408-854-1883 starts at $30 per hr home care

ROCK HER WORLD AT BREAKFAST
From http://www.mensfitness.com

Eat this:
* 1 cup cooked oatmeal (make it with 1% milk, a spoonful of cocoa powder, artificial sweetener, and top with chopped walnuts)
* 1 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1 cup chopped strawberries
* 8 oz Welch’s 100% Concord Grape Juice
Why:
You want your arteries like your bed partner: healthy, flexible, and ready to pump at a moment’s notice.
How it works:
Arteries gummed up with plaque reduce the flow of blood down below, making it more difficult to get rock hard and stay that way. Our meal combines oatmeal, which has been linked to lower blood cholesterol concentrations, plus cocoa, which amplifies its effects while boosting good HDL cholesterol. Nuts like walnuts supply a shot of the amino acid arginine to pump up the production of nitric oxide, a compound involved in successful erections, while grape juice and strawberries fight sodium and help your blood vessels to relax, ensuring your blood pressure stays in check.

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https://clubalthea.com/2016/10/14/your-complete-dna-sequence-will-help-shape-the-future-of-medicine/

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AMP UP THOSE LOVING FEELINGS AT LUNCH

Eat this:
* A salad made with 2 cups of romaine lettuce, 1 medium chopped tomato, 1⁄2 cup of marinated artichokes (drained) plus balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing
* A can of your favorite beef stew with 1 cup cooked, cooled barley added
Why:
To protect your nerves—so you feel maximum pleasure in the sack.
How it works:
A hearty stew tames elevated blood sugar levels, which can wreak havoc with nerves in your nether region, preventing you from enjoying sex to the fullest. Barley is brimming with a type of fiber that suppresses spikes in blood glucose. Meanwhile, the chromium in romaine and tomatoes boosts insulin activity, helping to keep blood levels on an even keel. And the magnesium in artichokes improves insulin sensitivity, preventing glucose buildup.

BOOST YOUR TESTOSTERONE AT DINNERTIME

Eat this:
* 6 oz grilled pork tenderloin
* 1 cup quinoa tossed with 1⁄4 cup chopped cashews
* 1 cup cooked broccoli drizzled with 1 tablespoon olive oil
Why:
To help your body hormone up.
How it works:
Cashews and pork are chock-full of zinc, a mineral that’s essential for testosterone production. The high-quality protein in pork and quinoa can also help you lose the love handles that may be holding you back beneath the sheets (or on the couch). That’s because excess fat prompts the body to tie up T, rendering it unavailable to stir sexual urges. Finally, olive oil and cashews provide a bit of good fat to your system, since very-low-fat diets sap testosterone.

For women, libido boosting lifestyle and nutrition
Dr. Laurie Steelsmith, author of “Great Sex, Naturally: Every Woman’s Guide to Enhancing Her Sexuality through the Secrets of Natural Medicine”

Nine strategies to get you started

Add super-libido foods to your diet. Foods and supplements unusually rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals that have unique potential to promote your sexual well-being include flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, pomegranates, blueberry juice, acai juice, mangosteen juice, cruciferous vegetables, green tea and shiitake mushrooms.

Do sex-enhancing exercises

Balance is the key. You want to get the benefits of both aerobic exercises and resistance exercises like weight lifting. Do at least 20 minutes of each three to four times a week. You can also use the Chinese principle of yin and yang to achieve balance. Yin exercises include walking or swimming or slow ballroom dancing. Yang is more rigorous like running, tennis and weight lifting.

Detox your home for better sex drive

When your body is not bombarded with chemicals it can’t easily process, it doesn’t have to spend so much energy flushing out toxins. Go through every cabinet, drawer and shelf and swap chemical cleaning products and personal-care products for all-natural versions. Throw out Teflon pans and dump plastic containers.

Cleanse your body from the inside out

Do a 21-day dietary cleanse. For 21 days, eliminate all gluten and sugar. Consume only rice, quinoa, amaranth, tapioca or buckwheat for grains. Eat a multicolored raw salad daily. Increase your vegetable intake. Avoid dairy and eggs. Limit protein to organic poultry, wild salmon, beans and legumes. Minimize fruit intake. Drink 12 ounces of water with lemon juice added. Dry brush your body once a day before you bathe or shower. Try to visit a sauna weekly to sweat out toxins.

Supplement to support your midlife libido

Seaweed and cruciferous vegetables will noticeably improve your body’s ability to make friendly estrogen and eliminate “unfriendly” estrogen.

Try herbal aphrodisiacs

Because they vary from one person to the next, you may want to experiment. Try Chinese ginseng, cordyceps, rehmannia, epimedium, reishi, ginkgo biloba, catuaba, suma, muira puama, damiana, maca and yohimbine. My book explains more about how to take them.

Consume libido-enhancing foods and supplements

After the 21-day cleanse, these foods can pack an extra punch of pleasure potential: L-arginine, an amino acid; PEA, known as the “love supplement”; sweet potatoes; chocolate; oysters; chili peppers; and honey.

Minimize anti-aphrodisiac foods in your diet

They include alcohol; fatty foods that make you feel heavy and lethargic; trans-fats; sugar, which reduces your ability to become aroused; and caffeine, which breaks down testosterone.

Use your mind to create a sexy lifestyle

Manage your stress. Spend more time with your partner. Sharing intimate thoughts and feelings is a definite aphrodisiac. Work on building “sexual trust” – a woman’s capacity for pleasure is closely linked to her brain’s ability to release inhibition and suspend judgment. Add yoga, art, music, dance and spontaneous fun to your life.

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Reference: Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Volume 51, Issue 4, Pages 713–727, ISSN (Online) 1437-4331, ISSN (Print) 1434-6621, DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2012-0849, March 2013

• Men: Increased rate of liver fibrosis progression: age at infection older than 40 years, daily alcohol consumption of 50 g or more and male sex. Liver in 25.8% of men and in 20.3% in females ; the mean age of males with fatty liver was 43.3±1.2 years versus 56.5±1.1 in women
• Men: Genetic hemochromatosis/Iron Overload , prevalence is higher in males than in females

• Women: Menstruation can play an important role in reducing the toxic effect of iron accumulation.
• Women are more prone to the development of side effects and different pharmacological response to drug treatment.

Women: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. SLE is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies, primarily to nuclear antigens, as well as dysregulation of both T and B cells. B cells display accelerated maturity. SLE patients exhibit monocyte-derived DCs, which display an activated, proinflammatory phenotype. SLE has a female preponderance of 9:1. Although there are X-chromosome abnormalities associated with SLE, estrogen itself is strongly implicated in SLE autoimmunity. SLE is associated with a disrupted sex hormone balance characterized by lower amounts of androgens and dramatically higher levels of the estrogen metabolite.

Women are more prone to drug side-effects: CYP3A4 ligands, enzymes involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics in the human body. Xenobiotics are potentially harm-ful, lipid-soluble chemicals that are foreign to the human body.
Following is a table of selected substrates/participants, inducers/increase and inhibitors/decrease of CYP3A4. Where classes of agents are listed, there may be exceptions within the class.
Inhibitors of CYP3A4 can be classified by their potency, such as:
• Strong inhibitor being one that causes at least a 5-fold increase in the plasma AUC values, or more than 80% decrease in clearance.
• Moderate inhibitor being one that causes at least a 2-fold increase in the plasma AUC values, or 50-80% decrease in clearance.
• Weak inhibitor being one that causes at least a 1.25-fold but less than 2-fold increase in the plasma AUC values, or 20-50% decrease in clearance.

Selected inducers, inhibitors and substrates of CYP3A4

Substrates/Participants Inhibitors/Decrease Inducers/Increase
• some immunosuppressants
o ciclosporin (cyclosporin) [27][29]
o tacrolimus[27][29]
o sirolimus[27][29]
• many chemotherapeutic
o docetaxel[27][29]
o tamoxifen[27][29]
o paclitaxel[27][29]
o cyclophosphamide[29]
o doxorubicin[29]
o erlotinib[30]
o etoposide[29]
o ifosfamide[29]
o teniposide[29]
o vinblastine[29]
o vincristine[27]
o vindesine[29]
o imatinib[27]
o irinotecan[27]
o sorafenib[27]
o sunitinib[27]
o temsirolimus[27]
o anastrazole
o gefitinib
• azole antifungals
o ketoconazole[29]
o itraconazole[29]
• macrolides
o clarithromycin[27][29]
o erythromycin[27]
o telithromycin[27]
(not azithromycin)[27]
• dapsone[27] (in leprosy)
• tricyclic antidepressants
o amitriptyline[29]
o clomipramine[29]
o imipramine[29]
• SSRIs
o citalopram[29]
o norfluoxetine[29]
o sertraline[29]
• some other antidepressants
o mirtazapine[29] (NaSSA)
o nefazodone[29]
o reboxetine[29]
o venlafaxine[29] (SNRI)
o trazodone[27] (SARI
• buspirone[27][29] (anxiolytic)
• antipsychotics
o haloperidol[27][29]
o aripiprazole[27]
o risperidone[27]
o ziprasidone[27]
o pimozide[29]
o quetiapine[27]
• opioids (mainly analgesics)
o alfentanil[27][29]
o buprenorphine[31]
o codeine[27] (analgesic, antitussive, antidiarrheal)
o fentanyl[27]
o methadone[27] (analgesic, anti-addictive)
o levacetylmethadol[27]
• benzodiazepines
o alprazolam[27][29]
o midazolam[27][29]
o triazolam[27][29]
o diazepam[27]
• some hypnotics
o zopiclone[29]
o zaleplon[27]
o zolpidem[27]
• donepezil[29] (acetylcholinesterase inhibitor)
• statins
o atorvastatin[27][29]
o lovastatin[27][29]
o simvastatin[29]
o cerivastatin[27]
(not pravastatin)[27]
(not rosuvastatin)[27]
• calcium channel blockers
o diltiazem[27][29]
o felodipine[27][29]
o nifedipine[27][29]
o verapamil[27][29]
o amlodipine[27]
o lercanidipine[27]
o nitrendipine[27]
o nisoldipine[27]
• amiodarone[29] (class III antiarrhythmic)
• dronedarone[29] (class III antiarrhythmic)
• quinidine[27] (class I antiarrhythmic)
• PDE5 inhibitors
o sildenafil[27][29]
o tadalafil[32]
• kinins[29] (vasodilators, smooth muscle contractors)
• sex hormones agonists and antagonists
o finasteride[27][29] (antiandrogen)
o estradiol[27] (estrogen)
o progesterone[27]
o ethinylestradiol[29] (hormonal contraceptive)
o testosterone[27] (androgen)
o toremifene[29] (SERM)
o bicalutamide [33]
• H1-receptor antagonists
o terfenadine[27][29]
o astemizole[27][34]
o chlorphenamine[27]
• Protease inhibitors
o indinavir[27][29]
o ritonavir[27][29]
o saquinavir[27][29]
o nelfinavir[27][29]
• non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
o nevirapine[29]
• some glucocorticoids
o budesonide[29]
o hydrocortisone[27]
o dexamethasone[27]
• cisapride[27][29] (5-HT4 receptor agonist)
• aprepitant[27] (antiemetic)
• caffeine[27] (stimulant)
• cocaine[27] (stimulant)
• cilostazol[27] (phosphodiesterase inhibitor)
• dextromethorphan[27] (antitussive)
• domperidone[27] (antidopaminergic)
• eplerenone[27] (aldosterone antagonist)
• lidocaine[27] (local anesthetic, antiarrhythmic)
• ondansetron[27] (5-HT3 antagonist)
• propranolol[27] (beta blocker)
• salmeterol[27] (beta agonist)
• warfarin[35] (anticoagulant)
• clopidogrel, becoming bioactivated[36] (antiplatelet)
• esomeprazole[29] (proton pump inhibitor)
• nateglinide[27] (antidiabetic)
strong:
• protease inhibitors
o ritonavir[27][29][37]
o indinavir[27]
o nelfinavir[27]
o saquinavir[27]
• some macrolide antibiotics[37]
o clarithromycin[27][29]
o telithromycin[27]
• chloramphenicol (antibiotic)[38]
• some azole antifungals
o ketoconazole[27][29]
o itraconazole[27][29]
• nefazodone[27][29] (antidepressant)
moderate
• aprepitant[27] (antiemetic)
• some calcium channel blockers
o verapamil[27]
o diltiazem[27]
• some macrolide antibiotics
o erythromycin[27]
• some azole antifungals[37]
o fluconazole[27]
• bergamottin (constituent of grapefruit juice)[27]
• Valerian [39]
weak:
• cimetidine[27] (H2-receptor antagonist)
• buprenorphine (analgesic)[40]
• cafestol (in unfiltered coffee)[41]
unspecified potency:
• amiodarone[27] (antiarrhythmic)
• bicalutamide[33]
• ciprofloxacin[27] (antibiotic)
• dithiocarbamate[27] (functional group)
• voriconazole[27] (antifungal)
• imatinib[27] (anticancer)
• mifepristone[27] (abortifacient)
• norfloxacin[27] (antibiotic)
• some non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors[42]
o delavirdine[27]
• gestodene[27] (hormonal contraceptive)
• mibefradil[27] (in angina pectoris)
• SSRIs
o fluoxetine/norfluoxetine[27]
o fluvoxamine[27]
• star fruit[27][43]
• milk thistle[44]
• ginko biloba[45]
• quercetin – Quercetin has been shown to act as an initial inhibitor and subsequent inducer.[46]
• piperine[47]
• anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers
o carbamazepine[27][29][37]
o phenytoin[27][29] (anticonvulsant)
o oxcarbazepine[27]
• barbiturates[37]
o phenobarbital[27][29]
• St. John’s wort[27][29]
• some bactericidals
o rifampicin[27][37]
o rifabutin[27][29]
• some non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors [42]
o efavirenz[27]
o nevirapine[27]
• some hypoglycemics
o pioglitazone[27]
o troglitazone[27]
• glucocorticoids[27] (blood glucose increase, immunosuppressive)
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CYP3A4

ST. LOUIS — Genetics researchers at Washington University, one of the world’s leading centers for work on the human genome, were devastated. Dr. Lukas Wartman, a young, talented and beloved colleague, had the very cancer he had devoted his career to studying. He was deteriorating fast. No known treatment could save him. And no one, to their knowledge, had ever investigated the complete genetic makeup of a cancer like his.
So one day last July, Dr. Timothy Ley, associate director of the university’s genome institute, summoned his team. Why not throw everything we have at seeing if we can find a rogue gene spurring Dr. Wartman’s cancer, adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, he asked? “It’s now or never,” he recalled telling them. “We will only get one shot.”
Dr. Ley’s team tried a type of analysis that they had never done before. They fully sequenced the genes of both his cancer cells and healthy cells for comparison, and at the same time analyzed his RNA, a close chemical cousin to DNA, for clues to what his genes were doing.
The researchers on the project put other work aside for weeks, running one of the university’s 26 sequencing machines and supercomputer around the clock. And they found a culprit — a normal gene that was in overdrive, churning out huge amounts of a protein that appeared to be spurring the cancer’s growth.
Even better, there was a promising new drug that might shut down the malfunctioning gene — a drug that had been tested and approved only for advanced kidney cancer. Dr. Wartman became the first person ever to take it for leukemia.
And now, against all odds, his cancer is in remission and has been since last fall.
While no one can say that Dr. Wartman is cured, after facing certain death last fall, he is alive and doing well. Dr. Wartman is a pioneer in a new approach to stopping cancer. What is important, medical researchers say, is the genes that drive a cancer, not the tissue or organ — liver or brain, bone marrow, blood or colon — where the cancer originates.
One woman’s breast cancer may have different genetic drivers from another woman’s and, in fact, may have more in common with prostate cancer in a man or another patient’s lung cancer.
Under this new approach, researchers expect that treatment will be tailored to an individual tumor’s mutations, with drugs, eventually, that hit several key aberrant genes at once. The cocktails of medicines would be analogous to H.I.V. treatment, which uses several different drugs at once to strike the virus in a number of critical areas.
Ref: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/health/in-gene-sequencing-treatment-for-leukemia-glimpses-of-the-future.html?_r=0

Connie’s Comments
Normal genes in overdrive: What makes a normal gene in overdrive and behave abnormally making cancer cells grow? Can we stop normal genes from behaving in this manner, going overdrive? Can factors such as exitotoxicity and inflammation drive normal genes to overdrive?
Kidney cancer drugs are also used for other cancer types: Can we use it for other types of cancers? They did for a patient with leukemia after a complete analysis of his genes.
Personalized gene analysis: The story above was a result of detailed analysis/mapping of one patient’s gene which costs around $100,000. The public could not afford this price. But, the story above tells us that cancer cure is specific to the person’s gene make-up

Alzheimer’s Death Rate Steadily Increasing; FDA Offers New Guidance
Mortality from Alzheimer’s disease has steadily increased during the last 30 years based on data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2010, Alzheimer’s disease was the underlying cause for a total of 83,494 deaths and was classified as a contributing cause for an additional 26,488 deaths.
An estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. The cost of health care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias was estimated to be 200 billion dollars in 2012, including 140 billion dollars in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. This cost is expected to reach up to 1.1 trillion dollars in 2050.
The risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease significantly increases with age. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and is the fifth leading cause among people over the age of 65 years. Data from the National Vital Statistics System demonstrates that age-adjusted death rate from Alzheimer’s disease increased by 39% from 2000–2010 in the U.S.
In 2010, the population aged 85 years and older was 50 times more likely to die from Alzheimer’s disease than individuals aged 65–74 years. Americans 85 years and older were five times more likely to die from Alzheimer’s disease than those between the ages of 75 and 84 years.
Overall, women had a 30% higher risk of dying (27.3 per 100,000 population) from Alzheimer’s disease than men (21). The highest mortality rate from Alzheimer’s disease was observed in non-Hispanic white women (28.9) and non-Hispanic white men (22) compared to other races of the same gender. Among the non-Hispanic white population the risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease is 26% higher than among the non-Hispanic black population. Similarly, the age-adjusted death rate is 43% higher for the non-Hispanic white population compared to the Hispanic origin population.
Alzheimer’s disease death rates vary widely across states. In 2010, among all the states and the District of Columbia, thirty one states showed death rates from Alzheimer’s disease that were above the national rate (25.1). States with the highest age-adjusted death rates were Washington (43.6), Tennessee (38.5), and North Dakota (37.2).
According to data collected from 2000–2010, Alzheimer’s disease mortality varies by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and geographic area.
Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but there are pharmacological treatments to help with cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Reversible cholinesterase inhibitors such as Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne increase the levels of acetylcholine in the brain by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. Namenda, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is approved to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. Keeping in mind the different needs for this population, these medications are available in other formulations besides pills such as the Exelon Patch and Namenda Oral Solution.
With regards to early detection, In April 2012, the FDA approved Eli Lilly and Company’s Amyvid (florbetapir F 18 injection), a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for brain imaging of beta-amyloid plaques in patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of cognitive decline. A positive Amyvid scan indicates moderate to frequent amyloid plaques are present; this amount of amyloid plaque is present in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but may also be present in patients with other types of neurologic conditions and in older people with normal cognition.
Despite this progress more measures need to be taken for this patient population. The FDA recently issued a proposal to assist companies developing new treatments for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, before the onset of noticeable (overt) dementia. The new guidance explains the FDA’s current thinking about the way researchers can identify and select patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, or those who are at risk of developing the disease, for participation in clinical trials.
In recent years, the research community has tried to find ways to identify these patients using criteria that are based on biological indicators. Researchers have also tried to develop sensitive clinical measures that can detect subtle mental decline. However, because patients with early Alzheimer’s disease have little-to-no impairment of global functioning, it is difficult to assess changes in function in these patients. This can make it difficult to determine if a given treatment’s effect is clinically important.
For more information visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db116.htm.

True Story
In care homes in the bayarea, I have experienced and saw how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) condition worsens each day. Seniors with AD have an average of 8 medications per day. Agitation and mental decline are prevalent. Some of them have problems sleeping while some of them have limited body movements depending on the severity of their condition. Some of the male AD clients have more adverse effects with medications. Before being admitted to a carehomes, most of them have been living at their homes with chronic issues such as constipation, sleep disorders, obesity, skin problems and heart and vascular-related problems.
Connie Dello Buono, Motherhealth Inc, caregiving for bayarea homebound seniors 408-854-1883

Clinical Research: Barley Grass Supports Cardiovascular Function

Bob Terry, PhD

OXNARD, CA, May 9, 2003 – People who regularly consume powdered organic barley grass juice supplements could be providing a boost to their cardiovascular system, according to research recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Diabetes and Metabolism (2002, Vol. 28, 107-114).

Ya-Mei Yu and Chingmin E. Tsai from Fu Jen University in Taipei together with fellow Taiwanese researchers from China Medical College in Taichung found in a clinical study that supplementation with barley grass helped reduce the levels of cholesterol and oxygen free-radicals in the blood of type 2 diabetics.

In the study, 36 randomly selected type 2 diabetics were randomly assigned to receive daily supplements of barley grass, a combination of vitamin C and E or a combination of barley grass and vitamins C and E for four weeks. Past research has indicated that antioxidants vitamin C and E when taken together may promote cardiovascular function.

The researchers found that supplementation with barley grass reduced the levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and oxygen free-radicals, in addition to protecting LDL-vitamin E content and inhibiting LDL oxidation. The authors noted that barley grass “acts as a free radical scavenger.” Particularly noteworthy are the data showing barley grass, when taken with vitamins C and E, more effectively lowers the level of free radicals than either barley grass or the vitamins when taken alone. The researchers concluded that supplementation with barley grass in combination with antioxidative vitamins may have a protective effect and promote healthy cardiovascular function.

The results of ongoing clinical studies appear to support and extend the findings that barley grass supplementation may lower blood levels of cholesterol and free radicals.

“For individuals concerned about their cardiovascular health, this study indicates that they would be well advised to focus on a diet with lots of green foods, particularly organic barley grass.” said Dr. Richard M. Gold, Ph.D., L.Ac., author and Professor at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

YH Products Co. of Oxnard, California provided the barley grass supplements for this study. YH Products Co. manufactures Green Magma (distributed by Green Foods Corporation). Green Magma is made with powdered organic barley grass juice, containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, proteins, active enzymes and chlorophyll.

Clinical Research: Green Magma Helps Lower LDL Oxidation and Free Radical Activity in the Blood, and Supports Normal Levels of Cholesterol

Bob Terry, PhD

(August 16, 2005) In the last twenty-five years researchers have published a number of in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies demonstrating that Green Magma and its constituents exhibit potent antioxidant activity, cleansing actions, and cardiovascular support properties. In addition, a series of clinical studies have been published showing evidence that Green Magma provides support for the cardiovascular system in both healthy individuals in those with blood sugar or blood lipid concerns.

Clinical studies performed since 2002 by Dr. Ching-Min Tsai from the Graduate Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Fu Jen University and the Department of Bioscience Technology at Chung Yuan University (both in Taipei, Taiwan) and colleagues have demonstrated that dietary changes including daily supplementation with Green Magma may provide several important benefits for cardiovascular function.

Normal blood flow through our bodies is essential for optimal health. While dietary, lifestyle, and genetic factors all play a role in cardiovascular function, dietary changes may offer a relatively convenient means of promoting cardiovascular function, normal blood flow, and enhanced quality of life.

I. Support for Normal Cholesterol Levels and Inhibition of LDL Oxidation with a Diet Rich in Poly- or Mono-unsaturated Fatty Acids and Barley Grass Juice Powder.

Liu WC, Tsai CE. Young Barley Leaf Prevents LDL Oxidation in Humans. Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry [published by The Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology] Vol. 4 (3): 110-116 (2002).

SUMMARY: The results show that daily consumption of a diet rich in poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from soybean oil reduces serum total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C, but not the level of LDL oxidation. Adding barley grass juice powder to the soybean oil-enriched diet enhances its cholesterol-lowering effect and lowers LDL oxidation. While mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) from olive oil had no effect on total serum cholesterol, LDL-C or HDL-C, MUFA lowered the oxidation of LDL and this effect was enhanced by the addition of barley grass juice powder. Therefore, together with a diet rich in poly- or mono-unsaturated fatty acids, 15 g of barley grass juice powder per day as part of the diet may help support cardiovascular activity by promoting normal cholesterol levels and reducing the oxidation of LDL.

II. LDL Cholesterol and LDL Oxidation Reduced in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Receiving an Olive Oil-enriched Diet Supplemented with Barley Grass Juice.

Yu YM and Tsai CE. LDL cholesterol and oxidation are significantly reduced in type 2 diabetic patients receiving a barley leaf essence supplemented olive oil diet. Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry [published by The Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology] Vol. 5 (1): 1-6 (2003).

SUMMARY: An intake of olive oil together with a dietary supplement of young barley grass juice may be useful as part of the nutritional management of patients with type 2 diabetes since it increases the monounsaturated fatty acid composition of LDL, decreases whole blood free radical activities, increases the vitamin E content of LDL, and reduces the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation.

III. Barley Grass Juice Powder, Alone or in Combination with Vitamins C and E, Lowers Free Radical Activity and Inhibits LDL Oxidation in Type 2 Diabetes.

Yu YM, Chang WC, Chang CT, Hsieh CL, and Tsai CE. Effects of barley leaf extract and antioxidative vitamins on LDL oxidation and free radical scavenging activities in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Metab Vol. 28 (2): 107-114 (2002).

SUMMARY: The results indicate that supplementation with barley grass juice may help to lower cholesterol, scavenge oxygen free radicals, spare the LDL-vitamin E content, and inhibit LDL oxidation. Furthermore, there appears to be a synergistic inhibition of small, dense-LDL oxidation with the combination of barley grass juice and vitamins C and E, an effect that may promote good vascular function.

IV. Barley Grass Juice or Adlay Reduces Plasma Lipids and LDL Oxidation in Hyperlipidemic Smokers and Non-Smokers.

Yu YM, Chang WC, Liu CS and Tsai CM. Effects of young barley leaf extract and adlay on plasma lipids and LDL oxidation in hyperlipidemic smokers. Biol. Pharm. Bull. Vol. 27 (6): 802-805 (2004).

SUMMARY: Supplementation with either BL or adlay can decrease total and LDL cholesterol as well as susceptibility of LDL-C to oxidation in hyperlipidemic smokers and non-smokers. Barley leaf extract (barley grass juice) had a stronger antioxidative effect than adlay and the effects of either BL or adlay are less pronounced in smokers

Note: The barley grass juice powder (referred to as “barley leaf essence”, “barley leaf extract”, or “barley leaf”) used in all four of the studies described was provided by YH Products, the manufacturing division of Green Foods Corporation, located in Oxnard, California.

Barley Grass Neutralizes Pesticides In Vitro

Bob Terry, PhD

Health conscious consumers today are looking for more than wholesome, nutritious food to maintain good health, they also want to avoid the ever-increasing levels of pesticides and other chemicals in our environment. While periodic use of internal cleansing programs may help to eliminate pesticide residues, the best solution is to gently cleanse our bodies every day through our diet. Therefore, optimal nutrition requires foods that supply us with all the nutrients necessary for cellular metabolism and that also help us cleanse our bodies daily.

In 1978, Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara revealed the ability of our barley grass extract Green Magma to degrade an insecticide (malathion), and two chemical food additives (sorbic acid and BHT) [1] when mixed directly with these substances in an aqueous solution. Heating Green Magma caused it to lose its ability to breakdown either malathion or sorbic acid indicating that enzyme activity in Green Magma may be responsible for its actions. However, heat treatment does not affect Green Magma’s ability to degrade BHT, which led Dr. Hagiwara to suggest that the BHT molecule may be adsorbed onto proteins in Green Magma rather being metabolized through enzyme activity. The following year, Dr. Hagiwara and colleagues reported that barley grass juice contained numerous enzymes including superoxide dismutase, cytochrome oxidase, peroxidase, catalase, fatty acid oxidase, and transhydrogenase [2] some of which may play a role in neutralizing pesticides and chemical additives in the body.

In the 1990’s, Dr. Shibamoto and Dr. Hagiwara isolated, identified, and studied the properties of a potent bioflavonoid antioxidant, named glycosylisovitexin (GIV), in young barley grass [3]. They showed that GIV was particularly effective in preventing the free radical oxidation of fatty acids, fish oils, and lecithin caused by ultraviolet light or by chemically induced oxidative reactions in blood [4]. GIV was also found to be effective in preventing the formation of two oxidation products of alcohol, acetaldehyde and malonaldehyde [5]. These two substances may be responsible for some of the unwanted effects of alcohol consumption.

Subsequent research published by Dr. Shibamoto along with Dr. Hagiwara and colleagues, demonstrated that young barley grass juice effectively degraded a variety of organophosphorus pesticides in vitro including malathion, chlorpyrifos, guthion, diazinon, methidathion, and parathion [6]. Incubation of the individual pesticides with a 3% solution of barley grass juice for several hours resulted in the complete degradation of both malathion and chlorpyrifos along with breakdown of parathion by 75%; diazinon by 54%; guthion by 41%; and methidathion by 23%. They also confirmed Dr. Hagiwara’s previous finding that barley grass juice’s ability to break down malathion is lost when barley grass is heated to 120O C, most likely due to destruction of enzyme activity by heat. Further research is necessary to understand the manner in which barley grass juice degrades pesticides.

Dr. Shibamoto and colleagues are continuing their research on the possible ways in which organic Green Magma may help us cleanse our bodies in a natural and effective manner.

In summary, research is helping to better understand why Green Magma provides the many benefits that thousands of regular consumers of Green Magma already know about — increased energy levels, improved digestion, better looking hair, skin and nails – all indications of good nutrition.

References:

1. Hagiwara, Y. Study on green juice powder of young barley (Hordeum vulgare L) leaves II: Effect on several food additives, agricultural chemicals, and a carcinogen. Presented at the 98th National Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Science (1978).
2. Hagiwara, Y., Sayuki, S., Miyauchi, T., Otake,H., Abe, S., Kuramoto, M., and Takada, K. Study on green barley extract. Presented at the 99th National Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Science, Sapporo (1979).
3. Osawa, T., Katsuzaki, H., Hagiwara, Y., and Shibamoto, T. A novel antioxidant isolated from young green barley leaves. 1992, J. of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 40 (7): 1135-1138.
4. Miyake, T. and Shibamoto, T. Inhibition of Malonaldehyde and acetaldehyde formation from blood plasma oxidation by naturally occurring antioxidants. 1998, J. of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 46 (9): 1135-1138.
5. Nakajima, S., Hagiwara, Y., Hagiwara, H., and Shibamoto, T. Effect of the Antioxidant 2″-O-Glycosylisovitexin from young green barley leaves on acetaldehyde formation in beer stored at 50 degree C for 90 days. 1998, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 46 (4): 1529-1531.
6. Durham, J., Ogata, J., Nakajima, S., Hagiwara, Y., and Shibamoto, T. Degradation of organophosphorus pesticides in aqueous extracts of young green barley leaves (Hordeum vulgare L). 1999, J. of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 79: 1311-1314.

Reference: www.greenfoods.com

Leucine is one of the 8 essential amino acids that needs to be supplied from dietary sources.

Evidences from several studies, mostly conducted on rats, suggest that leucine is involved in protein synthesis in skeletal muscles, and can inhibit protein degradation in skeletal muscles and liver. It is also an important component of hemoglobin.

Leucine rich food sources include legumes such as soy beans and cowpea and animal products such as beef and fish. Below is a list of select food sources which contain leucine with estimates of their leucine content. The foods are ordered from high to low content.

 

Leucine food sources	Leucine content (grams/ 100 gram food)
Soybeans, mature seeds, raw	2.97
lentils, raw	2.03
cowpea, catjang, mature seeds, raw	1.83
Beef, round, top round, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″ fat, select, raw	1.76
Beef, top sirloin, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, raw	1.74
Peanuts, all types, raw	1.67
Salami, Italian, pork	1.63
Fish, salmon, pink, raw	1.62
Crustaceans, shrimp, mixed species, raw	1.61
Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, raw	1.48
Nuts, almonds	1.47
Egg, yolk, raw, fresh	1.40
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, raw	1.37
Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, from raw and stone ground kernels	1.36
Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat and skin, raw	1.29
flax seed, raw	1.24
Nuts, walnuts, english	1.17
Egg, whole, raw, fresh	1.09
Egg, white, raw, fresh	1.02
Sausage, Italian, pork, raw	0.96
Milk, sheep, fluid	0.59
Pork, fresh, separable fat, raw	0.40
Hummus	0.35
Milk, goat, fluid	0.31
Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat	0.27
Soy milk, fluid	0.24
asparagus	0.13
Snap beans, green, raw	0.11
Milk, human, mature, fluid	0.10

 

During the exercise in both trained and untrained groups, there were lower carbohydrate (CHO) and higher fat oxidation rates and contributions to total energy expenditure after the CAJ supplementation compared to the PLA supplementation (p<0.05). These values were greater in the trained group than the untrained group except CHO oxidation rates (p<0.05), which were not significantly different. Moreover, in both trained and untrained groups, resting plasma vitamin C concentrations were significantly higher after the CAJ supplementation compared to the PLA supplementation, without any change after the PLA supplementation. These values were greater in the trained group than the untrained group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in glucose, insulin or lipid concentrations between the groups’ blood samples.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that CAJ supplementation enhanced fat oxidation during exercise may enhance endurance performance, but specific studies are needed to assess this possibility.

Keywords:

Vitamin C; Leucine; Endurance; Fat oxidation rate; Athletes

Background

Carbohydrate (CHO) plays a major role as an energy source for active muscle during high-intensity exercise [1]. Moreover, the increased capacity of fat utilization is known to improve exercise capacity [2]. Therefore, an intervention which increases fat utilization may be important for endurance of athletes. Diet and exercise training are known to increase fat utilization during exercise [3]. It is not known whether this can be enhanced further by dietary supplement interventions which increase fat oxidation in untrained individuals.

Endurance training has been shown to improve fat utilization [4]. Possible mechanisms proposed by a recent study involve changes in fatty acid transport protein content in whole muscle (FAT/CD36 and FABPpm), sarcolemmal (FABPpm) and mitochondrial (FAT/CD36) membranes in female human skeletal muscles [5].

Diets containing antioxidants and branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) are reported to have potential effects on fat utilization [6,7]. The antioxidant, vitamin C is perhaps one of the most widely used vitamins in the world today. Johnston et al. [6] reported that vitamin C is important for fat oxidation. This may be due to ascorbic acid (vitamin C) being a co-factor for the biosynthesis of carnitine, a molecule required for fatty acid oxidation [8]. This may contribute to increased utilization of fatty acids in triglycerides as a fat source for muscle contraction, resulting in lower serum triglyceride levels [9]. Leucine, the most utilized BCAA, was found to enhance fat oxidation in obese animals and overweight or obese subjects [10,11]. De Araujo et al. [12] showed that supplementation with BCAAs (i.e. leucine, isoleucine, or valine) increases hepatic and muscle glycogen concentrations in exercised rats, suggesting greater fat utilization during exercise [7]. A previous study, however, reported an opposite result [13]. This discrepancy may be due to a different nutritional status, as the rats in Cheng’s study were leucine deficient whereas animals or subjects in other studies were supplemented with leucine. Cheng’s study reported that leucine deficiency increased triglyceride lipolysis, leading to increased fat mobilization via cAMP-PKA-HSL in white adipose tissue [13]. This was supported by the results of upregulation of AdrB3 expression, of AdrB3, the main isoform of β-adrenoceptors in the adipose tissue [13]. Together with the effects on energy expenditure (EE) enhancement in brown adipose tissue and lipogenesis suppression, the leucine deficiency contributed to fatty acid mobilization, resulting in increased fat loss.

Cashew apple is a product of cashew nut manufacturing. It is popularly consumed in the orm of juice which comprises many nutritional components, including vitamin C and BCAAs [14,15]. For this study it was hypothesized that cashew apple juice (CAJ) would further enhance fat oxidation during high-intensity exercise, adding to the effects of training. Therefore, the effect of CAJ supplementation on substrate utilization during high-intensity exercise in trained and untrained subjects was investigated.

 

Reference: http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/13