Monday, June 29, 2009

Broccoli to the Defense

Broccoli to the defense

JUST a few more portions of broccoli each week may
protect men from prostate cancer, British researchers
reported.
The researchers believe a chemical in the
food sparks hundreds of genetic
changes, activating some genes that
fight cancer and switching off others
that fuel tumors, said Richard Mithen,
a biologist at Britain’s Institute of Food
Research.
There is plenty of evidence linking a
healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables to
reduce cancer risk. But the study published in
the Public Library of Science journal, PLoS One, is the first human trial investigating the potential
biological mechanism at work, Mithen added in a telephone interview.
"Everybody says eat your vegetables but nobody can tell us why," said Mithen, who led the study.
"Our study shows why vegetables are good."
Prostate is the second leading cancer killer of men after lung cancer. Each year, some 680,000 men
worldwide are diagnosed with the disease and about 220,000 will die from it.
Mithen and colleagues split into two groups 24 men with pre-cancerous lesions that increase prostate
cancer risk and had them eat four extra servings of either broccoli or peas each week for a year.
The researchers also took tissue samples over the course of the study and found that men who ate
broccoli showed hundreds of changes in genes known to play a role in fighting cancer.
The benefit would likely be the same in other cruciferous vegetables that contain a compound called
isothiocyanate, including brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, rocket or arugula, watercress and
horse radish, they added.
Broccoli, however, has a particularly powerful type of the compound called sulforaphane, which the
researchers think gives the green vegetable an extra cancer-fighting kick, Mithen said.
"When people get cancer, some genes are switched off and some are switched on," he said. "What
broccoli seems to be doing is switching on genes which prevent cancer developing and switching off
other ones that help it spread."
The broccoli eaters showed about 400 to 500 of the positive genetic changes with men carrying a
gene called GSTM1 enjoying the most benefit. About half the population have the gene, Mithen said.
The researchers did not track the men long enough to see who got cancer but said the findings
bolster the idea that just a few more vegetable portions each week can make a big difference.
It is also likely that these vegetables work the same way in other parts of the body and probably
protect people against a whole range of cancers, Mithen added.
"You don’t need a huge change in your diet," he said. "Just a few more portions makes a big
difference."

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Baby Carrots -- MUST READ

I came across this article earlier today and thought that everyone should take a look at it.

The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic
bags are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots
which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them
into cocktail carrots - most people probably know this
already.


What you may not know and should know is the
following:


Once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots
they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order
to preserve them. (this is the same chlorine used in your
pool).


Since they do not have their skin or natural
protective covering, they give them a higher dose of
chlorine.


You will notice that once you keep these carrots in
your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form
on the carrots. This is the chlorine which resurfaces. At
what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically
pleasing vegetables?


Chlorine is a very well-known carcinogen, which
causes Cancer.. I thought this was worth passing on. Pass it
on to as many people as possible in hopes of informing them
where these carrots come from and how they are
processed.


I used to buy those baby carrots for vegetable dips. Not
any more...

Friday, June 19, 2009

My Wellness and My Nutrition

I Post a lot about nutrition. I strongly believe, and I think the articles that I have posted back up the fact that multivitamins are great, but do not perform the entire job. Plant Chemicals, also known as Phytochemicals have a major job that multivitamins simply can not perform. It’s like asking a car to blast off like a rocket ship. Maybe it can, but the tools are just not there. Plant chemicals provide the synergy needed for the Nutrition to actually get to your Muscles and Organs instead of your toilet. I guess you can say that Fruits and Vegetables are more economical items for nutrition than multivitamins. What you pay for, your body uses.
I would also like to admit that I distribute JuicePlus. That is why you see a link on this blog. I will admit that I believe JuicePlus is the reason why my body is strong. I used to get the flu every year, but have not gotten it for 10 years. I am not a doctor or a research scientist so, what I just said are my words alone. I cannot say that JuicePlus has kept me well, I can just say that I have had no issues for 10 years. Coincidence?
That is dramatic, but you should know that I have MS and I am totally paralyzed. I can not move and this article is being written with my voice. When you can not move, your body does not move around its fluids very readily. That alone can lead to health issues. I am healthier at this point in my life than I ever have been. I will shut up now because I do not want to repeat myself. I would really like to hear about other people and any issues they are forced to deal with. Please post on this blog, send me an e-mail message or a link to your website so that others can hear about your success.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Fruits and Vegetables for Pregnancy

Inside...
Tips for pregnant and
breast-feeding women
Prevention Plus+ Profile:
Paul Stricker, M.D.
Juice Plus+® supports
St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital
Medical doctors everywhere are recommending Juice Plus+®.
Many have written us to share the healthful results that they
have observed in their own practices.
Doug Odom, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist in
Jackson, Mississippi, took his observations one step further,
carefully documenting and analyzing the outcome of more
than 350 pregnancies within his group practice over an almost
three-year period.
“I’ve delivered literally thousands of babies over the past 30+ years,” says a smiling
Dr. Odom. “And I’ve talked with expectant mothers about the importance of good
nutrition ever since I started practicing. But it wasn’t until Juice Plus+® came along
that I felt really comfortable recommending anything more than prenatal vitamins.
“I was always worried that something I recommended could turn out to be harmful
to my patients,” he explains. “Juice Plus+® is whole food based nutrition – a wide variety
of nutritional elements from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. That just made
good sense to me from the very first time I heard about it. On top of that, it’s backed
by a whole body of published, peer-reviewed clinical research that’s impressive in
terms of both quantity and quality.
“You never see that with other nutritional products.”
Dr. Odom began sharing Juice Plus+® with his patients in May 1998. “I started noticing
improvements here and there, but we really saw it in the expectant moms.
Pregnancy is a very physically demanding nine months:
Juice Plus+®
and pregnancy
(continued on the following page)

Monday, June 8, 2009

Antioxidants May Protect Against Diabetes -- Fruits and Vegetables AGAIN!

Antioxidants May Protect Against Diabetes
January 26, 1999

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -- Certain carotenoids -- plant compounds with antioxidant properties -- may protect against the development of diabetes, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, measured the amounts of five carotenoids -- alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, cryptoxanthin, and lutein/zeaxanthin -- in the blood of 1,665 people participating in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The subjects were divided into four groups: those who had normal glucose tolerance tests, those with impaired glucose tolerance, those who were newly diagnosed with diabetes, and those with a previous history of the disease.

After adjusting for potentially confounding factors, the researchers found that the amounts of two carotenoids -- beta-carotene and lycopene -- were on average highest in those individuals with normal glucose tolerance, somewhat lower in those with impaired glucose tolerance, and lower still in people with newly diagnosed diabetes.

"The evidence was strongest for beta-carotene and lycopene... (but) cryptoxanthin also was lower in persons with newly diagnosed diabetes compared with persons with a normal glucose tolerance. Alpha-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin were not significantly different among participants," the authors wrote.

Although there has been little research on the subject of carotenoids and diabetes, the authors point to another study showing that significantly higher proportions of men and women with known non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus had carotene deficiency than did healthy control patients.

They note that several other dietary studies of diabetes have suggested that increased consumption of vegetables may reduce risk of developing diabetes. Antioxidants could play a role in the development of diabetes, but it is not known how.

"With an estimated 16 million persons having diabetes and a cost to the United States of about $92 billion in 1992, new directions in the prevention of diabetes and its complications are clearly desirable," wrote the authors. "The results from our analysis suggest one such avenue."

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology 1999;149:168-176.


Below is our lead story for June 14. Thought you'd all like to see it.

Frank Grazian, Publisher
Alternative Health News Online (http://www.altmedicine.com)

ANTIOXIDANTS 'CAN HELP' DIABETICS

The next time you hear or read one of those ads for antioxidant vitamins or supplements, you might want to take notice, especially if you have diabetes.

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center say vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene can help diabetics stave off some of the most common and debilitating complications of diabetes, such as blindness, kidney failure, and amputation.

Dr. Emmanuel Opara has done extensive research on the effects of antioxidants on what are called "free radicals," highly reactive chemicals that are the by-product of the body's process of turning food into energy.

Dr. Opara says research discloses that diabetics who are beginning to show complications of the disease also show signs that they have depleted their store of antioxidants.

"It would be too much to assume that these findings would mean that once you use the supplements it will cure diabetes, but there is certainly a potential for the use of these supplements to help regulate blood sugar."

Dr. Opara says antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene can help the body restore the balance of free radicals as well as blood sugar.

Dr. Opara says his research shows vitamins C and E seem to be the most effective, especially when taken in combination, but he also warns against self-medicating.

Individuals with diabetes still need to consult with their doctors and make sure that they have adequate supervision when they are taking these supplements, so that the doses can be adjusted appropriately."

June 14, 1999