Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

Chalk up another one for fruits and veggies! Yes, we know they’re good for us, but maybe it helps motivate us to actually EAT them when we see this hard data.

Recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a link between fruit/vegetable consumption and bone mineral concentrations (think osteoporosis prevention). The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene, as well as the bone formation contribution of Vitamin K, all found in the foods of nature, are credited with this positive health benefit in people of all ages.

Study commentators reflected that:

In addition to their antioxidant effects, fruit and vegetables are generally alkaline and thus may counteract the increasing risk of bone destruction, which is known to occur in the acidic environment created by proteins and refined grains.

All these positive health effects of common nutrients reinforce my desire to make SURE I’m getting them on a daily basis with a baseline, convenient, daily supplement program.

The July/August 2006 edition of the Journal of Nutrition reports on recent research demonstrating the heart-healthy effects of vegetable consumption. According to the Reuters Health report of this research:

[Veggies] may thwart the progression of atherosclerosis, a hardening and narrowing of arteries that can lead to heart disease and stroke.

The anti-oxidants in the veggies are believed to be responsible for this health benefit, shown in this research in mice.

So, mice genetically bred to have fast-hardening arteries ate broccoli, green beans, peas, corn, and carrots and had cleaner arteries than the veggie-deprived mice.

I found it very interesting to note that the funding for this study was from General Mills, who makes the Green Giant brand of frozen and canned vegetables.

Now, I’m all for eating veggies as part of a healthy diet, but I am not persuaded to make the jump from this research to believing that I am providing my heart with considerable protection when I spoon in the peas and carrots.

According to the general body of research I’ve seen, the range of protective benefits for humans from antioxidant consumption requires antioxidant amounts far in excess of the average processed veggie of today. I like most vegetables fairly well, but I don’t fancy the prospect of eating mountains of broccoli to get antioxidant heart health.

By neutralizing free radicals, which damage cells throughout the body, antioxidants provide a wide range of health benefits. To be sure I’m getting them in the amounts I need, I’m much more confident in consuming these plant-based nutrients in a reliable, convenient form, like an easy-to-swallow supplement!

Well, the results are in from the National Institute of Health conference on the the effects of multi-vitamin/mineral (MVM) supplementation on chronic disease prevention.

Perhaps you’ve seen some of the traditional media reports claiming that the NIH is discouraging the use of MVM’s.

Oh, puh-leez. If you read the actual report you can see for yourself that the bottom line is that the panel didn’t feel they could make strong recommendations about using MVM’s for chronic disease prevention because there haven’t been enough studies done to support definitive conclusions.

Well, on the one hand that’s not too surprising. Few supplement companies can or will commit to that kind of clinical research and those that do, don’t have the huge profit margins of the drug companies at their disposal.

On the other hand, it does make me wonder about a double standard. Drugs are approved for sale and can claim to alleviate health problems all the time without multiple studies. It seems to me that much less is required for an official approval of a synthetic drug. Why do you suppose that is?

On May 16, 2006, the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that, based on an analysis of data from the the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (from 1999 to 2002), 4.1 million Americans have been infected with the hepatitis C virus (HVC), and most of them have chronic infection. That’s a huge number of people.

According to the Reuters Health report of this article:

Chronic hepatitis C is the leading reason for liver transplantation and up to 5 percent of people with chronic disease will die.

We took a look a couple of weeks ago at the amazing role of the liver in the body and its many critical functions. I am so pleased to tell you that there is a relatively new product available that has been clinically proven to significantly reduce HVC levels in patients with high viral titers!

Talk about a timely public health solution!

According to the National Institute of Health website, the NIH will hold a “State-of-the-Science” conference from May 15-17 to examine the effects of multi-vitamin/mineral (MVM) supplementation on chronic disease prevention.

Awesome! I look forward to the results of this conference.

The panel experts will likely be looking at studies such as these conducted by my favorite supplement company to prove the efficacy of their MVM:

Effects of Calcium and Micronutrients on Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Bone Loss. J Am Med Assoc 1980;244:1915 (abstract).

Multivitamin-mineral Supplementation: Effects on Blood Chemistries of College-Age Women. Spiller, Pattison, Jensen, Wong, Whittam, Scala. Acta Vitaminol Enzymol 1985;7:217-22.

Calcium Nutrition and Skeletal and Alveolar Bone Health. Albanese, Lorenze, Edelson . Nutr Rep Int 1985;31:741-55.

Homocysteine Lowering in Men and Women with Normal Plasma Homocysteine Levels. Spiller, Bruce, Jensen. J Am Coll Nutr 1998;17:530 (abstract).

Effect of Long-Term Vitamin-Mineral Supplements on Immune Response in Older Healthy Adults. Spiller, Whittam, Bruce, Morse, Chernoff, Jensen. J Am Coll Nutr 1998;17:511 (abstract).

By Vicky Uhland
12/1/2005

A study finding that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and lutein with zeaxanthin could save American senior citizens $5.6 billion in health care costs during the next five years has resulted in the formation of a bipartisan Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus.

The study, commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance and released Nov. 2 [2005] was conducted by The Lewin Group, a Falls Church, Va.-based health care consulting firm. A similar study, which found that regular intake of calcium and folic acid could save more than $15 billion in health care costs over five years, was released in 2004.

The Lewin Group analyzed hundreds of studies conducted over the last 30 years on omega-3s and lutein with zeaxanthin. The group concluded that an 1,800 milligram daily dose of omega-3s [link added] could reduce coronary heart disease in people over age 65, resulting in 384,303 fewer hospitalizations over the next five years and a consequent $3.1 billion savings in health care expenditures.

Seniors who take 6 milligrams to 10 milligrams a day of lutein with zeaxanthin [link added] could reduce their susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration, The Lewin Group found. During the next five years, that would result in 98,219 fewer people losing their independence because of advanced AMD, saving $2.5 billion in caregiving costs.

Although this year’s Lewin Group study wasn’t as widely reported as last year’s, [...] the findings resulted in the creation of the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus. “This is the first-ever assembly of congressional representatives that will collectively be supporting our interests,” he said. “It puts their views in a public forum and sends a message to their colleagues that there is bipartisan support for continued availability and access to these vital products.” The caucus, headed by Reps. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Dan Burton, R-Ind., is still in the formation stage, said Cannon’s spokesman, Charles Isom. “We have three co-chairs, and we’re looking for a fourth to make it bipartisan.” Isom said the caucus’ goal is to “educate members of Congress — in a bipartisan manner — regarding dietary supplement use, and to promote health and well-being.”

Balbert said DSEA plans to commission further studies on supplements’ role in reducing health care costs. “The industry lobbyists used [the 2004 study] extensively in all lobbying efforts,” and reports had been highly favorable, he said.

SOURCE: Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXVI/number 12/p. 7