Vitamin D Deficiency Common In Cancer Patients.

More than three-quarters of cancer patients have insufficient levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxy-vitaminD) and the lowest levels are associated with more advanced cancer, according to a study presented on October 2, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. (ASTRO).

Until recently, studies have not investigated whether vitamin D has an impact on the prognosis or course of cancer. Researchers are just starting to examine how vitamin D may impact specific features of cancer, such as the stage or extent of tumor spread, prognosis, recurrence or relapse of disease, and even sub-types of cancer.

160 patients with a median age of 64 years and a 1:1 ratio of men to women. The five most common primary diagnoses were breast, prostate, lung, thyroid and colorectal cancer. A total of 77 percent of patients had vitamin D concentrations either deficient (less than 20 ng/mL) or sub-optimal (20-30 ng/mL). The median serum vitamin D level was 23.5 ng/mL. Regardless of the age or sex of the patient, levels of vitamin D were below the median predicted for advanced stage disease in the patient group.

Patients who were found to be vitamin D deficient were administered replacement therapy,

increasing serum D levels by an average of 14.9 ng/mL. Investigators will be analyzing if vitamin D supplementation had an impact on aspects of treatment or survival in the long-term.

Supplement May Improve Recovery From Spinal Cord Injuries

UK Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) - have discovered that in experimental models, severe spinal cord injury can be treated effectively by administering the supplement acetyl-L-carnitine or ALC, a derivative of essential amino acids that can generate metabolic energy, soon after injury.

The researchers previously reported that following spinal cord injury, the mitochondria, or energy generation components of cells, are overwhelmed by chemical stresses and lose the ability to produce energy in the form of the compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This leads to cell death at the injury site and, ultimately, paralysis of the body below the injury level.

Results soon to be published show that administration of ALC soon after a paralyzing injury promoted the milestone recovery of the ability to walk. Unlike the animal control group given no ALC, which regained only slight hind limb movements, the group treated with ALC recovered hind limb movements more quickly and were able to stand on all four limbs and walk a month later. Critically, such remarkable recovery was correlated with significant tissue sparing at the injury site following administration of ALC.

Because ALC can be administered orally, and is well-tolerated at relatively high doses in humans, researchers believe that their discovery may be translated easily to clinical practice as an early intervention for people with traumatic spinal cord injuries.

Samir P. Patel, Patrick G. Sullivan, Travis S. Lyttle, Alexander G. Rabchevsky. Acetyl-l-carnitine ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction following contusion spinal cord injury. Journal of Neurochemistry, 2010

Recipe for Relaxation

First you need some lovely ripe blackberries, 5 will do for each serving.



To them you'll add
1.5 oz vodka 
3 oz lemonade. 


You might want to slip the glass upside down to wet the rim with some lemonade and then dredge the rim in sugar..oooohhh..fancy!


Muddle four blackberries in bottom of tumbler. Add ice, vodka and lemonade. Garnish with blackberry. 
Find a cozy comfy spot preferably snuggled up with the one you love....or a nice cat or dog will do.... Enjoy!

"Learn the alchemy that few human beings know. That when you accept what difficulties you have been given, a door opens." Rumi

Frequent Use of Vitamins E and C Linked to Reduced Breast Cancer Recurrence

Wow! Look at this study showing vitamins E and C to be protective. There is concern that antioxidant supplement use during chemotherapy and radiation therapy may decrease treatment effects, yet the effects of such supplements on recurrence and survival are largely unknown.


Antioxidant supplement use after diagnosis was reported by 81% of women. Among antioxidant users, frequent use of vitamin C and vitamin E was associated with a 27%  and 29% decreased risk of BC recurrence respectively; and vitamin E use was associated with a 24% decreased risk of all-cause mortality. CONVERSELY frequent use of combination carotenoids was associated with increased mortality.


Greenlee H, Kwan ML, et al.

Antioxidant supplement use after breast cancer diagnosis and mortality in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) cohort. [JOURNAL ARTICLE] Cancer 2011 Sep 27.

Poor Glucose Control Raises Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's

Getting your blood sugar under control appears to have far reaching effects according to a new study coming out of Japan. The study links glucose regulation with dementia and prediabetes and diabetes with dementia, vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. In the population group studied poor glucose control accounted for one in six cases of dementia and one in five cases of Alzheimer’s.

Diabetes patients were 74% more likely to develop dementia of any type over 15 years of follow-up after adjustment for other confounding factors.

And Alzheimer's disease developed 2.05-fold more often in those with diabetes than in those with normal glucose tolerance.

Most interesting, though, was the strong risk prediction of postload glucose levels during the oral glucose tolerance test, mimicking how meals are metabolized.

Higher two-hour postload glucose levels correlated with greater risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia.

After adjustment for age, sex, hypertension, electrocardiogram abnormalities, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, prior stroke, education, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity in the multivariate analysis:

Two-hour postload glucose levels of 7.8 to 11.0 mmol/L predicted 50% elevated risk of all-cause dementia and 87% elevated likelihood of Alzheimer's disease.

Two-hour postload glucose levels above 11.0 mmol/L predicted 2.47-fold higher risk of all-cause dementia and 3.42-fold elevated Alzheimer's risk and 2.66-fold elevated vascular dementia risk (P=0.01).

Those findings suggested "that postprandial glucose regulation is critical to prevent future dementia.

Hyperglycemia itself may have an impact on the brain through atherosclerosis, oxidative stress and accumulation of advanced protein glycation, and changes in insulin metabolism yielding distorted amyloid metabolism.

One important tool to reduce high after meal blood sugar levels is the glycemic index. Foods that are low are better than foods that are high.

Have a look at how the foods you eat frequently score on the index here.

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Ohara T, et al "Glucose tolerance status and risk of dementia in the community: The Hisayama Study" Neurology 2011; 77: 1126–1134.

Anger hurts your heart but laughter protects it.

If you are a hothead, your heart may be at risk. Several recent studies point to the link between anger and heart disease and dangerous heart events like heart attack. So think about this the next time you feel like raging at another driver or that slow person in front of you at the supermarket. Individuals who are prone to getting angry may have a higher risk for heart failure, researchers found. And in those who were hospitalized for heart failure, high anger levels were associated with a greater risk of getting readmitted.

The findings are consistent with previous studies that have evaluated the link between anger or hostility and the risks of stroke and coronary heart disease.

Last month a study found that among patients with cardiovascular disease, an angry personality profile was associated with a higher risk of MI.

That study found that anger drives heart attacks but laughter may protect you. When you are riled your blood vessels squeeze and blood flow is reduced, but a good belly laugh relaxes the arteries and enhances circulation.

And a recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that previously healthy people who were prone to anger and hostility had a greater risk for coronary heart disease events. In those who already had heart disease, anger was associated with a worse prognosis.

 Source reference:

Kucharska-Newton A, et al " Anger proneness increases risk of heart failure" HFSA 2011; Abstract 217.

Depression Boosts Stroke Risk

Being depressed may increase an individual's risk of stroke and stroke death, a meta-analysis found.

Depression was associated with a 45% increased risk of total stroke and a 55% higher risk of fatal stroke. The association was reported in the Sept. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The analysis included 28 studies involving 317,540 patients. Eight of the studies focused on fatal stroke, three on nonfatal stroke, six on ischemic stroke, and two on hemorrhagic stroke.

While this sounds alarming, the actual numbers of people who have stroke were very small. The absolute risk differences associated with depression were 106 cases for total stroke, 53 cases for ischemic stroke, and 22 cases for fatal stroke per 100,000 patients per year.

Depression may contribute to stroke via a variety of mechanisms, including known neuroendocrine and immunological/inflammatory effects, its association with poor health behaviors that could increase cardiovascular risk, and its correlation with other major comorbidities that raise the risk of stroke, such as diabetes and hypertension.

Fortunately, there are a number of lifestyle factors and nutrient factors that help us to avoid both depression and stroke. Healthy blood vessels depend on a good level of vitamin C for elasticity. Flavonoids like pycnogenol, grape seed extract, resveratrol and Curcumin support healthy blood vessels. Fish oils and vitamin D support the health of the blood vessels, reduce risk of stroke when taken daily, and also support brighter mood.

Source reference:

Pan A, et al "Depression and risk of stroke morbidity and mortality: A meta-analysis and systematic review" JAMA 2011; 306(11): 1241-1249.

Grocery store CEOs: Refuse Monsanto's GMO sweet corn!

I thank CredoAction http://www.credoaction.com/ for the good work they are doing to raise awareness about this issue. From their petition: Right now, Monsanto, the corporation responsible for producing roughly 90% of genetically modified seeds around the globe, is working to bring their new, GMO sweet corn to a grocery store aisle or farmer's market near you.1

Unlike Monsanto's other GMO crops -- which are primarily fed to animals -- this sweet corn is intended for direct human consumption.

This is the first time Monsanto has engineered a vegetable that could be served straight to your dinner table. And if this unlabeled, and potentially toxic crop succeeds, Monsanto is sure to bring us even more.

As an activist and consumer, you are in a powerful position to pressure leading U.S. grocery stores to reject Monsanto's new GMO corn.

Tell U.S. food companies: Americans don't want Monsanto's GMO sweet corn in our grocery stores!

Monsanto's GMO sweet corn is engineered to tolerate the herbicide Roundup, and to produce the insect-killing pesticide Bt.

If that sounds dangerous to eat, there's good reason.

A past study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that Monsanto's GMO corn led to organ failure in mammals.2 This GMO corn has also recently been linked to a sharp spike in livestock infertility, as high as 20% -- a health problem that could potentially pose a risk to humans.3

But shockingly, just as other GMO foods are not required to have special labeling, consumers will have no way of knowing if they're purchasing Monsanto's new genetically modified sweet corn.

Tell U.S. grocery stores: Americans don't want Monsanto's GMO sweet corn!

Some of Monsanto's GMO corn is already in human food -- used to make additives in processed food products -- and even in small quantities it's having scary effects.

This past spring a Canadian study found that the GMO toxin inserted in Bt corn was found in the bloodstreams of 93 percent of pregnant women4 -- just from its presence in processed grains and highly processed food products.

Now, grocery stores could be on the verge of delivering up this toxic corn, and its toxic effects, in much higher doses and without processing, and we wouldn't even know what we were eating.

 We must raise our voice as consumers and urge grocery stores to reject Monsanto's potentially dangerous new product, and stop this dangerous trend of Monsanto-made, straight to table products.

Sign the Petition here.

1 Monsanto Plans To Sell Sweet Corn In Your Local Supermarket August 8, 2011.


2 Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals March 18, 2011.


3 Dr. Huber's Warning: How GMOs Are Linked to Disease and Infertility May 4, 2011.


4 GM Food Toxins Found In The Blood of 93% of Unborn Babies May 20, 2011.

 http://www.credoaction.com/

Postnatal DHA Supplementation Brings Cognitive and Cardiovascular Benefits to Infants

If you have a new baby and are not breastfeeding a new study suggests that your baby's brain and heart will thank you for buying formula that is enriched with two critically important long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, DHA and ARA. 


In the University of Kansas Study infants who were fed fortified formula were more cognitively advanced and had heart Benefits. Study lead author John Colombo, a neuroscientist who specializes in the measurement of early neurocognitive development, said that the findings add to the mounting evidence that these nutritional compounds positively affect brain and behavioral development.

DHA or docosahexaenoic acid is an essential long-chain fatty-acid that affects brain and eye development, and babies derive it from their mothers before birth and if they are breastfeeding, up to age two. But the American diet is markedly deficient in DHA sources such as fish. ARA or arachidonic acid is another long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid that is present in breast milk and commercial formula.

Colombo and Carlson’s earlier work and collaborations influenced infant formula manufacturers to begin adding DHA in 2001.

John Colombo, Susan E. Carlson, Carol L. Cheatham, Kathleen M. Fitzgerald-Gustafson, Amy Kepler, Tasha Doty. Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Infancy Reduces Heart Rate and Positively Affects Distribution of Attention. Pediatric Research, 2011

Suffer From Brain fatigue? Get Off of That Couch!

Scientists have long understood that regular exercise increases the number of organelles called mitochondria in muscle cells. Mitochondria produce energy, Thus one of the positive physical effects of exercise is increased strength or endurance. Exercise also works in the brain to reduce depression and boost memory. Now we may know why.
Exercise doesn’t just boost cellular powerhouses, (mitochondria) in muscles—it increases their population in brain cells too. Thus exercise increases the number of mitochondria in the brain just as it increases mitochondria in muscles. The benefits? Better exercise endurance by energizing the brain and having it be more resistant to fatigue. A boost in brain mitochondria play a supporting role for reducing the impact of mental disorders. Exercise may prove to be a potential treatment for psychiatric disorders, genetic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.


Jennifer L. Steiner, E. Angela Murphy, Jamie L. Mcclellan, Martin D. Carmichael, J. Mark Davis. Exercise Training Increases Mitochondrial Biogenesis in the Brain.American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology, 2011

B Vitamins Can Slow Cognitive Decline

This study found that people with mild cognitive impairment had their cognitive decline slowed by taking B vitamins. The modest doses used were easy to replicate. 800 mcg Folic Acid. 500 mcg B-12, 20 mg B-6 and they took them for two years.
Benefits seen? Significant improvements in homocysteine levels, in global cognition, episodic memory, delayed recall and semantic memory. Progression of memory impairment was slowed in the B vitamin group and not at all in the placebo group.

de Jager, Jacoby et al, 'Cognitive and clinical outcomes of homocysteine-lowering B-vitamin treatment in mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial', International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2011.

Now this just makes me smile.

Some lighthearted farmer thought this through. Would love to fly over this sometime.

URGENT: Call Congress & Tell Them to Protect your Supplements

Call Your Representative Today!

Dear Friends and Fellow Dietary Supplement Consumers,

The FDA is at it again. New draft guidance from the FDA and members of Congress aims to create unnecessary regulations which, if passed in the near future, will severely limit our access to dietary supplements in this country. These new regulations fall under what's called "Guidance on New Dietary Ingredients", and will essentially create impossible barriers for supplement companies, thus preventing these companies from producing and selling their natural health products. Period.

This new guidance will give the FDA complete power to approve or reject any dietary supplement from being sold – a power that Congress never intended to give the FDA (as set forth in the 1994 DSHEA guidelines which act to protect our access to dietary supplements).

Under these new regulations, between 20,000 and 42,000 supplements are expected to be pulled off the market, while the costs of those that remain will drastically increase. And don't fool yourself, any supplements remaining on the market if this guidance is passed will be those that are manufactured and distributed by Big Pharma.

That's why we urgently need your help in protecting America's right to access safe and effective natural dietary supplements and ingredients.  Alliance for Natural Health has organized a movement to tell our Congress members by the thousands to STOP the FDA's OVER-REACH of POWER!!

Please don't let the FDA and Big Pharma succeed in this dangerous power grab for YOUR dietary supplements. Tell Congress enough is enough!

Thank you for taking action in this critical struggle to protect our access to natural health solutions. Our health freedom depends on it!

Go to this page. It will give you talking points for your conversation with your legislators’ offices, and has an interactive feature to look up your senators’ and representative’s names and phone numbers just by typing in your ZIP code.

US Newborn Death Rate is 41st in the World

Do you think we lead the world in health status or health care? Think again.

Babies in the United States have a higher risk of dying during their first month of life than do babies born in 40 other countries, according to a new World Health Organization report. Shockingly enough, we are tied with Qatar for newborn infant mortality!

Some of the countries that outrank the United States in terms of newborn death risk are South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel, according to the study.

Premature infants are a leading reason for the US infant death rate. Go here for the whole story.

I would like to thank a fellow Twitter person Mark Crispin Miller for tweeting this story and bringing it to my attention. Mark has a fabulous website called "News From Underground" that I will be reading everyday from now on. The site is a daily e-news service run by Mr. Miller who is a Professor of Culture and Communication at NYU. It is based on his belief that academics, like reporters, have a civic obligation to help keep the people well-informed, so that American democracy might finally work.

You can follow Mark on Twitter. He is @mcrispinmiller

By the way, the omega 3 DHA is associated with longer gestation periods and improved neonate and maternal outcome. Duration of gestation increased significantly when docosahexaenoic acid intake was increased during the last trimester of pregnancy. Read the study below.

A Randomized Trial of Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Vitamin C appears to be critical for health and function of the eye.

GABA type receptors in retinal cells require significant amounts of vitamin C to function properly, according to collaborative research from Oregon Health & Science University and University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The research was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

According to the scientists, GABA-type receptors in the brain support communications between brain cells. The study found the GABA-type receptors in retinal cells stopped functioning properly when vitamin C was not plentiful.

The study authors found that the cells in the retina need to be 'bathed' in relatively high doses of vitamin C, inside and out, to function properly. Because the retina is part of the central nervous system, this suggests there's likely an important role for vitamin C throughout our brains.

Vitamin C’s antioxidant properties may preserve receptors and other cells from premature breakdown. Retinal cells are a type of very accessible brain cells, suggesting other parts of the brain containing GABA-type receptors might be similarly dependent on vitamin C.

The role of vitamin C in the brain and central nervous system (CNS) is not fully understood, according to researchers, who noted even when the rest of the body is deprived of the vitamin, it persists in the brain long after. This research finding may provide clues into the mechanisms of scurvy, which is caused by vitamin C deficiency. The findings may also yield insights into other diseases such as glaucoma and epilepsy, both which are caused by dysfunctional nerve cells in the retina and brain possibly marked by GABA receptor malfunctioning.

For example, maybe a vitamin C-rich diet could be neuroprotective for the retina, for people who are especially prone to glaucoma.

Foods that are particularly high in vitamin C are Red and Green Peppers, Guava, fresh herbs such as Thyme and Parsley, Dark leafy greens such as Kale and Chard, Collards and Mustard Greens, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts. Kiwi fruit, papaya, Oranges and Tangerines and strawberries are also great sources of vitamin C. And of course you can always take a supplement!

Improving child survival through vitamin A supplementation.

Vitamin A deficiency in children increases vulnerability to infections. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 190 million children under the age of 5 may be vitamin A deficient. Despite widespread efforts, vitamin A programs do not reach all children who could benefit. Children in low and middle income countries should be given vitamin A supplements to prevent death and illness, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal August 29, 2011.

In the analysis of over 43 trials using vitamin A the study authors found vitamin A supplements reduced child mortality by 24% in low and middle income countries. It may also reduce mortality and disability by preventing measles, diarrhea and vision problems, including night blindness.

If the risk of death for 190 million vitamin A deficient children were reduced by the calculated 24%, over 600,000 lives would be saved each year and 20 million disability-adjusted life years (a measure of quantity and quality of life) would be gained.

DHA May Reduce Stroke Injury

Consuming the omega 3 DHA docosahexaenoic acid may reduce the extent of damage of a stroke by as much as 25% This is a study demonstrating the inflammation blocking effects of DHA in the brain. How much DHA would it take to approximate the effect found in the study? 2.5 to 3 grams of DHA and EPA daily with the emphasis on DHA.

Docosahexaenoic Acid

The article “Accumulation of Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid in the Brain Attenuates Acute Immune Response and Development of Postischemic Neuronal Damage” was published in the August 18 edition of the journal “Stroke”

Your hearts desire..if you're a chocoholic...

A study at Cambridge University has found a delicious answer to reducing heart disease: Chocolate. Polyphenol rich chocolate consumption can slash your risk of heart disease by about a third. One likely mechanism is an increase in nitric oxide which might lead to healthier blood vessels, reductions in stickiness of platelets and beneficial affects on blood pressure, insulin resistance and lipid levels. The findings were presented today at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris.

Taking a Multi-Vitamin May Boost Memory As We Age

Hope you're taking a multi every day!

In 1994, French researchers recruited 4,500 French men and women aged 45 to 60 to take part in the experiment.  Half of them took a daily supplement with vitamins C and E, selenium, zinc and beta-carotene for eight years, the other half took a placebo. The participants were not told whether they were taking the vitamin or the placebo.

After the eight years, researchers stopped giving participants the pills and gave them the choice of whether or not to take vitamin supplements. Six years later, the researchers brought them back for a round of memory tests, including word and number problems.

While the supplement and placebo groups performed similarly on most tests, the nutrient-boosted participants beat their peers on one test of long-term memory in which participants had to recall words in different categories.

The findings support a beneficial effect of a well-balanced intake of antioxidant nutrients at nutritional doses for maintaining cognitive performance, especially verbal memory.

Take a look at the study here.

Research Hints at Link Between Red Wine and Omega 3's

A new study suggests red wine polyphenols may protect omega-3 fatty acids from breaking down in the body, offering a possible mechanism for the cardiovascular benefits associated with red wine consumption.


Have a look at the abstract here.

Corn...wonderful corn..delicious corn!

Oh I so love the sweet summer corn that is everywhere right now...grilled...dropped for moments in boiling water...parboiled and slice off the kernels for a salad with beans or peas...whatever you do with fresh summer corn..it is fabulous this time of year.
 Here's a thought! Why top your freshly made corn in plain butter, when you can baste the sweet ears in a blend of citrus juice, garlic, shallot, chives, parsley, basil and mint? Mix up a citrus herb butter to have handy for the seasons brightest harvest.

1 stick butter, softened  

2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice

1 tsp lemon zest   

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

1 shallot, finely chopped  

1 tbsp finely chopped chives  

1 tbsp chopped parsley  

1 tbsp chopped basil  

1 tbsp chopped thyme

1 tbsp chopped fresh spearmint

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Feel free to substitute delete or add fresh herbs to suit your family’s tastes…and use what you have in your garden. Adding a little squeeze of dijon mustard is a nice variation too!

Combine all the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a sheet of waxed paper. 

Wrap the paper around the butter and shape it into a roll, twisting the ends of the paper to seal. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until the butter is firm.

Cook your fresh corn on the stove or on the grill. Serve with the herb butter….enjoy!