Bitter Gourds
Do you know that Bitter Gourds is a great melon for great skin health & your young look.
You see according to "I-Medicine Sutra", Bitter Gourds is a cooling agent to cool our body system especially on our Heart & Liver. & also detoxine!!
So once your body Toxine is cleared then the Acnes, Pimple's would dis-appear.
Then you would sleep more sound. That would reduce the wrinkles on our face.
When I was living in Hong Kong, then there is a well know Queen of the Movies, Ms Li , when she is at the age of 60th still have a look of late 20's & early 30's.
She told the medias' that her secret is every morning drink a glass of Bitter Gourd juice with a little of honey.
My advise is that not all people can drink the Bitter Gourds juice as it may have cause diarrhea.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Bitter Gourds
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Cleaning of Digestive System -- Wild Yam Soup
Cleansing of Digestive system is very important in our daily life.
It is especially so for our Skincare & Wellness.
In the "I-Medicine Sutra" the Digestive stomach is of earth element would produce Metal element which is Lung & Big Intestine.
I have discover that once I clean by stomach. My nose congestion & lung uncomfort are gone.
Visit my site at:
www.flickr.com/photos/charliebrown8989 to find out the ingredients for the soup.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Collagen & Elastine
Collagen & Elastine!!
Do you know that after we crossed 25th years old , our Collagen & Elastine started to decay & reproducing at the lower rate then the aging skin.
According to my research the purest Collagen & Elastine is from a Swiss corporation called Reeves. They produce the Collagen & Elastine from Sheep skins. The Retail cost is $150 each on a 30days supply.
There is an alternative way, but it is slow to DIY. That is to boil the pig skin. I had read independence research report that Pig Skin is the closest pH with human skin pH.
My late father like to use the Pig skin to boil for days before he used the gravy to boil Sharkfins. Therefore when he is at 80's, his skin is still as young as late 20's & early 30's.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Boiled Vegetables with Straw Mushrooms & Abalone Sauce
Yes!!
Boiled Vegetables with Straw Mushrooms & Abalone Sauce
This is very simple to cook & it is good for your SkinCare & Wellness!!
Carrot for Carotene
Mushroom To Detoxine
Bai Tsai for Lung Health & Skincare!!
"CharlieBrown8989's Gourmet"
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
10 Junk Foods -- 10 大垃圾食物
Your skin health & your physical wellness is related to the food & drinks that you intake!!
Here Are the
10 types of Junk Food:- 10 大垃圾食物
１ 油炸食品。 -- Deep Fried
２ 腌制类食品。 -- Preserved
３ 加工类肉食品。 -- Manufactured
４ 饼干类食品。 -- Cookies & Biscuits
５ 汽水可乐类食品。 -- Carbonated Drinks
６ 方便类食品。 -- Convenience or Fast Food
７ 罐头类食品。 -- Canned
８ 话梅蜜饯类食品。 -- Tips Bits
９ 冷冻甜品类食品。 -- Frozen
１０ 烧烤类食品。 -- BBQ & Grills
So for your Beautiful Skin & Wellness. Avoid eating these food.
Here Are the
10 types of Junk Food:- 10 大垃圾食物
１ 油炸食品。 -- Deep Fried
２ 腌制类食品。 -- Preserved
３ 加工类肉食品。 -- Manufactured
４ 饼干类食品。 -- Cookies & Biscuits
５ 汽水可乐类食品。 -- Carbonated Drinks
６ 方便类食品。 -- Convenience or Fast Food
７ 罐头类食品。 -- Canned
８ 话梅蜜饯类食品。 -- Tips Bits
９ 冷冻甜品类食品。 -- Frozen
１０ 烧烤类食品。 -- BBQ & Grills
So for your Beautiful Skin & Wellness. Avoid eating these food.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Use Chili To Open Up The Pores
Put a few Slices of Chili In The Water is help to Open Up the Pores for Face Cleansing!!
Monday, April 25, 2005
8 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You
Some what I agreed with the following author her opinions.
However, my advise to all is still the same old golden Mantra!!
We Are What We Ate!!
As the old Chinese Guru Said:
Illness is from What is going into the Mouth.
Trouble is From What is Out from The Mouth!!
8 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You
By Kate Dailey Rodale
Before the feds brought him down in 1996, Edwin Kokes had a pretty good racket. Mr. Kokes convinced people that he was, in fact, Dr. Kokes and had cured thousands of AIDS and cancer patients. He encouraged folks to stop their medications and buy his potions instead, including one called M-Bone. Its special ingredient? Sulfuric acid.
Even if your doctor isn't intentionally out to mislead you, we'll bet a box of tongue depressors that he is keeping you in the dark about certain things. These are secrets that can save you money, time, or even your life. Here's what you'll never hear—unless you know what to ask.
1. "You don't need this test."
To cover their own butts, doctors sometimes take a needless trip up yours. A nationwide sample of "surveillance" colonoscopies—follow-up procedures done after polyps are removed—found that up to 50 percent of doctors recommended these tests unnecessarily. This better-safe-than-sorry mindset keeps docs safe against lawsuits, and isn't limited to colonoscopies.
Get the truth: Watch out for the most overused procedures: MRIs and CT scans, echocardiograms, and stress tests all scored high in a survey of health insurers. "When your doctor does make a recommendation that seems aggressive, ask why, and where you fit in the assigned guidelines," says Pauline Mysliwiec, M.D., author of the colonoscopy study. For a list of the most common testing guidelines for men, click here.
2. "This WILL cost You."
From deductibles to drugs, chances are your doctor visit will run more than insurance will pay. But while a Journal of the American Medical Association study showed that 79 percent of doctors think it's important to tell patients about these costs, only 35 percent actually do inform them. Their excuse? Many physicians say they're under time pressures and don't know how much patients are spending on out-of-pocket costs, says G. Caleb Alexander, M.D., the study author.
Get the truth: Tell 'em where it hurts—in your wallet. If you mention medical expenses, most doctors will work with you to lower them, says Dr. Alexander. For instance, they can prescribe a 3-month instead of a 1-month supply of a drug to help you save on the co-pay. Or they can look at the prescriptions you take and services you receive, such as physical therapy, and reevaluate which can be used on an as-needed basis.
3. "This pill is basically a placebo."
Not the sugar-filled kind, but equally ineffective. "Forty percent of patients with colds who go to a doctor get an antibiotic," says Howard Brody, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State University. "Doctors can spend 15 minutes explaining why the patient doesn't need medicine or take 1 minute to write a prescription."
Get the truth: Tell your doctor you hope your problem isn't so serious that it calls for medication. This lets him know you're not looking for a bottle of pills, and it may make him more likely to discuss other treatments, says Dr. Brody. And watch out if your diagnosis is sinusitis. Because it can be either bacterial or viral in nature, sinusitis is one of the top conditions for which antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed. Ask for a C-reactive protein rapid test—a raised CRP level signals a bacterial infection. Danish researchers recently showed that doctors who gave the test to sinusitis patients prescribed 20 percent fewer antibiotics than their peers who skipped the test.
4. "I'm trained to fix problems, not prevent them."
Whoever first said "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" probably wasn't an M.D. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that only one in six doctors preaches to patients about nutrition's role in preventing disease, while Colorado researchers found that just 28 percent of doctors mention exercise. "We tend to be more pharmacologically oriented because of our M.D. training," says Mark Houston, M.D., author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Hypertension.
Get the truth: If your doctor doesn't have answers about nutrition or exercise, he knows someone who does. Many general practitioners collaborate with nutritionists and trainers who help treat patients with lifestyle-influenced health problems, such as type-2 diabetes. Ask for a referral to discuss basic preventive health strategies.
5. "Don't Join THIS clinical trial."
Doctors can make $5,000 for each patient they recruit to a clinical trial, so you might receive advice colored by the promise of a kickback. That's scary, especially since clinical trials are crapshoots. "The drug is being tested precisely because we don't know how it will work," says Steven Joffe, M.D., a researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Plus, you could end up with a placebo and not see any benefits.
Get the truth: Start by asking your doctor to explain the proven benefits of existing medications versus the potential advantages of the trial drug. Next, find out more about the study in question at clinicaltrials.gov, a clearinghouse for information on trials. Go ahead and e-mail the organizer of the trial and ask if the organization is offering physicians any recruiting "incentives." If so, mention this to your doctor and ask if he still stands by his recommendation.
6. "There's a cheaper pill."
If a brand-name pill costs $1.50 and an equally effective generic costs 5 cents, why would anyone prescribe the pill with the $1.45 markup? "Most doctors aren't prescribing generic medicines because there are rewards to be had from the pharmaceutical industry," says Evan Levine, M.D., author of What Your Doctor Won't (or Can't) Tell You. Federal law prohibits companies from blatantly compensating doctors, but there are loopholes. "They take the doctors to an expensive dinner or a strip club and bill it as a 'teaching' seminar," says Dr. Levine.
Get the truth: Ask and you shall receive. Doctors will acquiesce to patients who demand a generic drug (if one is available; about 40 percent of drugs on the market have generics). Don't worry about quality: Generics have to have the same potency and active ingredients as their brand-name brothers. Note: Beware of free samples. While they can save you a few bucks in the short term, they can also get you started on an expensive drug with no generic equivalent.
7. "I'll push surgery, even if that's not the best treatment."
"In many doctors' value systems, surgery is the default," says Christopher Meyers, Ph.D., head of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University. But research indicates that surgery often isn't the best option. A Baylor College of Medicine study showed that chronic knee pain didn't change after surgery, while another study found that taking a wait-and-see strategy with hernias may be as effective as going under the knife.
Get the truth: "You should always ask what the alternatives are to surgery, including an approach that most physicians feel uncomfortable offering: to do nothing," says Meyers. If your doc is still scalpel-happy, get a second opinion from a doctor of osteopathy. "These doctors take a more holistic approach and are familiar with newer literature that promotes different strategies," says Dr. Houston.
8. "I've been disciplined by my state's medical board."
Doctors won't post signs on their office doors to inform you of their disciplinary infractions or the number of malpractice claims they've paid. But you need to know.
Get the truth: Go to www.docboard.org—a site with a searchable database from 15 state medical boards and links to the databases of the other 36 boards. If a practitioner you like has been reprimanded, ask him about it. "If a doctor refuses to answer questions about his background or about whether or not patients have sued him, you should run," says Dan Fee, a spokesman for Citizens for Fairness, a coalition of patients'-rights groups.
MSN Health & Fitness - 8 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You
However, my advise to all is still the same old golden Mantra!!
We Are What We Ate!!
As the old Chinese Guru Said:
Illness is from What is going into the Mouth.
Trouble is From What is Out from The Mouth!!
8 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You
By Kate Dailey Rodale
Before the feds brought him down in 1996, Edwin Kokes had a pretty good racket. Mr. Kokes convinced people that he was, in fact, Dr. Kokes and had cured thousands of AIDS and cancer patients. He encouraged folks to stop their medications and buy his potions instead, including one called M-Bone. Its special ingredient? Sulfuric acid.
Even if your doctor isn't intentionally out to mislead you, we'll bet a box of tongue depressors that he is keeping you in the dark about certain things. These are secrets that can save you money, time, or even your life. Here's what you'll never hear—unless you know what to ask.
1. "You don't need this test."
To cover their own butts, doctors sometimes take a needless trip up yours. A nationwide sample of "surveillance" colonoscopies—follow-up procedures done after polyps are removed—found that up to 50 percent of doctors recommended these tests unnecessarily. This better-safe-than-sorry mindset keeps docs safe against lawsuits, and isn't limited to colonoscopies.
Get the truth: Watch out for the most overused procedures: MRIs and CT scans, echocardiograms, and stress tests all scored high in a survey of health insurers. "When your doctor does make a recommendation that seems aggressive, ask why, and where you fit in the assigned guidelines," says Pauline Mysliwiec, M.D., author of the colonoscopy study. For a list of the most common testing guidelines for men, click here.
2. "This WILL cost You."
From deductibles to drugs, chances are your doctor visit will run more than insurance will pay. But while a Journal of the American Medical Association study showed that 79 percent of doctors think it's important to tell patients about these costs, only 35 percent actually do inform them. Their excuse? Many physicians say they're under time pressures and don't know how much patients are spending on out-of-pocket costs, says G. Caleb Alexander, M.D., the study author.
Get the truth: Tell 'em where it hurts—in your wallet. If you mention medical expenses, most doctors will work with you to lower them, says Dr. Alexander. For instance, they can prescribe a 3-month instead of a 1-month supply of a drug to help you save on the co-pay. Or they can look at the prescriptions you take and services you receive, such as physical therapy, and reevaluate which can be used on an as-needed basis.
3. "This pill is basically a placebo."
Not the sugar-filled kind, but equally ineffective. "Forty percent of patients with colds who go to a doctor get an antibiotic," says Howard Brody, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State University. "Doctors can spend 15 minutes explaining why the patient doesn't need medicine or take 1 minute to write a prescription."
Get the truth: Tell your doctor you hope your problem isn't so serious that it calls for medication. This lets him know you're not looking for a bottle of pills, and it may make him more likely to discuss other treatments, says Dr. Brody. And watch out if your diagnosis is sinusitis. Because it can be either bacterial or viral in nature, sinusitis is one of the top conditions for which antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed. Ask for a C-reactive protein rapid test—a raised CRP level signals a bacterial infection. Danish researchers recently showed that doctors who gave the test to sinusitis patients prescribed 20 percent fewer antibiotics than their peers who skipped the test.
4. "I'm trained to fix problems, not prevent them."
Whoever first said "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" probably wasn't an M.D. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that only one in six doctors preaches to patients about nutrition's role in preventing disease, while Colorado researchers found that just 28 percent of doctors mention exercise. "We tend to be more pharmacologically oriented because of our M.D. training," says Mark Houston, M.D., author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Hypertension.
Get the truth: If your doctor doesn't have answers about nutrition or exercise, he knows someone who does. Many general practitioners collaborate with nutritionists and trainers who help treat patients with lifestyle-influenced health problems, such as type-2 diabetes. Ask for a referral to discuss basic preventive health strategies.
5. "Don't Join THIS clinical trial."
Doctors can make $5,000 for each patient they recruit to a clinical trial, so you might receive advice colored by the promise of a kickback. That's scary, especially since clinical trials are crapshoots. "The drug is being tested precisely because we don't know how it will work," says Steven Joffe, M.D., a researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Plus, you could end up with a placebo and not see any benefits.
Get the truth: Start by asking your doctor to explain the proven benefits of existing medications versus the potential advantages of the trial drug. Next, find out more about the study in question at clinicaltrials.gov, a clearinghouse for information on trials. Go ahead and e-mail the organizer of the trial and ask if the organization is offering physicians any recruiting "incentives." If so, mention this to your doctor and ask if he still stands by his recommendation.
6. "There's a cheaper pill."
If a brand-name pill costs $1.50 and an equally effective generic costs 5 cents, why would anyone prescribe the pill with the $1.45 markup? "Most doctors aren't prescribing generic medicines because there are rewards to be had from the pharmaceutical industry," says Evan Levine, M.D., author of What Your Doctor Won't (or Can't) Tell You. Federal law prohibits companies from blatantly compensating doctors, but there are loopholes. "They take the doctors to an expensive dinner or a strip club and bill it as a 'teaching' seminar," says Dr. Levine.
Get the truth: Ask and you shall receive. Doctors will acquiesce to patients who demand a generic drug (if one is available; about 40 percent of drugs on the market have generics). Don't worry about quality: Generics have to have the same potency and active ingredients as their brand-name brothers. Note: Beware of free samples. While they can save you a few bucks in the short term, they can also get you started on an expensive drug with no generic equivalent.
7. "I'll push surgery, even if that's not the best treatment."
"In many doctors' value systems, surgery is the default," says Christopher Meyers, Ph.D., head of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University. But research indicates that surgery often isn't the best option. A Baylor College of Medicine study showed that chronic knee pain didn't change after surgery, while another study found that taking a wait-and-see strategy with hernias may be as effective as going under the knife.
Get the truth: "You should always ask what the alternatives are to surgery, including an approach that most physicians feel uncomfortable offering: to do nothing," says Meyers. If your doc is still scalpel-happy, get a second opinion from a doctor of osteopathy. "These doctors take a more holistic approach and are familiar with newer literature that promotes different strategies," says Dr. Houston.
8. "I've been disciplined by my state's medical board."
Doctors won't post signs on their office doors to inform you of their disciplinary infractions or the number of malpractice claims they've paid. But you need to know.
Get the truth: Go to www.docboard.org—a site with a searchable database from 15 state medical boards and links to the databases of the other 36 boards. If a practitioner you like has been reprimanded, ask him about it. "If a doctor refuses to answer questions about his background or about whether or not patients have sued him, you should run," says Dan Fee, a spokesman for Citizens for Fairness, a coalition of patients'-rights groups.
MSN Health & Fitness - 8 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Phytochemical Information Center Home
I am not aware of the Phytochemicals & AntiOixdants until I research into it.
The following is the adapted from
It is importants to have enough intake of Vege & fruits at least
7 Serving & 9 Serving of Vege & Fruits for Woman & man per days to have Great Health & Wellness
What are Phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals (“fight-o-chemicals”) are substances that are naturally occurring only in plants.
Some of them may provide health benefits beyond those provided by essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Eating a variety of colorful phytochemical-rich fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Phytochemicals may act as antioxidants, protect and regenerate essential nutrients, and/or work to deactivate cancer-causing substances.
It is thought that phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all present in fruits and vegetables, work synergistically in whole foods to promote health and lower disease risk. For this reason, many authoritative organizations, such as the National Cancer Institute and The American Heart Association, recommend getting phytochemicals from whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than from supplements.
Phytochemical Information Center Home
The following is the adapted from
It is importants to have enough intake of Vege & fruits at least
7 Serving & 9 Serving of Vege & Fruits for Woman & man per days to have Great Health & Wellness
What are Phytochemicals?
Phytochemicals (“fight-o-chemicals”) are substances that are naturally occurring only in plants.
Some of them may provide health benefits beyond those provided by essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Eating a variety of colorful phytochemical-rich fruits and vegetables has been associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Phytochemicals may act as antioxidants, protect and regenerate essential nutrients, and/or work to deactivate cancer-causing substances.
It is thought that phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all present in fruits and vegetables, work synergistically in whole foods to promote health and lower disease risk. For this reason, many authoritative organizations, such as the National Cancer Institute and The American Heart Association, recommend getting phytochemicals from whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than from supplements.
Phytochemical Information Center Home
Friday, April 15, 2005
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Sushi for Wellness
Yes, As my late Mom said:
Fish is the best Food you must eat..
Then I question back. What is That good for..
She said..don't ask so much.. just eat..otherwise no more food for you.
After year of Research.. I realized that Because of the protein.. the Omega 3 & Omega 6 of the Fish....
Especially Salmon..Then these are great for our eyes.. Our proteins ...Collagen...Elastine... That for us to
look Young.. good immunities...Great Health.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Sushi Is A Health Food Provided...
Sushi Is A Health Food.
It is Very Rich in Color;
Comform To "Tao of Eating";
The Balance of 5 Color's;
Sea Weed for Cleansing Our Organs;
Tofu Soup for Potein;
In Fact, there are lots of proteins In There!!
More.....
However, Beware of Soldium;
Too Much Soldium would damage Your Kidney;
Then Liver - Wood would be affected....
But the Mother of Kidney Is
Lung - Metal;
Controling the function of Skin & Big Intestine...
So Think Skin & Young Look..
Drink more Water,
Less Soldium;
Less Sugar;
Cut of Oilly & Deep Fried Food;
Cut off Spicies Food;
Drink More Juice;
Drink More Tea;
Have Enough Sleep;
Would Share More..........
Monday, April 11, 2005
Natalie Make Up Toys
The Little Ponny!!
These Reminded Me About Natalie, When she was 4-5 Years old.
She either Have the Babe Doll or her Little Ponny To play With..Make-Up, ....
She is Now An Adult!!
Times Really Flys!!!!!
Don't Worries You Are Slow - Garfield
Don't Worries You Are Slow.
The Old Saying is:
Do Not Worries About You Are Slow;
You Should Concern That You Just Standing There!!
Look At Carrie Underwood Face!!!!!!!!!
Looking at her face complexion. Smooth & flawless.
These need not only the make up before the event. It is Also need to have consistence Facial Care & Food, Drinks, Water & Sleep.
Shall Share More Secret that you are affortable....
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Friday, April 08, 2005
Why Carotenoids
Carotenoid combo reduces damage to cells, may fight disease
15/03/2005 - Doses of carotenoids easily gained from the diet have a significant effect on reducing oxidative damage, said researchers at a nutrition conference in Paris earlier this month.
Their study is thought to be the first to demonstrate the impact of carotenoids on protecting against oxidative damage, which has been linked to increased potential for disease.
It also suggests that a combination of carotenoids, such as is found naturally in the diet, may offer greater benefits than a single carotenoid.
Lead investigator Kyung-Jin Yeum from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, said that the study was designed to add new information to the evidence that fruit and vegetables can help fight off disease.
Fruit and vegetables contain numerous different chemical compounds making it difficult to assess which of these are acting against disease. However carotenoids are the main source of pigments in fruit and vegetables and have already been linked to decreased risk of cancer and other diseases in which oxidative damage is thought to play a role.
The researchers supplemented 37 healthy, postmenopausal women with either a combination of 4mg each of lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein, 12mg of a single carotenoid or a placebo for eight weeks. The carotenoids were provided by German group BASF, which funded the study.
The scientists assessed oxidative damage to lymphocytes (white blood cells) at certain points during the study. â?oBoth the single and mixed carotenoid groups showed significantly increased plasma total carotenoid levels within 15 days of supplementation and significantly decreased damage at day 57," write the researchers in the study abstract.
The mixed carotenoids supplemented group showed significantly decreased DNA damage as early as day 15 (by around 22 per cent) and this further decreased at days 29 and 43. By day 57, it had been reduced by 36 per cent. There were no significant changes in the placebo group. â?oWe wanted to combine three different carotenoids as we know they have a different structure and are located in different positions in the membrane.
This means they have different functions so could have a synergistic effect when combined,â? Dr Yeum told NutraIngredients.com. She added that 4mg of lutein can be gained from a quarter of a cup of cooked spinach, while the same dose of beta-carotene can be found in a third of a carrot.
A medium-sized tomato offers 4mg lycopene. â?oWhat is really important is that we have used a physiologic dose. We do not want to use pharmacological levels as increasingly research is showing that high doses of nutrients like vitamin E or beta-carotene can have side effects," she added.
"Our findings emphasise the importance of a balanced diet. If fruit and vegetable intake is low, supplements could be helpful although the study did not intend to promote supplements,â? continued Dr Yeum.
The researcher explained that while there is no study showing a direct connection between DNA and disease, several have shown that heart disease and breast cancer patients have higher DNA damage compared to controls.
The study was presented at the Nutrition, Oxygen Biology and Medicine conference at the Societe De Recherches Sur Les Radicaux Libres in Paris from 2-4 March 2005. It will shortly be submitted for publication in a scientific journal.
Source: http://nutraingredients-usa.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=58729-carotenoid-combo-reduces
15/03/2005 - Doses of carotenoids easily gained from the diet have a significant effect on reducing oxidative damage, said researchers at a nutrition conference in Paris earlier this month.
Their study is thought to be the first to demonstrate the impact of carotenoids on protecting against oxidative damage, which has been linked to increased potential for disease.
It also suggests that a combination of carotenoids, such as is found naturally in the diet, may offer greater benefits than a single carotenoid.
Lead investigator Kyung-Jin Yeum from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, said that the study was designed to add new information to the evidence that fruit and vegetables can help fight off disease.
Fruit and vegetables contain numerous different chemical compounds making it difficult to assess which of these are acting against disease. However carotenoids are the main source of pigments in fruit and vegetables and have already been linked to decreased risk of cancer and other diseases in which oxidative damage is thought to play a role.
The researchers supplemented 37 healthy, postmenopausal women with either a combination of 4mg each of lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein, 12mg of a single carotenoid or a placebo for eight weeks. The carotenoids were provided by German group BASF, which funded the study.
The scientists assessed oxidative damage to lymphocytes (white blood cells) at certain points during the study. â?oBoth the single and mixed carotenoid groups showed significantly increased plasma total carotenoid levels within 15 days of supplementation and significantly decreased damage at day 57," write the researchers in the study abstract.
The mixed carotenoids supplemented group showed significantly decreased DNA damage as early as day 15 (by around 22 per cent) and this further decreased at days 29 and 43. By day 57, it had been reduced by 36 per cent. There were no significant changes in the placebo group. â?oWe wanted to combine three different carotenoids as we know they have a different structure and are located in different positions in the membrane.
This means they have different functions so could have a synergistic effect when combined,â? Dr Yeum told NutraIngredients.com. She added that 4mg of lutein can be gained from a quarter of a cup of cooked spinach, while the same dose of beta-carotene can be found in a third of a carrot.
A medium-sized tomato offers 4mg lycopene. â?oWhat is really important is that we have used a physiologic dose. We do not want to use pharmacological levels as increasingly research is showing that high doses of nutrients like vitamin E or beta-carotene can have side effects," she added.
"Our findings emphasise the importance of a balanced diet. If fruit and vegetable intake is low, supplements could be helpful although the study did not intend to promote supplements,â? continued Dr Yeum.
The researcher explained that while there is no study showing a direct connection between DNA and disease, several have shown that heart disease and breast cancer patients have higher DNA damage compared to controls.
The study was presented at the Nutrition, Oxygen Biology and Medicine conference at the Societe De Recherches Sur Les Radicaux Libres in Paris from 2-4 March 2005. It will shortly be submitted for publication in a scientific journal.
Source: http://nutraingredients-usa.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=58729-carotenoid-combo-reduces
Monday, April 04, 2005
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