This edition of Real Foods News is sponsored by:
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In this issue:

New Store Hours
Bach Flower Therapy for Beginners
Polyphenols
Renewable Energy Database
Health News from Around the World

OK. The holidays (hope yours went well) and MOST of the paperwork are done. We got through the ice storm without catastrophe (so the power was out for awhile... candlelight dinners are nice...), so it's back to business as usual.

New Hours for the New Year

We've had some requests that we open a bit earlier in the AM.

So we're gonna give it a go. Monday through Friday, we'll be open from 9 am to 6 pm. Saturday will still be from 10 am to 3 pm.

Fr*ee Bach Flower Essences Class

It's a bit of a short notice, but we still have one slot open for the Bach Flower Remedies beginner's class on Tuesday evening (Jan 23, 6:30 - 8:30 pm) at the store.

You'll learn the basics, receive some Rescue Remedy® Cream, and get to create your own personalized formula.

Please call Sherri or Ann at 830-833-2483.

For more on Bach Flowers, please see http://www.personal-wellness-consultant.com/bach-flower-remedies.html

One Wine, One Tea, Many Polyphenols*

(This article from our friends at Vitamin Retailer)
By Peter Croatto

Polyphenols are natural plant colorants that naturally serve as antioxidants, substances that protect cells from molecules called free radical damage to important parts of cells, including proteins, membranes and DNA.

According to health author Dr. Ray Sahelian, polyphenols are found in plant foods and consist of two categories: phenolic acids, simple molecules which account for about one third of the total intake of polyphenols in our diet; and flavonoids, widely distributed in nature and sensitive to cooking conditions, which account for the remaining two-thirds.

Flavonoids are further subdivided into several categories, but there's not enough room here to explore them. Let's take a look at the polyphenols that are found in two beverages enjoyed worldwide.

Aside from antioxidant activity, tea polyphenols may reduce abnormal cell growth and inflammation; help the body get rid of cancer-causing agents; and restore communication between different cells in the body.

Studies in humans have yielded mixed results, according to the National Cancer Institute, but in animals "different tea extracts, tea polyphenol mixtures, purified tea components, and tea infusions as the sole drinking fluid have more consistently been shown to prevent cancer."

In his book Healthy Aging, legendary health author Dr. Andrew Weil writes that "the most important" polyphenol in tea is EGCG or epigallocetechin.

It's "one of the most potent antioxidants known, responsible for many of the health benefits of tea reported in studies from Asia, Europe and North America."

If you want to get the most nutritional content from their tea, look for less oxidized teas.

"Oxidation darkens color, intensifies flavors and creates new flavor elements and degrades the polyphenol content," Weil explains. Less oxidation means more antioxidant activity in your tea.

As for wine's health benefits, polyphenols are found in grapes' skin and seeds, but the fermentation process dissolves them. However, according to MedicineNet, "Red wine contains more polyphenols than white wine because the making of white wine requires the removal of the skins after the grapes are crushed. The phenols in red wine include catechin, gallic acid and epicatechin."

Resveratrol is a popular polyphenol found in grapes and red wine; high levels also found in raspberries and peanuts. Resveratrol is produced as part of the plant's defense system against disease, as well as stress, injury and infection.

Like tea polyphenols, animal studies indicate resveratrol has anti-cancer properties, as it may help prevent cancer's three stages: initiation, promotion and progression.

All the more reason to drink - within moderation, of course - that glass of red wine or that cup of white tea.

RESOURCES/REFERENCES

. Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being, by Andrew Weil. Knopf 2005
. National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov
. MedicineNet, www.medicine.net
. Ray Sahelian, M.D., www.raysahelian.com

*Reprinted with permission from Vitamin Retailer magazine and is provided for educational purposes. No part of this article is intended as medical advice; Always consult your health care provider for any medical problems.

For more on Phytonutrients - the nourishing substances we get from plants - please see Phytochemicals and Chinese and Herbal Teas.

Renewable Energy

I just found a website database that lists the financial incentives (grants, rebates, tax-abatement, etc) for installing or upgrading renewable energy systems and energy saving systems (insulation, storm windows, etc).

Database of State of Texas Incentives for Renewable Energy
http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/map2.cfm?CurrentPageID=1&State=TX&RE=1&EE=1

(Other states are linked at the bottom of the page)

If you're planning that sort of thing anyway, maybe you should check it out. (Or maybe you need just one more item on your Spring and Summer Projects list ;-)

From News Around the World

Taking Heartburn Drugs Can Break Your Hip

Heartburn drugs can raise the risk of a broken hip in people older than 50 when they are taken for more than a year, according to a study of more than 145,000 seniors.

The researchers believe the drugs may make it more difficult for the body to absorb calcium, leading to weaker bones and fractures.

The drugs causing the most problems were of a class known as proton pump inhibitors, which include Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec. There was a similar but smaller risk of hip fractures for drugs called H2 blockers, such as Tagamet and Pepcid.

Patients who used proton pump inhibitors for more than a year had a 44 percent greater risk of hip fracture, and the longer they took the drug, the greater the risk. And those who took high doses had more than twice the risk of hip fractures. Men in the study were more at risk than women, possibly because women may get more calcium in their diets.

Nexium is the third best-selling drug in the world, with annual sales exceeding $5 billion.

People with chronic heartburn can develop painful ulcers in the esophagus, and in rare cases, some can end up with damage that can lead to esophageal cancer.[NEW YORK TIMES, JAMA]

(wow, I knew Nexium and the like caused lower GI problems, but I didn't even consider the calcium absorbtion issue. What I HAVE realized is that a Nexium prescription seems to follow Fosomax... There are much safer, and possibly more effective ways to avoid osteoporosis and heartburn http://www.personal-wellness-consultant.com/heartburn )

Stop (FAKE) Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

After years of steady increase, breast cancer rates dropped 7 percent in 2003, one year after millions of women stopped taking hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) following a report by the Women's Health Initiative regarding the dangers of HRT.

The July 2002 report indicated that HRT can increase the risks of heart disease and breast cancer.

Breast cancer rates dropped the most (12 percent) among women aged 50 to 69 whose tumors feed on estrogen. Women in that age range are the most likely to use hormone therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms.

About 30 percent of women older than 50 took hormone therapy until the 2002 report, at which point roughly half of them stopped. Since 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year, a 7 percent drop means that approximately 14,000 fewer women were diagnosed with the disease in 2003. [USA TODAY, NEW YORK TIMES]

SSRI Offspring

The results of a Danish cohort study suggest the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant drugs early in pregnancy increases the risk of congenital malformations in offspring. Women who used an SSRI during pregnancy had a 34% higher relative risk of delivering an infant with a congenital malformation compared with those that were not prescribed an antidepressant. [REUTERS]

Tamiflu Troubles

Roche Holding AG, the maker of the antiviral medication Tamiflu, issued a new warning for the flu drug. The US Food and Drug Administration approved new labeling noting patients must be closely monitored for potential psychiatric problems, including delirium and suicide. As Tamiflu becomes more widely used in the US, cases of abnormal behavior have risen. [SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER]

Serving ALS

A report by the US National Academy of Sciences revealed that there is a positive link between military service and developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a chronic, progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease, marked by gradual degeneration of the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. One study found that veterans who served between 1910 and 1982 were 1.5 times more likely than others to develop the degenerative nervous disease. [MEDICAL NEWS TODAY]

(In working with persons with ALS, I have found that there is always chemical poisoning of some type, parasites, and a strong need for essential fatty acids)

Fighting more than Fires

Compared to the general population, firefighters are more likely to develop testicular cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma. Occupational, environmental, and pulmonary medicine researchers from the University of Cincinnati found firefighters were exposed to carcinogenic toxins such as benzene, diesel engine exhaust, chloroform, soot, styrene, and formaldehyde. They are exposed to such chemicals in fires as well as within the vicinity of a fire and therefore the risks of cancer are increased. [NEW YORK POST]

You Are What She Ate

Doctors and scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute have found a mother's diet during pregnancy can impact the health of her grandchildren. The study was conducted on mice, but proves environmental factors can affect a fetus for generations. There is no change in the gene itself, but there was a change in the behavior of the gene based on varying environmental factors. [FORBES]

(This sounds a bit like the homeopathic theory of Miasm.)

Red Cancer

Eating more than one serving of red meat every day may double a woman's risk of developing some forms of breast cancer. Researchers from Harvard Medical School along with Brigham and Women's Hospital found women who ate more than one-and-a-half servings of red meat a day were found to have a 97% increased risk for developing hormone-receptor-positive tumors. [BBC NEWS]

(I suspect this may have more to do with the way the animals were raised, rather than the act of eating meat itself. Please see Pasture-Based Farming.)

Red Endurance

A recent study found mice given resveratrol, a minor component of red wine, had energy charged muscles and a reduced heart rate. Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France found the mice given resveratrol ran twice as far as mice not given the substance. The red wine component protects animals from obesity and diabetes and may have the same affect on humans. [SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE]

(See Polyphenol article above)

Chocolate Health

Eating a small amount of dark chocolate each day can reduce the risk of blood clots by thinning the blood. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University discovered platelets from chocoholics clotted slower than those of people who refrained from the sweet treat. The chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack. [GLOBE AND MAIL]

Midlife Longevity

A recent study from Hawaii found midlife health greatly affects the chances of a man living to the age of 85. Men with normal blood pressure, good grip strength and several other physical characteristics associated with being fit and active have a higher likelihood of aging gracefully. Avoiding smoking and excess alcohol as well as being married improves chances of surviving well into the 80s. [USA TODAY]

Until next time---

Yours in Healthy Living,

Sherri and the Gang at Real Foods Market

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