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The First Table of the Antioxidant Content of Food

Claus Hancke

August 12, 2004

Because of the growing interest in antioxidants, two scientific institutions under the American Ministry of Agriculture have prepaired the first extensive table of antioxidants in the diet.

The growing interest in antioxidants has made two scientific institutions under the American Ministry of Agriculture compile the first comprehensive table of the antioxidant content of food.

The reason for this is the increasing belief in antioxidants protecting against atherosclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, old age blindness – and for that matter ageing in general. The latest news is that people who develop oesophageal and gastric cancer generally get significantly less dietary antioxidants than others.

The new table has required an enormous amount of laboratory work and comprises 100 foodstuffs from the vegetable kingdom which, as we know, are the main source of dietary antioxidants. Not only does it show which foodstuffs contain the most antioxidants, it also points out the one with the fewest antioxidants. The type of antioxidants (vitamin E or -C, phenols, carotenoids) is not specified – only the total effect.

Among berries and fruits, the most antioxidants can be found in cranberry, blackcurrants, raspberry, red apples, prunes, and plums. By contrast, bananas, kiwis, mangoes, watermelons, and pineapples are quite poor sources.

In the vegetable group, artichoke is number one, but also dried beans, onions, cabbage, peppers, spinach, and boiled potatoes are good sources of antioxidants, while salad (particularly Iceberg salad), green peas, and raw tomatoes contain significantly less antioxidants. At the bottom is cucumbers with a very low content of antioxidants.

90% of the antioxidants are water-soluble while the rest are fat-soluble and have other properties. It is difficult to get enough of these through the diet but they are present in nuts, oatmeal, avocadoes, broccoli, and artichokes.

Incredibly rich sources of fat-soluble vitamins are the spices cinnamon and (particularly) clove, followed by oregano and basil quite a way down the list. Even small amounts of these spices can have important effects. Chocolate also provides a decent supplement.

Compared to vegetables, berry, fruits, and nuts, cereals such as cornflakes and white bread contain only few antioxidants. People who live on a diet of bread and meat without many spices, who have a traditional breakfast, rarely get other kinds of fruits than bananas, and stick to Iceberg salad with cucumber and tomato will not get many dietary antioxidants!

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Xainli Wu, Gary R Beecher, Joanne Holden et al. Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. J Agric. Food Chem. 2004;52:4026-37.

pubs.acs.org/journals/jafcau
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Vitamin C Prevents Hard Mucus and Dry Mucus Membranes

Claus Hancke

August 9, 2004

American science points towards Vitamin C being beneficial for those suffering from heavy mucus in the respiratory tract, e.g. asthmatics and others suffering from chronic sinusitis and/or chronic bronchitis.

The doctors from the Research Department at the Childrens Hospital in Oakland have shown that vitamin C is necessary for the formation of the liquid layer on the surface of the mucous membranes necessary for the functioning of the membranes. However, the optimal concentrations of vitamin C are so high that they may only be reached by local treatment of the mucous membranes with vitamin C in a spray form.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Fischer H et al.: Vitamin C controls the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel. Journal of the National Academy of Sciences 2004;101: 3691–3696.

www.jstor.org/journals/nas.html
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Antioxidants Prevent Lung Cancer After All

Claus Hancke

August 4, 2004

Smokers taking a wide range of antioxidants through their diet, reduce their risk of getting lung cancer. This is demonstrated by a follow up study from a world famous research study (ATBC). The ATBC study has been the source of the opposite interpretation for ten years.

The startling result is sourced from the so called ATBC-study, a Finnish study from 1994, which demonstrated that the risk for male smokers getting lung cancer did not decrease, but increased, when they were given large dosages of betacarotene – the yellow colouring substance in carrots.

The ATBC study was a shock for researchers all over the world, who on the basis of numerous animal studies were convinced that antioxidants prevent cancer. Since then the ATBC study has been the standing argument for recurrent warnings against antioxidants on TV etc.

In the new study, staticians from the prestigious American Yale University together with Finnish colleages looked through 1,787 cases of lung cancer, approximately the amount of the 27,000 male heavy smokers in the ATBC group, who got lung cancer during the 14 years.

In the new study, measurements were taken not just for one single antioxidant, but for the total intake of the antioxidants selenium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C as well as coloured parts in plants, the so called carotenoids and flavonoids. The most updated inclusive index was calculated in advance stating the total antioxidant intake with just one figure.

It turned out that the fifth of the smokers, who had the highest index statisticly seen through their diet, had a 16% less risk of lung cancer! Smokers who ate large amounts of meat had a 25% decrease, despite of red meat having a high oxidative effect! This supports the fact that it was the antioxidative effect that made the difference.

It is not the first time such results are seen, but they are of great importance, because they are sourced from the same ATBC study, which has been one of the most outspoken arguments to warn against antioxidants. Two other larger studies has found the risk of lung cancer decreased up to as much as 32% and 68%.

The researchers emphasize in a commentary, that when the original study was a disappointment, the explanation may lie in the fact that smokers did not get a combination of vitamins etc., but were given betacarotene alone. They recommend smokers to always take a wide selection of antioxidants as a protection against cancer.

By: Vitality Council

References:
1. Wright ME et al. Development of a comprehensive dietary antioxidant index and application to lung cancer risk in a corhort of male smokers. Am J Epidemiol 2004;160:68-76.
2. Yong LC et al.Intake og vitamins E, C and A and risk of lung cancer: The NHANES I epidemiologic follow-up study. Am J Epidemiol 1997;146:231-43.
3. Michaud DS et al. Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in 2 prospective US cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;72:990-7.

jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/290/4/476
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www.ajcn.org
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B Vitamin (Folic Acid) May Strengthen the Bones

Claus Hancke

August 2, 2004

The vitamin B substance folic acid (Vitamin B9) may be able to counteract osteoporosis. This is concluded by an American and a Dutch population study, which were simultaneously publisized in the medical magazine The New England Journal of Medicine.

Folic acid prevents neural tube defect (spina bifida) which is a serious and relatively frequent congenital malformation. Moreover, it is assumed that the vitamin counteracts coronary thrombosis, strokes, and other sequelae from atherosclerosis. Folic acid deficiency is quite widespread. One of the results of folic acid deficiency is that the blood level of the amino acid homocysteine is raised to abnormal high levels.

In the Netherlands, a group of 2,406 people above the age of 55 located in Rotterdam and Amsterdam were followed over a period of up to nine years.

In the American study which was part of the well-known Framingham study, 1,999 elderly people participated and were followed for 15 years. In addition to fractures, a large number of other significant factors in the development of osteoporosis were registered: Smoking habits, age, height and weight, consumption of coffee and alcohol, calcium- and vitamin D intake, oestrogen supplements, etc.

The two studies demonstrated that a high level of homocysteine was linked to an increased risk of suffering hip fractures. Both studies showed that people who belong to the top 25% with regards to high homocysteine levels in their blood have twice as large a risk of breaking their hip as the ones who have much lower levels of homocysteine.

Several conditions point towards a cause and effect relationship here. For example, it was statistically rejected that the risk was related to and biased by other known causes of osteoporosis, such as smoking, a lack of dietary calcium, etc.

It is also known that osteoporosis is a pronounced phenomenon in the hereditary disease homocystinuria in which the levels of homocysteine are particularly high. Finally, it has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments that homocysteine weaken the cross-links in the wickerwork of connective tissue around which the bones are built.

According to the Dutch results, a high level of homocysteine – and thereby a resulting lack of folic acid – might be the cause of approximately 19% of all hip fractures!

By: Vitality Council

References:
1. Van Meurs Joyce B J et al. Homocysteine levels and the risk of osteoporotic fracture. N Engl J Med 2004;350:2033-41.
2. Mc Lean Robert R et al. Homocysteine as a predictive factor for hip fracture in older persons, N Engl J Med 2004;350:2042-9.
3. (Editorial) Raisz LG. Homocysteine and osteoportic fractures – culprit or bystander? N Engl J Med 2004;350:2089-90.

content.nejm.org
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Q10 Prevents Migraine

Claus Hancke

July 26, 2004

The antioxidant Q10 is an efficient remedy for the treating of migraine without side effects. This has been demonstrated by Swiss researchers at the University Hospital in Zürich. The discovery was presented in San Francisco at a congress for neurologists immediately prior the summer holidays.

The Swiss study is the second successive study to show that Q10 prevents migraine. Two years ago, the treatment was tested in a so-called open trial at Jefferson University of Pennsylvania.

32 severely affected migraine patients were included – they had an average of eight migraine attacks a month. During the course of three months, they were each given 150 mg. of Q10 a day and the frequency of migraine attacks were gradually reduced to less than three a month.

The result from Pennsylvania made such a big impression that a more thorough study was found necessary. This study has now been completed in Switzerland as a randomized trial with 42 participants. Before the trial, the participants suffered an average of 4-5 migraine attacks a month.

During the trial, 50% of the participants were given placebo while the other 50% were given 300 mg. of Q10 divided into three doses a day. After three months, 48% of the ones who had been given Q10 had achieved a 50% reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks while only 14% of the placebo group achieved the same effect. As a net result, 36% had substancially benefited from the treatment. A result of this magnitude can certainly be compared with the best working of the presently used treatments.

The leader of the Swiss trial, the neurologist Peter S. Sandor, underlines the absence of adverse effects as a decisive factor – particularly to young women who might fear that the conventional treatment could have teratogenic effects.

However, the result also opens up to other interesting perspectives in the understanding of migraine. Q10 is a natural substance necessary to the cells’ energy production and the theory behind the study is that migraine may be caused by a lack of chemical energy in the nerve cells.

According to David Dodick, professor in neurology at the respected Mayo clinic in Arizona, this new study was well performed and the result is statistically robust. He believes that Q10 can be an attractive form of treatment to those who prefer a natural alternative to prescription drugs.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Sandor P. et al. Water-soluble Coenzyme Q10 demonstrates significant migraine prophylaxis. American Academy of Neurology. 56th Annual Meeting: Abstract S43.004, 2004.

www.aan.com/professionals
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Selenium Reduces the Risk of Serious Prostate Cancer by 50%

Claus Hancke

July 19, 2004

More research indicates that the mineral selenium protects men against prostate cancer.

In the largest comparative study thus far, a large group of American doctors were examined and it was demonstrated that the ones who were in the top 20% with the highest content of selenium in their blood had a 48% reduced risk of getting advanced prostate cancer compared to their colleagues with less selenium in their blood.

This reduction correlates well with several other studies in recent years, but the present study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in America is the largest on this subject so far. A total of 586 male doctors who during the course of 13 years were diagnosed with prostate cancer were compared to 577 male doctors who avoided the disease.

Many men get prostate cancer but this does not necessarily result in long-term consequences because the disease is often localized and non-invasive. These mild forms of cancer were apparently not prevented by selenium. Only the risk of advanced cancer was reduced. This indicates that selenium delays the development of the disease rather than prevents it from arising in the first place.

Large studies of the connection between selenium and prostate cancer are on their way. Particularly a large American study (SELECT) which is also designed to bring light to the effect of vitamin E on this disease is anxiously anticipated.

Which results would be found in a similar British study is unclear. Americans get far more selenium through their diet than British people because the American soil is richer in this mineral. Perhaps this is the reason why British men are more exposed to prostate cancer in its aggressive and malignant form.

By: Vitality Council

 

Reference:
Li H et al. A prospective study of plasma selenium levels and prostate cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004;96(9):696-703.

jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org
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Nobel Prize Award Winner: Vitamin E and C Prevent Hardening of the Arteries!

Claus Hancke

July 13, 2004

The theory that antioxidants protects against arteriosclerosis and thereby cardiac thrombosis, brain haemorrhage, and more, is now supported by one of the World’s leading experts in the field.

The American Nobel laureate Louis J Ignarro from UCLA University in California recommends in clear terms that you take supplements of the antioxidants vitamin E and C.

– It works on mice, he says. It will work on humans too!

Ignarro is a chemist and pharmacologist by training, but he is first and foremost a world-renowned expert when it comes to blood vessels. In 1998, aged only 57, he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discoveries of NO’s (nitrogen oxide) effect on the blood vessels.

It was a groundbreaking discovery. Previously, it was believed that this simple molecule was just a nuisance part of the air pollution over big cities.

Ignarro demonstrated that NO is a biologically active molecule that forms in the blood vessels and ensures that they stay open. He also showed that NO dramatically prevents platelets from clumping together and forming blood clots.

In the years around 1980, he discovered that the well-known heart medicine nitroglycerin – whose mode of action until then was a mystery – dilates the heart’s coronary arteries precisely by being converted to NO.

Ignarro’s research has been overwhelmingly inspiring for other researchers. Without his efforts, e.g. Viagra, which increases the NO content in the penis’ blood vessels, has been unthinkable.

In the new and very meticulous experiments, mice were used which, due to high cholesterol, were strongly predisposed to atherosclerosis. When the mice were allowed to complete a swimming program, the content of NO in the blood vessels increased and the extent of atherosclerosis was 35% less than in inactive mice.

When the mice were supplemented with both vitamin E and C instead of exercise, the protection was slightly greater than with exercise! But when they both swam and got vitamins, the effect was significantly enhanced.

The enhanced protection is explained by Ignarro with the fact that vitamins E and C are antioxidants that protect NO from being destroyed by oxygen. Thus, the two vitamins ensure, when taken together, a higher NO concentration in the blood vessels. Ignarro declares that what is good for mice – in this regard – is also good for humans!

He recommends exercising moderately and taking dietary supplements if you want to avoid atherosclerosis. Consequences of atherosclerosis is the most common cause of death in the Western world!

By: Vitality Council

 

Reference:
Ignarro L J et al. Long Term Beneficial Effects of Physical Training and Metabolic Treatment on Atherosclerosis in Hypercholesterolemic Mice. PNAS 2004.

www.pnas.org
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Fish Oil is Effective Against Cardiac Arrest (Heart Failure)

Claus Hancke

July 7. 2004

With an interesting study doctors from the University Hospital of München have shown that fish oil may very likely prevent incidents of heart failure considerably.

According to the medical journal The Lancet, a German study can lead the way to using fish oil as a harmless and more savoury alternative to traditional heart medicine.

If cardiac atherosclerosis is the cause of death, then, in every other case, death occurs as unpremeditated cardiac arrest and the person affected will simply fall to the ground. In approximately every other one of these cases, the cardiac arrest is both the first and last symptom of the disease, and a blood clot is often the triggering factor.

In an interesting study, doctors of the Munich University Hospital have demonstrated that fish oil is supposedly to a very lage extent capable of preventing these cases of cardiac arrest. This took place in an experiment with ten patients suffering from heart problems who all had a high risk of dying of their disease and for that reason had had a defibrillator surgically implanted; this device is capable of re-vitalizing the heart if it stops.

The experiment was supposed to examine whether fish oil can protect against the rhythm disturbances that can lead to cardiac arrest and death. All ten patients were predisposed to attacks in which the heart beats with up to 200 beats per minute. This is very often a premonitory symptom of so-called ventricular fibrillation which is the cause of almost all cases of cardiac arrest. In ventricular fibrillation, the cardiac action is transformed into a very fast but weak tremble.

In the German study, the hazardous rhythm disturbances to which the patients were predisposed were stimulated with electrical impulses. As expected, provoking the attacks were an easy task. In three out of the seven, however, they did not succeed, and it turned out that – contrary to the other seven – they were used to eating fish 2 – 3 times a week. The other seven people had triggered attacks which were interrupted by the defibrillator.

The sensational thing about this was that after having been given fish oil as intravenous transfusions, it was impossible to provoke attacks in now five out of the seven patients! Left were only two patients who apparently were not protected by fish oil. Despite the infusion (equalling 12 g. of ordinary fish oil), one of them had a very low blood level of fish oil.

In total, eight out of the ten patients were so effectively protected by fatty fish or fish oil that provoking the deadly attacks in them was impossible. However, this German study is only a pilot study. Larger and more thorough studies must succeed in order for the effect to be considered reliable.

The result matches other findings from very large studies. The most famous one is the Italian GISSI study from 1999; a randomized trial with 10,000 men who had recently survived a cardiac thrombosis. It stated with great certainty that taking fish oil supplements resulted in a total reduction in mortality of 20% and a reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death of more than 50%.

According to the editorial commentary of the magazine, the German study that was published in The Lancet can lead the way to using fish oil as a safe and more appetizing alternative to traditional heart medicine. First and foremost, fish oil can substantially reduce the danger of having a cardiac thrombosis!

By: Vitality Council

 

References:
1. Albert C. Fish oil – an appetising alternative to anti-arrhytmic drugs? Lancet 2004;363:1412-3.
2. Schrepf R et al. Immediate effects of n-3 fatty acid infusion on the induction of sustained ventricular tachycardia. Lancet 2004;363:1441-2.

www.thelancet.com
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Alcohol Causes Cancer, Vitamin B Prevents It

Admin

June 28, 2004

Studies show that the risk of intestinal cancer is increased by 30% in people who have more than 2 drinks a day. However, this risk seems to be completely neutralized by vitamin B9, aka. folic acid.

Cancer of the colon is among the most frequent kind of cancer and furthermore among the deadliest. Several studies have in later years shown that the risk of colon cancer is increased by alcohol intake. This is once again outlined in the partial result of a population study in which five countries participate involving approx. 490,000 men and women.

The recently published results show that the risk of intestinal cancer is increased by approx. 30% in people who have more than two drinks a day; without regard to the drink being wine, beer, or any other kind of alcohol. However, this risk seems to be completely neutralized by the B vitamin folic acid.

A connection between alcohol and breast cancer in women has also been established but also in this case, folic acid seems to have a protective effect.

The same thing applies for ovarian cancer. In March, a Swedish study of this subject was published: Among more than 66,000 women, the incidence of ovarian cancer was reduced by more than 75% in the ones who were given the most folic acid – regardless of them having more than two drinks a day.

Folic acid is a vitamin B which can be found in large amounts in greens and in liver. It is mostly known for its ability to prevent myelomeningocele in newborns – the most common of all serious congenital malformations.

The incidence of myelomeningocele has decreased in the USA after obligatory enrichment of flour with this vitamin was introduced in 1996. Folic acid deficiency is regarded as a very common suffering. A daily supplement of 400 mcg. is considered an appropriate amount for preventive measures.

By: Vitality Council

 

References:
1. Larsson SC, Giovannucci E, Wolk A. Dietary folate intake and incidence of ovarian cancer: The Swedish Mammography Cohort. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004 Mar 3;96(5):396-402.
2. Eunyoung Cho et al. Alcohol Intake and Colorectal Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of 8 Cohort Studies. Annals of Internal Medicine 2004;140:603-613.
3. Giovannucci E et al. Alcohol, low-methionine-low-folate diets, and risk of colon cancer in men. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995 Feb 15;87(4):265-73.

jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org
www.annals.org
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Feel Safe to Use Ginkgo biloba

Admin

June 24, 2004

A large number of people use this natural remedy on account of its ability to improve memory. This ability has been documented in numerous studies, including British ones. According to the press, the WHO is quoted for having warned against a danger of hemorrhage when Ginkgo biloba is consumed together with anticoagulants.

There are reports of two deaths and a number of non-fatal bleedings from a total of 22 countries. The suspicion is that Ginkgo biloba enhances the effect of the anticoagulants.

Anticoagulants themselves involve a serious risk of internal bleedings, and every year, hundreds of people die as a result of taking anticoagulants. Therefore, without a scientific investigation, it is impossible to know whether it is Ginkgo biloba, the anticoagulants, or solely a combination of both that is responsible.

Every year, several hundred people – in Scandinavia alone – die from this inevitable side effect of anticoagulants, but a great many more are saved by it. The fact that some of the people who have suffered a cerebral haemorrhage have used Ginkgo biloba at the same time, in no way proves that the combination is risky.

More than 30 medicaments in general use can either fortify or weaken the effect of anticoagulants. Both situations can be highly dangerous. Examples of medicine that fortify the effect of anticoagulants are sulpha drugs used against cystitis, a number of antibiotics, and common painkillers like aspirin.

Kale, chicory, spinach, and many other vegetables also affect the treatment. That Ginkgo biloba should affect the treatment, however, has been repudiated in the only serious study performed to date. It is of Danish origin and was published in the Danish Weekly Magazine for Medical practitioners last year.

In a double-blind, randomized trial it was established that neither Ginkgo biloba nor co-enzyme Q10 had any influence on the haemorrhagic tendency in the 24 participants who were all being long-term treated with warfarin which is the most commonly used anticoagulant.

Unfortunately, anticoagulants do involve a risk of internal bleedings. This is unevitable. However, there is nothing to indicate that the this risk should be increased by taking Ginkgo biloba. On the contrary; present knowledge indicates the opposite!

Professor Ralph Edwards of the WHO Monitoring Centre in Uppsala, Sweden, feels abused by the press in this matter, as he says:
“We have NOT warned against Ginkgo biloba. There is no news in the statement of the WHO which is only a press release about new guidelines on information regarding dietary supplements and natural medicine. It is not even very likely that Ginkgo biloba should interact with anticoagulants, but it is common sense not to use a vasodilating supplement together with anticoagulants or in relation to an operation.”

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Ugeskr Laeger. 2003;4;28;165(18):1868-71. [Effect of Coenzyme Q10 and Ginkgo biloba on warfarin dosage in patients on long-term warfarin treatment. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial].

Also see the original press release of the WHO.

www.dadlnet.dk
www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2004/pr44/en
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