Scientific Update February 2005
Thank you for using Body Language Vitamin Company's Scientific Formulas
There is an extensive amount of important information;
please read carefully.
This is a scientific update as I have promised. It is also to thank you for visiting our website and or benefiting from our state of the art nutritional supplements. This update will keep you informed with important new research.
I welcome you to visit our site Body Language Vitamin Co and use our Body Mass Index Calculator and to take our copyrighted health scan. These health tools are free to you and provide important information regarding your wellness. I would also encourage you to pass this update on to all of your friends, family and anyone that you love, like or care about.
Our Educational Resources provides many Word and PowerPoint presentations, that provide important scientific information directly related to improving your health. Check them out!
The following information was passed along to me from Barbara Beznos a registered dietician and close colleague. This may seem obvious to most of us. If it is not, I am sure that we have caught ourselves thinking that doing this in the microwave probably cannot be good for us.
Plastic and Cancer news from Johns
No plastics in microwave. No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in micro. Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in their newsletters and it is worth noting.
Dioxin Carcinogens causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Don't freeze your plastic water bottles with water as this also
releases dioxin in the plastic. Dr. Edward Fujimoto from Castle hospital was on a TV program explaining this health hazard. (He is the manager of the Wellness Program at the hospital.)
He was talking about dioxin and how bad they are for us. He said that
we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic
containers. This applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the
combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Dioxins are carcinogens and
highly toxic to the cells of our bodies. Instead, he recommends using glass, Corning Ware, or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. To add to this, Saran wrap placed over foods as they are nuked,
with the high heat, actually drips poisonous toxins into the food, use
paper towels. Pass this on to your family &friends &those that are important in you life.
Ozone and short-term mortality in 95
Ozone has been linked with multiple health consequences, including increased hospitalization rates, worsening of respiratory illnesses and even death. With the global increase in dependence on petroleum, coal and other fossil burning fuels this risk continues to escalate. Essentially, this article shows that a 10 ppb (parts per billion) increase in ozone is associated with a 0.52% increase in daily mortality and a 0.64% increase in heart and respiratory deaths.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Their results indicate that there is a statistically significant association between short-term changes in ozone and mortality on average for 95 large
Why do we need to supplement? (Preferably with the highest quality all natural nutritionals, like those made in an FDA inspected laboratory by Body language Vitamin Co’s!
This also addresses the new reports regarding Vitamin E, so please read on)
As anyone who has tried to sort out conflicting medical studies knows, there is little agreement among members of the scientific community in regard to what is “healthy.” This has created a difficult situation for the public. They are faced with experts who contradict one another, as well as research far too complex for the ordinary person to decipher. Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly clear that even FDA-approval can not guarantee safety, as the recent withdrawal of Vioxx and other drugs shows.
The pros and cons of supplementing with vitamins, minerals and similar substances are no less confusing. In spite of thousands of studies examining the effects of various supplements, experts still disagree. As a practicing physician and scientist, I believe I have a responsibility to present what I feel is a strong case for supplementation.
It is clear that proper nutrition is essential for optimum health. We need to eat from the basic food groups, and consume significant amounts of fruits and vegetables as part of a sensible diet. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet, with its emphasis on processed and prepared foods and large amounts of fat, salt and refined ingredients, does not come close to meeting these standards. The majority of Americans are clearly not going to obtain adequate nutrition from this diet.
To complicate matters, more than 60 percent of Americans are now considered overweight or obese, and roughly the same proportion of the population is sedentary. Stress, another major health factor, takes a toll on nutritional status, as does aging.
While genetics certainly play a role in health, we do not have the option of changing our genes, at present. Meanwhile, many of the health issues we face are social and lifestyle choices. The end result can be seen in these statistics: Cancer – the second most common cause of death in the
Here again, we have controversy over how to define “supplementing appropriately.” I think it’s important to remember that the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) – now known as the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) – were established in 1941 to meet the needs of most healthy people. While these recommendations are updated every ten years, they are neither minimal requirements nor optimal levels. In fact, they are simply educated guesses. Meanwhile, there is compelling science to suggest that many of the nutrients found in routine supplements could be taken at much higher doses with an excellent safety profile and significant health benefits.
Is it possible to get sufficient quantities of nutrients from a healthy diet? To answer that question, let’s use vitamin E as an example.
Since it appears to be difficult – at best -- to get a beneficial amount of vitamin E from food, what should the supplement dosage be? There have been numerous studies to show that an increased intake of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, reduces heart disease and the risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Vitamin E has also been shown to increase immune function and reduce exercise-related free radical damage. When it comes to precise dosage, however, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The DRI recommends 30 IU, a figure considered too low by many health experts. Indeed, some clinical trials suggest 800 to 1,200 IU may be required to affect cardiovascular health, particularly in patients who already have the disease.
Then how do we explain conflicting findings? For example, a recent meta-analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins, which reviewed 19 previously published articles involving 135,967 patients, suggests that consuming more than 400 IU of vitamin E per day may increase the risk of dying by 6 percent (Miller et al Jan 4, 2005 Ann of IM vol 142 No1). While the media pounced on the “bad news” aspect of the story, the truth is the research had shortcomings. First, it consisted largely of older individuals who were already suffering chronic illness of one sort or another, including heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, kidney disease requiring dialysis, as well as a group of smokers. It’s difficult to imagine that vitamin E alone could improve the health of these individuals. Second, the supplements used were synthetic, and there are studies to show that the natural forms are possibly more effective. Third, from a statistician’s viewpoint, mixing such a wide assortment of studies together can produce meaningless results. Finally, they eliminated 12 trials that had fewer than 10 deaths! This introduces a very serious selection bias against the benefit of vitamin E. Essentially they randomly eliminated 12 studies where the death rate was very low, you may call this science, but this is how science gets a bad name. Basically, manipulating the data to support their bias. As an aside, for our protection and safety, Body Language Vitamin Co. only uses mixed tocopherols, so it is an all-natural group of tocopherols, not just the d-alpha tocopherol. There has been some science to suggest that it is much better to use mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols, which is precisely what we do at BLV Co.
Note, too, that the Johns Hopkins researchers themselves pointed out that most of the patients in these trials had chronic illness and were over the age of 60. As a result, the authors observed that the study’s findings may not necessarily apply to younger, healthy individuals.
In fact, in some ways, this study’s conclusion is similar to earlier research that encouraged people to abandon butter in favor of margarine. Needless to say, that opinion was reversed when it was determined that the trans fats in margarine were far more toxic to us than butter.
Of course, not all studies are inconclusive. For example, the excellent work by Rimm et al, in 1998, looked at more than 80,000 women who supplemented with folate and vitamin B6. Researchers found a significant reduction in the risk of heart disease. They also found that combining these supplements with one drink per day reduced the risk even more. Further, they determined that low intake of folate and B6 led to high levels of homocysteine, which increased heart disease. This specific study was responsible for changing the RDAs of folic acid from 50 micrograms per day to the current 400 micrograms per day.
Studies like this, which cost millions of dollars and take many years to complete, are to be encouraged. But in the meantime, there is compelling evidence in smaller clinical trials that is relevant, reasonable and should cause us to change the way we think about diet and nutritional supplementation. For example, my colleagues and I have conducted studies with a number of antioxidants, including phosphatidylcholine (PPC), resveratrol, acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR), and alpha-lipoic acid (
A final thought: Over the last 12 years, the average annualized mortality rates secondary to vitamins have been attributed to be one death per year, and herbs at three deaths per year. On the other hand, 400,000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking, and another 300,000 to poor diet. It should also be noted that pharmaceutical errors cause approximately 100,000 deaths per year. The bottom line is that there is an extremely remote likelihood that one would be hurt by taking nutritional supplements, and there is certainly compelling scientific data to support their use.
The government wants to take more of your rights away!
What if it was a law that you could no longer take a vitamin or a mineral without a prescription. That is only one outcome that will arise due to Bill S 722. It is critical that you write your senators and congressmen and strongly encourage their opposition to S.722 and urge their support for S.1538. The latter bill (S 1538) as proposed by Senators Harkin and Hatch enhance, in a positive way, the DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health Education Act) laws that are already in place. This is a copy of the letter that I have written and will be sending out to all senators and congressmen, feel free to use any or all of the information I have written below.
December 18, 2004
Dear Senator
I am writing to respectfully urge you and your colleagues to support Bill S.1538, the DSHEA Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2003 put forth by Senators Harkin and Hatch. Concomitantly, I am requesting that you strongly oppose S. 722 (the Dietary Supplement “Safety” Act introduced by Senator Durbin.
I write to you as a concerned constituent, surgeon, scientist, businessman and a recognized expert in the field of Human Nutrition and Complementary/Integrative (Alternative) Medicine (please see mini-bio below).
I am extremely concerned that S. 722 would subject vitamins, minerals, herbs and other dietary supplements to a level of scrutiny that is both unwarranted and unnecessary. Bill S. 722 would enact discretionary enforcement powers that would significantly undermine many of the freedoms that American consumers of dietary supplements-like myself-hold dear. Can you even imagine that if you want to consume some extra vitamin C or ginkgo biloba that the government would have the authority to say, no. This is, simply put, too much regulation and too much government.
Bill S.722 would lead to clinical evaluation of generally recognized safe over the counter supplements using overbearing and inappropriate standards at the complete discretion of the FDA. There is no doubt that nutritional supplements that have been used safely and beneficially for years would be subject to undue scrutiny. The DSHEA law as designed by Senators Harkin and Hatch clearly offers a level of consumer protection that is appropriate when enforced and enacted as it was intended to be. Thus, it would be more reasonable to assist the FDA by providing the necessary resources to allow the agency to make full use of its authority as granted by the DSHEA.
It often appears as if the major driver of the restrictive legislation is reaction with no in-depth understanding to the sound bite news items about the potential dangers of vitamins and herbs. It is imperative that you as a voice of the masses realize that there are many positive studies that often go unreported while the negative studies receive the lions share of the press.
In several of my national/international courses on “The Science Behind Dietary Supplementation”, “Nutrition and Your Health: Fact or Fantasy” or “Supplement Concerns” (this latter talk was given to the Professional Baseball Association-Trainers), I discuss the following major points:
1. Average Annual Mortality Rates (over the past 12 years)
Deaths/yr Deaths/yr
Vitamins 1 Alcohol 100,000
Herbs 2 Microbes 90,000
Smoking 400,000 Firearms 36,000
Poor diet 300,000 Automobiles 29,000
Pharm errors 100,000 Drug Abuse 20,000
Suicide 19,000
Thus, it is clear that the likelihood of death secondary to vitamin and herbal use is very low and is at levels much less than would occur by the mere drive to the office each morning.
2. The potential savings from a reduction in the relative risk of coronary artery disease and improved immune function with subsequent reduced infection rate by providing adults with a daily multivitamin is ~ 1.6 billion/year (The Lewin Group Inc Jan 14, 2004)
3.
• Significant number of older adults fail to get amounts and types of food to meet essential energy and nutrient needs (McCormack 1997; Cid-Ruzafa et al 1999; Marshall et al 2001 etc.)
• Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals predicted to affect ~ 1/3 of all older adults (>65 yrs) (Chandra 1997)
• “Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements” (Fletcher and Fairfield JAMA 2002)
• All people should take MVI, antioxidants and other nutritional supplements based upon the most recent body of data (Seidman personal communication since 1981)
In summary- The restrictions being considered for Bill S.722 are based on junk science, It is anti-American to interfere with ones rights to purchase/take what one wants. There are better ways to develop safeguards based on sound science, and I would be pleased to offer my assistance.
Thank you for your serious consideration and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely yours,
Michael D. Seidman, MD.,FACS
Director Division of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery
Medical Director Center for Integrative Medicine
Henry Ford Health System
Office: 248-661-7211
Pager: 313-714-4150
Lab: 313-876-1016
Michael D. Seidman, MD attained both his B.S. in Human Nutrition and M.D. from the University of Michigan. After a five-year residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) he completed a fellowship in Otologic/Neurotologic and Skull Base Surgery at the Ear Research Foundation in Florida. Dr. Seidman is the Director-Division of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for HFHS, Director of Otolaryngology Research Laboratory, the Co-Director of the Tinnitus Center, the Chair of the Center for Integrative Medicine for HFHS, and a past President of the Michigan Otolaryngology Society. Additionally, he is an active scientist and has extramural funding from the National Institute of Health and other major institutions. He is considered an expert on the molecular basis of aging, noise induced hearing loss, otologic/neurotologic-skull base surgery, all aspects of ear, nose, throat, head and neck surgery, tinnitus, herbal therapies, nutrition/antioxidants and their relationship to health, sports and aging. Seidman lectures around the world on such topics; has more than 80 major publications; numerous awards including being honored as one of the top Doctors in the USA (top 1%), the recipient of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Clinical Practitioner Excellence Award (given to one Otolaryngologist each year) and has been awarded a US patent on a supplement that positively effects age-related hearing loss. Additionally, he has multiple patents pending on, aging, mitochondrial function endurance enhancement, Alzheimer’s disease, and surgical tools and techniques.
In 1997 he founded and became the CEO of Body Language Vitamin Co, whose emphasis is to promote health and enhance the lives of everyone through responsible vitamin, mineral, herbal and phytonutrient supplementation as well as dietary modifications, exercise and stress reduction. Seidman is also a Co-Editor for the International Tinnitus Journal and is on the Editorial Review Board for seven major Otolaryngology Journals and the American Journal of Chinese Medicine. Additionally he has been appointed to the State Medical Board of Audiology (appointment by Gov. Granholm), the Scientific or Medical Advisory Board of the Self Help for Hard of Hearing People Inc., the Life Extension Foundation, IntraEar, the Ear Research Foundation, Arches Company, Auris Medical, the American Tinnitus Association, Gel Tech (producers of homeopathic remedies), BASF (specifically on the work for SAMe) and WebMD (work related to analysis of weight loss/nutrition software).
He also serves as a consultant for many professional athletes, and is an advisor for several teams in the NHL, NFL and the ABA. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Lynn and has three wonderful children, Jake, Marlee and Kevin.
Dr. Seidmans Upcoming Lectures
(feel free to come!)
1. January 17, 2005 Otitis Media (ear infections) and children. To Pediatric Department Henry Ford Health System W. Bloomfield 12:00-1:00 PM
2. January 26, 2005 Overview of Tinnitus; American Tinnitus Association Web Course. www.atacourses.org
3. February 3, 2005 Complementary/Integrative Medicine at W. Bloomfield, Meer Apartments (On Maple Road, just West of Drake) 7:00-8:00PM
4. February 25-27, 2005 Temporal Bone Minimally Invasive OTO Surgery –and The Science Behind Dietary Supplementation. Sarasota, Florida
5. March 15-21, 2005 New surgical procedures for Tinnitus (brain implants-developed/patented by Seidman), New Techniques for Ossicular Reconstruction (to improve hearing-developed/patented by Seidman) and The use of neutraceuticals in the management of Tinnitus. Invited as key note speaker to Annual Israel Otolaryngology Academy Meeting.
6. April 4, 2005 Menopause and Stress management using Complementary/Integrative Medicine for Breast Wellness Institute at the Jewish Community Center (Maple, just W. of Drake Rd), W. Bloomfield. 7:00-9:00PM
7. April 21-26, 2005 Innovations in the Surgical Management of Hearing loss and Tinnitus. Molecular Mechanisms of Age-related hearing loss and novel strategies to reverse nerve-related hearing loss. Shanghai, China. Invited Professor Lectureship.
8. May 11, 2005 Overview of Tinnitus; American Tinnitus Association Web Course. www.atacourses.org
9. May 13-15, 2005 Auditory cortex implants and the management of Tinnitus. Presented to the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM), Boca Raton, Fl
10. July 22-24, 2005 Weekend Course on Science behind dietary supplementation, Nutrition and your health; Fact or Fantasy, Women’s Health issues and Complementary/integrative medicine. Esalen Institute; Invited Instructor. CALL AND SIGN UP NOW, YOU WILL LEARN A GREAT DEAL!
Remember, we have nine outstanding patented or proprietary formulations designed to improve your overall wellness and quality of life: Under our product information we have many details of how/why the supplements work and why they are important. Additionally, if you scroll to the bottom of each supplement you will see a link to "Claims Information" or "data", where additional details regarding actual scientifically validated claims can be found. Our current supplements include:
1. Anti-age Energy formula (patented)
2. Antioxidant Formula (proprietary)
3. Multivitamin (and mineral) formula (proprietary)
4. Phytokids formula (proprietary)
5. Cold and Flu formula (proprietary)
6. Anti-cholesterol formula (proprietary)
7. Menopause support formula (proprietary)
8. PMS formula (proprietary)
9. Essential oils formula (proprietary)
Body Language Vitamin Company's mission is to promote your health and wellness through responsible lifestyle choices and appropriate supplementation.
I hope you have found this information valuable and helpful. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I answer all of my emails; please allow 24-72 hours as we get many questions. You can also find many other interesting studies and articles by clicking on Educational Resources (A task bar on the left) of Body Language Vitamin Company
Michael D. Seidman, MD., FACS
B.S. Human Nutrition
CEO-Body Language Vitamin Co
Director of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery/Henry Ford Health System
Director of Complementary/Integrative Medicine Henry Ford Health System
Office: 248-661-7211 (Henry Ford Health System)
Body Language Office (voice mail) 877-LIVE-FIT
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