August 29, 2007

Eating less fat may be unhealthy for children

The current obsession with low fat diets may have unhealthy implications for children under the age of 2. The following media releases highlight the importance of not eliminating fat in children’s diets and parents eating habits often influence the eating behaviour of their children.

Low-fat diets can be dangerous for children.

MANHATTAN - Eating less fat may be a healthy thing for adults to do, but putting children on a low-fat diet may do more harm than good, according to Paula Peters, assistant professor of foods and nutrition at Kansas State University.

"When it comes to children's diets, too much emphasis on fat and calorie content can be dangerous," Peters said. "Kids are still growing and need calories and fat to develop properly. For that reason, we certainly don't want to eliminate fat in the diet of children under the age of 2."

To meet children's nutritional needs, parents should be more concerned with providing healthy food choices rather than with the number of calories and fat grams the foods have, Peters said.

"I'm concerned that too much emphasis on fat and calories could push a child into an eating disorder later on," she said. "We are seeing more eating disorders in younger children."

That doesn't mean a steady diet of high-calorie, high-fat and high-sugar foods is OK for children, Peters said. As with adults, moderation is the key. If your child snacks on a cookie or two, try making the next snack a fruit or vegetable or even a dairy product such as cheese or yogurt, she said.

Since children develop at different rates and expend different amounts of energy, calorie needs vary by child. Peters said parents would be better off following the guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid than worrying about the number of calories a child eats in a day. The pyramid recommends the number of servings from the five main food groups that adults and children should eat daily for a balanced diet.

Prepared by Beth Bohn.

On a similar note, what parents eat often influence the eating behaviour of their children.

K-State dietitian explains how parents can encourage healthy eating.

MANHATTAN - Helping children learn to eat right isn't difficult if Mom or Dad has healthy eating habits already.

"Family environment is one major influence of eating behaviors," said Linda Griffith, assistant professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University. "Food attitudes of parents have been shown to be a strong predictor of food preferences among children."

Since children are likely to imitate those around them, they need the best guidance possible when it comes to eating, and that means starting with breakfast. Griffith said eating breakfast helps establish a regular eating pattern, which helps regulate appetite and discourages snacking and overeating. There are a lot of ready-to-eat breakfast foods, including bagels, yogurt and fruit; however, if children don't like traditional breakfast foods, serving last night's leftovers is OK, too.

And while encouraging children to eat right is important, parents shouldn't force control on their children's eating habits. Many parents wrongly assume that children don't know the difference between feeling hungry and full. Children may not know they need peas, but they do know how big a serving of peas they want to eat.

"Parents should foster environments of learning where children are provided opportunities to make healthful food choices," Griffith said. "Allowing children to make decisions about what and how much to eat provides the child an opportunity to learn how to adjust their eating patterns."

Because it is important for children to recognize when they are full, Griffith said encouraging or forcing children to clean their plates bypasses that cue process, which can lead to disordered eating.

If hunger strikes between meals, children can have a snack, as it helps promote health and pleasure in life. Allowing children to have an occasional cookie is fine, Griffith said. However, limits should be set on how much sweets are consumed in one day. Ready-to-eat foods such as cottage cheese, cereal, juice and milk would be more healthful snack choices, she said.

When children go to school, parents can still have an influence on what their children eat. Griffith said parents should become familiar with school menus and talk to their children about available food choices. Parents can also participate on parental advisory committees for the school's food service program and support nutrition learning efforts at school by reinforcing good nutrition practices at home.

For children who prefer taking their lunches to school, Griffith said parents and children can jointly plan and pack meals that are healthful, as allowing children to be involved in planning their school lunch helps deter the temptation to trade carrots for cookies.

For more information contact Linda Griffith at 785-532-0151.

Used with permission.

August 28, 2007

Vitamin E – Cancer, Alzheimer’s and Heart Disease - Alpha or Gamma?

Alpha tocopherol is not the most potent form of vitamin E. Too much of it can actually hinder the absorption of other types of vitamin E.

The first research on vitamin E carried out by the Shute brothers early in the 19th century, showed that in rats, one part of vitamin E, alpha tocopherol, appeared more potent since it was necessary for successful pregnancy and production of offspring. For this reason, the Shutes named the vitamin “tocopherol,” from the Greek word meaning “to give birth.”

It is important to know that there are several types of Vitamin E. Vitamin E is actually a generic name for eight separate compounds. Some members of the vitamin E family are called tocopherols. These members include alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol, gamma tocopherol, and delta tocopherol. Other members of the vitamin E family are called tocotrienols. These members include alpha, beta, gamma, and delta tocotrienol. Both groups all blended together in plants and animals, which is why the best form of vitamin E comes from your food.

Nearly all of the clinical research on vitamin E has used alpha-tocopherol. The results have shown that alpha-tocopherol is useful as a heart-protective nutrient. Gamma-tocopherol has been shown to have a greater effect than alpha-tocopherol in inhibiting the formation of nitric-oxide-derived free radicals, which appears to be a factor in the origination and development of heart disease.

Researchers at the University of Uppsala, Sweden carried out a study to see whether measurements of blood vitamin E concentrations can contribute to differences between subjects with and without coronary heart disease. Sixty-nine male patients, below 60 years of age, with coronary heart disease were compared with 138 healthy male subjects of similar ages. They found a significantly lower gamma tocopherol concentration and a high ratio between alpha and gamma tocopherol in the coronary heart disease group compared with the healthy subjects thereby indicating a difference in antioxidative status between groups. (Journal of Internal Medicine. 1996 Feb;239(2):111-7).

Alpha tocopherol is not the most potent form of vitamin E. Too much of it can actually hinder the absorption of other types of vitamin E.

Recent studies indicate that gamma-tocopherol may be important to human health and that it possesses unique features that distinguish it from alpha-tocopherol.

While the type of vitamin E usually used in supplements is alpha-tocopherol, research published in the December 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates another form of vitamin E, gamma-tocopherol, but not alpha-tocopherol, inhibits prostate cancer cells from multiplying, without affecting healthy prostate cells.

Rush University’s Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., lead nutrition researcher for CHAP, the Chicago Health and Aging Project, found a 67% lower risk of Alzheimer’s in subjects with the highest intakes of vitamin E from food and concluded: “The results suggest that various tocopherol forms rather than alpha-tocopherol alone may be important in the vitamin E protective association with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Researchers at the University of California conducted a study using rats that concluded there was strong evidence that gamma-tocopherol, but not alpha-tocopherol, showed anti-inflammatory activities that may be important for human disease prevention and therapy. (FASEB J. 2003 May;17(8):816-22).

The importance of this study is that inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and hepatitis are among the leading causes of death and disability in the world. Chronic inflammation contributes to the development of degenerative diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders (nervous system degeneration).

Gamma-tocopherol concentrations in the blood have been reported to be significantly lower in coronary heart disease patients compared to healthy subjects, suggesting that the low gamma-tocopherol concentrations increased the risk of coronary heart disease.

Newly recognized properties of gamma-tocopherol provide a basis for its superior cancer preventive activity. A possible reason for the protective effects in the presence of high gamma-tocopherol concentrations is that gamma-tocopherol enhances the cellular uptake of alpha-tocopherol. Our data show that gamma-tocopherol accumulates in colon cancer cells at a twenty fold increase over alpha-tocopherol. Higher concentrations of tocopherols are being tested, but have resulted in cell death in three colon cancer cell lines. (BMC Cancer 2003, 3:25 (1 October 2003) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/3/25. Open access.)

High doses of alpha-tocopherol deplete gamma-tocopherol

These distinguishing features of gamma-tocopherol and its metabolite suggest that gamma-tocopherol may contribute significantly to human health in ways not recognized previously. This possibility should be further evaluated, especially considering that high doses of alpha-tocopherol deplete plasma [blood] and tissue gamma-tocopherol, in contrast with supplementation with gamma-tocopherol, which increases both. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001 Dec;74(6):714-22).

Moreover, we found the presence of gamma-tocopherol dramatically influenced the cellular accumulation of alpha-tocopherol, i.e., gamma-tocopherol promoted the accumulation of alpha-tocopherol. The potential health related significance of gamma-tocopherol is being increasingly recognized. (Nutrition Journal 2002, 1:2).

While alpha-tocopherols are the most widely used, and have enormous health benefits, gamma, beta and delta tocopherols also offer important benefits. Supplementing with mixed tocopherols should derive the benefits of both alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol, without creating an imbalance in these two forms of vitamin E. Supplements containing this wide variety of vitamin E forms are usually referred to as “mixed tocopherol” or “mixed tocotrienol” supplements.

Remember to take your vitamin E with some sort of fat or oil for better absorption as it is a fat soluble vitamin.

According to [Maret] Traber and [Scott] Leonard, this indicates that people who are taking vitamin E supplements only with liquids on an empty stomach are accomplishing nothing and getting few if any benefits from the supplements. The vitamin clearly is absorbed better if it is part of, or closely associated with the digestion of a food that has some fat in it. (David Stauth, Oregon State University, The Linus Pauling Institute 15/1/2004).

You can get the best forms of vitamin E through your food. Fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, oily fish (salmon, mackerel and sardines), eggs, natural organ meats and nuts are good sources of vitamin E. Most of these foods give you the entire vitamin E family.

Related articles: Natural vitamin E has roughly twice the availability of synthetic vitamin E

References

Jiang Q, Wong J, Fyrst H, Saba JD, Ames BN. gamma-Tocopherol or combinations of vitamin E forms induce cell death in human prostate cancer cells by interrupting sphingolipid synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Dec 21;101(51):17825-30.

Helzlsouer KJ, Huang HY, Alberg AJ, et al. Association between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, selenium, and subsequent prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92(24):2018-2023.

MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS, Aggarwal NT, Scherr PA. Relation of the tocopherol forms to incident Alzheimer disease and to cognitive change. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Feb;81(2):508-14.

Jiang Q, Christen S, Shigenaga MK, Ames BN. gamma-tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in the US diet, deserves more attention. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):714-22. Review.

Gao R, Stone WL, Huang T, Papas AM, Qui M. The uptake of tocopherols by RAW 264.7 macrophages. Nutrition Journal 2002, 1:2 (15 October 2002).

Jiang Q, Ames BN. Gamma-tocopherol, but not alpha-tocopherol, decreases proinflammatory eicosanoids and inflammation damage in rats. FASEB J. 2003 May;17(8):816-22.

Campbell SE, Stone WL, Whaley SG, Qui M, Krishnan K. Gamma (γ) tocopherol upregulates peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) gamma (γ) expression in SW 480 human colon cancer cell lines. BMC Cancer 2003, 3:25 (1 October 2003). http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/3/25. © 2003 Campbell et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article’s original URL.

Ohrvall M, Sundlof G, Vessby B. Gamma, but not alpha, tocopherol levels in serum are reduced in coronary heart disease patients. J Intern Med. 1996 Feb;239(2):111-7.

David Stauth, Oregon State University, The Linus Pauling Institute, Study finds huge variability in vitamin E absorption, 15-Jan-2004.

Burton GW, Traber MG, Acuff RV, Walters DN, Kayden H, Hughes L, Ingold KU. Human plasma and tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations in response to supplementation with deuterated natural and synthetic vitamin E. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):669-84.

Kiyose C, Muramatsu R, Kameyama Y, Ueda T, Igarashi O. Biodiscrimination of alpha-tocopherol stereoisomers in humans after oral administration. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Mar;65(3):785-9.
PMID: 9062530.

Copyright 2007 Kevin Flatt. Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is presented for information purposes only and is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. It cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment.

August 27, 2007

Natural vitamin E has roughly twice the availability of synthetic vitamin E

Written by Kevin Flatt

Most vitamin E supplements contain synthetic alpha-tocopherol, but unlike some other vitamins, synthetic vitamin E is not identical to natural. Vitamin E supplements are labelled d-alpha for natural and dl-alpha for synthetic. If the label lists “dl-alpha-tocopherol”, it’s not the real thing.

This is most clearly shown by comparing natural with synthetic vitamin E. Both have identical antioxidant activities, yet the natural vitamin E has roughly twice the availability of synthetic vitamin E. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1998 Apr;67(4):669-84).

Japanese researchers found that natural vitamin E at 100 mg per day was not different from that of 300 mg per day of synthetic vitamin E in seven normal, healthy women aged 21-37 years. (Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Mar;65(3):785-9).

It is important to know that there are several types of Vitamin E. Vitamin E is actually a generic name for eight separate compounds. Some members of the vitamin E family are called tocopherols. These members include alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol, gamma tocopherol, and delta tocopherol. Other members of the vitamin E family are called tocotrienols. These members include alpha, beta, gamma, and delta tocotrienol. Both groups all blended together in plants and animals, which is why the best form of vitamin E comes from your food.

Nearly all of the clinical research on vitamin E has used alpha-tocopherol. Gamma-tocopherol concentrations in the blood have been reported to be significantly lower in coronary heart disease patients compared to healthy subjects, suggesting that the low gamma-tocopherol concentrations increased the risk of coronary heart disease. Gamma-tocopherol has also been shown be important in the vitamin E protective association with alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer.

Alpha-tocopherols are the most widely used, but gamma, beta and delta tocopherols also offer important benefits. Supplementing with mixed tocopherols should derive the benefits of both alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol, without creating an imbalance in these two forms of vitamin E. Supplements containing this wide variety of vitamin E forms are usually referred to as “mixed tocopherol” or “mixed tocotrienol” supplements.

High doses of alpha-tocopherol have been shown to deplete gamma-tocopherol.

Remember to take your vitamin E with some sort of fat or oil for better absorption as it is a fat soluble vitamin.

“According to [Maret] Traber and [Scott] Leonard, this indicates that people who are taking vitamin E supplements only with liquids on an empty stomach are accomplishing nothing and getting few if any benefits from the supplements. The vitamin clearly is absorbed better if it is part of, or closely associated with the digestion of a food that has some fat in it.” (David Stauth, Oregon State University, The Linus Pauling Institute 15/1/2004).

You can get the best forms of vitamin E through your food. Fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, oily fish (salmon, mackerel and sardines), eggs, natural organ meats and nuts are good sources of vitamin E. Most of these foods give you the entire vitamin E family.

Related articles: Vitamin E – Cancer, Alzheimer’s and Heart Disease - Alpha or Gamma?

Copyright 2007 KevinFlatt.

References:

Burton GW, Traber MG, Acuff RV, Walters DN, Kayden H, Hughes L, Ingold KU. Human plasma and tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations in response to supplementation with deuterated natural and synthetic vitamin E. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):669-84.

Kiyose C, Muramatsu R, Kameyama Y, Ueda T, Igarashi O. Biodiscrimination of alpha-tocopherol stereoisomers in humans after oral administration. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Mar;65(3):785-9. PMID: 9062530.

David Stauth, Oregon State University, The Linus Pauling Institute, Study finds huge variability in vitamin E absorption, 15-Jan-2004.

August 21, 2007

Leptin to be added to Formula Milk and Other Foods

Formula milk and other foods may be supplemented with leptin hormone to prevent obesity according to researchers.

A team of researchers at the Clore Laboratory at the University of Buckingham, led by Dr Mike Cawthorne, are looking at adding leptin to formula milk and other foods.

Medical News Today reported on 26/4/2007 the foods will be supplemented with leptin, the hunger hormone. Those who take the foods early in life should remain permanently slim. “Like those people who are lean by nature even though they overeat? like we all do - they will tend to be inefficient in terms of using energy,” says Mike Cawthorne, who heads the Metabolic Research group at Clore.

Seemingly bolstering their argument is the fact that feeding the hormone leptin to pregnant rats has been found to have a lifelong impact on their offspring's predisposition to obesity. Animals born of leptin-treated mothers remain lean even when fed a fat-laden diet, while those from untreated dams gained weight and developed diabetes. (Science Daily 23/4/2007).

These researcher’s suppositions are based on pregnant rats, not pregnant women. Nor does the abovementioned study have anything to do with supplementing leptin to baby rats or human babies through formula milk and other foods.

Consider that researchers at Purdue University found that the amount of leptin in breast milk correlates with the amount of body fat of the mother; obese mothers produce large amounts of leptin, thin mothers produce almost no leptin in their breast milk. Previous studies have suggested that breast-feeding may prevent obesity later in life.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

According to a recent article in The Sydney Morning Herald some specialists in the field have condemned the search for a medical answer to obesity, saying it is a modern social ill and that people need to adjust their lifestyles, not look for an artificial quick fix. Others say the translation to baby food would be impossible as people will not put their children forward for trials of the formula when they do not know the risks involved.

BBC News reported that Steve O'Rahilly, professor of clinical biochemistry and medicine at the University of Cambridge said: “The notion that leptin in baby milk will prevent human obesity is currently in the realms of wildly optimistic science fiction.” Dr Ian Campbell, honorary medical director of the charity Weight Concern said: “Without evidence that this works in humans, it is pure flight of fancy that those consuming leptin from infancy will never get fat.” (BBC NEWS http://news.bbc.co.uk 22/4/2007).

Research into the hormone leptin in human trials has so far proved disappointing.

Previous experiments in treating obese people with leptin have failed as people continued to overeat.

Gina Kolata reported in The New York Times 31/10/1999: To make things worse, a hormone called leptin that was supposed to be the magic bullet for obesity, making people effortlessly lose fat while retaining muscle, looks like a bust. In a preliminary study reported last week, most people who took leptin lost little or no weight - one fat person who took the highest dose actually gained 20 pounds.

Normally, when leptin levels in blood go up, the brain signals us to stop eating. But since obesity isn’t the result of a lack of leptin, it is a lack of response to leptin, and obese individuals tend to have more and larger leptin-producing fat cells (leptin is secreted by fat cells) than thinner people, their leptin levels increase substantially with every pound of additional weight gain.

It’s almost here, altering the predisposition of a child with baby formula. Fast-food giants like McDonald's should be happy with this news.

If that’s not enough, reports also indicate that leptin-based products may also find their way into the pet obesity market.

Related Articles:

Leptin Supplements & Weight Loss

Leptin and Weight Loss – Leptin Resistance

Copyright 2007 Kevin Flatt. Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is presented for information purposes only and is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. It cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment.

August 12, 2007

Smoking - Vitamin A and Emphysema

K-State Researcher Links Cigarette Smoke, Vitamin A Deficiency and Emphysema
Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Source: Richard Baybutt, 785-532-0169, [email protected]
http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/MediaGuide/baybuttbio.htmlNews release prepared by: Kira Everhart

MANHATTAN -- While studying the relationship between vitamin A and lung inflammation, a Kansas State University researcher made a surprising discovery -- a link between vitamin A and emphysema in smokers. Richard Baybutt, associate professor of human nutrition, said his research could have a number of implications for smokers and the cigarette and health industries.

The discovery was accidental, Baybutt said, but the research project quickly shifted to investigate the link.

"We essentially weren't looking for it," he said. "But we knew we had do this."

According to Baybutt, his previous research had shown that rats fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema, a lung disease found primarily in smokers. In his most recent research, Baybutt exposed a group of rats to cigarette smoke and found that those rats became vitamin A deficient. Benzopyrene, a common carcinogen found in cigarettes, is the link to the deficiency, Baybutt said. When fed to rats, benzopyrene induces vitamin A deficiency.

"When the lung content of vitamin A was low, the score of emphysema was high," he said. "So, the hypothesis is that smokers develop emphysema because of a vitamin A deficiency."

To further study the connection between smoking, vitamin A deficiency and emphysema, Baybutt began feeding the rats exposed to cigarette smoke a diet with higher levels of vitamin A. The result was what he had hoped.

"We saw that the areas of emphysema were effectively reduced," he said.

Baybutt said he believes this might help explain the occurrence of emphysema.

"There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers," he said. "Why? Probably because of their diet."

The research still shows that smoking does not support a healthy lifestyle, Baybutt said.

"The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema," he said. "And if they have a poor diet, forget it."

Baybutt said he also hopes to investigate the link between vitamin A and lung cancer. Vitamin A has been asserted to have anti-cancer effects.

Baybutt's work was published in the Journal of Nutrition (Vols. 130 and 133). Support for the research was provided by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the Unites States Department of Agriculture and the K-State Center for Basic Cancer Research.

Used with permission.

Related articles:

Smoking and Lung Damage and Emphysema - The Vitamin A Link

Leptin and Weight Loss – Leptin Resistance

Recent research into leptin has revealed what is likely to be very important in the control of appetite, weight loss and the regulation of body weight. Advances in leptin research and its role in the control of obesity would lead to reductions in diabetes, coronary heart disease and many forms of cancer, all of which are increased in obesity.

American adults are overweight and more than 30 percent are obese. Currently 50 million Americans suffer from metabolic syndrome - a disease associated with obesity and encompassing coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes.

Leptin leapt into the headlines when it was identified in 1995 as a protein that triggers weight loss in mice.

Leptin (the Greek term for thin) is a hormone released by your fat cells. When you lose fat, leptin levels drop and when you gain fat, leptin levels rise.

Leptin affects our weight and our appetites. Levels of leptin rise just before a meal and fall when people are full. It is now known that leptin not only can affect the chemical responses that affect how hungry you are but also can affect the wiring of your brain.

Scientists are interested in whether leptin may be manipulated to help people, especially overweight people, to lose weight and not put it back on. They know that leptin is released by fat cells and tells the brain how much fat is on the body. Once leptin has been secreted by your fat cells, it travels to the hypothalamus. This is the part of your brain that controls eating behavior.

Defects in leptin signaling leads to obesity, overeating, and decreased energy output.

Normally, when leptin levels in the blood go up, the brain signals us to stop eating. But since obesity isn’t the result of a lack of leptin, it is a lack of response to leptin, and obese individuals tend to have more and larger leptin-producing fat cells than thinner people, their leptin levels increase substantially with every pound of additional weight gain. This is illustrated below.

Mice lacking leptin ate voraciously and grew enormously fat; leptin injections made them stop eating and slim down. The discovery led researchers to think that fat people might also lack leptin, and that it could make them lose weight. But it was not so. Scientists found that most fat people had lots of leptin, and giving them more had little effect. (The New York Times 26/11/2002).

Researchers at the Oregon National Primate Research Center conducted a study in mice involving two separate groups that were fed high-fat and low-fat diets. The high-fat diet group developed symptoms of diabetes and obesity while the low-fat diet group did not. The researchers tested cells which conduct nerve impulses and found the cells behaved as if there was no leptin present, even though levels were 40-times higher than in normal mice. (Cell Metab. 2007 Mar;5(3):181-94).

This is due to obese people becoming resistant to leptin’s signal. When the brain fails to sense the leptin hormone’s signal correctly it thinks that more fat is required, even though we have enough, and fat begins to accumulate while metabolism slows down. Some scientists think that either leptin is not transported through the blood-brain barrier properly or the brain is not interpreting the signals properly.

With the regular discovery of hormones involved in regulating body weight it is a diverse and rapidly expanding field.

My own research of the literature has revealed to me some dietary factors that block leptin from crossing the blood-brain barrier and interfere with leptin signaling. In addition, there are foods/methods that correct these problems. I will discuss these issues in due course.

References

Enriori PJ, Evans AE, Sinnayah P, Jobst EE, Tonelli-Lemos L, Billes SK, Glavas MM, Grayson BE, Perello M, Nillni EA, Grove KL, Cowley MA. Diet-induced obesity causes severe but reversible leptin resistance in arcuate melanocortin neurons. Cell Metab. 2007 Mar;5(3):181-94.

August 7, 2007

Dangers of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

During the last 20 years, the industry has mounted an incredible promotional campaign--enlisting scientists, advertising agencies, the media and the medical profession in a blitz that turned the statins into one of the bestselling pharmaceuticals of all time. Sixteen million Americans now take Lipitor, the most popular statin, and drug company officials claim that 36 million Americans are candidates for statin drug therapy.

Extracted from: The Weston A. Price Foundation 14/6/2004 “Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven’t Been Told About Popular Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines”
--------------------------------------------------

...researcher Dr. Beatrice Golomb warns the studies generating the bulk of the positive press were funded by the companies that make the drugs, like Pfizer, which earns $9 billion a year from Lipitor.

"I made the decision that I really didn't want to take money from the drug industry," says Golomb.

Funded by the government and not the drug makers, Golomb is taking an independent look at studies already done on statins, pinpointing severe muscle problems, which Pfizer has disclosed, and cognitive dysfunction -- not mentioned in patient leaflets.

Extracted from: Statins' Mind-Boggling Effects
--------------------------------------------------

Dr. Golomb: Cholesterol is indeed vitally important for function of every cell in the body. It is the most common organic molecule in the brain (and only salt and water are more common on a "molar" basis). It is essential to formation of "synapses" that allow nerve cells to communicate. It is the precursor for all the steroid hormones, including estrogen and testosterone, and stress and blood sugar regulating corticosteroids...

Extracted from: The Deadly Danger Of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs
--------------------------------------------------

...They can cause muscle-wasting diseases; they can cause chronic muscle pain, which can be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia; they cause mental disorders including brain fog, loss of memory, and signs of dementia or Alzheimer's. These drugs inhibit the production of healthy cholesterol in your body, meaning they interfere with sex hormones and the normal healthy functioning of the endocrine system...

...We already saw a huge scandal with Vioxx and the Cox-2 inhibitors, and how drug companies have been pushing those drugs onto the population even though they were fully aware, as we now know, of the dangerous cardiovascular effects of those drugs...

Extracted from: Healing foods beat statin drugs for lowering high cholesterol
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Side Effects


Sleep problems, sexual function problems, fatigue, dizziness and a sense of detachment are also reported with these drugs. Additionally, people have mentioned experiencing swelling, shortness of breath, vision changes, changes in temperature regulation, weight change, hunger, breast enlargement, blood sugar changes, dry skin, rashes, blood pressure changes, nausea, upset stomach, bleeding, and ringing in ears or other noises.


Cancer

Cancer Population studies in the early 1990s had shown a rise in non-cardiovascular deaths, particularly cancer deaths in people with low cholesterol concentrations (Circulation 1992, 86:1046-1060).

Similar conclusions have been drawn from results of early trials of cholesterol lowering (BMJ 1992, 304:431-434). Some researchers have shown that lipid-lowering drugs, including statins, increase the occurrence of several types of cancer in rodents (JAMA 1996, 275:55-60). In the CARE trial (N Engl J Med 1996, 335:1001-1009), incidence of female breast cancer and in the PROSPER trial (Lancet 2002, 360:1623-1630) in elderly, incidence of all cancers increased in patients given pravastatin.

 
Copyright 2007 Kevin Flatt. Reproduction of any information on other websites is PROHIBITED.

Disclaimer: The information and opinions on this website is for information purposes only and is believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the author. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries.