The Institute of Contemporary Nutrition

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I found the following interesting items while "surfing the net" and "browsing the library", L. Lee Coyne Ph.D.

What happens to people who take antioxidants?

• "Death rates down 50%"
• "Cancer deaths down 13%"
• "Cancer survival up 50%"
• "Heart attacks, strokes down 50%"
• "Skin cancer down 70%"
• "Immunity up & infections down 50%"
• "Cataracts down 27% to 36%"

Sources: National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Aging, West Virginia University, Harvard Medical School, U.S. Department of Health, Laval University (Quebec), Johns Hopkins University, New Jersey Medical School, Memorial University (Newfoundland).

Editor's comment: Seems like a compelling reason to make Vitamin C500, Vitamin E 400+Selenium and Beta Carotene capsules a regular part of the diet as nutritional insurance.

Antioxidants May Improve Lung Function

A new study suggests that a high consumption of antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and beta carotene improves lung function.

Dr. Patricia Cassano, an epidemiologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and her colleague Dr. Guizhou Hu looked at 18,162 adults surveyed between 1988 and 1994, comparing lung function (measured with spirometry, a measure of exhaled air) and dietary or blood levels of antioxidants. They found that those who consumed the highest amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and beta carotene had dramatically better lung function than those who consumed the lowest amounts.

"The difference between those two groups and their lung function is approximately equivalent to the difference between a group of nonsmokers and a group of smokers who have smoked a pack a day for 10 years," Cassano stated.

Editor's comment: more compelling evidence!!

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." - Abraham Lincoln

Short Exercise Sessions Promote Adherence for Obese Patients

A recent study shows that regular home exercise sessions as short as 10 minutes in duration may be the most effective exercise program for obese patients trying to lose weight. According to Dr. John M. Jakicic, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shorter exercise sessions promote higher levels of exercise participation.

During a 20-week study, 139 obese female participants were asked to consume 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, and exercise 5 days per week with the overall duration of the exercise increasing along the course of the study from 20 to 40 minutes per day. The women were assigned to one of three exercise programs. The first group exercised in a single continuous session, the second for 10 minutes at a time (four times per day), and the third for 10 minute periods at a time on treadmills placed in their homes.

The study found that the participants who exercised in short bouts on equipment available in their own homes were most successful in adhering to their exercise regimens.

Tofu and other Soy Foods Versus Uterine Cancer

Women whose diets are rich in tofu, soy milk, tempeh, miso, or other soy foods, are less than half as likely to develop uterine cancer compared to women who rarely eat soy products. A new study conducted by Marc Goodman, M.D. of the Cancer Research Center in Hawaii, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology examined 332 cases of uterine cancer diagnosed in Hawaii between 1985 and 1993.

A compound found in the soy based products, phytoestrogens, which is a weak plant estrogen has been found to displace normal estrogens from binding to sites on the cells.

The risks were increased 68 percent for developing uterine cancer in those women who had a diet high in animal fat, and/or low in fiber. The risks were also increased in those women who used hormone replacement therapy. American Journal of Epidemiology

Editor's comment: A very good reason to use a protein supplement with all those isoflavones. Not all protein powders can guarantee that the isoflavones are present.

Hormone "Replacement" Increases Cancer Risks

It has long been apparent that hormone "replacement" therapy increases the risk of breast cancer. A new review combines data from 51 studies in 21 countries involving 52,705 women to quantify that risk.

The increased risk is between 35-50 for women who have used hormones for 3-5 years or longer. When women go off hormones, their risk gradually drops, so that after five years it is no higher than that of women who had never taken hormones. Hormones prescribed to combat hot flashes and to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease are drug company's biggest moneymakers, due to the fact that women stay on them for years. These conditions are all treatable by diet, lifestyle changes, and, in some cases, nonprescription supplements. Lancet 1997; 305:1047-59

Editor's comment: Essential fatty acids found in lecithin. EPA and GLA have been found very useful in hormone regulation.

Vitamin C Helps Get the Lead Out

Lead, found in some drinking water, china, pottery and paint, is a part of our environment that we should reduce our exposure to. Now, a new study reports that high doses of Vitamin C can rapidly and significantly decrease levels of lead in the blood stream. Dr. Earl B. DAWSON of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston studied 75 men, ages 20 to 35 years. The men were randomly divided into three groups, receiving either 200 mg of Vitamin C per day, 1,000 mg per day, or a placebo with no Vitamin C. The group receiving 1,000 mg a day saw blood lead levels drop sharply after only one week of the vitamin supplementation.

Check Your Sources

Tufts University Web site "Nutrition Navigator" evaluates and rates food and nutrition sites. Michael Jacobson, director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) warns that the recommendations are unreliable for several reasons. The site is underwritten by Kraft Foods, a division of Philip Morris, marketers of many foods that are high in salt, fat, or sugar, including margarine, hot dogs, and cheese for one.

American Fitness Professionals & Associates

Arthritis and Selenium

A recent study has found that selenium can reduce the pain of rheumatoid arthritis by 75 per cent . During the three-month trial, 15 women, all of whom had rheumatoid arthritis for less than five years, were divided into two groups. One group took 200 mg of organic selenium, the other took dummy pills. While the joint pain of the women taking selenium improved significantly, the dummy group showed no real change.

Edited from Here's Health Aug. 1996 p. 10

Aspartame

Aspartame is the technical name for artificial sweeteners Nutrasweet and Equal. It accounts for 76% of adverse food reactions to food additives reported to the US Food & Drug Administration. These include migraines, fatigue, palpitations and joint pain. Researchers into the adverse effects of aspartame claim it can also trigger or worsen many chronic illnesses, e.g. multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Aspartame is an `excitotoxin' (like monosodium glutamate) which stimulates brain cells to the point of death. 75% of the cells in a particular area of the brain can be destroyed before symptoms are noticed, meaning that the problem is usually irreparable and becomes chronic. It is made up from : aspartic acid (40%), an excitory amino acid which causes serious chronic neurological disorders, phenylalanine (50%), which increases naturally occurring phenylalanine in the brain leading to emotional disorders, depression and, occasionally, death, and methanol (10%), a deadly poison also known as wood alcohol, which breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. The recommended maximum daily intake of methanol is 7.8 mg a day whilst 1 pint of aspartame-sweetened drink contains 25 mg.

(Mark D. Gold, Nexus Magazine, 1.10.95 p. 25-28.)

Autism and Nutrition

About one in 2,000 children have infantile autism.

In one study autistic children who appeared to benefit from vitamin B6 supplementation either continued to receive the supplement or were switched to placebo under double-blind conditions. Only children who were withdrawn from the supplement showed significant behavioral deterioration (Rimland B et al, "The effect of high doses of vitamin B6 supplementation on autistic children"; Am J Psychiatry 135:472-5,1978)

Magnesium is usually added to vitamin B6 to prevent the vitamin causing magnesium depletion while also preventing the irritability, sound hypersensitivity and enuresis that sometimes follows B6 supplementation. (Rimland B. "An orthomolecular study of psychotic children", J Orethomol Psychiatry. 3:371-7., 1974)

The combination of vitamin B6 and magnesium does not cure autism but the improvements are sometimes dramatic. Moreover, all of the more than a dozen research studies, some of them double blind, have reported positive outcomes. When roughly 4,000 parents of autistic children were asked to rate the various treatments, the nutrient combination received the highest rating of any biomedical treatment, with 8.5 parents reporting behavioral improvement for every parent who reported worsening on the regimen. By contrast, thioridazine, the most commonly used drug on the list, had an improvement to worsening ratio of only 1.4 to 1 (Rimland B. "Controversies in the treatment of autistic children: vitamin and drug therapy", J Child Neuro 3 Suppl:S8-72, 1988)

Edited from International Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Oct. 1996

B6 helps Heart Attacks

Over the past 32 years, citizens of Titus County, Texas have been encouraged to take Vitamin B6 as a daily supplement for cure and prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes and other degenerative diseases. A retrospective study revealed a reduced incidence (25%) of acute myocardial infarction among those who had taken therapeutic doses of vitamin B6. (Department of Medicine, Titus Memorial Hospital, Mt Pleasant, Texas.)

Edited from International Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Feb 1996 p 14.

Cola: What's in that stuff?

American's drink around 40 litres of the lip-smacking' liquid a year. And this is what you're probably getting with it .

Water: Almost 90 per cent of cola is carbonated water. Unexceptional stuff, although cola is a good bet in countries with poor drinking water. Adding carbon dioxide to water produces carbonic acid which, although weak, can erode teeth.

Sweetener: Normally sugar, abut 35 mg in a 330 ml ca, equivalent to seven teaspoons in a mug of tea. This packs some 140 Calories. `Cola is an archetype of the "empty calories" products', says Jack Winkler of Action and Information on Sugars. `Cola is a significant source of calories with no nutritional value'. It has been argued that cola raises blood sugar levels and so decrease your appetite for more nutritious foods. What's more sweeteners may impair the body's appetite control mechanism and encourage noshing. Sugar is also the great teeth rotter. `Don't drink cola frequently between meals,' says Winkler, `Your saliva doesn't get a chance to fight back to protect your teeth. "Sugar free colas don't let your teeth off the hook, either. `All colas are acidic and have the potential to erode teeth", says Dr Peter Gordon, scientific advisor to the British Dental Association. Diet colas contain artificial sweeteners, mainly aspartame (Nutrasweet). In the USA, sugar packets with Nutrasweet contain warnings that it may be carcinogenic.

Flavourings: Phosphoric acid balances the cola's sweetness to provide the characteristic tart taste. This acid is so strong you can clean a toilet with it or dissolve a tooth in 48 hours, says Janet Thorn, senior lecturer in nutrition at Oxford Brookes University.

Stimulants: Between 40 mg and 60 mg of caffeine are added to each can (a cup of instant coffee contains 60-65 mg). `I think the presence of caffeine is slightly sinister because it's added as a stimulant,' says Ian Shaw, Professor of Toxicology at Central Lancashire University.

Colouring: The brown colour comes from caramel, basically burnt sugar, which has a bitter taste. Caramel is widely used in soft and alcoholic drinks, sauces and canned meats. There have been suggestions that it is carcinogenic and causes white blood cell problems in animal tests.

Preservatives: Sodium benzoate stops contamination by microbes. It's considered safe, although there have been claims that it provokes allergies, asthma and skin reactions. It is definitely toxic to cats.

Nutrients: `Colas are basically an expensive way of buying sugared water,' says Janet Thorn.

Common Cold and Zinc

Thirty years ago, the British Common Cold Research Unit closed - in despair of finding a cure. But now an unlikely answer seems to have been found: zinc.

What has always baffled researchers is the fact that the virus that causes colds (called rhinovirus) mutates constantly so it can keep evading attackers - and scientists looking for a cure. But Professor Sabrina Novick from Hofstra University in New York has recently discovered that all forms of the rhinovirus have one thing in common: `deep canyons' in their molecular structure that allow them to attach to human cells. And zinc compounds, in special lozenges, seem to settle in these canyons and prevent the virus from sticking to human cells. In tests, the lozenges have already cut the length of a cold in half and, taken at the first sign of symptoms, may prevent the cold entirely.

Edited from Zest Aug. 1996 p. 43

Beta-carotene helps immune system

Twenty-one HIV infected people, most of whom were taking the drug AZT, were given either 180 mg of beta-carotene daily or a dummy for four weeks.

Those taking the beta-carotene were found to have increased total white blood cells and nearly 20 per cent more CD4 T-helper cells (a key marker of immune function) than those on the dummy supplement. (Mckeown L, Medical Tribune, Feb 25 1993, p. 1.)

Edited from International Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, September 1993, Vol. 11. No. 9. p. 28.

Can you trust labels?

From: Elite Fitness News Thu, 28 May 1998 comes the following Industry Notes & Observations:

* Recent clinical testing on American Whey.

• Label Claims 26 grams of protein per serving.
• Actual results 13.3 grams. (Need I say more?)

* Clinical testing on Sport Pharma Just Whey.

• Label Claims 25 grams of protein per serving.
• Actual results 20.95 grams. A little short there (about 85% of what the label claims).

* Clinical testing on Next Nutrition Designer Whey.

• Label Claims 17.5 grams of protein per serving.
• Actual results 16.88 grams. (Not bad - 96% of label claim).

JUST FOR FUN

Medicine thru the Ages

The answer given by the health professional of the time to one who was ill.

• 2000 B.C. -- Here, eat this root.
• 1000 A.D. -- That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
• 1850 A.D. -- That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
• 1940 A.D. -- That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
• 1985 A.D. -- That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
• 2000 A.D. -- That antibiotic doesn't work anymore. Here, eat this root.

The Guide to Calorie-Burning Activities . . .

Here's the guide to calorie-burning activities and the number of calories per hour they consume:

• Beating around the bush - 75
• Jumping to conclusions - 100
• Climbing the walls - 150
• Swallowing your pride - 50
• Passing the buck - 25
• Throwing your weight around (depending on your weight) - 50 - 300
• Dragging your heels - 100
• Pushing your luck - 250

Less Fat Equals Less Nutrients

Women who reduce the amount of fat in their diets may not receive enough essential nutrients, according to a 27,000-person US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology study.

The report, based on analysis of two USDA-conducted studies, shows that more than half of the women who reduced their fat intake to less than 30% of calories, as suggested by the National Academy of Sciences, did not consume the recommended daily intake of vitamins A and E, folic acid, calcium, iron, and zinc.

A low-fat diet is recommended to help prevent heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and possibly breast cancer. Researchers believe that women who do not eat a balanced diet or take vitamin supplements, however, may be at increased risks for pregnancy-related problems, osteoporosis, and possibly certain types of cancer.

"If we were to lower our fat intake, especially below 30% of calories, we would tend to reduce cardiovascular disease and, some people believe, certain types of cancer," said Richard Cotter, presenter of the study.

"The problem is when you do that, you really have to keep the cardinal rule of a 'balanced and varied diet' in mind. When you reduce caloric intake, you can reduce potential vitamins and minerals and that can lead to deficiencies," said Cotter. Cotter also mentioned that many low-fat foods people find on supermarket shelves are filled with carbohydrates, which is not necessarily a good trade-off. "People should turn labels over and be careful about carbohydrate intake," he said.

"Those foods have low fat levels, but the problem is that is compensated by increasing the carbohydrate load. If you take those in, your total calories will rise. That's why we see an increase in obesity in America." While he acknowledges that some people will view the study results as another example of researchers changing the rules about what people should and should not eat, Cotter related that people benefit most when they look at their total diet and stick to eating a variety and balance of foods.

To ensure that they are getting enough nutrients, people on low-fat diets should consume a greater variety of foods, recommended Cotter, and take a multivitamin/mineral supplement "when appropriate".

(From Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology)

Editor's comment: Most of Cotter's findings and comments are consistent with my book "Fat Won't Make You Fat" 1998.

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