sunflower seeds Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Sunflower Seeds May Aggravate Acne

AHA Publisher — Mon, 02 May 2022 07:00:11 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – Should we be concerned about the pimples, cadmium, and “colonic crunch” associated with the consumption of sunflower seeds? A recent observational study on acne reported a “statistically significant relationship” between “acne severity and dietary factors such as chocolate, dairy products such as milk, [and] sunflower seed consumption….” I’ve produced videos on acne and chocolate and dairy, but I was surprised by the sunflower seeds, the topic of my video Do Sunflower Seeds Cause Acne?. When I think about sunflower seeds, I just think of a good, whole-food source of nutrition that’s been found to lower cholesterol levels as much almonds, which is pretty good. But did you know there are right and wrong ways to eat them? If you eat a pound of unshelled sunflower seeds—that is, eat them with the shell still on—you can end up corked with “a fist-sized mass of shredded sunflower seed shells.” How could a doctor diagnose something like that? By the “‘colonic crunch’ sign,” of course. Sounds like breakfast cereal served in hell, but, rather, it’s the “palpation of a large crunchy rectal mass.” You can see a photo of one at 1:10 in my video. Indeed, if you eat sunflower seeds with the shells still on, you can end up with a “sharp, thorny mass,” which is why the so-called sunflower seed syndrome has been described as “a prickly proctological problem.” It’s been lamented that “people who consume health foods occasionally fall into the trap of believing ‘if some is good, more is better.’” In this case, it’s not the amount that’s the problem, but how they’re being eaten: with the shells still on. “Perhaps this is why the syndrome is uncommon unless the patients are children or adults who are either impaired or have no experience with eating sunflower seeds.” Most cases involve younger, “preadolescent children,” aged 5 to 11, but researchers described the case of a “psychologically sound” 13-year-old girl and “stressed the importance of the role of the parents guiding their children, whatever the age group, about the potential problems associated with the ingestion of unshelled seeds.” Does that mean you can eat as many sunflower seeds as you want as long as they’ve been shelled? No—you can overdo even shelled seeds. Simply because of the nature of sunflowers, they’re good at drawing the naturally occurring heavy metal cadmium out of the ground. So, even if they’re grown in uncontaminated soils, sunflower seeds (or kernels) end up with higher cadmium levels than most foods. However, people who consume large amounts of sunflower seeds don’t seem to suffer any untoward effects or even end up with detectably higher cadmium levels. What constitutes a “large” amount? In this study, it was defined as more than an ounce a week, which is like a handful, about 150 seeds. The World Health Organization recommends staying below about 490 micrograms of dietary cadmium a week. If you ate a handful of shelled sunflower seeds a day, you’d be well below that, but we may get as much as 36 micrograms a day from the rest of our diet, so I think one handful a day is a reasonable safe upper limit. Okay, but will sunflower seeds give us acne? You don’t know, until you put it to the test, which researchers did because, after all, “consuming sunflower seeds is a very enjoyable way of participating in a clinical trial….” Fifty young adults were randomized to eat sunflower seeds—or not—for a week. As you can see at 3:23 in my video, the acne severity index stayed about the same in the control group, but got worse in the sunflower group. This translated into about three extra pimples in the sunflower seed group versus only about one extra pimple in the control group. The researchers concluded that “sunflower seed intake appears to aggravate acne vulgaris; however, further evidence is needed to ban sunflower seed intake in patients with acne.” KEY TAKEAWAYS Sunflower seeds, a good, whole-food source of nutrition, lower cholesterol levels as much as almonds. They should be eaten shelled, as consuming their shells can cause problems, including “a fist-sized mass of shredded sunflower seed shells.” Because of the nature of sunflowers, their seeds are good at drawing cadmium, a naturally occurring heavy metal, out of the ground. So, even if grown in uncontaminated soil, the kernels have higher levels of cadmium than most other foods. The World Health Organization recommends eating less than about 490 micrograms of dietary cadmium a week; eating a handful of shelled sunflower seeds a day is reasonably safe. Researchers reported a “statistically significant relationship” between acne severity and chocolate, dairy products, and sunflower seed consumption. When put to the test, the acne of study participants in the sunflower group worsened compared to those in the control group, leading the researchers to conclude that intake of sunflower seeds appears to aggravate acne vulgaris. However, more evidence is needed to ban patients with acne from eating sunflower seeds. To read the original article click here.

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Sunflower Peptide as ‘Template’ for Potential Analgesic

AHA Publisher — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 07:00:46 +0000

Medical University of Vienna via EurekAlert – A naturally occurring peptide in sunflower seeds was synthetically optimised and has now been identified as a potential drug for treating abdominal pain or inflammation (in the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal area and/or internal organs). That is the finding of an international study led by Christian Gruber from MedUni Vienna’s Institute of Pharmacology (Center for Physiology and Pharmacology), which was conducted jointly with the University of Queensland and Flinders University in Australia and has now been published. The scientific aim of the study is to find analgesics that are only active in the periphery and do not cross the blood-brain barrier, as an alternative to commonly used synthetic opioids. Gruber explains the background: “Morphine was one of the first plant-based medicines and was isolated from the dried latex of poppies more than 200 years ago. It binds to opioid receptors in the brain and is still regarded as the main pillar of pain therapy. However, there is a high risk of opioid addiction, and an overdose – as a result of this strong dependency – inhibits the breathing centre in the brain, which can result in respiratory depression and, in the worst case, in death.” For this reason, researchers throughout the world are trying to make analgesics safer and to find active drug molecules that do not have the typical opioid side-effects. Sunflower extracts were to some extent used in traditional medicine for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. In the current study, the scientists from Austria and Australia, primarily PhD student Edin Muratspahi?, isolated the plant molecule that may be responsible for this effect. Medicinal chemistry methods were then used to optimise the so-called sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1), one of the smallest naturally occurring cyclic peptides, by ‘grafting’ an endogenous opioid peptide into its scaffold. A total of 19 peptides were chemically synthesized based on the original SFTI-1 blueprint and pharmacologically tested. “One of these variants turned out to be our lead candidate for as potential innovative analgesic molecule, especially for pain in the gastrointestinal tract or in the peripheral organs. This peptide is extremely stable, highly potent and its action is restricted to the body’s periphery. Its use is therefore expected to produce fewer of the typical side-effects associated with opioids,” point out Gruber and Muratspahi?. The mode-of-action of the peptide is via the so-called kappa opioid receptor; this cellular protein is a drug target for pain relief, but is often associated with mood disorders and depression. The sunflower peptide does not act in the brain, hence there is much less risk of dependency or addiction. Furthermore, it selectively activates only the molecular signalling pathway that influences pain transmission but does not cause the typical opioid side-effects. The data of the animal model in the current study are very promising: the scientists see great potential for using this peptide in the future to develop a safe medication – which could be administered orally in tablet form – to treat pain in the gastrointestinal tract, and this drug could potentially also be used for related painful conditions, e.g. for inflammatory bowel disease. Using Nature’s Blueprint The research of this MedUni Vienna laboratory led by Christian Gruber exploits the concept of using Nature’s blueprint to develop optimised drugs. “We are searching through large databases containing genetic information of plants and animals, decoding new types of peptide molecules and studying their structure, with a view to testing them pharmacologically on enzymes or membrane receptors and ultimately utilizing them in the disease model,” explains Gruber. Finally, potential drug candidates are chemically synthesised in a slightly modified form based on the natural blueprint, to obtain optimised pharmacological properties. To read the original article click here.

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Ready to Fight Heart Disease? Boost Your Heart Health with These Tiny Seeds

AHA Publisher — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:00:16 +0000

Karen Sanders via NaturalHealth365 – In spite of scientific advances, heart disease is still the leading cause of death for Americans. Yet, experts tell us, many cases of cardiovascular disease are preventable, with simple lifestyle changes – such as a clean diet – to help improve our heart health. Do you crave “junky” foods? The seeds of a cheerful, hardy summer flower – scientifically known as Helianthus annuus – offer a tasty alternative to junk foods such as potato chips and cookies, and can help you redirect your cravings towards healthier fare. Sunflower seeds – with their crunchy, pleasing texture and mildly sweet, buttery taste – are virtually perfect snack food. They are not only packed with essential micronutrients and antioxidants but are also rich in natural plant oils that work together to ward off heart disease. Editor’s note: Heart disease now kills 31% of all people worldwide … and the root causes are NOT what you think! Click here to discover the truth inside the Cardiovascular Docu-Class, hosted by Jonathan Landsman, creator of NaturalHealth365. Science-Backed Compounds Provide POWERFUL Heart Health Benefits In addition to polyunsaturated linoleic acid, sunflower seeds contain oleic acid – an extremely beneficial monounsaturated acid that is also found in such heart-healthy treats as olives and avocados. Oleic acid helps to lower harmful LDL cholesterol while raising amounts of desirable HDL cholesterol. In addition, animal studies have shown that a diet high in oleic acid can help reverse the negative effects of inflammatory cytokines. As inflammation triggers many serious health conditions – including heart disease and cancer – this bodes well for sunflower seeds’ ability to promote coronary health. Can oleic acid prevent heart disease? The simple answer is yes. In a study published in 2004 in Nutrition, omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, including oleic acid, decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease. Oleic acid also lowered unhealthy LDL cholesterol and decreased concentrations of vascular cell adhesion molecules, making cells less ‘sticky’ – and reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, strokes, blood clots, and heart disease. But Wait, There Is Even More Good News! Sunflower seeds are rich in amino acids, organic compounds essential to the production of protein. In addition to their role as “building blocks” of protein, amino acids can help to prevent the buildup of body fat and boost the immune system; they can also boost heart health in a variety of ways. A mere quarter of a cup – about 35 grams – of sunflower seeds contains an impressive .70 grams of arginine – which can increase the elasticity of arteries while decreasing vascular resistance. By helping to keep blood vessels dilated, arginine enhances blood flow, helping to prevent the development of coronary artery disease. Sunflower seeds also offer healthy amounts of tryptophan. Many people know that tryptophan can promote restful sleep and reduce anxiety and mood swings; not as well known is the fact that tryptophan is a potent antioxidant that can scavenge harmful free radicals in the body. Glutamic acid, also found in sunflower seeds, benefits the cardiovascular system as well. In a 2009 study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers found that this amino acid can significantly lower blood pressure. A Quarter Cup of Sunflower Seeds Improves Your Health in More Ways Than You Can Imagine The same quarter-cup serving of sunflower seeds contains over 80 percent of the adult daily value of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory vitamin E – which helps protect against the oxidation of cholesterol, a major factor in heart disease. Sunflower seeds are also high in selenium, a terrific antioxidant – especially when taken in conjunction with vitamin E. Sunflower seeds also contain healthy levels of magnesium – which helps to regulate blood pressure, and niacin – which boosts levels of desirable high-density lipoproteins. With 204 calories to a quarter-cup, sunflower seeds are not a low-cal food. However, one serving offers the same amount of protein as an 8-oz. container of yogurt; sunflower seeds’ exemplary amounts of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and protein make them a very good caloric investment. In addition, they are naturally high in heart-healthy dietary fiber – which leads to a feeling of satiety and can help prevent overeating. Here Are Some of Our Favorite Ways to Enjoy Sunflower Seeds It doesn’t much matter if you buy your sunflower seeds shelled or unshelled; the important thing is that they are organic. Unshelled sunflower seeds should feel crisp and firm; avoid any that appear limp, soggy, or withered. Shelled sunflower seeds should be grayish-white, and have a fresh, clean fragrance; if they are visibly yellowed, this could mean that they are rancid. Unshelled seeds may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container, while shelled seeds should be refrigerated. You can use these versatile seeds to add flavor and texture to rice, pasta, tabouleh, or casserole dishes. Sprinkle them over green salads, stir them into oatmeal, or use them to enliven chicken salad. Highly portable and convenient to eat, sunflower seeds are perfect for quick energy on the hiking trail, or for an afternoon pick-me-up at your desk. With almost every constituent working together to ward off coronary disease, it is almost as if sunflower seeds have been divinely engineered towards the goal of protecting your heart. All you have to do is nibble away and enjoy. Sources for this article include: AHA.Journals.org NIH.gov CDC.gov To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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