XTEND-15sec-NEWSt
15th June 2006
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Xtend-Life is changing the newsletter formats…n1
As part of the ‘revamping’ of our website and associated materials we are also ‘streamlining’ our newsletters and altering the frequency.
Instead of receiving two newsletters a week, which we feel is just too much for many people, we will in future only be sending out the newsletter every second week. (a 14-day interval).
We will also be combining Xtend-Your-Life, Xtend-15sec-News and Xtend-Life-Questions into a single mailing, although they will remain separate newsletters. It will be in HTML format (or text if you prefer) and you will be able to easily select which newsletter you wish to read. Each newsletter will continue to be archived as they are at present.
We are sure that, given the volume of email most people receive these days, you will find this method less obtrusive and easier to manage.
We will be designing it in such a way that it will become easier for you to interact with any issues that are raised. However, that component is a couple of months away yet.
We plan to publish the first issue on the 27th June 2006
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Herb-drug reaction studies contribute to debate...n2t1
Two new studies have added weight to arguments in the debate over whether or not interaction between herbal remedies and prescription drugs poses a significant threat to the public.
A Canadian study, whose findings were presented at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Canada last week, found few potential drug-herb interactions in patients with osteoporosis. At the same time a report published in the March issue of Geriatric Nursing found that older women mixing herbal and prescribed medication could be risking their health.
In the first study 1.3 percent of the 1069 patients assessed were using a contraindicated drug-herb combination.
“In this randomly selected, population-based sample we found a relatively low rate of potential drug-herb interactions, most of which were among subjects using specific cardiovascular medications”, the University of Calgary authors concluded. More…
Warren Matthews comments: I am always a little bemused by some of these studies. Why? Because there is such a focus on the potential negative effects of a natural product when combined with a drug, whilst the real problem is ignored! I am talking about drug-to-drug contraindication! This is where the serious stuff is!
Whereas the first study showed that 1.3% of the participants were using a contraindicated drug-herb combination, this is nothing when compared to drug-to-drug interaction when there are 2 or more drugs involved. But in these cases we are talking about major life threatening risks, not minor ones which are generally the case with herb/drug interaction.
Over recent years the number of people who are taking more than 2 drugs at the same time has increased dramatically. So have the deaths related to drugs. The reality is that once you are taking three drugs or more the interaction between them is very much guesswork and is not even understood fully by most bio-scientists let alone a doctor who relies on the published literature from the drug company.
Often people will contact us regarding possible interaction of drugs with our supplements. Usually there is not a problem so long as they leave a three hour gap between their drugs and the supplements. However, sometimes we have to advise against taking a supplement because of a potential interaction with some drugs.
But, in many cases we cannot advise at all because the potential customer is taking three or more drugs, and in some cases as many as seven. This is dangerous stuff so we have to ‘pass the buck’ and refer them back to their physician…who unfortunately is no better equipped to advise than we are…but we cannot advise on something that is so crucial and unknown.
My only further comment on this subject is that if you are taking three or more drugs work with your physician and ideally try and get off all of them, or, at the very least get back to two drugs only. Question the real need for each drug and ask to see all the spec sheets.
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Resveratrol could protect against stroke, says lab study…n3t2Resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, red wine and peanuts, can improve blood flow in the brain by 30 per cent, thereby reducing the risk of stroke according to the results of a rat study.
Researchers at the National Taiwan Normal University and the National Chia-Yi University report that rats with induced reduction of blood flow (ischemia) in the brain experienced an improved blood flow from a single dose of resveratrol.
“We found that resveratrol administration… led to cerebral blood flow elevation and protected animals from ischemia-induced neuron loss”, said lead author Kwok Tung Lu. More…
Warren Matthews comments: Resveratrol is an excellent substance but is still generally unknown by the public. We have been using it for about five years in all versions of Total Balance. This active ingredient is what gives wine its protective effects against stroke and heart disease.
However, you don’t need to drink wine to get the benefits. It is available in supplement form.
There are two types of resveratrol, one called ‘cis’, and the other ‘trans’. Not to be confused with ‘transfats’ the trans version of resveratrol is natural whereas the ‘cis’ is synthetic.
Another important issue to consider is the potency of the resveratrol. For example, we use 32mgs of 50% trans-resveratrol per daily dose in Total Balance, whereas many manufacturers use the 5% version of either the trans or cis resveratrol. This means that you would need 320mgs of the trans version to equate to 32mgs of the 50% version.
To get the same amount of protection that 32mgs of 50% trans-resveratrol would give you it would be necessary to drink A LOT of red wine each day! Not recommended.
If you would like more info on this ingredient please go to http://www.xtend-life.com/index.php?page_code=Product&menu_id=15&submenu_id=0&lang_id=1 click on one of the versions of Total Balance and then on Ingredients and scroll down to Resveratrol.
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Important notice: All material provided within XTEND-15sec-NEWS is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this publication. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the editor but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional on any matters raised within.
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5/31/2006 - Two new studies have added weight to arguments in the debate over whether or not interaction between herbal remedies and prescription drugs poses a significant threat to the public.
A Canadian study, whose findings were presented at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Canada last week, found few potential drug-herb interactions in patients with osteoporosis. While a report published in the March issue of Geriatric Nursing found that older women mixing herbal and prescribed medication could be risking their health.
In the first study, 1.3 percent of the 1069 patients assessed were using a contraindicated drug-herb combination.
“In this randomly selected, population-based sample we found a relatively low rate of potential drug-herb interactions, most of which were among subjects using specific cardiovascular medications”, the University of Calgary authors concluded.
The second study, at the University of Florida College of Nursing, looked at 58 women over the age of 65 who were taking both herbal and over-the-counter prescription medication. 74 percent of the study's 58 participants were found to have a moderate or high-risk drug interaction.
“Many of these older women do not consider over-the-counter and herbal medications ‘real drugs' and therefore don't report them”, said the Florida study leader, Dr. Saunjoo Yoon, “However, it is clear that many healthcare providers are not following through to learn their patients' complete medication history.”
Controversy over drug-herb reactions has come hand-in-hand with the growing popularity of nutraceuticals.
The US retail market for dietary supplements was worth $8.3bn in 2005 – representing a growth of 6 percent over 2004 - estimates Euromonitor International. What makes critics wary is that such supplements do not require pre-market approval in the US – instead it is up to companies to report adverse reactions.
The pendulum continues to swing back and forth between those who say the public does not carelessly combine medical and traditional remedies, and those who say they do and that resulting damage is not known.
One of the few points researchers and industry spokespeople seem to agree on is that adverse reactions can be prevented by consulting a doctor - a doctor who is open to herbal medicine that is.
"Cases of herb-drug interactions are extremely rare and, with a little medical supervision and with more knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine on behalf of more physicians and pharmacists, easily avoided," National Nutritional Foods Association president Daniel Fabricant told NutraIngredients-USA.com.
Fabricant also hinted that the energy and fuss surrounding the drug-herb debate might be better redirected towards the issue of mixed prescription medications.
"The safety of botanical dietary supplements, based on the evidence, must be considered much more favorably than that of prescription medications (drug-drug interactions), so the risk should be attributed appropriately."
To read complete article please click below:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=68080&m=2NIU531&c=cujjvkirggyostq
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Resveratrol could protect against stroke, says lab studym2
By Stephen Daniells
5/3/2006 - Resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, red wine and peanuts, can improve blood flow in the brain by 30 per cent, thereby reducing the risk of stroke, according to the results of a rat study.
Researchers at the National Taiwan Normal University and the National Chia-Yi University report that rats with induced reduction of blood flow (ischemia) in the brain experienced an improved blood flow from a single dose of resveratrol.
“We found that resveratrol administration… led to cerebral blood flow elevation and protected animals from ischemia-induced neuron loss”, said lead author Kwok Tung Lu.
Strokes occur when blood clots, or when an artery bursts in the brain and interrupts the blood supply to a part of the brain. It is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death in Europe and the US. According to the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) about 575,000 deaths are stroke related in Europe every year. In the US every 45 seconds someone will experience a stroke, according to the American Stroke Association.
The new study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Vol. 54, pp. 3126-3131), divided 60 adult male Wistar rats into three equal groups. The first group was the control. The second group underwent the induction of cerebral ischemia, and the third group underwent the same operation but also received an intravenous dose of resveratrol (20 milligrams per kilogram body weight).
Although no change to mean blood pressure or heart rate was observed, cerebral blood flow in the second group decreased by 65 percent compared to the control group. The ischemia plus resveratrol group's blood flow also decreased, but by only 35 percent.
The researchers also found that the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) in the affected part of the brain was 25 percent higher than for both the control and ischemia-only group. NO is a molecule used by lining of blood vessels (endothelium) to signal to the surrounding muscle to relax – this dilates the blood vessel and increases the blood flow.
“We suggested that resveratrol may elicit neuroprotective effects by stimulating NO formation or release, which increases cerebral blood flow”, said Lu.
The authors said that further investigation of the effects of resveratrol was needed. Of particular interest is the dose needed to produce protection. While resveratrol has been the subject of various studies, particularly in relation to heart health, recent studies have reported brain protecting effects from grape juice or wine – an effect linked to a synergy between the various polyphenols present.
A recent study using Concord grape juice by researchers from Tuft's University reported that the combination of the polyphenols could decrease the effects of aging on the brain.
“It may be that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, lead author Barbara Shukitt-Hale wrote in the journal Nutrition (Vol. 22, pp. 295-302).
The amount of resveratrol in a bottle of red wine can vary between types of grapes and growing seasons. But nearly all dark red wines – merlot, cabernet, zinfandel, shiraz and pinot noir – contain resveratrol.
The health implications of red wine consumption appear to be filtering through to the consumer. A report from analysts Euromonitor in 2004 predicted that still red wine will exhibit by far the fastest growth in both volume and value terms between 2002 and 2007.
Their study claims that red wine is forecast to record global value sales of $82bn (€61.5bn) in 2007, a rise of some 31 percent from 2002.
However, experts are quick to warn that moderation is the key. A study from Harvard University last year reported that people who have three or more alcoholic drinks per day have a significantly higher risk of stroke. Lowest risk was observed for those who had one, or maybe two, drinks every other day.
To read complete article please click below:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=67451&m=1NIU503&c=cujjvkirggyostq
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