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Clinical Applications. Ningxia Wolfberry vs. Heart Disease Ronald Lawrence, MD, PhD. Leading Causes of Death. Leading Causes of Death in the U.S. in 2002 1. Diseases of heart (heart attack) 696,947 2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer) 557,271 3. Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) 162,672
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Clinical Applications Ningxia Wolfberry vs. Heart Disease Ronald Lawrence, MD, PhD
Leading Causes of Death • Leading Causes of Death in the U.S. in 2002 1. Diseases of heart (heart attack) 696,947 2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer) 557,271 3. Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) 162,672 4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases 124,816 5. Accidents (unintentional injuries) 106,742 6. Diabetes mellitus 73,249 7. Influenza and pneumonia 65,681 8. Alzheimer’s disease 58,866
Heart Attack Statistics • Every 45.2 seconds someone dies of a heart attack. • Out of the 1.1 million people who suffered heart attacks in 2001, over 500,000 had normal to low cholesterol. • What are the real reasons for heart disease?
According to a July 2005 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, oxidized cholesterol may be the single largest factor in heart attacks. • Researchers at the University of San Diego found that patients with high levels of oxidized cholesterol (apo B-100 and Lp(a)) more than tripled their risk of having coronary artery disease. • Patients who had both high cholesterol and high levels of oxidized cholesterol had up to 1680% higher risk. • That is an astounding 16-fold increase in risk for people with combined risk factors
What Causes Oxidized Cholesterol? • Oxidized cholesterol is created from free-radical attacks to fats (cholesterol) inside the body. • In effect, free radicals turn fats “stale” or “rancid” • When oxidized, cholesterol turns into sticky foam cells that cling to artery walls and create plaque buildup that chokes off blood supply. • As we grow older, blood becomes more likely to clump. The chances of a blood clot clogging a coronary artery and causing a fatal heart attack increases exponentially.
Blood vessel detail of plaque showing foam cells and inflammatory cells (blue)
Antioxidants • The best way to stop the formation of oxidized cholesterol (foam cells) is to raise antioxidant levels in the body. • Whole food antioxidants may be one of the single best interventions for preventing oxidized cholesterol build up. • Developed by USDA researchers at Tufts University, the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) test has been used to measure antioxidant levels in foods.
Comparing Antioxidants mTE/100gram. Data from Brunswick Laboratories, Wareham, MA
The Ningxia wolfberry is the highest known antioxidant whole food according to ORAC • ORAC measures the peroxyl radical, the second most common in the human body. • The most common free radical is the superoxide radical. • Recent studies show that the Ningxia wolfberry has high SOD activity as well.
SOD + Lipid Peroxides • A study published by the State Scientific and Technological Commission of China: • Dietary consumption of 50 grams of Ningxia wolfberries daily for 10 days resulted in: • 48% jump in serum levels of SOD (superoxide dismutase) • 65% drop in lipid peroxides
SOD Activity • A December 2004 study at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan: • A water extract of wolfberry scavenged from 28.8% to 82.2% superoxide radicals (depending on concentration). • The concentrations of wolfberry that scavenged 50% of superoxide ranged from 0.77 to 2.55 ppm (0.000077% to 0.00025%). • The tiny concentrations used are indicative of the Ningxia wolfberry’s superoxide neutralizing power.
Stopping LDL Oxidation • A 2001 Chinese Academy of Sciences study found that polysaccharides from Ningxia wolfberry dramatically inhibited the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. • A 1999 Ningxia Medical College study found that Ningxia wolfberry prevented free radical damage to the fats of red blood cells and liver cells. • The wolfberry’s ability to inhibit oxidative damage to fats correlates directly with its power to stop oxidized cholesterol (made from fat) and prevent the creation of artery-clogging foam cells.
Clinical Research • A 1995 Ningxia Medical College study found that whole Ningxia wolfberries and wolfberry extracts reduced oxidative damage to red blood cell membranes caused by hydrogen peroxide. • Whole wolfberries had far better antioxidant activity than either the polysaccharide or extract. • Even at concentrations as low as 0.021%, the dried wolfberry reduced the formation of oxidized fats by 51%
More than Just an Antioxidant • Ningxia Wolfberry: • Reduces serum triglycerides and cholesterol by over 70% • Lowers blood pressure • Reduces the stickiness of platelets and thickness of blood; may potentiate the action of warfarin and aspirin • Reduces inflammation
Reduces Blood Lipids • A 2004 study at the University of Hong Kong found that a water extract of Ningxia wolfberry • Reduces cholesterol levels by 52% • Reduces triglycerides by 71% • Raises HDL cholesterol by 58%
52% 71% 58%
Potassium Powerhouse • Of any food, Ningxia wolfberry has the highest content of potassium, a mineral with proven cardioprotective effects.
Potassium and Aging • Declining potassium levels may be directly connected with increased signs of aging. • A multi-year longitudinal study on aging conducted at the University of Missouri measured the potassium levels in 650 subjects over the course of nearly two decades. • Researchers found that between age 40 and 60, potassium levels in the body drop by over 13 percent.
Low Potassium = High Mortality • An October 2000 study at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine at New York University found that low potassium levels resulted in markedly different outcomes in heart attack patients. • Total mortality • 24% of low potassium patients died • 18% of normal potassium patients died • Ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurrences • Low potassium patients 24% suffered VF • Normal potassium patients 13% suffered VF
Potassium Helps the Heart • Yale University researcher Steven Coco, MD, sums the value of dietary potassium in a February 2005 review: • “Increases in dietary potassium benefits several disease states. These include the treatment of hypertension, stroke prevention, arrhythmia prevention, and treatment of congestive heart failure.” • Coca SG, Perazella MA, Buller GK. The cardiovascular implications of hypokalemia. Am J Kidney Dis. 2005
Arginine Helps the Heart Siani A, et al., Blood pressure and metabolic changes during dietary L-arginine supplementation in humans. Am J Hypertens. 2000 May;13(5 Pt 1):547-51. • A single-blind, controlled, crossover dietary intervention on subjects (aged 39+/-4 years) was conducted by the National Research Council in Italy • Subjects were fed isocaloric diets for 1 week, with constant sodium levels • Diet 1: control • Diet 2: L-arginine-enriched by natural foods • Diet 3: L-arginine supplemented to Diet 1 • A moderate increase in dietary L-arginine significantly lowered blood pressure • L-arginine-enriched by natural foods vs. Control • Lowered SBP by 6.2 mm Hg DBP: - 5.0 mm Hg • L-arginine supplemented to Diet 1 vs. Control • Lowered SBP by 6.2 mm Hg DBP: - 6.8 mm Hg
Reduces Blood Pressure • Research at the Department of Pathophysiology at the Beijing Medical University in 1998 showed that Ningxia wolfberry polysaccharide • Reduces systolic blood pressure by 23% • Reduces diastolic blood pressure by 21% • Researchers hypothesized that the wolfberry polysaccharide relaxes the blood vessels and decreases vasoconstriction by boosting levels of endothelium-derived relaxation factor (EDRF)
Reduces the Risk of Blood Clots • People over 45 have thicker blood, stickier platelets, and heightened risk of life-threatening blood clots. • Warfarin is prescribed in patients with obstructed arteries where even a small clot may trigger a heart attack • A University of Washington study reported on a 61-year-old patient stabilized on S-warfarin with an international normalized ratio (INR) of between 2 and 3. • High INRs: blood is thin and does not clot easily • Low INRs: blood is thick and clumps easily. • After 4 days drinking 4 glasses of wolfberry tea, her INR rose to 4.1. • For those using warfarin or aspirin, wolfberry may thin the blood too much, so caution is in order.
Pomegranates • Dr. Michael Aviram, a researcher at the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, has conducted almost a decade’s worth of research on the pomegranate and its role in protecting the heart. • Volunteers who drank 3 ounces of pomegranate juice daily for two weeks exhibited a dramatic reduction in oxidized cholesterol
Dr. Aviram also exposed the blood of human volunteers to copper sulfate before and after drinking pomegranate juice. • Copper acts as a catalyst that accelerates cholesterol oxidation. • Consumption of pomegranate juice dramatically increased the resistance of both HDL and LDL cholesterol to oxidation.
Pomegranates vs. Hypertension • A group of high blood pressure patients was given 50 ml (1.5 oz) of pomegranate juice daily for 2 weeks • Test subjects registered • 36% reduction in serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity • 5% drop in systolic blood pressure.
Wolfberry Combinations • Combining Ningixa wolfberry with pomegranates can dramatically enhance SOD activity. • Tremendous synergy between wolfberry and pomegranates • Pomegranates are high in quercetin and ellagic acid • Wolfberries are high in polyphenols and polysaccharides
Ningxia Red Blend • Ingredients • Ningxia Wolfberry juice • Highest antioxidant • Rich in immune-stimulating polysaccharides, ellagic acid, cerebrosides, pyrroles, and other unique phytochemicals • Blueberry juice • Rich in proanthocyanidins • Tufts University studies show that it protects blood cells against free radical oxidation and slows brain aging • University of Mainz studies shows that it protects cell DNA • Pomegranate juice • 3 times the antioxidant activity as green tea or red wine • Reduces oxidized cholesterol by 40% • Raspberry juice • High levels of ellagic acid • Lemon and Orange Essential Oils • High in limonene which combats cell mutation • Increases glutathione in the liver 50%