Guess Which Juice Fights Cardiovascular Disease & Infection?
POMEGRANATE JUICE!
STUDY FINDS POMEGRANATE JUICE FIGHTS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, INFECTION
A new study has concluded that drinking pomegranate juice three times daily for one year reduces the incidence of infections, inflammation, and oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease dialysis patients. (Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of chemically-reactive molecules containing oxygen and the body’s ability to detoxify them; oxidation is implicated in numerous diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart failure.)
This means that pomegranate juice wards off a number of common complications of kidney dialysis, including a higher mortality rate due to infections and cardiovascular disease. (Cardiovascular disease can result from inflammation.) These findings support other studies that found pomegranate juice has a potent antioxidant effect. Pomegranate juice consumption could produce similar benefits in people with healthy kidneys but further research would be required. The study team stressed the need to monitor potassium levels in any juice taken by kidney patients, especially those with dietary potassium restrictions. This study was presented in Denver on the evening of November 18, 2010 at the 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition of the American Society of Nephrology. It has not yet been published and is not yet available online.
Vitamin C Deficiency & Kidney Problems
A study has found that kidney dysfunction is associated with a low blood level of vitamin C.
Also, low blood levels of vitamin C may cause damage, from greater oxidative stress, among kidney disease patients. It was noted that diabetic patients had consistently reduced levels of vitamin C. Lower blood levels of vitamin C have previously been linked to a greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease. People with higher levels of vitamin C have been found to have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and to have a greater life expectancy. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in humans and acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body against oxidative stress. Most species can synthesize vitamin C but humans cannot.
A brief summary of this study was released September 3, 2010 by the journal, Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation but the study will not be published in the print journal until a future issue. The full-text version is currently available online at http://bit.ly/bPgeer.
What’s Your Salt Intake?
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that only ten percent of American adults manage to keep their dietary sodium intake below the maximum recommended daily intake level. That grim statistic is even worse in light of the sharp recent reduction in the recommended intake level from 2,300 mg daily – which was the level set in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans – to 1,500 mg, the maximum set in the 2010 version, which came out last week.
The new study was based on those former, much higher recommendations and adherence to the new guidelines would be even lower. Although found naturally in some foods, sodium is a key element in added salt. Excessive salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, which in turn is linked to increased risks for stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure and kidney disease.
The new report was released June 25, 2010 and is available to read online at: http://bit.ly/aNqHYL.