In a groundbreaking Princeton study, researchers have found that sugar is as addictive as drugs. Bart Hoebel and his team in the Department of Pyschology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute have demonstrated that sugar can be an addictive substance. The sweet ingredient was shown to have gained influence over the brains of lab animals in a manner similar to many drugs of abuse.

Professor Hoebel has been studying sugar’s effect in rats for years. Until now, the rats have only met two of the three elements of addiction. They have demonstrated a behavioral pattern of increased intake and then showed signs of withdrawal. His current experiments captured craving and relapse to complete the picture.

“If bingeing on sugar is really a form of addiction, there should be long-lasting effects in the brains of sugar addicts,” Hoebel said. “Craving and relapse are critical components of addiction, and we have been able to demonstrate these behaviors in sugar-bingeing rats in a number of ways.”

“We have the first set of comprehensive studies showing the strong suggestion of sugar addiction in rats and a mechanism that might underlie it,” Hoebel said.

Lab animals, in Hoebel’s experiments, that were denied sugar for a prolonged period after learning to binge worked harder to get it when it was reintroduced to them. They consumed more sugar than they ever had before, suggesting craving and relapse behavior. Their motivation for sugar had grown. “In this case, abstinence makes the heart grow fonder,” Hoebel said.

The rats drank more alcohol than normal after their sugar supply was cut off, showing that the bingeing behavior had forged changes in brain function. These functions served as “gateways” to other paths of destructive behavior, such as increased alcohol intake. And, after receiving a dose of amphetamine normally so minimal it has no effect, they became significantly hyperactive. The increased sensitivity to the psychostimulant is a long-lasting brain effect that can be a component of addiction, Hoebel said.

Red Bull contains 27g of sugar per serving. Rockstar contains 31g of sugar per serving. BAZI only contains 16g of sugar per serving.

Did you know that the nuts you eat are actually in a dormant stage? In this stage, the nuts contain enzyme inhibitors which are meant to protect the nutritional value of the seed. Eating seeds in the dormant stage prevents the digestion of the seed because these enzyme inhibitors counteract the enzymes in your stomach that break down food.

In the late 1920’s, an American professor named Edmond Szekely studied the concept of sprouting – that is to say, the process of “waking up” the dormant seeds by soaking them in water, which encourages the sprouting. He found that through this process of sprouting, the value of the food increased by more than 20%. When you sprout the seed, it literally comes to life. During the sprouting process, new and higher quality proteins and other nutrients are produced. Another benefit of sprouting is that the process deactivates the enzyme inhibitors allowing your body to easily digest the nutrition in the seed, nut or bean.

The best part of the sprouting process is how easy it is. Here are the simple steps:

·         Take as many seeds as you wish and place in a jar with lukewarm water and leave overnight.

·         Drain the water from the jar in the morning and put the jar in a dark place

·         Rinse the seeds every 12 hours.

·         Once sprouting begins put the jar into sunlight.

In a day or so, your sprouts will be ready. For more information click here.

                A new study has found that vitamin D  could play a role in preventing  early-onset severe preeclampsia in pregnant women. Preeclampsia is a syndrome marked by a sudden increase in blood pressure and a buildup of protein in the urine due to stress on the kidneys. Early-onset severe preeclampsia is a particularly serious form that arises before the 34th week of pregnancy.

                In the study, researchers found that the 50 women with early-onset severe preeclampsia had much lower levels of vitamin D compared with those of 100 healthy pregnant women. The healthy group averaged 32 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D while the early-onset severe preeclampsia group averaged 18 ng/mL.

                Of the preeclampsia group, 54 percent were deemed to have vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/mL), versus 27 percent of the healthy group. Only 24 percent of women with preeclampsia had vitamin D levels greater than 32 ng/mL, compared with 47 percent of their healthy counterparts.

                These findings don’t necessarily prove that lower vitamin D levels contribute to early-onset preeclampsia. However, they do add to the piles of research that are finding links between vitamin D levels in the blood and various health problems. For example, low levels of vitamin D have also been connected with type 1 diabetes , heart disease, certain cancers and depression.

                Vitamin D acts as a hormone, and lab research has found that it may affect the regulation and function of proteins in the placenta; problems in the development of the placenta are believed to be at the roots of preeclampsia.

                There have been past studies that found some association between vitamin D and preeclampsia. Dr. Christian J. Robinson, of the Medical University of Southern Carolina in Charleston, says that now more work is needed to see whether pregnant women's vitamin D levels predict the odds of preeclampsia developing  and whether raising those levels with vitamin D supplements lowers women's risk of the complication

                To further support vitamin D’s effect in preeclampsia risk, African American women are at a greater risk of complication than other racial groups, even when factors like healthcare and economic status are considered. Vitamin D is naturally synthesized through the skin when it is exposed to light. This process of absorbing vitamin D from the sun is less efficient in people with darker skin. Studies have found that African Americans commonly have deficient levels of vitamin D in their blood.

                As of today, U.S. guidelines say adults who are 50 and younger should get 200 IU of vitamin D each day, while older adults should get 400 – 600 IU. The toxicity level of vitamin D is set at 2,000 IUs. However, the guidelines by which researchers have set regarding what is enough, and what is too much vitamin D, is currently under review. Robinson said that the 400 IU in prenatal vitamins remains the recommended daily intake for pregnant women. 

           A group of researchers at Mayo Clinc found that green tea extract has kept cancer in check in a majority of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who used it in a phase II clinical trial. These findings are the latest in a series of Mayo studies to show promise for the therapeutic use of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major component of green tea, in reducing the number of leukemia cells in patients with CLL.

"Although only a comparative phase III trial can determine whether EGCG can delay progression of CLL, the benefits we have seen in most CLL patients who use the chemical suggest that it has modest clinical activity and may be useful for stabilizing this form of leukemia, potentially slowing it down," says Tait Shanafelt, M.D., a Mayo Clinic hematologist and lead author of the study.

"These studies advance the notion that a nutraceutical like EGCG can and should be studied as cancer preventives," says Neil Kay, M.D., a hematology researcher whose laboratory first tested the green tea extract in leukemic blood cells from CLL patients. "Using nontoxic chemicals to push back cancer growth to delay the need for toxic therapies is a worthy goal in oncology research -- particularly for forms of cancer initially managed by observation such as CLL."

Dr. Shanafelt and Kay did caution that EGCG should never be considered a substitute for chemotherapy. It is important to note that all patients Mayo tested were early stage, asymptomatic CLL patients who would not otherwise be treated until their disease progressed.

CLL is a type of blood cancer that fits between leukemia and lymphoma. When the amount of leukemia cells in the blood and bone marrow increase, as well as when the lymph nodes enlarge, the disease is said to have progressed. 69 percent of CLL patients had a biological response to EGCG as evidenced by a 20 percent or greater sustained reduction in blood lymphocyte count and/or a 50 percent or greater reduction in lymph node size, the researchers say.

"All in all, the treatment was well tolerated with very mild side effects in most patients," Dr. Shanafelt says.

"Without a phase III clinical trial, we cannot make a recommendation that EGCG be used by CLL patients, but those who want to take supplements should consult with their oncologists and need to receive appropriate monitoring using laboratory tests," Dr. Kay says.

 Go Go Goji berry!

                The goji berry, lycium barbarum,  is a superfruit native to the southeastern parts of Europe and Asia. Other common names are “the Duke of Argyll’s Tea Tree”, because The Duke of Argyll introduced the plant into the United Kingdom in the 1730s, and “matrimony vine.” Goji berries are also commonly referred to as wolfberries, although the origin of the name wolfberry is unknown. However, a popular theory is that the name resulted from confusion over the genus name, which resembles “lycos”, the Greek word for wolf.

                Wolfberries contain many nutrients and phytochemicals including:

• 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals
• 18 amino acids
• 6 vitamins
• 8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
• 5 unsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
• beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
• 5 carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, a xanthophyll
• numerous phenolic pigments associated with antioxidant properties

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine completed a randomized, placebo-controlled study, double-blind clinical trial that found consuming goji berry juice for two weeks increased feelings of general well-being and improved gastrointestinal functions. According to the study, the people who consumed the juice for two weeks reported an increase in feelings of energy levels, quality of sleep, mental acuity, calmness, and feelings of content.

A recent study at the Fudan University in Shanghai, China, found that when goji berry polysaccharides were given to laboratory animals with DNA damage and non-insulin dependent diabetes, the animals showed a decrease in blood glucose levels and an increase in serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD)—an important antioxidant. Additionally, goji berry possibly decreased DNA damage by decreasing oxidative stress levels; leading the researchers to theorize that goji berry extract supplementation may prevent the development of complications or even the tendency for diabetic animals to develop other health problems.

In another recent study at the University of Hong Kong, researchers theorized that since  goji berry extract has anti-aging effects, it probably also has neuroprotective effects against toxins in neurodegenerative diseases, namely Alzheimer’s disease. They were right. Goji berry extract protected the brain neurons of laboratory animals from the toxic effects of beta amyloid protein—a culprit in Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers concluded that studies on anti-aging herbal medicine like goji berry might open up a new therapeutic window for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Department of Hygiene at Hubei Medical University completed a study that used a purified  component of lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP-X), which was isolated from lycium barbarum. Different doses of the component were tested on mice. The results showed that "LBP-X induced a remarkable adaptability to exercise load, enhanced resistance and accelerated elimination of fatigue." It was found that the polysaccharide significantly enhanced muscle performance, enabling muscles to recover more quickly after strenuous activity and perform better all around.

The goji berry has shown that a tiny fruit can pack a wide arsenal of nutritious weapons. It just so happens to be one of the Phyto 8 that is packed into a serving of BAZI.

Go goji for your health.

Most us drink soda because of how crisp and refreshing the gaseous liquid makes us feel. However, when we actually break down what happens to our bodies after guzzling a soda, I’m sure most of us will be having a change of heart.

After downing a can of soda, approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar hit our systems. Normally, having 100% of our daily intake of sugar all at once is enough to make a person vomit. However, the phosphoric acid cuts down the overwhelming sweetness and allows us to keep the sugar safely tucked in our bodies.

The next thing that happens is our body’s blood sugar spikes so high that it causes an insulin burst. Our liver’s quick response is to turn any sugar it gets its hands on into fat.

As the caffeine absorption completes, our liver dumps more sugar into the bloodstream because of a rise in blood pressure. Your brain’s adenosine receptors are now blocked, which in turn prevents drowsiness. Yay!

Our body’s dopamine production increases, which stimulates the pleasure centers of our brain. Yay, again! Fun fact, heroin physically works the same way!

The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium, and zinc in your lower intestine, which boosts our metabolism. The caffeine’s diuretic properties start working and pretty soon we are peeing away the bonded calcium, magnesium, and zinc that was supposed to be for our bones. We’ll also evacuate sodium, electrolytes, and water as well.

The last thing left to do is have a sugar crash. And so the cycle of the soda is complete. For more information click here.

Please welcome the newest BAZI powered athlete AMA Pro Bike Racer Josh Galster!  This is his third AMA Pro season and we’re stoked to follow Josh as he tears it up on the track!

Josh Galster is a WERA and MRA multi-class Champion, a graduate of Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, and carries himself with enthusiasm and a professionalism that is well regarded in the industry.

Josh won three of his five races at High Plains Raceway recently and had this to say about BAZI:

"Nutrition and training are vital parts of being a professional athlete, and BAZI gives me the vitamins and minerals I need for day-to-day performance. At the track, I take the BAZI shots before my races to get that boost of energy I need right at the start of the race when the starting lights go out and all the riders barrel down to turn 1."

Check out some great photos of Josh in his album on our Facebook page. 

Vitamin D has long been considered the “go to” vitamin for fighting depression. However, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that for every 10 mg increase in B6 and every 10 mcg increase in B12 decreases the risk of developing symptoms of depression by 2 percent a year. While this number sounds small, over time they can add up quite quickly.

Researchers obtained dietary and vitamin intake information from 3,500 men and women, all 65 years of age or older. They used a clinical depression questionnaire to obtain data on the participants’ state of mind, including depression symptoms. The participants were followed for over 7 years to see how their dietary and supplement habits affected their mental behavior.

The participants who had increase intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 were much less likely to experience depression. “Our results support the hypotheses that high total intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 are protective of depressive symptoms over time in community-residing older adults,” the researchers said.

Vitamin B12 is believed to prevent the buildup of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with depression. Increased levels of homocysteine have also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Inositol, a member of the vitamin B family, and present in BAZI, has been found effective against both depression and panic attacks. Inositol is also believed to work by increasing brain cell communication and enhancing neurotransmitter activity.

It is important to make sure that you take safe levels of vitamin B. Each serving of BAZI contains 25% of the recommended daily allowance of B12 40% of the RDA of B6. This is in stark contrast to 5 Hour Energy Drinks that has 8333% of the RDA of B12 and 2000% of the RDA of B6. 5 Hour Energy’s website even has a disclaimer clarifying that their consumers might experience niacin flushes due to too much vitamin B3. BAZI contains only 30% of the RDA of vitamin B3. Sometimes less is better.

Vitamin B research shows promise for a healthier alternative to combating depression other than anti-depressants. Some side effects of anti-depressants are depression and suicidal thoughts. Some side effects of vitamin B are healthy hearts and healthy skin. As we age, our digestive tract is less efficient in absorbing B12 from the food we eat. That fact is another reason why it is important to supplement the vitamin.

The sooner you start supplementing your B vitamins, the sooner you will start decreasing your odds against depression in your later years! Be proactive and drink BAZI for your health!

A new Canadian report is warning against the dangers of energy drinks. Editors at the Canadian Medical Associated Journal are voicing their concerns over the heavy use of highly caffeinated energy drinks among kids and teens.

The editors are arguing that the energy drinks have crossed the line from beverages to drugs. Some energy drinks contain the caffeine amount of 10 cans of cola. The high concentrations of caffeine in kids are a major cause for concern since too much caffeine can cause nervousness, irritability, rapid heart rate, and sleeplessness.

Health Canada is being called on to ban energy drink companies from targeting children and teens. Health Canada currently recommends that children under 12 years of age should not exceed more than 85 mg of caffeine per day. Some energy drinks have 500 mgs of caffeine.

BAZI contains only 80 mg of caffeine per serving, about half a cup of coffee, which is well within the recommended daily allowance. For more information on this study click here.