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 "acid"
Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2009 ↓How Much Omega-3 Fatty Acid Do We Need To Prevent Cardiovascular Disease? →
Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A team of French scientists have found the dose of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that is “just right” for preventing cardiovascular disease in healthy men. In a research report appearing in the September 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the scientists show that a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. This study is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health.
“This study shows that regularly consuming small amounts of DHA is likely to improve the health status of people, especially in regards to cardiovascular function,” said Michel Lagarde, co-author of the study.
To determine the optimal dose of DHA, Lagarde and colleagues examined the effects of increasing doses of DHA on 12 healthy male volunteers between ages of 53 and 65. These men consumed doses of DHA at 200, 400, 800, and 1600 mg per day for two weeks for each dose amount, with DHA being the only omega-3 fatty acid in their diet. Blood and urine samples were collected before and after each dose and at eight weeks after DHA supplementation stopped. The researchers then examined these samples for biochemical markers indicating the effects of each dose on the volunteers.
“Now that we have a very good idea about how much DHA is just right, the next step is to try it out in an expanded clinical trial that involves many more people,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “Until then, I’ll stick with tasty foods that contain DHA, like fish, rather than getting a quick fatty-acid fix at the local vitamin store.”
Journal reference:
- Nicolas Guillot, Emilie Caillet, Martine Laville, Catherine Calzada, Michel Lagarde, and Evelyne Véricel. Increasing intakes of the long-chain -3 docosahexaenoic acid: effects on platelet functions and redox status in healthy men. The FASEB Journal, 2009; 23 (9): 2909 DOI: 10.1096/fj.09-133421
Tags: omega fatty acid DHA heart cardiovascular supplement disease prevention atherosclerosis diabetes
Wild lupins’ protein could rival soy, say Spanish researchers →
Aug 31, 2009 (Foodnavigator.com)—Wild varieties of lupin seeds could be tapped for their high quality protein content, report researchers in Spain, and could reduce the need to import soybean to Europe from places such as the US, Brazil and China.
Lupin, or lupinus, is an ancient legume cultivated in the Mediterranean and the South American Andes. Amongst the major cultivated species are Lupin albus (white lupin), L. mutabilis (pearl lupin) and L, angustifolius (blue lupin). One of the major uses of lupin seeds is in animal feed, but they can be eaten by humans if the bitterness is removed.
Lupin seed flours can also be used for making protein isolates; and a lupin seed derived ingredient from German firm Hochdorf is geared to the soy-free and lactose-free markets, as well as fat replacement for meat and bakery products.
While cultivated lupins have been seen to have a nutritional value comparable to soy beans – but suitable for quite different climates and soils – areas under cultivation have decreased in the last century, Javier Vioque of the Instituto de la Grasa in Seville and colleagues report.
They set out to evaluate the nutritional characteristics of seed proteins from six lupin species that grow in Southern Spain: L. angustifolius, L. consentinii, L. gredensis, L. luteus and L. micranthus. The seeds were collected from wild populations.
For full article, see link above.
Natural Therapies: Simple Solutions for Complex Problems →
Aug 31, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— One question I’m routinely asked is “If you had to recommend just one supplement for __________ (fill in the blank), what would it be?” I could easily spout off a laundry list of safe, natural therapies for virtually all common health concerns. Narrowing it down to only one therapy per condition is much more of a challenge, but based on recent patient and subscriber feedback, here goes.
Manage Pain With MSM
For joint and muscle pain, I’ve been hearing great things about MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), a naturally occurring sulfur compound and close chemical cousin of DMSO-that doesn’t have DMSO’s obnoxious smell. MSM relieves pain by several mechanisms. It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory, it blocks the pain response in nerve fibers, and its sulfur may help with cartilage regeneration.
One of our patients, the mother of a Whitaker Wellness doctor, was bothered by nagging pain in her neck and shoulders- until she started taking MSM. Another patient, who is an actor, used to have such excruciating pain in his knees that he’d have to take Vicodin before going on stage and was considering arthroscopic surgery. He reported miraculous results with MSM and no longer requires painkillers. The suggested daily dose of MSM ranges between 1,200 and 6,000 mg. Start low and increase as needed.
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Occasional sleeplessness is a very common concern. I used to recommend melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your “body clock”; valerian, an herb with mild sedative effects; or L-theanine, an amino acid with profound relaxing properties. Each of these worked for some people, but not everyone. Then I tried them in combination, and bingo! For the majority of patients and subscribers, this combo engenders a good night’s sleep.
Tom, a VP at the company that publishes Health & Healing, shared his story. He was eating right, exercising, and taking vitamins, but when it came time for bed, despite the fact he was physically and mentally drained, he still sometimes had trouble falling or staying asleep. Since he started taking this supplement, however, he sleeps like a baby.
Look for combination sleep products in your health food store. Suggested doses are 1,000 mcg melatonin, 500 mg valerian extract, and 200 mg L-theanine 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime.
V8 Gives Hypertension the Boot
Experts predict that an astounding 90 percent of middle-aged Americans will develop hypertension at some point in their lives. This sounds extreme, but I have to admit that many of the patients who come to my clinic have high blood pressure. Fortunately, we are very successful at getting them off drugs with diet changes, exercise, and a handful of supplements. But if I had to select just one thing for high blood pressure it would be Low Sodium V8 Juice.
Low Sodium V8 has a slight blood-thinning effect, which reduces pressure on the arteries, and it’s loaded with potassium, which balances sodium and helps lower blood pressure. One of the many patients who has benefited from this therapy is Ted, an old friend of mine. After struggling with hypertension for years, Ted took me up on my suggestion to drink 12 ounces of this juice every day. Much to his surprise, this simple step worked to normalize his blood pressure.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: natural remedy supplement prevention treatment pain MSM joint muscle sulfur anti-inflammatory cartilage regeneration sleep melatonin valerian amino acid V8 hypertension blood pressure blood cardiovascular flaxseed cholesterol zinc lutein energy ribose fatique
Tags: fruit raw polyphenol antioxidant nonextractable food diet nutrition proanthocyanidin ellagic acid catechin metabolite
Omega-3, vitamin E mix shows potential for autistic speech →
Aug 19, 2009 (Nutraingredients.com)—A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E may lead to speech improvements in autistic children with verbal disorders, suggests a new study.
Verbal apraxia is a speech disorder common in autism, and an estimated 50 per cent of children with autism have apraxia. Furthermore, many thousands more are reported to have apraxia but are not autistic.
According to new research published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, daily supplements of omega-3 and vitamin E were associated with improvements in speech, imitation, eye contact, and behaviour.
Claudia Morris from the Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland (CHRCO) and Marilyn Agin from the Saint Vincent Medical Center in New York recruited families with experiences of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E supplementation. The majority of families used doses of 800 IU of vitamin E, while the average omega-3 consumption was 280 to 840 mg DHA and 695 to 2,085mg EPA.
The ratios and dosages determined through the work with the study led to a patent for Dr Morris through the CHRCO (US patent # 2008/002216). The patented formulation is licensed exclusively to Illinois-based NourishLife from CHRCO.
Kate Bolton, VP of speech nutrients at NourishLife, told NutraIngredients: “The results of the study are significant in that 97 per cent of the participants with apraxia and/or on the autism spectrum reported dramatic improvements while taking a combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.
“The study represents the largest summary of children with apraxia to date,” she added.
“Antidotal evidence had previously shown that omega-3 can help children with apraxia and those known as ‘late talkers’. The researchers discovered that they symptoms presented by children with apraxia mirror those of vitamin E deficiency,” said Bolton. “The addition of high dose vitamin E with omega-3 fatty acids is the breakthrough.”
For full article see link above.
Tags: vitamin e omega 3 fatty acid speech improvement autistic children child kid verbal disorder apraxia imitation eye contact behaviour supplement
Juice Health Benefits →
(NaturalNews.com)— Some mornings on my way to work, I drop by the local Jamba Juice store a block from my office and down 16 ounces of carrot juice and four ounces each of wheatgrass juice and a green tea energy drink. I drink this cocktail for overall health and vitality. The wheatgrass is full of vitamin K and amino acids, the carrot juice is packed with beta-carotene, and the green tea gives me a boost of caffeine and antioxidants to get my day started.
However, this is not a story about general health maintenance. It is about “targeted” juices that have predictable and rapid therapeutic effects on specific health conditions. Let’s start with a very common problem: high blood pressure.
Celery Juice Lowers Blood Pressure
When you think about lowering blood pressure, celery probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But this crunchy vegetable deserves some serious attention. Loaded with potassium and magnesium, celery contains something even more important: 3-n-butyl-phthalide, a compound that relaxes the smooth muscle cells in the arterial walls, allowing the arteries to dilate and effectively lowering blood pressure.
One of the physicians at Whitaker Wellness decided to put celery to the test. Every day for a month, she and her father juiced and drank one bunch of celery, mixed with a little orange juice for flavor (it’s somewhat bitter on its own). Her father’s systolic blood pressure went from 148 to 128 and hers went from 120 to 105. Imagine results this dramatic without dangerous prescription drugs!
Another great juice for people with hypertension is Low-Sodium V8 Juice. It works on two fronts to lower blood pressure. First, it contains a particularly high dose of potassium (840 mg per eight ounces) that helps keep blood pressure in check. Second, according to a study recently published in JAMA, it is an effective blood thinner, which further contributes to its antihypertensive effects. For Ted, one of my longtime patients, simply drinking 12 ounces of Low-Sodium V8 Juice daily was enough to keep his blood pressure in the normal range.
For full article, see link above.
Tags: juice antioxidant vitamin amino acid celery cabbage stomach blood pressure cardiovascular therapeutic vegetable digestion cherry cranberry pain relief anthocyanin flavonoid gout uric acid urinary tract infection mannose prevention
Tags: hangover asparagus extract function enzyme liver metabloism alcohol leaf bioactive A. officinalis toxic shoot toxicity hydrogen peroxide nutrition amino acid mineral
How To Manage Dental Erosion Caused By Everyday Beverages →
Aug 8, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Researchers have warned people to beware of the damage that acidic beverages have on teeth. Yet, for some, the damage and problems associated with drinking sodas, citric juices or certain tea may have already begun to take effect. The question remains: What can be done to restore teeth already affected?
In a recent study that appeared in the May/June 2009 issue of General Dentistry, the AGD’s clinical, peer-reviewed journal, lead author, Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, MSc., PhD, outlined the acidic content of beverages, such as soda; lemon, grapefruit and orange juice; green and black tea; and revealed three steps to rehabilitate teeth that suffer from dental erosion as a result of the excessive consumption of these products.
Dr. Bassiouny instructs those who are experiencing tooth erosion to first, identify the culprit source of erosion, possibly with the help of a dental professional. Then, the individual should determine and understand how this source affects the teeth in order to implement measures to control and prevent further damage. Lastly, the person should stop or reduce consumption of the suspected food or beverage to the absolute minimum. He notes that information about the acid content of commonly consumed foods or beverages is usually available online or on the product’s label. It is also recommended to seek professional dental advice in order to possibly restore the damaged tissues.
“Dental erosion,” according to Dr. Bassiouny, “is a demineralization process that affects hard dental tissues (such as enamel and dentin).” This process causes tooth structure to wear away due to the effects that acid has on teeth, which eventually leads to their breakdown. It can be triggered by consumption of carbonated beverages or citric juices with a low potential of hydrogen (pH), which measures the acidity of a substance. Excessive consumption of the acidic beverages over a prolonged period of time may pose a risk factor for dental health.
For full article see link above.
Tags: teeth tooth mouth erosion acid breakdown citrus pop soda beverage pH dental enamel dentin risk prevention demineralization consumption damage
Mounting Evidence Of Fish Oil's Heart Health Benefits →
Aug 5, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—There is mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil supplements not only help prevent cardiovascular diseases in healthy individuals, but also reduce the incidence of cardiac events and mortality in patients with existing heart disease. A new study, published in the August 11, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, extensively reviews data from a broad range of studies in tens of thousands of patients and sets forth suggested daily targets for omega-3 consumption.
“This isn’t just hype; we now have tremendous and compelling evidence from very large studies, some dating back 20 and 30 years, that demonstrate the protective benefits of omega-3 fish oil in multiple aspects of preventive cardiology,” said Carl Lavie, M.D., F.A.C.C., medical director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention, Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, and lead author of the article. “The strongest evidence of a cardioprotective effect of omega-3s appears in patients with established cardiovascular disease and following a heart attack with up to a 30 percent reduction in CV-related death.”
Dietary intake of fish oil can also decrease the risk of atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, heart attack, sudden cardiac death and even health failure. Dr. Lavie adds that although there is a smaller benefit in reducing heart failure death—9 percent mortality benefit in a major recent randomized controlled trial—this is still very impressive given patients’ grave prognosis.
For full article see link above.
Tags: fish oil supplement omega fatty acid 3 cardiovascular diet atherosclerosis arrhythmia heart attack failure dha epa prevention
CLA may protect against elderly muscle loss →
July 24, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) prevented age-related muscle loss in mice, says a new study using Lipid Nutrition’s Clarinol ingredient.
Mice receiving daily supplements of the commercially available CLA showed higher muscle mass than control animals, according to findings published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) is a fatty acid naturally present in ruminant meat and dairy products. Due to changes in the Western diet, average intake of CLA has fallen; if the fat is removed from a dairy product to make a low fat version that will be acceptable to consumers, CLA is removed along with it.
For full article see link above.
Tags: cla prevention elder muscle loss supplement linoleic acid fatty acid diet dairy
Omega-3, -6 levels linked to bowel health →
July 24, 2009 (Nutraingredients.com)—Increased intakes of omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid may double the risk of ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, says a Pan-European study.
On the other hand, the highest intakes of omega-3 were associated with 77 per cent reduction in the risk of the disease, according to findings of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) with 203,193 men and women published in Gut.
The study adds to a small but growing body of evidence supporting the importance of balance between omega-3 omega-6 fatty acids.
Talking to NutraIngredients.com, study author Dr Andrew Hart from the University of East Anglia said that the findings may ultimately be more relevant to people already suffering from ulcerative colitis, rather than for the entire population.
“I think it is a balance between the omega-3 and omega-6,” said Dr Hart “We’ve shown a positive correlation for omega-6 with a plausible biological mechanism, and a negative correlation for omega-3 with a plausible biological mechanism for that.”
For full article see link above.
Two Dietary Oils, Two Sets of Benefits →
July 9, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A study comparing how two common dietary oil supplements affect body composition suggests that both oils can lower body fat in obese postmenopausal women with Type 2 diabetes.
In the study, 16 weeks of supplementation with safflower oil reduced fat in the trunk area, lowered blood sugar and increased muscle tissue in the participants.
Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for the same length of time, on the other hand, reduced total body fat and lowered the women’s body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height.
All of the women in the study took one oil for 16 weeks, followed by the other oil for an equal amount of time.
Sources: 
Eurekalert July 7, 2009
Tags: oil diet supplement fat body composition blood sugar muscle tissue safflower conjugated linoleic acid BMI weight
Targeting New Pancreatitis Treatments →
July 8, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Pancreatitis is often a fatal condition, in which the pancreas digests itself and surrounding tissue. Scientists have previously found that alcohol can trigger the condition by combining with fatty acids in the pancreas, which leads to an excessive release of stored calcium ions. Once calcium ions enter cell fluid in the pancreas it activates digestive enzymes and damages the cells.
The team, in collaboration with the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan, have now identified channels within special stores that allow calcium to enter the fluid inside pancreatic cells. They have also found that toxic calcium release can be significantly reduced if the gene responsible for the production of these channels is ‘deleted’ (or knocked-out).
Professor Ole Petersen, from the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, explains: “The pancreas releases enzymes into the gut, where they become activated and digest our food. When these digestive enzymes are activated inside the cells, however, they start to digest the pancreas itself, causing serious damage and often death. Alcohol is widely recognised as one of the triggers for this process, but the reasons behind it have been unclear.
“We now know that alcohol, in combination with fatty acids, can produce substances that cause an excessive increase in calcium ions in the pancreatic cell water. We have found that this excessive build-up is caused by the movement of calcium ions from special calcium stores into the cell water, which activate digestive enzymes from within the cell. Our new research identifies the channels through which calcium movement occurs and importantly the genes which are responsible for the production of these channels.
For full article see link above.
Tags: pancreatitis pancreas calcium ion tissue drinking alcohol risk danger fatty acid digestive enzyme damage blood circulation disease
Component Of Vegetable Protein May Be Linked To Lower Blood Pressure →
July 6, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Consuming an amino acid commonly found in vegetable protein may be associated with lower blood pressure, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers found that a 4.72 percent higher dietary intake of the amino acid glutamic acid as a percent of total dietary protein correlated with lower group average systolic blood pressure, lower by 1.5 to 3.0 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Group average diastolic blood pressure was lower by 1.0 to 1.6 mm Hg.
Systolic blood pressure is the force when the heart beats; diastolic pressure is the pressure when the heart rests between beats.
This average lower blood pressure seems small from an individual perspective. But, on a population scale, it represents a potentially important reduction, said Jeremiah Stamler, M.D., lead author of the study.
“It is estimated that reducing a population’s average systolic blood pressure by 2 mm Hg could cut stroke death rates by 6 percent and reduce mortality from coronary heart disease by 4 percent,” said Stamler, professor emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill.
For full article see link above.
Tags: vegetables glutamic hypertension heart circulatory blood pressure amino acid stroke prevention coronary disease
Health Food Supplement May Curb Compulsive Hair Pulling →
July 6, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have discovered that a common antioxidant, widely available as a health food supplement, may help stop the urges of those with trichotillomania, a disorder characterized by compulsive hair-pulling.
Fifty people enrolled in a double-blind 12 week study; half were given N-Acetylcysteine, an amino acid commonly found in health food supplements. The average age of patients who enrolled was about 34, and most started pulling hair compulsively by the age of 12. Patients were given 1,200 mg of N-Acetylcysteine every day for six weeks. For the following six weeks, the dosage was increased to 2,400 mg per day. After nine weeks, those on supplement had significantly reduced hair-pulling. By the end of the 12 week study, 56 percent reported feeling much or very much improved, while only 16 percent on the placebo reported less pulling.
“Trichotillomania is compulsive in the sense that people can’t control it. People feel unable to stop the behavior even though they know it is causing negative consequences,” said Jon Grant, M.D., J.D., a University of Minnesota associate professor of psychiatry and principal investigator of the study. “Some people don’t even know they are doing it.”
For full article see link above.
