New Research: vitamin E, omega 3s and autism

Exciting new research indicates that omega 3s, in combination with vitamin E, may yield improvements in certain children with autism. A study published this month in Alternative Therapies In Health And Medicine reveals that children who received omega 3 and vitamin E supplements showed significant improvement in areas including speech, imitation, coordination, eye contact, behavior, sensory issues and development of pain sensation.

Click here to view the abstract and learn more.

Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health

Did you know that the average American eats between 22 and 34 teaspoons of sugar a day? This is more than twice the recommended limit, which is 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men.

In a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA), published in the August 26th 2009 journal of Circulation, the AHA provides specific advice on where to cut back.

Click here to read the full article.

Also, this new AHA Scientific Statement was featured on MSNBC.

Click here to watch the newscast.

Shifting America from Sick Care to Genuine Wellness

In a recent online op-ed piece, Senator Tom Harkin (D- Iowa), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee and a key contributor to the healthcare reform bill stated,

“As the lead Senator in drafting the Prevention and Public Health section of the bill, I view this legislation as our opportunity to recreate America as a genuine wellness society- a society that is focused on prevention, good nutrition, fitness and public health. …We spend a staggering $2.3 trillion annually on health care-16.5% of our GDP and far more than any other country spends on health care- yet the World Health Organization ranks US Healthcare only 37th among nations, on par with Serbia… Currently in the US, 95% of every healthcare dollar is spent on treating illnesses and conditions after they occur. But we spend peanuts on prevention.”

Probiotics for Kids

A new study from Danisco provides data supporting the use of probiotics, specifically the strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, in reducing cold and flu-like symptoms in children. Three-hundred and twenty-five children, ages 3-5 years old, were given the single L. acidophilus NCFM strain, the combination of the strains, or placebo for 6 months. Researchers not only noticed reductions in the incidence in fever, coughing, and runny noses, but also fewer need for the use of antibiotics and fewer days missed from the child care facility. This report strengthens the role of probiotics in immune health. To read more about the study published in Pediatrics, click the link below.

NutraIngredients Article

New information on aging!

It appears that research is pointing to a relatively new factor which may play a part in accelerating the aging process. Advanced glycation end products (known by their very clever acronym, AGEs) bind tissues together by a process called "cross-linking" making tissues throughout the body deformed, inflexible and dysfunctional. A study in the Journal Glycobiology hypothesizes that the accumulation of AGEs plays a role in a number of conditions including diabetes, inflammation and neurodegeneration.

Stay tuned for more information on the latest science and how you can stay healthy and live well!

Glycobiology. 2005 Jul;15(7):16R-28R. Epub 2005 Mar 10