Could Vit B 6 cut the risk of lung cancer?

Could Vitamin B6 along with the amino acid methionine reduce the risk of lung cancer? A large European study involving over four hundred thousand people in ten countries over eight years seems to suggest this -even in smokers. I am not suggesting anyone should light up in celebration however. Smoking is a habit which has caused great suffering, not just in those who have smoked, but also among their countless loved ones who have had to suffer and bury the smokers, once lung cancer and chronic lung disease due to smoking had finally finished them off. Not a nice scenario.

In any case, the researchers repeated the sage advice that stopping - or better yet never starting - smoking remained the best preventer of lung cancer. They also said that healthier lifestyles could account for their results. The take home message for me is that a balanced nutritional intake is a key ally in the fight against cancer. So if your nutrition is not what it should be, educate yourself and change your eating patterns - starting today. And stop smoking, using all means necessary.

Sources: BBC Health, Journal of the American Medical Association - JAMA


To your abundant health,

Dr Ike
Functional Health Expert and Health Coach.

Could whole fat milk and cheese LOWER diabetes risk?

That is what a research paper in the prestigious December 2010 Annals of Internal Medicine has reported after a large cohort study. Now usually the larger a study - all things being equal - the more reliable the data collected. The incidence of type two diabetes fell significantly as the levels of the fatty acid trans- palmitoleic acid - found in whole fat dairy products -increased.  In fact, adults with the highest levels of this fatty acid  had a sixty per cent lower incidence of diabetes when compared to those with the lowest levels. Higher levels of trans - palmitoleic were also associated with better metabolic profiles on lab testing. In other words, those with the highest levels of this fatty acid in this study were healthier than those with lower levels. It must be said, however that this is an association,  a direct causal relationship has not yet been definitively established. No doubt, further research is required. So should we  consume whole fat milk and cheese? Why not? Taken in sensible proportions as part our balanced nutritional requirements, the data has shown benefit. I take cheese and lactose free milk sensibly - and enjoy them too. So add these to your nutritional intake - after consultation with your doctor or/and certified nutritionist of course. Discuss this study with them, you both might learn something!

Sources: Annals of Internal Medicine December 2010, Med Page Today.


To your abundant health,

 Dr Ike
 Functional Health Expert and Health Coach

Have you experienced side effects with medication?

Hi everyone,

Have you taken medication - even over the counter drugs and experienced any side effects? Did you report these to your doctor? Did you get a satisfactory response? If you did, all well and good. But now if you got a satisfactory response or not, you can report your side effects to the bodies responsible for the regulation of medication in Europe and the United States. The EU passed a new law in September this year to enforce this. In the UK, the MHRA has an online reporting system:  http://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/  - the online Yellow Card system. In the USA, the FDA has the MedWatch system online also -

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/HowToReport/ucm053074.htm.

In other countries, there are various mechanisms to report unwanted  effects of medication - contact your local health authorities, do not take no for an answer. One good reason to report these side effects is for statistical reasons. Such statistics can be helpful in make informed decisions - like stopping the prescription of harmful drugs, or helping with research, decisions on where to intelligently and rationally target scarce medical resources, to mention  a few. So get reporting today - it just might save a life and reduce misery. Also, before I forget - please pass this information on to your loved ones and friends.

To your abundant health,

Dr Ike,
Functional Health Expert.

Cherries key to fight against diabetes?

Hi gals and guys,

Dr Ike once again! I am moving on to talk briefly about  an antioxidant supplement you might soon see in a health store near you - found naturally in cherries - called anthocyanins. Why ? Michigan State University  research people found that this compound helped to lower the blood levels of glucose by increasing insulin production by as much as 50 per cent. This may be useful in those with reduced production of insulin, but the story of diabetes mellitus is much more complex than that. Nevertheless, anthocyanins may be of use in preventing type 2 diabetes, and have been found to help protect against cancer and heart disease. So get chewing those cherries lol! Seriously, there is more research ongoing, but watch this space.

The study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

To your abundant health,

Dr Ike
Functional Health Expert.

A Vitamin Deficiency Common in Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease which has widespread effects on the body, and one common vitamin deficiency associated with it is Vitamin D. A 2006 medical study published in Diabetes Care has shown that a staggering THREE out of five diabetics have cholecalciferol (Vitamin D ) deficiency. The way Vitamin D is used by the body is now much better understood than previously, and this vitamin has been found to have more widespread effects than previously thought, not just on bone, calcium and phosphate metabolism. So if you are diabetic or know someone who is, ask them if they have had their Vitamin D levels checked recently. My partner Dr Kem has also been checkinng her patients, and quite a few have had low Vitamin D levels -both diabetics and non diabetics. Symptoms they are having  disappear when the patients are placed on quality Vitamin D supplements. Notice I said QUALITY supplements. So if you are having some symptoms that your doctor has not been able to sort out, feel run down, are overweight or obese, get your Vitamin D levels checked out - you never know. Do you want to know where and how you can choose quality Vitamin D supplements if you need them? Read my next blog entry.

To your abundant health,

Dr Ike
Functional Health Expert.

Do you have a granite countertop in your kitchen?

Hi gals and guys,

Are you in love with granite? Quite a few of us, including me,  ooh and aah over this beautiful rock. Some of us even have the imported varieties from Namibia and Brazil in our beautiful kitchens (not guilty!)  However, your beautiful granite countertop, your pride and joy MAY be harming you and your loved ones
- as research has revealed that they may be contaminated  by dangerous radioactive uranium - yes, the same chemical found in nuclear waste and used in atomic bombs. The Environmental Protection Agency in the US has been fielding reports from envirnmental inspectors about the levels of uranium in granite countertops. So you may need to get that lovely granite top checked - you never know. A call to your local environmental department should get the ball rolling.


To your abundant health,


Dr Ike
Functional Health Expert.