kebaldwin
Thu, Aug-10-06, 18:51
Six Newly-Discovered Benefits of Nutritional Supplementation
August 10, 2006 - Vitamin supplementation is not only a great way to obtain nutrients you may not be getting in your diet, it's also a way to obtain numerous health benefits, from enhancing energy to boosting immunity to improving mood. Every week, clinical research is published in medical and scientific journals evidencing the fact that nutrition plays a part in the maintenance of good health. This week, six new studies detail the benefits of supplementing with nutrients including curcumin, quercetin, lutein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, omega-3 essential fatty acids and more.
Wow, what a week for great new studies proving the benefits of nutrition! If your doctor tells you there's no evidence or science to support the benefits of supplements and nutrition, find a new doctor. He or she is clearly not staying current on science and medical studies.
There was a great study published in the last week in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology regarding the nutrient curcumin, found in turmeric1. There's a condition that can be seen in families which leads to the development of multiple abnormal growths in the colon. Five patients with this condition were supplemented with 480 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of quercetin, both three times daily. At the end of the six-month trial, all five individuals had a decreased number and size from baseline of these abnormal growths in the colon. The growths decreased in number on average by about 60% while the size of the growths decreased an average by over 50%. No side effects were seen from the administration of these nutrients. The author of the study out of Johns Hopkins University indicated that randomized control trials were needed to validate these findings. When the results of this study are combined with the hundreds of other positive published studies on curcumin and quercetin, I have great reason to recommend these two amazing nutrients to everyone that wants to promote not just a healthy colon but overall good health. They're two of the most powerful antioxidants you can consume.
In the August 2006 edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers explored the association of antioxidant nutrients and markers of oxidative stress in individuals suffering with chronic airflow limitation2. Two hundred and eighteen people with chronic airflow limitation were randomly recruited. After adjusting for other variables, it was found that serum beta cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeazathin, retinol, beta-carotene and vitamin C were positively associated with improvement in some breathing parameters. It was felt that these results supported the hypothesis that an imbalance in antioxidants/oxidant status was associated with chronic airflow limitation and that dietary habits and/or oxidative stress play contributing roles. There are numerous other studies proving nutrients promote healthy lung function. Magnesium is another nutrient proven to be beneficial not just for cardiovascular health but also lung function.
There was an interesting study conducted in patients with acute illness published in the August 2006 edition of the prestigious American Journal of Medicine3. The study was conducted to determine whether nutritional support in older patients during acute illness could lead to some clinical benefit. It involved 445 hospitalized patients between the ages of 65 and 92. The group was randomly assigned to receive normal hospital diets along with oral nutritional supplements, or normal diets plus placebo, for a total of six weeks. The supplement provided almost 1,000 calories and multiple vitamins and minerals. Patients were assessed at baseline, at six weeks and again six months after the study. It was found that those supplemented had a significant improvement in nutritional status. Over the subsequent six months, 29% of supplemented patients were readmitted to the hospital compared to 40% in the placebo group. It was concluded that oral nutritional supplementation of acutely ill patients improved the nutritional status and lead to a statistically significant reduction in the number of non-elective readmissions. As a doctor who makes rounds in hospitals and who is on call for neurological hospital emergencies, I can tell you that additional nutritional supplementation is a great idea for sick people. Doctors who think that hospital food or even a so-called "healthy diet" alone without supplements are sufficient are just wrong.
There was another study published in the Annals of Epidemiology August 20064. Over 1,000 Japanese pregnant women with a history of rhinitis were studied. Information on dietary factors was collected. It was found that seaweed intake was associated with a decrease in prevalence of allergic rhinitis. Likewise, there was a significant decrease in allergic rhinitis prevalence with calcium and phosphorus intake. There was also a tendency for an inverse association with magnesium consumption.
There was a study published in the journal Biologic Psychiatry in August 2006 regarding individuals with poor mental health5. Homocysteine levels were measured in a group. Forty two of the patients had homocysteine levels of greater than 15. Half of them were subsequently supplemented with vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid, or placebo, for three months in a study that was randomized, double-blinded and then crossed over. It was found that homocysteine levels declined with vitamin therapy. Similarly, those given vitamin supplements had a significant overall improvement in their poor mental health compared with placebo.
Finally, there were two interesting studies recently presented at the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids. In the first study it was found that children supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids were able to retain information better and were less inclined to take sick days. Another study also reported at the conference found o mega-3 supplements taken by primary school students in Thailand reduced the severity and duration of common illnesses. Andrew Sinclair, professor of nutrition at Melbourne's Deakin University, said the latest research suggested o mega-3 supplements could enhance immune response in schoolchildren.
Although, as you're aware, I'm a big believer in vitamin supplementation, it's not the end-all and be-all. It should be part of a general program of healthy diet, exercise, proper sleep and stress reduction. I discuss these matters and more in my 46-page book Natural Cures from a Real Medical Doctor. It takes no more than one or two hours to read and I'm confident that it will give you some great ideas and insights as to ways to better your health. A core multivitamin is essential, such as those provided by the Synergy line from Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®).
Along with choosing a Synergy multivitamin, I highly recommend 2,000 mgs per day of EPA & DHA omega-3 essential fatty acids from purified and concentrated molecularly-distilled fish oil. The best quality, potency and value in this regard are the Mega EFAs from NSI®. For people, like children and the elderly, who can't swallow softgels, I recommend the NSI® Liquid EFA in a good-tasting lemon flavor. Just a half teaspoon is equivalent to other brands, which require you to swallow two to three softgels. I also recommend 900 mg of standardized turmeric containing 95% curcumin with 5 mg of Bioperine® as a stand-alone supplement. Bioperine® enhances the absorption of curcumin by up to several thousand percent. As usual, the NSI® brand of standardized turmeric provides this exact form and dosage at the best value. Non-standardized turmeric is a lot cheaper but may contain little of the active curcumin.
To your good health!
1. Cruz-Correa M, Shoskes DA, Sanchez P, Zhao R, Hylind LM, Wexner SD, Giardiello FM. Combination Treatment with Curcumni and Quercetin of Adenomas in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, Vol. 4, Issue 8, Aug, 2006, p. 1035-1038.
2. H M Ochs-Balcom, B J B Grant, P Muti, C T Sempos, J L Freudenheim, R W Browne, S E McCann, M Trevisan, P A Cassano, L Iacoviello and H J Schünemann. Antioxidants, oxidative stress, and pulmonary function in individuals diagnosed with asthma or COPD. Eur J Clin Nutr 60: 991-999.
3. Salah Gariballa, Sarah Forster, Stephen Walters and Hilary Powers. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Nutritional Supplementation During Acute Illness. Am J Med, Vol. 119, Issue 8, Aug. 2006, p. 693-699.
4. Yoshihiro Miyake, Satoshi Sasaki, Yukihiro Ohya, et. al. Dietary Intake of Seaweed and Minerals and Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis in Japanese Pregnant Females: Baseline Data From the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study. Ann Epidemiol. Vol. 16, Issue 8, Aug. 2006, p. 614-621.
5. Renerio Fraguas, Jr., George I. Papakostas, David Mischoulon, Teodoro Bottiglieri, Jonathan Alpert and Maurizio Fava. Anger Attacks in Major Depressive Disorder and Serum Levels of Homocysteine. Biologial Psychiatry, Vol. 60, Issue 3, 1 Aug. 2006, p. 270-274.
http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletterPrintable.cfm?nl=289
August 10, 2006 - Vitamin supplementation is not only a great way to obtain nutrients you may not be getting in your diet, it's also a way to obtain numerous health benefits, from enhancing energy to boosting immunity to improving mood. Every week, clinical research is published in medical and scientific journals evidencing the fact that nutrition plays a part in the maintenance of good health. This week, six new studies detail the benefits of supplementing with nutrients including curcumin, quercetin, lutein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, omega-3 essential fatty acids and more.
Wow, what a week for great new studies proving the benefits of nutrition! If your doctor tells you there's no evidence or science to support the benefits of supplements and nutrition, find a new doctor. He or she is clearly not staying current on science and medical studies.
There was a great study published in the last week in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology regarding the nutrient curcumin, found in turmeric1. There's a condition that can be seen in families which leads to the development of multiple abnormal growths in the colon. Five patients with this condition were supplemented with 480 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of quercetin, both three times daily. At the end of the six-month trial, all five individuals had a decreased number and size from baseline of these abnormal growths in the colon. The growths decreased in number on average by about 60% while the size of the growths decreased an average by over 50%. No side effects were seen from the administration of these nutrients. The author of the study out of Johns Hopkins University indicated that randomized control trials were needed to validate these findings. When the results of this study are combined with the hundreds of other positive published studies on curcumin and quercetin, I have great reason to recommend these two amazing nutrients to everyone that wants to promote not just a healthy colon but overall good health. They're two of the most powerful antioxidants you can consume.
In the August 2006 edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers explored the association of antioxidant nutrients and markers of oxidative stress in individuals suffering with chronic airflow limitation2. Two hundred and eighteen people with chronic airflow limitation were randomly recruited. After adjusting for other variables, it was found that serum beta cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeazathin, retinol, beta-carotene and vitamin C were positively associated with improvement in some breathing parameters. It was felt that these results supported the hypothesis that an imbalance in antioxidants/oxidant status was associated with chronic airflow limitation and that dietary habits and/or oxidative stress play contributing roles. There are numerous other studies proving nutrients promote healthy lung function. Magnesium is another nutrient proven to be beneficial not just for cardiovascular health but also lung function.
There was an interesting study conducted in patients with acute illness published in the August 2006 edition of the prestigious American Journal of Medicine3. The study was conducted to determine whether nutritional support in older patients during acute illness could lead to some clinical benefit. It involved 445 hospitalized patients between the ages of 65 and 92. The group was randomly assigned to receive normal hospital diets along with oral nutritional supplements, or normal diets plus placebo, for a total of six weeks. The supplement provided almost 1,000 calories and multiple vitamins and minerals. Patients were assessed at baseline, at six weeks and again six months after the study. It was found that those supplemented had a significant improvement in nutritional status. Over the subsequent six months, 29% of supplemented patients were readmitted to the hospital compared to 40% in the placebo group. It was concluded that oral nutritional supplementation of acutely ill patients improved the nutritional status and lead to a statistically significant reduction in the number of non-elective readmissions. As a doctor who makes rounds in hospitals and who is on call for neurological hospital emergencies, I can tell you that additional nutritional supplementation is a great idea for sick people. Doctors who think that hospital food or even a so-called "healthy diet" alone without supplements are sufficient are just wrong.
There was another study published in the Annals of Epidemiology August 20064. Over 1,000 Japanese pregnant women with a history of rhinitis were studied. Information on dietary factors was collected. It was found that seaweed intake was associated with a decrease in prevalence of allergic rhinitis. Likewise, there was a significant decrease in allergic rhinitis prevalence with calcium and phosphorus intake. There was also a tendency for an inverse association with magnesium consumption.
There was a study published in the journal Biologic Psychiatry in August 2006 regarding individuals with poor mental health5. Homocysteine levels were measured in a group. Forty two of the patients had homocysteine levels of greater than 15. Half of them were subsequently supplemented with vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid, or placebo, for three months in a study that was randomized, double-blinded and then crossed over. It was found that homocysteine levels declined with vitamin therapy. Similarly, those given vitamin supplements had a significant overall improvement in their poor mental health compared with placebo.
Finally, there were two interesting studies recently presented at the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids. In the first study it was found that children supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids were able to retain information better and were less inclined to take sick days. Another study also reported at the conference found o mega-3 supplements taken by primary school students in Thailand reduced the severity and duration of common illnesses. Andrew Sinclair, professor of nutrition at Melbourne's Deakin University, said the latest research suggested o mega-3 supplements could enhance immune response in schoolchildren.
Although, as you're aware, I'm a big believer in vitamin supplementation, it's not the end-all and be-all. It should be part of a general program of healthy diet, exercise, proper sleep and stress reduction. I discuss these matters and more in my 46-page book Natural Cures from a Real Medical Doctor. It takes no more than one or two hours to read and I'm confident that it will give you some great ideas and insights as to ways to better your health. A core multivitamin is essential, such as those provided by the Synergy line from Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®).
Along with choosing a Synergy multivitamin, I highly recommend 2,000 mgs per day of EPA & DHA omega-3 essential fatty acids from purified and concentrated molecularly-distilled fish oil. The best quality, potency and value in this regard are the Mega EFAs from NSI®. For people, like children and the elderly, who can't swallow softgels, I recommend the NSI® Liquid EFA in a good-tasting lemon flavor. Just a half teaspoon is equivalent to other brands, which require you to swallow two to three softgels. I also recommend 900 mg of standardized turmeric containing 95% curcumin with 5 mg of Bioperine® as a stand-alone supplement. Bioperine® enhances the absorption of curcumin by up to several thousand percent. As usual, the NSI® brand of standardized turmeric provides this exact form and dosage at the best value. Non-standardized turmeric is a lot cheaper but may contain little of the active curcumin.
To your good health!
1. Cruz-Correa M, Shoskes DA, Sanchez P, Zhao R, Hylind LM, Wexner SD, Giardiello FM. Combination Treatment with Curcumni and Quercetin of Adenomas in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, Vol. 4, Issue 8, Aug, 2006, p. 1035-1038.
2. H M Ochs-Balcom, B J B Grant, P Muti, C T Sempos, J L Freudenheim, R W Browne, S E McCann, M Trevisan, P A Cassano, L Iacoviello and H J Schünemann. Antioxidants, oxidative stress, and pulmonary function in individuals diagnosed with asthma or COPD. Eur J Clin Nutr 60: 991-999.
3. Salah Gariballa, Sarah Forster, Stephen Walters and Hilary Powers. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Nutritional Supplementation During Acute Illness. Am J Med, Vol. 119, Issue 8, Aug. 2006, p. 693-699.
4. Yoshihiro Miyake, Satoshi Sasaki, Yukihiro Ohya, et. al. Dietary Intake of Seaweed and Minerals and Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis in Japanese Pregnant Females: Baseline Data From the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study. Ann Epidemiol. Vol. 16, Issue 8, Aug. 2006, p. 614-621.
5. Renerio Fraguas, Jr., George I. Papakostas, David Mischoulon, Teodoro Bottiglieri, Jonathan Alpert and Maurizio Fava. Anger Attacks in Major Depressive Disorder and Serum Levels of Homocysteine. Biologial Psychiatry, Vol. 60, Issue 3, 1 Aug. 2006, p. 270-274.
http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletterPrintable.cfm?nl=289