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Oyster goggles

In previous e-Alerts I’ve told you about the benefits of adding zinc
to your daily supplement regimen. Now a new study shows yet
another way that zinc can help maintain good eyesight by offering
protection against a debilitating eye disease.

Promoting the protein

The retina of the eye receives and processes light with
photoreceptor cells. If these cells degenerate, vision is
progressively lost. And that’s exactly what happens with an
inherited condition known as retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Researchers have identified more than 100 genes that can carry
mutations associated with RP.

A recent laboratory study from Dartmouth Medical School
examined the role that zinc deficiency plays in night blindness and
retinal dysfunction caused by gene mutation. As reported in the
Journal of Biological Chemistry, specific attention was given to
rhodopsin, a protein in the eye that requires adequate levels of zinc
to function normally.

The Dartmouth researchers identified a “zinc coordination site”
within rhodopsin. They found that if this site is corrupted by gene
mutations, zinc is prevented from binding to the protein, setting the
stage for development of RP. Dr. John Hwa, one of the authors of
the study, told Reuters Health that his study shows how rhodopsin
functions abnormally when the coordination site is deprived of
zinc, either by gene mutation or zinc deficiency. When this occurs,
the retina degenerates, followed by poor night vision, reduction in
peripheral vision and eventually blindness.

Dr. Hwa notes that further studies will be needed to determine
exactly how much zinc intake is needed to help prevent the
rhodopsin malfunction that leads to RP.

The eyes have it

Although we may not know exactly how much zinc might offset
the danger of retinitis pigmentosa, we do know that 80 mg of zinc
daily has been shown to help improve vision generally, while also
reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In the e-Alert “Study Proves Supplements can Save your Sight”
(10/18/01), I told you about a clinical trial called the Age-Related
Eye Disease Study (AREDS) sponsored by the National Eye
Institute. For more than eight years, researchers tracked nearly
3,600 participants between the ages of 55 and 80 to examine the
effects that antioxidant supplements have on AMD.

The results: High levels of zinc and antioxidants were shown to
significantly reduce the risk of AMD, and the same supplements (if
administered in the early stages of AMD) may also significantly
inhibit the total amount of vision loss that would normally be
caused by advanced AMD.

The AREDS team recommended that anyone at high risk of
developing AMD should consider taking daily supplements in the
amounts used in the study:

* Zinc (as zinc oxide) – 80 mg
* Vitamin C – 500 mg
* Vitamin E – 400 IU
* Beta-carotene – 15 mg

For those who do include zinc in their daily supplement intake, it’s
also a good idea to add a little copper as well. In the e-Alert “Aim
High” (5/7/03), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., noted that zinc
can create a copper deficiency, and vice versa. And Jonathan V.
Wright, M.D., agrees, stating that, “Zinc supplements should
usually be offset by a small amount of copper, 1-2 mg daily.”
Fortunately, many multivitamins already provide a low dose of
copper, taking care of the necessary zinc/copper ratio.

The oyster bar is open

As the Dartmouth, AREDS and other studies have shown, zinc is
an indispensable nutrient for vision health. But in addition to
insuring good eyesight, zinc has also been shown to provide
several other key benefits, such as enhancement of the immune
system, assistance in the repair of damaged tissues, and inhibition
of the abnormal clotting that contributes to cardiovascular disease.
Zinc is also one of the key nutrients needed for DNA reproduction
and repair.

To add more zinc to your diet, all you need to do is increase your
intake of the food that has the highest zinc content: oysters. But if
oysters aren’t your cup of tea, then red meat, poultry, beans, nuts,
whole grains and dairy products also provide zinc. Zinc is
generally best absorbed when the diet is rich in animal protein.

**************************************************************
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New research reveals revolutionary sound technology – the
same technology that enhances memory – can dramatically
increase longevity, slow aging and lower stress. This sound
technology can actually put you – very safely, quickly and
easily – into states of

* Deep stress release and relaxation
* Superlearning
* Dramatically enhanced creativity
* Laser-beam focus and concentration
* Enhanced memory
* Increased feelings of well-being

Learn more about how you can improve your health and keep
your body young and alive, visit:

http://www.youreletters.com/t/65994/2735288/645303/0/

**************************************************************

Subjects who participate in placebo-controlled studies know that
they have a chance of taking a pill that contains little or no active
ingredients. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But when doctors
prescribe placebos instead of drugs without their patients’
knowledge, enough ethical questions are raised to make a
malpractice attorney go weak in the knees.

In a recent survey of nearly 90 doctors and nurses in Israel, an
astonishing 60 percent admitted that they had given placebos to
patients. According to a New York Times report on the survey,
placebos were mostly prescribed for patients who firmly insisted
on receiving medication when none was needed. But more than ten
percent of those surveyed said they just wanted to get the patient to
stop complaining.

Take two of these and DON’T call me in the morning!

One odd detail stood out in this report. Most of the caregivers told
their patients that they were receiving real medicine. But four
percent told their patients that they’d be receiving a placebo.

I guess that would mean that about four percent of the doctors and
nurses in this survey are not clear on how a placebo is supposed to
work. I’m no doctor, but it seems to me that if you tell the patient
the truth, the chance of experiencing a placebo effect plummets to
about zero.

A similar survey, conducted last year in Denmark, also showed
that quite a few doctors had prescribed placebos. But here in the
U.S.? One California doctor told the Times that it’s “unheard of.”
Which, technically, would mean that it may happen every day, but
you just don’t hear about it.

But you never know. So here are four tip-offs that your doctor has
prescribed a placebo:

* An entire month’s supply of pills costs about the same as a large
bag of M&M’s
* The information flyer that comes with the “medication” doesn’t
list any side effects
* The recommended dosage is referred to as a “serving”
* The bottle doesn’t have a child-proof cap

Maybe if doctors would just start prescribing placebos instead of
real drugs, we might have the solution to adverse side effects and
skyrocketing drug prices.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute

**************************************************************
Why you shouldn’t waste another penny
on “grocery store” vitamins

A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical
Association actually admitted that vitamin deficiencies
cause disease. Eureka! Coming from a mainstream source this
is quite an affirmation of the nutrition-based alternative
medicine you and I believe in. Then again, if you’re an HSI
member, you’ve already known this fact for some time – and
you’re no doubt already taking some type of supplemental
vitamins

However, most of today’s store-bought vitamins fall
painfully short of the complete nutritional necessities-
putting your health at risk.

Take a quick crash course in vitamin shopping – and learn
the 5 things your multivitamin should be doing for you.

http://www.youreletters.com/t/65994/2735288/650760/0/

************************************************************

Sources:
“Critical Role of Transmembrane Segment Zinc Binding in the
Structure and Function of Rhodopsin” Journal of Biological
Chemistry, Vol. 279, No. 34, 8/20/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
“Zinc Shortage May Underlie Serious Vision Problem” Megan
Rauscher, Reuters Health, 9/9/04, reutershealth.com
“The Effect of Antioxidant Vitamins and Zinc on Age-Related
Macular Degeneration and Cataract” From the AREDS, National
Eye Institute, October, 2002, nei.nih.gov
“This Pill Will Make You Feel Better, but We’re Not Sure Why”
Denise Grady, The New York Times, 9/28/04, nytimes.com

 

 

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