Featured Topic: Choline (3 slides)

Transcription

1 Featured Topic: Choline (3 slides)

2 Choline the vitamin no one talks about Choline is a water-soluble member of the B vitamin family Several important jobs in the body Formation of cell membranes Precursor to acetylcholine, one of the most important neurotransmitters in the brain Prevents buildup of inflammatory homocysteine in the blood VITAL during pregnancy for normal brain development in babies One study found a 24% reduction in risk of breast cancer in women with high choline levels

3 What happens if you don t get enough choline Birth defects in babies (along with folate) Risk of neural tube defects is 4 times higher in women with low choline levels Fatty liver Up to 25% of the population already has problems with fatty liver Muscle damage Fatigue Brain fog and memory problems

4 Choline intake Best food sources of choline: egg yolks, organ meats, wheat germ 90% of Americans have low choline levels Up to 50% of Americans have genetic variations that make them poor processors of choline, so they need to consume higher levels of it Recommended intake: 425 mg/d for women, 450 mg/d for pregnant women, 550 mg/d for lactating women and 550 mg/d for men

5 It s That Time of Year Again! Football, Falling Leaves and the Flu Vaccine Discussion (2 slides)

6 FluMist a no go Centers for Disease Control recently reported that last year s FluMist nasal spray vaccine was 3% effective CDC now advises against FluMist Previously, experts have said Flu vaccine is only a little bit effective for healthy young and middle-aged people Flu vaccine is NOT effective for people 65 and older Flu vaccine recommendations are based on inadequate evidence and poorly executed studies.

7 Nature s Flu Vaccine Vitamin D Supplemental vitamin D (1200 IU daily) in school children helped reduce the incidence of type A flu (influenza) by 8% Some children received supplemental vitamin D from their parents BEFORE enrolling in the trial If look at only children who had NO supplemental vitamin D prior to the study, the risk of infection was reduced almost 60% In a separate study in adults, higher vitamin D levels was associated with a 50% reduction in respiratory infections

8 Propolis for cancer and more (3 slides)

9 Propolis kills breast cancer cells Propolis is one of the oldest natural medicines used in cancer treatment Modern research has identified one of the key compounds responsible for its anti-cancer effects: CAPE (caffeic acid phenethyl ester) CAPE works by: Activating protective genes that weaken cancer cells, making them vulnerable to chemotherapy Blocking receptors on estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells In a recent study, researchers compared the effects of CAPE alone (extracted from propolis) and propolis standardized for CAPE content on breast cancer cells Results: propolis standardized for CAPE was much more effective than using just CAPE by itself after 72 hours exposure, CAPE reduced the number of breast cancer cells by about 80% while propolis killed 100% of the cancer cells

10 More Benefits of CAPE in propolis Antibacterial Antiviral Reduced HIV entry into cells by up to 98% As effective as the drug acyclovir in stopping herpes simplex virus (cold sore virus) Antifungal In a test against 15 common fungal pathogens (including Candida albicans), propolis stopped almost all fungal activity Antioxidant Propolis increased glutathione levels by 50% in prostate cancer cells Anti-inflammatory

11 Picking Your Propolis Clinical studies were on a purified propolis removing wax, resin and impurities yields a more powerful concentrated extract Use topically for cold sores/fever blisters Orally, mg daily for General immune support Cold and flu Yeast GI Problems (peptic ulcer) Any bacterial, viral, or fungal infection

12 Warning Signs of Colon Cancer (4 slides)

13 See your doctor if (via webmd.com) Change in bowel habits, including constipation, diarrhea, and bowel incontinence. Usually these symptoms are not serious, but they can be an early warning sign of colon cancer. Blood on or in the stool: if you notice blood in your stool, it could be a sign of cancer or it could be something as simple as a hemorrhoid, so see your doctor for a diagnosis Unexplained anemia (shortage of red blood cells); anemia makes you so tired that you don t feel energized, even after a good rest Unusual stomach or gas pain Unexplained weight loss Fatigue Vomiting

14 Colon Cancer Prevention Stay away from processed meats One study found that eating 3.5 ounces of processed meat a day (the equivalent of 1 sausage link plus 1 slice of lunchmeat ham) increases risk of colon cancer by 36% Get moving Australian researchers found that people who spent 10 or more years in very sedentary jobs had double the risk of colon cancer and 44% increased risk of rectal cancer Reduce blood sugar levels People with Type 2 diabetes have a 26% increased risk of developing colon cancer, and a 30% increased risk of dying from it

15 Curcumin and Colon Cancer One of the most powerful natural medicines to treat colon cancer is curucmin Curcumin has a triple effect against colon cancer Protects against cancer cell formation in the presence of carcinogens Inhibits proteins which cause cancer progression Causes colon cancer cells to self-destruct In pre-clinical tests, curcumin enhanced the effects of chemotherapy drugs, making them more effective against cancer cells Curcumin was able to induce cell death in colon cancer cells that were resistant to the chemotherapy drug Curcumin also killed colon cancer stem cells These results mean that less of the toxic cancer drug is needed for beneficial effects; there is less risk of adverse effects or cancer reoccurrence

16 Additional Natural Protection against Colon Cancer Vitamin D Higher levels of vitamin D reduce risk of colon and rectal cancer by about 50% For those diagnosed with colon cancer, higher blood levels of Vitamin D are associated with a 39% reduced risk of death Most experts suggest IU or more Grape Seed In a study looking at colon cancer cells, grape seed combined with chemotherapy increased the drug s effectiveness by 25% and decreased drug-induced inflammation by up to 55% Look for tannin-free grape seed extract standardized to OPC content for best results