K48 Plus
Of the Phospholipids, more than 78% is Phosphatidylcholine..
Phospholipids
It
is reported that Phosphatidylcholine's role in the maintenance of
cell-membrane integrity is vital. From the growth and maintenance of DNA
and RNA as proteins to energy and intracellular communication
Phosphatidylcholine is integral to all of the basic biological
processes. Low levels of it are associated with a number of disorders.
e.g., liver disease, neurological diseases, various cancers and cell
death.
Phosphatidylcholine
is absorbed into the mucosal cells of the small intestine.
Phosphatidylcholine may be indicated to help restore liver function. It
may also have an application for the treatment of some manic conditions
Phosphatidylcholine
(derived from lecithin), a primary dietary source of choline, is
composed of a phosphate group, 2 fatty acids, and choline. The
composition of essential fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine determines
its value in promoting health. When phosphatidylcholine is ingested,
most of it is broken down into choline, glycerol free fatty acids, and
the phosphate group, rather than being incorporated intact into cellular
membranes.
Although
choline can be manufactured in humans from either methionine or serine,
it has recently been designated an essential nutrient.
Choline
is required for the proper metabolism of fats; it facilitates the
movement of fats in and out of cells. Like Vitamin B12,
5-adenosylmethionine, and Folic Acid, choline acts in the human body as a
methyl donor. As such, choline is essential for proper liver function
due to its key role in the lipotropic effect, i.e., the export of fat
from the liver. In the absence of adequate choline, fats become trapped
in the liver, where they block metabolism. Stagnation of fat and bile
eventually leads to the development of more serious liver disorders such
as cirrhosis.
Choline
is needed for cell membrane integrity because of the critical role it
plays in the manufacture of primary components of cell membranes, such
as phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin.
Choline
is essential in the synthesis of acetylcholine. Choline supplementation
increases the accumulation of acetylcholine which plays a crucial role
in many brain processes, including memory. (Canty, DJ and Zeisel, SH.
Nutr Reviews. 52;327-339, 1994)
Choline
Choline has recently been designated as an essential nutrient.
RDA:
Infants and children: 125 to 375 mg/day
Women: 425 mg/day; Pregnant women: 450 mg/day; Breast-feeding women: 500 mg/day
Men: 500 mg/day
Choline is a dietary supplement used to treat high cholesterol, improve memory, and protect the liver.
Other
names for Choline include: CDP-choline, Citicoline,
Phosphatidylcholine, Polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC), and
Tetra-methylglycine.
Phosphatidylcholine
increases the solubility of cholesterol and thereby decreases
cholesterol‘s ability to induce atherosclerosis. Phosphatidylcholine
aids in lowering cholesterol levels, removing cholesterol from tissue
deposits, and inhibiting platelet aggregation. (Brook, JG, Linn, S, and
Aviram, M. Biochem Med Metabol Biol. 35;31-39, 1986.) The high content
of linoleic acid in phosphatidylcholine may be responsible for much of
the benefit derived from supplementation.
Phosphatidylcholine
is found in soy lecithin. It can be taken as dietary lecithin or as a
supplement for high cholesterol, atherosclerosis (fat deposits on
arteries), high blood pressure, liver problems, bipolar depression,
dementia, dyskinesias (difficulty making movements), gallbladder
disease, headache, and multiple sclerosis. It is used on the skin for
acne and psoriasis.
Other
names for Phosphatidylcholine include: Lecithin,
Phosphatidylethanolamine, Phosphatidyl, Phosphatidylinositol, PC-55,
Ethanolamine, and Serine.
Lecithin
is found in all living cells. The highest amount of Lecithin is found
in the brain, heart, liver, and kidney. Lecithin can also be prepared
from soybeans. It is commonly used as a supplement for atherosclerosis
(hardening and narrowing of the arteries), Alzheimer's disease,
depression, dementia, gallbladder disease, gallstones, liver disease,
headache, multiple sclerosis, acne (pimples), psoriasis, and high
cholesterol. Its use in the treatment of depression, dementia,
gallbladder disease, headache, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis may not
be effective. Lecithin that is available at health food stores is
usually a combination of fats (including phosphatidylcholine), oil, and
carbohydrates.
Other
names for Lecithin include: Phosphatidylcholine,
Phosphatidylethanolamine, Phosphatidylinositol, PC-55, Ethanolamine, and
Serine.
Antioxidant
Astaxanthin,
unlike some carotenoids, does not convert to Vitamin A (retinol) in the
human body. Too much Vitamin A is toxic for a human, but astaxanthin is
not. However, it is a powerful antioxidant; it is 10 times more capable
than other carotenoids.[3]
While
astaxanthin is a natural nutritional component, it can be found as a
food supplement. The supplement is intended for human, animal, and
aquaculture consumption. The commercial production of astaxanthin comes
from both natural and synthetic sources
Astaxanthin,
a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment, is a powerful biological
antioxidant. Astaxanthin exhibits strong free radical scavenging
activity and protects against lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage of
LDL-cholesterol, cell membranes, cells, and tissues. Astaxanthin has
been the focus of a large and growing number of peer-reviewed scientific
publications.
Significant
research and discoveries on the possible roles of antioxidants in our
health, in the aging process, and on specific diseases, have been made
in the recent years and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Astaxanthin is one of the most potent and bio-active biological
antioxidants found in nature.
Several studies have shown the effectiveness of astaxanthin as a cancer preventive in rats and mice. For example, Tanaka et al. (1994b) showed that astaxanthin protected mice from urinary bladder carcinogenesis. (Tanaka et al. 1995b) the investigators showed that astaxanthin prevents oral carcinogenesis in rats. (Tanaka et al. 1994a). A further study by this group (Tanaka et al. 1995a) explored the effect of astaxanthin on colon cancer in male rats.
Astaxanthin has been shown to significantly influence immune function in a number of in vitro and in vivo
assays using animal models. The majority of this work has been carried
out by Harumi Jyonouchi and colleagues at the University of Minnesota.
There
is abundant evidence that certain carotenoids can help protect the
retina from oxidative damage (Snodderly 1995). A recent study with rats
indicates that astaxanthin is effective at ameliorating retinal injury,
and that it is also effective at protecting photoreceptors from
degeneration (Tso and Lam 1996). The results of this study suggest that
astaxanthin could be useful for prevention and treatment of neuronal
damage associated with age-related macular degeneration, and that it may
also be effective at treating ischemic reperfusion injury, Alzheimer's
disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, and other types of
central nervous system injuries (Tso and Lam 1996). In this study,
astaxanthin was found to easily cross the blood-brain barrier (unlike
beta-carotene), and did not form crystals in the eye (unlike
canthaxanthin; Tso and Lam 1996).
The
astaxanthin molecule is similar to that of the familiar carotenoid
beta-carotene (Fig. 1), but the small differences in structure confer
large differences in the chemical and biological properties of the two
molecules. In particular, astaxanthin exhibits superior antioxidant
properties to beta-carotene in a number of in vitro
studies (Terao 1989; Miki 1991; Palozza and Krinsky 1992; Lawlor and
O'Brien 1995). While the positive effects of astaxanthin on farmed fish
and crustaceans have been recognized for years, the potential benefits
of this powerful antioxidant to human health are only now being
revealed.
As
is the case with other carotenoids, astaxanthin is a potent quencher of
singlet oxygen. One comprehensive study found astaxanthin to be twice
as effective as beta-carotene (and about 80 times more effective than
vitamin E) in quenching singlet oxygen in chemical solution (Di Mascio et al . 1991);
Antioxidant
role of carotenoids is in the scavenging of free radicals. An elegant
study of carotenoid-radical reactions in chemical solution clearly
demonstrated that reactivity rates depend not only on the carotenoid but
also on the nature of the radical (Mortensen et al.
1997). In one study, astaxanthin was approximately as effective as
canthaxanthin (a xanthophyll structurally similar to astaxanthin), and
about 50% more effective than beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, in
preventing fatty acid peroxidation in chemical solution (Terao 1989). In
a membrane model, astaxanthin was found to be more effective at
scavenging peroxyl radicals than was beta-carotene (Palozza and Krinsky
1992). Another study using membrane models found similar results, with
astaxanthin better at delaying lipid peroxidation than zeaxanthin,
canthaxanthin, or beta-carotene (Lim et al.
1992). A tissue culture model demonstrated that astaxanthin was
superior to beta-carotene or vitamin E in protecting the cells from
herbicide-induced oxidative stress (Lawlor and O'Brien 1995).
Many
human diseases and degenerative processes have been linked in some way
to the action of free radicals. Free radicals are not necessarily the
only cause for these conditions, but may well make the human body more
susceptible to other disease-initiating factors, may enhance the
progression of diseases, and may inhibit the body's own defenses and
repair processes. The following conditions involving multiple organs
have all been linked to free radicals (Cross et al. 1987):
- Cancer
- Aging (including immune deficiency with aging and premature aging disorders)
- Radiation injury
- Alcohol damage
- Ischemia-reperfusion injuries
- Inflammatory-immune
injuries (including vasculitis from drugs and hepatitis B virus,
idiopathic and membranous glomerulonephritis, and autoimmune diseases)
- Reactions induced by drugs and toxins
- Iron overload (including idiopathic hemochromatosis, dietary iron overload, thalassemia and other chronic anemias)
- Amyloid diseases
In addition, a number of single-organ conditions have been related to free radicals (Cross et al. 1987):
- Affecting
the brain--senile dementia, neurotoxin reactions, hyperbaric oxygen
effects, Parkinson's disease, cerebral trauma, hypertensive
cerebrovascular injury, allergic encephalomyelitis and other
demyelinating diseases, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses,
ataxia-telangiectasia syndrome, potentiation of traumatic injury,
aluminum overload
- Affecting
erythrocytes (red blood cells)--lead poisoning, protoporphyrin
photo-oxidation, malaria, sickle-cell anemia, favism, Fanconi anemia
- Affecting
the lungs--emphysema, hyperoxia, cigarette-smoke effects, oxidant
pollutant effects, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary
dysplasia, mineral dust pneumoconiosis, bleomycin toxicity, paraquat
toxicity
- Affecting
the heart and cardiovascular system--atherosclerosis, stroke,
doxorubicin toxicity, peripheral circulation problems, Keshan disease
(selenium deficiency), alcohol cardiomyopathy
- Affecting
the kidney--renal graft rejection, nephritic antiglomerular basement
membrane disease, heavy metal nephrotoxicity, aminoglycoside
nephrotoxicity
- Affecting joints--rheumatoid arthritis
- Affecting
the gastrointestinal tract and liver--endotoxin liver injury, carbon
tetrachloride liver injury, diabetogenic action of alloxan, free fatty
acid-induced pancreatitis, abetalipoproteinemia, nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug-induced lesions
- Affecting
the skin--sunburn and solar radiation injury, thermal injury,
porphyria, contact dermatitis, Bloom syndrome, effects of photosensitive
dyes
- Affecting
the eyes--age-related macular degeneration, ocular hemorrhage,
degenerative retinal damage, cataractogenesis, retinopathy of
prematurity, photic retinopathy
It
is quite clear that human health depends to a large extent on the
body's ability to control free radicals and thus reduce oxidative damage
to tissues, cells, and DNA. To that end, antioxidants play an essential
role in disease prevention, in longevity, and in overall well-being.
Omega 3’s
DHA acts by reducing white blood cell accumulation...
Docosahexanoic
acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oils, has been shown to
reduce the size of tumours and enhance the positive effects of the
chemotherapy drug cisplatin, while limiting its harmful side effects.
The rat experiments, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Cell Division, provide some support for the plethora of health benefits often ascribed to omega-3 acids.
Professor
A. M. El-Mowafy led a team of researchers from Mansoura University,
Egypt, who studied DHA's effects on solid tumours growing in mice, as
well as investigating how this fatty acid interacts with cisplatin, a
chemotherapy drug that is known to cause kidney damage. El-Mowafy said,
"DHA elicited prominent chemopreventive effects on its own, and
appreciably augmented those of cisplatin as well. Furthermore, this
study is the first to reveal that DHA can obliterate lethal
cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and renal tissue injury."
DHA
is an omega-3 fatty acid that is commonly found in cold-water fish oil,
and some vegetable oils. It is a major component of brain gray matter
and of the retina in most mammalian species and is considered essential
for normal neurological and cellular developments. According to the
authors, "While DHA has been tentatively linked with protection against
cardiovascular, neurological and neoplastic diseases, there exists a
paucity of research information, in particular regarding its
interactions with existing chemotherapy drugs". The researchers found
that, at the molecular level, DHA acts by reducing leukocytosis (white
blood cell accumulation), systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress -
all processes that have been linked with tumour growth.
El-Mowafy
and his colleagues have called for greater deployment of omega-3 in the
fight against cancer. They write, "Our results suggest a new, fruitful
drug regimen in the management of solid tumors based on combining
cisplatin, and possibly other chemotherapeutics, with DHA".
Notes:
1. Chemopreventive and renal protective effects for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): implications of CRP and lipid peroxides
M E Elmesery, M M Algayyar, H A Salem, M M Darweish and A M El-Mowafy
Cell Division (in press)
Article available at the journal website: http://www.celldiv.com/
All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.
2.
Cell Division is an Open Access, peer-reviewed online journal that will
encompass all aspects of cell cycle control in eukaryotes. Cell
Division is an online forum for and from the cell-cycle community that
aims to publish articles on all exciting aspects of cell-cycle research
and to bridge the gap between models of cell cycle regulation,
development, and cancer biology. This forum will be driven by
specialized and timely research articles, reviews and commentaries
focused on this fast moving field, providing an invaluable tool for
cell-cycle biologists.
3. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/)
is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has
pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research
articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely
accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse.
BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading
global publisher in the STM sector.
Source:
Graeme Baldwin
BioMed Central
Omega-3 fatty acids could help protect men against advanced prostate cancer...
For
the study, Witte's team studied 466 men with aggressive prostate cancer
and 478 healthy men. The researchers collected data on the men's diet
and genetically assessed nine cox-2 single nucleotide polymorphisms.
"We
detected strong protective associations between increasing intake of
long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and more advanced
prostate cancer," Witte said. "These fatty acids are primarily from dark
fish such as salmon."
This
association held even if men had a high-risk genetic variant in the
cox-2 gene, Witte said. "In contrast, men with low intake of dark fish
and the high-risk variant had a substantially increased risk of more
advanced prostate cancer," he noted.
The
researchers found that men who had the highest intake of omega-3 fatty
acids had a 63 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer compared
with men with the lowest intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Then
the researchers looked at the effect of omega-3 fatty acid in men with a
cox-2 variant called rs4647310, a known inflammatory gene. Among men
with low omega-3 fatty acid intake and this variant, the risk of
developing advanced prostate cancer increased fivefold. However, men who
had a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids had a significantly lower
risk, even if they had the cox-2 variant.
These
findings suggest that eating fish or other sources of long-chain
omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may decrease a man's risk of being
diagnosed with more advanced prostate cancer, Witte said. "And the
decrease in risk may be even more pronounced if one has a high-risk
genetic variant in the cox-2 gene."
Focusing
on more advanced tumors is important, since these tumors are most
likely to take an aggressive course and thus impact a man's survival, he
added. "Moreover, our results further support the hypothesis that
long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may modify prostate
inflammation through the cyclooxygenase (cox) pathway," Witte said.
Eric
Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American
Cancer Society, thinks the jury is still out on connecting omega-3 fatty
acids with a reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer.
"In
this study, a diet high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids was
associated with lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer,"
Jacobs said. "However, some previous studies did not find similar
results."
Indeed, other research has proved fruitless when it comes to using supplements
to help prevent prostate cancer. Two studies released in January in the Journal of the American Medical Association
found no evidence of benefit from supplemental selenium, vitamin E or
vitamin C on prostate cancer and other cancers. Other recent studies
have suggested that vitamins, B, C, D, E, folic acid and calcium taken
alone, or in various combinations, aren't effective for cancer
prevention either.
Nevertheless, more research into omega-3s role in prostate cancer prevention is needed, Jacobs said.
CAUTION:
People with seafood allergies, coagulopathy, or taking anticoagulants
or other related medications should notify their physician and be tested
prior to taking this dietary supplement.
These
statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease.
