Vitamin C may promote age-related cataract in women

Women who use high doses of vitamin C supplements may be at higher risk of age-related cataract, according to a new study in the Nov 18, 2009 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Women who used vitamin C supplements were 25 percent more likely than those who did not use to experience cataract exaction, the study found.

Early animal studies have shown adverse effects of high doses of vitamin C supplements on age-related cataract.

For the study, Rautiainen S and colleagues from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and other organizations followed 24,593 women aged 49 to 83 who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort between September 1997 and October 2005.

The participants were surveyed for their lifestyle via a self-administered questionnaire and incidence of cataract in the study population was recorded. During the 8.2-year follow-up, 2497 cataract extraction cases were identified.

Women who used vitamin C supplements for more than 10 years were 46 percent more likely than nonusers to have cataract extraction.

Compared with women who did not use vitamin C, The risk was increased by 56 percent in women who used both hormone replacement therapy and vitamin C supplements and increased by 97 percent in those who used supplements and corticosteroid.

The researchers conclude "Our results indicate that the use of vitamin C supplements may be associated with higher risk of age-related cataract among women."

Vitamin C is found high in fruit and vegetables. It has been known for many health benefits.



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Glaceau Unveils vitaminwater zero

Naturally sweetened with Truvia, an extract of Stevia leaf.

Glaceau, a maker of enhanced-water beverages, has launched vitaminwater zero, a new sweetened beverage option that has zero calories per serving and also comes with vitamins and nutrients.

The company claims that vitaminwater zero is naturally sweetened with Truvia, a purity extract of the stevia leaf and also added a variety of important vitamins and nutrients including b vitamins, vitamin c, and added electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium and potassium.

vitaminwater zero comes in seven flavors: xxx (acai-blueberry-pomegranate), multi-v (lemonade), essential (orange-orange), mega-c (grape raspberry), go-go (mixed berry), recoup (peach-mandarin) and revitalize (green tea). The 20-ounce bottles will hit shelves throughout the US early next year.

Matt Kahn, senior vice president of marketing for vitaminwater, said: “vitaminwater zero complements the vitaminwater base brand very nicely. vitaminwater zero provides an ideal option for calorie-conscious consumers looking for a great-tasting beverage with the added benefits of vitamins and electrolytes.”

vitaminwater zero is part of the Active Lifestyle Beverages (ALB) unit of The Coca-Cola Company. ALB consists of other brands such as smartwater, Powerade, Fuze, Nos and Full Throttle.

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Campaign launched to promote gooseberry

A campaign to promote gooseberry (amla), one of the best sources of Vitamin C and which helps in balancing glucose level in blood, has been launched by the Ayush department under the Union Government.

A campaign has been launched in six states for the promotion of amla for which Rs 12 crore has been sanctioned, Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) department secretary S Jalaja told reporters here, adding that other states are also preparing an action plan.

The aim is to create more awareness about amla and to sensitise people about the fruit. "People are going after apples. Instead of apples, doctors can prescribe amla. It will boost immunity," she said.

India will have 38 million diabetic patients in the next few years and there is an urgent need to create awareness about the benefits of this fruit, she said.



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Wise food choices can help protect against flu

It seems that no matter how familiar the symptoms of upper respiratory congestion, sore throat, headache, fatigue and occasional fever may be, the onset of cold and flu season always takes us by surprise.

This is puzzling as, on average, each of us suffers from two to four colds each year. and if we're under 12 or so, that number skyrockets to six to eight. This year we're particularly concerned because of talk of various influenza viruses making their way to our neighborhood, particularly H1N1.

Vaccinations are one response to the threat of the flu, but they are far from the only one. You can take a number of steps to keep your immune system strong, so you'll be ready if one or 100 of these pathogens come knocking at your door.

Functional foods first: Functional foods provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Mushrooms are a perfect example. Of an estimated 38,000 species of mushrooms, those that have grabbed the most medical attention recently are maitake, shiitake and reishi. Besides offering a wealth of protein, fiber and vitamins B and C, these medicinal mushrooms boost heart health, lower the risk of cancer, reduce inflammation, fight allergies, help balance blood glucose levels and promote healthy immune function.

Whey protein is another functional food that's been getting accolades in the nutritional press for a few years. Whey is the liquid portion of the milk left when milk protein,

or casein, coagulates into curd. For the immune system, the secret sauce in whey is a protein called lactoferrin, with several studies suggesting that this protein plays an important role as a first line of defense against infection. Be careful when shopping for whey protein, however. Just like milk, the less processing the better. Look for words such as "low heat" or "non-denatured" on the label to get a full complement of beneficial components.

When the bugs come knocking: When the first sniffle does show up in my family, I reach for the elderberry syrup or extract. Taken at the first sign of cold or flu, elderberry will generally reduce the course of the infection significantly by nourishing the immune system with vitamin C and specialized flavonoids called anthocyanins, a type of health-promoting plant pigment.

Don't Forget the Garlic: The next time you feel a cold coming on, another terrific resource is garlic, which both antiviral and immune-stimulating properties.

Garlic comes in a number of forms, starting with the fresh clove and including capsules, tablets, soft gels, oil, powder and liquid. Many nutritionists and herbalists recommend enteric-coated capsules as they not only protect your breath, but also make sure the all-important healing compound — allicin — is not destroyed by stomach acid. But if you live in a household of garlic lovers, nothing beats fresh!

A Final Word: There's simply no overstating the importance of a good night's sleep. Sleep deprivation can mean more than just drowsiness in the morning, it can also lower your immune response, elevate your stress hormones, and make a bad day feel so much worse.

So secure some zzz's and start winterizing yourself with immune-enhancing foods, healing herbs and essential nutrients.



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Health tip of the day: Benefits of Saffron

Saffron is one of the highly prized and most expensive spices known since antiquity for its colour, flavour and medicinal properties. It is the dried "stigma" or threads of the flower of the S. crocus plant. The plant is a bulbous perennial plant that belongs to the family of iridaceae of the genus, Crocus and known botanically as Crocus sativus.

This exotic spice is a native of Southern Europe and now cultivated worldwide in many countries, particularly in Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, and Iran and in Jammu & Kashmir state of India.

The C. sativus plant grows to about 15-20 cm in height and bears lavender coloured flowers during each season which lasts from October till November. Each flower features perianth which consists of stalk, known as “style”, connecting to the three “stigmas” or threads to the rest of the plant. These orange-yellow colored stigmas along with the style constitute "saffron" which is used as spice.

Good crop production demands cool dry climate with well drained rich fertile soil and irrigation facilities or sufficient amount of rain fall. The flowers are generally harvested during the early morning hours and soon the stigma separated, allowed to dry and packed for marketing.

Saffron has distinct flavour because of the chemical components in it picrocrocin and safranal. It also contains a natural carotenoid chemical compound, crocin, which gives saffron its golden-yellow hue. These traits along with its medicinal properties make it a valuable ingredient in many foods worldwide.

Health benefits of Saffron

- Saffron contains many plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have anti-oxidant, disease preventing and health promoting properties.

- The flower stigma are composed of many essential volatile oils but the most important being safranal, which gives saffron its distinct hay-like flavour. Other volatile oils in saffron are 3,5,5-trimethyl-4-hydroxy-1-cyclohexanone-2-ene, cineole, phenethenol, pinene, borneol, geraniol, limonene, p-cymene, linalool, terpinen-4-oil, etc...

- This spice has many non-volatile active components; the most important of them is α-crocin, a carotenoid compound, which gives the stigmas their characteristic golden yellow colour. It also contains other carotenoids including zeaxanthin, lycopene, α- and β-carotenes. These are important antioxidants that helps protect body from oxidant induced stress, cancers, infections and acts as immune modulators.

- The active components in saffron have many therapeutic applications in many traditional medicines as antiseptic, antidepressant, anti-oxidant, digestive, anti-convulsant.

- This novel spice is a good source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese and copper are used by the body as co-factors for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Iron is essential for red blood cell production and as a co-factor for cytochrome oxidases enzymes.

- It is also rich in many vital vitamins including vitamin A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C that are essential for optimum health.

Nutritional value per 100 g.

Principle Nutrient Value - Percentage of RDA

Energy 310 Kcal 15.5%
Carbohydrates 65.37 g 50%
Protein 11.43 g 21%
Total Fat 5.85 g 29%
Cholesterol 0 g 0%
Dietary Fibre 3.9 g 10%

Vitamins

Folates 93 mcg 23%
Niacin 1.46 mg 9%
Pyridoxine 1.010 mg 77%
Riboflavin 0.267 mg 20%
Thiamin 0.115 mg 10%
Vitamin C 80.8 mg 90%
Vitamin A 530 IU 18%

Minerals

Calcium 111 mg 11%
Copper 0.328 mg 37%
Iron 11.10 mg 139%
Magnesium 264 mg 66%
Manganese 28.408 mg 1235%
Phosphorus 252 mg 36%
Zinc 1.09 mg 10%
Potassium 1724 mg 37%
Sodium 148 mg 10%

Selection and storage

Fresh saffron is available in the special spice markets. Try to buy dried whole stigma instead of powdered saffron since oftentimes it may adulterated. Choose well sealed pack from the authentic selling company which includes date of package and date of expiry.

Fresh spice should feature bright orange-yellow hue and each thread like stigma measuring 2 to 4cm in length. Avoid inferior quality product featuring grey color streaks or light spots on the stigma. This spice has characteristic pungent bitter-honey taste with pleasant aroma.

Store it in closed box and keep it in cool dark place away from the light since light rays oxidizes the pigments in saffron and offsets its flavour.

Medicinal use

- The active components present in saffron have many therapeutic applications in many traditional medicines since long time ago as anti-spasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic.

- Research studies have shown that, safranal, a volatile oil found in the spice, has antioxidant, cytotoxicity towards cancer cells, anticonvulsant and antidepressant properties.

- Αlfa-crocin, a carotenoid compound, which gives the spice its characteristic golden yellow colour, has anti-oxidant, anti-depressant, and anti-cancer properties.

Culinary uses

A pinch of fresh saffron is enough to enhance the flavour and colour the entire recipe. There are several methods to use it in the kitchen. Whole stigma can be added directly to the preparations, or oftentimes, the stigma are grounded and powdered using traditional hand mill and added to the recipes. In the third method, a pinch of saffron is added to a cup of hot water, steep; add this water to the recipes.

Safety profile

High doses of saffron can cat as uterine stimulant and in severe cases can cause miscarriage. Therefore pregnant woman may be advised to avoid it in their dishes.

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Vitamin C Prevents Heart Attacks

Dr. Dennis Ruskin - a respected Toronto Optometrist will be flying in snowy England this January and will spend a week studying with Dr. Sydney Bush, a distinguished English professor of optometry. I believe his research on the cause of coronary artery disease deserves a Nobel Prize. Here’s how you can benefit from his research.

What causes coronary attack? Authorities say it’s due to increased blood cholesterol, but I’ve questioned this theory ever since interviewing Dr. Linus Pauling (the only person to receive two Nobel Prizes).

Years ago, Dr. Pauling told me animals manufacture vitamin C, but humans do not. That’s why cats survived voyages to the New World while sailors died of scurvy. Goats produce 13,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily!

Why is vitamin C so important in preventing heart attacks? Brick walls are held together by mortar, and we all know what happens if mortar crumbles. Cells are glued together by collagen, and vitamin C is necessary to manufacture it and maintain its strength.

Dr. Pauling believed that an insufficient amount of vitamin C weakens coronary vessels, causing tiny cracks. Blood clots develop, and the result is lethal.

Years later, Dr. William Stehbens, professor of pathology at Wellington University, New Zealand, reported that mechanical stress from each heart beat causes coronary attacks. This added further evidence to Dr. Pauling’s theory that increased pressure along with poor coronary glue triggers heart attacks.

Now Dr. Bush has made another historic discovery. He prescribed high doses of vitamin C to patients suffering from eye infections and allergies. Luckily, he also took photos of the retina (the back part of the eye) before vitamin C was given and then one year later. The retina is the only part of the body where doctors can see arteries and veins.

To his surprise, he discovered that large doses of vitamin C caused cholesterol deposits to decrease in size, arteries became larger, and there was increased blood flow to the retina. What happens to arteries in the retina must also happen to arteries in the heart.

In effect, Dr. Bush’s research shows that atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) can be reversed and that the heart is not healthy until the eyes say so. This finding could save millions from premature coronary death, and it should have made headlines around the world.

Dr. Pauling also advised the use of lysine along with vitamin C. Lysine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. Lysine has the ability to inactivate bad cholesterol, decreasing the risk of heart attacks.

Since returning to Canada I’m convinced that ideally everyone, particularly those at greater risk of heart attack, should have a retinal photo taken. If life-threatening changes are visible, this is a great motivator to change lifestyle habits and start treatment with vitamin C and lysine.

I’m acutely aware that this approach to preventing coronary attack will be criticized by mainstream medical thinking. But I hope that some physicians, particularly cardiologists, will have an open mind on this matter.

Retinal photos take just a few minutes and in most cases do not require drops in the eye.

Dr. Dennis Ruskin, a respected Toronto optometrist, is willing to take retinal photos and e-mail them to Dr. Bush in England. Dr. Bush will then use his years of experience to determine if treatment is required to help circumvent the risk of coronary attack and other cardiovascular problems.



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Cereals Claim To Support Immunity, But Is It True?

It's written in big bold print at the bottom of the box -- Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies "now helps supports your child's immunity." Certainly welcome news to parents who are trying to find any way to protect their children from germs, including H1N1. But has the cereal maker gone too far?

Some critics some yes.

Kellogg increased the level of antioxidant vitamins A, B, C, and E in their line of cereals, including Rice Krispies, from 10 percent of daily value to 25 percent of daily value. But is that likely to prevent your child from getting sick? Probably not.

Joan Salge Blake, a registered dietitian and nutrition professor at Boston University says those vitamins are important for a healthy immune system, but you don't need to get them from fortified cereals. "For example, a cup of orange juice can give you six times the amount of vitamin C," Salge Blake explains. "And a carrot will give you 16 times the amount of vitamin A, and an ounce of almonds will give you 1 1/2 times the amount of vitamin E that's in a serving of that cereal," she says.

And Salge Blake says just because a cereal claims to enhance the immune system doesn't mean it's any better than other cereals out there. "Don't assume that a cereal box doesn't make that claim that it's inferior," Salge Blake says, "It may have other added benefits as having whole grain and higher in fiber."

A spokesperson for Kellogg says the vitamin-enhanced cereal has been in development for over a year and that is was rolled out in May 2009. They say it "was not created to capitalize on the current H1N1 flu situation."

That said, several complaints, including one from the city of San Francisco, have been filed with the Food and Drug Administration but so far, there's no word on whether they will take action.

In the meantime, when buying cereal for your child, instead of focusing on the vitamin additives, look for one that has whole grains, high fiber content and one that's low in sugar.



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Vitamin C may improve smokers’ blood circulation

A dose of vitamin C may give a quick boost to the poorer-than-average blood circulation seen in healthy young smokers, a Japanese study suggests.

The study of 25 healthy men found that although smokers initially showed poorer results on a test of blood flow to the heart, that changed after they took a large dose — 2 grams — of vitamin C.

Shortly after taking the vitamin, the 13 smokers showed blood circulation on par with that of the 12 non-smokers, according to findings published in the American Heart Journal.

However, lest smokers think they can undo heart damage by chasing a cigarette with a vitamin C pill, the researchers say their findings underline the dangers of smoking.

Study co-author Issei Komuro told that the “clear” message from the results is that smokers need to quit.

Komuro and colleagues at Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine report the findings in the American Heart Journal.

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, a substance that helps clear the body of cell-damaging molecules called oxygen free radicals. Because of this, it’s thought that the vitamin may counter the “oxidative stress” that smoking puts on the lining of the blood vessels — a mechanism by which smoking leads to artery disease.

The new study looked at the effect of oral vitamin C on coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), a measure of how well blood flow speeds up to help the heart when it’s under high demands. Past research has shown that smokers show poorer blood-vessel dilation in response to blood flow, and have a diminished CFVR.

Komuro’s team used a non-invasive ultrasound technique to measure CFVR in smokers and non-smokers, before and after they took vitamin C.

They found that before taking the vitamin, smokers had a lower CFVR than non-smokers did. Two and four hours after the dose of vitamin C, however, smokers’ average CFVR was “restored” to a more-normal level.

Though the men in the study were given a large dose of vitamin C, Komuro pointed out that it’s probably useless to take doses beyond 200 milligrams, because the body will excrete the excess.

Moreover, it’s not clear that loading up on vitamin C can benefit smokers. Some trials have found that taking C supplements does not improve smokers’ blood vessel function, at least in the short term.

Komuro said further, large-scale trials should look at whether daily vitamin C supplements cut smokers’ long-term risk of coronary artery disease.

Mental distress common in adults with arthritis: Many adults with arthritis suffer frequent mental distress, and this goes hand-in-hand with an impaired quality of life, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.

However, the findings also suggest that patients can do some things to improve their situation.

Dr. Tara W. Strine and colleagues looked at data from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included 48,577 participants with arthritis who were 45 years of age or older. The team defined frequent mental distress as having at least 14 self-reported mentally unhealthy days in the preceding 30 days.

They found that 13.4 percent of participants with arthritis had frequent mental distress, compared with 5.4 percent of subjects without arthritis who were included in the surveillance study.

Among the people with arthritis, those with frequent mental distress were 1.7 times more likely to be underweight than normal weight, and 1.2 times more likely to be obese, than those without frequent mental distress, the researchers report in the medical journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

In addition, arthritic subjects with frequent mental distress were 1.6 times more likely to be inactive.

This group was also more likely to report their health as fair or poor and to have at least 14 physically unhealthy days in the past 30 days, compared with other people who had arthritis but did not suffer frequent mental distress.

“New public health interventions need to be developed that address the specific challenges of those with mental distress and arthritis,” the researchers write. “In addition, physicians should encourage their patients with arthritis and mental distress to participate in current educational and behavioral interventions proven to have both physical and psychological benefits.”

Beat bad breath: Everyone’s had a bout with bad breath, but when it becomes chronic, it’s time to see your dentist.

Some sources of bad breath include: what you eat; not brushing and flossing daily; tobacco products; or a medical disorder such as a respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, postnasal drip, bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, liver or kidney ailment, the American Dental Association (ADA) says.The ADA says you should brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris and plaque, remembering to brush your tongue, too. Once a day, use floss to clean between teeth.



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