Amazing new benefit documented from taking glucosamine.

Numerous studies have documented the benefits of glucosamine sulfate when it comes to supporting the cartilage and decreasing pain from osteoarthritis.

Researchers at the University of Washington recently evaluated if glucosamine and chondroitin as well as a number of other supplements were associated with total mortality (Pocobelli G, et al. 2010).

This was a large study looking at the intake of the supplements for an average of 10 years in people aged 50-76 years which included 387,801 person-years of follow up.

The researchers concluded that for most of the supplements examined there was no association with total mortality. However there were some exceptions that was very interesting, the use of glucosamine and chondroitin were each associated with decreased total mortality.

There was also a suggestion of a decreased risk of total mortality with high intake of fish oil supplements, but the evidence was not as strong as for the glucosamine and chondroitin.

To learn more about the benefits of glucosamine sulfate the most researched form of glucosamine, read what is written about the BMJ formula.

The BMJ also provides several other important nutrients as well for added benefits.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Pocobelli G, Kristal AR, Patterson RE, Potter JD, Lampe JW, Kolar A, Evans I, White E. Total mortality risk in relation to use of less-common dietary supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;91(6):1791-800. Epub 2010 Apr 21.

The impact of processed meat on your health

The research reviewed here included several studies with specific inclusion criteria and a total of 1,218,380 individuals (Micha R, et al. 2010).

This was a very large study and not only did it include processed meat, but also the relationship of red unprocessed meat and total meat consumption with the incident of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes.

It was documented that red meat intake was not associated with cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Processed meat intake however was associated a 42% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 19% higher risk of diabetes per 50 grams serving per day.

The researchers did not find any association to stroke, but that may be because very few studies evaluated these relationships.

Processed meat includes cold cuts, salami, sausage and hot dogs. It is meat that has been prepared in some form and is not a plain piece of raw meat.

If you want to know more about foods relationship to health and disease, read the book, "The Food Connection," which also includes a lot of easy to make recipes.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Micha R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D. Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation. 2010 Jun 1;121(21):2271-83. Epub 2010 May 17.

Sleep longer, but not too long and live longer.

We all know that sleep is important, but you may not know how important it is. Something as common as sleep may affect how long you live.

The study reviewed here investigated the relationship between duration of sleep and all-cause mortality (Cappuccio FP, et al. 2010). It was a large study including 1,382,999 male and female participants and the follow up range was from 4 to 25 years.

It is interesting that both short duration and long duration of sleep was associated with a greater risk of death. Short duration of sleep was less than 6 hours and long duration of sleep was more than 9 hours.

7-8 hours would be what most healthy people would need to function their best.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Cappuccio FP, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep. 2010 May 1;33(5):585-92.

Low vitamin D level risk factor for depression

More and more evidence is accumulating, documenting the importance of sufficient vitamin D.

The research reviewed here evaluated vitamin D levels in men and women aged 65 years and older as it related to depression (Milaneschi Y, et al. 2010). Depressive symptoms were assessed at the start of the study and at 3- and 6- years follow ups.

The results showed that low vitamin D levels in both men and women increased the risk of developing depression. The association was even stronger in women than in men.

The study population was based in Tuscany, Italy which is not that far north, they are exposed to a fair amount of sunshine. It is also quite common to find less than optimal vitamin D levels even in people from Southern California.

The best insurance is to take between 1000 IU to 2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Milaneschi Y, Shardell M, Corsi AM, Vazzana R, Bandinelli S, Guralnik JM, Ferrucci L. Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Depressive Symptoms in Older Women and Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 May 5.

Resveratrol increases brain blood flow during task performance.

Resveratrol is known to have antioxidant properties and promote vasodilation (opening of blood vessels) thereby improving circulation.

The study referred to here was designed to evaluate blood flow to the brain since that is an important aspect of brain function (Kennedy DO, et al. 2010).

The study participants were healthy adults who either received a placebo or 2 different doses of resveratrol on separate days. After an absorption period the participants performed a selection of cognitive tasks that activated the frontal cortex of the brain.

Total concentration of hemoglobin and also oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin were assessed. It was documented that resveratrol increased the cerebral blood flow during task performance in a dose dependent manner.

The researchers also found an increase in deoxyhemoglobin after the use of resveratrol suggesting enhanced oxygen extraction that was sustained throughout task performance.

This means that resveratrol improved the utilization of oxygen in the brain when the participants focused on a specific task.

Resveratrol when taken orally has a low bioavailability. By using methylated resveratrol the permeability has shown to increase approximately 5-8 folds translating into increased bioavailability (Wen X, Walle T. 2006, Walle T. 2007).

The formula “Resveratrol SC” is methylated and you can read more about it by clicking here.

To read the original abstracts, click on the references below.


References:

Kennedy DO, Wightman EL, Reay JL, Lietz G, Okello EJ, Wilde A, Haskell CF. Effects of resveratrol on cerebral blood flow variables and cognitive performance in humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover investigation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar 31.

Walle T. Methylation of dietary flavones greatly improves their hepatic metabolic stability and intestinal absorption. Mol Pharm. 2007 Nov-Dec;4(6):826-32. Epub 2007 Oct 25.

Wen X, Walle T. Methylated flavonoids have greatly improved intestinal absorption and metabolic stability. Drug Metab Dispos. 2006 Oct;34(10):1786-92. Epub 2006 Jul 25.

Green tea increases the burning of fat for energy.

A lot of research is now documenting a variety of health benefits from drinking green tea or taking a capsule of green tea extract.

The research reviewed here investigated the effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major active ingredient in green tea, on fat oxidation in obese men (Thielecke F, et al. 2010).

The researchers measured the expenditure of energy in the participants as well as fat oxidation, which is the burning of fat for energy. 300 mg and 600 mg of EGCG were compared with a placebo and also caffeine after they had been taken for 3 days.

It was documented that during the first 2 hours after a test meal the group taking 300 mg of EGCG had 33.3% increased fat oxidation when compared to the placebo group. The group taking 600 mg of EGCG showed an increase of 20.2%, which was less of an increase. It is not always better to take more of a good thing. 300 mg of EGCG increased fat oxidation about the same as 200 mg of caffeine.

300 mg of EGCG would be approximately 5 or more cups of green tea daily depending on the strength of the tea.

If you don’t want to drink that much green tea, one capsule of the formula “Better Green Tea” has approximately the same amount of EGCG as was used in this study.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Thielecke F, Rahn G, Böhnke J, Adams F, Birkenfeld AL, Jordan J, Boschmann M. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and postprandial fat oxidation in overweight/obese male volunteers: a pilot study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Apr 7.

Dietary fat and endometriosis

Endometriosis can both be painful and also be involved in infertility.

In a large study involving 586,153 person-years of follow up the researchers investigated the relationship between the type of fat ingested and its association to endometriosis (Missmer SA, et al. 2010).

The total fat consumption was not associated with increased risk for endometriosis, but the type of fat consumed played a role.

The women in the highest fifth of the omega 3 fatty acid consumption were 22% less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis compared to those with the lowest fifth intake.

What may be even more interesting is that the women in the highest quintile of trans fat intake were 48% more likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis.

It is not only important to ingest enough omega 3 fatty acids, but also very important to avoid bad and toxic fat.

Trans fat are often produced when foods are deep fried. Hydrogenated oils may also contain trans fat.

To read the original abstract, click on the reference below.



Reference:

Missmer SA, Chavarro JE, Malspeis S, Bertone-Johnson ER, Hornstein MD, Spiegelman D, Barbieri RL, Willett WC, Hankinson SE. A prospective study of dietary fat consumption and endometriosis risk. Hum Reprod. 2010 Mar 23. [Epub ahead of print]