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15 years ago no one was talking about polyphenols.  All of that is changing rapidly.  This is primarily due to our growing understanding of how these phytochemicals interact with our immune system.

Three new studies add to this growing knowledge. In the January 2011 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was reported that eating one serving a week of blueberries could reduce the risk of developing hypertension by 10 percent (1). Since a serving size of fruit is defined as ½ cup, that serving size contains about 65 grams of blueberries. Put that into more precise molecular terms, this serving size would provide about 4,000 ORAC units or about the same amount of ORAC units as a glass of wine. The researchers speculated that there was a subclass of polyphenols that appear to be responsible for most of the effects. So if eating one serving of blueberries (½ cup) once a week is good for reducing the risk of hypertension, guess what the benefits of eating 1 cup of blueberries every day might be? The answer is probably a lot.

Speaking of red wine, in the second study in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications researchers found that giving high levels of isolated polyphenols from red wine demonstrated that exercise endurance in older rats could be significantly enhanced.  They hypothesized the effects may be directly related to “turning on” genes that increase the production of anti-oxidant enzymes. The only catch is that the amount of red wine polyphenols required to reach these benefits would equate to drinking about 20-30 glasses of red wine per day.

The final study in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise demonstrates that cherry juice rich in polyphenols reduces muscle damage induced by intensive exercise in trained athletes. This reduction in muscle damage was correlated with decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines. The reduction of cytokine expression is one of the known anti-inflammatory benefits of increased polyphenol intake.

Three pretty diverse studies, yet it makes perfect sense if you understand how polyphenols work. Polyphenols inhibit the overproduction of inflammatory compounds made by the most ancient part of the immune system that we share with plants. The only trick is taking enough of these polyphenols.  Acai, blueberries and red wine all provide significant amounts of these wonderful micronutrients.  For other dietary suggestions, make sure to ask me when you come in for your next appointment.

At least 12 million Americans take statin drugs every day to control their high cholesterol.  Statins include well-known medications such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and others. Lower cost generic versions of many statin medications are available. Obviously changing your diet and increasing exercise need to be the primary action taken by anyone whose blood tests come back with high LDL or triglyceride levels.

I am asked often if there are natural alternatives to these potentially dangerous statin drugs.  Here are my top-6 cholesterol-lowering natural alternatives you should consider (and why).

 #1 Niacin - take 1500-3000 mg daily.  The no-flush "time release" form is an option if you have a reaction to niacin.  Niacin reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and helps to elevate the good HDL cholesterol.

#2 Red Yeast Rice - take 1200 mg twice daily.  This extract has been shown to reduce total cholesterol levels by 10-32 percent and triglyceride levels by 12-19 percent.  (take CoQ10 when using this product)

#3 Plant Sterols (phytosterols) - take 1000-1500 mg twice daily with meals.  These help inhibit the absorption of cholesterol from food.

#4 Fish Oil - take 2000-3000 mg of combined EPA and DHA (ideally in a 2:1 ratio) to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Avoid taking fish oil supplements that include Omega-6 fatty acids and use a pure Omega-3 supplement.  You'll also get an anti-inflammatory effect from the right dose of Omega-3s (nice side effect).  Eating fresh fish 2-3 times per week is a great start, but make sure you supplement on days without fish intake.

#5 Garlic - take 300-500 mg of aged garlic twice daily, or make a concerted effort to cook with garlic on a regular basis.

#6 Artichoke extract - take 1000 mg twice daily.  Reduces total cholesterol.

You can find some cholesterol supplements that include many of these all in one capsule.  Make sure you consult your physician before stopping any prescribed medications, and feel free to stop by our office any time to talk about strategies to lower your cholesterol and improve your health.

Well, it seems like everybody else it blogging, so I figured it's about time I get into the mix.  Today I was volunteering in my daughter Cameron's science class, where the subject was miscibility.  This was a term I must admit I had to think long and hard about. . .I hadn't seen or used the word in 20 years, so my memory was certainly being tested.  Miscibles, essentially, are two liquids that mix.  Water and salt are miscible.  Oil and vinegar are immiscible.  Anyhow, it got me thinking about oils.

For those of you that don't know, oils are fats.  So often people try to avoid fats in their diet, thinking that fats make them fat.  Actually fats are critical to good health - you just need to eat the right kinds of fats - the most critical of which are Omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 FAs are found in fish oils, flax seed oil, black current seed oil, and a few other places in trace amounts.  The traditional American diet is LOADED with Omega-6 FAs - which are also essential, but unfortunately a diet with lots of Omega-6 and very little Omega-3 can be disastrous.  It can lead to several severe health problems, including inflammation.

For people with chronic pain or inflammation, I recommend trying taking pure Omega-3 FAs for 2 weeks to see if they can get that ratio of 6:3 into better balance and decrease their pain and inflammation.  Try taking about 1200mg of pure Omega-3 for starters, and see how that works out for you.  Ideally, you want a ratio of 2:1 EPA to DHA (read the label) - studies show this is the perfect ratio of these Omega-3s to get the best results from your supplementation.  Most Fish Oil supplements have Omega-6 FAs in them - avoid these supplements as you already get plenty of Omega-6 elsewhere in your diet.

We carry NutriWest Omega-3s in our office, and that is what I take daily and give to my children as well.  If you have any questions about Fish Oils and Omega-3s, stop by the office and we can certainly discuss ways to optimize your diet and get the most from your food and supplements. 

This concludes blog #1. . .hopefully I'll be able to keep you all entertained with my thoughts about health and wellness on a regular basis through this medium.  I hope it was worth your time. . .

Dr. J