Category: Featured Articles

The list almost covered a full sheet of the pad.

Blood pressure medication. Anti-depressants. Sleeping meds. Cholesterol lowering drugs (2 of them). Stuff to make him sleep. You get the picture.

He had been to a number of doctors for different conditions, and each one had put him on different meds. I thought then- as I think now- does anyone have any idea what the long term effects of mixing all this stuff together is??

The answer- then as now- is absolutely not.

When a medication is researched, it's tested by itself, usually for a relatively short period of time. Often the true long-term side effects don't reveal themselves till the pill has been on the market for a few years and been taken by thousands and thousands of people (Vioxx, anyone?). It would be literally impossible to test every pill in combination with every other pill to see what possible interactions there might be, not to mention testing those combinations for the years- sometimes decades- that people stay on them.

So this guy- like hundreds of thousands of other people- was a walking experiment.

Back to the study on Plavix.

A new 16,690 person study by Medco Health Solutions Inc suggested that people who combine a heartburn pill like Nexium or Prilosec with Plavix- on their doctor's order, by the way- have a 50% higher risk of heart attack or other cardiac event compared with those taking Plavix by itself.

Folks, this is the tip- the absolute ittsy bittsy tip- of an enormous iceberg.

These are just two popular drugs. Suppose we add into the mix an anti-depressant, a statin and an ACE inhibitor, just to mention a few. The possibilities are endless. These combinations are rarely investigated— this study is an exception- but just it's hard to imagine that the negative interaction effects found with just these two innocuous drugs are an isolated case.

This is why I've stated over and over again that my "default" position on drugs is- try to take as few as possible. It's not that they're always bad- clearly they're not- nor that they don't save lives (sometimes they do). But it's my strong feeling that the more you can avoid medicating each and every symptom with a pharmaceutical drug, the better off you'll be.

Especially when there are so many equally effective natural things you can do to accomplish similar results (see "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth").

For example- the "heartburn" that Prilosec "treats" can be easily impacted much more successfully (and with no side effects like preventing the valuable secretion of stomach acid) with some dietary changes. And before going right to Plavix, why not use omega-3 fats to help thin the blood or Nattokinase to help prevent clots?

I'm not taking a strong "drugs are Satan" position here- just cautioning that using a bunch of drugs (even two in the case of this study) on a long-term basis may have consequences no one ever thought of because such combinations have never been studied.

And by the way- I've yet to see ever a well-designed study saying that combining any vitamins or minerals or omega fats has led to an increase in cardiovascular death.

Just something to think about.

by Elizabeth Walling

(NaturalNews) While cholesterol and saturated fat are often blamed as the cause of heart disease and heart attacks, new studies indicate high blood sugar and insulin also have a considerable impact on a person's risk for developing heart disease. Many diabetics are aware that they are at an increased risk for heart disease, but high blood sugar can have an equally significant effect on non-diabetics as well.

According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, even non-diabetics have a sharply increased risk of heart problems if they have long-term elevated blood sugar. This poses concern because many people think if they are not diabetic then they shouldn't be worried about their blood sugar and insulin levels. However, long-term high blood sugar can nearly double your risk of heart trouble, even if you haven't been diagnosed with diabetes.

If you do have diabetes, it is crucial to closely monitor your blood glucose levels. According to the Johns Hopkins study, for just one percentage point increase in blood glucose levels, the chance for a heart attack in diabetics increases by 18%. This number can be alarming, but fortunately lifestyle changes can have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.

Dr. Elizabeth Selvin, the lead author of the study at the Bloomberg School, suggests lifestyle modifications can considerably lower anyone's risk of heart problems associated with high insulin and blood sugar.

One of the most important ways to regulate your blood sugar–and therefore your insulin– is nutrition. Avoiding foods that cause spikes in blood sugar is ideal. Refined carbohydrates and sugars are the top offenders, but even healthy carbohydrates can cause a sharp rise in blood sugar if consumed alone. Try combining whole carbohydrates with a protein and a serving of healthy fat to slow down the absorption of glucose in the body. Protein, fat and fiber will all lower the glycemic index of a meal, which means it will have less of an impact on your blood sugar. If you decide to indulge in a sugary dessert, apply the same concept by eating a little protein beforehand to limit the affect on your blood glucose.

Regular activity is also a good way to maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Simple exercise, such as a daily walk, can have a significant impact on your blood sugar. Resistance exercise that builds muscle is also highly recommended. On a similar note, maintaining a healthy weight helps your body regulate its blood glucose and insulin as well. People who are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood sugar and insulin levels.

by David Gutierrez

(NaturalNews) Increased intake of mineral nutrients can decrease the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) and cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension.

by Sherry Baker

(NaturalNews) After decades of attempting to fight AIDS with experimental vaccines and drugs, scientists have recently discovered how several natural substances could be powerful weapons against the disease. For example, in mid-November, UCLA AIDS researchers published research concluding that the herb astragalus contains a substance with the potential to possibly replace the side-effect plagued HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) currently used to treat AIDS patients.

Now Penn State immunologists say they've documented how a micronutrient could help battle AIDS. Their findings, just published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, show how selenium could dramatically put the brakes on the replication of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Selenium is needed by the body to maintain normal metabolism. It's also increasingly being studied for its anti-cancer properties. Although other nutrients usually bind to proteins, selenium actually becomes incorporated into proteins, forming what are called selenoproteins. These selenium-containing proteins are believed to slow the spread of infections. However, when HIV infects a person, the virus manages to degrade selenoproteins, probably due to a protein, dubbed Tat, produced by the HIV virus. In particular, Tat seems to target a selenoprotein known as TR1.

But there may be a way to get around this degradation of selenoproteins — supplementation with selenium. "Since HIV targets the selenoproteins, we thought that the logical way to deal with the virus is to increase the expression of such proteins in the body," K. Sandeep Prabhu, assistant professor of immunology and molecular toxicology at Penn State, said in a statement to the press.
To test their idea, the scientists isolated blood cells from human volunteers who did not have HIV. Then they infected those cells with the virus and added a form of selenium called sodium selenite to the cell culture.

The result? The added selenium inhibited the replication of the HIV virus at least 10-fold, in comparison to cell cultures with no added selenium. The scientists also selectively reduced the production pf the selenoprotein TRI. When there was less selenium-containing protein, the HIV virus replication soared 3.5 times. Bottom line: The research confirms that an increase in selenium in cells zaps replication of HIV while a reduction in the amount of selenium-containing TR1 protein gives the virus a boost.

"We have found that increasing the expression of proteins that contain selenium negatively affects the replication of HIV. Once we fully understand the function of these selenium proteins, it will give us a handle to come up with more effective drugs," said Dr. Prabhu in the prepared statement for the media.

Two more new studies offer additional evidence that selenium may impact the immune system. German scientists from St. Josefs-Hospital in Wiesbaden recently published a study in the Swedish medical journal Acta Oncologica that suggests the micronutrient could help prevent prostate cancer and prostate enlargement. The researchers found that whole blood selenium levels were significantly lower in all men tested who had prostate cancer or benign prostate hypertrophy (which can cause difficulty with urination) and concluded, "our findings may support the recommendation of selenium supplementation" to help prostate health . What's more, a study just published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research suggests enzymes that contain selenium have anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects that could make them important in preventing prostate and colorectal cancers.

Too much selenium in can cause a condition called selenosis, resulting in loss of hair, nail problems, nausea, irritability, fatigue, and mild nerve damage. However, selenium toxicity is extremely rare. A lack of selenium may, in fact, be far more common and potentially more dangerous to health. According to the National Institutes of Health, people age 14 and older should take in about 44 micrograms of selenium a day. Good sources of the micronutrient include Brazil nuts, eggs, brown rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, walnuts and oatmeal.

by Sheryl Walters

(NaturalNews) What if you could find a magic potion that would sweeten your tea, create mind blowing delicious cakes and dramatically improve your health? You may be surprised to find that bees create this amazing elixir in the form of honey. That's right, raw, unadulterated honey is nature's oldest sweetener and it also promotes true, radiant health. Thousands of years before the invention of white sugar, people used honey to enhance their food and support their bodies.

But don't be fooled by the sticky jar that is sitting in your cupboard. Most honey is highly processed, over heated and chemically refined, leaving it lifeless and free of any benefits. Excessive heating destroys the valuable enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, as well as the unique phytonutrients that make honey the super food that it is.

Raw Honey is Filled with Health Promoting Goodness

Raw honey is loaded with vitamins and is particularly high in minerals which are vital for maintaining health including calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, chromium, manganese and selenium. Amino acids are contained in honey, which are nature's building blocks. Incredible plant compounds are found in honey that gives the immune system a giant boost. This magic potion is also highly alkalizing and helps the body maintain a balanced PH.

Raw honey is full of enzymes . Enzymes are essential for absorbing food, rebuilding the body, cellular health, and nearly all other biological processes.Once a food is heated, there are absolutely no enzymes left.

Honey is packed with Antioxidants

You may be surprised to discover that raw honey contains many of the same antioxidants as green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and broccoli. This isn't to say that it is a replacement for veggies, but it is certainly worth adding to your diet as a way to fight aging and disease causing free radicals and live vibrantly.

Some of these antioxidant powers of raw honey are:

•Flavonoids which are powerful antioxidants that increase energy and boost overall wellbeing.
•Pinocembrin is a unique flavonoid that is unique to honey and has been shown to improve cognitive function among other benefits.
•Pinostrobin is another flavonoid that the enzyme activity in the body, which is essential for absorbing food and enjoying good health, especially as we age.

Raw Honey May Fights Cancer!

A study was conducted in order to find out if raw honey could health stop the growth of tumors. They injected mice with cancer cells and discovered that those mice who took honey orally before the injections were less likely to form the tumors and tumors appeared to shrink after being injected with bee venom and propolis. Researchers suggest they bee products may cause cell suicide, which helps the immune system fight the development of tumors.

Anti Bacterial
Honey has been shown to have an antimicrobial effect against bacteria and other unwanted invaders. Raw honey is being used by doctors in the UK to treat mouth and throat cancer patients to reduce their chances of contracting bacterial infections. It has also been used to speed up the healing of wounds caused by Caesarean sections as well as other types of wounds.

Other Incredible Benefits of Raw Honey Include:

A bounty of medical studies have found that honey can help heal ulcers, as well as offering relief from diarrhea, insomnia, sunburn, and sore throats. It also boosts energy levels and keeps you from getting colds, the flu and other illnesses. It promotes the growth of "good" bacteria in your intestinal tract.

It is food for the heart since it reduces homocysteine levels and promotes circulation. It can also help calm soothe, and promote a good night's sleep, not to mention it sweetens your tea and transforms your cakes!

by Mike Adams

(NaturalNews) Up to 90 percent of the infant formula sold in the United States may be contaminated with trace amounts of melamine, the toxic chemical linked to kidney damage, according to recent tests. The FDA's test results, which the agency hid from the public and only released after the Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request, showed that Nestle, Mead Johnson and Enfamil infant formula products were all contaminated with melamine.

The AP is also reporting that Abbott Laboratories conducted its own in-house tests that detected trace levels of melamine in its formula products. Together, these infant formula manufacturers make about 90 percent of the infant formula sold in the United States.

Prior to these test results being made public, the FDA had published a document on its website that explained there was no safe level of melamine contamination in infant formula. Specifically, the FDA stated, "FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns."

Once tests found melamine in U.S.-made formula products, however, the FDA changed its story. As of today, the FDA has now officially declared melamine to be safe in infant formula as long as the contamination level is less than one part per million (1 ppm).

Astonishingly: The FDA has no new science to justify its abrupt decision declaring melamine to be safe!

Rather than being based on science, the FDA's decision appears to be based entirely on creating cover for U.S. infant formula manufacturers whose products were found to be contaminated with melamine. The "acceptable" level of contamination (1 ppm) is conveniently just above the levels found in U.S. infant formula products, thus placing U.S. infant formula in the "safe" contamination level category.

And yet the FDA has conducted no safety testing whatsoever to determine whether 1ppm of melamine is safe for infants to consume. There is no science involved in this decision whatsoever. Rather than this decision being based on science, the FDA is once again resorting to politically-motivated decisions that seek to protect the profits of Big Business rather than the safety of infants and children.

Recall that the FDA also recently declared Bisphenol-A to be safe for infants to consume, even while countries like Canada banned the chemical from baby bottles. The FDA, it seems has never met a corporate-sponsored chemical it didn't like.

But the FDA's own tests on Mead Johnson infant formula reveal it to contain 245 ppb, or 1600% more than what would be expected to exists due to melamine contamination from manufacturing equipment.

There are two really important questions that any intelligent consumer should be asking about all this:

Question #1) If the manufacturing and packaging equipment is contaminated with melamine, does this mean that ALL food products containing milk protein are similarly contaminated? The same companies that make infant formula also make Slim Fast, Ensure and Boost — all are milk protein-based meal replacement products containing many of the same ingredients as infant formula. Are they contaminated with melamine, too?

Question #2) If manufacturing and packaging machinery should only result in melamine contamination levels of 15 ppb, and yet 245 ppb were found in the infant formula, then where did all the extra melamine come from? The FDA has no explanation for this and seems to hope people will forget to ask.

I offer two theories to explain the melamine contamination of these products. Obviously, the contamination could not be caused by the manufacturing and packaging of the product, because the melamine levels already found in U.S. infant formula products greatly exceed the expected levels from such manufacturing and packaging. The following two theories may explain the additional levels of detected melamine.

Theory #1: The infant formula is adulterated with melamine

This is what happened in China: Infant formula manufacturers added melamine to their milk protein to bulk up the product without adding much cost (melamine is much cheaper than milk protein). Because melamine's chemical profile is strikingly similar to milk protein, it can often fool simple protein analysis tests and appear to be legitimate.

If infant formula products use any milk protein from China, it could very easily have been adulterated with melamine. However, this is just a theory, and NaturalNews has no evidence that U.S. infant formula manufacturers actually used milk protein from China. Thus, we do not believe Theory #1 to be correct. Theory #2, below, seems more likely.

Theory #2: U.S. dairy operations are using animal feed contaminated with melamine

Because melamine is passed through cow's milk, the contamination of U.S. dairy cows with melamine through their feed could result in high melamine concentrations in the resulting milk proteins.

China has already admitted that melamine has been detected in alarming quantities in animal feed there, and tests have already shown chickens to be contaminated with the chemical. The question today is this: Do U.S. dairy farms use animal feed containing ingredients imported from China?

If so, then we may have a problem here that's much, much bigger than infant formula. We may have a dairy industry that's producing melamine-contaminated milk, which could mean that virtually all milk, yoghurt, butter and cheese produced in the U.S. might be contaminated with some level of melamine.

Again, NaturalNews has no proof that this is the situation, but the melamine must have come from somewhere. It didn't just spontaneously generate in the infant formula as the FDA would seemingly want us to believe. If the milk proteins in infant formula are contaminated with melamine, then it stands to reason that the milk proteins used throughout the food supply may also be contaminated.

We may, indeed, be looking at an industry-wide problem here. Powdered milk, meal replacement products and even milk protein drinks may all be contaminated with melamine at levels similar to the infant formula products.

Because you have to follow the logic here: Either the infant formula manufacturers ADDED melamine to their products (highly unlikely), or the entire milk product industry has a melamine problem.

You can't logically conclude that these infant formula manufacturers somehow got all the melamine-contaminated milk proteins but everybody else got melamine-free milk proteins. Milk proteins are a commodity in the food industry, and milk from thousands of different cows can all be mixed together in a single pound of milk protein. What could be happening here is that one dairy farm may have highly-contaminated cows because it used cheap feed fillers from China.

At this point, this is all just a theory, but it's a theory that makes sense. It makes a lot more sense than the FDA's theory that there's no problem and babies should just keep drinking melamine (and Bisphenol-A, for that matter…) and the press should stop asking questions.

Secret tests and public lies

There's no doubt that these infant formula manufacturers are pursuing the very same contamination theories I'm describing here. They're probably scrambling to test their milk protein sources, trying to figure out where all the extra melamine is coming from.

As usual, they'll try to keep the test results secret, preventing this from exploding into a much larger public health issue. The FDA, for its part, will continue to conduct any actual science in secret, preventing the public from knowing the tests results unless it is sued by organizations like the AP.

That's assuming the FDA conducts any science at all, because now the FDA believes it can declare contaminants to be safe at a level it just invents on the spot, without conducting any science whatsoever. The FDA is playing "Wheel of Fortune" with public safety (http://www.naturalnews.com/023681.html), and it's relying on guessing games – rather than actual science – to declare safety levels of chemicals it doesn't even understand.

The upshot of all this is really quite simple: People who feed their babies manufactured, mainstream infant formula products are fools! If there was ever a reason to breastfeed your baby, this is it. And if you're looking for truly safe infant formula products, go with natural brands such as Genesis Organics Goat Milk Formula (www.GenesisOrganics.com) or other "natural" brands that don't use cheap cow's milk proteins.

After all, it's quite clear at this point that the FDA doesn't care about your baby's health. You're the only one who can protect your baby from melamine. The FDA flat out refuses to do so. In fact, it's doing the opposite by declaring melamine to be safe!

So stop buying conventional infant formula products and start feeding your baby what it was meant to consume: Human breast milk from a healthy, well-nourished mom who eats lots of omega-3 oils and superfoods.

That's the best infant formula in the world. And by the way, human babies shouldn't be drinking bovine milk in the first place. The whole infant formula industry was a scam long before melamine came along. Now it's a contaminated scam.

by Reuben Chow

(NaturalNews) How many times have you heard it mentioned that sugar causes cancer, that cancer patients should avoid sugar, or that sugar is the favorite food of cancer cells? The truth is, this goes beyond mere hearsay or traditional knowledge; there is actually a large volume of scientific evidence available which shows the link between sugar and increased cancer risk. Here, ten such studies are summarized.

1. Colorectal Cancer in Women (United States)

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School found that women who ate the most foods with high glycemic load – the glycemic index, or GI, of a food gives an idea of how quickly sugar (more specifically, glucose) levels in the blood rise after eating it – had almost three times the risk of getting colorectal cancer in the future, compared with women who ate lesser amounts of such foods.

Typically, processed foods made from refined grains and refined sugar, including candy bars, cakes, cookies and other snacks, are high glycemic foods

“We find a very straightforward and clear association between high-glycemic foods and the risk of colorectal cancers,” said lead researcher Simin Liu, MD, ScD.

This study involved some 40,000 American women.

2. Colorectal Cancer in Men (United States)

Another study at Harvard University found that middled aged men whose diets tended to increase blood sugar levels quicker, i.e. those who ate more high GI foods, had a 32% higher chance of getting colorectal cancer over a period of 20 years.

The study, which involved more than 50,000 men, also found that this effect seemed to be more pronounced in heavier men.

3. Breast Cancer in Women (United States)

The Women’s Health Study found that those who consumed a diet which raised blood sugar levels more had a 135% higher risk of getting breast cancer in the 7-year period of the study.

4. Endometrial Cancer in Women (United States)

The Iowa Women’s Health Study looked at some 23,000 post-menopausal women. It found that those who consumed a diet which raised blood sugar levels more had a 46% higher risk of getting endometrial cancer over a period of 15 years.

5. Endometrial Cancer in Women (Italy)

Another study in Italy carried out on women with endometrial cancer found that those who consumed a blood sugar-raising diet had a 110% higher risk of getting this disease.

6. Pancreatic Cancer in Women (United States)

In a study which followed almost 90,000 US women participating in the Nurse’s Health Study for a period of 18 years, it was found that women with a high glycemic load intake had a 53% higher risk of getting pancreatic cancer. A similar increase in risk, 57%, was observed for fructose intake.

Further, the study also found that women who were heavy and with low levels of physical activity experienced greatly enhanced risk. Women in this group with high glycemic load had 2.67 times the risk of their counterparts with low glycemic load intake!

7. Pancreatic Cancer in Men and Women (Sweden)

A study carried out by Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and Central Hospital in Västerås, Sweden followed almost 78,000 Swedish men and women with no previous diagnosis of cancer or history of diabetes for a mean period of more than 7 years. The subjects were aged from 45 to 83 years.

The study found that consuming added sugar, soft drinks, sweetened fruit soups or stewed fruit increased the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Those who ate the most sugar had a 69% higher risk compared with those who ate the least sugar. The corresponding higher risk for soft drinks was 93%, while for sweetened fruit soups or stewed fruit it was 51%.

The study concluded that “high consumption of sugar and high-sugar foods may be associated with a greater risk of pancreatic cancer”.

8. Prostate Cancer in Men (Italy)

An Italian study examined the habits of men aged 46 to 74 who had prostate cancer and compared their dietary choices to similar men who did not contract the disease. The study found that those men whose diets were more likely to increase blood sugar levels had a 57% higher risk of getting prostate cancer.

9. All Cancers in Men and Women (Korea)

A large study carried out by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea tracked almost 1.3 million Korean men and women, aged between 30 and 95 years, for a period of 10 years.

The study found that those with the highest fasting glucose levels were more likely to die from all types of cancer combined. For the men, the strongest link was found for pancreatic cancer, while significant links were also reported for oesophagus, liver and colorectal cancers. For the women, the strongest associations were for liver and cervical cancers.

All in all, besides being more likely to die from cancer, those with highest fasting blood glucose levels also had higher risk of developing cancer.

And obesity had a part to play, too. “This study provides more information on glucose intolerance, an emerging cause of cancer. It points to increased cancer risk as another adverse consequence of rising obesity around the world,” concluded Sun Ha Jee, leader of the study.

Another thing to note – the study participants were said to be substantially leaner than the typical population in Western countries, as mentioned by the study team.

10. Various Cancers in Men and Women (Sweden)

A study carried out at Umea University Hospital in Sweden looked at almost 65,000 people in northern Sweden for a mean period of 8 years.

The study found that women with the highest blood sugar levels had a higher risk of getting cancer before the end of the study period. This group of women also had higher risk of endometrial cancer, while those below 49 years of age had higher risk of breast cancer. In addition, both men and women who had the highest levels of blood sugar had higher risks of pancreatic cancer, urinary tract cancer, as well as malignant melanoma.

These results led Par Stattin, MD, PhD, part of the study team, to state that keeping blood sugar levels within the normal range "may reduce cancer risk".

Why Does Cancer Love Sugar? – A Study Suggests Why

A study team at Duke University School of Medicine has suggested a possible reason why cancer cells like sugar so much.

Basically, according to the researchers, in healthy cells, certain growth factors regulate their metabolism and cell survival. When these growth factors are removed, there is loss of glucose uptake and metabolism, and the cells die.

However, they found that cancer cells are able to maintain glucose metabolism by using a protein called “Akt”, which promotes glucose metabolism. This prevents cell death, even when the growth factors are not available.

What We Need to Take Note of

So, then, based on the findings of the abovementioned studies, can we conclude that sugar feeds cancer? The truth is, sugar feeds all cells in our bodies. It therefore cannot be all bad.

Two things we must take note of, however, is the amount and the type of sugar which we consume.

Consuming too much sugar causes our bodies to produce excessive amounts of insulin. And insulin itself encourages the growth of cells, something which is good for healthy cells, but not cancerous cells.

The other key point is to avoid simple sugars. Broadly speaking, processed and refined foods, including soft drinks, sugary beverages, candy bars, cakes, other desserts, as well as other snacks, contain high amounts of simple sugars. These are high GI foods, which can cause insulin levels to spike.

On the other hand, natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables are so much safer and better for health. Even fresh fruit juice, despite its high sugar content, is great for health. On top of that, healthy whole foods come with a wide concoction of vitamins and minerals, something which refined sugar is totally devoid of.

Simple Sugars Cause Obesity

When one’ insulin levels suddenly increase, the level of sugar in the blood can suddenly crash. This, then, can cause one to feel intensely hungry. People then eat more, and feel hungry again soon, and the cycle keeps going.

Further, because of their lack of nutrition, foods with a lot of simple sugars are basically empty calories. When the body’s nutritional needs are not met, it continues to crave for food, which again explains the non-stop eating and feasting.

The more refined sugars one eats, the fatter one becomes, yet the more malnourished one can be. It is a huge paradox, and a dangerous one at that.

Conclusion

Refined sugar is devoid of important nutrients, causes obesity, causes cavities, and also increases cancer risk. If you or a loved one are battling cancer, or are serious about avoiding the disease, you may want to take note of your intake of this common yet dangerous substance.

by Reuben Chow

(NaturalNews) Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, has already been linked to so many vital health functions and benefits. Among others, it boosts immune function, improves absorption of calcium thereby contributing to strong and healthy bones, plays an important role in cell growth, and reduces cancer risk. Now, in a conclusive study carried out by researchers at Johns Hopkins earlier this year, it has been revealed that lack of vitamin D can quite greatly increase the overall risk of death.

by Lynn Berry

(NaturalNews) The benefits of Omega-3 for reducing the risk of macular degeneration were revealed in a recent study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology . Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness and severe vision impairment for people over 55 worldwide, affecting around one in seven people.

The central part of the retina in the back of the eye is known as the macula. The retina is where we process all visual images allowing us to read, and to see people and colors. Macular degeneration (MD) affects central vision and this gradually deteriorates causing functional blindness. Peripheral vision is initially not greatly affected; however MD gradually widens over time to reduce peripheral vision.

Many believe that free radicals are the cause of MD and that antioxidants can reduce the progress of early MD. A study of 8,000 people in the Netherlands found that those who developed MD were more likely to be smokers and have high cholesterol. (1)

However, in the most recent study, a clear link was established with the consumption of Omega-3 and the reduction in age-related MD. The study was a meta-analysis of nine studies which covered 90,000 people, and 3000 of those had age-related MD. (2)

Dr Chong (University of Melbourne) and her team found that eating one portion of fish that is rich in Omega-3 may reduce the risk of contracting MD by over 50%. Even more convincing is that by increasing consumption of Omega-3 by 300 mg per day of the Omega-3 fatty acids known as DHA and EPA, the risk of MD is reduced by about 70%. (2)

The signs and symptoms of age-related MD include difficulty reading or difficulty with anything that requires fine vision such as sewing; difficulty distinguishing faces; distortion of images; and dark or blank patches appearing in the center of what you are seeing.

People who are most at risk of age-related MD are people over the age of 50; those who smoke or who have a history of MD. People who smoke increase the risk by a factor of three, and smokers develop MD 10 years before non-smokers. (3)

Other preventative recommendations include a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise; a healthy diet with greens, fruits and vegetables, antioxidants, zinc, Vitamins C and E. Lutein is one of the antioxidants found in higher amounts in people with a healthy macular. Lutein may be found in flaxseed oil, and dark green leafy vegetables. Flaxseed oil is high in Omega-3.