American Fitness Professionals & Associates

The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.
William H. Borah

Table of Contents:
• Ancient Drug Kava Could Be Safe & Effective
• Reducing Stroke Risk
• Low-Carbohydrate Diet Impairs Memory
• High-Fat Diets Associates with Cardio-vascular Disease
• Diabetes Drugs Increase Women’s Fracture Risk
• Egg Consumption Raises the Risk of Developing Diabetes

Ancient Drug Kava Could Be Safe & Effective

A traditional preparation of the South Pacific herbal medicine kava, an ancient drug long used for treating stress and insomnia, can be safe and effective when it is prepared properly, Australian researchers have found.
The University of Queensland research team conducted a placebo-controlled, world-first clinical trial showing that kava prepared with the traditional method, which uses water, is safe for treating anxiety and improving mood, while the modern European preparation method, which uses acetone and ethanol, may be responsible for the bad side effects associated with it.
Kava has been linked to liver toxicity, which resulted in its use being banned in much of Europe. The traditional means of preparation, besides using water, also uses just the root of the plant and avoids the stems and leaves, which apparently were used in many European preparations.
Interest in kava has long been high because it has less risk of dependency and fewer potential side effects, said lead researcher Jerome Sarris. “We also found that kava has positive impact on reducing depression levels, something which had not been tested before,” Sarris said.
The Queensland researchers said larger studies will be required to confirm kava’s safety, and some experts still caution that, even when kava is prepared in the traditional manner, heavy use is associated with moderately raised liver enzymes. researcher A. M. Jiménez-Monreal. “In short, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables.”

To receive a copy of the study please contact Jeannie Houchins at jhouchins@ift.org

Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is a nonprofit scientific society with more than 20,000 individual members working in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT serves as a conduit for multidisciplinary science thought leadership, championing the use of sound science through knowledge sharing, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.IFT.org

Reducing Stroke Risk

It takes less than a minute for a stroke to change a person’s life forever, but taking the time to make a few simple lifestyle adjustments and finding out how to recognize an attack when it happens can save thousands of lives.
“It is the third-leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of adult disabilities, but more than half of all strokes can be prevented,” says Dr. Matthew Fink, chief of the Division of Stroke and Critical Care Neurology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

These few lifestyle changes can greatly reduce anyone’s chances of having a stroke:

•    Reduce salt intake. High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of stroke. Cutting back on salt is one of the most significant steps to maintaining or lowering your blood pressure to a healthy level of 120/80 or below. Try flavoring your food with a variety of spices that may be healthier than salt.

•    Eat a heart-healthy diet. Maintaining a healthy balance between your good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) is the best way to prevent high cholesterol, heart disease and the increased risk of stroke. Your cholesterol level should remain at 200 mg/dl or below.

•    Stop smoking. Smoking is bad not only for your lungs but also for your brain. A smoker is at twice the risk of having a stroke because smoking damages blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and speeds up the clogging of arteries.

•    Exercise. If you are obese or overweight, your risk factors for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes increases and so does your risk for a stroke. Extra weight places an added strain on your entire circulatory system, but aerobic exercise can be a good way to lose those extra pounds and substantially improve your health.

However, certain populations still are at higher risk of having a stroke even after making the proper lifestyle changes. These include adults 55 or older, African-Americans, and Hispanics, those with a family history of stroke, and people who have already had an attack or a transient ischemic attack (mini stroke). In addition, women are more likely to die from a stroke than men, although attacks are more common in men.

Low-Carbohydrate Diet Impairs Memory

Dieters who eliminated carbohydrates scored lower on memory-based tests in a new study from Tufts University. Nineteen women consumed either a low-carbohydrate diet or a balanced, calorie-restricted diet and performed a series of cognitive tests. Over the three-week study, low-carbohydrate dieters showed a gradual decline in cognition, which returned to normal after carbohydrates were reintroduced.

D’Anci KE, Watts KL, Kanarek RB, Taylor HA. Low-carbohydrate weight loss diets. Effects on cognition and mood. Appetite. 2009;52:96-103.

High-Fat Diets Associates with Cardio-vascular Disease

Another large study has found that people who consume the most fruits and vegetables have fewer heart attacks, while those who consume more meat, fried foods, and salty snacks have more heart attacks. This comparison of dietary patterns, published in Circulation, looked at heart attacks among more than 16,000 participants from 52 countries. Unhealthful diets accounted for about 30 percent of heart attacks worldwide.

Iqbal R, Anand S, Ounpuu S, et al. Dietary patterns and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in 52 countries: Results of the INTERHEART Study. Circulation. 2008;118:1929-1937.

Diabetes Drugs Increase Women’s Fracture Risk

Avandia and Actos, two diabetes drugs, double the risk of bone fractures in women with type 2 diabetes, according to a new report by researchers at Wake Forest University and Britain’s University of East Anglia.

The researchers analyzed 10 studies of more than 14,000 diabetes patients and found that both drugs doubled women’s risk of bone fractures, but had no effect on men’s risk of bone fractures. The cause of the gender-specific effect on fractures was unclear, but researchers suggested the drugs may cause the problem by replacing bone marrow with fat cells.

The medications pose other concerns, particularly weight gain and increased risk of heart failure. Treatment costs around $110 per month. This new study highlights the need to promote lifestyle modifications in managing type 2 diabetes. PCRM’s recent study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, showed the benefits of a low-fat vegan diet for type 2 diabetes, without harmful side effects.

Singh S, Loke YK. The safety of rosiglitazone in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Pharma Sci. 2008;7:579-585.

Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJA, Gloede L, Green AA. Changes in nutrient intake and dietary quality among participants with type 2 diabetes following a low-fat vegan diet or a conventional diabetes diet for 22 weeks. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108:1636-1645.

Egg Consumption Raises the Risk of Developing Diabetes

Daily consumption of eggs increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes; according to a new study published in Diabetes Care.
In this study of about 57,000 men and women from two large randomized trials, researchers found that daily egg intake was associated with a 77 percent and 58 percent increased risk for women and men, respectively.

Djoussé L, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, Lee I. Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:295-300.

Selected segments are reproduced from:

Dr. Mercola’s excellent website:  http://www.mercola.com/index.htm

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org

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