Nutrigenomics – That’s what. It is the science of learning how nutrients in the foods we eat interact with our genes. It is an immerging science and to me it is so exciting! It hasn’t been that long ago that our human genome was mapped. Now we can start to understand how all those little bits make us who we are. And then research what nutrients, in supplements or bioactive foods, will modulate those genes for optimal health.
We all watched TV and saw the coverage of the passing of Tony Snow. He knew that he was at risk of colon cancer because of family history. Even though he was vigilant in watching for signs of the disease, it overwhelmed him anyway. Nutrigenomics is learning which bioactive foods can assist our immune system or modulate our particular DNA to prevent disease. The system we have been following is waiting until we have a disease and then fighting it with pharmaceuticals. I don’t know if there is a genetic test developed yet for Tony’s type of cancer, but if there is, I certainly hope his children will be directed to it.
Knowing a person’s family history has been one of the ways our physicians have had to know what things to look for and what treatment they might suggest for us. With nutrigenomics, the medical practitioners, of the future, will have genetic codes to tell them what foods and supplements a patient should take for optimal health. These foods and supplements can be used for overall good health or they can target specific areas of a person's DNA, in order to modulate the genes and possibly avoid a certain illness.
Two tests, that my husband and I have become familiar, are one for heart health and one for antioxidants and B vitamins. They are from Interleukin Genetics and are called Gensona Heart Health Genetic Test and Gensona General Nutrition Test. They are both available through www.simplybetter.mychoices.com. They are easy, painless, and fairly inexpensive, considering the information could be so valuable to a person’s future health.
We decided to have my husband take the heart health test since there are gaps in his family history. It came back negative, which means that he did not inherit the genetic pattern to his IL 1 gene that causes a predisposition to over-expression of inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to monitor his blood pressure, eat healthy foods, take supplements, that have positive effects on heart health, and get plenty of exercise. It just means that his risk of an acute cardiac event is statistically less, due to inflammation caused by a malfunctioning IL 1 gene.
Then I took the General Nutrition Test. I felt that my heart was fine and I wanted to know how my body handles vitamins and minerals. It came back that I do have a gentic "glich" and do not metabolize B vitamins well. This did not surprise me. Many of my symptoms mimic the symptoms listed for a deficiency of B vitamins. There has been some research on Multiple Sclerosis and B vitamins. While I think that there might be a link here, I’m not entirely sure that a lack of B vitamins could be the entire problem. So for now, I’m taking a lot of B vitamin supplements. I am feeling a little more energy and alertness. Yippee!! Every little bit helps!
Nutrigenomics…It’s just getting started!
Healthy Days to You!....Your Maven
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Let The Sunshine In
I'm so excited! Finally, the medical community is pushing health, not pills!! Have you been to the Dr. lately? They are now routinely monitoring vitamin D levels. In my opinion, if the "health community" would start talking to their patients about "food as medicine", Dr. visits would start declining and so would our insurance bills! I had two Dr. appointments last week. Yearly stuff. The only thing they have ever asked me is, "Do you take a calcium supplement?" To have them interested in my vitamin levels, to me, is so encouraging .
I'm not sure where all the chatter is coming from, but everywhere I look lately, I have run into another article about Vitamin D. More research is coming to light and the importance of this vitamin is being taken more seriously. Why is this? I believe one of the reasons is our culture has changed. And as new research has come to light relating illnesses to our diet, people (our health community) are starting to pay attention. Baby Boomers perhaps? We have moved inside as a society. Our businesses, our homes, our work, all activities are more predominately indoors than they were 50 years ago. Also, our use of sunscreen has blocked our skin's natural abilty to produce Vit D. Plus, if a person lives north of a line between San Francisco and Philadelphia, they do not get enough natural sunlight, most of the year, to produce the vitamin. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 57% of patients admitted to a Boston hospital were shown to be deficient in Vitamin D (2006). So between our lifestlyle, geography, and our excessive use of sunscreen, supplementation, for most of us, is probably going to be the answer. Let's look at some of Vit D's health properties.
Vitamin D is not really a vitamin because our bodies naturally produce it. However, the name vitamin has stuck to it even if it acts more like a hormone. Prolonged deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets. A disease of long ago, or so the thinking goes. This disease is actually being diagnosed again. Our bodies ability to absorb calcium and phosphorous is reduced when Vit D levels are low for long periods of time. Hence, soft, deformed, weak bones and teeth. Good bone health is important from infancy thru senior years.
Some of the studies have shown that optimal levels of vitamin D may help prevent breast, prostate, and colon cancer, also diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. (Whoa! That horse has left the barn!) When I read about the diabetes, I thought Hmmm? Might there be some connection between our nationally low levels of vitamin D and our diabetic epedemic? Hmmm? Just a thought. Researchers have found that calcium is absorbed better with vitamin D and magnesium. Hip fractures are less in the elderly who have supplemented with the vitamin. Researchers are finding that vitamin D is as important as calcium supplements in preventing osteoporosis, in the elderly.
Low levels of vitamin D are showing a correlation to a higher risk of the cancers mentioned above. Test tube and in-vivo studies have shown Vitamin D kills cancer cells and can help cells differentiate between normal cells and cancer cells. And I could go on, but this is not a diffinitive paper on the subject.
OK. Where do we get vitamin D, if not from the sun? The foods that contain it are...
liver, egg yolks from chickens that are fed Vit D, shrimp, and fish. Dairy that is fortified. However, the dairy does not give amounts per serving. They give percentage of daily RDI, which isn't much, in my opinion. Best thing for your kids is to look at the food labels. I understand that more and more foods are being fortified.
Now, the question of "How Much"? Many in the "health community", ie. researchers and Drs. are now suggesting that the old FDA requirements are far too low. Old guidelines have been 200 IU daily for those under 50, 400 IU for those 51-70, and 600 IU for those over 70. And no, I do not know how to explain IU(international units) to you. Most are now recomending 400, 1000 and 1200IU respectively. That would mean 400IU of vitamin D per day for children, instead of 200IU. From what I understand about the vitamin, that amount would not produce any toxicty in children. Remember, when the label says 25% of RDI, that means 25% of 200IU.
I have been taking, between my various other supplements, per day, 8oo IU of Vit D. Then I added 1,000 IU of Vit D3. So, now after learning so much more, I have just added another 1,000IU per day. So that will be a total of 2,800IU per day. I know many in the MS community suggest more than that. Think I'll stay here for awhile and re-evaluate as time goes by.
As Always, Best of Health to You, Your Happy Maven
"Secrets of Supplements, The Good, the Bad, and the Totally Terrific" by Gloria Askew, R.R.N. and Jerre Parquette, PH.D.
Article published on Goodshape.net from nj.com 2008 The Star-Ledger (14/07/08)
"Perscription for Nutritional Healing" by James F. Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
You got it, I don't know how to post references or bibliographies, anymore.
Any inaccuracies in my writing above are not intentional and no medical advice is
given or intended to replace your personal health care provider.
Remember, I'm "verbally challenged" when it comes to the written word.
I'm not sure where all the chatter is coming from, but everywhere I look lately, I have run into another article about Vitamin D. More research is coming to light and the importance of this vitamin is being taken more seriously. Why is this? I believe one of the reasons is our culture has changed. And as new research has come to light relating illnesses to our diet, people (our health community) are starting to pay attention. Baby Boomers perhaps? We have moved inside as a society. Our businesses, our homes, our work, all activities are more predominately indoors than they were 50 years ago. Also, our use of sunscreen has blocked our skin's natural abilty to produce Vit D. Plus, if a person lives north of a line between San Francisco and Philadelphia, they do not get enough natural sunlight, most of the year, to produce the vitamin. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 57% of patients admitted to a Boston hospital were shown to be deficient in Vitamin D (2006). So between our lifestlyle, geography, and our excessive use of sunscreen, supplementation, for most of us, is probably going to be the answer. Let's look at some of Vit D's health properties.
Vitamin D is not really a vitamin because our bodies naturally produce it. However, the name vitamin has stuck to it even if it acts more like a hormone. Prolonged deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets. A disease of long ago, or so the thinking goes. This disease is actually being diagnosed again. Our bodies ability to absorb calcium and phosphorous is reduced when Vit D levels are low for long periods of time. Hence, soft, deformed, weak bones and teeth. Good bone health is important from infancy thru senior years.
Some of the studies have shown that optimal levels of vitamin D may help prevent breast, prostate, and colon cancer, also diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. (Whoa! That horse has left the barn!) When I read about the diabetes, I thought Hmmm? Might there be some connection between our nationally low levels of vitamin D and our diabetic epedemic? Hmmm? Just a thought. Researchers have found that calcium is absorbed better with vitamin D and magnesium. Hip fractures are less in the elderly who have supplemented with the vitamin. Researchers are finding that vitamin D is as important as calcium supplements in preventing osteoporosis, in the elderly.
Low levels of vitamin D are showing a correlation to a higher risk of the cancers mentioned above. Test tube and in-vivo studies have shown Vitamin D kills cancer cells and can help cells differentiate between normal cells and cancer cells. And I could go on, but this is not a diffinitive paper on the subject.
OK. Where do we get vitamin D, if not from the sun? The foods that contain it are...
liver, egg yolks from chickens that are fed Vit D, shrimp, and fish. Dairy that is fortified. However, the dairy does not give amounts per serving. They give percentage of daily RDI, which isn't much, in my opinion. Best thing for your kids is to look at the food labels. I understand that more and more foods are being fortified.
Now, the question of "How Much"? Many in the "health community", ie. researchers and Drs. are now suggesting that the old FDA requirements are far too low. Old guidelines have been 200 IU daily for those under 50, 400 IU for those 51-70, and 600 IU for those over 70. And no, I do not know how to explain IU(international units) to you. Most are now recomending 400, 1000 and 1200IU respectively. That would mean 400IU of vitamin D per day for children, instead of 200IU. From what I understand about the vitamin, that amount would not produce any toxicty in children. Remember, when the label says 25% of RDI, that means 25% of 200IU.
I have been taking, between my various other supplements, per day, 8oo IU of Vit D. Then I added 1,000 IU of Vit D3. So, now after learning so much more, I have just added another 1,000IU per day. So that will be a total of 2,800IU per day. I know many in the MS community suggest more than that. Think I'll stay here for awhile and re-evaluate as time goes by.
As Always, Best of Health to You, Your Happy Maven
"Secrets of Supplements, The Good, the Bad, and the Totally Terrific" by Gloria Askew, R.R.N. and Jerre Parquette, PH.D.
Article published on Goodshape.net from nj.com 2008 The Star-Ledger (14/07/08)
"Perscription for Nutritional Healing" by James F. Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
You got it, I don't know how to post references or bibliographies, anymore.
Any inaccuracies in my writing above are not intentional and no medical advice is
given or intended to replace your personal health care provider.
Remember, I'm "verbally challenged" when it comes to the written word.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
There's alot of talk about water lately. Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe it's the plastic bottles. Maybe it's the state mandated consumer confidence report. Don't know. But here it is.
There are many different directions this topic could take, but I think we'll stick to how much per day and type.
When I was a little girl my family's water came from an artesian well. I can still remember going down the road to Aunt Emilie's and seeing the water gushing out of the ground. It was very noisy and very powerful and it never "turned off". The adults were very happy about this water. It was the best and the cleanest and my guess is that what they were really happy about was that it didn't take electricity to pump it out of the ground! So chlorinated water is very foreign to me. Yes, I know the positive side of chlorination and that's great, but I still don't like the taste, smell, and the by products that are produced.
As an adult, with a family of my own, we have used a solid carbon block filter for our water for at least 20 years. We wanted our water to promote health with purity, clarity, and taste. Before the filter those 3 qualities were lacking and still are. We (my husband and I) had the occasion to fill a clear plastic bottle with plain tap water a few days ago. We were going to water some outdoor plants. Wow! It is still murky and brownish. We were happy all over again that we have filtered our water all of these years. So, we fill water bottles with our own clean, pure water and take them with us when we are on the go. We also drink Perfect Empowered Drinking Water. It is highly purified and filtered, also reminerlized, ionized, microstructured and ozygen rich. Yes, it is a premium water. We have found it to be helpful with my balance and energy. We have heard, anecdotally, that it is good for people with a compromised immune system or those who are taking chemo. This product needs more explination than is feasible here. The Simply Better Choices link has more info.
Then the other question is "How much"? I read an article recently that addressed this topic beautifully. It was written by Dr. Chet Zelasko of http://www.betterlifeunlimited.com/. I have a great deal of respect for this man. He has researched all his writings and is very thorough and concise. I consider him to be a voice of reason. He cited a basic physiology textbook that talked about the bodily fluid that we lose daily without any exercise.
* Skin ( not from sweat)--12 ounces
* Lungs--12 ounces
* Feces--4 ounces
* Urine--48 ounces
* Total: 80 ounces per day.
As an adult, with a family of my own, we have used a solid carbon block filter for our water for at least 20 years. We wanted our water to promote health with purity, clarity, and taste. Before the filter those 3 qualities were lacking and still are. We (my husband and I) had the occasion to fill a clear plastic bottle with plain tap water a few days ago. We were going to water some outdoor plants. Wow! It is still murky and brownish. We were happy all over again that we have filtered our water all of these years. So, we fill water bottles with our own clean, pure water and take them with us when we are on the go. We also drink Perfect Empowered Drinking Water. It is highly purified and filtered, also reminerlized, ionized, microstructured and ozygen rich. Yes, it is a premium water. We have found it to be helpful with my balance and energy. We have heard, anecdotally, that it is good for people with a compromised immune system or those who are taking chemo. This product needs more explination than is feasible here. The Simply Better Choices link has more info.
Then the other question is "How much"? I read an article recently that addressed this topic beautifully. It was written by Dr. Chet Zelasko of http://www.betterlifeunlimited.com/. I have a great deal of respect for this man. He has researched all his writings and is very thorough and concise. I consider him to be a voice of reason. He cited a basic physiology textbook that talked about the bodily fluid that we lose daily without any exercise.
* Skin ( not from sweat)--12 ounces
* Lungs--12 ounces
* Feces--4 ounces
* Urine--48 ounces
* Total: 80 ounces per day.
This is all without exercise, high heat, or humidity. So, you're 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water falls just short of the replenishment mark. You'll need more liquid and/or moisture laden fruits and vegetables. One of the recomendations that I've seen lately has been 1/2 you're body weight in ounces of water per day. For me that would still fall below the replacement amount.
Bottom line...Drink your water or eat a whole lot of watermelon!!
Healthy Days To You!!
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