Healthy Update Newsletter brought to you by Trish.....
I have improved my web site since my last newsletter.
Please revisit it in when you get a chance.
http://www.herbals-unlimited.com

SMOKERS HAVE LOW LEVELS OF HEART
PROTECTING PROTEIN

NEW YORK,May 15 (Reuters Health) -
Compared with nonsmokers, smokers have
lower levels of paraoxonase (PON), a protein in the
blood that provides a measure of protection against
coronary artery disease, Swiss researchers report.

The study results "are highly consistent with the
hypothesis that modifications of serum PON could be a
mechanism by which smoking accelerates the (process
that leads to arterial disease)," according to Dr.
Richard W. James and colleagues from University
Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland.

PON, an enzyme attached to HDL ("good") cholesterol,
may have a role in protecting LDL ("bad") cholesterol
from being damaged and contributing to arterial
disease. Low serum PON was recently identified as a
significant risk factor for coronary artery disease,
the authors explain.
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I (Trish) smoked for 24 years! I now have 20-40% blockage in
my corotiod arteries in my neck. I QUIT SMOKING!!
With Nicodex (herbal supplement) and a lot of prayer,
I have been smoke free for some time now. I original
took Nicodex to cut back on cigarettes....then I got the
news from the doctor and quit right then because I was
down to 5 a day using Nicodex.
Nicodex web site http://www.herbals-unlimited.com/nico.htm
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The researchers studied PON activity and concentration
in heart patients and healthy subjects, focusing on
differences between current, former, and never
smokers. Their findings are published in the May 16th
issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart
Association.

Coronary artery disease was more likely to be absent
among never smokers (absent in 29.7%) than among
current smokers (19.7%) and ex-smokers (15.0%), the
authors report. Current and former smokers also had
lower HDL cholesterol levels.
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I (Trish) have also started taking Cardio Guard (herbal supplement)
to keep the blockage from getting any worse and hope-
fully in time reversing it.
Cardio Guard web site.
http://www.herbals-unlimited.com/cardio.htm
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PON activities were significantly lower among current
smokers than among either former smokers or never
smokers, the investigators observe. Similarly, average
PON concentrations were lower for current smokers than
for ex-smokers or never smokers.

Once they stopped smoking, ex-smokers' PON activities
and concentrations were still low 3 months after
smoking cessation, the researchers note, but after 2
years their levels approached those of people who had
never smoked.

The more severe the coronary artery disease among
patients, the lower their PON activity levels and
serum concentrations, the report indicates.

To test their theory that PON spares LDL from damage
caused by reactive oxygen (or oxidants) in the blood,
the researchers mixed HDL containing increasing PON
concentrations with LDL and exposed it to oxidants. As
expected, higher concentrations of PON--of the order
of differences between never and current
smokers--protected LDL from damage.

The results are consistent with the suggestion that
smoking modifies PON levels such that there is an
increased risk of coronary artery disease due to a
reduced capacity to protect LDL and other lipoproteins
from damage by oxidants in the body, the authors
conclude.

But among ex-smokers, PON levels increase with time.
"Within 2 years of smoking cessation, paraoxonase
concentration and activity in former smokers is
comparable to individuals who have never smoked,"
James noted in a statement.

"The novelty of our study is that it shows smoking not
only makes LDL cholesterol more toxic by producing
free-radicals, but also weakens one of the means of
limiting oxidation of LDL cholesterol," he added.

The researcher also noted that diabetes and older age
are also associated with lower levels of PON.
"Diabetic patients appear to be subject to greater
free-radical damage, which may also be an important
causative factor in aging," James said.
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But if you smoke and are going to continue to smoke....
I suggest you take Cytopro to help fight the free radicals
that the cigarettes are making in your body which cause
premature aging and disease. Cytopro is a powerful
antioxidant.
Cytopro web site http://www.herbals-unlimited.com/cytop.htm
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Hope you have enjoyed my newsletter. What would
you like to hear about next month??
Email me at trish@...