I'm No Expert, But...

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch

HSI e-Alert - I'm No Expert, But...

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 06:50:00 -0500

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - I'm No Expert, But...

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

****************************************************

January 11, 2006

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Did you hear the news? You can now stop thinking about antioxidants.

Forget all about them. That's the advice of " experts, " according to a

recent Associated Press (AP) article.

 

The article is titled " Experts Urge Less Focus on Antioxidants " and it

starts off with this question: " Tired of trying to keep track of all

the so-called superfoods you're supposed to eat? "

 

The question assumes that our poor, non-expert brains are exhausted

from the demands of thinking too much about health and nutrition. Oh

if only we had a bunch of experts who could give us some overly

simplistic advice!

 

-----------

Got blueberries?

-----------

 

Let's pretend that consumers have heard so much about the health

benefits of antioxidants that we've all gone antioxidant crazy. That's

the opening premise of the AP article. For instance, it seems that jam

sales are down, BUT sales of blueberry preserves are UP! This is

offered as evidence that consumers have fallen under the spell of the

media buzz about antioxidants. The result: We're all eating blueberry

preserves like crazy, apparently.

 

But according to the AP article, this isn't good. We're told that

experts don't yet know enough about how antioxidants work to

rationalize a diet that puts a focus on antioxidant-rich foods. And at

this point I guess the article is talking about people who have gone

on some kind of all-blueberry-preserve diet. Folks on this diet are

easy to spot. They often have messy blueberry preserve moustaches.

 

One of the experts " worries " (poor dear) that the hype about

antioxidants is giving consumers a false sense of security. He offers

an example: You eat a handful of almonds because you've heard it's

good for your heart. But - he points out - that handful isn't going to

make up for a diet laden with saturated fat.

 

Uh...who said it would? And is that a good reason to NOT eat almonds?

They are, after all, good for your heart.

 

-----------

Pretty little head

-----------

 

Then something surprising happens. About halfway through the article

we come upon this question: " So how should people work antioxidants

into their diets? "

 

How's that again? Didn't the experts JUST TELL US to not focus our

dietary choices on antioxidants? So what does this mean - that

antioxidants are actually GOOD? Didn't the experts JUST TELL US that

not enough is known about how they work?

 

The article answers its own question about getting antioxidants into

diets with this advice: Think big picture. Eat a variety of produce

and whole grains, says one expert. And that's actually a good idea. In

fact, if you had suddenly gone antioxidant crazy and wanted to focus

your diet on antioxidant intake, that's exactly what you'd be eating.

 

The article concludes with this " bottom line " advice: Strive for a

balanced diet " and don't get hung up on the particulars. "

 

In other words, we shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about

things we couldn't possibly understand. Leave that to the experts.

 

 

 

****************************************************

 

....and another thing

 

An HSI member named Tom has a question about a potentially

debilitating disease. Tom writes: " I have recently been diagnosed with

ulcerative colitis. Have you done a report or do you have any

suggestions? "

 

Ulcerative colitis is caused by inflammation of the large intestine.

In some cases flare-ups occur infrequently. But in chronic cases,

abdominal pain and diarrhea are common, which seriously impacts

quality of life. Long bouts of this disease often prompt other

problems such as anemia, dehydration and malnutrition.

 

Now, to answer Tom's question: Yes, we have reported on ulcerative

colitis.

 

In an e-Alert I sent you in 2001, I detailed a study in which eight

patients with this condition took 10 grams of chlorella in tablet form

and 100 milliliters of chlorella liquid extract each day for two

months. Chlorella is obtained from green algae, and is extremely rich

in chlorophyll, which helps clean the bowels.

 

At the end of the study period, participants completed a 32-question

survey, noting the supplement's effect on four areas: symptoms related

to the primary bowel disturbance, systemic symptoms, emotional impact,

and social impact. The results showed strong improvement across the

board. The participants also reported that they felt the severity of

their attacks lessen considerably soon after they began taking

chlorella, and that their symptoms continued to reduce or remained

stable over the course of the study.

 

In other human research, chlorella has shown promise in fighting

cancer, lowering cholesterol, and lowering blood pressure. In one

study, chlorella was found to be as effective as prescription drugs in

lowering blood pressure for the majority of hypertensive patients.

 

In the chlorella study mentioned above, subjects received formulation

called Sun Chlorella, which uses a patented process that improves the

algae's bioavailability without compromising its nutritional value.

You can find more information at the Sun Chlorella web site:

sunchlorella.com.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

****************************************************

 

 

Sources:

 

" Experts Urge Less Focus on Antioxidants " J.M. Hirsch, Associated

Press, 12/11/05, ap.org

 

*****************************