1. ***Special VM Event***

2. Disease-Fighting Vegetable Medley

3. Potential Synergy of Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention

4. Vegetarian Diets Lower Blood Pressure

5. Comparing Four Popular Diets

6. Got Enough Milk?

7. Meat Raises Colon Cancer Risk

8. All Bottled Up

9. Herbalist Certification Training

10. The Raw Living Foods Home Study Program

11. Differentdaisy.com

12. EPA Offers Air-Pollution Immunity to Factory Farms

13. Enzymatic Therapy

14. Plants vs. Fish & Omega 3 Oils

15. VegVideo

16. Stop the USDA

17. Sierra Magazine's Letter To The Editor

• VM's Calendar

• SusanKay's Vegan Kitchen Recipes

1. ***Special VM Event***

02/17, Thursday, 7 PM, VM sponsored lecture "Diet As Disease Prevention" with Kerrie Saunders PhD, she says, "Americans eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) today have a 1 in 2 chance of dying of a heart attack, and a 1 in 3 chance of dying from cancer. Research from around the world tells us that there is a way to make a dramatic difference in these unbelievable statistics, by changing lifestyle factors 100% within your control! We'll look at cancer, blood sugar disorders, heart attack, stroke, and obesity from a whole new angle, and get practical advice on how to make the switch to a cutting-edge, health promoting food and fitness plan." Roseville Public Library, 29777 Gratiot 586-445-5407.

Original Source: Consumer Reports
Original Date of Publication: 11.2004

Variety, the spice of life, is also the path to good health. In recent years researchers have shown that various phytochemicals - substances that plants use to ward off insects, viruses, bacteria, and cell mutations - can lessen disease risk in people and animals who dine on the plants containing them. Phytochemicals affect the color of many vegetables and fruits; hence the advice to eat a rainbow of produce has replaced the old view that green is supreme. http://www.pcacoalition.org/news/2004_11_vegtables.php

Rui Hai Liu, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY                

Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is strongly associated with reduced risk of developing chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. It is now widely believed that the actions of the antioxidant nutrients alone do not explain the observed health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables, because taken alone, the individual antioxidants studied in clinical trials do not appear to have consistent preventive effects. Work performed by our group and others has shown that fruits and vegetable phytochemical extracts exhibit strong antioxidant and antiproliferative activities and that the major part of total antioxidant activity is from the combination of phytochemicals. We proposed that the additive and synergistic effects of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables are responsible for these potent antioxidant and anticancer activities and that the benefit of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is attributed to the complex mixture of phytochemicals present in whole foods. This explains why no single antioxidant can replace the combination of natural phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables to achieve the health benefits. The evidence suggests that antioxidants or bioactive compounds are best acquired through whole-food consumption, not from expensive dietary supplements. We believe that a recommendation that consumers eat 5 to 10 servings of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily is an appropriate strategy for significantly reducing the risk of chronic diseases and to meet their nutrient requirements for optimum health.       

http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/134/12/3479S?maxtoshow=&HITS=
10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=tomato+broccoli&searchid=110209
1661947_4417&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=134&issue=12&journalcode=nutrition

Vegetarian diets lower blood pressure significantly, according to an article in this month’s Nutrition Reviews. Observational studies have shown that hypertension is significantly less common among vegetarians, and subsequent clinical trials showed that such diets lower blood pressure in individuals with either normal or high blood pressure. Among the major presumed mechanisms are the diet’s ability to reduce blood viscosity, its high potassium content, and its effect on body weight. The article was written by Susan Berkow, Ph.D., and Neal Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Berkow SE, Barnard ND.  Blood pressure regulation and vegetarian diets.  Nutrition Reviews, January, 2005.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports the results of a head-to-head comparison of four popular diets: Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and the Zone. Tufts University researchers randomly assigned 160 people to the four diets, gave them an instruction book and four educational sessions, and then tracked their weight over the next year. After the first two months, participants were encouraged to follow their assigned diets only insofar as they felt inclined to. 

At the one-year mark, the average weight loss was 3.3 kg (7.3 lb) for Ornish, 3.2 kg (7.0 lb) for the Zone, 3.0 kg (6.6 lb) for Weight Watchers, and 2.1 kg (4.6 lb) for Atkins. These numbers are group averages, including both compliant and noncompliant dieters; weight loss was greater for those who continued to follow their diets. About half of the Ornish and Atkins dieters and two-thirds of the Weight Watchers and Zone dieters reported continuing to follow their regimens over the entire year. 

Low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol dropped by 12.6% in the Ornish group, 11.8% for the Zone group, 9.3% for the Weight Watchers group, and 7.1% for the Atkins group at one year.

Dansinger ML, Gleason JA, Griffith JL, Selker HP, Schaefer EJ. Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone diets for weight loss and heart disease risk reduction. JAMA 2005;293:43-53. 

For information about nutrition and health, please visit www.pcrm.org.

When the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a new version of the food pyramid later this year, it’s likely that adults will be told to down not two but three glasses of milk a day to keep the doctor away. But according to Alternative Medicine (Nov/Dec. 2004), some experts think such a recommendation would be dangerous, because research links excess dairy consumption to cancer. The Center for Science in the Public interest also points out that some researchers working for the USDA have ties to the National Dairy Council.  Utne, January-February 2005

A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms the findings of earlier studies linking meat consumption to colon cancer. In the Cancer Prevention Study II, involving 148,610 adults  followed since 1982, the group with the highest meat intake had approximately 50% higher colon cancer risk, compared to those with lower intakes.

The study found no relationship between white meat and colon cancer among men and found a negative relationship in women. The study did not report results for vegetarians within the cohort. Such data are of interest because earlier studies have indicated that those consuming white meat, particularly chicken, have approximately a threefold higher colon cancer risk, compared to vegetarians.

PCRM Editorial comment: We hope that the study’s sponsor, the American Cancer Society, will be encouraged by these findings to discontinue its beef-promoting Cattle Barons’ Ball fundraisers, held annually in cities throughout the U.S.

Chao A, Thun MJ, Connell CJ, et al. Meat consumption and risk of colorectal cancer. JAMA 2005;293:172-82.

Fraser GE. Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70(suppl):532S-8S.

For information about nutrition and health, please visit www.pcrm.org, www.CancerProject.org, www.AtkinsDietAlert.org.

Bottled water flies off the shelves, but smart money is on filter systems.  If you are confused about safe drinking water then this article is for you! http://www.grist.org/advice/possessions/2004/05/04/mcrandle-bottled/index.html

VM member Mary Light is a clinical medicinal herbalist and scholar for over 20 years, and friend of the plants for life. She offers various classes for beginner and practitioner students who wish to add to their body of knowledge. A 200 hour Herbalist Certification training is offered beginning May, 2005.

Additional 1 or 2 day classes are offered throughout the year, and may not be listed on this site. Contact Gaia Center for information or to be added to the list for herbal and botanical training.

Gaia Center for Holistic Studies 
PO Box 3599 
Ann Arbor, MI.  48106 
www.gaiahealingarts.org 
matagaia@yahoo.com 
Phone: 734-945-3385

The Living Foods Lifestyle training program, developed over the last 28 years at Creative Health Institute (co-founded by Dr. Ann Wigmore), is once again available in a home study version, and Jim Carey is once again managing the deliveries. Please visit www.WigmoreDiet.com for more information, or email james@wigmorediet.com with your problems or questions.

A Different Daisy (vegan owned and operated), your online source for vegan information, recipes and vegan products (many that are hard to find). www.differentdaisy.com

On Friday, while inaugural revelers were still shaking off their hangovers and tending to their square-dance-induced blisters, the Bush EPA officially unveiled a deal whereby factory farms can get more than two years of immunity from the Clean Air Act if they join a voluntary program to measure their emissions. Enviros say the strategy stinks as bad as the huge piles of doo-doo that are emitting toxic gases at factory farms around the country.  http://grist.org/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=4109 

An innovative manufacturer and distributor of nutritional supplements and natural medicines, today announced the rollout of new vegetarian UltraCaps(TM). These vegetable-based capsules are being introduced in response to growing public concerns over BSE (mad cow disease) and increased demand for vegetarian capsules. ttp://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050114005560
&newsLang=en or  http://tinyurl.com/6ujsm

Plant omega 3 fat is found in the seeds and oils of rape, soy and flax, and nuts, particularly walnuts. Research shows that plant-based omega 3s reduce the risk of secondary heart attacks by 70 percent compared to 35 percent for fish and, unlike fish oils, give long-term protection against the disease. 
VeggieHealth, Winter 2004
www.vegetarian.org.uk

A television show that educates the public about the realities of factory farming and the alternative of a compassionate vegetarian diet. Airing documentaries, interviews and investigations, VegVideo shows the extent of mistreatment that occurs inside factory farms. Over 10 billion animals are killed for food every year in the U.S. and the stories of their suffering is seldom told.  Anyone interested in helping to get this programming on in the Metro Detroit area? www.vegvideo.org

Ask your friends, family or any concerned consumer to tell USDA to protect the food supply from pharma crop contamination! Did you know that crops are being genetically altered to grow pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals? A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that current production practices and federal regulations are insufficient to keep these "pharma" crops out of our food supply. Go to the following link to tell the USDA to do a better job protecting our food from pharma crops: http://www.ucsaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=23460&ref=38950 

VM’s letter in response to this article: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200501/mrgreen.asp

Dear Editor: 

Talk about loose talk on meat-eating, Mr. Green said a mouthful! There is an abundance of protein in plant-based foods and there is no need for "complete protein" in our diet. Given enough calories from whole plants, our bodies can assimilate all the amino acids we need for big powerful muscles, such as those exhibited by other herbivores (i.e. gorillas, elephants, bison, elk, moose).

While Mr. Green may be proud of his heritage of cattle exploitation, there wasn't one cow around when the formally deep, rich topsoil of North America was being formed. We have lost most of that now, the leading cause being beef production.

Animal agriculture has soared to the number two cause of environmental degradation around the world. Even practiced "organically," it can significantly impact soil erosion, desertification, rainforest destruction, habitat loss, species extinction, air and water pollution, water and fossil fuel consumption, acid rain, global warming, and a host of other serious and related problems.

Instead of exporting our unsustainable agricultural practices, the United States should be leading the world in life-affirming plant-based nutrition. Two good places to start are www.pcrm.org and www.veganoutreach.org.

Sincerely,
James Corcoran