Summer 2001

News

Keeping Cool This Summer
   Hydration is Key

Do you drink enough water?  Is your diet balanced, providing essential salts and minerals that are lost when the temperatures rise?

The body usually cools itself by sweating.  Under certain conditions, however, this may not be enough, and heat exhaustion  or heat stroke can occur.  These are serious conditions that can cause excessive loss of water and salts, and a dangerously high body temperature that can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs.

Think about how much water your body uses on a normal day.  Water is required to keep organs functioning properly, to keep the skin and eyes moist; we even lose moisture through our breath.  When the temperature rises, our body's demand for water increases.

During hot weather, it is a good idea to consume more liquid than your thirst indicates.  (This does not include caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, which actually cause your body to lose fluids due to their diuretic effect.)  This is particularly true for the elderly or those with high blood pressure.

Nutritional Deficiencies May Contribute to Epidemics

Research performed on mice suggests that a diet deficient in the mineral selenium may contribute to the development of deadlier human viruses. 

Of forty mice infected with a mild strain of the human influenza virus, twenty were given a diet with no selenium.  These mice showed more severe symptoms and, most concerning, viral mutations were also found.

Previous research has shown that malnourished people are more susceptible to infectious disease.  Selenium is an antioxidant, like vitamin C, that helps protect the body against free radical damage, and may affect the influenza virus directly.

- From New Scientist, June 8, 2001

Cut Flowers May Not Be Good For You (or the Environment)

Did you know that seventy percent of fresh cut flowers are imported?  Most of these imported flowers come from Columbia and Ecuador, and the flowers are sprayed with fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and preservatives.  Headaches, nausea, rashes, asthma, and other symptoms of pesticide-related illnesses are very common in flower plantation workers.  Though these severe health effects are unlikely to plague consumers, pesticide residues may affect those with existing allergies or chemical sensitivities.

And though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the amount of pesticide residue allowed on food, the laws for flowers are left up to the individual states.  In California, one of the few states to track pesticide use on flowers, flower growers apply almost 800,000 pounds of pesticide each year.

The best option is to buy organic.  Look for local farmers' markets or farms that supply organic flowers at www.localharvest.org.  If the local supply is limited, try indoor potted plants.  You can also find organic seeds at many nurseries and set up your own organic flower garden.

- From Sierra, July/August, 2001

Product Spotlight: Endura®

Endura is a patented rehydration drink mix with a unique blend of electrolyte minerals that are found in muscle cells.  The formula contains high concentrations of magnesium--essential for cellular energy metabolism--in a form designed for excellent absorption.  Endura supplies carbohydrates in the form if glucose polymers and fructose, delivered in a special balanced blend designed to help delay the onset of fatigue during strenuous activity.

Whether you're working out or spending time in the heat or the sun, you will do your body a big favor by keeping it hydrated.  Hydration is also important in digestion and, along with magnesium salts, promotes regular bowel activity.  Endura comes in a powder you mix with water, tastes great, and isn't loaded with corn syrup like "sports drinks."

Endura comes in two flavors, Lemon-lime and Orange. For more information, click on the Lemon-lime or Orange."




Past Issues: [April 2001]