Health Matters Newsletter

Calcium & Weight Loss: More Clinical Support! Calcium could reduce body weight by binding fat in the intestine and increasing its excretion from your body. Fat excreted in the feces increases 2.5-fold in people on a high calcium diet compared with when they lower their calcium intake. Several studies in recent years have shown an inverse relationship between calcium intake and body weight. In 2002, a US team reported that a high calcium diet results in greater weight and fat loss in obese adults than in those on a low calcium diet. Researchers theorize that the mechanism involved may be an interaction between calcium and fatty acids, resulting in reduced fat absorption. Source: International Journal of Obesity 2005;29(3):292-301

The Dairy Diet Myth: “Drink milk…Lose weight?” say the ads. The dairy industry has created an entire “Healthy Weight with Milk” campaign to boost sales. What’s the evidence? Most of it came from a researcher who has a patent on the claim that dairy foods aid weight loss.
In a new study, a high-dairy diet didn’t help people lose weight. Twenty-three obese patients on 1,500-calorie diets who were randomly assigned to consume four servings of dairy a day lost no more weight or body fat after six months then 22 others who consumed one serving a day. Get your calcium from calorie-free supplements.

Calcium Can Lower Colon Cancer Risk for Women: A calcium-rich diet plus calcium supplements can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer among women by 46 percent. Researchers at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center surveyed 45,000 cancer-free women and tracked them for an average of 8.5 years. During that time, 482 of the women developed colorectal cancer. The researchers found that risks among women decreased with higher daily doses of calcium. Women whose calcium intake included more than 412 milligrams (mg) from food plus a supplement of 800 mg of calcium or more were found to have a 46 percent lower risk than those who got less calcium daily. Women whose calcium intake was at least 800 mg per day had a risk that was 26 percent lower than those who consumed less than 530 mg of calcium daily.
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, Jan.1, 2005

Every gram of sugar you ingest takes 3 grams of calcium and 3 grams of magnesium to buffer acids it creates. If you eat sugar, you should supplement with calcium and magnesium to offset this acidity. The average American eats 171 pounds of sugar per year and 535 more calories than in 1960.

Note: Most of the over-the-counter calcium supplements are made with inexpensive sources such as dolomite, calcium carbonate, (rocks bulldozed from the earth) or oyster shells (Os-cal) which are not meant for food and barely absorbable, if at all, by the human body. Further, dolomite often has lead contamination. Trust Nature’s Sunshine to bring you supplements free from heavy metal contamination and from the most absorbable sources possible. How much calcium do you need?

Recommended Daily dosages For Calcium: (Add PDA for maximum absorption and get more for your money)
Children 1-5: 800 mg. - Children 6-10: 800-1200 mg.
Young Adults: 1200-1500 mg.
Men & Pre-menopausal women: 1000 mg. daily
Men 65+: 1500 mg.
Post-menopausal women: 1500 mg. daily

Take your calcium supplements twice daily with the higher amounts in the evening because the calcium level falls to its lowest in the early morning hours. Leg or foot cramping, especially in the early hours of the morning, indicates a calcium deficiency.

Note: Weight-bearing exercise combined with high-quality calcium supplementation is the best way to protect bone density and prevent and/or reverse osteoporosis.

TEI FU OIL TO THE RESCUE: “Bless you for giving me that little bottle of Tei Fu Oil. I can't believe how much my lungs cleared overnight. I am still using it and breathing much easier. Many, many thanks.”
Suzanne Golub, Flagstaff, AZ

ESSENATIAL FATTY ACIDS TO THE RESCUE: “I had awful contact dermatitis that started over a year plus ago with a patch on the back of my head the size of a silver dollar that spread to the back of my whole head from ear to ear, and then progressed down my neck. I tried two different prescriptions which helped short term but when I stopped, the rash and itch came back. Now that I have started taking four Super Omega Hi EPA and 3-4 of Super GLA daily, I have stopped the medication and I have no more rash and no more itch!” -Phyllis Young, Honolulu, HI

FOOD ALLERGY OR FOOD INTOLERANCE? While an estimated 30 percent of American adults believe they have food allergies, only about 1.5 percent actually do. True food allergies occur when the immune system thinks a benign substance is a harmful one, and produces antibodies against it, releasing histamine and other compounds in the process. The result: symptoms such as a tingling mouth, hives, swollen tongue and throat, drop in blood pressure, or even anaphylactic shock, which can be deadly.

Food intolerance is different - unpleasant, yes, but not fatal. Food intolerance may be due to a lack of enzymes needed to break down the foods which often includes a strong reaction from the digestive or nervous system, resulting in less serious symptoms such as diarrhea, gas, headaches or flushing.

To deal with food intolerances or symptoms such as diarrhea or gas, consider Food Enzymes, Proactzyme Plus (vegetarian formula), PDA (digestion of proteins), and/or Hi-Lipase (for digestion of fats). Adding a probiotic such as Flora Force or Probiotic Eleven may also help with these symptoms while building your immune response.

HOW ANTIOXIDANT RICH IS YOUR DIET? Antioxidants are one of nature's intrinsic ways to support healthy functioning of cells and protect them from free-radical damage which can lead to serious diseases. They are also important in helping us to age well and ward off disease. Nutrients that act as antioxidants include vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc, selenium and carotenoids. The best source of antioxidant-rich foods are the brightly colored varieties of fruits and vegetables, and you should include a full spectrum in your daily diet. The following ten foods were found by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to have the highest levels of antioxidants. Make sure to put these on your next grocery list:

1. Small red beans (dried)
2. Wild blueberries
3. Red kidney beans
4. Pinto beans
5. Blueberries (cultivated)
6. Cranberries
7. Artichokes (cooked)
8. Blackberries
9. Prunes
10. Raspberries

If you are not eating several of these foods every day, consider adding 2 ounce of Thai-Go, NSP’s delicious antioxidant drink, to your daily diet. It’s the BEST antioxidant insurance you can get and it is a delight to drink!

Where to find featured products

We promise you that you will get the highest quality products and best customer service when you deal with your Nature's Sunshine representative. If you are a Nature's Sunshine member, these products can be ordered through our office or direct from Nature's Sunshine at www.naturessunshine.com. If you are not a current Nature's Sunshine member, you may order these products on our site at www.naturallyherbs.com.

Note:The information contained in this message is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prevent any illnesses. We recommend that you contact a health care practitioner if you have any immediate health care concerns.