citrinesun.com Blog

Reduce binge drinking with Chinese Kudzu

Dr. Bob Avery — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:39:25 +0000

Binge drinking is a major problem especially in Colleges and Universities. Government statistics show that about 50% of the population consume alcohol. Of these, 1/5 are binge drinkers and 1/7 are heavy drinkers. Approximately 17 million people in the United States are heavy drinkers. According to the CDC, alcohol is responsible for 75,000 deaths each year; 35,000 from medical illnesses like cirrhosis and cancer, and 40,000 from motor vehicle and other accidents.

Here is an herb that might help this problem. Researchers at Harvard studied the effects of the Chinese herb Kudzu on the rate and amount of drinking. Volunteers were put in a room with a TV, couch, refrigerator, their favorite beer, and other non-alcoholic drinks. They could drink up to 6 drinks in the first session. They then took the isoflavone puerarin from the kudzu or a placebo for one week. The session with the TV and beer was then repeated. The volunteers that received the puerarin drank fewer beers and drank at a slower pace than those who had placebo. This is and exciting finding and may prove to be a natural therapy to curb binge drinking in the future. This may also be a way to get rid of the Kudzu problem in the southern United States. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245642.php

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Phineas Gage’s Brain

Dr. Bob Avery — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:36:37 +0000

reconstruction of injury to Phineas Gage's brain

This is a wild story. The picture shows an incredible reproduced image of a skull with a rod through the front part of the left frontal lobe of the brain. This was an actual railroad accident in 1848. The rod was found covered in ” blood and brains”. Mr Gage survived the accident but had significant personality changes. Now modern science has recreated the injury and mapped the damage to the brain to help learn how the frontal lobes control personality. Phineas lived another 12 years and was able to get a job driving a stage coach. The brain is so complex, and very interesting to study. I thought this was really cool. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516195408.htm

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Sugar Zaps Your Brainpower

Dr. Bob Avery — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:20:33 +0000

This was the finding from a study out of UCLA. Rats fed a high sugar diet without omega-3 fatty acids, had trouble negotiating a maze they had previously learned to run. The rats who were fed omega-3 fatty acids ran the maze much faster than rats that were on a high fructose corn syrup supplemented diet. The explanation for the findings is twofold. One, the omega-3 fatty acids are known to be brain healthy and help the synaptic connections of the brain cells. Two, the high fructose corn syrup diet made the rats insulin resistant, a finding in people with type II diabetes. Insulin function is very important for brain function. The insulin resistance seems to play a role in memory and synaptic functioning of the brain. Very interesting findings, especially in light of how much sugar Americans eat. There are many forms of sugar including high fructose corn syrup and they are added to nearly every processed food. Americans eat 1/2 pound of sugar every day! This is bad for your weight, causes diabetes, and now appears to be bad for your brain too. Read more here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515150938.htm

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Ten Healthy Foods

Dr. Bob Avery — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:55:29 +0000

These are some of the healthiest foods, but by no means the only healthy foods. This list is compiled from data from Europe and United States. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245259.php

1. Apples: An excellent source of antioxidants, they decrease the risk of heart disease by up to 22%.

2. Almonds: Contain iron, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, magnesium and fiber. Regular consumption of almonds will improve cholesterol levels, and increase the beneficial HDL cholesterol.

3. Broccoli: Contains sulforphane and myrosinase. These two substances have powerful anti-cancer effects.

4. Blueberries: Loaded with polyphenols, blueberries are heart healthy, decrease blood pressure, improve bone strength and help to curb obesity.

5. Oily fish: An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and calcium, they help the heart, nervous system, brain, curb inflammation, and slow the progression of prostate cancer in a recent study.

6. Green leafy vegetables: Full of antioxidants and vitamins, there is almost no end to the benefits of eating green leafy vegetables. They combat oxidation and inflammation which are the causes of most chronic diseases.

7. Sweet potatoes: Filled with betacarotene and vitamins C, A and B6, sweet potatoes are an important source of these nutrients.

8. Wheat germ: This is an excellent source of vitamin E, folate, thiamin, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, and fatty acids.

9. Avocados: This fatty food is actually healthy due to the monosaturated fats it contains as well as vitamins B, K, and E. Avocados lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

10. Oatmeal: Steel cut oats are the best and an excellent source of fiber and vitamins. It will lower your cholesterol and is an excellent source of fiber.

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Power drinks damage your teeth

Dr. Bob Avery — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:37:52 +0000

Power and energy drinks have become very popular drinks. Excellent marketing and identification with athletes has improved sales tremendously. There is a cost for these drinks though. Researchers have found that the high acid levels in these drinks can irreversibly damage the enamel on your teeth after as little as 5 days of exposure. Power drinks were more damaging than energy drinks. In any case, this calls for a review of the benefit versus the risk of these drinks. Many people who consume these do so out of the feeling that they are improving their performance. This is the case for trained athletes who are undergoing vigorous exercise programs such as marathon running. Average people who are spending 30 minutes doing a light workout are barely working off the calories that are contained in the energy drink or bar. There is probably little benefit for these drinks for the average person and now we know it may be irreversibly harming your teeth. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245027.php

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Sugary drinks increase the risk of heart disease

Dr. Bob Avery — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:52:39 +0000

There are multiple mechanisms by which sugary drinks can increase the risk of heart disesase. First, sugary drinks, which are simple carbohydrates, increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by increased weight, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and diabetes. People with metabolic syndrome have a very high risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. Sugary drinks also increase the levels of blood sugar and insulin in the blood, this directed leads to weight gain. High carbohydrate intake also increases the inflammation and oxidation in the blood. These processes are directed responsible for oxidizing lipids which leads to plaque buildup in the blood vessels. Inflammation and oxidation also damage the lining of blood vessels, making them less healthy. This alters the blood vessels elasticity and also increases the activation of platelets leading to an increased risk of clotting. Remember clotting in the arteries is what a heart attack or stroke is. It is a good idea to avoid soft drinks as much as possible and drink water or tea. These are much healthier. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/242842.php

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Nutrigenomic effects of green tea polyphenols on prostate cancer

Dr. Bob Avery — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:15:20 +0000

This article in Carcinogenesis examined the mechanism behind the anti-prostate cancer effects of green tea polyphenols. Polyphenols, especially EGCG, are found in green tea and have been attributed to many of the beneficial effects of green tea. We have known from population studies that green tea consumption is associated with a decreased risk of many cancers. This research demonstrated prostate cancer cells are pushed into programmed cell death by green tea polyphenols. The GTP’s are histone deacetylase inhibitors. Histone deacetylases remove acetyl groups from the histone spool of chromatin causing the DNA to bind tightly to the histone spool.

This prevents transcription of the DNA. A histone deacetylase inhibitor prevents removal of the acetyl groups and opens up the DNA for transcription.

Deacetylated (open) histone and acetylated (closed) histone

In prostate cancer cells, GTP’s inhibit the HDAC’s, open up the DNA, and the p21 and Bax genes become available for activation. These genes cause the cancer cells to move into programmed cell death. The effect occurred whether or not the p53 tumor suppressor gene was mutated or not. This study has helped to demonstrate the mechanism behind the beneficial effects of green tea polyphenols on prostate cancer cells. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22114073

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Mediterranean Diet equals Good Brain Food

Dr. Bob Avery — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:52:05 +0000

We know the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.This study published in the Archives of Neurology was the first to study the brain for evidence of small vessel disease or mini-strokes. This makes perfect sense since studies show the Mediterranean diet makes blood vessels healthier. There are three reasons for this; fruits/vegetables, olive oil, and fish consumption. All three of these are good brain food. They improve blood vessel function, help to decrease cholesterol and blood pressure and decrease inflammation/oxidation. This is one of the healthiest diets available. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241760.php

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Polyphenols from chocolate good for the heart

Dr. Bob Avery — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:19:42 +0000

Dark Chocolate is heart healthy

Chocolate is good for the heart. Not any kind of chocolate but dark chocolate with 70% cacao or more. Cacao is loaded with polyphenols that have beneficial effects on your blood vessels, it lowers your blood pressure, lowers your cholesterol is heart healthy. Similar polyphenols are found in grapes and red wine. This is why red wine is also good for your heart. You only need 1 ounce of dark chocolate a day to get the beneficial effects. Milk chocolate unfortunately does not have enough polyphenols, and it has more sugar and fat. It is not as healthy. White chocolate is not chocolate because it does not contain cacao. So enjoy some dark chocolate, your heart will thank you.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213153957.htm

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Should sugar be regulated?

Dr. Bob Avery — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:05:14 +0000

amount of sugar in a cola

Researchers at USCF think so. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241061.php

What is wrong with a little sugar or some dessert now and then. Sugar has not been in our diets for very long. It was introduced 40 00-5000 years ago, but its use in food was rare until recently. At the turn of the last century, sugar was very expensive and was not added to foods unless you were very rich. The average American ate 1 pound of sugar a year. How much sugar do we eat now? The average American eats 1/2 pound or more sugar EVERY day! That is over 180 pounds of sugar each year in the form of added sugars in foods and drinks. One 12 ounce soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, a 36 ounce drink has 1/4 pound of sugar, so you can see how easy it is to eat 1/2 pound a day.

So what is the problem with being so sweet? First of all, sugar has a very high glycemic index. It causes the blood sugar to rise followed by insulin levels. This causes the glucose in the blood to be converted to fat but obesity is not the only problem. Sugar not only increases our weight but leads to metabolic syndrome, the precursor to diabetes and heart disease. It causes people to be overweight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, it causes inflammation in the blood which leads to damage of the blood vessels and heart, and increases the risk of cancer.

So why don’t people just stop eating sugar? It is not always that easy. Sugar causes the release of endorphins and dopamine in the brain. This causes pleasure and an increased drive to get more sugar. It causes addictive behavior in animals and humans. All in all, this sweet subject becomes very sour for hour health.

What to do? The researchers suggest societal controls like those for tobacco and alcohol. I think this is a step in the right direction. There does not need to be an end to sweets, but we are now consuming 180 times more sugar now than 100 years ago and we can see the results. Natural sugars in fruits or low glycemic index sweeteners like agave juice would be substitutes to help curb the problem. What are your thoughts?

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