Combining omega-3 fatty acids with glucosamine achieves better improvements in joint health than glucosamine alone, says a new study from Germany.

The study, published in the journal Advances in Therapy, is said to be the first clinical trial to employ the combination of glucosamine omega-3 fatty acids in people suffering from osteoarthritis. UK-based Seven Seas funded the study.

Approximately seven million people in the UK alone are reported to have long-term health problems associated with arthritis. Around 206 million working days were lost in the UK in 1999-2000, equal to £18 billion (€26 billion) of lost productivity.

Talking to NutraIngredients, lead author and president of the CRO which performed the trial, Analyze & Realize, Dr Joerg Gruenwald said: “In a randomized controlled clinical trial with 177 patients with osteoarthritis, we could prove that the combination of glucosamine sulfate and omega-3-fatty acid is superior to glucosamine alone.

“Using the classical WOMAC pain score we could show 27 per cent more responders (80 per cent reduction of WOMAC pain score) in the combination group compared to glucosamine alone, this difference was statistically significant,” he added.

The joint health market is dominated by glucosamine, which is extracted from the shell of crabs, lobster and shrimps. Cargill also markets a non-animal, non-shellfish derived product. The ingredient is often used in combination with chondroitin sulphate, extracted from animal cartilage, such as sharks.

According to the Nutrition Business Journal, US sales for these combined supplements were $810 million (€563 million) in 2005.

Study Details

Dr Gruenwald and his co-workers recruited 177 people with moderate-to-severe hip or knee osteoarthritis and randomly assigned them to receive either a glucosamine sulfate supplement (1500 milligrams per day) or glucosamine plus omega-3 fatty acids (providing 444 mg of fish oil, of which 200 mg were omega-3-fatty acids).

“Because the patients studied had moderate-to-severe knee or hip osteoarthritis pain, a placebo group was not used for ethical reasons,” explained the researchers.

After 26 weeks of supplementation, the researchers tested pain levels using the established Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthrosis index (WOMAC) score.

While there was no significant difference between the number of responders in each group when a minimal pain reduction of at least 20 per cent was used, significant differences were observed when a higher responder criterion of at least 80 pain reduction was used.

Indeed, the combination product reduced morning stiffness and pain in the hips and knees by between 48.5 and 55.6 per cent, compared to 41.7 to 55.3 per cent in the glucosamine only group.

Commenting on the potential mechanism, Dr Gruenwald and his co-workers note that the ingredient probably acted synergistically. “Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit the inflammation process in OA, whereas glucosamine sulfate further supports the rebuilding of lost cartilage substance,” they stated.

Source: Advances in Therapy
Volume 26, Issue 9, Pages 858-871
“Effect of glucosamine sulfate with or without omega-3 fatty acids in patients with osteoarthritis”
Authors: J. Gruenwald, E. Petzold, R. Busch, H.-P. Petzold, H.-J. Graubaum

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For our recommended choice for an Omega 3 Fatty Acid in the form of fish oil, visit: Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

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Many doctors and health care professionals are beginning to agree, toxicity is truly one of the most important issues affecting our health today. 

Fifty years after the introduction of toxic chemicals into our environment - chemicals originally intended to enhance our lifestyles - we are left to ponder whether our lives are truly enhanced. 

Could these same chemicals that were origninally developed to enhance our well-being actually be toxic and damaging our health, as well as the health of our children?

Did you know that there are more than 70,000 synthetic chemicals used commercially and approximately a thousand more new chemicals are introduced into our environment each year?  It’s hard to know exactly how many of these chemicals are actually safe for us to breathe, consume and place onto or into our bodies.

Also, consider the fact that only a handful of these potential chemicals and toxins have been adequately tested to determine their effect on humans and other forms of life.

Again, consider the the following:

• During the last 50 years over 70,000 chemicals have been introduced into the environment.
• Approximately 3% of the chemicals released have been studied.
• Every person (and animal)  on the planet is now likely to have been exposed to and polluted by toxic chemicals.
• The water supply in many states is tainted with some sort of chemical.
• According to the World Health Organization, at least 80% of all cancers are due to environmental toxins and chemicals in our body.
• It is said that over our lifetime, each American will ingest or absorb at least 5 pounds of toxic materials.

How do we know what all these chemicals are doing to our body? How do these chemicals and toxins react in conjunction with each other?  Why take a chance?  Begin to educate yourself about the toxins found in our environment and what they do to your body.  Learn to be proactive and make sure that you are not contributing to this pollution problem. 

The world’s population is exploding and its difficult for Mother Earth to sustain herself and to provide clean air, safe food and fresh water for her exploding population.  It is up to you and I to help out.  Please start your education about what you can do to help now!

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There is a product called ZMP 400 formulated with Zeolite which may help your body eliminate toxins.  ZMP400 Info  or  Zeolite Info

A study suggests that alcoholism may not be hereditary and that eighty percent of all alcoholics are born with a (genetic) deficiency in their opiod levels.  

Their manufacturing cells NEVER produce enough opiods for them to feel “normal”, like the rest of us. They walk around all of the time with an incredibly uncomfortable feeling.

When the brain is unable to produce the required levels of chemicals naturally, an individual often learns to self-medicate with alcohol and other substances.

In the brain, alcohol produces “tetrahydroisoquinolines” or TIQ’s. TIQ’s so closely resemble opiods that they actually “trick” the brain into thinking this individuals opiod levels are normal. The alcoholic now feels good. The “uncomfortable” feeling is gone.

BUT HERE IS THE PROBLEM . . .

The more alcohol this person consumes, the more the brain is tricked into thinking the opiod level is normal because of the presence of the TIQs.

When TIQs are present, the brain signals the manufacturing cells to stop producing any more opiods (which were not enough to begin with).  The more these Manufacturing Cells are inactive, they actually atrophy, or die, which means EVEN LESS opiods are produced.  Now the alcoholic has to consume even more alcohol to get rid of the “uncomfortable” feeling. A vicious cycle is created.

There is an incredible product called Neu-Recover that may help alcoholics. Neu-Recover™ helps provide nutritional support for replenishment of neurotransmitters depleted by the long term use of alcohol.  Click to Learn More about Neu-Recover.

400 times more energy than any plant source on earth!

NASA scientists theorize that some 3 1/2 billion years ago, the world was changed forever. The appearance of tiny organisms with the ability to convert sunlight, warmth, water and minerals into protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and amino acids marked the beginning of life.

Phytoplankton — single-cell plants – are the basis of all other life forms on planet earth.  They are the ‘vegetation’ of the ocean.

Through photos from space, NASA  has shown that Marine Phytoplankton are responsible for making up to 90% of Earth’s oxygen.

A University in Spain researching bio-fuel sources determined that Marine Phytoplankton also contain 400 times more energy than any other plant source on earth

Phytoplankton are the food utilized by the world’s largest and longest living animals and fish. Blue Whales, Humpbacks, Baleen Whales and more all eat phytoplankton and live between 80-150 years while maintaining great strength and endurance and are sexually active until they die. 

This food source has eluded mankind until a sea farmer in Northern British Columbia created a 30 million dollar facility, on the edge of the Northern Pacific Ocean, to grow phytoplankton year round to feed his shell fish.  He has a patent pending process that recreates the “Spring Bloom” of phytoplankton 365 days a year in an open air environment on the edge of the ocean.

His process is extremely environmentally friendly. When harvesting the marine phytoplankton, Mr. Harper drains the million gallon tanks and recycles the ocean water back into the sea. In this process, he is replacing 4 to 5 times more marine phytoplankton back into the ocean. He is replenishing the oceans with a very viable food source that consumes CO2 and emits oxygen. When he developeda serious health challenge whereby doctors gave him only months to live, he decided to begin eating “his phytoplankton”.  He thought “if it is good for my fish, why not me?” Needless to say, his health challenge is no longer. 

Phytoplankton is the perfect nutrition for our cells.  Dr. Jerry Tennant, M.D., from the Tennant Institute of Integrative Medicine, states “There are very few products that provide all, or even most of the raw materials to make new cells and sustain the existing ones.  The problem is that we need all of them at the same time for things to work. One of these rare products that contains almost everything you need for life (and rebuilding healthy life) is phytoplankton.”

Phytoplankton is Mother Nature’s most perfect and complete nutrition. It contains all the essential amino acids, great source of Omega 3’s Vitamin A, Selenium, Iodine….and much, much  more.  The elements in phytoplankton are essential for the human body.  It is no coincidence that the composition of human plasma is similar to sea water. With our over-reliance on land based food sources, we have developed deficiencies in micronutrients and trace elements. Jacque Cousteau stated “The future of nutrition is found in the ocean”.

How can we easily access this nutrition?  A environmentally friendly company, ForeverGreen makes an exclusive product called “Frequensea”. It is a pleasurable tasting bio-available liquid that contains not only marine phytoplankton but water soluble frankincense, rose, ginger, Astaxanthin, pure fruit concentrates and more with no artificial preservatives.

If you would like more information about purchasing marine phytoplankton, please call To Your Health at 1-888-887-4654 or visit:  www.CellMiracle.com  or FrequenSea with Marine Phytoplankton.
 

WASHINGTON — Drink a milkshake and the pleasure center in your brain gets a hit of happy — unless you’re overweight. It sounds counterintuitive. But scientists who watched young women savor milkshakes inside a brain scanner concluded that when the brain doesn’t sense enough gratification from food, people may overeat to compensate.

The small but first-of-a-kind study even could predict who would pile on pounds during the next year: Those who harbored a gene that made their brain’s yum factor even more sluggish.

“The more blunted your response to the milkshake taste, the more likely you are to gain weight,” said Dr. Eric Stice, a senior scientist at the Oregon Research Institute who led the work, published in Friday’s edition of the journal Science.

A healthy diet and plenty of exercise are the main factors in whether someone is overweight. But scientists have long known that genetics also play a major role in obesity — and one big culprit is thought to be dopamine, the brain chemical that’s key to sensing pleasure.

Eating can temporarily boost dopamine levels. Previous brain scans have suggested that the obese have fewer dopamine receptors in their brains than lean people. And a particular gene version, called Taq1A1, is linked to fewer dopamine receptors.

“This paper takes it one step farther,” said Dr. Nora Volkow of the National Institutes of Health, a dopamine specialist who has long studied the obesity link. “It takes the gene associated with greater vulnerability for obesity and asks the question why. What is it doing to the way the brain is functioning that would make a person more vulnerable to compulsively eat food and become obese?”

It’s “very elegant work,” she added.

First, Stice’s team had to figure out how to study the brain’s immediate reactions to food. Moving inside an MRI machine skews its measurements, which ruled out letting the women slurp up the milkshakes. Yale University neuroscientist Dana Small solved that
problem, with a special syringe that would squirt a small amount of milkshake or, for comparison, a tasteless solution into the mouth without study participants moving. They were told when to swallow, so researchers could coordinate the scans with that small motion.

Then they recruited volunteers, 43 female college students ages 18 to 22 and 33 teenagers, ages 14 to 18. Body mass index calculations showed the young women spanned the range from very skinny to obese.

Brain scanning showed that a key region called the dorsal striatum — a dopamine-rich pleasure center — became active when they tasted the milkshake, but not when they tasted the comparison liquid that just mimicked saliva.

Yet that brain region was far less active in overweight people than in lean people, and in those who carry that A1 gene variant, the researchers reported. Moreover, women with that gene version were more likely to gain weight over the coming year.

It’s a small study with few gene carriers, and thus must be verified, Volkow stressed.

Still, it could have important implications. Volkow, who heads NIH’s National Institute of Drug Abuse, notes that “dopamine is not just about pleasure.” It also plays a role in conditioning — dopamine levels affect drug addiction — and the ability to control impulses.

She wonders if instead of overeating to compensate for the lack of pleasure — Stice’s conclusion — the study really might show that these people with malfunctioning dopamine in fact eat because they’re impulsive.

Regardless, most people’s tongues find a milkshake quite tasty; the brain reaction is subconscious.

But if doctors could determine who carries the at-risk gene, children especially could be steered toward “recreational sports or other things that give them satisfaction and pleasure and dopamine that aren’t food… and not get their brains used to having crappy food,” said Stice, a clinical psychologist who has long studied obesity.

“Don’t get your brain used to it,” he said of non-nutritious food. “I would not buy Ho Hos for lunch every day because the more you eat, the more you crave.”

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For information about Healthy Brain Supplements that Support Healthy Brain Function and Enhance Mental Focus,  please visit:  NeuroGenesis, Science for the Mind and Body
 

Each grade of fish oil is distinguished from the other by its purity and concentration of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Crude fish oils are the least expensive and could contain some levels of contaminants including PCBs, DDT and organic mercury.

When choosing a high dose fish oil remember that knowledge is power and not all fish oils are manufactured the same. Some fish oils may even be dangerous when taken in high doses.

With many choices of fish oil available, and with so many pro and con opinions written about each, it is easy to become confused. So when it comes time for you to choose a fish oil make sure you do your homework and choose wisely so that you get the maximum health benefits.

When choosing a fish oil that you will be ingesting in high doses it is crucial that you choose one that is pure and free of contaminants, toxins, and mercury. How can you, the consumer, tell the difference?

Currently there are three grades of fish oil available on the market today:

• Cod Liver Oil
• Health-food grade fish oil, and
• Pharmaceutical-grade, ultra-refined fish oil

Cod Liver Oil

Cod Liver Oil is the lowest quality fish oil and like the name implies it is manufactured from the livers of Cod fish. It has the lowest concentration of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and may contain the highest levels of contaminants such as organic mercury, PCB’s, and DDT. Cod Liver Oil may also contain a high level of Vitamin A.

Cod Liver Oil is not recommended for high dose consumption. A typical serving of Cod Liver Oil contains 500 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Health-food Grade Fish Oils

Most health-food grade fish oils are manufactured from fish body oils. Fish oils can be manufactured from a single fish species or from several fish species.

Fish size and their relative rank in the food chain can help us understand the level of contaminants that may be found in health-food grade fish oils. Small fish, such as sardines and anchovies, don’t live long so are less prone to accumulate environmental pollutants. Larger fish, such as salmon and mackerel, are predatory species that live longer so they could contain higher levels of pollutants. If the label says it comes from a particular species of fish, such as salmon, then you can be sure that it probably is health-food grade fish oil.

A slightly more purified type of health-food grade fish oil is available which includes oils that have been subjected to a limited amount of molecular distillation to remove some of the cholesterol. These types of fish oils are usually labeled as “cholesterol-free”.

“Fish Oil Concentrate” is yet another type of health-food grade fish oil. Fish oil concentrates consist of ethyl esters of the fish oil that have been subjected to fractional cooling. The solidified saturated fats are removed leaving behind a more concentrated solution of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. A typical one-gram capsule of thermally fractionated health-food grade fish oil contains up to 500 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Typical health-food grade fish oils may contain varying amounts of contaminants. In addition, the fractional cooling method does not necessarily remove all the PCB’s or the long-chain monoene fatty acids that may give rise to gastric distress. Due to the varying amounts of contaminants that could still be contained in health-food grade, it is questionable as to whether it is safe at high levels. A typical one-gram capsule of health-food grade fish oil contains approximately 300 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Pharmaceutical-grade Fish Oil — the newest generation of fish oil.

Pharmaceutical-grade fish oils start with thermally fractionated health-food grade fish oils. These oils are then distilled, using a highly complex refining technology, into fractions rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. According to manufacturers, it typically takes about 100 gallons of health-food grade fish oil to make one gallon of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil.

Individual fractions are then combined to provide a 2:1 ratio of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) for the finished fish oil product. Scientific studies conducted with pharmaceutical-grade fish oils that used a 2:1 ratio of EPA and DHA reported significant clinical benefits.

Pharmaceutical-grade fish oils are exceptionally low in long-chain monoenes, PCB’s and other pollutants. Pharmaceutical-grade fish oil is believed to be the safest to take in high doses. A typical one-gram capsule of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil will have a minimum of 600 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Pharmaceutical-grade fish oils are a fairly new product and a good-quality source may be difficult to find. In addition, pharmaceutical-grade fish oils definitely cost more – sometimes twice as much. This increased cost is an outcome of the complex process used to remove impurities. Each step in the refining process adds additional production costs.

For instance, SeaLogix Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil from Trilogy International, starts with health food grade fish oil which then goes through nine additional steps to make it pharmaceutical grade quality. Pharmaceutical-grade fish oils generally taste better and the amount of long-chain monoenes, which cause gastric distress, are dramatically reduced.

For more information about where to purchase SeaLogix Ultra Refined Fish Oil Supplement, please visit http://www.CardioResults.com or call To Your Health at 503-244-5941.

This new weight managment and hunger management system shows great promise.  It’s new technology that has shown some great results.

Everyone knows how hard it is to lose weight when you feel hungry.  The FORM diet pill  is designed to reduce the hunger associated with weight loss regimens by controlling meal portions by partially filling the stomach before meals, thus reducing the urge to overeat.

 The FIXX and FORM Hunger Management Plan can also be used as a weight loss tool in association with other popular weight loss plans.

For more information about this incredible new weight loss program, please visit www.LoseWeightGainEnergy.com