The New Year is approaching, should you follow a Nutra System or call Jenny?

I know a lot of you will decide to do your annual diet regime after the New Years holiday. Studies show that 95% of all diets fail after the first year. Why do only 5% succeed? Because those 5% follow a diet that becomes their way of life. They change their habits permanently.
Buying packaged - portion controlled meals makes sense at first because it makes you eat less for a while and you will most likely lose weight. But in many cases, you will lose muscle, that you don't want to lose, along with some fat, and if you go back to your normal habit's, which you will if your program is packaged and done for you, you will gain it all back - plus some more fat.
This is called Yo Yo dieting, and it's what most people do. What ever you decide to do, here are some things to remember:

If a company tells you that they have the glycemic advantage, and they tell you that... now you can eat hamburgers and pizza, it's a lie. You are on a caloric restrictive diet designed to be easy and without much thought or effort on your part.

Caloric restriction is the least effective long term approach to fat lose and weight management.

Yes, these programs work, for now, but most won't do what it takes to make the results long term, so what is the point.

It is healthier to do nothing different and not Yo Yo diet. Yo Yo diets cause fat gain, muscle loss and promote diseases like Heart Disease and Cancer.

Long term changes in diet, like a life style approach that you can live with, does work and is the healthiest way to go.

Some of you are working against some metabolism issues like low thyroid, insulin resistance, and low cellular oxidation, caused by nutritional deficiencies that are correctable. They need to be corrected for a good dietary program to work successfully.

Every food you eat has a biochemical trigger associated with it. Proteins are essential to your health and cause your body to build muscle, and burn stored sugars and fats. Fats are essential to your health and are neutral, unless eaten with refined carbs or high glycemic foods. Your diet needs green leafy vegetables and fruits, foods with lots of colors and phytonutrients, but carbohydrates in general, are not essential. They are like a ballast in that the amount you eat determines how much fat you store, for that famine, that never comes.

If you don't change directions, you will end up where you are headed...

I recommend a Weight-Loss & Longevity Lifestyle Program. I also recommend that you be evaluated by a health care professional who understands the intricacies of cellular metabolism and who can make sure you are on track nutritionally.

The latest studies show that a low glycemic lifestyle with high quality protein and fats, is the best ways to lose body fat, keep your muscles intact, and that includes at least 1/2 hour every other day of walking and better yet, a workout program with a trainer to speed up your progress in the first 6 months of your lifestyle change.


Forever Changes Weight-Loss & Longevity Lifestyle Program
Developed by Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.


Good health to all of you...


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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

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Better Weight Management and a Deterrent Against Alzheimer's Disease. Wow, more fish oil please...

I have blogged for many years on the benefits of taking supplemental Omega 3's, especially with high amounts of EPA & DHA. The best reason I like the capsules instead of just relying on consuming cold water fish, is the fact that molecularly distilled fish oil eliminates the heavy metals like mercury, that are often found in commercial fish. It is also more concentrated. The reasons for taking additional Omega 3's are impressive, here are just a few that I found this week in the news.

cw

Fish oil capsules pack same omega-3 punch as fish...
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fish oil capsules and fatty fish do an equally good job of enriching the blood and other body tissues with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, new findings suggest. "We went into the project assuming that fish would be better, based on some previous literature from other people," Harris noted in an interview. Based on the current findings, he added, "it doesn't make any difference whether you get your omega 3 fatty acids from a concentrate in a capsule or in fish -- they have the same effect on enriching the tissues with omega 3."
MORE


More support for omega-3 and weight management...
As we head into the festive season, and the inevitable over-indulgence, researchers from Japan have reported that omega-3-rich fish oil could reduce body weight gain by boosting fat metabolism - in mice at least. At the end of the study, the researchers reported that the fish oil-supplemented group exhibited increased levels of lipid metabolism-related genes, including carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a, cytochrome P450 4A10, and malic enzyme. Moreover, fish oil ingestion boosted the activity of enzymes related to metabolism. Specifically, enzymes related to fatty acid beta-oxidation, omega-oxidation, and malic were 1.2-, 1.6-, and 1.7-fold higher in the fish oil-supplemented diet, compared to those only receiving the high fat diet. "These findings suggest that an up-regulation of intestinal lipid metabolism is associated with the anti-obesity effect of FO," wrote the researchers.
MORE


Fish Oil Is A Deterrent Against Alzheimer's Disease... As people live longer their chances of developing Alzheimer's disease also grows - however, researchers from UCLA have found that fish oils can really reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer's. More importantly, they have found out why this is so. Greg Cole, professor of medicine and neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA and associate director of UCLA's Alzheimer Disease Research Center, and team say that omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is found in fish oil, raises the production of LR11. LR11 is a protein which exists at excessively low levels among Alzheimer's disease patients. LR11 is known to destroy the protein that forms the plaques linked to the disease. MORE


MEGA EFA - Omega-3 EPA & DHA
Nutraceutical Sciences Institute offers the largest selection of pure - Pharmaceutical Grade - Molecularly Distilled with high elemental levels of Omega-3 EPA & DHA, and are purified through molecular distillation to ensure the absence of impurities, including PCBs and heavy metals. All Nutraceutical Sciences Institute products surpass all national and international pharmaceutical standards for freshness and purity, and are free from heavy metals, dioxins, and PCBs.


Good health to all of you...


Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.



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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

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Do you suffer from anxiety? Why not try a non drug alternative...

We all know what it's like to feel anxious. Most of us experience anxiety when we're faced with stressful situations or traumatic events. Our heart pounds before a big presentation or a tough exam. We get butterflies in our stomach during a blind date. We worry and fret over family problems or feel jittery at the prospect of asking the boss for a raise. Anxiety is part of our natural "fight-or-flight" response. It's our body's way of warning us of possible danger ahead.
However, if anxiety is overwhelming you with fear and worry, preventing you from living your life the way you'd like to, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Fortunately, there are effective treatments for anxiety attacks and disorders. Therapy, relaxation techniques, and a balanced, healthy lifestyle along with specially formulated nutraceuticals, can help you reduce your anxiety and take back control of your life.
Despite their different forms, all anxiety disorders share one thing in common: persistent—and often overwhelming—fear or worry. The frequency and intensity of these fears can be immobilizing, distressing, and disruptive.

Characteristics of an anxiety disorder include:

1. Anxiety which is constant, unrelenting, and all-consuming
2. Anxiety which causes self-imposed isolation or emotional withdrawal
3. Anxiety which interferes with normal activities like going outside or interacting with other people

The toll an anxiety disorder takes on your life can lead to other problems as well, such as low self-esteem, depression, and alcoholism. Anxiety can also negatively impact your work and your personal relationships. But the good news is that anxiety disorders are highly treatable.
A recent study showed that exercise is better than most drugs in treating depression and anxiety. It is my opinion that stopping sugar and using natural alternative supplements can be very effective in correcting these mental health issues.

First read what drugs and medication can do and what are the potential side effects...

Medications for Anxiety - Drug Benefits, Risks and Side Effects

Many different types of medications are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including traditional anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. These medications can be effective in controlling and alleviating the symptoms of anxiety. However, anxiety medication should not be thought of as a cure. While various prescription medications may provide temporary relief from anxiety, they don’t treat the underlying cause of the anxiety disorder.
As a result, relapse rates are high when drug treatment is stopped.
Anxiety medications may also cause unpleasant and unwanted side effects. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the most commonly reported side effects of anxiety medications are headaches, nausea, stomach upset, dizziness, and sexual dysfunction. Anxiety medications can also be habit forming, and long-term use can make withdrawal difficult. It’s important to be aware of these drawbacks when considering drug treatment for anxiety. While anxiety medication can be helpful to some people, there is no magic pill.

Is there a natural alternative?

Why not try one of these formulas for 3 months and see how you feel.

Introducing: Orthomolecular Formulations GREAT MOOD

Optimizes mood and reduces stress...

Product Description:
This formula is designed to optimize mood and reduce symptoms of depressive illness.

Product Details:
5-HTP is used by the human body to make Serotonin, which is central to normal nerve and brain functioning. Serotonin also plays a significant role in sleep, emotional moods, pain control, inflammation, intestinal peristalsis, and other body functions. 5-HTP has been shown to significantly improve symptoms of depressive illness. St John's Wort is an age-old treatment for depression and anxiety. Test tube studies suggest that St.John's Wort exerts its antidepressant actions by inhibiting the re-uptake of the neurotransmitters Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine.
L- Glutamic acid (glutamate) is an amino acid used by the body to build proteins. Glutamate is the most common excitatory (stimulating) neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and has been used in the treatment of depression, moodiness, irritability, anxiety and insomnia. L- Tyrosine is also the precursor of several neurotransmitters, including L-Dopa, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Epinephrine. L-Tyrosine metabolism may be abnormal in depressed people and early research suggests supplementation may help. Preliminary research has also indicated that Phenylalanine may be useful in the treatment of depression.

Warnings:
Please inform your doctor if you plan to take this supplement alongside anti-depressant medication, as it can enhance the effect of that medication. 5 HTP is reported to cause seizures in patients with Down's Syndrome. Phenylalanine should be avoided in people with inherited disorders of phenylalanine metabolism known as Phenylketouria (PKU). L-phenylalanine can exacerbate Tardive Dyskinesia in people with schizophrenia.

Do you just need help to relax and unwind?

Introducing: Orthomolecular Formulations RELAXATION
Reduces stress and anxiety for relaxation...

Product Description:
This formula is designed to assist in reducing stress and anxiety while allowing the body and mind to unwind.

Product Details:
Valerian is thought to have sedative-hypnotic and antidepressant effects. Oral valerian reduces sleep latency, and improves subjective sleep quality. Hops are traditionally used in the treatment of insomnia. Taking 5-HTP orally seems to significantly improve symptoms of depression, even in patients with treatment-resistant depression. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that taking Boron orally might improve cognitive function and fine motor skills in older people.
Research has shown that healthy people who take a single dose of Sullcap extract might feel more relaxed. This effect appears to last for about 2 hours. It is thought that the flavonoid constituents of skullcap might act as GABA agonists and therefore have a sedating and anxiolytic effect. A specific six-ingredient combination product (Euphytose, EUP) that includes Passionflower seems to relieve some symptoms of adjustment disorder and anxiety. There is some evidence that Passionflower liquid extract has an effect on symptoms of General Anxiety Disorder in some patients.

Good health to all of you...

cw


Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.



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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

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Do a key word search on cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger...http://www.cwiechert.com/contactus.html

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A cup of good coffee a day or for the same cost, a nutraceutical that can make 2008 - a healthier year...

Over the last few years I have been focused on research showing just how important the mitochondria are in health and longevity. I began to formulate products that included nutrients that had a positive effect on cellular health such as Alpha Lipoic Acid and L- Carnitine. As my knowledge increased, so did my understanding as to just how powerful a combination could be if we added other nutrients that could be synergistic in nature. An increasing body of research suggests that mitochondria may be an “Achilles heel” for absorbing age-related damage, as part of the natural process of oxidation in the body and the related “free radicals” that are produced and can cause cellular damage. As the power plant of cells, mitochondria perform many of the roles critical to cell function, use up to 90 percent of the oxygen humans breathe, but are also among the first cellular components to be damaged by reactive radical oxygen species. What if we had a combination that could protect and reverse mitochondria damage. Thus I created O M EXTEND. See just how important this combination can be as a stand alone or as added to a multi-vitamin program. The following articles are just a small example of what these nutrients can do, when combined in sufficient amount's to make a biochemical difference.


L-carnitine linked to better mental function in the very old...
Supplements of L-carnitine improved total muscle mass and boosted cognitive performance among a group of centenarians in Italy, reports a new study.
"Our study indicates that oral administration of levo-carnitine evokes a reduction of total fat mass, increases total muscular mass, and facilitates an increased capacity for physical and cognitive activity, by reducing fatigue and improving cognitive functions."L-Carnitine plays an important role in the production of cellular energy, and is also necessary for the transport of long-chain fatty acids like the omega-3 fatty acids across the membrane of mitochondria, the cell's power stations.
MORE


Lipoic Acid Explored As Anti-aging Compound...
Researchers announced they have identified the mechanism of action of lipoic acid, a remarkable compound that in animal experiments appears to slow down the process of aging, improve blood flow, enhance immune function and perform many other functions.
"The evidence suggests that lipoic acid is actually a low-level stressor that turns on the basic cellular defenses of the body, including some of those that naturally decline with age," said Tory Hagen, an LPI researcher and associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at OSU. "In particular, it tends to restore levels of glutathione, a protective antioxidant and detoxification compound, to those of a young animal. It also acts as a strong anti-inflammatory agent, which is relevant to many degenerative diseases."
MORE


Grape OPCs linked to preventing LDL cholesterol...
New research has linked oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) from grape seeds to preventing the LDL cholesterol oxidation that can lead to atherosclerosis.
"The results of the first phase of the project are extremely promising, because they indicate that OPCs, at levels found in circulation after oral intake, are capable of protecting LDL from oxidation, and appear to be more effective protectors than vitamin E," said author Dr. Geetha Achanta,
MORE


Green Tea’s Cancer-fighting Allure Becomes More Potent...
Green tea's ability to fight cancer is even more potent and varied than scientists suspected, say researchers who have discovered that chemicals in green tea shut down one of the key molecules that tobacco relies upon to cause cancer. It's a find that could help explain why people who drink green tea are less likely to develop cancer. The finding by scientists at the University of Rochester's Environmental Health Science Center appears in the July 21 issue of Chemical Research in Toxicology, published by the American Chemical Society.
While green tea has been much-ballyhooed for its anti-cancer effects as well as other purported abilities such as preventing rheumatoid arthritis and lowering cholesterol, just how the substance works has been a mystery. Scientists do know that green tea contains chemicals that are anti-oxidants and quench harmful molecules. But its effects on the AH receptor have not been thoroughly evaluated until now.
MORE


Plant compounds for cancer shine at conference...
Active compounds from plants - such as polyphenols and antioxidants - played an important role at a cancer research conference held in the US last week, with research on the clinical potential behind the ingredients being pushed forward.
For the conference, the role of these plant compounds was heavier on the therapeutic potential, but it nonetheless reflects the growing scientific clout that rests behind these nutraceuticals.The compounds on which research was presented included those from black raspberries, as well as antioxidants from other berries and from green extract.
"We have undertaken efficacy studies on individual components of Blueberry Punch, such as curcumin, resveratrol and EGCG, in the same laboratory setting and found these effective in suppressing cell growth in culture," said Jas Singh, a research fellow at the university. "While individual phytochemicals are successful in killing cancer cells, we reasoned that synergistic or additive effects are likely to be achieved when they are combined."
Meanwhile, at the same event, researchers from Rutgers University presented a study they performed using a standardized green tea polyphenol they said was able to prevent the growth of colorectal tumors in a rat model of human colorectal cancer."Our findings show that rats fed a diet containing polyphenon E, a standardized green tea polyphenol preparation, are less than half as likely to develop colon cancer," said Hang Xiao, research associate at the Department of Chemical Biology in Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers.
MORE


Sunshine deficiency leads to vitamin D crisis...
MILLIONS of Australians are exposing themselves to bone disease, fractures, diabetes and cancers by failing to get enough vitamin D, a crucial nutrient produced when skin is exposed to sunlight. Experts have warned the highly acclaimed "Slip Slop Slap" campaign may have been taken too far by a nation terrified of skin cancer. Melbourne Pathology director Ken Sikaris, who oversees 1500 vitamin D tests a week, said the rate of deficiencies was "mind-boggling".
"I think we need to do everything we can to prevent the number of broken bones that are occurring," he said. "If people think about getting out into the sun for a little time when it's safe during the summer months … that would be good. If they're not able to do that I think vitamin D supplements are very important." Professor Ebeling said emerging research had linked vitamin D deficiencies to colon, breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.
MORE


Study: Joint pain ebbs with vitamin D...
Dr. Qamar Khan, in a presentation at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium today, will show evidence that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D will go a long way toward reducing or eliminating joint pain. “We’ve known for years that vitamin D is important for bones and protecting from rickets,” Khan said. “More and more over the past few years, people have been realizing that vitamin D may be more important than just preventing rickets.”
Khan put together a study that examined the vitamin D levels of breast cancer patients. He found, according to preliminary research, that about 75 percent of women who were about to undergo treatment had insufficient levels of vitamin D. He then administered vitamin D.
“Main result of the clinical study was that some women had less than optimal levels of vitamin D in their blood. And that their joint pain was reduced with more vitamin D,” Khan said.
MORE


Green Tea Shown To Possess Antitumor Effect In Breast Cancer...
A team of scientists led by Dr. Radha Maheshwari, professor of Pathology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and Rajesh Loganathan Thangapazham, a graduate student, have shown that green tea has antitumor effect in breast cancer cells.
Phytochemicals are plant based non nutritive components with substantial medicinal properties. Dr. Maheshwari’s study observed that green tea can inhibit the invading capacity of these breast cancer cells and have also identified the mechanisms involved in death inducing and invasion inhibiting effects of green tea. Epidemiological studies also suggest that the risk of breast cancer is found to be less in Asian countries consuming green tea. These studies have greater clinical significance since the ability of these phytochemicals to activate anti-cancer program of tumor cells might determine the success of chemotherapy.
The recently concluded study will be published in the Journal of Cancer Biology and Therapy, December 2007, Volume 6, Issue 12.
A study by Dr. Maheshwari that was published earlier this year in Cancer Letters showed that green tea is effective in delaying tumor incidence as well as in reducing the tumor burden. Green tea was found to inhibit growth of tumors as well as induce death of breast cancer cells.
MORE




Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.


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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger

Do a key word search on cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger...http://www.cwiechert.com/contactus.html

Click here if you would like to subscribe to our free HealthBlogger News Letter.
Write... add me to your list on the subject line.

E-Mail: cww@cwiechert.com

Do you know a child with Attention Deficit issues...

Do you know a child with Attention Deficit - Hyper Activity Disorder? One of my favorite Herbalists, Michael Tierra, L.Ac, O.M.D., has been using this formula for 30 years. I really like it and it is well worth using instead of drugs, if you have a choice.

cw


Children today live in a stressful world. Over stimulation can affect their behavior and concentration. Calm Child is a special herbal blend, designed to soothe the minds and bodies of children, particularly in their moments of restlessness, anxiety, or stress.Calm Child combines the soothing botanicals chamomile, lemon balm, and catnip, with the nourishing tonifiers hawthorn, zizyphus, gotu kola extract, and amla. Additional herbs and nutrients, traditionally used by cultures around the world, support alertness and focus in children. Calm Child is available as a tablet and a great-tasting, alcohol-free liquid. Calm Child is part of the Planetary Formulas line of products that draw on the wisdom of traditional cultures and the new knowledge gleaned from scientific research - providing the best of what modern herbalism and science have to offer. Helping Your Ultra-Active Child CopeTelevision, chemically adulterated and sweet foods, plus the stimulation of everyday life - all can cause high levels of anxiety and excitement for children. Their immature nervous systems are sensitive to stressors, and they have not yet developed the coping skills for expressing frustration or releasing pent-up emotions healthfully. All this can affect their ability to learn and impede the development of positive social skills. Planetary Formulas can help with Calm Child: a safe and natural product that soothes and relaxes ultra-active kids. How Calm Child WorksCalm Child helps counter the effects of over stimulation. It works in two important ways to help cultivate a centered sense of well-being and confidence for children.• Lemon balm and chamomile are legendary for gently easing the effects of overstimulation.• Chinese zizyphus, gotu kola, amla, and hawthorn berry deeply tonify the child’s system, lessening sensitivity to stressors. Effective Tablets and Great-Tasting Herbal SyrupCalm Child comes in 364 mg easy-to swallow tablets in bottles of 150 tablets. It is also available in a vegetable glycerine syrup, in 2, or 8 oz bottles. Vegetable glycerine makes an extremely nourishing and soothing syrup that is naturally sweet without the presence of sugar. It is combined in Calm Child with essential oils of anise, cinnamon, and cloves, for a healthful herbal blend that is also great-tasting. Together the ingredients in Calm Child help take the stressful edge off troublesome days, while increasing your child’s ability to focus and deal with stress. Clinically Derived Formula from Michael TierraCalm Child was formulated by renowned herbalist Michael Tierra, L.Ac, O.M.D. an authority on the world’s herbal traditions, and is used daily in his clinical practice. This means you can be assured of obtaining the benefits you are seeking from an herbal product.

Planetary Formulas Calm Child -- 150 Tablets

Planetary Formulas Calm Child Herbal Syrup -- 2 fl oz

Planetary Formulas Calm Child Herbal Syrup -- 8 fl oz



Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.



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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger

Do a key word search on cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger...http://www.cwiechert.com/contactus.html

Click here if you would like to subscribe to our free HealthBlogger News Letter.
Write... add me to your list on the subject line.

E-Mail: cww@cwiechert.com

Become a real loser, don't diet... Change your lifestyle instead.

Well, it's getting close to that time of the year again. Many of you will decide to lose weight and go on one of the myriads of weight loss diets that abound out there. The truth is that 95% of all weight loss programs fail, and health wise, you would be better off doing nothing, than to follow a diet plan you can't stick with for life. Yo yo dieting adds fat cells to your body that never go away and most plans cause you to lose muscle, which you never want to lose. Skipping meals or cutting out fat from the diet, is the wrong approach and can cause major health problems down the road. Don't be a dieter, follow a lifestyle program that you can follow for good and understand how and why, fat accumulates on the body and how you trigger it to be removed. Here are some good articles I read over the last few weeks and some links to my website where I explain the truth about fat accumulation and how to reverse it, long term.

cw


The Effects Of Diet And Metabolism On The Body...
NewsTarget) It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, low calorie dieting slows your metabolism, making it progressively more difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The failure rate of most diets is astronomical, yet people continue to try one after another, always hoping that each new scheme will provide the solution. If you’re a veteran of the diet wars, the one word answer to your dilemma should be muscle. Let’s take a look at why diets often fail and how strength training (exercise) can rev up your metabolism.Dieting fails due to a combination of hormonal changes, muscle loss, and flat out frustration. When faced with a shortage of calories, your body’s natural response is to conserve fat. This mechanism might have come in handy for our distant ancestors trying to survive a famine, but the “starvation response” and its associated hormonal changes make life difficult for many a dieter.
MORE


Fat Hormone May Contribute To Longevity...
ScienceDaily (Nov. 23, 2007) — Both humans and mice that manage to live to a ripe, old age show a clear change in their glucose metabolism, but it's unclear whether this change alone can increase lifespan. Using a mouse model of longevity, Terry Combs and colleagues report that changes in metabolism can indeed increase longevity. They demonstrated that long-lived Snell dwarf mice burn less glucose and more fatty acids during periods of fasting, and as a result produce fewer free radicals.
MORE


Low-carb Diet Better Than Low-fat Diet At Improving Metabolic Syndrome...
ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2005) — Diabetes and cardiovascular disease associated with it. In an article published today in the open access journal Nutrition & Metabolism, Jeff Volek and Richard Feinman review the literature and show that the features of metabolic syndrome are precisely those that are improved by reducing carbohydrates in the diet. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of health signs that may occur together and indicate a risk for diabetes, stroke and heart disease. The markers of metabolic syndrome -- high blood pressure, low HDL levels, high triglycerides, obesity, high blood glucose and high insulin levels -- are all improved by a low carbohydrate diet. By contrast, the evidence shows that they are not improved, and can even be worsened by low fat/high carbohydrate diets.
MORE


Multivitamins and minerals benefits for weight and hunger...
29/11/2007 - Multivitamins and minerals could reduce appetite in women on a weight reduction regime, while lower body weight and fat mass was more obvious in men, says new research from Canada.The study adds to the body of evidence supporting adequate vitamin and mineral consumption for health, and is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.Two studies were performed; the first looking at multivitamin and mineral consumption and body composition, and the second a double-blind, randomised controlled study compared appetite ratings recorded from the first study.The first study, a cross-sectional survey of 267 men and 320 women aged between 20 and 65, used a dietary questionnaire. Lead researchers Genevieve Major from Laval University and collaborators from the University of Ottawa, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center (Baton Rouge) report that male consumers if vitamin and dietary supplements had lower body weight, fat mass, and BMI, compared to non-consumers.
MORE


Even a little exercise has significant health benefits, study shows...
NewsTarget) It doesn't take a lot of exercise to reap significant health benefits, and people should not be intimidated if they can't reach the officially recommended levels, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.According to current health recommendations, adults should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderately strenuous activity at least five days per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days per week, in order to remain healthy and reduce their risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease.
MORE


PICKING FOODS THAT ARE LOW GLYCEMIC

Forever Changes Weight-Loss & Longevity Lifestyle Program

SCALE DOWN MULTI - Scale Down Multi is a complete and unique multivitamin formula by Christopher Wiechert with high levels of the vital nutrients that help most with losing weight, burning fat and improving overall body composition. The purpose of this formula is to provide an ample amount of supplements to assist with weight loss by giving basic nutritional support to the body. Note: It is recommended that you combine taking this formula with an exercise regime and healthy diet.


Let's double our readership and spread the health... Send this to anyone you feel might be into health and have them subscribe. It's free...



Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.



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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger

Do a key word search on cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger...http://www.cwiechert.com/contactus.html

Click here if you would like to subscribe to our free HealthBlogger News Letter.
Write... add me to your list on the subject line.

E-Mail: cww@cwiechert.com

Could Alzheimer's Disease be Type 3 Diabetes???

If you have read my blogs for the last few years you know that insulin management is the number 1 determiner of longevity, world wide. Elevated insulin levels eventually cause insulin resistance and is responsible for a host of diseases. This is the second study I will have reported on that suggests, Alzheimer's disease may also be caused by too high of insulin levels and may be eventually added to the issues below that I have reported on, over the years. This is an important study as it may indicate that Metabolic Syndrome or Hyperinsulinemia could be the underlining cause of Alzheimer's. The cluster of diseases that are implicated by Metabolic Syndrome are many and include these issues: Obesity, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Fluid Retention, Heart Disease, Arteriosclerosis (calcium deposits), Atherosclerosis (fat deposits), Acid Reflux, Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease, Increased Inflammation, Pre-Mature Aging, etc.
Now perhaps, we are seeing evidence of a Type 3 Diabetes - Alzheimer's disease. This can be an exciting discovery because we know how to reverse Metabolic Syndrome. Check this study out and stay tuned to this Blog for more evidence as it comes my way.

cw


Theory That Alzheimer's Disease Is A Third Form Of Diabetes Supported By Discovery...
Insulin, it turns out, may be as important for the mind as it is for the body. Research in the last few years has raised the possibility that Alzheimer's memory loss could be due to a novel third form of diabetes. Now scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling -- crucial for memory formation -- would stop working in Alzheimer's disease. They have shown that a toxic protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering those neurons insulin resistant. (The protein, known to attack memory-forming synapses, is called an ADDL for "amyloid ß-derived diffusible ligand.") With other research showing that levels of brain insulin and its related receptors are lower in individuals with Alzheimer's disease, the Northwestern study sheds light on the emerging idea of Alzheimer's being a "type 3" diabetes.
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SYDROME X OR HYPERINSULINEMIA

EATING A LOW GLYCEMIC DIET

EATING AN IDEAL DIET


ORTHOMOLECULAR FORMULATION - GLUCO VIT-MIN
This is a comprehensive multi-vitamin designed especially for those who require additional support in controlling blood sugar levels. The formula includes additional nutrients and minerals known to be protective in such situations.

ORTHOMOLECULAR FORMULATIONS - BLOOD SUGAR HEALTH
This formula is designed to assist with regulation of blood sugar levels by improving insulin action and cell sensitivity. It would be used with a multi-vitamin supplement ideally.


Let's double our readership and spread the health... Send this to anyone you feel might be into health and have them subscribe. It's free...



Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.



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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
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The miracle of Milk Thistle...

Milk Thistle is commonly found growing wild along roadsides. The Latin name of milk thistle is Silybum Marianum. The seeds of the dried flower are used. Milk Thistle's active ingredient is a flavonoid called silymarin, an antioxidant said to protect liver cells from toxins. Sylimarin apparently promotes liver cell protein synthesis and decreases the oxidation of glutathione. Studies show silymarin, silibinin, and other flavonoids found in milk thistle may benefit a number of conditions including alcoholic cirrhosis and tumors. Many compounds in milk thistle, for instance silibinin, have shown potent anti- prostate and anti-lung cancer activity.

Helps detoxify the liver of poisons such as alcohol
Stimulates bile production for improved digestion
Supports the liver’s ability to regenerate damaged tissue
Helps break down fats in foods (for improved cholesterol levels)
Provides antioxidants to combat the accumulation of free radicals
May aid in natural stress reduction
Assists in reducing inflammation of the liver and gallbladder
No significant side effects reported even with extended use

The herb also helps manage symptoms from various ailments believed to be related to poor liver function. Impaired liver function, if ignored, can worsen conditions such as arthritis, eczema, headaches, and PMS. Furthermore, research has indicated the Silymarin in Milk Thistle Seed is a potent antioxidant and possesses the ability to stabilize cellular membranes. Silymarin (a flavonoid complex) is also credited with the liver-tissue regenerative power of Milk Thistle Seed.
A number of studies suggest Milk Thistle Seed supports optimal liver function. For example, Milk Thistle Seed’s can promote the liver’s ability to regenerate new tissue after damage occurs. Milk Thistle Seed even shows promise in stimulating the liver to produce additional bile for improved digestive function.

IN THE NEWS...

Milk thistle compound may protect against liver cancer... 15/11/2007 - A flavanone compound in milk thistle, silibinin, may stop the growth and spread of liver cancer, suggests a laboratory study from the University of California, Irvine.The in vitro study used human liver cancer cells exposed to different doses of silibinin, and found that the milk thistle compound could inhibit the spread of the cells and promote programmed cell death (apoptosis).
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Milk thistle and liver disease...
PORTLAND, OREGON. Extracts from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) have been used in herbal medicine for 2000 years. Pliney The Elder (AD 23-79) reported that a mixture of the plant's juice and honey was excellent for "carrying off bile". Since then many scientists have lauded milk thistle's ability to treat liver disease. Since 1969 milk thistle extracts have become very popular and now account for sales of $160 million a year in Germany alone. Researchers at the Oregon Health Sciences University recently released a major report reviewing the scientific papers dealing with silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle extracts. A standard silymarin extract contains 70 per cent silymarin which in itself is a mixture of flavonolignans, silydianin, silychristine, and silybin. Silybin is believed to be the most biologically active component and is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream and bile after an oral dose. Silybin acts as an antioxidant, decreases the activity of tumor promoters, and acts as a mild chelator of iron. Studies have shown that silymarin is beneficial in the treatment of acute viral hepatitis and some toxin and drug-induced forms of hepatitis. There are also reports that silymarin is effective in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis. Therapeutic dosages range from 140 mg twice a day to 560 mg/day for periods from six months to six years. No adverse side effects of silymarin have been documented and the researchers conclude that well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies should be carried out to further investigate silymarin's benefits in the treatment of a variety of diseases.Flora, Kenneth, et al. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) for the therapy of liver disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology, Vol. 93, February 1998, pp. 139- 43

TRY...

Orthomolecular Formulations - LIVER DETOX

Product Description:
Ingredients in this formula are designed to aid the detoxification process while protecting the integrity of liver cells.

Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.

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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

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E-Mail: cww@cwiechert.com

What and who can you believe when it comes to protecting your health?

One of the reasons I do a Health Blog is because news articles come out on health issues, but they are often wrong in the conclusions they assert on the study they are reporting on, or even worse yet, they deliberately take a negative slant on the conclusions, because it will protect their pocketbooks. This is the case with the last study that was reported on a few weeks ago on vitamin D and cancer. I have been writing for the last 2 years on all the real scientific evidence regarding vitamin D levels being very low and that raising them could have major health benefits, especially in the areas of preventing heart disease, depression, cancer, osteoporosis, and metabolic syndrome. The news letter below is from Dr. John Cannell, MD of the The Vitamin D Council. It is very eye opening and it exposes that there are people and organizations out there that don't have your protection in mind, but perhaps want to protect their own self interests. Please take the time to read this... It's your health that is at stake here...

cw


The Vitamin D Newsletter
December, 2007


Does vitamin D prevent cancer? If it does, will doctors who ignore the research end up with blood on their hands? The press makes it easy for doctors to believe what they want to believe. Below are six stories about the same scientific study; read the six different headlines. According to your a priori beliefs, you can choose the story you want to believe and read that one. Don't feel bad, we all do it. As Walter Lippman once said, "We do not see and then believe, we believe and then we see."

Vitamin D cuts colon cancer death risk

Study Finds No Connection Between Vitamin D And Overall Cancer Deaths

Vitamin D protects against colorectal cancer

Vitamin D May Not Cut Cancer Deaths

Vitamin D protects against colorectal cancer

Scientists advise a vitamin D downgrade as there is no real proof ...

Another option is to read the study yourself.
Freedman DM, et al. Prospective Study of Serum Vitamin D and Cancer Mortality in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Oct 30; [Epub ahead of print]

What Dr. Freedman actually discovered is that when you take a very large group of people (16,818), some as young as seventeen, measure their vitamin D levels, and then wait about ten years to see who dies from cancer, you find 536 die and that a vitamin D level from ten years earlier is not a good predictor of who will die from cancer. However, even a level drawn ten years earlier predicted that those with the lowest level were four times more likely to die from colon cancer, suggesting, as Ed Giovannucci has, that colon cancer may be exquisitely sensitive to vitamin D. Furthermore, 28 women got breast cancer, 20 in the group with the lowest vitamin D level but only 8 in the highest. The breast cancer findings were not statistically significant - even during a very long breast cancer awareness month - but can you imagine what critics at the American Cancer Society would be telling women if the numbers were reversed, if the 20 women who got breast cancer were in the high vitamin D group?

Another large epidemiological study appeared about breast cancer the very next day. This time, the press passed on the story and the American Cancer Society was mum, no editorials by Dr. Lichtenfeld, their spokesman, in spite of breast cancer awareness month.

Abbas S, et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer - results of a large case-control study. Carcinogenesis. 2007 Oct 31; [Epub ahead of print]

In the above study, 1,394 women with breast cancer were case-controlled with a similar number of women without breast cancer. The women with breast cancer were three times more likely to have low vitamin D levels. That is a lot of women who may be dying during next year's breast cancer awareness month.

Both of the above studies were epidemiological, not randomized controlled trials. Of course a randomized controlled trial has already shown a 60% reduction in internal cancers in women taking even a modest 1,100 IU per day of vitamin D.

Lappe JM, et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91.

What is interesting is the difference in the response of the Canadian Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society. The Canadian Cancer Society has advised all Canadians to take 1,000 IU per day - not enough but a good first step - and for immediate additional large scale clinical trials. The Canadians simply performed a risk/benefit analysis. What is the risk of treating vitamin D deficiency versus what are the potential benefits? They quote the American Food and Nutrition Board, which says 2,000 IU/day is safe for anyone over the age on one to take, on their own, without being under the care of a physician. If there is little or no risk, then the next question is what are the potential benefits of treating vitamin D deficiency? This is not quantum mechanics.

Cancer society calls for major vitamin D trial

The Canadians acted because the Canadian government knows it could save billions of dollars by treating vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D Deficiency Drains $9 billion From Canadian Health Care ...

If wide spread treatment of vitamin D deficiency became the rule, ask yourself, "Who would be helped and who would be hurt." First ask yourself that question about Canada and then about the USA. Remember, in Canada, the government directly pays for its citizen's health insurance; in the USA, private insurance is the norm. In Canada, the government is realizing they could save billions if vitamin D deficiencies were treated. In the USA, a large segment of the medical industry would be hurt, some anti-cancer drug manufacturers would have to close their doors, thousands of patents would become worthless, lucrative consulting contracts between industry and cancer researchers would dry up.

Both Canadians and Americans are shocked to think their doctors care about money, are in the illness business. In some ways people think of their doctors like they do their local public schools. They know medicine is a business and know doctors do things for money but they don't think their own doctors do. Likewise they think public schools are in bad shape but think their local schools are above average. They think their doctor is above average, like their "Lake Woebegone" kids.

Lake Woebegone Effect

The fact is that doctors, hospitals, regional cancer centers, and the cancer drug manufacturers are all in business to make money and all of these businesses make money off the sick, not off the well. Just a fact, but, as Aldous Huxley once observed, "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."

Vitamin D will save the Canadian government enormous amounts of money but will cause widespread economic disruption in the USA. Do the physicians leading the American Cancer Society have strong economic ties to the cancer industry in the form of patents, stock options, and consulting fees? If so, what do you expect them to do? What would you do? It's simple. You would believe what you have to believe, what you need to believe, that is, anything with the word "vitamin" in it is simply the latest Laetrile. Look to Canada, not the USA, to lead the way.

Vitamin D may fight cancer

What about American physicians? They are apparently waiting for the American trial lawyers to smell a tort. After all, the case is quite simple. Doctor, did you advise Mrs. Jones to avoid the sun? Doctor, did you tell her the sun is the source of 90% of circulating stores of vitamin D? Doctor, did you prescribe vitamin D to make up for what the sun would not be making? Doctor, did you measure her vitamin D levels? So you had no way of knowing if your sun-avoidance advice resulted in vitamin D deficiency? Doctor, do you know our expert tested her vitamin D level and it was less than 20? Doctor, did you tell her about any of the studies indicating vitamin D deficiency causes cancer? Doctor, did you know Mrs. Jones has terminal breast cancer and will be leaving behind a loving husband and two young children?

And what about the American Cancer Society? Dr. Lichtenfeld, their spokesman, quickly gave his opinion; from what I can tell the first time he ever commented on a vitamin D study. That is, he has ignored the hundreds of positive epidemiological studies, ignored the incredible randomized controlled trial, but he jumped on this one:

Maybe Vitamin D Isn't The Answer After All

Dr. Lichtenfeld, implied the Canadian Cancer Society has acted precipitously in recommending that all Canadians take 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily. He implied that Americans should placidly wait until more randomized controlled trials, such as Lappe JM, et al (above), accumulate before they address their vitamin D deficiency. That is, nothing should be done until more randomized controlled trials prove vitamin D prevents cancer, one randomized controlled trial is not enough; epidemiological studies are not enough, animal studies are not enough, multiple anti-cancer mechanisms of action are not enough? If that is his position, I challenge him to point to one human randomized controlled trial that proves smoking is dangerous?

If he cannot, then he must admit that the American Cancer Society's position on smoking is entirely derived from epidemiological studies, animal studies, and a demonstrable mechanism of action, not on human randomized controlled trials? Vitamin D not only has hundreds of epidemiological studies, thousand of animal studies, and at least four anti-cancer mechanisms of action, vitamin D deficiency has something smoking does not have, it has a high quality randomized controlled trial. If future randomized controlled trials fail to show vitamin D prevents cancer - and Dr. Lichtenfeld better hope they do - he can have the satisfaction of saying "I told you so." If future randomized controlled trials confirm vitamin D prevents cancer, then he needs to look at his hands, the red he sees is the blood of needless cancer deaths.

John Cannell, MD
The Vitamin D Council
9100 San Gregorio Road
Atascadero, CA 93422

This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. If you don't want to get the newsletter, please hit reply and let us know.

This newsletter is not copyrighted. Please reproduce it and post it on Internet sites.

Remember, we are a non-profit and rely on donations to publish our newsletter and maintain our website. Send your tax-deductible contributions to:
The Vitamin D Council
9100 San Gregorio Road
Atascadero, CA 93422


cw


Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.


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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

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A question...

Are you more comfortable with old habits, than you are with new solutions?
This is the question you must ask yourself, hopefully before you develop a chronic health issue, that could have been prevented. Change is never easy, but trust me, change will come eventually, and it will have a price. Here are some news articles that will possibly help you this week, focus on whats important health wise.

cw



Processed Vs. Whole Foods...
NewsTarget) There are only two categories of foods: whole foods and processed foods. A healthy balanced diet should be primarily whole foods with restricted consumption of processed foods. There are numerous ways to differentiate between these two.
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Processed Meat Unsafe For Human Consumption; Cancer Experts Warn of Dietary Dangers...
World cancer experts have finally declared what NewsTarget readers learned nearly four years ago: That processed meats cause cancer, and anyone seeking to avoid cancer should avoid eating all processed meats for life.Hundreds of cancer researchers took part in a five-year project spanning more than 7,000 clinical studies and designed to document the links between diet and cancer. Their conclusion, published in the World Cancer Research Fund's report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective (2007), has rocked the health world with a declaration that all people should immediately stop buying and eating processed meat products and that all processed meat should be avoided for life!
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Almonds could boost smokers' antioxidant defences...
23/11/2007 - A big handful of almonds every day could boost the antioxidant defences of smokers, a group at risk of low antioxidant levels due to higher oxidative stress, by up to 35 per cent, says a joint Chinese-US study.The randomised, crossover clinical trial with 60 healthy male smokers found that the body's antioxidant defences increased as a result of a daily 84 gram helping of almonds.
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Study underscores link between lifestyle and heart disease...
10/24/2007 - A new study out of Sweden has brought about some results that are hardly surprising, yet underscore that health is very much linked to a personal lifestyle commitment.According to the large scale study - published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and stemming from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden - the daily consumption of vegetables and fruit combined with a diet consisting of wholegrain products, fish, beans and small amounts of alcohol can more than halve the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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Natural medicine found in black raspberries found to effectively kill leukemia cells...
A naturally occurring antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables selectively kills leukemia cells without harming healthy cells, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine published their findings online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The findings promise an effective, nontoxic approach to treating leukemia."Current treatments for leukemia, such as chemotherapy and radiation, often damage healthy cells and tissues and can produce unwanted side effects for many years afterward. So, there is an intensive search for more targeted therapies for leukemia worldwide," said corresponding author Xiao-Ming Yin, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
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Learn what the Ideal Diet, looks like...



Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.



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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger

Do a key word search on cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger...http://www.cwiechert.com/contactus.html

Click here if you would like to subscribe to our free HealthBlogger News Letter.
Write... add me to your list on the subject line.

E-mail us at cww@cwiechert.com

Why more is often better, or how orthomolecular nutrition works...

Here is a wonderful example of orthomolecular medicine in action. Normal recommendations for vitamin E are 200IU's to 400IU's. In these studies 400 IU's and 500IU's were used however, a recent study found great protection from heart disease with 3200IU's, close to the amount recommended by Linus Pauling. Over the past 12 years, a large volume of published studies has supported Linus Pauling’s position on the role of vitamin C and E and heart disease. Many of these studies look at the beneficial effects that vitamin C has on the arterial wall, but what is most impressive are human epidemiological studies showing that people with high levels of vitamin C live longer and suffer fewer heart attacks compared to those with low vitamin C.
One of the first human studies that substantiated the benefits of vitamin supplements was announced in 1992 and showed that men who took 800 mg a day of vitamin C lived six years longer than those who consumed the FDA’s recommended daily allowance of 60 mg a day. This ten-year study, published in the journal Epidemiology, showed that high vitamin C intake extended average life span and reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease.
A compelling report that high-potency supplements extend life span in humans was published in the August 1996 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study involved 11,178 elderly people, who participated in a trial to establish the effects of vitamin supplements on mortality. When the effects of vitamin C and E were compared and were taken together, overall mortality was reduced by 42%. What made these findings significant was that the study compared people who took low potency “one-a-day” multiple vitamins to those who took higher potency vitamin C and E supplements. Only the participants taking high dose vitamin C and E supplements benefited. Notice in the article below that more is better when it comes to vitamin E. Actually, while more is better, when you add C and E together, they increase their effectiveness. When you add other molecules like Alpha Lipoic Acid, then they are multiplied many times more. That's why I have increased amounts of all these important nutrients in all my formulas.

cw


Vitamin E boost for diabetics' heart health...
By Stephen Daniells
26/11/2007-

Vitamin E supplements may halve the risk of cardiovascular events among diabetics, if they carry a particular version of a gene, says new research from Israel. Diabetics with the haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene, associated with an inferior antioxidant protection and a raised risk of cardiovascular events, were afforded protection from vitamin E supplements, according to the research published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.The Hp 2-2 genotype comprises about 2.5 per cent of the general population. "This version of the gene does not determine whether or not an individual will develop diabetes but rather whether an individual with diabetes is susceptible to developing the devastating complications associated with diabetes such as heart disease, kidney disease or visual loss," explained lead researcher Andrew Levy from the Technion Faculty of Medicine. Haptoglobin is a powerful antioxidant protein playing a role in the stabilisation of haemoglobin, preventing inflammation in the walls of arteries.An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, equal to four per cent of the total population. This figure is projected to increase to 26 million by 2030. In the US, there are over 20 million people with diabetes, equal to seven per cent of the population. The total costs are thought to be as much as $132 billion, with $92 billion being direct costs from medication, according to 2002 American Diabetes Association figures. Levy and co-workers recruited 1434 people with type-2 diabetes with the Hp2-2 genee and randomly assigned them to receive a daily vitamin E supplement (400 U/d) or placebo for 18 months. They report that the individuals receiving the vitamin supplements had 50 per cent fewer heart attacks, strokes, and related deaths than Hp 2-2 patients receiving the placebo (2.2 per cent compared to 4.7 per cent, respectively). "Vitamin E supplementation appears to reduce cardiovascular events in individuals with DM and the Hp 2-2 genotype," stated the authors. Moreover, the researcher report no adverse effects observed in patients who took vitamin E. Levy sais highlights the potential of genetic testing for the Hp 2-2 gene. "[This] may be useful to identify a large group of diabetes individuals who could potentially derive cardiovascular benefit from a very inexpensive treatment," he said. Recently, researchers in Italy reported that daily vitamin E supplements (500 IU) were found to decrease levels of a protein associated with higher risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and ultimately cardiovascular disease in this study with 37 type-2 diabetics (Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases). In terms of vitamin E supplements and heart health for the wider population, a recent study reported that a higher dose - 3200 International Units - of vitamin E is needed to reduce oxidative stress in individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease, and this may be why previous trials using lower doses failed to show any benefits for the vitamin (Free Radical Biology and Medicine, doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2007.06.019). A number of epidemiological and animal studies have reported that antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene might offer some protection against heart attack in individuals at risk. There are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) is the main source found in supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol (gamma-Toc) is the most common form in the American diet.
Source: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular BiologyPublished online ahead of print 21 November 2007; doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.107.153965"Vitamin E Supplementation Reduces Cardiovascular Events in a Subgroup of Middle-Aged Individuals With Both Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and the Haptoglobin 2-2 Genotype. A Prospective Double-Blinded Clinical Trial"Authors: U. Milman, S. Blum, C. Shapira, D. Aronson, R. Miller-Lotan, Y. Anbinder, J. Alshiek, L. Bennett, M. Kostenko, M. Landau, S. Keidar, Y. Levy, A. Khemlin, A. Radan, and A.P. Levy
Vitamin E boost for diabetics' heart health



Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.


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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.

Please visit our websites:

cwiechert.com

Orthomolecular Formulations

Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger

Do a key word search on cwiechert.com or Christopher Wiechert's HealthBlogger...http://www.cwiechert.com/contactus.html

Click here if you would like to subscribe to our free HealthBlogger News Letter.
Write... add me to your list on the subject line.

E-mail us at cww@cwiechert.com

Everything you wanted to know about Green Tea and more...

From the - The George Mateljan Foundation

Health Benefits of Green Tea
Green tea is particularly rich in health-promoting flavonoids (which account for 30% of the dry weight of a leaf), including catechins and their derivatives. The most abundant catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is thought to play a pivotal role in the green tea's anticancer and antioxidant effects. Catechins should be considered right alongside of the better-known antioxidants like vitamins E and C as potent free radical scavengers and health-supportive for this reason.
Most of the research showing the health benefits of green tea is based on the amount of green tea typically consumed in Asian countries-about 3 cups per day (which would provide 240-320 mg of polyphenols). Just one cup of green tea supplies 20-35 mg of EGCG, which has the highest antioxidant activity of all the green tea catechins.
The health benefits of green tea have been extensively researched and, as the scientific community's awareness of its potential benefits has increased, so have the number of new studies. As of November 2004, the PubMed database contained more than 1,000 studies on green tea, with more than 400 published in 2004! Following is a brief summary of some of the high points of this most current research.
Green tea drinkers appear to have lower risk for a wide range of diseases, from simple bacterial or viral infections to chronic degenerative conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis. The latest studies provide a deeper understanding of the ways in which green tea:

Protects against Death from All Causes, Especially Cardiovascular Disease
In August 2006, a European study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that tea is a healthier choice than almost any beverage, including pure water, because tea not only rehydrates as well as water, but provides a rich supply of polyhenols protective against heart disease.
Now, a Japanese study published in the September 2006 issue of JAMA, suggests that drinking green tea lowers risk of death due to all causes, including cardiovascular disease.
Shinichi Kuriyama, M.D., Ph.D., of the Tohoku University School of Public Policy, Sendai, Japan, and colleagues examined the association between green tea consumption and death due to all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer.
The study, which began in 1994, followed 40,530 adults, ranging in age from 40 to 79, in northeastern Japan for up to 11 years. Within this region, 80% of the population drinks green tea with more than half consuming at least 3 cups a day.
Compared with participants who consumed less than 1 cup of green tea per day, those drinking 5 or more cups a day had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes and, specifically, risk of death from CVD, with women receiving even stronger protection than men:

Green Tea Benefits
23% lower risk of dying from any cause
12% lower risk of dying from any cause
31% lower risk of dying from CVD
22% lower risk of dying from CVD
62% lower risk of dying from stroke
42% lower risk of dying from stroke

Only weak or neutral relationships were seen between black tea or oolong tea and all-cause or CVD mortality.
While this study found no cancer-preventive benefit from drinking green tea, other large studies, including a meta-analysis of 13 studies published July 2006 in Carcinogenesis (Sun CL et al), suggest that green tea reduces risk of breast cancer. In this study, compared to women who did not drink green tea, those consuming the most green tea were 22% less likely to develop breast cancer.
Often in studies, the effects of a certain health-promoting behavior are likely to be confounded by the fact that those who try to follow a healthy lifestyle practice a variety of healthy habits. In this study, however, since green tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in Japan, it is unlikely that study participants were choosing to drink green tea primarily for their health, and thus also unlikely that the significant drop in risk of death due to all causes and CVD was due to other habits related to health consciousness.
Given the significant benefit green tea can provide, even to those who are not especially health conscious, just imagine its health-protective potential as part of your healthy way of eating! If you simply cannot start your day without a cup of coffee, try enjoying a cup of green tea at your mid-morning break, with lunch or as an afternoon pick-me-up. You'll quickly discover green tea's irresistible combination of invigorating and calming qualities, plus its delicious flavor, make it one of your favorite healthy habits.

Protects against Coronary Artery Disease
In Japanese studies, green tea consumption has been found to be an independent predictor for risk of coronary artery disease. In one study, those drinking 5 or more cups of green tea each day were found to be 16% less likely to suffer from coronary artery disease. The relationship was so significant researchers concluded, "The more green tea patients consume the less likely they are to have coronary artery disease."
An elevation in the amount of free radicals in the arteries is a key event in many forms of cardiovascular disease. The latest research shows that green tea catechins inhibit the enzymes involved in the production of free radicals in the endothelial lining of the arteries. The arterial endothelium is a one-cell thick lining that serves as the interface between the bloodstream and the wall of the artery where plaques can form. By protecting the endothelium from free radical damage, green tea catechins help prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

Inhibits Atherosclerosis
Green tea has been shown to effectively lower risk of atherosclerosis by lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, lipid peroxides (free radicals that damage LDL cholesterol and other lipids or fats) and fibrinogen (a protein in the blood involved in the formation of blood clots), while improving the ratio of LDL (bad) to HDL (good) cholesterol.
In animal studies in which green tea was given in human equivalent doses to hamsters, atherosclerosis was inhibited 26-46% in those receiving the lower dose (equivalent in humans to 3-4 cups per day) , and 48-63% in those receiving the higher dose (10 cups a day in humans).

Special Benefits for Persons with High Triglycerides
Green tea may offer special heart-protective benefits for persons with high triglycerides, suggests a laboratory study, published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
A series of experiments revealed that the mix of catechins naturally found in green tea dose-dependently inhibit the activity of pancreatic lipase, the enzyme secreted by the pancreas that digests fat. As a result, the rate at which the body breaks down of fats into triglycerides, and the rise of triglyceride levels in the bloodstream that occurs after meals, is greatly slowed. Since a large rise in blood levels of triglycerides after a meal is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease, drinking a cup of two green tea along with your meals is a good idea, especially if your triglyceride levels are higher than normal.

Thins the Blood and Helps Prevent Blood Clots
Green tea catechins help thin the blood and prevent the formation of blood clots by preventing the formation of pro-inflammatory compounds derived from omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in meats and polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as corn, safflower and soy oil. These pro-inflammatory compounds-specifically, arachidonic acid from which the inflammatory cytokines thromboxane A2 and prostaglandin D2 are derived-cause platelets to clump together.

Protects the Heart in Patients with Acute Cardiovascular Disease
The primary catechin in green tea, EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) confers such powerful protection that it can help prevent the death of heart muscle cells following ischemia/reperfusion injury. Ischemia is the medical term for a restriction in blood supply and therefore in oxygen and nutrients. When circulation is restored, oxidative damage occurs, and this is referred to as reperfusion injury.
EGCG prevents heart muscle damage by blocking the activation of inflammation-related compounds (including NF-kappa-B and STAT-1) that play a critical role in promoting the oxidative damage that kills heart cells in reperfusion injury. Researchers believe EGCG can be used to help minimize damage in patients with acute coronary artery disease.

Minimizes Damage and Speeds Recovery after a Heart Attack
Research conducted over the last several years by Dr. Anastasis Stephanou and his team at the UK's Institute of Child Health and published in the FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of Experimental Biology and the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine has focused on EGCG's ability to block the action of the protein, STAT-1. Normally activated in cells after a heart attack or stroke, STAT-1 plays a major role in inducing cell death.
Not only does green tea minimize heart cell death after a heart attack or stroke, ECGC also appears to speed up heart cells' recovery from damage, allowing the tissues to recover more quickly and alleviating damage to organs. Dr. Stephanou, a molecular biologist, noted: "We're extremely encouraged by these findings and hope to implement them in the clinical setting to minimize cell death activation in patients with acute coronary heart disease."

Minimizes Damage to the Brain after a Stroke
EGCG has also been shown to protect brain cells by these same mechanisms and thus may help minimize the brain damage that occurs after a stroke. In one animal study, green tea was so effective in reducing the formation of free radicals in brain tissue that the researchers concluded, "Daily intake of green tea catechins efficiently protects the brain from irreversible damage due to cerebral ischemia, and consequent neurologic deficits."

Lowers Blood Pressure and Helps Prevent Hypertension
A study published in the July 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine found that among persons consuming tea regularly for at least one year, the risk of developing high blood pressure was 46% lower among those who drank ½ cup to 2 ½ cups per day, and 65% less among those consuming more than 2 ½ cups per day.
In another study, this one of rats bred not only have high blood pressure but also to be prone to strokes, those rats given green tea had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to controls, who received plain water. The animals in this study, which was published in the January 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, consumed the human equivalent of 1 liter (1.1 quarts or a little more than 4 cups) of green tea per day.

Helps Prevent the Development of Atherosclerosis and Cancer
In both atherosclerosis and cancer, cell growth and proliferation is central to the disease process. In atherosclerosis, plaques form in the lining of the arteries, which grow thicker and less elastic, impeding blood flow. In cancer, normal brakes on cells turn off, and they multiply out of control. Green tea can help stop abnormal cell proliferation.
Catechins, among the main active compounds in green tea leaves, shut down the primary relay station through which growth factors central to both atherosclerosis and cancer send their messages for growth. These relay stations, called tyrosine kinase receptors, are essential for the transmission of messages sent by platelet derived growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor. The result is the prevention of or halting of the disease processes that depend upon excessive cellular growth.
Two other damaging factors that cause the cells lining our vasculature to proliferate are AGEs (advanced glycation end products) and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). AGEs form when sugars inappropriately bind to and distort proteins. MAPK activity is normally enhanced in the presence of elevated levels of LDL cholesterol. In laboratory studies, green tea polyphenols were shown to dose-dependently inhibit AGE-stimulated proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and to prevent the increase in MAPK normally seen when LDL levels are high.

Protects against Cancer
In the last ten years, green tea's cancer-preventive effects have been widely supported by epidemiological, cell culture, animal and clinical studies. For cancer prevention, the evidence is so overwhelming that the Chemoprevention Branch of the National Cancer Institute has initiated a plan for developing tea compounds as cancer-chemopreventive agents in human trials.
When confronted with a cancerous cell, green tea becomes the plant kingdom's Arnold Schwarzenegger, helping to terminate cancer cells in a remarkable number of ways.
Laboratory cell culture studies show that green tea polyphenols are powerful triggers of apoptosis (cell suicide) and cell cycle arrest in cancerous but not in normal cells. (Cell cycling is the process cells go through to divide and replicate.)
These anticancer actions have been assumed to be due to the powerful antioxidant effects of green tea's catechins, especially epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). This is a reasonable assumption, given that a number of studies have shown that green tea possesses remarkable antioxidant properties. In one study published in the November 2004 issue of Mutation Research, EGCG's protective antioxidant effects against several carcinogens were found to be 120% stronger than those of vitamin C.
But while green tea's antioxidant prowess is impressive, recent studies show it is far from the only way in which this multi-talented beverage protects us against cancer.
One of these mechanisms is green tea's ability to inhibit angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels. Cancer cells, which are constantly attempting to divide and spread, have an endless appetite that can only be temporarily quieted by increasing the number of blood vessels that supply them with nutrients. By inhibiting angiogenesis, green tea helps starve cancer.
Studies also show that green tea works at the genetic level, shutting off genes in cancerous cells that are involved in cell growth, while turning on those that instruct the cancer cells to self-destruct. EGCG has even been found to work as a pro-oxidant or free radical, but just inside cancer cells, where it causes so much damage that the cancer cells' self-destruct mechanisms are triggered.
A study of ECGC's effects on keratinocytes (the major type of epidermal or skin cell) found that this green tea compound has yet another means of correcting cancer-that of turning on the genes that direct the cancer cell to return to normal.
Green tea's anticancer effects include its ability to inhibit the overproduction of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, a protein whose overproduction has been implicated as a factor in many diseases, including arthritis and cancer. COX-2 has an enzyme counterpart, called COX-1, which may be helpful to leave untouched when preventing overproduction of COX-2. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen (which inhibit both COX-1 as well as COX-2), and specific COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex (which inhibit only COX-2), have been considered as possible agents in the prevention of some forms of cancer, but their severe toxic side effects on normal cells limit their usefulness. In studies of prostate cancer cells, EGCG appears to block only COX-2 and to have no negative side effects.
Phytonutrients in green tea, specifically, its catechins, increase the production and activity of detoxification enzymes in humans, and may enhance our ability to detoxify carcinogens, shows research supported by the National Cancer Institute. 42 healthy volunteers refrained from tea or tea-related products for one month, after which blood samples were taken to assess the activity and levels of their glutathione S-transferases (GST), a major group of detoxification enzymes. Volunteers then consumed green tea catechins in amounts equivalent to consuming between 8-16 cups of green tea each day. GST activity was greatly enhanced in those whose baseline GST activity was low-those most susceptible to damage from carcinogens. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.2007 Aug;16(8):1662-6.

Prostate Cancer
EGCG provides other benefits specific to prostate cancer prevention. A study published in the December 2004 issue of the International Journal of Cancer found that EGCG significantly inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, the production of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker for prostate cancer risk. Not only did EGCG lower PSA levels, but it also suppressed all the activities of PSA which were examined that promote prostate cancer.

Green tea polyphenols halt prostate cancer at multiple levels
The polyphenols in green tea help prevent the spread of prostate cancer by mobilizing several molecular pathways that shut down the proliferation and spread of tumor cells, while also inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that supply the cancer with nourishment, according to research published in the December 2004 issue of Cancer Research.

Green tea polyphenols:
decrease insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), while increasing levels of IGF binding protein-3, which binds IGF-1, further diminishing its activity. (Increased levels of IGF-1 are associated not only with prostate cancer, but cancers of the breast, lung and colon.)
inhibit key cell survival proteins, promoting apoptosis or programmed cell death in cancer cells.
reduce the expression of several compounds (urokinase plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9) involved in the metastasis and spread of cancer cells.
reduce the amount of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which develops new blood vessels to carry nutrients to developing tumors. All these effects were seen in this animal study within 6 months of continuous infusion. While obviously impractical for humans, the study suggests that daily consumption of green tea may be highly protective.
Choosing to regularly drink green tea and eat fruits and vegetables rich in the carotenoid, lycopene, may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.)
In this case-control study involving 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospital controls, men drinking the most green tea were found to have an 86% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared, to those drinking the least.
A similar inverse association was found between the men's consumption of lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, watermelon, papaya, and guava. Men who most frequently enjoyed these foods were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer compared to those consuming the least lycopene-rich foods.
Regular consumption of both green tea and foods rich in lycopene resulted in a synergistic protective effect, stronger than the protection afforded by either, the researchers also noted.

Practical Tips:
Get in the habit of drinking green tea and eating lycopene-rich foods.
Take a quart of iced green tea to work and sip throughout the day or take it to the gym to provide prostate protection while replenishing fluids after your workout.
Pack a ziploc bag of apricots and almonds in your briefcase or gym bag for a handy snack.
Start your breakfast with a half grapefruit or a glass of papaya or guava juice.
Begin lunch or dinner with some spicy tomato juice on the rocks with a twist of lime. Snack on tomato crostini: in the oven, toast whole wheat bread till crusty, then top with tomato sauce, herbs, a little grated cheese, and reheat until the cheese melts.
Top whole wheat pasta with olive oil, pine nuts, feta cheese and a rich tomato sauce for lunch or dinner.
Drinking 5 cups of green tea a day may cut the risk of advanced prostate cancer in half, shows data collected in The Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study. The JPHC Study followed 49,920 Japanese men aged from 40 to 69 from 1990 to 2004. Compared to men who drank less than one cup of green tea per day, those consuming 5 or more cups daily reduced their risk of developing advanced prostate cancer by 48%! If you don't already drink green tea, consider making this energizing, delicious beverage a healthy habit. Over half a million new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year world wide, and, incidence of the disease, which is the direct cause of more than 200,000 deaths annually, is increasing with a rise of 1.7% over 15 years. Am J Epidemiol. 2007 Sep 29.

Ovarian Cancer
Green tea consumption has been shown to enhance survival in women with ovarian cancer. In a study published in the November 2004 issue of the International Journal of Cancer, women with ovarian cancer who drank at least 1 cup of green tea daily had a 56% lowered risk of death during the 3 years of the study compared to non-tea drinkers. A laboratory study of human ovarian cancer cells published in the September 2004 issue of Gynecologic Oncology explains why: EGCG not only suppresses the growth of ovarian cancer cells, but also induces apoptosis (cell suicide) in these cells by affecting a number of genes and proteins.
An epidemiological (population) study published in the December 2005 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, adds more evidence that enjoying a cup or two of tea each day may significantly lower a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.
Data from numerous other studies has suggested that both green and black tea may offer protection against various cancers, with tea polyphenols thought to be the most likely protective agents. In this research, Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk from the National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden, decided to look specifically at the relationship between tea consumption and ovarian cancer.
Participants in their study were 61,057 Swedish women aged 40-76 years who were in the Swedish mammography cohort and had completed a validated 67 item food frequency questionnaire at baseline (between 1987-1990), after which the women were followed an average of 15.1 years.
Analysis of the data found that even women who averaged less than one cup of tea per day had an 18% lower risk of ovarian cancer than non-tea-drinkers.
Those who drank one cup per day had a 24% lower risk, and those who drank two or more cups of tea per day had a 46% lower risk of ovarian cancer than non-tea-drinkers.
Each additional cup of tea per day was associated with an 18% lower risk of ovarian cancer. Although higher tea consumption was generally associated with other health-promoting behaviors, including higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, when compared to the lifestyle behaviors of those who seldom or never drank tea, the large drop in ovarian cancer risk seen as tea consumption increased does suggest that tea is likely to offer significant protection.

Breast Cancer
Recent studies have also identified two mechanisms through which green tea works against breast cancer. Not only does EGCG inhibit the activity of telomerase, an enzyme that plays a key role in cell division, in breast cancer cells, but it also offers help to women with estrogen-negative breast cancer, a form of breast cancer that is very hard to treat successfully.
Estrogen-negative breast cancer cells express high amounts of the epidermal growth factor Her-2/neu, while in the more treatable estrogen-positive form of breast cancer, estrogen-receptor alpha (ERalpha) is expressed. According to a study published in the October 2004 issue of Molecular and Cellular Biology, EGCG induces the expression of ERalpha rather than Her-2/neu in breast cancer cells.

Brain Tumors in Children
Green tea's ability to inhibit telomerase may also translate into help for children with the most common malignant brain tumors of childhood, primitive neuroectodermal tumors. Telomerase's activity allows cancer cells to avoid the normal limits on the number of times a cell can replicate before it self-destructs. In a study published in the January 2004 issue of Neuro-oncology, investigators found that telomerase activity was at least five times higher in children with these brain tumors than in normal brain cells and that EGCG strongly inhibited telomerase activity in a dose-dependent manner.

Colorectal Cancer
Green tea may also reduce the increased risk for colon cancer caused by a high fat diet. An animal study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer in 2003 found that when green tea was given along with a diet high in omega 6 fat (in the form of corn oil), the amount of pro-inflammatory compounds produced in the colon (5-lipoxygenase, leukotriene A4 hydrolase, and leukotriene B4) was significantly lower, as was the resulting number of precancerous colon cells (aberrant crypt foci). Green tea consumption even reduced the amount of abdominal fat produced in the animals that received it compared to controls.

Regular Green Tea Drinking Cuts Colorectal Cancer Risk in Half
To evaluate the link between green tea consumption and colorectal cancer risk, researchers followed 69,710 Chinese women ranging in age from 40 to 70 for 6 years.
Women who regularly drank green tea when the study began were 37% less likely to develop colorectal cancer compared to infrequent green tea drinkers. Women who continued to drink green tea regularly throughout the study fared even better, reducing their risk of colorectal cancer by 57%.: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Jun;16(6):1219-23..

Practical Tip: Enjoy green tea as both a hot and iced beverage.
Brew green tea with thinly sliced ginger and lemon, or sprigs of spearmint. Add one teaspoon of honey per cup, stir and serve hot, or use half the amount of hot water (or twice the amount of tea), allow the tea to brew and cool, then combine half and half with fruit juice, such as peach, pineapple or papaya. Blend and pour over ice.
Make green tea chai by brewing green tea in hot vanilla soy milk. Top with a dash each of cinnamon, black pepper, ginger and allspice.

Gallstones and Biliary Tract Cancers
Green tea lowers risk of gallstones and biliary tract cancers, suggests a large population-based, case-control study led by Ann Hsing of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, and published in the International Journal of Cancer, June 2006.
Hsing's team gathered demographic, medical and dietary data from 627 individuals with biliary tract cancer, 1037 persons with gallstones, and 959 randomly selected controls in Shanghai, China.
Among women, after taking account of age, education and body mass index, those who consumed at least one cup of tea each day for at least 6 months had a 27% reduced risk of developing gall stones, a 44% reduced risk of getting gallbladder cancer, and 35% reduced risk of bile duct cancer. Among men, most tea drinkers were cigarette smokers, which likely affected their results. Men's risk of biliary disease was lower with tea consumption, but the drop in risk was not considered statistically significant.

Lung Cancer
While we certainly do not recommend smoking, if you or someone you love smokes, or if you must be around smokers and are exposed to second hand smoke, drinking green tea can offer some protection against lung cancer. A human pilot study recently confirmed the protective effects of green tea against lung cancer seen in cell culture and animal studies. The study, published in the November 2004 issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research evaluated the effect of green tea (5 cups per day) on 3 heavy smokers (>10 cigarettes a day) and 3 individuals who had never smoked. When the study subjects were drinking green tea, DNA damage caused by smoking was decreased, cell growth was inhibited, and cellular triggers for apoptosis (cell suicide) in abnormal cells increased.
Another larger four month study of heavy smokers involving 100 women and 33 men found that levels of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, a marker of free radical damage to DNA, dropped significantly in individuals drinking decaffeinated green but not black tea.
Decaffeinated green tea was especially effective in reducing DNA damage in individuals who lack the genetic ability to produce normal amounts of an enzyme called glutathione S-transferase, which plays a key role in the liver's ability to detoxify many of the carcinogens found in cigarette smoke. Individuals whose genetic inheritance does not include the GSTM1 and GSTT1 variants of the genes that instruct the cell to produce glutathione S-transferase are more susceptible to developing many different cancers. For these individuals, green tea may be especially beneficial.
Bladder Cancer
Research by a multi-departmental team from UCLA has produced valuable insights into how green tea extract might be capable of acting against the invasive growth of bladder cancer tumors. Green tea extract has been shown, via a mechanism that affects cell movement, to target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
For cancer to grow and spread, the malignant cells must be able to move, and their movement depends on a process called actin remodeling, which itself is carefully regulated by complex signaling pathways, including the Rho pathway.
By inducing Rho signaling, green tea causes cancer cells to mature more rapidly and to bind together more closely, a process called cell adhesion. Both their increased maturity and cell adhesion inhibit cancer cells' mobility, according to Rao, senior author of the study, published in the February 2005 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, in which green tea's effects on Rho signaling were noted.
"Cancer cells are invasive and green tea extract interrupts the invasive process of the cancer…In effect, the green tea extract may keep the cancer cells confined and localized, where they are easier to treat and the prognosis is better," explained Rao.
About 56,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed each year, making it the fifth most common cancer in the United States. About half of all bladder cancers are believed to be related to cigarette smoking. Bladder cancer can be difficult to detect in the early, most treatable stages, yet, when not found early, the tumors can be aggressive, and more than half of patients with advanced cancers experience recurrences. In the next phase of his research, Rao and his team will analyze urine from bladder patients, looking particularly for biomarkers associated with actin remodelling and the activation of the Rho pathway, to determine which subset of patients might benefit most from green tea.

Improves the Efficacy of Cancer Drugs While Lessening Their Negative Side-Effects
In the fight against cancer, green tea polyphenols are team players, helping cancer-killing drugs do their job. In a study published in the October 2004 issue of the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, green tea polyphenols caused drug-resistant cancer cells, which were able to extrude or push out one of the most commonly used cancer drugs, doxorubicin, to retain the drug, which could then destroy them. According to a study published in the August 2004 issue of Cancer Letters, another compound in green tea, the amino acid theanine, reduces the negative side effects of doxorubicin by increasing the level of one of the body's most important internally produced antioxidants, glutathione, in normal tissues in the liver and heart-but not in tumors.

Understanding How Green Tea Fights Cancer
Spanish and British scientists have discovered at least one of the mechanisms through which green tea helps to prevent certain types of cancer, according to a study published in the March 2005 issue of Cancer Research.
ECGC, a catechin present in green tea in amounts about 5 times higher than in black tea, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which cancer cells need to be able to grow, and which is a well recognized target of anti-cancer drugs.
Scientists decided to look at ECGC after they realized the green tea catechin looks a lot like the cancer drug methotrexate, which prevents cancer cells from making DNA by inhibiting the DHFR enzyme. They discovered that ECGC kills cancer cells in the same way as the drug.
Although ECGC binds strongly to DHFR, which is essential in both healthy and cancerous cells, it does not bind as tightly as methotrexate, so its side effects on healthy cells are less severe than those of the drug.
ECGC's binding to DHFR may also explain why women who drink large amounts of green tea around the time they conceive and early in their pregnancy may have an increased risk of having a child with spina bifida or other neural tube disorders.
Women are advised to take supplements of folic acid when trying to conceive and during the first trimester (the first 3 months) of pregnancy because it is during this time period that the baby's neural tube is developing. Folic acid helps ensure normal development and protects against spina bifida by enabling the production of the enzyme DHFR. While a cup or two of green tea is unlikely to pose a problem, drinking large amounts of green tea could decrease the activity of DHFR, increasing risk of neural tube defects.

Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Type 2 Diabetes
Population studies suggest that green tea consumption may help prevent type 2 diabetes. A number of animal studies are beginning to explain why. New studies suggest that green tea may improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in individuals with diabetes. In one study, after receiving green tea for 12 weeks, diabetic rats had lower fasting blood levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides and free fatty acids compared to controls, and the ability of their adiopcytes (fat cells) to respond to insulin and absorb blood sugar greatly increased.
In another study by the same research group, diabetic rats were separated into three groups and followed for 12 weeks. One group was given with standard rat chow and water (the control group), the second group received a high fructose diet and water (fructose group), and the third group got the same high fructose diet and green tea (green tea group). By the end of the study, the fructose group had high blood sugar, high insulin levels, and high blood pressure, while the animals receiving green tea along with a high fructose diet showed improvement in all three.
A study published in the August 2004 issue of BMC Pharmacology, in which oral glucose tolerance tests were given to healthy humans after they consumed green tea, showed that it increased the body's ability to utilize blood sugar.
Another interesting animal study compared the effects of a Western diet, a vegetarian diet and a Japanese diet, each with or without green tea. Blood sugar concentrations were highest in the animals on the Western diet followed by the Vegetarian diet with the Japanese diet producing the lowest blood sugars. When supplemented with green tea, blood sugar levels dropped in rats on all three diets, with those on the Japanese diet having not only the lowest blood sugars but also rating the best on other risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Rats on the Japanese diet that also were given green tea had the lowest triglycerides and cholesterol as well as the highest ratio of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids to potentially inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. The researchers concluded that Japanese eating habits combined with drinking green tea might help prevent type 2 diabetes.
One of the mechanisms through which green tea improves insulin sensitivity has recently been identified in laboratory studies that show that epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) does a good deal more to prevent type 2 diabetes than lower the production of free radicals. EGCG also works on the genetic level, causing a reduction in the number of messenger RNAs that direct liver cells to produce the enzymes involved in the creation of glucose (sugar).

Protects against Kidney Disease
An animal study published in the January 2005 issue of Pharmacological Research suggests yet another beneficial effect of green tea consumption: the prevention of kidney dysfunction in persons who must take powerful immunosuppressant drugs, for example, after an organ transplant.
One such drug, cyclosporine A, while a very effective immunosuppressant, also markedly elevates the production of free radicals highly toxic to the kidneys. In this study, rats given green tea as their drinking water along with cyclosporine A produced far fewer damaging free radicals than rats given plain water. In addition, a number of other indicators of kidney function (serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and urinary excretion of glucose) were significantly better in rats given green tea.
Another animal study published in May 2004 in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism explains why. Diabetic rats given green tea catechins and then exposed to a kidney-damaging drug, streptozotocin, produced less than half the amount of superoxide radicals (a particularly damaging type of free radical) compared to diabetic rats on a catechin-free diet. As a result, a cellular waste product formed by free radical damage to fats, lipofuscin, was almost 200% higher in the diabetic rats who did not receive green tea catechins compared to those who did.

Builds Bone
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have shown drinking green tea may significantly increase bone mineral density.
Their study, presented at the International Osteoporosis Foundation World Congress on Osteoporosis, Toronto, Canada, June 5, 2006, included 655 women aged 60 years or older. Participants completed a questionnaire about their consumption of green tea, milk, cheese, yogurt, fish, vegetable, tofu, natto (a soy food), meat and coffee; smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and use of anti-osteoporosis bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax.
For each dietary item, subjects were divided into two groups: 1) those who consumed the item five or more days per week, and 2) those who consumed the item fewer than five days per week. The researchers then measured the bone mineral density (BMD) of the women's lumbar spines, as well as blood markers for osteoporosis risk, including levels of calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and vitamin D.
Women who drank green tea 5 or more days per week had an average BMD significantly higher (0.808 grams of hydroxyapatite-form calcium per square centimeter) than those drinking green tea less than 5 days per week (0.738 grams per square centimeter).
Green tea drinkers' bone-density advantage persisted even after results were adjusted for age, body mass index, other dietary items, smoking, alcohol, physical activity and use of osteoporosis drugs.
The Tokyo team hypothesized the catechin flavonoids in green tea provided the benefits via estrogenic effects known to build bone strength and/or induce apoptosis ("suicide") in bone-destroying cells called osteoclasts. Both mechanisms are similar to the ways in which bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax prevent bone loss. But while these potent drugs can provoke inflammatory eye disorders, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia and diarrhea, green tea is not only completely safe, but a delicious beverage that offers a legion of other health benefits.

Green Tea Provides Bone Benefits Similar to Calcium or Exercise
Australian researchers report that bone mineral density (BMD) is 2.8% greater in tea drinkers than non-drinkers. The study involved 1,500 women (age range from 70-85) in a 5-year prospective trial looking at the effects of calcium supplements on osteoporotic fracture. Not only was tea drinkers' total BMD 2.8% higher than non-tea drinkers, but over the course of 4 years, tea drinkers lost an average of 1.6% of their total hip BMD, while non-tea drinkers lost more than twice as much (4%).
The 4 primary polyphenols in tea (epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin) were identified as being responsible. Green tea contains between 30-40% of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea contains between 3-10%. "A recent review suggests that flavonoids from green tea may be associated with increases in BMD via a potent stimulatory effect on osteoblast function," noted lead researcher Amanda Devine. (Osteoblasts are the cells responsible for producing new bone.) Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Oct;86(4):1243-7.

Prevents Osteoporosis and Periodontal diseases
Excessive bone loss is a characteristic feature not only of osteoporosis but of periodontal disease. Green tea supports healthy bones and teeth both by protecting osteoblasts (the cells responsible for building bone) from destruction by free radicals, and by inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts (the cells that break down bone).
Another benefit of green tea consumption for those with periodontal disease: green tea short circuits the damaging effects of the bacteria most responsible for gum disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis. P. gingivalis causes gum damage by producing toxic byproducts such as phenylacetic acid and by stimulating the activity and production of enzymes called metalloproteinases (MMPs), which destroy both the mineral and organic constituents that make up the matrix of our bones. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibits P. gingivalis' production of both phenylacetic acid and MMPs.

Protects the Liver from Alcohol and Other Harmful Chemicals
Alcohol metabolism results in the production of damaging free radicals that can overwhelm the liver's supply of antioxidants, resulting in liver injury. In a study published in the January 2004 issue of Alcohol in which rats were chronically intoxicated with alcohol for 4 weeks, green tea prevented damage to their livers.
Other animal research shows that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) protects the liver against the free radicals generated when mice are exposed to carbon tetrachloride, a toxic chemical solvent. Without the protection afforded by EGCG, carbon tetrachloride exposure resulted in the production of numerous free radicals that destroyed a significant amount of the animals' liver cells. With EGCG, free radical production and liver injury was so greatly reduced that researchers suggested green tea should be used in the treatment of liver disease.
Unlike some herbs, green tea's protective effects do not appear to affect two of the liver enzymes most often responsible for detoxifying and eliminating drugs, cytochrome P-450 2D6 and 3A4. This suggests that green tea might be safely consumed when taking medications primarily dependent upon the CYP2D6 or CYP3A4 pathways of metabolism. Hopefully, future research studies will bear out this potential benefit.
On the other hand, one study found that Japanese green tea did increase the activity of the CYP1A1 enzyme. Researchers hypothesized that the increase in activity of this liver enzyme may be one of the ways in which green tea helps protect against cancers caused by various dietary carcinogens.

Promotes Fat Loss
Green tea not only promotes fat loss, but specifically, the loss of visceral fat-fat that accumulates in the tissues lining the abdominal cavity and surrounding the intestines (viscera) and internal organs. Unlike fat deposits on the hips and thighs (which result in the so-called "pear" body shape), visceral fat (which produces the "apple" body shape) is highly associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Green tea contains three major components that promote fat loss: catechins, caffeine and theanine. Studies suggest that green tea compounds promote fat loss by inhibiting both gastric and pancreatic lipase, the enzymes that digest triglycerides, and fatty acid synthetase, the enzyme responsible for synthesizing fatty acids into the form in which they can be stored in the body's adipose (fat) cells.
In a study published in the January 2004 issue of In Vivo in which mice were fed diets containing 2% green tea powder for 16 weeks, visceral fat decreased by 76.8% in those receiving green tea compared to the control group. Green tea also decreased blood levels of triglycerides (the chemical form in which most fats exist in the body).
A human study, published in the January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirms green tea's ability to not only reduce body fat, but damage to LDL cholesterol as well. After 12 weeks of drinking just one bottle of green tea each day, 38 normal-to-overweight men in Tokyo had a significantly lower body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass and amount of subcutaneous fat compared to men given a bottle of oolong tea each day. After a 2 week diet run-in period, the men were divided into two groups, one of which drank a bottle of green tea containing 690 mg of catechins, while the other group drank a bottle of oolong tea containing 22 mg catechins. Not only did the men drinking green tea lose weight and fat, but the amount of their LDL cholesterol damaged by free radicals also dropped significantly. Since atherosclerotic plaques develop when cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream is damaged or oxidized, green tea's ability to prevent these oxidation reactions may explain some of its protective effects against cardiovascular diseases.

Increases Exercise Endurance
Green tea extract given to lab rats over a 10-week span increased the amount of time the animals could swim before becoming exhausted by as much as 24%.
Green tea's catechins appear to stimulate the use of fatty acids by liver and muscle cells. In muscle cells, the ability to burn more fat translates into a reduction in the rate at which glycogen, the form in which carbohydrates are stored for ready access in muscle, is used up, thus allowing for longer exercise times. Green tea's effect on muscle cells' ability to take in and burn fatty acids, speeding up fat breakdown, is also thought to be the reason why it helps weight loss.
The idea for the experiment came from the fact that skeletal muscles utilize carbohydrates, lipids (fats) and amino acids (protein) as energy sources, but the ratio in which they are used varies with the intensity and type of the exercise, and the level of the individual's fitness. During endurance exercise, the use of too much carbohydrate is undesirable because it triggers insulin secretion, which, in turn, both inhibits the burning of fatty acids and stimulates lactic acid production. (Lactic acid buildup is what causes that sore achy feeling in your muscles when you exercise.) Conversely, enhanced availability and utilization of free fatty acids reduces carbohydrate utilization, which in turn spares glycogen (the form in which carbohydrates are stored in muscle for quick use) and suppresses lactic acid production, resulting in an increase in endurance."
Drinking a single cup of green tea before exercise, however, will not be effective. One single, higher "dose" of green tea did nothing to improve lab rats' performance. The animals had to receive green tea daily, and endurance increased gradually over the 10 weeks of the study. To match the beneficial effect on test animals' endurance capacity seen in the experiments, the researchers estimate a 165-pound athlete would need to drink about 4 cups of green tea daily.

Protects against Cognitive Decline, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease
Damage to brain cells in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases seems to result from the combination of a number of damaging factors including excessive inflammation and increased levels of iron, both of which lead to increased free radical production, exhaust the brain's supply of protective antioxidants and trigger the production of certain proteins, such as amyloid-beta, which promote apoptosis (cell suicide).
Green tea catechins, until recently thought to work simply as antioxidants, are now known to invoke a wide spectrum of neuroprotective cellular mechanisms. These include iron chelation, scavenging of free radicals, activation of survival genes and cell signaling pathways, and regulation of mitochondrial function. (The mitochondria are the energy production factories inside our cells. When they are not working properly, they generate many free radicals and little energy.) The end result is a significant lessening of damage to brain cells.
Iron accumulation in specific brain areas and free radical damage to brain cells are considered the major damaging factors responsible for a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders including both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
In the brain, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been shown to act as an iron chelator, binding to and removing iron, thus preventing it from contributing to the production of free radicals. In addition to removing iron, EGCG also increases the activity of two major antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, further helping to decrease free radical damage.
Another active compound in green tea, epicatechin (EC), reduces the formation of a protein called amyloid-beta. Plaque-like deposits of amyloid-beta in the brain are a defining characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.
Animal studies conducted at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University, Quebec, Canada, suggest that a daily cup or two of either black or green tea may reduce the risk of age-related degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer disease.
The researchers looked at the protective effects of two tea extracts and their main constituents, epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate, which are highly concentrated in green tea, on dying nerve cells. Both black and green tea extracts and catechins strongly blocked death of neurons (brain nerve cells) When researchers exposed cultured neurons to amyloid alone, its effects were so toxic that the brain cells died, but when the cell cultures received amyloid immediately followed by tea extracts and catechins, the neurons were rescued and survived.
Green tea polyphenols have also demonstrated the ability to affect cell signaling pathways, in particular the MAPK pathways, which are triggered by oxidative stress (free radicals), and themselves set in motion a series of chemical reactions so damaging that they can result in brain cell death. MAPK signaling pathways inside brain cells are thought to play a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases.
Another important cell signaling pathway beneficially affected by EGCG, the PKC pathway, is also thought to play an essential role in the regulation of cell survival and programmed cell death.
Although no human studies on Alzheimer's disease have yet reported benefit from tea consumption, recent population studies have shown that simply consuming 2 or more cups of green tea daily reduces risk of cognitive decline and Parkinson's disease.

Green Tea Keeps Elders Mentally Sharp - Research Showing Multiple Ways
Green tea helps slow the age-related decline in brain function seen as declining memory, cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's, shows a human study published in the February 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers at Japan's Tohoku University studied 1003 subjects over age 70, comparing their green tea intake and mental sharpness, using a Mini-Mental State Examination, a well-accepted standardized test for measuring cognitive function.
Drinking more than 2 cups a day of green tea slashed odds of cognitive impairment in elderly Japanese men and women by 64%! And a Japanese cup of green tea is much smaller than its American counterpart-only about 3.2 fluid ounces.
And at every level of cognitive impairment-from minimal to severe-those drinking the most green tea experienced significantly less mental decline than those drinking the least:
Compared with elderly Japanese who drank less than 3 cups a week, those drinking more than 2 cups a day had a 54% lower risk of age-related declines in memory, orientation, ability to follow commands and attention.
Those drinking 4 to 6 cups of green tea a week (1 cup a day) had a 38 lower risk of declines in brain function.
Green tea's primary protective agent is thought to be its catechin phytonutrient epigallocatechingallate or EGCG. Research shows this highly potent antioxidant:
helps prevent the formation of B-amyloid, a protein whose accumulation is recognized as causing Alzheimer's (Basianetto S, Eur J Neurosci Jan 2006).
protects brain cells by chelating (removing) iron, which might otherwise produce destructive free radicals (Reznichenko L, J Neurochem, March 2006).
helps prevent oxidative stress-induced brain cell death by "talking" to brain cells' genes responsible for cell cycling and survival. Specifically, EGCG tells the genes in neurons to decrease production of caspase 3, an enzyme involved in initiating programmed cell death. (Park HJ, Life Sci Jan 2006; Levites Y. J Biol Chem, 2002)
promotes memory-related learning ability by protecting cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in spatial cognition and memory-related learning ability, from free radical damage (Haque AM, J Nutr April 2006).
Green Tea Fights the FluA cup of green tea may help prevent or lessen the duration of the flu. In a lab study, published in the November 2005 issue of Antiviral Research, EGCG dramatically inhibited influenza virus replication in cell culture in all the subtypes of influenza virus tested. EGCG appears to suppress viral RNA synthesis by altering the properties of the viral membrane.
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Orthomolecular Formulations - O M EXTEND
This formula has been designed as an add-on to O M Complete or to any other Multi Vitamin. It aims to extend it's protection level to the highest your body needs. It is based on the latest research on Metabolic Syndrome, Anti-Aging and Antioxidant protection.



Christopher Wiechert, C.N.C.


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