CoQ10 And Heart Health
Coenzyme Q10 is an essential component in the body's production of energy.
If the body has sufficient stores of CoQ10, it can supply the huge amount of energy necessary to perform the functions of the body. This nutrient is found in all foods, but is easily destroyed in processing and cooking. In addition, the body's CoQ10 levels drop rapidly after age 25.
"Coenzyme Q10 appears to be a giant step forward in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease," write James F. Balch, M.D., and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., in Prescription for Nutritional Healing.
The Balchs refer to a six-year study carried out by researchers at the University of Texas. The study found that patients being treated for congestive heart failure who took CoQ10 in addition to standard therapy achieved a 75% chance of survival after three years compared to a 25% survival rate for those solely using conventional therapy. In a collaborative study between the University of Texas and Japan's Center for Adult Diseases, CoQ10 supplementation lowered high blood pressure without medication or dietary changes.
It seems that many heart patients are very low in CoQ10. One study cited in The Alternative Health & Medicine Encyclopedia found deficiencies in 75% of 132 patients undergoing heart surgery. Peter Langsjoen, a Texas cardiologist said, 'In 80% of my heart patients, I see a clinical improvement within four weeks of administering coenzyme Q10.'
In heart failure, supplements of coenzyme Q10 are thought to help the remaining muscle cells do their jobs more efficiently.
Reference: Balch, James F., M.D., and Balch, Phyllis A., C.N.C. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 1997
Beta-Carotene: Proven Again
Beta-carotene is a vitamin A precursor —a substance from which another substance is formed.
Some biochemists believe that beta-carotene and other carotenoids may be more effective in preventing lung cancer than vitamin A. Vitamin A is a necessary cancer-preventive, too, but it guards us against this disease in different ways. Essential to cell differentiation, vitamin A appears to be able to reverse malignant characteristics of cells.
Over and above the positive influences of vitamin A, beta-carotene guards our health by serving as an antioxidant, and by stimulating our immune system.
Stanley Levenson, M.D., professor of surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, states that, in its ability to suppress cancer, beta-carotene exerts its protective effects longer than does vitamin A.
Various studies stress that beta-carotene is indeed helpful for preventing cancer. Garrison and Somers, in The Nutrition Desk Reference, make the statement that "...beta-carotene might be more related to the prevention of certain types of cancer than vitamin A. The carotenoids also appear to be more effective against the early stages of cancer, whereas vitamin A is more effective in later stages."
They make another point: that while vitamin A in huge amounts may be toxic, beta-carotene is not. Since beta-carotene is a naturally-occurring pigment, the only adverse effect of eating too much beta-carotene is the possibility of carotenemia, a harmless condition in which the skin turns a slight orange color.
Studies by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine show that a daily intake of beta-carotene and other carotenoids might help to prevent lung cancers in both smokers and abstainers ("second-hand" smokers).
Experiments at Albert Einstein School of Medicine reveal that low blood levels of beta-carotene appear to relate to an increased risk of lung, stomach, and colon cancer.
Those who took the most beta-carotene had only one-seventh the amount of lung cancer as did those who took the least beta-carotene. Conversely, those who ate the least beta-carotene had seven times more lung cancer than did the others.
Another similar study disclosed that people who ate green vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and spinach, just three times weekly, were twice as likely to develop lung cancer as those who ate them every day.
A monumental, 10-year study of 250,000 volunteers in Japan confirms this finding and goes even further. Individuals who ate beta-carotene-rich produce not only had far less lung cancer than those who didn't, but also less cancer of the cervix, colon, prostate, and stomach.
References: Barilla, Jean, ed. The Nutrition Superbook, The Antioxidants, 1995. Edes, Thomas E., M.D. "Beta-carotene and Vitamin A: Casting Separate Shadows," The Nutrition Report, 10(2) February 1992.
Arthritis And Pain
Arthritis is the number one chronic illness in the U.S., affecting 37 million Americans.
Conventional treatment usually consists of aspirin and prescription drugs, many of which have serious side effects. The good news is that research continues to show that the disease is modifiable with high-quality nutrition including diet and supplements. Dietary approaches include a vegetarian diet, a macrobiotic diet, and assessing for food allergy/hypersensitivity. Common food allergens are milk, wheat, yeast, soy, coffee, tea, chocolate, shellfish, citrus, corn, eggs, and beef.
Hundreds of thousands of arthritis sufferers have used dietary supplements as a treatment for their disease and have experienced significant improvement. Nutrients found to be of special benefit are vitamins A, C, E, niacinamide, pantothenic acid, and the minerals zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese. Herbs with traditional use are licorice, turmeric, yucca, alfalfa, and devil's claw. Other nutrients include glucosamine sulfate (GS) and omega-3 fatty acids.
Reference: Nutrition Science News, September 1995.
Reduce Your Cancer Risk With Garlic
The effectiveness of garlic (Allium sativum) as a cancer fighter has been known since ancient times. Today, garlic is attributed with destroying cancer cells and inhibiting both the initiation and promotion stages of cancer. However, garlic appears to have the strongest anti-cancer effect when consumed regularly before the onset of cancer or when cancer cell numbers are small.
Numerous laboratory experiments indicate that garlic prevents tumor formation, even in the presence of carcinogens.Researchers at Pennsylvania State University report that garlic reduces, by up to 66%, the effects of a carcinogen called N-nitroso compound in liver and breast cells. The carcinogenic effects of a carcinogen found in cigarette smoke, charcoal-broiled meats, and air pollution are also suppressed by garlic.
Another study reports that garlic prevents uptake of amino acids by leukemia cells. In addition, garlic may inhibit carcinogen-induced tumors by up to 70%.
Human studies of garlic and cancer have been very promising. Epidemiological case-control studies in China and Italy show a greatly reduced risk of stomach cancer when the diet is rich in garlic. In fact, stomach cancer risk drops by up to 40% in those eating large amounts of garlic and onions. A study of 41,000 women in Iowa found that eating garlic at least once a week reduced the risk of colon cancer by 35%.
With so many studies documenting the anti-cancer ability of garlic, it seems that the ancient belief in garlic as a cancer fighter has been validated. The consensus from this research is that garlic affects cancer in at least three ways: 1) by direct action on tumor cell metabolism; 2) by inhibition of the initiation and promotion phases of cancer; and 3) by strengthening immune function and the body's defenses against cancerous changes to cells.
References: Amagase, H., Schaffer, E.M., and Milner, J.A. "Ability of Garlic to Suppress Mammary DNA Adducts," Journal of Nutrition 126:817-24, 1996. Ip, C., Lisk, D., and Scimeca, J. "Potential of food Modification in Cancer Prevention," Cancer Research 54(supplement): 1957-9, 1994.
Bolster Your Cold And Flu Defenses
As we head into that part of the year when cold-and flu-causing germs are everywhere, here's some sound advice: consume, on a daily basis, those nutrients and herbs that will optimize your chances of avoiding the sick days.
Depending on your current health, you may want to consume a basic daily regimen including: 500 mg of vitamin C, a good B-50 complex, 25,000 IU per day of beta-carotene (or 5,000 IU per day of vitamin A), 400 IU per day of vitamin D, 200 IU of vitamin E, 25-50 mg of pantothenic acid (vitamin B12), and a good bioflavonoid complex. Add to this a multimineral, and you are on your way to good immune system health. In addition, you can make use of your body's ability to avoid infectious diseases associated with the season by including in your diet certain herbs known to boost immunity.
Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceous) is one of the most important herbs in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, and has even been investigated by university scientists, where it was found to possess significant immune-enhancing action.
Siberian Ginseng root (Eleutherococcus senticosis) acts through the pituitary-adrenal axis to offset the effects of stress on the body, especially the immune system. Because of this ability to help the body adapt to stress, Siberian Ginseng was labeled an "adaptogen" by the Russians.
Lapacho (Tabebuia avellandedae, T. Impetiginosa), sometimes called Pau D'Arco, has proved useful in treating infections of all kinds.
Lapacho finds application as a good treatment for infections of all kinds, both external and internal, viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic. It is especially valuable for vaginal yeast infections and asthma. Thus, when the "season" is upon us, lapacho would be a choice herb for establishing and maintaining health and balance for the immune system.
Reference: Wang, D.C. "Influence of astragalus membranaceous (AM) polysaccharaide FB on immunologic function of human periphery blood lymphocyte," Chung Hua Chung Liu Tsa Chih 11(3):180-3, 1989.
Research presented at the 1st World Congress on Calcium and Vitamin D in Human Life showed that, in looking at calcium's effects on hypertension, inadequate calcium consumption during pregnancy may be a cause of cardiovascular risk throughout the life cycle.
David McCarron, M.D., professor of medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University, said that some diseases developing later in life in healthy women may be the consequence of inadequate calcium consumption during pregnancy. According to information from Oregon Health Sciences University, hypertension is one of the most frequent causes of maternal death, and pregnancy-induced hypertension occurs in 10-20% of pregnancies.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that an increase in calcium consumption by pregnant women reduced their risk of high blood pressure by 70%.
Preventing Heart Attacks
According to the American Heart Association, 11.2 million people have a history of heart attack or angina, and each year, 1.5 million people will experience a heart attack.
The good news is that you can reduce your chances of becoming a statistic by giving your heart a little attention, consideration, proper exercise, and supportive nutrition.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is nearly always a consequence of a narrowing of the coronary arteries by atherosclerosis—a disease in which fatty plaques develop on the inner walls of the arteries, with eventual obstruction of blood flow.
One of the most important considerations in preventing and managing hardening of the arteries is to reduce elevated cholesterol levels.
Various studies show that people with cholesterol levels above 256 have a 500% greater risk of developing CHD than those whose total cholesterol readings are below 220.
Many studies demonstrate that calcium, magnesium, and potassium in foods or in supplements can often lower elevated blood pressure, which, in turn, can reduce one's chances of having a heart attack. Beginning with our diet, several foods can lower blood cholesterol: apples, carrots, chili pepper, garlic (fresh cloves minced in other foods or an odorless garlic supplement), soy lecithin, oat bran, olive oil, and yogurt all demonstrate lower cholesterol qualities.
Baylor College of Medicine's Josef Patsch demonstrated that daily and vigorous exercise is one of the best means of lowering blood cholesterol and increasing the ratio of HDL to LDL and ridding the blood of excess fats.
Another source of harmful clots is an elevated level of the amino acid homocysteine, which is usually present in the bloodstream of healthy individuals in low levels. The higher the amount of homocysteine, the easier the formation of clots.
Biochemists have found ways of counteracting this state with generous amounts of vitamin B-complex—especially vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid.
Not only does vitamin E scavenge free radicals, it also works to prevent abnormal platelet aggregation.
According to Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D., in Lipoic Acid: The Metabolic Antioxidant, through its metabolic activities, alpha lipoic acid can lower total cholesterol levels by as much as 40%. Through its antioxidative effects, this compound protects against heart disease by reducing the damage to cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins.
Other minerals necessary for efficient heart functioning are calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, and zinc.
As discussed in Dick Quinn's Death by Deception, hawthorn is one of the most effective heart tonics which has been shown to speed recovery from a heart attack, strengthen the heart muscle, lower blood pressure, and regulate the heart beat.
The best program for the heart is one that is all-encompassing, a total lifetime program that includes a healthful diet, nutritional supplementation, regular aerobic exercise, and stress management.
References: Goldstrich, Joe D., M.D. The Cardiologist's Painless Prescription for a Healthy Heart and Longer Life, 1994. Quinn, Dick and Quinn, Shannon, et al. Death By Deception: Unmasking Heart Failure, 1996.
