Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

New research in the Journal of Functional Foods suggests flaxseeds contain amino acids that may help lower blood pressure. The study is a little complicated, but scientists determined a protein in flaxseed meal acts as an ACE-inhibitor, lowering blood pressure and reducing angiotensin. Angiotensin causes blood vessels to contract and induces hypertension. Researchers noted that these proteins have beneficial effects in the kidneys that may also help lower blood pressure; Food Navigator reports.

I eat flaxseeds everyday. Flaxseeds are potent sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids are great sources of iron, zinc, calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin E and folate, all potent disease-fighters, but flaxseed oil is a drag. According to Dr. Fuhrman, flaxseed oil is nothing but fat and devoid of all the nutrients that make flaxseed so good. Maybe you can use it on a squeaky door.

In related news, previous research has shown salt decreases levels of nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that reduces blood pressure and all that high blood pressure makes it hard for kids to think.

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Bad news for fisherman, sampling by the Environmental Protection Agency discovered fish caught near freshwater treatment plants serving major U.S. cities, like Chicago and Philadelphia, contained residues from pharmaceuticals in them, such as medications used to treat high cholesterol, depression and high blood pressure, as well as trace amounts of soap chemicals. Even minuet concentrations of these compounds can harm aquatic life and contaminate drinking water; the Associated Press reports. 

It gets worse! Pay attention guys. All the chemicals in our environment are causing more hermaphrodites in the animal world and in human populations in the United States and Japan the number of male births is on the decline, but girl babies are on the rise. Scientists suspect female hormones from contraceptive pills reentering the water supply are to blame.

In related news, perfluorinated compounds, fluorine-containing chemicals used to make products like shampoo and dental floss may cause infertility in women. That means one thing. We all better start having sex before it’s too late. Do it for the species!

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It’s drummed into our heads. Salt bad, salt bad, salt bad. But why! A new study in the Journal of Nutrition claims salt decreases levels of an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NOS signals nearby muscles to relax, which improves blood flow and reduces high blood pressure. First, using bovine cells, scientists observed a decrease in NOS activity with an increase in salt concentration and similar results were observed using Chinese hamster ovary cells; Food Navigator reports.

A previous study showed obese people following a low-salt diet for two weeks had improved flow-mediated dilation, i.e. blood vessels ability to relax, and in the United States, cutting salt by just 1 gram could lower the number of new heart disease cases by 250,000.

In addition to heart-risks, Dr. Fuhrman explains eating too much salt over-stimulates taste buds resulting in an inability to detect subtle flavors in food, specifically fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Salt is in everything! We all know that. And now a new study highlighted at the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention annual conference claims cutting salt just a little, only 1 gram, could result in 250,000 fewer new cases of heart disease. Experts say Americans consume 50% more salt than we did 40 years ago, between 9 to 12 grams of salt a day, most of it coming from processed food. Their research model determined 800,000 "life years" could be saved for every gram of salt eliminated from our diets; HealthDay News reports.

And here’s a pair of coincidental studies. Presented at the American Heart Association's Conference of the Council High Blood Pressure Research, scientists reported that cutting salt can help control high-blood pressure. Then in February research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a low-salt diet lowers systolic blood pressure and improves the ability of blood vessels to widen.

In related news, earlier research revealed people with metabolic syndrome have increased sensitivity to salt and higher blood pressure and a British study determined individuals who lowered salt intake were 25% less likely to develop heart disease. Long story short, don’t eat salt. Uh, duh!

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Whether you like weights or cardio, all exercise helps after a heart attack. Published in the journal Circulation, researchers enrolled 209 heart attack survivors in a four-week exercise routine including either a 10-minute warm-up followed by 40 minutes of cycling or 10 exercises with weights and rubber bands. At the end of the study the endothelial function of both groups, i.e. the amount blood vessels widen to increase blood flow, more than doubled, jumping from 4% to 10%; HealthDay News investigates.

And many health experts believe more exercise, coupled with better diet, would cut world cancer in half and other studies have linked aerobic fitness with appetite suppression and bone strength. For fun, mix up your workout! Maybe try Yoga it’s been associated with diabetes control, or Tai Chi which fights arthritis.

But don’t kill yourself! A recent report linked mental tiredness with quicker physical exhaustion. I blog a lot and I exercise a lot and if I don’t relax, I really feel it at the gym.

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• First lady Michelle Obama loves steamed broccoli and is emerging as a champion of healthy eating, praising community vegetable gardens and unprocessed and locally raised food and recently opening up the White House kitchen to show onlookers her chefs’ prowess with vegetables; The New York Times reports.

• Next time you’re feeling blue. Keep this in mind. Presented at this year’s American Psychosomatic Society's annual meeting, researchers believe optimists live longer. Optimists were 14% less likely to die from any cause and 30% less likely to die from heart disease than pessimists; via Reuters.

• Don’t have neck fat either. This study, reported at the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention annual conference, claim larger neck circumference, i.e. a fat neck, is closely associated with known risk factors of disease, such as cholesterol and diabetes; from HealthDay News.

• Teenagers need more vitamin D! Discussed at an American Heart Association conference, findings reveal adolescents with low levels of vitamin D had increased risk of high blood pressure and high blood sugar and are 4 times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome; the Associated Press explains.

• Reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, some experts believe we’re over-diagnosing prostate cancer, suggesting that standard PSA screening tests indentify too slow-growing tumors that’ll never develop into a cancer threat; via The Washington Post.

• The ozone layer keeps us from burning up in the sun, but when it makes landfall it can kill you. New research in the New England Journal of Medicine has determined people exposed to ozone are 25% to 30% more likely to die from lung disease than individuals living in areas with cleaner air; Reuters reports.

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New research in the Journal of Nutrition suggests quadrupling Vitamin D levels in the winter. For the study, scientists recruited 112 women, average age of 22.2, giving some a placebo between March 2005 and September 2005 and then given a placebo or a vitamin D supplement until February 2006. At the end of the experiment, women on the vitamin D supplement had higher serum levels 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 35.3 nanomoles per liter compared to only 10.9 nanomoles per liter. The body manufactures Vitamin D from ultra-violet light derived from the sun; NutraIngredients reports.

Dr. Fuhrman is a huge proponent of vitamin D, especially for bone health, more so than calcium. Vitamin D also helps reduce risk of hip fractures, multiple sclerosis and boosts physical strength in young girls. And it was not too long ago the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested doubling kids’ intake of vitamin D, citing evidence vitamin D helps prevent serious illness, like cancer and diabetes.

Vitamin D deficiency has drawn increased attention over the past few months. Previous studies have associated insufficient Vitamin D with stunted growth, hypertension and rickets. In the winter, when the days are shorter and sunlight is in short supply, therapeutic lights can keep the sunshine coming.

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Good news! The word “antioxidant” seems to resonate with consumers. New research in the journal Food Quality and Preference shows people associate words such as “fiber” and “antioxidants” with healthiness and willingness to try a product. Women and old people reacted the most positively to antioxidant-rich foods and both young and older people were interested in a products disease-preventing claims, especially in the short-term; NutraIngredients reports.

Fruits and vegetables are prime sources of antioxidants. Just last month, nutrients in blueberries were found to shrink cancer tumors in lab rats and Dr. Fuhrman links plant nutrients with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

In related news, taking concentrated beta carotene, found in most multivitamins, may increase your risk of lung cancer. High-dose beta carotene supplements interfere with the absorption of cancer-fighting antioxidants. Eek!

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If you’re kid can’t concentrate. He might have high blood pressure. New research in the Journal of Pediatrics claims children with hypertension struggle with complicated tasks and have more memory problems than kids with normal blood pressure. The study involved 32 children, ages 10 to 18, newly diagnosed with hypertension, and paired them up with 32 kids with normal blood pressure. Parents of both sets of kids were surveyed to determine their children’s mental aptitude and data revealed the hypertensive group performed more poorly and had more anxiety and depression; ScienceDaily investigates.

Many people don’t realize it, but heart disease starts young. Dr. Fuhrman explains that lipoprotein abnormalities, i.e. problems with high LDL and low HDL, associated with heart attack deaths in adulthood, begin in childhood and bad foods habits, like eating a lot of saturated fat, are established when you’re a kid. That’s why it’s important for the whole family to eat healthfully, that way everyone can avoid heart disease and high blood pressure.

But some health officials would sooner put kids on statins than educate them and their parents on the benefits of improved nutrition. Fortunately, other experts call giving kids statins a monumental failure.

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New findings in the Journal of Nutrition claim supplementing with omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may lower inflammation in men with elevated levels of triglycerides (hyperrtriglyceridaemia). Participants, 34 men with hyperrtriglyceridaemia, ages 39 to 66, were given a placebo or DHA supplement for 45 days. Results showed DHA decreased the levels of circulating white blood cells, down 11.7%, and these reductions continued until the end of the 90-day study; via Nutraingredients.

In January, a study determined infants of breastfeeding mothers taking a DHA supplement scored better on development tests and had less mental delay. Makes sense, Dr. Fuhrman lists a host of mental problems associated with deficiency in DHA fatty acids, such as depression and dyslexia.

Time for some shameless promotion! Hey, it’s relevant. Dr. Fuhrman sells his own DHA supplement. It’s derived from micro algae, is free of environmental contaminants and is 100% vegan.

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Okay guys, a few drinks with friends and flirting with girls might sound like a good time, but a new survey of 1,580 men suggests a correlation between drinking and erectile dysfunction (ED). Published in UroToday, the findings indicate if kept to the current guidelines drinking was associated with a low-risk of ED, which implies if you drink more you’ll have a greater risk of underperforming. But even if the risk is low, experts warn this is not encouragement to start drinking; Medical News Today explains.

Talk about a catch-22! Now, if you’re looking to live healthfully, boozing isn’t going to help. Previous studies link alcohol consumption with high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and belly fat. As for erectile dysfunction, ED is seen as a predicator of cardiovascular disease. So drink pomegranate juice instead, it’s good for your heart and your wiener. Yippee!

In related news, last week researchers determined women who drank just one glass of wine per day had an increased risk of cancer, in some cases as high as 22%.

Via Health and Men.

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When you eat lots of fruits and veggies you’ll get healthy. You’ll lose weight. And, you’ll feel great! Tons of people have slimmed down thanks to Dr. Fuhrman. People like singer Alanis Morissette, she shed 20 pounds, and me, I cut 60 pounds. Oh, and check out Brian, he’s healthy now too:

Over the course of one year I lost 90 lbs, going from 288 pounds to 198 pounds, following Dr. Fuhrman's plan and doing interval training. I also normalized my blood pressure during this time.

At first, the transition was very difficult. It was helpful for me to understand Dr. Fuhrman's explanation about the ways refined foods act as drugs in the body. I experienced ups and downs during the 9 months, but overall, adopting a nutrient dense diet coupled with anaerobic exercise, gaining social support and…continue reading.

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