Guest guest Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch HSI e-Alert - Copper Cognition Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:08:00 -0400 Dear Reader, You need a little copper in your diet. But just a little - never a lot - because too much copper promotes formation of free radicals. About 2 mg of copper daily is all that most of us need to help prevent anemia, osteoporosis and age-related macular degeneration. That said, it appears that a little copper intake may contribute to cognitive decline when combined with two common dietary fats. But don't blame the copper, blame the fats. In particular, blame the fat that's a strong contender for Public Enemy Number One in the world of nutrition. ----------- Adding years ----------- According to researchers at Chicago's Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, animal studies indicate that neurodegenerative diseases may be associated with higher intakes of dietary fats and copper. They address this link in a study titled the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), published in the August 2006 issue of the Archives of Neurology. STUDY ABSTRACT * More than 3,700 subjects, 65 years and older, were recruited for the six-year CHAP study * Food frequency questionnaires and four different cognitive function tests were administered in-home at the outset of the study, at year three, and again at the end of the sixth year * Results showed that higher copper intake was generally associated with better cognitive function, compared to subjects with low copper intake * A combined high intake of copper, saturated fats and trans fats was linked with a significant increase in the rate of cognitive decline - an estimated equivalent of adding as much as 19 years to a subjects age Subjects with the highest copper intake consumed at least 1.6 mg per day, mostly through multivitamin use. Two mg of copper is the recommended daily intake in the U.S. The main dietary sources of copper include beef liver, Brazil nuts, peanuts and sunflower seeds. ----------- Dangerous loophole ----------- The Rush Institute team also notes that cognitive decline was not significant in subjects with high copper intake and high intake of just one of the two fats. So...if you're going to rid your diet of one of these fats, which should you choose? No contest: Dump the trans fats. But this is easier said than done because trans fats are commonly found in a wide variety of processed food products such as crackers, cookies, pastries and fried foods. In many e-Alerts I've addressed the potential health consequences of trans fat intake. A large body of research has shown trans fat consumption to be strongly associated with a higher risk of artery damage, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and some cancers. This is one dietary topic on which virtually all nutritionists are in agreement. But don't be fooled by products whose packages claim, " zero trans fats. " This is common knowledge among many HSI members, but it bears repeating: The FDA allows food manufacturers to claim " zero trans fats " if the product contains less than half a gram of trans fats per serving. I'm convinced that this little deception will one day be seen as early 21st Century bureaucratic insanity. Simply put: It's an FDA loophole that benefits food producers and helps promote disease. ----------- Forget everything you've heard ----------- But what about saturated fats? Aren't they just as dangerous as trans fats? In a word: No. Here's William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., on saturated fats: " Countless studies show that the MORE animal fats people eat, the better their heart health. Need some proof from the real world? The African Masai, North American Eskimos, Japanese, Greeks, Okinawans, and our good friends the French all consume diets that are extremely high (by mainstream American standards) in saturated animal fats. Yet these people enjoy astonishingly low rates of heart disease, hypertension, and coronary events. " For more surprising facts about saturated fats - and why they're not nearly as dangerous as the mainstream media make them out to be - see the e-Alert " Pure Lard " (8/22/05), which you can find at this link: http://www1.youreletters.com/t/403154/2413923/793931/0/ **************************************************** ....and another thing " ADHD Kids Undermedicated? " You can bet THAT headline from Ivanhoe Newswire caught my eye! UNDERmedicated? According to the most recent available sales figures supplied by IMS Health, a pharmaceutical marketing information firm, sales of ADHD drugs jumped from about $760 million in 2000, to $3.1 billion in 2004. But a new study from Washington University School of Medicine reports that about 58 percent of boys and 45 percent of girls diagnosed with " full-scale ADHD " didn't receive any medication at all. Ivanhoe reports that the authors of the study speculate that mental health professionals may need to do a better job of explaining the risks and benefits of treatment with these drugs. In other words: Step up the sales pitch! The researchers add: " When used properly these drugs have been shown to be very safe. " See? Now THAT'S how you sell drugs! You certainly don't mention that ADHD drugs are responsible for more than 3,000 emergency room visits each year (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). And whatEVER you do, don't mention this quote from Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Steven Nissen, M.D. (who was part of an FDA advisory panel that reviewed ADHD drug safety): " I have grave concerns about the use of these drugs and grave concerns about the harm they may cause. " If parents hear too much talk like that, we'll end up with a whole generation of undermedicated children. And just imagine the severe consequences that would have on drug company profits. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Sources: " Dietary Copper and High Saturated and Trans Fat Intakes Associated With Cognitive Decline " Archives of Neurology, Vol. 63, No. 8, August 2006, archneur.ama-assn.org " Too Much 'Bad " Fat Plus Copper may Lead to Mental Decline " Stephen Daniells, NutraIngredients-USA, 8/16/06, nutraingredients-usa.com " Life-Saving Lipids 101 " William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., The Daily Dose, 11/1/04, realhealthnews.com " ADHD Kids Undermedicated? " Ivanhoe Newswire, 8/9/06, Ivanhoe.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Taking copper is just a part of a more comprehensive process. Copper is essential to the creation of collagen. It is absorbed as part of a larger link that requires glucosamine, vitamin B-6, and copper. But the required amount of each of these components depends on the amount of exercise performed. Testosterone and adrenaline take part in this process. Additionally, there are thyroid hormones involved. Overall, there is a mix of proteins and amino acids that participate in the process. Therefore, the amount of copper one needs depends on the nutrition mix and the exercise performed. Any thing between 2 mg and 10 mg may be correct. However, copper can cause constipation. So, each person should start taking 2mg, and increase it according to their needs and responses. But it should not be taken in larger proportion than what the body will use. This means that if you take copper, you must be sure you have enough vitamin B-6 to use it. Copper helps some women reduce menstrual pain and bloating. Copper enhances iron absorption. Overall, I would say " consult your physician " . But most MDs don't really give much feedback in this area. This is an area of medicine called intermediate metabolism. It is an area that has been left marginal, in favor of the drug system that so clearly dominates our medical field. _________________ With respect to the under medication of ADHD children, and medication to reduce behaviors is BAD. Ritalin, Prozac, and other stimulants are given to hyperactive children and ADHD children. It does not help. It works for short time, the dosages are increased, it works for a while, the dosage is brought up to the maximum, a new medication is given, etc. I am a behavior analyst and work with all types of developmental problems. In my experience, the only thing that works is to create an environment that helps the child thrive and to set a strong discipline program that leads towards self-discipline. The problem is that strong programs require strong sustained efforts by the responsible adults. It is much easier to drug the " rascals " . Developmental programs require efforts that last through the child's development. A hyperactive child requires programs packed with activities. An attention deficit child requires fast paced activities with many changes and attention grabbing mechanisms embedded into them. This means that the teachers and parents have to adapt to the child's pace for the child to success. No matter who you are, you would fail in a program that required you to sit longer than you can or that kept you on the same thing for longer than you can stand. Just imagine yourself trapped in a movie house in which they were showing a 2 hour movie with a single slow moving scene. Then, imagine yourself having to go back there three times per day, five days per week. That is the world of hyperactive children in our schools. Then, imagine that you had to read a 500 page book on a single subject and had no choice but staying at the desk, reading it until you finish it. You would go out of your mind. Well, that is the life of the attention deficit child. As a hyperactive-attention-deficit-adult, I realized that I could not work like other people. So, while I was in college, I realized that I could stay on task by taking three different books and reading each to the point my mind started wandering. Then, I would switch to the next one, and so forth. I adapted my studying methods to my needs. In class, I kept asking questions to keep my mind on the lecture. The results were excellent. In graduate seminars, I was able to compare papers better than any body else. The reason was that I read all the assigned papers together, jumping between them as my attention required it. No drug can do what a good adaptation of the procedures to the needs can do. But adaptation requires effort. ______________________ ------\ ----------- , " califpacific " <califpacific wrote: > > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " hsiresearch > HSI e-Alert - Copper Cognition > Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:08:00 -0400 > > > Dear Reader, > > You need a little copper in your diet. But just a little - never a lot > - because too much copper promotes formation of free radicals. About 2 > mg of copper daily is all that most of us need to help prevent anemia, > osteoporosis and age-related macular degeneration. > > That said, it appears that a little copper intake may contribute to > cognitive decline when combined with two common dietary fats. But > don't blame the copper, blame the fats. In particular, blame the fat > that's a strong contender for Public Enemy Number One in the world of > nutrition. > > ----------- > Adding years > ----------- > > According to researchers at Chicago's Rush Institute for Healthy > Aging, animal studies indicate that neurodegenerative diseases may be > associated with higher intakes of dietary fats and copper. They > address this link in a study titled the Chicago Health and Aging > Project (CHAP), published in the August 2006 issue of the Archives of > Neurology. > > STUDY ABSTRACT > > * More than 3,700 subjects, 65 years and older, were recruited for > the six-year CHAP study > * Food frequency questionnaires and four different cognitive > function tests were administered in-home at the outset of the study, > at year three, and again at the end of the sixth year > * Results showed that higher copper intake was generally > associated with better cognitive function, compared to subjects with > low copper intake > * A combined high intake of copper, saturated fats and trans fats > was linked with a significant increase in the rate of cognitive > decline - an estimated equivalent of adding as much as 19 years to a > subjects age > > Subjects with the highest copper intake consumed at least 1.6 mg per > day, mostly through multivitamin use. Two mg of copper is the > recommended daily intake in the U.S. The main dietary sources of > copper include beef liver, Brazil nuts, peanuts and sunflower seeds. > > ----------- > Dangerous loophole > ----------- > > The Rush Institute team also notes that cognitive decline was not > significant in subjects with high copper intake and high intake of > just one of the two fats. So...if you're going to rid your diet of one > of these fats, which should you choose? No contest: Dump the trans > fats. But this is easier said than done because trans fats are > commonly found in a wide variety of processed food products such as > crackers, cookies, pastries and fried foods. > > In many e-Alerts I've addressed the potential health consequences of > trans fat intake. A large body of research has shown trans fat > consumption to be strongly associated with a higher risk of artery > damage, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and some cancers. This is > one dietary topic on which virtually all nutritionists are in agreement. > > But don't be fooled by products whose packages claim, " zero trans > fats. " This is common knowledge among many HSI members, but it bears > repeating: The FDA allows food manufacturers to claim " zero trans > fats " if the product contains less than half a gram of trans fats per > serving. > > I'm convinced that this little deception will one day be seen as early > 21st Century bureaucratic insanity. Simply put: It's an FDA loophole > that benefits food producers and helps promote disease. > > ----------- > Forget everything you've heard > ----------- > > But what about saturated fats? Aren't they just as dangerous as trans > fats? > > In a word: No. Here's William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., on saturated > fats: " Countless studies show that the MORE animal fats people eat, > the better their heart health. Need some proof from the real world? > The African Masai, North American Eskimos, Japanese, Greeks, > Okinawans, and our good friends the French all consume diets that are > extremely high (by mainstream American standards) in saturated animal > fats. Yet these people enjoy astonishingly low rates of heart disease, > hypertension, and coronary events. " > > For more surprising facts about saturated fats - and why they're not > nearly as dangerous as the mainstream media make them out to be - see > the e-Alert " Pure Lard " (8/22/05), which you can find at this link: > > http://www1.youreletters.com/t/403154/2413923/793931/0/ > > **************************************************** > > ...and another thing > > " ADHD Kids Undermedicated? " > > You can bet THAT headline from Ivanhoe Newswire caught my eye! > > UNDERmedicated? According to the most recent available sales figures > supplied by IMS Health, a pharmaceutical marketing information firm, > sales of ADHD drugs jumped from about $760 million in 2000, to $3.1 > billion in 2004. But a new study from Washington University School of > Medicine reports that about 58 percent of boys and 45 percent of girls > diagnosed with " full-scale ADHD " didn't receive any medication at all. > > Ivanhoe reports that the authors of the study speculate that mental > health professionals may need to do a better job of explaining the > risks and benefits of treatment with these drugs. In other words: Step > up the sales pitch! > > The researchers add: " When used properly these drugs have been shown > to be very safe. " > > See? Now THAT'S how you sell drugs! You certainly don't mention that > ADHD drugs are responsible for more than 3,000 emergency room visits > each year (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). > > And whatEVER you do, don't mention this quote from Cleveland Clinic > cardiologist Steven Nissen, M.D. (who was part of an FDA advisory > panel that reviewed ADHD drug safety): " I have grave concerns about > the use of these drugs and grave concerns about the harm they may cause. " > > If parents hear too much talk like that, we'll end up with a whole > generation of undermedicated children. And just imagine the severe > consequences that would have on drug company profits. > > To Your Good Health, > > Jenny Thompson > > Sources: > " Dietary Copper and High Saturated and Trans Fat Intakes Associated > With Cognitive Decline " Archives of Neurology, Vol. 63, No. 8, August > 2006, archneur.ama-assn.org > " Too Much 'Bad " Fat Plus Copper may Lead to Mental Decline " Stephen > Daniells, NutraIngredients-USA, 8/16/06, nutraingredients-usa.com > " Life-Saving Lipids 101 " William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., The Daily > Dose, 11/1/04, realhealthnews.com > " ADHD Kids Undermedicated? " Ivanhoe Newswire, 8/9/06, Ivanhoe.com > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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