Health Front
News That's Good for You
June 2008
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life

Sustainable Seafood
Drink Green
Main Squeeze
Herbs v. HRT
Healthy Rx

Sustainable Seafood

Climate change, development, and overfishing are threatening the world’s fish supplies. Despite a recent review that suggests the collapse of current commercial fisheries by 2048, a return to abundance and biodiversity is possible—if we work to restore marine environments through pollution controls, fishing quotas, and careful ecosystem management.

To eat the recommended four ounces of omega-3-rich fatty fish twice a week may require sampling a wide variety of watery fare to save dwindling stocks of some species. Here are some of the most sustainable choices.

• Arctic char
• Catfish
• Clams
• Cod, Pacific
• Crab, Dungeness or stone
• Halibut, Pacific
• Herring/Sardines, Atlantic
• Lobster, spiny (U.S.)
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Pollock
• Salmon
• Scallops, bay
• Striped bass
• Sturgeon/Caviar
• Tilapia
• Trout, rainbow
• Tuna, albacore or skipjack

selected source

• The Gut Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS ($22.95, Penguin Group/Avery,2008)
• New Good Food by Margaret M. Wittenberg ($19.95, Ten Speed Press, 2008)
• “Sustaining Seafood,” Nutrition Action Health Letter, 5/08

Drink Green

Green tea not only contains flavonoids and other healing substances but also helps fight antibioticresistant bacteria, or “superbugs.”

To researchers’ surprise, green (or unfermented) tea enhanced the effectiveness of a variety of antibiotics against staph infections.

“In the future, we will be looking at other natural herb products such as marjoram and thyme to see whether they also contain active compounds that can help in the battle against drug-resistant bacteria,” said Mervat Kassem, PhD, at the Society for General Microbiology’s recent meeting in Scotland.

selected source

• “Green Tea Shows Superbug-Battling Potential,” www.nutraingredients.com, 4/1/08

Main Squeeze

A little lemon in tea does more than kick up the flavor a notch. Purdue University researchers find that adding citrus juice to green tea can increase the level of antioxidant compounds called catechins—80 percent of which can be lost during digestion.

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• “Citrus Juice Preserves Green Tea’s Antioxidant Power,” Tufts University
  Health & Nutrition Letter, 2/08

Herbs v. HRT

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been found to increase the risks
of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, a slightly higher risk for these diseases persists for at least three years after discontinuing HRT, the Women’s Health Initiative reports.

The good news is that other research clarifies and alleviates some of the concern over black cohosh (Actaea racemosa syn. Cimicifuga racemosa), a popular natural solution for menopausal symptoms. In a review of four 2006 studies, Tori Hudson, ND, concludes, “Standardized extracts of black cohosh continue to be one of the most reliable herbal approaches to treating a wide array of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.”

A newer, smaller study also finds that the herbal combination of black cohosh and St. John’s wort can improve mood at menopause while increasing HDL (healthy) cholesterol levels— important as women lose their natural heart protection with
declining estrogen.

selected sources

• “Black Cohosh—Concerns and Controversies” by Tori Hudson, ND,Altern & Complement Ther, 4/07
• “Black Cohosh/St. John’s Wort Combination Improves Climacteric Symptoms . . .” by Heather S. Oliff, PhD, 12/31/07
• “Treatment with Black Cohosh Extract Does Not Adversely Effect Breast Density” by Marissa N. Oppel, MS, 2/15/08
• “The Use of Black Cohosh to Treat Menopausal Symptoms” by Shari Henson, 2/15/08, HerbClip
• “Study Details Women’s Risks After Stopping Hormones” by Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times, 3/5/08

Healthy Rx

Doctors (72 percent) and nurses (89 percent) are most likely to supplement their diets, compared to 68 percent of the rest of us.

Their faves? A multivitamin/mineral tops the list, followed by vitamins C, B complex, D, E, and calcium in descending order.

Why? Healthcare professionals believe nutritional supplements play an important role in improving overall health. Specifically, nurses are more likely than physicians to take nutritional supplements for bone health, while doctors tend to take more supplements for heart health.

selected sources

• “How Do Physicians and Nurses Use Supplements as Part of Their Wellness Regimen?”
• “Who Are the Highest Consumers of Dietary Supplements?” www.lifesupplemented.org, 2/08