Jonathan Kantrowitz

I am going to start taking L-glutamine. Here’s why:

My father died from complications from ulcer surgery. He was only 65. His father died from a stroke age 65 as well. I am now 64. I will regard every year beyond 65 as a precious gift.

My father suffered from ulcers his whole life. He was often in intense pain. There was no known cure. He ate almost nothing but eggs and dairy products to soothe his stomach, and was very overweight as a result. He suffered a heart attack, which went undiscovered – just more ulcer pain I guess, and contracted diabetes.

Tragically, not long after he passed away, it was discovered that bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori were responsible for stomach ulcers. Since then, antibiotics have become the primary therapy used to combat the H. pylori infection. He could have been easily cured.

But today the bacteria is growing increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

Now a study led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrates that the amino acid glutamine, found in many foods as well as in dietary supplements, may prove beneficial in offsetting gastric damage caused by H. pylori infection. Reported in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition., the findings offer the possibility of an alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of stomach ulcers.

“Our findings suggest that extra glutamine in the diet could protect against gastric damage caused by H. pylori,” says senior author Susan Hagen, PhD, Associate Director of Research in the Department of Surgery at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. “Gastric damage develops when the bacteria weakens the stomach’s protective mucous coating, damages cells and elicits a robust immune response that is ineffective at ridding the infection.” Eventually, she notes, years of infection result in a combination of persistent gastritis, cell damage and an environment conducive to cancer development.

Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid naturally found in certain foods, including beef, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products and some fruits and vegetables. L-glutamine – the biologically active isomer of glutamine – is widely used as a dietary supplement by body builders to increase muscle mass.

There are a couple of strange Democratic challenges to Chris Dodd in the offing – one from an old friend of mine, Roger Pearson, that is almost certainly going nowhere, and one from one Merrick Alpert, that seems to be out of nowhere.

It would be interesting to see a challenge to Dodd from the left. There are a lot of interesting national issues to be debated from a left-wing perspective – single payer health care, continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, unconditional support of Israel, Guantanomo, banking and finance reforms, public campaign finance, popular vote vs. electoral college, gay marriage – the list goes on and on.

Raising these issues could at least make Dodd pay more attention to them, could affect the national debate as we in Connecticut well know, and could make Dodd look more centrist for the general election, which could only help him.

Unfortunately all candidacies are judged by the amount of money they can raise, or contribute to the campaign themselves, so no under-funded challenger on the left is likely to be taken seriously, or any attention paid whatsoever.

Moreover, challenging Dodd unsuccessfully is probably committing poltical suicide in terms of any future in the Democratic party.

Despite published reports to the contrary, Jim Amann is apparently still in the Governor’s race – not that you would know it from recent activity on his website .

(Google “Amann Governor” – this comes up first. I love it!)

His only upcoming events are April 16th and April 28th – then after a month of inactivity his press person puts out 3 newsreleases in 3 days ( or 2 – the link to 1 isn’t working.

Sometimes I wish my cholesterol were higher. Then I could take a statin.

Lifestyle changes can lower cholesterol by up to 15 percent, but statins may reduce it by up to 50 percent with few side effects,

If I took a statin I could eat all the eggs and cheese I want (and Egg McMuffins!).

Statins have a wide variety of other apparent benefits:

- fighting dementia
- slowing the decline in lung function

- improving kidney function

- fighting liver cancer
- fighting gall bladder disease

- fighting prostate cancer
- fighting an enlarged prostate
- fighting ED

Maybe I should just go ahead and try to get a prescription anyhow?

Lamont, Blumenthal, Fuchs

All of these men would love to be Connecticut’s next Senator. None will challenge Chris Dodd in a primary – but at least one will jump in if Dodd drops out – a remote possibility being discussed by Dodd himself.

Lamont and Blumenthal both would love to run against Joe Lieberman in 2012, but Lamont may opt for a run for governor next year instead.

Answer to yesterdays quiz:

Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of the State

FOR GOVERNOR

Who is she?

What is her current position? Be exact:

Extra credit if you can spell her name correctly. (No cheating)

Answers tomorrow

Jonathan Kantrowitz › Tools — WordPress.

Lieberman, Dodd and Simmons

For Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID), there was never a question about whether he would support fellow Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) for re-election in 2010.

“I told Sen. Dodd I’d do anything I could to help him,” Lieberman recently told Roll Call. “He’s a wonderful public servant and deserves to be re-elected, and I’m going to help him.”

Will Joe help Chris with this endorsement? Will he help himself? Roll Call (source of all the quotes) thinks so: Dodd, Lieberman Enjoy Symbiotic Relationship

So does John Droney:

Lieberman’s endorsement comes as Dodd faces what is certain to be the toughest re-election of his nearly 30-year Senate career, as public polls have showed him trailing his likely Republican opponent. While his unequivocal support for Dodd is not surprising, Lieberman’s endorsement is also construed as a shrewd political calculation to get back in the good graces of Democrats in the Senate and voters in his home state.

“It’s part of Joe’s comeback as far as with the Democrats, there’s no question about that,” said John Droney, a former Connecticut Democratic Party chairman. “But even if it didn’t help him with Democrats, he would do it. That’s just the kind of guy Joe is…”

Droney said Lieberman’s support for Dodd will help him with many moderate Democrats in the state.

“I think this Dodd thing is a big first step of coming back home,” added Droney, who supported Lieberman in his 2006 race but has worked for both Senators.

And Chris has certainly helped Joe

For Lieberman, this could also be a chance to return the favor. Most recently, Dodd lobbied Democratic leaders to allow Lieberman to retain his Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs gavel for this Congress, despite campaigning for McCain last fall.

“Dodd was an important advocate for Lieberman and that counted for a lot, both in terms of the impact it had within the caucus and in terms of their relationship,” said a source close to Lieberman, who declined to speak on the record.

But some don’t think it will help Joe much:

“From afar, it may look like this helps him with Democrats in Connecticut,” the Lieberman aide said. “But the ill will is so far deep with Democrats in Connecticut, this is minimal.”

The head of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, John Olsen, said Lieberman’s relations with the Democratic base in the state are still strained, mostly because of his support for McCain last year.

“There’s a lot of anger from some party people who felt that from the standpoint of Connecticut, he had a popularity and he had a very negative impact on the country,” Olsen said.

A former state party chairman, Olsen supported Lieberman throughout his entire 2006 re-election bid…

Other Democrats in the state claim it’s “past the point of no return” for Lieberman and his party — and the feeling is likely mutual.

And Rob chimes in:

“My guess is that here in Connecticut, he has some issues with his own party,” Simmons said. “He didn’t get their nomination. Some years and a careful reading of the polls suggest he may not get their nomination again, even if he comes out strongly in support of Chris Dodd.”

My take: nothing will help Joe in Connecticut, and a close relationship with Joe will do Chris more harm than good.

I eat lots of broccoli, mostly cooked. (I had some for lunch today.) I need to eat more raw broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower and cabbage, or cooked broccoli with tomato sauce, or both. Here’s why:

1. UCLA researchers have found that a chemical in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may hold a key to restoring the body’s immunity, which declines as we age.

2. Three or more servings a month of raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, may reduce bladder cancer risk by approximately 40 percent, overall.

3. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower fight breast cancer. Studies by other researchers have suggested cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of lung, stomach, colorectal and bladder cancers.

4. Worried about prostate cancer? Tomato-broccoli combo shown to be effective preventive.

5. Broccoli may help protect against respiratory conditions like asthma.

6. Compounds extracted from green vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage could be a potent drug against melanoma.

7. Eating two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts daily for two months may confer some protection against a rampant stomach bug that causes gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer.