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Eliminating Heart Disease Naturally Thru Nitric Oxide Therapy

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Health Benefits of Onions

Posted by Dan Hammer //

10/01/2020

Today we’re going to look at the health benefits of onions. Just as there are multiple layers to this vegetable, with multiple ways you can cook it, there are also multiple health benefits of onions.

Onions belong to the allium family of vegetables, which include garlic, shallots, chives, and leeks. This means they are a good source of sulfur, which help in both detoxification and protein formation. But they also have important antibacterial and immune-boosting properties.

And while modern day medicine is beginning to acknowledge these health benefits, onions have been used since the beginning of recorded history as key to treating a wide range of health concerns.

Nutrient Dense

A medium onion is only 44 calories but packed with key vitamins and minerals. It is high in vitamin C, which is a key nutrient in helping to regulate your immune system. And as a powerful antioxidant, it helps to protect you from free radical damage. This means that it can aid in reducing cellular membrane damage and inflammation.

Onions are also a good source of both B6 and B9, which aid in regulating your immune system. Plus these two B vitamins play a key role in metabolism, nerve function, and the production of red blood cells.

And like bananas, they are a good source of potassium, which is key for proper muscle relaxation.

Heart Health

As already noted onions help to fight inflammation. Inflammation is at the heart of almost all cardiovascular health issues.

A key antioxidant found in onions is the flavonoid quercetin, which has been shown to be a powerful anti-inflammatory ingredient that helps to reduce heart disease risk factors. One of which is helping to reduce cholesterol levels.

Antioxidant Powerhouse

As I’ve shared many times in my health articles, antioxidants protect you from free radical damage. Plus they inhibit oxidation. It is oxidized LDL cholesterol that typically starts plaque formation in the vascular system.

Onions contain over 25 different flavonoid compounds, which all act as excellent sources of antioxidants.

Particular to red onions is the flavonoid called anthocyanins. There are multiple population studies that show how a diet rich in anthocyanins can lower the risk of a heart attack in men by 14% and for women by 32%. Read More →

Health Benefits of Quercetin

Posted by Dan Hammer //

09/15/2020

Today we’re going to talk about the health benefits of quercetin, which is a plant flavoniod that helps to address multiple health issues.

Quercetin is found in a wide range of foods such as grape skins, red onions, green tea, and tomatoes. And while this ingredient is naturally abundant in plant foods, most people do not get enough quercetin through their daily diets.

Part of the reason why is that the American diet is centered on high protein from animal sources. Or high in carbohydrates from processed grains, which strips out needed nutrients.

This is unfortunate because the research clearly shows the health benefits of quercitin on a wide range of concerns.

Cardiovascular Disease

The number one killer of all people is cardiovascular disease. Quercetin can be a significant help in this area. In a study of 805 men that ranged in age from 65-84 years old, those with the highest intake of quercetin were 68% less likely to die from coronary heart disease when compared to those with the lowest intake.

Other studies in this areas showed a reduction in death rates of 31% for women and 24% for men, when all causes were factored. And scientists attribute this reduction to several key factors, which include the following:

Reduction of dangerous accumulations of abdominal and liver fat.
Reduction in total cholesterol.
Reduction in LDL (Bad) cholesterol.
Increase in HDL (Good) cholesterol.
Reduction in blood sugar.
Reduction in blood pressure.
Increased plasma levels of nitric oxide.
Inhibits platelet aggregation to reduce potential for blood clots.
Inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

This last benefit of inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol is significant because oxidized LDL cholesterol causes vascular inflammation that leads to plaque formation and the disease know as atherosclerosis.

In one human study, those who supplemented with just 30 mg/day of quercetin had a 28% reduction in LDL oxidation in as little as two weeks.

Cancer

The second leading cause of death in the United States is cancer. This is another area that the health benefits of quercetin show up. Numerous research studies have shown those with the highest intake of quercetin had a significantly lower risk for most of the leading causes of cancer. For example: Read More →

Understanding Your Immune System

Posted by Dan Hammer //

08/15/2020

Understanding your immune system will help you take the needed steps to strengthen its ability to protect you from disease causing pathogens, like harmful viruses, bacteria, and mutated cells that can lead to cancer.

While your immune system is extremely complex, and involves multiple organ systems, it overall function is pretty simple. It’s designed to protect you from infection and “unhealthy cells.”

Unhealthy cells are cells that have been damaged in some way. They can be inflated by microbes such as viruses and bacteria. Or by DNA damage leading to precancerous and then cancer cells.

And while the mission of your immune system is to protect you from illness, the deployment of your immune system is like a military operation. This involves numerous cell types that either circulate throughout your body. Or reside in specific areas as an early warning defense system.

What is key to this whole operation is communication.

Like in a real war, the first places that are targeted for destruction are the communication operations. If these areas are destroyed or damaged, then the enemy (in this case the pathogen) increases its ability to cause cellular destruction.

To help you in understanding your immune system let’s first start with the various bases of operation.

Bone Marrow: Your immune system starts in the bone marrow from stem cells that then develop into mature immune cells. This conversation can take place in the bone marrow. As well as other key locations throughout the body.

These stem cells will go down one of two pathways.

Pathway One is the myeloid lineage which fuels the innate immune system. This branch of the immune system is for general protection against common pathogens. And through this branch or pathway we get the following immune cells:

Basophils
Mast Cells
Eosinophils
Neutophils
Monocytes
Macrophages
Dendritic Cells

These cells are considered “the first responders” to infection.

Pathway Two is the lymphoid lineage while fuels the adaptive immune system. This branch of the immune system develops throughout our lives. As we are exposed to specific harmful viruses and bacteria, your immune system will develop specific cells that are designed to destroy these invaders.

This branch of your immune system gives rise to: Read More →

Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer

Posted by Dan Hammer //

07/22/2020

I came across a very interesting article about cruciferous vegetables and cancer. I’ll provide the link to this article at the end of this post. Modern science has been able to mimic nature in delivering two compounds found in cruciferous vegetables.

But before I highlight this information on cruciferous vegetables and cancer it’s important to identify which edible plants fall into this category. They are:

Broccoli

Kale

Green and Red Cabbage

Cauliflower

Brussels Sprouts

My favorite is broccoli. And it is a good representative for the two key nutrients that have been clinically validated in their ability to fight cancer. They are:

Sulforaphane
DIM or 3,3′-diindolylmethane

Both of these ingredients have numerous studies that show how effective they are in killing cancer cells. Sulforaphane has shown promise in helping to reduce the risk for these cancers:

Breast

Bladder

Lung

Prostate

Cervix

Leukemia

Mouth

Brain

And DIM, that is found in broccoli, has show remarkable promise in resolving precancer cells that can lead to cervical cancer.

Sounds very promising. But there is a catch to these cruciferous vegetables and cancer. That catch is ingredient stability. Read More →

Supplements for Prostate Health

Posted by Dan Hammer //

07/08/2020

I’ve written a couple of articles on supplements for prostate health.

So why another one?

This one comes directly from the National Cancer Institute and provides a very objective and balanced approach to this issue about using supplements for prostate health.

Prostate cancer is the most common internal cancer affecting men. Here in the United States approximately 12% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.

An even greater number of men are affected by prostate concerns like an enlarged prostate.

In the introduction for this large PDF (86 pages), the National Cancer Institute notes that the use of vitamins and other supplements are widely used by men for both prevention and prostate health. Almost 60% of men that have a family history of prostate cancer use some form of supplementation to reduce their risk.

Here is a list of what they cover:

Calcium
Green Tea
Lycopene
Modified Citrus Pectin
Pomegranate
Selenium
Soy
Vitamin D
Vitamin E

In this article I’m going to give you the primary conclusion the National Cancer Institute has for each of these ingredients. Then I’ll provide some of my thoughts at the end. Read More →

Can Apigenin Prevent and Reverse Cancer

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/15/2019

This article is going to explore the question: can apigenin prevent and reverse cancer? Apigenin is a natural flavonoid found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Later in this article I’ll provide you with a table to help you choose the best sourcing if your decide to incorporate this ingredient into your lifestyle.

As a cancer survivor I’m always looking for ways to reduce my risk.

Recently, I’ve had several friends either directly suffer from cancer or have family members dealing with cancer issues. In 2016 there were approximately 1.6 million new cancer cases and almost 600,000 deaths in the United States. Hopefully this information will be beneficial to the millions of people who have cancer or have family and friends who have cancer.

In the image I used for this article on can apigenin prevent and reverse cancer you can see that this natural ingredient can provide the following benefits:

Anti-Cancer
Anti-Inflammatory
Antibacterial
Antiviral
Antioxidant
Blood Pressure Reduction

That’s a significant number of benefits but for this article we’re only going to focus on the anti-cancer component. Read More →

6 Key Health Benefits of Blueberries

Posted by Dan Hammer //

07/08/2019

The health benefits of blueberries are numerous but for this article we are going to concentrate on just six of them.

Blueberries are native to North America. With approximately 30 different species, blueberries have become an important and plentiful tool for preventing free radical damage, one of the leading causes of aging and degenerative diseases.

Because of its high ORAC value and nutritional density, I use frozen blueberries as one of my ingredients in my morning protein shake.

Here is a brief overview of the health benefits of blueberries:

Improves heart health

Provides cancer protection

Helps prevent damage to collagen

Improves cognitive function

Protects against macular degeneration and cataracts

Improves elimination

That’s an impressive list of health benefits all designed to keep you young and healthy as you age.

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Because of the high antioxidant properties of blueberries they are quickly becoming the North American version of the Brazilian Acai berry. Researchers at Tufts University recently analyzed 60 different fruits and vegetables. Blueberries rated the highest in their capacity to prevent free radical damage.

Blueberries belong to the heath family that includes the cranberry and bilberry, so some of the health benefits of blueberries are also found in these fruits.

Heart Health

There is a great deal of talk about the protective benefits of wine for cardiovascular health. A recent study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry compared white wine, red wine and blueberry wine for their ability to deliver the cardio-protective benefits of anthocyanins, a powerful class of antioxidants. Using a moderate drink (about 4 ounces) as their testing sample, white wine delivered .47 mmol of this free radical absorbing antioxidant. Red wine delivered 2.04 mmol. And blueberry wine (made from high bush blueberries) delivered 2.42 mmol.

This would make sense since the darker the pigmentation of the fruit the greater its antioxidant capacity.

Cancer Protection

Blueberries seem to provide protection against both colon and ovarian cancer. In laboratory studies published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the phenolic compounds extracted from blueberries were able to inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation. As well as induce apoptosis or programmed cell death.

The famous Nurses Health Study, which followed 66,940 women, revealed that those who have a diet rich in the flavoinoid kaempferol had a 40% reduction in the risk for ovarian cancer. Blueberries, non herbal tea, onions, curly kale, leeks, broccoli and spinach are all good sources of kaempferol.

Prevent Collagen Damage

Blueberries are ideal in helping to prevent damage to your collagen. Collagen is your body’s main protein making up 25 – 35% of your total protein content. It is the main component of fascia, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone and skin. It strengthens blood vessels and is present in the eye.

The powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins help to neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues. Because the blue-red pigments of blueberries are rich in anthocyanins they help provide protection against cataracts, varicose veins, arteriosclerosis, premature aging of the skin, heart disease, and cancer.

Cognitive Function

Researchers have found that blueberries help to protect the brain of aging animals from oxidative stress. This significantly improves both their learning capacity and motor skills. Although animal studies do not always correlate with humans, at least you can share you blueberries with your favorite pet and one of you will remember were you left your keys.

Eye Health

A study of 110,000 men and women, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower the risk of macular degeneration by 36% when compared to those who consumed less than 1.5 servings of fruit per day. Bilberry, the British cousin to the blueberry, has long been shown to improve nighttime visual acuity.

Improves Elimination

The health benefits of blueberries also extend to elimination. Blueberries are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber will add bulk to the stools. The soluble fiber will absorb bile helping the body to naturally lower its cholesterol levels.

Blueberries contain tannins which act as astringents in the digestive system to reduce inflammation. Blueberries also contain the same compounds found in cranberries. These compounds help to prevent or eliminate urinary tract infections by reducing the ability of E. coli to adhere to the mucosal lining of the urethra and bladder.

Conclusion for the Health Benefits of Blueberries

As you can see blueberries have tremendous health benefits. They are rich in vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene. They are an excellent source of potassium, manganese, and magnesium. They are high in fiber and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. And they provide a wide variation of protective antioxidants to help prevent degenerative diseases.

The only negative to blueberries is that they are a source of oxalates. Oxalates should not be eaten in high concentration as they can crystallize to cause kidney and gallbladder problems. However, with a high ORAC value, a small amount can be consumed on a daily basis to provide you with the antioxidants needed to protect you from free radical damage.

One final note regarding the anthocyanins found in blueberries. According to a study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, anthocyanins from berries are almost undetectable in canned foods, bread, cereals and baby foods because of how they are processed. This means that if you want to enjoy all the health benefits of blueberries, then fresh and frozen berries are best.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Pomegranate

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/15/2019

This article is going to give an overview of the health benefits of pomegranate. This amazing fruit is recognized in the Bible as one of the Blessings the Promised Land would provide for the Israeli people as they entered into this land. Here’s the Scriptural context:

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey.” Deuteronomy 8:7-8

As modern day science continues to study this fruit, their research is showing that the health benefits of pomegranate center on two primary health issues:

Cardiovascular Health
Cancer Prevention

Let’s look at each so that you can see why this amazing fruit should be part of your daily diet.

Health Benefits of Pomegranate – Cardiovascular Health

Your cardiovascular health centers on the function of a tissue that lines all of your cardiovascular system. That tissue is called the endothelium.

This is a one-cell thick layer that lines the inside of all of your blood vessels. Your capillaries are just extensions of this endothelium. In fact, it is the largest tissue in your body. Let me give you a point of reference:

If you took your endolhelium out of your body and laid it flat out, depending on the size of the adult individual, it would cover the surface area of 3 to 6 tennis courts.

And the healthier your endothelium, the healthier your capillary function for improved blood flow.

Damage to your endothelium increases your risk for all types of cardiovascular disease. There are 4 main factors that damage your endothelium:

High Blood Pressure
High Blood Sugar
LDL Cholesterol or more specifically oxidized LDL Cholesterol
Nicotine

The health benefits of pomegranate focus mainly on preventing oxidized LDL cholesterol, reversing plaque formations that result from oxidized LDL, and enhancing the ability of the eNOS enzymes of the endothelium to produce higher levels of nitric oxide to dilate your blood vessels for improved blood flow.

Most statin drugs work to lower cholesterol and do a good job in accomplishing this objective. The problem is they do not work effectively in reducing the cause of plaque, which is oxidized LDL cholesterol. Oxidized LDL cholesterol creates inflammation that then leads to the formation of plaque. As this plaque grows over time, the inside of your vascular system narrows.

This narrowing then increases your risk for a stroke or heart attack.

Your body has natural mechanism to protect you from this sequence. And this is where the health benefits of pomegranate extract show up:

Protect LDL molecules from being oxidized
Moderate the effects of inflammatory white blood cells and their role in plaque formation
Boost your natural antioxidant systems to protect your endothelium from free radical damage
Initiate vascular repair systems to help remove oxidized LDL from your arterial walls
Enhance eNOS enzymes for greater production of nitric oxide

Additionally, a 2014 study showed that the combination of pomegranate extract with the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin significantly lowered both oxidized LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

For more details on the health benefits of pomegranate on cardiovascular health please click here.

Health Benefits of Pomegranate – Cancer Prevention

New studies are expanding the health benefits of pomegranate to cancer prevention. Pomegranate contains these key compounds:

Punicalagin
Luteolin
Ellagitannins
Polyphenols

These compounds help to initiate multiple pathways in cancer prevention. Primarily because they inhibit inflammation. But it goes beyond this.

Research in the health benefits of pomegranate, as it applies to cancer cells, has shown the following:

Block cell cycle – pomegranate can help to shut off the cancer cell’s ability to divide by targeting specific cancer genes needed for cell replication. But doesn’t effect healthy cells.

Induce cell death – compounds in pomegranate directly cause programmed death of cancer cells.

Blocks blood vessel formation that feed cancer cells – blood vessels are needed to support cancer growth in tumors. Pomegranate selectively blocks the needed growth factors to help limit the formation of new blood vessels in a tumor.

Preventing the spread of cancer – pomegranate helps to inhibit multiple factors, which then helps to prevent the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

Two specific cancers that have promising studies in helping to prevent them and their spread are prostate and breast cancer.

And there are ongoing studies on how pomegranate can help in the prevention of leukemia, bladder, brain, cervix, colon, liver, lung, skin, and thyroid cancers.

Plus, there are additional studies that show pomegranate aiding conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy. These ongoing studies seem to indicate that pomegranate enhances the cancer-killing effect of the drug while helping to protect normal cells.

For more details on the health benefits of pomegranate on cancer prevention please click here.

Personally, I’ve been using pomegranate fruit extract for over 10 years. I use it to help me enjoy the benefits as it applies to cardiovascular health. It’s good to know that it’s also helping me with cancer prevention.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

Health Benefits of Fiber

Posted by Dan Hammer //

04/08/2019

Earlier this year the health benefits of fiber became more than just a talking point when the results of the World Health Organization (WHO) released their study in The Lancet.

This study was a meta-analysis of 40 years’ worth of research on the health benefits of fiber. Specifically it was an attempt to determine the ideal amount of fiber you need to consume daily to prevent chronic disease and premature death.

The chronic diseases were:

Cardiovascular Disease

Cancer

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Diabetes

This study included 185 observational studies that accounted for 135 million person-years as well as 58 clinical trials that recruited over 4600 people. And the result was this:

Daily Intake of 25 – 29 Grams of Fiber is Ideal

The researchers found the following statistical advantage to those who consumed this level of fiber on a daily basis:

15 – 30% less likely to die prematurely from any cause or a cardiovascular condition
16 – 24% lower incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.

So how does this ideal daily intake of 25 -29 grams of fiber compare to the average American adult?

Well, here in America the average adult consumes 15 grams of fiber daily. This is about 40 to 48% less than the ideal about of fiber.

Professor Jim Mann, the lead author of the study, made this comment,

“Our findings provide convincing evidence for nutrition guidelines to focus on increasing dietary fiber and on replacing refined grains with whole grains. This reduces incidence risk and mortality from a broad range of important diseases.”

Health Benefits of Fiber – The Basics

Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts, and legumes (dried beans, lentils and peas). Although there are several forms of fiber, they are usually classified into two groups:

Soluble fiber can dissolve in water to form a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. This soluble fiber is beneficial in lowering the “BAD” cholesterol. Clinical studies have shown that diets containing 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber per day can lower LDL cholesterol by 18%. Sources of good soluble fiber include oats, peas, beans, apples, and citrus fruits. Typically one serving of any of these foods will provide about one to three grams of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water so it passes through the digestive tract relatively unchanged. This insoluble fiber helps to make your stools softer and bulkier and speeds elimination. Sources of insoluble fiber would include whole-grain foods, wheat bran, most vegetables and fruit with skin.

Typically, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables contain just as much fiber as raw ones. However, some types of refining processes may reduce the fiber content.

Current food labeling requires the amount of dietary fiber to be listed. It’s listed just below the “Total Carbohydrate” portion of the Nutrition Facts section of the product label. For a manufacturer to make fiber claims it must meet the following guidelines:

High Fiber: 5 grams or more per serving

Good Source of Fiber: 2.5 – 4.9 grams per serving

More or Added Fiber: At least 2.5 grams more per serving than the reference food

Health Benefits of Fiber – According to the Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic has a healthy amount of material as it regards the health benefits of fiber. Here is their list:

Normalizes Bowel Movements
Helps Maintain Bowel Health
Lowers Cholesterol Levels
Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
Aids in Achieving Healthy Weight
Helps You Live Longer

They especially note that increasing your dietary fiber intake “is associated with a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and all cancers.”

Now if you want to take steps to increase your fiber intake, then I would suggest reading my blog post titled “Fiber Intake and Cholesterol Reduction Part 2” as it contains 3 simple steps to increasing your fiber intake.

Your goal is to make sure you’re consuming 25 – 29 grams of fiber each day. If you do, then you can enjoy the health benefits of fiber while decreasing your risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer

The Health Benefits of Flax Hull Lignans

Posted by Dan Hammer //

11/01/2018

Today we want to talk about the health benefits of flax hull lignans. Historically, flax has been used for thousands of years. Initially for textiles. And, as people began to consume the seeds of flax, for its health properties.

Approximately 25 years ago there was a major discovery regarding the shell or hull of the flax seed.

In the past the shells were thrown away because people assumed all the health benefits were in the seeds. However, it was discovered that the hulls actually contain very concentrated amounts of lignans.

These flax hull lignans are powerful polyphenols that can provide significant health benefits.

Health Benefits of Flax Hull Lignans

The first health benefit of flax hull lignans is that they act as powerful antioxidants to help reduce free radical damage. Read More →