350 Magtein - Magnesium for the Brain [21 Dec 2015]

In March, April & May of 2013 I wrote three columns on magnesium and its many important roles in human health. The May column was about magnesium bisglycinate, a new non-laxative form of this mineral. This week I’m writing about another new form of magnesium and its amazing benefits for mental health.

Magnesium plays essential roles in brain function and in the repair of injured brain tissue. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to confusion, fatigue, irritability, poor memory, and reduced ability to learn.

The problem is that most forms of magnesium do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier and are therefore ineffective in raising magnesium levels in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The only exception is magnesium L-threonate which was recently developed by MIT researchers. An animal study showed that Magtein (the patented brand name of magnesium L-threonate) outperformed all other forms of magnesium in raising CSF levels; in fact it was the only form to significantly raise magnesium levels.

Along with the increase in CSF magnesium levels, animal studies have shown Magtein to improve long and short term memory and to enhance learning abilities. Both young and older animals improved spatial working memory on maze tests.

A decline with age in synaptic connections in the hippocampus part of the brain is correlated with impaired memory and Alzheimer’s disease. In animal studies Magtein supplementation increased the synaptic density in the hippocampus.

Magtein supplementation significantly reduced Beta amyloid plaques, associated with Alzheimer’s disease, in Transgenic Alzheimer’s (TA) mice. Even older end-stage TA mice showed reduced plaque and significant improvement in memory tests, providing hope for Magtein as a treatment for advanced Alzheimer’s.

Human clinical trials are under development to see how well Magtein works in people. Meanwhile Magtein has been available in the US for several years and has just been approved for sale in Canada. People using Magtein report noticing changes in anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Some of the benefits reported are: improved memory, restored ability to think and focus, brain fog cleared, improved mood, better quality sleep with vivid dreams, less need for afternoon naps, and increased energy. An 81-year-old summed it up this way “It is a marvelous feeling to have my mind back again!”

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. See this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

349 Three Vitamin D Studies [14 Dec 2015]

The Vitamin D Council recently reported on three important studies on Vitamin D published in 2015.

Alzheimer’s: An 8 year study of 382 elderly participants was published in JAMA in September. It found that low D levels in older adults was associated with accelerated declines in cognitive ability of up to three times faster.

Autism: A meta-analysis of 11 studies from the Netherlands was published in October in Eur. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry. The researchers reported that 8 of the 11 studies found lower D levels in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ADS) than other children. The report reviewed the many ways that vitamin D is involved in brain development and function, and showed that low D levels causes brain malfunctions similar to those occurring with autism. The researchers concluded that lower vitamin D levels might be a risk factor for ASD.

A case study of a 32 month old boy with ASD and vitamin D deficiency published in January 2015 in Pediatrics reported that his “core symptoms of autism improved significantly after vitamin D supplementation”. So it appears that vitamin D may also play an important role in the treatment of ASD.

Breast cancer survival: A four-year study looked at women diagnosed with breast cancer and found that higher D levels significantly increased their survival time. A previous study from 2011 by the same researcher found that vitamin D levels of 125 nmol/L (50 ng/ml in the USA), which required supplementation of 4,000 IU per day to achieve, nearly doubled survival times. An earlier study by Lappe et al, 2007, in Am J Clin Nutr found a 77% reduction in risk of all cancers for the group taking 1100 IU D3 and 1500 mg calcium.

While the best way to increase our vitamin D is from safe sun exposure, that doesn’t work in Canada from September to April leaving supplementation as our only option. Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council recommends supplementing with 5,000 IU daily (which is what I take) to maintain natural levels of 100-125 nmol/L. Even this is considered conservative by some. Dr. Joseph Mercola, who has studied vitamin D extensively, considers anything below 125 to be deficient and recommends 125-175 for optimum health and up to 250 for fighting cancer or heart disease. To achieve these levels, however, requires much higher supplementation – due to the law of diminishing returns – so is impractical for most of us. Winter supplementation of vitamin D of 4,000-5,000 IU seems optimal.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

348 Radon Testing [7 Dec 2015]

My house is being tested for radon. Radon is a radioactive gas that is produced by the breakdown of uranium in the ground. It can seep into your home through cracks in the basement walls or floor and become concentrated at low levels (think basement floor). Because radon is odorless and colorless, it is not detectable except by instruments.

It is important to know your radon level because it is a significant health hazard. Next to smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US and Canada. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year in Canada are caused by radon. The combination of smoking and radon is most deadly. A non-smoker exposed to high levels of radon over a lifetime has about a 1 in 20 chance of developing lung cancer; for a smoker that increases to 1 in 3. So if you have smokers living in your home, it is even more important to have it tested.

Radon and its breakdown elements emit alpha particle radiation which, unlike gamma radiation, cannot penetrate very far into tissue. It’s only when you inhale the radioactive elements that the radiation can damage the lungs and cause lung cancer.

Radon can vary greatly between houses, even next door. So knowing your neighbor’s house is ok does not mean that yours is. The only way to find out is to have it tested. There have been high test results found in Rosetown and surrounding areas. In Canada radon is measured in becquerels / cubic meter (Bq/m3). Over 200 is considered dangerous.

The best time to test is in the winter when there is less air exchange and the levels are highest. There are several different home test kits you can buy. Health Canada recommends a 90 day test which can be ordered from radiationsafety.ca for $55. Saskatchewan Health uses a 30 day test kit available from the Saskatchewan Disease Control Laboratory (SDCL) at 1-866-450-0000 for $42. I’m using the Saskatchewan Health test. I’ll let you know my results sometime in January.

If you find your home has a high level of radon you should have a certified radon mitigation professional install an air pump to pull the air from the basement floor outside. All new homes are now built with the piping in place – only a pump needs to be installed.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

347 Light Therapy & Depression [30 Nov 2015]

I wrote about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) back in December 2009 and discussed exposure to full spectrum light as one of the effective treatments. A recent Canadian study suggests that this light therapy might also be effective for non-seasonal major depressive disorder (MDD). Previous studies on light therapy for MDD were poorly designed and inconclusive.

A study published this month in JAMA Psychiatry randomly divided 122 people from clinics in Vancouver and Toronto with moderate to severe non-seasonal depressive disorder into four groups: light therapy and fluoxetine hydrochloride (an antidepressant pill); light therapy and placebo pill; fluoxetine and placebo device (inactive ion generator); and both placebos. The light therapy consisted of a 30 minute exposure to a strong (10,000 lux) fluorescent light box every morning.

After 8 weeks improvement was observed in about 75% of the patients receiving the light therapy with the antidepressant; about 50% of those receiving the light therapy alone; about 29% for the antidepressant alone; and 33% for the placebos. The study concluded that “Light treatment, whether in monotherapy or in combination with fluoxetine, is efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of nonseasonal MDD.” Surprisingly the antidepressant alone appears less effective than placebo, but this study was too small to draw any conclusions on this observation. An earlier study showed that fluoxetine and light had similar benefits in patients with SAD.

The researchers speculated that light therapy may resynchronize circadian rhythms that have become disturbed in MDD or rebalance neurotransmitter function. Sunlight triggers the pineal gland to produce more serotonin and less melatonin. Low serotonin is associated with depression and carbohydrate cravings; high melatonin with sleepiness and loss of concentration.

Michael Terman, PhD, professor of psychiatry, Columbia University, commented on the study:

“…the dramatic …result …[means that] 10,000 lux light therapy upon awakening or, by implication, a walk outdoors if the sun is up – now can be recommended to patients with recurrent depression, many of whom will respond without recourse to drugs.”

So if you are suffering from depression, talk to your doctor about adding light therapy to your treatment. Caution – people with certain eye conditions or with bipolar disorder should not use the light therapy.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

346 Obesity & Cancer [23 Nov 2015]

Obesity is a growing problem worldwide. Recent data show that 69% of US adults are overweight and half of these are obese. Being overweight causes, or is linked to, increases in many different adverse health markers – blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin levels, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and inflammation. Obesity increases the risk or worsens the outcomes of several chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The impact of obesity on cancer is significant – it has just overtaken smoking as the top preventable cause of cancer death in the US. About 20% of cancer deaths in that country can be attributed to obesity. The ten types of cancers linked to obesity are: esophagus, postmenopausal breast, liver, kidney, gallbladder, pancreas, colon, prostate, ovary and uterus. Obesity not only increases the risk of developing these cancers but also increases the rate of progression, increases the rate of metastasis, lowers the response to treatment, and reduces survival rates.

The relationship between obesity and cancer is complex with many possible causes for the link. Since I last wrote on this topic (#199 January 2013) based on a 2005 article in Cancer Prevention, researchers have learned more about these factors.

High insulin levels promote cancer growth by interacting with tumor cells’ insulin and IGF-1 receptors. Adipocytes near a tumor are more active in obese people, secreting various cancer-promoting hormones and chemical signals called cytokines.

Inflammation is another process that plays a role in the obesity-cancer link. Obesity increases levels of the COX-2 enzyme which promotes production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) which increases inflammation (described in my article #85 October 2010). PGE2 is known to promote progression of breast cancer and the conversion of androgens to (cancer-promoting) estrogens.

Animal studies have found that reducing fat weight isn’t as important as reducing the obesity markers associated with higher cancer risks, particularly insulin, cytokines and IGF-1. So while losing excess fat is still a desirable goal, how you lose it may be more important. A ketogenic diet that normalizes insulin levels (which is at the root of most if not all of the other markers) would be ideal.

Source: "Breaking the Obesity-Cancer Link" by S.D. Hursting et al, The Scientist, 2015

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

345 Smoke Point Smokescreen [16 Nov 2015]

This week I want to expand on a point made in #330 “Healthy Cooking Oils” back in August. It was that in choosing a cooking oil, smoke point is not the only factor to consider, and indeed is not the most important one. Looking at only smoke point obscures (with a “smoke screen”?) the harm caused by heating many “cooking” oils at temperatures as low as 160C, well before they reach their smoke point.

The more important factor is oxidative stability which is a measure of the oil’s resistance to oxidation. As unsaturated fats are heated and exposed to light and oxygen the double bonds are destroyed creating peroxides. The peroxides further react to form aldehydes which can be toxic or carcinogenic, and can bond with glucose to form Advanced Glycolated Endproducts (AGEs). AGEs have been linked to leaky gut syndrome, atherosclerosis, and heart disease. Oxidative stability is determined by measuring the amount of aldehydes produced over time as an oil is heated. Generally the higher the % of polyunsaturates in an oil, the lower the oxidative stability; oils of 20% or higher polyunsaturates are too unstable for frying.

Based on their low oxidative stability, the following oils should never be used in frying (% polyunstaturated):
• Hemp seed oil (80)
• Safflower oil (76)
• Grapeseed oil (69)
• Flaxseed oil (68)
• Sunflower Seed oil (60)
• Corn Oil (48)
• Cotton Seed oil (42)
• Sesame Seed oil (40)
• Canola oil (21)
• Peanut oil (20)

The two oils with the highest oxidative stability (and smoke points) are coconut and red palm olein. This makes them the safest, healthiest and all round best oils for cooking. Choose brands that are organic, fair-trade, and ethically produced.

Just looking at smoke point alone, as in a recent Globe & Mail article by Leslie Beck, the following (unhealthy, unstable) oils were recommended for frying: safflower, grapeseed, sunflower, corn, sesame, canola and peanut. Smoke point can be a smoke screen!

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

344 Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals [9 Nov 2015]

Last week I mentioned a group of chemicals called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which mimic our hormones causing many different health problems. They are chemically similar and have some but not all of the physiological properties of our real hormones.

Here is how the Environmental Working Group (EWG) describes them:

“There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disruptors can play on our bodies: increasing production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones.”

The EWG lists the 12 worst endocrine disruptors, the conditions they have been linked to, and how to avoid them, in a booklet called “Dirty Dozen”:
• Bisphenol-A (BPA) – mimics estrogen, linked to breast cancer, early puberty & other reproductive problems, and heart disease
• Dioxin – persistent, linked to lower sperm quality, carcinogenic
• Atrazine – breast & prostate cancer, delayed puberty
• Phthalates – male reproductive birth defects, testicular cell death
• Perchlorate – competes with iodine causing thyroid dysfunction
• Fire retardants – polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), imitate thyroid hormones, very persistent (found in polar bears and breast milk)
• Lead – deadly toxic, lowers sex hormones, reduces resistance to stress
• Mercury –interferes with women’s cycle, concentrates in fetal brain
• Arsenic – small amounts cause skin, bladder and lung cancer; trace amount interferes with sugar regulating hormones
• Perflourinated chemicals (PFCs) – affects thyroid and sex hormones
• Organophosphate pesticides – affects brain development, thyroid, fertility
• Glycol ethers (brake fluid, solvents) – shrinks testicles, fetal defects

“Dirty Dozen” is downloadable from their website ewg.org. For a more detailed technical discussion see the Endocrine Society’s EDC Statement.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.