Green Vegetables Alter Gene Expression to Lower Chronic Disease Risk

The Chinese have known for countless generations that the food we eat directly controls our health. Ancient Greeks postulated that food should be considered a medicine, as powerful as any healing method or concoction available during that time period. Until quite recently, western intelligence was dismally unaware that the quality of our diet is immediately reflected in the chronic diseases we manifest and quality of life as well.

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at McMaster and McGill universities have published a new body of research in the journal PLoS Medicine to demonstrate the potent effect of a diet filled with fresh greens and fruits on our genetic expression. Scientists confirm that eating the proper diet holds the key to cardiovascular health for millions of at-risk individuals.

Genetic Predisposition to Heart Disease Blunted by Plenty of Vegetables and Fruits

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in western civilizations, so the news of an inexpensive and natural lifestyle change to prevent heart disease should make international headlines. Most otherwise enlightened people will never hear about the result of this research and continue to eat a nutritionally defunct diet that promotes cardiovascular disease and an early death. Simple changes in macronutrient consumption are now shown to pay significant benefits to human health with no side effects other than increased lifespan.

Researchers conducting one of the largest gene-diet interaction studies on cardiovascular disease analyzed a cohort of more than 27,000 individuals across multiple ethnicities. Dr. Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator of the study from McGill University explained "We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it", echoing the result of a past discovery showing that the gene is a strong marker for heart disease and can actually be modified by generous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables from dietary sources.

Vegetables Stimulate Chemical Messengers to Alter Genetic Expression to Lower Chronic Disease Risk

After an analysis of the effect of diet on the risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers determined that individuals with the high risk genotype who consumed a prudent diet, composed mainly of raw vegetables, fruits and berries, had a similar risk of heart attack to those with the low risk genotype. Lead author of the study Dr. Ron Do noted "Our research suggests there may be an important interplay between genes and diet in cardiovascular disease.”

Forward-thinking practitioners have known for more than a quarter century that diet and heart disease are closely linked, although the focus was inadvertently placed on dietary fat avoidance. Researchers have confirmed that many fats eaten in their natural, cold-pressed form are essential for vibrant health.

Evidence continues to mount confirming the profound health benefits of vegetables and fruits eaten at the peak of freshness. The authors of this important work conclude "The risk of MI (myocardial infarction) and CVD (cardiovascular disease) conferred by Chromosome 9p21 SNPs appears to be modified by a prudent diet high in raw vegetables and fruits." Be sure to include ten or more servings of greens each day to dramatically cut heart disease risk.

Green Vegetables Stimulate the Innate Immune Response to Guard against Disease

We all know that our immune system is the first line of defense against a wide array of potentially deadly pathogens, bacteria and viruses. Yet many people take this crucial defense barrier for granted and do little to ensure that they are adequately protected against a multitude of microscopic invaders.

Researchers publishing the result of a research body performed at the University of Cambridge in the journal Cell demonstrate that compounds found in green vegetables, from bok choy to broccoli are the source of a chemical signal that is important to activate a fully functioning immune system. Help protect yourself and your family from maladies ranging from the common cold, influenza to autoimmune diseases and certain cancers by including healthy portions of green vegetables in your daily diet.

Include Ten or More Fresh Vegetable Servings Daily to Boost Immune Health

Prior research indicated the breakdown of cruciferous vegetables can yield a compound that can be converted into a molecule that triggers the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) on cell wall surfaces. Further reports found AhR’s can be regulated by dietary ingredients found primarily in vegetables including broccoli, kale, spinach and many varieties of leafy greens. This action ensures that immune cells in the gut and the skin known as intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) function properly.

Researchers fed otherwise healthy mice a vegetable-poor diet for several weeks were amazed to find that 70 to 80 percent of these protective IEL cells disappeared during this short period. Dr. Marc Veldhoen, lead study author noted that, “protective IELs exist as a network beneath the barrier of epithelial cells covering inner and outer body surfaces, where they are important as a first line of defense and in wound repair.” It was determined the number of IEL cells can be regulated by dietary ingredients found primarily in cruciferous vegetables.

A Diet High in Sugar and Processed Carbohydrates Lowers System Immune Response

Poor dietary intake consisting mostly of hydrogenated and oxidized fats, sugar and processed foods directly alters the surface receptors of cells lining the digestive tract, responsible for more than 80 percent of our immune response. Researchers commented “individuals fed a synthetic diet lacking this key compound experience a significant reduction in AhR activity and lose IELs. With reduced numbers of these key immune cells, individuals showed lower levels of antimicrobial proteins, heightened immune activation and greater susceptibility to injury.”

Dr. Veldhoen concluded "it's already a good idea to eat your greens… the results offer a molecular basis for the importance of cruciferous vegetable-derived phyto-nutrients as part of a healthy diet.” The current recommendation to eat 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and fruit each day is anemic and insufficient in the light of this important study. Health-minded people will want to include fresh, raw greens at the core of their diet and include 10 or more generous servings each day to boost immune health.

Vitamin E Tocotrienols Lower Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes

Few people pay attention to the importance of vitamin E, much less the multi-fractioned mirror image versions of the vitamin known as isomers (consisting of tocotrienols and tocopherols). Vitamin E has long been known as a nutrient that may play a role in maintaining heart health, but extensive new research explains that the vitamin in all its potent forms is required to dramatically lower the risk of heart disease and heart attack.

Recent studies also confirm that the nutrient family may play a crucial role to thwart the effects of metabolic syndrome, precursor to the diabetes epidemic. Health-minded individuals may need to supplement with a full spectrum form of the vitamin to obtain sufficient quantities to avert a multitude of chronic killer diseases that plaque millions today.

Study Found Vitamin E Tocotrienols Lowered Damage to Heart Muscle by 75%

An ever expanding detailed body of evidence is mounting to support the importance of the tocotrienol fraction of vitamin E. While all eight isomers are required for optimal health and disease prevention, the four tocotrienols have emerged as critical components shown to influence LDL cholesterol particle size and oxidation rate. Researchers publishing the result of a study in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry explain that tocotrienols protect the heart against adverse gene signaling that is a consequence of elevated cholesterol.

A study was designed using rabbits placed on a high cholesterol diet for a period of 60 days. The test animals were supplemented with alpha, gamma, or delta tocotrienols for 30 days, and then subjected to experimentally induced heart attack. Measures of serum cholesterol were cut in half in the rabbits on gamma tocotrienol and nearly in half on those receiving the alpha tocotrienol isomer. The delta tocotrienol form did not exert any effect on cholesterol. Additionally, gamma tocotrienol reduced damage to the heart by 77% and alpha tocotrienol resulted in 67% less damage to the critical heart muscle.

Vitamin E Fractions Reduce the Formation of Cardiovascular Arterial Plaque

Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms closely associated with the development of diabetes. People exhibiting metabolic syndrome characteristics run more than twice the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Researchers from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia found “Tocotrienols improved lipid profiles and reduced atherosclerotic lesions, decreased blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin concentrations, normalized blood pressure, and inhibited adipogenesis.”

Researchers determined that a variety of different receptors or genetic signaling mechanisms are involved that can prevent the dangerous systemic inflammation known to precipitate heart disease and diabetes. Natural sources of vitamin E tocotrienols include most varieties of nuts and seeds as well as coconut oil in its unrefined state. Most people will want to ensure adequate intake of this critical nutritional fraction by including a full-spectrum supplement to improve heart health and prevent metabolic syndrome.

Ginger Root Soothes Digestive Inflammation to Help Prevent Colon Cancer

Since ancient times, ginger has a long tradition of being very effective in alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. Modern scientific research has revealed that ginger possesses numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.

The result of a new body of research published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research demonstrates the specific anti-inflammatory action of the spice on the colon. Health-minded individuals will want to include ginger as part of their regular diet, or include an organically harvested supplement to dramatically lower inflammatory risk markers for colon cancer.

Ginger Root Supplementation Lowers Inflammatory Markers to Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Dr. Suzanna Zick, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and her team assembled 30 patient participants to conduct the study. Each was provided with two grams of ginger root supplements per day or a placebo for a period of 28 days. After the test timeframe, researchers measured standard levels of colon inflammation and found statistically significant reductions in most of these markers. They also found trends toward significant reductions in a number of other colon cancer biomarkers.

A critical inflammation marker in the colon is known to be PGE2, a naturally occurring prostaglandin also called dinoprostone. PGE2 is the prostaglandin that ultimately induces fever, and is therefore an important marker researcher’s monitor to determine inflammatory levels in the body. Inflammation has been implicated in prior studies as a precursor to colon cancer, and ginger root supplementation effectively lowers blood levels of the prostaglandin to reduce colon cancer risk.

Natural Plant Based Compounds Promote Health without Deadly Side Effects

Dr. Zick is a Naturopathic Doctor developing plant and naturally occurring compounds that specifically promote health without the need for deadly pharmaceutical interventions. She noted on the research findings, "We need to apply the same rigor to the sorts of questions about the effect of ginger root that we apply to other clinical trial research." Dr. Zick concluded. "Interest in this is only going to increase as people look for ways to prevent cancer that are nontoxic, and improve their quality of life in a cost-effective way."

Ginger is a spice that has been used for centuries both for its distinctive flavor and medicinal properties as well. Researchers from this study used supplements (2 grams per day) to achieve the inflammatory-reduction results. Most health-conscious people will want to use a lower recommended supplemental dose of 250 mg per day to lower inflammatory risk factors that promote colon cancer.

Study Explains How Lifestyle Factors and Mindset Increase Dementia Risk

Loss of cognitive function, most commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease instills feelings of fear and insecurity more than any other chronic condition, including a cancer diagnosis. Researchers publishing in the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that people who rate their health as poor or fair appear to be significantly more likely to develop dementia later in life. Is there really a mind-link association between how we feel about our overall health and initiation of this dreaded disease?

Researchers point to the fact that many chronic illnesses such as heart disease and dementia develop over the course of 20 or 30 years and our perceptions may actually influence how these conditions progress. A positive spirit and happy outlook on life may just help you avoid a host of deadly diseases, including dementia.

Seniors Effectively Able to Predict Risk of Dementia Later in Life

People may possess a much more powerful diagnostic tool than the plethora of diagnostic tests, dyes and pharmaceuticals used by most allopathic physicians and diagnosticians. Dr. Christophe Tzourio, director of Neuroepidemiology at the University of Bordeaux in France explained “Having people rate their own health may be a simple tool for doctors to determine a person's risk of dementia, especially for people with no symptoms or memory problems”. His research results show that health and disease can be assessed more effectively by an individual from within, as opposed to managing a set of medical results and tests.

A research study was designed with 8,169 people, aged 65 years or older who were followed for a period of seven years. During the study each participant was asked to rate their own health, and 618 people developed dementia. The risk of dementia was 70 percent higher in people who rated their health as poor and 34 percent higher in people who rated their health as fair compared to those who rated their health as good.

Leading an Active Life with Many Friends and Family Members Lowers Dementia Risk

The study also found a higher correlation between ones health assessment and developing dementia for those individuals who did not have any memory problems or other issues with thinking skills. Those with no visible signs of cognitive decline were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia as those who rated their health as good. Researchers found that having a large social network along with plenty of social activities are associated with a decreased risk of dementia.

Dr. Tzourio concluded "… it's possible that rating one's health as poor might be associated with behaviors that limit social interaction and in turn accelerate the dementia process." A wealth of scientific research studies have found that lifestyle factors including close bonds with family, friends and social groups are important to lowering dementia risk in the elderly population.