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Articles:
Clinical
Research: Barley Grass Supports Cardiovascular Function
Bob Terry, PhD, Technical Service Director, Green Foods Corporation
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE:
OXNARD,
CA, May 9, 2003 - People who regularly consume powdered organic barley
grass juice supplements could be providing a boost to their cardiovascular
system, according to research recently published in the peer-reviewed
scientific journal, Diabetes and Metabolism (2002, Vol. 28, 107-114).
Ya-Mei
Yu and Chingmin E. Tsai from Fu Jen University in Taipei together with
fellow Taiwanese researchers from China Medical College in Taichung
found in a clinical study that supplementation with barley grass reduced
the levels of cholesterol and oxygen free radicals in the blood of type
2 diabetics.
In the
study, 36 randomly selected type 2 diabetics were randomly assigned
to receive daily supplements of barley grass, a combination of vitamin
C and E or a combination of barley grass and vitamins C and E for four
weeks. Past research has indicated that antioxidants vitamin C and E
taken together can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers
found that supplementation with barley grass reduced the levels of total
cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and oxygen free radicals, in addition
to protecting LDL-vitamin E content and inhibiting LDL oxidation. The
authors noted that barley grass "acts as a free radical scavenger."
Particularly noteworthy are the data showing barley grass, taken with
vitamins C and E, more effectively prevents the level of free radicals
than either barley grass or the vitamins taken alone. They concluded
that supplementation with barley grass "in combination with antioxidative
vitamins can reduce some major risk factors of atherosclerosis. This
may protect type 2 diabetic patients from vascular diseases."
The results
of ongoing clinical studies appear to support and extend the findings
that barley grass supplementation may lower blood levels of cholesterol
and free radicals.
"For
individuals concerned about their cardiovascular health, this study
indicates that they would be well advised to focus on a diet with lots
of green foods, particularly organic barley grass." said Dr. Richard
M. Gold, Ph.D., L.Ac., author and Professor at Pacific College of Oriental
Medicine.
YH Products
Co. of Oxnard, California provided the barley grass supplements for this
study. YH Products Co. manufactures Green Magma (distributed by Green
Foods Corporation). Green Magma is made with powdered organic barley
grass juice, containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids,
proteins, active enzymes and chlorophyll.
 Barley Grass Inhibits the Formation of Acetaldehyde In Vitro
Bob Terry, PhD, Technical Service Director, Green Foods Corporation
Recent
research now suggests that the oxidation product of alcohol, acetaldehyde,
may be responsible for problems related to alcohol
consumption. Acetaldehyde is toxic to tissues and may produce genetic
mutations by damaging DNA.
Normally, alcohol is metabolized in the liver to carbon dioxide and
water via several enzymatic steps. However, some people lack the gene
that is responsible for the production of the enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase
(ALDH), which is helps breakdown acetaldehyde. For those who lack this
enzyme, drinking alcohol may not only be unpleasant, but may have long-term
health consequences. Chronic drinkers and people who over imbibe at
one time may also wind up with a level of acetaldehyde in their body
that may not be metabolized fast enough to prevent damage.
In fact, researcher Dr. Mikko Salaspuro, chairman of Alcohol Diseases
at the University of Helsinki, noted that acetaldehyde accumulates in
the gut when people drink alcohol and this may have toxic effects on
all the tissues of the digestive tract. It is well known that esophageal
cancer is linked to heavy alcohol consumption but the cause has not
yet been determined.
Since acetaldehyde is produced in the gut during drinking, it may be
possible to breakdown the acetaldehyde by consuming certain drinks or
food. Dr. Shibamoto's laboratory has recently shown that fresh, young
barley grass juice (the same kind used in Green Magma) helps prevent
the oxidation of alcohol and the production of acetaldehyde. The formation
of acetaldehyde is prevented by the presence of a unique bioflavonoid,
called glycosylisovitexin (GIV), found in barley
grass juice.
This action of GIV is particularly important in light of recent
research by Finnish researchers showing that acetaldehyde formation following alcohol consumption may have adverse health effects. Over the last decade, Dr. Shibamoto's laboratory in
the Environmental Toxicology Department at the University of California,
Davis has published a number of peer-reviewed articles showing that
GIV from barley grass juice is very effective at preventing the
formation of two types of aldehydes, acetaldehyde and malonaldehyde,
from oxidation of lipids in plasma. In 1998, Dr. Shibamoto's laboratory
published an article [1] demonstrating the potent ability of GIV
in preventing the formation of acetaldehyde in beer stored at elevated
temperatures for over 7 weeks. As little as 1 microgram of GIV
per milliliter of beer inhibited the formation of acetaldehyde by more
than 60%, whereas the same amount of the chemical preservative, BHT,
reduced it by only 15%.
Because of its ability to inhibit acetaldehyde formation, barley grass juice containing
GIV may help ameliorate unwanted effects of drinking alcohol. However, in vivo and clinical research is needed to confirm the inhibitory actions of barley grass juice and GIV on acetaldehyde formation following alcohol consumption.
1. S. Nakajima, Y. Hagiwara, H. Hagiwara, and T. Shibamoto. Effect of
the antioxidant 2"-O-Glycosylisovitexin from young green barley leaves
on acetaldehyde formation in beer stored at 50 degrees C for 90 days,
1998, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry Vol. 46 (4), 1529-1531.
Barley Grass Neutralizes Pesticides and Other Toxins In Vitro
Bob Terry, PhD, Technical Service Director, Green Foods Corporation
Health conscious
consumers today are looking for more than wholesome, nutritious food
to maintain good health, they also want to protect themselves from the
ever-increasing number of toxins in our environment. While periodic
use of internal cleansing programs may help to eliminate toxins, the best solution is to gently detoxify our
bodies every day through our diet. Therefore, optimal nutrition should
include foods that not only supply us with all the nutrients necessary
for cellular metabolism but foods that also help us detoxify daily.
Unfortunately, thousands of chemicals pervade our environment posing potential risks to our health. Furthermore, common food
preservatives such as BHT and sorbic acid may cause adverse reactions
in people sensitive to these chemicals. Although the ideal solution
for pesticides and herbicides would be to eliminate their use, this is presently not possible and, even if it were, toxic residues
would remain in the environment for many years afterwards as
has occurred with DDT. Eliminating food additives from our diet is also
problematic since their use is widespread and few commercially acceptable
substitutes are available. The good news is that nature provides us
with an abundance of fresh green plants that can help our bodies neutralize
and eliminate toxic chemicals we ingest from our water, air, and food.
Of course, we need to choose green plants that do not contain the very
substances we want to eliminate.
Over the last 20 years, research done by Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara and
colleagues in the United States and Japan has shown that young green
barley grass may provide important cleansing effects. Barley grass juice contains
chlorophyll, antioxidants, enzymes, and other phytochemicals
that in vitro neutralize free radicals and other unfriendly chemicals, including
pesticides and food preservatives.
In 1978, Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara revealed the detoxifying power of our
barley grass extract, called Green Magma, in breaking down an insecticide
(malathion), and two chemical food additives (sorbic acid and BHT)[1].
His research found that Green Magma effectively decomposed the insecticide,
malathion, and the food preservatives, sorbic acid and BHT. Heating
Green Magma causes it to lose its ability to breakdown either malathion
or sorbic acid indicating that enzyme activity in Green Magma may be
responsible for its actions. However, heat treatment does not affect
Green Magma's ability to destroy BHT leading Dr. Hagiwara to suggest
that BHT may be adsorbed by proteins rather being metabolized by enzyme
activity. The following year, Dr. Hagiwara and colleagues reported that
barley grass juice contained numerous enzymes that may help neutralize
toxins, including superoxide dismutase, cytochrome oxidase, peroxidase,
catalase, fatty acid oxidase, and transhydrogenase [2].
In the 1990's, Dr. Shibamoto and Dr. Hagiwara isolated, identified,
and studied the properties of a potent bioflavonoid antioxidant, named
glycosylisovitexin (GIV), in young barley grass [3]. They
showed that GIV was particularly effective in preventing the free
radical oxidation of fatty acids, fish oils, and lecithin caused by
ultraviolet light and natural chemical reactions in blood [4]. It is also effective in preventing the formation of two toxic by-products,
acetaldehyde and malonaldehyde, that result from the oxidation of alcohol [5]. These two substances may be responsible for the some of the unwanted effects of alcohol consumption including hangovers.
Other exciting research recently published by Dr. Shibamoto along with
Dr. Hagiwara and colleagues, found that in vitro young barley grass extracts
effectively degraded a variety of organophosphorus pesticides including
malathion, chlorpyrifos, guthion, diazinon, methidathion, and parathion
[6]. Incubation of the individual pesticides with a 3% solution of barley
grass juice for several hours resulted in the complete degradation of
both malathion and chlorpyrifos along with a significant breakdown of
parathion by 75%; diazinon by 54%; guthion by 41%; and methidathion
by 23%. They also confirmed Dr. Hagiwara's previous finding that barley
grass juice's ability to break down malathion is lost when barley grass
is heated to 120 degree C, most likely due to destruction of enzyme
activity by heat. Further research into the manner in which barley grass
juice degrades pesticides is necessary to confirm these effects.
Dr. Shibamoto and colleagues are continuing their research on the possible ways in which organic Green Magma may help us cleanse our bodies in a natural and effective manner.
In summary, research is helping to better understand why Green Magma
provides the many benefits that thousands of regular consumers of Green
Magma already know about -- better looking hair, skin and nails, increased
energy levels, improved digestion, and fewer illnesses -- clear indicators
of good nutrition.
References:
1. Hagiwara, Y. Study on green juice powder of young barley (Hordeum
vulgare L) leaves II: Effect on several food additives, agricultural
chemicals, and a carcinogen. Presented at the 98th National Meeting
of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Science (1978).
2. Hagiwara, Y., Sayuki, S., Miysuchi, T., Otake,H., Abe, S., Kuramoto,
M., and Takada, K. Study on green barley extract. Presented at the 99th
National Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Science,
Sapporo (1979).
3. Osawa, T., Katsuzaki, H., Hagiwara, Y., and Shibamoto, T. A novel
antioxidant isolated from young green barley leaves. 1992, J. of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry, Vol. 40 (7): 1135-1138.
4. Miyake, T. and Shibamoto, T. Inhibition of Malonaldehyde and acetaldehyde
formation from blood plasma oxidation by naturally occurring antioxidants.
1998, J. of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 46 (9): 1135-1138.
5. Nakajima, S., Hagiwara, Y., Hagiwara, H., and Shibamoto, T. Effect
of the Antioxidant 2"-O-Glycosylisovitexin from young green barley leaves
on acetaldehyde formation in beer stored at 50 degree C for 90 days.
1998, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 46 (4): 1529-1531.
6. Durham, J., Ogata, J., Nakajima, S., Hagiwara, Y., and Shibamoto,
T. Degradation of organophosphorus pesticides in aqueous extracts of
young green barley leaves (Hordeum vulgare L). 1999, J. of the Science
of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 79: 1311-1314.
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