Posts Tagged ‘immune’

Green tea reduces risk of blood cancers 42%

Tuesday December 01, 2009
Tea Plantation

Tea Plantation

(Natural News) A Japanese green tea study has determined impressive results regarding the reduction of blood and lymph cancers. Tohoku University researchers found a 42 percent reduction for blood cancers and 48 percent reduction for lymph cancers with high green tea consumption.

To arrive at these results, they analyzed the age, gender, lifestyle and health of 40,000 Japanese over a ten-year period. The epidemiological studies (statistical observations over time) of Japan have been bolstered with western clinical application and lab studies that revealed interesting observations.

For example, the Mayo Clinic of Minnesota fed leukemia patients large doses of GTE’s (green tea extracts) and discovered immediate benefits in their patients. However, the doctors consider GTE’s a helpful adjunct to orthodox cancer treatments. They declined the notion of using GTE’s exclusively or in conjunction with other natural cancer treatments.

Researchers in Spain and England isolated the mechanics of green tea’s inhibition of cancer cells. Their research was published back in the March 2005 issue of Cancer Research. They found that ECGC, an extremely abundant catechin in green teas inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).

Catechins are active polyphenolic antioxidant metabolites in green tea. The DHFR enzymes they inhibit are needed by cancer cells to proliferate. Upon closer scrutiny of green tea ECGC, they determined that its molecular structure closely resembles that of the cancer drug methotrexate used in chemotherapy.

The good news is that the binding properties of ECGC is not as intense as the drug methotrexate. Therefore, the side effects of green tea are minimal. But there is one situation where green tea’s ECGC binding to DHFR can be detrimental: ECGC binding to DHFR can inhibit the folic acid needed by women pregnant in their first trimester. This situation has been shown to increase the risk of her child being born with spina bifida or other fetal neurological disorders.

Because of this, it is recommended that women curb their green tea consumption just prior to pregnancy and during the first trimester.

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/027432_green_tea_cancer_cancers.html

Do Antioxidants Improve Health?

Saturday November 28, 2009

Since antioxidants counteract the harmful effects of free radicals, you would think that we should consume as much as of them as possible. The truth is, although there is little doubt that antioxidants are a necessary component for good health, it is not clear if supplements should be taken and, if so, how much. Once thought to be harmless, we now know that consuming mega-doses of antioxidants can be harmful due to their potential toxicity and interactions with medications. Remember — antioxidants themselves may act as pro-oxidants at high levels.

So, is there any basis for the hoopla? The experimental (intervention) studies completed so far have had mixed results:

  • The Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC) involved Finnish men who were heavy smokers and alcohol drinkers. The volunteers were either given 20 milligrams (mg) of synthetic beta-carotene, 50 mg of vitamin E, a combination of the two, or a placebo. After eight years, the men who took vitamin E had 32 percent fewer diagnoses of prostate cancer and 41 percent fewer prostate cancer deaths compared to men who did not. However, after only four years, there were 16 percent more cases of lung cancer and 14 percent more lung cancer deaths in the beta-carotene-only group.
  • In the Carotenoid and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET), volunteers were either smokers or asbestos workers. They were given a combination of 30 mg of synthetic beta-carotene and 25,000 International Units (IU) of retinol (pre-formed vitamin A) or placebo. This study was stopped early due to the fact that preliminary findings suggested that there was a 28-percent increase in lung cancer rates in the beta-carotene group compared to the placebo group.
  • The Physicians’ Health Study (PHS) of 22,000 physicians, 11 percent of whom were smokers and 40 percent were past smokers, showed neither a protective effect nor a toxic effect after 12 years of follow-up. The participants were randomized to receive either 50 mg of beta-carotene every other day or placebo. (A second PHS underway is testing beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and a multivitamin with folate in healthy men age 65 and older for slowing cognitive decline.)
  • A 1997 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 60 mg of vitamin E a day strengthened the immune system in a group of healthy patients at least 65 years old, and 200 mg generated a four-to-six fold improvement after four months. However, 800 mg of vitamin E resulted in worse immunity than receiving no vitamin E at all.
  • In 2001, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, showed that high-dose supplementation of 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 15 mg of beta-carotene, 80 mg of zinc, and 2 mg of copper significantly reduced development of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared to placebo. In addition, the antioxidant-plus-zinc group had significant reduction in rates of at least moderate visual acuity loss.

There are several possible explanations to account for the results.

  • The amount of antioxidants in supplements may be so high compared with that in the diet that it leads to a toxic effect.
  • Other nutrients may be present in fruits and vegetables that work in sync with antioxidants and are necessary to provide a protective effect.
  • The study participants may have been too old to start taking antioxidants, or they may have led lifestyles that were too unhealthy for the antioxidants to make a positive difference.

Furthermore, literally hundreds, if not thousands, of observational studies (where investigators look for associations without giving participants supplements to take) have linked diets rich in antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to a lower risk for diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, cataracts, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis. So, despite the disappointing findings of trials, scientists remain certain of the many potential benefits of dietary antioxidants — they simply haven’t figured out exactly how the different antioxidant systems work together in our bodies to protect us from free-radical damage.

How Much Do I Need?

Is your Health Worth $2 per Day?

Sunday November 22, 2009

Make euforia the first part of your day

With our fast pace lifetstyles, and the over processing of foods, it can be difficult to get our daily allowance of antioxidants. Plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, contain many antioxidants that are essential to human health.

With euforia, we can now start the day with a delicous superjuice packed with anti-oxidants and super foods for only $2 per ounce. (A 32 oz bottle of euforia costs ~ $60.)

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) that can cause damage. Antioxidants act as “free radical scavengers” and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals. Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, and cancer, are all contributed to oxidative damage. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of cancer and infection.

Antioxidants are present in foods as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and polyphenols, among others. Many antioxidants are often identified in food by their distinctive colors such as the deep red of cherries and of tomatoes; the orange of carrots; the yellow of corn, mangos, and saffron; and the blue-purple of blueberries, blackberries, and grapes. The most well-known components of food with antioxidant activities are vitamins A, C, and E; ß-carotene; the mineral selenium; and more recently, the compound lycopene.

Recent findings in research and literature suggest that fruits and vegetables in combination have synergistic effects on antioxidant activities leading to greater reduction in risk of chronic disease, specifically for cancer and heart disease. The combination of powerful antioxidants and naturalsuper foods in euforia, along with the high bio-availability of Aloe Vera, make euforia one of the most powerful antioxidants superjuices ever created.

Learn More at VeryHealthyJuice.com

Ancient Wisdom Meets Innovative Science

Sunday November 22, 2009
Euforia NuVerus

Euforia NuVerus

NuVerus has developed one of the most innovative and progressive products in the nutritional industry. Its formulation of Euforia provides the fundamental nutritional core for overall health and wellness. NuVerus is committed to quality as evidenced by thousands of quality-control tests,reliance on current science and a commitment to high quality. What our ancestors knew about Nigella Sativa and the other outstanding ingredients of Euforia has been passed down from generation to generation, and now, modern science has unlocked more secrets of these amazing plants and has allowed us to formulate them into a unique blend of juice that can enhance your health and wellness. Make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle and make Euforia part of your daily routine.

Mangosteen

Tuesday November 17, 2009
Mangosteen

Mangosteen

Mangosteen is another “superfruit” which possesses the high concentration of anti-oxidants that the body needs.  The fruit is grown in its natural habitat in Southeast Asia where for centuries it has been used as an alternative medicine to combat allergies, hypertension, slow the aging process, prevent thrombosis, and improve over all cardio-vascular health.  Along with its high concentration of anti-oxidants, mangosteen also contains essential vitamins that our body requires to function properly.  The list of vitamins includes: Vitamin B (1, 2, 6), vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, and thiamine.  The fruit also contains at least 20 xanthones, which have been shown to neutralize free radicals due to their high level of anti-oxidant activity.

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