Since we are in the beginning of a brand new year, I think it will be fun to start the year off with an Original Limu contest…or should I say lottery.  The prize will be one unopened bottle of Original Limu delivered to your doorstep absolutley free.  So, if you have always wanted to try the product but have been a little skepticle, here is your chance.

To enter this lottery you do not have to buy a ticket, all you have to do is submit a comment to this post explaining what you plan to do this year to live a more healthy life.  The lottery will run until Wednesday, January 31st at midnight, at which time I will select a winner at random from the submitted comments.  The winner will be announced on this blog, and also notified via email.  The only requirement that must be met in order for the lottery to take place is that I must receive 100 submissions before February 1st.

So what do you have to loose?  Take a few moments to share what you plan to do to become more healthy, and you will be entered for a chance to win.  Good Luck!!

Study of fucoidan’s anti-viral and anti-bacterial activity could also mean it has therapeutic value for preventing heart disease by bolstering immunity.  If, as some research suggests, C-reactive protein (CRP) is elevated from viral or bacterial activity, prevention of such an invasion could enhance our ability to lower our cardiovascular disease risk. 

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are assessing whether there is a possible connection between Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria known to cause stomach ulcers.  The bacterial infection is thought to be a precursor to gastric cancer and heart disease.  The study, which will look at H. pylori and the incidence of heart disease in African-Americans, should have implications for the population at large.

Scientists have found that fucoidan inhibits the adhesion of H. pylori in the gut, again, giving it a potential role in cardiovascular-disease prevention.  In studies, fucoidan’s anti-viral activity was shown to be effective against herpes simplex and HIV.

Here is a list of nutrients found in Limu…

Saccharides – Glyconutrients (Essential Sugars)

• Alginic Acid
• Fucoidan
• Galactose
• L-Fuctose
• Mannose
• Sulfate
• Uronic Acid
• Xylose

Amino Acids

• Alanine
• Arginine
• Asparagine
• Aspartic Acid
• Cysteine
• Glutamic Acid
• Glutamine
• Glycine
• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Proline
• Serine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Tyrosine
• Valine

Sterols

• 24-Methylene Cholesterol
• Fuco-sterol

Minerals

• Boron
• Calcium
• Chlorides
• Chromium
• Copper
• Iodine
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Sodium
• Zinc

Vitamins

• A
• B1 (Thiamin)
• B2 (Riboflavin)
• B3 (Niacin)
• B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
• B6
• B12
• B9 (Folic Acid)
• Beta Carotene
• C
• D
• E

Here is a tidbit of information I found…enjoy… 

Limu contains no less than 77 elements, including vitamins C and E and several B vitamins, selenium, beta-carotene, protein, iodine, calcium, and iron.  But the key nutrient of limu attracting the most attention is the glyconutrient fucoidan, which, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, consists of these elements – alpha (1,2) or alpha (1,3) 4-0 sulfated-L-fuctose, galactose, xylose and glucoronic acid.  Other names often used synonymously with fucoidan are fucans and fucoidans.

Fucoidan, which was first isolated from brown algae in 1913, is the subject of more that 650 scientific investigations.  Scientists are looking at its potential use in a number of treatment areas, including those for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, virology, immunology, inflammation and arthritis, bacterial and fungal infections, ulcers, burns and wounds, fibromyalgia, high cholesterol and others.

One of the most exciting areas in fucoidan research is a human clinical trial slated to begin in December 2006 assessing a fucoidan-based product that will be used as an anti-HIV microbicide.  A news release on the trial states, “This product will be designed to augment existing treatments, and provide a nontoxic, controlled method of reducing HIV levels in the gut and serum.”

The treatment will be designed for adjunctive use with existing HIV therapy.  University of South Carolina researchers will undertake the trial with the results expected in November 2007.  “USC’s initial studies, utilizing whole Undaria pinnatfida [a native Japanese kelp cultivated for human consumption] demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing serum HIV levels and boosting the CD4 count in human treatment-naive HIV patients.  The new study will aim to capitalize on these initial positive findings and provide data to support the progression of a formulated fucoidan microbicide into clinical studies.”