Aquitaine Publishing

Protect Your Prostate

One of the most common health complaints for middle-aged and older men is the prostate. According to statistics you have a one in three chance of developing a prostate problem at some stage in your life. But there is good news. Most serious prostate problems can easily be avoided.

New findings published recently, report that there is a link between consuming a greater amount of folate with a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.

These findings are promising, as the cancer registries compiled in 1999, recently revealed that 24,708 men were diagnosed as having prostate cancer and they expect the incidence of this type of cancer to carry on increasing.

34% lower risk of prostate cancer

The Latest Research Findings on Prostate Cancer

According to the latest research findings, taking the mineral selenium in combination with a daily multivitamin may reduce your risk of prostate cancer by around 40 per cent.

Similar risk reductions were also observed for people with high vitamin E levels, and amongst smokers. But the research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition appears to challenge the notion of risk reduction outside of these subgroups.

Commenting on the findings, lead researcher Dr Ulrike Peters said: “

"Greater concentrations were associated with reduced prostate cancer risks in men who reported a high intake of vitamin E, in multivitamin users, and in smokers.”"

Previous studies have reported that selenium is associated with reducing the risk of prostate and lung cancer, as well as boosting the immune system.

Over half a million new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year worldwide, 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.

Interesting findings

The Low Down on Cooking Oils

Cue the brass bands! Launch the fireworks! McDonald's is eliminating trans-fats!

That announcement was greeted as "good news" last week.  And you have to wonder why.  The folks at McDonald's are removing a dangerous component from a product that's marginally nutritious, at best. And this is some sort of victory?

Well, I guess you have to take your good news wherever you find it these days - however meager it might be.  The irony is that the good news might turn out to be anything but.

Blending in

Media reports about the new oil that McDonald's will be phasing in over the next few months described the oil as a blend of canola, soybean, and corn oils.  But each report missed a key point... When it comes to trans-fats, it's not the oil, it's the processing. 

Anti Cancer Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetables

Cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy have met their match in broccoli and Brussels sprouts. These cruciferous vegetables and others can selectively kills cancer cells, researchers in New Zealand have discovered.

A natural chemical compound in the vegetables called isothiocyanates has been found to cause cell-suicide in cancer cells possessing high levels of the protein Bcl-2. The protein is found in abundance in cancer cells that resist chemotherapy treatment. Yet investigators at Otago University Christchurch found that even cancer cells with Bcl-2 are susceptible to the natural cancer-fighting ability of isothiocyanates. 

Cruciferous vegetables have long been known as potent weapons in the prevention of many cancers.  Cauliflower, cabbage, and watercress are also in the cruciferous family. 

Winter Eczema

Why you shouldn't believe everything you read

Why in the world would American Diabetes Association (ADA) executives want you to believe that a steady daily intake of sugar is not potentially harmful to your health?

Could it be because one of ADA's primary corporate sponsors is Cadbury-Schweppes, the world's largest confectionary maker? Or have they actually convinced themselves that sugar consumption doesn't promote type 2 diabetes?

Whatever the case, the final 2006 issue of the journal Diabetes (published by ADA) contains research with "evidence" that an intake of 200 grams of sugar per day has no effect on insulin sensitivity.   

For some perspective, consider that a single Cadbury’s Crème Egg contains 25 grams of sugar. And if eight Crème Eggs per day, over extended time, doesn't affect insulin sensitivity, I'll happily eat my sugar-free hat.

The long and the short of it...

The Worlds Best Selling Drug

On paper it was golden: Combine the world's best selling drug (the LDL cholesterol lowering Lipitor) with a second drug that promised to raise HDL cholesterol.

Not only would this drug combo balance the cholesterol therapy picture (up with the good - down with the bad), but it would also ensure that Pfizer (the maker of Lipitor) would remain the dominant player in cholesterol drugtherapy.

Ah, but visions of sugarplums have a way of vanishing when the sun rises and the aroma of fresh brewed reality fills the house.

Deadly imbalance

Mainstream Medicine?

Resistance is still high, but natural medicine breakthroughs in the world of “conventional” medicine are happening more and more frequently... often in unexpected places. A prime example is a newspaper-style journal called the Internal Medicine World Report. This publication is sent to over 100,000 internists and provides comprehensive coverage of clinical news from major medical conferences worldwide and from peer-reviewed journals.

It has a surprising number of articles deviating from the conventional.

Dark chocolate is good for you

The first article reported that dark chocolate is actually good for you. But this isn’t news to our readers since we’ve been telling you about the benefits of dark chocolate since 2003.

Ulcers... try these supplements first

Peptic ulcers, which can affect both the stomach (gastric ulcers) and the first part of the small intestine (duodenal ulcers), blight the lives of millions of people. Duodenal ulcers are more common than gastric ulcers and usually occur in people aged 20 to 45, particularly men. Gastric ulcers are more common in people over the age of 50.

H. pylori is present in half of all middle-aged people in the UK

Ulcers are sores or holes in the lining of an organ. They look like small, red craters.

The Devil in Your Diet

Aspartame was once considered a miracle alternative to sugar.

It was discovered by accident in 1965 by a chemist called James M Schlatter. At the time he was trying to produce an anti-ulcer drug for the pharmaceutical giant, G.D Searle & Co.

When he accidentally licked his finger, he discovered that the chemical he had just concocted was very sweet.

In fact, aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar.  But because you need such a tiny quantity to sweeten the taste of something, it has hardly any calories.

You can imagine the dollar signs rolling over the eyes of Searle's directors at the news...

A Breath of Fresh Air

Take a deep breath... Now exhale... Nice, isn't it?

In a world of seemingly unlimited gratifications, a deep breath is still one of the most satisfying pleasures in life. (Of course, the pleasure is considerably enhanced if you're standing on a beach in St. Tropez rather than sitting at a desk in an office building.)

As the years pass, our ability to achieve a fully satisfying deep breath diminishes. That's because lung function deteriorates as part of the natural ageing process - and that's true whether you smoke or not. But one key vitamin may be able to put the breaks on the deterioration process.

Vitamin D shown to enhance lung function

Vitamin D seems to be getting a lot of attention lately. A recent feature reported on the anti-cancer benefits of vitamin D.  Of course, the report concluded with a note that milk is a good source of D.  Of course, there was not a peep about sunlight exposure being the very best source - worlds healthier than a glass of commercial milk.

Some things never change.