Junk Food Linked to Alzheimer's Brain Shrinkage

Consumption of junk food diets containing high levels of trans fats may lead to brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's while consumption of foods high in vitamins offer protection, says new research. Published in the journal Neurology, the study found elderly people with diets containing high levels of trans fats are more likely to experience brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people who consume less of the artery damaging fats.

The research team, led by Dr Gene Bowman of Oregon Health & Science University,also found that those with high levels of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental alertness tests and showed reduced brain shrinkage."High trans fat was associated with less favorable congnitive function and less total cerebral brain volume," explained Bowman and his team. They said the results of their analysis had revealed "distinct nutrient biomarker patterns" that accounts for "a significant degree of variance in both congnitive function and brain volume." Bowman added that the positive effects were seen when people had high levels of vitamins B, C, D, E and omega-3 fatty acids.

Though trace amounts of trans fats are found naturally in dairy and meats, the vast majority are formed during the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil that converts the oil into semi-solids for food appication. Trans fats are attractive for the food industry due to their extended shelf life and flavor stability, and have displaced natural solid fats and liquid oils in many areas of food processing. However, scientific reports have suggested trans fatty acids raise levels of (bad)LDL-cholesterol, reduce levels of (good) HDL-cholesterol, and influence other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

New Drugs for Multiple Sclerosis

After decades of basic research on Multiple Sclerosis, the past five years have brought a rapid rollout of new and sophisticated drugs that are changing how this disease is managed and offering patients new hope.Two of these news drugs are Tysabri and Ampyra.

"We have a disease that's gone from having no treatments 20 years ago to having multiple treatment options," said Dr Timothy Coetzee, the chief research officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "There is a growing recognition that MS is becoming a manageable disease." In MS, the body's immune system damages neurons in the brain and spinal cord, attacking the myelin sheath that insulates these nerves. About 85 percent of patients start out with what is called relapsing-remitting MS, charaterized by flare ups or attacks that cause lesions to form on the brain and that affect the ability to walk, to see and to control the bladder, among other neurolical impairments.

These attacks are short lived, and patients typically recover from them. But more than half of patients eventually develop a progressive form of MS, causing the permanent loss of these functions. Doctors can now choose from eight disease modifying drugs, which relapses and thereby slow the progression of the disease. Some of the drugs also prevent brain neurons from dying off, now thought to be a major cause of permanent disability. There have also been advances in treating specific symptoms of MS. Within the past two years, three medicines have been approved specifically for MS symptoms: Ampyra to improve walking, Nuedexta for uncontrollable laughing or crying, and botox for urinary incontinence and spasticity in upper limbs.

"We're shooting for disease free status, where someone with MS is on a medicine and has not sign of MS," said Dr. Richard Rudick, director of the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research at the Cleveland Clinic. The first generation of MS drugs included mostly immune suppressing interferons delivered via injection or infusion. These are still the most widely used, reducing relapses by about one third. The new drugs are more sophisticated, targeting specific molecules involved in the disease, rather than simply tamping down the immune system to reduce inflammation in the brain.

Wonderful Health Benefits of the Lowly Potato

The potato is the second most consumed food in the United States, trailing only milk products. The average American eats 120 pounds of potatoes a year. That is 365 per person; or a potato a day. Potatoes are an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Potatoes are available year round as they are harvested somewhere every month of the year.

The potato belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. They are the swollen portion of the underground stem which is called a tuber and is designed to provide food for the green leafy portion of the plant. If allowed to flower and fruit, the potato plant will bear an inedible fruit resembling a tomato.

Potatoes are a very popular food source. Unfortunately, most people eat potatoes in the form of greasy French fries and potato chips, and even baked potatoes are typically loaded down with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese and bacon bits. Such treatment can make even baked potatoes a potenial contributor to a heart attack. But take away the extra fat and deep frying, and the baked potato is an exceptionally healthful low calorie, high fiber food that offers significant protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. They also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well an unique tuber storage proteins, such as patain, which exhibit activity against free radicals. A new analytical method developed by Agricultural Research Serice plant geneticist, Roy Navarre, has identified 60 different kinds of phytochemicals and vitamins in the skins and flesh of 100 wild and commerically grown potatoes. Analysis of Red and Norkotah potatoes revealed that these potatoes phenolic content rivals that of broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts, and includes flavonoids with protective activity against cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and certain cancers. Navarre's team also identified potatoes with high levels of vitamin C, folic acid, quercetin and kukoamines. UK scientists at the Institute for Food Research have identified blood pressure lowering compounds called kukoamines in potatoes. They also contain high amounts of vitamin B6. About a cup contains 21 per cent of the daily requirement of this important vitamin. Vitamin B6 is involved in more than 100 enzymatic reactions. Enzymes are proteins that help chemical reactions take place, so vitamin B6 is active virtually everywhere in the body. Many of the building blocks of protein, amino acids, require B6 for their systhesis, as do the nucleic acids used in the creation of our DNA. Because amino and nucleic acids are such critical parts of new cell formation, vitamin B6 is essential for the formation of virtually all new cells in the body. Heme (the protein center of our red blood cells) and phospholipids (cell membrane components that enable messaging between cells) also depend on vitamin B6 for their creation. A single baked potato will also provide you with 11.7 per cent of the daily value for fiber, but remember the fiber in potatoes is mostly in their skin. If you want the cholesterol lowering, colon cancer preventing, and bowel supportive effects of fiber, be sure to eat the potato's flavorful skin as well as its creamy center.

Take the Wrong kind of Vitamin D Increases Death Rate by 2 Percent!

When the sun strikes you skin, vitamin D3 is produced by your body. This is the best source of Vitamin D3. The second best source of Vitamin D3 is to take supplements. Drisdol and Calcitriol are synthetic forms of vitamin D2; the form of vitamin D typically prescribed by doctors. But, this is NOT the type produced by your body in response to sun or safe tanning bed exposure. A recent meta analysis by the Cochrane Databae looked at mortality rates for people who supplemented their diets with vitamin D2 versus those who did so with vitamin D3, the form naturally produced by your body. The analysis of 50 randomized controlled trials, which included a total of 94,000 participants, showed: a six percent relative risk REDUCTION among those who used vitamin D3, but, a two percent relative risk INCREASE among those who used Vitamin D2.

Research shows vitgamin D3 is approximnately 87 percent more potent in raising and maintaining vitamin D concentrations and produces two to three fold greater storage of vitamin D than does vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 is also converted into its active form 500 percent faster.

Optimizing you vitamin D levels may be one of the most important steps you can take in support of your long term health. The ideal way to do this is by exposing large amounts of skin to sunlight or a safe tanning bed, but if you need to use an oral supplement, make sure you are taking Vitamin D3. The most important factor is your vitamin D serum level, which should ideally be between 50-70 ng/ml. When taking an oral vitamin D3 supplement, you should take enought to reach and maintain this therapeutic level. As a generic guideline, adults need to take about 8,000 international units (IU's) a day to reach this level. Optimizing your vitamin D levels may be one of the most important steps you can take in support of your long term health. There is overwhelming evidence that vitamin D is a key player in your overall health. This is understandable when you consider that is is not just a vitamin; it is actually a neuroregulator steroidal hormone that influences nearly 3,000 different genes in your body. Receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones. Just one example of an important gene that vitamin D regulates is your ability to fight infections, as well as chronic inflammation. it produces over 200 antimicrobial peptides, the most important of which is cathelicidin, a naturally occurring broad spectrum antibiotic. THIS IS ONE REASON WHY VITAMIN D3 CAN BE SO EFFECTIVE AGAINST COLDS AND INFLUENZA. The widespread vitamin D deficiency seen today is thought to be an important reason for many chronic diseases.

The Health Benefits of Coconut Water

Coconut water is the liquid part of the young coconut. When coconuts are immature, the endosperm or kernel is semisolid and jelly like. As the coconut matures, the endosperm becomes more solid and fibrous, developing into the firmer coconut meat with which we are familiar. As the coconut matures, the water inside is replaced by more coconut meat and air, so it best to harvest the water when the coconut is young.

Water from young immature coconuts offers a long and growing list of health benefits, distinct from the benefits of its counterpart, coconut oil. Coconut water is a powerhouse of natural electrolytes, vitamins, minerals trace elements, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients, and is low in sugar, but pleasantly sweet. It's great for post exercise rehydration, but also has anti-inflammatory properties, protects your heart and urinary tract, is a digestive tonic, improves your skin and eyes, supports good immune function, and can even help balance your blood glucose and insulin levels.

Coconut water is the richest dietary source of cytokinins, plant hormones that have anti-cancer, anti-aging, and anti-thrombolytic benefits in humans. Because coconut water is isotonic and sterile it is very similar to blood plasma and has been used intravenously in emerency situations for more than 60 years. Cytokinins found in coconut water have been found to exert an anti-aging effect on human cells and tissues. When human cells are exposed to cytokinins, aging slows down considerably. Cells treated with cytokinins don't undergo the normal degenerative changes. Researchers have suggested that if you consume a diet rich in cytokinins, you may experience anti-aging effects and have less risk for degenerative and age related diseases. Coconut water is the richest natural dietary source of cytokinins.

Cytokinins have also been found to have anti-thrombolytic properties so may lower your risk for blood clots. According to Dr. Bruce Fife, "In regulating cell growth, cytokinins prevent the mistakes that may lead to the development of cancer. Normal cells are kept healthy while cancerous cells are programmed to die, preventing them from growing and spreading. Subsequently, the anti-cancer effects of cytokinins have been well documented." High levels of mineral ions, especially potassium, in coconut water have been found to help prevent heart attacks. In one study 71 percent of people who drank coconut water experienced lower blood pressures.

Vitamin D3 Cuts Cancers by 60 Percent

Despite all the bad press linking sun exposure to skin cancer, there's no evidence at all to support it. There is, however, plenty of evidence to the contrary. Over the years, several studies have confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps prevent skin cancer and other cancers as well. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure, and can be increased by sunscreens.

There are two primary types of UV rays from sunlight, the vitamin D producing UVB rays and the skin damaging UVA light. Both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, although UVB does so far more rapidly. UVA, however, penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB, and is the major factor in photoaging, wrinkles and skin cancers. The rising rates of melanoma documented over the last three decades are not due to sun exposure as often stated; researchers instead believe they are due to an increease in diagnoses of non-cancerous lesions classified, misleadingly, as "stage 1 melanoma". In other words non-cancerous lesions have now been classified as cancerous. This is the main reason that melanoma rates have tripled in the last 30 years. Exposure to sunlight, particularly UVB is protective against melanoma, or rather, the vitamin D3 your body produces in response to UVB radiation is protective. Optimizing your vitamin D3 levels through proper sun exposure or use of a safe tanning bed can reduce your risk of skin cancer and as many as 16 different types of cancer. The sun is your best source of vitamin D3 because when you expose your skin to sunshine, your skin synthesizes vitamin D3 sulfate. This form of vitamin D3 is water soluble and can travel freely in your bloodstream, unlike oral vitamin D3 supplements. Vitamin D3 is a steroid hormone that influences virtually every cell in your body, and is easily one of nature's most potent cancer fighters. So I want to stress again that if you are shunning all sun exposure, you are missing out on this natural cancer protection. Your organs can convert the vitamin D3 in your bloodstream into calcitriol, which is the hormonal or activated version of vitamin D3. Your organs then use it to repair damage, including damage from cancer cells and tumors. Vitamin D3 protective effect against cancer works in multiple ways, including: Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer). Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells. Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentation). Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous. This applies not only to skin cancer but other types of cancer as well. Theories linking vitamin D3 to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies, according to epidemiologist Cedric Garland, professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Some 600,000 cases of breast and colorectal cancers could be prevented each year if vitamin D3 levels among populations worldwide were increased, according to previous research by Dr Garland and colleagues. Optimizing your vitamin D3 levels could help you to prevent at least 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate, and skin cancers. Light-skinned women who had high amounts of long term sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer (cancer that spreads beyond your breast) as women with lower amounts of regular sun exposure, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The best source of Vitamin D3 is the sun, so a person should get a reasonable amount of sun exposure such a walking, outdoor activities and gardening. However, if you are on a tight schedule or it is winter time, it is a good idea to take vitamin D3 supplements. Most research suggests adults need about 8,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 a day.

B Vitamins Slow Memory Loss

Daily supplements of B vitamins slow the decline in mental function in people with mild cognitive impairment, says a new clinical trial. A daily combination of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 was associated with a 30 percent reduction in levels of the amino acid homocysteine and improvements in a range of mental tests.

"One interpretation of the data is that lowing homocysteine concentrations by administering B vitamins slows brain atrophy, which in turn slows both cognitive and clinical decline," wrote researchers from the University of Oxford and the Unviersity of Oslo. "Such an interpretation is consistent with several studies showing that whole brain atrophy rate is strongly correlated with decline in various cognitive measures. Wasting in the brain, or atrophy, is a common symptom of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and can be an early warning to signs of dementia. One important factor determining the rate of atrophy appears to be raised concentations of the amino acid homocysteine. Previously, epidemiological studies have reported that high levels of homocyseine are associated with suspected or confirmed dementia. The farmingham study reported that people with homocysteine levels above 14 micromoles per liter of serum had twice the risk of dementia. Tissue and plasma concentrations of homocysteine are know to be determined by viamin B levels, as they are cofactors for enzymes involved in homocysteine metabolism. The new study investigated the links between vitamin B supplementation, homocysteine levels and cognitive function. The Vitacog study involved 266 people over the age of 70 with diagnosed mild cognitive impairment. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a B vitamin supplement providing 0.8 mg per day of folic acid, 0.5 mg of vitamin B12 and 20 mg of vitamin B6 for two years. At the end of the study the researchers report that homocysteine levels decreased by an average of 30 percent in the B vitamin group compared with the placebo. In addition, executive mental function was stablized in the B vitamin group compared with the placebo. When the Oxford and Oslo based scientist looked specifically at people with high homocysteine levels (greater than 11.3 micromoles per liter) they found that vitamin B supplementation was associated with significant improvements in global cognition, episodic memory and semantic memory.