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The British Longevity Society
The latest news about Health
Supplements and anti-ageing drugs, put together by the British Longevity
Society. Contact
the BLS at www.antiageing.freeserve.co.uk
Cholesterol
by Helen Wright
Fruit and
Veggies
by Helen Wright
The Stinging Nettle in Inflammation
Medical News
**The
mineral selenium, either on its own or in combination with vitamins E and beta
carotene, protects against the development of lung cancer. A survey of over 1750
people which started in 1973 in Finland, found that those who had high selenium
in their blood were less likely to develop lung cancer over the years. This
study confirms earlier research which found similar results. Selenium is
an antioxidant which stimulates immunity and reduces the abnormal growth of
cells in the laboratory.
** Scientists
trying to predict the future of ageing research think that during the next 2-5
years we shall be able to repair damaged spinal cords, clone human tissues ready
for transplantation, and produce the enzyme telomerase by genetic engineering.
This enzyme has the theoretical potential of making cells live forever. Other
developments will be the complete mapping of the human genetic blueprint which
will offer unlimited possibilities for research, and new drugs to fight
Alzheimer’s disease. American researchers are very close in using special
human cells (pluripotent cells) which have the ability to grow and repair
any organ in the body. These cells would be useful not only in
transplants but also in repairing body parts which have been affected by the
ageing process.
**
Women who have low DHEA levels are likely to be depressed, according to a study
published in an American medical journal. The researchers studied nearly 700
women between the ages of 50-90, and found that those who were depressed had low
levels of DHEA. This adds some weight to earlier claims that DHEA supplements
may help stimulate and protect the brain. The researchers call for further
trials to see if giving extra DHEA to depressed women would improve their
symptoms. As mentioned previously however, several UK mail order companies have
stopped supplying DHEA for the time being.
**
Teenagers and young women who do not consume enough dairy products, have a high
risk of osteoporosis in later life. Milk and dairy products contain several
nutrients relevant to osteoporosis, apart from calcium: folate, vitamin A,
vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin D. Although the results
of this trial make sense, a similar trial found no evidence that dietary calcium
during teenage years, has any effect on the development of osteoporosis in later
life. More research is needed to clarify this, but many doctors are
inclined to support the first point of view.
** Alzheimers's
disease. Experiments show that certain anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Neurofen
or aspirin, may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This is because,
some scientists believe, inflammation plays an important part in
Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants and omega 3 oils from oily fish may also
help reduce the risk but have no effect after the disease has become
established.
** High
levels of homocysteine in the blood may increase the risk of dementia. Several
research trials have shown that patients with Alzheimer’s dementia had high
levels of homocysteine, and those who had low levels of homocysteine also had a
very low risk of dementia. Eating food, such as green vegetables, which is high
in folate (thought to reduce the levels of homocysteine) may help protect
against this risk. Homocysteine has also been implicated in causing heart
attacks and cancer, although these are only the initial stages of the research.
In another trial involving 260 retired teachers, coffee consumption was shown to
increase the levels of homocysteine.
Cholesterol
by Helen Wright
Some quick facts about
cholesterol may surprise you. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among
lipids in our blood stream and in every cell of our bodies. Cholesterol helps
form cell membranes, protect the nervous system and produce certain hormones.
Cholesterol is found in meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products.
No plant products contain
cholesterol. According to the British Heart Foundation ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL)
should have a reading of below 3 mmol/l, and total cholesterol should be below 5
mmol/l. The American Heart Association recommends limiting average daily
cholesterol intake to 300mg or less.
How can
you lower you blood cholesterol levels?
Most people can lower their
cholesterol levels by eating a diet rich in whole grains, beans, vegetables,
fruit and other food high in soluble fibre. Now, however, there is a new,
easy-to-use tool at your disposal. This is a cholesterol-blocking supplement.
Phytosterols or plant
sterols, resemble the molecular structure of cholesterol so closely that the
cholesterol receptor sides in our digestive tract can not distinguish one from
the other. When our bodies are given enough of these concentrated phytosterols
during a meal, most of the cholesterol in the food we eat during the meal will
pass through the digestive tract and be eliminated.
After an hour or so of
taking a cholesterol blocker tablet, the phytosterols just drop off the
receptor sites and pass through the digestive tract. Phytosterols are free of
any adverse reactions or side effects and, because of their slight molecular
difference from cholesterol, they do not enter the bloodstream.
A new medicament called
Kholesterol Blocker, is a safe and completely natural chewable tablet that
blocks the uptake of dietary cholesterol, thus helping to regulate healthy
cholesterol levels in the body. Made from natural phytosterols from the soybean,
Kholesterol Blocker is simply chewed before a meal and the phytosterols will
block up to 400 mg of cholesterol during the next 1 hour. If the meal lasts
longer, chew another table at the 1 hour point.
Including phytosterols with
every meal is a good habit to get into and Kholesterol Blocker provides the
easiest, most efficient delivery system of phytosterols, it is completely fat
free and contains only 5 calories per tablet.
For further information
contact Nutrition For Life at 01234 771500, or email Helen.Wright@bigwig.net.
BLS
comment
This sounds like a useful supplement for those who worry about high cholesterol.
However, you should not take any supplements without asking about side effects,
balancing the benefits against the risks and considering the cost. BLS
always recommends that, if you take any supplements, do so after advice from a
doctor or other qualified health-care practitioner.
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Fruit and
Veggies
by Helen Wright
Eating is the only way that
ordinary people can get all the 90 different vitamins, minerals and trace
elements needed each day to keep them in the peak of health. If we don’t get
these 90 different nutrients, our antioxidant levels fall, we become pray to all
the ravages of man-made chemicals, we are attacked by natural pollutants such as
sunlight and radiation which damage our bodies and speed up the ageing process.
It is not good enough to
have only 45 nutrients today and double the amount tomorrow. The body can cope
with certain shortages by using alternative metabolic pathways, but this only
works for a while. For example, a shortage of vitamin B 2 which is essential in
the production of red blood cells, results in the body making fewer red blood
cells which eventually may result in anaemia.
Every day we are in contact
with thousands of chemicals through the air we breathe, the water we drink and
the food we eat. These foreign substances need to be eliminated from the body, a
complex job requiring many enzyme reactions. When the detoxifying process is
over, the body has used up valuable enzyme proteins that need to be replaced.
It may be difficult to eat
5-8 portions of fruit and vegetables every day, but now there is a balanced,
whole food concentrate of nutritious fruit and vegetables, called Fruits &
Veggies. Each capsule provides a wide variety of naturally occurring vitamin and
mineral concentrates, plus the phytochemicals, antioxidants, active enzymes,
chlorophyll and even fibre found in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.
For more information and a
free audio tape, contact: Helen Wright on 01234 771500.
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The Stinging Nettle in
Inflammation
The common stinging nettle (urtica dioica)
has sometimes been used by arthritis sufferers to reduce the symptoms of
stiffness and pain. On many occasions, the treatment has been found effective,
but until now, scientists were not sure of how exactly it worked. In an
experiment, people who used stinging nettle on their skin by thrashing
themselves, by stroking or by pressing the leaves on their skin for several
seconds, were found to have less pain and stiffness compared with those who did
not have the treatment.
Looking at its contents more
closely, scientists found that stinging nettle contains phytochemicals which can
reduce the inflammation process. Particularly, the extract blocks the
chemicals called leukotrienes and prostaglandins which are involved in the
inflammation process. Aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs such as
Ibuprofen, have the same action, but with more side effects than the
stinging nettle extracts.
The extracts can also reduce
the Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF). This is a chemical which is usually high
during inflammation processes, in a diseased immune system, in Alzheimer’s
disease and in older people in general. TNF causes several immune cells to die
early, playing a part in the development of inflammation of the joints, the
bowel or the brain.
More importantly, TNF is also thought to play a role as a cancer promoter. Blocking TNF can block cancer and inflammation. Stinging nettle extracts block and inactivate TNF, thus reducing the effects of inflammation. Also, nettle root extracts are used by many middle age and older men in order to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate. So, it seems that those who have been thrashing themselves with stinging nettle were getting a real benefit, although it may be easier to just get the extract in a tablet form from health shops.
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