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

President Underscores Complementary Medicine, Prevention and Primary Care for US Healthcare Reform

President Obama expressed his openness to include complementary medicine in a U.S. healthcare system during an April 29 Town Hall meeting in Arnold, MO.

“We should do what works,” President Obama said. “I think it is pretty well documented through scientific studies that acupuncture, for example, can be very helpful in relieving certain things like migraines and other ailments—or at least as effective as more intrusive interventions….I think one basic principle that we know is that the more we do on the prevention side, the more we can obtain serious savings down the road."

In a more recent town hall meeting in Raleigh, NC on July 29th, the President also stressed the importance of primary care medicine and prevention. He stated to the audience that there must be specific incentives to encourage young doctors to practice primary care medicine. And reform must include reimbursement incentives for healthcare professionals based on positive outcomes as compared to the present system of rewarding numbers of procedures regardless of outcome.

Daily Multivitamin Use IS Beneficial!

According to a new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, long-term use of a multivitamin may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 16%. Researchers analyzed the 10-year use of multivitamin and vitamins C and E supplements on 5-year total mortality, and death from cancer or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Data from 77,719 Washington State residents aged between 50 and 76 were obtained by a self-administered questionnaire. The data showed that the use of multivitamins and vitamin E were associated with 16 and 28 per cent decreased risk of death from CVD. Click the following link for more information:

NutraIngredients Article

Diet Alone May Be Insufficient According to ADA

Finally, one professional association is starting to get it …

What many of us have suspected for quite some time, the fact that the American diet is just not providing adequate nutritional intake, is finally being validated by national health agencies and professional associations.

For the first time, the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the most prestigious national professional association for Registered Dieticians, admits that diet alone may be insufficient to provide the nutrients for optimal health.

In an unprecedented position paper on Dietary Supplements, the ADA says

“Usual eating patterns of Americans suggest that our diets are frequently inadequate in terms of meeting dietary recommendations for promoting optimal health. Although it is the cornerstone of dietetic care, efforts to optimize health through improved dietary selections may not always be sufficient. In addition, for select nutrients, daily requirements may necessitate energy intake above recommended levels to control body weight or intake of food items not acceptable or tolerated by individuals. In these instances, dietary supplementation may be essential to ensure optimal health.”

For the complete ADA practice paper, go to
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/SID-5303FFEA-D83F136C/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_922_ENU_HTML.htm