Memory and Learning Boosters
Memory and Learning Boosters
Here are the most effective hormones, supplements and herbs proven effective for the reduction of stress, emotional balance and improvement of mental and cognitive functions, including memory and learning. Also, for the treatment of cognitive and neural disorders such as dementia, stroke, alzheimers, and Parkinson’s Disease.
Garlic Supplements Cut Cold Risk Significantly
Research Indicates Garlic Helps Prevent the Common Cold
11-04-2002
People who take a garlic supplement each day are far less likely to fall victim to the common cold than those who do not, research suggests. Although garlic has been traditionally used to fight off and treat the symptoms of the common cold, this is the first hard evidence of its medicinal properties. However, more research will be needed to corroborate the data. Common cold fact file The common cold is the most common disease of mankind Adults catch between two and four colds a year. Infants and young children suffer between six and 10 colds each year. A 75-year-old man has suffered about 200 common cold infections during his lifetime. Each person spends between two and three years of his life with a cold. The study found that a daily garlic supplement containing allicin, a purified component of garlic considered to be the major biologically active agent produced by the plant, reduced the risk of catching a cold by more than half. It also found that allicin-containing garlic supplements were effective in treating infections caused by the hospital superbug, MRSA. Experiment A total of 146 volunteers took part in the experiment, which was led by Peter Josling, director the Garlic Centre in East Sussex. Half took one capsule of Allimax, an allicin-containing garlic supplement, each day, while the remaining volunteers were given a placebo. Over a 90-day period during the winter when most colds occur, just 24 colds were recorded among those taking the supplement, compared to 65 amongst those taking the placebo. The study also found that those taking the supplement who did catch a cold were more likely to make a speedier recovery than those taking the placebo and the chances of re-infection following a cold were significantly reduced. Peter Josling is a garlic enthusiast. Mr. Josling said the results of his research could revolutionise future treatments of the common cold. He said: “”We have been searching for a cure for the common cold for years. Now we have gone one step further and even found a prevention. “”The common cold is something that affects everyone in this country for extended periods of time. “”If we can prevent people catching a cold it will have a huge impact, at the very least on the British economy.”" Encouraging result Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, believes this is a very encouraging result. He said: “”I am not going to say this will revolutionise treatment for the common cold but it is very interesting. “”Plants do not have an immune system like we do - they fight viruses and infections with in-built chemical defences. “”So, if you like, allicin is one of the chemical defences of garlic which helps keep it healthy. “”In this study we are simply using the plant’s natural defence to fight our own virus.”" The common cold is the most widespread viral infection in the world with each person suffering between two and five colds each year. There are more than 200 known different viruses which cause a cold and the UK population as a whole can expect to suffer 120 million colds each year. Allimax has also been proven to be effective in treating MRSA, an infection which occurs among hospitalised patients, and which is becoming resistant to many antibiotics. The occurrence of MRSA in dermatological conditions is also widespread and can have a debilitating effect on sufferers.
Vitamin D, Calcium Lowers Diabetes Risk
Calcium with Vitamin D Lowers Diabestes Risk March 30, 2006 High intake of calcium and vitamin D, particularly from supplements, may lower the risk of diabetes by 33 per cent, say American scientists, as a leading European clinician reports that over a billion people are vitamin D deficient. A growing body of epidemiological, animal and clinical studies has linked insufficient levels of vitamin D and calcium to a broad range of health problems such as osteoporosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases. Vitamin D is found in low concentrations in some food, and most vitamin D is manufactured in the skin on exposure to sunlight. Recent studies have shown that sunshine levels in some northern countries are so weak during the winter months that the body makes no vitamin D at all. Indeed, at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Glasgow yesterday, Professor Roger Bouillon from the University of Leuven reported that more than a billion people of all ages worldwide needed to up their vitamin D intake. The new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care (Vol. 29, pp. 650-656), used data from the Nurses Health Study, and related the vitamin D and calcium intake of 83,779 registered nurses to the incidence of type-2 diabetes. None of the women had diabetes at the start of the study, and the average body mass index was 24 kilograms per square metre (meaning that very few of the women were overweight or obese, factors that are strongly associated with increased risk of diabetes). After 20 years of follow-up, during which time dietary and supplementary intakes were measured using validated food frequency questionnaires every two to four years, the authors concluded: “A combined daily intake of more than 1,200 milligrams of calcium and more than 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D was associated with a 33 per cent lower risk of type-2 diabetes.”" Interestingly, lead researcher Anastassios Pitas, from the Tufts-New England Medical Center, found that dietary intake of vitamin D did not result in a statistically significant benefit. But women who consumed from that 400 IU vitamin D per day from supplements had a 13 per cent lower risk of diabetes, compared to women who consumed less than 100 IU per day. Both dietary calcium and supplements were associated with significant decreased risks of type 2 diabetes, with women who had total daily intakes of calcium greater than 1,200 milligrams had a 21 per cent lower risk compared to women who had intakes less than 600 mg per day. “For both vitamin D and calcium, intakes from supplements rather than from diet were significantly associated with a lower range of type 2 diabetes,” said Pittas. The mechanism as to why vitamin D and calcium may reduce the risk of diabetes is not clear, but the researchers proposed that the two nutrients work together. Vitamin D facilitates calcium absorption in the intestine, while calcium is reported play a role in normalising glucose intolerance. The researchers did not rule out a direct role of vitamin D, independent of calcium, noting that studies have reported that vitamin D insufficiency had been linked to insulin resistance and reduced function of pancreatic beta-cells. Strengths of this study included the large-scale and long-term follow-up, but the authors note the inability of the study design to measure all the possible confounders. Also, no blood samples were taken to measure serum vitamin D levels. “If these results are confirmed in prospective studies or in randomised trials, they will have important health implications because both of these interventions can be implemented easily and inexpensively to prevent type 2 diabetes,” concluded the researchers. An estimated 19 million people are affected by diabetes in the EU 25, equal to four per cent of the total population. This figure is projected to increase to 26 million by 2030. In the US, there are over 20 million people with diabetes, equal to seven per cent of the population. The total costs are thought to be as much as $132 billion, with $92 billion being direct costs from medication, according to 2002 American Diabetes Association figures.
5 HTP: Effective, Safe and Inexpensive Mood Repair
Editor’s Note: We should preface this information on 5-HTP with suggesting you either read Julia Ross, M.A.’s book The Mood Cure. This is available from Amazon.com at this link. If you buy this book and later make a purchase of 5-HTP from SupplementSpot, please use coupon code for a $10.00 credit on your first purchase of 3 or more bottles.
5 HTP Julia Ross, M.A.
It is clear that our moods are deteriorating at unprecedented rates. What is not clear is why. What is this tidal wave of emotional malaise all about? Are our lives so much more unhappy than they were one hundred years ago or even 10 years ago? It is true that we are facing some unprecedented adversity in the 21st century. Even if it is the high pressure or the absence of family support or the terrorist threat, for example, why are we now so unresponsive to traditionally reliable remedies like long vacations, psychotherapy and spiritual counsel? Why are we forced to turn more and more to medication for solace?
I propose that much of our increasing emotional distress stems from easily correctable malfunctions in our brain and body chemistry
Type A Personality At Risk for Heart Attack — Sudden Death Syndrome
Hotheads Beware
TYPE “A” personality, the one who react to anger even at a slightest provocation is officially listed as an independent risk factor for heart disease, joining the ranks of elevated blood pressure and high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
An anger-prone person is someone who gets right on the tail of a slow moving car, honking the horn, cursing and blowing his top. Or someone who lashes out angrily when a member of the family doesnt listen to instructions or a fellow worker failed to report to work on time. This kind of person dwells on the negative and impulsive side of life.
In the latest study, researchers found that people who scored high on the standard test to measure anger, were more than twice as likely as those who scored low to develop coronary artery disease. In fact, over time chronic anger may pose almost as much risk as smoking. Redford B. Williams, a cardiologist as Duke University Medical School, discovered that physicians who scored in the top half on a hostility questionnaire administered at the age of 25 were four to five times more likely to have heart disease than low scorers by the time they reached age 50.
Why is anger hard on your heart? One possible reason is that being constantly angry is stressful, increasing heart rate and blood pressure. But there may be other reason. Ohio State University researchers recently found that men and woman with high levels of hostility, also had higher than normal levels of homocysteine, the blood chemical that is strongly associated with coronary artery disease. And in a University of Pittsburgh study published in 2001, researchers found that women who scored high on tests that measure anger had a fourfold or greater risk for high LDL and low HDL levels- both strong risk factors for heart disease. Anger has also been shown to make the blood more likely to clot.
Slowing down and cooling your head will save your heart thus giving you a healthier heart and a happier life.
Capsaicin May Kill Prostate Cancer Cells
Pepper Extract Capsaicin Stops Prostate Cancer Cell Growth March 18, 2006 Capsaicin, the compound that gives red pepper its heat, could stop the spread of prostate cancer, claims a new study. Red chilli pepper has previously been linked to inhibiting the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and has been suggested to cut fat and energy intake when added to the diet. “We show that capsaicin has a profound inhibiting effect on the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo , inducing apoptosis [programmed cell death] of prostate cancer cell lines,” wrote lead author Akio Mori from the University of California, Los Angeles. The new study, published in the journal of Cancer Research (Vol. 66, pp. 3222-3229), showed that the protein NF-kappaB, shown to be active in hormone-independent prostate cancer cells in vitro, was significantly inhibited by the capsaicin. The chili pepper compound also had an effect on the androgen response (AR)-regulated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) gene, a well-known marker of prostate cancer cells. These effects induced the apoptosis of the cancer cell lines. To test the in vivo effectiveness of capsaicin, the researchers injected prostate cancer cell lines into mice models and gave the mice capsaicin by gavage (direct into the stomach by a tube). The doses given were equivalent to 400 milligrams of capsaicin, three times a week, for a man of 91 kg (200 pounds). After four weeks, tumour size decreased significantly in the capsaicin group compared to the control group: 75 compared to 336 cubic millimetres. “Capsaicin inhibits the growth of prostate cancer tumours growing in mice without causing gross toxicity of the animals,” said Mori. Chris Hiley, head of policy and research at The Prostate Cancer Charity said the research was interesting, but questioned whether a lab experiment would work the same in men. “We caution men with prostate cancer in the UK against upping their weekly intake of the hottest known chillies. High intake of hot chillies has been linked with stomach cancers in the populations of India and Mexico,” said Hiley. This was echoed by Kat Arney, science information officer at Cancer Research UK: “”Although chilli peppers may be tasty, this research does not suggest that eating vast quantities can prevent or treat prostate cancer. In fact, eating too many hot chillies can lead to stomach cancer. A low-fat diet rich in fruit and veg - including the occasional chilli - can help to reduce the risk of cancer.”" Over half a million news cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000 deaths. More worryingly, the incidence of the disease is increasing with a rise of 1.7 per cent over 15 years, according to the European School of Oncology.
B Vitamins Reduce Cervical Cancer Risk
B Vitamins May Reduce Cervical Cancer Risk February 26, 2004 — Newswire Women with low dietary intakes of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B12 (cobalamin), and folic acid may be more at risk of developing premalignant changes in the cervix (called cervical dysplasia), according to a new study in Cancer Causes and Control (2003;14:859
Chromium Picolinate Supplementation Effective Treatment for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS
New NIH-Funded Pilot Study Indicates Chromium Picolinate Supplementation May be an Effective Treatment for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Promising Nutritional Therapy for 2 Million American Women Presented at American Society for Reproductive Medicine Conference (ASRM)
San Antonio, TX, October 15, 2003 (Nutrition 21, Inc., Nasdaq: NXXI) — Results of a new pilot study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that daily supplementation with 1,000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate significantly enhanced insulin sensitivity. These initial results offer a potential new nutritional therapy for approximately 2 million American women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a little-understood hormonal condition that is a leading cause of infertility, and is associated with insulin resistance, gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The study was presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Conference (ASRM) in San Antonio, Texas and appears in a supplement to Fertility and Sterility, September 2003.
In an effort to build on limited PCOS treatment options, researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, analyzed the effects of nutritional supplementation with chromium in the form of Chromax chromium picolinate on six women with PCOS. Results showed that glucose disposal rate (insulin sensitivity) was significantly increased by an average of 35% after two months of treatment, and baseline insulin levels decreased by 22%.
“”Chromium picolinate, which has positive effects on insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, looks like it has great potential as a safe, effective long-term therapy to fill a void in treating PCOS,”" said Michael L. Lydic, MD, assistant professor at SUNY Reproductive Endocrinology Division, who led the study. If larger, controlled trials confirm chromium picolinate’s efficacy, PCOS patients could potentially take the supplement every day to decrease their risk of diabetes and possibly improve other physical and symptomatic effects of PCOS. It also has potential to be used in combination with prescription insulin-sensitizing drugs.
Today there is no FDA-approved drug specifically to treat PCOS. Some doctors prescribe insulin-sensitizing agents, such as metformin. However, many women experience unwanted side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and loss of appetite, making ongoing treatment for insulin resistance prohibitive. Dr. Lydic added, “”Our goal is to explore potential long-term therapies to bring insulin resistance under control and decrease risk of diabetes. Ideally, we hope to compare chromium picolinate with metformin in a clinical setting.”"
“”An emerging body of research continues to confirm the findings that chromium insufficiency is an important nutritional factor in insulin resistance which is strongly associated with the type 2 diabetes epidemic,”" said Gail Montgomery, President and CEO. “”It is rewarding to see that Chromax supplementation shows promise as an affordable, convenient therapeutic option for women suffering from PCOS.
Clinical Design
The study was a non-randomized, prospective study, which included six women of reproductive age (18-42 years old) with PCOS and signs of insulin resistance. Hyperinsulinemic, euglycemic clamp tests, the most accurate measure of insulin sensitivity, were used on all subjects.
Researchers measured hormonal, physical and symptomatic effects of improved insulin function. They reported that one subject without menstrual cycles, who had the largest change in glucose disposal rate, had a spontaneous menstrual period after 2 months. No adverse side effects were reported among the study participants.
The study was funded by NIH grant No. M01RR10710, and product was supplied by Nutrition 21, Inc.
About Chromium
Chromium is an essential mineral that is needed for insulin activity in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Numerous clinical trials have shown that chromium as chromium picolinate reduces insulin resistance, improves blood sugar control and may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
About Nutrition 21
Nutrition 21 is an industry leader in using pharmaceutical quality research to substantiate the health benefits of nutritional supplements. It holds 24 patents for chromium compounds and their uses, and 11 other nutrition patents. The Company’s proprietary technologies focus on chromium picolinate and its relationship to insulin resistance, a condition implicated in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression. Nutrition 21 markets Chromax chromium picolinate, the leading chromium ingredient used in supplements. The Company is developing its first branded product, Diachrome, for people with type 2 diabetes intended to be marketed through health care channels. More information is available at www.nutrition21.com, www.chromax.com, www.diachrome.com.
Curcumin May Slow Progression of MS
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters Health) - Preliminary studies in rats suggest that curcumin, a compound found in the curry spice turmeric, may block the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).
According to researcher Dr. Chandramohan Natarajan of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, rats with an MS-like illness showed little or no signs of disease symptoms after being injected with curcumin, while animals without the treatment went on to severe paralysis.
“”We got a very good inhibition of the disease by treating with curcumin,”" Natarajan told Reuters Health. He presented the findings here Tuesday at the annual Experimental Biology 2002 conference.
No one knows what causes multiple sclerosis, in which the body’s immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers in the brain and spine. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis include muscle weakness and stiffness, balance and coordination problems, numbness and vision disturbances.
Interest in the potential neuroprotective properties of curcumin rose after studies found very low levels of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s in elderly Indian populations. Added to this were studies confirming curcumin as a potent anti-inflammatory agent, effective in wound healing. And just last fall, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles reported that curcumin appeared to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in mice.
In their 30-day study, Natarajan and co-researcher Dr. John Bright gave injections of 50- and 100-microgram doses of curcumin, three times per week, to a group of mice bred to develop a disease called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)–an autoimmune condition used by researchers as a model for multiple sclerosis because it also results in the slow erosion of myelin. They then watched the rats for signs of MS-like neurological impairment.
By day 15, rats who had not received curcumin developed EAE to such an extent that they displayed complete paralysis of both hind limbs, according to Natarajan.
In contrast, rats given the 50-microgram dose of the curry compound showed only minor symptoms, such as a temporarily stiff tail. And rats given the 100-microgram dose appeared completely unimpaired throughout the 30 days of the study.
The results didn’t really surprise Natarajan. “”In Asian countries, such as India, China, who are eating more spicy foods, more yellow compounds like curcumin…there are only very, very rare reports of MS,”" he pointed out. He said the doses the rats received were roughly equivalent in human terms to those found in a typical Indian diet.
Just how curcumin might work to thwart the progression of demyelinization remains unclear. But the Nashville researchers believe it may interrupt the production of IL-12, a protein that plays a key role in signaling immune cells to launch their assault on the myelin sheath.
Natarajan stressed that “”we have to do a lot of work on this,”" including examining other potential mechanisms by which curcumin slows EAE and, potentially, MS.
The work remains preliminary, and MS patients should follow their doctor’s advice when it comes to treating the disease. Still, Natarajan said adding a little curry to the diet couldn’t hurt. “”I think using this spice in their food could be of help,”" he said.
NCI Funds Curcumin Anti-Cancer Study
Propolis, Curcumin Food Spice May Fight Cancer June 10, 2005 Cancer researchers have been given a million-dollar grant to investigate the therapeutic value of the folk medicine propolis and the food spice turmeric.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute grant is earmarked for the study of the two alternative remedies, each of which has shown promise in reducing risks for breast, prostate and colorectal malignancies, and in enhancing cancer treatment.
Propolis and turmeric are rich in plant polyphenolic compounds that exhibit potent antitumor activities, the researchers said.
“”A very interesting property of these compounds is that they have been shown to cause cell death in tumor cells but not in normal cells,”" study lead investigator Costas Koumenis, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, in Winston-Salem, N.C., said in a prepared statement.
Propolis is a resinous substance collected by bees from the bark and leaves of trees and plants. Since ancient times, propolis extracts have been used as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatments. The major active ingredient in propolis is caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). Recent research has found CAPE protecting mice against radiation-induced inflammation and skin damage, and also protecting rats against certain forms of heart muscle damage after they were given chemotherapy drugs. Turmeric, a spice found in curries, contains the compound curcumin. Previous studies found an association between diets rich in curcumin and greatly reduced rates of colon cancer, the researchers said. “”Based on these interesting properties of CAPE and curcumin and their good safety profile, our lab has carried out studies in cell cultures and experimental animal tumor, showing that the compounds can make tumor cells more susceptible to chemotherapy and radiation, while having little effect or even reducing some of the toxic effects of radiation on normal cells,”" Koumenis said. For the next four years, he and his team will study if CAPE and curcumin enhance radiation therapy in deadly brain tumors called gliomas and other tumors in animals. They’ll also attempt to learn how the two compounds make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation, while protecting normal cells. “”The differential effects of this class of compounds on normal and tumor cells are well-documented, but still remains a mystery,”" Koumenis said. “”Discovering how they are able to do this may open the way to design drugs with similar properties but are even more potent.”" More information