Broccoli Could Reverse The Heart Damaging Effects Of Diabetes

Broccoli Could Reverse The Heart Damaging Effects Of Diabetes: "ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2008) — Researchers have discovered eating broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels...a broccoli compound called Sulforaphane. This compound can encourage the body to produce more enzymes to protect the vessels, as well as reduce high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage...Past studies have shown that a diet rich in vegetables – particularly brassica vegetables such as broccoli – is linked to decreased risk of heart disease and stroke...The results of the study showed that Sulforaphane reversed this increase in ROS by 73 per cent...Sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from oxidative stress by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes. The study showed the presence of Sulforaphane in human microvascular cells doubled the activation of nrf2..."

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Compound That Helps Rice Grow Reduces Nerve, Vascular Damage From Diabetes

Compound That Helps Rice Grow Reduces Nerve, Vascular Damage From Diabetes: "ScienceDaily (July 30, 2008)
...Researchers have found that a compound that helps rice seed grow, springs back into action when brown rice is placed in water overnight before cooking, significantly reducing the nerve and vascular damage that often result from diabetes...the growth factor acylated steryl glucosides or ASG, helps normalize blood sugar and enzymes that are out-of-whack in diabetes...Unlike white rice, less-processed brown rice still has some of the germ or growth structure that, after about 24 hours in water, resumes activity. Scientists watched as the resurrected ASG, a growth factor and lipid, helped normalize metabolism...Germination also is known to increase levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, which is believed to have many beneficial health effects such as lowering blood pressure, improving cognition and lowering blood glucose levels."


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Broccoli may undo diabetes damage

BBC NEWS | Health | Broccoli may undo diabetes damage:
2008.08.05
"A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane...It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage. Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes...They recorded a 73% reduction of molecules in the body called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)...Hyperglycaemia can cause levels of ROS to increase three-fold and such high levels can damage human cells...The researchers also found that sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from damage by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes... "

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Exercise boon for obesity, diabetes

Studies show exercise boon for obesity, diabetes - Yahoo! News:
2008.07.28
"Walking a bit more each day can help people control their Type 2 diabetes but obese people trying to keep weight off may need to exercise harder than they had thought... Simply walking 45 minutes more each day helped people with diabetes use blood sugar better...Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scans showed that people who walked 45 minutes more each day burned about 20 percent more fat -- increasing the ability of the muscles to store sugar and help control diabetes... But current exercise guidelines calling for people to get 150 minutes -- 2.5 hours -- each week may not be enough to help the obese keep weight off...people who want to lose weight and keep it off get at least 4-1/2 hours of exercise a week..."

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Herbal Remedy Pau d'Arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa) may reduce Obesity

Herbal Remedy Reduces Obesity And Heart Disease?:
"ScienceDaily (July 8, 2008)
With unprecedented levels of obesity across the Western world, and incidence of associated heart disease, cancer and diabetes rising, there is a major drive to find new treatments. Scientists from Germany have recently discovered that extracts of a traditional herbal remedy derived from Tabebuia impetiginosa can act to delay the absorption of dietary fat in animal models...Dr Roos and his team have shown that Tabebuia extract can reduce levels of triglycerides, a breakdown product of fat, in rats after they have been fed a fatty meal. "This result shows the extract may have a potential use in treating obesity,"...Although it is clear that Tabebuia extract can act to inhibit the absorption of dietary fat, the scientists have not yet identified the exact compounds within the extract that are responsible for the effects."

If you buy Pau d'Arco make sure you are buying it from a sustainable source. The tree is in danger and the rampant logging of the tree has also aided in rainforest destruction... so choose carefully. Nature's Way claims to be good on these counts. I have no connection with them.

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Red Wine's Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity

Red Wine's Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity: "ScienceDaily (Jun. 16, 2008) — Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, reduces the number of fat cells and may one day be used to treat or prevent obesity...Past research found that resveratrol protected laboratory mice that were fed a high-calorie diet from the health problems of obesity, by mimicking the effects of calorie restriction...In the cell-based study, they found that resveratrol inhibited the pre-fat cells from increasing and prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Also, resveratrol hindered fat storage. Most interesting, according to Fischer-Posovszky, was that resveratrol reduced production of certain cytokines (interleukins 6 and 8), substances that may be linked to the development of obesity-related disorders, such as diabetes and clogged coronary arteries. Also, resveratrol stimulated formation of a protein known to decrease the risk of heart attack. Obesity decreases this substance, called adiponectin..."

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Vitamin supplement Benfotiamine not as effective as ads say

Vitamin supplement not as effective as ads say: study - Yahoo! News:
2008.06.11
"...A popular vitamin supplement aimed at diabetics is not as effective as most advertisements for it claim...benfotiamine -- a synthetic derivative of the vitamin B1 -- does not actually dissolve and penetrate cell membranes as well as the researchers say is often claimed...lab tests showed that benfotiamine as sold to consumers was not lipid-soluble -- which means it did not dissolve in organic solvents and oils to boost health by working quickly..."

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Cocoa for Diabetes?

Cocoa for Diabetes?: WebMD
2008.05.27
"Compounds in Cocoa Could Help Ward Off Heart Complications...Patients who drank the high-flavonol cocoa for one month had their blood vessel function improve from severely impaired to normal. Drinking the low-dose flavanol cocoa did not result in any significant changes in blood vessel function...dietary flavonols might have an important impact as part of a healthy diet in the prevention of cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients..."

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Breast-feeding linked to heart-health benefits

Breast-feeding linked to heart-health benefits - Yahoo! News
2007.11.05
"The list of health benefits to children who were breast-fed as babies is growing, with research unveiled on Monday showing they are more likely as adults to have higher levels of "good" cholesterol...Numerous studies have shown babies whose mothers breast-fed them enjoy health advantages over formula-fed babies. These include fewer ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin diseases and allergies, and less likelihood of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity...breast-fed babies are better off in two important heart disease risk factors as adults than bottle-fed babies -- levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and body mass index...Those who were breast-fed were 55 percent more likely to have high average levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol in adulthood than low levels..."The results are intriguing in that they point to this concept that early nutrition or early environmental exposures may affect long-term health," Parikh said ..."

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Boiled Peanuts Pack Big Antioxidant Punch

Boiled Peanuts Pack Big Antioxidant Punch - ScienceDaily
2007.10.29
"...Studies have shown that peanuts contain powerful antioxidants called isoflavones which may reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes and coronary heart diseases. Although the effect of processing on the isoflavone content of legumes has been extensively studied, there has never been such a study on peanuts...Lloyd Walker and colleagues evaluated the effect of boiling and oil- and dry-roasting on peanuts. They found that boiled peanuts - South Carolina's official snack food - contained up to four times more isoflavones than raw peanuts or oil- and dry-roasted ones..."

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Whole grain cereals cut heart failure risk

Whole grain cereals cut heart failure risk: study - Yahoo! News
2007.10.22
"...men who ate a bowl a day of whole grain cereal had a 28 percent lower risk of developing heart failure over a 20-year study..."Eating half a cup to a cup of whole grain breakfast cereal may help lower your blood pressure. It may help lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease," said Dr. Luc Djousse...The more fiber the cereal contains, the more likely you are getting the right type," he added...He suggests looking for 4 grams of fiber or more per serving..."

Bit lazy of the writer not to even ponder the mechanism of action. There's still debate on this and it would be nice to include an update.

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Not all types of fat are harmful

Not all types of fat are harmful - Yahoo! News
2007.10.01
"While it has long been held that too much fat in the liver may result in diabetes, researchers appear to have discovered that not all types of fat are harmful...while all the rodents became obese and the normal mice developed resistance to insulin and became prone to diabetes, the mutant group was free from those problems..."Obesity is a matter of quantity of fats in the body, but it is our new message that the quality of fats could be a new determinant factor for diabetes," said Hitoshi Shimano..."

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"Skinny" gene keeps mice lean

"Skinny" gene keeps mice lean, study finds - Yahoo! News
2007.09.04
"A gene that keeps mice and fruit flies lean might offer a way to prevent obesity and diabetes in people...The gene, discovered more than 50 years ago in fruit flies, makes mice fat when tweaked one way and thin when manipulated another way...The gene, called adp for adipose, was discovered by Winifred Doane, while she was studying infertility in fruit flies as a graduate student at Yale University..."It was always my dream that the drosophila (fruit fly) adipose gene would turn out to be a model for controlling obesity and type 2 diabetes. It looks like it is starting in that direction now,"...Doane said the gene appears to be a regulatory gene, meaning it controls the activity of other genes...In humans, adp is in a region of the genome that is already linked to obesity and diabetes, Graff said...And it is not an all-or-nothing gene, at least not in mice tested in the lab. "This is a volume control -- not on and off. As you get less and less function of protein, you get fatter and fatter, and as you get more and more, you get skinnier and skinner," Graff said... "

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The miracle of vitamin D

I had been working on an entry showing how vitamin D seems to help prevent and sometimes fight a surprisingly large number of diseases. Well I can stop because at QualityCounts (excellent anti-aging/health blog) Bernard Hess has listed the current research on Vitamin D.

See if you don't read the list and want to get some safe sun time tomorrow, or at least pop some D3.

Here's a short list of health disorders vitamin d can either help prevent or fight:

Cancers (so many cancers - refer to the QualityCounts link above)
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Osteoporosis
Hypertension
Obesity
Shortened Telomeres
Macular Disease
Weak Immune System
Multiple Sclerosis MS
Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Stress Fractures
Poor Physical Performance (weakened muscles)
Asthma
Tuberculosis
Gum Disease
Depression
Arthritis

Hey the list goes on and on. It's truly amazing and I hope the health care field wakes up to this. A short while ago my wife, who runs most mornings and gets tan without burning, was chastised by our GP for the tan. I just looked at him at amazement and knew it was time for another doctor. He's older and obviously does not keep up with research (in my experience most doctors shamefully do not - remember how long it took for most GP's to recognize the H. Pylori connection to ulcers?). The general chastising over a tan might have been justified two decades ago. A more educated GP would first ask how the tan was acquired and then if the tan was acquired through burns would express concern and offer advice - including D3 supplementation. It's about time to qualify tans and recognize that some tans can be an indicator of a healthy lifestyle.

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What plastic is safe for bottles these days? #1,#2,#3,#4,#5,#6,#7?

What is safe plastic? The safest appear to be #2, #4, #5.

#7 is to be avoided due to leaching of bisphenol A (BPA). Also avoid #1 found with most bottled water. Avoid #3 and #6. More on these below.

As for BPA bottles, the rule of thumb is if the plastic is cloudy, not crystal clear, and you can squeeze it relatively easy, then it probably does not contain BPA. If the plastic is solid and crystal clear than it is usually polycarbonate - #7 and not safe.

Here's a breakdown.

#1 PETE or PET (NOT SAFE due to antimony leaching)
Polyethylene terephthalate

#2 HDPE (SAFE)
High density polyethylene

#3 PVC or V (NOT SAFE due to phthalates)
Polyvinyl chloride

#4 LDPE (SAFE)
Low density polyethylene

#5 PP (SAFE)
Polypropylene

#6 PS (NOT SAFE for hot liquids, alcohol or fatty foods due to styrene)
Polystyrene

#7 plastics including polycarbonates that contain bisphenol A (BPA) (NOT SAFE due to BPA)
Polycarbonate

The tips being given to avoid BPA and other toxic components of plastic are:

A) Don't microwave using plastic

B) Avoid canned food (not all canned food use plastic liners, so inspect and then avoid if they do)

C) Avoid milk containers that have plastic liners inside

D) Use glass instead of plastic whenever possible

E) Avoid plastic wrap that is made with BPA (Saran is safe)

F) Don't use Lexan items

G) Beware of some Nalgene bottles (the hard ones) - though you can buy safe, soft #4 Nalgene bottles

H) Buy BPA free baby bottles from Medela (Medela is all BPA free - good for them for being ahead of the pack on this) and Born Free. Gerber has a few BPA free bottles, but most have it. Throw away Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Browns, Playtex and other hard plastic bottles. And shame on them for sticking to their guns and using BPA in the face of all the studies. As a new father I will never forget this and I am furious at them! More on this at the Z Recommends. Great blog by the way.

The hard science on BPA listed here in Word format directly from Frederick S. vom Saal, Ph.D. website.

Here is Dr. Weil on the subject and here.
Detroit Free Press/Chicago Tribune here.
ABC News here.
LA Times here.
Short history of bisphenol A from the Washington Post.
Of course Wiki.
National Geographic on the debate. And here on plastics.
Baby 411 article on BPA.

Bit more hard science The Toxic Origins of Disease in PLoS

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Vitamin B1 (thiamine) could help some with diabetes

Diabetes problems 'vitamin link' BBC News 8/7/07 "A simple vitamin deficiency may be the cause of many of the side effects of diabetes, a study suggests. Researchers found people with the disease expelled thiamine - vitamin B1 - from their bodies at 15 times the normal rate in a study of 94 people...thiamine helped ward off complications such as heart disease and eye problems...It is the first time a deficiency of the vitamin, which is found in meat, yeast and grains, has been identified in people with diabetes. It has been missed in the past because of the way thiamine levels were measured...Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "It is early days, but it could have a huge difference..."Around 80% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease and diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the UK's working age population..."

If this proves true it would be amazing for the quality and length of life of those with diabetes.

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U.S. breast feeding rates raise

U.S. breast-feeding rates rise to record high Reuters/Yahoo!News 8/2/07 "...The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 74 percent of American women who gave birth in 2004 breast-fed their babies for at least some period of time...The CDC report found that among infants born in 2004, the rate of exclusive breast-feeding through the first three months after birth was 31 percent, shy of the government's goal of 60 percent, and through six months was 11 percent, below the government target of 25 percent...The report detailed racial and socioeconomic disparities among women who provide their babies exclusively breast milk in these first months, with black, teen-age, rural, less-educated, lower-income and unmarried mothers less likely to do so...The 2004 breast-feeding rate of 74 percent was the highest since such statistics were first kept for U.S. women in the 1950s, Philip said. The lowest rate on record was in 1971, when only 25 percent of mothers breast-fed their infants ...The CDC noted that breast-feeding is associated with decreased risk for many diseases and conditions, including ear infections, respiratory tract infections, sudden infant death syndrome, obesity, eczema and diarrhea...It also is associated with health benefits to women, CDC said, including decreased risk for the most common form of diabetes, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. "Something I think a lot of people may not realize is that there are benefits to the mother as well as the child," Philip said"

An encouraging trend, but not nearly as eye popping at the story would at first present. 31% isn't much for 3 months and 11% is pathetic for 6 months. So it's a victory, although a rather shallow one.

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Calcium, Vitamin D lower diabetes risk

Calcium, vitamin D may lower diabetes risk Reuters/Yahoo!News 7/16/07 "Calcium and vitamin D, whether from food or supplements, may help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes...people with the highest intakes of vitamin D and calcium had an 18 percent lower risk of diabetes than those with the lowest intakes...Similarly, people who ate the most dairy food had a 14 percent lower diabetes risk than those who ate the least dairy...authors, led by Dr. Anastassios G. Pittas...Both nutrients may be important in the functioning of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and in the body's proper use of insulin..."

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Glycemic index linked with risk of AMD

Link Between Carbohydrate Quality And Vision Loss ScienceDaily 7/13/07 "Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated vision loss may be connected to the quality of carbohydrates an individual consumes...confirmed earlier findings linking dietary glycemic index with the risk of developing AMD..."Our findings suggest that 20 percent of the cases of advanced AMD might have been prevented if those individuals had consumed a diet with a glycemic index below the average for their age and gender,"..."Our results support our hypothesis," says Taylor, "that dietary glycemic index, which has been related to the risk of diabetes, is also associated with the risk and severity of AMD." Taylor speculates that carbohydrates that comprise a high-glycemic-index diet may provide eye tissue"It is possible that the type of damage produced by poor quality carbohydrates on eye tissue is similar in both diabetic eye disease and AMD." ..."

No doubt as the eyes go, so do a variety of organs. Glycemic index and glycemic load appears to get more and more important. More info on both here.

Little doubt that this also holds true for our pets.

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Being sedentary raises blood sugar

Sedentary behavior linked to high blood sugar Reuters/Scientific American 3/28/07 "People who tend to be sedentary -- as indicated by the amount of time they spend watching television -- are likely to have high levels of glucose in their blood, even though they may not be diabetic...After accounting for physical activity time and for factors that can affect blood glucose, the investigators found that the more time women spent television viewing, the higher were their blood glucose levels two hours after they took the glucose test-drink. This was not seen in men, according to the team's report in the medical journal Diabetes Care..."The findings reinforce the case for a strong focus in diabetes and obesity research on sedentary behaviors, such as television viewing, in addition to the now well-established base of evidence on the importance of increasing physical activity,""

Higher levels of blood sugar = greater risk of a variety of diseases = increased chance of early mortality. The simple answer, although it can be hard in practice is to drag your ass out of that chair and get your heart rate up for 30+ minutes 5 days a week. Start slow and easy and gradually increase workout intensity. The benefits of this are massive - as a quick pubmed dump on the topic proves - or a more organized NIH education site. As if we haven't know this forever. And yet... obesity and type 2 diabetes are on the rise - the latter being almost totally preventable and reversible if caught early enough.


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