Guest guest Posted May 12, 2003 Report Share Posted May 12, 2003 Mon, 12 May 2003 13:30:01 -0500 HSI Research Team Guess who's coming to dinner? Guess who's coming to dinner? Health Sciences Institute e-Alert May 12, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, In a recent posting on the HSI Forum, a member named Scott submitted these comments to a discussion about the use of flaxseeds: " There's lots of organic golden flaxseed available out there and it's delicious in any recipe. I use it daily in my garden of life shake, in my organic brown rice and free range turkey dish, in my own special three meat burgers, etc. The flaxseeds when freshly ground provide not only the worlds best flaxseed oil but fiber also! The golden flax has a slight almondy flavor. The seeds keep forever, not like the oil, which must be guarded in black bottles, etc. Flaxseeds are one of the best natural sources of essential omega three fats, so enjoy and be healthy! " I don't know about you, but I think I'd enjoy stopping over at Scott's for dinner sometime. Especially because a new study shows that a regular intake of flaxseed may help reduce two critical risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. ----------------------------- Checking triglycerides ----------------------------- Because flaxseed and soy protein have both been shown to help prevent a number of diseases, scientists at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland designed a study to test the beneficial effects of these two nutrients on liver steatosis (excess liver fat accumulation - a pre-diabetic condition) and hypertriglyceridemia (elevated triglyceride levels - a prominent marker for heart disease). Two groups of rats were used: one group was lean, while the other was a " SHR/N-cp " rat - a variety considered to be a genetic model of obesity. Each of the two groups were then separated into sub-groups which were fed diets that delivered 20 percent of energy through either flaxseed meal, soy protein, or (for a control group) a milk based protein called casein. After six months, analysis of the livers and plasma showed that while the obese rats experienced far more fat build up in the liver than the lean rats, those of both groups that were fed flaxseed showed far less liver fat accumulation. Additionally, triglyceride blood levels were lowered by almost 40 percent in lean rats fed flaxseed, and more than one-third in the obese rats that received flaxseed. Overall, both the lean and obese rats fed flaxseed experienced a significantly greater drop in triglycerides and reduced liver fat accumulation than those fed soy protein. (Rats fed soy and flax far outperformed those fed casein in all categories.) Researchers didn't attempt to explain why this was so, but stated that their results strongly established the basis for further studies in humans. ----------------------------- The omega-3 factor ----------------------------- The results of the Beltsville test were not entirely a surprise. As I told you in an e-Alert I sent last fall ( " Just The Flax " 11/18/02), flaxseed contains lignans, a good source of alpha-linolenic acid, which is converted by the body into omega-3 fatty acids, which improve cell function in the lining of the heart and blood vessels, lower triglyceride levels, and inhibit platelet clumping. As I've pointed out in a number of previous e-Alerts, the optimal balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids should be 1:1. Most diets, however, are high in omega-6 (readily available in the oils used in many processed foods) and low in omega-3. The most common dietary source of omega-3 is fish, especially dark-meat fish like swordfish and tuna. But a high intake of these deep-water fish presents the problem of ingesting too much mercury. This is just one of the reasons why flaxseed is such a welcome addition to just about anyone's diet - an addition that may help promote good digestion, colon health, and even improved memory function through increased omega-3 levels. An excellent source of flaxseed that we've recommended in the past is a brand from Heintzman Farms called Dakota Flax Gold. Heintzman Farms can ship flaxseed directly to your home, along with a small grinder you can use to grind the seed into fresh meal in whatever portions are best for you. For more information about Dakota Flax Gold, http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/AFLX/W600D573/home.cfm Of course, you can also increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake with fish oil supplements, cod liver oil or grass-fed beef (which tends to be very expensive, and most grocery stores don't carry it at all). But as Scott made clear in his message on the Forum, flaxseed meal provides a delicious, versatile, and highly nutritious addition to a wide variety of food preparations. As Scott put it so well, " Enjoy and be healthy! " ************************************************************** ....and another thing Over the past few weeks I've received a number of e-mails regarding the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, but I've been reluctant to address this issue for two reasons: 1) The e-Alert is not designed to be a news outlet (and even if it was, every new SARS development I might tell you about would almost certainly be old news by the time the e-Alert arrived in your in-box). And 2) In spite of the supposed breakthrough several weeks ago when SARS was identified as coronavirus, it's clear that the more we learn about SARS the more confusing this situation is becoming. For instance, a report on sarstravel.com late last month revealed a statement from Dr. Frank Plummer (Canada's leading SARS microbiologist) that the coronavirus could only be detected in 30 percent of SARS patients. This would seem to be a clear set-back in unraveling the mystery of SARS, and yet you didn't hear about it on the evening news reports with the same fanfare that the " breakthrough " was given. Meanwhile, early last week the World Health Organization (WHO) revised its estimate of the percentage of SARS victims who have died from the disease from 6 percent to 15 percent - quite a significant jump! And on Friday, WHO acknowledged that health authorities in Beijing, China, have not been diligent in tracking the transmission reports that indicate how each patient has contacted the disease. In other words: confusion reigns. And it's at least partly due to misinformation. As William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., pointed out in a recent Daily Dose e-letter ( " SARS Scars " 5/2/03), WHO downplays the communicability of the virus, even though one theory reported in the Washington Post suggests that hundreds of residents of a 33-story Hong Kong apartment building may have been exposed to SARS through sewage pipe gasses - a far cry from the person-to- person contact we've been hearing about. So it seems that it may be awhile before we'll be able to fully trust the daily news we hear from different parts of the globe, coming from various government agencies and health organizations that may have reasons to downplay or even alter information. In the midst of all this, last week the British medical journal The Lancet released what they call the first major epidemiological study of SARS. The Lancet material emphasizes these two important points that I believe will remain reliable throughout this health crisis: * When the symptoms of SARS are recognized, patients should seek medical care immediately in order to increase their chances of survival and to reduce the risk of transmission. * This is especially true for patients 60 years of age and older, who tend to be most vulnerable to mortality caused by the disease These precautions may seem simple or even obvious, but if they're not taken seriously and rigorously adhered to, SARS could spread with geometric leaps. The good news from The Lancet study is that the disease appears to be controllable when concerted public-health interventions are in place. Hopefully that will prove to be true. But health practitioners can only be as diligent as the patients who respond quickly and responsibly when their symptoms arise. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Dietary Flaxseed Meal is More Protective Than Soy Protein Concentrate Against Hypertriglyceridemia and Steatosis of the Liver in an Animal Model of Obesity " Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 22, No. 2, 157-164, 2003, jacn.org " Flaxseed - More Protective Than Soy Protein Against Heart Disease? " Natural Ingredients, 4/11/03, naturalingredients.com " SARS Scars " William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., Daily Dose, 5/2/03, realhealthnews.com " Confused Quacks Ignoring Vital SARS Evidence " Fintan Dunne, 4/27/03, homepage.eircom.net " Research Studies Shed New Light on SARS Virus " Patricia Reaney, Reuters, 5/8/03, asia.reuters.com " Results of First Major Epidemiological Study of SARS " Press release from The Lancet, 5/7/03, thelancet.com Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please click here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.html ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313/home.cfm. ************************************************************** Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: Gettingwell- Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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