Showing posts with label help. Show all posts
Showing posts with label help. Show all posts
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Artichoke Leaves Diabetes No Chance Thistle Qualifies as Anti Oxidant Carb Blocker Digestive Help Diabesity Drug
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| Boiled Artichokes slow down the absorption of glucose and minimize the insulin + glucose surges (Nomikos. 2007) |
Artichoke leaves the future of diabesity treatment!?
I have to admit, I am not exactly and artichole expert, but I was still surprised that the paper Joanna Magielse and her colleagues from the University of Antwerp are about to publish in the scientific journal Food & Function claims to be the first to investigate the beneficial health effects of artichoke leave extracts on diabetes-induced oxidation in vivo.
I mean, we all have seen the broad range of artichoke supplements on the shelves; and my brief review of the literature yielded studies from the mid 1920s discussing how beneficial artichoke can be for patients with type II diabetes (Root. 1925).
When I kept digging through the currently available literature, though, I had to realize that the vast majority of the in-vivo studies dealt with the anti-cholesterol (Wider. 2013) and digestive benefits (Marakis. 2002) of artichokes and their leaf extracts (ALE). The proven anti-oxidant effects of its major polyphenolic constituents (Zapolska-Downar. 2002; Betancor-Fernandez. 2003; Jimenez-Escrig. 2003; Menghini. 2010), on the other hand, havent been tested in either animals or humans with type II diabetes. The rodent-experiment the Belgian researchers describe in the paper at hand is thus probably in fact the first to investigate the anti-oxidative effects ALE in an in-vivo scenario.
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| More about chlorogenic acid. |
- Why 0.2g/kg BW? This is the rodent equivalent of a well-tolerated amount of 2g/day that has been used for treatment of hypercholesterolemia and digestive complaints (Englisch. 2000; Holtmann. 2003; Barnes. 2007).0.2g/kg BW of artichoke extract (CYN1),
- 1g/kg BW of artichoke extract (CYN2),
- 50mg/kg BW alpha-tocopherol-acetate (VIT E),
Learn About Artichoke Alternatives for Glucose Management:
Lifestyle Changes
ALA, GABA, Taurine & Co.
Berberine, Banaba & Co.
Cinnamon, Curcumin & Co.
Lemon, Starch, Coffee & Co.
Chlorogenic acid, fucoxanthin & Co.
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| Figure 1: MDA, 8-OHdG, CoQ9 and GSH levels expressed as rel. difference to control (Magielse. 2013) |
Whats the mechanism and what do we already know about artichoke?
With respect to the underlying mechanism that could explain the improvements the researchers observed in the study at hand, Magielse et al. point out that...
"...it should be emphasized that not only direct antioxidant actions, but also indirect mechanisms affecting gene expression of inflammatory pathways and modulating antioxidant enzyme synthesis have been reported for polyphenols and may contribute to the reduction of oxidative stress." (Magielse. 2013)In that, the scientists are referring to the previously established beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and glucose absorption other researchers have observed in previous studies:
- Boiled wild artichoke reduces postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses in normal subjects by inhibiting the glucose absorption (100g of boiled plant on 50g of glucose in complete meal). Interestingly, this trick doesnt work in patients with type II diabetes (Nomikos. 2007)
- Significant increase in bile secretion and thus improved fat digestion. 1.92g of artichoke extract lead to increase of up to ~140% in a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind cross-over study published in Phytomedicine (Kirchhoff. 1994).
- Beneficial improvements in endothelial function (-21% VCAM-1; - 17% ICAM-1 brachial +37% FMV) in hyperlipidemic patients with only 20ml of "self-made"* artichoke juice per day (*juiced by the researchers; Lupattelli. 2004).
- Provides "food" for probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei (LMGP22043) that have beneficial effects on faecal bacteria and biochemical parameters in human subjects (Valerio. 2011).
- Has UV protective effects, when applied to the hair (Fernandez. 2012) - not that important for your overall health, but still quite telling, right?)
- 2x 200mg of ALE per day decrease total cholesterol and LDL and increase HDL in subjects with existing hypercholesterolaemia (Rondanelli. 2013)
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| Diabetes or Not-Diabetes - Thats not just about the foods you eat, but also about what your body does with them: "Dietary Fructose vs. Endogenous Fructose Production: Is The Aldose Reductase Mediated Production of Fructose to Blame for Diabesity & NAFLD? Could Amla Help? " | more |
With commercially prepared extracts, on the other hand, you do not just run the risk of buying not / incorrrectly standardized products without active ingredients, but could also be missing out on the actue anti-hypoglycemic effects, which are probably mediated by the fructan-content of the whole "fruit"; not the caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids you can buy in capsule-, pill- or tablet-form (cf. Rumessen. 1990; the dosage of fructans that did the trick here was 20g!)
Reference:
- Barnes, J., Anderson, L.-A., Phillipson, J.-D. (Eds.), Herbal Medicines, Pharmaceutical Press, London 2007.
- Betancor-Fernandez, A., P´ erez-G´ alvez, A., Sies, H., Stahl, W., Screening pharmaceutical preparations containing extracts of turmeric rhizome, artichoke leaf, devil’s claw root and gar lic or salmon oil for antioxidant capacity. J. Pharm. Pharma col. 2003,55, 981–986.
- Englisch, W., Beckers, C., Unkauf, M., Ruepp, M. et al., Effi cacy of artichoke dry extract in patients with hyperlipopro teinemia. Arzneimittel-Forschung. 2000,50, E260–E265.
- Fernandez, E., Martínez-Teipel, B., Armengol, R., Barba, C., & Coderch, L. Efficacy of antioxidants in human hair. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. 2012
- Holtmann, G., Adam, B., Haag, S., Collet, W. et al., Efficacy of artichoke leaf extract in the treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia: a six-week placebo-controlled, double blind, multicentre trial.Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 2003,18, 1099–1105.
- Jimenez-Escrig, A., Dragsted, L.-O., Daneshvar, B., Pulido, R. et al., In vitro antioxidant activities of edible artichoke (Cynara scolymusL.) and effect on biomarkers of antioxi dants in rats.J. Agric. Food Chem. 2003,51, 5540–5545.
- Kirchhoff, R., Beckers, C. H., Kirchhoff, G. M., Trinczek-Gärtner, H., Petrowicz, O., & Reimann, H. J. Increase in choleresis by means of artichoke extract. Phytomedicine. 1994, 1(2), 107-115.
- Lupattelli, G., Marchesi, S., Lombardini, R., Roscini, A. R., Trinca, F., Gemelli, F., ... & Mannarino, E. Artichoke juice improves endothelial function in hyperlipemia. Life sciences. 2004, 76(7), 775-782.
- Marakis, G., Walker, A. F., Middleton, R. W., Booth, J. C. L., Wright, J., & Pike, D. J. (2002). Artichoke leaf extract reduces mild dyspepsia in an open study. Phytomedicine, 9(8), 694-699.
- Menghini, L., Genovese, S., Epifano, F., Tirillini, B. et al., Antiproliferative, protective and antioxidant effects of arti choke, dandelion, turmeric and rosemary extracts and their formulation.Int. J. Immunopathol. Pharmacol. 2010,23, 601– 610.
- Nomikos, T., Detopoulou, P., Fragopoulou, E., Pliakis, E., & Antonopoulou, S.. Boiled wild artichoke reduces postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses in normal subjects but has no effect on metabolic syndrome patients. Nutrition Research. 2007, 27(12), 741-749.
- Root, H. F., & Baker, M. L. Inulin and artichokes in the treatment of diabetes. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1925, 36(1), 126.
- Rondanelli, M., Giacosa, A., Opizzi, A., Faliva, M. A., Sala, P., Perna, S., ... & Bombardelli, E. (2013). Beneficial effects of artichoke leaf extract supplementation on increasing HDL-cholesterol in subjects with primary mild hypercholesterolaemia: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 64(1), 7-15.
- Rumessen, J. J., Bodé, S., Hamberg, O., & Gudmand-Høyer, E. Fructans of Jerusalem artichokes: intestinal transport, absorption, fermentation, and influence on blood glucose, insulin, and C-peptide responses in healthy subjects. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 1990, 52(4), 675-681.
- Valerio, F., et al. Role of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus paracasei LMGP22043 carried by artichokes in influencing faecal bacteria and biochemical parameters in human subjects. Journal of applied microbiology 2011, 111(1): 155-164.
- Wider, B., Pittler, M. H., Thompson-Coon, J., & Ernst, E. (2013). Artichoke leaf extract for treating hypercholesterolaemia. status and date: New search for studies and content updated (no change to conclusions), published in, (3).
- Wittemer, S. M., Ploch, M., Windeck, T., Müller, S. C., Drewelow, B., Derendorf, H., & Veit, M. Bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids after oral administration of Artichoke leaf extracts in humans. Phytomedicine. 2005, 12(1), 28-38.
- Zapolska-Downar, D., Zapolski-Downar, A., Naruszewicz, M., Siennicka, A. et al., Protective properties of artichoke (Cynara scolymus) against oxidative stress induced in cultured endothelial cells and monocytes .Life Sci.2002,71, 2897–2908.
Help TEEN lose weight
Health classes don’t have to focus on just eating right and exercising more, according to the latest study. In fact, they might be more effective if they addressed teens’ mental as well as physical needs.
Researchers led by Bernadette Melnyk, the dean of the nursing school and chief wellness officer at Ohio State University, studied nearly 800 teens aged 14 years to 16 years from varied backgrounds at eleven high schools in the Southwest. Compared to students who received a traditional health class for 15 weekly sessions that focused on topics road safety and infectious disease, those who exercised for 15 to 20 minutes daily and were taught cognitive techniques to reduce stress and anxiety were less a third as likely to gain significant weight. They took an average of around 4000 more steps per day than those in the traditional health class. “Only 2.7% of those [in the program] moved to overweight or obese, whereas almost 9% in the control group [did],” says Melnyk.
The participants receiving the cognitive training also had a 35% drop in drinking by the end of the program. And those who were most depressed at the start of the study moved back into the normal mood range if they received the exercise and coping class.
“These are very exciting findings,” says Patricia Conrod, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, who was not connected with the study, “It’s one of first studies to demonstrate that psychological interventions that were originally designed to improve mental health [may] have beneficial effects on other health indicators.”
The program, called COPE for Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment, was developed by Melnyk and teaches teens to examine the relationships between their thoughts, emotions and actions. It’s based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has repeatedly been shown to be an effective treatment for many mental illnesses. Participants learn to identify “activating events”— for example, being told by a classmate that their art project “sucked” — that triggers emotional crises. In such situations, some adolescents immediately fall into a negative spiral, thinking “I can’t do anything right,” or “No one likes me.”
While in the program, however, the students learned how to examine those thoughts and replace them with more positive ones such as, “That’s just one person’s opinion,” or “Ok, maybe this one didn’t work, but I usually do a good job,” says Melnyk. Doing that repeatedly is an effective way to fight depression and anxiety, research finds. Now, studies like this are starting to suggest that it might prevent those disorders entirely if taught early enough.
But what features of COPE were the responsible for the students’ improved mood and weight loss? The fact that both exercise and mental health skills are part of the program makes it hard to distinguish each factor’s role in the final outcome. However, they may be synergistic. “It’s possible that getting moving kick starts the physiological reactions that improve mood and then allow the other changes,” Conrod says, “[But it’s] equally possible that better cognitive and mental health allows them to make changes in their life,” like eating less and moving more.
Melnyk, for her part, believes that the therapy element is the defining feature of the program, noting that many other wellness strategies include exercise without CBT tactics and do not enjoy similar results. The teens also seemed to support her theory, reporting that this part of the program was most helpful for them.
That supports the idea of incorporating more cognitive behavioral approaches in health-based programs, and moving away from the idea that these strategies are only good for the mind. It turns out the they do both mind and body good, and that these contributions may even feed off of each other.
The research was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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