Miso for Breast Cancer?
Women of the West, it may be time to follow the example of your Asian sisters: Eat more miso soup with its soy isoflavones if you want to reduce your breast-cancer risk. In Japan, where women on average consume 700 times more isoflavones than you do, thanks in part to miso soup, their breast cancer risk is just a fraction of yours.

This suggestion is based on a study by the National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo, released last June. Of 21,000 middle-aged Japanese women studied across 10 years, only 179 developed breast cancer. Women who ate the most miso soup—2–3 cups daily—along with other isoflavone-filled foods such as soybeans and tofu were least likely to suffer the disease.

But Japanese researchers would only say the study shows a “probable” link between soy/isoflavones and reduced breast cancer risk.

A New Leaf

The World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a sweeping anti-tobacco treaty May 21 in a global push to regulate cigarette marketing. The United Nations body says smoking kills half of all regular users.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provides for a general ban on tobacco advertising and promotion of all types—or simply restrictions in countries such as the United States, where a total prohibition would violate the constitution.

The treaty says health warnings—including pictures of diseased gums and lungs—should ideally cover at least half of every cigarette package. The accord encourages governments to clamp down on misleading terms like “low-tar” and “mild” on cigarette packs. It also aims to stop hard-sell tactics aimed at adolescents and to enact tougher measures against second-hand smoke worldwide.

WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland had made the anti-smoking drive the top priority of her five-year tenure. The treaty takes effect after 40 countries have ratified it.

An unrelated study of 2,000 pupils at schools in southern California found that children from smoking homes are up to four times more likely to miss classes due to respiratory illness than those from smoke-free homes. The research appeared in the May 2003 American Journal of Epidemiology.


Chemicals and Cream

Is organic coffee a lot safer than regular coffee?

Organic coffee may be a natural, bean-based, pesticide-free beverage. But did you know that all coffee is filled with chemicals?
Scientists have identified 1,000 different chemicals in a cup of coffee. But how many of the 1,000 chemicals have been tested in animal cancer studies? Only 22—leaving 978 compounds in your morning java about which we know very little. And of those 22 that were tested, were any found to be carcinogens, or cancer-causing compounds? Seventeen of the 22 are, in fact, carcinogens.

Carcinogens are found in many foods—as are offsetting cancer-fighting chemicals—but in small quantities. If we wanted to avoid all carcinogens, we’d have to stop eating altogether. But there are 10 milligrams (mg) of known carcinogens in a single cup of coffee. To put that into perspective, 10 mg is probably more than all the synthetic pesticide residues you could get from eating non-organic food for an entire year. In one cup.

Nevertheless, moderate coffee consumption is not considered a risk factor for cancer. And coffee is linked to the following benefits: It boosts endurance by delaying fatigue; it improves long-term memory; it may help prevent kidney stones; it relaxes lung spasms during an asthma episode; and, as you may have discovered, it stimulates your gastrointestinal tract.

New Supplement Laws Phased In
Dietary supplements and similar natural products sold in Canada will be regulated by the government under new laws to be phased in over the next 6 years. Health Canada—which functions much like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—will oversee a licensing process that requires detailed information about a product’s medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients, source, potency and recommended use.

Approved products will bear a license number on their labels, which are also being standardized to include safety and efficacy information. Herbs, homeopathic substances, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, amino acids, essential fatty acids and so-called traditional medicines are all included under the new regulations.

In the United States, most natural products fall under the 1994 Dietary Supplements Health Education Act, which contains no licensing provisions. The National Nutritional Foods Association, a nonprofit trade organization for natural products, expressed its concern in a detailed letter to the Canadian government about “the adverse impact on US-Canadian trade, and on US manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements who market their products in Canada.”

Figures obtained by BN from the FDA for 1997 indicate that the United States imports $40.89 million in vitamins from Canada, while exporting $116.8 million. For minerals, the numbers are $39.88 million for imports and $40.89 million for exports. The United States also exports $22.4 million in botanicals and herbals to Canada but imports relatively few of these products.

Sign of the Times
Any day now, shoppers are likely to notice a new symbol on their organic groceries. Although final regulations were approved in October 1992, manufacturers have been slow to take advantage of the new organic seal.

Products have to be certified by private or government agencies to be labeled as organic. After a farm files a plan to become organically certified, an agency accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reviews the plan and completes an annual onsite evaluation.

There are three categories of organic foods:

n Products that contain 100 percent organically produced ingredients can be labeled “100 percent organic” and can carry the USDA’s new organic logo.

n Products containing at least 95 percent organic materials—but not including synthetic hormones, pesticides, chemicals or genetically modified ingredients—can also carry the organic symbol.

n Products that contain at least 70 percent organic material can claim to be “made with organic ingredients”; the organic ingredients must be specified on the ingredients label.

Co-dependent?
High doses of the dietary supplement coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may slow progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at the University of California in San Diego found that CoQ10 reduces decline in neurological function and improves daily life for Parkinson’s patients. However, the California study was small, and a larger trial is needed.

CoQl0 has been the focus of increased scientific study and, while not approved for therapeutic use in the United States, it is an accepted treatment for cardiovascular disease in Japan.

Overall, CoQ10 is considered safe, with no serious side effects reported. But it should always be considered as an adjunct therapy, never an alternative treatment, for any condition. It has also been suggested that the CoQ10 works best when taken with vitamin E.

Without E-qual
Vitamin E is best known as an antioxidant vitamin. But a new study from Harvard Medical School points to several other benefits, according to a May 29-issued health report titled “The Benefits and Risks of Vitamins and Minerals: What You Need to Know.”

The scientists conclude that vitamin E can have other “substantial cardiovascular benefits” such as inhibiting inflammation and aiding the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. Inflammation is now believed to be the underlying cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Vitamin E is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, along with A, D and K. The report stresses that fat-soluble vitamins “keep your eyes, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and nervous system in good repair.”

Eat Like a Sicilian
Did you know garlic could help prolong the youthfulness of your skin? When skin cells were grown in a culture dish in a 1996 study in Denmark, some were then treated with garlic.

The garlic-treated cells had seven times the lifespan of cells grown in a standard culture. They also tended to look healthier and more youthful than untreated cells. And garlic extract dramatically inhibited the growth of cancerous skin cells.

Now, we’re not saying you should concoct a garlic facial cream. But adding a few cloves of garlic to your daily diet—or taking a garlic supplement—couldn’t hurt.

Fluoride Deception
A new book about to hit store shelves takes a skeptical look at fluoridation, the practice of add-ing fluoride to public drinking water systems.

Author Christopher Bryson, in his book Fluoride Deception, stands squarely in the antifluoridation camp. But no matter what position you take on the safety and efficacy of fluoride, you’ll find yourself swept up in his account of how public health officials conspired to launder fluoride’s previous image as a powerful workplace toxin.

Fluoride Deception is a narrative about how US industries—facing extensive litigation for fluoride pollution—collaborated with officials from the National Institutes of Dental Research to present fluoride as a dental product.

After almost half a century of water fluoridation, research in- creasingly shows that the dental benefit is marginal in this age of fluoride toothpaste. On the other hand, numerous studies suggest it causes systemic, long-range health risks, especially porous bones or osteofluorosis. Only about 2 percent of the world’s inhabitants now drink fluoridated water, most of them living in the United States.

But Bryson’s book is not simply about fluoridation. It’s a spell-binding history of lobbying, politics, power, hidden agendas and controlling scientific results.

Diet Religiously
It doesn’t matter whether you’re religious or not—even atheists can benefit from the “fasting” regime followed in the Greek Orthodox Church, according to a new study.

Strict Greek Orthodox Christians avoid specified foods three times a year: 40 days before Christmas, 48 days at Easter and 15 days in August for Assumption.

Each fast is associated with a different holiday. For example, at Christmas, the faithful are advised to avoid meat, eggs and dairy products, and eating fish is not allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Since all other foods are permitted, this is not a fast in the traditional sense of avoiding all food. “The Orthodox Christians’ diet, which is based on vegetables, legumes, fruit, cereals, bread and olive oil, is a Mediterranean- type diet with periodic abstinence from meat and other products during the fasting periods,” the study states, as published in the May 16, 2003 issue of BMC Public Health, published by BioMedCentral.

University of Crete scientists discovered that those who followed the regimen to the letter had lower levels of total cholesterol and lower levels of the cholesterol-binding proteins called low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, in their blood after fasting.

Other Christians who did not follow the fasting regimen did not exhibit this lowering of “bad” cholesterol. Those who stuck to the temporary diet experienced no change in the blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol.

There is a clear, known link between high levels of cholesterol and LDL in the blood and heart disease, whereas HDL appears to be protective against heart disease. Greek Orthodox fasting reduced the levels of total cholesterol in the blood by 9 percent and the levels of LDL by 12 percent.

While the levels of HDL did not change significantly, the HDL/ LDL ratio increased, which is considered healthy for the heart. Unfortunately, these levels rose again after the people who fasted resumed their normal diet—but not to the original
levels. This suggests that regular fasting may give some long-term protection against heart disease.

Put a Lid on It
If your hair is graying prematurely, consider wearing a hat when you’re in the sun.

One unproven theory holds that the sun’s ultraviolet rays cause the pigment cells on your scalp to work overtime. And it has been suggested that this could make these cells burn out early. And besides, at the very least, a hat will help hide all those grays.

An Old De-Fogger
New research indicates that an herb used in China for centuries may help stroke patients suffering from dementia.

The drug, extracted from an orchid and six other plants, was studied at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. It was found to significantly increase mental function in a 3-month study of 120 stroke patients.

The herbal remedy is known as gastrodine compound granule and has been used since 100 AD for stroke and dizziness.

Drugs such as cholinesterase inhibitors are effective in improving cognitive and memory function in vascular dementia—a type of dementia caused by blood vessel disease or small strokes in the brain—but these drugs are expensive and may have side effects. The affliction results in problems with memory, thinking and behavior. And in advanced cases, the patient cannot handle everyday tasks.

But there were fewer side effects in the group taking the Chinese medicine, the Beijing doctors reported at a meeting of the American Heart Association’s Second Asia Pacific Forum.

Rebuilding the Pyramids
Concerns about trans fatty acids have increased in recent years as more studies show that they in-
crease the risk of heart disease. As a result, the government wants to see recommendations for increased intake of omega-3 oils from fish and other sources.

Trans fats form when vegetable oil is heated in the presence of hydrogen. Hydrogenation hardens them at room temperature to create products such as shortening and many commercial snack foods.

Unlike other fats, trans fats are hidden fats. They are not labeled on food packages, although this may be changed soon by the US Food and Drug Administration. The agency is considering requiring companies to list on labels the amount of harmful fats in their products. Canada already plans to pass this type of legislation.


Spice of Life
Oregano, sage, peppermint, garden thyme, lemon balm, clove, allspice and cinnamonas well as the Chinese medicinal herbs Cinnamomi cortex and Scutell-ariae radixcontain very high concentrations of antioxidants, a new study concludes.

In fact, spices may be an even better source of dietary antioxidants than many other food groups such as fruits, berries, cereals and vegetables, according to the study published last May in the Journal of Nutrition.

Antioxidants mop up some of the “free radicals” in the body, which are essentially molecular garbage bits that alter normal cells, making them age or become cancerous. (See “Radical Solutions,” p. 56).

However, the study also found a 1,000-fold variation in antioxidant concentrations among herbs and spices—and even if such concentrations are high, consumers should remember that normal portions are extremely small.

Cut the Fat
If you still need a reason to drop those extra pounds, how about this? Overweight patients are as much as nine times more likely to suffer infections and complications after surgery. It’s believed that fat tissue doesn’t resist infection well. Besides, if you’re not carrying around extra baggage, you’re less likely to develop problems requiring surgery in the first place.

Fishy Facts
Myth: Sardines are a species of fish. Truth: There’s actually no such fish as a sardine.

“Sardine” is actually a term that refers to a variety of small fish—of various species—that have been processed and canned. The name derives from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

So-called sardines from Den-mark and Norway, for example, are usually brisling and silds. Those from Maine are, in fact, small herrings. When you buy sardines from France, Portugal or Spain, you’re really getting pilchards, a smaller and fatter variety of herring.

Also, have you ever heard of a scrod? You guessed it: There’s no such thing as a scrod either. The name comes from a Middle Dutch word, “schrode,” meaning a strip or shred. In New England, scrod are very young cod or haddock, weighing only a pound or two.

And while we’re on the subject, Atlantic salmon isn’t really a salmon at all. It’s actually a member of the genus salmo, or trout family. The misnomer is now so widely accepted that it would only cause confusion to rename the species. So those who buy Atlantic salmon aren’t getting salmon at all.

Disheartening Study
A new study in the June 14, 2003 issue of The Lancet offers the best evidence yet that supplements of vitamin E or beta-carotene—two of the antioxidant vitamins—don’t protect the heart, as once believed.

The Cleveland Clinic Found-ation (CCF) analyzed 15 major studies of nearly 220,000 people before coming to these conclusions. This is considered a large-scale study, which looked at high and low doses, at both sexes of all ages and at all causes of death—not just heart disease. Neither vitamin E nor beta-carotene reduced mortality; in fact, beta-carotene was found to increase cardiac risk
for smokers.

It may be that in order to be effective, these antioxidant vitamins require certain compounds found in the whole foods that furnish them.

In the various studies analyzed by the CCF, the doses for vitamin E ranged from 50 to 800 International Units (IUs) daily. Beta-carotene doses ranged from 15 to 50 mg daily.

The overall death rate—whether from heart disease or any other cause—was the same for all groups, whether vitamin E was taken or not.
For those taking beta-carotene, however, the results were slightly worse. There was a small but significant increase in deaths—from all causes—in the groups taking beta-carotene.

John Hathcock, PhD, the vice president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)a trade association representing dietary supplement suppliers and manufacturersargues that this does not rule out a possible “primary benefit.”

In other words, there may be no benefit from vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements for people already showing detectable cardiac symptoms—but these antioxidants could still provide protection if taken before atherosclerosis develops. Hathcock also stresses that the data indicates beta-carotene only raises the risk of death for those who smoke.

Antioxidant vitamins A and E may not provide cardiac protection but are linked with cancer risk reduction. Also, earlier studies indicated that folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6 help heart disease patients.


Joint Study
The number of older Americans suffering from arthritis is expected to nearly double in about 25 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Why? Primarily because millions of baby boomers are heading into retirement.

The CDC said May 29 that current data indicate that 41.1 million people aged 65 and older will suffer from arthritis or chronic joint symptoms by 2030—compared to an estimated 21.4 million in 2005.

The percentage of the US population that will be 65 and older is expected to grow to 20 percent in 2030 from 12.9 percent in 2005.

The CDC notes that rising obesity and physical inactivity among Americans are helping fuel the growing arthritis problem. Health experts believe that a combination of proper diet, weight control, exercise and regular medical treatment can control both the prevalence and severity of arthritis. There is no cure.

Dietary fatty acids such as omega-3s found in the oils of fish and sea animals may have some benefit for sufferers. However, no studies have yet confirmed this; and there are risks associated with combining fish oil and other common arthritis medications such as aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Increased intake of antioxidants such as selenium and vitamin E may decrease free-radical damage to joint linings. But so far, there have been no human clinical trials that convincingly prove or disprove the efficacy of anti-oxidant use.

Supplementation of calcium and vitamin D is sometimes recommended to decrease the risk of osteoporosis that results from nutritional loss of these supplements, from menopause and from anti-arthritis steroid therapy.

Arthritis, a musculo-skeletal disease that causes painful inflammation and deformity in the joints, is the leading cause of disability in the United States.

Juice It Up
A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Maryland and published in the May 21, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that fruit and vegetable juice powder extracts could help prevent the impact of a high-fat meal. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study measured brachial artery blood flow—the flow through the arm—and found the control group had a 38 percent reduced blood flow after the fatty meal. The test group receiving juice extract powder had a reduction in brachial blood flow of only 16 percent.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

The UK government agency has issued a new warning that excess doses of some vitamins can be risky.

The published finding advises Britons not to take chromium picolinate due to a possible link with cancer. However, studies suggest that 10 mg or less a day of chromium in other forms is unlikely to cause any harm.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA)—Britain’s counterpart to the Food and Drug Administra-tionalso recommends against taking more than 10 mg of vitamin B6 because numbness in limbs can result. It further recommends against taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C, more than 1,500 mg of calcium or more than 17 mg of iron.

Other nutrients taken at higher doses for an extended period can cause harm, the FSA says. These include beta-carotene—especially for smokers—zinc, manganese and phosphorus.

Sugar Coated
A United Nations (UN) study suggested on April 23 that a diet low in saturated fat, salt and sugars but high in vegetables and fruit will help prevent disease. But the report, “Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases,” has since prompted an all-out counter-attack by sugar-related industries.

The report documented scientific evidence on the relationship between diet and cardiovascular diseases, several forms of cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and dental disease. Co-produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, the report recommended—among other things—that:

• total fat intake be restricted to between 15 and 30 percent of calorie intake

• saturated fats be less than 10 percent of overall calories

• protein calories should average 10–15 percent of total calories

• added sugar should be restricted to 10 percent of calories

The US Soft Drink Association immediately criticized the report. That was followed by an attempt by the US-based Sugar Association (SA) to get the report withdrawn. Six major food industry groups have joined the effort, including the US Council for International Business, which has 30 corporate members—including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

For its part, the SA objects to the lack of what it calls “a broad external peer-review process.”