Glisodn reverses clogged arteries naturally

[johnny333]

If you're worried about cholesterol clogging the arteries you can take natural precautions to prevent this problem.

Become a vegetarian & avoid all meats & oils(even olive oil). This may be a drastic lifestyle change but eventually as you get older you'll have to decide if trans fats(hydrogenated fats), fried foods, sugar,.... is worth your health

There are also natural supplements that have been proven to work: Aquafibe, Pomegranate & Glisodin.

All the above have proven to reverse atherosclerosis. There are no medications that can do this They are also cheaper then putting in stents, heart surgery and drugs which can slow but not reverse the problem.

For those who have never heard of Glisodin, read on:


Reversing Atherosclerosis Naturally
By Dale Kiefer

Scientists have discovered a natural ingredient derived from a species of melon that has been shown to reverse signs of atherosclerosis in aging blood vessel walls. This nutritional supplement is able to boost levels of the body’s most powerful antioxidant defense enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD).

A comparison of two recently-published clinical trials shows that this natural supplement not only reversed signs of atherosclerosis in human blood vessel walls, but that it did so better than a leading multibillion dollar prescription statin drug. Just eight months ago, Life Extension members were enlightened to the ability of pomegranate to reverse signs of atherosclerosis. This specialized melon extract, together with pomegranate, offers aging humans a powerful new weapon in the battle to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by restoring healthy function to aging arteries.


Atherosclerosis: the Silent Enemy

Even people who have no symptoms of cardiovascular disease may be developing silent, progressive atherosclerosis as they grow older. Derived from Greek words meaning “hard paste”, atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the interior of the arteries, which become stiff, clogged, and dysfunctional. Consisting of cholesterol, cellular debris, and other components, atherosclerotic plaque blocks the flow of vital oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout the body.

Atherosclerosis is believed to begin when the delicate inner arterial lining—the endothelium—is damaged and becomes dysfunctional; possibly beginning as early as childhood.1 Sticky, fatty substances, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), fibrinogen, and triglycerides adhere to the endothelial lining and begin to trap other components, including calcium. The plaque may cause a rupture in the arterial wall, allowing a blood clot to form. Clots can block local blood flow completely, or they may break free and cause dangerous blockages elsewhere. When such blockages occur in the vessels supplying the heart, for instance, a heart attack occurs. Deprived of oxygen, cardiac muscle dies quickly; when a blockage affects the blood supply to the brain, a stroke may result.


The Superoxide Radical and Endothelial Dysfunction: Danger to Aging Arteries


Damage to cells that line our arteries is a critical initiating event in atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart attack and stroke. As the delicate endothelium (inner arterial wall) becomes weakened, toxic substances circulating in the blood pass through the endothelial cell layer and become oxidized. This oxidation induces chronic inflammation that leads to thickening of the blood vessel wall and subsequent atherosclerosis. Depending on a person’s individual risk factors (such as poor diet, lack of exercise, high homocysteine, high levels of inflammation, smoking, high blood pressure, and the aging process itself), oxidized lipids continue to accumulate in the endothelium, and the atherosclerotic process accelerates.

Scientists know that oxidative stress is a crucial, causal factor in endothelial dysfunction, which itself is a key initiating event for abnormal blood vessel wall thickening and atherosclerosis. Cutting-edge research shows that superoxide dismutase, the body’s most important antioxidant defense enzyme, plays an important role in maintaining healthy endothelial function by quenching dangerous superoxide radicals.

The superoxide radical inactivates the crucial vasodilator nitric oxide and compromises endothelial function.2,3 Furthermore, rapid improvement in endothelial function and regression of atherosclerosis is associated with reduction of the dangerous superoxide radical in the arterial wall.4 New research shows that the superoxide radical plays a role in hypertension associated with kidney disease, oxidative vascular stress associated with accelerated atherosclerosis in diabetes, and heart failure in humans.5-8


Statin Drugs and Atherosclerosis

In the past, numerous studies have examined the effects of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs on atherosclerosis using proven ultrasound technology that measures for pathological thickening (intima-media thickness, or IMT) of the aging blood vessel wall. Interestingly, most large statin drug trials show only slowing of progression, rather than regression of atherosclerosis, as measured with this highly-respected technology.

For example, the 1998 REGRESS study showed slowing of progression of atherosclerosis, but not regression, with the statin drug pravastatin (Pravachol®).16 The 1995 KAPS study also showed that

pravastatin produced a significant slowing of progression of atherosclerosis, but not regression.17 Although the ASTEROID study showed evidence of regression of atherosclerosis in high-risk patients, this study used the very potent statin drug, rosuvastatin (Crestor®).18 Another head-to-head comparative study (ARBITER) showed slight regression of IMT with a high dose of the potent drug atorvastatin (Lipitor®).19 However, many “in the know” unbiased medical experts have raised questions about the results of this study, commenting on data handling and methodological issues used by the Pfizer-sponsored investigators.

Recently, a clinical trial published in the influential Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that the cholesterol-lowering statin drug, Crestor® (rosuvastatin), is capable of slowing the progression of silent subclinical atherosclerosis. As expected, over the course of two years, a high dose (40 mg) of the very potent statin drug Crestor® significantly lowered harmful lipid levels. But it merely slowed or halted atherosclerosis progression—it did not produce regression. In the investigators’ own words: “Rosuvastatin [Crestor®] did not induce disease regression.”20

In sharp contrast, a nutritional supplement derived from a unique species of melon was shown recently to not only halt IMT progression in apparently healthy adults, but to significantly reverse its progression over the course of two years.21

Oral SOD Reverses IMT

Comparison of two years of treatment with bioavailable SOD (GliSODin®) versus rosuvastatin

(Crestor®) on carotid artery atherosclerosis in two separate studies. Carotid artery intima-media thickness decreased significantly in those who received GliSODin®. Rosuvastatin halted atherosclerosis progression, but did not produce a statistically significant reversal of disease.

Both studies showed that control patients (receiving neither GliSODin® or rosuvastatin) experienced serious progression of atherosclerosis at two years.20,21

Impressive new research indicates that a patented form of the natural antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly reverses the IMT thickening process, long before atherosclerosis becomes life-threatening.21 Known as the “enzyme of life” when it was first discovered in the late 1960s, SOD is considered the body’s most important antioxidant defense enzyme. Its powerful benefits include the ability to activate and regenerate other key native antioxidants, such as glutathione peroxidase and catalase. By itself, SOD disarms the extraordinarily reactive superoxide radical. It accomplishes this feat with lightning speed, thus preventing superoxide from wreaking havoc with important biological tissues, including the delicate vascular endothelium.

Scientists have long sought a way to boost levels of SOD as a natural means of combating the oxidative damage that lies at the root of so many degenerative disease processes, including atherosclerosis.21 Noting that certain varieties of cantaloupe had an exceptionly long shelf life, food scientists found that these melons provided an exceptionally rich source of SOD. Still, this SOD remained stubbornly unavailable to the body when consumed orally. Until, that is, French researchers pioneered a method to “cloak” a natural melon-derived SOD molecule with gliadin (a simple protein derived from wheat), protecting it from the harsh acidic environment of the stomach and intestines long enough for the bioactive SOD enzyme to be absorbed intact into the bloodstream.22,23Dubbed GliSODin®, this compound has been thoroughly documented to be a particularly potent orally bioavailable form of SOD. Many competing products purporting to contain SOD are simply ineffective. Without the protection of the gliadin molecule, most SOD supplements are destroyed by the digestive tract long before they can benefit the body, rendering them ineffective as oral supplements.
Clinical Study Confirms Efficacy of GliSODin® for Regression of Atherosclerosis

In a groundbreaking new study, investigators led by Professor Maurice Cloarec from the French National Association for Medical Prevention showed that oral supplementation with GliSODin® was associated with regression of atherosclerosis in middle-aged adults (ages 30-60), as determined by ultrasonography. This finding is especially exciting, in that atherosclerosis progression was not slowed, nor halted, but rather that it was actually reversed.

The scientists began this study by recruiting adults with risk factors for atherosclerosis, including a family history of stroke, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood lipids and blood sugar, and a height-to-weight ratio above normal. Subjects received instruction in following a standardized, heart-healthy, Mediterranean-type diet, and were given counseling regarding lifestyle modifications.

A baseline IMT reading was performed, and assessments were also made of individuals’ antioxidant status and blood lipid levels, among other health parameters. All subjects first adhered to a new, healthier diet for one year. At the end of the first year, the scientists documented “minor improvements” in blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and LDL levels among all subjects. These improvements were attributed to the healthier diet and lifestyle modifications. Subjects’ antioxidant status, however, remained poor. Furthermore, subjects’ IMT values remained unchanged. Investigators noted that the IMT numbers were, “too high…considering the age of these subjects”.21

At this point, a total of 34 subjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group continued with the amended diet, while a second group continued the diet while also taking 500 IU of GliSODin® daily. Subjects’ progress was then monitored for two additional years. During this phase, parameters such as blood pressure, BMI, and LDL levels remained largely unchanged among all subjects. But about nine months after beginning GliSODin® treatment, significant improvements in antioxidant status were documented in the treatment group. Antioxidants monitored included blood SOD levels and blood glutathione peroxidase levels. Levels of malondialdehyde (a biomarker for oxidative stress24) were also documented. The antioxidant status of control subjects, who were not taking the supplement, remained essentially unchanged.

Atherosclerosis is Reversed

About a year and a half after commencing daily supplementation with GliSODin®, measurable decreases in subjects’ IMT were detected. Approximately two years after starting GliSODin® supplementation, decreases in IMT values became statistically significant. In dramatic contrast, control subjects not receiving GliSODin® experienced increased IMT values over the same period.21 There were no reported side effects in either group.

This remarkable study demonstrated that reversal of atherosclerosis in adults with multiple risk factors for future cardiovascular disease is possible through a combination of healthy diet and daily intake of GliSODin® (orally bioavailable superoxide dismutase). These findings were confirmed by monitoring of clinical and biological health parameters, and measurements of carotid IMT. The GliSODin® regimen, “improves, significantly, the anti-oxidant status,” noted investigators, “and diminishes, remarkably, carotid artery IMT.”21

It should be noted that these findings echo those of other researchers, who, in previous and subsequent studies, have convincingly demonstrated GliSODin®’s ability to reduce oxidative damage in human volunteers and animal models.25-27

Pomegranate Fights Oxidative Damage, Reverses Atherosclerosis

Scientists have recently shown that pomegranate juice offers cardiac health benefits that complement those of GliSODin®. In the past seven years alone, the amount of published research on pomegranate has increased seven-fold over all preceding years in the medical and scientific literature.40 That’s almost certainly because each new study underscores the potential of this fruit to fight cancer and to combat oxidative stress. The latter is of particular importance for atherosclerosis prevention.

In 2004, researchers published the findings of a three-year study on the daily consumption of pomegranate juice (50 mL, or 1.7 ounces) by patients with advanced atherosclerosis.41 These patients were diagnosed with carotid artery stenosis; a serious condition in which the carotid arteries, responsible for supplying blood to the brain, become noticeably narrowed by buildup of atherosclerotic plaques. Such patients are at increased risk of suffering strokes or other “cerebrovascular accidents”. In this study, common carotid IMT increased by 9% within one year in the non-supplemented control group. Remarkably, patients drinking pomegranate juice experienced a whopping 35% reduction in the IMT score and a 44% improvement in carotid artery blood flow over the same period. Investigators also documented a 21% reduction in systolic blood pressure among the pomegranate juice drinkers. Serum total antioxidant status was increased by an extraordinary 130% after one year of pomegranate supplementation. Additionally, the scientists monitored the status of an enzyme that may protect against the development of atherosclerotic plaque by protecting LDL against oxidative modification. Pomegranate drinkers’ levels of this beneficial enzyme increased by 83% after just one year. “For all studied parameters, the maximal effects were observed after one year of consumption,” wrote the researchers.41
3-D spiral CT scan / angiogram of carotid atherosclerosis.
Plaque attached to the wall of left internal carotid artery, 1cm above the carotidal bifurcation.

Other researchers from around the globe have obtained similar results when studying pomegranate’s ability to rapidly improve volunteers’ antioxidant status,42 to reduce oxidative stress, and to reverse processes that contribute to the promotion and progression of atherosclerosis, including coronary artery narrowing and LDL oxidation.43-47

Conclusion

Atherosclerosis is a serious threat to health. Its progression has been linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation and dementia, among other potentially fatal conditions. Since it may begin as early as childhood, and aging has been identified as the greatest risk factor for its development, it is vital to combat this arterial-dysfunction disease as early—and as aggressively—as possible. Nature has provided the means to protect ourselves from this insidious threat. By increasing our levels of the natural enzymatic antioxidant, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and by harnessing the potent polyphenol power of pomegranate, scientists have shown that it is now possible to help reverse the course of atherosclerosis—naturally.

 

[fishbuff]

but there is a research that showed vegans have lower IQ than those on meat diet.

How vegetarian diets could harm your child's IQby TIM UTTON, Daily Mail
Comments (-) Add to My Stories
Children's mental development is at risk from not eating enough red meat and the rise of vegetarianism among parents who make their families follow suit, doctors warned yesterday.
The result can be iron deficiency-which puts millions of youngsters in danger of growing up with lower IQs.
Iron deficiency is a growing worry and is now Britain's most common nutritional disorder, affecting one in four infants in some parts of the country, a conference on child nutrition heard.
It can develop into anaemia, which is proven to lower IQ levels.
Children suffering a lack of iron will also have decreased appetite, lethargy, developmental delays and behavioural problems.
The decline in the traditional meal of meat and two vegetables over the years may have contributed to the rising problem.
The British Nutrition Foundation has warned that, among teenage girls, iron deficiency anaemia is three times more common in vegetarians than meat eaters. It is also three times more common in girls who have tried to lose weight than those who have not.
But another key factor in the problem is mothers taking babies off breast milk too early and substituting cows' milk, which is low in iron.
Dr Margaret Lawson, of the Institute of Child Health, said: 'There have been a number of studies showing that children with severe iron deficiency do less well in things like development and intelligence tests during childhood.
It appears to be much more common in families on low income and children from ethnic minority groups.
'Even knocking a few points off IQ means children are not reaching their true potential.
'The best thing that mothers can do is breastfeed their baby. If they are not able to do that, then introducing one of the iron-fortified drinks on the market is the next best thing.'
In a survey of 700 parents for Cow & Gate, which is sponsoring the conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, nine out of ten parents were unaware that feeding cows' milk as the primary drink to babies in their first year was one of the main risk factors associated with iron deficiency.
Nearly half thought, wrongly, that fish fingers were a good source of the mineral. The most easily absorbed type of iron is found in meat and some other animalderived foods.
Iron-fortified foods or formula milks can be used alongside breastfeeding and weaning in infants over six months to prevent iron deficiency. >
Health> Health Directory> Nutrition

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...arian-diets-harm-childs-IQ.html#ixzz12blaYyRZ

 

[johnny333]

but there is a research that showed vegans have lower IQ than those on meat diet.

...

That may be true but our food sources have been tainted by the practices of large agri businesses. Whether your a meat eater or vegetarian we are all effected :(

As a vegetarian you only have to worry about pesticides & pollution However meat eaters have more to worry about pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, diseases,...

Many people are turning to vegetarianism for health reasons. I had some Australian colleagues who were part-time vegetarians while they were on business trips visiting this region I'm a semi-vegetarian limiting myself to only fish.

Everyone is aware of China's notorious reputation e.g. tainted milk, but it's a big problem everywhere. Even in the US, the following article is just a snapshot of a growing problem that has been going on for years with transfat, preservative etc.


By Peter Eisler, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Beef containing harmful pesticides, veterinary antibiotics and heavy metals is being sold to the public because federal agencies have failed to set limits for the contaminants or adequately test for them, a federal audit finds.

A program set up to test beef for chemical residues "is not accomplishing its mission of monitoring the food supply for … dangerous substances, which has resulted in meat with these substances being distributed in commerce," says the audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General.

The health effects on people who eat such meat are a "growing concern," the audit adds.

The testing program for cattle is run by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which also tests meat for such pathogens as salmonella and certain dangerous strains of E. coli. But the residue program relies on assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency, which sets tolerance levels for human exposure to pesticides and other pollutants, and the Food and Drug Administration, which does the same for antibiotics and other medicines.

DOCUMENTS: Read the audit report

Limits have not been set by the EPA and FDA "for many potentially harmful substances, which can impair FSIS' enforcement activities," the audit found.

The FSIS said in a written statement that the agency has agreed with the inspector general on "corrective actions" and will work with the FDA and EPA "to prevent residues or contaminants from entering into commerce."

Even when the inspection service does identify a lot of beef with high levels of pesticide or antibiotics, it often is powerless to stop the distribution of that meat because there is no legal limit for those contaminants.

In 2008, for example, Mexican authorities rejected a U.S. beef shipment because its copper levels exceeded Mexican standards, the audit says. But because there is no U.S. limit, the FSIS had no grounds for blocking the beef's producer from reselling the rejected meat in the United States.

"It's unacceptable. These are substances that can have a real impact on public health," says Tony Corbo, a lobbyist for Food and Water Watch, a public interest group. "This administration is making a big deal about promoting exports, and you have Mexico rejecting our beef because of excessive residue levels. It's pretty embarrassing."

Some contamination is inadvertent, such as pesticide residues in cows that drink water fouled by crop runoff. Other contaminants, such as antibiotics, often are linked to the use of those chemicals in farming. For example, the audit says, veal calves often have higher levels of antibiotic residue because ranchers feed them milk from cows treated with the drugs. Overuse of the antibiotics help create antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases.

"Beef farmers and ranchers pride themselves on producing a safe and wholesome product, and anything less is unacceptable," says Meghan Pusey, a spokeswoman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "We remain committed to working with industry and government partners to eliminate rare safety incidences from a meat supply that is extraordinarily safe by any nation's standards."

Others say legislative action is needed, especially to curb problems with antibiotic residues.

The audit "shows clearly the need for quick action by Congress to place some reasonable limits on the use of antibiotics in farm animals," says Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who has more than 100 co-sponsors on her bill to ban seven types of antibiotics from being used indiscriminately in animal feed. "If we don't remedy this problem, who knows what kind of havoc these residues will have on our bodies."

Read the audit report

 

[johnny333]

Pomegranate for Cardio-Vascular & Prostate Health


A controlled human study was conducted involving patients with severe carotid artery narrowing (stenosis). One group received conventional drugs only (statins and anti-hypertensives), while the other group received pomegranate plus the same drugs. The findings observed in the pomegranate group were unprecedented.

After one year, the group receiving the drugs, but not pomegranate showed a significant 9% increase in intima-media thickness. In contrast, the group receiving the pomegranate plus drugs showed a reduction in carotid intima-media thickness as follows:
After three months: 13%
After six months: 22%
After nine months: 26%
After one year: 35%

Carotid artery blood flow improved in the pomegranate plus drugs group as follows:
After three months: 16%
After six months: 20%
After nine months: 31%
After one year: 44%

Blood samples were collected before and during treatment with pomegranate in these patients with narrowed carotid arteries. The changes shown in the box above help explain why pomegranate so effectively reversed carotid intima-media thickness.

Another blood test used in this study measured paraoxonase-1, an antioxidant enzyme produced in the body. Paraoxonase-1 is associated with beneficial HDL and is believed to protect against the oxidation of LDL. Low levels of paraoxonase-1 predict increased severity of coronary artery disease. In patients administered pomegranate, the paraoxonase-1 levels increased by 83% after only one year!

After one year of taking pomegranate, there was also a 21% decrease in systolic blood pressure and more than 50% reduction in measured free radical activity in the carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

The scientists attributed the regression in carotid atherosclerotic lesion size in the pomegranate group to significantly reduced oxidative stress in both blood and atherosclerotic plaques, along with modestly lower blood pressure (beyond that of the anti-hypertensive drugs that were prescribed).

Previous studies have correlated the degree of carotid artery atherosclerosis to coronary and other artery diseases. The fact that pomegranate was shown to reverse carotid artery atherosclerosis indicates that even aged humans might be able to dramatically lower their risks of stroke, heart attack, impotence, etc.

One group of cardiac patients received their medications plus placebo, while the second group received their medications plus pomegranate. After three months, coronary blood flow was again measured using the same tests performed at baseline. In the group receiving the pomegranate juice, stress-induced angina episodes decreased by 50%, whereas stress-induced angina increased by 38% in the placebo group.

When the test to measure coronary artery blood flow was performed, the placebo group worsened by 17% after three months, whereas coronary blood flow improved by 18% in the pomegranate group.

This study showed for the first time that daily consumption of pomegranate can improve blood flow to the heart in coronary artery disease patients in a relatively short period of time. The doctors noted that the test they used to measure coronary blood flow was recently shown to be the best predictor of future heart attack risk. The doctors attributed the anti-atherosclerotic benefits of pomegranate to the polyphenols, tannins, and anthocyanidins contained in the fruit. They pointed out that while grape juice/red wine contain some of these extracts, neither grape juice nor red wine has been shown to improve coronary blood low in patients with established heart disease.

"Pomegranate for Prostate Health."

In July 2006, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers reported on 50 prostate cancer patients whose PSA levels doubled on an average of 15 months after conventional therapies (such as surgery or radiation). This meant that conventional therapy had failed in these patients and that prostate tumor cells were rapidly propagating in their bodies.

As an experimental treatment, pomegranate was given every day and the results were nothing short of astounding. This study found that 80% of the men receiving pomegranate reduced the velocity PSA increase and extended PSA "doubling times" out to an average of 54 months!

In other words, before these prostate cancer patients began taking pomegranate, their PSA level doubled in only 1.25 years, indicating relatively rapid progression of their disease. After ingestion of pomegranate commenced, it took 4.5 years or 3.6 times longer for their PSA to double again. Based on these PSA readings, men receiving pomegranate significantly delayed the progression of their disease.

To further validate the anti-cancer effects of pomegranate, the UCLA scientists took blood from these study participants both before and after pomegranate ingestion began. They then administered the blood taken from these patients to prostate cancer cells in a Petri dish. The blood taken after pomegranate was ingested caused a 12% decrease in prostate cancer cell proliferation and a 17% increase in apoptosis (cancer cell death) compared to pre-pomegranate ingested blood. These cell culture findings, coupled with the clinical data showing that it took 3.6 times longer for PSA levels to double, provide a clear picture of pomegranate's effects against prostate cancer.

The UCLA researchers who conducted this study where so excited they stated that older men who have been treated for prostate cancer may be able to outlive their cancer by taking pomegranate every day. The researchers added that pomegranate might enable aging men to delay or avoid the need for chemotherapy and hormone blocking drugs, both of which have harmful side effects and limited efficacy.

This UCLA study was published in the prestigious journal Clinical Cancer Research and received a fair amount of media attention. The results, however, are not completely surprising. In previous animal studies using transplanted human prostate cancer cell lines, the oral administration of pomegranate resulted in reduction in the secretion of PSA, corresponding with the significant inhibition of tumor growth and induction of apoptosis (cancer cell death).

 

[johnny333]

Pomegranate for Cardiovascular Disease
By Nancy Walsh
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

History of Use

In Greek mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Persephone was pursued and abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld, and Demeter retaliated for the loss of her daughter by ruining the harvest and causing starvation. Zeus finally convinced Hades to give up the girl—but this would be possible only if she had eaten nothing in the underworld. Unfortunately, she had eaten four pomegranate seeds, so a compromise was reached: Persephone would spend part of the year on earth—the months that corresponded to the growing season—and would spend the remaining months in the underworld with Hades.

Many religions have ascribed significance to the fruit of Punica granatum. In Judaism, the pomegranate is said to contain 613 seeds, one for each of the commandments in the Torah. The pillars of King Solomon's temple and the robes of kings were adorned with depictions of pomegranates. In Buddhism, the pomegranate, the citrus, and the peach are considered the three blessed fruits.

In Christianity, the fruit is a symbol of resurrection and is often included in depictions of Christ and his mother. In the Koran, paradise is described as having gardens in which pomegranate trees are found, and, according to Islamic legend, each earthly pomegranate fruit contains one seed from paradise (BMJ 2000;321:1153–4).

Rationale for Use

Like other berries and grapes, pomegranates possess significant antioxidant properties deriving from components such as polyphenolics, tannins, and anthocyanins. Animal studies have suggested that dietary supplementation with these plant antioxidants inhibits events associated with atherosclerosis, including LDL oxidation and macrophage foam cell formation.

Clinical Investigations

A group of researchers from the Lipid Research Laboratory, Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, have been investigating the effects of pomegranate juice on various aspects of cardiovascular disease.

In their early studies, they observed that pomegranate juice consumption reduced oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL, and platelet aggregation in mice and humans (Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2000;71:1062–76). It also inhibited serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and lowered systolic blood pressure in a small group of hypertensive patients (Atherosclerosis 2001;158:195–8).

They then investigated the effects of pomegranate juice on various clinical parameters in patients with carotid artery stenosis. A group of 19 patients ranging in age from 65 to 75 years with asymptomatic, severe carotid artery stenosis were randomized to receive 50 mL of pomegranate juice or placebo each day for 1 year.

At baseline, B-mode ultrasound images of carotid artery wall boundaries were obtained, and intimal medial thickness (IMT) was measured at the far wall of the distal common carotid arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques were imaged and their length and width assessed, and flow velocities in the internal carotid arteries were calculated at sites of stenosis.

Among the 10 patients who consumed pomegranate juice, the mean IMT of the left and right common carotid arteries decreased by 13%, 22%, 26%, and 35% at months 3, 6, 9, and 12, respectively. In the placebo group, mean IMT increased significantly, by 9%, from 1.52 mm to 1.65 mm (Clin. Nutr. 2004;23:423–33). Average IMT in middle-aged men ranges from 0.7 mm to 1.2 mm.

Mean systolic blood pressure fell from 174 mm Hg at baseline to 153 mm Hg at 12 months, and mean peak systolic velocity in both left and right carotid arteries fell by 21% in the pomegranate juice group.

In the pomegranate group, serum oxidative state—evaluated by measurement of the level of antibodies against oxidized LDL—fell by a significant 24% in the first month and by an additional 19% by the third month.

Serum glucose and lipid concentrations were not significantly altered, but the lipid peroxide content in the atherosclerotic lesions of patients in the pomegranate group was significantly reduced, by 61% and 44% at 3 and 12 months, respectively.

The authors noted that, “in addition to the regression of the carotid lesion size, the lesion itself may be considered less atherogenic after pomegranate juice consumption, as its cholesterol and oxidized lipid content decreased, and since its ability to oxidize LDL was significantly reduced.”

A group of California researchers including Dr. Dean Ornish also has been evaluating pomegranate juice in 45 patients with coronary heart disease and myocardial ischemia. Patients were randomized to receive 240 mL/day of pomegranate juice or a sports drink of similar caloric content, taste, and appearance. They were evaluated by single-photon emission computed tomographic scintigraphy at rest and during treadmill or pharmacologic stress testing at baseline and at 3 months, and the degree of inducible ischemia was calculated.

Myocardial perfusion improved by an average of 17% in the pomegranate group after 3 months, and worsened by an average of 18% in the control group, for a relative between-group difference of 35% (Am. J. Cardiol. 2005;96:810–4). Angina episodes decreased by 50% in the treatment group and increased by 38% in the control group. The benefits were seen without any change in cardiac medications.

The investigators acknowledged that their sample size was small, but said that the clinically and statistically significant improvements seen “suggest that daily consumption of pomegranate juice may have important clinical benefits in this population.” Both groups of researchers recommended that larger, long-term studies be conducted to establish a possible clinical role for pomegranate juice in patients with cardiovascular disease.

This article was originally published by www.internalmedicinenews.com

 

[scroobal]

Thanks Bro. Good stuff.

 

[Char_Azn]

Changing your diet from one to another brings 1 problem or another. India has the most number of vegetarians in the world. Doesn't stop them from having the most number of diabetics in the world. IMO, U eat healthy all your life U might live another 10 yrs more then the other guy, but the other guy is enjoying his life for the other 60 yrs by doing whatever he wants. I prefer to be the latter

 

[johnny333]

Glisodin & pomegranate may help decrease arterial blockages but the heart will still be burdened by having to pump blood through those blocked arteries.

Very important to make sure the heart has has enough energy to do it's work. That's why C0Q10. is so important

There's the 1st generation ubiquinone & the 2nd generation ubiquinol. Ubiquinol is the reduced form of C0Q10 which is easier for the body to utilize. It cost a little more but is more effective.

Alot of evidence out there on the importance of C0Q10. We're talking of dosages of 200mg, 300 mg.... It'll take a month before you'll see any improvement, so be patient.

Don't know why in Spore ubiquinone is so expensive. Thats why I get the more effective ubiquinol directly from the US.



Co Q-10 clinical tests. CoQ-10 and heart disease.
By Leonid Magidenko, M.D.


Experiment results of Co Q-10 from the University of New England.

An experiment was conducted with two different groups of mice. The experimental group was dosed with Co Q-10, while the control group did not receive Co Q-10. A tumor causing a chemical known as Dibenzopyrene was introduced to both groups. After 55 days the tumors appeared in 85% of mice that were in the control group, while only 25% of mice in the experimental group showed signs of tumors. The average cross-section of the tumors in the control group was around 250 mm2, in the experimental group it was 95 mm2.

All the mice from the control group died after 132 days, while 80% of mice in the experimental group remained alive even on the 300th day of the experiment, which was when the experiment was scheduled to terminate. The mice which was "charged" with Coenzyme Q-10 energetically fought cancer cells and stopped the development of the tumors.


Studies that were conducted in the University of Texas.

A group of geriatric mice was divided into two groups; one was receiving Co Q-10 supplementation with their food while the other one wasn’t. The group of mice that did not consume Co Q-10 lived, on average, around 20 weeks after the beginning of the experiment. On the other hand, the group that was receiving the coenzyme lived up to 11 weeks longer, i.e. around 31 weeks. It is obvious that Co Q-10 prolonged their lives.

In the researcher’s opinion the basic reason for the specific action of Co Q-10 on the organism consists of the fact that the body that is "charged" with Coenzyme Q-10 is much more energetic, and therefore can effectively fight foreign agents such as viruses, parasites, bacteria and even cancer cells. In contrast to other immune stimulators (modulators), which can make a negative impact on the body, Co Q-10 is completely harmless. Co Q-10 does not treat any specific disease, but it gives the body the energy it requires to deal with and overcome disease.

Studies conducted at the Department of Medicine of Yale University.

Two groups of mice were infected with E.Coli bacteria (coliform bacterium). The mice that received Co Q-10 supplementation prior to the experiment, the experimental group, had 100 times less bacteria 2 hours after the infection than the animals from the control group. After 10 hours, the experimental group had 500 times less bacteria than the other group. The results conclusive demonstrated that immune protection was strengthened with the aid of Co Q-10, which was able to stop the development of the disease. In the mice that did not receive any supplementation, the disease developed quite vigorously.

Thus, with the help of Co Q-10 an organism can actively fight and conquer viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungus and has improved chances in the fight of cancerous tumors.

Cardiovascular system

Studies performed by Dr. Folkers and Dr. Denton Kuley showed that 70 - 75% of patients who suffer from heart disease exhibit low levels of Co Q-10.

At the same time, scientists from Japan who studied the effects of Co Q-10 in patients who were prone to heart attacks caused by tension and stress, came to the conclusion that positive effects were observed in at least 70% of patients who began to take Coenzyme Q-10. So, on the one hand, a deficiency of Co Q-10 is discovered in 70-75% of heart disease victims. On the other hand, Co Q-10 makes it possible to improve the overall state or to avoid further degeneration due to heart disease in, practically, the same group of patients. The obvious conclusion is that when levels of Co Q-10 in the body are insufficient, complications due to cardiovascular problems may arise; when Co Q-10 is supplemented, many of these problems disappear.

Co Q-10 restores energy and improves the output of the heart. The heart is the most heavily taxed muscle in the human body. It needs energy, and Co Q-10 is able to make this energy available. But it is necessary to remember that Co Q-10 is not a drug. Coenzyme Q-10 supplementations simply compensates for what the body could not fully assume from food. If the body continues to lack sufficient amounts of Co Q-10 the heart, tissue cells and organs cannot receive sufficient amounts of energy. In this way the body begins to behave like an automobile engine which continues to run on a practically empty tank. It begins to “cough", squeak, fall apart and finally stop. Several weeks are necessary to restore the proper level of Co Q-10 in the tissue and organs.

Dr. Dgydi, chief specialist of the Methodist hospital in the state of Indiana, conducted a study with patients with end-stage heart disease, and whom doctors considered "hopeless". These patients, who had been receiving every known drug, had only weeks or days to live.

Dr. Dgydi was pleasantly surprised when 62% of these patients were still alive after a year of taking 100mg of Co Q-10, daily. Here are comments from the report about the experiment: "after 180 days not one remaining living patient was in pre-heart attack state. Furthermore, the physical activity of patients was limited prior to the beginning of taking Co Q-10 and the majority required outside help in order to reach the medical center, but after 9 - 12 weeks after the beginning of treatment with coenzyme, patients walked along the corridors without outside aid, could take care of themselves, and they were all psychologically better. No clinical side effects were discovered in patients who took Co Q-10".

Co Q-10 plays an important role in the activity of all tissues and organs. That is because Co Q-10 is mainly found in the mitochondria, where the regulation of cellular energy occurs. Since mitochondria participate in the transfer of electrons, where phosphorescent oxidizing (production of cellular energy) occurs, Co Q-10 very strongly influences cellular bio-energy. Coenzyme Q-10 is extremely important for the heart muscle, since the heart’s power supply completely depends on the mitochondria. If heart muscle cells do not receive enough Co Q-10, then the entire heart muscle begins to weaken. This condition can be observed in people with hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart valves injuries, and cardiomyopathy.

In the beginning of the 1990’s approximately 50 studies throughout the world testified about the positive influence of Co Q-10 for treating cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, mitral valve prolapse and hypertension. There are reports that when patients in need of a heart transplant started taking this nutrient, their condition had improved so much that the surgical operation was no longer necessary.

Recovery times after bypass surgery have been significantly shortened in patients taking Co Q-10. Three independent research studies have examined several thousand patients with the congestive heart failure. Those who took 100 mg of Coenzyme Q-10 have experienced a 75% improvement in their ability to breathe, decreased edema and tachycardia - and all of these benefits were without any side effects. The therapeutic potential of Co Q-10 in the complex therapy of cardiomyopathy is particularly impressive. Cardiomyopathy is a categorical term for a broad range of disturbances in the function of the heart muscle, which together are one of the three most common varieties of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiomyopathy frequently occurs on the list of the most life threatening heart diseases, and it probably occupies the first place among the reasons why people require heart transplants.

Co Q-10 improves the symptoms related to cardiomyopathy in almost 70% of all cases. One study showed noticeable improvements in the function of the heart in 87% of 126 patients with cardiomyopathy, who consumed 100 mg of Co Q-10, daily, without any negative side effects.

It is safe to assert that the absence of side effects is probably one of the most important merits of Co Q-10. Drugs often simply disguise the symptoms; they do not cure the underlying problem, such as in the majority of heart diseases, where continuous accumulation of atherosclerotic plaques occurs, and finally leads to blood clots. Co Q-10 can effectively manage the majority of the factors that may cause atherosclerosis.

The heart greatly depends on Co Q-10 to provide it a constant energy supply; heart muscle contains twice as much of this substance than any other organ or tissue. For people with heart problems, the concentration of Co Q-10 in their system is about 25% lower than in healthy people. Some specialists claim that if Co Q-10 insufficiency reaches 75%, the heart would simply stop beating. This is possibly why lovostatin and other popular cholesterol lowering preparations have a fairly weak track record when it comes to saving people’s lives. One of their side effects is that they decrease the body’s ability to manufacture Coenzyme Q-10. In one study, there were 6 cases of cardiomyopathy, which were caused by the use of lovostatin.

Coenzyme Q-10 is actually a good antioxidant, which helps prevent the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”), which is known to be a primary reason for the blockage of the arteries. Since Co Q-10 is naturally accumulated in the heart, some researchers assume that it might be the most important of all antioxidants for preventing atherosclerosis.

 

[johnny333]

Changing your diet from one to another brings 1 problem or another. India has the most number of vegetarians in the world. Doesn't stop them from having the most number of diabetics in the world. IMO, U eat healthy all your life U might live another 10 yrs more then the other guy, but the other guy is enjoying his life for the other 60 yrs by doing whatever he wants. I prefer to be the latter

The problem with the Indian diet is that they eat too much carbohydrates & ghee(butter). They might be vegetarians but they eat very little vegetables and fruits.

The portions are also too large. They eat large amount of rice & flour. When you compare to what the healthier Japanes are eating you'll understand why the Indians are having problems.

Alot of what the Japanese are eating are also much healthier e.g. soy, chlorella, fish, ....

 

[scroobal]

You are right. Their vegan diet is not for health reasons. It is to differentiate themselves in the caste system. If the peasants were vegan, these people will be eating meat. Some do it for religion but not for health.

The problem with the Indian diet is that they eat too much carbohydrates & ghee(butter). They might be vegetarians but they eat very little vegetables and fruits.

.

 

[johnny333]

You are right. Their vegan diet is not for health reasons. It is to differentiate themselves in the caste system. If the peasants were vegan, these people will be eating meat. Some do it for religion but not for health.

It takes more resources to raise meat. Majority of indians are also too poor to afford meat.

 

[johnny333]

Thanks Bro. Good stuff.

Glad you found it useful.

I'm sure there are many people out there who are facing health problems & looking for answers. The problem is that many are told to 'eat properly' but no one has actually gone into details on what this means

Sporeans are well educated but many are coming down with alot of health problems . Obviously a failure with the Spore system in providing a healthy environment & a failure in educating Sporeans on what to eat.

When I developed health problems I took a shotgun approach & started taking plenty of supplements but since then I've narrowed it down but still working on refining it.