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Old Thu, Jun-29-06, 19:22
kebaldwin kebaldwin is offline
Thank you Dr Atkins!
Posts: 4,146
 
Plan: Atkins induction
Stats: 311/250/220 Male 6 feet
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Location: North Carolina
Default "AGE" - Defying Nutrients: Which Ones Can Help You

"AGE" - Defying Nutrients: Which Ones Can Help You

June 29, 2006 - Advanced glycation ends products, or AGE's, are toxic products formed when proteins react with glucose molecules. Besides occurring when the body's glucose levels are high, they can also be consumed through diet, especially when foods have been cooked at high temperatures, such as during grilling, frying and roasting. Two nutrients appear to have beneficial effects for reducing AGEs. I'd like to tell you about them, and share some additional good news about milk thistle, fish oil and low-carb dieting.

Coming upon new information is such an enjoyable thing. As I was preparing for this week's newsletter, I came across a review article in the June 2006 edition of Diabetes Care concerning advanced glycation end products1. These products, otherwise known as AGEs, are formed within the body, especially in individuals with increased blood sugar, and have been widely implicated in the development of poor cardiovascular, nerve, kidney and vision health.

AGEs appear to form in the body when an elevation of glucose occurs and the glucose cross links with healthy proteins, causing damage to cells and proteins. They have also been implicated in progressive memory impairment. In fact, the most effective way to accelerate aging in animals, and humans for that matter, is to increase blood sugar levels and AGEs (something I don't recommend unless you're a scientist conducting an animal study). We frequently take in these harmful AGEs in our diet. High-temperature cooking, such as grilling, frying and roasting, significantly increases AGE levels. Cooking food at lower temperature for shorter times and with higher water content, such as boiling and steaming, generally produces lower AGE levels. AGE levels appear to be highest in meat and animal food products. Preventing these AGE products from forming can be achieved by optimizing blood sugar and, as noted above, avoiding foods with high AGE levels.

There are several particular nutrients that appear to have beneficial effects for reducing AGEs and protecting healthy cells. Two of the most powerful nutrients are alpha lipoic acid and benfotiamine. Benfotiamine is a highly-bioavailable lipid form of vitamin B1 (thiamine) that's currently available in the U.S. as a dietary supplement. Both benfotiamine and high-dose thiamine have been shown to reduce AGE formation. According to the article, both of these nutrients decrease oxidative stress, inhibit protein kinase C activation and have other positive effects on AGE formation.

But what I was so delighted to discover was that benfotiamine has been successfully utilized in individuals with poor peripheral nerve health. In a study published in the International Journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics last year, 40 patients with a history of poor peripheral nerve health were randomized in a placebo controlled, double-blind study2. Half of the patients received 100 mg benfotiamine tablets four times daily while 20 patients received placebo over a three-week study period. At the end of this rather short trial there was significant improvement in nerve health in those given benfotiamine compared to placebo. The most pronounced effect was a decrease in pain. This beneficial effect has been shown in animal studies as well. Other studies indicate benfotiamine and thiamine are beneficial for promoting heart and cardiovascular health.

There are over 2,000 studies published about alpha lipoic acid, many of them about its powerful antioxidant effects, protecting cells from AGEs and free radicals. A recent study indicates when alpha lipoic acid is combined with the amino acid carnitine, there are clear benefits for protecting the "power plants" of the cell, called mitochondria. As we age, free radicals increase and mitochondria dysfunction, causing cells to die. It appears elevations of blood sugar dramatically increase this aging process. I also highly recommend Nutraceutical Sciences Institute's (NSIŽ) new patent-pending superior ToCoQ10™ for benefiting mitochondrial health by providing both fuel and antioxidant protection.

Another interesting study that came to light recently was published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute June 20063. Researchers from the University of Colorado studied a compound derived from milk thistle. Mice were injected with chemicals to induce growth of abnormal cells within the lungs. They were then given a diet containing various amounts of this milk thistle derivative. It was found that those mice given the milk thistle-containing diets had smaller amounts of abnormal cell development within the lungs, reducing incidence by 93% in mice that received the highest percentage of milk thistle compared to those given none.

There was another interesting study recently published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism regarding low-carbohydrate diets4. In the study out of Sweden, 31 obese patients with elevated blood sugar were signed to receive either a low-carbohydrate diet containing 20% carbs or a continuation of their normal diet, containing 55% to 60% carbs. Both diets, however, were equal in total calories of approximately 1800 for men and 1600 for women. After six months, subjects eating the low-carb diet had an average weight loss of almost 30 pounds whereas the subjects eating a normal diet reported weight loss of only about nine pounds. Additionally, researchers measured a particular blood marker called hemoglobin A1C and found, on average, it dropped from 8% to 6.6% in the low-carb group, whereas in the normal-diet group, it dropped by only 0.9%. Measuring A1C is actually the best way to measure for damage caused by AGEs as I discussed earlier. Elevations of AGEs are linked to poor cardiovascular, nerve, kidney and vision health. Clearly the low-carb diet has proven safe and beneficial in at least five human studies now. I do recommend you choose healthy low-carb foods such as broccoli and wild salmon versus prime rib and bacon. I discuss the foods that heal and the foods that kill extensively in my book, Natural Cures from a Real Medical Doctor.

Finally, I would like to mention another beneficial study regarding omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. In this study trial, published in the June 2006 edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, 28 children with a poor mood between the ages of 6 to 12 years old were to randomly receive omega-3 fatty acids or placebo5. The study was conducted for a total of sixteen weeks. 20 children remained in the study for at least one month and were included in the analysis. It was found, at the conclusion of the study, that 7 out of 10 children in the omega-3 group had a reduction in their poor mood scores for more than 50% whereas none of the children in the placebo group noted this reduction.

For many years I have been recommending a combination of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) to my patients who have poor peripheral nerve health. The optimal dosage is 2,000 mg of ALC and 1,200 mg of ALA. I now plan to start recommending benfotiamine as well, based on the published medical studies.

Obviously, I can't say enough good things about fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids, where the studies keep showing up positive one after another. In fact there are over 9,400 studies published on omega-3s. I highly recommend the Mega EFA product from NSIŽ which provides 1,063 mg of pharmaceutical-grade, molecularly-distilled fish oil providing 400 mg of EPA and 200 mg of DHA for each soft gel. I recommend two per day. Many products contain about half of this level per softgel and you must take two or three softgels to equal what one Mega EFA provides. As a result you may need to take four to six per day of the poorer-quality product. For those that do not like to or cannot swallow softgels NSIŽ has launched a lemon-flavored liquid version with each ˝ teaspoon serving providing 2,300 mg of the same quality fish oil, providing about 750 mg of EPA and DHA combined. Many other liquids use a much lower potency and quality fish oil, and you must take 1 teaspoon to equal what a ˝ teaspoon of the NSIŽ product provides.

We recently introduced a benfotiamine product as well. Each capsule contains 150 mg of benfotiamine. A bottle of 240 capsules costs less than $25. NSIŽ also has a vast selection of alpha lipoic acid products, I recommend 300 to 1,200 mg per day.

1. Amy G. Huebschmann, Judith G. Regensteiner, Helen Vlassara, and Jane E.B. Reusch. Diabetes and Advanced Glycoxidation End Products. Diabetes Care 2006 29: 1420-1432.
2.Haupt E, Ledermann H, Kopcke W. Benfotiamine in the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy--a three-week randomized, controlled pilot study (BEDIP study). Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Jun;43(6):304.
3. Rana P. Singh, Gagan Deep, Manesh Chittezhath, Manjinder Kaur, Lori D. Dwyer-Nield, Alvin M. Malkinson, and Rajesh Agarwal. Effect of Silibinin on the Growth and Progression of Primary Lung Tumors in Mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 2006; 98: 846-855.
4. Nielsen, J., Joensson, E. Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes. Stable improvement of bodyweight and glycemic control during 22 months follow-up. Nutrition & Metabolism 2006, 3:22.
5. Hanah Nemets, Boris Nemets, Alan Apter, Ziva Bracha, and R.H. Belmaker. Omega-3 Treatment of Childhood Depression: A Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. Am J Psychiatr 2006 163: 1098-1100.

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/...YH20060629:main
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