Archive for the ‘Foods and Health’ Category
Lutein Helps Protect Eyes against Computer Strain and Visual Fatigue
10.06.2009
Lutein can help your eyes recover from computer strain and visual fatigue
According to the latest research, Popeye may have been right all along.
Lutein, found in spinach and other green leafy vegetables, is one of several important nutrients that helps protect the eyes from the free radical damage that can lead to macular degeneration and cataracts. Two studies released this year show that this carotenoid may support eye health in other ways as well.
In a small study published in the August journal of Applied Ergonomics, thirteen people took either a supplement containing lutein, zeaxanthin and blackcurrant extract or a placebo for a two-week period.
In this “randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial,” researchers from Singapore and Japan asked subjects to take the lutein-containing supplement or a placebo. Then each participant took part in a proof reading task “for 2 hours during each of four testing sessions.” Blood pressure measurements, EEG, heart rate and other tests were collected before and after the 2 hour segments. After two weeks, visual fatigue was measured through a test called the eye fixation related potentials (EFRP), which showed that a combination of lutein, zeaxanthin and blackcurrant extract helped relieve the symptoms of visual fatigue.
This isn’t the first time that lutein has been shown to promote visual health.
According to a study published earlier this year in the British Journal of Nutrition, lutein was shown to assist with contrast sensitivity (monitor glare) when participants in the study looked at a computer screen.
In this 12-week study, researchers at Peking University in China recruited 37 people and divided them into three groups — a group that took a placebo, a group that took 6 mg of lutein per day, and a group that took 12 mg daily. The group that took the highest amount of lutein experienced the most improvements in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and glare sensitivity measurements. This led the researchers to believe that a higher intake of lutein may have beneficial effects on visual performance.
Lutein belongs to a family of antioxidants called carotenoids. It can be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, collard greens, kale, Swiss chard and broccoli, as well as in egg yolks.
Adding lutein to your diet in the form of green leafy vegetables or supplements can help reduce eyestrain and provide important insurance for your eyes as you age. VisiVite formulas with high dose Lutein and Zeaxanthin can be found at http://www.visivite.com/lutein-zeaxanthin.html.
Nancy Hirsch VisiVite.Com Certified Nutritionist
Mediterranean Diet Helps Control Diabetes Better than Low-Fat Diet
09.10.2009
The Mediterranean diet provides the nutrients needed to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
The Mediterranean diet, which consists of eating lots of vegetables, fruits, olive oil, legumes and nuts, has long been known to be beneficial for heart health. Now, according to new findings published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, this diet is also being shown to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
According to the research, “Participants assigned to the Mediterranean-style diet lost more weight and experienced greater improvements in some glycemic control and coronary risk measures than did those assigned to the low-fat diet.”
For the study, 215 overweight people with hemoglobin A1C levels greater than 7% were recruited and assigned to eat either a Mediterranean-type diet or a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet was rich in vegetables and whole grains and low in red meat, which was replaced with fish or poultry. Overall, the diet consisted of no more than 50% of daily calories from carbohydrates and no less than 30% of calories from fat (mostly from olive oil).
The low-fat diet was based on American Heart Association guidelines and was rich in whole grains and limited in sweets with no more than 30% of calories from fat and 10% from saturated fats such as animal fats.
After four years, the researchers noted that only 44 percent of participants who followed the Mediterranean-style diet required diabetes medications compared to 70 percent in the low-fat diet group.
So what is it about the Mediterranean diet that makes it so healthy?
There are many factors at work in a diet that consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Thousands of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes provide a multitude of benefits. For example, olive oil, along with nuts, seeds and fish provide beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory effects that help to stabilize blood glucose levels.
Overall, the researchers in the study aimed to meet three American Diabetes Association goals: keep blood pressure under control, lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and limit levels of hemoglobin A1C, a measure of an out-of-control blood sugar. More people on the Mediterranean diet reached their goal than those on the low-fat diet.
Compared with a low-fat diet, the low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet led to more favorable changes in glycemic control and coronary risk factors and delayed the need for diabetic drug therapy.
Nancy Hirsch VisiVite.Com Certified Nutritionist
Phytosterols May Prevent the Development of Cancer
08.30.2009
Phytosterols, long known for their cholesterol-lowering action, are emerging as cancer-fighting powerhouses.
Phytosterols, the structural components in the cell membranes of plants, have long been known to reduce serum total and LDL cholesterol levels. Now, new research indicates that they may help to prevent cancer as well. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition last month found that phytosterols, also known as plant sterols, inhibit cancers of the stomach, lung, ovaries and breasts.
Phytosterols are plant-derived compounds similar in structure and function to cholesterol. They are found in most plant foods in low concentrations. The foods with higher concentrations include nuts, legumes, oranges, bananas, beetroot and Brussels sprouts. The highest concentrations are found in unrefined plant oils including vegetable, nut and olive oils. Whole grains, wheat germ and flax seeds are also good dietary sources of plant sterols.
According to this latest research, not only do phytosterols prevent the production of carcinogens, promote the death of cancer cells, and help prevent metastasis, but they also seem to increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes which help to reduce oxidative stress on the cells.
The researchers in the study wrote that “mounting evidence supports a role for phytosterols in protecting against cancer development. Hence, phytosterols could be incorporated in the diet not only to lower the cardiovascular disease risk, but also to potentially prevent cancer development.”
Including phytosterols in your diet appears to be an important strategy in protecting against cancer development.
Dr. Krawitz’s addendum: Phytosterols are also critical to eye health, forming the oily outer layer of the natural tear film which then acts as a “vapor barrier” against the evaporation of tears. That’s why it’s included in my Dry Eye Relief Tear Stabilization Formula.
Nancy Hirsch VisiVite.Com Certified Nutritionist
Diabetes Mellitus and The Eye
08.18.2009Insulin, a hormone manufactured by the islet cells in the Pancreas, is critical to good health. Insulin doesn’t dissolve glucose; rather, it moves glucose (simple sugar) out of the bloodstream and into the cells in muscle and the liver, where it is converted into glycogen, an energy storage molecule.
There are two forms of Diabetes, which adversely affect the action of Insulin:
Home glucose testing is critical for control.
Type I, or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus: 80% of these cases are in children with no family history. Believed to be viral in origin or possibly related to not enough exposure to bacterial antigens due to an overly sterile childhood, the pancreas in Type I Diabetes mellitus makes very little or no insulin.
Insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus requires insulin be brought in externally to the body, either via periodic injections, an insulin pump, or inhalation.
And it is not only high glucose levels that can be dangerous in Type I diabetics. Diabetic ketoacidosis can occur. This is a life-threatening condition that develops when cells in the body are unable to get the sugar (glucose) they need for energy. When the cells do not receive sugar, the body begins to break down fat and muscle for energy. If this happens, ketones, or fatty acids, are produced and enter the bloodstream, causing a chemical imbalance called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Although more common in Type I diabetics, it can also occur less commonly in uncontrolled Type II diabetes, described below.
Type II or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus occurs most commonly in adults with a family history of the disease, obesity, or both. Unlike Type I Diabetes mellitus, Type II Diabetes can usually be controlled with oral medications and diet. Although metabolic acidosis is not usually a complication of Type II Diabetes, glucose levels can be much higher, especially on initial diagnosis. It is not unusual to have glucose levels of several hundred milligrams per deciliter (normal glucose levels are 70-120 mg/dl).
Both Type I and Type II Diabetes mellitus can damage the eye, particularly if glucose is routinely uncontrolled. The most common complications that can occur are cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Less common are traction retinal detachments and neovascular glaucoma.
What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetes, when uncontrolled, damages the delicate inner lining of the smallest arteries and capillaries (blood vessels) in the body. These small blood vessels are found in the distal extremities (toes), kidney, heart and eyes.
In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, the small blood vessels become weak, forming tiny balloons along their walls called microaneuryms. Later, the weak blood vessels can weaken further, leaking plasma, protein and blood which can dramatically worsen central vision. This early stage is known as Background Diabetic Retinopathy.
Treatment for Background Diabetic retinopathy is performed using laser cauterization if the leaks are threatening or reducing central vision, and sometime injection of steroids or Anti-VEGF inhibitors into the vitreous gel if the leaks are unresponsive to laser or are too close to the center of the retina to treat.
Diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy is best performed by an ophthalmologist (M.D.) or optometrist (O.D.) using direct visualization, optical coherence tomography (OCT) or fluorescein angiography.
Diabetic retina as seen using Fluorescein Angiography
Fluorescein angiography is a simple and highly informative test. A water soluble dye is injected into a vein in one of the patient’s arms. The dye circulates everywhere, including into the eye. A precise microscopic camera creates a flash using a blue filter. This excites the dye, which causes it to glow green. Photographs are then taken of the green-glowing dye as it circulates throughout the retina. If there is a small leak from a tiny blood vessel, it will be readily seen and can then be treated accurately using laser by the eye doctor.
Background diabetic retinopathy does not occur immediately, but rather 5-10 years after the onset of disease, if the glucose levels fail to be controlled. Damage to the small blood vessels is permanent; therefore it is not uncommon to require repeated laser treatments over several years once background diabetic retinopathy has begun.
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR)
The more aggressive form of diabetic retinopathy is the proliferative form. This occurs due to the tiny blood vessels closing off, creating small areas of the retina that are not obtaining enough oxygen. In response, there is formation of abnormal new and very fragile blood vessels, which is called neovascular growth. Rather than being helpful in bringing oxygen to the retina, these neovascular vessels form a disorganized tangle that not only leak large amounts of blood and plasma, but can contract, lifting off the retina and creating a traction retinal detachment.
Treatment of PDR is aimed at reducing the oxygen need of the non-critical areas of the retina using hundreds of peripheral laser burns (PRP, or pan-retinal photocoagulation) and in reducing the chemical signal to form these blood vessels by injecting Avastin or Lucentis into the vitreous gel.
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
In advanced cases of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a retinal surgeon may my required to evacuate blood inside the vitreous or to repair the traction retinal detachment.
In Summary
Because the consequences of diabetic retinopathy are so severe if the disease remains uncontrolled, it is my recommendation that you take the following measures if you have diabetes mellitus:
1. Obtain Hemoglobin A1c levels every three months.
This tracks your overall glucose control. Non-diabetics have Hemoglobin A1c levels less than 6%. The American Diabetes Association recommends a Hemoglobin A1c level of less than 7%, while the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends a level of less than 6.5%.
The following table is instructive in correlating Hemoglobin A1c levels with average glucose levels:
A1c(%) Mean blood sugar (mg/dl)
6 135
7 170
8 205
9 240
10 275
11 310
12 345
2. Watch Your Diet and Your Weight
The percentage of Americans who are obese, as measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30%. Twenty years ago it was only 18%. This is a direct effect of our changing diet, and not just the convenience of fast food, but additionally the preponderance of processed carbohydrates and high caloric fat products that populate the grocery store aisles.
David Kessler, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration has written a book entitled, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. His premise is that the food scientists that work for the companies that manufacture processed and cooked foods have mastered the science of combining fat, sugar and salt into a concoction that creates food cravings with resultant overeating.
Do what I did to lose 30 pounds – join Weight Watchers and do most of your shopping along the perimeter of the grocery stores where the food scientists can hurt you – fish, chicken, skim milk, fruits and vegetables and fat free cheeses.
3. See an endocrinologist
Primary doctors cannot be entirely blamed for wanting to care for your every illness. But if your Hemoglobin A1c is more than 6.5%, you need to gently suggest to him or her that it is time to put the treatment of your diabetes in the hands of a good endocrinologist.
Diabetes mellitus is the bread-and-butter illness for endocrinologists. They will help you to reign in your diet, instruct you when and how many times to measure your blood sugar, and are more likely to be obsessive about following your laboratory results and less inhibited about telling you when you’re not doing as well as you could.
A good endocrinologist takes a personal interest in your diabetes control and administers “tough love.”
4. Get regular eye examinations
If you do not yet have diabetic retinopathy, examinations should be performed annually at least. If you do have diabetic retinopathy, examinations and treatments can range between every month to every six months.
Seek an ophthalmologist or optometrist who sees a lot of diabetics and performs Optical Coherence Tomography, Digital Retinal Photography and Fluorescein Angiograms, since these are frequent diagnostic tests required for this condition.
If you have questions about your own eye health, why not post them for me on our new “Ask The Eye Doctor” form at VisiVite.com?
–
Paul Krawitz, M.D., President
VisiVite.Com
Is Organic Food Really No Better Than Conventional?
08.07.2009
Nancy Hirsch, VisiVite.Com Certified Nutritionist
Quote of the day:
“The food industry, in alliance with pharmaceutical and big biotechnology companies, has waged a long, often cynical campaign to convince the public that mass-produced, chemically-assisted and intensively-farmed products are just as good as organic foods, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.”
The quote comes from an article written in response to the UK’s Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) report this week that claims that organic food is no healthier for you than conventional food. The findings were based on fifty years worth of research papers on the subject.
There are, in my opinion, many inherent problems with this report. First of all, contaminants like pesticides and antibiotics contained in conventional produce were not even addressed. The FSA said that they were “beyond the scope of the study.” It is now widely believed that pesticides not only poison the soil and harm wildlife, but also promote cancer and many other diseases because of their toxicity.
Is this food organic?
The FSA report didn’t include the latest research commissioned by the European Union, which found that vitamins and other beneficial compounds were significantly greater in organic crops than in conventional ones. The EU study found that organic wheat, tomatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 10 and 20 percent more vitamins than conventional produce. And let’s not forget that organic food simply tastes better. It’s not just that conventional food is sprayed with pesticides and herbicides — it is also filled with additives, colorings and other chemicals just so that is has an acceptable appearance once it reaches grocery store shelves.
The FSA also failed to include the 15 studies that came out after the cut-off date of February 2008, which could have changed the outcome of the report. For example, one study found that organic foods contain more phosphorus, while conventional foods contain more nitrogen, which scientists have linked to cancer.
Supporters of organic farming claim that the results of the study are flawed because of the criteria used to select the most important research. Peter Melchett, Policy Director at the Soil Association states, “The review rejected almost all of the existing studies of comparisons between organic and non-organic nutritional differences.” When all of the research was taken into account, organic food was frequently higher in nutrients than conventional produce. Beta-carotene was shown to be over 50 percent higher in organic food, and organic milk contained around 60 percent more antioxidants and beneficial fatty acids than non-organic milk. Even the FSA’s own published research shows that organic foods are clearly far better for the consumer in nutritional terms alone.
So why was this research by the FSA brought to the attention of the public? There are some people who feel that by reporting it this way and apparently rendering the playing field equal for conventional farmers, the government and the agricultural sector wouldn’t have to begin the difficult job of moving towards a system of sustainability. One reporter on the subject wrote in response to this idea, “Sustainable agriculture improves not just our personal health, but our collective environmental health as well.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
