PODCAST #14 7-1-07

WELCOME TO THE 14th EDITION OF THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST

Fish Oil; Cocoa; Vitamin D: wine and Coenzyme Q10

Fish oil increases the benefit of statin drugs.
A Japanese study of 19,000 people with elevated cholesterol levels were divided into two groups. One group took a statin plus a supplement containing omega-3 fish oil. The other group took only a statin. After four and one-half years, the addition of the omega-3 further reduced the combined risk of nonfatal heart attack and other coronary events by 19 percent compared with the statin alone. But it did not lower fatal heart attacks.

Ginger eases post surgical nausea. A review of 363 people who were given at least 1 gram of powdered ginger root capsules one hour prior to surgery were one-third less likely to suffer nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after the operation then those taking a placebo capsule. Ginger has also been found useful in the nausea of pregnancy.

Jean Mayer of USDA said, “If you consume about an ounce of dark chocolate a day, you will see some cardiovascular benefits.” The cocoa in dark chocolate is what is healthy. Dark chocolate is high in fat and calories; if you are over weight there are better ways to get cocoa and its benefits. For breakfast I have an 8 oz. glass of soy milk (you can use water or skim milk). I heat it up in the micro wave because I think the non-sweetened bakers’ cocoa dissolves better. I add a heaping teaspoon of cocoa and two packets of splenda. The cocoa does not dissolve easily stirring with a teaspoon. Ikea sells a small battery operated mixer ($1.50) that works great. The rest of my breakfast is a banana and an apple, a handful of walnuts, a handful of almonds and my vitamins.

A study of 4,519 people ages 60 to 80; the people who ate the most fish were 40% less likely to develop advanced macular degeneration (AMD) then people that at the least amount of fish. Omega-3 oil is found in fatty fish. In a second study of 7,752 people those that had the highest blood levels of Vitamin D were 40 % less likely to develop (AMD) then the people that had lowest levels.

If people take fish oil, vitamin D and Cocoa they should have 100% protection from getting a disease. To bad it does not work that way. The results are not additive. The reality is that doing all the correct things lowers your chance of getting a disease; it is not a guarantee that you will not get a disease. Good health is like a 3 legged stool. One leg is exercise, a second leg is mental attitude and the third leg is food and vitamins. You need all three legs to sit on the stool easily and not fall off.

A study in the May 22, 2007 issue of Neurology found that among people with (MCI) mild cognitive impairment, a daily drink of alcohol may slow the progress of dementia. Italian researchers tracked 1400 subjects ages 65 to 84 for more that 3 years. People with MCI who had up to one drink a day, primarily wine, developed dementia at an 85% slower rate then those with MCI who did not drink.

Coenzyme Q10 for migraines
The researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital examined the blood levels of Coenzyme Q10 in 1,550 children ages 3 to 22 who had migraines, and they found that a third were deficient in this important antioxidant. They gave those kids supplemental CoQ10 at .5-1.5 mg/lb of body weight per day. Then followed them for three months. Follow up exams revealed that this supplement dramatically reduced the frequency of headaches and cut headache disability scores in half. An earlier study of adults who took 150 mg of CoQ10 daily showed similar results.

That’s all for PODCAST #14. I hope you found it interesting and informative. The next PODCAST will be the week of August 1

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IS
health@lencolabs.com.

For more information on this subject and other subjects go to www.lencolabs.com, thank you for listening to the health and happiness podcast with–Leonard Austin