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GOUT DIET AND GOUT SAFE
FOOD -
WHAT IS WRONG AND
WHAT IS RIGHT?
How does alcohol affect Gout?
Alcohol, generally speaking, isn't
high in purines. However, alcohol
is high acid and adds to uric acid
problems in other critical ways.
Beer may be the exception to
this rule as it happens to pose a
double risk with both high
purine AND the high acid
contributions.
Alcohol impedes removal of uric acid in the body. Alcohol is metabolized into lactic
acid in the body. The lactic acid
then competes with uric acid
in the kidneys for elimination
through urine; thus, greater
levels of uric acid remain in
the body.
Alcohol contributes to uric acid levels in the body. Alcohol raises the amount of ATP that is converted into AMP- a goodfoundation for uric acid.
Alcohol increases cellular degeneration within the body and the brain. As these
cells die off they release purines,
which is within every cell in our
system.
Additionally, alcohol consumption
directly affects and consumes the
attention of the liver and kidneys,
impeding even more uric acid
excretion. Alcohol also dehydrates
the blood, further producing
excessive uric acid.
A recent study found that one
alcoholic beverage per day
was enough to significantly
increase the risk of gout in
that person. The risk grew as
number of drinks consumed
increased.
Am I drinking enough water and why is this important to Gout Control?
Water consumption and the
source for your drinking water
are both very important.
Unfortunately, a good portion
of our society is dehydrated
and isn't even aware of it,
which poses major health
risks.
If the kidneys sense the body is
becoming too dry (water
deficits), they begin to retain the
fluid, rather than excreting it as
urine. This also forces the body
to hold onto excess uric acid
and other toxins ordinarily
excreted by the kidneys, and
the damage begins. This is a
vicious cycle of dehydration.
Proper water intake is an
essential key to blood
hydration and kidney filtration in
order to properly expel uric
acid from the body.
One should consume a pure
source of water, ideal amount
for their body weight and
activity level, steadily
throughout the day. By the
time you feel thirsty, you are
already dehydrated. More
than 2 percent dehydration
and more.
Daily Water Needs- Divide your
bodyweight in half. This is how
many ounces of water you need
daily, consumed water at a slow
but steady pace from rise up
throughout the day.
If you weigh 180lbs, divide 180
by 2 = 90 oz of water is needed
, daily. Drinking water should
come from a pure source,
preferably filtered for purity and
filters replaced according to
manufactured suggestions.
Optimal drinking water pH is
7.0. Juices, teas, sodas and
coffee DO NOT count towards
your water needs!
High Temperature,
Low Humidity
Associated With Gout Attacks.....
(HINT HINT- DRINK MORE
WATER!)
Gout News and Research
Archive
University of Texas study links meat to kidney cancer
NBC News MAGGIE FOX
Nov 9th 2015
Another study has shown
people who eat more meat
have a high risk of cancer.
This time, it's kidney cancer,
researchers reported
Monday.
And it's not just people who
eat red meat, as many other
studies have shown. People
who eat more so-called white
meat, such as chicken, have
the higher risk, too.
Dr. Xifeng Wu and colleagues
at The University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston studied 659 patients
just diagnosed with kidney
cancer and compared them
to 699 similar people without
cancer.
They wanted to break down
not just the link, but to tease
out the factors that might
explain it. They looked at what
kinds of meat people ate, how
they cooked it, as well as
people's genetic makeup to
see if certain genes made
them more susceptible.
People who said they ate the
most grilled meat -- red meat
and chicken alike -- had a
higher risk of kidney cancer,
they reported in the journal
Cancer. And those with two
genetic mutations that
already put people at higher
risk of kidney cancer were
most affected by the grilled
meat risk.
People with kidney cancer
also ate fewer fruits and
vegetables than people
who didn't have it.
"Although previous studies
have linked meat intake with
an increased risk of (kidney
cancer), to the best of our
knowledge the underlying
mechanism for this
association remains
unclear," they wrote.
Cancer experts have long
known that grilling or
barbecuing meat can make
it carcinogenic. Burning or
charring meat creates
cancer-causing substances.
In this case, the two culprits
Wu's team looked for were
2-amino- 1-methyl-6-phenyl-
imidazo(4,5-b) pyridine
(PhIP for short ) and
amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo
(4,5-f) quinoxaline
(MeIQx for short).
"Kidney cancer is among the
10 most common cancers in
both men and women," the
American Cancer Society
said. The group projects
that more than 61,000
Americans will be diagnosed
with kidney cancer this year
and 14,000 will die of it.
"For reasons that are not
totally clear, the rate of new
kidney cancers has been
rising since the 1990s,
although this seems to have
leveled off in the past few
years," the American Cancer
Society added in a
statement on its website.
"Part of this rise was probably
due to the use of newer
imaging tests such as CT
scans, which picked up some
cancers that might never
have been found otherwise."
Wu's team also wonders
whether an increase in eating
meat might explain some of
it.
"The American/Western dietary
pattern consists largely of red
and processed meats, and the
results of the current study
suggest that the association
between this dietary pattern
and cancer may be in part
explained by exposure to
meat cooking mutagens,"
they wrote.
Last month, the International
Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC) released a
controversial report that
stated definitively that
processed meats such as
sausages and bacon cause
cancer and that red meat
probably does.
This study fits in with the
studies that undergird the
IARC's pronouncement.
Outside experts said it will be
important to find out just
what the risk is and what
people can do about it.
"Once we have identified
more genes we will likely
be able to identify a subset of
the population that is at
particularly high risk to
develop kidney cancer if they
eat meat and processed
meat," said Dr. Ulrike Peters
of the Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center
in Seattle.
"However, overall
recommendations to limit
intake of red and processed
meat will remain for the
entire population."
Gout and the Antihypertensives
Linda Brookes, MSc,
Hyon K. Choi, MD, DrPH
(summary below/
full interview
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/761761_3):
Patients with hypertension,
the incidence of gout has been
calculated as 3 times higher
than in non hypertension
patients. Much of this added
risk is attributed to the use of
diuretics, which are
associated with increased
serum uric acid levels.
Current hypertension
guidelines recommend
caution in the use of
diuretics in elderly
hypertensive patients or
cite this adverse effect of
diuretics as a possible
contraindication in
patients who may already
be at risk for gout.
Other, non-diuretic classes
of antihypertensive drugs
have also been shown to
affect serum uric acid levels,
which prompted Dr. Choi's
group to examine the
relationship between these
drugs and gout in people with
hypertension. To accomplish
the analysis, these
investigators used a
database of computerized
medical records generated
by UK general practitioners
between 2000 and 2007.
The data came from 24,768
incident cases of gout
among adults aged 20-79
years, 51.9% with a prior
diagnosis of hypertension,
and a random sample of
50,000 matched controls.
Dr. Choi reported that
after adjusting for age,
sex, body mass index
(BMI), visits to the
general practitioner,
alcohol intake, and
pertinent drugs and
comorbidities, the relative
risk of incident gout
among patients with
hypertension was reduced
with use of calcium
channel blockers. By
contrast, the risk of gout
was increased with use of
diuretics, beta-blockers,
angiotensin-converting
enzyme (ACE) inhibitors,
and non-losartan
angiotensin II receptor
blockers. Use of these
drugs in the patients without
hypertension produced
similar results. In the patients
with hypertension, there was
a significant trend in relative
risk reduction for gout with
duration of CCB use and
with losartan use.
FDA approves another dangerous gout drug
by Michele Cagan at
healthiertalk.com
The FDA just approved IV drug
Krystexxa for gout treatment.
But they couldn't have possibly
looked at the trial results. Or
they just hate people with gout.
The results were ridiculous...
Fewer than half the people in the
trial actually ended up with a
positive response to the medicine
--so it doesn't really seem to
work. On top of that, Krystexxa
produced some pretty nasty
adverse reactions.
41% of the patients suffered
severe infusion reactions,
despite taking antihistamines
and steroids before their
Krystexxa treatment.
77% suffered from gout flare-ups,
compared to 51% taking placebo
--and that's despite being
pretreated for at least a week
with NSAIDs, colchicine, or both.
Not to mention an unusually large
percentage of anaphylactic
reactions (again, despite
premedicating with
antihistamines and steroids!),
and other very unpleasant side
effects like chest pain, nausea,
vomiting, and bruises.
If you're suffering with gout, don't
put yourself through even more
suffering with Krystexxa.
Especially when there are
effective natural solutions that
won't make your gout worse
than ever.
The People's Pharmacy- Prednisone Side Effects: Deal With The Devil?
Prednisone (and similar
corticosteroids) can be a life
saving drug. It saved my
sanity when I developed
sudden hearing loss in one ear.
That was a really scary
experience for someone who
depends on hearing to be able
to do live radio. The ear, nose
and throat specialist
diagnosed my deafness as
"idiopathic sudden sensor
neural hearing
loss." In other
words, he didn't have a clue
what caused it. He did
prescribe high doses of
prednisone and within a
few days my hearing
returned.
Similar corticosteroids
like prednisone include:
Cortisone
Dexamethasone
Hydrocortisone
Methylprednisolone
Prednisolone
There are many conditions for which such drugs can be extremely valuable, even life saving. Here are just a few: Very serious allergic reactions (bad poison ivy for example)
Anaphylactic shock (life-threatening allergic reaction)
Brain tumors
Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease)
Severe asthma (usually to help control acute flare-ups)
Severe nausea of chemotherapy
High altitude sickness (when there is brain swelling)
Traumatic brain injury
Addison's disease
Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Giant cell arteritis
As useful as corticosteroids can be for a wide range of conditions, the drugs can also cause an extraordinary number of serious side
effects. Some people have
likened this to a deal with the
devil.
Even short-term use can cause
problems.
The week or two that I took
prednisone for my hearing loss
I couldn't sleep, became
incredibly irritable and hard to
live with, and felt as if I had
turned into someone I didn't
know or like. A study in the
American Journal of
Psychiatry analyzed data from
hundreds of thousands of
European patients over an 18
year period. They discovered
that people taking
corticosteroids were more
likely to experience neuro
psychiatric symptoms
including depression, suicidal
thoughts (and actions),
delirium, disorientation,
confusion, panic and manic
episodes. The authors
conclude that:
"Glucocorticoids [another
term for corticosteroids]
increase the risk of
suicidal behavior and
neuropsychiatric disorders.
Educating patients and their
families about these adverse
events and increasing primary
care physicians' awareness
about their occurrence should
facilitate early monitoring."
+++++++++++++++++
I can relate. I certainly felt
disoriented and out of control
on the relatively high dose I was
taking. The trouble is that
patients and their families are
not always warned about such
side effects. Here are some
scary stories that have been
reported to this website:
+++++++++++++++++
Years ago I was given prednisone
in the emergency room for a
severe anaphylactic reaction that
affected my ability to breathe
and caused massive hives.
Although the treatment may have
been necessary, I too had a
severe psychotic reaction and
when I finally went to my own
doctor and had blood tests, my
blood chemistry was all over
the map. I had to continue the
tapered dose till I was done but
I wish someone had warned me
of possible side effects so at
least I wouldn't think I was totally
crazy. "I questioned my ability
to drive, slept constantly, and
was quite volatile. I had to take
a day off from work. Knowledge
is power! People should be
warned about possible side
effects so they have the
information should side effects
occur." AC
+++++++++++++++++
"I was on 20mg twice a day of
prednisone for a sinus infection.
Had I known anything about this
horrible drug I would have never
taken the meds and let my sinus
infection clear up on its own.
That would have been better
than these side effects.
"I was not told to taper the dose,
so I took as prescribed 20mg
twice daily for 7 days. The day
after stopping my whole body
hurt to the touch, as if I was
black and blue all over. I was
swollen, red and had a lump on
my neck, not to mention being
very disoriented. I went back to
the doctor and he insisted this
had nothing to do with the
drug. "I checked myself into the
ER where they put an IV drip
with benadryl and the like. I was
discharged that day. No change.
Next day, didn't hurt to the
touch anymore. New side effect
- rash from head to toe and
severe indigestion. Following
day, rash subsiding, indigestion
getting better. Still feeling a bit
loopy, but I am told by next
week I should be back to
myself again.
"I am warning everyone I know
not to ever take a steroid
unless your life is in danger.
It is a very scary feeling - all for
a sinus infection."
AMS
+++++++++++++++++
I'm having Prednisone side effects.
My doctor prescribed this drug
last Thursday. She prescribed 20
mg twice daily for five days. I was
sleepless for three days in row.
On day 4 after a short nap I awake
feeling so nervous. I am crying, my
hands are shaking, and my heart is
beating so hard. These are awful
feelings.
"My doctor told me I will feel that
way for about nine days. She
didn't show any care about me.
She also
said I can go back to work (and
drive a long way) the next day.
But the way I was and am
feeling I'm not daring to drive
even one block.
"I do not understand why she
prescribed that medicine,
without any warning, for a
small allergy I had. I mean the
medicine was worse than my
illness." ELY
+++++++++++++++++
"My wife had sleepness nights
when on prednisone and the
doctor said that she might do
some odd things that she
normally wouldn't do. He was
right. One night she got up and
tore down the wall paper in our
bathroom :-) We still get a
laugh over this one."
Bob K.
+++++++++++++++++
"I am experiencing high blood
pressure, agoraphobia, panic
attacks, light headedness,
confusion, weakness,
intolerance to heat, IBS, shaking,
etc. These side effects all
started the day I stopped the
drug. It has been 7 days with
not much improvement. I was
hospitalized for 3 days. I pray I
do not EVER have to take
prednisone again... EVER. "I
am hoping I get past this. My
quality of life stinks. I took
30mg 1 day, 20mg 2 days and
1 mg 2 days.
Absolutely HATE this." SKF
+++++++++++++++++
These are just some of the
messages that have been
posted to our website. Feel free
to add your story or comment
below. We find it astonishing
that some prescribers do not
warn patients about the
possibility of psychological side
effects brought on by
prednisone and friends. Even a
short-course of high-dose
steroid can precipitate
symptoms. And not warning
about gradual tapering borders
on bad medicine. To protect
yourself and your loved ones
from such medical mistakes
we suggest our latest book,
Top Screw-ups Doctors Make
and How to Avoid Them.
ABOUT TOP SCREWUPS
DOCTORS MAKE AND HOW
TO AVOID THEM
A primary care doctor is
skeptical of his patient’s
concerns. A hospital nurse or
intern is unaware of a drug’s
potential side effects. A
physician makes the most
“common” diagnosis while
overlooking the signs of a rarer
and more serious illness, and
the patient doesn’t see the
necessary specialist until it’s too
late. A pharmacist dispenses
the wrong drug and a patient
dies as a result.
Sadly, these kinds of mistakes
happen all the time. Each year,
6.1 million Americans are
harmed by diagnostic mistakes,
drug disasters, and medical
treatments. A decade ago, the
Institute of Medicine estimated
that up to 98,000 people died in
hospitals each year from
preventable medical errors. And
new research from the University
of Utah, HealthGrades of Denver,
and elsewhere suggests the toll
is much higher.
Patient advocates and
bestselling authors Joe and
Teresa Graedon came face-to-
face with the tragic
consequences of doctors’
screwups when Joe’s mother
died in Duke Hospital—one of
the best in the world—due to a
disastrous series of entirely
preventable errors. In Top
Screwups Doctors Make and
How to Avoid Them, the
Graedons expose the most
common medical mistakes,
from doctor’s offices and
hospitals to the pharmacy
counters and nursing homes.
Patients across the country
shared their riveting horror
stories, and doctors recounted
the disastrous—and sometimes
deadly—consequences of their
colleagues’ oversights and
errors. While many patients feel
vulnerable and dependent on
their health care providers, this
book is a startling wake-up call
to how wrong doctors can be.
The good news is that we can
protect ourselves, and our loved
ones, by being educated and
vigilant medical consumers.
The Graedons give patients the
specific, practical steps they
need to take to ensure their
safety: the questions to ask a
specialist before getting a final
diagnosis, tips for promoting
good communication with your
doctor, presurgery checklists,
how to avoid deadly drug
interactions, and much more.
Whether you’re sick or healthy,
young or old, a parent of a young
child, or caring for an elderly
loved one, Top Screwups
Doctors Make and How to Avoid
Them is an eye-opening look at
the medical mistakes that can
truly affect any of us—and an
empowering guide that explains
what we can do about it.
We want to emphasize that
corticosteroids can be very
valuable.
Some people must take them for
the rest of their lives because of
a very serious or life-threatening
condition. And NO ONE should
ever stop taking a drug like
prednisone suddenly. It must
be phased off gradually under
medical supervision.
Here are some other side effects
associated with corticosteroids.
Fluid retention, edema
Insomnia
Irritability, nervousness, mood swings, mania, depression, psychosis
Disorientation, confusion
Hypertension
Loss of potassium
Headache
Dizziness, vertigo
Muscle weakness
Bloodsugar elevation(diabetes)
Irregular menstrual cycles
Swollen face
Hair growth (including on the face)
Itching, rash, hives
Increased susceptibility to infection
Weakened bones (osteopenia, osteoporosis)
Tendon rupture
Glaucoma
Cataracts
Ulcers
The higher the dose and the longer someone takes a drug like prednisone the more likely there will be side effects. Make sure your physician is monitoring things like potassium, blood sugar, bone density and psychological well being. And never stop a corticosteroid suddenly!
Joe Graedon, for
The Soapbox blog on
The People's Pharmacy
BBC news Sunday, 9 May, 2004 - Gout
treatments 'remain unproven'
There is little scientific evidence
to support the use of some
current treatments for gout,
researchers say. The condition
is usually treated with an anti-
inflammatory drug, or with
alternatives such as steroids.
But the journal Drug and
Therapeutics Bulletin says
much of the evidence for their
effectiveness is anecdotal.
Other experts have disputed
that claim.
Gout affects around 600,000
people in the UK and is
becoming increasingly
common in men.
Gout generally involves very
severe attacks of joint pain
followed by long periods of
remission.
The condition is caused by the
formation of urate crystals
within joints and other tissues.
Acute attacks are usually treated
with an anti-inflammatory drug -
in many cases indometacin.
However, the DTB says there are
no published studies showing
whether this is the most
effective treatment.
In fact, it says there is evidence
to suggest that indometacin is
no better, or more easily
tolerated than other anti-
inflammatory drugs.
Some people - for instance those
with stomach ulcers - cannot
take anti-inflammatory drugs.
In these cases doctors rely on
alternative treatments such as
colchicines and steroids.
However, the DTB says their use
is based more on anecdotal
experience than on published
research.
Prevention
The journal also raises questions
about preventative drugs
commonly prescribed to many
patients to try to stop further
attacks - drugs, which in many
cases, may be taken for years.
Again, the journal says there is
little published evidence on the
effectiveness of such treatment.
It says patients, rather than GPs,
should make the decision on
whether and when to start to
take such medicines long term.
Joe Collier, editor of Drug and
Therapeutics Bulletin, said: "It is
astonishing that we know so
little about how best to treat the
common (and very painful)
condition gout.
"The drugs used are old, so there
is no drive to do the necessary
research. This is an
unacceptable position and
needs remedying."
The journal says there is some
evidence to suggest that
adopting a healthy lifestyle can
cut the frequency of acute gout
attacks.
Shedding excess weight and
avoiding high alcohol
consumption are all thought to
help.
Claims disputed
But Dr Michael Snaith, a
consultant rheumatologist in
Derbyshire and expert on gout,
told BBC News Online that the
criticism of current treatments
had been over-egged.
He said it was true to say that
different anti-inflammatory
drugswere equally effective at
treating gout - but he said that
as a group they were a highly
effective way to combat the
condition.
"Most developments in gout
occurred in the middle third of
the last century before electronic
databases were set up - these
researchers may not have gone
back far enough," he said.
"For instance, there is
undoubtedly hard evidence of
the effectiveness of Allopurinol,
a drug developed to treat cancer
in the 1950s, preventing gout
attacks by reducing uric acid
levels."
(NaturalNews) Drug side effects left woman blind and scarred
A federal jury has ordered Mutual
Pharmaceutical Co. to pay $21
million to a woman who was
blinded and scarred in an
adverse reaction to an anti-
inflammatory drug.
In January 2005, Karen Bartlett of
Pliastow, NH, began taking a
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug (NSAID) known generically
as sulindac in order to relieve
chronic shoulder pain. Sulindac
is also marketed by Merck as
Clinoril, and is in the same drug
family as aspirin, ibuprofen and
naproxen.
Two weeks after beginning the
drug, Bartlett began to suffer
irritation around her eyes and
noticed red spots developing on
her face. Two days later,
suffering from a still-worsening
rash and feeling as if she had
pebbles in her throat and under
her eyelids, she was admitted
to the hospital.
Doctors diagnosed her with a
potentially fatal skin disease
known as Stevens-Johnson
Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal
Necrolysis (SJS/TEN),
characterized by inflammation
of the eyes and mucus
membranes. SJS/TEN can
produce rashes so severe that
the body's entire outer layer of
skin is burned off.
Bartlett spent 112 days in five
different hospitals as the disease
continued to burn away her skin
and the tissue from her throat,
stomach and lungs. Although
she did survive, she was left
permanently disabled and
legally blind.
"It literally burned her alive," her
lawyer Keith Jensen said. "It
burned 65 percent of the skin
off her body ... It burned her
inside and out."
SJS/TEN is a known potential
side effect of all NSAID drugs,
but sulindac carries the highest
risk of it.
"Before you start taking common
... drugs, you may need to inform
yourself about this often-fatal
reaction," writes Andreas Moritz
in Timeless Secrets of Health
& Rejuvenation.
"The list of drugs that may be
problematic includes
antiepileptic and anticonvulsant
drugs, sulfonamides, ampicillin,
allopurinol and [NSAIDs], as
well as some vaccinations
(such as anthrax)."
Colchicine side effects, nutrient depletions,
herbal interactions and health notes:Data provided by Applied Health
Vitamin B12 levels may be depleted with long term use of the drug.1
Colchicine may lower potassium, sodium and vitamin A levels.2
Colchicine has been linked to impaired absorption of Beta-Carotene.
Individuals taking colchicine
would most likely benefit from
taking a high-potency
multivitamin/mineral supplement
to compensate for these
interactions.3
Colchicine interferes with vitamin B12 metabolism by reducing
intrinsic-factor-B12 receptors.
Despite uncertainty about the
exact relationship, caution is
indicated in elderly individuals
taking colchicine
and
experiencing nervous system
symptoms. Any evidence of
neuropathies following the use
of colchicine warrants checking
serum
levels of B12 for
deficiencies. B12
supplementation
would be judicious
prophylactically and
administration is indicated when
any deficiency is
detected. A
generous and wholly safe
dosage of 10-25 mcg per day
of
vitamin B12 would
compensate for the adverse
effects of taking
colchicine.
Periods testing of serum levels
would be appropriate for
monitoring vitamin B12 status.
Colchicine has been linked to impaired absorption of Magnesium.
Individuals taking colchicine
would most likely benefit from
taking a high-potency multi
vitamin/mineral supplement to
compensate for these
interactions.5
Dietary Fat. A variety of studies indicate that colchicine interferes with the intracellular phase of fat absorption.6
Colchicine has been linked to impaired absorption of lactose. In studies of patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) Fradkin et al found that colchicine induces significant lactose malabsorption in FMF patients and concluded that this interaction was at least
partially responsible for the
gastrointestinal side effects of
the drug.7
Tannin containing plants: Atropa belladonna, Lobelia inflata can interfere with colchicine8
Herbs high in salicylates (aspirin-like compounds) can precipitate herbal alkaloids and impair absorption of colchicine. Herbs high in
salicylates should not be taken
with colchicine.9
Herbs containing Tannins such as Camellia sinensis(GreenTea
and Black Tea), Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi (Uva ursi), Juglans nigra
(Black Walnut), Rubus idaeus
(Red raspberry), Quercus spp.
(Oak), and Hamamelis
virginiana (Witch Hazel)
Herbs high which yield tannins
when extracted by hot water
can precipitate alkaloids which
can impair absorption of
colchicine. Tannins will not
precipitate low concentrations
of alkaloidal salts in the
presence of many gums present
in plants such as Acacia, Agar,
Aloe, Flax, Guar, Irish moss,
Locust bean, Marshmallow root,
Okra fruit, pectin powder,
Psyllium seed husks and
Slippery Elm bar. Herbs high in
tannins should not be taken
with colchicine. 10
Dangers of low-dose colchicine in patients
with renal failure
[No authors listed]
Abstract
(1) Life-threatening colchicine
intoxication can occur in
patients with renal failure, even
with low-dose regimens.
(2) Diarrhea, nausea and
vomiting are the first
manifestations of overdose.
Colchicine must be withdrawn
immediately to avoid severe
complications (especially
haematological and
neuromuscular).
(3) Colchicine must not be
prescribed without first
assessing creatinine clearance
(using the Cockroft formula,
for example),
especially in elderly patients.
(New Zealand Herald) Medsafe's inability to
act on gout drug seen as dangerous
loopholeNew Zealand's medicines
regulator has a "serious safety
concern" over a gout drug that
has won state funding, but is
powerless to initiate a safety
review.
This has been described as a
dangerous loophole in the
Medicines Act.
Gout is a form of arthritis that
can cause excruciating pain in
joints, particularly the big toe.
In April, Pharmac approved
funding for benzbromarone -
even though it has not gone
through the separate medicines
registration process with the
regulator, Medsafe.
The drug was withdrawn in
Europe in 2003 because of
serious liver toxicity, including
one death.
The Centre for Adverse Reactions
Monitoring has notified Medsafe
of a gout patient taking the drug
who was also on the blood-
thinner warfarin. The gout drug
can enhance the blood-thinning
effect of warfarin and the
patient suffered bleeding.
"Medsafe considers this to be a
serious safety concern ... ," a
Medsafe official said by email
to Lance Gravatt, whose
company imports a rival gout
drug. "Benzbromarone is not an
approved medicine in New
Zealand and therefore the
regulator's legislative powers
do not apply," the official said.
"In practice, this means Medsafe
is unable to refer this medicine
to the MARC [Medicines Adverse
Reactions Committee] to
conduct a benefit/risk review or
take any regulatory activity."
Instead, Medsafe will publish an
"alert" next week in its Prescriber
Update newsletter to remind
doctors the gout drug is known
to interact with warfarin. It will
also point out that although
there is no New Zealand
datasheet on the drug on the
Medsafe website - normally a
key source of drug-safety
information for doctors - it is
listed on the online NZ
Formulary.
Unregistered medicines can still
be legally used, but doctors who
prescribe them carry more
complex responsibilities than
usual to explain the risks and
benefits, and obtain full
informed consent from the
patient.
Dr.Gravatt said Medsafe's inability
to initiate a safety review was a
loophole that created risks for
patients. "We are alarmed at this
situation, notwithstanding our
conflict of interest in being the
supplier of an unfunded
[although registered] gout
treatment.
"With no datasheet or consumer
medicine information, are we
really to believe that GPs will
search the National Formulary
every time?"
Australian gout expert Professor
Richard Day said it was good the
Pharmac application form for
doctors who wanted to prescribe
benzbromarone highlighted the
risk of liver toxicity. But warfarin
should be highlighted too, as
should the need for extra
monitoring if patients were
taking the blood-thinner.
Pharmac's medical director, Dr
Peter Moodie, said that before
listing the drug in April, the
agency had approved funding
case by case for many patients
with "very severe gout - to the
extent that the alternative is
amputation in some cases".
Pharmac funded 48 unregistered
medicines.
When asked if Pharmac carried
greater drug-safety
responsibilities when it funded
an unregistered medicine, Dr
Moodie said regardless of a
drug's registration status,
doctors were obliged to tell
patients of risks and benefits,
other-drug interactions, and
obtain informed consent.
What is gout?
A form of arthritis
Can be highly painful and lead to joint damage and disability
Prevalence estimate: 2.7 per cent of the population
More common in men, Maori and Pacific people
Causes include genetic inheritance, excess weight and alcohol intake, certain foods and drinks- NZ Herald (by Martin Johnston)
More bad news about bread
Bette Dowdell
@healthiertalk.com
Mercy, Maude, this bread mess
is something else!
In my article, Two Problems
WithBread,I talked about celiac
disease and bromide problems.
Now I'm back with more bad
news, additional bread
ingredients you don't want
anything to do with.
Most bread lists Malted Barley
Flour as an ingredient, typically
the second one which means
it's the second most prevalent
ingredient. Translated? There's
a bunch of it in there, and it's
bad stuff.
How's that, you ask? Well, malted
barley flour comes loaded with
the amino acid glutamate, an
excitotoxin. That is, it can rev up
the hypothalamus part of the
brain to toxic levels, leaving it a
wounded warrior.
Now, this is a very bad thing
seeing as how the hypothalamus
controls your nervous system
AND your endocrine system.
When it gets wounded, so do you.
Count on it.
You may not connect that to your
autoimmune disease, but you
should. Same with a punked out
thyroid. Or any other endocrine
gland. Not to mention
neuropathies, the pins and
needles pain that seems to have
no explanation.
And, as if brain damage isn't
enough, malted barley flour
contains a ton of tannins, a
major cause of migraines.
Most commercial breads and
bags of flour contain malted
barley flour. Ya gotta read
labels! And if there's no label
to read, as in a restaurant?
Assume it's there.
They say malted barley flour
improves the taste. Stomping
all over your health isn't
mentioned.
Malted barley is also in some
beers, with the same effects.
Then there's azodicarbonamide
(ADA). It's a pesticide from China
that's added to flour to speed up
the bleaching process.
This is a biggy and getting bigger.
While typically the last ingredient
listed on labels, even a little
packs a wallop.
PesticideInfo.org links it to
cancer, reproductive and
developmental problems, nerve
damage and overall toxicity.
Yikes!
Well, is there enough of it in
bread to do any real damage?
Oh, indeedy!
It causes coughs, headaches
that can last for days, shortness
of breath, wheezing, swollen
nasal cavities, burning throat
and breathing problems. People
report being diagnosed with
asthma because of ADA. Quit
the ADA, and they're healed!
Same with sinus infections.
The United Kingdom, Singapore,
Australia and most of Europe
ban ADA. The FDA and World
Health Organization say it's just
hunky-dory. No problem here.
Move along.
Subway, Dunkin' Donuts and
Burger King all add ADA to their
bread. MickyD's apparently
doesn't.
And don't buy any bread that's
fortified with iron. They make it
sound as healthful as all get
out, but it's illegal in most of
Europe because it triples the
incidence of liver cancer.
Besides, too much iron rusts us
out. It also leads to heart
problems.
Finally, high fructose corn syrup.
I'm worn out from all my jumping
up and down about HFCS, so I'll
just recap: HFCS raises
triglyceride levels, leads to
obesity and diabetes, raises
uric acid levels (can you say
gout?), damages the kidneys,
wears out the liver and creates
general mayhem. Poison.
Some people hope Ezekiel bread,
said to be from a Bible recipe, is
the answer. Sorry. Ezekial bread
contains soy. Soy is a poison.
Again, I'll summarize: Soy
disrupts the endocrine system,
causes kidney stones, strips us
of the minerals we need,
damages the hypothalamus,
depresses the thyroid and
eventually leads to breast and
prostate cancers. And the thing
is, it didn't exist in Bible lands
during all the centuries in which
the Bible was written.
I love bread. I love the taste, the
texture in my mouth, everything
about it. I just wish they didn't
mess with it so much.
How to get sick and die early
Bette Dowdell
@healthiertalk.com
From time to time, subtlety gets
in the way of a clear message.
To forestall that unhappy
possibility, permit me to write
bluntly.
Your health needs this message.
If you eat or drink anything with
high fructose corn syrup in it,
you're stupid.
If you're dealing with diabetes -
and eat or drink anything with
high fructose corn syrup in it -
you're an idiot.
If you're trying to lose weight -
and eat or drink anything with
high fructose corn syrup in it -
you don't have a lick of sense.
Smart up and avoid high
fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Now, this takes vigilance. Lots
of vigilance. That stuff is
everywhere.
It's in ketchup. Worcestershire
sauce. Cereals. Bread.
Processed foods. And on, and
on. Reading food labels can be
an eye-opening experience.
Why should you bother? Let me
count the ways.
One can of soda pop contains
enough HFCS to overwhelm your
liver. Doing in your liver makes
you a goner all by itself, but that
can of soda starts a domino
effect amongst your body parts.
HFCS raises your triglycerides,
the fatty acids in your blood.
Not wanting to be left out, your
blood pressure makes a leap.
And your uric acid, confused by
the never-seen-in-nature HFCS,
starts an upward trek. Can you
say gout?
And now they're learning that
high uric acid levels do a
number on your kidneys. Whilst
you pour HFCS down your gullet,
you should at least have the
good manners to wish your
kidneys good luck.
But, wait! There's more! HFCS
sends your leptin into orbit. We
know leptin as a big player in
appetite and weight loss, but
that pales in comparison to
what it does to your brain and
your pancreas.
HFCS is murder on your
pancreas. Charged with the task
of maintaining blood sugar
levels, the pancreas throws in
the towel.
See the sentence about diabetes
above.
Well, I could go on, but if you
don't have the picture by now,
why bother? Just eat, drink and
be merry-and get sick and die
early.
Here's how it is: Your body
doesn't know how to handle
HFCS.
It's like lobbing a bomb into
your system.
The manufacturers of HFCS
know this, but it's the money,
honey.
How much money? More than
enough to hire "researchers" and
writers to sing the praises of
HFCS so people think it's not
so bad after all. To believe it's
'natural'. That all's well with the
world.
But no matter how loudly they
toot the bugle and bang the
drum, HFCS manufacturers still
couldn't sell the stuff if food
manufacturers didn't happily
jump on board.
But here's the secret: Food
manufacturers would quit the
game, stop the HFCS nonsense
on a dime, if you refused to buy
the stuff.
Bottom line: You get to choose
whether or not to be an idiot.
Is this a great country or what?
High fructose beverages tied to gout
Jonathan Benson
@naturalnews.com
(NaturalNews)
New research derived from the
larger Nurses' Health Study has
found a new connection
between drinking fructose-rich
beverages like soda and
developing joint arthritis.
According to Dr. Hyon Choi and
colleagues from Boston
University, drinking high fructose
beverages increases uric acid
levels in the blood, which
eventually deposits into the
joints where it causes gout.
Published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association,
the report claims that people
who drink one fructose-rich
beverage a day are 74 percent
more likely than those who drink
less than one per month to
develop gout. And those who
drink two or more fructose-rich
beverages a day are 97 percent
more prone to the disease than
minimal drinkers.
Strangely enough, even orange
juice appears linked to gout.
Once-a-day orange juice
consumption raised risk levels
by 41 percent, while drinking
two servings a day resulted in
a 142 percent risk increase.
However, other kinds of juices
did not appear to exhibit the
same effects.
"Physicians should be aware of
the potential effect of these
beverages on the risk of gout,"
explained Choi and
colleagues in their report.
The team also noted that
women with a body mass
index (BMI)above 30, as well
as those who drink alcohol,
are at an even higher risk. And
even though only one percent
of women who participated in
the study ended up developing
gout, excess fructose
consumption is never a good
idea because the sugar
component in its processed
form can aggravate proper
insulin function, induce type-2
diabetes, and lead to obesity.
Health Basics: Processed 'vegetable' oils
fuel inflammation and cancer
S. D. Wells
@naturalnews.com
(NaturalNews) What if you bought
a brand new car or truck and you
immediately filled it with used oil
and ethanol-laden gasoline? How
soon would you experience major
engine malfunctions, and how
soon compared to a new car that
you gave only the cleanest oil
and gas possible? Many people
perceive vegetable oils as
healthy, but excessive
consumption of vegetable oils
leads to actual structural
changes within our fat stores
and within our cell membranes.
How are so many people fooled
into ingesting large amounts of
processed and pesticide-
contaminated oils that kill them
slowly? Is it because of the word
vegetable or is it because of the
term all natural that the "sheeple"
(misled and uneducated people)
pour in the hydrogenated
rapeseed oil and the hexane
vapor-laden polyunsaturated
"dirty fuel"?
Vegetables are good for you,
right? Shouldn't vegetable oil be
good for your organs and your
blood? What if it's cold-pressed!?
What's if it's "extra virgin"? What
if you don't cook it at high heat?
What if you do? These are the
pressing questions that have
Americans confused and running
on saturated toxic fat and empty
calories.
Fatty acids have taken on a new
dimension over the past 75 - 85
years, like never before in the
evolution of man and woman.
Vegetable oils are being run
through processes that lessen
the acid, add toxic vapors, kill
the nutrients, add in genetically
modified (GM) proteins and
enzymes, and confuse human
cells, often choking them and
breaking down their defenses.
Some oils actually shut down
the mechanism of life in cells,
and mitochondria are
suffocated to death. This leads
to direct physiological changes
and contributes to multiple
diseases.
Soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn
oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil,
safflower oil and the list goes on
and on and on. They all sound
like you might even be eating
healthy, but it's time to wake up
and smell the GMOs. Olive oil, if
it's real and cold-pressed, can be
good for you, but as soon as
you cook it at high heat, you're
in trouble. Grape seed oil is said
to tolerate high heat, but you're
about to find out why that
doesn't even matter. Dead food
is dead food, and it doesn't
matter how long you cook it or
how hot the fryer gets. At that
point, all you're doing is adding
to toxicity, not making it "healthy."
Most oils contain very large
amounts of biologically active
fats called omega-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids,
which are quite harmful in
excess.
Industrial food oil processing is
very scary - take a look
In just 80 years, consumption of
soybean oil increased a
thousand-fold in the United
States. When Monsanto figured
this out, in came pesticide food
for the masses. Using industrial
chemicals and highly toxic
solvents, most vegetable oils are
processed until useless and
sold as food. The omega-6
overload messes up the fatty
acid composition of the body.
Currently, most Americans'
ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 is
around 16 to 1. This ratio
basically cripples your immune
system, and Big Food and Big
Pharma both know it. This is
the number one reason why
eating out at restaurants is bad
news. The excess of these fatty
acids sits in cell membranes
and increases harmful oxidative
reactions. Typical body fat
stores of linoleic acid have
increased three-fold in just a
few decades.
GMOs and processed oils fuel
inflammation
Eicosanoids (also spelled
icosanoids) are modified fatty
acids in your cell membranes
that play a crucial role in cellular
messaging, immunity and
inflammation. Aspirin and
ibuprofen inhibit the eicosanoid
pathways and artificially reduce
inflammation, but all you're
doing is covering up symptoms
of a greater plight. Trans fats are
like the devil of food, and chronic,
systematic inflammation is
possibly the number one culprit
of all the preventable diseases
that plague humans, including
arthritis, cancer and heart
disease. If humans could just
figure out how to balance their
omega-6s and -3s, they could
reduce and eliminate
inflammation.
How much do you know about
grape seed oil production?
Hexane is a hydrocarbon and a
significant constituent of
gasoline.
Hexanes are colorless liquids at
room temperature with a
gasoline-like odor. They are
cheap, non-polar solvents often
used in the formulation of glues
for shoes, leather products,
textile manufacturing, roofing
and for cleansing and
degreasing.
Unfortunately, they are also
used to extract cooking oils
from seeds, and we ARE talking
about grape seeds here. Hexane
is chiefly obtained by refining
crude oil and is used in
laboratories for chemical
reactions. Did you know that the
mutation of human cells, also
known as cancer, is a "chemical
reaction"?
How much do you know about
fake olive oil hybrids?
More than HALF of all olive oil
sold in the U.S. right now is not
pure olive oil, or even "extra
virgin" or "Italian." Many U.S. oils
sold as such are hybrid mixes of
toxic rapeseed oil (reduced
erucic acid canola), GM soybean
oil and other low-grade oils.
Your body, if consuming these
regularly, is breaking down like
a car running on dirty oil and
sugar-laden gasoline. Welcome
to the scandalous world of fake
olive oil! Real olive oil smells like
fresh olives, because it's a fruit
and hasn't been processed in
labs and factories with chemicals.
What is rapeseed oil?
Over 90% of canola oil is partially
hydrogenated and genetically
modified, in case you didn't
already know. That means that
you are eating pesticide!
(https://draxe.com) Rapeseed
oil was banned for consumption
in the USA by the FDA back in
1956.
Then a Canadian scientist
lessened the toxicity, renamed it
something catchy, and here we
are! Canadian oil low acid is the
long name for the cell choker.
"Anti-conspiracy theorists" hate
finding this one out. They really
love their canola.
Canola oil can have detrimental
effects on your health, and most
"food bars" at restaurants and
supermarkets are loaded with it
in just about every potato salad,
egg salad, tuna salad, chicken
salad and every baked item,
including desserts and salad
dressings.
Coconut oil is the
King of Healthy Oil!
Your refuge in all of this is
coconut oil. I suggest you buy
only organic. This is the answer
to the low-grade oil catastrophe
that has struck America and will
continue to do chronic, collateral
damage for years. Escape the
madness of low-grade oil being
substituted for food. It's time
you put only "premium fuel" in
your "machine"!
Sources for this article include:
https://authoritynutrition.com
https://www.naturalnews.com
https://www.naturalnews.com
Top food products containing high-fructose
corn syrup tainted with mercury
Ethan A. Huff
@naturalnews.com
(NaturalNews) Nearly half of all
commercial high-fructose corn
syrup (HFCS) used in processed
foods like soda pop, ketchup
and candy is tainted with toxic
mercury, according to a peer-
reviewed study published in the
journal Environmental Health.
Among 20 samples of
commercial HFCS tested for the
heavy metal, nine tested positive,
says the Institute for Agriculture
and Trade Policy (IATP), the
consumer group that
spearheaded the study.
Researchers from IATP tested
HFCS as part of a larger
investigation into the safety of
this common sweetener, which
is often used in place of table
sugar. Since it is used in
everything from salad dressing
and barbecue sauce to
commercially prepared breads
and cereals, HFCS is a major
component of billions of people's
diets, having been quietly
introduced into the U.S. food
supply during the 1980s.
According to The Washington
Post (WP), the average American
consumes roughly 12
tablespoons of HFCS daily, while
teenagers and other "high
consumers" are believed to
consume up to 80 percent more,
or roughly 22 tablespoons, of
the substance every single day.
Based on the findings of the
study, this means that mercury is
being ingested at levels never
before seen, presenting serious
health risks that could cause
permanent health damage.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms,"
stated Dr. David Wallinga from
IATP, co-author of the study.
"Given how much high-fructose
corn syrup is consumed by
children, it could be a significant
additional source of mercury
never before considered. We are
calling for immediate changes
by industry and the [U.S. Food
and Drug Administration] to help
stop this avoidable mercury
contamination of the food
supply."
More than 30 percent of
processed foods containing
HFCS also contain toxic mercury
IATP also conducted a joint
study on individual consumer
products containing HFCS,
revealing that about one-third of
them contain mercury. The most
common products containing
mercury were dairy products,
dressings and condiments such
as ketchup that contain HFCS as
their first or second ingredients.
A list of the 55 consumer
products tested as part of the
second study shows that the
worst offender is Quaker
Oatmeal to Go, which contained
350 parts per trillion (ppt) of
mercury. Second on the list is
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce,
manufactured by Heinz, at 300
ppt of mercury. Trailing these are
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup at
257 ppt of mercury, Kraft
Original Barbecue Sauce at 200
ppt of mercury and Nutri-Grain
Strawberry Cereal Bars at 180
ppt of mercury.
The complete list of HFCS-
containing products that tested
positive for mercury can be
downloaded as a PDF here:
Iowa.SierraClub.org.
Some HFCS producers using
outdated 'mercury-cell'
technology that poisons end
product
The reason why some HFCS
contains mercury and other
HFCS doesn't has to do with how
the sugary product is
manufactured. IATP told the
Minneapolis Star Tribune that
four HFCS plants in Georgia,
Tennessee, Ohio and West
Virginia still used a technology
known as "mercury-cell" that can
contaminate the end product.
According to IATP, the process
involves adding mercury-grade
caustic soda, as well as other
ingredients, to a proprietary mix
that ultimately separates corn
starch from corn kernels. This
mercury-tainted caustic soda is
manufactured in industrial
chlorine plants that use an
outdated and highly toxic chlor-
alkali process that can leave
mercury residue in the final
product.
"The bad news is that nobody
knows whether or not their soda
or snack food contains HFCS
made from ingredients like
caustic soda contaminated with
mercury," added Dr. Wallinga.
"The good news is that mercury
-free HFCS ingredients exist.
Food companies just need a
good push to only use those
ingredients."
Are tanning beds and the sun our enemy?
Dr. Holick weighs in:
Many doctors say ultraviolet light
from the sun or a tanning
machine is dangerous because
of the risks associated with skin
cancer. But some health experts,
such as Dr. Michael Holick of
Boston University, disagree. "I
believe that Americans have
gone overboard with their fear
of the sun. I think that sensible
exposure to sunlight is really
important for your overall
health and well-being," says
Holick.
The reason for the concern is
vitamin D, essential for bone
strength and other health needs,
which our skin makes through
exposure to the sun's ultraviolet
rays. We need 1,000 units of
vitamin D a day, but a glass of
milk supplies only 100 units and
a multivitamin only 400. So most
people need the sun in order to
avoid deficiency. Sunscreens can
reduce vitamin D production Now,
new research has found that
wearing sunscreen continuously
can reduce the amount of
vitamin D a person is able to
make.
"We looked at individuals that
always wore a sunscreen before
they went outside. ... And we
found that, indeed at the end of
the summer, they were deficient
in vitamin D," says Holick. "And
so we have shown over and
over again that adults, even if
they're on a multivitamin, and
drinking milk, if they always
wear sun protection, or avoid
any direct sun exposure,
they're at high risk of
developing vitamin D
deficiency."
Link Already Known,
But Gaps in Knowledge
Previous studies have shown a
link between vitamin D levels
and cancer risk and survival.
Some studies have suggested
that vitamin D levels are linked
to colon cancer risk and an
overall improvement in survival
for a number of cancer types,
including colorectal.
An "umbrella review" Dr.
Theodoratou was involved in
found that using vitamin D for
colorectal cancer prevention,
and possibly treatment, is
"biologically plausible" ,
according to David J. Kerr, CBE,
MD, DSc, professor of cancer
medicine at the Oxford Cancer
Centre in the United Kingdom.
"Vitamin D has important effects
on cell growth, cell morphology,
and cell cytokinetics - a whole
range of biological factors that
would be relevant and germane
to the control of cancer," he
explained in a recent Kerr on
Oncology.
In their umbrella review, Dr.
Theodoratou and colleagues
note that "despite biological
plausibility and a positive trend
toward improvements in
outcomes, in terms of
prevention and in terms of
reducing elements of disease
recurrence, there were
insufficient prospective
randomized trials," Dr. Kerr
pointed out.
"There is a key gap in the
knowledge - the defining
evidence, the 'home run' if you
like - that we would require to
be utterly convinced of the role
that vitamin D plays in the
prevention and treatment of
colorectal cancer," he said.
The role and benefits of friendly bacteria and how to use them effectively
(NaturalNews) Inside the body
lives a vast number of bacteria
without which we could not
remain in good health. There
are over 100 trillion bacteria in
each person with over 400
different species, most of them
living in the digestive tract.
Certain types of these bacteria
help to maintain good health
and others have value in
regaining it back once it is lost.
Learn the role and benefits of
each, and when to use them.
The role of different strains of
friendly bacteria
Lactobacillus acidophilus is the
predominant friendly bacteria
in the upper intestinal tract. It
helps reduce the levels of
harmful bacteria and yeasts in
the small intestine and also
produces lactase, an enzyme
important in the digestion of
milk. Acidophilus is involved in
the production of B vitamins
during the digestive process.
Bifidobacterium bifidum and
B. longum are the primary
friendly bacteria in the large
intestine. Bifidobacteria protect
the large intestine from
invading bacteria and yeasts,
and also manufacture B
vitamins and help the body
detoxify bile. B. infantis is the
prevalent friendly bacteria in the
intestines of infants.
Streptococcus thermophiles and
L. bulgaricus are most
commonly found in yogurt and
exist only transiently in the
digestive tract. They produce
lactic acid, which encourages
the growth of other friendly
bacteria, and they also
synthesize bacteriocins (natural
antibiotics like substances) that
kill harmful bacteria.
Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, and
Streptococci are the bacteria
mostly commonly found in
probiotic supplements. Other
beneficial species that may be
included are L. casei, L.
plantarum, L. sporegenes, L.
brevis, and saccharomyces
boulardii. Without bacteria like
acidophilus, one would not be
able to properly digest food and
absorb vitamins and other
nutrients.
The benefits of probiotics and
illnesses they can help treat
Probiotics can benefit our health
in a number of different ways,
including:
The manufacture of certain B vitamins, including niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid, and biotin.
Enhanced immune system activity.
Manufacture of milk-digesting enzyme lactase, which helps digest calcium rich dairy products.
Production of antibacterial substances that kill or deactivate hostile disease causing bacteria. Friendly bacteria do this by changing the local levels of acidity, by depriving pathogenic bacteria of their nutrients, or by actually producing their own antibiotic substances.
Anti-carcinogenic effect, since probiotics are active against certain tumours.
Improved efficiency of the digestive tract.
Reduction of high cholesterol levels.
Protection against radiation damage and deactivation of many toxic pollutants.
Recycling of estrogen, which reduces the likelihood of menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.
Reduce anxiety and stress.
Friendly bacteria have also been shown to be useful in treatment of acne, psoriasis, eczema, migraines, gout, rheumatic and arthritic conditions, cystitis, candidiasis, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and some forms of cancer.
Using probiotics in specific situation.Probiotics should always be considered a part of a healthy lifestyle due to its disease preventative properties, but could also be used in more acute and specific health challenging situations, such as:
Chronic bowel problems or infections
Food poisoning (bifidobacteria and acidophilus kill most food poisoning bacteria)
After antibiotics are taken
Premenopausal and menopausal women to reduce chances of osteoporosis.
High cholesterol problems
Radiation treatments
Vaginal or bladder infections (thrush or cystitis)
Quality sources of probiotics
Instead of immediately reaching for the probiotic capsules, also consider live food-based sources as the basis to a probiotic rich diet. Some of the most prolific sources include sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar.
** When you do reach for the probiotic capsules to combine with your better diet choices, be sure you have the right one!
Omega-3 supplements improve joint health, lessen severity of osteoarthritis and provide a host of other health benefits
(NaturalNews) Omega-3 fatty acids may improve joint health and reduce the risk and severity of arthritis, according to a study conducted by researchers from Duke University and published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases on July 11.
The findings suggest that, contrary to prior belief, the types of fats that make up a person's diet may have more influence on their arthritis risk than their weight does.
"Our results suggest that dietary factors play a more significant role than mechanical factors in the link between obesity and osteoarthritis," senior author Farshid Guilak, PhD, said.
What you eat, not what you weigh
Prior studies have established that obesity is a major risk factor for osteoarthritis, a disorder characterized by degradation of the joints and more commonly known simply as "arthritis." Until now, scientists have assumed that a higher body weight causes increased wear-and-tear on the joints, but this hypothesis never explained why arthritis is so common in non-weight-bearing parts of the body such as the hands.
In a previous study, the Duke University researchers found that abnormally low levels of the appetite-regulating hormone leptin in obese mice were an accurate predictor of arthritis. This suggested that metabolic, rather than physical, symptoms of obesity might actually be behind arthritis.
"This made us think that maybe it's not how much weight you gain, but what you eat," Guilak said.
To further explore the connection between diet and arthritis, the researchers induced osteoarthritis in mice by deliberately injuring their knees. Trauma or injury is responsible for approximately 10 to 15 percent of all osteoarthritis cases. The arthritic mice were then fed either a diet high in saturated fat, a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids or a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids with a small amount of added omega-3s.
"A healthy diet would include roughly equal ratios of these fats, but we're way off the scale in the Western diet," Guilak said.
Health researchers now believe that the typical Western diet contains too much saturated and omega-6 fat, and not enough of omega-3 fat.
Omega-3s slow disease progression, speed wound healing
The researchers found no connection between body weight and arthritis. They did find that, while mice on both the saturated fat and omega-6 diets experienced a worsening of their arthritis symptoms over time, mice in the omega-6 plus omega-3 group did not.
"While omega 3 fatty acids aren't reversing the injury, they appear to slow the progression of arthritis in this group of mice," Guilak said. "In fact, omega 3 fatty acids eliminated the detrimental effects of obesity in obese mice."
The researchers also noticed that mice in the omega-3 group healed faster from an injury that the researchers had inflicted on their ears (a way to differentiate between the mice) than the mice in the other two groups.
"We found that independent of body weight, dietary fatty acids regulate ear wound healing and severity of osteoarthritis following joint injury in obese mice," lead author Chia-Lung Wu said.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and a Taiwan GSSA graduate fellowship. It is only the latest in a glut of recent research illuminating the many health benefits of a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids.
A strong body of clinical research now shows that omega-3s are potent anti-inflammatories that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and arthritis. They are also important for brain health and particularly important for the brain development of babies and children. They may also play a role in regulating mood and cognitive function.
Research has also linked omega-3s to a reduced risk of cancer and improved bone, bowel and menstrual health. [back to the top]
Krill Oil Supplementation Lowers Your Triglycerides
By Dr. Mercola
Most Americans are seriously deficient in animal-based omega-3 fats. If you're among them, this means you are missing out on many health advantages that these fats offer.
Maintaining a high dietary omega-3 intake throughout your life is essential for optimal health, and the research continues to pour in that krill oil, in particular, is the preferable source.
Lower Your Triglycerides: Krill Oil for Your Heart
Triglycerides are a type of fat in your blood. Elevated levels are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, and high triglycerides are also one of the signs of metabolic syndrome.
Eating a healthful diet is one of the best ways to keep your triglyceride levels in the optimal range, and this includes omega-3 fats. Recent research published in Nutrition Research1 revealed that krill oil supplementation lowers triglyceride levels in adults with borderline high or high triglycerides - by more than 10 percent.
The researchers concluded: "krill oil is effective in reducing a cardiovascular risk factor." This isn't the first time krill oil has been shown to reduce triglycerides, and past research also showed that it is more effective than fish oil at doing so.
One study revealed that while the metabolic effects of the two oils are "essentially similar," krill oil is as effective as fish oil despite the fact that it contains less EPA and DHA (the primary active fatty acids in animal-based omega-3 fats).2
In that case, the EPA and DHA dose in the krill oil was nearly 63 percent less than that in the fish oil - but the beneficial effects were virtually the same. This finding corresponds with unpublished data suggesting that krill oil is absorbed up to 10-15 times as well as fish oil, which would explain this discrepancy.
Krill Oil Works Better Than Fish Oil, and on Par with Statins, to Improve Lipid Profiles
Separate research published in the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition3 compared the efficiency of krill oil and fish oil in reducing triglyceride levels. Over a six-week period, rats divided into three groups had their diets supplemented with one of the following:
2.5 percent krill oil
2.5 percent fish oil
No supplement
In less than three weeks, both oils had markedly reduced the enzyme activity that causes the liver to metabolize fat, but the krill oil had a far more pronounced effect, reducing liver triglycerides significantly more. The higher potency of krill oil allows it to decrease triglyceride levels in a shorter period of time compared to fish oil.
Overall, after six weeks of supplementation, cholesterol levels in the krill oil group declined by 33 percent, compared to 21 percent in the fish oil group.
Further, liver triglycerides were reduced by TWICE as much in the krill oil group compared to the fish oil group, by 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively. This is particularly important, as fasting triglyceride levels are a powerful indication of your body's ability to have healthy lipid profiles.
To put this into further context, after being on a statin drug combined with daily exercise for several months, participants in one 1997 study4 saw an average reduction in their cholesterol levels of 20 percent. This is why krill oil is actually being used as a drug in some European countries.
Krill Oil Is Less Damaged or Oxidized Than Fish Oil
In laboratory tests, krill oil remained undamaged after being exposed to a steady flow of oxygen for 190 hours. Compare that to fish oil, which went rancid after just one hour. That makes krill oil nearly 200 times more resistant to oxidative damage compared to fish oil!
When purchasing krill oil, you'll want to read the label and check the amount of astaxanthin it contains. The more the better, but anything above 0.2 mg per gram of krill oil will protect it from rancidity. To learn more about the benefits of krill versus fish oil, please see my interview with Dr. Rudi Moerck, a drug industry insider and an expert on omega-3 fats, above. The infographic below also presents the facts of which omega-3 supplement is best.
I was one of the first to promote krill as an exceptional source of animal-based omega-3 dietary fats. Many have criticized me for recommending this over fish oil, for the lack of studies to back it up, but the bulk of the new emerging studies are confirming that krill is the better option.
It merely took time for the science to document what was obvious clinically, that krill had the identical fats as fish oil but was a far higher quality source due to astaxanthin protecting the perishable fats, and the phospholipids that massively increase the absorption of the fats. [back to the top]
3 common ways nutrients are being destroyed in your food
(NaturalNews) One of the greatest concerns with the food supply today is the toxicity and lack of nutrients. This begins with the seed, then the soil it is planted in, followed by the treatment it receives during its growth phase. But if that wasn't enough, a further degradation of food takes place between the harvest and the plate. These are the three most prominent ways.
Processing
The most commonly eaten and most processed food category is arguably the grains. They often undergo a process that leaves them with a fraction of the nutritional value than when they were initially harvested in order to produce many types of flour products.
To begin this process, the highly nutritious, sprout-able bran and the husk that has the fiber are removed leaving only the light yellow endosperm, which is virtually all starch with very little nutritional value and a high glycemic index rating.
Following that, in order to bypass the aging process and add shelf life, as well as keep the clean white color, the endosperm is crushed and treated with chlorides to make it instantly white. A byproduct of that process is alloxan, which is used to induce diabetes in lab animals for medical testing.
What is left is a food that has a mere remnant of its original nutrient value.
Heating
Another way the nutrients in food are destroyed is through heating. Various phytonutrients, enzymes, probiotics, and vitamins do no survive the heating process, which depletes the food of these life-promoting nutrients.
One heating process that takes place prior to food making it to the store is pasteurization. This is commonly done with dairy products in order to remove any rogue bacteria that may be present during the harvesting process. Unfortunately, once it is pasteurized, it has removed all delicate and beneficial nutrients like enzymes and good bacteria, which are crucial for proper digestion and health.
Another very common practice is cooking foods in ovens and on stovetops at high temperatures for extended periods of time, which results in the destruction of various nutrients.
Finally, microwaving is the worst way to cook food because they excite the water molecules inside whatever you are cooking, causing heat to be formed from the inside out. This results in a cell-by-cell nuking of the food causing near-total molecular decomposition of the vitamins and phytonutrients that promote disease. This leaves microwaved food almost completely dead, leaving nothing but empty calories, fiber, and minerals. Virtually every vitamin and phytonutrient content has been destroyed.
Irradiation
This process exposes food to radioactive materials, such as cesium-137 and cobalt-60, to kill insects, bacteria, molds, and fungi, prevent sprouting, and extend shelf life.
Unfortunately, foods that have been irradiated lose much of their nutritional value. Irradiation can destroy between 5 and 80 percent of vitamins and nutrients found in a variety of foods including essential vitamins A, B complex, C, E, and K. As an example, irradiated eggs lose 80 percent of vitamin A and orange juice loses 48 percent of beta-carotene.
Although the heating and irradiation process are often done by governmental organizations to reduce the number of food borne illnesses, it has indirectly created a policy that increases the number of people killed by infections and chronic disease due to destruction of probiotics, enzymes, and other nutrients that help the body resist and destroy infection in the body.
The bottom line is that the more whole, raw, and fresh the food consumed, the healthier the immune and detoxification systems that destroy such harmful pathogens. [back to the top]
New Evidence for Protective Effects of Vitamin-D on Your Heart
By Paolo Boffetta, MD, MPH, Special to Everyday Health
Although vitamin D is obtained from diet and dietary supplements, the main source of vitamin D is production in our skin under the influence of solar radiation.
As sun exposure varies with the latitude of regions and during the year, so vitamin D concentrations of populations vary accordingly. Furthermore, women are generally more prone to low vitamin D concentrations than men. Vitamin D deficiency is especially common among the elderly who often have less sun exposure because of reduced outdoor activity and reduced capacity of the skin to produce vitamin D.
Research on Vitamin D's Protective Role
We conducted an international study of eight populations from Europe and the United States to investigate the association of level of vitamin D in blood and deaths from all-causes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer mortality, published in the British Medical Journal in June 2014. We paid attention to differences between countries, sexes, age groups and seasons of blood sampling. The study was conducted with the CHANCES Project, a research initiative funded by the European Commission and coordinated by scientists at the Hellenic Health Foundation in Athens, Greece, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and primary authors were from the German Cancer Research Center, in Heidelberg.
A total of 26,018 people had their vitamin D level measured in blood samples collected at enrolment in the study, when they were ages 50 to 79, and were followed for an average of 4 to 16 years, depending on the population. During this period 6,695 of them died, including 2,624 from cardiovascular disease and 2,227 from cancer. We compared the risk of dying between the group with highest vitamin D level and those with lower levels by dividing each study population in five groups of equal size based on their baseline vitamin D level.
Increased Deaths in People With Low Vitamin D Levels
Compared with the group with the highest vitamin D, people in the group with lowest vitamin D had a 57 percent increased mortality for all causes. They also had a 41 percent increased mortality from heart disease for those who were free from heart disease at the study's start. In addition, individuals with history of cardiovascular disease had a 65 percent increased risk. People with a history of cancer had a 70 percent increased risk. However, for cancer mortality, we saw no benefit in those who were free from cancer at the start.
For all these associations, the three groups with intermediate vitamin D level were at intermediate risk, with a dose-response relation. These associations did not vary by sex, age group, or season of blood collection.
For the US population in the study, the comparison was between people with level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the main metabolite of vitamin D, and the active compound measured in blood) just above 85 nmol/L on the high end, and people with a level below about 42 nmol/L on the lowest. In that population, the difference in mortality was 42 percent for all causes and 26 percent for cardiovascular diseases.
Since ours an observational study, it cannot directly address the issue of causality. In other words, it is possible that blood vitamin D is a marker of some other characteristics causally linked to disease and mortality, like general good or poor health status. Controlled vitamin D trials, in which individuals are randomly allocated to vitamin D supplement or placebo, are needed to disentangle the effect of vitamin D from that of other factors. However, such studies can only address the effect of dietary supplementation, not of normal dietary intake and sun-related endogenous production. Prior trials showed a protective effect of vitamin D on mortality, albeit of smaller magnitude than observational studies, including ours.
Why Vitamin D Is Good for the Heart
If indeed the protective effect of vitamin D on mortality is real, our study provides important evidence that the effect is present for cardiovascular disease - but not for cancer. The protective effect is present at all ages and in both sexes. Unfortunately, our study did not include a sufficient number of people of different racial and ethnic groups to provide information on this important issue.
An important question is the identification of who should increase their vitamin D status using supplements. There is no consensus on ideal cut-off values for vitamin D deficiency. Our observation that the use of cut-off levels which were specific for country, age, sex, or season produced comparable results, raises the question whether such factors should be considered for defining vitamin D deficiency.
Future population-based studies with standardized vitamin D measurements are needed to fully resolve this issue; in the meantime, caution should be used in extrapolating results across regions with different latitudes.
Despite these uncertainties, I recommend moderate sun exposure, in particular in the elderly. The amount of sun exposure depends on the type of skin (15-30 minutes are sufficient for a fair skinned person, while one or two hours are needed for dark skinned person) and on the latitude the person lives (more time is needed in Northern regions, in particular in winter). If sun exposure is not sufficient, people can consider taking supplements, after talking with their doctor.
Paolo Boffetta, MD, MPH is a chronic disease epidemiologist who is Director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology and Associate Director for Population Sciences of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine, which is part of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has edited 12 books and published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific articles. [back to the top]
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Schizophrenia
Deborah Brauser -- July 29, 2014 -- Dr. Ahmad Esmaillzadeh
A review of 19 studies, which included more than 2800 participants, showed that those with vitamin D deficiency were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia compared with their counterparts who were not vitamin D deficient.
In addition, 65% of the patients who had schizophrenia also had lower levels of vitamin D.
Coinvestigator Ahmad Esmaillzadeh, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Community Nutrition in the School of Nutrition and Food Science at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, told Medscape Medical News that although lower levels of serum vitamin D were expected in these patients because of earlier ecologic and epidemiologic studies, "we were surprised by the significant 2.16 times increased risk of schizophrenia in vitamin D deficient individuals. We did not expect such a significant increase," he added.
Dr. Esmailzadeh noted that the findings support the importance of vitamin D in brain function and psychological health.
"As vitamin D deficiency is a global issue, more attention should be drawn to assessment of serum vitamin D levels in order to screen and support individuals that are at higher risk of having deficiencies. Moreover, our findings might help psychiatrists in the healing process of patients with schizophrenia," he said.
"However, controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm the effects of vitamin D supplementation," he added.
The study was published online July 22 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Global Issue
Dr. Esmailladeh noted that vitamin D deficiency is "relatively prevalent" globally and is associated with several disorders. For instance, previous studies have reported a link between these lower levels and depression.
"We were interested in the role of vitamin D in psychiatric health and, due to conflicting data on the association between serum levels of vitamin D and schizophrenia and no comprehensive meta-analysis in this regard, we aimed to conduct this study," he added.
The investigators examined data from 19 studies, published between 1988 and 2013, that assessed serum vitamin D levels in adult patients with schizophrenia. They then conducted 3 separate meta-analyses.
The number of patients in each study ranged from 17 to 848, for a total of 2804. In addition, 11 of the studies were conducted in European countries, and 8 were conducted in non-European countries.
The first meta-analysis included 13 of the studies and examined mean levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. The second included 8 studies and examined vitamin D deficiency prevalence; and the third included 8 studies and focused on odds ratios.
Some of the studies were included in overlapping meta-analyses.
Suspicions Confirmed
"For the most part, this confirms what we've long been expecting, based on all of the other epidemiologic data out there," Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD, from the Department of Medicine; the Section of Endocrinology, Nutrition, and Diabetes; and the Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Center in Massachusetts, told Medscape Medical News.
Dr. Michael Holick
The investigators "took into account sunlight exposure and a whole variety of variables and concluded that schizophrenic patients are more likely to be vitamin D deficient. And that is consistent with the concept that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk for schizophrenia," said Dr. Holick, who was not involved with this research.
He noted that approximately 30% of children and adults around the world are vitamin D deficient - and 60% are deficient or insufficient.
"So we recommend vitamin D supplementation across the board. The Endocrine Society recommends for children 1 year and older, 600 to 1000 units a day; for adults, 800 to 2000 units a day; and for people who are overweight or obese, they need 2 to 3 times more to both treat and satisfy their deficiency," he said.
Dr. Holick noted that both the Institute of Medicine and the Endocrine Society do not have specific recommendations for this type of supplementation in pregnant women. However, he recommends 2000 units per day along with other dietary sources of vitamin D, such as milk, and normal prenatal vitamins.
"We know from a study recently done in South Carolina that pregnant women taking 4000 units of vitamin D a day had robust, healthy levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and no untoward toxicity. So 4000 units were easily tolerated and may be preferred by pregnant women," he said.
He added that although it may not be possible to prevent schizophrenia, there is hope to decrease the risk for the disorder.
"The [current] investigators conclude, which is consistent with a lot of literature, that there is a 2-fold higher risk of having schizophrenia based on being vitamin D deficient. And I think that is the major message," he said.
"Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in this population. Therefore, physicians caring for these patients should be aggressive in treating the deficiency, and then they may actually improve how [patients] respond to their medication, making them feel better as their mood improves, all for the benefit of their mental health." [back to the top]
Gout in the elderly. Clinical presentation and treatment (Pubmed.gov)
Abstract
Gout in the elderly differs from classical gout found in middle-aged men in several respects: it has a more equal gender distribution, frequent polyarticular presentation with involvement of the joints of the upper extremities, fewer acute gouty episodes, a more indolent chronic clinical course, and an increased incidence of tophi. Long term diuretic use in patients with hypertension or congestive cardiac failure, renal insufficiency, prophylactic low dose aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), and alcohol (ethanol) abuse (particularly by men) are factors associated with the development of hyperuricaemia and gout in the elderly. Extreme caution is necessary when prescribing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis in the elderly. NSAIDs with short plasma half-life (such as diclofenac and ketoprofen) are preferred, but these drugs are not recommended in patients with peptic ulcer disease, renal failure, uncontrolled hypertension or cardiac failure. Colchicine is poorly tolerated in the elderly and is best avoided. Intra-articular and systemic corticosteroids are increasingly being used for treating acute gouty flares in aged patients with medical disorders contraindicating NSAID therapy. Urate-lowering drugs are indicated for the treatment of hyperuricaemia and chronic gouty arthritis. Uricosuric drugs are poorly tolerated and the frequent presence of renal impairment in the elderly renders these drugs ineffective. Allopurinol is the urate-lowering drug of choice, but its use in the aged is associated with an increased incidence of both cutaneous and severe hypersensitivity reactions. To minimise this risk, allopurinol dose must be kept low. A starting dose of allopurinal 50 to 100mg on alternate days, to a maximum daily dose of about 100 to 300mg, based upon the patient's creatinine clearance and serum urate level, is recommended. Asymptomatic hyperuricaemia is not an indication for long term urate-lowering therapy; the risks of drug toxicity often outweigh any benefit. [back to the top]
Risk of heart attack and stroke doubles for patients with gout (MNT)
New research published in Rheumatology journal has found that having gout doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke. The research tracked the health of more than 205,000 gout patients using data spanning five decades to determine links between gout and heart attack and stroke.
The findings showed that gout patients are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke as those without gout. It is thought that the higher levels of uric acid which cause gout are also a strong risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
Conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford, the research used data from NHS England and the Office for National Statistics. Two sets of data for gout patients between 1963 and 2011 were used to track patients' health and to determine the link between gout and heart attack and stroke in England.
These new findings highlight the need to address co-morbidities and include preventative measures within gout treatment to reduce heart attacks and stroke in gout patients.
Professor Rob Moots, editor of Rheumatology, said:
"This important study tells us that gout is a condition that is more than just a cause of severe pain, it is rather disease that must be taken seriously and treated effectively to prevent unnecessary heart attacks and strokes."
Dr Chris Deighton, president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said:
"This research reminds us that gout needs to be considered in a much broader context than just inflammatory arthritis. The vast majority of care for gout takes place in primary care. GPs need to know that gout is not only a highly curable form of arthritis, but these patients also need vigilance for their increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. High quality holistic care of people with gout may not only improve their quality of life, but also the quantity of years lived."
Olena Seminog, lead researcher, said:
"By analysing a huge dataset spanning a long period of time for all of England our group found that gout patients have double the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. This evidence could help to guide ways of improving cardiovascular health for people with gout, while also suggesting that more research is needed to reveal the effects of uric acid on our health." [back to the top]
Are There Other Options Besides Medications for Gout and Osteoarthritis? (Julie Chen, M.D.- Integrative Medical Doctor)
Most of my patients in my integrative medicine clinic in San Jose, California know that one of my personal passions is the treatment of rheumatological diseases. It definitely helps that these diseases respond very well to diet and lifestyle changes (3,4), but more importantly, the honor of being able to witness significant improvement in quality of life for these patients after they make these changes is very rewarding to say the least.
Due the strong impact of diet and nutritional intake and many various diseases (3,4), I would like to spend the next couple of months discussing various dietary changes that have been seen to be helpful with various types of rheumatological conditions.
This month, I would like to kick off this series with a focus on gout and osteoarthritis.
Gout is a defect in intermediate breakdown that leads to uric acid build up (3,4). Foods rich in purines help with uric acid production and thus should be avoided in patients with gout (3,4). These foods include but are not limited to beer, organ meats, yeast, shellfish, sardines, herring, and bacon (3). Alcohol helps to increase purine production and lowers our kidney's ability to clear out uric acid (3,4) therefore high purine foods and alcohol consumption for those with gout is not recommended.
Being overweight is associated with increased uric acid levels and gout flares (3). It seems that early studies suggest a diet that is low in carbohydrates and is restricted in calories with a large amount of monounsaturated fats and higher in total daily protein than previously recommended may be beneficial to patients with gout (3,4). When you look at all of this information together, a diet low in carbohydrate or sugar load and an emphasis on weight loss is indicative of gout status improvement (3).
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative arthritis or, as my patients like to say, an arthritis from wear and tear of aging. This state can be accelerated by obesity and so weight management is important especially for osteoarthritis of the knee and hips (3,4). Therefore, it makes sense that weight loss is important in helping symptoms of osteoarthritis (3,4).
Although many people may think that with joint pains, they should not exercise or work out, that is not true. Physical activity is beneficial for osteoarthritis simply because it helps to maintain mobility and helps with our weight management which directly helps to stem the negative impact of OA (3,4). If joint degeneration is severe and you are not able to easily exercise, some other options that are gentler on joints are swimming and qi gong (3,4).
In terms of supplements, are there any that are beneficial to OA?
Some studies suggest that antioxidants are helpful for OA and that having adequate vitamin D levels are known to help limit progression of OA (4). There are also some early observational evidence that certain vitamin deficiencies like vitamin D and K can negatively impact osteoarthritis joint status (3,4).
Many people ask me about glucosamine sulfate as therapy for OA. The answer to that is that there is some evidence that it can help with mild to moderate OA so as to help limit disease progression but it is not great at giving immediate pain relief (5).
So in regards to pain relief, if you don't want to use the typical prescription or over the counter pain medications, what should you use?
Omega-3 fatty acids are a great choice for inflammatory joint symptoms. So I would recommend this for not just OA but also for gout (2). Our current modern diet has a higher preponderance of omega-6 to omega-3 ratio but our ancestors had diets that were more balanced between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (2). The reason why we want a diet higher in omega-3 is that they lead to generation of anti-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines (2). Despite my noting of the fact that we need more omega-3, that doesn't mean we don't need omega-6, it's just that there should be a closer balance of the two rather than a large predominance of omega-6 over omega-3 (2). Other options for joint pain relief include the potential usage of capsaicin, ginger, and SAMe (1,6,7).
Although I am a big proponent of herbal and vitamin therapy, I want to caution readers to always check with your physician before using any supplements. You should not think that just because it's not a prescription medication, everything over the counter is safe for everyone. So, my recommendation is to play it safe and always check with your physician before using any supplements and to let them know what you are taking so they can keep their list of your therapeutic regimen updated.
So, in summary for the information we addressed this month for osteoarthritis and gout, the main takeaway points are that a diet that is more vegetable-based and healthy lean protein-based with lower carbohydrates can help with diseases like gout. But most importantly, a diet such as this were we are trying to prevent insulin resistance can help with inflammation as well as weight management. Obesity and being overweight are linked to higher disease state complications and progression of both gout and osteoarthritis. So getting yourself into target weight is important for joint health. (3.4)
Finally, if you would prefer not to use over the counter or prescription medications, some supplement options were discussed but I would like to again make sure I am clear that I am a big proponent of you checking with your doctors first before starting any supplements. Just because something is a supplement, doesn't mean it is always safe... but similarly, just because it's a supplement, doesn't mean it won't work or it's just placebo effect because some studies suggest that various options we discussed can be therapeutic and helpful in gout and osteoarthritis. (1-7)
References:
1. Altman RD, et al. Effects of a ginger extract on knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2001;44:2531-2538.
2. Calder PC. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cytokine production in health and disease. Ann Nutr Metab 1997;41:203.
3. Cleland LG, et al. Diet and arthritis. Bailleres Clin Rheumatol 1995;9:771.
4. Katz, DL. Nutrition in Clinical Practice 2nd Edition. 2008.Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Philadelphia, PA.
5. Pavelka K et al. Glucosamine sulfate use and delay of pregression of knee osteoarthritis: a 3-year randomized placebo-controlled dougle blind study. Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:2113-2123.
6. Soeken KL, et al. Safety and efficacy of SAMe for osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis. J Fam Practice 2002;51:425-426.
7. Zhang WY, et al. The effectiveness of topically applied capsaicin. A meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1994;46:517-522. [back to the top]
High Temperature, Low Humidity Associated With Gout Attacks? (By Anne Harding)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Recurrent gout attacks are twice as likely to strike on hot days when humidity is low, according to new findings.
The risk of gout attacks was also increased under hot, humid conditions compared to moderate temperature and relative humidity, but to a lesser degree, Dr. Tuhina Neogi of Boston University School of Medicine and her colleagues found.
"Our findings imply that high temperatures and low humidity in combination are risk factors for triggering gout attacks," Dr. Neogi told Reuters Health. "We think that probably reflects the fact that there is more evaporative loss when the temperature is high and there is low humidity."
Based on the findings, she added, physicians should advise their patients with gout to stay well-hydrated with appropriate fluids - ideally, water - during hot weather.
The study is the first to look at weather factors and the risk of recurrent gout attacks, the researchers note. They conducted an Internet-based case-crossover study of 632 patients who had experienced at least one gout attack in the 12 months before enrollment. Patients were followed from 2003 to 2010.
The researchers used data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to track weather conditions in each patient's zip code during the 48 hours leading up to gout attacks and during control periods.
Higher temperatures during the previous 48 hours were positively associated with gout attack risk. Individuals were at 43% greater risk of an attack when temperatures were between 70 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit and at 40% greater risk with temperatures at 80 degrees and above, compared to when temperatures were between 50 and 59 degrees (p for linear trend = 0.01).
There was a reverse J-shaped relationship between humidity and gout attack risk. When relative humidity was less than 40% over the past 48 hours, the likelihood of an attack was 55% higher than with relative humidity of 60% to 74%. At the other end of the spectrum, the risk was 14% higher for relative humidity of 75% to 84% and 11% higher for relative humidity of 85% or above.
The greatest risk occurred when temperatures were 70 degrees or higher for the previous 48 hours and relative humidity was below 60%, with an odds ratio for attacks of 2.04 compared to when temperatures were in the 50s and 60s and humidity was 60% to 74%.
The findings were published online July 3 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
When it's humid out, Dr. Neogi noted, people feel the sweat on their skin and recognize that they need to increase their fluid intake; when it's less humid, she added, they may not be as aware that they are at risk of fluid depletion.
She and her colleagues conclude, "The biological mechanisms underlying these associations require further exploration and may include volume depletion or behavioral changes in response to the weather that may influence gout attack risk. Patients with gout may be advised that under conditions of hot and/or dry weather, appropriate measures, such as increased water intake, should be considered to minimize the risk of recurrent gout attacks."
Nine Reasons Why You Should Eat Sweet Potatoes (NaturalNews)
(NaturalNews) Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrition. They are a great source of minerals such as manganese, folate, copper, and iron. The darker-colored variety is a great source of carotenes (precursor of vitamin A), vitamins C, B2, B6, E and biotin. Sweet potatoes are also a fantastic source of dietary fiber. Here are nine reasons you should be eating more sweet potatoes:
1. Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants, which work in the body to prevent inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, gout, and many more.
2. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates for those with blood sugar problems. These fibrous root vegetables can help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent conditions like insulin resistance.
3. Sweet potatoes are healthy for the digestive tract. Being rich in digestive fiber, especially when the skin is also consumed, it helps to relieve constipation and may prevent colon cancer.
4. Sweet potatoes are good for those who are pregnant or trying to conceive because they are high in folate, which is essential for the healthy development of fetal cell and tissue.
5. Packed with important vitamins and other nutrients, eating sweet potatoes can boost immunity by supporting the needs of the body.
6. Sweet potatoes are good for preventing heart disease. High in potassium, sweet potatoes can help prevent the onset of heart attack and stroke. Potassium also helps to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, which is important for stabilizing blood pressure and regulating heart function.
7. Sweet potatoes are good for alleviating muscle cramps. Potassium deficiencies are a leading cause of muscle cramps, as well injuries. By making sweet potatoes a regular part of your diet (along with proper exercise), you can expect an energy boost and fewer muscle cramps and injuries.
8. Sweet potatoes are good for treating stress-related symptoms. The body tends to use a lot of potassium and other important minerals when it is under stress. Sweet potatoes provide important minerals that will help maintain balance throughout the body during times of stress.
9. Sweet potatoes ranked number one in nutrition out of all vegetables by the Center for Science in the Public Interest because they are such a rich source of dietary fiber, natural sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, carotenoids, vitamin C, iron and calcium.
Quinoa's Many Health Benefits (NaturalNews)
(NaturalNews) Quinoa is a grain crop native to the Andean Mountains of South America. Although the leaves of the plant can be consumed as a leaf vegetable, quinoa is primarily grown for its seeds. These seeds, which are cooked in a similar way to rice, come in three colors (red, white and black) and are much-loved for their significant health benefits. In fact, 2013 was crowned "The International Year of Quinoa" by the United Nations due to quinoa's high nutritional value and potential to contribute to global food security. (1)
A complete protein source
One of quinoa's biggest draws, particularly for vegetarians and vegans, is its considerable protein content. According to Self's "NutritionData," one cup of cooked quinoa contains 16 percent of our recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein. (2) Moreover, this protein contains all eight essential amino acids, making quinoa a rare example of a plant-based complete protein source (most plant foods are deficient in some amino acids, such as lysine). Protein, of course, aids the growth and repair of cells, supplies energy to our bodies and much more.
Packed with fiber
One cup of cooked quinoa also contains a whopping 21 percent of our RDA of fiber, which is twice as much fiber as most other grains. (2) Most of quinoa's fiber is the insoluble kind that contains the well-known laxative effect, but it also contains smaller amounts of insoluble fiber that forms a gel in the stomach, thereby slowing digestion, encouraging a feeling of fullness, and reducing LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. This well-rounded fiber profile gives quinoa a low glycemic load of 53, making it a suitable food for diabetics and pre-diabetics.
High in antioxidants
A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in August 2009 showed that of the 10 Andean grains analyzed by the researchers (five cereals, three pseudocereals and two legumes), quinoa contained the most antioxidants out of all of them. (3) Another 2009 study published in Food Chemistry showed that allowing quinoa seeds to sprout could increase their antioxidant content further. (4) Antioxidant-rich foods are well-known for their anti-aging properties and ability to prevent degenerative diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration and Alzheimer's disease.
Rich in quercetin and kaempferol
Quinoa is an excellent source of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, which are shown to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-cancer effects. A study published in Neuropharmacology in 2010 even found that flavonoids contained anti-depressant properties, suggesting that flavonoid-rich foods like quinoa could provide treatment for depression, anxiety and other low moods. (5)
Gluten-free
According to a survey published by The NPD Group in 2013, approximately one-third of the United States population are trying to minimize or avoid gluten due to health concerns. (6) Fortunately for this growing minority, quinoa is naturally gluten-free and is a safe food for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Moreover, unlike many processed "gluten-free" foods, quinoa is a whole food that is free from additives and other undesirable ingredients.
Bursting with nutrients
Quinoa is an excellent source of essential nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, copper, selenium and most B vitamins. One cup of quinoa also supplies us with an impressive 30 percent of our RDA of magnesium, in which up to an estimated 80 percent of the American population are deficient. (2)
Organic quinoa is easily found online or in health food stores. It only takes between 15 and 20 minutes to cook, has a pleasant, nutty flavor, and is easy to incorporate into both cooked and cold meals.
Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Glucose Intolerance (Beth Skwarecki)
September 17, 2014
The artificial sweeteners aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin cause blood glucose abnormalities in mice and some humans, a team reports in an article published online September 17 in Nature. The changes in glucose tolerance seem to be driven by the microbiome and can be reproduced in germ-free mice by giving them gut microbes from a person who has consumed the sweeteners.
"We found that artificial sweeteners may drive...an exaggerated elevation in blood glucose levels, the very same condition that we often aim to prevent by consuming them," Eran Elinav, MD, PhD, from the Department of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, said at a press briefing.
The investigators began with experiments in mice, giving each animal 1 of 3 artificial sweeteners in its water: aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. Because commercial preparations of these sweeteners also contain some glucose, researchers used glucose, fructose, or plain water for the control mice to ensure it was the artificial sweetener and not any added sugar that was responsible for the effect. "To our surprise, we found they all induced a blood sugar disturbance even compared to mice who drank sugary water," Dr. Elinav said. This effect occurred on both a normal diet of rat chow (P < .001) and a high-fat diet in which 60% of calories came from fat (P < .03).
Because these artificial sweeteners are not digested or absorbed by the human body, the investigators hypothesized that gut microbes were responsible for the results. They administered antibiotics to the mice: 1 group received ciprofloxacin and metronidazole, a broad-spectrum approach focusing on gram-negative bacteria, and another group received vancomycin, aimed against gram-positive bacteria. Both treatments, when given for 4 weeks, eliminated the differences in glucose tolerance between sweetener-fed mice and controls.
The symptoms could also be triggered by a microbial transplant. Microbes from mice who had been drinking saccharin were transplanted via feces into germ-free mice and caused the recipients to show impaired glucose tolerance, whereas microbes from mice who had been drinking glucose did not (P < .03). Further, to show that the microbes were responsible, and not some other component of the feces, the researchers cultured bacteria from mice who were not eating sweeteners and added saccharin to the growth media. These bacteria were then transplanted into germ-free mice, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance compared with mice that received a control culture (P < .002).
Bacterial Profiles
The researchers performed both 16S sequencing, to identify the bacteria that were over- or underrepresented in mice with impaired glucose tolerance, and metagenomic sequencing, to identify what those bacteria are doing. In the microbial ecosystems from mice that ate artificial sweeteners, the pathways that were overrepresented included several that had previously been linked to diabetes and glucose intolerance. Glycan degradation, for example, occurs when microbes digest certain chains of sugars and create short-chain fatty acids that the body can use for energy, providing extra calories. The investigators confirmed that the sweetener-fed mice had increased amounts of this end product, the short chain fatty acids, in their guts.
In Humans
Artificial sweeteners caused changes in glucose tolerance in humans, as well, but only for some participants the investigators consider to be "responders." A group of 7 healthy volunteers who do not normally consume artificial sweeteners were given saccharin for 6 days at a dose that met the US Food and Drug Administration's maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin for humans. No participants saw improvements in glucose tolerance, but 4 showed impairment.
Even before the experiment began, the microbial ecosystems from the 4 responders were different from those of the 3 nonresponders, suggesting their microbiome was somehow more susceptible. These results, said Dr. Elinav, "point to the personalized nature of our food responses and the need to understand this personalized effect in order to fight the metabolic syndrome, which as we all know, is one of the most common and serious epidemics in all history."
Bacteria from responders, sampled at the end of the trial, were able to induce glucose intolerance when introduced into germ-free mice (P < .02), whereas baseline samples from the responders (taken before they had consumed the artificial sweeteners) did not have this effect, nor did bacteria from the nonresponders.
Trend Seen With Long-Term Consumption
A further experiment involving 381 nondiabetic participants showed that long-term consumption of artificial sweeteners was associated with measures of central obesity and glucose intolerance, even when corrected for body mass index.
The authors caution that the results from the human experiments are not yet enough to make recommendations about whether or not people should consume sweeteners. They also point out that the mechanism for the sweeteners' effect is unknown: it may be causing less desirable bacteria to thrive, or it may be poisoning certain normal bacteria, allowing detrimental species to take their place.
In an accompanying editorial, Taylor Feehley, BA, and Cathryn Nagler, PhD, both from the Department of Pathology at the University of Chicago, note that "Whether the bacterial populations or metabolic pathways altered by the consumption of [artificial sweeteners] are similar to those described in people with or developing diabetes remains to be seen."
Study: Eating High-Fat Dairy Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk (todayhealthchannel.com)
High-fat diets have been enjoying excellent press lately. Earlier this month a study was published showing that low-carb diets outperform low-fat diets for both weight loss and heart health. This week, a new study suggests that people eating high-fat dairy products are at significantly lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes than those eating less dairy.
The study was presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria. It included data for nearly 27,000 people (60% women), aged 45-74 years, culled from the Swedish Malmo Diet and Cancer Study. Study participants were tracked for 14 years after original data collection, during which time 2,680 cases of Type 2 diabetes were diagnosed.
The results showed that study participants eating eight portions of high-fat dairy a day (including cream and whole milk) had a 23% lower incidence of developing diabetes than those eating one portion a day. The same effect was not found for those eating low-fat dairy products.
Researchers controlled for a range of factors to weed out other possible contributing causes, including total energy intake, BMI, leisure time physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and education.
The study also tracked diabetes rates associated with eating meat and meat products like sausage, and found an increased risk of developing the disease for those eating the most meat, regardless of fat content. But, people eating lower-fat meats were at greater risk than those eating high-fat meats (9% greater risk for high-fat meats versus 24% for low-fat meats).
The results suggest that when it comes to diabetes risk, not all fats are created equal. Dairy fats may actually provide protection against the disease.
Quoting lead study author Dr. Ulrika Ericson, from the Lund University Diabetes Center in Malmo, Sweden: "Our observations may contribute to clarifying previous findings regarding dietary fats and their food sources in relation to Type 2 diabetes. The decreased risk at high intakes of high- fat dairy products, but not of low-fat dairy products, indicate that dairy fat, at least partly, explains observed protective associations between dairy intake and Type 2 diabetes."
If you're wondering, "eight portions" of high-fat dairy in this study is the equivalent of about six ounces of whole milk or a little over one ounce of whole cream per day. That's about two and a half tablespoons of cream in a cup of coffee.
Don't run out to raid the dairy aisle just yet. While this study included data from a large population sample, there are significant differences between the average American's diet and the average European's. Dairy appears to be a distinguishing factor in diabetes risk within the context of a typical Swedish diet, but we don't know if the results would hold true with a similarly sized U.S. population sample. Future research will have to plumb that possibility.
At the very least, these results add to a growing list of findings suggesting that fat may not deserve the dietary arch villain label it has carried for decades.
7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat(Dr. Mercola)
Tim Ferriss of The Four-Hour Work Week has posted an exclusive excerpt from Drs. Michael and Mary Eades' newest book, The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle.
The two doctors note that no matter how the story spins from the denizens of the anti-fat camp, one piece of their advice remains staunchly constant: "You should sharply limit your intake of saturated fats." But will saturated fats really increase your risk of heart disease and raise your cholesterol? In a word, no. In fact, humans need them, and here are just a few reasons why:
1) Improved cardiovascular risk factors
Saturated fat plays a key role in cardiovascular health. The addition of saturated fat to the diet reduces the levels of a substance called lipoprotein(a) that correlates strongly with risk for heart disease. Research has shown that when women diet, those eating the greatest percentage of the total fat in their diets as saturated fat, lose the most weight.
2) Stronger bones
Saturated fat is required for calcium to be effectively incorporated into bone. According to one of the foremost research experts in dietary fats and human health, Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D., there's a case to be made for having as much as 50 percent of the fats in your diet as saturated fats for this reason.
3) Improved liver health
Saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from alcohol and medications, including acetaminophen and other drugs commonly used for pain and arthritis.
4) Healthy lungs
For proper function, the airspaces of the lungs have to be coated with a thin layer of lung surfactant. The fat content of lung surfactant is 100 percent saturated fatty acids. Replacement of these critical fats by other types of fat makes faulty surfactant and potentially causes breathing difficulties.
5) Healthy brain
Your brain is mainly made of fat and cholesterol. The lion's share of the fatty acids in the brain are actually saturated. A diet that skimps on healthy saturated fats robs your brain of the raw materials it needs to function optimally.
6) Proper nerve signaling
Certain saturated fats, particularly those found in butter, lard, coconut oil, and palm oil, function directly as signaling messengers that influence metabolism, including such critical jobs as the appropriate release of insulin.7) Strong immune system
Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil (myristic acid and lauric acid) play key roles in immune health. Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Source: Four Hour Work Week September 6, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
A misguided fallacy that persists to this day is the belief that saturated fat will increase your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. This is simply another myth that has been harming your health for the last 30 or 40 years.
The truth is, saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in your diet, and they provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances.
When you eat saturated fats as part of your meal, they slow down absorption so that you can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are also needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.
Saturated fats are also:
The preferred fuel for your heart, and also used as a source of fuel during energy expenditure Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid) Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti-fungal agent (lauric acid) Useful to actually lower cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids) Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid) If the fact that saturated fats are actually good for you sounds conflicting, at least in terms of what is repeated by public health agencies, I urge you to read Mary Enig and Sally Fallon's classic article The Truth About Saturated Fats. It is one of the best and most thorough introductions to this topic, and you can read through it in just a few minutes.
Have You Heard of the Lipid Hypothesis?
If not by name, you've certainly heard of the concept behind the "lipid hypothesis," and that is that dietary fat causes heart disease.
This flawed theory was largely spread by Ancel Keys, a diet researcher for whom military K-rations are named, and it was because of the lipid hypothesis that Americans were soon encouraged to substitute vegetable-based fats for animal fats, and to avoid red meat completely.
However, when Keys published his analysis that claimed to prove the link between dietary fats and coronary heart disease, he selectively analyzed information from only six countries to prove his correlation, rather than comparing all the data available at the time - from 22 countries.
As a result of this "cherry-picked" data, government health organizations began bombarding the public with advice that has contributed to the diabetes and obesity epidemics going on today: eat a low-fat diet.
Of course, as Americans cut out nutritious animal fats from their diets, they were left hungry. So they began eating more processed grains, more vegetable oils, and more high-fructose corn syrup, all of which are nutritional disasters.
What About the Studies That DO Show a Link Between Fat and Heart Disease?
Keys believed that dietary fat was causing heart disease in Americans back in the 1950s, and he soon got others to jump on the bandwagon.
Even the American Heart Association, which concluded in 1957 that "the evidence that dietary fat correlates with heart disease does not stand up to critical examination," changed its position in 1960. Why? Because Keys was on the committee issuing a new report that a low-fat diet was advised for people at risk of heart disease. Sadly, the theory continued to be accepted as nutritional wisdom, even though clinical trials found no connection.
There are, however, some studies that have found a link between fat and heart disease, and they are often used by saturated fat opponents to "prove" their case.
The problem lies in the fact that most of these studies make no effort to differentiate between saturated fat and trans fat. I believe this is the missing link.
If researchers were to more carefully evaluate the risks of heart disease by measuring the levels of trans and saturated fat, I believe they would find a completely different story.
Trans fat is known to increase your LDL levels, or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering your levels of HDL, known as "good" cholesterol, which is the complete opposite of what you need in order to maintain good heart health. It can also cause major clogging of arteries, type-2 diabetes and other serious health problems.
On the other hand, your body needs some amount of saturated fat to stay healthy. It is virtually impossible to achieve a nutritionally adequate diet that has no saturated fat. What you don't need, however, are trans fats.
Further, there are some people who do well with a low-saturated-fat diet - the one-third who are carb nutritional types. Even then, however, some animal fats are necessary and healthy, and two-thirds of people actually require moderate- to high-saturated-fat diets to thrive.
Healthy Sources of Saturated Fats to Add to Your Diet
Saturated fat is not the root of all evil - and it is NOT to blame for the modern disease epidemics facing Americans. Saturated fat is actually an incredibly healthy, nourishing and all natural fat that humans have been thriving on for generations. Again, as Fallon and Enig point out:
Saturated fatty acids constitute at least 50 percent of your cell membranes. They are what gives your cells necessary stiffness and integrity.
They play a vital role in the health of your bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into your skeletal structure, at least 50 percent of your dietary fats should be saturated.
They lower Lp(a), a substance in your blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.
They protect your liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol and other drugs.
They enhance your immune system.
They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids. Elongated omega-3 fats are better retained in your tissues when your diet is rich in saturated fats.
Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for your heart, which is why the fat around your heart muscle is highly saturated. Your heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress. Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties.
They protect you against harmful microorganisms in your digestive tract.
So please do not shun saturated fats from your diet. If you'd like to get the most tailored information about which fats, and how much of them, to include in your optimal diet, first find out your nutritional type. Then, make sure your meals include some of these delicious and healthy sources of saturated fat:
Grass-fed organic beef and beef fat
Naturally raised lamb
Organic raw dairy products (butter, cheese, milk, cream)
Coconut oil
4 Reasons Love Coconut Oil(Natural News)
(NaturalNews) Few foods, with the possible exception of eggs, have had their reputations so completely demolished in the 20th century as coconut oil. Even as late as the 1990s, this edible oil, which is extracted from the kernels or flesh of matured coconuts, continued to be demonized in the media as a great contributor to heart disease due to its significant saturated fat content.
Fortunately, modern society is beginning to understand that the saturated fat present in coconut oil is, contrary to popular belief, actually highly beneficial. This understanding was, in part, due to a growing body of evidence suggesting that populations who consumed large quantities of coconut oil, such as the Tokelauan and Kitavan people of the South Pacific, were among the healthiest people on Earth. This evidence prompted a growing number of scientists to investigate the benefits of coconut oil.
Coconut oil is an unbeatable source of saturated fat
According to Self's "NutritionData," one tablespoon of coconut oil contains 14 grams of total fat, of which 12 grams are saturated. Whereas the saturated fat found in most other foods, such as meat and cheese, is mostly comprised of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), the saturated fat found in coconut oil is mostly comprised of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Unlike LCTs, which need to be broken down in the intestines before our bodies can use them as fuel, MCTs are metabolized extremely quickly and rarely stored in the body as fat cells. These MCTs are the source of all of the benefits listed below.
Coconut oil can reduce abdominal obesity
Due to its concentrations of MCTs, long-term consumption of coconut oil has actually been linked to weight loss, not weight gain. A Brazilian study published in Lipids in 2009, found that women who consumed 30 milliliters of coconut oil daily for a 12 week period experienced a reduction in BMI and waist circumference. A group of women who consumed equal amounts of soybean oil, which contains LCTs, during the same period did not experience the same benefits.
Coconut oil kills bacteria, viruses and fungi
Almost 50% of the MCTs found in coconut oil is lauric acid, a 12-carbon saturated fatty acid that our bodies convert into monolaurin. Monolaurin is one of the natural world's greatest antivirals, antibacterials and antifungals. In fact, Dr. Joseph Mercola claimed that monolaurin can destroy lipid-coated viruses, such as measles, herpes, influenza, most pathogenic bacteria and even HIV. These claims are now being studied by science. One study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2007, found that coconut oil is extremely effective at killing Candida albicans, a common yeast infection in humans. Another study published in the Journal of Bacteriology in 2000 discovered that coconut oil can help kill Staphylococcus aureus, which is a common cause of skin conditions and respiratory diseases.
Coconut oil can maintain mental health
It is a well-known fact that inadequate amounts of our brain's main fuel supply, glucose, is the leading cause of cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. According to researcher Dr. Mary Newport, coconut oil can help prevent these diseases due to the high concentrations of ketone bodies in its MCTs, which function as an alternative fuel source. "Humans do not normally have ketone bodies circulating and available to the brain unless they have been starving for a couple of days or longer, or are consuming a ketogenic (very low carbohydrate) diet, such as Atkins," says Newport. "In Alzheimer's disease, the neurons in certain areas of the brain are unable to take in glucose due to insulin resistance and slowly die off... If these cells had access to ketone bodies, they could potentially stay alive and continue to function."
Gout isn't always easy to prove: Study finds CT scans help catch cases traditional test misses (MNT)
Gout is on the rise among U.S. men and women, and this piercingly painful and most common form of inflammatory arthritis is turning out to be more complicated than had been thought. The standard way to check for gout is by drawing fluid or tissue from an affected joint and looking for uric acid crystals, a test known as a needle aspirate. That usually works, but not always: In a new Mayo Clinic study, X-rays known as dual-energy CT scans found gout in one-third of patients whose aspirates tested negative for the disease. The CT scans allowed rheumatologists to diagnose gout and treat those patients with the proper medication.
The results are published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the European League Against Rheumatism journal.
The study tested the usefulness of CT scans in finding uric acid crystals around joints across a spectrum of gout. The researchers found CT scans worked particularly well in detecting gout in patients who had experienced several gout-like flares but whose previous needle aspirates came back negative. After CT scans found what appeared to be uric acid crystals, ultrasound-guided aspirates were taken in those areas and tested for urate crystals.
"These were in part patients that had been falsely diagnosed with diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or labeled with a different type of inflammatory arthritis, resulting in a completely different and often not effective treatment approach," says first author Tim Bongartz, M.D., a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist. "And there were patients who remained undiagnosed for several years with, for example, chronic elbow symptoms or Achilles tendon systems, where the CT scan then helped us to pick up uric acid deposits."
The study isn't meant to suggest that CT scans should be the first test used to look for gout, Dr. Bongartz says. Needle aspirates work well in most cases, and the research showed CT scans weren't as effective a diagnostic tool among patients having their first gout flare-up, he says. In some of those acute gout cases, needle aspirates found uric acid crystals, but CT scans didn't.
Gout is often thought of as a man's disease and associated with sudden sharp, burning pain in the big toe. It's true that until middle age, more men than women get gout, but after menopause, women catch up in the statistics. And gout can hit more than the big toe: Other joints including parts of the feet, ankles, knees, fingers, wrists and elbows can be affected.
"The first flare of gout most commonly occurs in the big toe, but gout can affect pretty much every joint in the body, and the more gout flares you have the more likelihood that other joint areas will be affected," Dr. Bongartz says.
Five percent of adult African-Americans and 4 percent of whites in the U.S. have gout. The nation's obesity epidemic is thought to be a factor behind the increase in gout cases.
An accurate and early gout diagnosis is crucial because gout patients are treated with different medication than people with other forms of inflammatory arthritis, and proper medication and dietary changes can help prevent further gout attacks and the spread of the disease to other joints.
"What we are learning from the dual-energy CT scans has really changed our perception of where gout can occur and how it can manifest," Dr. Bongartz says. "The ability to visualize those deposits clearly broadens our perspective on gout." [back to the top]
An Upside to Gout:
It May Offer Alzheimer's Protection (By Nicholas Bakalar nytimes blog)Gout, a form of arthritis, is extremely painful and associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular problems. But there is a bright side: It may be linked to a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers compared 59,204 British men and women with gout to 238,805 without the ailment, with an average age of 65. Patients were matched for sex, B.M.I., smoking, alcohol consumption and other characteristics. The study, in The Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, followed the patients for five years.
They found 309 cases of Alzheimer's among those with gout and 1,942 among those without. Those with gout, whether they were being treated for the condition or not, had a 24 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The reason for the connection is unclear. But gout is caused by excessive levels of uric acid in the blood, and previous studies have suggested that uric acid protects against oxidative stress. This may play a role in limiting neuron degeneration.
"This is a dilemma, because uric acid is thought to be bad, associated with heart disease and stroke," said the senior author, Dr. Hyon K. Choi, a professor of medicine at Harvard. "This is the first piece of data suggesting that uric acid isn't all bad. Maybe there is some benefit. It has to be confirmed in randomized trials, but that's the interesting twist in this story."
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