Officials admit link between nutrition and health, award $6 million contract to study nutrition for US troops

(NaturalNews) Soldiers in the American military are apparently not performing to their full potential. This has prompted the federal government to award a $6 million contract to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., to study how to improve the quality and nutritional value of military food. The research, which seeks to “increase resilience to injury and maximize physical and mental effectiveness” through nutrition (according to a recent report from Navy Times ), proves what we here at NaturalNews have been saying for a long time — that vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are vitally important for preventing disease and promoting good health. “The whole purpose (of the research) is better nutrition to promote warfighter resilience and optimal cognitive performance,” said Jennifer Rood, principal investigator of the project entitled “Collaborative Research to Optimize Warfighter Nutrition,” to Navy Times . Wait, did Rood just link nutrition to recovery and brain function? What does the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have to say about this implication that nutrients play a role in boosting health and warding off disease? It appears as though the same government that denies any link between food or nutritional supplement intake and health promotion and disease prevention among the public is now saying the opposite as it concerns soldiers’ performance in the military. Though such research positively benefits soldiers that serve in the armed forces, it also represents a double standard. The government apparently has no interest in keeping the average American healthy or in devoting a single taxpayer dollar towards nutrition research for the public interest — but when military performance is affected by bad nutrition, the cash starts flowing. Sources for this story include: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/09/military-nutrition-combat-troops-090711w/

British government squanders millions conducting secret GM potato trials while non-GM variety already performs spectacularly

(NaturalNews) For the past ten years, the British government has been quietly subsidizing research aimed at developing a genetically-modified (GM) potato resistant to blight, the fungal disease responsible for causing the infamous Irish potato famine. According to Indymedia UK , Sainsbury Laboratory, the group tasked with development, has already spent roughly 1.7 million pounds ($2.7 million) worth of public funds to develop the GM potato, despite the fact that a natural blight-resistant variety has already been successfully bred and in use for the past three years. Unlike in the US where GM crops are widely cultivated, GM crops have never been commercially grown in the UK. Widespread public opposition to their introduction back in 1997, as well as continued opposition, has kept them largely out of food and off the land. And yet reports explains that the GM potato research being conducted by Sainsbury — with public funding — is so secretive that nobody knows for sure whether or not any open-air trials of test GM potatoes have taken place. Meanwhile, a small Welsh research group three years ago successful bred a natural, non-GM potato variety with natural resistance to blight — and that potato variety has been in cultivation ever since that time. As opposed to GM crops, this blight-resistant potato — which is now available in more than six different varieties — is safe for the environment, safe for human consumption, and it does not require the yearly repurchasing of terminator seeds and expensive chemical pesticides in order to grow. But the British government continues to pour money into useless endeavors to develop a GM variety, which has prompted Stop GM, a UK group devoted to ending the spread of GMOs, to take action. The group is holding an event on July 23 to speak out against the abuse of public funds by the UK government, and it needs your help to make it a success. Part of this event will include the dropping off of a trailer full of safe, non-GM, blight-resistant potatoes at the Sainsbury research center where the GM potato trials are taking place. To learn more about how you can help fight GMOs in the UK, visit: http://www.stopgm.org.uk/take-action.html Sources for this story include: http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/06/480991.html

Tart cherries help speed muscle recovery

(NaturalNews) A new study published in the American College of Sports Medicine journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise suggests that eating a small amount of tart cherries helps improve muscle recovery in athletes after an intense workout. The findings add to the growing body of evidence that illustrates the amazing healing power of tart cherries. Researchers from the Sports and Exercise Science Research Center at London South Bank University in the U.K. administered one-ounce servings of tart cherry juice twice daily to ten trained athletes seven days prior to an intense workout, and two days after it. Another group of athletes was given a different type of juice without tart cherry. Twenty-four hours after the workout, those drinking the tart cherry juice regained 90 percent of their muscle function, while the control group regained only 85 percent of muscle function. The powerful antioxidant compounds in cherries are believed to be the nutrient of benefit in this case, as oxidative damage to muscles is reduced in their presence. As a result, muscles are able to recover more quickly. “Cherries are what I call an ultimate super food,” said Dr. Wendy Bazilian, Ph.D., a registered dietician and author of the book The SuperFoodsRx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients , concerning the study. “Not only are they a perfect complement to a training routine since they’re available year-round in dried, frozen and juice forms, but they taste great.” A peer-reviewed study put out by Michigan State University in 2008 identified a compound in tart cherries that helps naturally relieve pain better than over-the-counter pain drugs like aspirin (http://www.naturalnews.com/023038_cherries_natural_tart.html). Tart cherries are also known to help with sleep, reduce fat, treat gout, and even fight cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/tart_cherries.html). Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/wsw-nrs020811.php

High levels of vitamins C and E help prevent metabolic syndrome

(NaturalNews) The precursors to cardiovascular disease and diabetes include a range of markers collectively known as metabolic syndrome. And researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University have found that maintaining high levels of both vitamin C and vitamin E helps to prevent the onset of metabolic syndrome. Jean Mayer and her team evaluated 353 Ecuadorian men and women over age 65 from three different low-income communities outside of Quito, Ecuador. Forty percent of the population had metabolic syndrome, primarily due to a very poor diet rich in simple carbohydrates and processed sodium, and low in nutrient-rich whole foods. The authors observed, however, that those with the highest blood levels of vitamins C and E were less likely to have metabolic syndrome. “After adjusting for age and sex, we observed significant relationships between the metabolic syndrome and two of the micronutrients, vitamins C and E,” explained senior study author Simin Nikbin Meydani, Ph.D., director of the USDA HNRCA and the Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA. “The association suggests that having higher blood levels of vitamin E may protect against the metabolic syndrome.” Many of the participants also had very low vitamin C levels which was likely due to a limited intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, said the authors. And most of the participants ate lots of starchy, sugary foods like white rice, potatoes and white bread, so their overall nutrient profiles were largely limited. Researchers also noted a connection between metabolic syndrome and C-reactive proteins (CRP), an inflammatory marker connected to cardiovascular disease. So by boosting healthy antioxidant levels with nutrients like vitamin C, populations can better fend off metabolic syndrome and its resultant diseases. Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-01/tuhs-vc010411.php

Most women skip mammograms, even when insurance will pay for them

(NaturalNews) Millions of U.S. women are apparently ignoring government recommendations and taking breast health into their own hands. A new report presented at the 33rd annual Cancer Therapy and Research Center / American Association for Cancer Research (CTRC-AACR) San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium has found that more than half of eligible women forgo breast cancer screenings, even when their insurance companies are willing to pay for them. Milayna Subar, MD, vice president and national practice leader for oncology at Medco Health Solutions, and her colleagues discovered that even though there was much outcry over the recommended age to begin getting mammograms being raised from 40 to 50 years old, the majority of women in eligible age groups do not even get annual mammograms anyway. Based on the research team’s study of medical claims filed between January 2006 and December 2009, they found that less than half of women between the ages of 40 and 85 received a mammogram in an average year, even though all the women sampled had some kind of health insurance that covered the screening. And women over 65 were the least likely among all age groups to forgo the screening. Though the team is not entirely sure why women are choosing not to get mammograms, perhaps one reason is the fact that mammograms do not actually work. Norwegian researchers recently found that the risk of dying from breast cancer is largely the same whether or not a woman gets mammograms (http://www.naturalnews.com/029839_mammograms_risk.html). And other studies have found that getting mammograms actually increases a woman’s risk of developing cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/029749_nuclear_imaging_breast_cancer.html). Instead of getting routine doses of cancer-causing radiation, some women choose instead to take preventive measures to avoid getting it. These measures include maintaining high blood levels of vitamin D, eating lots of cruciferous vegetables, and avoiding toxic, cancer-causing chemicals (http://www.naturalnews.com/breast_cancer.html). Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-12/aafc-mwd120110.php

Artificial ‘nano-food’ could soon show up at a store near you

(NaturalNews) The scientific community has once again caught food-tampering fever. Recent reports indicate that food scientists are busy developing nanoparticle-modified (NM) food that could one day end up on your dinner plate — and you may never even know about it. By shifting around nanoparticles, food scientists say that fat-free foods can taste like full-fat foods, and they can be programmed to digest more slowly–two changes that some say may help reverse the obesity epidemic. But most of this research is going on in secret because of fears over how the public will respond. Like genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), nano-modifying food involves literally changing its molecular properties, which has never been proven safe. So naturally, consumers are likely to reject NM food if given the choice. “These particles could be hazardous and we need to know more about their effects both in the body and in the environment,” said Frans Kampers, coordinator of research on food nanotechnology at Wageningen and Research Center in the Netherlands. “Since these particles are very small, they can…enter cells or even the nucleus of a cell if they have the right characteristics.” The stated goal of nanotechnology research in food is to create foods that behave differently than real ones in terms of digestion, assimilation, taste and nutritional value. By altering the “nano-structure” of food, so to speak, NM food can be programmed to make people feel fuller faster, for instance. And nutrients in food can also be nano-encapsulated to release at timed intervals to specific parts of the body. Even though NM food has yet to see the light day, the European Union (EU) is already taking proactive steps to make sure that, if it does make it to consumers, NM food will at least be regulated and labeled. Thus, the EU has developed a research project called NanoLyse to address the “very limited knowledge [that is] available on the potential impact of engineered nanoparticles on consumers’ health.” Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68E24W20100915

Fish oil helps prevent breast cancer

(NaturalNews) The best way to fight breast cancer is to prevent it from ever occurring in the first place, and you can help do that by supplementing with a high quality fish oil, suggests a new study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention . According to researchers from the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash., current use of fish oil among the population is associated with a 32 percent decreased risk of developing breast cancer. Theodore Brasky and his team surveyed 35,000 women between the ages of 50 and 76 on their dietary habits, and evaluated the results based on fish oil consumption patterns. Based on a ten-year average of fish oil intake, the team found that women who consume fish oil are at a significantly reduced risk of developing breast cancer than women who do not. Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which previous studies have already found work to prevent cancer. These nutrients also help to balance out the negative effects of too much omega-6 intake, which research is showing leads to serious disease. You can learn more about fish oil by visiting the NaturalNews fish oil page: http://www.naturalnews.com/fish_oil.html Preventive medicine is the best medicine, but such medicine comes in the form of quality food and nutritional supplements. While health authorities and cancer groups push women to get mammograms and take preventive breast cancer drugs as a supposed solution, nutrition experts and those aware of the healing power of superfoods advise that women simply eat well and avoid processed food, get plenty of sunshine and vitamin D, and take an omega-3 supplement like high-quality fish oil, among other things. When choosing a fish oil, it is best to find one that has undergone as little processing as possible, and one that has been tested to be free of harmful contaminants. And if you prefer not to consume animal products, some vegetarians alternatives to fish oil include flax and hemp oils. Sources for this story include: http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Food/pink_fish_oil_breast_cancer_0610100713.html

Consumer Wellness Center invites applications for $10,000 in nutrition grants

(NaturalNews) The Consumer Wellness Center (CWC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting nutrition as a way to prevent disease and enhance human health and longevity, announces its third annual Nutritional Education Grant Program. In order to help further the cause of improved health through good nutrition, the program is offering ten $1,000 grant awards this year to people and organizations dedicated to making a positive impact on nutrition and health in their local communities and schools. “We are thrilled to be able to offer a new round of grants this year to fund truly beneficial programs that are improving health and quality of life around the world,” said Mike Adams, editor-in-chief of NaturalNews.com and executive director of the CWC. The program’s award funds are used to support cooking classes, taste-testing events for children, community gardens and other local outreach programs, all with the intent of increasing awareness about the importance of good nutrition and teaching people how to eat well for good health. “We spend nearly 100 percent of our received donations on programs, and no money whatsoever is spent on salaries,” Adams added, noting that some non-profits spend as little as five percent of their donations on their causes. Apply for a 2010 grant by October 18 CWC is thrilled by the amazing achievements of committed and loyal participants in the program from years past, and is excited to see the many new and creative ideas this year’s applicants have to offer. CWC is currently accepting grant proposals for the 2010 Nutritional Education Grant Program at the following link: http://www.consumerwellness.org/NutritionalGrantProgram.html The deadline to apply is October 18, 2010 , and all grant recipients will be announced on December 1, 2010. Funding for CWC’s Nutritional Education Grant Program has been provided by donations from: Global Healing Center (http://www.GlobalHealingCenter.com) Boku Superfood (http://www.BokuSuperfood) Health Products Distributors, Inc. (http://www.IntegratedHealth.com) Magnetic Clay Baths (http://www.MagneticClay.com) The Raw Food World (http://www.therawfoodworld.com) The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (http://www.cfsoaz.org/cfsa) ScaleWatcher (http://www.scalewatcher.com) Elements for Life Learn more about the CWC Nutritional Grant Education Program at: http://www.ConsumerWellness.org/NutritionalGrantProgram.html Highlights from last year’s nutrition grant awards For the second year in a row, CWC awarded Dr. Sanjeev Rastogi, M.D., from The Body and Mind Clinic and Research Center at Vatsala Hospital in Tulsi Das marg Lucknow, India, with a $1,000 grant. Dr. Rastogi and his team successfully used their 2008 grant to train 50 low-income, expectant mothers in proper nutrition. And in 2009, the Center built upon its previous successes by using its grant money to expand the education program into other rural communities around India. The Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC) in Corvallis, Ore., also received a second grant award from CWC in 2009 for its highly successful Farm to School program that teaches children about the importance of eating locally-grown produce as part of a healthy diet. The Center used its 2008 award to expand a pilot program that let school children taste-test various local produce, launching the program into all eight schools in the Corvallis School District. The Center used its 2009 grant money to purchase the food and supplies it needs to keep the program going strong. Neshaminy School District in Neshaminy, Penn., used its 2009 grant money to launch an elective class in nutrition designed to teach students how to improve their health by incorporating nutritionally-rich foods into their diets. The class combines nutrition education and food science theory to teach students practical, hands-on ways to prepare healthy, fresh meals, as well as how best to prepare them in order to obtain maximum nutritional benefit. More than 125 students enrolled last year in the class, thanks to the grant money. More nutrition grant success stories from both 2008 and 2009 can be found at: http://www.consumerwellness.org About the Consumer Wellness Center The Consumer Wellness Center (http://www.ConsumerWellness.org) is a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on educational initiatives that empower consumers with knowledge and wisdom on disease prevention, nutrition, peak mental and physical health and natural health modalities. The center sells no vitamins, supplements, foods or medical products, and earns no commissions from the sale of such products. To learn more about the Consumer Wellness Center, visit http://www.ConsumerWellness.org

Scientists report first evidence berries keep brains young, protect from memory loss

NaturalNews) As NaturalNews has reported over the past several years, researchers have found that berries are loaded with health-protective properties. For example, these super foods appear to fight cancer, heart disease, infections and more. Now, for the first time, there’s remarkable evidence that people who eat blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may protect their brains from the effects of aging, too. A new study, just presented in Boston at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), concluded these berries — and possibly walnuts — preserve memory and other mental faculties in a crucial but previously unknown way. They turn on the brain’s natural “housekeeper” mechanism. The result? The body cleans up and recycles toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss, dementia and other mental deterioration. Shibu Poulose, Ph.D., a scientist with the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston who presented the report, pointed out that earlier studies have suggested that as most people age, there is a decline in the body’s ability to protect itself against inflammation which, in turn, causes oxidative damage. Bottom line: inflammation may be the initial trigger behind degenerative brain diseases, heart disease, cancer, and other age-related disorders. “The good news is that natural compounds called polyphenolics found in fruits, vegetables and nuts have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect that may protect against age-associated decline,” Dr. Poulose said in a statement to the media. Dr. Poulose conducted the groundbreaking nutrition research with James Joseph, Ph.D., who passed away on June 1. Dr. Joseph, who headed the laboratory, was a pioneer in the study of how antioxidants in fruits and nuts prevent age-related cognitive decline. Previous studies by Dr. Joseph and Dr. Poulose showed that elderly laboratory rats fed diets containing an added two percent mixture of high-antioxidant strawberry, blueberry, or blackberry extract for two months became “younger” mentally. The animals’ brains showed that age-related deficits in nerve function and behavior that involve earning and remembering were actually reversed after eating berries regularly. For the new research, Dr. Poulose and Dr. Joseph investigated why nerve function declines with aging. They found it involves a reduction in what they described as the brain’s natural house-cleaning process. In a process termed autophagy , cells called microglia function as housekeepers, removing and recycling biochemical debris that otherwise would interfere with brain function. “But in aging, microglia fail to do their work, and debris builds up. In addition, the microglia become over-activated and actually begin to damage healthy cells in the brain,” Dr. Poulose stated. Using cultures of mouse brain cells, the scientists discovered that extracts of berries inhibited the action of a protein that shuts down the autophagy process. “Our research suggests that the polyphenolics in berries have a rescuing effect. They seem to restore the normal housekeeping function. These findings are the first to show these effects of berries,” said Dr. Poulose. He added that the study shows it is important to eat foods rich in phytochemicals known as polyphenolics. Dr. Poulose also pointed out that it is best to consume whole fruit, which contain the full range of hundreds of healthful phytochemicals, when possible. For more information: http://www.naturalnews.com/berries.html

White button mushrooms enhance the immune system to fight infections and cancer

(NaturalNews) Scientists have long known that certain types of mushrooms have anti-tumor activity. But what about widely available, common white button mushrooms (WBMs)? Known by the botanical name Agaricus bisporus , they are a tasty addition to everything from salads to pizzas — and, it turns out, they do have powerful health building properties. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) funded studies have shown white button mushrooms enhance the activity of critical cells in the body’s immune system. Although WBMs make up about 90 percent of the total mushrooms consumed in the United States, little research has been conducted into their nutritional value until the last few years. In groundbreaking animal and lab research conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University, scientists have now documented how WBMs boost the immune system by increasing the production of proteins that fight disease-causing pathogens. The research team, which included HNRCA director Simin Meydani and his colleague, Dayong Wu, from the HNRCA Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, discovered the mushrooms have a positive impact on immune system cells classified as dendritic cells. This is important because dendritic cells (DCs) can make white blood cells known as T cells that are crucial to a strong and healthy immune system. Dendritic cells recognize and then deactivate or destroy invading microbes such as bacteria and viruses or antigens (any substances that cause the immune system to respond). What’s more, they may play a role in fighting cancer. The HNRCA researchers found that the immune system boosting effect of white button mushrooms was related to dosage — the more mushrooms, the more pronounced the immune response. “WBM promote DC maturation and enhance their antigen-presenting function,” the scientists wrote in their research paper, which was published in The Journal of Nutrition . “This effect may have potential in enhancing both innate and T cell-mediated immunity leading to a more efficient surveillance and defense mechanism against microbial invasion and tumor development.” Another group of scientists at the City of Hope’s Beckman Research Institute in Duarte, California, published a study in Cancer Research that suggests consuming 100 grams of WBMs per day could suppress breast tumor growth in women. The research team concluded: “White button mushrooms may be an important dietary constituent for reducing the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancer in women. Prevention strategies involving mushrooms are readily available, affordable, and acceptable to the general public…The information gained from our study can aid in the design of more highly developed and effective breast cancer prevention strategies involving dietary constituents such as mushrooms.” For more information: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jul10/immunity0710.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18287364 http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/24/12026.full

Next Page »