In the past decade the increased consumption of processed foods laden with high fructose corn syrup has led Americans to gain weight; a lot of weight. In fact, 2/3 of Americans are now overweight and 1/3 are genuinely obese. This trend threatens to erode the great cardiovascular strides we’ve enjoyed over the last 30 years. In preventive cardiology we are all preparing for the looming storm of heart attacks and strokes that will strike our young population. In addition to the sedentary life style that is plaguing our nation, the shift to high carbohydrate diets is largely to blame for widespread obesity and a wide range of other debilitating ailments and conditions.

A new UCLA study has found an additional problem associated with the intake of high fructose corn syrup — binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may negatively impact one’s intelligence – in addition to expanding our waistline! The study is the first to show that a diet high in fructose slows the brain, impairing memory and learning. The study also found that consuming omega-3 fatty acids could effectively counteract the disruptive effects of the sugar. (No, that does not mean you should follow your cookies with a fish oil chaser! You need to avoid the sugar in the first place.)

While many studies have revealed how fructose harms the body through diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, the UCLA study is the first to reveal the sweetener’s negative influence on brain function. 

“Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. “Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage.”

The UCLA team focused on high-fructose corn syrup, the ubiquitous, inexpensive liquid sugar that is six times sweeter than cane sugar. Peruse the ingredients label of almost any processed food item in your local supermarket and you’ll find the words “high fructose corn syrup”.  It can be found in all manner of food items from baked goods and pasta sauce to breakfast cereals and baby food. The average American consumes more than 40 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We’re not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants,” explained Gomez-Pinilla, who is also a member of UCLA’s Brain Research Institute and Brain Injury Research Center. “We’re concerned about high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative.”

Gomez-Pinilla and the study’s co-author Rahul Agrawal, studied two groups of rats that were fed a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks. The second group also received supplemental omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil, as well as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which protects against damage to the synapses — the chemical connections between brain cells that enable memory and learning.

“DHA is essential for synaptic function — brain cells’ ability to transmit signals to one another,” Gomez-Pinilla said. “This is the mechanism that makes learning and memory possible. Our bodies can’t produce enough DHA, so it must be supplemented through our diet.”

The animals were fed a diet of standard rat food and trained on a maze twice daily for five days before starting the experimental diet. The UCLA team tested the rat’s ability to navigate the maze, which contained several holes but only a single exit.

Following the six-week study the researchers tested the rats’ ability to recall the route and escape the maze. The findings were surprising.

“The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids,” Gomez-Pinilla said. “The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to think clearly and recall the route they’d learned six weeks earlier.”

The DHA-deprived rats also developed indications of a resistance to insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates synaptic function in the brain. A closer look at the rats’ brain tissue suggested that insulin had lost much of its power to influence the brain cells.

The study suggests that fructose is the agent behind the DHA-deficient rats’ brain dysfunction. Consuming too much fructose may block insulin’s ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar for the energy required for processing thoughts and emotions.

“Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new.”

Gomez-Pinilla advises people to exercise regularly and keep fructose intake to a minimum. Replace sugary desserts with fresh berries and foods like Greek yogurt. To balance-out and reduce any remaining sugar intake Gomez-Pinilla suggests you eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds and green leafy vegetables, while taking a daily omega-3 supplement high in DHA.

“Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects the brain against fructose’s harmful effects,” said Gomez-Pinilla. “It’s like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases.”

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke funded the UCLA study. Gomez-Pinilla’s lab will next examine the role of diet in recovery from brain trauma. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology is publishing the study’s findings in its next edition.

source: uclahealth.org

A roundup of today’s important preventive health news.

• Study: Why Omega-3 Oils Help at Cellular Level – eurekalert!
• FDA Panel Recommends First Drug for HIV Prevention – medscape today
• Eye Changes May Predict Heart Disease in Blacks With Diabetes – health.com
• New Diagnostic Criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease – medscape today
• Early Biomarker for Pancreatic Cancer Identified – sciencedaily
• Marijuana May Relieve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms – medical news today

related: more preventive health news from the Foundation for Preventive and Integrative Medicine

I’ve felt for quite some time that vitamin D — and D3 in particular — should be an important component of a healthy individual’s daily vitamin intake, often in the form of supplementation.

As we learn more and more about the promising role of vitamin D, additional patients with D deficiencies are being identified. Unfortunately, vitamin D is not found naturally in many foods, so most of our vitamin D is produced in our bodies by the action of sunlight on the skin.

Aging decreases our synthesis of vitamin D
Most vitamin D is produced in our bodies when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. As humans age, however, we often lose the ability to manufacture adequate amounts of vitamin D.  Research indicates that vitamin D is important not only for proper absorption of calcium and the maintenance of bone health, but also for maintaining healthy joints, a healthy cardiovascular system and healthy moods. In addition, vitamin D plays an important role in regulating cell division and differentiation and supports immune system function through its effects on macrophages, natural killer cells (NK), and T cells. Scientific data indicate that vitamin D also has a role in helping to maintain breast, prostate, colon, and kidney health. In other words, its impact in our bodies is far-reaching.

Vitamin D3 more effective than D2
A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition* further supports my evidence-based belief that vitamin D3 is more effective than D2 (it can raise blood levels of vitamin D up to 70% better than D2). AJCN’s first-ever systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of the vitamin D forms supports the findings of many other researchers and studies.  (Note: vitamin D is found in two forms D3 or Cholecalciferol and D2, or Ergocalciferol. In contrast to Cholecalciferol, Ergocalciferol is not natural; it is a byproduct of irradiated fungi).

Check your vitamin D level
Ask your doctor to do a simple blood test for 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] that will provide the best measure of your vitamin D status. A 25(OH)D level of 40-50 ng/ml is currently thought to be optimal. If necessary, supplement with a daily multivitamin with adequate levels of vitamin D3 and then additional vitamin D3 as needed. A general rule of thumb is that your vitamin D level will rise 10 points for every 1,000 IU D3 taken daily.

Read that label
Look for the terms vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol on supplement labels. The D2 form of the vitamin (ergocalciferol) though widely used in fortification and supplements, is less potent and artificially derived.

Source:
*Study: “Comparison of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 supplementation in raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status: a systematic review and meta-analysis1–3” — Laura Tripkovic, Helen Lambert, Kathryn Hart, Colin P Smith, Giselda Bucca, Simon Penson, Gemma Chope, Elina Hyppo ̈nen, Jacqueline Berry, Reinhold Vieth, and Susan Lanham-New

1)  Don’t smoke. If you smoke, find a way to quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Smoking is toxic to the body. Every organ system is affected, but certainly it is a BIG risk factor for heart disease.
2)  Eat a healthful, balanced, varied diet to help prevent heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Eat a variety of fruits and copious amounts of vegetables; eat whole grains and complex carbohydrates like oatmeal. Choose lean proteins. Include healthful fats found in salmon, avocados and nuts, and limit saturated fats found in fatty meats and cheese. Avoid processed food, fried food, fad diets and extremes. Limit salt and simple sugars; sugar is our enemy. Drink more water and less soda.
3)  Maintain an Ideal Body Weight. You can enjoy a healthful diet and still be overweight. Exercise portion control and enjoy smaller more frequent meals. A good measure of where you stand is the BMI; optimal is less than 25, overweight is 25-30, obese is greater than 30. Cardiovascular risk increases with elevated BMI. Visit www.bmi-calculator.net to calculate your BMI.
4)  Reduce stress. Try exercise – guaranteed to relieve stress. Walk, dance, garden; take a friend and chat, take a dog and run. The possibilities are endless. Listen to music. Take a series of deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Turn off your phone and disconnect. Get more sleep.
5) Exercise. This is not optional. Exercise improves heart and lung function, decreases resting blood pressure, decreases body fat, decreases total and LDL “bad” cholesterol, raises HDL “good” cholesterol, increases energy levels, increases tolerance to stress and depression, and controls or prevents the development of diabetes.  Include aerobics (walking, biking, elliptical), resistance  (strength training), and stretching. With time, your body will respond by increasing muscle mass and tone and decreasing body fat.  You will be thinner, stronger, more limber and flexible, and your body will function better and be less vulnerable to orthopedic injury. You will be healthier and decrease your risk of cancer, heart disease and chronic illness.

See your doctor regularly to ensure optimal control of several key factors:

6)  Healthful lipids including cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins,
7)  Healthful blood pressure,
8)  Healthful blood sugar,
9)  Optimal vitamin D level; 25-hydroxyvitamin D should measure 40-50 ng/dl.

10)  Take appropriate nutritional supplements: A good daily multivitamin with just 100% of essential vitamins and minerals is a great foundation.  Research shows 80 to 90% of the population does not achieve the recommended daily value (RDV) for each vitamin and mineral each day, nor do they even come close.  And, bear in mind that the RDV levels for each nutrient are only intended to guard against severe nutrient deficiency diseases, but are not intended to serve as levels of vitamin and mineral intake that are optimal in regard to maximizing our well-being and longevity.  Supplement calcium according to your individual needs and vitamin D when needed. Take a high quality fish oil with 1000 mg combined DHA+EPA to boost your omega-3 intake. Beyond the protective effects demonstrated for heart disease and cancers, scientific evidence strongly indicates that the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA + EPA, may have potential benefits in the prevention and/or treatment of myriad health conditions.

Did You Know…?
The American Heart Association (AHA) 2020 Impact Goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of Americans by 20% while also reducing cardiovascular deaths by 20%. In order to achieve these goals, the AHA adopted a new concept of cardiovascular health, one that is made up of seven components. These components include four ideal health behaviors–not smoking, body-mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m2, physical activity at goal levels, and diet that includes three or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily–and three ideal health factors, including total cholesterol <200 mg/dL, systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure <80 mm Hg, and fasting plasma glucose levels <100 mg/dL.

Study: Cardiovascular Health Linked With Reduced Mortality

Individuals meeting five of seven cardiovascular health measures selected by the American Heart Association (AHA) had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality and deaths from diseases of the circulatory system compared with those who met none of the metrics.
Ford ES, Greenlund KJ, Hong Y. Ideal cardiovascular health and mortality from all causes and diseases of the circulatory system among adults in the United States. Circulation 2012.

Our roundup of timely preventive health related news stories from around the web.

• Losing Weight When Obese Can Prevent or Cure Diabetes, Whatever the Initial BMI, Study Suggests – sciencedaily
• Role of Vitamin D Deficiency in Cardiovascular Disease – medscape today
• Comorbidities increase risk of mortality in COPD patients – eurekalerts.org
• New ESC Cardiovascular Disease Guidelines Emphasize Primary Prevention – theheart.org
• War on Smoking Offers Some Lessons for Obesity Fight – kaiser health news
• Sedentary Behavior: one definition to rule them all – PLoS Blogs
• Five Common Mistakes You’re Making at the Gym – time/healthland
• Rising Obesity Rates Might Mean More Rheumatioid Arthritis – health.com
• Joggers live much longer – medical news today

Why Decrease Homocysteine Levels?
Research demonstrates that elevated homocysteine is associated with an increased risk of developing several devastating illnesses including heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and osteoporotic bone fractures. The reason high homocysteine levels predispose to the development of these ailments is being carefully evaluated by our top scientists and doctors; it is felt that several mechanisms are at work. Homocysteine can directly damage our arteries’ inner linings, leading to the build up of plaque and blood clots. It can also oxidize LDL cholesterol, making this type of fat more likely to cause coronary and carotid artery disease. High homocysteine levels also block our body’s natural ability to break down clots. Thus, when clots do form in the arteries feeding our brains and hearts, high homocysteine levels make it harder for our bodies to dissolve them before they totally block the flow of oxygen to these vital organs, causing strokes and heart attacks. It has even been shown that when homocysteine levels are high DNA damage can occur in brain cells, causing their premature death.

What You Can Do
First of all, life style changes can help. Quitting smoking, decreasing caffeine consumption, exercising more, and eating less can all help lower homocysteine levels. Supplementation with vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid can also help reduce homocysteine levels to a normal range.  At times, additional supplementation with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is indicated to help bring down homocysteine levels as well.  Currently, studies are being conducted to evaluate the long-term benefits of diminishing homocysteine levels to normal. It is hoped that normalization of these levels in patients with high blood homocysteine will help reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and even osteoporotic fractures.

HomocysteineFormula is a nutritional supplement that combines potent amounts of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid and is designed for people who have high homocysteine levels.  Because of significant variations in response among people taking this formula, it is best to monitor blood levels of homocysteine.

• Folic Acid – Utilized for energy production and the formation of red blood cells.  It strengthens immunity by aiding in the proper formation and function of white blood cells.  It also helps maintain arterial heath and limit the accumulation of homocysteine.
• Vitamin B6 – Plays a role in immunity and helps maintain arterial health.  It also limits the accumulation of homocysteine.
• Vitamin B12 – Needed to prevent anemia.  It aids folic acid in regulating the formation of red blood cells.  This vitamin is required for the synthesis of protein, and the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.  It also helps maintain healthy arteries and limit the accumulation of homocysteine.
• Pure USP Pharmaceutical Grade quality
• Independently assayed by FDA registered laboratories for safety and purity.

Some people may benefit from additional supplementation with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in order to achieve an optimal homocysteine level.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

No Known Cure
Even more disheartening is the fact that there is no known cure for AMD and no clear understanding of its cause. Some of the most exciting research related to macular degeneration has been in the area of nutrition and has suggested that certain antioxidants including lutein and zeaxanthin may significantly reduce the risk of AMD.  The carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin are the main components of the macula’s luteal pigment that protects the retina by absorbing damaging ultraviolet light and neutralizing free radicals that can harm the eye. Studies have provided evidence that supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin is associated with significant improvement in the density of the protective macular pigment.  The studies also demonstrated clinical benefits; those who took a 10 mg supplement of lutein every day over a year’s time began to see about one line better on eye charts.

What You Can Do
Manage known modifiable risk factors for AMD. Exercise and eat a healthful diet to prevent obesity, diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. Avoid sugary snack foods. Choose a diet low in saturated fats and high in fruits and vegetables. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, plus broccoli, peas, squash, and egg yolk, corn, orange peppers, oranges and honeydew. Taking a supplement that contains appropriate amounts of antioxidants and lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin can help preserve vision.  The omega-3s also support eye health; in particular DHA, which accumulates in the eye, protecting nerve cells from damage. Shield your eyes from harmful ultraviolet light by wearing quality sunglasses.  Finally… that ubiquitous warning: STOP smoking.  Studies show that smokers have lower levels of lutein and are at much greater risk of developing AMD.  Even passive smoking doubles the risk of AMD.

The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are the vital components of the macula’s luteal pigment that protects the retina by absorbing damaging light and neutralizing free radicals. Research indicates a third carotenoid, meso-zeaxanthin, may be needed for complete macular density protection.* Scientists believe meso-zeaxanthin can provide better protection against lipid membrane oxidation than lutein and zeaxanthin.*

Other nutrients and antioxidants vital to supporting eye health are included with special attention to appropriate doses. RetinGuard® is the result of extensive analysis of the medical literature to date and represents VitalRemedyMD’s desire to provide the safest and most scientifically validated nutrients for promoting healthy vision.*

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), the precursor for glutathione, is the antioxidant known to be responsible for much of our eye’s protection from free radicals.

Vitamin E was used in The Age Related Eye Disorders Study (AREDS) at a dose of 400 IU, but more recent trials have cautioned us about high levels of E.  Acknowledging the importance of E for eye health, we use it at a lower dose, 100 IU in the form of natural mixed tocopherols.  Many other eye formulations use synthetic E, which can counteract benefits of natural vitamin E. VitalRemedyMD never uses synthetic E.

Vitamin C is a major resource for regenerating ocular antioxidants back to their beneficial forms. Like AREDS, we use 500 mg.

Vitamin B2 is considered the most important B vitamin for maintaining eye health.  Excessive doses, however, may produce a paradoxically negative effect. Thus we use 3.4 mg to allow patients to consume other B2-containg products (like a good daily multiple) without putting their eyes in danger.

Zinc/Copper:  These minerals are important for eye health. In AREDS, Zinc at 80 mg was used, an extremely high dose that was later felt to be the cause of urinary-related hospitalizations.  High dose zinc may predispose to Alzheimer’s, hair loss, cholesterol problems, and prostate cancer.  Thus we cut the zinc to 25 mg (consistent with the follow-up study, AREDS II).

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.