XTEND-15sec-NEWSt
16th July 2004
Please click on the summary link of interest:
They are at it again! Beware!n1
This is one of the unsolicited emails that are now starting to do the 'rounds' under a variety of names:
From: joey hunt [mailto:winnifredhaijef@hopsoft.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 9:23 PM
To: Cherie Chapman
Subject: Important Medical Info
"Discover...in the next few minutes... regardless of your age, sex, or current health status, how this common element can change the way you experience the next half of your life."
"Learn how to increase your quality of life"
"We really have something here which may be able to reverse some of the problems associated with aging."
-Dr.Anthony Karpos, M.D.
Warren Matthews comments: Two years ago on the 3rd July 2002 I wrote an issue of Xtend-Your-Life specifically discussing the above 'company' then calling themselves 'harvardwellness.com' You can access this article by going to the newsletter section of our website and clicking on Xtend-Your-Life archives.
Since I wrote that article they have changed their name and address at least 2 - 3 times. The website for the 'unwary' is very impressive and has you believing that maybe there really is a 'fountain of youth'. Don't believe it! This is a scam which thousands of people are falling for and it really annoys me because it is so well done that it is easy for people to fall into the trap.
Over the last three years we have had a number of people writing to us saying how they were 'duped' by these companies. They either never received the product that they paid for, or if they did and requested a refund they never received it after returning the product.
They operate out of a mailbox etc, address which they change frequently. Their current 'operating' name is "Internet Laboratories Corp". It is not a registered corporation. Their slick website is no longer operational!
BUT, don't buy the product…it will do nothing for you…if you get it!
Oh…and by the way their "secure site" is not a secure site at all, in spite of them having a VeriSign logo and claiming that it is! So, customer's credit card info is available for all to see. A hint! When buying a product for the first time over the internet always check that the shopping cart is secure before entering your credit card details. You can do this easily by right clicking on the page and going to 'properties'. If the 's' is not present and details of the secure certificate is not present then it is not secure no matter what they say!
back to top
California Sues Tuna Manufacturers...n2
Canned tuna manufacturers should have warned consumers about the potentially toxic mercury levels in their products, said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer in a suit filed June 21 against the makers of StarKist, Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea tuna.
To read an article about this by Laurie Budgar please click here.
Warren Matthews comments: Mercury contamination in sea food is becoming an increasing problem. Not surprising though when you consider that thousands of tons of this substance finds its way through the sewers and other waste disposal systems every year.
This contamination is a problem because the Omega 3's in fish and especially in tuna are very good for your overall health, and in particular your heart. Even mainstream medicine has woken up sufficiently to now 'push' Omega 3's. The Omega 3 from plant source does not confer the same health benefits as fish oil because the body has to convert it into DHA and EPA. DHA/EPA is 'ready made' in fish oil…
Fish oil is excellent for your health BUT only if it is molecularly distilled and free of ALL contaminants. Check out our own Omega 3 DHA/EPA esters. There is no purer oil available anywhere! The price is reasonable to. Details.
back to top
Soy isoflavones pose no cancer risk in animal study...n3
A long-term soy diet may not pose an increased risk of breast or womb cancer among postmenopausal women, as some people have feared, suggests new research carried out on monkeys.
The study also suggests that soy isoflavones may actually help protect women against breast cancer and not stimulate it as has been suggested by some. To reach the article in full click here.
Warren Matthews comments: Soy and the products made from it are quite controversial. Much of the controversy stems from misunderstandings of the different forms of soy.
In the study referred to in this article three types of diets with soy were consumed for three years: soy without isoflavones, soy with the isoflavones intact, or soy without isoflavones, but with added Premarin (oestrogen therapy).
The monkeys that were on a diet of soy with isoflavones intact showed no increase of oestrogen levels which is considered an important predictor of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal. However, both the other two diets did show an increase.
Soy Isoflavones in small amounts play an important role in the health of both men and women which is why we use a little of it in both our Men's and Women's version of Total Balance. (50mgs per 6 tablets).
back to top
Important notice: All material provided within XTEND-15sec-NEWS is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this publication. Consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and wellbeing or on any opinions expressed within this newsletter. The information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate based on the best judgment of the editor but the reader is responsible for consulting with their own health professional on any matters raised within.
California Sues Tuna Manufacturers (Full Article)f1
Laurie Budgar
7/1/2004 10:38:14 AM
Canned tuna manufacturers should have warned consumers about the potentially toxic mercury levels in their products, said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer in a suit filed June 21 against the makers of StarKist, Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea tuna.
California's Proposition 65, in effect since 1986, requires manufacturers to warn consumers if their products contain known carcinogens or reproductive toxins. Mercury and methylmercury have been known since the late 1980s to cause cancer and reproductive difficulties. "Prenatal exposure to mercury can cause serious disabilities in infants and children," such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness and developmental disabilities, Lockyer said.
In March 2004 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency advised consumers to limit fish and shellfish consumption to 12 ounces per week, or 6 ounces for adolescent girls and women of childbearing age.
Lockyer's office tested albacore and light canned tunas for sale in California and found that both varieties have higher levels of mercury than is generally deemed safe.
"The levels of mercury in canned tuna that are sufficient to trigger the requirement to post a Prop 65 warning are substantially lower than for, quote unquote, "safe exposure,'" said Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for Lockyer's office. Nonetheless, the AG's tests found levels that exceed both Proposition 65 levels and those established by the FDA and EPA in March.
"We're not trying to eliminate tuna from people's diets. We're trying to enforce the law and protect the health and safety of California women and children," Lockyer said in a news release.
Added Dresslar, "People need to be fully informed about how much canned tuna they eat, especially if they're in the at-risk categories."
Physicians for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit group of more than 24,000 members nationwide, takes a similar stance. "We don't think the FDA/EPA guidelines go far enough in protecting women and children," said Susan Marmagas, director, environment and health program for PSR. The group, along with the Association for Reproductive Health Professionals, has released a brochure and wallet guide for consumers that helps them balance decisions about eating fish for their health.
If the California suit is successful, the companies involved-Del Monte, Bumble Bee Seafoods and Tri-Union Seafoods-would be liable for fines up to $2,500 per day for each violation, dating back to 2000. The suit also would require tuna companies to post warnings on can labels or store signage.
The U.S. Tuna Foundation holds that manufacturers should not be liable because the mercury occurs naturally in deep-water fish. According to a USTF news release, Proposition 65 pertains only to substances that manufacturers add to their products, rendering the suit unwarranted. "This suit is not grounded in science and will needlessly scare consumers away from affordable foods that are good for them," said David Burney, USTF executive director.
"They have the burden of proving that in the Prop 65 litigation," Dresslar said. "We don't think it's a burden they can meet." Besides, he added, "There's plenty of evidence out there that shows a substantial part of the mercury exposure comes from manmade sources."
California is the only state that has this kind of law, Dresslar said, so it's unlikely to affect consumers or retailers in other states.
But other observers say that costs for canned tuna could go up across the board as a result of the suit. Manufacturers would have to spend money to make sure that the cans with warning labels don't make it to stores outside of California, and would likely recoup that cost at the cash register.
back to top
Soy isoflavones pose no cancer risk in animal study (Full Article)f2
7/8/2004 - A long-term soy diet may not pose an increased risk of breast or womb cancer among postmenopausal women, as some people have feared, suggests new research carried out on monkeys.
The study, by researchers from the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in the US, looked at the impact of soy isoflavones, similar to the female hormone oestrogen, on monkeys with their ovaries removed, designed to bear resemblance to postmenopausal women.
Women are increasingly taking soy products as a natural alternative to traditional hormone therapy, as they are thought to reduce hot flushes and other symptoms and also benefit some of the postmenopausal conditions, such as decrease in bone mass.
While evidence of these benefits is not conclusive (a study published yesterday questions the benefits of soy in postmenopausal women), there has also been much debate about whether high levels of dietary soy are safe for postmenopausal women.
It is known that populations that typically consume diets high in soy have lower rates of breast cancer. On the other hand, some studies have shown that soy isoflavones can stimulate breast cancer cells grown in the laboratory.
"Evidence from observational studies in women indicates that soy intake may help prevent breast cancer," said Charles E. Wood, lead researcher. "But there has still been reluctance to conduct research studies in women because of concerns that isoflavones may stimulate breast cell growth and increase the risk of breast cancer."
Wood and colleagues measured how a diet high in soy isoflavones affected markers for breast and uterine cancer risk in postmenopausal monkeys. The monkeys ate one of three diets for three years: soy without isoflavones, soy with the isoflavones intact, or soy without isoflavones, but with added Premarin (oestrogen therapy).
The isoflavone group consumed the human equivalent of about 129 milligrams a day, more than most people would get in a soy-rich diet.
The researchers measured breast density, numbers of dividing breast and uterine cells, and levels of the oestrogen produced by the body - all markers for cancer risk. Monkeys on the soy plus oestrogen diet had increased levels of all markers, while monkeys that ate soy with isoflavones did not.
In fact, the monkeys eating soy with isoflavones had lower levels of the oestrogen produced by the body. High levels of this oestrogen are considered an important predictor of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
"These findings suggest that high dietary levels of soy isoflavones do not increase markers for breast and uterine cancer risk in postmenopausal monkeys and may contribute to an estrogen profile associated with reduced breast cancer risk," write the researchers in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, (vol 89, no 7, pp 3462-3468).
"The findings should be especially interesting to women at high risk for breast cancer who take soy products," said Wood but he added that it is important to note that the research addressed the effects of plant oestrogens on normal breast tissue, and not in breast cancer.
"A big unanswered question is whether it is safe for breast cancer survivors to turn to soy," he said.
Researchers are not certain how plant oestrogens and the oestrogen produced by the body, or given in pills, act together. One theory is that the plant oestrogens bind to cells that have oestrogen receptors, such as breast tissue, and block the effects of the other types of oestrogen. Isoflavones may also help reduce the amount of active oestrogen in the body.
To investigate these ideas, Wood and colleagues are currently looking at whether soy may block breast cell proliferation induced by oestrogen therapy.
back to top
