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April 12, 2011  In This Issue... - Nature's Blood Pressure Remedy and Other Stunning Super Fruit Facts!
- Sleep At The Right Time and Other Stay Young Secrets
- Delicious 'Wonder Drug' for High Blood Pressure Praised by Harvard
- Blood Test for Brain Trauma
- No TV Week
Nature's Blood Pressure Remedy and Other Stunning Super Fruit Facts! - Improve blood pressure by 8 points in 30 days
- Normalize LDL cholesterol -- make a 10% improvement in just 6 weeks
- Support healthier insulin levels -- improve efficiency of insulin by up to 22% in 6 weeks
- Energize your body with the secret fruit of the only Native American Indians not conquered in 300 years
- Protect your arteries by reducing oxidized cholesterol by up to 90%
No question the fruit you eat is good for you, but the fruit you see in your local market doesn’t compare to these seven super fruits. Here’s what makes them different... Read more...
Sleep At The Right Time and Other Stay Young Secrets It’s certainly true that we live in a youth-obsessed culture, but the desire to stave off aging is long-standing and universal. Remember Ponce de Leon’s search for the Fountain of Youth? Nowadays there are lots of products and programs aimed at holding back the years -- but they’re not only unproven and expensive, many are also just plain unsafe. And, of course, we’ve been writing about strategies for longevity over the years -- but it isn’t often that something truly new and effective comes along... until now. You may recall that I recently interviewed Michael Aziz, MD, an internist who practices in New York City and author of The Perfect 10 Diet, a book in which he explains how the modern way of eating damages our hormones, thus causing extra weight (see Daily Health News, January 13, 2011 "Balance Hormones for Weight Loss, Great Health"). At that time we focused on weight loss, but Dr. Aziz’s book also provides helpful information on how to delay aging and I thought that information was worthy of its own article. It isn’t an approach that you’ve seen before -- and some of it will surely surprise you. According to Dr. Aziz, aging degrades our bodies in several different ways: - The "rusting" of our bodies through oxidation. While oxygen is vital to life, it’s also oxidation in the body that produces free radicals -- molecules that damage, disrupt and destroy nearby cells. Allowed to continue unchecked, free radicals eventually accumulate and inflict damage on the body to the point that many healthy cells can no longer survive properly and aging takes over. As we age, our bodies tend to lose the ability to resist oxidative challenges due to improper diet (sugar, refined vegetable oil used in fast foods), nutrient absorption issues, accumulated stress and other causes such as toxins and air pollution.
- Suboptimal hormone levels. Normal aging brings a steep decline in certain hormones, the ones that help maintain energy, skin elasticity, recovery from injury -- both physical and biochemical -- and resistance to disease and infection. These include sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) and human growth hormone (HGH). Meanwhile cortisol, the hormone associated with stress, is the only hormone that naturally rises with age -- which is especially a problem for people whose cortisol levels have been chronically elevated due to ongoing stress. Such hormonal changes accelerate the aging process.
- Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). AGEs result when sugars bind (glycate) to proteins when you cook at high temperatures without using water, such as when you grill meat. Evidence is rapidly building that AGEs are implicated in wrinkles and, more importantly, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and even Alzheimer’s disease.
The Doctor’s Plan for a Natural Antiaging Program Dr. Aziz says that there are many lifestyle choices you can make that will diminish the impact of these three aging factors in your body... - Promote HGH production. HGH stimulates new tissue growth. It is produced when tissue is replaced due to normal recycling and response to injury. There has been some controversy around HGH supplementation, relating to a possible link to fast-growing cancer cells. But Dr. Aziz says that naturally produced HGH actually serves as a buffer against cancer by strengthening the immune system and increasing the size of the thymus gland, which ordinarily shrinks with age. Eating frequently suppresses HGH secretion. Dr. Aziz advocates three square meals a day, and limiting snacks to the days you work out. Since HGH also has fat-burning properties, it is no wonder that it is hard for overweight people to lose weight. Excess body fat lowers HGH -- so lose weight! Another safe and easy way to bring up your HGH levels naturally without controversial HGH injections is an occasional fast. Dr. Aziz advises having a 24-hour vegetable-juice fast every two to three weeks, drinking just tomato juice or fresh vegetable juice (low-salt if you have a blood pressure problem). Fasting and reducing calories has been shown to promote longevity in insects... new research now shows it can do the same in mammals.
- Sleep is important, too. The body produces HGH up until one or two in the morning, so if you tend to burn the midnight oil it’s best to go to bed a bit earlier to increase the length of time your body produces HGH.
- Lift weights. Weight-training increases muscle mass and also ups HGH production -- even if you train with only light weights.
- Make protein at least 20% of your daily calorie intake. The body uses protein to manufacture hormones, so it is vital to consume it in sufficient quantity. Dr. Aziz thinks that the best proteins to consume are animal-based, as they are rich in vitamin B-12, which keeps your memory sharp, among other benefits. Many people turn to soy for a large portion of their protein, but too much soy reduces testosterone in men and raises estrogen in women, which is not good for natural hormone balance. Note: It’s best to eat your meat rare to medium rare (per FDA guidelines, rare is an internal temperature of 145°F for steaks and roasts... 160°F for ground beef) and cook protein in ways that decrease AGEs production. (For more on AGEs, see Daily Health News, April 6, 2010 "Cooking the Health Out of Your Food?".)
- Do not follow a vegetarian diet. Dr. Aziz cautions against a vegetarian diet because it becomes challenging to eat enough protein to serve hormones effectively -- and in fact, vegetarian men’s testosterone levels tend to be 15% lower than normal. Advocates of vegetarian diets overlook the negative effect on hormones such as thyroid and HGH. Vegetable protein sources also lack vitamin B-12.
- Sharply curtail eating sugar in all its forms. This includes not only refined sugar, but also starchy carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta. Sugar is harmful because it promotes oxidation... triggers the release of insulin, thus raising cortisol (both are potentially aging hormones) and also because AGEs need sugar to develop. Even natural fructose in fruits can be a problem in large amounts. The human body can effectively metabolize only 15 grams of fructose a day -- about two pieces of fruit.
- Avoid refined vegetable oils. Corn oil, soy oil and all other refined vegetable oils are chemically processed using high heat, which creates a bevy of free radicals leading to oxidation in the body. Avoid fried foods for the same reason. Dr. Aziz’s favorite oil: Macademia oil, as it has a high burning point. (For information on how to choose healthy oils, see Daily Health News, March 15, 2010 "Unsavory Truth About Vegetable Oils".)
- Amp up your sex life. For men, according to Dr. Aziz, having frequent sex increases sex hormone levels, especially testosterone. Research from England shows that men who have two or more orgasms a week are more likely to live seven or eight years longer! Is it a link between testosterone levels and longevity? Absolutely, says Dr. Aziz. Men with low testosterone have a 33% chance of higher mortality according to several research studies. And let’s not forget that people who have sex frequently are more relaxed and feel livelier and happier.
Other Antiaging Reminders Must we mention smoking? For those few who continue to puff, you should know that smoking directly accelerates aging in numerous ways. Should we take supplements? Yes, says Dr. Aziz, starting with a good multivitamin supplement via an all-natural whole-food pill that has no artificial ingredients (he likes the brand Juice Plus). Also, for much-needed youth-giving omega-3s, he prefers krill oil to fish oil because it is more potent. As a last recommendation, after the long cold winter, Dr. Aziz says to throw open your windows to let in the fresh air. The pollution in your home, from various chemicals, pesticides, cleaning products and the like, could be worse than what lurks outside. Fill your lungs with oxygen, and enjoy your newfound sense of youthful well-being. Source(s): Michael Aziz, MD, is a board-certified internist at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. He practices in New York City and is author of The Perfect 10 Diet (Cumberland House). 
Delicious 'Wonder Drug' for High Blood Pressure Praised by Harvard Researchers According to recent estimates, nearly one in three American adults has high blood pressure. But for the Kuna Indians living on a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, hypertension doesn't even exist. In fact, after age 60, the average blood pressure for Kuna Indian islanders is a perfect 110/70. So what makes these folks practically "immune" to hypertension -- and lets them enjoy much lower death rates from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and cancer? Harvard researchers were stunned to discover it's because they drink about five cups of cocoa each day. That's right, cocoa! Learn more...
Blood Test for Brain Trauma There are days when I especially love this job -- because I have the chance to tell you something positive that can benefit all of us. And that is this -- Army doctors have made a tremendous breakthrough developing a simple blood test that can detect mild brain injury and concussion. This has been a dream of our armed forces doctors -- especially in recent years, as they work with such a high percentage of soldiers injured in bomb blasts during combat operations. If a concussion is misdiagnosed -- even a mild one -- and then a second concussion occurs soon after the first, permanent brain damage is more likely to result. And this breakthrough test is going to help anyone who might one day receive a mild concussion -- not just soldiers on a battlefield, but teen athletes, car accident victims or any of us. A little background: Certainly a first concussion can cause brain damage, but doctors tend to worry about a second concussion as most likely to do significant harm. Until now, brain injury could be accurately detected only with X-rays, CT scans and/or MRI scans... and even then, only moderate to severe brain trauma was revealed. Mild brain injuries could easily be missed. Doctors have had to depend on a patient’s medical history and neurologic exams -- from simple in-office visits to EEGs, MRIs and brain scans, to attempt a diagnosis. But now the Army has identified unique proteins that spill into the blood when brain cells are damaged. Earlier on, scientists had assumed proteins did not cross the blood-brain barrier, but through laboratory tests on rats, Army researchers found proteins normally present only in the brain that were clearly measurable in the body afterward. Next, they found the same thing held true in humans. A New Field of Study Army Colonel Dallas Hack, MD, MPH, Combat Casualty Care Research Program director, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, told me that the study of proteins in the body -- called "proteinomics" -- has advanced greatly in the past decade. The search for a brain trauma protein was inspired by the momentous 1970s’ discovery of a protein released into the blood by damaged cardiac tissue, which changed the way doctors identify heart disease. After years of rigorous trials, that test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the 1980s, became available to the whole medical field -- and is now run routinely to diagnose cardiac injury. To win FDA approval for the new brain trauma blood test, the Army will have to conduct three successive phases of testing on humans. Phase I was concluded in early 2010, and Phase II in late 2010. Phase III will take another 18 months and will include about 1,200 subjects at civilian trauma centers around the country. Dr. Hack told me that the new blood test for the brain trauma protein is "very accurate, very sensitive and very specific." Tests for other biomarker proteins have been discovered that may be able to screen for subacute and chronic brain injury and will enable military doctors to make early diagnoses and monitor brain injury over time. Dr. Hack eventually wants to see test results sent directly from the lab to the battlefield. This Will Change the Whole Field It isn’t hard to imagine the tremendous effect this test may have on civilian health, too. In fact, we don’t have to just imagine -- Dr. Hack’s team is already working with the National Football League to define requirements for concussion screenings in its players. School athletes will also benefit tremendously from such a clear-cut diagnosis. All too often symptoms such as dizziness, headache and disorientation are downplayed by athletes who risk serious injury when they continue playing. The test will be equally useful for people who have been in vehicle accidents... children who bang their heads on playgrounds... elders who fall... and even people who simply have persistent, unexplained headaches, which can be a symptom of a mild blow to the head -- one that actually is a concussion -- that someone might not even remember sustaining. And finally, there will be safety measures that can be taken, whether it’s giving someone on the bomb squad a desk job, taking a soldier out of combat -- or an athlete off the field. So there you go: A piece of good news for all of us that is, in fact, a game changer. Source(s):
Army Colonel Dallas Hack, MD, MPH, director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland.
No TV Week Last week was No TV Week for my youngest daughter's grade (third). Each child had to sign a contract committing to no television, no computer (except for homework), no iPods, and no games played on handheld computer devices from Monday through Thursday. The reward was no homework for a week. Read on...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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