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leafy greens may protect against venoplasty complications

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:28 am
by Cece
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110323135631.htm
High Levels of Dietary Nitrate Might in Part Explain the Vascular Benefits of Diets Rich in Leafy Greens
...
In new research, Brian Zuckerbraun and colleagues, of the University of Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, determined that after vessel injury in the rat, the NOS pathway is disrupted, but a secondary pathway that generates NO from nitrate is activated. Furthermore, supplementing rats with nitrate before inducing vessel injury markedly limited the extent of the damage, while a diet low in nitrate exacerbated it.
CCSVI venoplasty induces some vessel injury, which can lead to complications such as clotting or intimal hyperplasia regrowth.

This research suggests that eating leafy greens reguarly before and after the procedure could protect against such damage (in rats).

Salad, anyone? I like mine with honey mustard dressing. Used to have a diet coke on the side but, alas, no more.

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:00 am
by WeWillBeatMS
Way to go Cece! :) Just say no to DIEt anything!

Your article about leafy greens is a timely one, I had my morning power shake with half a pound of organic spinach today. I am heading to Brooklyn early tomorrow morning. My wife and I will visit the statue of liberty in the afternoon and then I will be liberated by Dr S on Saturday morning. I'll be sure to load up on the greens today and tomorrow.

WeWillBeatMS

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:20 am
by Cece
It is your turn!! Very exciting. Wishing you all the best.

I am not entirely sure if loading up on leafy greens is the right thing to do, even though this research suggests so, but there are other sources of nitrites (which is what's needed). Leafy greens are a source of vitamin K, which is a coagulant....

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:42 am
by hannakat
...spinach is the highest in oxalates of all leafy greens .. a little goes a long way.

Hearing someone mention that they eat that much spinach always sends up red flags for me....sorry!

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:57 am
by WeWillBeatMS
Whoa whoa whoa Cece.
DIEt Coke - bad.
Spinach - good.


WeWillBeatMS

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:01 am
by Ernst

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:35 am
by jimmylegs
i enjoyed a big serving of kale with dinner last night, and again as leftovers for lunch today. high k veg tend to also be high in vitamin e, a k-antagonist. so you get the benefits of both nutrients with the clotting and anti-clotting factors canceling each other out.

eg:

Foods highest in Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) and Vitamin K
(based on levels per 100-gram serving)

Kale, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol): 1mg
Vitamin K: 817mcg (.8 mg)

more about kale:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/veg ... cts/2462/2
(oooooooooh check out the kick @$$ inflammation factor rating of 439 strongly anti-inflammatory ... that goes a sweet chunk of change past the 200 target for the day!)

Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt
Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol): 4mg
Vitamin K: 541mcg (.5 mg)

more about spinach:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/veg ... cts/2928/2
(no IF rating available, boooo :( )

Beet Juice Good for Brain

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:41 am
by WeWillBeatMS
Definitely going to be picking up some beets tonight for juicing.

"Beet roots contain high concentrations of nitrates, which are converted into nitrites by bacteria in the mouth. And nitrites help open blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen to places lacking in oxygen."

http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/2010110 ... -for-brain

Thanks Ernst!


WeWillBeatMS

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:06 pm
by mavis
I eat leafy greens all the time. Good to know they can help with vein health too.

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:16 pm
by Cece
jimmylegs, thanks, that allays the concern about the vitamin K!

I did not know beet juice could increase perfusion!
"There have been several very high-profile studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the brain," said Daniel Kim-Shapiro, director of Wake Forest University's Translational Science Center; Fostering Independence in Aging.
The MRIs showed that after eating a high-nitrate diet, the older adults had increased blood flow to the white matter of the frontal lobes -- the areas of the brain commonly associated with degeneration that leads to dementia and other cognitive conditions
Definitely going to work beets or beet juice into the family diet.

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:59 pm
by AlmostClever
Cece, can't believe you missed this gripping thread on wonderous beet juice!

http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-16254-.html

Unfortunately, I only kept up with it for a week but I'll re-dedicate myself as I've found a local supplier of the red nectar!

I believe Michael Jackson also wrote a song about beets but I'm not completely sure...Just Beet It? :roll:

Sorry!!!

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:24 pm
by Cece
huh, I did miss that one!
I am not much of a beets fan but I am a cerebral perfusion fan. :)

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:11 pm
by Ernst
My friend is runner and his son too. I told him about beetroot juice and how it increases stamina. Couple of days ago I visited him and there was lots of beetroot juice bottles in kitchen :lol: but he told me that there is very clear effect to running. And no wonder, 16 % better perfomance is quite huge..

Beetroot juice 'increases stamina'

"Prof Andy Jones, of the University of Exeter's School of Sport and Health Sciences, who led the study, said: "We were amazed by the effects of beetroot juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.

"I am sure professional and amateur athletes will be interested in the results of this research..."

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:05 am
by dc10
great find cece,

does anyone know th nutrient which is found in leafy greens that is causing the benefits?

i would be happy taking some form of vitamin/suppleent aswell as eat a moderate amount of leafy greens


- also has anyone else seen improvements/benefit from drinking beetroot juice?

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:38 am
by Cece
It's the nitrates, which are converted into nitrite by oral bacteria.
This article suggests that strong mouthwash could disrupt this!

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110201122226.htm

So it's no to Diet Coke... ;)
no to Listerine...
and yes to leafy veggies and beetroot.
"We're talking about an amount of nitrate equivalent to what is found in two or three red beets or a plate of spinach," said Eddie Weitzberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
After taking a small dose of inorganic nitrate for three days, healthy people consume less oxygen while riding an exercise bike. A new study in the February issue of Cell Metabolism traces that improved performance to increased efficiency of the mitochondria that power our cells.
The new results show that increased dietary nitrate can have a rather immediate effect.
so, nitrates
* increase the efficiency of the mitochondria that power our cells, including our brain cells
* may markedly limit the extent of damage done to the vein wall in a procedure (caveat: in rats)
* increase the perfusion of the white matter of the brain
* increase stamina in runners by 16%