Potential Benefits of Dark Chocolate for Liver Disease and Strokes

Now you know I never pass up an opportunity to extol the benefits of chocolate whether emotional or physical and here is some diverting news of two potential new medical benefits that could see your doctor reaching for the prescription pad and sending you off to the sweetshop rather than the pharmacy.

First, this is good news for anyone suffering from liver cirrhosis and from dangerously high blood pressure in their abdomen, according to new research presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver in Vienna, Austria. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver as a result of long-term, continuous damage to the liver. In cirrhosis, circulation in the liver is damaged by oxidative stress and reduced antioxidant systems. After eating, blood pressure in the abdominal veins usually increases due to increased blood flow to the liver. This is particularly dangerous and damaging to cirrhotic patients as they already have increased blood pressure in the liver and elsewhere which, if severe, can cause blood vessel rupture.

According to new Spanish research, eating dark chocolate reduces damage to the blood vessels of cirrhotic patients and also lowers blood pressure in the liver. This can help to minimise the onset and impact of end stage liver disease and its associated mortality risks. Milk or white chocolate won’t do the trick as it is only dark chocolate that contains potent anti-oxidants which reduce the after-eating blood pressure in the liver that is associated with damaged liver blood vessels. Other forms of chocolate do not contain any of the beneficial phytochemicals and so can’t give you the same result.

I also applaud Professor Mark Thursz, MD FRCP, Professor of Hepatology, at Imperial College London who said when commenting on the new research: “As well as advanced technologies and high science, it is important to explore the potential of alternative sources which can contribute to the overall wellbeing of a patient.” A sentence that is music to the ears of all those who want to marry orthodox and alternative methods and you get to eat chocolate too.

Secondly, researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that epicatechin, a compound in dark chocolate, may protect the brain after a stroke by increasing cellular signals already known to shield nerve cells from damage. The study suggests that epicatechin stimulates two previously well-established pathways known to shield nerve cells in the brain from damage. When the stroke hits, the brain is ready to protect itself because these pathways — Nrf2 and heme oxygenase 1 — are activated.

This research was carried out on mice, not humans, and while most treatments against stroke in humans have to be given within a two- to three-hour time window to be effective, epicatechin appeared to limit further neuronal damage when given to the animals 3.5 hours after a stroke.

I don’t have liver problems, or had a stroke, but have always believed in prevention rather than cure so will add a daily supplement of 85% minimum cocoa content chocolate to my current regime – just to be on the safe side – and you may want to do the same!

Protecting yourself – and your children – from the Radiation of Mobiles and Laptops

Those of you who are also regular readers of Catalyst News will have seen in last week’s issue that I talked about a 3 year old on her mobile to her Dad, also on his mobile, at a bus stop. Whatever the rights and wrongs – and I do believe there are plenty on health, relationship and psychological grounds – the one I can address here is health.

There has been much debate about the effects of electro magnetic radiation (EMR) from the regular use of mobile phones and other Wi-Fi devices and today there many families have at least one or more of these devices. The Bio Initiative Report was based on 1500 individual studies which concluded unequivocally that there is sound evidence of harmful biological effects which can damage the body’s immune system and lower resistance to long term serious illness.

So there is now a significant amount of compelling evidence coming to light about the dangers of (EMR) released from the regular use of mobile phones and new Phoneshield and Wi-Fishield devices can help. Their quartz crystal technology helps to diffuse and eliminate some of the potentially dangerous effects of EMR and has been scientifically proven to be effective.

Mobile phone and laptop use have had reported side effects that include: nausea, fatigue, reduced concentration, tiredness, headaches, blurred vision, short term memory loss, muscle weakness and an impaired immune system. In addition, some scientists are concerned that such radiation may cause cancer, brain tumours and early senility, but the current scientific and medical research shows that children are particularly vulnerable to the effects. This is because their immune systems are not yet properly developed and their lifetime of exposure to wire free technology and radiation will be longer and pregnant women are also believed to be more vulnerable.

Phoneshield products are simply attached by means of a strong adhesive pad to the back of a mobile phone, Iphone or blackberry device, and has absolutely no affect on the transmission or signal. To protect yourself from radiation from your computer, there is a Quartz Wi-fi shield that works in exactly the same way as the Phoneshield and that is attached to the back of your computer or laptop monitor to mitigate everyday exposure. The shields are tiny, but are highly effective and quick and easy to fit, they require no technical expertise and have been developed and manufactured in the UK. Phoneshield costs £12.50 and the Wi-fi shield is £14.99 from www.phoneshield.co.uk

As I firmly believe prevention is better than cure, here are some useful tips to minimise your exposure to EMR and stay safe:

• Never leave a mobile phone switched on beside your bed at night

• Keep calls short – don’t have long conversations

• Use a landline where possible instead

• Try to use your phone where there is good reception as this requires less power

• Use the loudspeaker or a hands-free device

• Don’t keep it in your pocket as that puts it close to vulnerable reproductive organs

• Send a text instead of making a short phone call

• Choose cable connections rather than Wi-Fi internet

Loneliness, Blood Pressure and the over 50’s

If that headline strikes a chord then this could be a timely warning to improve your social life and improve your health. As we age we can lose touch with friends and our social circle may be reduced if we are no longer working. Losing a lifelong partner or the support of close family can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness which can certainly impact your health as is shown by some new research.

Researchers from the University of Chicago have shown that, over time, a sense of loneliness can raise blood pressure, regardless of other risk factors including body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol use, race and income level. Of course other factors that can raise blood pressure are depression and stress but they found that neither condition explained the increases seen over the course of four years in people who perceived themselves as lonely.

This research was recently published in Psychology and Aging and was done over five-years as part of a long-term study on participants from 50-75 years of age. The blood pressure increase attributable to loneliness didn’t show up until two years into the study and continued to increase until four years later, the researchers said. They reported that the loneliest people in the study registered blood pressure increases 14.4 millimeters of mercury higher than the blood pressure of the most socially contented participants.

I have discussed before the importance of having strong social networks of support as a sure way of avoiding illness and this reinforces that view. Any social activity that connects you to other people, whether it’s bridge, line dancing, or evening classes, will give your immune system a boost and that’s the first step in staying healthy.

Menopausal Women on Antidepressant Have Increased Risk of a Stroke

A recent study by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine was recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and sounds a warning for menopausal women who are subject to depression.

Depression is already a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease but it seems that taking antidepressants may significantly increase the risk of stroke for women who are post menopause. The study is based on data from the well respected Women’s Health Initiative which was responsible for proving that hormone replacement therapy significantly increased the risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer and death in postmenopausal women.

This was a long term six year study of over 136,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79. They found that those taking antidepressants were 45 percent more likely to suffer from a stroke in that time than women not taking the drugs, and 32 percent more likely to die from any cause. The risk of stroke for a postmenopausal woman taking an antidepressant was roughly one in 200 in each given year and the increased stroke risk from antidepressants remained the same regardless of which drug class women were taking, whether they were selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclics. However SSRIs appeared to pose a higher risk for a hemorrhagic stroke caused by brain bleeding.

The Stroke Association are currently funding further studies to look into the links between depression and the risk of stroke. If you want to reduce your own risk then simple measures to take are to make lifestyle changes such as reducing your blood pressure, giving up smoking, reducing alcohol intake, improving your diet and getting plenty of exercise.

Avoiding Aspartame? Read the Label!

I know I do go on about artificial sweeteners, but they carry health risks and as long as you are aware that you are taking them that is your choice. Artificial sweeteners do have a significant effect on the body’s reaction to other food according to a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. They found they may cause metabolic changes in how the body reacts to real sugar.

If you have decided to avoid aspartame you need to know that those clever marketing chaps have rebranded it and given it a new name – could be all that negative publicity is paying off?

AminoSweet sounds quite healthy doesn’t it with the link to amino acids, vital things that they are, and sweet which of course what we all want from our diet in some form or other.

Their website at www.aminosweet.info tells you that it is a low calorie sweetener that tastes exactly like sugar. True enough, and they reinforce the healthy image by mentioning that it is made from two building blocks of protein just like those found naturally in many everyday foods such as meat, fish, cheese, eggs and milk.

I think this is called health by association, but what they don’t mention is that AminoSweet is aspartame under another name. In case you haven’t heard my rants before, could I remind you that a 2008 study found that aspartame disturbed amino acid metabolism, as well as protein structure and metabolism and neuronal function in the brain. The authors wrote: “Aspartame and its breakdown products cause nerves to fire excessively, which indirectly causes a very high rate of neuron depolarization.”

Another study three years earlier stated even more strongly that aspartame is a multi-potential carcinogenic agent, even at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg body weight, which is much less than the current acceptable daily intake.

Giving up sugar and replacing it with sweeteners is not a healthy option, yes it has few calories but a lot more chemicals so use the sweet options from nature like honey, maple syrup and sugar, just use less of them.

The Health Risks of That Fizzy Drink

In warm weather we turn to a nice cold drink, and often we want one with a bit of fizz to it. But there is mounting research that links carbonated drinks to serious health problems such as cancer and less serious, but debilitating conditions like gout.

US researchers at Georgetown University Medical Centre examined evidence gathered from the Singapore Chinese Health Study where more than 60,000 subjects were followed for as much as 14 years. They came to a startling conclusion: carbonated drinks increase a man’s pancreatic cancer risk.

The really worrying part is that this is not massive consumption, but even drinking just two such beverages a week increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by nearly 90 per cent. Most fizzy drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and that in itself has raised some health concerns in the US recently where they are big consumers of it.

If you are looking for a healthy addition to the diet to lower the risk of prostate cancer then add in some walnuts. They are a rich plant source of omega-3s, the fatty acids also found in cold water fish like salmon and new research reported in April 2010 reported that they should be part of a prostate-healthy diet.

The other problem with carbonated drinks was discovered by the well respected Framingham Heart researchers in the USA who found that subjects who drank one or more fizzy drinks each day were nearly 45 per cent more likely to develop symptoms of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, increased waist circumference, impaired fasting glucose, higher blood pressure, high triglycerides, and higher LDL cholesterol. These drinks also expose the gastrointestinal tract to a high level of acid and that can lead to gastric distension and acid reflux with a possible potential link to oesophageal cancer.

Men in particular should be careful before popping the top off a can of fizzy drink, as researchers at the University of British Columbia found that men who drank one fizzy drink a day increased their risk of developing gout by 45 per cent and two or more a day nearly doubled the risk.

Babies at Risk from Exposure to Bisphenol A in Plastic Feeding Bottles

The hormonally active substance bisphenol A is contained in many synthetic and packaging materials and can disrupt the body’s endocrine system. It can find its way into the food chain and the human organism and a new study appears to show that babies who are fed with polycarbonate bottles are especially at risk.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the key element in polycarbonate synthetics and epoxy resins and you will find it in most plastic everyday objects from baby bottles and food packaging to the coating used in food and drink cans and to seal drinking water pipelines and can be harmful even in small doses

BPA acts like the natural hormone estrogen and as an anti-androgen and it can affect sexual development, especially in boys. Based on toxicological studies, the European Food Safety Authority has established a limit for the acceptable daily intake of BPA: currently 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. “However, the limit doesn’t include the studies on the hormonal impact of bisphenol A, which are often difficult to interpret,” says Natalie von Götz, a scientist from the Institute of Chemistry and Bioengineering.

Her studies indicated that babies and infants absorb the most BPA and that those fed using PC bottles are the worst affected. On average they were taking in 0.8 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight via bottles and although this amount is well below the statutory minimum, von Götz says that the latest studies on rats have shown that even low doses can have a harmful impact on their development.

The exposure declines with age, although the study also shows that it depends on the kind of diet or lifestyle you have. If your diet includes a lot of canned food, or ready meals in PC containers reheated n the microwave then you are being exposed to a comparatively higher dosage of BPA.

There is no need to panic, as more research is certainly needed in the packaging field, but keeping an eye on your personal intake would be a good move and if bottle feeding a baby then old fashioned glass and heating milk outside the microwave would seem to be a safer option.

Painkillers, Deafness and Arthritis

Not your usual sort of headline, but although most of us take painkillers occasionally, or regularly for chronic conditions, there are some well-established downsides such as gastric problems.

However, a new in the American Journal of Medicine alerted me to something I didn’t know, and that is that regular use of painkillers is linked to an increased risk of hearing loss. Even small amounts, such as for example taking paracetamol at least twice a week, can put you at risk of a massive 99 per cent increase in the chance of you having mild to severe deafness before the age of 50. If you regularly take ibuprofen or aspirin then that is not as high a risk, but is still a staggering 61 per cent increase over those who never take painkillers.

So that is something to think about, and particularly for those who take painkillers regularly for chronic conditions such as arthritis. If you suffer in this way you are more than likely to be prescribed non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by your doctor, and these include aspirin and ibuprofen.

If you have been taking such drugs in the belief that they will help with the pain, the evidence does not support it. One trial that looked at the long-term effects of NSAIDs versus placebo on pain showed “no significant effect of NSAIDs compared with placebo at one to four years” and over six years the British Medical Journal published a review of 23 studies that reinforced this view. They concluded that “NSAIDs can reduce short term pain in osteoarthritis of the knee slightly better than placebo, but the current analysis does not support long term use of NSAIDs for this condition. As serious adverse effects are associated with oral NSAIDs, only limited use can be recommended.”

All very well, but what can you do about the pain from arthritis? Natural alternatives such as white willow bark (the natural substance that aspirin was synthesised from) and many find acupuncture of great help in relieving long term and chronic pain. Personally I recommend you get hold of Patrick Holford’s excellent book ‘Say No To Arthritis’ for a thorough look at all the options from anti-inflammatory essential fats from oily fish to plant extracts such as boswellia, bromelain and ginger.

Low Vegetable Intake During Pregnancy Can Increase Baby’s Diabetes Risk by 70%

Diabetes UK estimate that seven million people in the UK are at risk of developing diabetes, which can lead to other significant health problems by affecting the nerves, kidneys, eyes, and heart. It can lead to greater susceptibility to strokes and cause blood clots in the vessels in the legs which may result in amputation. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the working population as it can affect the blood vessels at the back of the eye [retinopathy] and this can lead to visual impairment or blindness.

With this in mind, it makes sense to start early prevention and new research published in the journal Pediatric Diabetes undertaken by the University of Gothenburg and Linkoping University in Sweden offers some hope for that. It seems that women who eat more vegetables while pregnant significantly reduce their children’s risk of developing Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that develops when the immune system produces antibodies that attack the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Researchers tested the blood of 6,000 five-year-old children for these antibodies, and compared the results to their mothers’ self-reported vegetable intakes (excluding root vegetables such as potatoes, beets and carrots) during their pregnancy. They found children whose mothers had eaten vegetables only three to five times a week while pregnant were 70 percent more likely to have elevated antibody levels than children whose mothers ate vegetables every day. In this study the most frequently consumed vegetables were tomatoes, cabbage, onions, lettuce and cucumbers.

The researchers found that this positive effect remained after researchers adjusted for other Type 1 diabetes risk factors, such as mother’s education level. The reason lies yet again with those vital flavonoids in fruit and vegetables as these powerful antioxidants have previously been suggested to be potentially therapeutic agents for Type 1 diabetes. Vegetables also containing vitamin C and vitamin E have also been shown to reduce the risk of Type 1 diabetes.

If you are pregnant, or planning to start a family, or know someone who is then it would be a good deed to encourage them to up their fruit and vegetable intake not only for their own wellbeing but for the long term health of their baby.

For more information on diabetes, please visit www.diabetes.org.uk

Vitamin E in Contact Lenses Could Treat Glaucoma

Glaucoma is second only to cataracts as the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the world as it affects almost 67 million people. Eye drops that relieve the abnormal build-up of pressure inside the eye that occurs in glaucoma, are a mainstay treatment but now there may be an alternative.

Research carried out at the University of Florida reports that if vitamin E is added into special medicated contact lenses it can keep the glaucoma medicine near the eye. This means it can more effectively treat the condition, up to nearly 100 times longer than possible with current commercial lenses.

Anuj Chauhan, Ph.D., who headed the research team, explained: “The problem is within about two to five minutes of putting drops in the eye, tears carry the drug away and it doesn’t reach the targeted tissue. Much of the medicine gets absorbed into the bloodstream, which carries it throughout the body where it could cause side effects. Only about one to five percent of drugs in eye drops actually reach the cornea of the eye.”

Chauhan and his colleagues have developed a new extended-release delivery approach by incorporating vitamin E into contact lenses. The vitamin E molecules form a kind of transport barrier that slows down the release of the glaucoma medication from the lens into the eye. The drug molecules can’t go through the vitamin E but must go around it and so get diverted and must find a longer path into the bloodstream. This increases the duration of the drug release from the lenses and so stays in the tears far longer than the 2-5 minutes with eye drops, leading to more effective therapy.

Don’t – please don’t – try adding vitamin E to your own contact lenses as this is very much in the development stage, but it is hoped clinical trials of the new lenses could begin within a year to 2 years.

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