Reprinted with permission of Life Extension

In an article published online on August 10, 2009 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, Harvard researchers report an association between higher plasma levels of vitamin B6 and a reduction in the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) in women.

The study included 144 participants in the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study who were diagnosed with myocardial infarction. The women were each matched for age, smoking status and other factors with two participants in the same study who did not have a history of heart attack at the time of the heart attack cases’ diagnoses. Stored fasting blood samples were analyzed for plasma pyridoxal 5′ phosphate (PLP), which is the predominant form of vitamin B6 that exists in circulation, and homocysteine, an amino acid which, when elevated, has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Higher levels of PLP were correlated with greater dietary intake of vitamin B6, lower body mass index and lower levels of homocysteine. The researchers uncovered a significant association between plasma PLP levels and reduced heart attack risk. Women whose PLP levels were among the top one-fourth of participants at greater than 70 picomoles per milliliter had a 78 percent lower adjusted risk of undergoing a heart attack compared to those whose levels were lowest at less than 27.9 pmol/mL. When the women were analyzed according to age, those aged 60 and older whose PLP levels were among the top quarter were found to have a 64 percent lower risk than those in the lowest quarter, while those who were under 60 in the top fourth of PLP had a 95 percent lower risk.

The authors remark that the study’s findings are consistent with the role of vitamin B6 as a cofactor in the conversion of homocysteine to cysteine. The vitamin also plays a role in the transport of important minerals such as magnesium across cell membranes. The authors observe that the results of some research suggest that factors other than diet that control vitamin B6 levels could eventually be found to be more important in reducing heart attack risk.

The current prospective study is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to examine the relationship of vitamin B6 levels with heart attack in postmenopausal women. “Our investigation revealed that a lower fasting concentration of PLP is significantly associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction in predominantly postmenopausal women, a relationship that may be causal,” they write. “Future studies are needed to better understand both dietary and nondietary determinants of plasma and tissue vitamin B6 status and their role in the prevention of myocardial infarction and other chronic diseases.”

Reprinted with Permission of Life Extension

The results of a study conducted by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, published online on August 1, 2009 in the journal Pediatrics, reveal a disturbing presence of low levels of vitamin D among children in the U.S. “We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high, but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking,” stated lead author Juhi Kumar, MD, MPH, who is a fellow in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The researchers, led by Einstein assistant professor medicine Michal L. Melamed, MD, evaluated data from over 6,000 children aged 1 to 21 who participated in the National Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2004. “Several small studies had found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in specific populations of children, but no one had examined this issue nationwide,” Dr Melamed observed.

Insufficient levels of vitamin D were defined as 15 to 29 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), and deficient levels as less than 15 ng/mL.Vitamin D insufficiency was revealed in 61 percent of the participants, a percentage which, if applied to the U.S. population, is equivalent to 50.8 million children. Deficiency was found in 9 percent of the subjects, equal to 7.6 million children. Although participants who consumed 400 international units of vitamin D per day were less likely to experience a deficiency, just 4 percent of the children used vitamin D supplements.

“The message for pediatricians is that vitamin D deficiency is a real problem with consequences not only for bone health but also potentially for long-term cardiovascular health.” Dr Kumar concluded. “Pediatricians should be screening children for vitamin D levels, especially in the high-risk populations.”

—D Dye

Reprinted with permission of Life Extension

In an article published online on July 10, 2009 in the journal Diabetes, researchers in Ontario, Canada report that naringenin, a flavonoid present in citrus fruit, prevents weight gain and components of metabolic syndrome, a precursor to diabetes, in a rodent model.

For their study, Murray W. Huff of the Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario and his associates used low density lipoprotein receptor null mice that exhibit disordered lipids, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and obesity when fed a high fat “Western” diet. The animals were divided to receive regular chow, a high fat diet, or high fat (42 percent of calories) diets containing 1 or 3 percent naringenin for four weeks, after which plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and insulin levels were measured, and other factors, including glucose and insulin tolerance, were assessed.

At the end of the treatment period, mice that received naringenin had lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than with those that received the high fat diet without naringenin. Insulin resistance was prevented in the 3 percent naringenin-fed mice and glucose metabolism was normalized, compared to mice that received Western diets. “Furthermore, the marked obesity that develops in these mice was completely prevented by naringenin,” added Dr Huff, who is the Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts. “What was unique about the study was that the effects were independent of caloric intake, meaning the mice ate exactly the same amount of food and the same amount of fat. There was no suppression of appetite or decreased food intake, which are often the basis of strategies to reduce weight gain and its metabolic consequences.”

The research team discovered that naringenin genetically reprograms the liver to burn extra fat as opposed to storing it. “We are examining the pharmacological properties of naringenin,” Dr Huff stated. “The next step is to find out if naringenin prevents heart disease in animal models and to explore the feasibility of clinical trials to determine its safety and efficacy in humans.”

“These studies show naringenin, through its insulin-like properties, corrects many of the metabolic disturbances linked to insulin resistance and represents a promising therapeutic approach for metabolic syndrome,” he concluded.

Reprinted with permission of Life Extension

How long we live may not be determined by what we eat so much as how much we eat. Of all the potential antiaging approaches, none have so far shown the promise of caloric restriction. Over the past 75 years, many studies have shown that caloric restriction extends life span in a wide variety of species, from invertebrates to rodents, to mammals.

People imagine that caloric restriction is associated with near-starvation and constant hunger, or malnutrition due to inadequate intake of dietary nutrients. In fact, caloric restriction, if undertaken correctly, is a healthy lifestyle that is accompanied by weight loss, only occasional hunger, optimal nutrition, and other health benefits. To stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle, caloric restriction will henceforth be referred to as “caloric restriction with optimal nutrition” or CRON.

Data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging suggests that long-lived humans exhibit some of the same physiological and biochemical changes that accompany caloric restriction in animals. Survival rates are highest in those with low body temperatures and low levels of circulating insulin (Roth GS et al 2002). In addition, levels of serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a presumed longevity marker (Kalimi M et al 1999), are also higher in long-lived individuals (Roth GS et al 2002). In primates undergoing CRON, DHEA levels are also conserved (Lane MA et al 1997).

Before going on a CRON program, the Life Extension Foundation recommends that you obtain a blood chemistry profile. This will allow you to monitor your progress through subsequent blood tests. During CRON, fasting blood glucose and insulin levels should fall, as should insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels. HDL should rise. Blood pressure, which can be measured at most pharmacies without charge, should fall. For more information on blood testing, call 1-800-544-4440. If you intend to practice severe caloric restriction (30 percent to 40 percent), we recommend that you do so under the care of a knowledgeable physician.

The Life Extension Foundation suggests that you reduce calories by eating plenty of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, soluble fiber, and lean protein.

Check out these tips for healthy blood pressure from Dr. Earl Mindell:

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Get some moderate exercise at least 30 minutes every day or 45 minutes three to four times a week.

• Eat a low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar diet emphasizing whole, fresh foods, especially vegetables, grains, and plenty of fiber.

• Avoid refined, packages, and processed foods.

• Limit alcohol consumption to two drinks per day or less.

• Avoid coffee.

• Stop smoking.

• Avoid drugs that raise blood pressure.

• Drink plenty of water.

Daily vitamins (in addition to a good high-potency multiple vitamin)

• Vitamin C, 1,000 to 2,000 mg

• Vitamin E, 400 IU daily (800 IU total)

• Magnesium, 500 to 800 mg

• Calcium, up to 500mg

• Zinc, 10 mg daily

• Carnitine, up to 1,000 mg, three to four times daily between meals

• Coenzyme Q10, 30 to 90 mg daily

Herbs

You can take these herbs alone or in a formula that combines them. They come as tablets or capsules or in a liquid tincture. Check with your pharmacist about any herb-drug interactions that might be a concern if you’re taking one or more prescription or nonprescription medications.

• Cayenne

• Dandelion (acts as a diuretic)

• Dong Quai

• Garlic (eat fresh or take the odorless pill three times a day

• Gingko biloba (improves blood flow to the extremities)

• Ginsing

• Hawthorn (strengthens the heart)

Foods

• Fresh fruits and vegetables

• Fresh celery (four stalks a day has been known to significantly reduce blood pressure – try drinking carrot/celery juice mix daily)

• Cold-water, deep-sea fish (cod, mackerel, sardines, salmon, herring)

• Olive oil (instead of vegetable oils or butter)

• Onions

Mindell, Earl L., Virginia Hopkins. Prescription Alternatives. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (2003) pp. 141   [BUY]

The April issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research published the results of a trial conducted by scientists at Tokyo University of Science, the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and Johns Hopkins University which determined that the isothiocyanate sulforaphane, a compound that occurs in high amounts in broccoli and its sprouts, helps suppress infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers and many cases of stomach cancer. The trial is the first to demonstrate an effect for broccoli against H. pylori in humans.

Akinori Yanaka and colleagues discovered that H. pylori-infected mice given broccoli sprouts experienced a nearly hundredfold reduction in stomach levels of the bacteria as well as 50 percent less inflammation. The researchers then divided 48 Japanese men and women infected with H. pylori to receive 70 grams of 3 day old broccoli sprouts or an equivalent amount of alfalfa sprouts for 2 months. Helicobacter pylori infection levels were assessed via standard breath, serum and stool tests upon enrollment, at 4 weeks, and at the conclusion of the treatment period. While all measures of infection were the same at 8 weeks among participants who consumed alfalfa sprouts, they were significantly reduced among those who received broccoli sprouts. These levels returned to their original concentrations 2 months after treatment discontinuation.

In earlier research conducted at Johns Hopkins, it was found that sulforaphane triggers the production of enzymes by body’s cells that protect against oxygen radicals and inflammation. “Broccoli sprouts have a much higher concentration of sulforaphane than mature heads,” noted coauthor Jed Fahey, ScD, who is a faculty research associate in the Department of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “We know that a dose of a couple ounces a day of broccoli sprouts is enough to elevate the body’s protective enzymes. That is the mechanism by which we think a lot of the chemoprotective effects are occurring.”

“What we don’t know is whether it’s going to prevent people from getting stomach cancer,” he added. “But the fact that the levels of infection and inflammation were reduced suggests the likelihood of getting gastritis and ulcers and cancer is probably reduced.”

“The highlight of the study is that we identified a food that, if eaten regularly, might potentially have an effect on the cause of a lot of gastric problems and perhaps even ultimately help prevent stomach cancer,” he concluded.

The benefits of a healthy diet and exercise for people with osteoporosis are widely accepted. However, most conventional medical sources touch upon only calcium and vitamin D when it comes to nutrients that help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In reality, researchers are discovering that bone health and remodeling are complex processes that are influenced by many hormones and nutrients.

The following supplements and nutrients have been shown to reduce the risk of fractures:

* DHEA—suggested starting dose of 15 to 75 milligrams (mg) daily, followed by blood testing in three to six weeks to make sure that optimal levels of this hormone are maintained
* Calcium—1200 mg (dicalcium malate and calcium bisglycinate) daily
* Vitamin D3—800 international units (IU) daily
* Magnesium—340 mg daily
* Zinc—2 mg daily
* Manganese—1 mg daily
* Silicon—5 mg daily
* Boron—3 mg daily
* Melatonin—1 to 3 mg daily at bedtime
* Vitamin C—1 to 3 grams (g) daily
* Vitamin E—400 IU daily (with 200 mg gamma tocopherol)
* Vitamin B12 with folic acid—300 to 1200 micrograms (mcg) B12 and 800 to 3200 mcg folic acid daily
* Vitamin K—up to 10 mg daily
* Whey protein—up to 50 g daily (contains the essential amino acids L-arginine and L-lysine)
* Soy isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, glycitein)—55 to 120 mg daily

Close on the heels of the publication of a study in the AMA journal Archives of Neurology linking the consumption of a Mediterranean diet to a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, an article published online on February 17, 2009 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation reports an association between greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a reduction in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke in women.

Olive oil is a part of a typical Mediterranean diet

Teresa T. Fung of Simmons College in Boston along with colleagues at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital evaluated data from 74,886 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study for the current analysis. Dietary questionnaires administered six times during the follow-up period were scored for adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and monounsaturated fat, a low intake of saturated fat, red and processed meats, and moderate alcohol consumption (between 5 and 15 grams per day).

Over two decades of follow-up, 1,597 nonfatal and 794 fatal cases of coronary heart disease, and 1,480 nonfatal and 283 fatal strokes occurred. Women whose Mediterranean diet scores were in the top 20 percent of participants had a 29 percent lower adjusted risk of coronary heart disease, a 42 percent lower risk of fatal heart disease, a 13 percent lower risk of stroke, and a 31 percent lower risk of fatal stroke compared to women whose scores were among the lowest fifth. Combined coronary heart disease and stroke risk was lowered by 22 percent, and the risk of cardiovascular fatality by 39 percent, for those whose diet scores were in the top 20 percent.

Consumption of a Mediterranean diet has been associated with reductions in inflammatory markers (such as C-reactive protein), lipids and blood pressure, all of which increase cardiovascular disease risk when elevated. The beneficial effect of the diet on the vascular system may also explain the reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment observed in the Archives of Neurology study. The higher fish intake that characterizes the diet could explain, in part, the lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease events observed in the current study, since greater fish intake has been linked with a lower risk of death from heart disease.

“Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, as reflected by a higher Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, was associated with a lower risk of incident coronary heart disease and stroke in women,” the authors conclude. “Because this analysis is conducted in women and because it is the first report on the effects of Mediterranean diet on stroke, our results need to be replicated in other populations, especially men.”

From The Life Extension Foundation.

Findings from published scientific literature indicate that resveratrol may be the most effective plant extract for maintaining optimal health.

Image by Trish Hughes

Scientists have hypothesized that resveratrol may be a key component of the famous “French Paradox,” whereby the French traditionally were protected against heart disease despite a diet high in butter and animal fats. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin, a natural plant antibiotic which is produced by Vitis vinifera as a response to attack by molds. Because of the wide-spread use of pesticides in modern wine-making, including the practice of copper sulphation, the level of resveratrol in modern wines has plummeted. Red wine contains resveratrol, but the quantity varies depending on where the grapes are grown, the time of harvest, and other factors. In fact, usually only one to three mg resveratrol per liter of red wine is currently found, even in the most robust red wines. After years of relentless research, a standardized resveratrol extract is now available as a dietary supplement.

This whole grape extract contains a spectrum of polyphenols that are naturally contained in red wine such as proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, etc.

Based on studies that higher amounts of resveratrol may be beneficial, Life Extension offers a 100 mg standalone product.

We carry this product at the office. Ask about it at your next visit!

Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.

02-17-09

Feb. 17–When the American Diabetes Association held a series of focus groups asking people to rank the severity of certain health problems, cancer and heart disease, predictably, ranked at the top of the list.

Diabetes fell to the middle of the pack.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use the hormone insulin. Insulin changes sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Although diabetes can create chaos in the body, many people don’t realize how serious it can be.

Diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. The risk of dying from heart disease or stroke is two to four times higher for diabetics than non-diabetics, said Dr. Heath Thornton. Thornton is a family-medicine doctor and an assistant professor of family medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Diabetics are at risk for blindness because the disease causes changes in the blood vessels of the eyes. They are at risk for amputation of their feet and legs because of poor blood flow and nerve damage.

Results of a recent study done by researchers at the medical center show that high blood-sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes can lead to memory decline and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s dementia. The memory impairment can cause diabetics to have more trouble keeping up with their medications and controlling their diabetes. The study appears in this month’s issue of Diabetic Care. Dr. Jeff Williamson was the principal investigator for the study. He is a professor of internal medicine, the director of gerontology and geriatrics research, and the director of the Roena Kulynych Center for Memory and Cognition Research at the medical center.

Experts estimate that the average cost of diabetes care is $5,000 a year. The cost jumps when complications require hospitalizations and expensive after-care.

And diabetes is on the rise.

Doctors treated 16 million cases of diabetes in the United States in 2003, said Dr. Barry I. Freedman, the section chief for nephrology, kidney disease, and the John Felts professor of internal medicine/nephrology at the medical center.

If current trends continue, Freedman said, 29 million people will have diabetes by the year 2050. The highest rates of diabetes occur among American Indians, Hispanics and blacks. The rates in North Carolina are about the same as those in other Southeastern states, he said. Rates are high in many parts of the country and are increasing, he said.

Worldwide, Freedman said, 151 million people had diabetes in 2000. By next year, experts predict that number will rise to 221 million cases.

“For the kidney doctors and heart doctors, the neurology doctors that deal with strokes, this is pretty much our No. 1 problem,” he said.

Diabetes is divided into two main types. In Type 1, once known as juvenile diabetes, the body produces no insulin. Type 1 usually occurs in children and young people, and those who have it need insulin injections to live. Type 1 represents 5 percent to10 percent of diabetes cases.

In Type 2 diabetes, which represents 90 percent to 95 percent of diabetes cases, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to use it properly. Sugar builds up in the blood instead of providing energy to the cells. Eventually, the buildup can affect the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.

Genetics play a part in developing Type 2 diabetes; it runs in families. A sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits also contribute, and Type 2 is often linked to obesity. As people age and their bodies wear, their risk for diabetes rises, Thornton said. Freedman said that people who have diabetes in their families should keep themselves trim and fit, exercise and see their doctors routinely to keep tabs on their blood-sugar levels.

But doctors are now concerned with the increase in Type 2 diabetes among young people, who have become more prone to obesity, inactivity and diets high in carbohydrates.

Symptoms of diabetes, which often don’t appear until the disease is well-advanced, include fatigue, increased urination, increased thirst and increased appetite. Some people don’t find out that they have diabetes until they have had a stroke or developed a heart problem, Thornton said.

A diagnosis of diabetes, a chronic and expensive disease to manage, is a life-changing event. It can mean everything from giving up foods you love to following a regimen of frequent insulin injections and finger sticks to draw blood and check sugar levels.

Diet and exercise are often the first line of defense when diabetes is discovered early. Following doctors’ recommendations can often minimize the amount of drugs the diabetic has to take and reduce the disease’s long-term risks and effects. Drugs, including insulin and oral medications, can help keep diabetes under control.

Sonya Jeffries is a nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator at the Diabetes Care Center at the medical center. She sometimes sees people who can’t bear the thought of sticking needles in their flesh. She counsels them to rotate the sites from which they obtain blood to test their sugar levels so that their fingers don’t become sore and introduces them to insulin pens, which deliver doses of insulin with the push of a finger.

The needle on the pen is small, and most people find the pen less intimidating than a syringe, she said.

Still, the pricks and injections can cause pain, and some people get tired of it.

“It gets to be frustrating,” Thornton said. “It’s not comfortable to prick your fingers a lot.” His daughter, who is 7 and has Type 1 diabetes, must check her blood eight to 12 times a day. Type 1 diabetes requires more frequent monitoring, he said.

“Kids adapt well to these sorts of things, but it is a struggle. They go through times of not wanting to do any of it but having to deal with the consequences of it, just as adults go into denial sometimes.”

The short-term consequences of not keeping diabetes in check can mean dangerous variations in blood-sugar levels. If the blood sugar goes excessively high, a process that usually develops over time, people can develop a condition called ketoacidosis, which is life-threatening and should be treated immediately. Symptoms of the condition include shortness of breath, breath that smells fruity, dry mouth, nausea and vomiting.

When blood sugar plummets, which can happen when diabetics skip meals or take too much insulin, the body can go into insulin shock. Symptoms include sweating, tremors, anxiety and dizziness and can escalate to delirium, convulsions and collapse.

“It can kill someone quite quickly before they get to the hospital,” Thornton said.

Insulin is the main drug associated with treating diabetes. But Freedman also talked about other treatments that can enhance the treatment of diabetics, such as taking ace inhibitors, drugs usually used to reduce high-blood pressure, and statins, usually used to treat high cholesterol.

“With proper attention to therapy very early on, when they first get the disease, it can make a tremendous impact on reducing the complications seen,” he said. “The key is to be aware of the problem and be aggressive in treating it early.”

Janice Gaston can be reached at 727-7364 or at jgaston@wsjournal.com.

For more information on diabetes, go to www.diabetes.org/home.jsp.

For more information on natural treatments for diabetes or pre-diabetes, or other health issues, call for an appointment!