“We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend toward fatness, and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to reduce (carbon) emissions and slow climate change,” the British scientists said.

They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.

I’m sorry, but this article totally misses the point of weight issues.  If you just look at it from a ‘carbon-footprint’ perspective, the average overweight person’s carbon footprint may actually equal out the carbon footprint of a person who works out and eats healthily everyday.  Let’s see, a person who works out on a regular basis probably goes to a gym which uses electricity to run the workout machines, then they breathe more and then consume more nutrient dense foods that used many different forms of energy to be produced.

The article should be really talking about “save yourself by losing weight” the planet will take care of itself.

From:

Joan E. Baumann

Database Administrator

www.Nutrisearch.ca

At the bottom of the abstract there was a clinical trials Identifier Number: Trial Registration Number NCT0000611.

The identifying number gave a clearer picture of the criteria.  Here is what the Government Trials website stated as to eligibility:

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:         50 Years to 79 Years

Genders Eligible for Study:    Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:  No

Criteria

Postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79.

The Trial Criteria allowed for Postmenopausal Women Ages 50 – 79 BUT excluded healthy volunteers! http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00000611/

The women were asked if they took multivitamins, and a detailed record of their vitamin of choice was kept.  The Data regarding their vitamin use was accepted even if they took their multivitamin as infrequently as once a week!

Some BIG IFS became apparent:  if they took one of the heavier advertised  brands, with their minimal amounts of basic nutrients, if their vitamin contained nutrients that were not optimal in quality, such as synthetic vitamin E instead of the natural form, if it contained very low levels of vitamin C, if it did not include nutrients such as inositol, choline, alpha lipoic acid, quercetin, flavonoids, n-acetyl L-cysteine, coenzymeQ10, beta-carotene instead of vitamin A, optimal levels of Folic Acid ……..then one would expect the outcome the study announced.  Too many IFS! There was no apparent baseline for either levels or quality of nutrients.

Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Natural Products Association, a non-profit organization, had a few interesting comments on the study.

Fabricant said it is “unprincipled” that the authors arbitrarily lumped supplement types into generalized categories that do not represent nutrient intake accurately. And when coupled with the fact that nutrient intake through the diet was not accounted for, Fabricant explained, the study has no means of establishing a baseline for which to draw any comparisons or eliminate bias.

He further stated: “ Taken as whole, the research on dietary supplements in the prevention of chronic diseases, is strong and consistent.  To suggest that taking vitamins and minerals with a demonstrated health benefit is unnecessary sends the wrong public health message.”

http://www.naturalproductsassoc.org/site/News2?abbr=pc_&page=NewsArticle&id=10409

There are literally thousands of research studies which have shown the benefits of many nutrients, from food and/or supplements.  To ignore such a large body of research and depend solely upon our food supply to provide the level of nutrition that can keep us healthy makes absolutely no sense.

“Get nutrients from food. Whole foods are better than dietary supplements” the lead researcher states.

Okay…hold on here.  Let’s step back and look at the facts behind the sensationalism.

• Firstly, this study is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.  A little biased towards the pharmaceutical industry?
• Secondly, the cohort was taken from the Women’s Health Initiative study.  So we’re not solely dealing with the intake of multivitamins, but also other factors such as hormone replacement therapy and dietary modification.  If you’ve been keeping up with my articles, you’ve seen that the WHI was cut short because the majority of the cohort developed cancers linked to hormone replacement therapy.  So let’s throw in multivitamins to see if it will prevent cancers from developing due to HRT (because really, that’s the cause of these cancers), but it doesn’t so let’s publish an article saying that multivitamins don’t work!!!
• Thirdly, the study fails to state what multivitamins these people were taking.  Were they all taking the same ones?  What about dosage?  How bioavailable were the supplements?  Were the people even absorbing the supplements?
• Fourthly, the study states that only 41% of the cohort were taking multivitamins.  Hmmm….

The lead researcher does make a good point, however, when she states that people should use supplementation as ‘insurance’ and that they should eat whole foods rather than relying solely on supplements for nutrition.  Exactly!  That’s why they’re called ’supplements.’  They add on to what you’re already getting from your diet.  To prevent cancer and other degenerative diseases, you must take a multi-factorial approach.  Proper diet, exercise, rest, stress management, detoxification, supplementation are all basic parts to optimize your health.

Your take away: don’t buy into the media hype…do your research and be informed!

I recommend the Essentials by Usana Health Sciences as the most bio-available and complete multi-vitamin on the market.  They are rated to be the #1 multi-vitamin/mineral complex on the market, so it makes sense to go with the best.  If you would like more information about theses supplements…please fill out the form below and I will get back to you.

Please read the article below and share with all those you care about and get those products containing HFCS out of your kitchen.

Here is the short list of those products:

• Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
• Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce
• Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
• Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
• Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
• Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
• Market Pantry Grape Jelly
• Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly
• Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
• Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup
• Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
• Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
• Minute Maid Berry Punch
• Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
• Nesquik Chocolate Milk
• Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Press Release:

Minneapolis – Mercury was found in nearly 50 percent of tested samples of commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), according to a new article published today in the scientific journal, Environmental Health. A separate study by the Institute for Agricul- ture and Trade Policy (IATP) detected mercury in nearly one-third of 55 popular brand- name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second highest labeled ingredient-including products by Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s.

HFCS use has skyrocketed in recent decades as the sweetener has replaced sugar in many processed foods. HFCS is found in sweetened beverages, breads, cereals, break- fast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS. Consumption by teenagers and other high consumers can be up to 80 percent above average levels.

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms,” said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. “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 FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply.”

In the Environmental Health article, Dufault et al. found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. Dufault was working at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when the tests were done in 2005. She and co-authors conclude that possible mercury contamination of food chemicals like HFCS was not common knowledge within the food industry that frequently uses the sweetener. While the FDA had evidence that commercial HFCS was contaminated with mercury four years ago, the agency did not inform consumers, help change industry practice or conduct addi- tional testing.

For its report “Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup,” IATP sent 55 brand-name foods and beverages containing HFCS as the first or second ingredient to a commercial laboratory to be tested for total mercury. Nearly one in three products tested contained detectable mercury. Mercury was most prevalent in HFCS containing dairy products, followed by dressings and condiments. Attached is the summary list of the 55 products and their total mercury content. (Click here to download)

In making HFCS, caustic soda is used, among other things, to separate corn starch from the corn kernel. For decades, HFCS has been made using mercury-grade caustic soda produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants. The use of mercury cells to produce caustic soda can contaminate caustic soda, and ultimately HFCS, with mercury. (This is just ridiculous!)

“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,” said Dr. Wallinga. “The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients.” (my recommendation would be to avoid all HFCS containing products)

While most chlorine plants around the world have switched to newer, cleaner technologies, many still rely on the use of mercury cells. In 2005, 90 percent of chlorine production was mercury-free, but just 40 percent of European production was mercury-free. Four U.S. chlor-alkali plants still rely on mercury cell technology. In 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama introduced legislation to force the remaining chlor-alkali plants to phase out mercury cell technology by 2012.

The Environmental Health article by Dufault et al. can be found at: www.ehjournal.net.

“Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup,” by David Wallinga, M.D., janelle Sorens- en, Pooja Mottl and Brian Yablon, M.D., can be found at: www.iatp.org. IATP works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. www.iatp.org

Adam Drewnowski states: In Seattle we have found that there are fivefold differences in obesity rates depending on the zip code — the low-income zip codes have a much higher proportion of obese people,” he said.

He added that studies in California suggested that a 10 percent rise in poverty translates into about a 6 percent increase in obesity among adults.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE50805W20090109?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

We will not see a dramatic rise in obesity within the next year, but give it 5 years or so.  We will also see a drastic increase in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cancer.  The silver lining is that this is preventable.

Action steps:

• Stick to the basics for food: fresh vegetables (dark greens especially), fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish and meat (sparingly).  Remember that your health is your most valuable asset and that cutting corners can have detrimental effects.
• Take time to prepare you own foods and sit down to eat your meals together.  This is also a great way to reduce stress and take your mind off of your daily worries.
• Prioritize your spending.  At the top of your list should be your basic needs: food, clothing and shelter.

Some statistics, implicating both the food industry and the government as co-creating factors in the obesity epidemic, include:

• In 2002, consumers spent $174 billion on processed foods.
• 90 percent of foods marketed each year are processed foods.
• Last year, 2,800 new candies, desserts, ice-cream, and snacks were introduced to the marketplace, compared to 230 new fruits or vegetable products.
• The food industry spends $34 billion per year marketing their products.
• $12 billion is spent marketing to children.

The food industry is quick to point out that the choice is always yours — they’re not making you buy something you don’t want. They also want to blame the obesity problem on people’s unwillingness to exercise.

“We tested green tea in combination with antibiotics against 28 disease-causing microorganisms belonging to two different classes,” Dr Mervat Kaseem, of the university’s pharmacy faculty, said in a prepared statement. “In every single case, green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example, the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99 percent better when taken with green tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances.”

In almost every case and for all types of antibiotics they tested, the researchers found that drinking green tea at the same time as taking the antibiotics appeared to increase the action of the antibiotics and reduce drug resistance in bacteria. In certain cases, even low concentrations of green tea were effective.

What exactly is Green Tea?

Green tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis a native shrub to South and Southeast Asia. The leaves of the Camellia plant contains an active ingredient called “Catechins” which have shown antimicrobial properties in various laboratory studies. It was found that catechins cause a disruption in the bacterial DNA replication process. If the bacterial cannot multiply, they die.

Green tea has been used for centuries in Asian countries and most Westerners are familiar with it being served at Japanese restaurants in tea or ice cream form. Many beverages like lipton iced tea now offer a “green tea” version.

Other uses for Green Tea

Traditional forms of medicine (like Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda) use green tea to treat asthma, angina pectoris, heart disease, skin diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol and low immune function.

The main reasons for its popularity in treating these diseases is due to the chemical compounds called Polyphenols (epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG – you might remember the commercial for it). These polyphenols are super potent antioxidants that prevent your body from “rusting” from the inside out.

Dr. Mike’s Additional Comments:

In the study conducted by the researchers at Alexandria University (Egypt) I found it interested when they made this comment:

“Our results show that we should consider more seriously the natural products we consume in our everyday life,” Kaseem said. “In the future, we will be looking at other natural herb products such as marjoram and thyme to see whether they also contain active compounds which can help in the battle against drug resistant bacteria.”

I highly agree that more research needs to be done with natural herbs (being that’s where we get most, if not all, of the active ingredients for our medications). These herbs have been used for centuries in traditional healing methodologies. We need to get back to our roots. We need to realize that there are natural alternatives.

Can I get Green Tea or Polyphenols in a supplement form?

The answer is Yes. I carry a few supplements in my office that contains green tea extract and other polyphenols:

Email me for more information about the products I carry in my office.

I also recommend some pure herbal encapsulations:

Resources:

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Green Tea

University of Maryland Medical Center on Green Tea

Green Tea Wikipedia Entry

Camellia sinensis Wikipedia entry

Technorati Tags: Green tea,polyphenols,catechins,antibacterial,heart health,camellia sinensis

Again, it’s a great step forward, but if you want optimal health…stick to pure water.

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