Take Your 'Vitamin See' - If Just For Your Eyes Only

Do you know what the most common surgery performed in the elderly is?  Surprisingly, it is not bypass surgery, but cataract removal.  Cataracts are present in over 45% of people older than 75 years, and are caused by free radical damage to the lens of the eye.  While sunlight exposure will increase the risk of developing a cataract, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that vitamin C from both food intake and supplemental vitamins can play a significant role in reducing the risk of developing cataracts.

In this study of 492 women younger than 60 years, consumption of vitamin C over 362 mg per day in food and supplements was associated with a 57% lower risk for developing cataracts.  Additionally, the use of vitamin C supplements alone for at least 10 years was associated with a 60% reduction in the risk of cataracts, when compared to no supplement use. The incidence of cataracts was also considerably lower in women who had never smoked and who had high intakes of green leafy vegetables and carrots. These results add to a growing body of evidence that certain nutrients can be utilized to reduce the rates for development of this disease of aging.  The moral of this story is to drink your orange juice, eat those leafy green vegetables -- and take extra supplements of "Vitamin See." 

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A Tomato Product a Day Keeps Prostate Cancer Away

 
While we have published other stories on this topic, it's always nice to see follow-up information that substantiates prior conclusions. That’s especially true when  the power of research is amplified by a ‘high volume’ of  subjects analyzed, such as in the recent new study of 47,000 men by Harvard's Dr. Edward Giovannucci. which reinforced the importance of tomato products in the prevention of prostate cancer.

Men who consume tomatoes in the form of ketchup, sauce, "gravy", and other tomato-based foods two or more times per week may be able to reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer by from 24 to 36%. That’s because tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, pizza, ketchup, and salsa, along with watermelon and pink grapefruit, have high concentrations of the antioxidant lycopene.

Dr. Giovannucci believes that lycopene can protect against cancer by absorbing oxygen free-radicals.  Other research has validated this theory, and has also shown that lycopene can reverse cancerous changes in prostate cancer cells and can lower PSA.

Incidentally, recent research has also indicated that lycopene is also protective against heart disease -- and osteoporosis as well.

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When Harvard graduate Dr. Kilmer McCully discovered back in the late 1960s that a blood protein called homocysteine may contribute to heart disease, the history-making importance of his contribution to medicine was anything but apparent.  At that time, Dr. McCully was ridiculed and removed from his position at his prestigious alma mater.  It took nearly 40 years for his original work to be validated, so that now even traditional physicians acknowledge the relationship between elevated homocysteine and cardiovascular disease.

But the harm that homocysteine does may well go beyond that. A recent study from Boston University's School of Medicine indicates that the damaging effect from high homocysteine impacts not only the heart, but also has adverse effects on the brain.  In an analysis of almost 1,100 patients, elevated levels of  the protein were found to be a strong independent risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease.  In fact, homocysteine levels above 14 mg/dl corresponded to a 50% increase risk for developing this devastating memory-destroying condition.  In addition, the risk was found to be independent of any genetic predisposition for developing Alzheimer's disease.

Homocysteine accumulates in the blood when we are deficient in the necessary enzymes to metabolize it into various proteins.  These enzymes are dependent on B vitamins, specifically B-6, B-12 and folic acid.  It follows that supplementation with these vitamins can effectively treat those with high homocysteine.  While homocysteine has been shown to damage blood vessels and contribute to atherosclerosis, its symptoms are not usually felt until late in the disease when memory loss, strokes, and angina develop.  If you thus have a family history of Alzheimer's disease or heart disease, it is essential to have a screening blood test for homocysteine.

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A vast network of blood vessels supplies the heart with both oxygen and nutrients.  When this flow is interrupted, a heart attack can occur, and the affected area of the heart becomes stunned, beating inefficiently.  Heart attacks not only produce local damage, but also can rob other body parts of blood, sometimes leading to death.  Although a heart attack is not always fatal, the risk of ‘aftershocks’ -- recurrent heart attacks, strokes, and irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) increases significantly during the months that follow.

Now, Italian researchers have found an easy way of  protecting those who have suffered a heart attack from such complications- fish oil capsules. In their study, over 11,000 heart attack survivors were followed over a four-year period.  After data analysis was performed, it was found that those who had taken 1000 mg fish oil capsules on a daily basis had a 50% lower risk of sudden death during the recovery period.  Most impressive was that the side effects of taking fish oil capsules were virtually nonexistent.  The study was performed on a Mediterranean population that already consumes fish, olives, olive oils, and other polyunsaturated fats.

The researchers believe that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil help to control the electrical activity of the heart in order to prevent arrhythmias. The benefits were not due to changes in cholesterol levels or reducing potentially fatal blood clotting.

About 250,000 people in the United States die each year from heart attacks before reaching the hospital. Most of these deaths are likely due to sudden death caused by an arrhythmia.

Even though this groundbreaking study was published in Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association, that association still does not recommend fish-oil supplements and will not recommend them until there is "compelling evidence" that they benefit overall cardiovascular health.  We are sure that the above mentioned information is very compelling and would recommend a diet high in omega-3 fats, coming not only from fish, but also from flax, walnuts, almonds, and pecans.

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Over 35 million people in our country suffer from diabetes, a disease of blood-sugar control resulting from an insulin and glucose imbalance. Diabetics frequently develop circulatory damage to the blood vessels that supply the eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves, extremities, and other organs.  Diabetics who have poor blood-sugar control are over four times likelier to suffer a heart attack than non-diabetics.

While medicines have been the mainstay of diabetic treatment, a new study of 57 people indicates that rice bran is highly effective for controlling blood sugar.  In the research published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, subjects experienced up to a 30% reduction in their blood-sugar levels.  Twenty five percent of the diabetics in the study were able to reduce their insulin or medication dosages after two months of consuming 20 grams of the rice bran in their diets each day. It was also found that patients with elevated cholesterol who consumed the rice bran lowered their cholesterol and triglyceride levels between 5 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

Interestingly enough, rice bran is not high in fiber.  It contains a biochemical agent known as amylose, which helps the body's tissues utilize sugar molecules, thus lowering potentially dangerous blood-sugar levels.  Brown rice and other unprocessed rice contains amylose, but little is found in white rice.  Nevertheless, it is very difficult to eat 20 grams of rice bran each day, so supplementation may be necessary for those with diabetes.

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