Dr. John's Health Matters
Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)
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Posts tagged "C"
Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2009 ↓Antioxidants Not Associated With Increased Melanoma Risk →
Sept 1. 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Antioxidant supplements do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of melanoma, according to a new report.
A recent randomized trial of antioxidants for cancer prevention found that daily supplementation with nutritionally appropriate doses of vitamins C and E, beta carotene, selenium and zinc appeared to increase the risk of melanoma in women four-fold, according to background information in the article. Because an estimated 48 percent to 55 percent of U.S. adults use vitamin or mineral supplements regularly, the potential harmful effects of these nutrients is alarming, the authors note.
Maryam M. Asgari, M.D., M.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, and colleagues examined the association between antioxidants and melanoma among 69,671 women and men who were participating in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study, designed to examine supplement use and cancer risk. At the beginning of the study, between 2000 and 2002, participants completed a 24-page questionnaire about lifestyle factors, health history, diet, supplement use and other cancer risk factors.
Intake of multivitamins and supplements during the previous 10 years, including selenium and beta carotene, was not associated with melanoma risk in either women or men. The researchers also examined the risk of melanoma associated with long-term use of supplemental beta carotene and selenium at doses comparable to the previous study and found no association.
“Consistent with the present results, case-control studies examining serologic [blood] levels of beta carotene, vitamin E and selenium did not find any association with subsequent risk of melanoma,” the authors write. “Moreover, the Nurses’ Health Study reported no association between intake of vitamins A, C and E and melanoma risk in 162,000 women during more than 1.6 million person-years of follow-up.”
For full article, see link above.
Tags: antioxidant supplement vitamin mineral C e beta carotene selenium zinc cancer risk nutrient melanoma lifestyle multivitamin
Blueberry Leaves May Heal Hepatitis C →
Aug 15, 2009(NaturalNews.com) —Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Although the infection can be mild and not even produce noticeable symptoms, once established in the body chronic hepatitis C infection can progress to fibrosis (when the liver is scarred), cirrhosis, liver failure and even liver cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the virus becomes persistent and chronically infects the liver in about 85 percent of those who contract HCV. Persistent infection is treated by western medicine with medications like peginterferon and ribavirin. And while it’s true these drugs can wipe out the infection, they are only effective about half the time and they can produce very severe, debilitating side effects. So people who aren’t cured by the drugs and who go on to develop cirrhosis or liver cancer may face death from the infection or require a liver transplant.
But now there’s another avenue of hope for the 270 to 300 million people who are infected with hepatitis C worldwide. Research just published in the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Journal of Biochemistry (JVC) concludes a chemical found in blueberry leaves actually blocks the replication of the hepatitis C virus, shutting it down. This finding could open up a new and natural avenue for treating chronic HCV infections, according to scientist Hiroaki Kataoka and colleagues at the University of Miyazaki in Japan.
Because HCV is localized in the liver and can take two decades or more to develop into significant disease, Kataoka and colleagues reasoned a dietary supplement might help slow or stop disease progression over the years. They decided to screen around 300 different agricultural products for potential compounds that might be effective at suppressing HCV replication. The results? They uncovered a strong candidate for a natural HCV fighter — the leaves of the rabbit-eye blueberry, a plant native to the southeastern US.
For full aticle see link above.
Tags: blueberries cirrhosis liver virus cancer treatment hepatitis c infection supplement proanthocyandin
Durian is the Healing King of All Fruits →
Aug 8, 2009 (Naturalnews.com)—Durian is a little known fruit from Asia that has an extremely pungent smell and an amazingly sweet taste. The smell of the durian fruit is so bad that many hotels in the areas where durian grows will not allow their guests to have the fruit in their rooms. But those who brave the smell are quickly won over by its beautiful taste and amazing health benefits. Unlike most fruits the durian is left to fall from the tree as this is a sign that it is ripe to eat. People in the local villages of South East Asia, where the durian is most common, call it “The King of Fruits,” and they will clear the floor under the trees near to harvest time and then camp near them for up to two months just to make sure they get the fruit at its peak. This is a truly exceptional and healing fruit.
Traditionally the durian fruit was seen as a powerful aphrodisiac, while women would eat the ashes from burnt durian skins to help them recover after child birth. But concoctions made from the leaves of the durian tree were also used to help reduce swelling and cure skin disease. More recently nutritionists have claimed that the durian fruit can help lower cholesterol and cleanse the blood as well as cure jaundice and alleviate fevers.
Experts even say that you can rid yourself of yeast infections such as thrush through eating the durian fruit. This is because of the durian’s high iron content that helps the white blood cells in our body make specific chemicals that kill off the infection.
The durian is also packed with amino acids as well as Vitamins B, C and E and many people are even comparing the sweet custard like centre of the durian fruit to the goji berry for its high levels of anti oxidants. These anti oxidants help slow down the destruction of cells from free radicals such as pollution and smoking; in doing so, they decrease the effects of aging on the skin giving you a younger more refreshed look.
For full article see the link above.
Tags: fruit durian aphrodisiac swelling skin disease cholesterol blood cleanse jaundice fever yeast infection iron vittamin b c antioxidant aging prevention
Hepatitis Healing Power Of Blueberry Leaves →
Aug 7, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A chemical found in blueberry leaves has shown a strong effect in blocking the replication of the Hepatitis C virus, opening up a new avenue for treating chronic HCV infections, which affect 200 million people worldwide and can eventually lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Among the areas of especially high Hepatitis C incidence is the Miyazaki prefecture of southern Japan, a trend that led Hiroaki Kataoka and colleagues at the University of Miyazaki and elsewhere in Japan on a search for better treatment options. Currently, there is no vaccine for HCV, and though a combination drug regimen can clear HCV infection, this treatment is only about 60% effective on average and poses risks of severe side effects.
Kataoka and colleagues believed that since HCV is localized in the liver and can take 20 years or more to develop into disease, a dietary supplement might help slow or stop disease progression. So they screened nearly 300 different agricultural products for potential compounds that suppress HCV replication and uncovered a strong candidate in the leaves of rabbit-eye blueberry (native to the southeastern US).
They purified the compound and identified it as proanthocyandin (a polyphenol similar to the beneficial chemicals found in grapes and wine). While proanthocyandin can be harmful, Kataoka and colleagues noted its effective concentration against HCV was 100 times less than the toxic threshold, and similar chemicals are found in many edible plants, suggesting it should be safe as a dietary supplement. In the meantime, the researchers now hope to explore the detailed mechanisms of how this chemical stops HCV replication.
Journal reference:
- Masahiko Takeshita, Yo-ichi Ishida, Ena Akamatsu, Yusuke Ohmori, Masayuki Sudoh, Hirofumi Uto, Hirohito Tsubouchi, and Hiroaki Kataoka. Proanthocyanidin from Blueberry Leaves Suppresses Expression of Subgenomic Hepatitis C Virus RNA. J. Biol. Chem., 2009; 284: 21165-21176 [link]
Tags: blueberry leaves leaf blocking hepatitis C virus infection liver cancer cirrhosis prevention supplement diet progression proanthocyandin polyphenol
Multivitamins may lower heart disease death risk →
July 20, 2009 (nutraingredients.com)—Long-term regular consumption of a multivitamin may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 16 per cent, according to a new study from the US.
Intakes of vitamin E over 215 milligrams per day over the course of ten years were also associated with a 28 per cent reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
The news supports the use of multivitamins and particularly vitamin E, much-maligned and linked to increased risk of ‘all-cause mortality’ in a controversial meta-analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2004.
The new study, led by Gaia Pocobelli from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at the University of Washington, also contradicts conclusions from a controversial meta-analysis published originally in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2007, Vol. 297, pp. 842-857). The meta-analysis reported that supplements of vitamins A and E, and beta-carotene may increase mortality risk by up to 16 per cent. On the other hand, vitamin C did not have an effect on mortality.
In terms of other causes of death, Pocobelli report that multivitamins did not decrease the risk of either total mortality, or cancer mortality. On the other hand, vitamins C and E were associated with small decreases in risk of total mortality.
For full article see link above.
Tags: salsa exercise fitness nutrition diet antioxidant againg cancer tomato vitamin A K C liver quercetin cardiovascular heart blood potassium antiviral
Vitamins C, E, and Beta-Carotene Not Linked to Risk for Type 2 Diabetes →
June 19, 2009 (Medscape.com)— Intake of vitamins C and E and beta-carotene is not linked to the risk for type 2 diabetes in women at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to the results of a large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial reported in the June 2 Online First issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Vitamin C, vitamin E, and β-carotene are major antioxidants and as such may protect against the development of type 2 diabetes via reduction of oxidative stress,” write Yiqing Song, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues. “Evidence from basic research and observational studies has suggested that oxidative stress elicits systemic inflammation, promotes endothelial dysfunction, impairs pancreatic β cell insulin secretion, and interferes with glucose disposal in peripheral tissues, thereby accelerating the development and progression of type 2 diabetes.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: vitamin C E carotene antioxidant supplement nutrition insulin diabetes 2 women cardiovascular heart disease
Antioxidants plus exercise may boost bones in older women →
June 19, 2009 (nutraingredients.com)—A combination of antioxidant supplements and resistance training may protect against bone loss in postmenopausal women, suggests a new study from Canada.
Women receiving a combination of vitamins C and E, and exercise did not experience any bone loss during a six-month period, while women receiving placebo did experience detrimental bone loss, according to findings published in Osteoporosis International.
“These results are interesting because this is the first study to examine the combination of these interventions in healthy elderly women suggesting another effective strategy to delay age-related BMD loss,” wrote the researchers, led by Isabelle Dionne, PhD, from the University of Sherbrooke.
For full article see link above.
Tags: antioxidant vitamin C E postmenopausal women exercise strength bone osteoporosis fracture
The Benefits of Strawberries →
June 12, 2009 (Healthzone.ca)—Asliced sweet, succulent strawberry is more than a perfect cereal topper, meal-ender, afternoon snack or treat to smother in dark chocolate. These little fruits have more powers than the cast of Twilight. A few berries can : Fill you up without pudging you out at just 50 little calories in a cup.
For full article see link above.
Tags: strawberry inflammation heart cardiovascular cancer vitamin C antioxidant digestive flavonoid brain
Stopping Diabetes Damage With Vitamin C →
June 10, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com) — Researchers at the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center have found a way to stop the damage caused by Type 1 diabetes with the combination of insulin and a common vitamin found in most medicine cabinets.
While neither therapy produced desired results when used alone, the combination of insulin to control blood sugar together with the use of Vitamin C, stopped blood vessel damage caused by the disease in patients with poor glucose control.
“We had tested this theory on research models, but this is the first time anyone has shown the therapy’s effectiveness in people,” said Michael Ihnat, Ph.D., principal investigator and a pharmacologist at the OU College of Medicine Department of Cell Biology.
For full article see link above.
Tags: diabetes vitamin C damage supplement nutrition prevention type 1 insulin glucose blood cardiovascular heart circulation cell
Antioxidant vitamins may protect against female cancer →
June 4 09 (Nutraingredients.com)—Increased intakes of vitamins C and E and beta-carotene may reduce the risk of cancer of the uterus, according to a new review and meta-analysis of the science to date. Writing in Cancer Causes and Control, US scientists report that for every 1,000 microgram increase per 1,000 kcal of diet of beta-carotene was associated with a 12 per cent reduction in the risk of endometrial cancer. Similarly, for every 50 milligram increase per 1,000 kcal of vitamin C the risk of endometrial cancer was reduced by 15 per cent, and for every 5 milligram increase per 1,000 kcal of vitamin E the risk of endometrial cancer was reduced by 9 per cent.
For full article see link above.
Vitamin C Stops the Growth of Some Cancerous Tumors in Mice →
May 14 09 (NaturalNews) 30 years ago the famous Nobel laureate Linus Pauling said that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, a highly controversial statement at the time. Now a team of Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that vitamin C stops the growth of some tumors in mice.
The Study
The study was lead by Chi Dang, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and oncology and Johns Hopkins Family Professor in Oncology Research. Their work is detailed in Cancer Cell, Volume 12, Issue 3, 230-238, 11 September, 2007. They found that the antioxidants’ actual role may be to destabilize a tumor’s ability to grow under conditions where there isn’t enough oxygen to feed it. The conventional belief is that vitamin C helps prevent cancer growth by grabbing up volatile oxygen free radical molecules and preventing the damage they do to our DNA. “The potential anticancer benefits of antioxidants have been the driving force for many clinical and preclinical studies,” Says Dang. “By uncovering the mechanism behind antioxidants, we are now better suited to maximize their therapeutic use.”
For full article, see link above.
Vitamin-exercise study questioned →
May 12 09 (NutraIngredients.com) — Reports that vitamins C and E may blunt the positive effects of exercise are misleading, according to an antioxidant expert.
German researchers have reported that antioxidant vitamins C and E may blunt the positive effects of exercise, with respect to insulin sensitivity. Findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Reacting to the study , Alexander Schauss, PhD, from AIBMR Life Sciences, a nutraceutical products consultancy, told NutraIngredients.com that the title of the study (Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans) was misleading.
“The primary objective of this study was to study the effect of a 4-week intensive 5-days a week exercise program on insulin sensitivity. Yet the title of the paper leads one to believe otherwise,” he said.
“This is a small gender-biased study of 40 male subjects, 25 to 35 years of age. When I read through the study for the first time I had to wonder how could the authors have come up with such a title for their paper?” he asked.
For full article, see link above.
Diet Low in Vitamins A and C Linked to Asthma and Wheeze →
April 23, 2009 (Medscape) — Relatively low dietary intakes of vitamins A and C are associated with statistically significant increased odds of asthma and wheeze, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in the April 16 Online First issue of Thorax.
For full medical article, see link above.
Omega-3, vit C, and zinc may ease childhood asthma →
apr 07 09 (NutraIngredients.com) — A combination supplement containing omega-3, vitamin C and zinc may improve symptoms of asthma, a condition on the rise, suggests a new study from Egypt.
The trio of nutrients were associated with improvements in asthma measures, lung function, and markers of inflammation in the lungs, according to findings of a randomised, double blind, placebo-self-controlled crossover trial published in Acta Pædiatrica.
For full article, see link above.
