Myomin Resaerch, what you should know.

Achieve a Healthy Estrogen Quotient with Myomin

Tsu-Tsair Chi, PhD

No one can argue that healthy hormone levels have a positive effect on one’s health. However, due to physical or environmental factors, it is sometimes difficult to achieve and maintain a healthy hormone balance. Levels of reproductive hormones like estrogen, in particular, can vary depending on your gender, age, or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) use. Understanding estrogen and how it relates to other reproductive hormones is key to achieving hormone balance and reducing disease-related risks.

Estrogen has three main forms: estrone (E1), estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3). Estrone and estradiol are the most potent forms of estrogen and are considered to have a role in various diseases. Estriol is the weaker estrogen and is considered anti-carcinogenic in the presence of E1 and E2, according to some studies.

Professor Henry Lemon derived the Estrogen Quotient (EQ), a formula that provides a guideline to keeping the right E1, E2 and E3 balance. It is defined as E3 divided by the sum of E1 and E2.
EQ = E3 / (E1+E2)

An EQ over 1, therefore, signifies lower cancer risk. Because of E3’s protective effect against cancer, ideally there needs to be more E3 than E1 and E2 combined. In the metabolism of steroid hormones, estrogen is synthesized through different pathways. Understanding these pathways can help you determine how or why your levels of estrone, estradiol or estriol and other hormones, for that matter) are deficient or elevated. This will also help you achieve a better EQ.

In Figure 1, the androgens androstenedione and testosterone are directly converted to estrone and estradiol, respectively, through the aromatase enzyme. Other hormones like progesterone, cholesterol, pregnenolone or DHEA are indirectly converted to the different forms of estrogen. So what does this mean? Let’s say you are on progesterone therapy, for example. Progesterone can go through different pathways and eventually end up being converted to estrone or estradiol.

Myomin is a natural aromatase reducer that can reduce estradiol level. Its effect on aromatase expression was clearly indicated in an in vivo study. After 28 days of administration, Myomin reduced aromatase expression in rat endometrium and ovarian tissue by 100% and 85.6%, respectively (Chi TT. Townsend Letter. Dec 2009; 317:70-74.).

Its reduction of estradiol levels, therefore, was not a surprise. In an animal study, 90 female mice were given Myomin for 30, 60, and180 days. Their average estradiol level after each period was 50.6, 36.6, and 32.4 pg/ml, respectively. Their estradiol level progressively reduced and then stabilized.

Similarly, a human study involving 60 postmenopausal women with cysts and fibroids reduced their estradiol level by 47.88% after only 10 days on Myomin.

There are also numerous case reports on men and women using Myomin to reduce their estradiol level and achieve healthy levels of other hormones such as progesterone and testosterone, with or without HRT, including Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
(BHRT).

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Y. Dikansky, ND from NY, has a 48-year-old premenopausal patient who had breast cancer at 38 years old. She had surgery and radiation at that time. Then the cancer recurred when she was 43 years old, for which she underwent surgery and radiation again. In May 2011, at 48 years old, her estradiol was high at 196.50 pg/ml. She found out that she had fibrocystic breasts. This time she took Myomin. In July 2011,

Figure 1. Biosynthesis of Steroid Hormones
Journal of the American Naturopathic Medical Association. Jul 2012; 15(4): 10-15. a biopsy revealed that it was not cancerous. By Oct 19, 2011, about 5 months later, her estradiol level reduced to 53.21 pg/ml, within normal range (Table 1).
Table 1. Estradiol reduced with Myomin: Premenopausal Female with Breast Cancer History
Urine Test May 2011 Oct 2011 Premenopausal range Estradiol 196.50 High 53.21 Normal 5.0– 54.7 pg/ml

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F. Cromeyer, RPh from Texas, has a female patient in her 50s who took Myomin for 2 months. Her estradiol level reduced from 6.5 to 2.4 pg/ml (Table 2).
Table 2. Estradiol reduced with Myomin in Postmenopausal Female Saliva Test Before Myomin After 2 months Postmenopausal range Estradiol 6.5 High 2.4 Normal 1.0– 3.2 pg/ml

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J. Carrozzella, MD from Florida, has a male patient in his 50s who took Myomin. After only 3 weeks, his estradiol level reduced from 60 to 25 pg/ml (Table 3).
Table 3. Estradiol reduced with Myomin in Male Patient Serum Test Before Myomin After 3 weeks Male range Estradiol 60 High 25 Normal 6-30 pg/ml

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M.K., an 80-year-old male from California, has prostate cancer. He had elevated levels of estradiol and PSA before he started on Myomin and Prosta Chi, another herbal supplement. He had been taking dutasteride (Avodart) for years but his PSA was still elevated at 5.0 and his estradiol was at 60 (normal is 6-30 pg/ml). After adding Myomin and Prosta Chi for 2 months, his PSA reduced to 2.88 and his estradiol reduced to 39. When he stopped taking it for 2 months, both levels increased. He promptly took Myomin and Prosta Chi again and his PSA and estradiol levels dropped (Table 4), showing how effective Myomin and Prosta Chi are for the prostate.

Table 4. Estradiol and PSA level reduced with Myomin in Male Patient Date Estradiol PSA level Notes 9/2011 60 5.0

Levels with Avodart and before he added Myomin and Prosta Chi.

11/2011 39 2.88

After 2 months with Myomin, Prosta Chi

01/2012 59 5.6

He stopped Myomin and Prosta Chi, his levels increased. So he started taking them again.

03/2012 39 Not tested

2 months after he restarted Myomin, Prosta Chi 04/2012 31 3.6 After 3 months on Myomin, Prosta Chi

Estrogen receptors

In order for estrogen to function, it needs to attach to a receptor. Once this binding occurs, it determines how a cell will function for the rest of its life. Estrogen receptors exist in many tissues of the body, explaining the many conditions associated with estrogen. They are classified into two types: estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha) and estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta). Each type of receptor has different effects in terms of cell proliferation and how it responds to E1, E2 or E3. The estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha) is stimulated by E1 and E2
and is considered proliferative and pro-carcinogenic. It is found in the following tissues:

• Blood vessels ∙ Hypothalamus ∙ Ovaries
• Breast ∙ Liver ∙ Prostate
• Endometrium ∙ Lung ∙ Testes

The estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta), on the other hand, is stimulated by E2 and E3 and is considered anti-proliferative and anticarcinogenic.
It is found in these tissues:
• Blood vessels ∙ Kidney ∙ Prostate
• Breast ∙ Heart ∙ Skin
• Brain ∙ Intestines ∙ Endothelial cells
• Bone ∙ Lung

Since estrogen receptors are distributed widely in the body, estrogen is clearly in many different health conditions. It has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some types of cancer, including breast, endometrial, ovarian, prostate and testicular cancer. This is partly due to the expression of ER-alpha and ER-beta in these types of tissues. Recently, new studies show that estrogen may also play a role in lung cancer and melanoma.

Knowing the function and distribution of estrogen receptors is vital to achieving the right balance of E1, E2 and E3. Since the proliferative and pro-carcinogenic ER-alpha binds to both E1 and E2, we need to have lower levels of these estrogens. ER-beta has an affinity for E3 and not E1, so a higher E3 is more cancer protective.

Achieve E3 > E1 + E2 Referring to Figure 1 again, Myomin limits the production of E1 and E2 by blocking the conversion from androstenedione and testosterone, respectively. E3, in contrast, continues to be produced unopposed from other pathways. So you are getting more E3 than E1
and E2. This is how Myomin is able to promote a healthy EQ. Women need to check their hormone levels once they hit menopause to keep track of their EQ. One case clearly illustrates Myomin’s effect on EQ.

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I. Ekasari, PhD from Colorado, has a 59-year-old female patient with breast and thyroid nodule, conditions that are both estrogenresponsive. Then she started taking Myomin and Angiostop. After 1 ½ years, her E1, E2 and E3 levels are within normal range and her EQ is now over 1.0 (Table 5), signifying a lower risk for breast cancer. Her breast and thyroid nodules have also reduced in size. Table 5. Patient with breast and thyroid nodules effectively increased her EQ with MyominSaliva Test Results Postmenopausal range
Estrone (E1) 17.46 Normal 5.8 – 34.2 pg/ml
Estradiol (E2) 1.08 Normal 1.0 – 3.2 pg/ml
Estriol (E3) 18.97 Normal EQ = E3/(E1+E2) 1.02 Normal >1.0

Factors of Estrogen Imbalance

In order to manage estrogen and reduce the risk for estrogenresponsive cancers, we need to be aware of various factors that contribute to elevated estrogen levels: hormone replacement therapy, obesity, xenoestrogens, and hyperaromatization.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Journal of the American Naturopathic Medical Association. Jul 2012; 15(4): 10-15. It has been years since the Women’s Health Initiative study has been halted but we are still getting valuable information from follow up evaluations of the study participants. Essentially, the harmful effects of HRT far outweigh the benefits. Women, therefore, are encouraged to use HRT cautiously, especially if there is a history of estrogenresponsive conditions such as cysts, fibroids, or endometriosis.

For men and women who absolutely need it, they can safely be on HRT or BHRT by adding Myomin to avoid the excessive conversion of other hormones to estrogen. This will also help preserve a natural balance among E1, E2 and E3.

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In one case, S. Vlach, MD from South Dakota, has a 65 y/o/m wellbuilt patient using bioidentical testosterone cream. With Myomin, his testosterone was over 10,000 (normally 300-750). Then testosterone dose was cut in half, but his testosterone level was still 3,000. Finally after stopping the testosterone cream and just taking medium-dose of Myomin, his testosterone and estrogen (normally 6-30) levels are within normal range.

In another case, J. Weber, DC from New York, has a 33 y/o/f patient who had hormonal imbalance. Her periods have been irregular since she was 19 years old. She is also overweight, has low thyroid function and had insulin resistance. Dr. Weber recommended progesterone
cream, Myomin, Chi-F, Pro-Metabolic and Slender All. After only a month on the program, her periods became regular. A year later, her hormones are balanced (Table 6) and she lost 40 lbs.

Table 6. Hormones balanced with Myomin: Premenopausal Female on Progesterone Cream
Saliva Test 9/15/2010 10/3/2011
Premenopausal range

Estradiol (E2) 2.20 Normal 1.76 Normal 1.0-10.8 pg/ml
Progesterone (Pg) < 10.0 Low 219.26 Normal 127-446 pg/ml
Ratio Pg/E2 4.40 Low 124.58 Low 200-600
DHEA 128.20 Normal 219.01 Normal 106-300 pg/ml
Testosterone 55.10 High 43.09 Normal 5.9-49 pg/ml

 Obesity
What many people do not realize is that fat tissue has a high concentration of the aromatase enzyme. When testosterone is low and estrogen is high, this reduces muscle tone and promotes fat accumulation. Since fat tissue is the greatest peripheral source of aromatase, this further leads to more estradiol buildup from testosterone conversion (hyperaromatization). So the increased estradiol production contributes to a cycle of more aromatase and fat buildup.
Myomin can interrupt this cycle by blocking the conversion of testosterone and androstenedione to estrone and estradiol. As a result, weight will eventually reduce, especially around the abdomen, which has the highest concentration of aromatase.

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In the case of K. Kaplan, DC from FL, for example, she has a 58-year-old female patient who took Myomin, Slender All and Pro-Metabolic for a year. Her weight reduced from 245 lbs to 193 lbs. She lost a total of 4 inches from her waist and 8 inches around the thigh.

Xenoestrogens

Xenoestrogens, also called environmental hormones or endocrine disrupting chemicals, are substances that mimic the effects of estrogen. They attach to receptors and disrupt endocrine functions. People are continually exposed to xenoestrogens in the environment like plasticizers, clouding agents, and phthalates. Clouding agents, for example, are found in sports drinks, juices, tea drinks, fruit jams, syrups, tablets or powders. Constant exposure to xenoestrogens can cause damage to the reproductive system and other organs and lead to cancer. In women, it can cause early puberty and increase breast cancer risk.

Myomin is recommended for those who are exposed to xenoestrogens. Besides its aromatase inhibition function, it also competes with xenoestrogens and/or estrogens at the estrogen
receptors to reduce their harmful effects.

Hyperaromatization
Hyperaromatization is excessive conversion of testosterone and androstenedione to estradiol and estrone, respectively. This is one of the issues faced by individuals on HRT or BHRT and also women on birth control pills. For individuals taking hormones, this can be problematic for a number of reasons. First, they are not retaining all the hormones that they need. Second, they are accumulating more estrogen than necessary. This leads to an increased risk for cysts,
fibroids, gynecomastia and certain types of cancers.

According to Dr. Jonathan Wright, the pioneer in BHRT, the types of people who are more likely to have hyperaromatization have the characteristics listed in Table 7.
Table 7. People of at risk for Hyperaromatization
 Overweight  Hypertension
 Type 2 diabetes  High cholesterol level
 Insulin resistance  High triglyceride level
 Family history of Type 2 Diabetes
In Table 8, Dr. Wright further enumerates certain symptoms to watch to determine if a person has hyperaromatization.
Table 8. Symptoms of Hyperaromatization
 Overweight  Reduced muscle tone
 Low libido  Gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts)
When a patient has low testosterone and high estradiol levels, a definite sign of hyperaromatization, check for insulin resistance or diabetes. Once it is confirmed, recommend Myomin to correct hyperaromatization. As in these two cases, both patients have diabetes or insulin resistance and also have the symptoms of hyperaromatization.

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L.H., a 65-year-old female from New York, is diabetic and had a fasting HbA1c level o f 7.6. After 6 months on Myomin, Diabend and OxyPower, her HbA1c level reduced to 6.5 (Table 9).
Table 9. Myomin reduced HbA1C with OxyPower Serum Test Before After 6 months Reference range HbA1c 7.6 6.5 < 6.0

J.W., a 69-year-old female from New York, had insulin resistance symptoms and marginal HbA1c. After taking Myomin, Diabend and OxyPower for 6 months, her HbA1c level reduced to 5.7 (Table 10) and her symptoms cleared. Journal of the American Naturopathic Medical Association. Jul 2012; 15(4): 10-15.
Table 10. Myomin reduced HbA1C with OxyPower and Diabend
Serum Test Oct 2010 Mar 2011 Reference range HbA1c 6.0 5.7 < 6.0

Hyperaromatization can negatively affect the EQ since E1 and E2 can potentially increase much faster than E3. It is therefore important to correct this condition not just to achieve an ideal EQ but also to maintain a healthy weight, increase muscle tone and reduce insulin resistance risk. At more than 12 lectures different medical conventions since 2010, Dr. Jonathan Wright has discussed the safe and effective use of Myomin with BHRT to correct
hyperaromatization.

 Conclusion

Myomin is an herbal formula that has been demonstrated to reduce aromatase expression and estradiol levels in animal and human studies. By reducing estradiol, it has many applications in improving cysts, fibroids, endometriosis, prostate issues and other estrogenresponsive conditions. Since it regulates the synthesis of estrogens, Myomin can help you achieve a healthy estrogen quotient, keeping the right balance among E1, E2, and E3. Myomin can be safely taken by premenopausal and postmenopausal women as well as men on BHRT to minimize its associated risks.

Magnesium Benefits you should know about

Did you know? Magnesium may turn out to be a potent ally for reducing cardiovascular disease.In studies magnesium reduces inflammation and alters the way fats are metabolized. These studies suggest that eating a magnesium rich diet may reduce triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and increase HDL cholesterol.

The Immune System and RA and your Gut, yes GUT!

The Immune System and RA and your Gut, yes GUT!
The entire physical healing process is engineered by the immune system. It truly is the healing power within. This complex network of cells and biochemicals is the front line defense system against viruses, fungi, and bacteria. The immune system is the key to fighting every insult to the body, from a little nick to a deadly virus like HIV. Poor diet, daily stress, and exposure to toxins in food, water, and the environment all cause a decline in immune system activity.
Many different disorders, including allergies, lupus, pernicious anemia, rheumatic heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and, possibly, diabetes have been linked to inappropriate immune system activity. Consequently they are know as "autoimmune, or self-attacking-self, disorders".
An association between bacterial flora in the bowel, diet and intestinal mucosal permeability and joint disease in patients with RA and AS has been suggested by several authors and researchers, that link the GI tract and inflammatory joint disease. What you put in your mouth matters. And the inflammation is your body trying to tell you that it does not like certain foods. It is reacting, the cells are going haywire.That's why I always explain to my clients the importance of an elimination diet. YOUR GUT IS YOUR SECOND BRAIN! Believe it!
https://www.holistichealthhouston.com/

Lets Talk Collard Greens

Lets talk Collards! Collards improve the function of the glands and the nervous, respiratory, skeletal, and urinary systems. They protect against Estrogen related cancers, retard growth, and minimize the effects of cigarette smoke. They stimulate anticancer enzymes and retard the growth of carcinogens related to cigarette smoke; improve immune response; protect against lung, colon, esophageal, and prostate cancers; and reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration. Collards may not only reduce the risk of certain cancers, but may also prevent the metastasis of breast cancers. And if that's not enough, they protect against osteoporosis and strokes as well as minimize the neurological damage resulting from a stroke.
https://www.holistichealthhouston.com/

Belly Fat poses REAL Problems

Belly Fat -- Studies show that adults who carry a lot of weight around their midsection during middle age face an increase risk of developing dementia later in life. Abdominal fat is more dangerous than excess fat around your hips and thighs because it specifically triggers a chain of harmful metabolic reactions that increase inflammation, raise insulin and blood sugar levels, promote plaque formation in the arteries, and increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A waist circumference for men 40 inches or greater is considered high risk and for women 35 inches or greater is considered high risk. To take your measurement, place just above the hip bone, relax, exhale and pull the tape measure so it is snug but not squeezing in to the skin. (NO sucking it in or holding your breath allowed!) https://www.holistichealthhouston.com/shop-by-health-concern/weight-loss.html

Sage The Medicinal Herb

By Michael Downey

A wealth of compelling evidence has revealed sage (Salvia officinalis) to be an easy way to spice up not only your meals, but your health. Sage provides an array of complex compounds such as chlorogenic acid, tannic acids, resins, estrogenic substances, and potent flavones.  Research points to sage’s power to help lower glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in diabetics,  enhance mood and cognitive performance,  inhibit inflammation, and reduce the hot flashes of menopause.  But perhaps most remarkable, experts now recognize the memory-enhancing capacity of sage in individuals with7 and without Alzheimer’s disease.

A Multitude Of Protective Compounds

Sage, with its grayish-green leaves that give off a unique, pleasant aroma, is native to the Mediterranean area. A relative of the mint family, this herb has been valued for thousands of years in that region for its broad range of uses in cooking and medicine.

Sage contains a wide assortment of bioactive compounds. Its essential oil cont

ains cineol, borneol, and thujone. Its leaves contain tannic acid; resins called oleic acid, ursonic acid, and ursolic acid; bitter substances called cornsole and cornsolic acid; estrogenic substances; and fumaric, chlorogenic, caffeic, and nicotinic acids—as well as a powerful class of bioflavonoids known as flavones.

Sage flavones include apigenin, diosmetin, and luteolin.   Apigenin may stimulate adult neurogenesis—the generation of neuronal cells in the adult brain—by promoting a process called neuronal differentiation.  Diosmetin may inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells,  and it has been suggested that it may be protective against cardiovascular disease.   Luteolin has been shown to exert various pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities—including cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential.   In fact, evidence suggests that luteolin may help inhibit the development of UVB-induced skin cancer.

Natural Improvement Of Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Sage may offer a novel natural treatment for Alzheimer’s disease by improving memory and information processing.

In research published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, scientists conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the effectiveness and safety of 60 daily drops of either liquid sage extract or placebo on patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Subjects were aged 65 to 80 years old.

After four months, sage produced significantly better cognitive outcomes as measured by two standardized tests known as the cognitive subscale of Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) and the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).2

There were no significant differences in side effects, although agitation was less frequent in the treatment group.2

But scientists wondered: Does sage improve memory only in those afflicted with memory-destroying Alzheimer’s disease—or can it provide similar memory enhancement for individuals who do not have this disease?

Boosting Memory Performance In Healthy Individuals

Researchers set out to determine sage’s effects on memory and cognition in healthy individuals without memory problems.

First, they examined sage’s memory effects on older individuals. They set up a clinical trial of a most rigorous type: a randomized, balanced, placebo-controlled, five-period, varying dose, crossover study. Twenty volunteers, all of whom were over 65 years of age, were given a placebo and different doses of sage extract—167, 333, 666, and 1,332 mg—on four days. There was a seven-day washout period between each of the testing days. On testing days, cognitive performance was measured, using the Cognitive Drug Research computerized assessment system, at baseline and at one, two-and-a-half, four, and six hours after treatment.

Memory performance after placebo treatment characteristically declined throughout the day. However, after treatment with sage, participants showed significant memory enhancement at all assessment times throughout the testing days, most especially on the 333 mg testing day. Results demonstrated that sage improves accuracy of attention and delivers a significant benefit to memory consolidation in older patients without Alzheimer’s disease.16

Next, a group of British researchers investigated whether sage boosts memory in young adults without memory problems.

They set up two crossover studies, which were balanced, placebo-controlled, and double-blind. In the first study, 20 participants were given placebo and sage essential oil extracts in doses of 50, 100, and 150 microliters. In the second experiment, 24 participants took 25 and 50 microliters of the sage extract and placebo. The sage used was Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia), and there was a seven-day washout period between the different dosage days. On test days, the Cognitive Drug Research computerized assessment system was given prior to treatment and again at one, two-and-a-half, four, and six hours after treatment.

In both of these crossover trials, the researchers found that the 50 microliter dose of sage essential oil significantly boosted immediate word recall. In the journal Pharmacological Biochemical Behavior, the study authors wrote, “These results represent the first systematic evidence that Salvia (sage) is capable of acute modulation of cognition in healthy young adults.”8

Enhancing Mood And Alertness

Sage has long been associated with a calming and spirit-lifting effect.

Intrigued by this potential, scientists conducted a double-blind crossover study in which they gave 30 healthy participants, with an average age of 24.4, three different treatments: dried sage leaf in 300 and 600 mg dosages and placebo. This occurred on three separate days, each seven days apart. On each of these dosage days, mood was assessed pre-dose, plus both one and four hours after treatment.

Measured by the Bond-Lader mood scales, the higher dosage of sage resulted in improvements—at both one and four hours post-dose—in all three of the factors assessed by these scales: alertness, contentedness, and calmness.3

Published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, the study report concluded that, “The results of the current study confirm that acute administration of S. officinalis (sage) can beneficially modulate mood in healthy young participants.”3

Inhibiting Inflammatory Diseases

Potent anti-inflammatory sage components such as luteolin and rosmarinic acid may help inhibit inflammation in conditions such as arthritis, asthma, and inflammatory acne.

Luteolin has shown exceptional inhibition of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), an enzyme believed to play a role in the development of inflammatory diseases. Published in Biochemical Pharmacology, a study reported that luteolin had the strongest inhibitory activity against TBK1 among six tested natural anti-inflammatory compounds.17

The rosmarinic acid in sage supports this anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting enzymes linked to inflammatory responses.18

A 2013 study reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology examined the published research on 71 herbs and found that sage provides an array of critical anti-inflammatory properties.19

Sage extracts have been shown to inhibit NF-kB, a protein complex that controls many genes involved in inflammation and that is chronically active in many inflammatory diseases ranging from atherosclerosis to inflammatory bowel disease.19

This review also found that sage extracts can:19

• Decrease pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6),
• Inhibit release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-a), cell-signaling proteins that were involved in systemic inflammation,
• Inhibit formation of pro-inflammatory leukotrienes,
• Increase the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10), and
• Reduce COX-2, an enzyme that is elevated during inflammation.

Reducing Glucose Levels And Improving Lipid Profiles In Diabetics

A team of researchers in Iran demonstrated that, in patients with type II diabetes, sage provides antihyperglycemic effects and improves lipid profile.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, half of a group of 80 hyperlipidemic type II diabetics were given a 500 mg capsule of sage leaf extract three times a day, while other participants were given a placebo.

After three months, the sage treatment showed various beneficial effects on blood sugar and blood lipids. Sage lowered fasting glucose by 32.2%, lowered glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by 22.7%, reduced total cholesterol by 16.9%, decreased triglycerides by 56.4%, lowered LDL cholesterol by 35.6%, and raised HDL cholesterol by 27.6%.2

No adverse effects were reported.

Decreasing Menopausal Hot Flashes And Sweating

In traditional folk medicine, sage was long used a remedy for excessive sweating and hot flashes. In recent years, scientists have investigated this potential benefit.

Menopausal women with at least five daily hot flashes were given a once-daily tablet of fresh sage leaves for about two months.

With each week that passed, the participants experienced a significant drop in both the number and severity of hot flashes. After the eight-week period, the mean number of mild hot flashes had decreased by 46%, moderate hot flashes by 62%, severe hot flashes by 79%, and very severe hot flashes had decreased by 100%!

Other menopausal symptoms—including psychological and urogenital problems—were also greatly reduced by the sage therapy. Treatment was well tolerated.6

Summary

Sage is a source of powerful acid compounds, resins, and flavones. Published studies now recognize that sage provides memory improvement both in Alzheimer’s patients and in young and old healthy persons. It inhibits inflammatory diseases, diabetic factors, and menopausal hot flashes. Sage not only spices up main dishes—it protects your memory, mood, and health.

Blueberries

This entry was posted on March 12, 2015 by naturallyheal.

By Walter Deriggio

Cellular DNA endures relentless injury through internal and external factors.  A fundamental problem with aging is faulty DNA repair.  As we lose our ability to repair DNA, illness and death ensues. If we could perfect internal DNA repair processes, we would become incredibly resistant to degenerative disease.

Blueberry extracts have demonstrated robust DNA repair properties.

The memory-boosting and brain-protecting benefits of blueberries have long been a promising area of research.

Newer studies are showing that blueberries delay the aging process through a variety of mechanisms, includingrepairing DNA damage and favorably modulating genes associated with aging.3-7

The ability to repair DNA is an essential longevity mechanism. A fascinating laboratory study found that the compounds in blueberries could increase mean life span by 28%. In humans, that is equal to over 22 years!3

Particularly impressive is a study indicating that when added to a calorie-restricted diet, the compounds found in blueberries significantly increased life span beyond that of calorie restriction alone.

All of this adds up to a powerhouse fruit that could help us live longer and healthier.

Early Indications That Blueberries Promote Longevity

When scientists began investigating blueberries, they first discovered the fruit’s impact on reducing the age-accelerating effects of oxidative stress on tissues.8-11Blueberries are unique among fruits with their ability to not only quench destructive oxygen free radicals, but also to directly modulate genes that impart cells with their own protective mechanisms. Those genes produce enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase that endow cells with the ability to capture and detoxify free radicals, producing harmless water molecules instead.12-14

Blueberry constituents do much more than fight oxidation. Studies are now revealing the powerful ability of blueberry polyphenols to modulate genes associated with aging itself, such as the Methuselah gene, which can promote an extension of up to 35% in the life span of fruit flies, a commonly studied organism in aging science.12,15,16

Studies in no fewer than three different species illustrate the value of blueberries in decelerating the aging process to produce significantly longer life spans.

The simplest multicellular organism used in aging research is the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, a minute worm measuring about 1.3 mm long, which is one of the most versatile animal models of aging.17,18

Studies reveal that treating C. elegans worms with blueberry polyphenols increased the animals’ mean life span by28%.3 In human terms, that’s the equivalent of adding more than 22 years to the life of a 79-year-old person (the mean life expectancy of a male child born today).

C. elegans worms are extremely sensitive to temperature variations, and blueberry treatment increased the animals’ survival during acute heat stress.3 Treated worms also were much better able than non treated animals to resist induced aging stresses.

Indeed, blueberry treatments can prolong the life of the classic laboratory organism, the insect Drosophila melanogaster, better known as the fruit fly. Flies fed on blueberry extracts lived on average 10% longer than did control animals.12 This increase was accompanied by an increase of multiple beneficial genes, including protective enzymes and reduction of age-shortening genes. These healthy effects were apparent when flies were treated with an herbicide called paraquat, which normally imposes fatal age-accelerating changes in the flies’ metabolisms.12,19

Life Span Extension Beyond Calorie Restriction

Of course, roundworms and insects are far removed from human beings, and studies that show benefits in such animals must be reproduced in higher organisms in order to be applicable to humans. That has recently been done in laboratory mice.

In one study, the polyphenols from blueberries, pomegranate, and green tea extracts were combined into a nutrient cocktail added to mouse chow and the effects on the animals’ life span and biochemistry were examined.20 Middle-aged mice were placed on one of three dietary patterns:

• Control mice were allowed to eat as much as they wanted;
• An “intermittent feeding” group was fed only every other day to simulate the life-extending properties of calorie restriction;
• A third group received the polyphenol mixture in addition to calorie restriction.

As expected, both the calorie-restricted and the calorie-restricted-plus-polyphenol groups significantly outlived the control animals. What was remarkable, however, was that the calorie-restricted group that also was fed the nutrientpolyphenols significantly outlived those on calorie restriction alone.20 This demonstrated the additive effect of the polyphenol mixture onto the known life-extending effect of calorie restriction. The brains of the polyphenol-supplemented animals showed reduction in the expressions of deleterious life-shortening genes.

What makes this study so noteworthy is that the longevity benefits of calorie restriction are so robust that it is difficult to improve on them. Yet adding extracts from blueberry, pomegranate, and green tea enabled life span extension in a mammal greater than calorie restriction alone.

Of course, in this study it is difficult to discern which of the extracts (blueberry, pomegranate, or green tea) may have been responsible for the observed life-extending effects. All three are rich in the anthocyanins that individually extend the life spans of “lower” laboratory animals. They also have specific effects that counteract age-related diseases that contribute to shortening life spans.20

Mechanisms Of Blueberries’ Life-Extending Properties

How do blueberries manage to prolong life and improve function so dramatically? We’re nowhere near a definitive answer, given the complexity of the berries’ biochemistry, but some key points are beginning to emerge, centered on the body’s own ability to repair itself.

Blueberries and their polyphenol components appear to be exceptionally good at promoting repair of DNA strandsand at optimizing immunity at the cellular level.7,21,22 Both of these functions are essential for preventing senescent and environmental impacts that lead to cancer,23,24 cardiovascular disease,25,26 and loss of metabolic control,27,28that underlies obesity and diabetes.

DNA, the molecular blueprint that contains instructions for all life functions, is a delicate molecule that, despite many protective mechanisms, readily suffers damage from oxidation, radiation, toxic chemicals,29,30 and other sources of stress. All living cells have evolved mechanisms to identify and repair broken DNA strands, which if left unrepaired, promote cancer and early cell death.31 Numerous studies now reveal that blueberry extracts both prevent DNA damage and promote its rapid and accurate repair.7,32-40

What You Need To Know

Blueberries Boost Longevity

• Blueberries and blueberry extracts have been proven to augment memory and cognitive abilities, but new research shows their effectiveness at decelerating the aging process in many organs.
• Studies in at least three animal species, including mammals, demonstrate compelling increases in longevity following blueberry supplementation.
• Cardiovascular diseases arise from many different factors; blueberry supplementation directly counteracts many of the most dangerous factors, including lipid disturbances, blood vessel stiffness, and vulnerability to infarction, thereby reducing the size and impact of tissue damage related to atherosclerosis.
• Metabolic syndrome, a collection of the consequences of modern lifestyles, threatens millions of lives each year through insulin resistance, high blood sugar, lipid anomalies, and hypertension. Blueberry constituents directly oppose each of metabolic syndrome’s components.
• Laboratory studies show that blueberry supplementation prevents or mitigates virtually each step in cancer development, from DNA damage to invasion of distant organs through metastasis.
• If you are seeking supplements to augment your body’s own natural defenses, to raise your disease resistance, and prolong your health span, give strong consideration to starting a blueberry extract supplement.
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Human Study Corroborates DNA Protection

In an impressive human study, healthy volunteers ingested either 300 grams of ground blueberries or a control jelly with no blueberry components.41 Blood samples were taken before, and one, two, and 24 hours after the subjects took the study supplement. At the end of one hour, the amount of oxidation-induced DNA damage in blueberry-supplemented volunteers fell by 18% compared with control subjects. What makes this study particularly impressive is that this single, albeit large, serving of blueberries was able to suppress this amount of DNA damage so quickly.

Protecting Against Ultraviolet DNA Damage

Ultraviolet (UV) light produces DNA damage that plays an important role in causing a variety of diseases.

When scientists exposed cells in culture first to UV light and then to blueberry extracts, they found both a reduction in reactive oxygen species and reduced DNA damage.42

Closer examination showed that cells were protected even after DNA damage had occurred, the mechanism being related to decreased genetic expression of stress-induced signaling proteins. This study showed that blueberry anthocyanins protect DNA from damage and protect cells from the consequences of DNA damage that did occur.

Boosting Natural Killer Immune Cells

The actions of many immune system components decline with advancing age, in a degenerative process calledimmunosenescence.43,44 Controlling and slowing immune senescence is an attractive means of prolonging life and health. Blueberry extracts have been shown to have powerful anti-aging impacts on both cellular and molecular components of the aging immune system.

At the cellular level, blueberry extracts boosted the actions of natural killer (NK) cells charged with identifying and destroying abnormal cells such as those infected by viruses and those showing malignant components of the aging immune system.

At the cellular level, blueberry extracts boosted the actions of natural killer (NK) cells charged with identifying and destroying abnormal cells such as those infected by viruses and those showing malignant changes.21,44,46

At the molecular level, blueberry anthocyanins sharply decreased activation of nuclear factor kappa-beta (NFk-b), an inflammation-generating molecule associated with cancer,47 heart disease,48 and other manifestations of chronic inflammation.49

Cardiovascular Health

Successful longevity requires more than just DNA repair and slowing immunosenescence. Increasing cardiac health and reducing the risk of cancer and diabetes are also part of the equation. Blueberry compounds play an active role in reducing these risks as well.

Increasing one’s intake of berry polyphenols is a proven means of protecting the heart, blood vessels, and brain against cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke, which remain among the top causes of death in American adults.50,51

Blueberries contain one of the highest concentrations of such polyphenols among common fruits, and these compounds have been shown to inhibit the dangerous oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL), the so-called “bad” cholesterol.50 Lipid oxidation constitutes one of the first steps in developing “plaques” that grow and become cholesterol-filled, inflammatory lesions that ultimately block blood vessels.52,53

In rats, a year-long diet regimen containing 2% blueberry supplement following experimentally induced heart attacks (myocardial infarction, or MI, produced by tying off one of the heart’s main arteries) was able to completely arrest expansion of the damaged area of heart tissue.54 Expansion of the MI area55 is a leading cause of the heart failure56,57 that so often follows a heart attack and produces much of the death and disability we associate with heart attacks. In this study, the death rate over the one year of the study was 22% lower in the supplemented animals compared with the control group. Blueberry-supplemented animals’ hearts showed less of the deleterious remodeling of the heart chambers that is also a hallmark of heart attack damage in humans.58,59

Another seminal study in rats showed that a three-month blueberry-supplemented diet produced a 24% increase in a measure of the resistance of energy-releasing heart mitochondria to stress.60 Remarkably, in animals then given a heart attack by tying off their coronary arteries, the size of the infarction (dead area) in the heart was 22% less in the supplemented than in the control animals, while the number of inflammatory cells was reduced by an impressive 40%.

When supplemented rats were put back on a regular diet (devoid of the blueberry extract), their infarcted (dead) heart lesions grew. When control rats were put on the blueberry supplement, their infarctions stopped expanding. This study indicates that if one suffers a blockage to their coronary artery when taking blueberry extract, the damage to their heart muscle will be lessened. If one suffers heart muscle damage from a coronary blockage, damage to their heart muscle might be halted if they initiate blueberry supplementation.

Blueberries and their polyphenols relax blood vessels, which in turn reduces blood pressure and may help to slow atherosclerosis. Human studies demonstrate reductions in both systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) blood pressures.61 A decrease in systolic blood pressure is observed when animals are fed blueberry-supplemented diets, even when the diets are very high in fat.62,63 These effects could be related to blueberry polyphenol-induced modulation of nitric oxide, the signaling molecule that blood vessels use to relay information about blood flow and pressure, and to shift mineral ions such as potassium across cell membranes.62,64,65

There’s also growing evidence that blueberry polyphenols can induce favorable structural changes in blood vessel wall composition. This results in arteries becoming more elastic and less stiff, further reducing blood pressure and lowering atherosclerosis risk.50, 66

These kinds of favorable vascular changes have been shown in human studies when blueberry polyphenols were administered to healthy people.67 When a fairly high dose of 766 mg total blueberry polyphenol intake was given to human subjects, blood vessels smoothly dilated within an hour of the dose. Another study showed that in sedentary adults, a blueberry supplement produced reductions in aortic systolic blood pressure and in aortic stiffness.21 All of these changes are highly desirable for prevention of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in general.

Indeed, in humans, a sharp reduction in cardiovascular risk factors was shown in people with metabolic syndrome, the cluster of obesity, blood sugar intolerance, and lipid disturbances that tremendously increase risk of a heart attack or stroke.68,69 After eight weeks of either blueberry supplementation (either 50 grams freeze-dried or 350 gramsfresh berries), or control, subjects had a modest 6 and 4% reduction in average systolic (top) and diastolic blood pressures, compared to smaller reductions of 1.5 and 1.2% in control patients.61 Supplemented patients also showed a reduction in oxidized LDL cholesterol seen in the earlier animal studies.

Metabolic syndrome poses a major health threat for all of us, consisting as it does of the deadly combination of obesity with disturbances in metabolism of both fats and sugars. Blueberries and their extracts offer world-class protection in this area, as we’ll now see.

Reversing Markers Of Type II Diabetes

The epidemic of obesity has spawned a similar global rise in type II diabetes, with the resulting deadly condition often referred to as “diabesity.”70 Coupled with the consequences of a high-fat diet and little exercise,71 these preventable conditions produce metabolic syndrome, (abdominal obesity, glucose intolerance or “prediabetes,” elevated blood pressure, and abnormalities in lipid profile).51

Metabolic syndrome is now known to increase the risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. Inflammation is an inevitable characteristic of metabolic syndrome, which further increases the deadliness of its impact.69,72 Blueberries, with their high content of polyphenols, offer a potent and natural antidote to metabolic syndrome.

At the cellular level, blueberry extracts (including those of root, stem, leaf, and fruit) appear to improve glucose transport into cells, a critical mechanism for lowering blood sugar.73 Blueberry fruit extracts also enhance formation of new, insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, which would otherwise die off as a consequence of high glucose levels.73

Specifically, the researchers measured the critical ability of cells in the pancreas to produce insulin in response to high glucose levels in the bloodstream. Scientists have discovered that high blood glucose levels damage insulin-producing cells in the pancreas over time, but if these same cells are treated with blueberry stem, leaf, and fruit extracts, the number of viable cells increases.73 This is a very desirable feature especially for people with early type II diabetes, in whom some sensitivity to native insulin production still remains.

Furthermore, the researchers tracked the source of the improved insulin response to a remarkable increase in replication of the remaining, growth-arrested beta cells by nearly 3-fold. In addition, they found that blueberry extracts from stem, leaf, and fruit could prevent the glucose-induced toxicity and subsequent death of neuronal cells by up to33%. This finding has tremendous implications for prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, which has been called “type III diabetes” to acknowledge the important role played by glucose toxicity.74

The benefits of these effects can be seen in a human study, in which obese subjects, not yet diabetic, but with proven insulin resistance, consumed either a smoothie containing 22.5 grams of blueberry bioactive molecules or a smoothie of equal nutritional value but without blueberries, twice daily for six weeks.75 In the blueberry group, insulin sensitivity (the ability to remove glucose from the blood in response to insulin) rose to more than 4-fold that of the plain smoothie group, even without significant changes in adiposity or energy intake. Simply put, blueberry supplementation gave this high-risk group of patients vastly better natural control of their blood sugar.

Other studies in animals reveal powerful effects of blueberries on the other components of metabolic syndrome as well. In obese rats on a high-fat diet, adding freeze-dried whole blueberries to the diet reduced not only blood sugar and insulin resistance, but also lowered abdominal fat mass and triglyceride levels in blood.

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