A drug taken for decades by millions of people with type 2 diabetes to prevent heart attacks, strokes and deaths offered no benefit in a broad group of patients, a study released Sunday shows. Fenofibrate, sold as Tricor, lowers triglycerides and boosts good cholesterol, seemingly lowering heart risk. But in most type 2 diabetes patients, it failed to achieve the goal of reducing a combination of heart attacks, strokes and deaths, says lead investigator Henry Ginsberg of Columbia University.

Editor’s Note: Diabetic sufferers are at high risk of onset of diabetic retinopathy which can lead to permanent vision loss. Click Here for information on nutrients (such as alpha lipoic acid, taurine, bilberry, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids) related to helping preserve vision for those with diabetes.

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Red grapes and dark chocolate join blueberries, garlic, soy, and teas as ingredients that starve cancer while feeding bodies, Angiogenesis Foundation head William Li said at a prestigious TED Conference.

The Massachusetts-based foundation is identifying foods containing chemicals that evidently choke-off blood supplies to tumors, starving them to death.

Editor’s Note: A growing body of research is showing antioxidants in red wine and dark chocolate help prevent eye diseases such as macular degeneration. For more related research, Click Here

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Resveratrol may help impede cancer. Dr. Bryan C. Donohue of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Shadyside Hospital, says early-stage clinical trials now under way are examining resveratrol’s effectiveness among patients with heart disease, cancer, dementia and a host of other modern illnesses.

In the meanwhile, some people simply looking for greater energy, enhanced clarity of thought and advanced overall well being are already benefiting from resveratrol supplementation,

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People who are usually happy, enthusiastic and content are less likely to develop heart disease than those who tend not to be happy, according to a major new study published (Thursday 18 February) (see also European Society of Cardiology).

The authors believe that the study, published in the Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal, is the first to show such an independent relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease.

Editor’s Note: Having a positive attitude helps boost us maintain a healthy immune system. Cardiovascular disease can be a major contributor to eye disease such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. For more related information, go to www.naturaleyecare.com

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In this study, subjects with high levels of plasma zeaxanthin had a 93% reduced risk of AMD. Globally, subjects with high total plasma lutein and zeaxanthin had a 79% reduced risks of AMD compared with subjects with low total plasma lutein and zeaxanthin.

Ref: IOVS, June 2006, Vol. 47, No. 6

Zeaxanthin is a yellow phytonutrient pigment located in many fruits and vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, goji berry, kale, turnip greens, collard greens, kiwifruit, and Brussel sprouts.

For more information on related research studies and macular degeneration, Click Here

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Nurses’ Health Study and the Beaver Dam Eye Study, have found a lower risk of cataracts or cataract progression in those who took high levels of vitamin C.  Women who consumed the most vitamin E from food and supplements, about 262 mg a day ( approximately the equivalent of 3 cups of almonds)were 14% less likely to develop cataracts than those who consumed only 4 mg a day.

For more related studies on nutrition and cataracts, go to naturaleyecare.com/studies_bydisease.asp?s_num=2&disease=Cataracts

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A German study published in the journal, Circulation, found that acupuncture significantly lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The extent of the blood pressure reductions by acupuncture treatments was comparable to those seen with antihypertensive medication or aggressive lifestyle changes, including radical salt restrictions.

Source: Circulation, June 2007

Editor’s Note: Nutrients that help lower high blood pressure include coleus forskohlii, omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10, Vitamin C, Taurine and Arginine for example. For more information on lowering blood pressure naturally, go to www.naturaleyecare.com/diseases.asp?d_num=40

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According to 2007 data from the National Institutes of Health, 25% of Americans 20 years and older had abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood—a pre-diabetic state. That number leapt to 35% in individuals 60 and older. Extrapolating from the total US population, nearly 60 million American adults may now be pre-diabetic. (reference available at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/PUBS/statistics/#youngpeople. Accessed November 30, 2009).

• Roughly 1 in 5 Americans are pre-diabetic, a result of excess carbohydrate consumption.
• The digestive enzymes sucrase, amylase, and glucosidase are primarily responsible for enabling carbohydrate absorption into the blood.
• L-arabinose—a natural but largely indigestible sugar—blocks sucrase activity, preventing the sugar sucrose from entering the bloodstream.
• Extracts of white bean, seaweed, and Irvingia block the breakdown of starch in the intestine, preventing their calories from being absorbed.
• Green tea extract helps your body burn additional calories at rest.
• Collectively, these natural compounds may dramatically inhibit total carbohydrate intake, limit postprandial blood sugar and insulin spikes, and generate weight loss.

Editor’s Note: For more information on nutrition, diabetes and disbetic retinopathy, Click Here

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Australian scientists at Melbourne’s Deakin University confirm a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids can protect the brain from developing Alzheimers disease.

Its protective powers stem from an ability to regulate the brain’s natural level of zinc, which can prove toxic at elevated levels, cellular biologist and project leader Professor Leigh Ackland said last Tuesday.

They found that when the level of DHA in neuronal cells drops, the level of zinc rises (Omega-3 fatty acids contain a combination of EPA, DHA and alpha linoleic acid).

Previous research had shown a reduced incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in populations with a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Editor’s Note: DHA is found most commonly in cold water fatty fish while a vegetarian source can be derived from seaweed.

For more related information, Click Here

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Study shows that low levels of vitamin D3 is linked to an increase in the prevalence of macular degeneration.

Ref: Parekh N, Chappell RJ, Millen AE, Albert DM, Mares JA. Association Between Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 Through 1994. Arch Ophthalmol. May 2007;125: 661-669.

Editor’s Note: Vitamin D3 is one of the super nutrients that should be part of everyone’s diet, and should be added as a supplement particularly for people who do not get much exposure daily to the sun. Numerous studies have shown Vitamin D3 as helping prevent cancer, improve immune function and bone health, regulate insulin and blood pressure, and more.

For more information on nutrition and macular degeneration, go to www.naturaleyecare.com/macular_degen_short.asp?d_num=8

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