Nutrition

Mediterranean Diet and Telomere Length in Nurses’ Health Study

By Frank M. Painter|March 8, 2015|Nutrient Deficiency, Nutrition|

Mediterranean Diet and Telomere Length in Nurses’ Health Study: Population Based Cohort Study

SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2014 (Dec 2) ~ FULL TEXT

Marta Crous-Bou, Teresa T Fung, Jennifer Prescott,
Bettina Julin, Mengmeng Du, Qi Sun, Kathryn M Rexrode,
Frank B Hu, Immaculata De Vivo

Channing Division of Network Medicine,
Department of Medicine,
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
and Harvard Medical School,
Boston, MA 02115, USA

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomere length, a biomarker of aging.

DESIGN: Population based cohort study.

SETTING: Nurses’ Health Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study of 121,700 nurses enrolled in 1976; in 1989-90 a subset of 32,825 women provided blood samples.

PARTICIPANTS: 4676 disease-free women from nested case-control studies within the Nurses’ Health Study with telomere length measured who also completed food frequency questionnaires.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Association between relative telomere lengths in peripheral blood leukocytes measured by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and Alternate Mediterranean Diet score calculated from self reported dietary data.

RESULTS: Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomeres after adjustment for potential confounders. Least squares mean telomere length z scores were -0.038 (SE 0.035) for the lowest Mediterranean diet score groups and 0.072 (0.030) for the highest group (P for trend = 0.004).

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Low Vitamin D Levels and the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

By Frank M. Painter|December 5, 2014|Nutrition|

Vitamin D and the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Neurology 2014 (Sep 2); 83 (10): 920–928 ~ FULL TEXT

This new Vitamin D study, published online in Neurology, tracked 1,658 elderly men and women for 5 years. At the start of the study, none of them suffered from dementia. The researchers controlled for many dementia risk factors — including age, education, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, diabetes and hypertension. They found that those individuals with vitamin D levels BELOW 50 (nanomoles per liter) experienced a 53 percent increased risk for all-cause dementia, and a 69 percent increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. People with readings of 25 or less were more than twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.

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Coenzyme Q10 Relieves Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans

By Frank M. Painter|November 12, 2014|Nutrition|

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: Results of a Randomized Double-blind Study

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Neural Computation 2014 (Nov); 26 (11): 2594–2651

Beatrice A. Golomb, Matthew Allison, Sabrina Koperski,
Hayley J. Koslik, Sridevi Devaraj, Janis B. Ritchie

Departments of Medicine and of Family and Preventive Medicine,
University of California,
San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A.
bgolomb@ucsd.edu.

GULF WAR SYNDROME Gulf War syndrome (GWS), also known as Gulf War illness (GWI), is a chronic multi-symptom disorder affecting one-quarter to one-third of 1990-1 Gulf War veterans. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue, muscle pain, cognitive problems, rashes and diarrhea.

This newly published study on Gulf War veterans shows that Co-Q 10 supplementation significantly improved many symptoms of Gulf War Illness, including word recall, fatigue, and irritability.

We sought to assess whether coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) benefits the chronic multisymptom problems that affect one-quarter to one-third of 1990-1 Gulf War veterans, using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Participants were 46 veterans meeting Kansas and Centers for Disease Control criteria for Gulf War illness.

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Food to Fight Cancer ~ A 2-Part Series

By Frank M. Painter|November 23, 2013|Cancer, Nutrition|

Food to Fight Cancer
A 2-Part Series

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Medscape Oncology ~ 11-20-2013
NOTE: Registration is free @ Medscape

By Laura A. Stokowski, RN, MS

Editor’s Note: In this 2-part series, Medscape looks at diet as an essential therapeutic strategy for cancer patients. Part 1 focuses on the nutritional assessment of cancer patients, foods that help patients cope with side effects, and ways to make fortifying foods more appealing to the cancer-dulled appetite. Part 2 looks at extreme nutrition and the growing interest in fighting cancer with food.

Speaking to Medscape on these topics are 2 high-profile cancer nutrition and food experts. Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD, is a dietician, author, speaker, and internationally recognized expert in chronic disease prevention health, and cancer nutrition. Rebecca Katz, MS, is a chef; nutritionist; national speaker; and award-winning author whose books include One Bite at a Time, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, and The Longevity Kitchen.

Nutrition Affects Cancer Outcomes

After receiving a diagnosis of cancer, a patient’s thoughts often turn to treatment options and prognosis. Many patients face surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of those strategies. Most of their questions and concerns are about how they will get through it all.

Nutrition is not likely to be on their list of immediate concerns, but it should be. Not only will patients reap the benefits of being healthier and better able to withstand treatments and side effects, but mental outlook and quality of life can be improved by taking control of one’s nutritional health. Patients might have little control over their disease, but what they eat remains under their own purview, and deciding to eat well and taking the steps to do so is empowering.

“The days when healthcare professionals could just tell cancer patients to eat whatever they want, and not to worry about what they eat, are over,” says Rebecca Katz, author of The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. [1] “Patients are starting to rebel against that. They are realizing that what you eat can make a difference in how you feel, your outcomes, the side effects you experience, and how well you will get through treatment. We need to acknowledge that food is important.”

No “One Size Fits All” Strategy

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The Consequences of Zinc Deficiency

By Frank M. Painter|July 21, 2013|Nutrient Deficiency, Nutrition|

The Consequences of Zinc Deficiency

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Dynamic Chiropractic

By James P. Meschino, DC, MS

A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry [1] underscores the importance of zinc supplementation, especially as we get older, as an important means to help prevent cancer, support immune function, and control inflammation associated with many health problems, including cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease and diabetes.

Previous studies by the same researchers showed that, in both animal and human studies, zinc deficiency can cause DNA damage linked to cancer risk. The latest study suggests that zinc deficiency also leads to systemic inflammation. In addition, immune system cells are also particularly vulnerable to zinc deficiencies, and zinc is essential to protect against oxidative stress and help repair DNA damage.

The Latest Findings

Based on findings with laboratory animals, the researchers found that the mechanisms to transport zinc are disrupted by age-related epigenetic changes, which can cause an increase in DNA methylation and histone modifications related to cancer development. More specifically, zinc transporters were significantly dysregulated in old animals. They showed signs of zinc deficiency and had an enhanced inflammatory response, even though their diet supposedly contained adequate amounts of zinc.

When the animals were given about 10 times their dietary requirement for zinc, the biomarkers of inflammation were restored to those of young animals.

Why You Should Supplement With Zinc

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Coenzyme Q10: A Building Block of Healthy Aging

By Frank M. Painter|June 27, 2013|Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Health Promotion, Nutrition|

Coenzyme Q10: A Building Block of Healthy Aging

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: Dynamic Chiropractic

By Holly Lucille, ND, RN

Supporting biologic activity as we age with ubiquinol, the active form of CoQ10.

Coenzyme Q10 has gained enormous attention in recent years, and with good reason — it’s the Energizer Bunny of the cellular world.

This essential quinine molecule is found in the mitochondria of every single cell in the body, where it plays a key role in energy production. CoQ10 not only assists in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), but also scavenges free radicals. [1] To carry out these critical tasks, mitochondrial CoQ10 continuously cycles from ubiquinone, its ATP production state, to ubiquinol, its reduced active state. [2]

More than 4,000 published studies suggest that high CoQ10 levels are essential for optimal health — and this is especially true for the heart and brain. Since both of these organs require huge amounts of energy, supplementation can often help support their high biologic activity. [2, 3] Research shows that CoQ10 supplementation can improve energy production and extend cell life by enhancing cellular mitochondrial levels of CoQ10. In turn, this supports not only the heart and brain, but also periodontal, skin, reproductive, and immune health. [4-9] However, before you advise patients to add CoQ10 to their daily routine, be aware that there’s a catch to taking this multitalented nutrient in supplemental form.

CoQ10’s Critical Conversion

Creating ATP inside the mitochondria is quite complicated and involves a series of biochemical reactions. Since the body cannot store ATP, this multi-step process — known as the electron transport chain — ensures that this critical energy source is continually replaced. [1, 10] Here’s how it works: Ubiquinone contributes to ATP production by passing electrons from one enzyme complex to another, much like a bucket brigade. [3] During this process, ubiquinone is converted to its reduced active state, ubiquinol.

Surprisingly, our mitochondria are the most important cellular source of free radicals. [11] While most of the oxygen radicals generated by the mitochondria stay with its membrane folds, about 2 percent “escape” and create toxins that can threaten the health and survival of the entire cell. [11-13] Ubiquinol is able to neutralize these free radicals, both within the mitochondria and the cell membrane itself. [14]

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Nutrition

Mediterranean Diet and Telomere Length in Nurses’ Health Study

Mediterranean Diet and Telomere Length in Nurses’ Health Study: Population Based Cohort Study

Low Vitamin D Levels and the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

Vitamin D and the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

Coenzyme Q10 Relieves Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans

Coenzyme Q10 Benefits Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans: Results of a Randomized Double-blind Study

Food to Fight Cancer ~ A 2-Part Series

Food to Fight Cancer A 2-Part Series

The Consequences of Zinc Deficiency

The Consequences of Zinc Deficiency

Coenzyme Q10: A Building Block of Healthy Aging

Coenzyme Q10: A Building Block of Healthy Aging

Food to Fight Cancer
A 2-Part Series