Miracle Apples Lower Bad Cholesterol

" 'I consider apples a magic food," said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ph.D., director for the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging at Florida State University....

"According to Arjmandi, apple pectin -- the white stuff under the skin -- binds to cholesterol in the gut and ferries it out of the body. This is well-known, but what surprised Arjmandi is how much cholesterol a couple of apples can remove from the body.

"In one recent study, he divided 160 women between the ages of 45 and 65 into two groups. One group ate 75 grams of dried apple per day -- about 2 1/2 ounces -- while the other ate the same amount of dried prunes. To his amazement, the women who ate apples experienced a 23% decrease in LDL 'bad' cholesterol, and increased their HDL 'good' cholesterol by 3 to 4% -- a boost difficult to achieve with drugs or exercise....

"Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. Statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor, reduce cholesterol very effectively by blocking an enzyme needed to make it. The problem is that statins can be hard on the liver, which is why people who take them must have a blood test periodically to make sure their liver is not becoming irritated and inflamed.

"The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, and it can remain pretty functional if only 50% of it stays healthy. You do not see an abnormality in the blood unless you do substantial damage to the liver.

" 'Drugs have their place,' said Arjmandi, 'but if you have to check your liver enzymes, that means the drug is doing something not so good for you, and I don't understand why we would go for drug therapies when eating two apples a day reduces LDL cholesterol so effectively. Eat apples and you not only don't harm your liver, but you substantially benefit your health.' "

Read the entire article, by Tom Valeo of the Tampa Bay Times.

=============================

Caffeine Prevents Skin Cancer -- IF You Excercise!

If you didn't already have enough reasons to go to Starbucks, China's Xinhua News Agency now reports that caffeine might protect you from skin cancer -- provided that you also exercise!

"The combined effects of exercise plus caffeine consumption may be able to ward off skin cancer, U.S. researchers reported Wednesday," according to the Xinhua News Agency. "The findings were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago on March 31 - April 4.

"The researchers evaluated the effects of caffeine and exercise on mice at high risk for developing skin cancer. Results showed that mice that took a dose of caffeine and exercised with a running wheel experienced 62% fewer skin tumors. The volume of tumors also decreased by 85% compared with the mice that did not consume caffeine or exercise.

"Positive effects were found with either caffeine or exercise alone, but to a lesser extent...."

Read the full report.

====================================

Libertarian Filmmaker Seeks 9/11 Truth in Operation Terror

Ted Brown, who currently serves as Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County, submits the following event notice:

"Is there another explanation for what happened on Sept. 11, 2001? Art Olivier thinks so.

"Art was a city council member and mayor of Bellflower, and later was the Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President (2000) and for Governor of California (2006). He has now become a filmmaker. His new film is called Operation Terror and will soon be out on DVD.

"Art will speaking to the upcoming Region 63 (Foothills) Libertarian meeting about making the film, what it's about, and why he thinks the 'official' explanation of those tragic events leaves a lot of questions.



Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Time: 7:00 p.m. for dinner & conversation; 8:00 p.m. for the program

Location: Panera Bread Restaurant, 3521 E. Foothill Blvd, in Pasadena (west of Rosemead Blvd, at the west end of the Hastings Ranch Shopping Center)"

=================================

UFOs Invade New Mexico -- It Didn't Begin With Roswell

It began in New Mexico with the Rowsell crash -- or did it?!

In his amazing new book, UFOs Over New Mexico: A True History of Extraterrestrial Encounters in the Land of Enchantment, Preston Dennett investigate New Mexico's UFO past -- going back all of 130 years! His startling new book covers alien sightings, saucer landing, UFO car chases, face-to-face alien encounters, Gray abductions, UFO crashes, cattle mutilations, Project Blue Book, and ... the bizarro Taos Hum!

Read about the Farmington UFO wave, the landing at Socorro, and shocking new revelations about the Rowsell crash! Learn about the fed's attempts to grapple with "a strange, unknown presence" hovering over top-secret atomic installations and military bases!

UFOs Over New Mexico: A True History of Extraterrestrial Encounters in the Land of Enchantment is chock full 'o eyewitness testimony and astounding photographs!

Starkbucks Goes Green -- To Shortchange Customers

The November 2011 issue of the New Agey Natural Awakenings reports:

"Starbucks Corporation has taken it all a step further by designing a pre-certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) prototype store. It features recycled floor tiles, reduced lighting and lower water usage and air conditioning set three degrees higher than usual."

Sounds like Starbucks plans to use:

1. Cheaper floor tiles.

2. Less water.

3. Less lighting.

4. Less air conditioning.

Which means that Starbucks is about to get cheaper, dirtier, darker, and hotter. All to save money. (Disguised as "going green" for the gullible.) This trend fits right in with Starbucks's switch to smaller napkins.

But will Starbucks pass along any of these savings to consumers in the form of lower prices?

Didn't think so.

==================================

Reading Books Helps Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Anna Ferguson Hall, of Georgia's The Brunswick News, reports that:

"Overwhelming research has shown that older citizens who keep their minds sharp and active are more likely to retain a higher level of brain power as they age.

"Keeping the brain active through exercises like reading regularly is vital to preventing memory loss and reduced brain function, said Janice Vickers, executive director of Alzheimer's of Glynn/Brunswick.

" 'There is no question that reading can maintain a healthy brain as you age,' Vickers said. 'The saying is true: If you don't use it, you lose it.'

"An estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, according to the National Alzheimer's Association. That's one in eight older Americans.

"Vickers said the disease, though prevalent in aging citizens, can be avoided or, at the very least, delayed. Working to prevent the condition at an earlier age is key to ensuring a quick mind like Connell's, Vickers said.

"That means flexing the brain as often as possible in a variety of ways.

"Cracking a book or other printed work awakens many functions in the brain, including concentration, vision and comprehension, Vickers said."

Read the entire article.

===============================

Miracle Blueberrys Battle Breast Cancer

[PRNewswire.com] In several studies recently conducted at the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope, Duarte, CA researchers found that feeding blueberry powder to mice significantly reduced the growth and spread of triple negative breast cancer cells, a very aggressive form of cancer!

Triple negative breast cancer accounts for 10 to 15% of all breast cancer cases and is highly resistant to traditional chemotherapy treatments. The results of this research led by Dr. Lynn Adams, in the laboratory of Dr. Shiuan Chen, are published in the October 2011 issue of The Journal of Nutrition.

In their research, the team fed groups of mice specially formulated diets containing 5% freeze-dried blueberry powder, 10% blueberry powder, or a control diet containing no blueberry powder.

All three diets had a similar nutrient composition and the animals ate and drank about the same amount regardless of group. The human equivalent of the 5% diet is about 2 cups of fresh highbush blueberries per day.

Researchers compared the size of the breast tumors that developed and discovered that on average, tumor size was 75% smaller in the 5% blueberry experimental group and 60% smaller in the 10% group as compared to the control group. The difference between the two blueberry groups was not significant.

Further confirmation of the results was obtained when the researchers conducted molecular studies on tumor tissue and found significant differences between the blueberry-fed and control groups in gene patterns known to be related to inflammatory diseases and the proliferation and spread of cancer cells.

In a second study that explored the effect of consuming blueberries on the spread of breast cancer (metastasis), the research team found that mice fed a diet containing 5% blueberry powder developed 70% fewer liver cancer tumors and 25% fewer lymph node tumors when compared to the control mice.

"Although these results were obtained with laboratory animals and cannot be applied directly to humans, we believe we have moved one step closer to ultimately finding a safe and effective diet strategy for controlling triple negative breast cancer, for which there are few therapy choices. Blueberries may well be part of that diet strategy," remarked Dr. Adams.

The research was funded by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the National Institutes of Health.

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council consists of growers and packers in North and South America who market their blueberries in the United States. The members of the USHBC work together to promote the growth and wellbeing of the entire industry.

==========================