New Anti-cancer Components Of Extra-virgin Olive Oil Revealed: "ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2008) — Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, ‘phytochemicals’, that can trigger cancer cell death...“Our findings reveal for the first time that all the major complex phenols present in extra-virgin olive oil drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2 in human breast cancer cells”...Extra-virgin olive oil is the oil that results from pressing olives without the use of heat or chemical treatments. It contains phytochemicals that are otherwise lost in the refining process. Menendez and colleagues separated the oil into fractions and tested these against breast cancer cells in lab experiments. All the fractions containing the major extra-virgin phytochemical polyphenols (lignans and secoiridoids) were found to effectively inhibit HER2...“The active phytochemicals (i.e. lignans and secoiridoids) exhibited tumoricidal effects against cultured breast cancer cells at concentrations that are unlikely to be achieved in real life by consuming olive oil”..."
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Twin Study Defines Shared Features Of Human Gut Microbial Communities: Variations Linked To Obesity
Twin Study Defines Shared Features Of Human Gut Microbial Communities: Variations Linked To Obesity:
ScienceDaily 2008.12.02
"'This suggests that early environmental exposures play a key role in determining which microbes colonize our intestinal tracts,' Gordon says. 'It appears that we acquire an enormous number of genes - in the form of our microbial genes - from our early environment.' These microbial genes, together with our human genes, form our 'metagenome.'...The current research is part of the ongoing human microbiome project, which seeks to not only catalog the microbial species and genes associated with healthy bodies and certain disease states, but to understand how our microbial communities function. Microbial cells are estimated to outnumber human cells by a factor of ten to one. Collectively, the microbes are estimated to carry far more than the 20,000 genes that make up the DNA that we inherit from our parents..."
related:
Gut Check: Microbes Colonize Newborns' Digestive Tracts: "ScienceDaily (June 26, 2007) — For more than 100 years, scientists have known that humans carry a rich ecosystem within their intestines. An astonishing number and variety of microbes, including as many as 400 species of bacteria, help humans digest food, mitigate disease, regulate fat storage, and even promote the formation of blood vessels. By applying sophisticated genetic analysis to samples of a year's worth baby poop, Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have now developed a detailed picture of how these bacteria come and go in the intestinal tract during a child's first year of life...Before birth, the human intestinal tract is sterile, but babies immediately begin to acquire the microbial denizens of the gut from their environment -- the birth canal, mothers' breast, and even the touch of a sibling or parent. Within days, a thriving microbial community is established and by adulthood, the human body typically has as many as ten times more microbial cells than human cells. This is primarily due to the large number of microorganisms that have taken up residence in the intestine...intestinal microbial communities varied widely from baby to baby -- both in terms of which microbes were present and in how that composition changed over time. That finding, she said, is important because it helps broaden the definition of healthy microbial colonization in a baby...Another intriguing observation, Palmer noted, was a tendency for sudden shifts in the composition of the infants' intestinal microbial communities over time as different species of bacteria ebbed and flowed... Over time, however, the composition of the intestinal microbial communities converged toward a more generic profile characteristic of the adult intestine..."
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
ScienceDaily 2008.12.02
"'This suggests that early environmental exposures play a key role in determining which microbes colonize our intestinal tracts,' Gordon says. 'It appears that we acquire an enormous number of genes - in the form of our microbial genes - from our early environment.' These microbial genes, together with our human genes, form our 'metagenome.'...The current research is part of the ongoing human microbiome project, which seeks to not only catalog the microbial species and genes associated with healthy bodies and certain disease states, but to understand how our microbial communities function. Microbial cells are estimated to outnumber human cells by a factor of ten to one. Collectively, the microbes are estimated to carry far more than the 20,000 genes that make up the DNA that we inherit from our parents..."
related:
Gut Check: Microbes Colonize Newborns' Digestive Tracts: "ScienceDaily (June 26, 2007) — For more than 100 years, scientists have known that humans carry a rich ecosystem within their intestines. An astonishing number and variety of microbes, including as many as 400 species of bacteria, help humans digest food, mitigate disease, regulate fat storage, and even promote the formation of blood vessels. By applying sophisticated genetic analysis to samples of a year's worth baby poop, Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have now developed a detailed picture of how these bacteria come and go in the intestinal tract during a child's first year of life...Before birth, the human intestinal tract is sterile, but babies immediately begin to acquire the microbial denizens of the gut from their environment -- the birth canal, mothers' breast, and even the touch of a sibling or parent. Within days, a thriving microbial community is established and by adulthood, the human body typically has as many as ten times more microbial cells than human cells. This is primarily due to the large number of microorganisms that have taken up residence in the intestine...intestinal microbial communities varied widely from baby to baby -- both in terms of which microbes were present and in how that composition changed over time. That finding, she said, is important because it helps broaden the definition of healthy microbial colonization in a baby...Another intriguing observation, Palmer noted, was a tendency for sudden shifts in the composition of the infants' intestinal microbial communities over time as different species of bacteria ebbed and flowed... Over time, however, the composition of the intestinal microbial communities converged toward a more generic profile characteristic of the adult intestine..."
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
Broccoli Compound Targets Key Enzyme In Late-stage Cancer
Broccoli Compound Targets Key Enzyme In Late-stage Cancer: "ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2008) — An anti-cancer compound found in broccoli and cabbage works by lowering the activity of an enzyme associated with rapidly advancing breast cancer...indole-3-carbinol, is already undergoing clinical trials in humans because it was found to stop the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells in mice..."I think one of the real uses of this compound and its derivatives is combining it with other kinds of therapies, such as tamoxifen for breast cancer and anti-androgens for prostate cancer," said coauthor Gary Firestone, UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology. "Humans have co-evolved with cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, so this natural source has a lot fewer side effects."...I3C inhibits the enzyme elastase, which at high levels in breast cancer cells heralds a poor prognosis: decreased response to chemotherapy, reduced response to endocrine treatment and reduced survival rates...Elastase is an enzyme that shortens a cellular chemical, cyclin E, that is involved in controlling the cell cycle. The shortened version of cyclin E accelerates the cell cycle, making cancer cells proliferate faster. Firestone showed that I3C prevents the elastase shortening of cyclin E, thereby arresting development of breast cancer cells...In previous work, they found that indole-3-carbinol interferes with more than cell proliferation. It also disrupts the migration and alters adhesion properties of cancer cells, as well as counteracts the survival ability of cancer cells, all of which are implicated in cancer cell growth. To have such broad downstream effects, I3C must act at the beginning of a major cellular pathway, Firestone said. The newly reported research pins this activity to elastase and its effect on cyclin E..."
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble
Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble: "ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2008) — Vitamin D deficiency—which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness—may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure..."Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated,"...Vitamin D deficiency also alters hormone levels and immune function, which can increase the risk of diabetes, a major contributor to CVD...patients with vitamin D levels below 15 ng/ml were twice as likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or other CV event within the next five years compared to those with higher levels..."We are outside less than we used to be, and older adults and people who are overweight or obese are less efficient at making vitamin D in response to sunlight," said Dr. O'Keefe. "A little bit of sunshine is a good thing, but the use of sunscreen to guard against skin cancer is important if you plan to be outside for more than 15 to 30 of intense sunlight exposure."...
In the absence of clinical guidelines, the authors outline specific recommendations for restoring and maintaining optimal vitamin D levels in CV patients. These patients should initially be treated with 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 or D3 once weekly for 8 to 12 weeks. Maintenance therapy should be continued using one of the following strategies:
- 50,000 IU vitamin D2 or D3every 2 weeks;
- 1,000 to 2,000 IU vitamin D3 daily;
- Sunlight exposure for 10 minutes for Caucasian patients (longer for people with increased skin pigmentation) between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m."
Exercise Helps Prevent Age-related Brain Changes In Older Adults
Exercise Helps Prevent Age-related Brain Changes In Older Adults: "ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2008) — Older adults who exercise regularly show increased cerebral blood flow and a greater number of small blood vessels in the brain..."Our results show that exercise may reduce age-related changes in brain vasculature and blood flow," said presenter Feraz Rahman, M.S., currently a medical student at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. "Other studies have shown that exercise prevents cognitive decline in the elderly. The blood vessel and flow differences may be one reason."..."
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
Eating Eggs When Pregnant (choline) lowers chance of getting aggressive breast cancer in offspring
Eating Eggs When Pregnant Affects Breast Cancer In Offspring:
ScienceDaily 2008.12.02
"The researchers made the discovery in rats by studying females whose mothers were fed varying amounts of choline during pregnancy. Different groups of pregnant rats received diets containing standard amounts of choline, no choline at all, or extra choline. Then the researchers treated the female offspring with a chemical that causes cancer of the mammary gland (breast cancer). Although animals in all groups developed mammary cancer, the daughters of mothers that had received extra choline during pregnancy had slow growing tumors while daughters of mothers that had no choline during pregnancy had fast growing tumors...The researchers also found multiple genetic and molecular changes in the rats' tumors that correlated with survival outcomes. For example, the slow growing tumors in rats had a genetic pattern similar to those seen in breast cancers of women who are considered to have a good prognosis. The fast growing tumors in mice had a pattern of genetic changes similar to those seen in women with a more aggressive disease. The researchers also found evidence that these genetic changes may result from the way that choline affects modifications of the DNA within the mammary gland of fetuses as they develop in the womb..."
And of course the evidence that choline improves the memory of your children.
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
ScienceDaily 2008.12.02
"The researchers made the discovery in rats by studying females whose mothers were fed varying amounts of choline during pregnancy. Different groups of pregnant rats received diets containing standard amounts of choline, no choline at all, or extra choline. Then the researchers treated the female offspring with a chemical that causes cancer of the mammary gland (breast cancer). Although animals in all groups developed mammary cancer, the daughters of mothers that had received extra choline during pregnancy had slow growing tumors while daughters of mothers that had no choline during pregnancy had fast growing tumors...The researchers also found multiple genetic and molecular changes in the rats' tumors that correlated with survival outcomes. For example, the slow growing tumors in rats had a genetic pattern similar to those seen in breast cancers of women who are considered to have a good prognosis. The fast growing tumors in mice had a pattern of genetic changes similar to those seen in women with a more aggressive disease. The researchers also found evidence that these genetic changes may result from the way that choline affects modifications of the DNA within the mammary gland of fetuses as they develop in the womb..."
And of course the evidence that choline improves the memory of your children.
DogVitals natural antioxidant supplement - helping dogs health from the inside out
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