Canadian study indicates that quality of nutritional supplements is still a concern

In a recent study, researchers discovered that more than half of the nutritional supplements tested did not disintegrate properly. Included in the test were 39 tablets and 10 capsules containing minerals and vitamins commercially available on the Canadian market. USANA's Multimineral was included in the test. The first disintegration stage was performed using Simulated Intestinal Fluid (SIF) pH 6.8 for 20 minutes. Products which did not disintegrate were further analyzed using USP disintegration conditions for dietary supplements. Of the 39 tablets tested, only 18 products (which included Usana's Multimineral) disintegrated fully at the first stage. The 21 tablets that did not pass the first stage were then tested for disintegration using USP conditions. Nine tablets still failed to disintegrate, including all three timed-release products tested. Forty-percent of the capsules also failed the first stage, although all ten eventually passed when subjected to USP testing conditions. This study illustrates that disintegration, one basic indicator of product quality, is still a concern for dietary supplements. J Pharm Pharmaceut Sci (www.cspsCanada.org) 9(1):40-49, 2006

http://www.ualberta.ca/~csps/JPPS9 (1)/Loebenberg.R/tablets.pdf

The mediterranean diet

Description of the Mediterranean Diet

What are the key aspects of the Mediterranean
diet? Surprisingly, the Mediterranean diet
contains higher levels of fat intake than even the
typical western diet. However, the primary source
of fat in the Mediterranean diet is made up of
omega-3 essential fats and monounsaturated fats.
(These fats are found primarily in our vegetables,
nuts, legumes, and cold-water fish.) Both of these
fats have actually been shown to lower total
cholesterol along with LDL (bad cholesterol). In
fact, 20% to 30% of the calories in the
Mediterranean diet come from these fats, while
less than 10% of the calories come from saturated
fat. This group of foods contains almost no fat
from trans-fats.
The Mediterranean diet is loaded with fresh fruits,
fresh vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts
which contain the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants,
and fiber that are critical for optimal health. These
carbohydrates also contain the good fat and the
good protein. About 50 to 60% of the calories in
the Mediterranean diet come from these types of
carbohydrates. The diet contains a large intake of
olives and olive oil, but is low in red meat and
most dairy products, though low-fat cheese is
consumed frequently.

The Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is characterized by an
expanding waistline, increasing blood pressure,
poor lipid pattern, increased risk of heart disease
and diabetes. It is the underlying problem of the
obesity and diabetes epidemic that modern
civilization faces today. On top of that, people with
metabolic syndrome have increased inflammation
in their arteries along with dysfunction and
damage to the very fine lining of their blood
vessels, called the endothelium. Over 25% of the
population in the US and Canada already have
the metabolic syndrome and another 25% are well
on their way to developing it.

The lead study in last month’s JAMA investigated
180 patients who had the metabolic syndrome.
They divided these individuals into two groups.
One group was placed on the Mediterranean diet
and the other ate the typical American diet. Both
of these groups had similar activity levels and
received similar instruction on healthy living. They
followed these two groups closely over the next
two years.

After 2 years, the patients on the Mediterranean
diet were experiencing these results:
*Significant decrease in body weight
*Decreased waist circumference
*Decreased blood pressure
*Decreased fasting blood sugar
*Increased HDL (good cholesterol,)
*Decreased triglyceride level.

In fact, nearly half of this group actually reversed
their insulin resistance and their metabolic
syndrome. They also had a significant reduction
in the inflammation of their arteries and
improvement in the function of their endothelium.
Investigators obviously concluded that the
Mediterranean diet is a safe strategy for treating
metabolic syndrome and for reducing the
incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes
without the use of drugs and the risks that come
with them. Doesn’t it make sense that
developing a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy
and delicious diet, should be our first-line therapy
for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome?

The other study investigated the effects of the
Mediterranean diet and lifestyle factors on
healthful aging. In the industrialized countries,
about 75% of deaths in individuals over the age of
65 are due to either cardiovascular disease or
cancer. Numerous studies show that diet and
lifestyles are directly linked to these degenerative
diseases, regardless of predisposing factors.
People in this 10-year study who ate a
Mediterranean-style diet, exercised moderately,
limited their alcohol intake, and did not smoke or
who had not smoked for at least 15 years, lived
longer, healthier lives. In fact, they had over a
50% decrease in deaths from all causes of death,
including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
These findings were true even in elderly subjects
who made these healthy lifestyle changes.

Source: http://www.bionutrition.org/
Use my username 'andrewwilmot' and password 'james'
Healthy for Life Newsletter
November 2004 Vol.1 No. 10

Read full article here.

Did anyone see Horizon's "Prof Regan's Beauty Parlour"?

... on Tuesday 27 March 2007, 9pm, BBC Two???

Summary and podcast here ...

Professor Regan is one of the UK's most well-respected (and glamorous) medical experts. She turned her scientific eye on the world of cosmetics. She's just turned 50, and was out to create an experimentally proven beauty cabinet.

She wanted to find a collection of scientifically-tested and proven beauty products such as face creams/moisturisers and hair products which met her high standards.

She didn't find many and those she did weren't the expensive brand names ... for the face products she tested six leading brands of which one was a control - a simple moisturiser E45 which fell at the first hurdle.

What worked for her was a product with at least SPF15 and with high amounts of antioxidants C and E.

I wonder what she would have made of my recommended products with patent-pending self-preserving formulas, SPF15, high amounts of grape seed extract and a stable form of vitamin C which does not so readily oxidize in contact with air - and with clinical test results through independent third party laboratories.

Her concluding advice was:

prefer PL products - a licenced medicine with a product licence - many cosmeceuticals do not go this down this route as it would take years of testing;

read the small print - several banned adverts from leading brands were given for illustration; and

have there been scientific tests? If not then test yourself - one side of your face or hair with product A and the other side with Product B for example ... and then get 100 friends to do the same.

So my offer to you is to try a sample of my recommended products from a science-based research company in the form of a handy travel pack at a 50% discount of wholesale cost i.e. say £7.

Any takers?

Best wishes,
Andrew

Cellular nutrition - a new concept in nutritional medicine

There are over 180 epidemiologic studies (studies that involve a very large number of people) that all show the very same thing. Those individuals who have the highest levels of total antioxidants in their body compared with those who have the lowest levels have a 2 to 3 fold decreased risk of Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s dementia. Obviously, those individuals who consume more of the fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain a large amount of these antioxidants, had the highest levels of antioxidants in their body. This only makes logical sense when you understand the concept of oxidative stress as being the root cause of over 70 of these chronic degenerative diseases.

Therefore, a physician would conclude the best thing that they could advise their patients to do is to be consuming at least 8 to 12 servings of fresh whole fruits and vegetables each and every day. The second best thing would be to recommend high quality, complete and balanced nutritional supplements that provided cellular nutrition.

Cellular nutrition would be defined as providing ALL of the micronutrients to the cell at these optimal or advanced levels that have been shown to provide a health benefit. Only one or two that showed a positive result in the medical literature. In other words, you would want your supplementation needs to be balanced and complete, much like a healthy diet is.
The only difference is the fact that, unlike today’s food supply, supplementation can provide all of these nutrients at optimal levels. We all need to be supplement a healthy diet.

Cellular nutrition has been shown in our medical literature to build up our body’s natural immune system, antioxidant system, and repair system. You not only replenish any nutritional deficiency within 6 months of supplementation, but you also optimize all of the body’s micronutrients. You are given the absolute best chance to reverse or prevent any oxidative stress and protect your health. You see, nutritional supplementation is really about health—not disease. Nutritional supplements are natural to the body and the nutrients the body requires to function at its optimal level.

Every man, woman, and child should not only supplement a healthy diet but also be involved in a modest exercise program. This is the key to protecting and maintaining your health. However, what if you have already lost your health and have developed one of these chronic degenerative diseases? Does supplementation provide any hope? This is the question that I had to answer for myself and for my patients. This has been the focus of my practice for the past 11 years and why I have developed my online practice located at www.bionutrition.org.

For full article from Dr. Ray Strand, see here.

To access www.bionutrition.org, feel free to use my username 'andrewwilmot' and password 'james'.

Vitamin D deficiencies widespread among pregnant women and infants despite prenatal vitamin usage

Vitamin D deficiency early in life is associated with rickets, a disorder characterized by soft bones. New research has shown that despite taking a prenatal vitamin, vitamin D deficiency is very common in pregnant women and newborn infants. Higher-dose supplementation and increased sun exposure is needed to improve maternal and infant vitamin D status.

Even among those taking prenatal multivitamin supplements, vitamin D levels were found to be insufficient or deficient in pregnant women, particularly in African-American women and women living in northern regions, according to new research published in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers took blood samples from 400 pregnant women - 200 black women and 200 white women - before 22 weeks gestation and again after delivery. More than 80% of African American women and nearly half of white women tested at delivery had levels of vitamin D that were insufficient, even though more than 90% of them used prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. In addition, umbilical cord blood from newborns showed 92.4% of African American babies and 66.1% of white infants had insufficient vitamin D levels at birth, leaving them at risk for rickets and other health problems. A newborn relies completely on its mother for its vitamin D stores. These results suggest that black and white pregnant women and newborns residing in the northern US are at high risk of vitamin D insufficiency, even when mothers regularly take prenatal vitamins. Higher-dose supplementation is needed to improve maternal and infant vitamin D status.

Source: High Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Black and White Pregnant Women Residing in the Northern United States and Their Neonates, Lisa M. Bodnar, Hyagriv N. Simhan, Robert W. Powers, Michael P. Frank, Emily Cooperstein and James M. Roberts, Journal of Nutrition 137:447-452, February 2007

Source: USANA Health Sciences