Gamma-Tocotrienols may help reduce fat cell numbers

Tocotrienols are a subset of the vitamin E family, and, until now, have not got as much attention. This may change things.

The tocopherols are the darlings of the vitamin E family, and always have been. Alpha tocopherol was the first to be discovered, and for a very long time it was thought to be the only active form. Now we know much more about this family of nutrients and it is getting very interesting.

There are four types of the tocopherols, alpha, beta, delta, and gamma. The natural form of these are noted with the prefix d-. The reason for pointing this out is the fact that much of the vitamin E on the market is the l- form, or synthetic. This brings us to the newest discovery in the vitamin E family, the tocotrienols. There are also four types of the tocotrienols, alpha, beta, delta, and gamma. This brings the total to eight (8) forms of this fat soluble family.

Since the discovery of the tocotrienols much research has been done on them as to various health benefits. They have shown to have good results in protecting the cardiovascular system as well as many other health benefits. Now we have the most recent research that shows they may help in hte battle of the waistline as well.

Researchers from National Taiwan University have found that palm tocotrienols, palm being one of the most readily available sources of tocotrienols, has "inhibitory actions" on fat cells. They tested different forms of the vitamin E for their anti-proliferate effects on 3T3-L1 adipocytes (fat cells).

what they discovered was the gamma-tocotrienol "causes disruption in mitochondrial membrane potential and increases ROS (radical oxygen species) generation, which ultimately lead to fat cell death".

"This particular study further shows that gamma-tocotrienol is the most effective form of vitamin E in reducing fat cell numbers via regulating specific signaling pathways....which underscores the benefit of using it as a natural supplement in managing obesity".

Knowing that there are many other benefits of taking the tocotrienols, this just adds one more reason, maintaining a healthy number of fat cells.

As more research comes to light there are sure to be more interesting benefits found for this little known form of the vitamin E family.

Berberine, may not be magic, but very close!

Berberine. Never heard of it, right? Don't feel alone, unless you have studied alternative medicine for many years, you would have not had the opportunity to 'bump' into Bernerines.

Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of isoquinolline alkaloids. Ok, so what is it really? It is an extract from, plants like the Oregon grape, goldenseal, Californian poppy, usually from the root and rhizomes. These you have probably heard of. These extracts have been used for thousands of years to treat problems like Candida overgrowth, yeast infections, parasites, even bacterial and viral infections. Recently, in the past 5 to 10 years, research has come to light showing the many other properties of berberine.


One of the most fascinating aspects of berberine use is in the field of diabetic treatment. This recent research has shown berberine to be very good at helping in the insulin resistance problem associated with diabetes. This is very good news for those suffering with diabetes and even the pre-diabetic syndromes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance (that has not yet developed into diabetes), etc. This alone makes berberine a very important tool that can be used in turning these disease processes around. More recent research, just in the past several months actually, bring more to light on this fascinating compound.

There are many problems associated with diabetes, including eye disease, kidney problems and even the dreaded neuropathy of the lower extremities. Let's start with the later, the neuropathy, which is a very common disability for those with diabetes.

An article published in the November, 2013 issue of the scientific journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology demonstrated the effectiveness of berberine in attenuating the high glucose induced neurotoxicity. This neurotoxicity is the cause of the neuropathy in diabetic patients. The research even discovered that berberine could and did "markedly enhance nerve growth factor (NGF) expression and promoted neurite (nerve cell) outgrowth in high glucose-treated cells". What this means is that the berberine can cause new nerve cell growth and possible reversal of the neuropathy. That is a big 'WOW' if you are suffering from neuropathy.

Let's move on to the eyes, another known problem with diabetes. In the October, 2013 issue of Molecular Vision, a peer reviewed journal, looked at the evidence of eye pathology due to diabetes. The evidence has been pointing to the fact that leukocytes (white blood cells) are involved in the pathology known as diabetic retinopathy. Another of the dreaded complications of diabetes.

Here the researchers that, indeed, the leukocytes in diabetic patients kill the retinal endothelial cells, the cells lining the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels of the eye. They also found that berberine can inhibit the leukocyte-mediated killing of vascular endothelium. Just a side note; even though this was done on the vessels of the eye, all blood vessels have an endothelial lining, including the heart, a very important organ.

One of the most disturbing problems associated with glucose (sugar) impairment, including diabetes as well as the pre-diabetic syndromes, is the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in females. This is the root cause of many of the fertility issues facing the metabolically challenged young female today, and one we see frequently in our practice.

One of the common medical treatments for PCOS is to treat the glucose impairment problem with metformin, a diabetic drug. In a large number of the cases of PCOS metformin can be effective. In the July, 2013 issue of Clinical Endocrinology researchers found "Berberine has a more pronounced therapeutic effect and achieved more live births with fewer side effects than metformin". It seems that with berberine we have a totally new tool to help these female patients with PCOS.

We at Doctor's Nutrition have been aware of the emerging new benefits of berberine and that was behind our development of our recently released formula Berberine Max. In this formula we provide 500 mg of berberine as well as some co-factors needed for proper utilization and further protection of the diabetic or metabolically challenged patient. These include Folate (as 5-MTHF), grape seed extract, phosphatidylcholine, as well as R-lipoic acid. This makes Berberine Max a great tool in the fight against the revenges of high glucose and diabetes. Clinically, we have seen remarkable reductions in the Hgb A1c of those we have used this formula with. Considering all this new and developing research, we have great expectations for this formula. If you, or someone you know, are dealing with diabetes or metabolic syndrome, you need the protection and help provided in Berberine Max.

New research on the Green-Lipped Muscle (Perna canaliculus)

Osteoarthritis is a common problem that we all face as we grow older. Years of wear and tear and possible trauma to the joint and we have aches and pains that even if they aren't debilitating, they are very aggravating. Maybe just enough to stop us from enjoying a hobby or pastime that we love. If you are experiencing this, we have something that can help reduce some of the discomfort and let you start enjoying life again.

As someone with osteoarthritis you have probably been prescribed anti-inflammatory medication at some point. Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones that do not have G.I. (gastrointestinal) problems due to those NSAIDs, but most likely, you have had to deal with the side effects. Maybe you have tried Glucosamine sulfate that a friend recommended and got some relief. If you have contacted us at Doctor's Nutrition for our recommendation you are probably familiar with our PernaMax. PernaMax is our joint formula using the Green-lipped muscle or Perna canaliculus. Over the past 20 years we have had great results with those suffering with osteoarthritis when they began taking our Perna products.

As mentioned, most prescription therapies for osteoarthritis have G.I. complications. And as you may know, when the G.I. system gets disrupted, there are consequences in other areas. Recent research at the University of Queensland, School of Medicine in Australia found that the Green-lipped muscle and Glucosamine sulfate reduced the symptoms of osteoarthritis and did not cause damage to the G.I. tract. Actually, some positive changes were made, especially in the microbiota profiles; the most notable was a reduction of Clostridia bacteria. Clostridia is a potent modulator of colonic Th17 and CD4+ regulatory cells, known to have the effect of increasing inflammation in the G.I. tract. This in itself would be reason to take Perna canaliculus and Glucosamine sulfate. Hopefully you never have to deal with a Clostridia overgrowth in the G.I. tract, however, if you or someone you know has had that to deal with, you know that it is very unpleasant.

As mentioned, we have been using the Perna canaliculus for a long time and have come to refomulate our compound over the years adding extra Glucosamine sulfate to the formula. We also have added Boswellia for its anti-inflammatory effects as well. This makes PernaMax an excellent formula for the reduction of those pesky osteoarthritis symptoms as well as something that can help protect the gut. That is a win win situation.

If you or someone you know suffers with osteoarthritis symptoms, give us a call and try PernaMax. It just may change your life, and that is what we are all about, living healthy and being healthy.

Salmon, farm raised or wild caught?

Is that salmon you are eating farm raised or wild caught? Why should you care? Well, there are some serious concerns about the farm raised salmon.

 Dr. Anne-Lise Birch Monsen of the University of Bergen, Norway, has raised some serious concerns about the high levels of contaminants in farm raised salmon. Wild caught salmon have some of the contaminants as well, thanks to environmental contaminants. But, due to the confinement of the farm raised fish, and the diet they are fed, complete with anti-biotics to keep down disease,  they have even more concentrated levels of these contaminants.

Dr. Monsen states: "I do not recommend pregnant women, children or young people eat farmed salmon. It is uncertain in both the amount of toxins salmon contain, and how these drugs affect children, adolescents and pregnant women. The type of contaminants that have been detected in farmed salmon have a negative effect on brain development and is associated with autism, ADD/ADHD and reduced IQ. We also know that they can affect other organ systems in the body's immune system and metabolism." Some pretty strong words indeed.

But I eat salmon for the omega-3  oils, you say! Another Norwegian article reveals that levels of critically important omega-3 reduced by 50% in farmed salmon, compared to wild caught salmon due to the amount of grain, mostly corn, they are fed. Some have even referred to farmed salmon as "swimming corncobs". Yep, that is what they feed the fish, corn products, and mostly GMO corn at that.

And, Norway just lobbied the EU to raise the permissible levels of toxins in the salmon chow, and they got the okay. Wow. Even Russia has banned Norwegian salmon in 2006 due to excessive levels of lead and cadmium.

Make mine Alaskan, please. You see, if your salmon is labeled as Alaskan, it can't be farm raised. The Alaskans are very protective of their salmon and I, for one, am very glad. It is worth the effort to find out where the food that we eat is produced. Your health could depend on it. 

Obesity is now a disease!

It is now official, Obesity is a disease according to the AMA. That is this week, last week it was caffeine withdrawal is now a mental disorder. So, what is next?

Seriously, the AMA has now classified obesity as a disease. That opens the doors for 78 million adults and 12 million children to be covered by insurance plans. The bad thing is, the AMA, and medicine in general, has a very poor record for treating obesity. Sure, we have surgical weight loss procedures, but even they don't have great success. I can't count he number of people that I have dealt with that lost weight and then gained it back after their surgery.

Can you imagine what this is going to do to the already overloaded medical system? And, what is the insurance industry going to do with an additional 90 million folks that they have to cover? I would bet that all our premiums are headed North.

As some of you may know we have been involved in a 40 plus year experiment with the low fat, high carb diet. And now a full one third of the population in America is obese. Maybe it is just me, but after 40 plus years, can't we recognize failure when we see it? At this point I always bring up the meaning of insanity; keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome. And that is exactly what we have done for the past 40 years.

There is some very convincing evidence that with some serious dietary changes we can reverse this trend. At the same time we can also get rid of the many gastrointestinal disorders plaguing America.

No, it is much easier to just 'reclassify' this problem to a disease state rather than what it really is, making bad dietary choices.

P.S.
If you think caffeine withdrawal is bad, just wait until you try getting away from sugar! You just might be mental after that. :-)

Vegetarian diet tied to fewer deaths over time...

A new study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine ( http://www.bit.ly/MbBLb9 ) shows that people who limit how much meat they eat and stick mainly to mostly fruits and vegetables are less likely to die over a period of time.

Another study from Europe found that British vegetarians were just as likely to die at any point as the meat eaters. Hmmmmm, is there more to this than meats the eye, (pun intended)? More questions than answers perhaps? We will get to that a little later.

The recent study used data from 73,308 people recruited at U.S. and Canadian Sevent-day Advventist churches between 2002 and 2007.

The participants were asked about their dietary choices and eating habits then seperated into categories. 8% were vegans, no animal products, 29% were lacto-ovo-vegetarians who don't eat fish or other meats but do eat dairy and egg products. The rest of the participants were meat eaters.

The researchers found seven people died of any cause per 1,000 in the meat eating group over a year compared to approximately five to six deaths per year for vegetarians in the same time period. Not a huge difference, but a difference non the less.

It seemed that men benefited the most from the plant based diet. Again, Hmmmmm.

Now we have to ask : Is it the meat or things in the meats that is causing the problem? By things in the meat I mean hormones used in production of livestock here in America or ingredients such as preservatives? Good question, but not one answered in this study. Obviously more studies needed.

No doubt that anyone that eats more vegetables and fruits is better off than one that eats packaged, processed foods, including processed meats. Could it be the added fiber in the veggies and fruits? There have been other studies that show that the added fiber helps with blood sugar regulation and gut health. And we must remember that the gut holds somewhere between 70% to 80 % of the immune system, and since we are looking at total deaths, there may be another connecting link not included in this study.

Also, what was the overall health status and family history of the participants? All this would have to be taken into consideration to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the diet.

Hopefully, in the future, this will be more rigorously investigated. In the mean time, eat more vegetables and fruits, and if you are going to eat meats, make sure the meats are hormone free or organic. For fish, make sure they are 'wild caught' so as to avoid the contaminants of factory farming of fish that is highly suspect as to safety.The lack of hormones and increased fiber will do you good.

FrankenWheat is here......

GMO wheat, or as I call it "FrankenWheat", is here, or I should say in the fields of America. Perhaps you have heard of this discovery, perhaps not. It has not made the mainstream media, and I doubt that it will. Hopefully I will be proven wrong in this case.

It seems that our old friends Monsanto have been experimenting with wheat since 1998. Now, this still unapproved, wheat has made its escape and has been found in the wheat fields of Oregon. Where else is it going to be found, hard to tell since it was planted in experimental crop areas of 15 or more states. What damage can it do? Again, hard to tell since it has never been studied. Maybe that is why the rest of the world is freaking out and banning shipments of U.S. grown wheat. The latest is South Korea which joined with Japan and is stopping imports of our wheat http://tinyurl.com/me8cwog.

Even our FDA, here is the 'official' response:

"WASHINGTON, May 29, 2013 –The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today that test results of plant samples from an Oregon farm indicate the presence of genetically engineered (GE) glyphosate-resistant wheat plants. Further testing by USDA laboratories indicates the presence of the same GE glyphosate-resistant wheat variety that Monsanto was authorized to field test in 16 states from 1998 to 2005. APHIS launched a formal investigation after being notified by an Oregon State University scientist that initial tests of wheat samples from an Oregon farm indicated the possible presence of GE glyphosate-resistant wheat plants. There are no GE wheat varieties approved for sale or in commercial production in the United States or elsewhere at this time."

From my standpoint it looks like Jeannie is out of the bottle. Question is, what will it do to us? One thing we know for sure it involves and unknown, and unknowns can present with some very unusual and complicated problems. And don't expect your PC (Primary Care) physician to look very hard. Your insurance company has him or her hamstrung.

For these other countries to decline shipments of our wheat does not bode well. Besides the possible health issues that might come of this, the financial hit for our farmers has to be hard. and that is going to hurt us all here in the USA. 

What about the health issues? Good question. We now know that Monsanto has been experimenting with this unapproved crop since 1998 there is no telling how much it has invaded our wheat crops. One thing we do know is that G.I. problems have been on the rise in the recent past. How many people do you know that is not taking some med for G.I. problems? The actual number is astounding. In our practice we see in the neighborhood of 7 out of 10 that have G.I. complaints. These complaints may be secondary to other concerns, but they are plentiful.

One of the most common complaints we see is those thinking they are celiac, which is due to gluten handling problems. After testing we find that there are many who are actually celiac, but there are many more that are gluten sensitive. Being sensitive to gluten can be a very problematic with gas, bloating, indigestion, etc. All the more reason to avoid wheat and other grains at all costs, and yes corn is a grain, not a vegetable.

Many times simple dietary changes, like avoiding grains, can alleviate many of the G.I. issues. With this 'FrankenWheat' on the loose there is no way of knowing just how far the ramifications will go. This is the problem with GMO's in that we really don't know what damage they can do.  As far back as 2010 there was implications that gluten sensitivity and celiac were linked to psychosis and possibly even schizophrenia http://tinyurl.com/ku9h82a . No wonder these other countries don't want our wheat. We shouldn't eat it as well.


If you follow the links provided and perhaps Google it for further reading, I am sure you will just as concerned as I am.  In the mean time, stop all grains. You will be better for it in the long run!

Scandel lurking in Obama Care??????

Since the beginning days of the Affordable Care act, aka, Obama Care, we have been told by the administration and their media wizards that it would make health care more affordable and accessible. The reality is not so far.

A recent article from Fox news, http://tinyurl.com/nk7bbox , makes clear that there are some serious issues with the law. We were told by the then speaker of the house, Pelosi, that they had to pass the law so they could find out what was in it. I have yet to find anyone that thought that was a good idea, but obviously our congress and senate went along with the insanity. Now that we are reading it, it isn't reading well at all.

The article points to things like costs, which have gone up, not down. One of the more serious unintended consequences that we at Doctor's Nutrition have noticed is the reduction in what the insurance companies are willing to pay for. We have had many patients come in that have health insurance, and have had for many years, and recently they were told by the insurance company that they would no longer pay for routine testing that had been done in the past. As one lady said, 'that was a shock'.

Also we were told the costs for insurance would go down. Ask yourself this question; have my premiums gone up or down? Up? I thought so. Mine too. And from what we are being told by insurance agents, don't expect anything but upward movement in that area.

So, typical government double speak, and less than what we bargained for.

Berberine Max

Berberine may be something you are not familiar with, but you should be, and now you will be. Berberines have been used in Chinese and Ayruvedic medicine for thousands of years. In that part of the world they haven't forgotten that we were provided with all the natural medicines needed for good health. Unfortunately, here in the West, we have overlooked many great remedies due to our reliance on synthetic medicines.

These Berberines have been used to help with immune problems as well as microbial issues, bacterial and parasitic. Recent research has brought light to its relationship to cardiovascular support due to its ability to support normal homocysteine levels. This is very important now that we know that homocysteine can cause damage to the interior of our blood vessels. So maintaining normal levels can be life prolonging even.

Other recent research has shown that Berberines can help with the dreaded metabolic syndrome which includes insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes. Berberines were shown to increase the insulin receptors on our cells more sensitive so that the insulin can do a better job of getting the glucose into the cells for energy use. It has even been implicated in weight management due to these effects. They even seemed to help metformin, one of the drugs used for diabetes, work better.  Again more recent research shows that the Berberines can help lower cholesterol, specifically LDL, and that too can be very good for the heart.

As you can see Berberines are very promising in a lot or areas, and that is why we decided to formulate a new compound using Berberine as the back bone. Since it is so good for the heart and homocysteine levels, we added another great ingredient that can be super beneficial in this area, Quatrefolic®. This is a patented form of folic acid, or 5 Methylhydrofolate (5- MTHF). This happens to be the usable form of folic acid that our body needs to quench or reduce the homocysteine to a harmless compound.

Now that we  were compounding something special we decided to add a little R-Lipoic acid, a known super antioxidant. This goes well with the Berberines as they have a natural antioxidant activity all their own. R-Lipoic recycles other antioxidants, both water soluble and fat soluble. That is indeed something special. Recent research has focused on R-Lipoic's support of the LDL cholesterol. Other similar studies suggest it may facilitate HDL, the good cholesterol, synthesis in the liver. Another good thing for sure.

It is a know fact that much research has been done on the benefits of grape seed extract and its ability to provide antioxidant activity as well as protection of the lining of or blood vessels. But, we can take that one more step and increase the bioavailability by combining it with phosphatidylcholine. This makes the extract much more bioavalable. In this case we chose LeucoSelect® Phytosome™ as the best ingredient.

Now we have a great formula that can provide all the benefits of Berberines with added  ingredients to make it a super formula. Our philosophy is simple, if you are going to do it, do it right. And in this, case we have it right.

Here is the formula of our Berberine Max:

1 capsule:
Folate as Quatrafolic®  200 mcg
Berberine (as Berberine HCL) 500 mg
LeucoSelect® Phytosome™ Grape seed extract 50 mg
R-Lipoic acid   25 mg

Now we have another tool to help with metabolic syndrome, cardiovascularsupport, cholesterol support, homocysteine support and great antioxidant activity. As always, we are constantly
striving to bring the best formulas to you. So, stay tuned and we will share with you something new very soon!

Super-Oxy-Pro

Super-Oxy-Pro

We have had many requests for an all-around antioxidant formula. You spoke and we listened. Here is our new formula, Super-Oxy-Pro. It combines several antioxidants as well as some herbs for stress handling, and all in a convenient capsule formula.

One Capsule contains:

Milk Thistle seed extract.......300 mg (helps keep the liver humming along and provides antioxidants)

Bacopa monnieri Leaf extract.....175 mg ( helps the brain function better as well as handle stress and
  even helps hte thyroid work better)

Ashwaghanda Root extract....175 m,g ( an adaptogenic herb that has been used for over 4,000 years.
   Helps us adapt to stress as well as improve our immune function and memory )

Green Tea leaf extract.....100 mg ( great antioxidant, and even helps with energy at a cellular level )

Turmeric Root extract....100 mg ( great antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory. Promotes proper   detoxification )


Resveratrol.......10 mg ( Great antioxidant and helps in cardio {heart} protection. It can even help in proper fatty acid metabolism )

As you can tell here we have a great all around antioxidant and stress management formula. For more information on this or any of our formulas, give us a call so we can discuss your personal needs. 1-800-824-0194............we're waiting....

Trust in food supply?

Can we trust our food supply? Honestly, NO! That is unless you grow your own.

A recent warning from the Organic Consumers Association is a case in point. Santa Cruz Organic, which is owned by Smuckers, the jelly folks, was recently asked about their stance on GMO's. What they said is very interesting. "Due to the expanded use of biotechnology by farmers and the commingling of ingredients in storage and shipment, it is possible that some of our products may contain ingredients derived from biotechnology". Did I read that right? Their products may contain ingredients from GMO's? Wow!

So, as a consumer what are we supposed to do? The Internet, that dreaded Internet, has some very good resources for us. One is the above mentioned group, Organic Consumers Association, and another is The Environmental Working Group. A Google search will take you to these organizations that their sole purpose is to help us, the consumer, know more about what we consume. I highly recommend taking a tour of both.

On a more local approach I suggest looking for local farmers that are into organic farming. Ask questions of that farmer to make sure he or she truly understands your goals, less chemicals in your food. I was at a local garden show a few years ago and ran into a vendor selling "organic fertilizer". Upon questioning about the sources for the materials they were using I was astounded to find out the were using chicken liter, poop and wood shavings, from some of the large corporate chicken farmers. Upon further questioning the vendor realized where I was going in my questioning and quickly added that they were sure the chemicals used in the feeding process had biodegraded before they used. Really? Have you done the chemical analysis to prove that? The answer might surprise you, it was no. Ask questions. Then ask more.

If you have the available space, as in yard or acreage, starting to produce your own is a great opportunity. You are in control of what goes into your food production. It makes for a great hobby and very rewarding. The health benefits are one thing, but the improved taste of your veggies, etc. make it worth the effort.

The enduring question that you might have is; can I trust Big Agra? Probably not. The above excerpt about Santa Cruz is a good example. Most of the large corporate agribusinesses are more interested in the bottom line than your health. Small, mom and pop, businesses are best. They are usually very passionate about health and healthy production methods. Support them when possible.

Nothing can beat your personal involvement in living healthy and being healthy. And knowing what you are putting in your body is step one. Stay tuned and I will try to help you stay informed on ways to live healthy and be healthy.

You can listen to our radio show live on Saturday mornings at 104.9 FM from 9 am til 10 am. My promise is that you will learn something helpful and be informed.

Dr. Jim