A new Japanese study published in The Lancet suggests supplementing with an omega-3 fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may lower the risk of non-fatal coronary events by 20 percent. Over a four period, researchers followed 18,645 Japanese high-cholesterol patients that were already taking statin medications when the study began to lower their cholesterol.

Over the course of the study, fifty percent of the patients were given an EPA supplement each day in addition to their medication. The other fifty percent received just medication. In the group that received the EPA supplement, the occurrence of a type of chest pain known as angina pectoris was lowered by 24 percent. Additionally, the occurrence of non-fatal coronary events was lowered by 19 percent. No effect on mortality risk was reported by the researchers.

“Overall, this study shows that EPA, at a dose of 1,800 milligrams per day, is a very promising regimen for prevention of major coronary events,” the researchers wrote. They did mention however, that the results yielded in this study might not generalize to other ethnic groups.

Frank Mangano’s Commentary

EFAs must be consumed through the diet. You can find natural amounts of EPAs in fish oils, as well as spirulina and microalgae. There are countless studies out there which exhibit the benefits that omega-3′s have on the heart as well as reducing cancer risk. While experts are still undecided, however, on the health benefits of EPAs in particular, my guess is it’s only a matter of time before the benefits associated with this type of omega-3 shine brightly for the world to see.

I recently read about another study that was published in the British Medical Journal, which examined a variety of prior studies on the subject of EPA’s and heart health, where no evidence of EPA improving heart health was found. But realize this, that study only examined prior studies. No actual experiments or tests were conducted during that study. The results were based solely on the results of prior studies. In other words, the validity of the results were 100 percent dependent on how thoroughly and efficiently the prior studies were conducted.

The study that was published in the Lancet however, consisted of actual, current experiments. The results speak for themselves.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, cocoa reduces high blood pressure but tea on the other hand, does not. The results of 10 different studies (five examining the effects of cocoa on blood pressure, and five examining the effects of tea) were compared by researchers from the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany.

High levels of plant compounds called flavonoids can be found in both cocoa and tea. These flavonoids have been linked to reduced cholesterol levels and blood clotting risk through earlier studies. Between 1966 and 2006 five cocoa studies were conducted and the results yielded included blood pressure becoming lowered by an average of 4.7/2.8 mm Hg through cocoa consumption.

In the five studies involving the tea, no significant change was evident. “This suggests that the different plant phenols must be differentiated with respect to their blood pressure-lowering potential and thus cardiovascular disease prevention,” the researchers wrote.

Different types of flavonoids exist in both cocoa and tea. The type of flavonoid called flavan-3-ols can be found in higher levels in tea, while cocoa is higher in procyanids. According to the researchers, the cocoa studies suggest that blood-pressure reduction invoved would be sufficient enough to reduce the risk of stroke by 20 percent, coronary heart disease risk by 10 percent and the overall risk of premature death by 8 percent. They also warned that while this news is good, people should not start consuming any kind of chocolate in large quantities.

“In the studies we reviewed, the blood pressure results occurred with cocoa doses above the habitual intake and were observed only in the setting of short-term interventions,” said lead researcher Dirk Taubert. “It is not known whether long-term intake of small habitual amounts of cocoa … may also cause significant blood pressure effects.”

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

Remember, chocolate tends to be high in calories as well as sugar, and any health benefits of the cocoa itself may be tarnished by the negative effects that come with eating sugary, high-calorie foods.

Here’s what we all need to remember. While chocolate may taste great, the negative effects that it brings with it are enough to put it back on the shelf permanently.

Raw cacao on the other hand is a healing superfood that contains a very high antioxidant content. It can not only balance blood pressure levels but it can shield the brain, heart and liver as well and stabilize one’s mood.

Unprocessed raw cacao is what you should be looking for in your health food store. The stuff that the major food companies are putting out belongs where all garbage belongs…in the garbage can.

According to a Japanese study reported in the journal Nutrition, blood sugar levels in obese, diabetic mice were significantly reduced when their diets were supplemented with an extract of cacao liquor.

The study’s authors wrote, “The dietary intake of food or drinks produced from cacao beans might be beneficial in preventing the onset of Type 2 diabetes.”

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the sugar-regulating hormone insulin has an effect on the body that is abnormal. When the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, the deficiency eventually causes type 1 diabetes. High blood sugar levels(hyperglycemia) can also occur.

Diabetes affects an estimated 7 percent of the U.S. population totaling close to 21 million people. What’s even more disturbing is that 6.2 million people remain undiagnosed and another 41 million are prediabetic, according to the American Diabetes Association.

During the study, the diets of obese, diabetic mice were supplemented with either 0, 0.5 or 1.0 percent cacao liquor proanthocyanidins (CLPr) – containing 72 percent polyphenols – over a three week period. The findings suggest that the dosage of CLPr was directly related to the reduction in blood sugar.

Proanthocyanidins are a type of a plant chemical called flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant properties. Evidence that the risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by eating chocolate rich in flavonoids has surfaced in earlier studies. The study being referred to here however, is the first to record blood sugar levels being affected by cacao chemicals.

The mice were given one percent of polyphenols, which is the equivalent of 5 grams per day to a human. A human being could achieve this amount by simply eating 2.5 kilograms of normal chocolate, or 100 grams of flavonol-rich chocolate.

Frank Mangano’s commentary: 

It should be noted however, that eating sugar-filled chocolate could easily prohibit any benefits of the flavonoids in the cacao. So think twice before you head to the candy store for a Hershey bar. Whether you realize it or not, the type of chocolate that most stores carry is sweet because it is loaded with refined sugar.

What’s important in achieving the result outlined in the study above is to make sure you are consuming raw, unprocessed, unsweetened cacao. It may be very bitter in taste but it’s also highly medicinal. Anything else is a waste of time. Reach for the stars but stay away from Mars!

According to 3 unrelated studies recently conducted, omega-3 fish oils can be a great defense against 3 different diseases: Alzheimer’s, heart failure, and cancer.

The first study involved the levels of omega-3s and the risk of dementia – including Alzheimer’s disease – being measured by Ernst J. Schaefer, MD, of the USDA’s nutrition research center at Tufts University, Boston. The study involved 899 elderly men and women who’s blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, one of the principal omega-3s in fish) were measured. In an effort to assess intake of DHA and fish, over 50 percent of the participants involved completed dietary questionnaires.

Over a nine year period, dementia developed in 99 of the participants. According to Schaefer, when compared to those consumed little DHA, the odds of developing dementia were about 50 percent less likely in those with the highest blood levels of DHA. Moreover, those with the highest blood levels of DHA were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease by 39 percent.

Attaining high DHA levels was achieved by the participants through the consumption of fish 3 times per week. This fatty fish consumption resulted in the equivalent of 180 mg of DHA daily.

Alberto U. Ferrari, MD, of the University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy, conducted a separate study involving 25 patients that suffered from heart failure with beta-blocker and ACE-inhibitor drugs. Every participant had suffered a previous heart attack which resulted in each person having their ability to pump blood weakened.

Over a four month period, fifteen of the patients were given 2 grams of omega-3 fish oils – which contained about three-fifths DHA and two-fifths eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, another omega-3 fat) – daily, while 10 received a placebo.

In the groups that was given the omega-3s, an improvement in the patients’ “baroflex sensitivity,” which leads to a more stable heart rate, less variability in heart rate, and lower resting heart rate was evident. Ferrari also noted (and I love this) that the benefits achieved by the group given the omega-3′s far surpassed any improvements achieved through the use of medications.

And last but not least comes a study conducted by Alicja Wolk, DMSc, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Alicja and her team studied the effects that omega-3 rich fish would have on the risk of developing kidney cancer in women. During the course of the study, data from an ongoing study of more than 61,000 middle-age and elderly women whose health was tracked for an average of 15 years was analyzed.

The study’s results concluded that the likelihood of developing kidney cancer was 44 percent less likely in women that consumed one or more servings of fatty fish per week compared with women who did not eat fish. In addition, the likelihood of developing kidney cancer was 74 percent less likely in women who consumed one or more servings of fatty fish per week for at least 10 years.

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

The power of omega-3 fish oils should never be underestimated or overlooked. Study after study has consistently shown this miracle oil to just that….perform miracles. If you can’t get omega-3′s from fish, try it in supplement form. Carlson’s fish oil is second to none and my personal favorite.

According to a study published in the current issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, both Tai Chi and water-based exercise can help alleviate pain and stiffness of chronic osteoarthritis. 

The study – which was conducted by Marlene Fransen and a team of researchers at the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney – involved 152 men and women ages 60 and above with chronic osteoarthritis. The participants were randomly assigned to hydrotherapy classes, Tai Chi classes or a waiting group. Each class was an hour long and were offered twice a week. 

Significant improvements on scores measuring pain and physical function were evidant in both groups after a 12 week period. At the 24 week mark, the participants were evaluated and the improvements were sustained. The hydrotherapy group showed the greatest improvement.

“Hydrotherapy classes appeared to be more acceptable (higher attendance), appeared to provide greater relief of joint pain, and resulted in larger improvements in objective measurements of physical performance,” wrote Fransen.

Researchers did note that patients assigned to the hydrotherapy group were more likely to attend classes than those assigned to Tai Chi. A possible reason for this is the unfamiliarity with Tai Chi. In the hydrotherapy group, 81 percent of the participants attended at least half of the classes offered, compared to 61 percent of Tai Chi participants.

The Arthritis Foundation reports arthritis to be the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting 46 million Americans. Often referred to as “OA,” osteoarthroses or degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis affects an estimated 21 million people in the U.S with typical onset taking place after age 40.

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

Nothing new here folks as hydrotherapy has been used for centuries as a safe and effective treatment for back pain, muscle pain and inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis. There are many hydrotherapy techniques and cold-water treatments are effective in reducing inflammation.

I’ve been a fan of Tai-Chi for quite sometime but it seems as though hydrotherapy may be more effective in treating osteoarthritis. But remember, a truly preventative regimen against any kind of arthritis should always include weight control and regular exercise.

As most people know, I’m a big fan of vitamin C and the benefits that it brings with it.

What some people don’t realize is that their vitamin C supplementation may be a waste of time if their diet is all wrong. The last thing I like to see is the effects of something I highly recommend be halted due to a poor diet.

I recently came across an interesting study which shows how the anti-cancer benefits of vitamin C can be dramatically reduced by intake of dietary fats.

A new study which was conducted at the University of Glasgow, yielded results that were presented this year at the annual meeting of the Society of Experimental Biology in Glasgow.

The main focus of the study was to examine how the acidification of nitrite is affected by vitamin C in the stomach. Potentially carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds which are related to stomach cancer can ultimately surface as a result of this acidification. According to the European School of Oncology, stomach cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer worldwide with 800,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

When nitrite found in saliva and nitrate found in some foods mix with stomach acids, carcinogenic compounds form. Ascorbic acid – which is the active component of vitamin C – obstructs these compounds from forming. According to the study, conversion to carcinogenic compounds from saliva, nitrate & stomach acids was inhibited by vitamin C by approximately 99.7 percent.

Now the research team notes: When dietary fats were added to the mix, the antioxidant properties of vitamin C were neutralized, and the carcinogenic N-nitrosamine was formed.

“These results indicate that the presence of lipid can markedly alter the protective effects of antioxidants with respect to potentially carcinogenic nitrosative chemistry occurring in the human stomach, and illustrate how a diet rich in lipids can directly influence gastric biochemistry,” said lead author Emilie Combet.
 
Frank Mangano’s commentary:

What this resource tells me is that the effects of one of the most highly recommended supplements in the world can be completely ruined by a diet high in fat that is made up of dairy products, meat products, and processed foods, which by coincidence are so strongly linked to cancer and heart disease.

According to researchers participating in a Dutch HAVEN study – which was designed to examine the link between environmental and genetic factors and congenital heart defects (CHD) – risk of having babies with congenital heart defects can be increased if pregnant women are deficient in vitamin B12.

“The mother serves as the environment of the child as the embryo forms,” said the study’s project leader RĂ©gine Steegers-Theunissen, MD, PhD, of the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam.

“Both genetic and environmental factors, such as nutrition and lifestyle, play important roles in the prevention or development of congenital heart defects.”

The study, which was published in the December 2006 European Journal of Nutrition involved 192 mothers of children with CHD and 216 mothers of children without CHD being surveyed. The findings indicate that CHD was linked to low intake of B12. Moreover, in women with the lowest intake of B12 the level of risk was doubled.

“In this study we demonstrated for the first time that a low maternal dietary vitamin B12 intake is associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of having a baby with a congenital heart defect.”

Dr. Steegers-Theunissen stated, “Women who are planning a pregnancy should consume a diet rich in [folic acid] and vitamin B12, and if not possible should use a low-dose vitamin supplement containing both folic acid and vitamin B12.”

Aside from the risk of CHD, the women with low B12 levels also tended to have high levels of homocysteine according to the study. Homocysteine is a substance that raises the risk of heart disease and birth defects but can be controlled with adequate supplementation of folic acid and vitamin B12.

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

For a good dose of folic acid, turn to green veggies like kale, spinach, beans, and collard greens and fruits like oranges. You can find vitamin B12 in eggs and fish.

As always, quality is just as important as quantity. While the first step for many pregnant woman is to realize that B12 supplementation is just as important as folic acid when it comes prenatal nutrition, it is equally if not more important to get good sources of B12.

Many people consume a toxic form of the vitamin that is found in many cheap multivitamin products called cyanocobalamin. When shopping for B12, always be sure that methylcobalamin and hydroxycobalamin are in the ingredients list.

Folks, the bottom line here is that ALL B vitamins, including folic acid, should be increased during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Vitamin D and calcium can reduce cancer risk by as much as 77 percent according to recent research conducted at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska. Types of cancer included in these findings are breast cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer and other forms of cancer.

The study consisted of 1,179 healthy women from rural Nebraska that were split into two groups. One of which was given just about 1500 mg of calcium and 1100 IU of vitamin D every day while the other group received a placebo. Over a four year period, a 60 percent decrease in cancers was evident in the group given the calcium and vitamin D supplements.

When considering just the last three years of the study, an impressive 77 percent reduction in cancer due to supplementation is revealed.

What’s interesting here is that these phenomenal results were achieved by what is considered by many nutritionists to be a low dose of vitamin D. Vitamin D is most produced in the body through natural sunlight and that was not tested or considered.

Aside from that, the quality of the calcium supplements more likely than not could have been higher than it was during the study.

The point is this. While this study reveals results that are truly remarkable, by getting more natural sunlight and taking high quality calcium supplements you can achieve cancer fighting results that are almost supernatural.

I’m personally a huge advocate of natural sunlight. The trick is not to get burned. You can do so or should I say not do so by taking in plenty to antioxidant-rich superfoods such as chlorella, spirulina, quinoa, avocados, raw cacao and berries.

According to a study published in the April 1st issue of Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, vitamin K blocks new arterial calcium buildup and can also reduce existing levels of calcification by 37 percent.

Leon Schurgers and his team of researchers at Maastricht University conducted the study.

“Given that arterial calcifications are predictive of cardiovascular events, regression of arterial calcification may help reduce the risk of death in people with chronic kidney disease and coronary artery disease,” wrote lead author Leon Schurgers.

The study – which was conducted by Leon Schurgers and his team of researchers at Maastricht University – involved 10-week old male Wistar Kyoto rats that were fed a diet containing the blood thinner warfarin to induce buildup of calcium.

The animals were then separated into four groups: One of which was given warfarin, while the other three were taken off the drug. Then various doses of vitamin K was given to the animals that were warfarin-free K. According to the researchers, arterial calcium levels continued to increase even after warfarin administration ended in the normal dose Vitamin K group.

“In contrast, high-vitamin K intake (both K1 and K2) not only blocked the progress of further calcium accumulation but also lead to a greater than 37 percent reduction of previously accumulated arterial calcium precipitates within six weeks,”  said the researchers.

The results of these studies are important for people who take blood-thinning drugs, which by inactivating a protein called matrix GLA, or MGP (a potent inhibitor of calcification) are known to induce arterial calcification. Vitamin K is essential for MGP activation.

“The medical community now recognizes that vitamin K-dependent MGP plays an essential role in promoting cardiovascular health,” said Schurgers, “Our study shows that in an animal model, vitamin K can actually regress preformed calcifications. The health implications for humans are significant.”

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

Vitamin K’s many benefits have been once again demonstrated through this study. It is also essential for bone formation and repair. Some good sources of vitamin K include asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, soybeans, olives, broccoli, brussels sprouts and spinach.

On another note, what’s funny is how these medical experts know that one sure-fire way to cause calcification in the arteries is to use a dangerous blood thinner (warfarin) yet most people in the medical community choose to ignore this fact until it’s time for an experiment.

Researchers say risk of Alzheimer’s disease may be reduced by staying both mentally and physically active. 

According to a 2001 study, the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s in people – between the ages of 20 and 60 – who were less active during their leisure time were nearly quadrupled when compared to their peers. These findings seemed to be evident regardless of what type of activity the people participated in but intellectual pursuits did appear to be the most beneficial.

Whether an inactive lifestyle itself increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or simply reflects the disease in its early stages still remains a mystery. The study’s lead author however, recommends exercising the brain throughout life.

The link between work, education and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease has been investigated in many studies and in most cases, it seems that the risk of developing the disease is less likely in people who are better educated and more accomplished on the job. Little research on the impact that leisure activities have on the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease has been done however.

The researchers then focused on three different types of leisure activities: 

Physical activities – such as which included sports, biking, gardening, walking, working out in a gym and jogging.

Intellectual activities – such as reading, doing puzzles, playing an instrument, painting, playing cards or board games, and performing home repairs.

Passive activities – such as watching television, listening to music, talking on the phone, attending social clubs, visiting with friends and attending religious services.

Even with factors that could have had a negative impact on the risk of Alzheimer’s – including age, sex and education- were taken into account, people who participated in fewer activities than the average were 3.85 times more likely to develop the mind-robbing Alzheimer’s.

Frank Mangano’s commentary:

As I always say, achieving optimal health is a mind-body body experience. Enhancing one without the other is truly a waste of time. And as this study points out, lack of brain enhancing activity does raise risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Always be sure to find time everyday to stimulate your mind like writing, reading a book or playing a musical instrument. Learning new things are essential for staying sharp and preventing mental disorders.