Aluminium -Arsenic -Cadmium -Lead -Mercury —-Neurotransmitters—-Methionine helps to detoxify excessive Histamine and helps to lower elevated Histamine levels. —- Pharmaceutical Drugs—-Methionine is an effective antidote for Paracetamol poisoning—-Methionine lowers circulating levels of Acetaldehyde following Alcohol (ethanol) ingestion—- It and cysteine are the only sulfur containing amino acids that are coded for by DNA (Homocysteine is an amino acid and contains sulfur, but is a product of S-adenosylmethionine 1 carbon metabolism and is not coded for by DNA). Methionine is a methyl donor as S-adenosyl methionine (SAM). It is incorporated into the N-terminal position of all proteins in eukaryotes and archaea, though it may be removed by post-translational modification (bacteria incorporate N-formyl methionine instead). Methionine can also occur at other positions in the protein. It plays a role in cysteine, carnitine and taurine synthesis by the transsulfuration pathway, lecithin production, the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and other phospholipids. Improper conversion of methionine can lead to atherosclerosis. Methionine is a chelating agent.
Recipe—Combining Vitamin C with MSM is one way to utilize these 2 supplements —MSM converts to Methionine—Consuming Foods rich in this amino acid as well will increase the impact– Cheese – Cottage-Yogurt—Eggs-Chicken Eggs– Brazil Nuts—Seafood—Sardines-Seeds- Pumpkin Seeds-Sesame Seeds- cereals (esp. couscous, millet and oatmeal),—Garlic—Capsicum (Red)—Onion– Meat, yeast, Fish, algae, plankton, seal blubber– Methionine (used as an adjunct to Cimetidine) accelerates the healing of Duodenal Ulcers. —Methionine helps to prevent Gallstones. Methionine is useful for the prevention and treatment of (chronic) Pancreatitis (due to its Antioxidant properties that protect the Pancreas from the excessive generation of Free Radicals that are speculated to cause Pancreatitis).
Eyes/Vision—Methionine deficiency can cause Cataracts and Methionine supplementation helps to prevent the development of Cataracts.
Hair–Methionine (ingested orally) improves Hair Condition
****Suspect increased risk of collagen or skeletal
disorders if:–Low methionine, lysine —then • Supplement with appropriate amino acids
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Special Report
Harassment By Health Canada On a health food store!!
Progressive Pharmacy Draws Attention
Marigold Compounding and Natural Pharmacy in Courtenay, BC is the first of its kind. It is one of the most progressive pharmacies in North America as far as the scope and the mode of its operation. It is the true integration of pharmacy, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and other modalities at a professional level. –It has been recently caught in the controversy that is affecting the delivery of natural health care and natural products in Canada.
On June 14, four inspectors from Health Canada, accompanied by two RCMP officers, and inspectors from the College of Pharmacists of BC raided the pharmacy and seized products without NPN’s (Natural Product Number) and ordered the closure of the store.—The total value of the products taken away by Health Canada was $146,290.85 (valued at cost)
How is Marigold different? —Marigold is no ordinary pharmacy. First of all, the philosophy is based on Vis Curatio Intentio (to heal as nature intended). They do not carry regular drugstore items such as Tylenol, Nyquil, not even Band-aids. Instead, you will find a wide selection of the best quality vitamins and supplements, including professional lines such as Thorne, Seroyal, Metagenics, AOR, and Waiora. They carry functional foods, medicinal mushrooms, Ayurvedic medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, homeopathy, tissue salts and chemical free dermatological preparations. They also have their own line of products which are prepared in the compounding pharmacy.