USDA Awards $9 Million to Promote Fresh Fruit & Vegetables in Schools

Up from $6 million in 2002, 225 schools in eight states will participate in a program to promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption.

Steve - This is wonderful! Oh, but when you consider that Dairy receives $254 million and Milk $100 million for promotion, you realize it's just a spit in the bucket. It seems like they should be ponying up for more considering fruits and vegetables are supposed to be the "darlings" of 2005 MyPyramid.

Chronic pain is poorly managed

A fifth of adults in Europe have moderate to severe chronic pain, and in many cases their symptoms are inadequately managed, says a recent study.

Only one in 50 cases are managed by a pain specialist, and a third of patients are not currently being treated, says the study in the European Journal of Pain, published online on 10 August.

"We have documented that chronic pain is a major health care problem in Europe," wrote the authors, from the University of Oslo, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and Mundipharma International, Cambridge. "This needs to be taken more seriously by health care providers and those responsible for health care policies and allocations of resources."

British Medical Journal 2005;331:476 (3 September)

Steve - Timely? The numbers are higher in the United States. It just so happens that we just published The Pain Relief Diet at nutritionalconcepts.com.

Bonnie's Back to School Tips

Here are a few reminders to keep your children healthy and focused:

• reduce sugar intake - sugar is the number one contributor to reduced immunity to viruses and bacteria

• supplement with cod liver oil - vitamins A & D are essential to immunity and exist in ideally bioavailable form in cod liver; no sunshine in fall and winter means little vitamin D; 1/2 - 1 tsp. daily is suggested

• adequate sleep - this is crucial for your child's immunity and focus; between 9-12 hours for young children through teen

• probiotic supplementation - balanced gut ecology is essential for fighting bacteria and viruses, and healthy neurological function; healthy flora is usually deficient in most of us; supplementing with a high quality acidophilus/bifidus probiotic is suggested

• be selective with carbohydrates - instead of loading up on grain carbs, make your child's carbs fruit and veggie-heavy; fruit juice does not count (not much better than soda pop) because it is absorbed like pure sugar

• magnesium - if extra support is needed for focus or hyperactivity, there is nothing better than "nature's valium"; a glycinate form is suggested to reduce potential intestinal disturbance, which is the only side effect of magnesium
  

• practice clean hygiene - make sure your children wash their hands after going to the restroom and before meals; try to disuade them from putting their fingers in their mouth, nose, or rubbing their eyes

• immunizations - two days before and after injections, give your child 500mg. extra vitamin C and 10-15 mg. of zinc

• athletics - if your child is playing a sport several times weekly, make sure you are supplementing them with extra calories and proper nutrients, especially electolytes like magnesium and potassium

Good luck! Bonnie

Pomegranate extract could slow cartilage loss in arthritis

Pomegranate fruit extracts have been shown to block enzymes that contribute to cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis, a condition that currently has little perspective for treatment.

A team from the Case Western Reserve University found that a water extract of pomegranate fruit inhibited stimulation of certain enzymes in human cartilage cells affected by osteoarthritis.

Production of these enzymes, matrix metalloproteases, is speeded up by the pro-inflammatory protein interleukin-1b (IL-1b) during osteoarthritis, leading to cartilage degradation and damage to joints.

Writing in this month’s issue of the Journal of Nutrition, Tariq M. Haqqi and colleagues said the findings suggest that consumption of pomegranate fruit extract “may help in protecting cartilage from the effects of IL-1b by suppressing cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis”.

Further research will be needed to determine the absorption rate of pomegranate fruit extracts in the joints and to confirm in animals whether the fruit extract promotes cartilage repair.

Extra-virgin olive oil anti-inflammatory-scientists

Scientists have just found out what gourmets have always known -- that there is something special about fresh extra-virgin olive oil.

A tasting experience at a molecular gastronomy meeting in Sicily led University of Pennsylvania biologist Gary Beauchamp to analyze freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil, in which he found a chemical that acted like ibuprofen.

He and his team named their discovery oleocanthal and found that, although it has a different chemistry, its effect is similar to that of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound in the commercial pain-killer, they wrote in the science journal Nature.

The discovery is significant because scientists believe to an increasing extent that inflammation plays an important part in a variety of chronic diseases like stroke, heart disease, and breast and lung cancer.

"Our findings raise the possibility that long-term consumption of oleocanthal may help to protect against some diseases," they wrote.

It may also go some way to explaining the health benefits long attributed to the olive-oil rich Mediterranean diet.

Reuters 8/31/05

Steve - Whoah! We're on a roll. It just so happens that we are launching "The Pain Relief Diet" Action Plan in a few days, in which olive oil plays a major role.

Many couples unfit for pregnancy

Many couples do not ensure they are in the best physical condition to conceive, a survey suggests.

A poll of 2,000 women in the UK by Pregnancy & Birth magazine found two-thirds drink alcohol and four in 10 smoke while trying for a baby.

Only 44% of women hoping to conceive said they tried to eat a healthy diet.

Experts said it was important couples were educated how health could affect their fertility and that most would subsequently follow medical advice.

Most of the women surveyed were readers of the magazine and were either pregnant or trying to conceive.

The average age of those who responded was 29.

While trying to conceive, 68% of all women said they continued to drink alcohol and two out of 10 admitted they drank "far too much".

Of the 49% who were smokers, only 26% gave up the habit. Of the 47% of male partners who smoked, only 23% gave up.

Unhealthy lifestyles

A third of the women and their male partners trying to conceive were overweight, according to the responses.

Three out of 10 couples trying to conceive reported taking recreational drugs.

Many said it had never occurred to them that they might have problems conceiving.

One in seven couples in the UK today already have fertility problems caused by a combination of factors - women delaying motherhood, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, a huge increase in obesity which can interfere with ovulation and a possible decline in male fertility.

The editor added: "People need to realise the way they live has a direct effect on their fertility.

Steve - Serendipity? We just came out with our Natural Fertility Action Plan in the mid-August. Not serendipity, just a response to what he have been seeing in our practice and worldwide.

Anti-depressant pregnancy concern

Use of a type of anti-depressant medication during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects such as cleft palate, research suggests.

Danish and US scientists found use of SSRIs in the first three months of pregnancy was linked to a 40% increased risk - but the results are preliminary.

Cardiac defects appeared to be 60% more likely when the women used SSRIs.

But the researchers stress the results, featured in Pulse magazine, do not mean women should stop taking the drugs.

The findings were presented an International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology conference.

Their use during pregnancy was linked to withdrawal symptoms in newborn babies in a study published in The Lancet earlier this year.

And doctors have been told not to prescribe them to children because of an increased risk of suicide.

In the latest study, focusing on 1,054 women who took SSRIs during pregnancy, scientists also found that use of the drugs late in pregnacy was associated with a 40% increased risk of premature birth.

And a second study of 377 cases of persistent pulmonary hypertension in babies found SSRI use late in pregnancy was linked a 5.5-fold increased risk.

"As with all medicines, antidepressants should only be taken in pregnancy if the expected benefit to the mother is thought to be greater than the risk to the foetus, and all drugs should be avoided in the first trimester if possible.

"People taking antidepressants should not stop them without seeking medical advice."

Study says coffee delivers more health benefits than fruit and veg

I wonder if "Big Coffee" funded this study! Coffee does pack a punch of certain antioxidants, and in moderation is okay (except for those with excess inflammation, salicylate sensitivity, allergies, excess acidity, digestive issues...you get the pitcure). We must look harder at studies that are grossly generalized as a press release.

Coffee for some is poison. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables are wonderful for most, and poison for virtually no one.

Steve

Protein-rich diet boosts benefit of exercise

People following advice to cut calories and increase physical activity to lose weight will see greater benefits if their diet is rich in protein, reveals a new study.

The trial on almost 50 overweight women confirms previous studies showing that a high-protein diet can lead to greater fat loss than a low-calorie, high carbohydrate diet.

But the researchers from the University of Illinois have also demonstrated that when both regimes are combined with an exercise programme, the protein-rich diet is still more effective at reducing body fat.

"There's an additive, interactive effect when a protein-rich diet is combined with exercise. The two work together to correct body composition; dieters lose more weight, and they lose fat, not muscle," said author Donald Layman, professor of food science and human nutrition.

Layman’s team recruited 48 women aged around 46 years old with a body mass index of 33 kg/m(2) during weight loss.

Half the women ate a protein-rich diet containing specific levels of leucine, one of the essential amino acids, for four months. The others followed a diet based on the US food guide pyramid, which contained higher amounts of carbohydrates.

Both groups consumed the same number of calories, but the first group substituted protein foods, like meat, dairy products, eggs, and nuts, for foods high in carbohydrates, such as breads, rice, cereal, pasta, and potatoes.

High-protein diets have been controversial as they counter the accepted weight-loss diet and there is little information on their impact on health over the long-term. But recent studies suggest that they may indeed work better than low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diets by increasing satiety and reducing fat mass.

In the current study, published in the August issue of the Journal of Nutrition (vol 135, issue 8, pp1903-10), the subjects were also required to follow one of two different exercise programmes. The first involved walking two to three times a week, while the second group included five 30-minute walking sessions and two 30-minute weightlifting sessions per week.

In both groups of dieters, the exercise helped spare lean muscle tissue and target fat loss. But, the protein-rich, high-exercise group, lost even more weight, and almost 100 per cent of the weight loss was fat, report the researchers.

In the high-carbohydrate, high-exercise group, however, as much as 25 to 30 per cent of the weight lost was muscle.

The protein-rich diet seems to be even more effective for people at higher risk of heart disease.

"The protein-rich diet dramatically lowered triglycerides and had a statistically significant effect on trunk fat, both risk factors associated with heart disease," said Layman.

"Exercise helped dieters lose an even greater percentage of body fat from the abdominal area."

The protein-rich diet is thought to work well because it contains a high level of leucine. The amino acid works with insulin to stimulate protein synthesis in muscle.

"The diet works because the extra protein reduces muscle loss while the low-carbohydrate component gives you low insulin, allowing you to burn fat," explained Layman.

Health Agency Tightens Rules Governing Federal Scientists

After accusations that some government scientists used their official positions for private gain, the National Institutes of Health announced rules on Thursday that ban its scientists from consulting for drug companies.

The rules are being issued after disclosures that scientists at the institutes leveraged their positions to land lucrative consulting contracts that seemed to conflict with their official duties or at least overlap with them. Those contracts caused some critics to worry that research by the agency could be tainted.

An investigation by the agency concluded that 44 of its 1,200 senior scientists appeared to have violated rules governing consulting and that 9 might have violated criminal laws.

Under the final rules, the top 200 executives will be required to keep the value of their holdings in any single drug company below $15,000. Some 6,000 other employees will have to submit for review their holdings in such companies. If the holdings are determined to conflict with official responsibilities, the employees will be asked to sell these shares, officials said.

Agency scientists will also be allowed to hold fiduciary positions in medical societies as part of their lives outside the agency, a practice that the earlier proposed rules would have banned.

"These rules by no means end the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on N.I.H. employees," said Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of the health research group at Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group.

Dr. Wolfe noted that the new rules let employees deliver medical education lectures paid for by drug companies. Although no strings are supposed to be attached to the financing, Dr. Wolfe noted that scientists who disagreed with the positions of the drug industry were rarely invited to give such lectures.

The rules go into effect on Tuesday. Officials will have to divest their stock portfolios by Jan. 30. Dr. Zerhouni said he intended to re-examine the new rules in a year to make sure they have not had negative effects on the agency's ability to recruit top scientists.

Courtesy of the NY Times

Steve - To be continued...?

Group Says Grill Once in a While

According to a new analysis by nutrition scientists with The Cancer Project, certain foods contain high levels of cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs). HCAs are potent carcinogens produced during grilling from the creatine, amino acids, and sugars found naturally in chicken and other meats. In January 2005, the federal government added HCAs to its list of known carcinogens.

Grilled chicken contains the highest HCA concentration, with alarmingly high levels also found in flame-cooked steak, salmon, and hamburger. The Cancer Project report focuses on HCAs, but many grilled meats, including hotdogs, contain other carcinogens such as nitrates.

Chicken breast, skinless, boneless, grilled, well done
Steak, grilled, well done
Pork, barbecued
Salmon, grilled with skin
Hamburger, grilled, well done

Painkillers can cause fatal stomach bleeding

Reuters - Approximately one third of all hospitalizations and deaths related to gastrointestinal bleeding can be attributed to the use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) painkillers like ibuprofen, a study in Spain suggests.

Moreover, up to one third of these painkiller-related incidents may be due to low-dose aspirin.

Dr. Angel Lanas, at University Hospital in Zaragoza, and his associates evaluated data from 26 Spanish hospitals on hospitalizations related to peptic-ulcer disease or complications such as bleeding or perforation, as well as drug use during the month prior to hospitalization.

A total of 8010 serious gastrointestinal bleeding events were reported, and among these, the mortality rate was 5.7 percent.

The authors report that the proportion of complications and deaths attributed to NSAID and aspirin use was 36.3 percent. They also note that nearly 90 percent of deaths occurred in patients older than 60 years of age.

To extrapolate the impact of aspirin and NSAID use on the general population of Spain, Lanas' group obtained data from 197 hospitals representative of all the hospitals in the Spanish National Health System.

Their results suggest that the death rate resulting from NSAID- or aspirin-related gastrointestinal complications was between 21 and 25 cases per million inhabitants. This translates to about 15 such deaths for every 100,000 users of aspirin or NSAIDs.

According to the authors, these results highlight "the importance of taking ever-greater steps to research new and better alternatives to treat pain and inflammation in the elderly, to heighten physician and public awareness of the associated problems of NSAID therapy, and to educate them on the use of appropriate prevention strategies."

Dr. Byron Cryer, from the Dallas VA Medical Center, agrees with this conclusion. He writes in a related editorial: "Although clinically significant gastrointestinal events with NSAIDs are uncommon, as a result of the vast numbers of patients who take these medications, when assessed by percentages these complications remain a significant public health concern."

SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, August 2005.

Report Shows Obesity Growing

Steve - I think the most amazing statistic of the Trust for America's Health report, based on figures from the US government's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is the rise in states that consider more than 20% of their population to be obese. In 1985 it was none; 2005 it is 40.

Canada Reinstates Attention-Deficit Drug

An attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug that was forced off the market last February by Canadian Health officials is being reinstated, the drug's maker, Shire Pharmaceuticals, announced Wednesday.

Adderall XR will be reinstated on the Canadian market effective this Friday, but it will take a bit longer before the drug is available again across the country, company spokesperson Matt Cabrey said in an interview.

The reversal of the federal regulator's decision comes after a panel of experts — called a new drug committee — reviewed the safety data on the drug. Shire triggered the review by in effect appealing Health Canada's decision to remove the drug from the market.

"The NDC (new drug committee) came to the conclusion that there was not enough evidence of an increased harm from Adderall compared to other therapies available," said Health Canada spokesperson Jirina Vlk.

"The benefits of treating ADHD has to be balanced with the known harms of this class of drugs."

Health Canada pulled Adderall XR, a once-a-day treatment for ADHD, off the market on Feb. 9 after learning from the company of 20 cases of sudden death and 12 of stroke in people using the drug. None of those cases occurred in Canada.

Fourteen of the sudden deaths and two of the strokes were in children. A number of the cases involved children with structural heart defects.

Steve - see our following March entry and we'll you decide what's going on here.

ADHD drug Adderral pulled in Canada -
The popular drug, which has been linked to 20 sudden deaths worldwide, mostly in children, was taken off the Canadian market Wednesday, sparking questions about whether kids in the USA should be using it.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory on its Web site saying that the rate of sudden death for children on Adderall XR is no higher than for those not on the drug. But children with heart defects could be at higher risk.

Parents are making decisions about stimulants such as Adderall XR with few facts, says Julie Magno Zito, an epidemiologist at the University of Maryland. There are no good long-term studies of such medicines, she says. Rare side effects of a drug won't surface in short studies unless they include a huge number of kids, such as in a national HMO, and that kind of study hasn't been done on Adderall XR, Zito says.

About 700,000 children in the USA take Adderall XR, a timed-release stimulant, and 300,000 use Adderall, a version that often needs to be taken more than once a day, according to Shire Pharmaceuticals Group PLC, maker of the drug.

Healthy eating, weight management benefit gums

Scientists are increasingly investigating the potential of certain foods and plant compounds shown to have a positive effect on oral health.

This week researchers from the Case Western Reserve University in the US who examined data from 12,110 individuals reported that those who exercised, had healthy eating habits and maintained a normal weight were 40 per cent less likely to develop periodontitis.

More than 30 per cent of the population is thought to suffer from periodontitis, an infection of the gums that can result in tooth loss, but also leads to heart disease, diabetes and pre-term labour.

The trial, published in the August issue of the Journal of Periodontology (vol 76, issue 8, pp1362-6), also showed that periodontis was reduced by 29 per cent for those individuals who only met two of the healthy behaviours and 16 percent in those that met at least one.

Courtesy of nutraingredients.com

Back to School Tip

As the weather cools and kids begin spending more time indoors, it is time to monitor your child's vitamin D intake. Whether by multivitamin or fortified food, adequate vitamin D ensures a healthy immune system and mental acuity. In addition, a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of high quality Cod Liver Oil daily is suggested.

Bonnie

Paxil suicide risk fears renewed

Further concerns have been raised about potential suicidal side effects of a commonly used antidepressant.

The drug Paxil or Seroxat (paroxetine) is already banned from use by adolescents because of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts.

In Biomed Central journal, University of Oslo scientists said analysis of existing studies suggested these warnings should be extended to adults.

GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the drug, said it had helped millions.

Paroxetine is one in a class of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

Last year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) Committee on Safety of Medicines concluded that a modest increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm for SSRIs could not be ruled out, but the benefits for adults outweighed the risks.

The studies included 916 patients on paroxetine and 550 patients on placebo.

There were no actual suicides in any of the studies. However, there were seven suicide attempts in the group on paroxetine, and only one in the placebo group.

Writing in Biomed Central, the team led by Dr Ivor Aursenes, said: "Patients and doctors should be warned that the increased suicidal activity observed in children and adolescents taking certain antidepressant drugs may well be present also in adults.

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline: "We take the safety of all our medicines extremely seriously and will, of course, review this study carefully when it becomes available."

Kraft No Longer Running Dairy-Weight Loss Advertising

Kraft Foods, Inc., has confirmed that it is no longer running advertisements suggesting that dairy products encourage weight loss. In response to Kraft's statement, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has dropped Kraft from a lawsuit that called the advertisements deceptive. In late June, PCRM filed suit against Kraft, General Mills, Dannon, McNeill Nutritionals, Lifeway Foods, the National Dairy Council, Dairy Management, Inc., and the International Dairy Foods Association charging that the heavily advertised claim that dairy products encourage weight loss is scientifically unsubstantiated. After the suit was filed, Kraft stated publicly and then confirmed in subsequent discussions with PCRM that it had no plans to restart them. Kraft, the only defendant who has entered into discussions with PCRM to date, is the first defendant dropped from the suit. The Illinois-based corporation-along with other major dairy associations and manufacturers-has been promoting increased dairy consumption as a weight-loss method since 2003.

One of Kraft's ads featured a giant block of cheese engraved with the words "Burn More Fat," and another featured an hourglass-shaped package of cheese. The company is updating language on its Web site related to dairy consumption and weight. The dairy industry's campaign has come under increased scrutiny from other health advocates and researchers.

PCRM's lawsuit maintains that scientific evidence contradicts the dairy industry's weight-loss claims. The only studies that support the claims were conducted by Michael Zemel, Ph.D., an industry-funded researcher at the University of Tennessee. Since 1998, Zemel has accepted nearly $1.7 million in research grants from the National Dairy Council. He has also patented his weight-loss program; consequently, advertisers pay Zemel to use his so-called "calcium key" weight-loss program.

Other researchers have not been able to confirm Zemel's findings. They have found that dairy products either have no effect on weight or cause weight gain.

Local PT launches website

Local Physical Therapist Judy Florendo just launched her website, florendopt.com. Florendo Phycial Therapy is located in downtown Chicago.

Humane Labels

For those of you concerned about treatment of farm animals? Then pretty soon you will see "certified humane" labels on menus and in supermarkets. It promises that the animals ate antibiotic- and hormone-free diets and were compassionately raised.

Proper Folate Supplementation

With all the positive research coming out lately about folate for dementia and alzheimer's prevention, I thought I'd remind you about how the folate cycle works. Folate must go through an enzymatic process before it can be absorbed: Folic Acid --> 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate --> L-5-methyltertrahydrofolate. Most of us only get the folic acid, either through supplementation or food-fortification.

Current research indicates that as much as 38% of the population experiences difficulty metabolizing folate due to genetic variation (references available upon request). For these individuals, supplementing with folic acid is virtually worthless. The only way to tell if you have a genetic polymorphism is to through genetic testing (C677T MTHFR gene), which is expensive. Another way to insure you are absorbing folate properly is to purchase a complete folate product that includes folic acid, 5, 10 methyl and L-5 methyl. Metagenics makes one called Actifolate.

Steve

Natural Fertility Action Plan

Our Natural Fertility Action Plan is now available at our website for $4.95.

Acupuncture Fares Well in Headache Experiment

A new study, using what the researchers said was an unusually large number of volunteers, has found evidence that acupuncture may alleviate tension headaches. The findings appear in the online version of the journal BMJ.

To test how well it actually works, the researchers sought out volunteers who reported having had tensions headaches for at least eight days a month in the previous three months.

They were divided into three groups. One received a traditional form of acupuncture. A second was given light needling away from the classic acupuncture points, the intention being to simulate acupuncture. Members of the third group were told that they were on a waiting list and given no treatment. (At the end of the experiment, they received acupuncture.)

Afterward, a review of the results for 270 patients found that those who received traditional acupuncture reported about seven fewer days with headaches in the month after treatment than in the month before.

Aspartame induces lymphomas and leukemias in rats

According to a study that appeared in the European Journal of Oncology, rats who had aspartame adminstered with their feed showed a statistaically significant increase of 62% in lymphomas and leukemias compared to those in the non-aspartame fed group. The researchers postulate that the increase in risk could be related to methanol, a metabolite of aspartame, which is metabolized to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, in both rats and humans. The carcogenicity of formaldehyde cannot be ignored as evaluated recently by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) showing strong evidence with leukemias in humans.

Steve - as for those who read this blog daily, you know that we hardly ever mention non-human studies. Although, in the case of aspartame, there are no human studies to show safety. The aforementioned statistics are sobering. If this does not spur on the world to do human trials on aspartame, the least we can do is avoid it like the plague!

Feds aren't subsidizing recommended foods

While the Dept of Agriculture says half your diet should be from fruits and vegetables, it does not subsidize the farmers who grow them. Instead, half of all federal agriculture subsidies go to grain farmers.

Associated Press

Steve - it's nice to see the media is catching on. We stated this in our "MyPyramid: What the USDA Won't Tell You" piece several months ago. The prices of fruits and vegetables need to come down in order for the population to consume more of them. This will not happen unless subsidies are reallocated in their direction, as opposed to grains and dairy.

No link between sugar and obesity says Sugar Association

Steve - They are starting to get scared! With food manufacturers beginning to to trun their backs on sugar, the Sugar Association is pulling out all of the public relations stops. Just as the Dairy Council is promoting milk for weight loss, the Sugar Association is now trying to sell us on the fact that sugar does not promote obesity!

Vitamins, especially E, may slow cataract progression

Taking vitamin E supplements, as well as a higher intake of the B vitamins riboflavin and thiamine, could slow cataract progession, suggest US researchers.

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University published a study in the April issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology (123, pp517-526) that found women who reported supplementing their diets with vitamin E for 10 years or more had significantly less progression of cataract development after five years of follow-up.

A similar relative decrease in cataract progression was seen in women who reported higher intakes of two of the B vitamins, riboflavin and thiamin, when compared to women with lower intakes.

"Our results suggest that vitamin supplementation, particularly long-term use of vitamin E, may slow down cataract development," said lead scientist Paul Jacques.

Nutraingredients.com

Vegetarians, older folk advised to get enough B12

Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common than doctors once thought, and experts advise that those most at risk -- vegetarians and older adults -- be sure to take supplemental forms of the vitamin.

Vitamin B12 is essential for maintaining healthy nerve cells and red blood cells; a deficiency in the vitamin can cause symptoms ranging from the subtle, including fatigue and mild dizziness, to the more severe, including nerve damage, anemia and dementia.

It has become clear in recent years that B12 deficiency is a much more widespread problem, Komaroff noted in an interview with Reuters Health.

Unlike most vitamins, B12 occurs naturally only in animal products, including meat, poultry, fish and -- in lesser amounts -- eggs and dairy. Because of this, vegetarians and especially vegans -- who avoid all animal products, including dairy -- may have low stores of the vitamin.

The same is true of adults older than 50, as many have a thinning in the stomach lining that prevents the proper release of digestive acids. Stomach acids, Komaroff explained, are essential for "shaking loose" vitamin B12 from its food source, allowing it to be absorbed.

Research indicates that one-fifth of Americans older than 60 have low levels of B12 in their blood, according to the August issue of the Harvard Health Letter, which Komaroff edits.

It's important, Komaroff said, for vegetarians and older adults to get vitamin B12 through supplements, including multivitamins and fortified cereals. The crystalline form of B12 in pills and cereals is actually better absorbed than that found in animal products, and its absorption is not hindered by the lack of stomach acids in some older adults.

Vegetarian and vegan women who breastfeed should be especially careful to get enough vitamin B12, according to Komaroff. Deficiency in an infant can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system and serious developmental problems.

In general, women who breastfeed are advised to get 2.8 micrograms (g) of B12 per day, slightly more than the 2.4 g recommended for all adults.

Vitamins, particularly those formulated for vegetarians, often contain many times the recommended daily amount of B12. Though it's dangerous to take certain vitamins in such high doses, Komaroff noted, there is no evidence that excess B12 carries health risks.

Associated Press

Bonnie - For all of those physicians who wondered why I berated them for not giving my clients B-12 shots, now you know!

Nutrition has role in schizophrenia

Children born during China's 1959-61 famine were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia, confirming a link between nutritional deficiency and the mental illness, researchers have reported.

Schizophrenia afflicts roughly 1% of the global population and tends to run in families, but the incidence of the illness has been found to have doubled during famines in China and the Netherlands.

The Chinese findings mirrored those from an earlier study of schizophrenia rates among people born in the Netherlands during the "Dutch Hunger Winter" of 1944-45.

Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, writing in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., examined records from around the city of Wuhu in Anhui province, where the famine was acute and people starved to death in large numbers. The famine followed a season of bad weather and rural upheavals caused by the government's "Great Leap Forward."

Out of more than 600,000 births during the period studied, there were 4,600 schizophrenia cases. During the famine years, the birth rate declined 80% and the percentage of children who went on to develop schizophrenia rose from less than 1% to as high as 2.2%.

Study author Dr. David St. Clair wrote that "extreme stress" on prenatal development such as from a famine results in schizophrenia among those genetically predisposed to the illness. He cited a theory that the normally tightly regulated development of the brain can be disrupted by a nutritional deficiency.

LA Times

Probiotics for Ulcerative Colitis

Steve - While we have known this for years, the medical community is catching on. Researchers who published a study in the July issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology say the positive results with probiotics may provide an alternative treatment for people with ulcerative colitis. The fact that they say "may" is a huge step!

Folic acid linked to birth weight

Mothers-to-be with lower levels of the vitamin folate in their body during early pregnancy are more likely to have low weight babies, research suggests.

A team at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne studied nearly 1,000 women and their newborn babies.

Low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, including respiratory disorders and diabetes.

The research is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Women are already advised to take folic acid supplements if trying to conceive, and through the early weeks of pregnancy as the vitamin is known to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

But this is the first time the vitamin has been linked to birth weight.

BBCNews.com

Omega-6 Fatty Acids Cause Prostate Tumor Cell Growth

According to US Researchers, the rapid increase of omega-6 fatty acids in the western diet could have caused the rise in incidnce of prostate cancer in recent years. Published in the September issue of Carcinogenesis, researchers found that arachidonic acid, an omega-6, introduced to human prostate cells, increased inflammation and abnormal cell growth.

Steve - arachidonic acid is found primarily in fatty red meats and organ meats. The human body needs some arachidonic acid, but too much can be damaging. The higher your insulin levels, the more your body is stimulated to make arachidonic acid.

Osteoporosis Screenings a Marketing Juggernaut

According to an article written by Susan Kelleher of the Seattle Times, by targeting women in their 50s, manufacturers of drugs for osteoporsis have helped transform it from an underrecognized disease in elderly women into what some say is a disease affecting tens of millions. This was accomplished by:

1) Expanding the disease to include a new condition, osteopenia (or pre-osteoporosis), with boundaries so broad they include more than half of all women over 50.

2) Promoting osteopenia and osteoporosis directly to young, healthy women, telling them they are at risk and should consider taking bone strengthening drugs.

3) Define the conditions with readings from bone-density machines that the drug industry promoted, subsidized, and helped put in doctor's offices.

Many experts now say that the chances of your average healthy 50 year-old woman getting a fracture are very, very low. Although, this is the age group the drug makers are targeting.

Vick's VapoRub for Toenail Fungus?

Bonnie - There was a Health Q&A in th 7/31/05 Sun-Times saying that Vick's VapoRub is commonly used "off-label" as a treatment for toenail fungus. Considering the product contains camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol, it makes sense. A physician who recommends the remedy suggests cutting the toenail as short as possible, then covering it with a thin film of Vick's VapoRub twice daily for 4-8 weeks. Unless allergic to one of the ingredienets, it cannot hurt to try it.

Vitamin D levels low in almost all hip fracture patients

Nearly all hip fracture patients are deficient, sometimes severely, in vitamin D, researchers in Scotland reported this week.

Reviewing the cases of 548 patients over the age of 60 who were admitted at South Glasgow University Hospital during a four-year period, the researchers found that 97.8 per cent had vitamin D levels below normal.

In around a quarter of the group studied, levels were so low that they were "effectively unrecordable", said the authors in the online issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion.

In a second prospective study phase, the researchers looked at vitamin D levels among the first 50 patients admitted to the hospital with an osteoporosis fracture after November 2004.

More than 80 per cent had vitamin D levels below 70 nmol/L and 72 per cent had vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L.

Great Sun-Times Article on Sunday

Steve - Read the Controversy Section of Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times. There was a great piece called "We Are All Sick: Authors of New Book Say Big Drug Companies Are Inveting Disease and peddaling Fear to Convince Us to Pop Pills Like Candy." It really echoes much of what we are trying to tell people.

The book the article alludes to is From Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients by Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels.

The authors refer to an astonishing article published by Medical Marketing and Media from 2003 entield, "The Art of Branding a Condition." which you may be able to access with this URL: http://offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/Misc/MMM/Features/CONDITION.pdf

Fish Oil Beats Statin Drugs

Swiss researchers who reviewed 97 double-blind studies of the effectiveness of statins, two other pharmaceutcials, niacin, diet, and fish oil in preventing cardiac deaths found fish oil and statins to be the most effective. Fish oil reduced heart attacks 32% compared with 22% for statins. Fish oil cut overall deaths by 23% compared to 13% for statins.

Steve - Why such a disparity? As we've said before, fish oil reduces inflammation, which is the cause for more than 50% of all cardiac deaths. Statins reduce cholesterol, which make up a much smaller percentage of cardiac deaths. Fish oil also reduces triglycerides, normalizes vascular function, and thwarts clots.

Low-Cal Soft Drinks Pour on the Pounds

While diet soda consumption has increased consistently since the mid 90's, weight loss has decreased, right? Not really, according to a study presented at the American Diabetes Association last month. According to University of Texas at San Antonio researchers, of 600 persons ages 25 to 54 studied over an eight year span, those who drank diet sodas gained more weight than their counterparts who consumed regular soft drinks. Of the diet soft-drink consumers, approximately 54% consuming 1-2 cans per day became overweight or obese (33% in the regular soft-drink group) and 57% consuming two or more diet cans became overweight or obese (47% in the regular soft-drink group).

USA Weekend

Yoga May Help Minimize Weight Gain in Middle Age

Practicing yoga may be one way to prevent middle-aged spread, according to the findings of a new study.

Although the connection appears to be indirect, yoga practitioners are apparently able to avoid - or at least minimize - the one-pound-a-year of gained weight that most people endure between the ages of 45 and 55.

The researchers used data from more than 15,000 men and women ages 53 to 57, who reported their weight at age 45 and their current weight.

The subjects were also asked to report whether they engaged regularly in three specific recreational activities - walking, weight lifting, and yoga - and whether they participated in two broader categories of activity, moderate and strenuous exercise. The researchers assessed the diet of the study participants using a detailed food questionnaire.

Practicing yoga for 4 or more years, for at least 30 minutes once a week, was associated with a 3.1-pound lower weight gain among people who were normal weight at age 45. The yoga practitioners who were overweight at 45 lost an average of 5 pounds, as opposed to an average gain of 13 pounds in overweight nonpractitioners. Being overweight was defined as having a body mass index of 25 or greater.

The authors conceded that their study, published in the July/August issue of Alternative Therapies, has many limitations. Although there were more than 1,000 people in the study who did some yoga, almost half did less than 30 minutes at a session, while normal yoga sessions usually last 60 to 90 minutes. Only 132 of these people maintained the practice longer than four years.

Lifestyle Incentive Programs Encourage Healthy Behavior

In a May 2005 survey conducted by the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN), employers and health plans discussed lifestyle incentive program development within their organizations. Of the 141 healthcare industry professionals who responded, 43 percent currently utilize lifestyle incentive programs and 47.5 percent plan future implementation. An intended initiation rate of higher than 90 percent has significant implications for the future of healthcare. Employers are using a variety of means to communicate these programs to employees.

Employers may not be able to prevent employees from getting the flu, but they can certainly encourage them to avoid illnesses induced by their behavior. In this developing trend of “quid pro quo,” employers are instituting lifestyle incentive programs to push employees to take charge of their health.

“Monitoring healthy lifestyles is difficult. Encouraging healthy behavior at work is easier,” said survey participant Nan Andrews Amish, business strategist, Big Picture Healthcare.

In considering specific incentives, reward conditions and initiative results, the survey analysis underscores an industry-wide effort to adapt to healthcare trends and simultaneously foster employee and financial fortitude. Lifestyle incentive programs provide employees the tools and self-motivation they need to be health conscious while cutting back the debilitating cost of chronic care. Though not foolproof, employers agree these initiatives appear to be a step in the direction of healthcare cost reduction, but note it may take some time to see results.

Acupuncture Can Ease Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

The most commonly stated fear of patients prior to elective surgery is not death or a surgical mishap. It's post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and 25 to 40 percent of surgical patients are at risk. Defined as any episode of nausea, retching or vomiting in the 24 hours immediately following an operation.

In several recent studies, acupuncture has been proven to lessen PONV symptoms. A trial in 2004 was done to look at the effectiveness of acupuncture in 220 women undergoing gynecological or breast surgeries. The patients who received acupuncture showed a significant decrease in the incidence of PONV. Another study conducted by Duke University Medical Center on breast surgery patients found positive results in the use of acupuncture to prevent occurrences of post-operative nausea and vomiting. It also stated that acupuncture increased general patient satisfaction post-op.

According to this study, 70 percent of women who undergo major breast surgery that requires general anesthesia experience PONV, making breast surgery the leading cause of nausea/vomiting post-op. However, 77 percent of the women who were treated with acupuncture suffered no PONV, nor did they require antiemetic drugs (anti-vomiting medication). The women who received acupoint stimulation also had less post-surgical pain.

Pesticides May Be Sickening School Kids

Pesticide use in or near U.S. schools sickened more than 2,500 children and school employees over a five-year period, and though most illnesses were mild, their numbers have increased, a nationwide report found.

Sources include chemicals to kill insects and weeds on school grounds, disinfectants, and farming pesticides that drift over nearby schools, according to the report by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and their colleagues.

Lead author Dr. Walter Alarcon said one of the largest recent incidents occurred in May when about 600 students and staff members were evacuated from an Edinburg, Texas, elementary school after pesticides sprayed on a cotton field drifted into the school's air conditioning system. About 30 students and nine staffers developed mild symptoms including nausea and headaches.

The study, which appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, covered events from 1998 to 2002 — none as big as the Texas incident, Alarcon said.

Most of the illnesses were in children. The number of children affected each year climbed from 59 to 104 among preschoolers and from 225 to 333 among children aged 6 to 17.

"I don't think we want to overwhelm people, but the study does provide evidence that using pesticides at schools is not innocuous and that there are better ways to use pesticides," said study co-author Dr. Geoffrey Calvert.

Claire Barnett of the Healthy Schools Network advocacy group said the total is likely a "deep undercount" because there are about 54 million U.S. schoolchildren and yet no comprehensive national tracking system.

Spatulatta.com

We learned of this cool website through a client. It is solely dedicated to teaching children how to cook and prepare food, in a fun way.

Hidden Epidemic – Gross Misuse of Reflux Meds in Children

By Bonnie C. Minsky MA, MPH, LNC, CNS

The number of cases of children diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux, or otherwise known as GER or Acid Reflux, has skyrocketed over the last 5 years. According to the Mattson Jack Group, in 2004, approximately 7 million children and adolescents under the age of 17 in the United States suffered from gastroesophageal reflux. Hence, since 2002, there has been a 660% increase in spending to treat gastrointestinal disorders, most of those dollars going towards prescription medication.

In infants, reflux can be life threatening, so it is not something to take lightly. Doctors prescribe a variety of medications, including H2 blockers (Zantac®) and proton pump inhibitors (Prevacid® and Prilosec®). Most patients, and especially children, heal within four weeks. Studies available to date have not assessed the safety of reflux medications for more than 8 weeks. Yet, I have seen infants on medication for a year, and older children even longer. We have made medication a long-term solution for what should be a short-term solution, and only if dietary changes are unsuccessful.

Reflux is intricately linked with diet, but doctors and parents rarely look at the obvious. I have seen a multitude of children who have come to me after being on these medications. They suffer from severe nutrient deficiencies, have digestion and absorption difficulties, fail to grow or gain weight, exhibit chewing and eating problems, and often have developmental delays.

What is most shocking about this line of therapy is that, according to the Physicians Desk Reference, no research has been performed regarding medications to treat gastroesophageal reflux in children. Doctors routinely give drugs to children "off label," which means the drug hasn't been studied in children in adequate, well-controlled clinical trials approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Reflux, especially in infants, is especially disconcerting for parents. What once was passed off as “colic” or excessive “spitting-up,” is now commonly diagnosed as GER. A child’s digestive pain may cause crying, writhing, and sleepless nights for parents. Because doctors are not trained to look for the cause of the problem (which I find very easy to discover with an infant or toddler), they immediately prescribe medication. Parents are also to blame if they look for the “quick fix” and won’t make a commitment to dietary changes as first line therapy.

Unfortunately, just treating the symptoms will not correct the cause of reflux. In most cases, the symptoms will return immediately when the reflux medication is discontinued. In addition, there are many instances in which the medication will only slightly minimize symptoms or not improve them at all.

The most common medications for reflux prescribed by physicians are Zantac®, Prevacid®, Prilosec®, Nexium®, Reglan®, Mylanta®, and Pepcid®. The side effects and vitamin and mineral depletion they create are alarming. Too many times have I seen a young child who has been damaged mentally, physically, and emotionally from reflux medications. Whether suppressing the production of stomach acid (H2 Blockers), blocking its production (Proton Pump Inhibitors), or neutralizing it (Antacids), the damage is evident. Many of the adverse reactions are digestion-related. What is the point of fixing one problem only to create another?

Adverse reactions reported in adult studies of the most commonly prescribed reflux medication in children, H2 Blocker Zantac® –

Headache, sometimes severe; rare cases of malaise, dizziness, insomnia, vertigo, mental confusion, agitation, depression, hallucinations, and involuntary motor disturbances; tachycardia, bradycardia, atrioventricular block, and premature ventricular beats; constipation, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, abdominal discomfort/pain, and pancreatitis; hepatitis, hepatic failure; athralgias, myalgias; gynecomastia, impotence, and loss of libido; rashes such as erythema multiforme, alopecia, and vasculitis; anaphylaxis, angioneurotic edema. ZANTAC EFFERdose also contains phenylalanine, the substance used in Nutrasweet/Aspartame. For nursing mothers on reflux meds, note that extreme caution should be taken when taking these because they are secreted in human milk.

Vitamins and minerals depleted by H2 Blocker Zantac® –

Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Zinc.

Adverse reactions reported in adult studies by Proton Pump Inhibitors (Prevacid®, Prilosec®, Aciphex®, Nexium®, Protonix®) –

Fatigue, dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, hypergastrinoma, rash, tinnitus, proteinuria

Vitamins and minerals depleted by Proton Pump Inhibitors (Prevacid®, Prilosec® Aciphex®, Nexium®, Protonix®) –

Blocks Vitamin B12 (critical for digestion, absorption, energy, stress-relief, and concentration

Adverse reactions by Antacids (Mylanta®) –

Dehydration, stomach cramps, constipation, decreased bowel motility, fecal impaction, hemorrhoids,
nausea, vomiting; Mylanta® also contains aluminum, a neurotoxin.

Vitamins and minerals depleted by Antacids (Mylanta®) –

Calcium, Phosphorous (both critical for bone growth)

Case study of how simple dietary changes can reverse reflux –

35 year-old nursing mother with extremely fussy 6 month-old boy. Baby was projectile vomiting, spitting up constantly, and had noxious gas, abnormal stools, and bloating. The mother already had a reflux prescription for her son, but called me first. The woman ate relatively healthy, except she unknowingly was eating all the wrong foods for her and the baby. She was eating a lot of dairy, bread, and soy products. She also was not eating enough protein. We told her to avoid dairy, bread, and soy completely for several weeks to see if it made a difference. She balanced her meals by always eating a protein or healthy fat with carbohydrates. We upped her protein intake. Within two days, there was a noticeable reduction in all symptoms. After a week, there were no symptoms.

I would never say to avoid reflux meds completely, especially if a severe medical situation arises. If nothing has worked dietarily, and you need short-term relief, reflux meds may be warranted. But many cases can be reversed with optimal diet and nutrient instruction. Many infants grow out of colic/reflux at three months as their digestive system becomes more mature.

The current commonality of long-term use and doctor’s over-prescribing reflux medications warrants immediate attention. Health Professionals, Government Officials, and most importantly parents, must take notice, educate themselves, and take action to minimize the threat of negative consequences for the long-term health of our youths.

© Copyright 2005 Nutritional Concepts, Inc.

For more information, you can purchase my Reverse Reflux in Your Child Action Plan for $4.95 at nutritionalconcepts.com.

Increased Protein in Diet Reduces Appetite and Weight

According to researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine, an increase in dietary protein from 15% to 30% induces sustained reductions in appetite, caloric intake, and significant weight loss (specifically . Nineteen subjects were placed on three diets with different percentages of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The diet with the highest protein percentage showed the largest reductions in all categories.

Bonnie - small study, but significant nonetheless. This one of a growing number of trials showing increased protein intake creates health success on many levels.

Drugs Could Imitate, Even Initiate MS

According to Dr. Brian Weinshenker, Neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, drugs generally do not cause Multiple Sclerosis, though there have been rare excpetions. Certain drugs for rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease, for example, have produced the symptoms and findings of MS. And the combination of drugs to treat colon cancer has shown a similar tendency. In some cases, certain drugs produce symptoms of MS. Other diseases can also mimic MS.

MS can be difficult to diagnose because manifestations can vary considerably across patients and the symptoms are similar to those of other conditions. Make sure that your physician does an exhaustive medical history, neurological examination, magnestic resoannce imaging, and possibly even a spinal tap if deemed necessary.

Excerpts taken from Tribune Media Services 7/19/2005

Eating dark chocolate appears to bring down blood pressure in people with hypertension

The study, appearing in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, followed 20 men and women with untreated high blood pressure. Each got a three-and-a-half-ounce bar of dark chocolate a day. And after two weeks, they experienced a "clinically meaningful decline" in their blood pressure.

Steve - we've been saying for years now that dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa is a healthy food. Its antioxidant properties, serotonin-boosting capapbilites, and low sugar content makes it an ideal "sweet" choice if desired.

Link between dairy, weight loss unclear

Got milk? And high hopes it will help you shed a few pounds? The dairy industry is counting on it, thanks in part to a $200 million ad campaign that confidently touts studies suggesting a connection between consuming dairy products and losing weight. But dieters might want to delay sporting milk mustaches for the moment.

Though the National Dairy Council and the researchers it pays stand by their claims, few others have endorsed the dairy-diet link. Even some scientists whose research supports that idea say its conclusions are premature.

"The bulk of the studies suggest a possible role, but there are inconsistencies in the data," said Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Children's Hospital Boston. In a 2002 study, he found that dairy aided weight loss.

"My concern is the advertising claims by the Dairy Council have well outstripped the available data," he said.

The federal government also recommends three dairy servings a day, but doesn't support the weight-loss claim.

The dairy campaign is based on research by Michael Zemel, a nutrition professor at the University of Tennessee who began studying the link between dairy and weight during the late 1980s. Zemel has received nearly $2.1 millionin funding from the Dairy Council since 1998.

Dr. Walter Willett, a Harvard University nutrition expert whose recent research suggests dairy doesn't help weight loss, said Zemel's studies are too small to sustain the industry's claims.

"You need to look across all the evidence," he said. "The larger randomized trials that have been done, they don't show weight loss. If anything, they show weight gain."

That view was reflected in a 2002 review of other dairy-weight studies by Susan Barr, a University of British Columbia nutrition professor. She found most studies showed no connection and two showed weight gain.

Associated Press 7/18/2005

Gut problem link to baby weaning

Delaying the introduction of cereal-based foods into a child's diet could help avoid later gut problems, say University of Colorado scientists.

Babies had a lower chance of developing the digestive disorder celiac disease if they were not fed grains until aged four to six months, they found.

This condition is caused by proteins in grains, which damage the gut and make it difficult to digest foods.

The research appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Exposure to gluten - a protein found in wheat - in the first three months of life increased the risk of celiac disease five-fold, the study of more than 1,500 children found.

Nicky Mendoza, a dietician for Celiac UK, said: "Current guidelines suggest not weaning before six months of age, so, for most children, gluten should not be introduced before this.

"Children that are weaned before this age should be given gluten-free foods until they reach six months."

Hospital Infections Running Rampant

More than 11,600 patients contracted infections during hospital stays in Pennsylvania last year - and nearly 1,800 of them died, according to a new report by a state agency that tracks health care trends.

Hospital-acquired infections in Pennsylvania added $2 billion to hospital costs and extended hospital stays by 205,000 days last year, according to the report by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.

"The deaths associated with those patients and the costs associated with those patients are astounding," said Marc P. Volavka, the council's executive director. "These numbers, even on their own, stand as a clarion cry to take action."

Bonnie - "superbug" infections in hosptials have exploded over the last decade. With virulent microbial, bacterial, and viral strains becoming more resistant to antibiotics, hosptials and their sick inhabitants are the perfect breeding ground for infection. If one has to enter a hospital for any type of procedure, you can protect yourself to a point with Probiotics. Probiotics are crucial for balancing positive and negative flora in the gut.

Obesity Policy and the Law of Unitended Consequences

Steve -This very official-sounding title are myriad excuses of why our government will not do anything drastic in changing our food policy to curb obesity. Get a load of these excuses paid by our tax dolllars.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June05/Features/ObesityPolicy.htm

Cholesterol Drugs Show No Effect on Dementia Risk

Those who believe that taking cholesterol-lowering drugs will reduce their risk for Alzheimer's disease may want to reconsider. A large study published yesterday in Archives of Neurology found no proof that the drugs affected the risk of developing dementia from any cause - Alzheimer's, vascular dementia or the two combined.

Body Mass Index may be misleading for some groups.

The tool most commonly used to determine whether people are overweight or obese appears to give some racial groups a false sense of security — and others unnecessary cause for concern.

The well-known body mass index (BMI) relies on a calculation using height and weight to produce a number. That number enables scientists to gauge the risk of weight-related illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes in populations. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy; 25 to 29.9 overweight; and 30 or higher, equal to 186 pounds or more for someone 5 feet 6 inches tall, obese.

But in June, a study of nearly 1,200 people of South Asian, Chinese, Aboriginal and European heritage became the latest to show that current BMI thresholds significantly underestimate health risks in many non-Europeans.

Even when waist size and waist-to-hip ratios were considered, the study found that many in the Asian, Chinese and Aboriginal groups who had "healthy" BMI levels were at high risk of weight-related health problems and didn't know it.

BMI and other body measurement thresholds "do not apply to non-European ethnic groups, and warrant revision," concluded Salim Yusuf, director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders.

This isn't the first time that the body mass index has been called into question. In 2000, the World Health Organization's Pacific Group suggested setting a BMI of 23 as the threshold for being overweight and 25 for being obese in Asian populations.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute also cautions at its Internet-based BMI calculator that the measurement is less accurate at determining who is overweight and obese among muscular people, who have a BMI of 27 to 30, as well as among the elderly, who lose muscle as they age and may be fatter than the numbers suggest.

"Many of us have begun to realize that body mass index is a very poor measure of adiposity — how fat you are — and how much health risk you face," Yusuf said.

Sally Squires, L.A. Times 7/11/2005

Bonnie - Boy, is this nice to see in print. I have said for years that BMI is a gross miscalculation for gauging overweight and obese individuals. As it is with everything, you need to look at multiple factors to gauge if an individual is of normal weight, overweight, or obese.

folate and vitamin B12 can reduce the risk of hip fracture in elderly

According to a new Japanese study in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, the risk of hip fracture is significantly higher in stroke patients than in other individuals of the same age, and is thought to be associated with increased blood levels of a substance called homocysteine.

Because folate and mecobalamin (vitamin B12) reduce homocysteine levels, the team thought that supplements of these nutrients could reduce fracture risk.

Colleagues studied 628 patients aged 65 years or more who had residual paralysis on one side of the body a year or more after having a stroke. The participants were randomly assigned to take folate and mecobalamin daily, or inactive placebos.

During 2 years of follow-up, the number of falls in each group was virtually the same, but there were only six hip fractures in the supplement group compared with 27 in the placebo group. Even though homocysteine levels dropped in the active treatment group and rose in the placebo group, bone mineral density did not differ significantly between groups -- so that didn't explain the fewer number of fractures.

Walnuts Protective for People with Type 2 Diabetes

Eating walnuts as part of one’s overall diet has been trumpeted again for people developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – this time with a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The study follows another report published late last year in the international journal, Diabetes Care, which highlighted the importance of eating a handful of walnuts a day. Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats, Omega oils and vitamins.

Intake of 30 grams of walnuts a day in conjunction with 350g of oily fish a week enabled achievement of recommendations on the type of fat in an energy-controlled diet for the management of diabetes.

The walnut group used in the study achieved targeted fat proportions earlier (at three months) than the other two dietary intervention groups and maintained them for longer (at six months). After six months, those in the walnut group were consuming almost half their dietary fat intake from polyunsaturated fat-rich foods, with walnuts providing almost one third of total fat intake and one half omega-3 polyunsaturated fat intake. However, in contrast, the low fat advice group continued to consume foods rich in saturated fat as the main sources of fat in the diet.

Calcium reduces osteoporosis risk for women on the Pill

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, are important because it is estimated that 80 percent of all women have used oral contraceptives. If the pill’s effect on their bone mass is not offset with higher calcium intake in their youth, the peak bone development years, we may see an increase in the incidence of osteoporosis once they reach the menopause.

The study group comprised 135 healthy young women aged between 18 and 30 years, all of whom had a dietary calcium intake of less than 800mg per day and 57 of whom reported using oral contraceptives.

These women were randomly assigned to one of three diets: a medium dairy diet, where calcium intake was increased to between 100 and 1100 mg per day; a high dairy diet, with 1200 to 1300 mg of calcium per day; and a control diet, where calcium intake remained below 800mg per day.

The researchers found that, over the one-year period, an increase in dietary calcium positively impacted the percentage change of total hip body mass density (BMD), body mass content (BMC) and bone area.

Increased intake of calcium products also prevented a negative percent change in total hip and spine BMD in the women taking oral contraceptives.

Overall, the extent of the differences in bone mass with increased dietary calcium noted in this study was between 1 and 2 percent, which translates to a reduced risk of osteoporosis of between 3 and 10 percent over one year. A 5 to 10 percent increase in bone mass is estimated to reduce the risk of fracture by between 25 and 50 percent.

Steve - Make sure that as you up your calcium intake, you offset that with increased magnesium.

The Food Industry Empire Strikes Back

Steve - I thought this was an interesting article on how Food Companies have been and are currently protecting themselves from future legislation related to obesity and providing unhealthy food choices.

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/health/index.html

Vitamin E Shows Heart Health Benefit for Women

A new study involving nearly 40,000 healthy women -- the longest and largest trial ever conducted on vitamin E -- found that vitamin E significantly reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease -- the #1 killer of women in the United States.

The study, published in the July 6 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also confirmed that vitamin E is safe, reporting that taking 600 IU of vitamin E supplements every other day did not increase total mortality in healthy women. In reaching the conclusion, the Women's Health Study (WHS) contradicts a recent meta-analysis that reviewed studies of people already ill with cancer, heart disease or other serious medical conditions.

"The benefits shown in this study are very encouraging and should come as welcome news to everyone," said Andrew Shao, Ph.D., CRN's vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs. "The data clearly show that vitamin E can help healthy women, especially older women. They can continue to take vitamin E with confidence and expect to derive substantial benefit."

WHS found a 24 percent reduction in cardiovascular deaths among the nearly 20,000 women who took vitamin E supplements over a 10-year period compared with the nearly 20,000 other study participants who were given placebo. For women 65 and over, the study reported that taking vitamin E supplements had an even greater positive effect. Among that population, there was a 49 percent reduction in cardiovascular death and a 34 percent reduction in heart attack.

Steve - This data should reassure all of those who were dismayed by last year's meta analysis that recklessly stated vitamin E contributed to all cause mortality.

Acupuncture for Fertility

As more women than ever delay having children until their 30s and 40s, infertility is a growing challenge in the U.S. An estimated 3 million couples are unable to conceive after a year of trying, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Fertility clinics have done a brisk business in recent years, but now doctors say that a growing number of women who have been unable to get pregnant through conventional medical treatments are seeking out alternatives such as acupuncture. Demand for the traditional Chinese method is so great that an increasing number of fertility doctors now are collaborating with acupuncturists, with some physicians adding acupuncturists to their staff, according to doctors and experts in the field.

Although many acupuncturists and doctors of oriental medicine swear by the treatment — and have relied on it as an infertility remedy for years — the mainstream medical community remains divided on acupuncture's efficacy. Some doctors say more research is needed to demonstrate acupuncture's effectiveness, and others believe it's irresponsible to recommend the treatment based on the existing scientific evidence.

Most fertility specialists trace the current popularity of acupuncture treatment to a German study published in 2002 in the journal Fertility and Sterility. The study, led by Dr. Wolfgang Paulus at the University of Ulm, found that 42% of women receiving acupuncture just before and after an assisted-reproductive therapy, such as IVF, became pregnant; that compared with 26% of patients who got pregnant with assisted-reproductive treatments but who received no acupuncture therapy.

Later that year, Dr. Raymond Chang and colleagues at Cornell University's medical school in New York published a paper in the same journal, describing several ways acupuncture might actually improve a woman's chances of conceiving: relaxation, regulating reproductive hormones and improving the lining of the uterus, where the embryo needs to be implanted before it can develop.

Because of the reports, published in a prestigious journal, "some doctors started to say, let's try it out," said Dr. Paul C. Magarelli, a fertility specialist in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Courtesy of LA Times 7/5/2005

Avoiding Milk Reduces Risk of Insulin Resistance

Women who do not drink cow's milk have less body mass (weight gain), better blood sugar balance, lower triglycerides, and better HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

Diabetic Medicine, June, Vol 22, Issue 6