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Cay Health Foods
News & Information January 2009
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Greetings!
It's been a busy beginning to 2009. Work has started on the Mill Creek Project downtown. Central Park has been reformed and they are working on a bridge on 18th street and a park on 17th Street. Most of the construction inconveniences should be done by the end of this month.
In going through my monthly reading material I kept coming across articles on prostate health, so they are bundled here for your information. Also, check out the news briefs and learn how many adverse reactions were reported for prescription drugs vs. nutritional supplements. The difference will astonish you.
John & Ranae
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Saw Palmetto:
A Plus for Prostate Health
As men age, their prostates become an increasing source of trouble. In fact, by age 50, men are 50 percent likely to develop benig.hn prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate, and by age 80 they are between 80-90 percent likely. With such staggering numbers it's not surprising that in the year 2000. 6.5 million men in the US between the ages of 50-75 meet the criteria for discussing treatment. The good news is that this condition is treatable, and one of the most proven ingredients to help reduce symptoms is not pharmaceutical, but natural: saw palmetto.
Saw palmetto is a small, low-growing tree native to southeastern regions of North America. Native Americans used the tree's berries prior to European presence for treatment of stomachache and dysentery, and also as a diuretic and sexual tonic. Saw palmetto was actually an official drug, listed in the "United States Pharmacopeia" from 1906-1916. Since then, it has had a rich history of being a well-researched, safe, and effective herbal remedy for BPH.
With the active components being the sterols and free fatty acids found in the berries, saw palmetto decreases the enlargement of the prostate, and as a result decreases painful urination and increases urinary flow rate.
One concern with saw palmetto was that supplementation could mask prostate cancer by lowering the prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Yet, a randomized study involving more than 1,000 patients did not demonstrate this effect on PSA levels.
While side effects with saw palmetto are rare, it is recommended that women who are pregnant or lactating should not use the herb due to potential hormone activity. Ingestion of large amounts of saw palmetto berries may cause diarrhea, wile ingestion of saw palmetto on an empty stomach may cause nausea.
Reprinted with permission from Vitamin Retailer for educational purposes only.
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News Briefs
Lower Adverse Events for Nutritional Supplements
Reporting of "serious" AERs (Adverse Event Reports) became mandatory for dietary supplement manufacturers in December 2007. In the first six months of 2008, there were only 604 AERs, including five deaths, potentially associated with dietary supplements, according to FDA's Office of Nutritional Products. This compares to, (are you sitting down?), 450,000 AERs reported in prescription drug-related cases.
A serious adverse event is defined as one that results in death, a life-threatening experience, inpatient hospitalization, significant disability or incapacity, or congenital anomaly, or one that requires medical intervention to prevent one of the outcomes.
Flaxseed May Stop Prostrate Tumor Growth
Duke University Medical Center scientists say flaxseed may stunt the growth of prostate tumors by stopping the process that causes irregular cell division. Some 160 men who were scheduled for prostate-ectomies to treat prostate cancer were divided evenly into four groups one month before the surgery and given either ground flaxseed (30 grams), ground flaxseed plus a low-fat diet, a normal diet, or only a low-fat diet. After the procedure, the researchers examined the tumor cells to see how fast the cancer cells multiplied.
Tumors from the flaxseed groups grew more slowly than the control group or the only low-fat diet group; tumors in the flaxseed with low-fat diet group grew the slowest, The researchers suggested that flaxseed may change how cancer cells "lump together" and may cut off the tumor's blood supply.
Winter, Dry Skin & Omega Oils
Researchers recently discovered that Omega-3 and omega-6-rich oils from flax and borage reduced skin roughness and scaling, and may protect against reddening and improve skin health from within. A group of 45 non-smoking, healthy women, ranging in age from 18 to 65 , were randomly assigned to receive daily supplements of flaxseed oil or borage oil 2.2 grams of total fatty acids) or a placebo of medium-chain fatty acids. The researchers applied nicotinate to the subjects' skin to induce inflammation and reddening. After six and 12 weeks of supplementation with flaxseed, the researchers noted a significant decrease in reddening of the skin in the flaxseed and borage oil groups of 45 and 35 percent, respectively, compared to baseline values. No differences were recorded in the placebo group. Oil supplements were associated with decreases of about 10 percent water loss from the skin after six weeks, with only the flaxseed oil group showing further decreases at the end of 12 weeks (25 percent). - British Journal of Nutrition
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Downtown Bakersfield
Between "O" & "Q"
Open 10am ~ 5:30PM
Monday ~ Friday
Closed Saturday & Sunday
661-325-7627
CayHealthFoods.com
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