Article: High Doses of Antioxidant Supplements Induce Stem Cell Genetic Abnormalities

ScienceDaily (May 4, 2010) — High doses of antioxidant nutritional supplements, such as vitamins C and E, can increase genetic abnormalities in cells, which may predispose supplement-takers to developing cancer, according to a new study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute.

The study, led by Eduardo Marbán, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, was published online in the medical journal Stem Cells. The study also will appear in the journal's July printed edition.

Marbán and his team accidentally discovered the danger of excessive antioxidant doses while seeking a way to reduce the genetic abnormalities that occurred naturally when the scientists sought to multiply human cardiac stem cells.

Marbán stressed that the study's finding applies only to excessive nutritional supplements and not to foods that are rich in antioxidants, such as milk, oranges, blueberries and peanuts. In recent years, multiple studies have touted the benefits of foods rich in antioxidants.

"Taking one multivitamin daily is fine, but a lot of people take way too much because they think if a little is good, a lot must be better," said Marbán, who is also the Mark Siegel Family Professor at Cedars-Sinai. "That is just not the case. If you are taking 10 or 100 times the amount in a daily multivitamin, you may be predisposing your cells to developing cancer, therefore doing yourself more harm than good."

In laboratories, stem cells are often grown in a Petri dish culture than is composed of 20 percent oxygen, whereas cells growing inside human tissue are exposed to just 3 to 5 percent oxygen. But Marbán's team of researchers became frustrated because the higher concentration of oxygen in lab-grown stem cells resulted in 9 percent of the cells being rejected because of genetic abnormalities.

"We sought to counter that oxidation problem by adding high doses of antioxidants directly to the cells," Marbán said. "That's when we made the serendipitous discovery that there is a danger zone for the cells exposed to antioxidants to develop genetic abnormalities that predispose to cancer."

Marbán is leading an ongoing, groundbreaking clinical trial in which heart attack patients undergo two minimally-invasive procedures in an effort to repair and re-grow healthy muscle in a heart injured by a heart attack. First, a biopsy of each patient's own heart tissue is used to grow specialized heart stem cells. About a month later, the multiplied stem cells are then injected back into the patient's heart via a coronary artery.

The two-step procedure was completed on the first patient in June 2009. The results of the trial are expected in early 2011.

Recently, Marbán received a $5.5 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to continue developing cardiac stem cell therapies.

Source: link

Most Commonly Known Antioxidants
Vitamin A and Carotenoids
- Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots (bright-colored fruits and vegetables!)

Vitamin C
- Citrus fruits like oranges and lime etc, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries and tomatoes

Vitamin E
- Nuts & seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and liver oil

Selenium
- Fish & shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken and garlic

Other Common Antioxidants
Some common phytochemicals
Flavonoids / polyphenols
soy, red wine, purple grapes or Concord grapes, pomegranate, cranberries, tea

Lycopene
- Tomato and tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon, Lutein, dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, kiwi, brussels sprout and spinach

Lignan
- flax seed, oatmeal, barley, rye,

Vitamin-like Antioxidants:
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Glutathione

Antioxidant enzymes made by the body:
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
Catalase
Glutathione peroxidase

Source: link

Tips: Balancing Body pH Level

Bookmarked!


Are you more Alkaline or Acidic?

What does this actually mean?

Simply put, if you are more acidic you are poisoning your body!

If the food you are eating is not pH balanced it is likely to turn into poison once in the digestive tract and then instead of your body absorbing nutrients it will absorb poisons. To live a healthy vibrant life we are to find a balance between acid and alkaline foods.

One of our body’s highest priorities is to keep the blood at an ideal pH balance of 7.365. Eating pH balanced foods allows your blood to be able to extract the maximum amount of nutrition available from those foods. If you are eating more acid producing foods your body will start breaking down and the signs of aging will show before their time.

Fat is an Acid Problem!
A man by the name of Dr. Young has a theory that the cause of obesity is actually an acid problem! What does that mean?
The body creates fat cells to carry acids away from your vital organs so the acids don't choke your organs to death. Fat could be saving your life! Dr Young goes on to say, "Fat is actually a response from the body to an alarming over acidic condition" and the solution is to Alkalize and Energize to rid the body of both acid and fat.

This theory was also the belief of the early Taoists. (Taoism is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine .TCM). Dr Stephen T Chang who comes from a 400 year lineage of Taoist practitioner’s put it this way, "If one ever goes to the back door of any restaurant, one will find food corruption in garbage cans. Not long ago, this food was served to customers. So the only thing separating the front and back of the restaurant is a wall and a few hours time". "We would not purposely eat garbage because we know we will become sick from ingesting poisons. Yet, we do eat garbage every time we eat without a thought for pH balance".

Fatigue, a major complaint in our society, comes from an acidic body.
The toxins produced in an acidic body reduce the absorption of proteins and minerals. This will then weaken the body’s ability to produce enzymes and hormones interfering with the reconstruction of cells and other necessary components of energy production. The result is fatigue, poor endurance, an inability to add muscle tone, and general weakness.
Some other signs of an acidic body; yellow smelly urine, gas, indigestion, heart burn, headaches, sore eyes, foul smelling stools, bad breath, sore gums and teeth, allergies, aches / pains and nightmares.

So what can we do?

Answer: eat four parts alkaline to one part acid and this should maintain your bloods pH level at 7.365. When this balance is maintained micro organisms such as pleomorphic virus, bacteria, yeast, and fungus will de-evolve back to their original healthy state.

What to eat?

Alkali forming foods – millet, Udos oil, avocado, sunflower sprouts, raw almonds, carrots, dates, coconuts, celery, cucumbers, lemons, limes, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, soy beans, walnuts, soy beans, wheat grass, tofu, lima beans, turnip tops, peppers, beet tops.

Acid producing foods – butter, margarine, eggs, veal, fish, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, prawns, lobster, oysters, whole wheat, rye, cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt, mushrooms, coffee, tea, alcohol, refined sugar.

I am not saying not to eat these things or you can only eat alkali forming foods though to live a healthy, disease free life you may consider balancing out your diet if you do have signs of an acidic body.

Source: link

Tips on going Veggie

6 Ways to Go Veggie

I have long advised people to eat less animal protein as a way to lower their intake of saturated fats and avoid environmental toxins. If you need some simple ideas to get your family or yourself started on a lifestyle that reduces or eliminates animal protein, try the following:

1. Use meat as a side dish, not as the entree.
2. Prepare familiar meatless meals such as bean burritos and pasta salads.
3. Eat meatless frequently. Start with meatless breakfasts and then incorporate meatless lunches as well.
4. Substitute fresh vegetables for meat in recipes. Vegetarian chili can be just as delicious as the meat version.
5. Try meat substitutes. Tempeh, wheat meat (gluten) and whole soy products such as tofu or edamame can be as satisfying as meat, and are good sources of vegetable protein.
6. Try new types of cuisine. Many ethnic cuisines offer meat-free dishes; you may not miss the meat when you have new flavors to entice you!

Source: Dr Weil http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03208/6-Ways-to-Go-Veggie.html

Lose Weight With Chocolate?

Which is More Filling: Dark or Milk Chocolate?

New research confirms: dark chocolate is more filling than milk chocolate. This means that dark chocolate not only provides potent antioxidant activity (which is why I’ve made small portions of dark chocolate part of my anti-inflammatory food pyramid) but it can satisfy hunger quickly, which may make overeating of other foods less likely.

In a study released in December, 2008, researchers at the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen examined 16 healthy men of normal weight who all liked both dark and milk chocolate. The men reported for two separate sessions, the first time testing dark chocolate, and the second time, milk chocolate. All had fasted for 12 hours beforehand, and were offered 100 grams - about four ounces - of chocolate, which they consumed in the course of 15 minutes. The calorie content was virtually the same for both types of chocolate.

Two and a half hours after eating the chocolate, participants were offered pizza, and were instructed to eat until they felt comfortably satisfied. The calorie intake of pizza was 15 percent lower when they had eaten dark chocolate beforehand.

This is good news for those of us who prefer dark chocolate anyway. I recommend varieties with at least 70 percent pure cocoa, and that you have an ounce or less at a time, a few times a week.

Source: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/WBL02122/Which-is-More-Filling-Dark-or-Milk-Chocolate.html

不一样的自然养生法

Would like to share an inspiring video (if you can understand Mandarin).

For this video, it talks about how blood type is related to diseases. I think it's rather interesting...




Dr. Tom Wu in that show also talks about how daily food can affect lifestyle and aids in improving health and natural healing,. He is into naturopath/alternative healing and incorporates both chinese and western concepts together, that's why I'm so impressed with him.

Also bought the book written by him.

If you have a chance, do get it from Popular but the text is in Traditional Chinese characters. I had a hard time locating the book cos it was OOS rather fast after it was released (and maybe due to the show).

I don't think it's possible for us to follow his diet entirely but the tips inside will change your mindset and make you want to change your lifestyle/diet into a healthier one. Hope you enjoy the video and get inspired by it like I did.