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Organic
Foods for Health
Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Aging
ALC and Alpha-Lipoic Acid
Schools Are Harming Children
Ask Dr. J: PMS Anxiety
In the Health News
Diet and Disease
Recipe of the Month: Hummos
and Baba Gannouj
References
Dear Friends,
Organic foods are the fastest growing segment
of the grocery market, and for good reasons.
I recently read an article in Newsweek, called
“What’s Killing the Frogs,” reporting
that in the past 30 years 32 species of frogs
have become extinct, and that 200 more are in
decline, and many genetic defects are appearing.
It is likely that genetic defects and the decline
in the frog population in Yosemite Park are
the direct result of pesticides from farms in
California contaminating the water sources for
Yosemite frogs.
This is of particular concern to me, as I have
an organic garden, and I know that neighbors
about a mile away spray their crops. My well
is 500 feet deep, but that is no guarantee that
my water will not become contaminated. So far,
testing has been fine, but I am aware that this
could be a problem in the future.
One of my best health recommendations is that
you choose organic foods as much as possible.
Now that they are growing so much in popularity,
they are much more available than in the past.
Almost every town has a health food store providing
some organic foods, and many people have gardens
in which they grow their own food. Organic foods
are healthier as well as safer.
On my recent consulting trip to Japan, I was
pleased to see the rapidly increasing interest
in and availability of organic foods. Each night,
I was treated to a different restaurant that
had tasty vegetarian foods, often organic. My
hosts were kind enough to include organic brown
rice at every lunch. Many restaurants in the
U.S. now offer organic mesclun salad mix with
baby lettuces, spinach, arugula, radicchio,
and more. You can virtually always find whole
grains and beans (including tofu) from organic
sources, and often a variety of fresh fruits
and vegetables, and even many supermarkets now
carry some organic foods.
Organic foods are increasingly important for
our own health, the environment, and medical
care. Pesticides, herbicides, and poor soil
management, are only some of the threats. Antibiotic
use (half of them go to animals as growth stimulants)
is one of the leading causes of resistant organisms.
Hormones that fatten animals and increase growth
may cause human hormone imbalances.
Another problem is the rapid, uncontrolled,
growth of genetically engineered (GE) foods.
Half of the soybean and corn crops are from
GE sources that have never been studied for
safety. Allergies, toxicity, and organic crop
contamination are serious issues that have not
been addressed. The companies are lobbying heavily
to prevent even the labeling of GE foods that
would give consumers a reasonable choice. Other
countries have banned them or required labels,
but not the U.S. Choosing organic foods is the
only sure way to avoid GE products. You can
support labeling bills or even bans on these
untested foods (for more on this go to www.thecampaign.org),
and avoid buying them.
Recent research coming out of the Linus Pauling
Institute reveals some exciting information
that gives you new tools to protect your brain
and other tissues from aging and degenerative
diseases. The amino acid derivative acetyl-L-carnitine,
which provides both the fatty acid transport
of L-carnitine and a portion of the acetylcholine
neurotransmitter molecule, appears to help aging
tissues in several ways.
Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) acts as a fatty acid
carrier in the mitochondria, the subcellular
“generators” that produce energy from fats.
The fats must be transported across the mitochondrial
membrane by L-carnitine or ALC where, with the
help of coenzyme Q10, they are converted to
energy.
In aging animals, mitochondrial function declines,
and the level of L-carnitine in the mitochondria
is half the level seen in young animals. The
recent studies in rats show that ALC (especially
when combined with the antioxidant alpha-lipoic
acid) can protect the brain from the oxidative
damage related to aging, and can protect the
mitochondrial membranes.
In practical terms, when older animals are
supplemented with ALC and lipoic acid they are
more physically active, have better short-term
memory, and overall enhanced cognitive function.
(They also have better liver function because
of the same protection of the mitochondria,
with increased mitochondrial metabolism and
reduced oxidative damage.)
Studies over the past 10 years have shown that
supplementing the diet with ALC is likely to
help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease
(AD). Although in numerous studies the results
have not been completely consistent, most of
the evidence points to at least short-term benefits
from supplements of about 3000 mg daily. Anything
that might help to reduce Alzheimer’s disease
is worth trying if it is as non-toxic as ALC.
It appears that these nutrients also help the
heart, especially when taken together. While
ALC helps restore cardiac carnitine levels,
and improves cardiac energy, the aging heart
also becomes sensitive to oxidative stress.
For protection from such stress, you need to
combine the ALC with alpha-lipoic acid (LA).
This is a sulfur-containing antioxidant that
works in both the water- and fat soluble compartments
of cells. The combination works better than
either taken alone. In this way, you can reduce
the effects of aging on the heart (the typical
dose of alpha-lipoic acid ranges from 200 mg
for general antioxidant benefits to 1000 mg
per day for diabetic neuropathy.
It is apparent that the accelerated aging that
results from lifestyle choices, stress, and
oxidative exposures, can be slowed or even reversed.
With this in mind, it is hard to understand
why some gerontologists have recently come out
with a dogmatic statement that “Anyone who claims
that they can stop or reverse the aging process
is lying to you–even if they are a doctor.”
Apparently they are complaining about practicing
doctors who take the research other scientists
are doing and apply it for their patients’ benefit.
At a recent conference, a leading and well-respected
antioxidant researcher from Massachusetts, Dr.
Jeffrey Blumberg, was talking to doctors who
practice complementary/alternative medicine.
He pointed out the gratification for researchers
when their work is applied clinically, so that
doctors like those in the audience were making
reality out of the laboratory work, and adding
practical value to it.
It is therefore somewhat of a surprise when
other researchers make light of the practitioners,
who necessarily have to make decisions about
patient care with imperfect information.
You can also help yourself preserve brain and
heart function with other health practices.
Daily exercise, and a whole, natural foods diet,
mostly vegetarian, with lots of vegetables and
fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds
(rich sources of essential fatty acids), fish,
and small amounts of organic eggs, provide lots
of intestinal-cleansing and cholesterol-lowering
fiber, as well as a variety of antioxidant vitamins
and flavonoids.
In addition to ALC and LA, include coenzyme
Q10—an antioxidant that is also essential for
mitochondrial energy production, vitamins C
and E and ginkgo, which have been shown to help
preserve brain function and circulation, and
mineral cofactors, such as zinc, selenium, magnesium,
and B complex. You can slow and reverse some
aging, even if “top”
scientists cannot.
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Three recent articles in the Wall Street Journal
are worth noting. One was on the increasing
obesity among schoolchildren while fast foods
are invading the school cafeterias. School lunches
are often pizzas, double cheeseburgers, french
fries, or chicken nuggets, sometimes provided
by the schools, but increasingly through actual
contracts with fast food outlets.
The schools are also filled with vending machines
advertising cola beverages, with more than 9
teaspoons of sugar in the regular sizes. The
battle is between concerned parents who want
their kids eating better foods, and the bureaucracy
looking at the economics of the school cafeterias,
which are financially endangered from lack of
funds.
Another article noted that in schools where
kids are taught to prepare foods and learn about
how fruits and vegetables grow, they lean toward
healthier choices. In the “CookShop”
program, in Harlem, and the related “Food
is Elementary” in Trumansburg, NY, kids
eat stir-fried vegetables with rice, and learn
to prefer them to junk.
The health costs of obesity far outweigh any
savings from skimping on healthy foods and creating
a generation of kids who are addicted to high
fat, salt, sugar and other junk.
The third article asked “Is Food the Next
Tobacco?” noting that the lethal addictive
nature of high-fat, sugary foods means obesity
will soon pass tobacco as a leading cause of
death. Think of it this way: an extra 120 calories
a day (a cola has 160), means a pound per month,
and if you do that for 20 years, you gain 240
pounds. This bankrupts the health care system,
and ruins health. We need new warning labels!
Q. I have anxiety, especially during PMS. Can
supplements help? R.F., Canada (via Internet)
A. Anxiety can be the result of many physical
as well as mental conditions. As it is related
to your menstrual period, it is likely also
influenced by your hormonal changes and diet
changes around the time of your period.
You should be particularly careful to avoid
sugar and caffeine, and eat small meals and
snacks with whole, natural foods to control
your blood sugar. You can also take chromium
(200 mcg), which helps regulate blood sugar
levels.
Exercise is often a great relief for anxiety.
If you have claustrophobia as you indicated,
getting outdoors for walking, bicycling, or
jogging should help. This helps fight both depression
and anxiety, and often helps with PMS. You should
also learn a breathing exercise, visualization,
or yoga to help you relax.
B complex (50 to 100 mg) and magnesium (250
to 1000 mg) can help with mental function and
relaxation, and extra B6 (200 mg) often relieves
many PMS symptoms, as do vitamin E (400 IU),
and GLA (gamma linolenic acid, 240 mg).
If the symptoms persist, you can try taking
St. John’s wort (300 mg three times a day),
commonly used to treat depression, but also
good for anxiety. Take care about sun exposure
while taking it. Timed-release niacin (B3, 250
mg once or twice a day) may also help. Persistent
symptoms require medical advice.
•In patients who have undergone balloon
angioplasty, there is a high rate of reclosure
(restenosis) of the treated arteries. Patients
who have a high level of the metabolite homocysteine
in the blood are at double the risk of restenosis
compared to similar patients with lower homocysteine
(Schnyder G, et al., Association of plasma homocysteine
with restenosis after...angioplasty. Eur Heart
J 2002 May;23(9):726-33). Vitamin supplements
can significantly lower homocysteine. Taking
folic acid (500 mcg or more), vitamin B6 (50
to 200 mg), and B12 (1000 to 3000 mcg) is effective
treatment. Those with lower homocysteine levels
also had fewer heart attacks and heart deaths.
•High vitamin C levels are associated
with a reduced risk of stroke. Men with the
highest levels of vitamin C had about half the
risk of stroke as those with the lowest levels.
In addition the risk was even greater among
men who had both hypertension and low C levels.
For men with obesity and low C levels, the risk
was 2.7 times greater. (Kurl S, et al., Plasma
vitamin C modifies the association between hypertension
and risk of stroke. Stroke 2002 Jun;33(6):1568-73).
The information continues to accumulate on the
value of vitamin C from both food and supplements.
•Studies from the Norwegian government
show that fried foods containing carbohydrates
(and baked foods to a much lesser extent) have
high levels of acrylamide, a carcinogenic compound.
The foods that were particularly high were potato
chips, french fries, and biscuits. (Reuters
Health, June 6, 2002). This information confirms
what has been found in Sweden and in a British
study. It is best to eat a diet with little
or no “industrial” or fast foods,
and one that is rich in fruits, vegetables,
beans, and grains with minimal processing.
Summer schedules cry out for “easy and
light.” Try these two dips. Hummos is a
mix of chick peas, tahini (sesame paste found
at the health food store), garlic, and lemon.
Use 2 cups of organic canned chick peas or pressure
cook your own (soak for 4-8 hours; discard the
water to reduce gas). Add about1/4-1/2 c. tahini
(to taste), 3-6 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2-4 cloves
of crushed garlic. Blend in a food processor
until creamy, adding water or olive oil as needed
for mixing. You can add cumin, cayenne, parsley,
or scallions to taste. For baba gannouj, instead
of chick peas broil eggplant in a closed oven,
turning every 5 minutes until the skin is slightly
burned and the flesh soft. Peel, mash, and mix
with all the other ingredients. Serve on whole
grain pita bread, celery, carrot, or other veggie
wedges.
What’s Killing
the Frogs? Newsweek Magazine, May 13, 2002,
p. 46.
Baxter G J, et al., Salicylic acid in...organically
and non-organically grown vegetables. Eur J
Nutr 2001 Dec;40(6):289-92.
Hagen TM, et al., Feeding
acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid to old rats
significantly improves metabolic function while
decreasing oxidative stress. Proc Natl Acad
Sci 2002 Feb 19;99(4):1870-5.
Hagen TM, et al., Mitochondrial decay in the
aging rat heart: evidence for improvement...with
acetyl-L-carnitine and/or lipoic acid. Ann N
Y Acad Sci 2002 Apr;959:491-507.
Sano M, Double-blind parallel design pilot study
of acetyl levocarnitine in patients with Alzheimer’s
disease. Arch Neurol 1992 Nov;49(11):1137-41.
No authors listed. Acetyl-L-carnitine. Altern
Med Rev 1999 Dec;4(6):438-41.
Thal LJ, et al., A 1-year multicenter placebo-controlled
study of acetyl-L-carnitine in patients with
Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology 1996 Sep;47(3):705-11.
Pettegrew JW, Acetyl-L-carnitine physical-chemical,
metabolic, and therapeutic properties...action
in Alzheimer’s disease and geriatric depression.
Mol Psychiatry 2000 Nov;5(6):616-32.
Pitchumoni SS, Doraiswamy PM, ...antioxidant
therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease. J Am Geriatr
Soc 1998 Dec;46(12):1566-72.
Cafeteria Food Fight,
Wall Street Journal, June 14 2002, B1
Give Peas a Chance, Wall Street Journal, June
14 2002, B1
Is Food The Next Tobacco? Wall Street Journal,
June 13 2002, B1
Aganoff JA, Boyle GJ,
Aerobic exercise, mood states and menstrual
cycle symptoms. J Psychosom Res 1994 Apr;38(3):183-92.
De Souza MC, et al., A synergistic effect of
a daily supplement for 1 month of 200 mg magnesium
plus 50 mg vitamin B6 for the relief of anxiety-related
premenstrual symptoms... J Womens Health Gend
Based Med 2000 Mar;9(2):131-9.
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