From ancient times, the pomegranate fruit has been regarded as a symbol of medicine, healing, and longevity. The peels were boiled in water to yield an elixir that could cure mouth sores and ease upset stomach or diarrhea. The juice, as well as the whole arils (the juice-encapsulated seeds) were employed as a practical cure-all.
Modern science has gone a long way to re-affirming the health benefits of pomegranate fruit. In one of our own studies published 1999, we demonstrated that pomegranate juice, specifically fermented pomegranate juice (which is more biologically active than fresh juice), had the power to absorb free radicals and to prevent oxidation. This is extremely important in maintaining health and preventing disease. Pomegranate is now generally credited with providing one of the most potent mixtures of antioxidant compounds of any easily obtainable fruit.
One class of antioxidants found in the pomegranate is the broad range of estrogens. These compounds can stimulate the human estrogen receptors that are involved with maintaining health of the bones, blood vessels and nervous tissue, and relieving symptoms of menopause. The estrogenic compounds are found throughout the pomegranate, including the juice, peel, seeds, and even in the leaves and flowers. In fact, there are probably more reported estrogenic compounds in pomegranate than in any other plant. The use of pomegranates for treating menopausal symptoms and deficits remains an active and vital area of investigation.
The antioxidant action of the juice, as well as its ability to interrupt inflammation, has led to its modern use in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Most notable are the cardiovascular maladies like stroke and heart attack, often the result of clogging of the arteries due to excessive fat deposits. In an elegant series of experiments by Dr. Michael Aviram and his colleagues, regular pomegranate juice consumption has been shown to interrupt the process of atherosclerosis and to result in an increased intra-luminal diameter of the carotid artery by more than 30 percent.
Other clinical research in recent years has focused on the use of pomegranate juice for preventing the progress of prostate cancer. Daily consumption has resulted in objective changes--in the case of prostate cancer, reduction of the biochemical "marker" known as "prostate specific antigen," or "PSA." Such studies have helped to underscore the importance of our own initial forays into the effects of pomegranate fermented juice extracts in human prostate cancer cells. The data from human cell studies, animal studies, and now human clinical studies have tremendously substantiated the protective powers of pomegranate juice against prostate cancer and provoked an international flurry of research in this direction, which has extended also to cancers of the breast and ovary.
Pomegranate juice and pomegranate seed oil are also active against human breast cancer cells. Pomegranate seed oil, specifically, was shown to promote the self-destruction of human breast cancer cells in culture. Other researchers have now demonstrated similar results using pomegranate extracts for cancer prevention, such as the prevention of colon cancer in rats. All told, the cancer-busting properties of pomegranates are becoming a subject of both study and respect.
Pomegranate juice and other pomegranate materials, such as seed oil and peel extracts, are now widely credited with possessing anti-inflammatory capabilities. Thus, pomegranates may also have a role not only in the treatment of classic inflammatory diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and arthritis, but also in the treatment of so-called "chronic inflammation" or the "metabolic syndrome." According to our current understanding, chronic inflammation is co-existent with a state of high "insulin resistance" which can lead to a host of modern medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. Regular consumption of pomegranate juice or extracts may very well serve as a hedge against all of these conditions.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Changing Your Lifestyle Can Change Your Genes
(Dr.Dean Ornish )
New research shows that improved diet, meditation and other non-medical interventions can actually "turn off" the disease-promoting process in men with prostate cancer.
Here's some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Earlier this week, my colleagues and I published the first study showing that improved nutrition, stress management techniques, walking, and psychosocial support actually changed the expression of over 500 genes in men with early-stage prostate cancer. This study was conducted at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and the University of California, San Francisco in collaboration with Dr. Peter Carroll, Dr. Mark Magbanua, Dr. Chris Haqq, and others.
In this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we studied gene expression in biopsies from 30 men who were diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. These men had decided not to undergo conventional treatments such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy for reasons unrelated to the study. They had early, small-volume prostate cancer with stable prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and Gleason scores of six or less, meaning that their tumors were not aggressive.
We biopsied their prostates at the beginning of the study and again three months later, after making comprehensive lifestyle changes. Since these patients did not have conventional treatments during this time, it enabled us to assess the effects of the lifestyle changes on gene expression without confounding interventions such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
The changes included a plant-based diet (predominant fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy products, and whole grains low in refined carbohydrates), moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), stress management techniques (yoga-based stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery for one hour per day), and participating in a weekly one-hour support group. The diet was supplemented with soy, fish oil (three grams/day), vitamin E (100 units/day), selenium (200 mg/day), and vitamin C (2 grams/day). These lifestyle changes are described more fully in my book, 'The Spectrum'.
After three months, we repeated the biopsy and looked at changes in normal tissue within the prostate. We found that many disease-promoting genes (including those associated with cancer, heart disease, and inflammation) were down-regulated or "turned off," whereas protective, disease-preventing genes were up-regulated or "turned on." For example, a set of cancer-promoting oncogenes called RAS was down-regulated in these men. The Selectin E gene (which promotes inflammation and is elevated in breast cancer) was down-regulated. Another gene that suppresses tumor formation called SFRP was up-regulated, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. These genes are the target of many new drugs that are being developed. Clearly, changing lifestyle is less expensive, and the only side-effects are good ones. Dr. Craig Venter's pioneering research is showing that one way to change your genes is to synthesize new ones. Another may be to change your lifestyle.
The figure here provides a graphic representation of some of these changes in gene expression. Each line represents one of 31 genes that regulate "intracellular protein traffic" which affects how cells communicate with each other. The green color represents genes that are downregulated ("turned off") and the red color represents genes that are upregulated ("turned on"). As you can see, there are a lot more green (turned off) genes on the right side of the figure than on the left side.
For the past 31 years, I have directed a series of research studies showing that changes in lifestyle can make a powerful difference in our health and well-being, and how quickly these changes may occur. We showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and other chronic conditions.
Two years ago, along with Dr. Carroll (Chair of Urology, UCSF) and others who also collaborated on the new gene expression study, we published fiest randomized controlled trial showing that these lifestyle changes may slow, stop, or even reverse the progression of prostate cancer, which may affect breast cancer as well. When we published our earlier studies, we didn't understand many of the mechanisms by which these changes may have occurred. Now, our new study is beginning to provide some insight into what some of these genetic mechanisms may be.
Because we looked at normal tissue within the prostate (rather than the prostate tumor cells), it is likely that our findings may be generalized beyond men with prostate cancer. Also, people who are otherwise healthy may not need to make such intensive changes and have a spectrum of choices. We are still trying to understand the full significance of these findings--we've raised more questions than we've answered, and we need larger, longer-term studies--but it's already clear that you may be able to alter, at least to some degree, how your genes are expressed simply by changing your diet and lifestyle.
I find this to be a profoundly hopeful message. Often, I hear people say, "Oh, I've got bad genes, there's nothing I can do about it"--displaying what I call genetic nihilism. Our findings (the first to show the effect of lifestyle changes on any kind of cancer genes) can be an antidote to genetic nihilism and, I hope, motivate people to begin making their own changes. In most cases, our genes are only a predisposition; they are not written in stone. And if we have a strong family history for diseases such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, or heart disease-- "bad genes"-- then we may need to make bigger changes in lifestyle in order to help prevent or even reverse chronic diseases. In the centuries-old debate about nature vs. nurture, we are learning that nurture affects nature as much as nature affects nurture. It's not all in our genes.
New research shows that improved diet, meditation and other non-medical interventions can actually "turn off" the disease-promoting process in men with prostate cancer.
Here's some very good news: your genes are not your destiny. Earlier this week, my colleagues and I published the first study showing that improved nutrition, stress management techniques, walking, and psychosocial support actually changed the expression of over 500 genes in men with early-stage prostate cancer. This study was conducted at the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and the University of California, San Francisco in collaboration with Dr. Peter Carroll, Dr. Mark Magbanua, Dr. Chris Haqq, and others.
In this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we studied gene expression in biopsies from 30 men who were diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. These men had decided not to undergo conventional treatments such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy for reasons unrelated to the study. They had early, small-volume prostate cancer with stable prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and Gleason scores of six or less, meaning that their tumors were not aggressive.
We biopsied their prostates at the beginning of the study and again three months later, after making comprehensive lifestyle changes. Since these patients did not have conventional treatments during this time, it enabled us to assess the effects of the lifestyle changes on gene expression without confounding interventions such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
The changes included a plant-based diet (predominant fruits, vegetables, legumes, soy products, and whole grains low in refined carbohydrates), moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), stress management techniques (yoga-based stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery for one hour per day), and participating in a weekly one-hour support group. The diet was supplemented with soy, fish oil (three grams/day), vitamin E (100 units/day), selenium (200 mg/day), and vitamin C (2 grams/day). These lifestyle changes are described more fully in my book, 'The Spectrum'.
After three months, we repeated the biopsy and looked at changes in normal tissue within the prostate. We found that many disease-promoting genes (including those associated with cancer, heart disease, and inflammation) were down-regulated or "turned off," whereas protective, disease-preventing genes were up-regulated or "turned on." For example, a set of cancer-promoting oncogenes called RAS was down-regulated in these men. The Selectin E gene (which promotes inflammation and is elevated in breast cancer) was down-regulated. Another gene that suppresses tumor formation called SFRP was up-regulated, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. These genes are the target of many new drugs that are being developed. Clearly, changing lifestyle is less expensive, and the only side-effects are good ones. Dr. Craig Venter's pioneering research is showing that one way to change your genes is to synthesize new ones. Another may be to change your lifestyle.
The figure here provides a graphic representation of some of these changes in gene expression. Each line represents one of 31 genes that regulate "intracellular protein traffic" which affects how cells communicate with each other. The green color represents genes that are downregulated ("turned off") and the red color represents genes that are upregulated ("turned on"). As you can see, there are a lot more green (turned off) genes on the right side of the figure than on the left side.
For the past 31 years, I have directed a series of research studies showing that changes in lifestyle can make a powerful difference in our health and well-being, and how quickly these changes may occur. We showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and other chronic conditions.
Two years ago, along with Dr. Carroll (Chair of Urology, UCSF) and others who also collaborated on the new gene expression study, we published fiest randomized controlled trial showing that these lifestyle changes may slow, stop, or even reverse the progression of prostate cancer, which may affect breast cancer as well. When we published our earlier studies, we didn't understand many of the mechanisms by which these changes may have occurred. Now, our new study is beginning to provide some insight into what some of these genetic mechanisms may be.
Because we looked at normal tissue within the prostate (rather than the prostate tumor cells), it is likely that our findings may be generalized beyond men with prostate cancer. Also, people who are otherwise healthy may not need to make such intensive changes and have a spectrum of choices. We are still trying to understand the full significance of these findings--we've raised more questions than we've answered, and we need larger, longer-term studies--but it's already clear that you may be able to alter, at least to some degree, how your genes are expressed simply by changing your diet and lifestyle.
I find this to be a profoundly hopeful message. Often, I hear people say, "Oh, I've got bad genes, there's nothing I can do about it"--displaying what I call genetic nihilism. Our findings (the first to show the effect of lifestyle changes on any kind of cancer genes) can be an antidote to genetic nihilism and, I hope, motivate people to begin making their own changes. In most cases, our genes are only a predisposition; they are not written in stone. And if we have a strong family history for diseases such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, or heart disease-- "bad genes"-- then we may need to make bigger changes in lifestyle in order to help prevent or even reverse chronic diseases. In the centuries-old debate about nature vs. nurture, we are learning that nurture affects nature as much as nature affects nurture. It's not all in our genes.
Creating A Peaceful Workplace
Ask yourself the question: "What would make my workplace or home a more peaceful place?"
There are many ways in which you can do this, through your own behaviour and the way in which you organize your workplace or home. By functioning from an inner peaceful state and being a peaceful listener, you are able to create meaningful interactions with whom you work and stay.
As well as creating a peaceful state within, it is important to bring a sense of peace into your surroundings. You can make positive changes in the outer environment, which might promote and reflect inner peace. They are not separate, as the 'outer' reflects the 'inner'. You can choose plants, pictures, colours, sounds and furnishings, which contribute to a sense of calm, peace and well-being. You can also do this by clearing noise and finding ways of creating a sense of openness or space at your workplace or home.
(BK)
There are many ways in which you can do this, through your own behaviour and the way in which you organize your workplace or home. By functioning from an inner peaceful state and being a peaceful listener, you are able to create meaningful interactions with whom you work and stay.
As well as creating a peaceful state within, it is important to bring a sense of peace into your surroundings. You can make positive changes in the outer environment, which might promote and reflect inner peace. They are not separate, as the 'outer' reflects the 'inner'. You can choose plants, pictures, colours, sounds and furnishings, which contribute to a sense of calm, peace and well-being. You can also do this by clearing noise and finding ways of creating a sense of openness or space at your workplace or home.
(BK)
Exercise and Diabetes
Rigorous exercise of short duration can significantly affect the body's ability to process sugars and fight diabetes, a new study suggests.
In research published in the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders, scientists from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, say they found that brief but intense exercise every day or two may help reduce the risk of diabetes.
James Timmons, a professor in the school of engineering and physical sciences, says he and a team of investigators looked into the effect of "high-intensity training" on the insulin action and blood sugar control in 16 young, healthy male volunteers.
They found that insulin sensitivity improved significantly in the two-week study.
Regular exercise can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Many people feel they simply don't have the time to follow current exercise guidelines, and that's unfortunate, he says, because his team found that "doing a few intense muscle exercises, each lasting only about 30 seconds, dramatically improves your metabolism just two weeks."
Current recommendations include 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity a week.
His team found that "low-volume, high-intensity training ... substantially improved both insulin action and glucose clearance in otherwise sedentary young males."
That shows that "we do not yet fully appreciate the traditional connection between exercise and diabetes," Timmons says.
The test subjects used exercise bikes to perform quick, rigorous sprints for 30 seconds totaling 15 minutes over a two-week period. The participants were either sedentary or recreationally active, but none was in a structured exercise program. "This novel approach may help people to lead a healthier life, improve the future health of the population, and save the health service millions of pounds [or dollars] simply by making it easier for people to find the time to exercise."
The researchers note that their finding is significant because type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide. The risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be reduced, the authors say, but exercise regimens must not be too time-consuming or onerous.
In research published in the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders, scientists from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, say they found that brief but intense exercise every day or two may help reduce the risk of diabetes.
James Timmons, a professor in the school of engineering and physical sciences, says he and a team of investigators looked into the effect of "high-intensity training" on the insulin action and blood sugar control in 16 young, healthy male volunteers.
They found that insulin sensitivity improved significantly in the two-week study.
Regular exercise can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Many people feel they simply don't have the time to follow current exercise guidelines, and that's unfortunate, he says, because his team found that "doing a few intense muscle exercises, each lasting only about 30 seconds, dramatically improves your metabolism just two weeks."
Current recommendations include 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity a week.
His team found that "low-volume, high-intensity training ... substantially improved both insulin action and glucose clearance in otherwise sedentary young males."
That shows that "we do not yet fully appreciate the traditional connection between exercise and diabetes," Timmons says.
The test subjects used exercise bikes to perform quick, rigorous sprints for 30 seconds totaling 15 minutes over a two-week period. The participants were either sedentary or recreationally active, but none was in a structured exercise program. "This novel approach may help people to lead a healthier life, improve the future health of the population, and save the health service millions of pounds [or dollars] simply by making it easier for people to find the time to exercise."
The researchers note that their finding is significant because type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide. The risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be reduced, the authors say, but exercise regimens must not be too time-consuming or onerous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
