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Berberine reduces the hypoxic-ischemic insult in rat pup brain. Benaissa F, Mohseni-Rad H, Rahimi-Moghaddam P, Mahmoudian M. Acta Physiol Hung. 2009 Jun;96(2):213-20. PMID: 19457765 DOI: 10.1556/APhysiol.96.2009.2.6 Pathologic review of the samples obtained from rats treated with different doses of berberine in comparison with samples from pups treated by normal saline showed that there was a significant reduction of brain injury and edema in the rats treated with berberine. Our study also demonstrates that berberine reduces brain ischemic-hypoxic injury dose-dependently. Therefore, beberine may be considered as useful anti-stroke agent.

Soy consumption reduces risk of ischemic stroke: a case-control study in southern china. Liang W, Lee AH, Binns CW, Huang R, Hu D, Shao H. Neuroepidemiology. 2009;33(2):111-6. Epub 2009 May 30. PMID: 19494552 DOI: 10.1159/000222093 Conclusion: The results provided evidence of inverse association between habitual soy food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke for Chinese adults.

"Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Eicosanoids and Ischemic Heart Disease, Part II Here's where it gets more complicated and more interesting. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 matters, but so does the total amount of each. This is a graph from a 1992 paper by Dr. Lands: In sum, this suggests that the single best way to avoid a heart attack is to reduce omega-6 consumption and ensure an adequate source of omega-3. The lower the omega-6, the less the omega-3 matters. This is a nice theory, but where's the direct evidence? In the next post, I'll discuss the controlled trial that proved this concept once and for all: the Lyon diet-heart trial.

Loren DJ, Seeram NP, Schulman RN, Holtzman DM. \nMaternal dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice is neuroprotective in an animal model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.\nPediatr Res. 2005 Jun;57(6):858-64. Epub 2005 Mar 17.\nPMID: 1577483

A 1999 meta-study of five studies comparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian mortality rates in western countries found the mortality rate due to ischemic heart disease 26% lower among vegans compared to regular meat eaters, but 34% lower among ovolactovegetarians and those who ate fish but no other meat. No significant difference in mortality was found from other causes.[84] A 2003 review of three studies comparing mortality rates among British vegetarians and non-vegetarians found only a nonsignificant reduction in mortality from ischemic heart disease, but noted that the findings were compatible with the significant reduction found in the 1999 review The American Dietetic Association considers "appropriately planned" vegan diets "nutritionally adequate",[6] but poorly planned vegan diets can be deficient in nutrients such as vitamin B12,[87] vitamin D,[88] calcium,[88][89] iodine[90] and omega-3 fatty acids.[91] These deficiencies have potentially serious consequences, including anemia,[92] rickets[93] and cretinism[94] in children, and osteomalacia[93] and hypothyroidism[94] in adults.

Effects of Atorvastatin on vitamin D levels in patients with acute ischemic heart disease. Pérez-Castrillón JL, Vega G, Abad L, Sanz A, Chaves J, Hernandez G, Dueñas A. Am J Cardiol. 2007 Apr 1;99(7):903-5. Epub 2007 Feb 8. PMID: 17398180 In conclusion, atorvastatin increases vitamin D levels. This increase could explain some of the beneficial effects of atorvastatin at the cardiovascular level that are unrelated to cholesterol levels. The mechanism by which atorvastatin increases vitamin D levels is related to inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3 methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Cholesterol is synthesized from 7-dehydrocholesterol, which is also a precursor of vitamin D3. For this reason, we initially observed a statistically significant relation between total cholesterol and vitamin D. HMG-CoA enzyme reductase is key to the synthesis of cholesterol, whereas ultraviolet radiation causes the formation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Inhibition of the enzyme may increase levels of 7-dehydrocholesterol and increase the synthesis of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, thereby increasing vitamin D levels,10 although we observed no relation between lower cholesterol and increased vitamin D. In addition, 25-hydroxyvitamin D has been shown to inhibit HMG-CoA enzyme reductase activity in in vitro studies.11 A greater concentration of vitamin D could increase enzymatic inhibition, acting in synergy with the statin in decreasing total cholesterol.

Efficacy and safety of berberine for congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Zeng XH, Zeng XJ, Li YY. Am J Cardiol. 2003 Jul 15;92(2):173-6. PMID: 12860219 doi:10.1016/S0002-9149(03)00533-2 Thus, berberine improved quality of life and decreased VPCs and mortality in patients with CHF.

Mortality in vegetarians and nonvegetarians: detailed findings from a collaborative analysis of 5 prospective studies. Key TJ, Fraser GE, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Beral V, Reeves G, Burr ML, Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R, Kuzma JW, Mann J, McPherson K. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):516S-524S. PMID: 10479225 Further categorization of diets showed that, in comparison with regular meat eaters, mortality from ischemic heart disease was 20% lower in occasional meat eaters, 34% lower in people who ate fish but not meat, 34% lower in lactoovovegetarians, and 26% lower in vegans. There were no significant differences between vegetarians and nonvegetarians in mortality from cerebrovascular disease, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, or all other causes combined. See especially TABLE 7. All-studies death rate ratios and 95% CIs and the number of deaths by diet category http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/3/516S/T7

Vegetarianism is the practice of following a diet based on plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products and eggs.[1] A vegetarian does not eat meat, game, poultry, fish, crustacea, shellfish, or products of animal slaughter such as animal-derived gelatin and rennet.[1][2][3] A vegan diet is a form of vegetarian diet which excludes all animal products, including dairy products, eggs, and honey. A lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but excludes eggs, an ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, and a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products. Vegetarianism may be adopted for ethical, health, environmental, religious, political, cultural, aesthetic, economic, or other reason A 1999 metastudy[22] combined data from five studies from western countries. The metastudy reported mortality ratios, where lower numbers indicated fewer deaths, for fish eaters to be .82, vegetarians to be .84, occasional meat eaters to be .84. Regular meat eaters and vegans shared the highest mortality ratio of 1.00. The study reported the numbers of deaths in each category, and expected error ranges for each ratio, and adjustments made to the data. However, the "lower mortality was due largely to the relatively low prevalence of smoking in these [vegetarian] cohorts". Out of the major causes of death studied, only one difference in mortality rate was attributed to the difference in diet, as the conclusion states: "vegetarians had a 24% lower mortality from ischemic heart disease than nonvegetarians, but no associations of a vegetarian diet with other major causes of death were established."[2

Neuroprotective effects of berberine on stroke models in vitro and in vivo. Zhou XQ, Zeng XN, Kong H, Sun XL. Neurosci Lett. 2008 Dec 5;447(1):31-6. Epub 2008 Sep 30. PMID: 18838103 doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.09.064 Findings of this study suggest that berberine protects against ischemic brain injury by decreasing the intracellular ROS level and subsequently inhibiting mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Cancer Incidence and Mortality After Treatment With Folic Acid and Vitamin B12. Ebbing M, Bønaa KH, Nygård O, Arnesen E, Ueland PM, Nordrehaug JE, Rasmussen K, Njølstad I, Refsum H, Nilsen DW, Tverdal A, Meyer K, Vollset SE. JAMA. 2009 Nov 18;302(19):2119-2126. v PMID: 19920236 Conclusion Treatment with folic acid plus vitamin B12 was associated with increased cancer outcomes and all-cause mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease in Norway, where there is no folic acid fortification of foods.

Alternative Medicine Blog offers complete information on all types of alternative medicines available for treatment. Know more about various alternative treatment methods like message therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis, yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, homeopathy, Reiki, aromatherapy, and many other alternative health methods.

Stroke is a cerebrovascular syndrome that involves the blockage and bursting of blood vessels in the brain. It shows a multifactorial pattern of inheritance. High cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, hypertension and obesity are the key causes of stroke besides inherited genes.