Are We Closer to a Cure?

Alzheimer's is a disease that affects millions in the US and has no real cure. It is devastating to watch your loved ones slowly forgot the good times you shared. Scientists continue to attack Alzheimer's from every angle hoping to cure a disease that is too small to surgically remove and because of its location in the brain, protected from easy access by drugs that are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier.

However, scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, may be a step closer to finding a feasible cure. Chakrabarty, et al. published their findings in the FASEB Journal this month.

What they discovered, was that when the brain's immune cells (microglia) are activated by the interleukin-6 protein (IL-6), they actually remove plaques instead of causing them or making them worse. This was a surprise, because they had started the study anticipating that activation of these cells would actually increase inflammation, not lead to the removal of plaques. Like many of the great findings in science, this one was another serendipitous discovery.

This approach to curing Alzheimer's may be better than others because the body uses its own defense mechanisms to clear out beta amyloid plaques (via IL-6) instead of non-specific drugs with harmful and usually unknown side effects.

While the research was performed in a model of Alzheimer's disease established in mice, the researchers feel like this is a close to simulating the human response as possible.

Maybe this will progress to clinical trials down the road...

And the winner is...

The nobel prize in medicine was awarded yesterday. A trio of researchers, whose focus was on the ends of chromosomes called telomeres, won the award. Telomeres are streches of DNA that in simple terms are thought to act as caps to chromosomes.

A little something I thought was interesting was,"This year's prize is the first Nobel to be shared by two women. Blackburn and Greider are just the ninth and 10th women, respectively, to be awarded the prize in physiology or medicine in the award's 108-year history."

Science is beautiful and is a never-ending quest for more knowledge.

Lose it...

I downloaded a new app for my iPhone called Lose It. I wanted to try it out and see what results it could do for me. On a bit of a personal note, I reached a bit of a plateau with some simple modifications and was looking for something else to help me keep progressing with my weight loss and body transformation. Tracking my caloric intake and energy expenditure seemed like a good place to go. The app is simple to use and very intuitive. You need to input some data about yourself and away you go. The beauty of having the app on my iPhone is that it constantly reminds me to input data. It's right there - so in my down time I can add my values for the meals that I have eaten. With a simple monitoring of my food intake (which by the way I found very interesting) I have been able to drop five pounds in the past two weeks. Imagine how much more that will be when I start to incorporate exercise. Here is the link to a fun article in the NY Times that prompted this post. I have been able to make some headway, by simply tracking my activities. There are a number of free websites available to you that will do the same thing (e.g. sparkpeople.com, calorieking.com [paid site]) that will help you track what you eat and motivate you to improve. You need to make the most of what you eat to get and stay healthy!

More on Vitamin D.

Here is some more information collected on vitamin D from another blogger Tom Maguire (h/t Instapundit). Check out his link to the a Scientific American article on vitamin D and the immune system.

It's been a while...

I have been on the road a bit which has kept me pretty busy. However, I continue to find interesting items particularly regarding the health benefits of green tea (think Matcha). This latest entry is focused a recent research article describing the positive benefits of on bone metabolism from the catechins found in green tea (h/t futurepundit).

From the press release, "The scientists exposed a group of cultured bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) to three major green tea components — epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC), and gallocatechin gallate (GCG) — for several days. They found that one in particular, EGC, boosted the activity of a key enzyme that promotes bone growth by up to 79 percent. EGC also significantly boosted levels of bone mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones. The scientists also showed that high concentrations of ECG blocked the activity of a type of cell (osteoclast) that breaks down or weakens bones. The green tea components did not cause any toxic effects to the bone cells, they note." Interesting results that we will continue to track in future studies.

While green tea has received a great deal of attention due to it's demonstrated effect with weight loss (see another link here sent to me by Todd Smith) there is increasing evidence of other benefits from green tea. Now consider this, that Matcha is the highest quality and most nutrient rich green tea available.

Chi-Oka Matcha and L-Theanine

L-theanine has been getting a lot of attention from drink companies lately. L-theanine can now be found in some types of SoBe Lifewater, Vitamin Water and the king of them all, Gatorade, has decided to add this new wonder supplement into a new drink called Gatorade Tiger Focus. This new drink, a collaboration between one of the world's best golfers, Tiger Woods, and Gatorade, one of the world's largest sports drinks manufacturers, contains L-theanine and more electrolytes than previous Gatorade drinks.

In a Gatorade press release, Tiger said, "I've experienced a lot of amazing moments in my golf career, but Gatorade Tiger is taking me someplace I never imagined with this campaign. I’m really excited about how this launch has come together because it brings to life that I’m always thinking about taking my game to the next level.”

Supposedly, Tiger Woods has been taking L-theanine for some time now and credits his renowned ability to concentrate on the golf course to this wonder amino acid.

A this point, you're asking yourself, "What is L-theanine and why should I take it?"

I'll try not to get too techincal, but here's the shpeel:

What is it?

L-theanine is a non-protein amino acid found predominantly in the green tea plant (Camellia sinensis). In fact, L-theanine makes up ~50% of the total free amino acids in the tea plant! That's a lot.

Why Take It?

Because you want to golf like Tiger Woods.

Seriously though, L-theanine is taken by Tiger and others to: increase focus, stay calm, and reduce stress levels. Studies have shown that L-theanine increases alpha waves as measured using an electroencephalogram (EEG). While the brain and how it works is incredibly complex, it is believed that this increase in activity correlates with an increase in focus. There is also some evidence that it can slow heart rate and has a calming effect.

What about Bios Life E?

Both Bios Life E Super Mental Focus and Bios Life E Super Energy Boost contain naturally-occuring L-theanine. The L-theanine in Bios Life E comes from the green tea in our Chi-Oka Matcha blend. This blend has a mix of lots of healthy antioxidants like green tea, blueberry, pomegranate, apple, and resveratrol.

Add another notch to the belt of Bios Life E

Not to blow our own horn, but Bios Life E is a great energy drink. There are no energy drinks out there that have as much going for them as our does. I know, I've looked at probably close to a hundred. Other energy drinks are either loaded with sugar, have very few antioxidants, have lower levels of B vitamins, etc. I think; however, that the motherload for us is our proprietary Chi-Oka Matcha blend. Green tea has so much science supporting its health boosting effects, from lowering LDL levels to boosting memory, that this ingredient helps us stand head and shoulders above everyone else.

Don't worry - be happy...

I am on my way to Japan for some business meetings and was reintroduced to the Unicity Women's website. Katharine Peterson, a member of our marketing group, posted a cool article about the relationship between the emotional state of a women and their risk for cardiovascular disease. After reading the post and the article - I decided to change my attitude and make my time productive (four hour layover due to delays) here in LA. It's a great site regardless of your gender and you should all check it out!

More Support for Vitamin D

Insufficient levels of vitamin D have been found to correlate with an increase in cardiovascular disease, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine believe they know why. In their study titled, "1,25(OH)₂ Vitamin D Inhibits Foam Cell Formation and Suppresses Macrophage Cholesterol Uptake in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus", which came out this week in the journal Circulation, they demonstrate that vitamin D inhibits the uptake of cholesterol by cells called macrophages. In the absence of vitamin D, macrophages aren't very good at controlling how much cholesterol they take in; basically, if it's around they'll gobble it up.

Cholesterol is transported through the blood attached to lipoproteins such as LDL, which is known as the 'bad' cholesterol". When cholesterol comes into contact with free radicals (like reactive oxygen species), LDL becomes oxidated, and macrophages eat it uncontrollably. At this point, the macrophages become clogged with cholesterol and become what is known as foam cells. This is the beginning of atherosclerosis (stiff blood vessels).

The good news is that vitamin D is able to inhibit the uptake of cholesterol by macrophages and thus prevent or slow their transformation into foam cells.

While these studies were done in vitro (with cells in test tubes), principal investigator Bernal-Mizrachi, has begun another vitamin D study on diabetics that are vitamin D deficient and have high blood pressure to see if vitamin D supplementation will lower blood pressure and improve blood flow.

With all the good news coming out based on vitamin D, we've decided to up our amounts of vitamin D in BoneMate Plus from 400 IU per serving to 2000 IU.

Millions of US Children Low in Vitamin D

I came across this interesting article regarding vitamin D deficiency in American children. At first take, a problem as simple as not getting adequate amounts of vitamin D might be something that you'd think would be confined to third world or developing countries; however, a study by researchers at Albert Einstein College found that 7.6 million American children are vitamin D deficient (defined as less than 15 ng/mL of vitamin D in blood) and 50.8 million are vitamin D insufficient (defined as 15 to 29 ng/mL of vitamin D in blood). Low vitamin D levels were especially common in children who were older, female, African-American, Mexican-American, obese, drank milk less than once a week, or spent more than four hours a day watching TV, playing videogames, or using computers. Low vitamin D levels are associated with higher parathyroid hormone levels, a marker of bone health, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower serum calcium and HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which are key risk factors for heart disease.

The good news is that vitamin D supplementation can help. In the study, children who took vitamin D supplements (400 IU/day) were less likely to be deficient in the vitamin.

The bad news is that only four percent of the study population actually used supplements. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently updated its vitamin D guidelines, now recommends that infants, children, and teens should take 400 IU per day in supplement form.

Unicity's current BoneMate Plus formulation contains 400 IUs of vitamin D per serving. We are in the process of reformulating this to increase the amount of vitamin D and be in line with current recommendations of 2000 IUs.

Breakfast cereals and risks for heart failure

Okay, so I'm on a kick of popular articles that have a science slant. This one comes from the Health blog at the Wall Street Journal linking to an article published in JAMA. The gist of the article is the correlation of eating breakfast cereals, particularly whole grain cereals, with a reduced risk of heart failure. The more fiber the cereal contained the greater the reduction of the risk of heart failure.

There are two things that are interesting to me. First, eating a breakfast. Don't skip eating breakfast. Eating a low-carb, high protein breakfast sets a great tone for the rest of the day. The second thing about the article is the use of a whole grain cereals for breakfast. In my home, we eat Mini-wheats or Raisin Bran which deliver 5.1 and 6.5 grams of fiber per serving respectively. This is almost exlcusively insoluble bran fiber which has nice benefits dealing primarily with bowel regularity. Why not double those numbers with a packet of Bios Life Slim or Bios Life Complete? This way you will ensure a diet high in fiber, one that includes soluble fiber which will make your meals last longer, reducing the amount you eat throughout the rest of day. Think about - it's a simple choice and one that is backed by independent research.

Interesting tidbit about green tea...

I saw this article on Yahoo news (not exactly the site for premier scientific news). The listed benefits are fun and the suggestion to add ascorbic acid is a good tip. Unicity just launched an energy drink called Bios Life Energy that is available in a ready to drink (RTD) can and a powder. The powder version has 200 mg of catechins as well as 80 mg of vitamin C. It's a great low calorie drink (we have testing the effects of the drink on serum glucose levels with terrific results) that provides a smooth energy lift. I'll post more of our results when our testing is completed.

Green tea, the wonder antioxidant...

Green tea contains a group of potent antioxidant compounds. Among those polyphenolic compounds is a group called catechins. There is a litany of good primary research listing the positive health benefits (including reduction of the risk for heart disease, improvement of serum lipids, improvement serum glucose levels to name a few) that come from catechins and green tea. Interestingly, green tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world. It's no wonder given how healthy the drink is for you.

This study, conducted by a research group in at LSU, tracked serum biomarkers of prostate cancer including, "hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostate specific antigen (PSA)" in a group of 26 men who had tested positive for prostate cancer (h/t Futurepundit). This group was then assigned to consume four capsules containing polyphenols from green tea (1.3 g per day) until the day of their surgery (this ranged from 12-73 or a median of 34.5 days).

The results showed significant reductions in the following biomarkers, VEGF, HGF, PSA, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Furthermore, toxicity assays, measured by monitoring liver enzymes were negative indicating that the dosage was safe for consumption over that period of time.

This is one of many studies performed either on green tea or catechins but it's the first to measure significant reductions in the markers for prostate cancer. Also, the toxicity assays coincide with previous studies demonstrating the lack of liver toxicity, an issue that has been the source of some discussion with regards to green tea. Look for new Unicity products loaded with green tea!

More on omega-3 fatty acids...

It seems as though there is a new study touting the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (h/t Futurepundit). This is report trying to mimic the diet of early humans with a lower ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (ω is the greek letter omega). Based on anthropological evidence, it's surmised that the diet of early humans maintained a lower ω-3:ω-6 ratio (1:2). Changes in dietary habits have produced a currently estimated ratio of 1:10. Coincident with those changes in dietary habits are increases in autoimmune diseases, increased systemic inflammation, and diabetes leading these groups, from Wake Forest and Harvard, to think there is a relationship between the immune system and the ratio of ω-3:ω-6 consumed.

In order to test this hypothesis, they took a group of individuals (27) and had them eat a controlled diet with a lowered ω-3-ω6 ratio for one week. After that first week, they continued on fish oil and borage oil supplements for an additional four weeks. They then compared blood tests taken at the beginning and at the end of the study. They looked the gene levels of many immune signals and cytokines and found that many of the genes that promote inflammation responses had markedly lower levels after the 5 weeks of supplementation. One of the genes involved is phophatidyl-inositol-3 kinase (PI3K), a gene involved in the "critical early steps in autoimmune and allergic inflammation responses."

While this study is one of the first of its kind it appears that lowering the ratio of ω-3-ω6 can help in reducing inflammation. Look for good, solid supplements like this one and consume more fish.

Diabetes and kids...

The incidence of type II diabetes in children has been growing in frequency the past two decades. There are many contributing factors which I'll address in a minute but I did want to address a recent study published in Circulation that highlight some of the harmful effects of type II diabetes in children.

In this study, researchers at the University of Cincinnati, looked at three groups of youth, one group was lean, the second group was obese and the final group was obese with type II diabetes (TIID). They found that the third group had the highest risk for cardiovascular disease and the greatest carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT see this link to the University of Chicago's explanation of cIMT). Basically, this is a measurement that determines the thickness of the arterial walls. This can be a diagnostic tool for determining the extent of plaque formation and your risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Thicker arterial walls would be indicative of an atherosclerotic situation.

Getting back to the study, these results mean that even at a young age, obesity and TIID may contribute to increase of CVD. Aghhhh! The last thing children need to worry about is CVD, particularly when there are preventative measures that one can take avoid obesity and TIID.

As a parent, I feel like I have a strong responsibility to set a good example for my children and teaching them what is a good health lifestyle, particularly when these lifestyles are in decline. Start by eating well (tell me if you've heard this before). Eat lots of vegetables and fruits (at least 5 servings per day). Eat foods that are high fiber. Avoid junk foods. In a recent study, published by a group from New Zealand, they found that supermarkets often discount foods that lack in nutritional value. While you may save pennies now, you may end up paying dollars in medical expenses down the road. Get out and exercise. Exercise will change your life - it simply affects every facet of health in a positive way. Start simple. You don't have to join a gym (you could if felt so inclined) but you can do simple things like walking to work, using the stairs, going for a stroll in the evening with your partner or family members. The important thing is that you start doing it! Limit your alcohol intake and STOP smoking! The benefits are too great to pass up and your children are too important to neglect!

Overeating...

I started reading this book over the weekend. I really dig the investigation into why we are overeating and the interplay between the mind and the body. Here is a brief bio of the author. If you like to read, check it out. It's worth the time and is shaping how I view food and the external stimuli that is associated with the food I eat.

Be active, get out and walk!

One fundamental core to Unicity's philosophy to optimal health is exercise. We all know the health benefits to our bodies as a result of good cardiovascular exercise. This was reinforced by a very recent study published online (meaning ahead of the print version) from the journal Circulation (h/t Science Daily).

In this study, the authors took a group of overweight cardiac rehabilitation patients and randomized them to two groups. One group was to burn (through exercise, namely walking) 3000-3500 calories per week, while the other group was to do the standard rehab exercise regime of 700-800 calories weekly.

"After five months, compared to the group doing traditional rehabilitation, patients in the high-calorie-burning group had:

• significantly greater improvement in 10 heart risk factors, including insulin sensitivity (a hallmark of the metabolic syndrome), total cholesterol and the total cholesterol/good cholesterol ratio, blood pressure, and cardio-respiratory fitness; and

• a greater average reduction in weight (18 vs. 8 pounds), body fat, (13 vs. 6 pounds) and waistlines (2.7 vs. 2 inches).

Researchers said all of these changes were statistically significant."

Here is a money quote from one of the authors of the study, “The higher-caloric exercise, consisting of almost daily long-distance walking, resulted in double the weight loss and a greater fat mass loss than standard cardiac rehabilitation exercise,” said Philip A. Ades, M.D., lead author of the study and professor of medicine and director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. “And probably most importantly, these patients improved their insulin sensitivity to a greater degree.”

This study highlights the fact that you don't need to hire a personal trainer or get a subscription to the gym. You can simply walk and walk far to achieve positive results. With spring weather here and with summer just around the corner - now is a great time to get started. Pick someone to walk with you. Often you have greater motivation to exercise if you have a partner. Get out and get consistent and reap the benefits you deserve!

Risks and Benefits

The FDA recently issued a recall on the Hydroxycut products due to some adverse reactions, particularly liver damage. There are some that argue that is this recall the FDA is exhibiting some hypocrisy and bias towards dietary supplements. I don't want to enter this argument. I do think it is important to examine the risks and benefits of taking any supplement or medication. Just because a medication has FDA approval does not mean it is without risk.

For example, millions of people take statin medications to manage their lipid profile. Statins are not without side effects, some of which can be severe. ABC recently ran a blurb about another study on the negative side effects, namely loss of energy due to decreased CoQ10 production (see our previous post). You should know that there are safer alternatives to statins that don't have the same negative side effects. If you do choose to use a statin medication be sure to supplement with CoQ10.

Get to bed young man!

Sleep plays a vital role in the overall health of our bodies. In a recent study published last month, researchers found strong correlations with too little sleep and (surprising to me) too much sleep with impaired glucose tolerance. They observed, "... that over this timespan, approximately 20% of those with long and short sleep duration developed type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance versus only 7% among subjects who were average duration sleepers." (h/t SD) They continue that the risk of developing type II diabetes doubles for people who sleep too little or too long.

Interestingly enough improper sleep habits also impacts your risks for cardiovascular disease, obesity and mortality. A general rule of thumb to follow is for adults to shoot for adults 7-8 hours of sleep. If you have problems getting to sleep, a potential remedy would be to use Melatonin.

Something to chew on...

Please disregard my hanging prepositions. A recent article points out some of the perils with nutritional supplements. My advice - do your due diligence. Take control and ask the questions you might have. It's your life and your body. Here at Unicity - we are available to answer your questions and address issues you might have. Don't hesitate to call us and ask for information. We have a great staff that is here for you.

Drop the soft drink and you'll drop some weight...

A research group (h/t Futurepundit) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health demonstrated in a recently published study that by limiting or cutting out the calories from liquids that there was a stonger association with weight loss than by limiting solid caloric intake.

A thought from the author, “Both liquid and solid calories were associated with weight change, however, only a reduction in liquid calorie intake was shown to significantly affect weight loss during the 6-month follow up,” said Benjamin Caballero MD, PhD, senior author of the study and a professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health.

More thoughts, “A reduction in liquid calorie intake was associated with a weight loss of 0.25 kg at 6 months and 0.24 kg at 18 months. Among sugar-sweetened beverages, a reduction of 1 serving was associated with a weight loss of 0.5 kg at 6 months and 0.7 kg at 18 months. Of the seven types of beverages examined, sugar-sweetened beverages were the only beverages significantly associated with weight change.”

Energy drinks are hot and have been for some time. However, the energy benefits come at a price - lots of sugar. A great drink mix to maintain proper electrolyte balance with low calories is Low-Oz. Also - look to some new products from Unicity in the coming months to address this issue.