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ACNEM (Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine) is a post-graduate medical college established in the early 1980s. It is independent of all governments, government agencies and other organisations and relies on no other body for funding. It is a non-profit organisation, funded from membership fees, subscriptions, courses and other programs, book sales and donations. The College is set up as an incorporated association.

An image and text from the Washington Post.

Vitamin D Deficiency in the Morbidly Obese. Buffington C, Walker B, Cowan GS Jr, Scruggs D. Obes Surg. 1993 Nov;3(4):421-424. PMID: 10757956 These data suggest that low vitamin D may be associated with obesity per se. Hypovitaminosis D, when it is found in post-bariatric surgery patients, may not be caused by the surgery since it may have been present to some degree pre-operatively.

"November 26, 2008 New evidence may explain why it is that we lose not only our youthful looks, but also our youthful pattern of gene activity with age. A report in the November 26th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, reveals that a protein perhaps best known for its role in the life-extending benefits of a low-calorie diet also maintains the stability of the mammalian genome-the complete set of genetic instructions "written" in DNA. The researchers found in studies of mammalian stem cells that the protein SIRT1 controls the packaging of DNA into chromatin, thereby setting the youthful pattern of gene activity by keeping select genes switched off. In response to DNA damage, those SIRT1 proteins leave their posts to go off and assist in the necessary repairs. That change in SIRT1's job description leads to shifts in gene activity that parallel those seen in the aging mouse brain, they show. They suspect similar changes would also be found in other body tissues as well."

Are omega-3 fatty acids options for prevention and treatment of cognitive decline and dementia? Cederholm T, Palmblad J. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Dec 16. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20019606 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To report recent data on the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) found in oily fish, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), to prevent and treat cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Observational studies still provide conflicting results, in which the majority indicate beneficial effects on cognition, both when assessed as a continuous variable or as incident dementia, mainly Alzheimer's disease. Experimental studies have demonstrated potentially ameliorating effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA on amyloid fragment formation, signal transduction including upregulation of the apolipoprotein receptor SorLA, as well as on angiogenesis. The role of EPA and DHA metabolites on Alzheimer's disease pathology is under investigation. Recently, three randomized intervention studies, with duration up to 6 months have been reported. In contrast to a small study from Taiwan, no positive overall effects were reported from the Swedish OmegAD Study or from a Dutch study, although post hoc analyses indicate that selected individuals with mild forms of Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline may respond to treatment. SUMMARY: No firm conclusions can be drawn. Based on epidemiological data, fish including oily fish could be advised as part of a balanced diet for public health purpose, although the evidence for better cognition is only fairly consistent. It is unlikely that n-3 FA will emerge as a treatment option in general for improving cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease. n-3 FA, especially DHA, may turn out as an adjuvant therapy in selected cases. Further long-term intervention studies on individuals with mild cognitive reductions are awaite"

"Meat eating made us human. The anthropological evidence strongly supports the idea that the addition of increasingly larger amounts of meat in the diet of our predecessors was essential in the evolution of the large human brain. Our large brains came at the metabolic expense of our guts, which shrank as our brains grew. In April 1995 an article appeared in the journal Current Anthropology that was an intellectual tour de force and, in my view, an example of a perfect theoretical paper. "The Expensive-Tissue Hypothesis" (ETH) by Leslie Aiello and Peter Wheeler demonstrated by a brilliant thought experiment that our species didn't evolve to eat meat but evolved because it ate meat. It was our gradual drift toward the much higher quality diet provided by food from animal sources that allowed us to develop the large brains we have. It was hunting and meat eating that reduced our GI tracts and freed up our brains to grow. As I wrote at the start of this post, the evidence indicates that we didn't evolve to eat meat - we evolved because we ate meat."

"Because in Track Your Plaque we've been thinking a lot about anthocyanins, here's a rerun of a previous Heart Scan Blog post about red wine. (Anthocyanins are among the interesting flavonoids in red wine, along with resveratrol and quercetin.) "

A New Zealand study has found that South Asian women with insulin resistance improved markedly after taking vitamin D supplements Nutrition researcher Pamela von Hurst of the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health at Albany, said while diet and exercise played a major part in the onset of type-2 diabetes, her findings reinforced the importance of vitamin D from the sun and supplements to prevent type-2 diabetes. Initial screening of 235 Auckland women from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka aged 20 and older, revealed 47 per cent were insulin deficient and 84 per cent were vitamin D deficient. The 81 recruited for the study were split into two groups for a randomised controlled trial and given a vitamin D supplement or placebo. As well as an improvement in insulin resistance among those who took vitamin D for six months, Ms Von Hurst said post-menopausal women in the study also showed a reduced rate of bone breakdown.

Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins. Kong W, Wei J, Abidi P, Lin M, Inaba S, Li C, Wang Y, Wang Z, Si S, Pan H, Wang S, Wu J, Wang Y, Li Z, Liu J, Jiang JD. Nat Med. 2004 Dec;10(12):1344-51. Epub 2004 Nov 7. PMID: 15531889 doi:10.1038/nm1135 We identify berberine (BBR), a compound isolated from a Chinese herb, as a new cholesterol-lowering drug. Oral administration of BBR in 32 hypercholesterolemic patients for 3 months reduced serum cholesterol by 29%, triglycerides by 35% and LDL-cholesterol by 25%. Treatment of hyperlipidemic hamsters with BBR reduced serum cholesterol by 40% and LDL-cholesterol by 42%, with a 3.5-fold increase in hepatic LDLR mRNA and a 2.6-fold increase in hepatic LDLR protein. Using human hepatoma cells, we show that BBR upregulates LDLR expression independent of sterol regulatory element binding proteins, but dependent on ERK activation. BBR elevates LDLR expression through a post-transcriptional mechanism that stabilizes the mRNA. Using a heterologous system with luciferase as a reporter, we further identify the 5' proximal section of the LDLR mRNA 3' untranslated region responsible for the regulatory effect of BBR. These findings show BBR as a new hypolipidemic drug with a mechanism of action different from that of statin drugs.

(NaturalNews) After menopause, women are at increased risk for the bone-weakening condition known as osteoporosis. And women who are diabetic have an even greater chance of developing the disorder. But now comes research from Egyptian scientists that suggests flaxseed oil could be a natural way to protect bone health. The new study, recently published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, concludes that flaxseed oil has a beneficial effect on bone mineral density and reduces markers associated with osteoporosis. Bottom line: supplementing the diet with flaxseed oil could markedly reduce the risk of osteoporosis and be of particular benefit to post-menopausal and diabetic women. Scientist Mer Harvi and colleagues at the National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt, investigated the impact of diabetes on bone health. Then in laboratory studies they evaluated how flaxseed oil added to the diet could delay the onset of osteoporosis.

"I discussed in my last post how Dr Vieth has a model of tissue 1,25(OH)2D synthesis and degradation in which the level of active substance is pretty well independent of blood vitamin D level, provided the level is either rising or stable. I think it is also worth pointing out that he is talking, hypothetically, about tissue 1,25(OH)2D, not plasma level... As we know, almost nothing is known about tissue 1,25(OH)2D control. By Vieth's hypothesis tissue 1,25(OH)2D is OK so long as there is at least SOME vitamin D present in plasma and the level dose not vary too much. Obviously there is a level below which you can have as much of the enzyme for converting vitamin D to the active form as you like, if there is no vitamin D in your blood you can't make any 1,25(OH)2D in your tissues, or in your kidneys for export to your blood to control calcium levels. At the lower extremes we have rickets and osteomalacia. These are clear cut, unarguable markers of vitamin D deficiency, in the absence of confounding factors (there are a few)."

"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.

After much consideration into this blog's new name in the light of my new direction, the decision has been made. "Free the Animal" Why? First, if you read that post linked above, you know that my health and fitness approach is perfectly in harmony with my philosophical approach; and hence, my approach to politics and all that. In other words, a big part of the reason I have discovered something that truly works; and moreover, is the simplest, most natural, downright fun way of living: that gets you lean and fit; gets you feeling and sleeping great; and gets you looking years and years younger is precisely because I don't believe in the gods of heaven or earth, we evolved over millions of years and are conditioned by survival pressures that in no way include all vegetable diets, gorging on bottled water all day, eating ground grass seeds (grains and derivatives) running on a treadmill or elliptical, or involving ourselves in social schemes and cons that leave us powerless, with no influence, and at the mercy of the crowd and collective (the cannibal pot). Some have a lot of the pieces and do good work. I have all of the major pieces, though acquiring all of the specifics is a lifelong and never-ending journey of discovery. I will focus on essentials and specifics that really matter to me and others living a normal life in pursuit of survival, prosperity and happiness. I will point to other sources that provide more depth in specific areas that are of interest to only some

"Thursday, 17 December 2009 This blog is in response to Dr Briffa's post here. as I keep having problems commenting on his blogs. While 44ng/ml is sufficient to not only maximize uptake of calcium (>32ng/ml) and ensure maximum bone mineral density (>42ng/ml), pregnant and nursing mothers should be aware that in order to maximize the amount of vitamin D3 in human breast milk 6400iu/daily was found to be necessary to raise (>58ng/ml) at latitude 32. This is detailed in the Taylor, Wagner and Hollis paper. Vitamin D supplementation during lactation to support infant and mother. Although 4000iu/daily met the mothers daily needs in full it left babies being born with lower 25(OH)D status than required for optimum calcium absorption They also found DAILY use of supplements was required by pregnant and nursing mothers to ensure an even daily Vitamin D3 supply to the foetus & baby. It makes virtually no measurable difference for everyone else if you supplement daily or weekly. While Dr Briffa will not be lactating he may be interested seeing in the Grassrootshealth chart showing disease incidence by 25(OH)D status. this may encourage him to go just another 10ng/ml higher and a bit nearer to the natural level at which human breast milk flows replete with D3."

If you buy supplements and vitamins online or at your local brick and mortar store you need to read this post. The federal government has launched yet another assault on the industry.

Benoquin is chemically composed of monobenzone. This active constituent is known as monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone in chemical terms. Benoquin (monobenzone) is known to decrease the pigmentation of the skin and treats the uneven appearance of the skin color. Benoquin helps in vitiligo and improves skin color permanently and quickly.

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Important news for seniors: A daily dose of vitamin D cuts your risk of falling substantially, researchers reported today. But not just any dose will do. "It takes 700 to 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day and nothing less will work," Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, who directs the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, noted in an email to Reuters Health. Those recommendations - which are higher than those by the U.S. Institute of Medicine -- are based on the results of eight studies that looked at vitamin D supplements for fall prevention among more than 2,400 adults aged 65 and older. Falls were not notably reduced with daily doses of vitamin D lower than 700 IU. An analysis of all eight studies, posted online today in the British Medical Journal, add weight to several others which have shown that vitamin D improves strength and balance, and bone health in the elderly, the researchers note."

"Maybe vitamin D isn't the answer after all. Not only does the above statement ring true, it's also the title of a recent post on "Dr. Len's Cancer Blog" - a website written by Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society, in order to facilitate communication with the public on important issues related to cancer. "

25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the risk of mortality in the general population. Melamed ML, Michos ED, Post W, Astor B. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Aug 11;168(15):1629-37. PMID: 18695076 Conclusion The lowest quartile of 25(OH)D level (<17.8 ng/mL) is independently associated with all-cause mortality in the general population.

"I've been meaning to post my take on the debate about dietary protein (large pdf) between Loren Cordain and T. Colin Campbell. A reader does it for me."