Cured meats tied to childhood leukemia risk
Last Updated: 2009-01-28 14:45:42 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who regularly eat cured meats like bacon and hot dogs may have a heightened risk of leukemia, while vegetables and soy products may help protect against cancer, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among 515 Taiwanese children and teenagers with and without acute leukemia, those who ate cured meats and fish more than once a week had a 74 percent higher risk of leukemia than those who rarely ate these foods.
On the other hand, kids who often ate vegetables and soy products, like tofu, had about half the leukemia risk of their peers who shunned vegetables and soy.
The findings, reported in the online journal BMC Cancer, point to an association between these foods and leukemia risk - but do not prove cause-and-effect.
Long-term human studies, as well as animal studies, are still needed to see what role, if any, dietary factors have in leukemia development, explained Dr. David C. Christiani of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, one of the researchers of the group.
However, Christiani told Reuters Health, based on this and previous studies, he and his colleagues recommend that children not eat high amounts of cured meats and fish.
During the curing process, foods are preserved and flavored by the addition of salt, sugar and chemicals called nitrites; the foods are often smoked as well. Nitrites are precursors to compounds known as nitrosamines, which are potentially cancer-promoting.
In contrast, vegetables and soy contain antioxidants that may help neutralize those same compounds.
Christiani and his colleagues found that among children who regularly ate cured meats and fish, those who also ate vegetables or soy products had a substantially lower leukemia risk.
The study included 145 children and adolescents, 2 to 20 years old, with acute leukemia who were each matched with at least two healthy individuals of the same age and sex. The researchers collected detailed information on the participants' diets before their cancer diagnosis or, in the case of the comparison group, before their recruitment into the study.
Cured meats included foods like bacon, ham and hot dogs, as well as traditional Chinese staples like dried salted duck, salted fish and Chinese-style sausage.
Because most cured meats contain nitrites and nitrosamines, Christiani noted, the findings may apply to other cultures as well, even though the particular meats in the diet vary.
SOURCE:  http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/01/28/eline/links/20090128elin003.html

Plastic chemical may stay in body longer: study
Last Updated: 2009-01-28 11:48:31 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A controversial chemical used in many plastic products may remain in the body longer than previously thought, and people may be ingesting it from sources other than food, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December said it planned more research into the safety of bisphenol A, or BPA, but the agency indicated no immediate plans to curb the chemical, found in baby bottles and other products.
Dr. Richard Stahlhut of the University of Rochester and colleagues looked at levels of the chemical in the urine of 1,469 U.S. adults who took part in a government health survey.
While the belief had been BPA was quickly and completely eliminated from the body through urine, this study found people who had fasted for even a whole day still had significant levels of the chemical.
Stahlhut said this suggested BPA may hang around in the body longer than previously known or that it may get into the body through sources other than just food, perhaps including tap water or house dust. Stahlhut added that BPA may get into fat tissue, from where it might be released more slowly.
"If it leaves the body quickly, then it reduces the amount of time when it can cause problems. If it does cause problems, obviously if it stays around much longer, then that changes the game," Stahlhut, whose study appears in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, said in a telephone interview.
BPA is used in many food and beverage containers, the coating of food cans and some medical devices. It mimics the hormone estrogen in the body. People consume it when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food in a container.
The researchers tracked how urine levels of BPA declined based on the length of time a person had fasted. But they found that people who fasted for 8.5 hours, for example, had about the same BPA levels as those who fasted 24 hours.
Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council industry group said the conclusions of the new study "are speculative at best," and reiterated the industry view that BPA is safe at current levels of exposure.
U.S. government toxicologists at the National Institutes of Health last year expressed concern that BPA may have harmful effects on the development of the prostate and brain and induce behavioral changes in fetuses, infants and children.
A 2008 study by British researchers showed that high levels of BPA in the body were linked to heart disease, diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities.
SOURCE:  http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/01/28/eline/links/20090128elin008.html

Short bouts of exercise may build bone
Last Updated: 2009-01-28 16:03:02 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Short bouts of weight training spread across the day may be just as effective at building children's bone mass uninterrupted exercise sessions, a study in animals suggests.
Weight-bearing exercises, including weightlifting and high-impact activities like jumping, are known to help build and maintain bone mass. But it's not clear whether different training regimens--single, long workouts versus more-frequent, shorter ones, for example--have different effects on the bones.
In the new study, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers investigated this question using young, still- growing rats.
Over six weeks, they put two groups of rats through an exercise regimen that mimicked human strength training, having the animals climb ladders with weights attached to their tails. One group did this once daily, 3 days a week; the other rodents worked out 3 days per week, but the session was broken down into three shorter bouts spread across the day.
A third group of rats served as a non-exercising control group.
At the end of the study, both exercise groups showed gains in bone density compared with the control group, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Ken D. Sumida of Chapman University in Orange, California.
There were no clear differences between the two exercise groups' bone mass gains.
If the findings do translate to children and teenagers, the researchers suggest that short bouts of exercise may be just as effective as longer -- and more difficult -- exercise sessions, Sumida told Reuters Health.
That could be important, he explained, because shorter, less-strenuous workouts would likely reduce the risk of injury, help prevent muscle soreness and be easier for kids to stick with.
Extrapolating the findings to children requires a lot of assumptions, Sumida noted. Even less clear is whether the results could be relevant to adults. Unlike in human adults, the growth plates at the ends of the bones in adult rats do not close, Sumida explained. This means that adult rats just keep getting bigger, and may not be a good model for what could happen in human adults' bones.
SOURCE:  http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/01/28/eline/links/20090128elin024.html

Chemicals 'may reduce fertility'
Chemicals commonly found in food packaging, upholstery and carpets may be damaging women's fertility, say US scientists.
A study published in the journal Human Reproduction measured levels of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in the blood of 1,240 women.
Those with higher levels were more likely to take longer to become pregnant.
UK experts said more research was needed to confirm a link.
PFCs are useful in industry because they are resistant to heat, and have the ability to repel water and oil.
However, high concentrations have been linked to organ damage in animals, and the chemicals have the ability to persist for long periods in the body.
The researchers, from the University of California in Los Angeles, analysed blood samples taken at the time of the woman's first antenatal visit, then interviewed the women about whether the pregnancy was planned, and how long it had taken them to get pregnant.
The levels of the chemicals varied from 6.4 nanograms per millilitre of blood - a nanogram is a billionth of a gram - to 106.4 nanograms per ml.
When the group of women were divided into four groups depending on these levels, they found that, compared to women in the group with the lowest readings, the likelihood of infertility - taking more than a year or IVF to get pregnant - was significantly higher for women with higher levels of PFCs in their bloodstream.
Dr Chunyuan Fei, one of the researchers, said that earlier studies had suggested that PFCs might impair the growth of babies in the womb.
She said that more women in the groups with higher exposure to PFCs had problems with irregular menstrual cycles , which might suggest that interference with hormones was the reason.
'Tenuous link'
Professor Jorn Olsen, who led the study, said that the team were now waiting for further studies to confirm the link between fertility problems and PFCs.
Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said that the findings were "interesting".
"This research shows a tenuous link in the delay to conception in women with the highest levels of two commonly-used perfluorinated chemicals.
"It is an important finding and certainly warrants further detailed research, particularly in those trying for a family.
"The study emphasises the importance of remaining vigilant to potential environmental factors that may impact on fertility."
SOURCE:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7855323.stm

Widely Used Chemicals, Perfluorinated Chemicals, May Reduce Women's Fertility

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2009) — Researchers have found the first evidence that perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – chemicals that are widely used in everyday items such as food packaging, pesticides, clothing, upholstery, carpets and personal care products – may be associated with infertility in women.
The study found that women who had higher levels of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in their blood took longer to become pregnant than women with lower levels.
The researchers from the USA used data from the Danish National Birth Cohort to assess whether levels of PFOS and PFOA in pregnant women's plasma were associated with a longer time to pregnancy. A total of 1,240 women were included in their analyses.
Blood samples were taken at the time of the women's first antenatal visit (between 4-14 weeks into the pregnancy) so that concentrations of PFOS and PFOA could be measured. The researchers also interviewed the women at around the 12th week of pregnancy to find out whether the pregnancy was planned or not and how long it took them to become pregnant. Infertility was defined as a time to pregnancy of longer than 12 months or infertility treatment to establish the current pregnancy, and the results were adjusted for potential confounding factors such as age, lifestyle and socio-economic status.
The levels of PFOS in the women's plasma ranged from 6.4 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) to 106.7 ng/ml, and from less than 1 ng/ml to 41.5 ng/ml for PFOA.
The researchers divided the women's levels of PFOS/PFOA into four quartiles, and found that, compared with women with the lowest levels of exposure, the likelihood of infertility increased by 70-134% for women in the higher three quartiles of PFOS exposure and by 60-154% for women in the higher three quartiles of PFOA exposure.
Dr Chunyuan Fei, from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), the study's first author, said: "PFOS and PFOA were considered to be biologically inactive, but recently animal studies have shown that these chemicals may have a variety of toxic effects on the liver, immune system and developmental and reproductive organs. Very few human studies have been done, but one of our earlier studies showed that PFOA, although not PFOS, may impair the growth of babies in the womb, and another two epidemiological studies linked PFOA and PFOS to impaired foetal growth."
Professor Jørn Olsen, Chair of Department of Epidemiology at UCLA, is the principle investigator of the study. He said: "As far as we know, this is the first study to assess the associations between PFOA and PFOS levels in plasma with time to pregnancy in humans. We are waiting for further studies to replicate our findings in order to discover whether PFCs should be added to the list of risk factors for infertility."
PFCs, the class of chemicals to which PFOS and PFOA belong, are found not only in household goods but are also used in manufacturing processes, for instance for industrial surfactants and emulsifiers. They persist in the environment and in the body for decades.
The researchers believe that although they measured the PFOS/PFOA levels after pregnancy was established, these levels probably did not change significantly from the time before pregnancy. Men's sperm quality could also be affected by PFCs and might, therefore, contribute to the associations between PFC levels and time to pregnancy, since couples would tend to be sharing the same lifestyles and have similar exposures. However, the researchers did not have data on PFC levels in fathers. "Studies on sperm quality and PFOA/PFOS are certainly warranted," said Prof Olsen.
The researchers say the biological mechanisms by which exposure to PFOS and PFOA might reduce fertility are unknown, but PFCs may interfere with hormones that are involved in reproduction.
"Our data showed that higher proportions of women reported irregular menstrual periods in the upper three quartiles of PFOA and PFOS compared with the lowest, and so this could indicate a possible pathway," said Dr Fei.
. Maternal levels of perfluorinated chemicals and subfecundity. Human Reproduction, (in press) DOI: 10.1093/humrep/den490
SOURCE:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128192129.htm

Wealth Opportunity: Blue Honeysuckle Berries are Hottest New Superfood

by Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor
(NaturalNews) Blue honeysuckle is proving to be a hot item this year for nutritionists, survivalists, and potential growers. This attractive, arching bush just arrived in the northern hemisphere from Russia, and is making a grand entrance onto the scene because of its abundant production of blue honeysuckle berries, rivaling other berries in flavor and outrivaling many of them in nutrition and health benefits.

The blue honeysuckle bush, botanically known as Lonicera caerulea, is a hearty plant with all the endurance and pest resistance of other honeysuckle plants. It is easily reproduced from seed or cutting and is extremely drought tolerant. It is cold hardy to temperatures of -50 C. It grows to 4 feet tall, and little pruning is required, just cutting away overlapping or weak branches. It can be grown anywhere from zone 2 to zone 8 on the U.S. Arboretum Plant Hardiness Zone Map. It is particularly comfortable in the northern reaches and the Pacific Northwest.

These bushes are widely grown in Russia where they are prized for their fruit and for berries much larger than blueberries with a flavor described as a cross between a blueberry and a blackberry. Bushes can be placed 4 to 6 feet apart. Small, white, funnel shaped flowers appear in February or March and develop into the delicious, teardrop shaped fruit that ripens in May. This fruit contains a very high amount of vitamin C and bioactive flavonoids. Each bush produces about four to seven pounds of fruit a year.

Research is already documenting the health benefits of blue honeysuckle

The conclusion that blue honeysuckle is a nutritional powerhouse is a given at this point. Researchers around the world are now scrambling to quantify and qualify the extent of these benefits.

Recent research reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, December, 2008, analyzed a phenolic fraction from the berries to determine its nutrients and micronutrients. Researchers determined the content of anthocyanins, with cyanidin-3-glucoside being the most prominent. Anthocyanins are pigments in the plant from which it gets its antioxidant, anti-platelet, and wound healing abilities. Other flavonoids found included the following:

Rutin reduces inflammation, and fights cancer, boosts the effectiveness of vitamin C, maintains blood vessels, and supports collagen so necessary for young, supple skin.

Quercetin neutralizes free radicals to prevent cellular damage, combats cancer, alleviates bruising and varicose veins, enhances cardiovascular health, prevents oxidation of cholesterol, and improves lung health and respiration.

Epicatechin is believed by many researchers to be able to prevent four of the top five killer diseases: heart failure, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. They see a shortage of this phenomenal nutrient as the cause of many diseases of modern times. Epicatechin is considered so important to the body that it is under consideration for classification as a vitamin.

Protocatechuic acid is anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-carcinogenic. It is another potent free radical fighter.

Genistic acid is also another potent free radical fighter.

Ellagitannins convert in the body into ellagic acid, one of the most powerful antioxidants known, and a powerful cancer fighter. Ellagic acid has the ability to inhibit mutations in DNA, and promote apoptosis (appropriate death) of cancer cells. It also has anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities.

Ferulic Acid provides rigidity to cell walls and is a protector of the nervous system. It normalizes blood pressure.

Caffeic Acid and chlorogenic acid work together to protect cerebral neurons. These acids are effective against liver toxicity, promote cell differentiation, and normalize colon function. They have been found effective in halting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

In this study blue honeysuckle dried fruit was shown to reduce the ability of parasites to form and adhere. These included Candida, Staphylococcus, E. Coli, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus varieties.

The November, 2008 journal Molecules reports a study of blue honeysuckle berries to determine their ability to prevent nervous system disease. Researchers found them to be potent sources of neuron-protective antioxidants that could prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

The Archieves of Dermatology Research, June, 2008, reported a study finding that blue honeysuckle fruit suppressed UVA induced free radical production and decreased intracellular lipid peroxidation while increasing glutathione production. Glutathione is the most potent of the endogenously produced antioxidants.

A study reported in Experimental Eye Research, May, 2006, found that blue honeysuckle berry extract reduced inflammation from eye disease and produced pro-inflammatory mediators in the eye.

A study from China reported in November, 2005, found blue honeysuckle berries reduced inflammatory reaction to food induced allergies.

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2005, reported that blue honeysuckle works as a potent anti-inflammatory by suppressing production of nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Nitric oxide is a producer of free radicals during inflammatory responses.

Researchers found blue honeysuckle berries to possess the highest content of phenolic acids compared to other berries tested, in a study reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, March, 2005. Tested against blueberries, mulberries, juneberries, black currants, and blackberries, the berries from the blue honeysuckle consistently produced the highest level of antioxidants.

What blue honeysuckle may mean for you

Blue honeysuckle appears to be the berry of the future. It is easy to grow in areas not traditionally well suited for agriculture, and has minimal requirements. It produces berries that ripen ahead of other berry varieties, assuring a ready market of customers who want raw berries in early spring. It produces an excellent tasting berry for jelly, jam, juice, freezing, adding to ice cream or yogurt, drying, or eating fresh. For gardeners desiring an organically grown orchard, or for growers looking for a new, popular and easy crop to produce, that future is now.

For those fearing the heavy hand of government intervention, blue honeysuckle bushes on your land will be able to provide a food containing many of the needed nutrients to maintain health. They would also make a great, low maintenance addition to a victory garden or any backyard.

Expect blue honeysuckle berries and berry products to go the way of goji berries and acai. Blue honeysuckle has all the characteristics of another fad in health food. And as more people make the decision to incorporate health promoting berries into their diets, prices for berries will continue to escalate.

Dr. Bob Bors, an advocate for blue honeysuckle, says it will not be long before significant economic activity is being generated by blue honeysuckle. He is especially keen on growing the plants because they are harvested two weeks before strawberries are ready, and the flowers can take temperatures of -7C without damage. Seeds are similar to kiwi fruit seeds. They do not have to be removed and they really are not even noticeable. Blue honeysuckle berries are easily detached and can be mechanically harvested. Bors calls them the easiest to harvest fruit he has ever encountered. He describes the flavor as sweet/sour with a hint of black current. Although most people say they taste like blueberries, Bors does not think so.

In 1997, Bors planted four varieties of blue honeysuckle: Blue Belle, Blue Bird, Blue Velvet, and Berry Blue. He says Blue Belle was the best tasting and most productive with Berry Blue having the best tree shape. Two different varieties are necessary for cross pollination, and he recommends Blue Belle and Berry Blue.

Blue honeysuckle plants often bear fruit just one year after planting. Plants may be obtained from Raintree Nursery, Shallow Creek Nurseries, Green Earth Nursery in Oregon or DNA Gardens in Alberta among others. They can be ordered online.

SOURCE:  http://www.naturalnews.com/025462.html

Chocolate 'aids fatigue syndrome'
A daily dose of specially-formulated dark chocolate may help cut chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms.
Patients in a pilot study found they had less fatigue when eating dark chocolate with a high cocoa content than with white chocolate dyed brown.
Researchers from Hull York Medical School said the results were surprising but dark chocolate may be having an effect on the brain chemical serotonin.
Experts said patients should consume chocolate in moderation.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as ME, is a condition with a diverse range of symptoms but particularly characterised by profound muscle fatigue after physical exertion.
Study leader Professor Steve Atkin, an expert in endocrinology, said the idea for the study came after a patient reported feeling much better after swapping her normal milk chocolate for dark chocolate with a high cocoa solid content.
He decided to see if other patients would benefit and carried out a trial of 10 patients who received a daily dose - 45g - of dark chocolate or white chocolate dyed to look like dark chocolate for two months.
The patients then had a month off before taking the other type of chocolate for two months.
Those taking dark chocolate reported significantly less fatigue and reported feeling more fatigue when they stopped eating it.
Polyphenols
Professor Atkin said he was very surprised at the strength of the results.
"Although it was a small study, two patients went back to work after being off for six months."
He explained: "Dark chocolate is high in polyphenols, which have been associated with health benefits such as a reduction in blood pressure.
"Also high polyphenols appear to improve levels of serotonin in the brain, which has been linked with chronic fatigue syndrome and that may be a mechanism."
He added that although more research was needed to confirm the findings, patients would not do themselves any harm by eating small amounts of dark chocolate and no-one in the study put on any weight.
"If you derive benefit, then it's a no-harm, no-risk situation."
Jane Colby, executive director of The Young ME Sufferers Trust said it was important to distinguish between ME and other types of fatigue.
"But a little bit of what you fancy does you good - if it's not doing you any harm and it seems to be helping you then fair enough but I don't think it's an instant cure."
She added that people needed to eat chocolate in moderation to ensure they do not put on weight.
Heather Walker, Communications Manager, Action for ME, said: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if eating chocolate every day could alleviate the symptoms of chronic illness?
"If it were that easy, there would not be 250,000 people in the UK today whose lives are being been devastated by ME."
The researchers stressed the chocolate formulation used in the study was not currently available to the public.
SOURCE:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7018055.stm

Coriolus Versicolor is Potent Mushroom for Fighting Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

by Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor

(NaturalNews) For thousands of years Chinese medicine has prized the mushroom for its energizing and healing properties. Chinese legend is filled with stories of those who discovered the 1,000 year old mushroom and became immortal. In the West, acceptance is based less on tradition and more on the results of the scientific method. Researchers have been busy scientifically documenting what Chinese tradition dictates, that mushrooms are some of the most potent medicines on the plant. Recent research findings have shown the Coriolus versicolor mushroom stands out above the rest for regulating the immune system.

Coriolus versicolor found to be effective against cancer and human papillomavirus

Researchers at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York tested several botanicals for their immune enhancing activity using a subcutaneous immunization model of cell surface carbohydrate expression in cancer cells in a study published in September, 2008 Vaccine. They found Coriolus versicolor to display consistent and significant immune enhancement activity superior to all other coumpounds tested. The superiority of Coriolus to yeast beta-glucan, maitake, turmeric, echinacea, and preparation H-48 from Honso USA, was described as surprising. Although the exhibited levels of immune enhancing ability of astragalus was also impressive, it was surpassed by that of Coriolus.

The March, 2008 BMC Cancer reports Coriolus versicolor has shown anticancer activity with positive results in the treatment of gastric, esophageal, colorectal, breast and lung cancers. The efficacy of its protein-bound polysaccharide as an immunomodulator is credited. This activity was independent of its previously described immunomodulatory effect on NK cells.

The journal Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy reports double blind trials on 111 patients with colorectal cancer, using Coriolus versicolor. Although traditional medicine offers little help for colon cancer patients, Coriolus showed a remarkable enhancement of the patient's white blood cells, even in advanced colon cancer cases. The white cells greatly increased natural chemotactic motion and phagocytosis, the ability to scavenge toxins and kill pathogens. Coriolus was also used with patients as a helpful maintenance therapy following cancer surgery.

The results of a year long clinical trial examining the effects of mushroom supplementation in patients with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) were so impressive they were presented in 2008 at the 20th European Congress of Obstetrics and Gynocology. Dr. Silva Couto and his research team found that Coriolus versicolor supplementation over the period of one year substantially increased regression of dysplasia and induced clearance of the high-risk subtypes of the HPV responsible for cervical cancer. Coriolus supplementation demonstrated a 72 percent regression rate in lesions compared to 47.5 percent without supplementation, and a 90 percent regression rate in the high risk HPV virus sub-types compared to 8.5 percent without.

After using the supplement for one year, 72.5 percent of recipients reverted to normal cytology compared with only 47.5 percent of the control group. Coriolus supplementation produced a 90 percent regression rate in the high risk HPV virus sub-tupes compared to an 8.5 percent regression without supplementation.

It is also likely that Coriolus versicolor would be beneficial in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), a precancerous condition in which the cells of the uterine cervix are moderately or severely abnormal. The lead physician of the study noted that the optimal supplementation period may be as short as six months.

Coriolus versicolor modulates autoimmune diseases

T cells belong to a group of while blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity. The activation of T helper (Th) cell subsets also plays an important role in immunity. Uncontrolled Th responses lead to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The identification of agents that modulate these helper cells is essential for controlling autoimmune diseases. A study from the November, 2008 Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, reported that polysaccharopeptide (PSP) from Coriolus versicolor exhibited the ability to control aberrant T lymphocyte activation through ciclosporin-like activity. PSP alone suppress production of activated T cells.

What makes Coriolus versicolor special?

Coriolus versicolor, also referred to as the turkey-tail mushroom, contains large quantities of Beta-glucans that act to stimulate the immune system. Coriolus can dramatically regenerate and rejuvenate the body. Its most active medicinal components are biological response modifiers called protein-bound polysaccharides. These polysaccharides are known as Krestin or PSK in Japan, and as Yun zhi, or PSP in China. There have been reports of cases of Bell's palsy clearing up with use of Coriolus for just a few days. Others have found it effective against bronchitis.

Other studies have shown that Coriolus can double the number of natural killer cells after only 8 weeks of treatment. Coriolus has also been found to help patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and may be an effective treatment for Lyme disease.

More research documents the anti-tumor benefits of Coriolus

Japanese researchers screened 200 of the best phytochemicals (plant extracts) known for anti-tumor activity. Coriolus versicolor was designated as exhibiting the greatest amount of anti-tumor activity. In another Japanese study, 185 people with lung cancer at different stages were given radiation. Doctors found those who also took Coriolus showed the best tumor shrinkage and the best survival rate. Another study involving stomach cancer patients produced similar results. Those who received Coriolus survived significantly longer, felt better and had fewer side effects.

Coriolus is first line defense against infection

Coriolus is a good centerpiece for your natural medicine chest, even if you are currently the picture of health. When any type of infection strikes, you will be ready. Coriolus can be used to target any infected organ, gland or tissue. Its immune enhancing properties provide an increased response to deal effectively with infections, and do this without over stimulating the immune system.

SOURCE:  http://www.naturalnews.com/z025455.html

Will Plums Replace Blueberries In The Super-Food Stakes?

Medical News Today, 29 Jan 2009   

There's an emerging star in the super-food world.

Plums are rolling down the food fashion runway sporting newly discovered high levels of healthy nutrients, say scientists at Texas AgriLife Research.

Plainly, "blueberries have some stiff competition," said Dr. Luis Cisneros, AgriLife Research food scientist."Stone fruits are super fruits with plums as emerging stars."

Far from fruit snobbery, the plum is being ushered in after Cisneros and Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife Research plant breeder, judged more than 100 varieties of plums, peaches and nectarines and found them to match or exceed the much-touted blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients associated with disease prevention.

The duo acknowledge that blueberries remain a good nutritional choice. But Byrne said their findings are plum good news, especially in tight economic times, because one relatively inexpensive plum contains about the same amount of antioxidants as a handful of more expensive blueberries.

"People tend to eat just a few blueberries at a time - a few on the cereal or as an ingredient mixed with lots of sugar," Cisneros said. "But people will eat a whole plum at once and get the full benefit."

Discovery of the plum's benefits - along with that of fellow stone fruits, the peach and the nectarine - came after the researchers measured at least five brands of blueberries on the market. Against those numbers, the team measured the content of more than 100 different types of plums, nectarines and peaches.

The first comparison was for antioxidants, molecules that sweep through a body looking for free radicals to knock out. Free radicals are atoms or molecules that lurk where diseases like cancer and heart disease are found.

"If the radicals aren't taken care of," Cisneros said, "they will cause the problems that lead to disease."

But the scientists didn't stop at knowing that plums and peaches were flexing their antioxidant muscles.

"Knowing that we had all these varieties with high levels of antioxidants, then the possibility of preventing these diseases would also be high with their consumption, so we went to the next step - how these compounds could actually inhibit chronic diseases," Cisneros said.

The team examined the full content of plums and peaches, then tested the effect of the compounds they found on breast cancer cells and cholesterol in the lab.

"We screened the varieties again with the biological assays," Cisneros said. "And that had never been done before, because it is expensive and a lot of work. But that investment is small in terms of the information we got, and how it can be used now for breeding efforts to produce even better fruit."

Byrne noted, for example, that one benefit the team found was that the phytonutrients in plums inhibited in vitro breast cancer growth without adversely affecting normal cell growth.

He said this type of research needs further study but is an indication that breeders ultimately will be able to produce new crop varieties with the best ratio of various phytochemicals to have an impact on disease prevention and inhibition. And these fruits will be available as fresh produce as well as in extracts for dietary supplements.

"Future work with stone fruits will focus on cardiovascular and cancer using animal models and identification of specific compounds that exert the properties," Cisneros added.

Bottom line from the researchers: "We suggest that consumers take seriously the recommendation to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables - or even more - every day and to make sure that plums are part of that," Byrne said.

SOURCE:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/137157.php

Flax Oil, Borage Oil Enhance Skin Health From the Inside Out

 (NaturalNews) Borage and flaxseed oil appear to act internally to improve skin health, according to a study conducted by researchers from Laboratoire Oenobiol in France and Heinrich-Heine University and the University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany, and published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers assigned 45 healthy, non-smoking women to receive a daily supplement consisting of 2.2 grams of either borage oil, flaxseed oil, or a medium-chain fatty acid placebo. The researchers regularly induced skin irritation (inflammation and reddening) in every woman by means of topically applied nicotinate. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 65.

Women who had been taking borage oil for several weeks were found to experience 35 percent less skin reddening than they had at the beginning of the study, while those taking flaxseed oil experienced 45 percent less. There was no change in the degree of reddening experienced by the placebo group. Women receiving borage or flaxseed oil also exhibited lessened blood flow to the skin in response to irritation.

After six weeks, those taking either oil supplement experienced a 10 percent decrease in water loss through the skin, and another six weeks showed even further improvement among the flaxseed group. Both groups showed significant decreases in skin roughness and scaling after 12 weeks, while no change was observed in the placebo group.

Borage oil consists of large amounts of the omega-6 fatty acids gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and linoleic acid (LA), and the monounsaturated fat oleic acid. Flaxseed oil consists mostly of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), along with smaller quantities of omega-6 fatty acids and oleic acid. Blood levels of GLA were observed to increase in the borage oil group after six and 12 weeks, as were ALA levels among the flaxseed group.

The current study was not designed to uncover the specific mechanism by which the oils improve skin health.

SOURCE:  http://www.naturalnews.com/025454.html

Global Warming From Carbon Dioxide Will Increase Five-fold Over The Next Millennium, Scientists Predict

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2009) — Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that heating from carbon dioxide will increase five-fold over the next millennium.
Scientists studied the impact that current carbon emissions have on the delicate balance between air and sea carbon exchange. They found that the ocean’s ability to store excessive amounts of carbon dioxide over thousands of years will affect the long-term heating of the planet.
The ocean acts as an enormous carbon sink which naturally absorbs any extra carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere. Its ability to store more carbon dioxide than both the atmosphere and land provides long-term storage for the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities.
Scientists at Liverpool, however, have found that if all conventional coal, oil and gas carbon reserves are exhausted, the excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will begin to alter the ocean’s natural chemistry and hinder its ability to absorb and exchange the gas.
Professor Ric Williams, from the University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, explains: “It is accepted that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations lead to an increase in heating around the globe. It was, however, unclear as to how the ocean’s ability to store carbon could affect the future overall heating of the earth.
“The excessive amount of carbon in the atmosphere will make the oceans more acidic and hamper the ability of the oceans to absorb further carbon from the atmosphere. The extra carbon dioxide remaining in the atmosphere will lead to an increase in the overall heating of our planet, making sea levels rise and exacerbating the melting of the Arctic ice caps.
“To prevent a situation like this from happening scientists are working to develop carbon-capture techniques, which aim to remove excess carbon from identifiable sites, such as the atmosphere around fossil fuel plants, and permanently store them away.”
The research, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, The University of Bristol and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128104533.htm

New Role For Serotonin 'Ironed Out'

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2009) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have found a surprising link between brain iron levels and serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in neuropsychiatric conditions ranging from autism to major depression.
Appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of January 27, the study by Randy Blakely, Ph.D., and colleagues also demonstrates the utility of a powerful in silico approach for discovering novel traits linked to subtle genetic variation.
The serotonin transporter protein (SERT) regulates serotonin availability in the brain and periphery, and variations in human SERT have been linked to many neurobehavioral disorders – including alcoholism, depression, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. SERT is also a major target for medications like the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) used for treating depression.
Thanks to a serendipitous mix-up in an animal order, Blakely and first author Ana Carnerio, Ph.D., discovered that a mouse strain they had been using to studying SERT function – called C57BL/6 – actually carries a mutation that reduces the function of the transporter.
"Importantly, low-functioning variants of human SERT have been associated with anxiety, depression, and reduced efficacy of SSRI medications," notes Blakely, senior author and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Molecular Neuroscience.
By querying an online resource called the Mouse Phenome Database, they found that most mouse strains possess a SERT version called "ER" – which is identical to the sequence found in human SERT. A small number of strains, however, including the commonly studied C57BL/6 strain, carry a different version (called "GK").
Carneiro realized that she could utilize her identification of SERT GK to elucidate new aspects of brain chemistry and behavior. Vanderbilt collaborator David Airey, Ph.D., helped Carneiro and Blakely exploit a separate panel of mice where the SERT GK variant is presented on many different genetic backgrounds – a so-called "recombinant inbred" population termed BXD mice.
Using lines from this population, the team found that SERT GK mice performed differently than SERT ER mice on tests of anxiety and depression, consistent with reduced function of SERT GK. Importantly, a public database of anatomical, biochemical and behavioral features exists for all mice in the BXD population, allowing Blakely and colleagues to identify novel traits linked with the low functioning SERT. From this in silico approach, Blakely and colleagues identified multiple trait differences affected by the SERT GK/ER variation, including traits associated with alcohol consumption and brain dopamine signaling.
Additionally, they found that iron levels in the brains of mice with the GK variant were significantly higher than in the ER variant mice. Iron is required to synthesize both serotonin and dopamine, and serotonin receptors are known to regulate iron-carrying proteins. But SERT had not been previously shown to control brain iron levels. Follow-up studies with mice where the SERT gene was eliminated (SERT "knock-out" mice) verified a critical role for the transporter in controlling brain iron levels.
"Because SERT is such an important drug target in treating anxiety, depression and OCD, we need to stop and think about how iron might be influencing these disorders," Blakely said. The study also demonstrates the power of an in silico approach – combined with traditional experimentation – in understanding how genes affect complex traits.
"The broader number of findings in our paper derives not from (experiments) we did, but from what the (scientific) community collectively did to populate the BXD database," Blakely noted.
"Indeed, this is a great example of how biostatistical approaches can help limit the amount of experimentation that is needed with animals."
Other authors included Brent Thompson and Chong-Bin Zhu, M.D., Ph.D., from Vanderbilt, and researchers from Nantong University, the University of Tennessee Heath Science Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Blakely is also the Allan D. Bass Professor of Pharmacology and a professor of Pharmacology and of Psychiatry.

Shopaholism may be classified as a disease
29 Jan 2009, 0123 hrs IST, Alan Feuer, NYT News Service

Ill-advised shopping has certainly turned up recently in the news, and yet the issue also forms the core of a much more contentious and

continuing debate. As spenders spend while the economy plummets, the psychiatric world is trying to decide whether compulsive buying should actually be considered a disease.

At least for now, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) — something like the bible of psychological maladies — does not list the condition as a technical disease. While shopaholism, as the laymen say, has been recognized by the German psychiatric community as a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it still awaits its day in the United States.

According to April Benson, author of ‘I Shop, Therefore I Am: Compulsive Buying and the Search for Self’, that day is almost certain to arrive. “At best, shopping is an activity that can promote self-definition, even healing,” Benson said. “But like any behavior it can spin out of control. In extreme cases, there’s no doubt it’s a disorder. It can be as dangerous as drug or alcohol addiction. Suicides have been known to occur because of debt.”

The literature’s first mention of compulsive buying was in the early 1900s by two of Freud’s disciples, Eugene Bleuler and Emil Kraepelin, who coined the term oniomania —from the Greek root “onios,” which means for sale — to refer to those obsessed with making purchases. Bleuler wrote of “buying maniacs” for whom even the simplest expenditure “is compulsive and leads to senseless contraction of debts”.

Donald Black, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa, suggested that compulsive shoppers tended to be women who have had relatives also predisposed to buying binges, and lived in areas overflowing with goods and the disposable income to buy them.

There are some who wonder whether oniomania should be included in the DSM, including Jack Drescher, a Manhattan psychiatrist

. He feels the condition may not have much of a “cross-cultural effect” (“There are no shopaholics in poor countries”). Drescher said: “The question is, is there a pure strain of social behavior that leads people to shopping and nothing else?”

SOURCE:  Shopaholism_may_be_classified_as_a_disease/articleshow/4044559.cms

Chickpeas can cure skin disease: BHU scientists
Times of India, 27 Jan 2009, 0850 hrs IST, IANS

VARANASI: Chickpeas hold the cure for leucoderma, a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigment, resulting in white spots or patches on the

skin, claim scientists of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

In a research project undertaken jointly by the varsity's medicinal chemistry and skin departments, scientists have found that application of a poly-herbal ointment with chickpeas as its base can efficiently treat leucoderma or vitiligo, controlling the spread of the skin disease that is widely feared for the unsightly white patches it produces.

"The results were encouraging," said an elated Yamini Tripathi, a professor with BHU's medicinal chemistry department and a member of the research team, said.

The chickpea therapy has been tried on 50 patients, who got "considerable relief from the skin disorder", added Tripathi, who has now approached the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for a major research project on vitiligo treatment.

According to the researchers, patients who applied the chickpea-based cream on affected parts of the skin for 20-90 days found their normal skin pigmentation had returned.

In the fastest cure, a young scooter mechanic here saw the white patches disappear within 28 days.

"Such a speedy result surprised even us. When we asked for his feedback, he said during his treatment he included a good amount of chickpeas in his regular diet," said Tripathi.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease in which the body starts producing antibodies that destroy cells known as melanocytes that give the skin its normal colour. Gradually, the affected areas of the skin turn white, which is one of the most common symptoms of vitiligo.

BHU researchers say that the anti-vitiligo ointment derives its potency from amino acids found in chickpeas.

"Amino acids found in chickpeas promote synthesis of melanin (skin pigment) formation cells, regenerates the pigment cells and help in treating the chronic skin disorder," said Tripathi.

In vitiligo patients, white patches are more obvious in sun-exposed areas, including arms, legs, face and lips. Other common areas for white patches to appear are the armpits and groin, around mouth and eyes.

S.N. Ojha, a doctor who is also the member of the research team, said that at present there is no definite method to prevent vitiligo. "It is heartening that our chickpea therapy can offer a promising and cost-effective treatment," he added.

SOURCE:  Chickpeas_can_cure_skin_disease_BHU_scientists/articleshow/4034717.cms