Month: April 2010

(NaturalNews) Artificial sweeteners may cause metabolic changes in how the body reacts to real sugar, according to a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Increases in blood glucose levels were identical in both groups, but participants who had consumed the artificially sweetened drink first showed larger increases in circulating levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This hormone, which is released by the gut when food enters the stomach, signals the brain to create the sensation of "fullness." This reaction has not been observed in people consuming artificial sweeteners on their own.

"Our data demonstrate that artificial sweeteners synergize with glucose to enhance GLP-1 release in healthy volunteers," the researchers wrote.

The implications of the finding are not clear. Although they appear to suggest that consuming artificially sweetened products might actually cause people to eat less over the long term, previous studies have shown the opposite result. Whether artificial sweeteners produce more fullness, damage the brain's ability to regulate calorie intake, or produce some more complex reaction remains unknown.

It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that artificial sweeteners do have a significant effect on the body's reaction to other food.

"In light of the large number of individuals using artificial sweeteners on a daily basis, it appears essential to carefully investigate the associated effects on metabolism and weight," the researchers wrote.

(NaturalNews) Walnuts are a rich plant source of omega-3s, the fatty acids also found in cold water fish like salmon. Omega-3s are known to lower the risk of a host of health problems from depression to heart disease. Walnuts are also loaded with gamma tocopherol (a form of vitamin E), phytochemicals known as polyphenols, and antioxidants. Now, for the first time, scientists have reported that these nutrient-rich nuts have the ability to reduce the size and growth of prostate cancer.

Approximately 190,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. According to the University of California-Davis scientists, research suggests that diet is among the most important factors in influencing a man's risk for developing prostate cancer. For example, there's evidence that eating tomatoes and drinking pomegranate juice may reduce the chance of ever having prostate cancer.

Recently, scientists have found that walnuts could fight cardiovascular disease by reducing levels of endothelin, a substance that increases inflammation in blood vessels. Because men with prostate cancer are known to have elevated levels of endothelin, the University of California-Davis scientists reasoned that eating walnuts could be beneficial in preventing and/or treating prostate cancer.

Davis and his research team conducted their study on laboratory mice that had been genetically programmed to develop prostate cancer. One group of the animals ate the equivalent of about 2.5 ounces of walnuts per day in a human diet (equal to approximately 14 shelled nuts) for two months. A control group of mice did not receive any walnuts in their diet.

When the genetically induced prostate cancers developed in the walnut-fed animals, their tumors were only about half as large as those of the control mice. What's more, the cancers in the walnut eating rodents also grew 30 percent slower.

So what was going on in the bodies of the mice who ate walnuts? The researchers found those mice had lower levels of insulin-like growth factor-1. That's a crucial finding because high levels of this protein are thought to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

To further investigate why walnuts had the ability to fight prostate cancer, the researchers used gene chip technology to track changes in gene levels in the animals' tumors as well as in the livers of the mice. The results showed eating walnuts had a significantly beneficial effect on both tumor and liver genes that have been shown to be involved in controlling the growth of malignant tumors.

Editor's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which they were acquired.

(NaturalNews) Canadian doctors and nutritionists are urging dark-skinned immigrants coming to Canada to supplement with vitamin D in order to stay healthy. Many Canadian immigrants have relocated from countries with warmer, sunnier climates, and are exposed to far less natural sunshine in Canada than in their native lands. As a result, many of them have become deficient in vitamin D.

According to Dr. Kevin Pottie, nearly all of the immigrant and refugee patients he tests have low vitamin D levels, especially during the wintertime when the angle of the sun is at its lowest and the fewest ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays make their way to people's skin.

Reinhold Vieth, a researcher from the University of Toronto, explained in a CBC News interview that the color of a person's skin actually plays a role in how much vitamin D that person produces when exposed to sunlight.

People with lighter skin tend to produce far more vitamin D when exposed to natural sunlight than do those with darker skin. People from countries with lots of natural sunlight and warm climates generally have dark skin, a trait that Vieth believes has developed throughout their ancestries in order to protect them from sun damage. As a result, dark-skinned people must be exposed to far more sunlight than light-skinned people in order to produce the same amount of vitamin D.

"Basically, what we're doing is transplanting people from an area for which their skin is optimized in terms of its color to an area where their skin is often too dark to be healthy," he explained in an interview.

A University of Toronto study co-authored by Vieth found that those of South Asian descent are six times more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than those from European descent. Researchers believe this is due, in part, to a diet that is low in foods containing vitamin D. Many women from these cultures also wear traditional clothing that covers nearly all their skin, limiting their exposure to the sun.

Immigrants who generally spent a lot of time outside in their native lands tend to stay indoors in Canada due to the colder weather and harsh winters. As a result, they are more prone to vitamin D deficiency diseases like bone density loss, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and even mental illness.

The Canadian Cancer Society is recommending that people take 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day throughout the year in order to maintain good health.

Vitamin D3-5

(NaturalNews) Artificial sweeteners may cause metabolic changes in how the body reacts to real sugar, according to a study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Increases in blood glucose levels were identical in both groups, but participants who had consumed the artificially sweetened drink first showed larger increases in circulating levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This hormone, which is released by the gut when food enters the stomach, signals the brain to create the sensation of "fullness." This reaction has not been observed in people consuming artificial sweeteners on their own.

"Our data demonstrate that artificial sweeteners synergize with glucose to enhance GLP-1 release in healthy volunteers," the researchers wrote.

The implications of the finding are not clear. Although they appear to suggest that consuming artificially sweetened products might actually cause people to eat less over the long term, previous studies have shown the opposite result. Whether artificial sweeteners produce more fullness, damage the brain's ability to regulate calorie intake, or produce some more complex reaction remains unknown.

It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that artificial sweeteners do have a significant effect on the body's reaction to other food.

"In light of the large number of individuals using artificial sweeteners on a daily basis, it appears essential to carefully investigate the associated effects on metabolism and weight," the researchers wrote.

Gourmet Star Thistle Honey