Berry compounds lower risk of Parkinson’s disease

(NaturalNews) An enormous study spanning several decades has shown that people who eat berries regularly have a much lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than othose who do not. Published in the journal ScienceDaily , the study adds significantly to the growing body of evidence proving that flavanoids, a polyphenolic type of antioxidant that is already known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, can help stave off neurological diseases as well. Xiang Gao, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the effects of eating berries in a group of nearly 130,000 men and women. The team evaluated the correlation between flavanoid intake and cases of Parkinson’s disease over the course of more than 20 years and found that the top 20 percent of men who consumed the most flavanoids were 40 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s than others. And in both men and women, consumption of anthocyanins, a specific type of flavanoid, was also related to reduced risk. “This is the first study in humans to examine the association between flavanoids and risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” said Gao. “Our findings suggest that flavanoids, specifically a group called anthocyanins, may have neuroprotective effects. If confirmed, flavanoids may be a natural and healthy way to reduce your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.” A 2009 study published in the journal Archives of Neurology found that people who work in industries that involve heavy pesticide exposure are more likely to develop Parkinson’s (http://www.naturalnews.com/027202_pesticide_Parkinsons_pesticides.html). And another study published in the journal BMC Neurology in 2008 found a connection between pesticides and Parkinson’s, including even exposure to common household pesticides like bug sprays. Lack of vitamin D is connected to Parkinson’s disease as well, according to a recent study published in the journal Archives of Neurology . Maintaining high levels of vitamin D, say the authors, can help to protect the brain from the nerve damage that leads to Parkinson’s and other brain disorders (http://www.naturalnews.com/030314_vitamin_D_Parkinsons_disease.html). Sources for this story include: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110213162726.htm

Green tea blocks lung cancer

(NaturalNews) Drinking at least a cup of green tea a day may significantly decrease a person’s risk of lung cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Shan Medical University in Taiwan. Cancer rates are significantly lower in Asia than in other parts of the world, and high consumption of green tea has been suggested as one of the potential explanations. Laboratory studies have suggested that the polyphenols in green tea can halt the growth of cancer cells, but the results of human studies have been mixed. In the current study, researchers analyzed green tea consumption, smoking, genetic factors and lung cancer risk in more than 500 people. They found that among non-smokers, those who did not drink tea had five times the lung cancer risk of those who drank at least one cup per day. Among smokers, not drinking green tea was linked to 12 times the cancer risk of those who drank at least one cup per day. A genetic analysis of all the study participants revealed that a specific variant of the gene known as IGF1 was associated with the correlation between higher tea consumption and lower cancer risk. Among those without this variant, green tea consumption had little effect on cancer risk. This could explain the inconsistent results of prior studies. Health experts warned that whatever the benefits of green tea might be, they do not outweigh the danger posed by smoking. “Smoking tobacco fills your lungs with around 80 cancer-causing chemicals,” said Yinka Ebo of Cancer Research U.K. “Drinking green tea is not going to compensate for that. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to make up for the harm caused by smoking by doing other things right like eating a healthy, balanced diet. The best thing a smoker can do to reduce their risk of lung cancer, and more than a dozen other cancer types, is to quit.” Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8453628.stm.

Vitamin D Promotes Weight Loss

(NaturalNews) A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota found that overweight people have better success in losing weight when their vitamin D levels are increased. Dr. Shalamar Sibley, the researcher who headed the study, placed 38 obese men and women on a diet program and discovered that those whose vitamin D levels were increased lost up to a half pound more than those who followed the diet plan only. When combined with a reduced-calorie diet, it appears that supplementation with vitamin D helps to promote increased weight loss among those whose levels are low to begin with. For each nanogram per milliliter increase in vitamin D precursor in the blood, it was observed that an extra half pound loss in weight was able to be achieved while the diet plan. A study published earlier this year in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 75 percent or more of American teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to all sorts of serious illnesses including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Researchers in the weight loss study are unsure whether vitamin D deficiency causes obesity or if obesity causes vitamin D deficiency. Nevertheless, there is a clear connection between the two. Vitamin D, in conjunction with calcium and sunlight, helps to properly assimilate food and regulate normal blood sugar levels. When there is a lack of calcium, oftentimes due to a vitamin D deficiency, the body increases production of synthase, a fatty acid enzyme that coverts calories into fat. Calcium deficiency can cause synthase production to increase by up to 500 percent, explaining the correlation between low levels of vitamin D and obesity. Mainstream research has only begun to scratch the surface about the importance of vitamin D in general health maintenance. A clinical study conducted in April of 2000 revealed that patients who were bound to wheelchairs because of chronic fatigue and body weakness became mobile after just six weeks of supplementation with 50,000 IU of vitamin D per week. Other studies are showing remarkable healing from all kinds of diseases when vitamin D is brought up to proper levels. Although current guidelines suggest daily intake somewhere between 400 and 600 IU, recent research is suggesting that this may be too low. Getting between 4,000 and 10,000 IU a day will have a much more therapeutic effect, boosting health and fending off disease. When natural sunlight is not an option, supplementation with vitamin D3 is the next best option. Sources for this story include: http://wcco.com/health/vitamin.d.weight.2.1383803.html, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=vitamin-d-deficiency-united-states, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153669.php