A lot has been written about health benefits of dark chocolate. What about immune health benefits? Here’s some consumer information that’s a good, quick read.  Another source lays out the case for a number of health benefits, but admonishes us to steer clear of milk chocolate. Milk chocolate doesn’t count as a healthy food, and is just as junky as any other junk food.

Here’s a pretty informative video about chocolate. Basic advice: go dark (over 70% cacao content), choose lowest possible sugar, don’t eat too much at one time….a square or two, not a whole bar every day.

The study examined the body of published research for several nutritional supplement compounds – Lutein, Calcium, Vit. D, Fish Oil. Based on a well-described methodology, the study’s authors predicted the dollar savings based on preventive benefits that could be realized if people who were ideal candidates (based on health/demographic profiles) to benefit from these ingredients would consume them as recommended by manufacturers.

The most recent study update came out this summer. Total cost savings are now estimated to be $24 billion. Gosh, I wonder what would happen if an ingredient such as EpiCor were to be added to the study. Could there be a monetary metric applied to reductions in cold and flu symptoms that are evidenced in various clinical trials? Dollars saved through less sick time from school or jobs could be one measurement. Who knows?

A baked potato, for example (no salt and butter, with skin) has an estimated glycemic rating of 29, according to Nutrition Data, a great Web tool to quickly analyze nutrition value of all kinds of foods, including packaged food products.  That 29 is toward the low end of the glycemic scale, better than, say canned, sweetened cranberry, which scores a glycemic rating of 48.

By the same token, we’re now seeing foods rated on their “anti-inflammatory” qualities through an Inflammatory Factor (IF) rating.  A food with a negative IF number is considered as contributing to cellular inflammation in the body. A positive IF number means the food has low or anti-inflammatory properties, actually reducing inflammation. The IF index system was created by nutrition researcher Monica Reinagel. High inflammation in the body can mean an over-aggressive, unbalanced immune response and can lead to chronic health problems. Therefore, high-inflammatory foods can trigger an adverse immune response.

That baked potato has a bad IF rating:  -179. That cranberry is doubly bad, with an IF of -354.

My question: What about foods that have an outstanding glycemic index value, but a terrible IF number? Or vice versa? One example is one of my favs: McDonalds’ Fruit ‘n’ Yogurt Parfait: a very good 12 GI, but a not-so-good -76 (mildly inflammatory) IF.  Should I err on the side of a high GI or a high IF?  Any thoughts out there?

Today, the Let’s Move organization, known more formally as The  Childhood Obesity Task Force, released a list of 70 action items that expert task force contributors recommended as necessary in achieving  significant reduction in obesity among America’s kids. The full report released today is available at this link.

My take? This is a great area for a renewed public and private sector effort because obesity contributes to so many health conditions it isn’t even funny. And yes, immune health deficiency is one of them.

As science has shown, “obesity can depress the immune system by interfering with the ability of white blood cells to produce antibodies. Research shows that overweight babies get twice as many infections as lean babies.”

If your immune health is distressed from an early age, that’s gotta set the stage for a lifetime of increased risk for all kinds of health conditions. Not good.

The companies are doing this not because the science is conclusive, but because they are tired of the hassle from consumer complaints and requests to get rid of the stuff, according the the story.

Indeed, many experts say some research suggests HFCS may add to belly fat more than other sugars, but there’s no proof HFCS is processed in the body much differently than cain sugar or concentrated fruit juice sweeteners.  A WebMD story said other countries that don’t consume many products with HFCS are still experiencing rising rates of obesity and diabetes. The problem is that people today are simply eating too much food and too many calories from foods with processed sugar, no mater what the form of sugar.

An old boss of mine, a Ph.D  plant biologist, said that there’s only one simple equation for weight loss and weigh management: calories in vs. calories out. Everything else is just a little fine tuning.

As for immune health, reducing sugar (a pro-inflammation agent), no matter what form, can make a difference in immune health, let alone weight.

Rebekah Winquest

I’m glad to present a post below from Rebekah Winquest, who runs a blog called Just Good Energy. She markets several natural food products, and also does product reviews by using the products herself.  And she does a fair amount of research about the product she’s taking. Right now, she’s taking EpiCor for an extended period. Posted below is her first review. I look forward to reading what she says about the rest of her EpiCor journey.

“I recently wrote an article on the top 20 most recommended and popular supplements for 2010. Included in that list is a product called Epicor. I had not personally taken this supplement but heard a lot of feedback that it helped people’s allergies, immune system, frequency of colds, etc. I have been in contact with the company Embria Health Sciences, who created Epicor, and have been taking it daily for the past 2 weeks along with researching and learning about the science behind Epicor.

Epicor starts off as the simple yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae, otherwise known as baker’s yeast. It is given oxygen to grow and is then put through a specific and unique fermentation and drying process, also known as “yeast fermentate”. It is the fermentation process that creates this unique product. The result is a superfood in my thinking – a whole food supplement that provides the body with not only extra nutrients but potent antioxidants and the ability to help balance the entire immune system. Nutritionally Epicor provides vitamins, minerals, aminos acids, antioxidants, and even beta-glucans.

What is interesting to me is that Epicor helps to “balance” the immune system compared to “boosting” the immune system. Keep in mind that autoimmune disorders, inflammatory disease and even allergies are overexcited immune systems that attack itself so obviously someone in that position could not take immune stimulating supplements. If you think about it, most immune-related products on the market are all about building the immune system but rarely have I found one that focuses on bringing it to an ideal balance or neutral state. We want our immune system to be ready at any given time to strengthen, as with the flu, or back down if needed, as with allergies. This balance is ideal and Epicor seems to have found a niche in this arena.

Now to my experiences… As most of you know I eat extremely healthy, drink green superfoods daily, consume plenty of antioxidant-rich foods and superfoods, stick to organic, and eat about 70% raw alkaline foods. I rarely get sick or catch colds and viruses from others. Here is the catch… From the day I got pregnant 2 years and 11 months ago I suddenly for the first time had allergies. I had a runny nose and sneezed daily until the day my son was born. It was so bazaar because I had never had an allergy in my life and now I had a very strong reaction to dust, and all environmental pollutants and even pollen! As soon as I stopped nursing my son the allergies kicked in really strong again. I tried all of the natural remedies that I had studied but nothing worked.

I began taking 500mg per day (1 capsule) of Epicor 2 weeks ago and suddenly realized a few days ago that I had sneezed and blew my nose maybe 4 times in the past 2 weeks, even with the pollen-rich air outside. I don’t want to jump too far down the road and say that I am 100% cured because of Epicor, but I do know that I feel better with my allergies and the only thing I have done different is take Epicor.

I have researched further that Epicor is not only great for helping to prevent occurrences of colds and the flu but can also help with inflammation. I am going to write about my experience with Epicor again in 2 weeks, after taking it for 1 month total and am curious to see if the inflammation that I often experience in my sciatic will improve (also started after having my adorable son).

For those concerned about taking Epicor while having a yeast infection or candida overgrowth: They claim that there is no similarity between the yeast used to make Epicor and Candida albicans, which is the unhealthy yeast strain that can flourish in the body causing infections and candida.

I would love to take it for the remainder of the year and see how I feel – it can be taken year round. Stay tuned for more updates.

Reference: “Epicor, The Key to a Balanced Immune System” by Larry Robinson, PHD, Vern S. Cherewatenko, MD, Med and Stuart Reeves, PHD”

Postscript from Craig: Thanks, Rebekah.  Since EpiCor is a nutritional supplement, I’m betting the people behind the product won’t assert that the ingredient will cure or prevent anything. But I do know that mulitple placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials have demonstrated a reduction in allergy and cold/flu symptom severity and duration among healthy people who took EpiCor. Hope your experience is similar.  

Wouldn’t it be great if they walked into the doctor’s office, and had their up-to-date Google Health profiles– their records of prescriptions, supplementation, vaccines–on their I-Touch ready for the doc to download and view. And any additional services the doc provides would be added to the record at the time of service. This very simple information transfer could reduce the chance for diagnostic errors, drug interaction hazards or misappropriated diet and exercise recommendations.

After taking a few minutes to finally peruse Google Health, I’m wondering if this health service platform could not only be a difference maker in preventive health, but also a difference maker in health care cost reduction, outcome improvement and service delivery efficiency (er…commonly known as health care reform).

Google Health is much more than maintaining Web-enabled health records.  It’s a suite of services ranging from personalized consultation with world-class physicians to competitive drug pricing options, doctors on demand, even clinical trial participation opportunities for testing new drugs.

I’m sure these added service options will only expand. Wouldn’t it be great if there could also be a supplement advisory service, helping consumers sort out the good stuff from the bogus material, and providing personalized guidance on total nutrition and lifestyle. “Hmmmm, let’s see Mr. Maltby. Your serum results indicate you have an active, balanced immune response, a low level of inflammation, but you need to get off the couch more often, especially now that March Madness is over, and work up some sweat and pulse rate by walking or jogging a few times a week. And lay off the chocolate. I know the research says it has health benefits, but you’re overdoing it, according to your food diary and your blood workup I just viewed on your account profile. I’ll see you again online in 6 months.”

I’m sure that can happen now in many online locations. But when it’s all packaged under House of Google and linked to Google’s growing, distributed health databases, it could take cost-efficient, preventive health to a new level.

So, climate conditions coupled with changing geology (more woodlands in areas that used to be farmed) may cause some areas to experience the perfect storm for a more intense, longer-lasting allergy season.

Yet, what kind of solutions are we reading about?  “Doubling up on the inhaler,” steroids, or prescription antihistamines. Or crank up the air conditioning colder and run it longer. (Hmmm, that sure will help the climate change factor).

Sure, these measures can provide relief at the symptom level. And, I do understand how valuable that relief is when you’ve been on a sneezing binge for a couple of hours.

But wouldn’t it be great if you could address allergy suffering at the immune cell level? On a natural, non-medication, preemptive basis? After all, as it has been so elegantly stated: “Allergies are nothing more than an unwanted, unnecessary immune response.”

Still, today I was scanning some of the industry news that’s recently been distributed throughout the supplement industry. Since I’m particularly interested in immune support, I’ve done some quick searching of what’s new in the market. All I can say is wow! There are now more immune support products than I can ever recall seeing in the past. Just a sampling, if  you’ll allow me:

PeakImmune4®, “an essential immune support dietary supplement that provides vital antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action.  The active ingredient in PeakImmune4 is Rice Bran Arabinoxylan Compound (RBAC). A polysaccharide dietary fiber derived from rice bran, RBAC is modified by an enzyme from Shiitake mushrooms using a patented biotechnology process.”  But to view any science, you have to order it from the Web site and say why you’re interested.  Not cool.

Immune Extra® is an “all natural, vegetarian, clinically-tested supplement containing Proligna®, a botanical extract derived from pine cones that optimizes your immune system.” Hmmm. And how many pine cones are typically in the humam diet? Actually, this product does put forth a good immune balance discussion and seems to have some respectable science behind it.

KalmCold – Its makers in India say the active ingredient “is said to increase appetite, strengthen digestion and diminish flatulence, hyperacidity and biliousness. It is also utilized for treatment of many conditions like bacillary dysentery, bronchitis, carbuncles, colitis, coughs, dyspepsia, fever, hepatitis, malaria, mouth ulcers, sores and tuberculosis. The roots and leaves have a reputation for being anthelmintic.”  But no published science to be seen.

Equilibrant. Nice name. Implies balance. No science posted at all. The ingredients look like a mish-mash of about everything: Vit. D, Vit. A, Calcium, Selenium, Astragalus Root Extract, Shrubby Sophora Root Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Shittake Mushroom Extract.

Immune health is a hot supplement category right now and growing hotter. For many reasons. That’s even more reason to make sure you’re a wise consumer when considering a supplement product.  Make sure the manufacturer is safe and qualified to be producing the product. Insist of solid science. If you’re not confident in judging research quality, find an expert and ask him or her to assess the science. Read all you can about the brand and ingredients. And consult your doctor before taking anything new and untested in your dietary regimen.

I’m interested  in this only because my daily supplement inventory is growing. I’m taking a high-quality (high absorption) multivitamin, lutein, EpiCor, fish oil, chromium and saw palmetto. I’d like to try some others perhaps, but then I start thinking that this is getting to be too many to keep track of and take every day.

Also, I’m wondering: If someone is taking 30 to 60 supplements a day–and not taking more than the RDA or the manufacturer’s suggested dosage for each capsule or pill–can that huge mix be harmful in the long run?

What do you think?  There have been a number of studies and commentaries on long-term vitamin intake, most of which I think are pretty thinly supported, performed in the wrong context (vitamins don’t make you live longer) and mostly rubbish. And I’m not talking megadoses of supplements, for which there is  research on toxicity and potential damage (e.g. 3000 mg of C every day is not good).  I’m talking mega numbers of pills.

Here’s one piece that touches on the topic but doesn’t have strong thesis one way or another.  Any other informed opiners out there who want to chip in?