Happy Breathing!

(from my Health Sciences Institute newsletter:) Dear Reader,

Whenever I read about any condition that causes irregular breathing, I find myself taking a reflexive deep breath, almost as if my body is trying to reassure my brain that everything is okay.

That's what happened when I came across news of a recent study that shows how important it is for newly diagnosed COPD patients to begin rehabilitation as soon as possible. In an eight-week trial, researchers demonstrated that even when lungs are severely obstructed, timely rehabilitation could yield significant results.

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is an umbrella term that refers to asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or any combination of the three. The World Health Organization reports that almost three million people die of COPD related complications each year.

In addition to taking some basic steps to maintain healthy lung function (such as avoiding smoking and getting regular exercise), a dietary restriction might help protect those who are at risk of developing COPD.

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Mystery meat
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Previous studies indicate that the type of lung damage that leads to emphysema may be triggered in part by nitrites, which are added to cured meats such as hotdogs, ham, and processed lunchmeats. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City conducted a cross-sectional study to determine if nitrites intake might be associated with COPD risk. (kmy note: I read somewhere in one of my health newsletters that Leukemia is caused by HOT DOGS, here, probably because of the nitrates--now Vit.C escorts toxins out of the blood into the urine, so, it stands to reason the more C you take, the more toxins you will excrete/no source material on that, YET!)

The Columbia team studied dietary and health records of more than 7,300 subjects who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The average age of the subjects was 64. Analysis showed that frequent consumption of cured meats (14 or more servings per month) was linked with "an obstructive pattern of lung function and increased odds of COPD."

This study doesn't supply enough evidence to conclude that cured meat intake is a direct cause of COPD because the researchers also found that subjects who frequently ate cured meats were also prone to have a lower intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, vitamin C, and vitamin and mineral supplements. But even when researchers made adjustments for these and other factors (such as smoking – a major cause of COPD), the link between cured meat intake and COPD was still strong.

A spokesperson for the American Meat Institute told Reuters Health that nitrite levels in cured meats have declined in recent years.

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Sandwich with a side of C
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The Columbia study also found that the subjects who consumed the most cured meats tended to be male cigarette smokers of lower socioeconomic status. (I say because lower socioeconomic status is more stressful than higher status/kmy)

But that doesn't mean that non-smoking, successful professional women are free of risk. I have a friend who meets that description, and she admits that nearly every day she wolfs down a turkey sandwich at her desk as she continues to work. So she would easily qualify in that 14-or-more servings per month group.

But besides being smoke-free, here's the factor will probably help keep her safe from nitrite-induced COPD: The rest of her diet, combined with her supplement regimen, provides an ample intake of vitamin C.

In the e-alert "C-ing Stars" (6/12/02) I told you about a UK study that investigated the relationship between lung function and the intake of magnesium, and vitamins C, E, and A. The UK team surveyed more than 2,500 subjects to assess the relationship between diet, asthma and COPD. Nine years later, approximately one half of the original group participated in a follow-up survey, as well as tests that determined breathing levels.

After analyzing the data, researchers reached two important conclusions:
1) Subjects who consumed higher amounts of vitamin C had better lung function than those with lower levels of vitamin C intake
2) Higher amounts of vitamin C and magnesium intake were associated with significantly improved lung function in subjects suffering from asthma or COPD

The researchers didn't offer a recommendation about the dosage level of vitamin C required to reap the protective benefits, but the study indicates that the average participant in the survey was not supplementing with mega-doses. (Linus Pauling suggests starting at six thousand milligrams of vitamin C/kmy)

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NOTE FROM KMY:
when you apply, hold out for Thirty bucks a year, I just got an offer from them for twenty five bucks a year! May take it! This is a great Institute! So is the one in Oregon, the LINUS PAULING UNIVERSITY site in Portland!
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To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

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Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert.

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Tap into the minds of other health-conscious readers like yourself at the new HSI health forum:
http://www.healthiertalk.com

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