Friday, October 21, 2011

Question for Indian Scientists

Vedic tradition called Pasture fed Cow’s milk AMRIT.
Ayrveda has also catalogued voluminous benefits of such milk, ranging from Physically, Mentally and Psychologically and Genetically benefitted better society.
Modern western educated veterinary and nutrition experts are suddenly finding all the virtues that our Rishis had described thousands of years ago. Ayurveda has already described in milk from a pasture fed cow of ancient breeds such as an Indian cows.
It is now fully established that only pasture/ green fed cow milk is rich in Omega3. Omega3 is among other things is a precursor for DHA and EPA.
Some of the praise of Imega3 from web sites is being given here.
My very simple question is are the modern western educated scientists not trying to rediscover the wheel when Indian Vedic tradition has already explained all this?
Why do at least our Indian Veterinary and Nutrition scientists not make an effort to read our Sanskrit literature to discover facts that western scientists may take a very long time to find out?

Omega-3’s Immune Health Benefits

The study is said to be the first to show that DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) can affect gene expression to a more anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory status.
Lead researcher Lydia Afman told NutraIngredients: “The most exciting finding of this study is the demonstration of less pro-inflammatory gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after a 6 months fish oil intervention in a healthy elderly population.”
Because PBMCs are immune cells, and play a vital role in inflammation and the development of cardiovascular diseases, the results may go some way to explaining the cardio-protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids.
In addition to a large body of science linking DHA and EPA to improved cardiovascular health, the omega-3 fatty acids have also been linked to reduced risks of certain cancers, good development of a baby during pregnancy, improved joint health, and improved behaviour and mood
Results of the nutrigenomics study are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Study Details
Dr Afman and her co-workers from the Nutrition, Metabolism and Genomics Group at Wageningen University recruited 111 healthy Dutch elderly subjects and randomly assigned them to one of three groups: To consume 1.8 or 0.4 g of EPA plus DHA every day (Lipid Nutrition/Loders Croklaan), or to consume 4.0 grams of high-oleic acid sunflower oil per day, for six months.
Microarray analysis of gene expression in PBMCs revealed that that high EPA plus DHA supplement resulted in altered gene expression of 1040 genes, while the sunflower oil supplement altered gene expression of 298 genes.
“Of these genes, 140 were overlapping between the groups, which resulted in 900 uniquely changed genes in the EPA plus DHA group,” said the researchers.
Furthermore, the altered genes were involved in inflammatory- and atherogenic-related pathways, said the researchers.
“These results are the first to show that intake of EPA plus DHA for 26 weeks can alter the gene expression profiles of PBMCs to a more anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic status,” conclyuded the researchers.
Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a major risk factor for CVD.
Implications for Nutrigenomics
Dr Afman told this website: “PBMC gene expression profiles are known to be quite constant within persons but vary between persons in time. Therefore, it is interesting to observe that PBMCs gene expression profiles are susceptible to nutritional changes and represent effects that maybe difficult or even impossible to measure using other techniques.
“PBMC gene expression profiles are therefore promising candidates to be used as biomarkers for nutritional status or systemic metabolic health or - capacity.”
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition



Omega 3 Influences Personality

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may influence mood, personality and behavior, according to results of a study presented today by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers at the 64th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Denver.

In a study of 106 healthy volunteers, researchers found that participants who had lower blood levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were more likely to report mild or moderate symptoms of depression, a more negative outlook and be more impulsive. Conversely, those with higher blood levels of omega-3s were found to be more agreeable.

"A number of previous studies have linked low levels of omega-3 to clinically significant conditions such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse and attention deficit disorder," said Sarah Conklin, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar with the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "However, few studies have shown that these relationships also occur in healthy adults. This study opens the door for future research looking at what effect increasing omega-3 intake, whether by eating omega-3 rich foods like salmon, or taking fish-oil supplements, has on people's mood."

The American Heart Association recommends that all Americans consume fish, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, twice per week. This recommendation is based upon evidence that a diet high in fish s associated with improved heart health and reduced risk for heart-related problems. While the cardiovascular benefit of increasing omega-3 intake is well recognized, relatively little is known of the potential mental health effects among the general public.

Comparisons were made by analyzing levels of omega-3 fatty acids in participants' blood and comparing that data to the participants' scores on three accepted tests for depression, impulsiveness and personality. The amount of omega-3 circulating in blood reflects dietary intake of the fatty acid. The study did not require participants to make changes in their normal diet habits.

1 comment:

umang said...

Sir, I agree that the vedas are undoubtedly accurate in whatever they reveal. But the goal of western science is to find out the mechanisms by which these things work. Yes, a grass-fed cow (as compared to a concentrate fed cow) has high milk content of omega-3 fatty acids which are good for health, but if we can understand what really makes up this difference by studying the metabolism of cow, we can further boost the production of omega-3s even by using a concentrate feed.