Share The Wealth! See How Here
There is much in the news about many different health issues. And there are as many different thoughts, ideas, treatments, cures etc. out there as there are health issues.
Posted here will be various tidbits from articles and news stories etc., that you may find of interest.
| Sugar might help your body fight viruses Sugar Coated Would you believe that sugar might help your body fight viruses and bacteria? Sugar gets a bad rap. And with good reason. Refined sugar intake causes all sorts of problems, not the least of which is impairment to the immune system. But natural sugar compounds - called glyconutrients - are something else entirely. Eight essential sugar compounds function individually as building blocks to assemble a nearly infinite variety of complex molecules known as glycans or sugar chains. And just how important are glyconutrients? The MIT Technology Review called this field of nutrition one of the ten emerging technologies that will change the world. -------------------------------------------- In an article in the February 2004 HSI Members Alert, contributing writer Jennifer Arnold noted that there are two key ways that glyconutrients impact our health: 1) "These sugars can prevent viruses and bacteria from adhering to cells by taking up all their receptor sites. If the viruses or bacteria can't bind to a cell, they can't make you sick; it's as simple as that. Turns out other sugar chains can work in similar ways to bind up all sorts of viruses and bacteria in other parts of the body." And 2) "There's another more complex role that these sugar chains play in the body. Glycans form a sugar coat around every single cell in the body, as well as filling up the spaces in between cells. They act as a sort of information super highway for the body, regulating communication both within the cell and between that cell and other cells." Sugar chains play a vital role in nearly every physiological process, including immune system response, tissue regeneration and cell replication. One of the most important functions of glycans is the facilitation of brain functions. For instance, serotonin and other neurotransmitters require glycan receptors in order to bind to the surface of nerve cells. Memory, stress response and other critical brain functions may become debilitated without the adequate assistance of glyconutrient sugar chains. -------------------------------------------- If you eat a diet rich in unprocessed fruits and vegetables you'll supply your body with many glyconutrients. But just because they're sugars doesn't mean they taste sweet. For instance: Fucose, xylose and mannose are three of the eight essential sugar compounds. Mushrooms and seeds contain fucose; rye, barley and yeast contain xylose; and mannose can be found in broccoli, cabbage and seeds. Problems arise when any of the foods mentioned above are highly processed. For instance, grapes and onions deliver glucose, one of the eight glyconutrients. But when glucose is processed into table sugar, nutrients and fiber are completely stripped away, transforming it from good nutrition into something that can compromise your health. So the absence of unprocessed glyconutrients in the average diet is a concern. As HSI Medical Advisor, Martin Milner, N.D., stated in the Members Alert, "We are finding glyconutrient deficiencies associated with a large range of diseases." -------------------------------------------- Of the eight basic glyconutrients, most diets only deliver sufficient amounts of tw glucose and galactose (a milk sugar). Trace amounts of the other six are picked up here and there, but modern agricultural methods, food processing and chemical contamination have all but erased them from our food supply. In recent years, research has shown that supplementary glyconutrients may improve cellular communication, with a positive impact on a wide range of conditions; from skin aging and bacterial infection to debilitating illnesses like muscular dystrophy, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. In his private practice, Dr. Milner uses a glyconutritional supplement that provides all eight essential sugar compounds. The supplement is called Ambrotose, and it's specifically designed for immune system support. You can find more information at cnm-Inc.Com. In the same way that daily multi-vitamin use has reached mainstream acceptance, proponents of glyconutrition believe that someday even conventional medicine will recognize the benefits of a daily "multi-glycan" to help prevent many of the communication errors between cells that lead to depleted immune defenses, allergic reactions, and chronic diseases. ****************************************************
Take Control - Part Two In yesterday's e-Alert, "Tell-Tale Heart" (11/30/05), I told you about a study that reveals just how important it is to play an active role in your health care, with a special emphasis on women and their heart health. But beyond making sure that your doctor is doing everything necessary, there's a key nutrient that both women and men may find very beneficial. In the e-Alert "Take it to Heart" (2/24/04), I told you about a study that examined 16 years of data, collected from more than 120,000 women. Researchers found that subjects in the group with the highest omega-3 intake had about half the risk of developing coronary heart disease compared to subjects in the group with the lowest intake. Overall, the relative risks of developing heart disease, dying from a cardiac event, or suffering a non-fatal heart attack all decreased steadily as fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid intake increased. In another study, published in the journal Circulation, researchers tested the effects of fish oil (rich in omega-3) and vitamin E on subjects who had suffered a heart attack in the three months previous to the test period. More than 11,000 men and women were randomly divided into four groups: one group received one gram of fish oil each day, one received 300 mg of vitamin E each day, the third group took both fish oil and vitamin E, and the fourth took a placebo. The participants in all four groups were particularly vulnerable to sudden cardiac death because of their recent heart attacks. But after just four months, the fish oil group already demonstrated a significant reduction in risk. In fact, participants who took fish oil had about half the incidence of sudden death compared to participants in the other groups. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
"Cutting-Edge Sugar Research May Revolutionize Your Health" Jennifer Arnold, HSI Members Alert, February 2004, hsibaltimore.Com "How Sweet It Is" Hara Estroff Marano, Psychology Today, 6/8/04, psychologytoday.com |
