Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Wednesday 5 February 2020

Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) Inhibits Reactive Oxygen Species Production

By Kyle J. Norton

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals are highly reactive chemical species containing oxygen molecules. In other words, free radicals are unstable atoms with an unpaired electron in the outer ring.

Therefore, in order to become stable, free radicals must either donate or steal an electron from other atoms, leading to a chain reaction that can not be stopped until all electrons are paired or inhibited by antioxidants.

Believe it or not, free radicals in moderate amounts are needed for our body for cell signaling and activation of several transcriptional factors, apoptosis, immunity, and differentiation. However, overexpression of free radicles can cause damage to protein, lipid and cell alternation, leading to a number of chronic illnesses, including cancer.

Free radicals are generated as metabolic by-products by biological systems. Environmental stressors (i.e., the air we breathe, UV, ionizing radiations, pollutants, and heavy metals) and xenochemicals are also found to contribute to the great increase of ROS production.

Antioxidants are stable atom that plays a critical role in protecting the body against the attack of free radicals.

In other words, antioxidants inhibited the onset of free radical before they can cause a chain reaction in facilitating the protein, lipid and cell damage.

Antioxidants can either produced by the liver or intake from dietary sources. Under normal conditions, antioxidant enzymes produced by the body in a healthy individual are good enough to counter the bombardment of free radical attacks.

However, in people with a weakened immune system, intake dietary sources of antioxidants may be necessary.

In a healthy individual, the production of free radicals is balanced by the antioxidant enzymes produced by the body.

On finding a natural ingredient for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, scientists examined the antioxidant capacity and the content of total phenols, verbascoside, isoverbascoside, and selected iridoids in suppressing respiratory burst in terms of reactive oxygen species.

Devil's claw also known as the wood spider, is a plant of genus Harpagophytum in the family of Pedaliaceae, native to South Africa.

The plant has been used as an herb in traditional and herbal medicine to treat fever, rheumatoid arthritis, skin, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach and kidneys conditions, etc.

According to tested analysis, H. procumbens showed the highest degree of antioxidative capacity.

More precisely, in the phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) differentiation, three Harpagophytum taxa showed anti-inflammatory effects compared to control.

However, a putative hybrid between H. procumbens and H. zeyheri, in contrast, showed a pro-inflammatory effect on the response of neutrophils to F. nucleatum in comparison with treatment with the vehicle control.

Collectively, Harpagophytum taxa showed strong activity in suppressing respiratory burst associated with the chain reaction of ROS.

Taken altogether, Devil's claw may be considered an antioxidative remedy pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Alteration of Neutrophil Reactive Oxygen Species Production by Extracts of Devil's Claw (Harpagophytum) by Muzila M1, Rumpunen K2, Wright H3, Roberts H3, Grant M3, Nybom H2, Sehic J2, Ekholm A2, Widén C. (PubMed)

Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) Suppresses the Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

By Kyle J. Norton

Osteoarthritis is a type of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and medical condition mostly caused by work-related occupations and working environment, affecting patients’ muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves and developing over time.

More precisely, Osteoarthritis (OA), a form of arthritis, is a condition of aging causes of wear and tear on a joint, affecting over 25 million people in the United States alone.

University of Porto Medical School indicated that one must understand the differences in prevalence and incidence estimates of osteoarthritis (OA), according to case definition, in the knee, hip and hand joints(3).

The most common symptoms associated with OA are aching pain, stiffness, or difficulty of moving the joint or joints.

The pain usually gets worse in a change of weather, at night and in the advanced diseases, the pain can occur even at rest.

Today management of osteoarthritis (OA) focuses on pain relief and improved physical function through pharmacological, nonpharmacological, and surgical treatments.

Osteoarthritis getting worse overtime can induce complications of
* Gout
The forming of sodium urate crystals forming in and around your joints, due to high levels of urate can result from inflammatory arthritis or gout.

* Chondrocalcinosis
The forming of calcium pyrophosphate crystals to form in the cartilage, due to osteoarthritis (OA) can cause calcification.

* Rapid, the complete breakdown of cartilage.

* Osteonecrosis, is a result of bone death due to the collapse of the architecture of bone, as the result of a number of conditions ultimately leading to an impairment of blood supply to the bone tissue.

* Stress fractures
The common complication found in 0.3%-0.8% of patients who suffer from rheumatic diseases as a result of multifactorial overuse injuries(97).

* Bleeding inside the joint.

* Infection in the joint

Devil's claw also known as the wood spider, is a plant of genus Harpagophytum in the family of Pedaliaceae, native to South Africa.

The plant has been used as an herb in traditional and herbal medicine to treat fever, rheumatoid arthritis, skin, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach and kidneys conditions, etc.

On finding a natural ingredient for the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, scientists investigated the effectiveness of a dietary supplement including hydrolyzed gelatin, chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, and devil's claw and bamboo extracts for pain reduction and improvement of functional capacities in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and/or hip (REDART study).

According to the results of a total of 130 patients with OA who were recruited from Spanish hospitals received the dietary supplement for 6 months,
* Patients (N = 78) showed a reduction of pain of 3.77 ± 1.77 points after 6 months (p < .0001) in the VAS.

* The total reduction in the Lequesne Functional Index was 6.30 ± 4.08 points after 6 months (p < .0001), with significant reductions in all subindexes of the scale.

* A similar pattern was found for the WOMAC index, with an overall reduction of 22.49 ± 14.03 points after 6 months (p < .0001) and significant reductions in all subindexes.

Based on the results, researchers suggest, "No major adverse events were noted during the treatment. This exploratory study shows that treatment with the dietary supplement significantly reduces pain and improves locomotor function in patients with OA of the knee and/or hip".

Taken altogether, Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) may be considered a remedy for the treatment of osteoarthritis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Effectiveness of a Dietary Supplement Containing Hydrolyzed Collagen, Chondroitin Sulfate, and Glucosamine in Pain Reduction and Functional Capacity in Osteoarthritis Patients by Puigdellivol J1, Comellas Berenger C1, Pérez Fernández MÁ2, Cowalinsky Millán JM3, Carreras Vidal C4, Gil Gil I5, Martínez Pagán J6, Ruiz Nieto B7, Jiménez Gómez F8, Comas Figuerola FX9, Aguilar Hernández ME. (PubMed)
(2) The effect of osteoarthritis definition on prevalence and incidence estimates: a systematic review by Pereira D1, Peleteiro B, Araújo J, Branco J, Santos RA, Ramos E.(PubMed)

(3)

The Research and Studies of Musculo-Skeletal disorders(MSDs) - Osteoarthritis: The Complications by Kyle J. Norton

Herbal Angelica, A Promising Anti-Colorectal Cancer in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Colorectum including the large intestine and the rectum is the second part of the digestive system involved in the absorption of water from the small bowel contents and breaks down certain materials in the feces into substances of which some of them to be reabsorbed and reused by the body.

The colon also is known as the large bowel or large intestine, formed parts of the digestive system in our body.

The colon consists of four parts: descending colon, ascending colon, transverse colon, and sigmoid colon.

The main functions of the colon are to reabsorb fluids and process waste products from the body and prepare for its elimination.

Colorectal cancer is a medical condition caused by irregular cell growth in the tissue of the colon or rectum.

Most cases of colorectal cancer start in the cells on the surface of the inner lining in the colon and rectum, before penetrating into deeper layers to form a tumor through proliferation.

Colorectal cancer is a relatively very slow-growing cancer that progresses in a predictable way.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.

In 2019, approximately 101,420 new cases of colon cancer and 44,180 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in the US.

The 5-year survival rate of colorectal cancer diagnosed at the localized stage is 90%. Sadly, only 39% of patients are diagnosed at this early stage.

Most common types of colorectal cancer classified depending on the primary originated cells are
* Adenocarcinomas
Most bowel cancers are adenocarcinomas, originated in epithelium tissues, including the surface layer of skin, glands and their tissues that line the cavities and organs of the body.

* Squamous cell cancers
Squamous cells are the skin-like cells that make up the bowel lining together with the gland cells. Squamous cell cancers are rare with a risk of 25 per 100000 population.

On finding a natural ingredient for the prevention and treatment of cancers, scientists examined the chemopreventive effect of the supercritical extracts from Angelica sinensis (SFE-AS) on induced colorectal carcinoma in mice.

Angelica or Dang Qui is a herb of Genus Angelica from the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China.

The herb has been used as a Queen herb in traditional Chinese medicine antispasmodic and vasodilatory agent, and to balance the hormones in women for a normal menstrual cycle and menstruation and strengthen heart, spleen, kidneys, and liver for both men and women, etc. In other words, it is used to treat gynecological ailments, fatigue, mild anemia, and high blood pressure. It has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, etc.

According to the results of selected male colorectal carcinoma mice that were subcutaneously injected with single dose of azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg x kg(-1) body weight) then one week later, given 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in drinking water for 7 days to induce colorectal carcinoma, following by oral administration of supercritical extracts from Angelica sinensis at 15, 30, 60 mg x kg(-1) until the 17th week,

* The Tumor-bearing quantity and tumor-bearing volume of the SFE-AS group were lower than that of the AOM/DSS model control group.

* The SFE-AS group also showed a significant reduction of oxidative stress in the AOM/DSS-induced mouse colorectal carcinoma model associated with inflammation.

In other words, the application of Angelica sinensis at 15, 30, 60 mg x kg(-1) and strong inhibitory activity against 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced colorectal carcinoma,

Based on the evidence, researchers said, "SFE-AS showed an intervention effect in the incidence and development of AOM/DSS-induced mouse colorectal carcinoma associated with inflammation, and could be further used in chemo-preventive studies on human colorectal carcinoma".

Taken altogether, Herbal Angelica may be considered an anti colorectal cancer herbal remedy, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) [Chemo-preventive effect of Angelica sinensis' supercritical extracts on AOM/DSS-induced mouse colorectal carcinoma associated with inflammation].[Article in Chinese] by An J, Li XN, Zhao BC, Wang Q, Lan Y, Wu Q. (PubMed)

Tuesday 4 February 2020

RAW Fruits and Vegetables Inhibits the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

The pancreas is an oblong flattened gland in the digestive and endocrine system located in the abdomen. By secreting pancreatic juice to the small intestine, the pancreas aids the digestive system to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.

Traditional Chinese medicine suggested that the pancreas is a vital organ responsible for the absorption of foods' qi and nutrients before passing them to other organs to nourish our body.

Pancreatic cancer is a chronic condition characterized by cell growth irregularly in the tissues of the pancreas.

At the early stage, patients with pancreatic cancer may be asymptomatic. However, at the later stage, besides the common symptoms shared by all types of cancer such as unintended weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue and gastrointestinal discomforts, patients with the condition may also experience localized symptoms such as internal bleeding and severe pain due to the oversize tumor which suppresses the nerve cells and blood vessels.

According to statistics, every year, approximately, over 55,000 adults in the United States are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, accounting for 3% of all cancers and 7% of all cancer deaths.

The survival rate of pancreatic cancer even diagnosed early is very low compared to other types of cancer. The 5-year survival rate at stage IA pancreatic cancer is only14%.

Researchers do not know what causes pancreatic cancer. Scientists do not know the exact causes of pancreatic cancers, but they do know several risk factors that can make a person more likely to get the disease, including the genetic and acquired genetic mutation of p16 and TP53 and KRAS, BRAF, and DPC4 (SMAD4).

Other prevalent risk factors, including long-term use of tobacco, exposure to certain chemicals, overweight, and obesity, and unpreventable risk factors of family history, gender, the increase of age and ethnicity are associated with the early onset of pancreatic cancer.

Researchers at the John Hoskins medical center suggested an unhealthy diet high in meats, cholesterol, fried foods, and nitrosamines may increase risk, while diets high in fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer.

However, most people with some of the above risk factors do not get the disease.

On finding a potent ingredient for the treatment of diseases associated with abnormal cell growth, researchers investigated the consumption of raw fruits and vegetable effects on pancreatic cancer.

According to the dietary habits and medical history variables in a prospective study of fatal pancreas cancer among 34,000 California Seventh-day Adventists between 1976 and 1983. Forty deaths from pancreas cancer occurred during the follow-up period,
* Compared to all US whites, Adventists experienced decreased risk from pancreas cancer death (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 72 for men; 90 for women),

* Furthermore, increasing consumption of vegetarian protein products, beans, lentils, and peas, as well as dried fruit, was associated with highly significant protective relationships to pancreas cancer risk compared to increased risk in increasing meat, egg, and coffee consumption.

In other words, regular consumption of raw fruits and vegetables exerted protective relationships associated with a protease-inhibitor content that decrease the risk of pancreas cancer in high-risk patients.

Taken altogether, fruits and vegetables may be considered a functional food for the prevention of pancreas cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Dietary habits and past medical history as related to fatal pancreas cancer risk among Adventists by Mills PK1, Beeson WL, Abbey DE, Fraser GE, Phillips RL.(PubMed)

Potatoes (Solanum), the Anti-Inflammatory Functional Food

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammation is a natural defense of the immune system that protects the body against the insult from the foreign invasion.

Acute inflammation occurs quickly or within the hours and lasts a few days or weeks and the damaged tissues are healed themselves after all pathogens are killed off.

Truly, the main focus of inflammation is to repair damage and injury.

Most cases of infection associated with inflammation are stopped at the acute phase. The wound or injury is slowly recovered.

However, overexpression of inflammatory cytokines in most cases can cause improper healing with scar formation or the death of nearby cells.

Any inflammation that lasts more than 3 months is considered chronic inflammation.

However, if the immune system can not completely eradicate all invaders in the acute phase of infection, it will compromise, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation, a major cause of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and diabetes.

Chronic inflammation also can be caused by overexpression of free radicals compared to the antioxidant enzymes in the body. This result can lead to an imbalance of the ratio of the levels of free radicals and antioxidants, the major cause of oxidative stress.

Chronic inflammation is a low-grade inflammation caused by the inability of the immune system to eliminate the invasive pathogens that occurred in the acute phase of infection.

However, people with a weakened immune system, acute inflammatory progression cannot be stopped due to the inability of the immune system to destroy all invaders, which may lead to low-grade chronic inflammation.

Longer-term oxidative stress in the body can also cause oxidative damage to biomolecules, including lipids, proteins, DNA damage.

Anti-inflammation is the process that inhibits inflammation or swelling without affecting the immune property to curb foreign pathogens.

Potato is a genus Solanum, belongs to the family Solanaceae. The veggie is a good source of protein and according to the statistic, the annual diet of an average global citizen is about 33 kg (72.6 Lbs) of potato. It now is growing worldwide in a suitable climate for commercial profits and health benefits, thus its consumption is extremely variable and rapidly changing.

On finding a potential plant that processes anti-inflammatory activity researchers examined the pharmacological potential of dehydrated potatoes om inflammation.

On the bioaccessible peptides that were fractionated on tested intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6) under oxidative and inflammatory conditions,
* The tested peptide fractions demonstrated a significantly inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α release and cycloxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression.

* The tested peptides also showed significant antioxidant activity against the inflammatory process by inhibiting the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from mitochondria, and nitrotyrosine formation, and increasing the antioxidant response by heme oxygenase-1 and superoxide dismutase expression.

* Moreover, the peptide fractions showed a significant increase in the wound repair in IEC-6 activity through its anti-inflammatory property.

Collectively, researchers said, "The obtained results indicate the anti-inflammatory potential of dehydrated potatoes at the intestinal level".

Taken altogether, potatoes may be considered a functional food for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties of Dehydrated Potato-Derived Bioactive Compounds in Intestinal Cells by Basilicata MG1,2, Pepe G1, Rapa SF1, Merciai F1,2, Ostacolo C3, Manfra M4, Di Sarno V1, Autore G1, De Vita D5, Marzocco S1, Campiglia P. (PubMed)

Healthy Food Onion Inhibits Risk Factors that Causes Cardiovascular Disease

By Kyle J. Norton

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases associated with blood vessels caused by narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack and stroke.

The heart formed part of the circulatory system is a muscular organ pumping blood through the blood vessels to nourish the cells, tissues, and organs in the body.

Heart disease is a class of conditions associated with reduced function of the heart due to damage to the structure, including the heart muscle.

According to the statistics provided by the WHO, CVD is the number 1 cause of death globally. In other words, 31% of all global deaths are CVD.

Strokes is an emergency event caused by a blood vessel in the brain ruptures that lead to depriving oxygen in the brain cells causing the death of neurons.

According to the statistics, stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Every year, approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke. About 600,000 of these are first attacks, and 185,000 are recurrent attacks.

Believe it or not, 3/4 cases of stroke are in patients over 65 years of age.

There is no single cause of CVD. The most prevalent factors associated with the risk of CVD are

aging, male gender, ethnicity, smoking, metabolic syndrome including high blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol, physical inactivity, overweight, and obesity.

However, some researchers suggested that the increased metabolic syndrome at the alarming rate correlated to the high rate of CVD onset over the past few decades probably is associated with the promotion of the Western diet in the US.

Dr. Mirmiran P, the lead scientist wrote, " Two major dietary patterns, Western and traditional, were identified. During a mean of 4.7 ± 1.4 years of follow-up, 57 participants experienced CVD-related events... In the fully adjusted model, we observed an increased risk of CVD-related events in the highest compared to the lowest tertile category of Western dietary pattern score (HR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.03-4.18, P for trend = 0.01)

And, " the Western dietary pattern, characterized by higher loads of processed meats, salty snacks, sweets, and soft drinks, is a dietary risk factor for CVD in the Iranian population".

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belonging to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

On finding a potent ingredient that processes cardioprotection researchers examined the Allium species, their extracts, and the chemical constituents for possible effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Quercetin, a type of flavonoid found in onion-induced cardioprotection against the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, including ischemia-reperfusion injury, cardiotoxicity, and hypertension.

In patients with atherosclerotic disease, certain formulations of garlic and/or onion protected the arteries by inhibiting the formation of plaques, and other unfavorable parameters associated with the disease onset.

Garlic and onion also exerted a significant activity against blood coagulability, a condition found in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Risk factors associated with metabolic syndromes such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia were also inhibited by the administration of garlic and onion in vitro, vivo, and a number of small size human studies.

However, acute and chronic ingestion of large amounts of these plants or their extracts may cause liver and kidney toxicity.

Taken altogether, onion processed a higher mount of onionin A (ONA) may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Cardiovascular Disease: A Target for the Pharmacological Effects of Quercetin by Gormaz JG, Quintremil S, Rodrigo R. (PubMed)
(2) Garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium cepa): a review of their relationship to cardiovascular disease by Kendler BS. (PubMed)
(3) Western dietary pattern increases risk of cardiovascular disease in Iranian adults: a prospective population-based study by Mirmiran P1, Bahadoran Z2, Vakili AZ3, Azizi F. (PubMed)

Pinto beans (Phaseolus) Lowers Non-HDL Cholesterol Levels in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Cholesterol is a waxy substance carried around by lipoproteins, that do not mix with water-based blood in our body.

Cholesterol is needed for our body to build cell walls and make hormones and vitamin D, and create bile salts that help to digest fat, particularly in the building of strong cell membranes. However, too much of it can be dangerous because cholesterol cannot dissolve in your blood.

There are 2 types of cholesterol. The low-density lipoprotein is also known as bad cholesterol which performs the aforementioned activity in the right levels and high-density lipoprotein which returns cholesterol back to the liver for reuse.

However, overexpression of cholesterol can cause plaque building up on the arterial wall, leading to arterial narrowing, wall stiffness, and hardening, some major causes of heart disease and stroke.

Although high blood cholesterol does not induce any symptoms, a prolonged period of uncontrolled high blood cholesterol can cause complications of chest pain, the early sign of coronary artery disease, heart attack,.... and stroke.

According to medical guidelines, the normal goal of non-HDL cholesterol levels should be 30 mg/dL higher than the LDL cholesterol level.

For example, if your non-HDL cholesterol level= LDL cholesterol.+ 30 mg/dL = 130 mg/dL and your HDL is 40 mg/dL = Non-HDL-c/HDL-c ratio of 3.25, the ideal range of the ratio.

The healthy ratio of blood cholesterol is 4 (LDL)/1 (HDL). If you have a number that lowers than 4, you have healthy blood cholesterol.

Hyperlipidemia is one member of the cluster conditions of metabolic syndrome, therefore, if you have a number that is higher than 4, your risk of cardiovascular is increased compared to people with healthy levels.

On finding a natural ingredient for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with high blood cholesterol, scientists examined the changes in cholesterol metabolism in response to whole pinto beans (wPB) and their hulls (hPB) supplemented into a diet rich in saturated fat in hamsters.

Pinto bean is also known as common bean, genus Phaseolus and the family Fabaceae. It has a mottled appearance of darker reddish-brown spots on a lighter brownish beige background, thus appearing painted or spotted.

The study included forty-four 9-wk-old male Golden Syrian hamsters that were randomly assigned to 4 diet groups (n = 11), including a 5% (wt:wt) fat diet [normal-fat diet (NF)], a 15% (wt:wt) fat diet [diet rich in saturated fat (HSF), saturated fatty acids accounted for 70% of total fatty acids], or HSF supplemented with 5% (wt:wt) wPB or 0.5% (wt:wt) hPB for 4 wk.

According to the plasma, liver, intestinal, and fecal samples that were collected to evaluate multiple cholesterol markers and gene targets,
* The plasma non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) concentration was significantly reduced in the wPB- and hPB-supplemented groups by 31.9 ± 3.5% and 53.6 ± 3.2%, respectively, compared to the HSF group (P < 0.01), to concentrations comparable with the NF group

* The wPB-supplemented hamsters had significantly lower liver cholesterol (45.1%, P < 0.001) and higher fecal cholesterol concentrations (94.8%, P = 0.001) than those ofthe HSF froup.

* The expressions of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (Hmgcr) and small intestinal acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (Acat2) associated with the elevation of blood cholesterol were significantly decreased in animals administered wPB (by 89.1% and 63.8%, respectively) and hPB (by 72.9% and 47.7%, respectively) compared to the HSF-fed counterparts (P < 0.05).

Based on the results, researchers suggest, "Pinto beans remediated high cholesterol-induced by HSF in male hamsters by decreasing hepatic cholesterol synthesis and intestinal cholesterol absorption, effects which were partially exerted by the hulls".

Taken altogether, Pinto beans may be considered s functional for the treatment of high blood cholesterol, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You. How-To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Pinto Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Lower Non-HDL Cholesterol in Hamsters Fed a Diet Rich in Saturated Fat and Act on Genes Involved in Cholesterol Homeostasis by Nguyen AT1,2, Althwab S3,4, Qiu H3, Zbasnik R1, Urrea C5, Carr TP3, Schlegel V. (PubMed)