Reprinted with Permission

Is Krill Oil 48 Times Better Than Fish Oil?

Krill oil is made from krill, a small, shrimp-like crustacean that inhabits the cold ocean areas of the world. Despite their small size, krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet. There are approximately 500 million tons of krill roaming around in northern seas..

Krill oil, like fish oil, contains omega-3 fats such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). However, in fish oil, these omega-3 fats are found in the triglyceride form. In krill oil, they are found in a double chain phospholipid structure. The fats in human cell walls are in the phospholipid form.

The phospholipid structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable. Krill oil also contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is a potent anti-oxidant.

The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is, in terms of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorptance Capacity) values, 48 times more potent than fish oil.

The astaxanthin found in krill oil provides also excellent protection against ultraviolet light and UV-induced skin damage.

Sources:

• Four Hour Work Week July 23, 2008

• Alternative Medicine Review September 2007; 12(3):207-27

• Journal of the American College of Nutrition February 2007; 26(1):39-48

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Tim Ferriss is the author of the blockbuster New York Times best seller The Four Hour Work Week, which was one of the best books I read last year. I subscribe to his blog and was surprised to find the above article. It was written by Dr. Michael Eades, who wrote another great book Protein Power, which provides some solid insights on how to improve your health.
I was delighted to learn that Dr. Eades is also in agreement with my own conclusion regarding recommendations for omega-3 supplementation.

Although I still recommend both fish oil and cod liver oil in some cases, I believe krill oil is an EVEN BETTER option for most people, for several reasons. Personally, I take krill oil every day. I particularly appreciate the fact that the omega-3 is attached to phospholipids that dramatically increase its absorption, especially into brain tissue.

Its only drawback is that it does not contain more than a trace of vitamin D, which is nearly as important as omega-3 fats. You can remedy this however, by making sure you’re getting plenty of appropriate sun exposure as that is your best source of vitamin D anyway.

Why I Recommend Krill Oil to All New Patients

As you may know, I’m not a major fan of too many supplements as I believe your best source for optimal nutrition is through whole foods. Krill oil, however, is one of my exceptions as most Americans consume far too few omega-3 fats, and way too many omega-6s.

Your ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is 1:1. Today, however, most people’s ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 averages from 20:1 to a staggering 50:1.

Those kinds of ratios spell serious danger to your health. So serious, in fact, that even the mainstream health media now reports that lack of omega-3 is one of the most serious health issues plaguing contemporary society.

As far as supplements are concerned, two of the best yet simple ways to improve your overall health include:

1. Increasing your intake of antioxidants
2. Increasing your intake of omega-3 oils

And krill oil accomplishes both of those missions.

I used to recommend that you take fish oil to enhance your intake of omega-3 fats. And high-quality fish oils are certainly great products with many important health benefits. However, fish oil is weak in antioxidant content, whereas krill oil contains potent antioxidants.

This is a major drawback for fish oil, because as you increase your intake of omega-3 fats by consuming fish oil, you actually increase your need for even more antioxidant protection.

Why?

This happens because fish oil is quite perishable, and oxidation leads to the formation of those unhealthy free radicals. Therefore, antioxidants are required to ensure that the fish oil doesn't oxidize and become rancid inside your body. So, you need to consume additional antioxidants both for your health in general, AND for your increased need for antioxidants when using fish oil.

The Antioxidant Potency of Krill Oil is 48 Times Higher than Fish Oil

Antioxidants are your body's primary way to neutralize free radicals — those harmful metabolic byproducts that damage cells and tissues throughout your body.

Scientific evidence has repeatedly demonstrated that antioxidants are a cornerstone in the promotion of heart health, boosting your immune system, and memory support. They also appear to play a role in helping to slow your signs of aging.

Although many foods contain antioxidants, today's poor-quality diets are nearly always insufficient in the full range of these beneficial free radical scavengers.

So when you consider that the anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is 48 times more potent than fish oil, well… choosing between the two is easy.

If you’re still not convinced of the antioxidant powers to krill oil, independent ORAC evaluations have also established that genuine Neptune krill oil contains:

• Over 300 times the antioxidant power of vitamin A and vitamin E
• Over 47 times the antioxidant power of lutein
• Over 34 times the antioxidant power of coenzyme Q-10

Pretty impressive, wouldn’t you say?

To top it all off, krill oil also contains astaxanthin – a unique marine-source flavonoid – that creates a special bond with the EPA and DHA, which allows direct metabolism of the antioxidants, making them more bioavailable.

Why You Need Omega-3 From Krill Oil

In a perfect world, you would be able to get all the omega-3s you need by eating fish. Unfortunately, the vast majority of our fish supply is now so heavily contaminated with industrial pollutants and toxins like mercury, PCBs, heavy metals and radioactive poisons that I just can’t recommend it any longer.

Even the slow-to-react FDA and EPA have put out health advisories warning against certain fish and shellfish consumption for young children, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and nursing mothers.

I believe krill oil is the perfect substitute for fish consumption as krill is not plagued with the problem of heavy contamination. Being on the bottom of the food chain, krill simply do not have enough time to accumulate dangerous levels of toxins like other marine sources.

Krill has been shown to be beneficial for a really wide range of health issues, including:

• Support for concentration, memory and learning
• Blood sugar health
• Healthy joints, with an increase in joint comfort
• Fighting signs of aging
• Protection for cell membranes
• Cholesterol and other blood lipid health
• Healthy liver function
• Relief of normal PMS symptoms
• Bolstering your immune system
• Healthy mood support
• Optimal skin health

Krill Oil is a Potent Treatment for Inflammation and Arthritis Symptoms

Several studies have been published on the remarkable effectiveness of krill oil, including a 2007 study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, which evaluated the effect of Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) on patients with chronic inflammation and arthritis.

After just 7 days of treatment, krill oil reduced inflammation by more than 19 percent, while the placebo group had an increase of inflammatory C-reactive protein of nearly 16 percent! It also significantly reduced pain scores, reduced stiffness and reduced functional impairment.

After 14 days of treatment, krill oil further decreased inflammation by almost 30 percent, while the inflammation levels of the placebo group increased more than 32 percent.

The study concluded that krill oil at a daily dose of 300 mg significantly inhibits inflammation and reduces arthritic symptoms in as little as 7 to 14 days!

Krill Oil Can Boost Your Brain Function and Ameliorate Mental Problems

According to another study published in the Alternative Medicine Review last year, double-blind, randomized, controlled trials have found that DHA and EPA in krill oil benefits a variety of brain- and mental disorders, including:

• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Autism
• Dyslexia
• Aggressive behavior
• Cognitive impairment and dementia
• Huntington disease (a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal body movements)

Meta-analyses also confirm krill’s benefits in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, and show promising results in the treatment of schizophrenia.

A Final Note on Quality

Quality is of the essence when selecting any supplement and krill oil is no exception. The only kind of krill oil I recommend is genuine Neptune processed krill.

Neptune krill is collected in pristine deep-water seas far from industrial areas, and is harvested in compliance with international conservation standards. It’s also processed through a cold extraction method that preserves the biological benefits of the krill, and creates an oil that is free of heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins and other contaminants.

So avoid any brand that only has "krill" oil and look for one that you are certain contains Neptune krill oil.

The numbers in this report were generated by insurance claims for more than 3,000,000 children ages 5 to 19 years.

From 2002 to 2005 prescription medications used to treat ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) skyrocketed by more than 40%! But, let’s step away from the fact that ADHD is NOT even a real disease for a moment . . .

Drugs prescriptions for children with type 2 diabetes have jumped up over 100% . . . and 46% more children are taking asthma drugs. Worst of all, they’re prescribing cholesterol lowering drugs (statins!) to children, at least 15% more than before 2002.

These are just a few examples of child health concerns that are NOT being resolved by taking more drugs. It is no wonder why we have a healthcare crisis . . . these big corporations are bleeding us dry.

There is much concern that doctors are now feeling more comfortable drugging younger and younger children almost indiscriminately. Yet, others claim that chronic diseases are on the rise and there is no other choice.

But your child's health is largely a choice - and as a parent it's your choice (and responsibility) to choose whether your child should be taking prescriptions drugs or not.

I’ll tell you what I’m concerned about . . . in spite of more and more drugs being "pushed" on children at younger ages than ever before . . . these so-called "diseases" and "disorders" are becoming more and more common - Doesn't that seem a bit odd???

First of all, let’s call a spade a spade here . . . we know these drugs do not cure these problems. In fact, it seems that the drug companies have blatantly and perhaps even intentionally disregarded even seeking a cure at all.

More money is spent researching, discovering, marketing and promoting new "ailments" and medical conditions every year . . . and of course with each new health problem comes a new
drug to treat it.

Bottom line, cures are just not on the fiscal agenda for any of the big pharmaceutical companies funding these designer drugs. We are seeing new drug commercials popping up everyday and every-other-day some drug is being labeled with a "black box warning" or is "recalled" by the FDA.

For how much longer are we going to justify and allow this kind of corporate over-control? Do you see anything wrong with this behavior? Based solely on the fact that more kids are taking the same drug-products sold to adults without reducing prevalence, should be enough to open anyone's eyes.

If you think I am making this up just read the news. Did you read about the psychiatrist that racked up $2.8M in "consulting" fees from a GlaxoSmithKline grant?

Doctors like Charles B. Nemeroff of Emory University represent the classic conflict of interest issue by people breaking federal research rules left and right.

Once again the question is why would a reputable doctor throw away his career and why would Big Pharma condone this behavior?

The Answer: To Prescribe More Drugs To More Children!

I never thought I’d see the day when so many parents would give up their children's health to indiscriminate drugging.

The pied piper of pharmaceuticals is leading children astray . . . just the same way as adults. But it doesn’t need to be this way!

For those of you who still believe in self-sustainability, self-responsibility, and self-determinism - There really are natural cures "they" don’t want you to know about.

As with any group of symptoms, the root cause can always be naturally addressed. The best way to improve a child’s health is by looking at the whole child. That means diet, lifestyle, and environment.

Anatole France, a French author from the 19th century said, "Nine tenths of education is encouragement"

So, I encourage you to take control of your health and the health of your loved ones . . . especially your children, as they are trusting YOU to make the best decisions for their health.

Go To: www.BartonPublishing.com/superpack

Live well,

Martin Jacobse
Medical Investigator
www.BartonPublishing.com

P.S. Did you know that child ADHD is NOT even a real disease or even a legitimate medical condition? Are you surprised? You should not be. . . Check out: www.TreatADHDNaturally.com

Pharmaceutical companies have spent billions of dollars convincing you and half the US population that acid reflux and (Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease) GERD are simple drug deficiencies.

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As you may already know, to get different results than you’ve been getting you can’t keep doing the same
things that got you there. With all the tricky gimmicks and magical purple elixirs over the counter today, it’s no wonder you feel confused. But as you continue to read this report you will begin to see clearly the answer is simple.

Imagine being able to do more than only "smell" your favorite mouth watering cuisine. Imagine savoring every last bite, actually being able to swallow and digest your food completely. Imagine enjoying your food and your company without your face turning fire engine red, choking on your words and angrily excusing yourself haphazardly. . .

The nightmare can be over, all you have to do is turn on the lights and the acid reflux monster will be as if it
never was . . . so you made a wrong turn or two in the past, the good news is you are here now.

You are the reason you’ve come this far, most people just give up trying to live a better life. But you’re different . . . you’re like the other 70% of Americans that are discovering the truth about natural remedies, THEY WORK! That’s why you’re here because you made a commitment to
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The best thing you can do is follow your gut feeling and at least give Mama Nature a fighting chance.

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Don’t know about you, but the eater-blogger posting this entry has long avoided eating too many potato chips (uh, that would be the whole bag) by simply not buying them for the pantry at home. It has worked for a couple of decades. So has the same strategy for Kit Kat bars, though Halloween and trick-or-treaters who live under the same roof can sorely test a man.

Belgian researchers has released a new study suggesting this keep-the-cupboards-bare-of-junk-foods to be less than optimal strategy for controlling food cravings and overeating. The researchers at Lessius Hogeschool in Antwerpen found that keeping sweet treats around in the homes of female college students can actually result in greater self-control.

Let lead author Kelly Geyskens take the first crack at explaining why: "The main message is that banishing food temptations may not be the best way to limit the amount eaten. Tempting foods [kept at home but not consumed] can actually increase willpower,” she told a Reuters news reporter.

There is some common sense in this study. A good number of nutritionists subscribe to the credo that “no food is bad” but that it’s portion size that matters. For example, dark chocolate (look for at least 70 percent cocoa) continues to rack up health kudos from researchers but only if you eat the equivalent of one 100-gram bar or a small square per day.

As for chips or doughnuts that provide what dieticians call “empty calories,” it’s not the occasional treat that sabotages weight control but making it a regular habit. So, sure, go ahead, add a few chips to your lunch plate or savor a really good homemade doughnut when meeting an old friend for coffee, just don’t morph “occasional” to “often” to “oh, what’s the difference, my weight control program is so far gone.”

For the study, Geyskens and her Belgian colleagues asked volunteer female college students to undergo differing tests of food willpower. The guise was that a candy company was conducting some market research.

In one test, the young women were shown photos of the candy but not allowed any chance to sample the goods. That provided a reasonable facsimile of an advertisement.

In a second test group, the women were shown the photos and also presented a bowl of the candy they could not eat (right, slightly cruel in a sort of way).

But, as it turned out, when the students were immediately tempted by a bowl of M&M’s they were free to eat, the women who were presented a bowl of candy and not just photos performed better at resisting the candy altogether or not overeating. The study will be published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Consumer Research this December.

For Geyskens’ part, she wrote, “In fact, if you avoid food temptations by banishing them, you will never or rarely experience self-control conflict … we believe self control can be trained. When a new temptation situation subsequently arises, these strategies will be activated again” to resist overdoing it with occasional treats.”

In related research work, Purdue University food scientist Ron Mattes has documented that some seemingly forbidden snacks and goodies might actually help you feel more satisfied on physiological and emotional levels so you don’t overeat when the temptation arises.

Mattes has conducted a number of experiments showing that eating a serving of nuts (let’s say one to two handfuls, if you are willing to distinguish between “handful” and “fistful”) about an hour before dinner can in fact help you eat significantly less overall unhealthy fat during the pre-dinner snack and subsequent buffet dinner compared to, drum roll, please, snackers who ate rice cakes.

It seems the rice cakes are not satisfying to the metabolism or mind, so the volunteer subjects consistently ate more calories and more saturated fat at dinner than the nut eaters. There is a delicious moral in that research story—and a practical application too. Next time you snack on a rice cake, give it a smear of nut butter (or do the same with a cut-up apple). You will feel more satisfied and less tempted.

The list of dangers seems endless for all the goblins, witches and ghouls this Hollow’s eve. Many kids are under-dressed for the cold weather, visually impaired by their masks . . . running around with sharp wands, waving swords and flashing light sabers searching for sugary candies to plunder. Add to that the dangerous baggy costumes, flowing capes and flapping tapestries set to flame by misplaced Jack-o-Lanterns, decorative lights or out-door candles.

Yet, after considering all things . . . nothing compares to a hidden danger lurking in the shadows long after Halloween is gone and over.

According to the most conservative study I could find . . . Americans consume on average about 40 pounds of sugar per person, per year. That’s more than one and a half ounces of sugar per day. 1999 report information is the Economic Research Service [ERS] of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Of course those sugary calories are hidden in soda pops, fruit juices and other less obvious sources. (The Economic Research Service estimated that data on weight of sugar sold.) The ounce and a half of daily sugar doesn’t include honey, sorghum or High Fructose Corn syrups.

Regardless, an ounce and a half of sugar consumed per person per day is ridiculously high. Most studies suggest the reality is many times worse. Bottom line is Americans are destroying their health by eating all this refined and processed sugar.

Refined sugar and High Fructose Corn syrup is contributing directly to the emerging epidemic of diabetes we see in young people today. In fact new evidence states that High Fructose Corn Syrup may be responsible for causing chromium deficiencies.

And all diabetics have at least this one thing in common; they all have a chromium deficiency.

Considering it has been estimated that 25% to possibly 50% of Americans are chromium deficient . . . it’s no wonder diabetes is approaching plague proportions in the U.S.

Keep in mind that tissue levels of chromium tend to decrease with age. However, considering that adult on-set of diabetes has increased more than six-fold between 1950 and 2000 . . . it could be a sign that Americans are aging “biologically” much faster than ever before.

Truth is it may very well be because of refined sugar consumption.

The new science of biology reveals how your genes are controlled by what foods you eat. Simply put, eating refined sugar can lead to heart disease and the painful symptoms of diabetes.

More Type 1 diabetic children are being born today than ever before in medical history. Plus young adults are developing diabetes Type 2 in their 20’s and 30’ now . . . when it used to be during their 30’s and 40’s.

Fact: A child can be “pre-disposed” to being diabetic from diet habits as far away as two generations. That’s means, your Grandmother’s diet, before your mother was born, can either help or hurt your chances of being diabetic. Now because the majority of American calories come from sugary drinks and soda pop, diabetes is skyrocketing.

Bottom line, food can be your medicine or your poison . . . your trick or your treat, the choice for health is yours.

Here are 7 the main side effects of Halloween sugar binging:

1. High blood sugar triggered depression
2. High blood sugar triggered inflammation
3. High blood sugar triggered acne
4. High blood sugar triggered fatigue
5. High blood sugar triggered hypertension
6. High blood sugar triggered migraines
7. High blood sugar triggered heart disease

. . .and you don’t even want to know what the eighth one is.

There are always healthier choices than following mainstream consumerism. For example, did you know that “unrefined flour” has 40% more chromium than refined flour and “unrefined natural sugar” has 93% more chromium than refined sugar?

So all I’m saying is to get educated now so you can avoid being medicated later . . . diabetes can be prevented and it can be cured. If you don’t believe me now, I guarantee you will later because I’ll prove it to you. But right now you need to know that pre-diabetes or insulin resistance is just as deadly as full-blown diabetes, so here’s some tips to take the TRICK out of your Halloween TREATS.

• Feed your sweet tooth with real chocolate. Milk chocolate is NOT real chocolate. Your local health food store will have real organic chocolate bars. You’re looking for 60-75% cacao bean content. Warning organic chocolate is not only extremely healthy for your heart, it’s delicious.

• Oven toast magnesium rich pumpkin seeds in the oven using a little olive oil and sea salt. Most people throw them away, but pumpkin seeds are highly nutritious and the sea salt gives you the trace minerals you need for a healthy body.

• Make pumpkin granola bars, bread or cookies. Pumpkin is a powerhouse of nutrition, low in calories, fat free and rich with beta carotene, potassium and fiber.

Have fun by being creative . . . and think “seasonal.” Halloween is a celebration of the autumn harvest moon, there is just no reason to ruin your health during such a healthy time of year.

These simple ideas turn tricks into treats and treats into superfoods that can help eliminated the risk of developing heart disease and the symptoms of diabetes.

Live well,

Martin Jacobse
Medical Investigator

Click here to learn more.

“Eat your greens” is undeniable health advice. But a new study by Penn State scientist makes the credo, well, a bit nutty. That’s because the research shows pistachios can fight cholesterol in two distinct and powerful ways.

While nuts have been associated with heart health for more than a decade—despite the hard-to-shake reputation of being fatty foods—pistachios have overshadowed by more studied nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and even macadamia nuts (which have the highest fat content of all nuts). Peanuts have been widely studied, too, though you likely know that peanuts are technically legumes and not nuts.

Not surprisingly, most of the nut studies are funded by growers and food manufacturers. That’s the case with the Penn State research, too, also financially staked in part by the National Institutes of Health. Yet the nut research is published in peer-reviewed medical journals and scientifically performed. Basically, these studies set up the nuts for success and, thanks to the medicinal power of plant foods, the nuts prove to be significant health boosters. Walnuts have been widely associated with protecting against cancer, while almonds have gained acceptance as cardiovascular powerhouses.

Now pistachios arrive with serious scientific meddle. The Penn State researchers showed that pistachios not only lower LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) because the nut contains omega-3 fats that sweep away the unwanted LDL in the blood and arteries, but that a pistachio also contains a substance that controls an enzyme called stearoyl CoA desaturase that is vital to cholesterol buildup.

Not bad for a nut that for decades was best known for shells dyed red to gain attention.

The Penn State study used a controlled feeding approach in which the volunteer subjects eat only food provided by the researchers. All volunteers consumed a typical American diet for two weeks, which translated to 35 percent overall fat and 11 percent saturated fat of daily calories. Saturated fat is considered the primary culprit is leading cholesterol to clog arteries.

Then the study subjects tested three cholesterol-reduction diets for a month apiece, with two-week breaks in between the month-long diet trials. The first month’s diet featured 25 percent overall and 8 percent saturated fat with no pistachios. The second month-long diet included enough pistachios to represent 10 percent of all calories consumed for the day/week/month. The third month-long diet upped the pistachio intake to 20 percent of daily calories. Half of the nuts were used for snacks while the other half were employed in meals and recipes.

As a result of adding pistachios, the second month-long diet was 30 percent total fat and 8 percent saturated fat, while the third diet was 34 percent total fat and 8 percent saturated fat. Note that pistachios added zero saturated fat.

The diet with the most pistachios—and, yes, the most fat—reduced LDL cholesterol levels by 12 percent more than the no-nut cholesterol-reduction diet. The diet with moderate pistachio intake (call it a daily handful) reduced cholesterol by nine percent compared to the control group.

Here’s where it gets interesting for pistachio lovers and growers alike. The Penn State researchers found the “fatty acid profile of pistachios” is not plentiful enough to reduce LDL that effectively, suggesting that the green nuts likely contain “phytosterols” that further act to unclog arteries and prevent blood clots that cause heart attacks.

Eat your greens, indeed. While snacking on pistachios is appealing, you might find that adding them to salad and smoothies (for a great flavor that reminds of pistachio ice cream without the butterfat) or grinding them to coat your fish or chicken breast will add variety to your cholesterol busting.

For The Full Knock Out Punch For Reducing Cholesterol Click Here

By Bob Condor

Americans don’t have to be reminded about the health value of regular exercise. But a new study points out that even one workout can make a difference in how the body oxidizes or burns fat. There are apparently fewer excuses than ever to say, oh, someday, there will be time for a regular exercise program. One brisk walk or trip to the gym can change your metabolism for the better.

The report is even more relevant and hopeful for someone who is overweight or at risk for typc 2 diabetes because it involved obese women (at 20 percent heavier than a healthy weight).

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Scientists at the University of Michigan followed five obese women in the study. In one session, they allowed the women to overeat and not exercise. In a second session, the women were allowed to overeat again, but this exercised after their meal. In many ways, they were simulating everyday life.

What the researchers found is that exercise might play an even bigger role in reducing weight gain and diabetes risk than previously believed and especially compared to diet changes alone.

In the first session of overeating and no exercise, the body’s fat-burning capability was reduced after just that one day of overeating. The volunteers’ fat levels were measured the morning after overeating/exercise sessions and included a muscle biopsy. This reduction in fat-burning or oxidation is what leads to fat by-products remaining in muscle tissue and leading insulin resistance that is so destructive in type 2 diabetes.

During the second session, it was evident that just one bout of exercise increases fat-burning capacity and reduces insulin resistance in the muscles. Instead of fat by-products remaining in muscle due to overeating, the exercise effect is to flush out those by-products. Just one workout can “steer” fat to be burned rather than accumulated, said the researchers.

“Exercise decreases everyone’s insulin resistance and therefore reduces the chances of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes,” said Andrea Cornford, a researcher on the University of Michigan’s team. “This study shows that even a single bout of exercise helps obese individuals increase their body’s fat-burning rate and improve their metabolic health.”

The overeating element in this study is consuming a meal that was up to 700 calories more than a typical lunch or dinner l for U.S. adults. Other research shows eating a meal that is not only high in calories but also saturated fat can predispose the blood vessels to heart attacks in the 12 to 24 hours after the meal.

These studies make a strong case for adopting the smaller, more frequent meals approach long prescribed by sports nutritionists aiming for ways that athletes can stay fueled throughout a full day of workouts and/or games. One practical advantage to eating five to six “mini-meals” is you will less hungry between breakfast/lunch/dinner and not tempted to select a junk-food snack. This type of meal plan is a main feature in Barton Publishing’s new diabetes report, helping to prevent or reverse diabetes.

Moreover, it appears that overeating might not just affect your body physiology but also your mind.

A 2008 study connects a single high-fat meal (Danish pastry with added whipped cream, cheese, whole fat yogurt) with a cognitive decline in older adults immediately following the meal in contrast to a control group that consumed only water. The researchers did find that taking a dose of vitamins C and E did offset a significant portion of the decline.

Not surprisingly, exercise is also associated with reducing depression and cognitive “fog,” both over the long-term and after just one session. There’s another reason to fit in exercise when you can, even if a regular exercise program seems unattainable. Plus, there is a happy result of even sporadic exercise: It can feel so energizing that you might decide the time is now to stay with a consistent workout plan.

By Bob Condor

Among its impressive pursuits as a private consumer watchdog organization, the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group has been at the forefront of what has to be our most urgent public health issue: Toxins in children.

EWG’s latest report is among the most disturbing of its findings to date. In a study of 20 teenage girls from eight states and D.C., scientists uncovered 16 toxic chemicals in their blood and urine. The chemicals, no big surprise, are common in cosmetics and body care products.

Hmm, cosmetics, body care products, teen girls, danger, potential disaster. The substances included preservatives, fragrances and antimicrobial chemicals that altered hormone levels in the girls.

That is no sweet 16.

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“Hormone-altering chemicals shouldn’t be in cosmetics, especially in products used by millions of teenage girls,” said Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D., author of the report and staff scientist at EWG. “Their bodies are still developing and may be especially vulnerable to risks from these exposures.”

The girls the study were 14 to 19 years old (though it is not hard to imagine a significant number of girls as young as, what, 10 or 11, using such cosmetics and body care products, including skin lotion and shampoo. Along with adolescence affecting the reproductive or hormonal systems, this age level is a peak period for rapid bone growth, significant shifts in metabolism and key changes in brain function.

Researchers, who are reluctant to form consensus on most all scientific inquiry, all agree that toxins are most damaging to children and teens, the former because of the smaller body size and blood volume and the latter because it is such a sensitive period for hormonal development.

While parents of teens might be unfazed, it still seems astounding that the girls in the study (across various ethnicities and cultures) used an average of nearly 17 personal care products per day that contain a total of 174 unique cosmetic ingredients. The typical American woman uses 12 such products each day. The EWG researchers speculated that teenage girls are habitual experimenters when it comes to beauty and body care products. In the process, they are unwittingly exposing themselves to even more potential toxins.

The study is the first of its kind, and, by all accounts, created awareness among the 20 teens and their parents. Among the facts they learned is that the federal government does not require companies to test its products or ingredients for safety before going to market. Products are only pulled if proven to be harmful to consumer health in a process that puts the burden on customers and not the companies.

“Most parents don’t know that the eyeliner, lipstick or shampoo they allow their daughters to use probably contains at least one chemical linked to a number of serious health concerns,” said Sutton. “Teenage girls are at a particularly vulnerable age and these exposures could trigger a subtle sequence of damaging effects that leads to health problems later in life.”

Check out www.ewg.org’s “Skin Deep” online database for more information about products that are considered safe or not. Honestly, it should be just the first step in protecting teen bodies from toxic invasion by way of cosmetics and body care product marketers. It’s time to be not only aware but active.

For its part, the primary trade association for cosmetics and personal care products, the Personal Care Products Council, answers that it reviews and assess the safety of all ingredients used in cosmetics. Yet the council’s chief scientists, John Bailey, said the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statement is the detection of trace amounts of chemicals in the body does not mean that an individual is at risk for particular diseases or adverse health conditions.

And that should worry us all, whether we have teen daughters or not.

By Bob Condor

Whether you call it sweat or the more proper, “perspiration,” it appears getting a bit clammy while working out protects against exercise-induced asthma attacks.

A new study by scientists at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego evaluated 56 otherwise healthy Marines who were challenged with such symptoms as wheezing, coughing or breathlessness during high-exertion spurts of physical activity. Those Marines who sweated more suffered fewer systems.

That’s the kind of opposites attraction you are looking for in life.

The study was published in this month’s issue of the medical journal Chest. The researchers suggested that the “same mechanisms” that generate a person’s sweat volume also dictates the amount of water secreted by the lungs’ airways. In contrast, the Marines who perspired less also experienced more problems and, likely, drier airways. A lack of moisture in the airways tends to constrict the passages and lead to breathing disruption during the workout.

Not surprisingly, sweating more during exercise also leads to greater saliva and teardrop production. As we all learned in school—gee, wasn’t health class fun?—sweating is a natural process and some of us perspire more than others. Like Michael Jordan, one of the coolest human beings in history, who would stand dripping at the free throw line during Chicago Bulls games. But the researchers were clear: Don’t purposefully overheat yourself during exercise (no rubber suits allowed); that can be dangerous.

While the 56 Marines in the study (whose bodies were voluntarily manipulated with medications to induce airway narrowing and heavier-than-normal sweating) are no doubt elite athletes, Dr. Warren Lockette, lead author of the study, has a first-hand look at how exercise-induced asthma can affect Olympians. He is medical adviser to the University of Michigan’s women’s swimming team (and, yes, he bumped into mega-gold medalist Michael Phelps regularly in Ann Arbor).

“It is unclear why so many elite athletes have exercise-induced asthma,” Lockette said as part of the study’s release. “It is possible that they manifest symptoms of exercise-induced asthma simply because their levels of exertion and breathing rate are so high compared with the average, competitive sportsman.”

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In his work as chief researcher at the Naval Medical Center and formerly as a medical officer with the Navy SEALS, Lockette was keenly aware that some young recruits were blocked from becoming divers or special warfare operations participants because of exercise-induced asthma. It motivated him to look deeper at the problem, which is especially vexing for how it fells such highly conditioned individuals.

The study results confirmed some measures that Lockette already suggested for University of Michigan swimmers and others who train in Ann Arbor and with the Olympic program.

“We found that by controlling air quality during workouts, as well as by providing individualized attention to our athletes’ hydration and nutrition, we could reduce the limitations imposed by hyperreactive airways in many individuals,” said Lockette.

“It now appears that how much fluid your airways secrete could be a key determinant in protecting you from exercise-induced asthma,” he said. “So, if athletes sweat, drool, or cry, at least they won’t gasp.

If you are wondering, yes, you can sweat profusely during a fitness swim. It might not seem like it, but laps in the pool can be a superior cardiovascular workout. Phelps, for instance, regularly exhorted Michigan football and basketball players about the quality of swimming workouts. Braylon Edwards, a star wide receiver for pro football’s Cleveland Browns and former Michigan standout, was persuaded enough to make swimming part of his off-season conditioning. He ran track drills in the water one day and swam the next.

That water-workout thing turned out sort of OK for Phelps. Let’s see if Edwards gets along as swimmingly is his chosen sport this fall.

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By Bob Condor

Being consistent? It’s almost a lost art form these days. How many professional ballplayers play for one team their entire careers? For that matter, how many people work for just one company? Who never grows up and raises kids in their same hometowns? Which of your friends truly listens to you each time?

For anyone diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, there is a lot to be said for consistency, circa 2008 or not. A September study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that people with Type 2 who carefully and tightly control their blood sugar can lower risk of heart attack and death over a long time frame.

Researchers call it a “legacy effect” and makes a strong case for following a successful eating plan and dietary supplement routine in the first 10 years after diagnosis (something you can read about in extensive detail in the new Barton Publishing diabetes natural remedy report). The study points out the protective element of the legacy effect is established in that first decade after diagnosis.

There’s a parallel here. People who go on diets and then off diets are found to gain more weight back than they lost, inadvertently adding pounds when good intentions slip away. The yo-yo dieting also wreaks havoc with the immune system and unduly taxes the heart, lungs and kidneys. A person would be better off eating a mostly healthy diet featuring fresh produce and whole grains while still splurging on the occasional deep-dish pizza or chocolate mousse rather than cycling near-starvation diets with late-night raids of the fridge.

In the new study, researchers at the University of Oxford in England studied more than 4,200 newly diagnosed diabetes patients. They found careful control of blood sugar also lowered kidney disease and vision loss, two common and scary effects of unchecked diabetes. Public health officials in both England and the U.S. took the opportunity of the study’s release to re-emphasize that people with Type 2 diabetes who are consistent (there’s that word again) with monitoring their blood sugar will improve quality of life for years ahead.

For a full list of Barton Publishing Reports including kidney damage, high blood pressure, and diabetes click here.

What’s instructive is to realize keeping a tight control on blood sugar also helps a diabetic individual to connect what foods and supplements are helping—and what part of an eating style might be causing more problems than some favorite foods are worth (and it’s just sugar we are discussing here; the new Barton report names a number of common foods that are surprisingly unhealthy for anyone with Type 2 diabetes). There are some superfoods for Type 2 diabetes, and at least one will surprise you as well.

Anyone with Type 2 diabetes would do well to re-consider relaxing their blood sugar reins, especially if you were diagnosed less than 10 years back. But, honestly, this new study acknowledges that while a bit more slack after the first decade appears to be less harmful, the researchers made it clear at a professional meeting in Europe this month that they plan followup studies to track if the people who stay loyal to blood sugar monitoring might reap other benefits not evaluated in their study.

Plus, blood sugar monitoring is becoming less demanding for the patients. New technology (yes, some of it is good, such as our ability to connect online) is rapidly developing to allow wrist-watch monitoring with frequent readouts—all at an affordable price.