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Who says we have to suffer...to live a healthy happy vibrant life?

Red wine and dark chocolate... might seem decadent...but these guilty pleasures also might help us live longer...and healthier lives. Red wine and dark chocolate definitely improve an evening..but they also contain resveratrol..which lowers blood sugar. Red wine is a great source of catechins..which boost protective HDL cholesterol. Green tea? Protects your brain..helps you live longer..and soothes your spirit.

Food for Thought, the blog, is about living the good life...a life we create with our thoughts and our choices...and having fun the whole while!

I say lets make the thoughts good ones..and let the choices be healthy...exciting...and delicious! Bon Appetit!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Be Alert! McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers of Tylenol have lowered their maximum daily dose!

You might be surprised to learn that a huge number of cases of liver toxicity are caused by accidental overdoses of the OTC drug acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol and hundreds of other pain and fever and cold and flu medications.

Until today the daily maximum dose was 4000 mg. But the makers of Tylenol have just reduced that by 25% to 3000 mg.


McNeil Consumer Healthcare announced it is lowering the maximum daily dose instructions for Extra Strength Tylenol to six pills a day (3,000 mg) to reduce the risk of acetaminophen overdose.

 Acetaminophen overdose is an emergency and can lead to liver failure which at times may be fatal. Never take acetaminophen for a hangover. Combining the drug with alcohol increases the potential for liver damage.

The antidote in emergency rooms is an antioxidant NAC or N Acetyl Cysteine. Alpha Lipoic Acid is another nutrient that helps to support liver health in case you've been excessive with medications or alcohol. Both NAC and Alpha Lipoic Acid help the liver to produce glutathione to support a potent metabolic pathway for breaking down acetaminophen and other medications.


Monday, July 25, 2011

Inherited Alzheimer's May be Detected 20 Years before the Onset of Dementia.


It soon may be possible for doctors to identify persons who have Alzheimer’s decades before dementia is present, allowing earlier intervention to protect the brain. This breakthrough in identification methods was reported on July 20 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Paris. The new insights come from an ongoing study: the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN), an international study of inherited forms of Alzheimer’s.

Based on what is seen in the study group, brain chemistry changes can be detected up to 20 years before the expected age of detectable symptoms.  The Alzheimer’s-related changes can be specifically targeted for prevention trials in patients with inherited forms of Alzheimer’s.

The doctors are looking specifically at the value of disease indicators from cerebrospinal fluid analyses. DIAN researchers are studying members of families who have mutations in one of three genes: amyloid precursor protein, presenilin 1 or presenilin 2. Participants with these mutations are certain to develop Alzheimer’s disease early, with symptoms beginning in their 50s, 40s, or, in some rare cases, 30s.

Participants who carry the mutations but are still asymptomatic have significantly lower levels of amyloid beta and higher levels of tau protein in their cerebrospinal fluid than participants without the mutations.
Amyloid beta normally is cleared from the brain and into the spinal fluid. Scientists theorize that decreases in spinal fluid levels of amyloid beta reflect a buildup of this sticky protein fragment in the brain, where it forms Alzheimer’s plaques. Tau protein is a structural component of central nervous system cells. Its increase in cerebrospinal fluid is thought to be a byproduct of damage to brain cells.


DIAN is supported by funding from the National Institute on Aging. One hopes that our contentious political climate will not result in a loss of funding for this important work.

Lifestyle factors that are protective against amyloid and tau accumulation in the brain include fish and fish oil consumption, it is especially important to get adequate DHA which is specifically protective against the increases of amyloid.