Bromelain Benefits Have Power to Heal

Bromelain Benefits 
Have Power to Heal

Research suggests that this pineapple-sourced ingredient can help you protect, repair and recover from injury and illness. 
By Deedra Mason, N.D., Clinical Faculty Member 

Fruits have always brought with them a plethora of health benefits. Vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients and more come from just about any fruit imaginable. And yet, science is always finding new, amazing benefits around every corner.

Take the pineapple. Not only is the fruit rich in vitamins and minerals, but its stem contains a mixture of enzymes known as bromelain — one of the most researched ingredients in the nutritional supplement world over recent years thanks to its variety of benefits.

Bromelain Infographic - Try it Here

Healing, Inflammation Benefits
Therapeutic doses of bromelain have been shown to “[reduce] edema, bruising, pain and healing time following trauma and surgical procedures” until the body has completely healed, according to published studies in Alternative Medicine Review.
As a treatment for injuries such as muscle strains and torn ligaments, bromelain proved to be successful in “[reducing] swelling, pain at rest and during movement, and tenderness” while also reducing “effects of unaccustomed exercise and accelerate [the] recovery of muscle tissue.”
Bromelain’s inflammation benefits go beyond sore muscles and exercise, though. Those with sinusitis, an inflammation of the sinus cavity due to infection, allergies or autoimmune issues, have also benefited from bromelain. One study found that 85 percent of individuals who took bromelain “had complete resolution of [sinusitis] and complete resolution of breathing difficulties.”

Arthritis Benefits
Numerous studies have been conducted
on the benefits of bromelain as it relates to arthritis; in particular, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. And, with more than 50 million Americans affected by some form of arthritis, it’s not hard to find someone looking for relief. For many of those people,

bromelain could be a key to rediscovering their old selves.
Researchers have found that bromelain research “looks promising” and “may provide a safer alternative or adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis.” 

One study found that a four-week regimen of bromelain supplementation “resulted in significant decrease in pain and stiffness in patients with knee osteoarthritis.”

Cancer Benefits
Perhaps most promising is bromelain’s potential for cancer patients. This exciting research — while still in its infancy — could provide the basis for new non-invasive treatments that can help millions upon millions struggling with the variety of forms this disease takes on.
For example, research out of Norway has found bromelain demonstrates the ability to “significantly and reversibly reduce adhesion, migration and invasion” of primary brain tumors, or gliomas. The study’s authors wrote that, “to hinder the migration of the invasive glioma cells without negative impact on neighboring bystander cells represents an attractive treatment approach ... [Bromelain] may provide a complementary treatment strategy in combination with surgical removal.”

Another recent study supports the hypothesis that bromelain does more than support
more conventional cancer therapies; rather, it directly affects a specific genetic marker associated with cancerous inflammation. According to researchers, bromelain causes
cancer cells to die while not affecting healthy, outlying cells.
This is due to bromelain’s properties as
a protease enzyme, which helps dissolve non-needed structures, such as scab
material once healing has occurred. Cancer cells “protect” themselves from detection by shielding themselves in a protein layering. Protease enzymes like bromelain help break down that layer, thus making it easier for your body to fight off the cancerous cells. These enzymes activate a so-called “cellular house cleaning” important to the maintenance of cellular health.
The potential benefits of bromelain are astounding. Helping everything from
daily aches and pains to some of modern medicine’s most concerning health conditions, bromelain can provide not only a treatment, but a preventative measure that can keep us healthy day in and day out. 

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet: Health Central

The Mediterranean Diet

Much has been said about the healthy effects of the Mediterranean diet--lower mortality rates, fewer cases of heart disease and less chronic illness in that region.  Now researchers at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Navarra in Spain have published a study focusing on what makes the diet so healthy.

How did they do the study?

For four years, researchers worked with more than 11,000 university students, first asking them to provide their dietary intake.  Mediterranean foods such as like fruit, fish, nuts, cereals, and vegetables were positively valued, while meat, alcohol, and dairy products were negatively valued.  A questionnaire was used to measure the students’ quality of life after four years of monitoring their eating habits. 

What did they find?

Researchers found that participants who stuck to the Mediterranean diet had better mental and physical wellness, as well as a significantly better quality of life.  The scientists created a Mediterranean food pyramid that outlines the main diet factors:

• Daily water consumption should be 2 liters.
• Meals should contain vegetables, fruit, cereals, and dairy.
• Olive oil should be the main source of fat, but lean animal proteins such as eggs, fish, and seafood are also permitted.
• Sugar and sweets should be limited; However small amounts aren’t harmful.

Other recommendations include limiting meats and sweets, consuming moderate amounts of poultry, eggs, and dairy weekly, consuming fish and seafood several times a week, and basing all meals on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, seeds, and herbs. 

Other key components to following the Mediterranean diet include plenty of exercise, focusing on plant-based foods, replacing butter with healthy fat such as olive oil, using herbs and spices to flavor foods instead of table salt,  limiting red meat to once a month, and drinking red wine in moderation. ( Try Resveratrol for all the benefits of red wine )

So what’s the significance?

Find out what your body is missing ---Its Free to Try

While researchers can’t pinpoint the exact reason students showed better mental health and physical quality of life, the Mediterranean diet is believed to be a major factor.  Additionally, improved physical health will generally boost your mental health in the long run. 

Simply adding fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meat, and cereal to your diet, while limiting sweets, could be the first step to fighting illnesses such as heart disease and minor depression by boosting your overall mood. For those with a family history of mental illness or heart disease, adding a fairly non-restrictive diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, can be a good strategy for increasing wellness.  

More Produce Cuts Cancer Risk

More Produce (Organic or Not) Cuts Cancer Risk  By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND People concerned about the risks of eating nonorganic produce, will be happy to hear that they can eliminate cancer from their concerns. Researchers teamed up to compare the cancer prevention effects of fruits and vegetables and the potential increased cancer risk from pesticide exposure from these foods, and the findings published in Food and Chemical Toxicologyreport that the benefits of eating produce far outweigh potential cancer risk caused by conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. The researchers used an analysis done by The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute of Cancer Research in 2007 to estimate the number of cancer cases that could be prevented every year if half of the people in the United States ate 80 grams (one serving) more of fruits and vegetables each per day. They also used information from the USDA Pesticide Data Program to estimate the number of cancer cases from pesticide exposure that could be attributed to eating this much more produce. They found that if half of the US population were to eat one more serving of fruits and vegetables each per day 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented every year, and up to 10 cancer cases could be caused every year by an increase in pesticide exposure. “The positive health effects that could result from an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables will greatly exceed any putative negative effects that might be associated with the increased intake of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables,” concluded the researchers, a team formed between the consulting firm, Exponent, and the University of California, Davis. It should be noted that the study was sponsored by the Alliance for Food and Farming and the authors have consulted for agrochemical companies. Know the risks The study helps sheds light on the gap between public perceptions of what causes cancer and what’s actually been proven. Some cancer risk factors can’t be prevented, like family history or age. Others, you can do something about. Here are some well-known risk factors and the cancers they may cause: Smoking and other tobacco use increases the chances of developing cancer of the lung, larynx, mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidney, throat, stomach, pancreas, and cervix. Obesity/overweight increases the risk of breast, colon, kidney, esophagus, and uterine cancer. Alcohol increases the risk of developing mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, liver, and breast cancer. Sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light increase the risk of several forms of skins cancer. Certain hormones, like those used to treat menopausal symptoms in women may increase the chance of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. The take-home message? Don’t use tobacco products, maintain a healthy weight, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, use alcohol in moderation (no more than a couple of drinks per week), use sunscreen and protective clothing especially during prime sunburn hours, and explore other options for managing menopausal symptoms. (Food Chem Toxicol 2012: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2012.08.055)

Paint Your Heart Healthy with Flavonoids

Paint Your Heart Healthy with Flavonoids

By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND

Eating more colorful, flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables may reduce the chance of dying from heart disease by up to 40%, says a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Fix it before it breaks

Preventing heart disease is easier than curing it. We already know a lot about how to keep the heart happy, like

• not smoking,
• maintaining a healthy weight,
• keeping blood pressure in check, and
• getting regular physical exercise.

Eating more fruits and vegetables is also key to preventing heart disease. These foods are rich in magnesium, potassium, and fiber that can help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Brightly colored fruits and veggies are also high in flavonoids, plant compounds that give foods such as oranges, broccoli, and so on their characteristic hues. Flavonoids have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions in the body. They also inhibit the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and encourage blood vessel walls to relax, helping to lower blood pressure.

As part of the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, researchers from the American Cancer Society and Tufts University investigated how different types of flavonoid compounds in the diet might protect against death from heart disease. In the study, 38,180 men and 60,289 women (average age 69 and 70, respectively) gave detailed information about their diets. The amount and types of dietary flavonoids were estimated for each participant. For the next seven years, the participants were followed and deaths due to heart disease were recorded.

• Of the seven classes of flavonoids studies, five of them were associated with a lower risk of heart disease death.
• Risk of fatal heart disease was 18% lower in men and women who had the highest amounts of total flavonoids in their diets those with the lowest. The risk of fatal stroke dropped by 37% in men with the highest total flavonoid intake.
• The subclass of flavonoids called flavones was especially beneficial for women. Women with the highest flavone intake had a 26% reduction in risk of overall heart disease death and a 40% reduction in risk of death from heart attack.

“Even relatively small amounts of flavonoid-rich foods may be beneficial for reducing risk of fatal cardiovascular disease,” commented the researchers.

Brighten your plate for a happier heart

OPC-3 #1 Bioflavonoid in the world

Getting more flavonoids into your diet is as easy as blueberry pie. Just aim for a rainbow of colors throughout the day. You don’t have to get them all in at every meal, but when you’re planning your five-a-day of fruits and vegetables, make sure they’re not all in the white family.

Raspberries, strawberries, apples, blueberries, green tea, black tea, dark chocolate, red grapes, purple cabbage, red wine, oranges, grapefruit, kale, broccoli, onions, and leeks are all loaded with heart-healthy flavonoids.

Parsley, thyme, oregano, celery, and green chili peppers are rich sources of the subclass of flavonoids called flavones. These are the ones that may be especially helpful for women.

About Natural Products Foundation: NPF is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation. For more information about this story and the foundation visit: naturalproductsfoundation.org. 

Story Source: Kimberly Beauchamp, ND, received her doctoral degree from Bastyr University, the nation’s premier academic institution for science-based natural medicine. She co-founded South County Naturopaths in Wakefield, RI, where she practiced whole family care with an emphasis on nutritional counseling, herbal medicine, detoxification, and food allergy identification and treatment. Her blog, Eat Happy, helps take the drama out of healthy eating with real food recipes and nutrition news that you can use. Dr. Beauchamp is a regular contributor to Healthnotes Newswire. The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Aisle7. All rights reserved.

References: (Am J Clin Nutr 2012;95:454–64)

The NPF Science Update brings you news about scientific advances in the field of natural products. The Science Update features contributions from scientists, academics, doctors, healthcare professionals, industry veterans and other experts.

Study unlocks Pycnogenol’s skin health mechanism

A recent study of 20 women between the ages of 55 and 68 shows that taking 75mg of Pycnogenol for 12 weeks improved skin elasticity. 

Twelve weeks of supplementation with the Pycnogenol branded part was related with increases in skin agility and hydration, and an enlarge in the prolongation of hyaluronic acid in skin by 44%, according to commentary published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.


Hyaluronic acid is a component of the pattern between cells (extracellular matrix) that occurs of course in the body until the age of about 30, after that levels beginning to decrease. The lessen is accepted to fool around a purpose in the aging process, specific a relapse in the extracellular pattern and an enlarge in the arrangement of wrinkles.

Indeed, the hunger bellow remove was moreover related with a 3% shrinking in skin wrinkles, according to researchers from Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (IUF) in Dusseldorf, Germany and Horphag Research, the firm at the back the ingredient.
“The present investigate confirms at a molecular turn the profitable belongings Pycnogenol supplementation might supply to human skin,” wrote the researchers. 
Read more here:
Study unlocks Pycnogenol’s skin health mechanism

Isotonix OPC-3 (OPC-3) contains the only isotonic form of Pycnogenol(r) in the world. Pycnogenol is a natural plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree and the most clinically researched and potent bioflavonoid.* Isotonic, which means; same pressure & bears the same chemical resemblance of the body & blood, plasma and tears.  All fluids in the body have a certain concentration, referred to as osmotic pressure. The body & common osmotic pressure, which is isotonic, allows a consistent maintenance of body tissues. In order for a substance to be absorbed and used in the body & metabolism, it must be transported in an isotonic state. Isotonix(r) dietary supplements are delivered in an isotonic solution. This means that the body has less work to do to in obtaining maximum absorption. The isotonic state of the suspension allows nutrients to pass directly into the small intestine and be rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. With Isotonix products, little nutritive value is lost, making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient while delivering maximum results.

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The Science and

Advantage of Isotonix

Healthy supplementation is about more than just ingredients; it’s about delivery and absorption. by Dr. Jim Wilmer

The Advantage

When we eat food, drink a beverage, or ingest most nutritional supplements, the stomach must secrete diluting juices, enzymes, hydrochloric acid and at least one vitamin-binding protein to begin the process of digestion. This process requires both energy and time — about 40 minutes or more, depending on the size of the meal. Isotonix products are delivered into the small intestine nutritionally concentrated, maximizing the opportunity for absorption of nutrients across cell membranes.

What Is Isotonic?
Isotonix® is a word, and that’s all to a lot of people. What does it mean? Broken down to its roots, “iso” means “the same” and “tonic” means “pressure” or “tone.” When isotonic is used to describe solutions for human consumption, it means having the same fluid pressure as body fluids. Tears, blood, plasma, lymph and other body fluids are all isotonic.

When we ingest food, gastric (or stomach) juice is secreted onto the food and muscular contractions of the stomach mix the contents until a reasonably uniform solution is achieved. The solutions of food (or chyme) that enter the small intestine for absorption are made isotonic by the action of the stomach in a time-consuming process. The fluid pressure of food or isotonic solutions across semi-permeable membranes, such as the walls of the small intestine, is generally referred to as having a particular osmolarity or tonicity. It can be said that when solutions on opposite sides of the membrane have the same osmolarity, they are iso-osmotic or iso-tonic. Normal human blood serum (the fluid portion without cells and platelets) has an osmolarity of 288mOs/kg, as do most other fl uids in the body. Therefore, in physiological terms, when a solution’s osmolarity is the same, or nearly the same, as that of normal human blood serum, it is referred to as isotonic.

Gastric Emptying Time

Why is gastric emptying so important? The answer is simply this: the longer the supplements stay in the stomach, the longer the time before absorption can begin, because no appreciable absorption occurs from the stomach.  Why is gastric emptying time stressed when talking about Isotonix?  Because the fastest emptying time occurs when isotonic solutions enter the stomach.  When the biological sensors in the gastrointestinal tract detect that the ingested solution is isotonic and at a correct pH, the pyloric or duodenal valve at the lower end of the stomach remains open and the solution is squirted into the small intestine. Absorption of the nutrients by the intestinal mucosa then starts to occur.

Concentration and Absorption

Concentration and absorption are factors that go hand in hand for the proper use of nutritional supplements.  Concentration, the amount of nutrient dissolved in a given amount of solution, is directly related to the efficiency of nutritional absorption. It is known that the greater the concentration (as milligrams of nutrient per milliliter of solution at the absorption site), the greater

the rate and amount of absorption. Because Isotonix solutions experience little dilution in the gastrointestinal tract, they arrive at the absorption sites in high concentration to assure effi cient absorption.  Isotonix®

Jim L. Wilmer, Ph. D. is Chief Science Officer at Market America and has been employed by the company for over 15 years. He earned a doctorate from Cornell University in environmental toxicology (1991), a master of science in biolog y from East Tennessee State University (1974), and a bachelor of science from Wofford College (1972). Dr. Wilmer has 44 peer-reviewed publications in journals, including Cancer Research, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Mutation Research, Environmental Mutagenesis, Cell Biology and Toxicology, Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics, Angiology, and Phytotherapy Research.

Confirmation that vitamin D acts as a protective agent against the advance of colon cancer

www.Worldhealth.net reports
Vitamin D Protects Against Advance of Colon Cancer | Worldhealth.net Anti-Aging News

Confirmation that vitamin D acts as a protective agent against the advance of colon cancer

A study conducted by VHIO researchers confirms that a lack of vitamin D increases the aggressiveness of colon cancer

The indication that vitamin D and its derivatives have a protective effect against various types of cancer is not new. In the field of colon cancer, numerous experimental and epidemiological studies show that vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol) and some of its derivatives inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. Researchers at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), in collaboration with the Alberto Sols Institute of Biomedical Research (CSIC-UAB), have confirmed the pivotal role of vitamin D, specifically its receptor (VDR), in slowing down the action of a key protein in the carcinogenic transformation process of colon cancer cells. These results are being published in the journal PLoS One.
This protein, known as beta-catenin, which is normally found in intestinal epithelial cells where it facilitates their cohesion, builds up in large quantities in other areas of the cells when the tumour transformation begins. As a result of these changes, the protein is retained in the cell nucleus, where it facilitate the carcinogenic process, and this is the point at which vitamin D intervenes, or rather, the vitamin D receptor (VDR). "Our study has confirmed the pivotal role of the VDR in controlling the anomalous signal that sparks off the growth and uncontrolled proliferation of colon cells which, in the final instance, ends up causing a tumour to emerge", says Héctor Palmer, the coordinator of this study and head of the VHIO's Stem Cells and Cancer laboratory. He continues, "The stimulation of this receptor suppresses the action of the beta-catenin protein, intercepting the series of events that change the intestinal cell into a malignant tumour cell".
The study was conducted on mice and human colon cancer cells. The mice were used as a model to replicate the initial phases of colon cancer. "These findings show that mice of this kind, which also lack the VDR and hence do not respond to vitamin D, present larger and more aggressive tumours than mice with the VDR", explains Dr. Palmer, and concludes: "The number of tumours is not influenced by the absence of VDR, which would indicate that this factor does not protect against the appearance of the tumour but does intervene in its growth phase, reducing its aggressiveness".
The researchers then analysed the effect of the VDR on human colon cancer cell cultures and observed that the concentration of the altered protein, beta-catenin, increased in cells without the VDR. These findings were repeated in the three types of colon cancer cells studied, and confirmed the results observed in the mice.
In two-thirds of advanced colon cancer tumours there was a lack of VDR in the cancer cells, and this circumstance leads us to believe that this loss may contribute to speeding up the growth of the tumour. The findings of this study confirm this supposition.
Vitamin D: essential in the initial phases of colon cancer
In light of these findings, chronic vitamin D deficiency represents a risk factor in the development of more aggressive colon tumours. Patients in the initial stages of colon cancer, the time when the VDR still has a substantial presence in the cells, could benefit from being treated with vitamin D3. However, this would not be useful in the advanced stages of the disease when the presence of the VDR is very much reduced.
The study data support the development of anti-tumour medicines based on the structure of vitamin D, although their use in patients will require further research in the next few years.
The body not only obtains vitamin D from food, especially milk and fish oils, but also manufactures it from exposure to sunlight. Prolonged exposure is not necessary; just 10 minutes in the sun every day when it is not at its peak is sufficient to stimulate its production. During the summer, when we are more likely to sunbathe, it is important to use the appropriate protective measures against sunburn to avoid future sun damage. Use high-factor solar protection products and do not expose the skin to the sun in the middle of the day to protect against skin cancers.

Please click here for information about an isotonic version of Vitamin D
Isotonix Vitamin D

Resveratrol helps cancer cells overcome resistance to common drug

From www.LEF.org
Resveratrol helps cancer cells overcome resistance to common drug
Feb 21, 2011
An article published in the February 28, 2011 issue of the journal Cancer Letters reports the finding of researchers at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic of a benefit for resveratrol in suppressing the growth of breast cancer tumor cells that have become resistant to the drug rapamycin, an immunosuppression drug that has been used to treat cancer.  Results from other research involving resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, grapes and other plant foods, suggest an anticancer effect for several types of malignancies. 

A team led by Charis Eng, MD, PhD, who is the Chair of the Genomic Medicine Institute of Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute tested the effect of resveratrol and rapamycin separately and in varying combinations on three human breast cancer cell lines.  They found dose-dependent effects for both compounds and an additive effect for a combination of the two, which induced 50 percent growth inhibition in all lines when administered in low concentrations.  It was determined that a tumor suppressing gene known as PTEN contributes to resveratrol’s growth suppressive effects.

"Rapamycin has been used in clinical trials as a cancer treatment,” Dr Eng stated.  “Unfortunately, after a while, the cancer cells develop resistance to rapamycin."

"Our findings show that resveratrol seems to mitigate rapamycin-induced drug resistance in breast cancers, at least in the laboratory,” she reported. “ If these observations hold true in the clinic setting, then enjoying a glass of red wine or eating a bowl of boiled peanuts – which has a higher resveratrol content than red wine – before rapamycin treatment for cancer might be a prudent approach."
For more information about Resveratrol click here

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Vitamin D May Boost Lymphoma Survival

Vitamin D May Boost Lymphoma Survival

Study Shows Low Vitamin D Levels Boost Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
By Kelli Miller Stacy
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 7, 2009 -- Healthy levels of vitamin D may help patients with a certain type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma live longer.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have discovered that patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and low vitamin D levels are two times more likely to die from the cancer than patients with optimal levels. Deficient vitamin D levels also increased the chances of cancer progression.
"These are some of the strongest findings yet between vitamin D and cancer outcome," Matthew Drake, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says in a news release. "While these findings are very provocative, they are preliminary and need to be validated in other studies. However, they raise the issue of whether vitamin D supplementation might aid in treatment for this malignancy."
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer of the white blood cells. DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The fast-growing cancer usually occurs in adults.
The new findings are based on a study of 374 patients who were newly diagnosed with DLBCL. Blood testing showed that half of them had a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was defined in this study as less than 25 nanogram/milliliter of total vitamin D in the blood.
Those with deficient vitamin D levels were 1.5 times more likely to have the cancer progress, and had a twofold increase in the risk for dying.

Isotonix Vitamin D with K2

The findings add credence to the growing body of evidence that suggests vitamin D plays an important role in cancer risk and survival. But the American diet usually doesn't provide enough vitamin D. Few foods and drinks naturally contain the vitamin, although some, such as milk, cereals, and certain brands of orange juice, are fortified with it.
The body's greatest supply of vitamin D comes from the sun. The body makes vitamin D after direct exposure to the sun's UV rays. One cause of vitamin D deficiency is limited exposure to sunlight.
"The exact roles that vitamin D might play in the initiation or progression of cancer is unknown, but we do know that the vitamin plays a role in regulation of cell growth and death, among other processes important in limiting cancer," Drake says.
The study team will present their results this week at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans.

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