ZINC

July 31, 2009 at 6:10 pm (Health and wellness)

Study says Zinc helps us fight virus and infection

 

Researchers at the University of Florida Center for Nutritional Sciences find that zinc boosts immunity and could help fight viral and bacterial infection. The study, published in the August 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that zinc could be developed to treat antibiotic resistant infections because it stimulates activation of immune enhancing T-cells needed to fight viruses and infection.

Study co-author, Robert Cousins, PhD says, "It has been shown that zinc supplementation significantly reduces the duration and severity of childhood diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, and incidence of malaria in zinc-deficient children. Age-related declines in immune function have also been related to zinc deficiency in the elderly”. The study shows that zinc boosts immune function by activating (T cells) that can help destroy viruses and bacteria.

The researchers used healthy volunteers to find the infection and virus fighting effects of zinc. They gave two groups of participants either placebo or zinc the simulated infection under lab conditions after isolating T cells from the blood of the study volunteers.

The results showed the group given zinc had higher activation of T-cells that enhance immunity and help fight infection and viruses. The ability of “ZIP8” was enhanced – a molecule that transports zinc into cell cytoplasm, activating immune fighting cells then altering them in a way that fights infection.

John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology says "As the debate over zinc supplementation in healthy individuals continues studies like this help shed light on how zinc may enhance the ability of our immune systems to fight off foreign invaders”.

The study could lead to new zinc based drugs that help boost immunity and fight antibiotic resistant infections that increasingly claim lives. Scientists have now shown that zinc boosts immunity by activating T-cells that can help us fight infection and viral illness.

Reference: Jleukbio

Source: 

Kathleen Blanchard RN

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Environs

July 31, 2009 at 5:52 pm (News and politics)

 

  
Dear Supporter,

Do you want food free of pesticides and toxic chemicals? We do. As you likely know, pesticides and toxic chemicals are increasingly linked to serious health problems – especially for our children, whose developing bodies are more vulnerable to chemical exposures.

We’d like to believe our government is effectively policing the safety of our food and the containers they are packaged in, but it’s not.

We think you deserve better. So we’re sending you our Healthy Home Tip Series to make it easier to safeguard your family’s health. This month’s tip is: Go organic and eat fresh foods.

Learn how to minimize exposure in your food.

Our Healthy Home Tips page makes it easy for you to choose safer food and containers to limit your family’s consumption of dangerous chemicals, while keeping your grocery budget in mind. You’ll learn how to:

Tell your friends about our Healthy Home Tips. They, too, will appreciate being informed when choosing what to feed their family.

Talk to you in a month when we discuss our next Healthy Home Tip: How to avoid fire retardants.

Thanks for reading,

Lisa Frack
Online Organizer, Environmental Working Group

P.S. Last month we explained how to choose better body care products. Click here to read about it.

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The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment. The EWG Action Fund is a legislative advocacy organization that uses EWG research to promote healthy and sustainable policies.

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Feeding Your BAby

July 28, 2009 at 2:59 pm (Food and drink)

Chlorine in Your Baby Carrots

The small cocktail or “baby” carrots you buy are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots. You might have known that already. But what you might not know is that once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots, they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them.

When a baby carrot turns white (“white blushing”), this causes the bags of carrots to be pulled from the shelf and thrown away. To prevent this consumer waste, the carrots are dipped in chlorine to prevent the white blushing from happening.

Chlorine is a very well-known carcinogen. Organic growers instead use a citrus based, nontoxic solution called Citrox.

Sources:

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Nutrition

July 27, 2009 at 4:29 pm (Health and wellness)

 

Fast Food Diet Tips
20-Jul-2009

(BlackDoctor.org) – It happens all the time. You’ll be driving home from work and a McDonalds will materialize out of nowhere. And even though you know you shouldn’t, you can’t stop yourself from turning into the drive-thru.

But then, your conscience begins to nag at you. After all, you probably shouldn’t indulge in the Double Pounder with cheese that you’re now dreaming about. So what can you order that won’t set your diet so far back that you’ll never be able to recover?

While most fast food packs away a surprising amount of fat and calories, there are healthier choices available. The important thing is to stay informed. After all, I’m sure very few of us realize that Burger King’s Double Whopper Sandwich houses a whopping 900 calories and 57 grams of fat. And don’t be fooled by thinking that a Blueberry Muffin is a smart breakfast selection during your next visit to Dunkin’ Donuts. That tasty treat contains a startling 470 calories and 17 grams of fat. That’s more fat and calories than some of their donuts contain!

So what is a fast food junkie to do? Are there any healthy options out there?

Here are a few tips to keep in mind during your next visit to the drive-thru:

Don’t Supersize One of the biggest mistakes you can make is opting for the largest size. Remember: more doesn’t necessarily mean better. Choose the smaller size whenever you can. In fact, if it’s available, select the Jr. or kid size. After all, just consider the following:

  •  McDonald’s Cheeseburger: 310 calories, 12 grams of fat

Versus

  • McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger: 460 calories, 23 grams of fat

Or:

  • McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 510 calories, 25 grams of fat

Versus

  • McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 730 calories, 40 grams of fat

Don’t Drink Your Calories It’s easy to forget that drinks can often contain as many calories as an entire meal. Next time, instead of selecting the 32-ounce cola, opt for the smaller size. For a healthier choice, always pick water over sugar-loaded beverages. Keep the following in mind when you do select soda:

  • Burger King’s Coca Cola Kids: 110 calories
  • Burger King’s Coca Cola Large: 290 calories
  • Burger King’s Cocoa Cola King: 390 calories

Salads Don’t Always Equal Healthy Don’t ruin your healthy selection by drowning your salad in dressing. Though you may not realize it, some dressings contain as much fat as a burger. If you are going to use a dressing at all, use them sparingly. As a reminder of just how fattening salad dressings can be, take a look at the following:

  • McDonald’s Caesar Salad w/Crispy Chicken: 300 calories, 13 grams of fat
  • Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar Dressing: 190 calories, 18 grams of fat.

Most fast food restaurants now have their nutritional information available online. So the next time you find yourself craving a Big Mac, be sure to carefully weigh your options first.

By Candace Hall, BDO Staff Writer

 

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Obesity

July 27, 2009 at 12:30 am (Health and wellness)

The Boston Globe
ELLEN GOODMAN
Putting Obesity Out of Businesss
By Ellen Goodman  |  July 24, 2009

WHAT CAUGHT my eye was not just the ashtray sitting forlornly on the yard-sale table. It was the sign that marked it “vintage,’’ as if we needed to label this relic of mid-century America.
 
Ashtrays that once graced every airline armrest, coffee table, and office have gone the way of spittoons. Today the car’s cigarette lighter is used to juice up the cellphone. Ask any restaurant for the smoking section, and you’ll be shown the doorway.
 
If I had to pick the year attitudes changed, it would be 1994, when seven CEOs of Big Tobacco came before Congress and swore that nicotine wasn’t addictive. A lobby too big to fail and too powerful to oppose began to lose clout. Smokers are no longer seen as sexy and glamorous but as the addicted dupes.
 
I don’t know that we will ever have such a dramatic moment in the annals of Big Food. But I have begun to wonder whether this is the summer when the (groaning) tables have turned on the obesity industry.
 
Now that two-thirds of Americans are overweight, the lethal effects of fat are catching up to those of cigarette smoke. We regularly hear the cha-ching of obesity costs in the healthcare debate. And we are beginning to see that Overweight America is not some collective collapse of national willpower, but a business plan.
 

A measure of the moment is “Food Inc.,’’ a documentary chronicling the costs to the land, worker, and customer of a food industry that’s more grim factory than sylvan farm. A system that makes it cheaper to buy fast food than fresh food.  more)

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TYH NOTE: The  aad truth is that cheap. over-processed foods fuels OBESITY smf ptobifrd brty liyylr nuytiyionsl bslur

 

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ALERT

July 26, 2009 at 1:42 pm (News and politics)

Health Sciences Institute

Swine Flu Swindle

The FDA has decided to swindle us.

First they laid the groundwork by scaring us with their ridiculous swine flu estimates. Then they rushed to the rescue, telling us to rely on Tamiflu and Relenza…two potentially dangerous drugs that, by the way, are already implicated in creating a drug- resistant strain of the flu. And now they’ve apparently decided that it doesn’t matter if those drugs are effective — as long as doctors hand them out anyway.

The FDA is allowing — actually calling for, endorsing, promoting! — the use of expired Tamiflu and Relenza. In fact, the agency decided under its SLEP (Shelf Life Extension Program…the name says it all) that four batches of antiviral drugs that expired in June 2009 now expire in May 2011. Magic!

And that’s not all… To make sure government agencies can use up all their already bought and paid for and stockpiled, no matter what, they’ve also decided to waive their own standards. Now even improperly stored Relenza and Tamiflu will be deemed safe and effective for use…even in infants.

Of course, none of this is common knowledge. But it should be — that’s why HSI is bringing you this information when no one else is. You have the right to know that the course of Tamiflu your doctor prescribes may be expired, and may not have been properly stored. (Not to mention the potential adverse effects of Tamiflu!)

Do you still want to take it?

–Michele

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Nurtrition

July 25, 2009 at 12:50 am (Food and drink)

Daily Glass of OJ Is Heart Smart
Antioxidant in Orange Juice Linked to Better Blood Vessel Health, Lower Blood Pressure
By Kelli Miller StacyebMD Health News

Reiewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC

 
July 20, 2009 — An apple a day is said to keep the doctor away, but orange juice may be good at the job, too.
An antioxidant in orange juice called hesperidin improves blood vessel function and helps lower a person’s risk of heart disease, researchers report.
 
Hesperidin is a plant-based compound called a flavonoid. (Grapes, red wine, green and black teas, and chocolate also contain flavonoids.) A growing body of evidence suggests that flavonoids can improve the health of the delicate cells that line blood vessels. The way these cells work is referred to as "endothelial function." Problems with these cells can lead to the development of clogged arteries, a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.
 
For the study, 24 healthy men at risk for cardiovascular disease each drank either 500 milliliters of orange juice each day, a "dummy" drink that contained the same calories as orange juice, or a dummy drink fortified with 292 milligrams of hesperidin. A 500 milliliter glass of orange juice naturally contains 292 milligrams of hesperidin. Over the course of the study, every man drank every beverage for one month straight.
 
The researchers found that when the men drank the daily orange juice or the hesperidin-fortified drink, they had better endothelial function and lower diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of a blood pressure reading) than when they drank the non-hesperidin beverage. In addition, gene expression profiles (as related to cardiovascular disease development) were improved.
 
The findings are being presented this week at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Annual Conference in Las Vegas. 

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RECALL

July 24, 2009 at 3:40 pm (Health and wellness)

Colorado Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products

Food Safety
Submitted by ruzik_tuzik on Jul 24th, 2009
Posted under:
 
King Soopers, Inc., a Denver, Colo., establishment, is recalling approximately 466,236 pounds of ground beef products that may be linked to an outbreak of salmonellosis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
 

The products subject to recall include:

 
* 1-pound chubs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "69558."
* 1 – 1.25-lb. tray packs of (96/4) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67164."
 
* 1 – 1.25-lb. tray packs of (96/4) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67664."
* 1 – 1.25-lb. tray packs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67663."
 
* 1 – 1.25-lb. tray packs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67163."
* 2.5 – 3-lb. tray packs of (93/7) ground beef. Each package bears the identifying case code "67654."
 
* 6-pack trays of (93/7) ground beef patties. Each package bears the identifying case code "67106."
* 4-pack trays of (93/7) ground beef patties. Each package bears the identifying case code "67115."
 

The ground beef chub products bear a use-by/sell-by date between "05/31/09" and "06/21/09;" the tray packs of ground beef bear a use-by/sell-by date between "06.02.09" and "06.23.09;" and the ground beef patty products bear a use-by/sell-by date between "06.01.09" and "06.22.09."

 
The ground beef products were produced on various dates ranging from May 23, 2009 through June 13, 2009 and bear the establishment number "EST. 6250" within the USDA Mark of Inspection, which is printed on the front of the packages. The ground beef products were distributed to retail establishments in Colo., Kan., Mo., Neb., N.M., Utah and Wyo.  (READ MORE)

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NanoTechnology

July 24, 2009 at 1:19 am (News and politics)

AlterNet
Nobody Knows What Nanoparticles Do — Yet They Are in Your Food, Cosmetics, and Toys
By Carole Bass, E Magazine
Posted on July 11, 2009, Printed on July 23, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/141212/

It’s a beautiful summer day. You pull on your stain-resistant cargo shorts and odor-resistant hiking socks, gulp down an energy-boosting supplement, slather yourself with sunscreen and head out for a ramble in the woods. Are you poisoning yourself? When you get home, you jump in the shower and toss your clothes in the wash. Are you poisoning the environment? Maybe.
 
Your sunscreen, energy drink and high-tech clothing may be among the 800-plus consumer products made with nanomaterials: those manufactured at the scale of atoms and molecules. Sunscreen that turns clear on the skin contains titanium dioxide, an ordinary UV-blocker in extraordinarily small particles. Odor-eating socks are made with atoms of germ-killing silver. Supplement makers boast of amazing health effects from swallowing nanosolutions that are completely untested for effectiveness or safety. And that stain-repellant clothing? The manufacturer won’t even tell you what nanomaterials are in it.
 

The problem is not just that you, the consumer, don’t know what’s in the products you use. The much bigger problem is that at the nanoscale, common substances behave in uncommon ways. And nobody–not even the world’s leading nanoscientists–knows what nanoparticles do inside the body or in the environment.  (more)

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TO YOUR HEALTH

July 21, 2009 at 2:08 pm (Health and wellness)

 

Be Good To Yourself
16-Jul-2009

(BlackDoctor.org) — Pregnancy and the time after you deliver your baby can be wonderful, exciting, emotional, stressful, and tiring—all at once. Experiencing this whirlwind of feelings may cause you to overeat, not eat enough, or lose your drive and energy. Being good to yourself can help you cope with your feelings and follow eating and physical activity habits for a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and a healthy family after delivery.

Here are some ideas for being good to yourself:

 

  • Try to get enough sleep.
  • Rent a funny movie and laugh.
  • Take pleasure in the miracles of pregnancy and birth.
  • Invite people whose company you enjoy to visit your new family member.
  • Explore groups that you and your newborn can join, such as “new moms” groups.

Remember…

  • Talk to your health care provider about how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy.
  • Eat foods rich in folate, iron, calcium, and protein, or get these nutrients through a prenatal supplement.
  • Talk to your health care provider before taking any supplements.
  • Eat breakfast every day.
  • Eat high-fiber foods and drink plenty of water to avoid constipation.
  • Avoid alcohol, raw fish, fish high in mercury, soft cheeses, and anything that is not food.
  • Aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week during your pregnancy. Talk to your health care provider before you begin if you have not previously been physically active.
  • After pregnancy, slowly get back to your routine of regular, moderate-intensity physical activity. Make sure you feel able and your health care provider says it is safe to be physically active.
  • Take pleasure in the miracles of pregnancy and birth.

By John Williams, BDO Staff Writer

LINK:http://blackdoctor.org/articles_print.aspx?counter=24313

 

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