How to mend a broken heart

Taken from The Vitamin C Foundation Website...

Dr Linus pauling's Unified Theory of Cardiovascular Disease ...

Over ten years ago, the two-time Nobel prize Laureate, Dr Linus Pauling and his associate Dr Matthias Rath, advocated and published a definitive thesis on the root cause, treatment, and actual cure for all forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including congestive heart failure, heart disease, and stroke. Today, cardiovascular related health problems together comprise fully one half of all causes of death in the US. Pauling and Rath's brilliant analysis of CVD is absolutely compelling and amply supported by numerous epidemiological and clinical studies. His unified theory of CVD constitutes one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern science, and yet has been almost completely ignored by the mainstream medical establishment, and received almost no press.

Paulings Unparalleled Credentials
Most doctors and other medical practitioners have not even heard the truth about CVD that Dr Pauling so convincingly revealed. This might be understandable if Pauling was just some anonymous unheard-of crackpot, lacking any serious credentials or reputation. But to the contrary, Pauling was one of the all-time greats of science. He was listed by the British Journal of Science in their list of the top 20 greatest scientists of all time. Pauling was the father of modern chemistry, unifying the fields of quantum mechanics and chemistry to reveal our modern understanding of chemical bonding and the synthesis of molecular compounds. His early work contributed greatly to the field genetics and our understanding of the double helix structure of DNA. Pauling was thirty years ahead of his time when he ushered in the modern era of alternative medicine with his concept of orthomolecular medicine and mega vitamin therapy. Orthomolecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances, which are natural to the body. Linus Pauling first introduced the term, "orthomolecular" in a paper he wrote in the journal Science in 1968. This paper first described the theoretical foundations for what was later to become a specialty within complementary medicine In the sixties, Pauling waged almost single handedly a successful crusade against atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons; warning of the future fallout in the form of genetic diseases, cancers and numerous other serious health problems. His relentless work in this area yielded nuclear test banning treaties among the Soviets, US and other major powers, resulting in a cleaner, safer environment for us all.
Pauling was a scientist with uncommon vision and foresight matched by few in history. He had an unrivaled determination to cut through established beliefs and fallacies to get to the truth of any matter of his focus. When he reviewed peer scientific studies he always drew his own conclusions and tested the evidence, not to be swayed or fooled by preconceived conclusions. Only now, thirty years after he introduced the concepts of orthomolecular medicine, has the mainstream medical community even begun to stir a little and recognize the huge value of essential vitamins and nutrients in high doses for the prevention of numerous medical conditions. Pauling bucked mainstream opinion and wisdom in many areas of science, chemistry, medicine, and politics. And more often than not he proved to be well ahead of his time. When Pauling first advocated mega-doses of Vitamin C back in the seventies as a cure for the common cold, he was poo-pooed and mocked by the mainstream medical community, and yet today millions of people worldwide have discovered the benefits of Paulings advice. Still a healthy and vigorous man in his late 80s and early 90s, during his last years, Dr Linus Pauling with his fellow collaborator, Dr Rath, published "A Unified Theory of Human Cardiovascular Disease Leading the Way to the Abolition of This Disease as a Cause for Human Mortality". This monumental work has largely gone unnoticed because of the entrenched opinions and dogma of the mainstream medical community and their overseers, the multi-billion dollar international pharmaceutical industry. The fact that you have probably not heard about this discovery in the mainstream media is disturbing and speaks volumes on the power of big money and the effectiveness of the pharmaceutical industry's disinformation campaigns.

The Only Patent for the Cure of Cardiovascular Disease
Pauline and Raths theory of CVD is so scientifically compelling and demonstrable that in 1994 they were granted the only US patent for the cure of cardiovascular disease. This was no small feat since the US Office of Patents will only grant a patent for an invention that has been demonstrated to work. The non-prescription therapy advocated by Pauling and Rath has become know as the Pauline Therapy. The efficacy of the Pauline Therapy has been amply proven in thousands of cardiovascular patients who have been so fortunate to discover the remarkable treatment. The Pauline and Rath heart protocols in lower dosage levels will prevent cardiovascular disease and in higher dosages will actually reverse arterial plaque build up and reverse heart disease! Heart patients moving to the Pauling Therapy commonly avoid open-heart surgery and angioplasty. This is accomplished by dealing directly with the root causes of CVD and arterial plaque buildup. Almost without exception patients experience rapid recovery.

This study added a credible piece to the puzzle
Richard T. Lee, M.D., senior author of a study published by the American Heart Association says: "We have been taught for decades that when your heart cells are dead, they are dead and there is nothing we can do about it. We are excited about anything suggesting that we can grow more heart cells."
Lee and his colleagues tested 88O bioactive substances – including drugs and vitamins – approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to see if they stimulated the mouse stem cells to become heart muscle cells. The cells were genetically altered to give off a fluorescent bright green color when viewed under a microscrope if they had become heart muscle cells.
"We only got 1 out of the 88O to light up, and that was from ascorbic acid, the chemical commonly known as vitamin C," says Lee, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and a lecturer in biological engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.


Comment: About 3 years ago I began to have Heart problems that involved irregular heart beats and left side numbness as well and shortness of breath. I was very shocked, because I have been on a Life Extention Program for over 20 years. My doctor asked me an interesting question. He wanted to know if I have been to a dentist recently, and I said yes, to have deep cleaning, a root canal and a crown, why I asked. He proceeded in telling me that I probably had a slight heart murmur since a child and the stirring up of bacteria most likely caused an inflammation of my heart valve, a potentially fatal problem. He told me I should always take antibiotics a day before major dental work to prevent that from occurring in the future. It was news to me and I was angry and concerned, not to mention depressed, because I had tried so hard to keep my health at a optimal level, and here I was with such a major issue. Without going into a lot of detail here, I did my research, and used the program that these 2 scientists recommended and in about a year and a half, I have a totally new lease on life. The program works and I recommend it with all my heart. The full program I used is available through Q&A MAIL, listed below.

NSI Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids, Quercetin, Green Tea, L-Lysine and L-Proline

NSI CoQ10 200 Mgs - 60 Softgels

CW

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com

Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html

Just in case you think medical science is state of the art - think again...

From the Bolen Report... 09-23-05

Ripley, Believe...

The Following Links Are News Articles that The Bolen Report Has Covered During the PAST TWO MONTHS Describing the High Risk of Heart Surgery and Heart Medications ...

Washington Post:More Heart Devices Malfunction...
ABCNews: Study Challenges Heart Attack Treatments...
Johns Hopkins launches study to determine if heart angioplasty is safe ...(Aug 2005. Angioplasty has been used for decades, and doctors don't know whether it is safe?)
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to die from complications of heart bypass surgery...
The nitroglycerin that is given continuously to hospitalized heart attack patients injures the lining of blood vessels... (Sep 2005)
Believe it or not, after 130 years, medicine has decided to final study the use of Nitro for heart patients. "We've simply taken for granted that nitroglycerin is good," said lead author Dr. Jonathan S. Stamler, a cardiologist at Duke University. " Given the findings, reported in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the researchers said it was time to subject the compound to clinical trials of its safety and usefulness.
Popular Plavix® Fails the Test...
The clinical trial for Prevention of Vascular Events program have been discontinued due to a significant difference in efficacy, in favour of the standard oral anticoagulation (OAC) over antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel (Plavix) plus aspirin).
Pfizer Accupril Has No Benefit After Bypass Surgery-Study...
Heart bypass surgery increases risk of Alzheimer's disease ...
Pfizer Lipitor (Cholesterol-lowering Statin) No Better Than Rivals - Some Cases Side Effects Are Worse-Study
6.2% risk of heart attack and cardiovascular death before and after angioplasty...
Aspirin will not protect against cardiovascular events ...
Genentech Drug Is Not Safe With Angioplasty...
Drug firm says cancer drug can raise heart risk...
Anti-thrombotic therapies used in the last two decades have been associated with a significant increase in bleeding risks and high mortality...New therapies said to be safer for patients...
AMA Warns for Long Time: Cholesterol Drugs Linked to Cancer...
The hazards of heart bypass ...
500,000 develop IV-based infections, 30,000 die...
Pa.: Nearly 12,000 Patients Got Infections in Hospitals...
New Northwestern Memorial Hospital Study Demonstrates Significant Burden Staph Infections Place on Hospitals...
Popular painkillers linked to high blood pressure in women...
Fifty thousand implanted defibrillators recalled due to short circuits ...
Statistics prove prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists...
NSAIDS Routlinely Given to Eash Pain Slow Healing ...
Researchers call for end to pharmaceutical industry's ‘cynical use' of drug studies...
Two-thirds of meta-analyses in the [medical] literature are of poor quality...
STATIN-INDUCED CARDIOMYOPATHY ...
High Cholesterol Wards Off Dementia in Elderly...

CW

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com

Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html

Is it a disease, or is it really the result of poor dietary habits?

Commentary 09-18-05

Over the next few weeks I am going to look at various diseases and try to determine whether they are best treated with Dietary Change, or a Prescription Drug.

Today, lets look at Acid Reflux Disease. ARD, which will be the acronym soon I am sure, is the result of untreated Heart Burn, that begins to damage your esophagus. This is a relatively new disease that is currently treated with the now famous Purple Pill, as well as others. Untreated, it can cause a lot of damage.

My wife and I have both had the condition at one point in our lives, and I can say it definitely disrupts sleep and can be very uncomfortable when it's occurring. We both were prescribed a drug to treat the symptoms, that stopped stomach acid from being produced, and indeed the disease appeared to go away. As long as we took the pills, that is.

I got to thinking one day, why I allowed myself to take a drug, when I teach people that drugs should always be the last resort we try, only after trying all natural approaches, first. Why, because, drugs have side effects and dietary changes often have side benefits.

So, I realized that we had both changed our diets a year or so before to a mostly carbohydrate diet which included, beans, rice, tortillas, bread, cereals, vegetables and fruit. It was an experiment we tried, recommended by a Doctor, to help with certain health issues one of us had at the time. It did not help those issues, but it did cause us to both gain weight and develop terrible Heart Burn and eventually ARD.

I began to do research and found that stomach acid is normal, but having it come up to your esophagus is not of coarse. What causes stomach acid to go against gravity and climb up toward your throat,... gas. What causes the gas? The consumption of fast starches and sugars along with fats from the foods you eat. Examples of this would be a french fries, baked potato with butter and or sour cream, potato chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cakes, cookies, toast and jam, cereal and milk, beans and rice especially with a flour tortillas etc. While there are many other examples, I think you get the idea. What happens is this: Fats take as long as 2 to 3 hours to leave the stomach, before being emptied into the small intestines for further digestion. Corn syrup, sugar, refined flour, rice, potatoes, and foods similar to this are broken down into simple sugars as soon as you have chewed them and added saliva to the mix. In other words, as soon as you swallow fast carbohydrates, they are ready to be absorbed into the blood stream, and therefore can and would be emptied immediately into the small intestine. The body gets confused messages, and if it decides to hold on to the food, in order to fully prepare the fat for further digestion in the small intestine, the sugars start to ferment and gas is produced. Since it is normal to have acid released in the stomach to help with the digestion of proteins and minerals in your food, that acid is then pushed up into the esophagus, which is not designed to handle stomach acid, and damage begins to occur with the associated pain.

If you remove these common foods from your diet and stick with a meat, egg, nut, vegetable, and fruit diet, and eliminate refined grains, breads and cereals, potatoes, white rice, processed sugar, corn syrup, soft drinks, juices etc, the ARD goes away, usually within a few days to a week.

You can make your own decision on this subject and try your own experiments, but all my experience tells me that ARD, is not a disease that requires a pill to fix but instead is the result of long term dietary habits, that our bodies were never designed to consume.

Lets all take charge of our own health, and stay healthy.

If you would like to have a weeks diet analyzed to see where you can make changes, see our website at Q&AMAIL.

CW

Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
Clinical Nutritionist in the field of Ortho-Molecular Medicine

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com

Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html

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Winning the war on cancer in our life time???

Commentary 09-10-05

As a child growing up, I would often help with money drives supporting the American Cancer Society. It felt good to help raise money because they were telling us that we could end Cancer in our life time. Who couldn't get excited about that. Their ads were very compelling and to be honest, the thought of getting Cancer as a child growing up, was terrifying to me. At the time I was born, 1951, cancer was killing 1 out of 16 people in the U.S. Up until 1999, Heart Disease was the number one killer in America, but now for the first time, that has changed. Now Cancer is killing more Americans under the age of 85, than any other disease. Statistically, 1 out 2 or 3 will now get Cancer, instead of 1 out of 16 when I was born.

After looking at these numbers, I am officially declaring the War on Cancer - Dead.

In the 54 years that I have been on this earth, millions and millions of dollars have been spent to find a cure for Cancer, and yet the scientists that have been in charge of this task, have failed miserably. It is estimated that 70% of all Cancers are preventable by avoiding smoking, poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise. Unfortunately, few Americans have taken this to heart and have instead put their trust in others to somehow find a magic bullet in the form of a drug, to save us from this horrible disease. This is why I have taken the position in life that we need to take charge of our own health, if we want to have a long life, as free as possible from chronic degenerative diseases.

As many of you know, I lost my niece this year to Liver Cancer. She was 42 years old, full of life, and a joy to know, and after a quick trip to the doctor to see why she was feeling some pain on her right side, was told she had maybe 6 months to a year to live. Liver Cancer is one of the most untreatable of all Cancers and was probably present in her body for as many as 10 years before. She just didn't know it was present till major symptoms appeared in the form of pain. She died just 5 Months later and left behind a wonderful family with 4 beautiful daughters and a grandaughter she never got to see.

We cannot wait for others in the world to cure our diseases. I believe it is up to us to make sure we are doing all we can do to keep ourselves healthy. On my website I have listed for all to see the ideal diet for us to eat and how to lose weight permanently. These are great first steps. I have also listed information on Hyperinsulinism, which I believe is responsible for a multitude of diseases, of which Cancer is just one. Please take some time and view this information, it could save your life.

In conclusion, I believe that organizations like the American Cancer Society, are looking in the wrong direction for the cure for Cancer. Instead of looking at the drug world for a cure, I prefer to view the information below, as a more logical reason for Cancer taking hold in the human body, and to focus you on making changes yourself, rather than just waiting for the day you get a slight pain in the side, and find out too late, to alter your eventual outcome.

DNA damage from micronutrient deficiencies is likely to be a major cause of cancer.

By Bruce N. Ames, professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley.

A deficiency of any of the micronutrients: folic acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, niacin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, iron, or zinc, mimics radiation in damaging DNA by causing single- and double-strand breaks, oxidative lesions, or both. For example, the percentage of the US population that has a low intake (<50%>20% ). A level of folate deficiency causing chromosome breaks was present in approximately 10% of the US population, and in a much higher percentage of the poor. Folate deficiency causes extensive incorporation of uracil into human DNA (4 million/cell), leading to chromosomal breaks. This mechanism is the likely cause of the increased colon cancer risk associated with low folate intake. Some evidence, and mechanistic considerations, suggest that Vitamin B12 (14% US elderly) and B6 (10% of US) deficiencies also cause high uracil and chromosome breaks. Micronutrient deficiency may explain, in good part, why the quarter of the population that eats the fewest fruits and vegetables (five portions a day is advised) has about double the cancer rate for most types of cancer when compared to the quarter with the highest intake. For example, 80% of American children and adolescents and 68% of adults do not eat five portions a day. Common micronutrient deficiencies are likely to damage DNA by the same mechanism as radiation and many chemicals, appear to be orders of magnitude more important, and should be compared for perspective. Remedying micronutrient deficiencies should lead to a major improvement in health and an increase in longevity at low cost.

Lets all stay healthy...

CW

Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
Clinical Nutritionist in the field of Ortho-Molecular Medicine

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
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Zinc-deficiency linked to Cardiovascular Disease

Zinc-deficiency linked to CV disease, animal study:

09/09/2005-

A deficiency of the mineral zinc may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease through inflammation and a decreased levels of compounds that protect against atherosclerosis, indicates a new study in mice.Atherosclerosis is the process whereby fatty substances such as cholesterol and calcium form plaque on the inner lining of an artery, causing them to harden. If enough builds up the plaque can reduce blood flow through the artery, and of it ruptures blood clots can form, which can block the flow of blood to the heart and cause a heart attack.
Atherosclerosis occurs naturally in humans as part of the aging process, but certain factors including high blood cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes increase the risk. Inflammation in the circulating blood, causing the formation of blood clots, is also believed to increase the risk of heart attack.
The researchers from the University of Kentucky set out to investigate whether zinc deficiency can increase and zinc supplementation increase factors leading to atherosclerosis.
Over a four-week period, the researchers fed the mice one of three different moderate-fat diets: the zinc-deficiency diet contained no zinc; the control diet contained 0.45 micro mol of zinc per gram; and the zinc-supplemented diet 1.529 micro-mol of zinc per gram.
They found that the mice fed the zinc deficient diet had significantly higher concentrations of both VLDL (‘bad’ low density lipoprotein) and HDL (‘good’ high density lipoprotein) cholesterol and triacylglycerides compared to the control mice.
In the zinc supplemented mice, these lipid variables were decreased.
The researchers also noted that the zinc-deficient mice experienced an increase in inflammatory markers compared to the control and supplemented groups. The concentrations of glutathione reductase mRNA in their thoracic aortae were also higher, and the DNA binding activity of peroxisome proliferator activate receptors (PPARs) in liver extracts was reduced.
“These data provide in vivo evidence of zinc deficiency inducing proinflammatory events in an atherogenic mouse model,” wrote the researchers in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition (135:2114-2118).
“These data also suggest that adequate zinc may be a critical component in protective PPAR signaling during atherosclerosis,” they concluded., animal study


CW

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
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Announcing.... Q&A-MAIL

Announcing....
Christopher Wiechert's
Q&A-MAIL ... Individual Nutritional Adjustments

Over the years, with the advent of e-mail, I have received hundreds of e-mails asking me questions about health issues, program adjustments, dietary questions, program reactions etc, that I have tried to take time to answer. I also feel that there are many of you that would like to ask me questions, but don't want to bother me, because you know that my time is valuable and have respected that over the years. While I would love to answer them all, it takes a lot more time than most people think, trying to analyze each question, and all that typically goes with a well thought out and researched answer.

Starting immediately, in addition to full health evaluations, I will now take e-mails with up to 3 questions on any personal health issue, and will charge about the same price as a Chiropractic visit, only we will call it an Individual Nutritional Adjustment. The cost will be $35.00 and will be billed online via an e-mail with a PayPal Invoice, that can then be paid via a CCD or Visa/MasterCard Debit. You do not need to have a PayPal Account to participate, you will just receive an e-mail invoice, after I answer the questions, and you will pay via that e-mail. It's that simple...

What questions might one ask...

" I am thinking about starting a supplement program and wanted to know a good basic program to get started with. My Doctor is working with me on 2 issues... Type II Diabetes and Arthritis. What would you recommend I start taking and what foods should I eat or avoid if any? " Or ... " I currently take these 5 products (list them and let me know how much you take per meal), as my supplemental program, but I just found out I have Bursitis, and was wondering what else I could take, that might support that issue? " Or ... " Here is a list of what I have eaten over the last 5 days, I am trying to lose more weight, (correct a food allergy etc), what would you do different, if anything, to improve my results? " You get the idea.

I am excited to be able, through technology, to be here for any and all questions anywhere e-mail goes, just remember - Keep it to 1 Q&A-MAIL with no more than 3 questions, and make sure you understand that you should be working with a Medical Doctor as well, with any health issue and not just me.

I look forward to work with anyone who feels this might be a valuable service.

CW

CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS NOW: CWW@CWIECHERT.COM


Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.
Website: www.cwiechert.com
Health Blogger: www.cwiechert.blogspot.com
Q&A-MAIL: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL
@xiom Int'l, Inc.
E-Mail: cww@cwiechert.com
Phone: 925-394-1050 Toll Free Number: 800-803-3323

Strategies for healthy weight loss...

From vitamin C to the glycemic response.

Department of Nutrition,
Arizona State University East, 7001 E. Williams Field Rd., Mesa, AZ 85212, USA.

The ramifications of this epidemic are immense since obesity is associated with chronic metabolic abnormalities such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and heart disease. Reduced physical activity and/or increased energy intakes are important factors in this epidemic. Additionally, a genetic susceptibility to obesity is associated with gene polymorphisms affecting biochemical pathways that regulate fat oxidation, energy expenditure, or energy intake. However, these pathways are also impacted by specific foods and nutrients. Vitamin C status is inversely related to body mass. Individuals with adequate vitamin C status oxidize 30% more fat during a moderate exercise bout than individuals with low vitamin C status; thus, vitamin C depleted individuals may be more resistant to fat mass loss. Food choices can impact post-meal satiety and hunger. High-protein foods promote postprandial thermogenesis and greater satiety as compared to high-carbohydrate, low-fat foods; thus, diet regimens high in protein foods may improve diet compliance and diet effectiveness. Vinegar and peanut ingestion can reduce the glycemic effect of a meal, a phenomenon that has been related to satiety and reduced food consumption. Thus, the effectiveness of regular exercise and a prudent diet for weight loss may be enhanced by attention to specific diet details.

CW

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html

When it comes to antioxidants, more is usually better...

Life Extension Update Exclusive...

High dose vitamin E supplementation extends median and maximum lifespan in mouse study:

A report published online in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology (http://ajpregu.physiology.org/) revealed the findings of researchers from the University of Cadiz in Spain and the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina that feeding mice high doses of vitamin E increased lifespan and improved neurological performance.
Professor Alberto Boveris of the University of Buenos Aires and colleagues used a senescence accelerated strain of mice whose median lifespan is 60 to 70 weeks and whose maximum lifespan is 100 to 120 weeks. (Maximum lifespan is the greatest amount of weeks, months or years a species has been observed to survive, while median lifespan is a middle value determined from the range of survival times.) Starting at 28 weeks of age, the researchers supplemented the diets of male and female mice with doses of alpha-tocopherol comparable to the 1200 to 2000 milligram doses taken without adverse effects in studies involving Alzheimer’s disease patients. A control group received diets that contained the standard amount of vitamin E.
Male mice received the greatest benefit from high dose vitamin E supplementation, with a 40 percent increase in median lifespan and a 17 percent increase in maximum lifespan. Supplemented male mice also showed greater neuromuscular performance and cognitive exploratory activity than unsupplemented mice over the course of the study, and this difference increased with age.
Female mice, whose median lifespan was improved by only 14 percent, were not tested for neurological performance. Although the female mice did not experience an increase in maximum lifespan associated with vitamin E, maximum lifespan for both supplemented and unsupplemented females was greater than that of males, which has been explained by lower mitochondrial oxidant production and the effect of estrogen on down-regulating oxidant production.
The team also found that the increased mitochondrial content of lipid and protein oxidation products in the brains and livers of older mice was partly prevented by vitamin E. Vitamin E also helped reduce the age-associated decline in mitochondrial enzymatic activity in the brain and liver.
Professor Boveris explained that the results "are in line with the free radical theory of aging put forward by Gerschman and Harman in the 1950s. Our results show a significant negative correlation between the mitochondrial content of the oxidation products of free-radical mediated reactions and mitochondrial enzymatic activities. Moreover, brain mitochondrial enzymatic activities were linearly related to mice success in the tests of neuromuscular function and of exploratory and cognitive activity and to the maximal mice life span.”
The authors conclude that further studies are needed “to suggest a threshold for the vitamin E doses that provide beneficial effects in the neurological function in aging mammals, an effect that is likely mediated by the antioxidant properties of alpha-tocopherol.”

Comment: For more on how antioxidants effect our health, click here... www.cwiechert.com/antioxidants

CW

Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com

Another great reason to use EVO

Extra Virgin Olive oil contains natural anti-inflammatory agent
01 Sep 2005

Throaty sting provides new clues to health benefits of Mediterranean diet - A naturally occurring chemical found in extra-virgin olive oils is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, report scientists from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania, The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and Firmenich, Inc. Named oleocanthal by the researchers, the compound inhibits activity of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, a pharmacological action shared by ibuprofen. The finding is significant because inflammation increasingly is believed to play a key role in a variety of chronic diseases. "Some of the health-related effects of the Mediterranean diet may be due to the natural anti-COX activity of oleocanthal from premium olive oils," observes Monell biologist Gary Beauchamp, PhD. The findings are described in the September 1 issue of the journal Nature. The scientists were led to the discovery by the serendipitous observation that fresh extra-virgin olive oil irritates the back of the throat in a unique and unusual manner. "I had considerable experience swallowing and being stung in the throat by ibuprofen from previous studies on its sensory properties," explains Beauchamp. "So when I tasted newly-pressed olive oil while attending a meeting on molecular gastronomy in Sicily, I was startled to notice that the throat sensations were virtually identical." Taking their lead from the cues provided by olive oil's throaty bite, the scientists systematically evaluated the sensory properties of an unnamed chemical compound thought to be responsible for the throat irritating property of premium olive oils. When results confirmed that the irritating intensity of a given extra-virgin olive oil was directly related to how much of the chemical it contained, the researchers named the compound oleocanthal (oleo=olive; canth=sting; al=aldehyde). To rule out the possibility that any other compound was involved, chemists at Monell and Penn created a synthetic form of oleocanthal identical in all respects to that found naturally in olive oil, and showed that it produced exactly the same throat irritation. Co-author Amos Smith, PhD, explains, "Only by de novo synthesis could we be absolutely certain that the active ingredient was oleocanthal." The sensory similarities between oleocanthal and ibuprofen led scientists at Monell and the University of the Sciences to investigate potential common pharmacological properties. Studies revealed that, like ibuprofen, oleocanthal inhibits activity of COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. Because inhibition of COX activity underlies the anti-inflammatory actions of ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the new findings suggest oleocanthal is a natural anti-inflammatory agent. Monell sensory scientist Paul Breslin, PhD, who directed the research together with Beauchamp remarks, "The Mediterranean diet, of which olive oil is a central component, has long been associated with numerous health benefits, including decreased risk of stroke, heart disease, breast cancer, lung cancer, and some dementias. Similar benefits are associated with certain NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Now that we know of oleocanthal's anti-inflammatory properties, it seems plausible that oleocanthal plays a causal role in the health benefits associated with diets where olive oil is the principal source of fat." Beauchamp said future research will aim to identify how oleocanthal inhibits COX enzymes and how this is related to throat sting. According to Breslin, "This study is the first to make the case for pharmacological activity based on irritation and furthers the idea originally proposed decades ago by Fischer that a compound's orosensory qualities might reflect its pharmacological potency." The Monell Chemical Senses Center is a nonprofit basic research institute based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 35 years, Monell has been the nation's leading research center focused on understanding the senses of smell, taste and chemical irritation: how they function and affect lives from before birth through old age. Using a multidisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the areas of: sensation and perception, neuroscience and molecular biology, environmental and occupational health, nutrition and appetite, health and well being, and chemical ecology and communication.

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