Let’s take a look a each of the “problem” ingredients in soft drinks in turn:

Caffeine- caffeine can deplete calcium levels and also cause stress, a racing mind and insomnia

We’ve all heard that caffeine is bad for us, but why?  According to Dr. Ni, the caffeine usually present in soft drinks can deplete the body’s calcium levels, and stimulate the central nervous system and contribute to stress, a racing mind, and insomnia.  Since caffeine is usually present in most soft drinks, it is wise, if you choose to drink a soft drink beverage, to select one that is caffeine-free, or low in caffeine.

Carbonation- carbonation depletes calcium and leads to osteoporosis

Beverages with bubbles contain phosphoric acid, which can severely deplete the blood calcium levels; calcium is a key component of the bone matrix. With less concentration of calcium over a long time, it can lower deposition rates so that bone mass and density suffer. This means that drinking sodas and carbonated water increases your risk of osteoporosis.

Simple Sugars – The sugar is soft drinks isn’t so sweet

Most soft drinks contain a high amount of simple sugars. The USDA recommendation of sugar consumption for a 2,000-calorie diet is a daily allotment of 10 teaspoons of added sugars. Many soft drinks contain more than this amount!  Just why is too much sugar so unhealthy?   To start, let’s talk about what happens when sugar enters your body. When you drink sodas packed with simple sugars, the pancreas is called upon to produce and release insulin, a hormone that empties the sugar in your blood stream into all the tissues and cells for usage. The result of overindulging in simple sugar is raised insulin levels. Raised blood insulin levels beyond the norm can lead to depression of the immune system, which in turn weakens your ability to fight disease.   In addition, most of the excess sugar you consume ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain and elevates risk for heart disease and cancer. One study found that when subjects were given refined sugar, their white blood cell count decreased significantly for several hours afterwards. Another study discovered that rats fed a high-sugar diet had a substantially elevated rate of breast cancer when compared to rats on a regular diet.

Sugar Substitutes / Artificial Sweetners- Are “sugar-free” or “diet” sodas a better choice?

The simple answer is NO!  Diet soda is filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin. These artificial sweeteners pose a threat to your health. Saccharin, for instance, have been found to be carcinogenic, and studies have found that they can produce bladder cancer in rats.  One study also discovered that drinking one or more soft drinks a day led to a 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly.   Aspartame, commonly known as nutrasweet, is a chemical that stimulates the brain to think the food is sweet. It breaks down into acpartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol at a temperature of 86 degrees. (Remember, your stomach is somewhere around 98 degrees.) An article put out by the University of Texas found that aspartame has been linked to obesity. The process of stimulating the brain causes more cravings for sweets and leads to carbohydrate loading.   The simple conclusion here is it doesn’t matter whether you drink diet or regular soda – they are both bad for you

Food additives – what good are they?

Food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives just don’t provide any nutrient value.

Alternatives to Soda and other Sugary Energy Drinks
With the plethora of sugary drinks on the market which include soft drinks (sodas), juices and “energy drinks”, it is difficult to find what what may be good for us when its easy to get overwhelmed with so much choice.  One good option, however, is Head Start, an all-natural energy drink marketed under the AmeriSciences brand.  It is a great alternative to sugary soft drinks because it doesn’t have any of the “bad” ingredients that sodas have. And Head Start is not a soda at all, but is powder that can be mixed with water to make a refreshing and healthful citrus flavored “pick me up”. The energy provided from Head Start comes from fructose, an all-natural form of fruit sugar which is better for you than processed sucrose.  In addition, Head Start contains only a small amount of caffeine, about the same amount that you would find in green tea.  Head Start is sold primarily through independent online distributors such as New York-based www.BeautifulandWell.com.

Source:  ”What Soft Drinks are Doing to Your Body”, by Dr. Maoshing Ni, October 30, 2009.

What is age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

According to AMD Alliance International, a global coalition of vision and seniors’ organizations dedicated to raising awareness of AMD and the options available for prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation and support services to individuals and families around the world affected by AMD, AMD  is a degenerative retinal disease that causes central vision loss and leaves only peripheral vision which qualifies as “legal blindness” in the Western world.  Although approximately 30 million people are affected by AMD globally, awareness of the condition is low.  Moreover, due to the aging population of Baby Boomers, the incidence and prevalence of AMD is expected to be on the rise and may triple by 2025.

Two types of AMD exist- dry and wet.  Dry AMD, on the other hand, occurs when normal tissue in the macula disappears slowly resulting in a pale area of the macular called central geographic atrophy (a medical term for dryness).  Wet AMD occurs when blood vessels grow abnormally beneath the macular and eventually leak causing scarring to the macular, thereby obscuring sight.

Studies support increase intake of omgea-3 to prevent AMD

According to the US National Eye Institute, increased consumption of omega-3 fatty-acids contribute to the prevention of age-related vision loss by up to 30%.  In another major study, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), omega-3 intake supports the prevention of AMD by 30%.  Moreover, according to findings published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the risk of both dry AMD and wet AMD are reduced through the intake of omega-3 fatty acids by 32% and 35% respectively.

Omega-3’ eye health benefits

Omega-3 fatty acids, and in particular DHA, play an important role in the layer of nerve cells in the retina, and studies have already reported that omega-3 may protect from developing AMD.

Indeed, a meta-analysis published in the June 2008 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology found that a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of AMD by up to 38 per cent.

The new study supports these earlier findings. SanGiovanni and his co-workers looked at  1,837 people participating in an Age-Related Eye Disease Study. All the participants were considered to be at a moderate-to-high risk of advanced AMD.

Based on 12 years of research, the scientist found out that the participants with the highest omega-3 intakes had a 30 percent lower risk of developing AMD than people with the lowest intakes.

“The 12-year incidence of central geographic atrophy and neovascular AMD in participants at moderate-to-high-risk of these outcomes was lowest for those reporting the highest consumption of omega-3 fatty acids,” concluded the researchers.

Educating ourselves about how to protect our eye sight and decrease the risk of vision loss should be a priority.  Taking a good nutritional supplement, especially one that can help to slow macular degeneration, is a good insurance policy.  One such high quality nutritional supplement specifically formulated to protect eyes and lower the risk for AMD is TOZAL Eye Health Formula make by AmeriSciences.  TOZAL contains a high percentage of Omega 3, as well as Lutein & Zeaxanthin, which all promote vision health. To learn more about TOZAL or to purchase TOZAL from a reputable AmeriSciences distributor, click here.

As reported by Stephen Daniels in the NutraIngredients-USA product newsletter on cardiovascular health on October 19, 2009, the heart health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are well-documented.  Daniels asserts that heart health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids were first reported in the early 1970s by Jorn Dyerberg and his co-workers in The Lancet and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  To date, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been linked to improvements in blood lipid levels, a reduced tendency of thrombosis, blood pressure and heart rate improvements, and improved vascular function.

The new study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, reported that increased intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may reduce the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), an umbrella term for a range of symptoms including unstable angina and chest pains.

The Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study involved 57,053 men and women. During an average follow-up time of almost eight years, 1,150 people developed ACS.  Men who consumed more than 0.39 grams of PUFAs per day had an associated risk of ACS 27 per cent lower than men who consumed less than 0.39 grams per day.

When the researchers looked at individual omega-3 fatty acids, they did note negative association for EPA, DPA and DHA, but these were considered “less consistent”.

No benefits were observed for women, noted the researchers.

“We found borderline significant negative associations between the intake of marine omega-3 PUFA and ACS among healthy men,” they concluded.

Half a gram needed for heart benefits?

Earlier this year, a ‘state-of-the-art’ review concluded that the science behind the cardiovascular health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids supports recommended daily levels of 500 mg.

“Compelling evidence” from studies involving almost 40,000 participants supports daily EPA plus DHA intakes of at least 500 mg per day for healthy individuals, while people with known heart disease or heart failure should aim for up to 1,000 mg daily, according to a review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The recommendations for healthy people are double the recommended levels determined by the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA).

EFSA determined in July that 250mg should be the labelling reference intake value for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids – most notably eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The European Commission backed the regulation last week that permits products to claim omega-3 content if they have significant proportions of dietary reference values (DRV) of 250mg of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and/or DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and 2g of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid).

The regulation was slammed by a group of 21 international leading omega-3 scientists who said the rule, which does not discriminate between plant and marine-sourced omega-3 sources for product labelling, was an “insult”.

What omega-3 nutritional supplement brands exist which have the recommended daily levels of omega-3’s and also have clear labeling for the source of omega-3’s in its products?

While there are many nutritional supplement formulations on the market which claim to contain omega-3 fatty acids, most do not contain the recommended daily levels of omega-3 fatty acids and few have clear and trusted labeling for the source of omega-3’s in their products.  One exception is the Omega Max product developed by AmeriSciences, a privately-held specialty nutritional supplement company based in Houston, TX.  The active ingredients found in Omega Max product are both EPA and DHA, sourced from molecularly-distilled, highly-potent fish oil derived from only the smallest of fish like anchovies and mackerel.  Furthermore, unlike most fish oil soft-gels available in the the U.S., Omega Max is fully compliant with European Pharmacopeia standards, the only true “pharmaceutical-grade” standard for fish oil.  For more information or to purchase the Omega Max fish oil product from one of the AmeriSciences’ leading distributors click here.

Source: British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.1017/S0007114509992170
“Dietary intake of total marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid and the risk of acute coronary syndrome – a cohort study”
Authors: A.M. Joensen, E.B. Schmidt, C. Dethlefsen, S.P. Johnsen, A. Tjonneland, L.H. Rasmussen, K. Overvad

More specific benefits of cognitive health functional foods and nutritional supplements include: enhancing cognitive ability, protecting the brain from damage, fighting the effects of aging (such as memory loss or dementia), addressing depression, and concentration problems, aiding in relaxation, and even helping to reduce aggressive behavior.

Data pooled from market analysts including Euromonitor, Datamonitor and Frost & Sullivan identify a number of key ingredients in the category that can support brain function. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Omega-3, ginko biloba, ginseng (improved memory)
• CoQ10 (slows Parkinson’s disease)
• Phospolipids: Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl serine – e.g. soy lecithin (fight dementia, cognitive decline)
• St John’s wort, soy lecithin (combat depression)
• Omega-3, PS (phosphatidylserine), Gaba, creatine (brain function)
• Green tea, tryptophan, Gaba, ginko biloba (mood)
• Guarana, caffeine, ginseng (energy boosting)

Supplements lead the Cognitive Health Category

In the food and beverage category, GNPD tracked 276 new cognitive health products launched globally in 2008, and 388 new products in 2009 to date. Europe and the US accounted for 45 and 56 new products respectively in 2008, and 44 each in 2009.  Teas and infusions, water-based drinks and energy drinks are leading the way in beverages. Omega-3 fortified yoghurts, milk and drinking yoghurts are leading the way in dairy.

However, according to Frost & Sullivan, dietary supplements are leading the way in the cognitive health market – and Euromonitor confirms that supplements are “increasingly garnering favor with consumers”.

Euromonitor splits the market up into three main areas: Brain function, energy boosting and mood.

Japan ahead

According to Euromonitor, Japan is the biggest market for cognitive health food and supplements.

US Market for Cognitive Health Supplements Growing

Due to the ageing population of Baby Boomers in the U.S., and the related increased prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the need for cognitive health nutritional supplements to support brain function.

There are many cognitive health nutritional supplement formulations on the market.  One of the most recognized is Cognivite from AmeriSciences, a privately-held specialty nutritional supplement company based in Houston, TX which has a joint development agreement with NASA/Johnson Space Center.  The Cognivite formula was developed by renowned geriatric neurologist Dr. Marwan Sabbagh and was launched in 2008.  To learn more about Cognivite, click here.

AmeriSciences and NASA: Working Together to Develop Astronaut-specific Multivitamins

Out of a need for providing increased nutritional support for long duration space flight, NASA/JSC has spent the last couple of years compiling scientific data on the basis of an astronaut-specific multivitamin formulation, with similarities to the AmeriSciences Men’s Master-Multi formulation.

The Space Act Agreement sets forth both short-term and long-term objectives for both parties. These include not only the co-development of the supplement formulations, but shared responsibilities for extensive product testing, participation in project reports, identification and assessment of related technologies, and participation in demonstrations and other activities of mutual interest.

“Combining the expertise of AmeriSciences and NASA to develop products that meet the extreme needs of the astronauts will truly set a new standard in supplementation. We are proud to be a part of this important project.”

-Lou Gallardo, Chairman of AmeriSciences