July, 2008

• Omega 6 Fatty Acids & Dry Eyes
• Homocysteine Levels in Glaucoma Patients
• Vegetables: Raw Versus Cooked
• Finnish study finds tomato products may cut LDL cholesterol
• Vitamin D and Reduction in Heart Attacks
• Omega-3 & Macular Degeneration New 2008 Study
• Using the Secrets of Calorie Restriction for a Longer, Healthier Life
• Direct Cell Phone Use - Higher Incidence of Brain Tumors
• Lemon-Roasted Beets, Brussel Sprouts and Yams

Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Dry Eye Relief for Contact Lens Wearers

A recent study showed that taking supplements with Omega-6 fatty acid in the form of Evening Primrose Oil has a beneficial effect in alleviating dry eye symptoms and improving overall lens comfort in patients suffering from contact lens-associated dry eye.

SOURCE: Kokke KH, Morris JA, Lawrenson JG. Oral omega-6 essential fatty acid treatment in contact lens associated dry eye. Cont Lens Anterior Eye 2008;31(3):141-6.

Increased Homocysteine Levels in Tear Fluid of Glaucoma Patients

Research study showed that people with open-angle glaucoma (POAG) had significantly higher levels of homocysteine (Hcy) levels in their tear fluids. Patients with open-angle glaucoma who also had dry eye disease had significantly higher Hcy levels both in tear fluid and plasma than POAG patients without dry eye disease.

SOURCE: Roedl JB, Bleich S, Schlotzer-Schrehardt U, et al. Increased homocysteine levels in tear fluid of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. Ophthalmic Res 2008;40(5):249-56

Editor's Note: People with elevated homocysteine levels are more likely to have strokes, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, kidney disease, diseases of the eye, erectile dysfunction, and, especially, heart disease (De Bree A et al 2002).

Homocysteine levels are affected by a number of influences, including lifestyle, dietary choices, and genetics. As we age, our ability to absorb nutrients decreases. As a result, less of the important B vitamins are available to help metabolize homocysteine. Homocysteine level is also increased by certain pharmaceuticals, an aging metabolism, smoking, drinking too much alcohol or coffee, lack of exercise, obesity, and stress.

Supplementation of certain B vitamins can help reduce homocysteine levels including folic acid, and Vitamins B6 and B12. To varying degrees, folic acid and vitamin B12 increase the remethylation of homocysteine back into SAMe. Vitamin B6 is necessary for the conversion of homocysteine into glutathione along the transsulfuration pathway.

Vegetables: Raw Versus Cooked

International Herald Tribune, 05-22-08

By now, most people know they should be eating more vegetables. But are there ways to get more from the vegetables you already eat?

A growing body of research shows that when it comes to vegetables, it's not only how much we eat, but how we prepare them, that influences the amount of phytochemicals, vitamins and other nutrients that enter our body.

The benefits are significant. Numerous studies show that people who consume lots of vegetables have lower rates of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, eye problems and even cancer. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to 13 servings - that is 2 to 6 cups a day. For a person who maintains her weight on a 2,000- calorie-a-day diet, this translates into nine servings, or 4 1/2 cups a day, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. But how should they be served?

Surprisingly, raw and plain vegetables are not always best. In The British Journal of Nutrition next month, researchers will report a study involving 198 Germans who strictly adhered to a raw food diet, meaning that 95 percent of their total food intake came from raw food.

They had normal levels of vitamin A and relatively high levels of beta carotene.

But they fell short when it came to lycopene, a carotenoid found in tomatoes and other red vegetables that is one of the most potent antioxidants. Nearly 80 percent of them had plasma lycopene levels below average.

"There is a misperception that raw foods are always going to be better," says Steven Clinton, a nutrition researcher and professor of internal medicine in the medical oncology division at Ohio State University. "For fruits and vegetables, a lot of times a little bit of cooking and a little bit of processing actually can be helpful."

The amount and type of nutrients that eventually end up in the vegetables are affected by a number of factors before they reach the plate, including where and how they were grown, processed and stored before being bought. Then, it's up to you. No single cooking or preparation method is best. Water-soluble nutrients like vitamins C and B and a group of nutrients called polyphenolics are often lost in processing. For instance, studies show that after six months, frozen cherries have lost as much as 50 percent of anthocyanins, the healthful compounds found in the pigment of red and blue fruits and vegetables. Fresh spinach loses 64 percent of its vitamin C after cooking. Canned peas and carrots lose 85 percent to 95 percent of their vitamin C, according to data compiled by the University of California, Davis.

Fat-soluble compounds like vitamins A, D, E and K and the antioxidant compounds called carotenoids are less likely to leech out in water. Cooking also breaks down the thick cell walls of plants, releasing the contents for the body to use. That is why processed tomato products have higher lycopene content than fresh tomatoes.

In January, a report in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry concluded that overall, boiling was better for carrots, zucchini and broccoli than steaming, frying or serving them raw.

Frying was by far the worst.

Still, there were tradeoffs. Boiling carrots, for example, significantly increased carotenoid levels but resulted in the complete loss of polyphenols compared with raw carrots.

That report did not look at the effects of microwaving, but a March 2007 study in The Journal of Food Science looked at the effects of boiling, steaming, microwaving and pressure cooking on the nutrients in broccoli. Steaming and boiling caused a 22 percent to 34 percent loss of vitamin C. Microwaved and pressure-cooked vegetables retained 90 percent of their vitamin C.

What accompanies the vegetables can also be important. Studies at Ohio State measured blood levels of subjects who ate servings of salsa and salads. When the salsa or salad was served with fat-rich avocados or full-fat salad dressing, the diners absorbed as much as four times more lycopene, seven times more lutein and 18 times the beta carotene than those who had their vegetables plain or with low- fat dressing.

Fat can also improve the taste of vegetables, meaning that people will eat more of them. This month, The American Journal of Preventive Medicine reported on 1,500 teenagers interviewed in high school and about four years later on their eating habits. In the teenage years, many factors influenced the intake of fruits and vegetables. By the time the study subjects were 20, the sole factor that influenced fruit and vegetable consumption was taste. Young adults were not eating vegetables because they didn't like the taste.

Because nutrient content and taste can vary so widely depending on the cooking method and how a vegetable is prepared, the main lesson is to eat a variety of vegetables prepared in a variety of ways.

Editor's Note: The way one eats vegetables for optimal health also depends a great deal on one's body type. For example, in Chinese medicine people who are generally cold and damp (and have sluggish digestive systems) should avoid cold foods such as raw vegetables. For those who tend to be thin and hot (and burn off calories quickly), then raw vegetables may be more beneficial. There are also other very good models for eating out there such a eating for our Blood Type and eating for your Metabolic Type.

Finnish study finds tomato products may cut LDL cholesterol

Tomatoes and tomato products offer many nutritional benefits-and new research suggests that improving your cholesterol may be another one of them. A study from Finland found that people who ate tomato products every day for three weeks lowered their LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 13 percent.

Tomatoes provide the nutrients beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and the antioxidant lycophene that gives tomatoes their characteristic red color.

Editor's Note: Persons who had the lowest serum levels of lycopene, the most abundant carotenoid in the serum, were twice as likely to have macular degeneration when compared to those with the highest levels. Mares-Perlman, et al. Arch Ophthalmol 1995 Dec;113(12):1518-23

Vitamin D and Reduction in Heart Attacks

Based on a recent study, 3/4 of Americans have twice the risk of getting a heart attack due to having a deficiency in Vitamin D, and that supplementing with just 3,000 mg per day of Vitamin D for those with low levels of vitamin D may significantly reduce the likelihood of a heart attack (note that just 18 minutes in the midday sun produces approximately 3,000 mg of vitamin D in the body.)

This study was done at the Institute of Physical Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland,. These researchers also cite that vitamin D has widespread health benefits including reduced risk for falls, fractures, less high blood pressure, cancer prevention, and even fewer dental cavities. The most advantageous serum levels at least 30 nanograms per milliliter (75 nanomoles/liter), with a higher optimal range for cancer prevention, 36-48 nanograms/milliliter (90-120 nanomole/liter). [Advances Experimental Medicine Biology 624: 55-71, 2008] This translates to more than the suggested 3000 IU in the Archives of Internal Medicine study.

According to a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday in June 2008, a vitamin D deficiency is far more predictive of a future heart attack than cholesterol, says a report due to be published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, June 9, 2008. Vitamin D deficiency is almost totally preventable with dietary supplementation.

Western medicine has chosen to focus on reducing heart attacks through the common prescription of statin drugs to lower cholesterol levels. Yet, according to Dr. John Abramson of Harvard Medical School, statin drugs have not been shown to reduce the risk for a mortal heart attack. [Lancet 2007 Jan 20; 369(9557):168-9] The Therapeutics Letter says only statin drugs like Lipitor prevent only 1 non-mortal heart attack for every 70 healthy adults taking a statin drug for prevention. [Therapeutics Letter 2003; 48:1-2]

Sourced from an article by Bill Sardi.

Omega-3 & Macular Degeneration New 2008 Study

Note: a meta analysis is a study including the result of many separate small studies and results in a higher statistical relevancy

Last month Archives of Ophthalmology published a meta analysis on omega-3 fatty acid and fish intake and its effect on the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

This study identified 274 abstracts, 3 prospective cohort, 3 case-control, and 3 cross-sectional studies.

Using quantitative methods, a high dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids was associated with a 38% reduction in the risk of late AMD. Fish intake (2x per week) was associated with reduced risk of early and late AMD.

More omega-3 and AMD specific studies need to be conducted to further investigate omega-3¹s effect on AMD.

Ref: Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(6):826-833.

Book Review - The CR Way:
Using the Secrets of Calorie Restriction for a Longer, Healthier Life

The CR Way describes the abundant benefits of providing the body with fewer calories than it is accustomed to getting. Forget about deprivation or starvation. The authors advocate eating delicious, nutrient-dense food -- food that delivers maximum nutrition per calorie, the opposite of empty calories. This book provides a step-by-step plan for reaping these benefits. It shows readers how to craft a healthful lifestyle that fits their preferences and degrees of commitment.

"The CR Way: Using the Secrets of Calorie Restriction for a Longer, Healthier Life" by Paul McGlothin and Meredith Averill

Direct Cell Phone Use Against the Ear May Result in Higher Incidence of Brain Tumors

The number of mobile phone users worldwide soared to over 3.3 billion by the end of 2007, a total penetration rate of 49 percent.

Over the next decade or two, we may be facing a dramatic increase in brain diseases (cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, acoustic neuromas), which some scientists expect to grow to 500,000 cases by 2010, and over a million cases in the U.S. alone by 2015. Every time you use a cell phone, you are exposing your brain to dangerous and potentially cancer-causing radiation.

The greatest threat is to users in developing nations, where the cells phones are replacing land line phone completely. Cell phones account for nearly 90 percent of all telephone use in Africa. India and China added 154 million and 143 million new subscribers respectively.

Use of cell phones should always be accompanied by headphones, particularly ones designed to help further shield against the EFT waves. Here are some specific tips:

• Keep the cell phone at least 6 inches from your body
.
• Use land lines whenever possible
• Turn the cell phones off when not in use
• Reduce or eliminate your use of other wireless devices

For more tips and research information, see articles.mercola.com

Lemon-Roasted Beets, Brussel Sprouts and Yams

Recipe from "Going Wild in the Kitchen". To order this book, go to www.lesliecerier.com

In this colorful dish, a vegetable medley is roasted in a delicious Mediterranean-style lemon and caper sauce.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings