Dehydroepiandrosterone
« Home
Friday, July 18, 2008
Heart Blood Vessels Grown in the Lab - Washington Post
 BBC News | Heart Blood Vessels Grown in the Lab Washington Post - By Ed Edelson FRIDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they have grown in mice the kind of functioning heart blood vessels that cardiac surgeons create with bypass operations. Human blood vessels grown in mice Blood Vessels Made From Human Adult Stem Cells Grown in Mice |
There's an Omega-3 travesty a-foot and if the American consumer doesn't become aware of it very soon, they'll unfortunately know first hand the day inflammation rears its ugly head - and according to Harvard, for 3 out of 4 Americans, it already has.
FDA Qualifying Health Claim for EPA and DHA
When the FDA issued buy bulk l arginine l pyroglutamate powder Health Qualifying Claim for "EPA and DHA" from fatty fish in 2004, "Omega-3" became big business. So big, food manufacturers freely began substituting "ALA" (alpha-linolenic acid) for EPA and DHA in bread, cookies, pasta to yogurt and now, a line of soybean-fed pork items that are "enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids." The double-whammy contained in one ounce of those pork items is frightening with no end, supervision, or control in sight.
Is anyone home at the FDA?
Not only was ALA not part of the FDA Qualifying claim, science conclusively shows we convert Omega-3 ALA seed and plant oils into inflammatory Omega-6. And the end result? Consumers are being hoodwinked into purchasing these products while awareness of the health benefits from EPA and DHA are being compromised. How big of an issue is this? Read on and you'll see why the word "travesty" applies.
Omega-3 ALA
Omega-3 ALA is plant and seed oils, soybean, corn, safflower, flaxseed, all polyunsaturates, and while they may be lumped together and referred to as "Omega-3 fatty acids" all they share in common with EPA and DHA is the classification "Omega-3 fatty acids." There's a far cry between any health benefits from ALA and those science has conclusively contributed to EPA and DHA.
An astonishing 94% of Omega-3 products line shelves today contain ALA while 6% contain minute amounts of algae or algal oil.
Omega-6s
Why is this so critical to the American consumer? Unless you've led a vegetarian lifestyle for years, rarely eat out, unknowingly you've been consuming an abundance of Omega-6s for decades hidden deceptively in packaged foods, snacks, cakes, dressings, as well as liberally used by restaurants and fast food chains. In other words, our bodies are so tipped in Omega-6s, we were in a state of perpetual inflammation before food manufacturers began adding more ALA to boast an Omega-3 label. How bad is this?
National Institutes of Health on Omega-6 Inflammation
Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, National institutes of Health, and world renowned Omega-3 researcher, and tireless crusader for American health, says:
"When you look at the percentages of Omega-6s to Omega-3s in the US diet, it's about 90% of all the polyunsaturates in our tissues are Omega 6s and about 10% are Omega 3s. So you had a one-to-one balance to inflammation when we were evolving, and now it's a 10-to-one balance in favor of inflammation because of the predominance in seed oils. Soybean oil is called the lubricant of the food industry, and it literally is."
William Lands, retired biochemist with the National Institutes of Health, had this to say:
About 1960, when "soybean oil took over the U.S. food chain, it was like a tsunami. These two types of fatty acids have a biochemical yin-and-yang relationship. While omega-3s reduce our body's inflammation response, Omega-6s encourage it. Each fatty acid is crucial. For example, if your inflammatory response is too weak, you won't be able to fight infection properly. And in theory, the push and pull should create perfect balance. Instead, the excess of Omega-6s in our diets may have left us in a perpetual state of inflammation. That's what's really killing us - the balance of Omega 3s to 6s got out of whack."
Center for Science in the Public Interest
And Bonnie Liebman, a nutritionist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says:"It's all very confusing. Consumers are in real danger of being misled. Even a careful label reader won't learn, for instance that a carton of Breyers Smart DHA Omega-3 yogurt has less DHA than a teaspoon of salmon."
Consider this. Hellmann's Mayonnaise says "Naturally Rich In Omega-3" but remember, it's just a name. What's really in it? "Most mayonnaise is made with soybean oil which is a source of ALA. But that kind of Omega-3 fat, found most abundantly in flaxseed, has not been proven to convey the same health benefits as DHA plus EPA," Liebman says.
Omega-6s and Inflammation
That Omega-6s create inflammation that leads to diet-related disease, poor heart health, arachidonic acid, to name but a few, is scientifically established. If this information is hard to grasp, look at our health statistics. We have unprecedented numbers of childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes and with each passing year, according to Harvard, those numbers rise dramatically. Did children suddenly become ravenous eaters?
The rise in health issues and obesity crosses all age groups but this rise in children is the most telling of all. What is the common denominator? It's not the water supply - it's our food supply that packs pounds leaving our bodies in a perpetual state of inflammation.
How critical to health is this misleading labeling of Omega-3 ALA? Let's look at the conclusions of a 14 year study conducted by the National Cancer Institute about ALA:
"In this large prospective study, we found that ALA from non-animal sources and ALA from meat and dairy sources were associated or suggestively associated with an increased risk of advanced prostate cancer. This finding agrees with the finding of a single previous study that evaluated ALA intake by food source. EPA + DHA was suggestively related to a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer, which was mainly due to DHA and to a lesser extent to EPA."
It is sad and disheartening that information from prestigious medical communities, globally, with study after study showing EPA and DHA are profoundly beneficial to a myriad of health issues from diet-related to cognitive, is becoming obscured and blinded by food manufacturers' hype. With their long reach and deep pockets, the health of a nation is on the line.
And the result? The every-day, hard-working consumer overwhelmed with little time to do any personal in-depth research assumes all Omegas are created equal.
This travesty has been detailed in a thoroughly researched and investigative expose, "The Food Industry's Greed: How Misleading Labeling of Omega-3 Foods Undermines American Health." Learn how this began in 2004 with the FDA Health Qualifying claim, Omega-3 labeling violations by food manufacturers, complaints filed against the FDA that are being ignored, health warnings from prestigious medical communities, and what you can do to protect your health.http://www.sea-based-health.com/omega-3-book.html
Lois Smithers has spent many years studying health and Omega 3 EPA and DHA she credits with ending six disabling and painful years of chronic inflammation. She owns Sea-Based Health, LLC, with Debra Morgan focused on Omega-3 research and sea-based health products. To sign up for their free newsletter, visit http://sea-based-health.com
Posted by frontfootdriveowyzv | 9:39 PM | 
Quarter of Chinese adults are overweight, obese: US study (AFP)
AFP - Declining physical activity and a shift towards a Western diet are driving up obesity rates in China, with more than 25 percent of adults now considered overweight or obese, a study warned Tuesday.
Glutamine: The Basics
Glutamine is 1 of 11 nonessential pure l-phenylalanine supplement acids. Just because it's nonessential doesn't mean it's not necessary. Simply put, the body can produce what it needs. 60% of all free form amino acids come in the form of glutamine. During times of stress (stress not defined), glutamine reserves are depleted.
Glutamine: The Benefits
* Boosts immune system functions
* Maintain muscle mass (preservation)
* Prevents muscle breakdown (catabolism)
* Enhances glycogen storage
* Aids recovery from exercise
* Promotes healing
* Increases growth hormone levels
Many studies have already proven that despite all the hype about how glutamine supplementation might help increase muscle mass, strength and prevent the dreaded OT (overtraining) syndrome, research articles that can be found today (2006) that examine glutamine supplementation benefits on performance, body composition and protein degradation have shown that it offers no noticeable, scientifically proven benefit to the weight lifter.
[There goes that popular theory that glutamine helps preserver your precious muscle after workouts or in general.]
Face it... nobody makes any money proving a supplement doesn't work.
Obviously when I received the original article about glutamine's super muscle building benefits, I was curious myself. After finding the research done by David Barr, I was so excited I couldn't wait to tell you. I'm not going to provide a full reference list - they're all right at the end of David Barr's article which will be included here for your reference.
[Thank you, David Barr, for doing all the leg work so I can pass along your research.]
To summarize some of the key points that David Barr found in his original research:
* A high protein diet or that of a well-fed bodybuilder who is following the standards for protein consumption, will be adequately supplied with all the dietary glutamine they need. About 10% of your total dietary protein intake is comprised of glutamine (3-10% from milk proteins; 15% from mean sources). In my case, given my stats and dietary intake, I'm getting around 29g of glutamine a day from my diet. More than most supplement companies would ever recommend I supplement with anyway.
* A lot of theories hold onto the belief that because glutamine helps with clinical stress, it will help with exercise induced stress. But keep in mind that exercise has nothing on real clinical stress. Nitrogen loss in real clinical stress is vastly more prevalent than the leg workout you just did.
* In a 2001 study by Candow et al, they concluded that 0.9g of supplemental glutamine/kg/day during resistance training had no significant effect on muscle performance, body composition or muscle protein degradation in healthy adults. At my current weight, that is 75g of glutamine a day!
[Re-read this: Candow et al (2001) just blows the presumption that glutamine is somehow an anti-catabolic agent for the bodybuilder and going to preserve all that muscle you are working so hard to keep.]
* Most of the studies on endurance athletes have shown little to no significant benefits in terms of immune system enhancements or functions.
[Dang it! There goes the other popular belief that glutamine is going to enhance your immune system and keep you healthy or recover faster from those stressful workouts.]
"More importantly, there are several studies showing that glutamine supplementation doesn't alter exercise-induced suppression of the immune system! The bottom line is that blood glutamine levels, whether they drop or not following exercise, don't seem to affect immunity to any great extent, which precludes the use of glutamine for this reason." - Hiscock N, Pedersen BK. Exercise-induced immunodepression- plasma glutamine is not the link. J Appl Physiol 2002 Sep;93(3):813-22
* In regards to glutamine's ability to increase the hydration state of cells, Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D. did some preliminary testing and found that glutamine supplementation has no effect on total body water, intracellular fluid volumes, or extracellular fluid volumes. - Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D., Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
* The jury is still out on glutamine enhancing glycogen stores following resistance exercise. Most bodybuilders have a post-workout plan of high glycemic carbs anyway which replace any glycogen lost making further supplement unnecessary.
* In the study by Welbourne (1995) they demonstrated that a small 2g oral dosage of glutamine is capable of significantly elevating alkaline reserves as well as growth hormone. But does this affect the bodybuilder in any measurable way? According to the Cadow et al (2001) they didn't find any lean body mass gains. It might raise your growth hormone significantly but it begs the question..."does it actually DO anything for me when I'm trying to gain muscle?"
[More research is needed in this regard and how glutamine's growth hormone increase affects your muscle.]
* Finally, in regards to protein synthesis (muscle preservation and building) the most current research shows no direct correlation that glutamine increases the rate of protein synthesis at all. Even in some of the worst cases, it has little measurable effect. There goes the muscle building theory!
One study even went as far to test on people, the effects of adding glutamine to an amino acid mixture. They concluded that the original amino acid mixture increased protein synthesis by 48% but adding glutamine to the mixture had no additional protein synthesis effects.
At this point you're probably thinking that glutamine is a worthless supplement.
Am I right?
Glutamine isn't a worthless supplement and my intention is to only show you the other side of the coin so that you can decide for yourself. Even David Barr points out there are instances when glutamine supplementation might be beneficial to the bodybuilder, certain trauma instances, postoperative patient or for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) during severe illness.
* Steroid users improperly coming off a cycle. At this time, testosterone can be very low. There's a risk of increased catabolism regardless of the diet of the bodybuilder. At this point, glutamine supplementation might be beneficial
* When on a cutting diet and trying to get very lean, some bodybuilders will further increase a calorie deficit AND increase exercise volume. This can lead to an increase state of exercise induced stress and catabolism beyond that of a normal bodybuilder on a fat loss regime. Competitive bodybuilders come to mind in this instance. Glutamine may help reduce the stress and exercise related catabolism because it's beyond that of normal exercise induced stress.
* In elite endurance athletes or people who train under extreme conditions several times a day. These are cases where extreme stress (not clinical) but much more intense then regular exercise comes into play and glutamine may be beneficial.
* Under certain circumstances where catabolic waste is extreme (Alcoholism, Chemotherapy side effects, Food allergies, HIV/AIDS, Irritable bowel syndrome, Candida yeast overgrowth, Post-exercise colds and flu, Severe burns Ulcerative colitis). These are situations where a person is injured and trying to prevent catabolic waste.
David Barr makes a final comment after all his research that glutamine isn't a worthwhile supplement to the resistance trainer who is on a proper bodybuilding diet with post workout nutrition. Of course he doesn't call glutamine a dramatic supplement with muscle building benefits. He does show some instances where glutamine might be beneficial in legitimate wasting conditions. It's not exactly a black and white answer.
David said, "Since then I've had a while to let the results sink in. I know that most believers in glutamine will also have a hard time accepting the reality of the situation, which is why I didn't just try to convincingly show that glutamine wasn't as great as everyone thought; I tried to overwhelmingly demonstrate it."
The bottom line?
Glutamine supplementation probably won't do anything for you if you are a bodybuilder on a proper dietary plan. Spend your money on more food if you are looking to build muscle.
At this point, I would really encourage you to do your own research. Granted, David has done a bang up job! Even I believed in glutamine for bodybuilding until I was faced tolook at real evidence and not a magazine ad or a myth from a big guy at the gym.
"When someone wants to believe something you can't convince them otherwise." - David Barr
If you don't believe any of this, that's okay. But until future research can shown that glutamine has dramatic muscle building effects, the current literature available doesn't support those theories.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Barr, David J., CSCS, MSc. Candidate.
Glutamine Destroying the Dogma, Part 1 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=461188
Part 2 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459884
2. Berardi, Dr. John M, Ph.D.
Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8 http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/qa/afc/afc_nov082002.htm
Copyright 2006 Marc David
To learn more about these supplements and where you need to go for your own research, you'll want to see what all the fuss is about in the Beginner's Guide to witness and Bodybuilding. This 250 page jam-packed book is full of insights like this and many more that will get your the results you want today. Take a look at what other people are saying about the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding: http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com/testimonials.htm
Posted by frontfootdriveowyzv | 3:21 AM |
Apr 25, 2008 Apr 28, 2008 Apr 29, 2008 Apr 30, 2008 May 2, 2008 May 3, 2008 May 4, 2008 May 5, 2008 May 30, 2008 Jun 9, 2008 Jun 18, 2008 Jun 19, 2008 Jul 12, 2008 Jul 13, 2008 Jul 15, 2008 Jul 16, 2008 Jul 18, 2008 Jul 20, 2008 Jul 21, 2008 Jul 30, 2008 Jul 31, 2008 Aug 1, 2008 Aug 3, 2008 Aug 5, 2008 Aug 6, 2008 Aug 7, 2008 Aug 8, 2008 Aug 9, 2008 Aug 10, 2008 Aug 11, 2008 Aug 12, 2008 Aug 14, 2008 Aug 15, 2008 Aug 17, 2008 Aug 18, 2008 Aug 20, 2008