Bonnie: Once, there was trans fat. Then there was hormone replacement therapy. Recently, it was PSA screening. This is just a smattering of the titanic reversals of fortune for once public health darlings. Now, we have the latest public health reversal: Bone Density Scans.
New research could mean millions of older women can skip frequent screening tests for osteoporosis: If an initial bone scan shows no big problems, many can safely wait 15 years to have another one, says a new study from New England Journal of Medicine. Government advisers and leading doctor groups urge osteoporosis screening, but no one has known how often that should happen. The findings offer the best information to date on that question, experts said. "This is landmark, in the sense that it could allow us to move on to more precise guidelines," said Dr.Heidi Nelson, a researcher at the Oregon Health & Science University who is an expert on the topic. At issues are bone mineral density tests, which usually are done through X-rays and cost around $250. Medicare pays for testing every two years. The new study feeds concerns that the tests are done too often, at least for some women. "It's an expenditure of time, it's exposure to radiation, and it's cost. And there's no reason to expose yourself to any risks if there's going to be no benefit," explained Dr. Virginia Moyer, who heads the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government panel that issues testing guidelines.
Most importantly, it is believed that such frequent scans have led to gross over-treatment with osteoporosis medication.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Less IBD in southern latitudes. Why?
Women living in the southern latitudes of the United States have significantly lower rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than those living in the country's northern regions, according to a study in Gut. Similar trends have been reported in Europe in the past;
The authors hypothesize that the main explanation for the reductions in southern latitudes is related to greater levels of sun exposure and to the higher levels of plasma vitamin D that are associated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of IBD is further supported by the observation that animal models of colitis have more severe inflammation in vitamin D receptor knock out animals or animals deficient in 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D. In addition, UV radiation is associated with regulation of T cells, as well as the production of interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-10, and the inhibition of IL-12, which suppresses the inflammatory response, the researchers noted.
The authors hypothesize that the main explanation for the reductions in southern latitudes is related to greater levels of sun exposure and to the higher levels of plasma vitamin D that are associated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of IBD is further supported by the observation that animal models of colitis have more severe inflammation in vitamin D receptor knock out animals or animals deficient in 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D. In addition, UV radiation is associated with regulation of T cells, as well as the production of interleukin (IL) 4 and IL-10, and the inhibition of IL-12, which suppresses the inflammatory response, the researchers noted.
Chicago Cub understands food intolerance
Byrd’s food fight
Outfielder Marlon Byrd is some 25 pounds lighter because he learned he suffered from food allergies.‘‘I went to a doctor in New York and found out I was intolerant to wheat and dairy,’’ he said. ‘‘I was this close to celiac disease [an intolerance to gluten].’’ He has had to eliminate all wheat, dairy and gluten from his diet. ‘‘I can eat meat, vegetables, sweet potatoes and white potatoes. No rice,’’ he said. ‘‘No soy. But coconut [milk]. But I feel great.’’
Contributing: Gordon Wittenmyer Chicago Tribune
Outfielder Marlon Byrd is some 25 pounds lighter because he learned he suffered from food allergies.‘‘I went to a doctor in New York and found out I was intolerant to wheat and dairy,’’ he said. ‘‘I was this close to celiac disease [an intolerance to gluten].’’ He has had to eliminate all wheat, dairy and gluten from his diet. ‘‘I can eat meat, vegetables, sweet potatoes and white potatoes. No rice,’’ he said. ‘‘No soy. But coconut [milk]. But I feel great.’’
Contributing: Gordon Wittenmyer Chicago Tribune
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Aspirin is not for everyone
Finally - we are not the only ones saying it!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/daily-aspirin-is-not-for-everyone-study-suggests/?ref=health
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/daily-aspirin-is-not-for-everyone-study-suggests/?ref=health
Bathroom scales do not tell the whole story
According to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association, you may gain less weight by overeating on a low-protein diet than on a normal-protein or high-protein diet. Huh?
The reason is you lose lean body mass (muscle and organ tissue) on a low-protein diet and you gain lean body mass on a normal or high-protein diet. The less protein you eat, the more fat you will store. Fat is lighter than muscle.
In the study, the amount of carbohydrates stayed the same with the low, normal, and high protein groups. Those on the low-protein diet gained about 7 pounds compared with 13 pounds for those on a normal-protein diet and 14 pounds for those on a high-protein diet. The reason: lean body mass decreased by 1½ pounds in the low-protein diet group, compared with a gain of about 6 pounds of lean body mass in the normal-protein diet group and 7 pounds in the high-protein diet group. Protein contributed to the changes in lean body mass.
Bonnie - a "holy grail" comment of sorts came straight from the lead researcher of this study: "The bathroom scale doesn't tell you what the composition of your body is." How many years have I said that of the multifaceted contributions of protein, one of the most important is that it maintains and builds muscle mass while replacing body fat. This is why some of my clients, after several weeks on their food plans, do not see measurable differences on the scale. The difference is hidden: they are replacing body fat with lean muscle mass. This is beneficial for all age groups, but especially so for the elderly.
The reason is you lose lean body mass (muscle and organ tissue) on a low-protein diet and you gain lean body mass on a normal or high-protein diet. The less protein you eat, the more fat you will store. Fat is lighter than muscle.
In the study, the amount of carbohydrates stayed the same with the low, normal, and high protein groups. Those on the low-protein diet gained about 7 pounds compared with 13 pounds for those on a normal-protein diet and 14 pounds for those on a high-protein diet. The reason: lean body mass decreased by 1½ pounds in the low-protein diet group, compared with a gain of about 6 pounds of lean body mass in the normal-protein diet group and 7 pounds in the high-protein diet group. Protein contributed to the changes in lean body mass.
Bonnie - a "holy grail" comment of sorts came straight from the lead researcher of this study: "The bathroom scale doesn't tell you what the composition of your body is." How many years have I said that of the multifaceted contributions of protein, one of the most important is that it maintains and builds muscle mass while replacing body fat. This is why some of my clients, after several weeks on their food plans, do not see measurable differences on the scale. The difference is hidden: they are replacing body fat with lean muscle mass. This is beneficial for all age groups, but especially so for the elderly.
Who makes your supplements?
Bonnie - One of our primary tenets has always been to choose dietary supplement manufacturers who are in control of their products from the raw material stage to the finished product. As you will learn below, this is the exception, not the rule when it comes to most dietary supplements. In some cases, there are formulas that we have used used for decades that are not manufactured in-house. In these instances, we track and investigate each party involved in process of making the formula so we can make sure it meets our standards of quality.
While we all have our favorite brands of dietary supplements, the brands may not be as distinct as we think from a manufacturing perspective. One of the most common manufacturing methods is for a finished product company to contract the manufacturing to another entity. This practice is referred to as contract manufacturing or outsourced manufacturing. Contract manufacturers have been part of the dietary supplement industry from its inception, when most finished product companies were retailers and not manufacturers.
While there are certainly excellent examples of vertically integrated companies that manufacture their own consistently high-quality, unique, and reliable products, it is rare to find a finished product company with a sizable breadth of products that manufactures all its own products. Most companies outsource the manufacturing of some of their products, and some companies outsource all their products.
Why do companies outsource manufacturing?
Manufacturing dietary supplements has become increasingly complex with the requirements of the dietary supplement current good manufacturing processes (cGMPs). However, the main reason is the cost of manufacturing is prohibitive. Manufacturing requires significant investments into infrastructure, quality and regulatory compliance, and technology. For smaller companies, these capital and operating costs may far outweigh the benefits derived from any savings brought by bringing manufacturing in-house.
Challenges of Outsourcing
The use of contract manufacturers presents some challenges. The finished product company bears ultimate responsibility for the quality of the products that bear their label. This means that the finished product company must trust their contract manufacturers. With the globalization of the ingredient supply, outsourcing even by contract manufacturers, and the variability in cGMP compliance by contract manufacturers, can be challenging to assess.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that patients have to trust that their practitioners are performing their due diligence. The longer a product has been offered by a practitioner, the longer the track record. There is a good reason why at our office, we introduce very few new products. And if we do, they have been vetted them for months, if not years, for efficacy and quality. Of course, you can always do a little homework yourself, which we always encourage.
While we all have our favorite brands of dietary supplements, the brands may not be as distinct as we think from a manufacturing perspective. One of the most common manufacturing methods is for a finished product company to contract the manufacturing to another entity. This practice is referred to as contract manufacturing or outsourced manufacturing. Contract manufacturers have been part of the dietary supplement industry from its inception, when most finished product companies were retailers and not manufacturers.
While there are certainly excellent examples of vertically integrated companies that manufacture their own consistently high-quality, unique, and reliable products, it is rare to find a finished product company with a sizable breadth of products that manufactures all its own products. Most companies outsource the manufacturing of some of their products, and some companies outsource all their products.
Why do companies outsource manufacturing?
Manufacturing dietary supplements has become increasingly complex with the requirements of the dietary supplement current good manufacturing processes (cGMPs). However, the main reason is the cost of manufacturing is prohibitive. Manufacturing requires significant investments into infrastructure, quality and regulatory compliance, and technology. For smaller companies, these capital and operating costs may far outweigh the benefits derived from any savings brought by bringing manufacturing in-house.
Challenges of Outsourcing
The use of contract manufacturers presents some challenges. The finished product company bears ultimate responsibility for the quality of the products that bear their label. This means that the finished product company must trust their contract manufacturers. With the globalization of the ingredient supply, outsourcing even by contract manufacturers, and the variability in cGMP compliance by contract manufacturers, can be challenging to assess.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that patients have to trust that their practitioners are performing their due diligence. The longer a product has been offered by a practitioner, the longer the track record. There is a good reason why at our office, we introduce very few new products. And if we do, they have been vetted them for months, if not years, for efficacy and quality. Of course, you can always do a little homework yourself, which we always encourage.
Asthma, allergy and respiratory infections: the vitamin D "hypothesis"
According to commentary in the January issue European Journal of Clinical Allergy and Immunology, the recent discovery that every tissue in the human body has vitamin D receptors and that vitamin D has multiple genetic effects has prompted an increased interest in this hormone. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread and on the increase. There is no consensus on the serum vitamin D levels to consider appropriate for global health, the cutoffs for its deficiency, or the doses to use for its supplementation.
Vitamin D seems to correlate closely with host reactions against various respiratory infections. Epidemiological studies have shown that low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of upper and lower respiratory infections in children and a shortage of vitamin D may contribute to asthmatic patients’ symptoms and morbidity rates. There are studies highlighting associations between childhood asthma, fetal lung and/or immune development, and maternal vitamin D intake. An insufficiency of this vitamin also seems to be implicated in the onset of childhood atopy and food allergies.
The hypothesis is that vitamin D could have a central role in these pathological situations and that it may represent a novel preventive and/or therapeutic strategy. This review emphasizes the need for controlled, prospective studies on vitamin D supplementation to clarify what role in the prevention of and treatment for asthma and allergic conditions.
Steve - while it is always nice to see these kinds of comments in prestigious medical journals, as usual, this journal is five years too late in discovering the benefits of this "novel" therapy.
Vitamin D seems to correlate closely with host reactions against various respiratory infections. Epidemiological studies have shown that low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of upper and lower respiratory infections in children and a shortage of vitamin D may contribute to asthmatic patients’ symptoms and morbidity rates. There are studies highlighting associations between childhood asthma, fetal lung and/or immune development, and maternal vitamin D intake. An insufficiency of this vitamin also seems to be implicated in the onset of childhood atopy and food allergies.
The hypothesis is that vitamin D could have a central role in these pathological situations and that it may represent a novel preventive and/or therapeutic strategy. This review emphasizes the need for controlled, prospective studies on vitamin D supplementation to clarify what role in the prevention of and treatment for asthma and allergic conditions.
Steve - while it is always nice to see these kinds of comments in prestigious medical journals, as usual, this journal is five years too late in discovering the benefits of this "novel" therapy.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Building healthy adults starts in childhood
Extensive evidence indicates that early childhood adversity and “toxic stress” have harmful effects on mental and physical health that can last a lifetime, warns a new report from the December 26th issue of Pediatrics. In an accompanying policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates incorporating the growing scientific knowledge base that links childhood adversity to lifelong harm into the training of all current and future physicians.
The authors summarize what they call “extensive evidence” linking early adversity to later impairments in learning, behavior, and physical and mental well-being. They suggest that many adult diseases should be viewed as developmental disorders that begin early in life and that persistent health disparities associated with poverty, discrimination, or maltreatment could be reduced by the alleviation of toxic stress in childhood. The AAP says, “All health care professionals should adopt the proposed EBD framework as a means of understanding the social, behavioral, and economic determinants of lifelong disparities in physical and mental health.”
The authors summarize what they call “extensive evidence” linking early adversity to later impairments in learning, behavior, and physical and mental well-being. They suggest that many adult diseases should be viewed as developmental disorders that begin early in life and that persistent health disparities associated with poverty, discrimination, or maltreatment could be reduced by the alleviation of toxic stress in childhood. The AAP says, “All health care professionals should adopt the proposed EBD framework as a means of understanding the social, behavioral, and economic determinants of lifelong disparities in physical and mental health.”
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Colorectal cancer family history? Limit the booze.
According to a study to be published in the February issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, individuals with a family history of colorectal cancer may be more susceptible to adverse effects of alcohol consumption.
In the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, alcohol consumption was first assessed in 1980 in women and in 1986 in men. During a follow-up of 26 y among 87,861 women and 20 y among 47,290 men, the researchers documented 1801 cases of colon cancer (1094 women and 707 men). Higher alcohol consumption was associated with an elevated risk of colon cancer, although the association was significant only for the highest intake category of more than one ounce per day. The association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer risk was higher in those with a family history of colorectal cancer.
Reducing alcohol consumption may decrease the incidence of colon cancer, especially among those with a family history of colorectal cancer.
In the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, alcohol consumption was first assessed in 1980 in women and in 1986 in men. During a follow-up of 26 y among 87,861 women and 20 y among 47,290 men, the researchers documented 1801 cases of colon cancer (1094 women and 707 men). Higher alcohol consumption was associated with an elevated risk of colon cancer, although the association was significant only for the highest intake category of more than one ounce per day. The association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer risk was higher in those with a family history of colorectal cancer.
Reducing alcohol consumption may decrease the incidence of colon cancer, especially among those with a family history of colorectal cancer.
Waxing poetic on vitamin D
Steve - One of our favorite local media contributors, Dr. Patrick Massey, wrote a very precise piece on the importance of vitamin D.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120108/entlife/701089916/
In addition to Dr. Massey's piece, a new study from Mayo Clinic Proceedings reported that low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression. It is believed to be the largest such investigation ever undertaken. The findings suggest that screening for vitamin D levels in depressed patients -- and perhaps screening for depression in people with low vitamin D levels is useful. Researchers found that higher vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly decreased risk of current depression, particularly among people with a prior history of depression. Low vitamin D levels were associated with depressive symptoms, particularly those with a history of depression, so primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessing vitamin D levels.
Another new study in this month's issue of journal Diabetes showed a trend toward a higher risk of type 1 diabetes with lower levels of vitamin D during pregnancy . The odds of type 1 diabetes was more than twofold higher for the offspring of women with the lowest levels of 25-OH D compared with the offspring of those with levels above the upper quartile.
Finally, three compelling new studies were published in Europe:
In journal Maturitas claims that 70% of Europeans are vitamin D deficient, creating osteoporosis, the loss of motor coordination, and bone fractures. If it is 70% in Europe, it probably even higher in the US.
A new study from Nutrición Hospitalaria finds that women are not getting adequate levels of vitamin D from their diets before, during, and after menopause, which puts them at greater risk of the common health conditions that may accompany this life stage, including diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and breast cancer.
International experts are calling for food in Scotland to be fortified with vitamin D, in an attempt to cut the large numbers of people who develop multiple sclerosis at sunshine-deprived northern latitudes. MS levels in Scotland are some of the highest in the world, and many believe vitamin D deficiency, caused by lack of sunlight and poor weather which keeps people indoors, is partly to blame. For half the year, nobody living in Scotland gets enough UVB rays from the sun on their skin to make adequate amounts of vitamin D and many do not eat enough of the foods, such as oily fish, that contain it. Professor George Ebers of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University believes the evidence is now good enough to justify dosing the entire population with vitamin D. His team published evidence of a genetic link between a rare inability of the body to make vitamin D and MS.
Are you worried about taking too much vitamin D? Maybe you shouldn't be. From 1955 until 1990, all East German babies received 600,000 IU of vitamin D every three months from birth until age 18 months of age. That is not a misprint...3,600,000 IU total! No vitamin D toxicity was reported. East German children were surprisingly healthy despite substandard living conditions during communist rule.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120108/entlife/701089916/
In addition to Dr. Massey's piece, a new study from Mayo Clinic Proceedings reported that low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression. It is believed to be the largest such investigation ever undertaken. The findings suggest that screening for vitamin D levels in depressed patients -- and perhaps screening for depression in people with low vitamin D levels is useful. Researchers found that higher vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly decreased risk of current depression, particularly among people with a prior history of depression. Low vitamin D levels were associated with depressive symptoms, particularly those with a history of depression, so primary care patients with a history of depression may be an important target for assessing vitamin D levels.
Another new study in this month's issue of journal Diabetes showed a trend toward a higher risk of type 1 diabetes with lower levels of vitamin D during pregnancy . The odds of type 1 diabetes was more than twofold higher for the offspring of women with the lowest levels of 25-OH D compared with the offspring of those with levels above the upper quartile.
Finally, three compelling new studies were published in Europe:
In journal Maturitas claims that 70% of Europeans are vitamin D deficient, creating osteoporosis, the loss of motor coordination, and bone fractures. If it is 70% in Europe, it probably even higher in the US.
A new study from Nutrición Hospitalaria finds that women are not getting adequate levels of vitamin D from their diets before, during, and after menopause, which puts them at greater risk of the common health conditions that may accompany this life stage, including diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and breast cancer.
International experts are calling for food in Scotland to be fortified with vitamin D, in an attempt to cut the large numbers of people who develop multiple sclerosis at sunshine-deprived northern latitudes. MS levels in Scotland are some of the highest in the world, and many believe vitamin D deficiency, caused by lack of sunlight and poor weather which keeps people indoors, is partly to blame. For half the year, nobody living in Scotland gets enough UVB rays from the sun on their skin to make adequate amounts of vitamin D and many do not eat enough of the foods, such as oily fish, that contain it. Professor George Ebers of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University believes the evidence is now good enough to justify dosing the entire population with vitamin D. His team published evidence of a genetic link between a rare inability of the body to make vitamin D and MS.
Are you worried about taking too much vitamin D? Maybe you shouldn't be. From 1955 until 1990, all East German babies received 600,000 IU of vitamin D every three months from birth until age 18 months of age. That is not a misprint...3,600,000 IU total! No vitamin D toxicity was reported. East German children were surprisingly healthy despite substandard living conditions during communist rule.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Magnesium reduces stroke risk in women: study
Researchers in the December 28th issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted a dose-response analysis to summarize the evidence regarding the association between magnesium intake and stroke risk. Studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE from January 1966 through September 2011 and reviewing reference lists of retrieved articles. Seven prospective studies, with 6477 cases of stroke and 241,378 participants were eligible for inclusion. A statistically significant inverse association between magnesium intake and risk of stroke was observed. An intake increment of 100 mg magnesium per day was associated with an 8% reduction in risk of total stroke.
Friday, January 06, 2012
Aspirin harmful in women
In what will be a stunning study for allopathic medicine (but not to us), a December 28th European Heart Journal study wanted to identify women who benefit from aspirin 100 mg on alternate days for primary prevention of vascular events by using treatment effect prediction based on individual patient characteristics.
Data from the Women's Health Study were used to predict treatment effects for 27,939 women in terms of absolute risk reduction for major cardiovascular events (i.e. myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death) over a ten year period.
Aspirin was ineffective or even harmful in the majority of patients. Age was positively related to treatment effect, whereas current smoking and baseline risk for cardiovascular events were not. The aspirin treatment strategy that is associated with optimal net benefit in primary prevention of vascular events in women is to treat none.
AMD an Issue With Aspirin As Well
In a second study, the risks for early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are associated with frequent aspirin use, and the risk increases with greater aspirin consumption, European researchers reported in an article published in the January 2012 issue of Ophthalmology.
Data from the Women's Health Study were used to predict treatment effects for 27,939 women in terms of absolute risk reduction for major cardiovascular events (i.e. myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death) over a ten year period.
Aspirin was ineffective or even harmful in the majority of patients. Age was positively related to treatment effect, whereas current smoking and baseline risk for cardiovascular events were not. The aspirin treatment strategy that is associated with optimal net benefit in primary prevention of vascular events in women is to treat none.
AMD an Issue With Aspirin As Well
In a second study, the risks for early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are associated with frequent aspirin use, and the risk increases with greater aspirin consumption, European researchers reported in an article published in the January 2012 issue of Ophthalmology.
CoQ10 support for Parkinson's Disease
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been well established to occur in Parkinson's disease and appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of the disorder. A deficit in brain coenzyme Q10 status may be involved in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. Mitochondria play a central role in apoptotic cell death through a number of mechanisms. Coenzyme Q10 as an antioxidant, can affect certain of these processes. Theoretically, coenzyme Q10 can interfere with Parkinson's disease progression. There are four randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that tested coenzyme Q10 for Parkinson's disease. The results show coenzyme Q10 at dose of 1200mg/d for 16 months is well-tolerated and might disability as measured improve Parkinson's outcomes. The Cochrane Collaboration 12/7/2011
JACI admits climate change exacerbates allergy
"Accumulation of anthropogenic gases, particularly CO2, is likely to have 2 fundamental effects on plant biology. The first is an indirect effect through Earth’s increasing average surface temperatures, with subsequent effects on other aspects of climate, such as rainfall and extreme weather events. The second is a direct effect caused by CO2-induced stimulation of photosynthesis and plant growth. Both effects are likely to alter a number of fundamental aspects of plant biology and human health, including aerobiology and allergic diseases, respectively. This review highlights the current and projected effect of increasing CO2 and climate change in the context of plants and allergen exposure, emphasizing direct effects on plant physiologic parameters (eg, pollen production) and indirect effects (eg, fungal sporulation) related to diverse biotic and abiotic interactions. Overall, the review assumes that future global mitigation efforts will be limited and suggests a number of key research areas that will assist in adapting to the ongoing challenges to public health associated with increased allergen exposure.
Ambient air pollution, including particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, represents important environmental exposures that adversely affect human health. Because of their heritable and reversible nature, epigenetic modifications provide a plausible link between the environment and alterations in gene expression that might lead to disease. Epidemiologic evidence supports that environmental exposures in childhood affect susceptibility to disease later in life, supporting the belief that epigenetic changes can affect ongoing development and promote disease long after the environmental exposure has ceased. Indeed, allergic disorders often have their roots in early childhood, and early exposure to PM has been strongly associated with the subsequent development of asthma. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent findings on the genetic and epigenetic regulation of responses to ambient air pollutants, specifically respirable PM, and their association with the development of allergic disorders. Understanding these epigenetic biomarkers and how they integrate with genetic influences to translate the biologic effect of particulate exposure is critical to developing novel preventative and therapeutic strategies for allergic disorders."
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 1/2012
Ambient air pollution, including particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants, represents important environmental exposures that adversely affect human health. Because of their heritable and reversible nature, epigenetic modifications provide a plausible link between the environment and alterations in gene expression that might lead to disease. Epidemiologic evidence supports that environmental exposures in childhood affect susceptibility to disease later in life, supporting the belief that epigenetic changes can affect ongoing development and promote disease long after the environmental exposure has ceased. Indeed, allergic disorders often have their roots in early childhood, and early exposure to PM has been strongly associated with the subsequent development of asthma. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent findings on the genetic and epigenetic regulation of responses to ambient air pollutants, specifically respirable PM, and their association with the development of allergic disorders. Understanding these epigenetic biomarkers and how they integrate with genetic influences to translate the biologic effect of particulate exposure is critical to developing novel preventative and therapeutic strategies for allergic disorders."
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 1/2012
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Higher vitamin D = higher cancer survival
Researchers in a Cancer Causes and Control study investigated the association between serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and risk of death in breast, colon, lymphoma, and lung cancer patients during 1984–2004 and followed for death throughout 2008. Patients with 25-OHD levels below 46 nmol/L at diagnosis experienced shorter survival. Compared to patients in the lowest quartile of serum 25-OHD, the risk of cancer death among patients in the highest quartile was significantly reduced. The estimated change in risk of cancer death was most pronounced between the first and the second quartile. The associations between 25-OHD levels and survival were observed for all four cancers. In conclusion, higher circulating serum levels of 25-OHD were positively associated with the survival for cancers of the breast, colon, lung, and lymphoma.
Making sense of titles for nutritionists
Bonnie - there are very important statements in this piece, especially that Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) professionals usually have the highest amount of nutrition education. If you were wondering, I am a CNS and not an RD (by choice), as well as licensed.
by Julie Deardorff
Chicago Tribune
Certified nutrition specialist versus registered dietitian
The problem: In some states, virtually anyone can declare themselves a nutritionist regardless of education or training. The terms nutritionist and registered dietitian are often incorrectly used interchangeably.
A certified nutrition specialist (CNS) is … a nutrition practitioner or a person who uses nutrition therapy to address health needs, according to clinical nutritionist and CNS Corinne Bush. CNSs have an advanced degree (master's level or above) in nutrition or a related field from an accredited university. CNSs must pass the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (CBNS) examination on science-based nutrition therapy.
A registered dietitian (RD) is … a nutritionist who has been credentialed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). RDs must have at least an undergraduate degree — usually in nutrition — and often work in community education or food service management settings, including nursing homes or hospitals. Most RDs go on to get advanced degrees, and some work in private practice, according to the ADA. They must also complete continuing education requirements to maintain registration.
Insurance: Reimbursement varies widely depending on state regulations and specific plan restrictions for both CNSs and RDs. Medicare covers some services. Costs can vary widely for both, Bush said.
Be careful: Only CNSs and RDs are named in licensing laws. The ADA has long pushed for nutrition licensure laws in all 50 states. The CBNS opposes this push, as it would effectively "outlaw many extremely well-qualified nutrition professionals, just when the public needs them most," said Bush, CBNS' legislative chairwoman. The ADA says licensure laws are not intended to limit practice to a particular profession or provider; instead they "ensure that consumers can rely upon the competency of licensed practitioners."
Always look at credentials and remember that a CNS usually, but not always, has the most advanced science-based training.
by Julie Deardorff
Chicago Tribune
Certified nutrition specialist versus registered dietitian
The problem: In some states, virtually anyone can declare themselves a nutritionist regardless of education or training. The terms nutritionist and registered dietitian are often incorrectly used interchangeably.
A certified nutrition specialist (CNS) is … a nutrition practitioner or a person who uses nutrition therapy to address health needs, according to clinical nutritionist and CNS Corinne Bush. CNSs have an advanced degree (master's level or above) in nutrition or a related field from an accredited university. CNSs must pass the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (CBNS) examination on science-based nutrition therapy.
A registered dietitian (RD) is … a nutritionist who has been credentialed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). RDs must have at least an undergraduate degree — usually in nutrition — and often work in community education or food service management settings, including nursing homes or hospitals. Most RDs go on to get advanced degrees, and some work in private practice, according to the ADA. They must also complete continuing education requirements to maintain registration.
Insurance: Reimbursement varies widely depending on state regulations and specific plan restrictions for both CNSs and RDs. Medicare covers some services. Costs can vary widely for both, Bush said.
Be careful: Only CNSs and RDs are named in licensing laws. The ADA has long pushed for nutrition licensure laws in all 50 states. The CBNS opposes this push, as it would effectively "outlaw many extremely well-qualified nutrition professionals, just when the public needs them most," said Bush, CBNS' legislative chairwoman. The ADA says licensure laws are not intended to limit practice to a particular profession or provider; instead they "ensure that consumers can rely upon the competency of licensed practitioners."
Always look at credentials and remember that a CNS usually, but not always, has the most advanced science-based training.
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Antibiotics for Animals: FDA gives in to Big Food
Environmental and consumer groups have condemned the US Food and Drug Administration's move to renege on its long-held policy to regulate the use of human antibiotics in animal feed. Last week, the agency quietly announced it was withdrawing its plan to limit the use of antibiotics fed to healthy livestock intended for human consumption. Critics say the U-turn, which comes amid the FDA's own stated concerns over food safety, is at odds with its obligations to protect the public. The groups also criticised the timing of the announcement, which was made during the holiday season and disclosed only in the federal register.
The use of low doses of antibiotics in agricultural animal feed contributes to drug-resistant superbugs, according to food and health experts. The EU has already banned them. The FDA first acknowledged in 1977 that the overuse of antibiotics in healthy livestock for growth promotion and disease prevention was unsafe and could promote antibiotic resistant bacteria that could infect people. An advisory committee at the time recommended that the FDA immediately withdraw approval for two drugs, penicillin and tetracycline, for subtherapeutic uses of the drugs in livestock.
Last week, in a statement in the Federal Register, the FDA says it plans instead to allow the industry to self-regulate and "focus its efforts for now on the potential for voluntary reform and the promotion of the judicious use of antimicrobials in the interest of public health".
Livestock consume about 80% of the antibiotics sold in the US. Obviously, Big Pharma stood to lose a lot of money, which in our opinion, probably sealed the fate of reform.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Use Neti pot intelligently
While many of us use Neti pots safely to clear congestion from our sinuses, several fatal infections from a water-borne pathogen contracted by neti pot use should act as a good reminder of how to safely use them. In short, try not to use tap water in the Neti pot. If you do use tap water, boil it first. Tap water contains pathogens that, while cannot survive our digestive tract, can be extremely harmful if they enter our nasal passages unimpeded.
If you can you distilled water, that would be ideal.
If you can you distilled water, that would be ideal.
Are colonics safe?
If you ask the allopathic medical community, the answer would be no. Our opinion has always been somewhere in between. Like everything else, it depends upon the individual.
Colonics, also known by various names such as colonic irrigation, high colonics, colonic hydrotherapy, and colon lavage, is the process of delivering water and sometimes other ingredients (eg, herbs, coffee, probiotics, enzymes, or sodium phosphate) into and out of the rectum for "cleansing of the large intestine (colon) and sigmoid (lower bowel) of metabolic waste..."
Colonics can be performed by colon therapists, also known as colonic hygienists, or can be self-administered. Water is pumped into the rectum through a rectal tube and removed through another tube. Amounts ranging from one-half to 25 gallons are described on various Websites. This process may be repeated multiple times.
The benefits and risks of any medical intervention must be considered. A systematic review of the mainstream and complementary and alternative literature on the benefits of colon cleansing found no methodologically rigorous trials to substantiate claims. In addition, there is no specific licensing body to regulate colon therapists. Ask your doctor or licensed health professional for a name they trust.
Generally, for those who prefer colonics for detoxification purposes, we suggest getting them no more than once or twice per year. However, people with a history of gastrointestinal disease, such as diverticulitits, Crohn disease, or ulcerative colitis, are at higher risk for adverse effects of colonics. Other conditions such as severe hemorrhoids, a history of colon surgery, heart disease, or renal impairment also increase adverse risk.
Colonics, also known by various names such as colonic irrigation, high colonics, colonic hydrotherapy, and colon lavage, is the process of delivering water and sometimes other ingredients (eg, herbs, coffee, probiotics, enzymes, or sodium phosphate) into and out of the rectum for "cleansing of the large intestine (colon) and sigmoid (lower bowel) of metabolic waste..."
Colonics can be performed by colon therapists, also known as colonic hygienists, or can be self-administered. Water is pumped into the rectum through a rectal tube and removed through another tube. Amounts ranging from one-half to 25 gallons are described on various Websites. This process may be repeated multiple times.
The benefits and risks of any medical intervention must be considered. A systematic review of the mainstream and complementary and alternative literature on the benefits of colon cleansing found no methodologically rigorous trials to substantiate claims. In addition, there is no specific licensing body to regulate colon therapists. Ask your doctor or licensed health professional for a name they trust.
Generally, for those who prefer colonics for detoxification purposes, we suggest getting them no more than once or twice per year. However, people with a history of gastrointestinal disease, such as diverticulitits, Crohn disease, or ulcerative colitis, are at higher risk for adverse effects of colonics. Other conditions such as severe hemorrhoids, a history of colon surgery, heart disease, or renal impairment also increase adverse risk.
Folic acid and B-12 improve cognitive function
The objective of a study in the January issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was to determine whether oral folic acid + vitamin B-12 supplementation prevented cognitive decline in 900 community-dwelling older adults aged 60-74 years with elevated psychological distress. The researchers found that the combination promoted improvement in cognitive functioning after 24 months, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance.
Vitamin D Deficiency, Supplementation and Relation to CVD, Mortality
According to the January 2012 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, low vitamin D status may increase mortality risk. Researchers used the highest compared with the lowest categories of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] serum concentrations and mortality in 59,231 individuals. The results found that there was a decrease in mortality risk as circulating 25(OH)D increases, with optimal concentrations between 75–87.5 nmol/L.
In another study from the November issue of American Journal of Cardiology, evidence supports an association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. The researchers examined the associations between vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplementation, and patient outcomes in 10,899 patients by looking at serum vitamin D measurements for 5 years and 8 months. 3,294 (29.7%) were in the normal vitamin D range and 7,665 (70.3%) were deficient. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with several cardiovascular-related diseases, including hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency was a strong independent predictor of all-cause death. Moreover, vitamin D supplementation conferred substantial survival benefit. In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significant risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced survival. Vitamin D supplementation was significantly associated with better survival, specifically in patients with documented deficiency.
Bonnie - make sure to have your vitamin D level checked at your next physical.
In another study from the November issue of American Journal of Cardiology, evidence supports an association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. The researchers examined the associations between vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplementation, and patient outcomes in 10,899 patients by looking at serum vitamin D measurements for 5 years and 8 months. 3,294 (29.7%) were in the normal vitamin D range and 7,665 (70.3%) were deficient. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with several cardiovascular-related diseases, including hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency was a strong independent predictor of all-cause death. Moreover, vitamin D supplementation conferred substantial survival benefit. In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significant risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced survival. Vitamin D supplementation was significantly associated with better survival, specifically in patients with documented deficiency.
Bonnie - make sure to have your vitamin D level checked at your next physical.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bonnie, Steve's Blog on Hiatus until 1/2/12
Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday and New Year to you and yours.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
MyPlate different than most American's plates
The nutritionally balanced quadrants of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) MyPlate --- the new federal dietary guidelines that depict a healthful daily diet -- look quite different from what’s actually on the plates of most Americans, according to new research from The NPD Group. Using its National Eating Trends (NET) research, NPD has continually tracked the eating and drinking habits of U.S. consumers for more than 30 years. NPD calculated MyPlate days based on consumers who, on the same day, achieved at least 70 percent of the daily recommended intake for dairy, fruit, grains, proteins and vegetables.
For the average consumer, only 2 percent of their days (about seven days a year) come close to resembling the USDA’s MyPlate dietary guidelines, the research showed. When a MyPlate day is achieved, consumers are highly likely to consume more than three meals a day.
For the average consumer, only 2 percent of their days (about seven days a year) come close to resembling the USDA’s MyPlate dietary guidelines, the research showed. When a MyPlate day is achieved, consumers are highly likely to consume more than three meals a day.
Helping Those in Need
If you or someone you know does something to help those in need, we would like to know about it. This way, we can get the word out about all the wonderful things people are doing for others.
You can add to this list by posting in the comments box below. Or, just email us at nutrocon@yahoo.com. Write c/o Helping Those in Need. Please leave your name and email address, person(s) or organization you would like to mention, what and how they help those in need, and contact info for them.
You can add to this list by posting in the comments box below. Or, just email us at nutrocon@yahoo.com. Write c/o Helping Those in Need. Please leave your name and email address, person(s) or organization you would like to mention, what and how they help those in need, and contact info for them.
- Local Food Pantries Benefit From Leftover Crops
- Battered and Abused Women and Children and Erie House, Chicago Toy Drive
- Donations to Safe Place Shelter for Domestic Abuse, Lake County IL
- Feed My Starving Children -
There was a mobile packing event at Lake County Fairgrounds this past weekend. The goal was to pack 800,000 meals. A meal for 6 is assembled in a plastic bag and contains a flavoring/nutrition powder, dehydrated vegetables, soy protein, and rice. This has been developed as a food that a malnourished body can handle and thrive on. Also, rice is a universal food that is recognized by all and cooking is not a mystery.
When we finished our 1 1/2 hour shift, they shared pictures of an eight year old boy that arrived at one of their feeding centers weighing 18 pounds! After 17 days, he had a smile. After 6 months, he weighed 73 pounds. A life was saved! Just from our shift, they said 231 children could receive a meal a day for a year. This food goes around the world to places with famine or disasters, where adequate food is not available.
The organization has a permanent packing facility in Naperville and another on the South Side. So it is possible to get involved with this effort throughout the year.
Surprise, surprise: cancer screening overdone in elderly
More than half of surveyed seniors reported that their physicians continue to recommend cancer screening, despite ambiguity about its value for men and women over age 75, according to data analysis of a nationwide sample.
Among adults between the ages of 75 and 79, 57% were screened for colorectal cancer, 62% for breast, 53% for cervical, and 56% for prostate cancers. In the group that was 80 years or older, rates varied from a low of 38% for cervical cancer screening to a high of 50% for breast cancers, as reported in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, an annual in-person survey of 49,575 adults,
At age extremes, the likelihood of a person living long enough benefit from cancer prevention and detection becomes quite small, while likelihood of harm becomes larger. The data raises the issue of whether quality measures should address the overuse of cancer screening. Currently quality measures in cancer screening focus on increasing screening in persons younger than 75 years, but what about the problems of overscreening?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Gutless Grains
This interview with renowned Paleolithic researcher Loren Cordain, PhD was posted on a blog called Me and My Diabetes.
LOREN CORDAIN
Grains are the seeds of a plant. They’re its reproductive material, and plants don’t make their reproductive material to give away for free to other animals. If they did they’d become extinct, and so the evolutionary strategy that many plants, particularly cereal grains have taken to prevent predation is to evolve toxic compounds so that the predator of the seeds can’t eat them, so that they can put their seeds in the soil where they’re meant to be to grow a new plant and not in the gut of an animal to feed it. We hear that whole grains are especially valuable because of their many vitamins and special nutrients.
Q: Why don’t you like the parts of the grain that make it a “whole grain?”
LOREN CORDAIN
If we look at the outside part of the seed, that’s the part that comes in contact with the environment and that’s the one that has the concentrated sources of anti-nutrients, so all these nasty things that we’re finding in grains that cause problems are concentrated in the outside portion of it. So that’s where the fiber is, is in the bran portion, and that’s where many of the anti-nutrients are. I had a friend whose knees ached when she ate whole grains, but they felt fine when she ate white French bread.
Q: Now, I’m not advocating white bread as a health treat, but why might it cause less problem for her achey knees than a whole grain bread?
LOREN CORDAIN
Whole grains are concentrated sources of anti-nutrients, more so than white bread. White bread certainly isn’t good because of high glycemic load. It also contains gliadin which is one of the elements that open up the gut, but lectins do too, and lectins are more concentrated in the outside layer of wheat berries. People think grains are a good source of fiber and actually they’re not. Fruits and vegetables contain orders of magnitude, at least vegetables do, contain an order of magnitude greater amount of fiber per calorie than grains. There’s no human requirement for grains. That’s the problem with the USDA recommendations. They think we’re hardwired as a species to eat grains. You can get by just fine and meet every single nutrient requirement that humans have without eating grains. And grains are absolutely poor sources of vitamins and minerals compared to fruits and vegetables and meat and fish.
Q: When you state the obvious, anyone can do that. Get a computerized dietary analysis program and put in the eight whole grains and then put in the 20 most commonly consumed fruits and the 20 most commonly consumed vegetables and look at the nutrient density. The nutrient density is much greater in fruits and vegetables than it is in grains. So why are we putting grains at the base of our food pyramid and telling people that they have to eat them? There’s absolutely no nutrient in grains that we can’t get elsewhere. Many nutritionists argue that we need to eat grains for the fiber, in order to avoid constipation. Do you agree?
LOREN CORDAIN
You do need bulk and what we call prebiotics, which is fiber, but there are basically 2 types of fiber, soluble and non-soluble. And grains, except for oats, contain mainly non-soluble fiber. Fruits and vegetables contain soluble fiber which tends to be therapeutic because it slightly lowers cholesterol and benefits some other blood parameters. But even more, it provides soluble fiber which is an environment for healthy bacteria to live in our gut, and so what we’re finding now is that probiotics along with prebiotics, help us to have a healthy flora of bacteria in our gut, and when we have a healthy flora of bacteria in our gut, it tends to prevent leaky gut, and it tends to prevent chronic low level inflammation that occurs when our gut is colonized with gram negative bacteria more than gram positive bacteria. In contrast, if you eat an average low reside western diet, high glycemic load diet, it tends to promote flora that is not therapeutic.
Q: Once somebody has full fledged diabetes or they’re on the way to that, while they could have eaten a paleolithic diet before that might have helped prevent their diabetes, they may not be able to have as many carbohydrates as a paleo-diet tends to have. Are you comfortable when people tend to modify a paleo diet so they eat more fats and they eat fewer fruits and starchy vegetables?
LOREN CORDAIN
There are two types of diabetes. The most common type in the US is Type 2 diabetes, and that’s the type that is essentially a lifestyle issue. People with obesity, people that are insulin resistant, develop Type 2 diabetes, and that can be cured. It’s not an incurable disease, and so by losing weight and changing diet and reducing carbohydrate in their diet, these people can end up becoming non diabetic, and coming into complete remission with their disease. The other type of diabetes is Type 1 diabetes which is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and destroys those beta cells. The thinking has always been there’s no such thing as remission from Type 1 diabetes because once the Beta Cells in the pancreas are destroyed, then you have to inject insulin for the rest of your life. What we have found now, surprisingly in the last three or four years, we have had two or three anecdotal cases of people with physician diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, who were insulin brittle, so they were injecting themselves with insulin, we have at least three cases that I’m aware of where they have actually come into complete remission, and myself, I was the biggest skeptic of all. I said you can’t come out of the disease, but we heard these people did, and so they stopped injecting insulin, and there are certain blood parameters you can measure to determine whether or not someone still has the disease, and so I’m working on this with a colleague here in our department, and another immunologist outside the U-S, and we think what’s going on is that the immune system all but destroys most of the beta cells in the pancreas, but there are what are called stem cells, and a few stem cells are left that can become beta cells, and if you can stop the immune assault on the beta cells, on the body’s own tissues, if you can completely stop it, then those stem cells might be able to regenerate beta cells, sufficiently to restore pancreatic function.
Q: There is a woman who is advertising on the web right now about her twin boys, who she put on a what I believe she describes as a plant-based diet, where they were both diagnosed as Type 1 diabetics, and now they don’t take any medications.
LOREN CORDAIN
That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me because the only way you can eat a plant-based diet is by eating grains and legumes, and those are two factors that can irritate the gut. Hundreds of scientific papers show that legumes and grains increase intestinal permeability, and they do it through the mechanisms we talked about earlier, through lectins and saponins, and what are called thaumatin-like proteins, so I would say that vegetarian or vegan diets would be one of the worst ways a person with autoimmune disease could go. I recommend not doing that.
Q: You have mentioned several blood-carried protein markers that indicate when someone is not digesting foods completely, making the proteins in those foods “leak” into the bloodstream, where they can trigger inflammation. Those could be a powerful way to figure out whether someone is eating foods that lead their own gut to be leaky. That could be helpful for people with arthritis, MS, autism . . . a huge list of ailments. It would be fun, wouldn’t it, to get all these markers together and have experts look at them and comment on the same thing.
LOREN CORDAIN
There’s a biological template that allows scientists to look into the future, and it’s called the evolutionary template, and if you don’t use it, it’s like playing soccer, running uphill on a soccer field, against a team that’s running downhill. And any nutritionist or biologist or physician that doesn’t use the evolutionary template to help guide them to the correct decision is inevitably going to to end up with the wrong answer. And that’s part of the problem with the governmental recommendations right now by the USDA is that we’re not putting the evolutionary template over the problem of diet and health.I’m kind of in an odd role here in what I do research wise. I’ve pushed pieces around on a chess board. We’re kind of a think tank here and me and my graduate students I work with around the world, we’re not bench scientists per se. We don’t do the cooking, we invent the recipes. Or rather, we suggest the recipes, and some scientists are interested in our ideas and testing them, but many scientists many bench scientists are very close to a very narrow idea and that’s what they pursue. They don’t look at the big picture, and I have the luxury of looking at the big picture.
Fever helps immune cells
Scientists have found more evidence that elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better, according to the Journal of Leukocyte Biology."An increase in body temperature has been known since ancient times to be associated with infection and inflammation," said the researcher. "Since a febrile response is highly conserved in nature (even so-called cold blooded animals move to warmer places when they become ill) it would seem important that we immunologists devote more attention to this interesting response."
Scientists found that the generation and differentiation of a particular kind of lymphocyte, known as a "CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell" (capable of destroying virus-infected cells and tumor cells) is enhanced by mild fever-range hyperthermia. Specifically, their research suggests that elevated body temperature changes the T-cells' membranes which may help mediate the effects of micro-environmental temperature on cell function.
"Having a fever might be uncomfortable," said researchers, "but this research report and several others are showing that having a fever is part of an effective immune response. We had previously thought that the microbes that infect us simply can't replicate as well when we have fevers, but this new work also suggests that the immune system might be temporarily enhanced functionally when our temperatures rise with fever. Although very high body temperatures are dangerous and should be controlled, this study shows that we may need to reconsider how and when we treat most mild fevers."
Scientists found that the generation and differentiation of a particular kind of lymphocyte, known as a "CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell" (capable of destroying virus-infected cells and tumor cells) is enhanced by mild fever-range hyperthermia. Specifically, their research suggests that elevated body temperature changes the T-cells' membranes which may help mediate the effects of micro-environmental temperature on cell function.
"Having a fever might be uncomfortable," said researchers, "but this research report and several others are showing that having a fever is part of an effective immune response. We had previously thought that the microbes that infect us simply can't replicate as well when we have fevers, but this new work also suggests that the immune system might be temporarily enhanced functionally when our temperatures rise with fever. Although very high body temperatures are dangerous and should be controlled, this study shows that we may need to reconsider how and when we treat most mild fevers."
"Got Milk" campaign's new face
The International Dairy Foods Association has reported that while U.S. milk production reached a record 192.8 billion pounds in 2010, the long-term trend of declining sales of packaged fluid milk products continued. Another revelation is that many Americans stop drinking milk in their teenage years. How does the IDFA plan to bring them into the fold? To market chocolate milk as the next sports drink, of course. Meet the new face of the "Got Milk" campaign.
Feel free to leave a comment below.
Friday, December 09, 2011
BPA in soup the last straw for the FDA
I guess the recent media exposure of BPA in canned soups and drinks was the straw that broke the camel's back for the FDA. They have vacillated for several years over what to do about BPA. They have now given themselves a May 31, 2012 deadline to decide if it should be removed.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/bpa-lurks-in-canned-soups-and-drinks/?ref=health
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/bpa-lurks-in-canned-soups-and-drinks/?ref=health
Arsenic in our food. Cause for alarm?
Two recent media stories exposed potentially high levels of arsenic in two major American foodstuffs: rice and apple juice. Should their be cause for concern?
Rice
There is virtually no data or oversight on naturally-occurring arsenic, or any heavy metal in rice for that matter. We applaud scientists for wanting to exploring the issue. It is a complex one that depends on many factors before a consensus can be drawn. For instance, the location of the rice field has a lot to do with the amount of heavy metals in the soil. Are the fields sprayed with pesticides or near farms that do? Do the farmers use well water, usually higher in arsenic, or receive runoff from rivers or tributaries high in heavy metals? Additionally, soil in different areas of the world have varying amounts of arsenic. For instance, California soil has less arsenic in its soil than Texas.
In our opinion, there is no cause for alarm at the moment. The new study scientists' cite to is small and has many confounding variables. If you are worried, purchase organic rice. This way, you can check off pesticides as one less potential contributor to high heavy metals. If you are gluten intolerant or celiac and consume copious amounts of rice, do not deviate for what works. If you are worried, you can always do a hair analysis or serum blood test to rule out high arsenic or other heavy metals.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/safety/story/2011-12-05/Researchers-call-for-monitoring-of-arsenic-levels-in-rice/51657062/1
Apple Juice
In the case of apple juice, there is more data to draw from and depending on the brand of apple juice, there may be cause for concern. Additionally, because apple juice is a processed food, it is much easier to perform arsenic testing before releasing the product to the public. The fact that the FDA is considering more oversight means that it is an issue. We would also suggest going organic in this case if you drink apple juice. However, we are not big advocates of juice in any form because of its high glycemic index and load. We always prefer consuming the real thing!
http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/NEWS/2011-12-02-PNI1202wir-Apple-Juice_ST_U.htm
Rice
There is virtually no data or oversight on naturally-occurring arsenic, or any heavy metal in rice for that matter. We applaud scientists for wanting to exploring the issue. It is a complex one that depends on many factors before a consensus can be drawn. For instance, the location of the rice field has a lot to do with the amount of heavy metals in the soil. Are the fields sprayed with pesticides or near farms that do? Do the farmers use well water, usually higher in arsenic, or receive runoff from rivers or tributaries high in heavy metals? Additionally, soil in different areas of the world have varying amounts of arsenic. For instance, California soil has less arsenic in its soil than Texas.
In our opinion, there is no cause for alarm at the moment. The new study scientists' cite to is small and has many confounding variables. If you are worried, purchase organic rice. This way, you can check off pesticides as one less potential contributor to high heavy metals. If you are gluten intolerant or celiac and consume copious amounts of rice, do not deviate for what works. If you are worried, you can always do a hair analysis or serum blood test to rule out high arsenic or other heavy metals.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/safety/story/2011-12-05/Researchers-call-for-monitoring-of-arsenic-levels-in-rice/51657062/1
Apple Juice
In the case of apple juice, there is more data to draw from and depending on the brand of apple juice, there may be cause for concern. Additionally, because apple juice is a processed food, it is much easier to perform arsenic testing before releasing the product to the public. The fact that the FDA is considering more oversight means that it is an issue. We would also suggest going organic in this case if you drink apple juice. However, we are not big advocates of juice in any form because of its high glycemic index and load. We always prefer consuming the real thing!
http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/NEWS/2011-12-02-PNI1202wir-Apple-Juice_ST_U.htm
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Acai weight loss scam gets the boot
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had filed a court order together with the State of Connecticut to halt an Internet operation that runs bogus news sites featuring fake stories about açaà weight loss pills. The fake news sites are promoted on banner ads and web page links by affiliate marketers and eventually link to supposedly free trials for açaà supplements—though many consumers complained of unwittingly paying $79.99 for monthly shipments. FTC asserts that the scam’s perpetrators have defrauded customers of over $25 million. The court order placed an injunction on LeanSpa LLC, NutraSlim LLC and NutraSlim U.K. Ltd., the companies responsible for the scam. The companies operate with various websites—such as TryLeanSpa.com, TryNutraSlim.com and TryQuickDetox.com—which are linked to various fake news websites—including channel8health.com, dailyhealth6.com and online6health.com—run by affiliate marketers. The news websites feature fake investigative reports with titles like "Açaà Berry Diet Exposed: Miracle Diet or Scam?" and employ logos from credible news sources such as CNN and MSNBC.
FTC had announced its intent to crack down on these açaà weight-loss supplement sellers last spring, filing 10 different complaints against the affiliate marketers themselves. At the time, an FTC attorney asserted that “tens of billions” of these false advertisements were present across the internet.
FTC had announced its intent to crack down on these açaà weight-loss supplement sellers last spring, filing 10 different complaints against the affiliate marketers themselves. At the time, an FTC attorney asserted that “tens of billions” of these false advertisements were present across the internet.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Dark or Light Roast?
Dark Roasted Coffee Improves Human Antioxidant Status
Recent results from prospective cohort studies have shown that moderate coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk for diabetes mellitus type II or Alzheimer's disease. Since reactive oxygen species (ROS) are believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases, antioxidants in coffee might contribute to this risk reduction. We aimed at elucidating whether a dark roast coffee beverage has stronger antioxidant effects on human erythrocytes than a light roast. Intake of the dark roast most effectively improved the antioxidant status of erythrocytes: superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity decreased by 5.8 and 15%, respectively, whereas tocopherol and total glutathione concentrations increased by 41 and 14%, respectively. Furthermore, administration of the dark roast led to a significant body weight reduction in pre-obese subjects, whereas the light roast did not. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Crackdown on HCG Weight-Loss Product
Bonnie and Steve - as you know, we do not always agree with the FDA and their decisions. However, in this case, we wholeheartedly agree.
Courtesy of USA Today
The government is cracking down on companies that sell popular over-the-counter weight-loss products containing the hormone HCG.The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission announced today that they have sent seven warning letters to companies that make the products, notifying them that they are violating federal law by selling drugs that have not been approved and by making unsupported claims for the substances. There are no FDA-approved HCG products for weight loss, says Elizabeth Miller, the FDA's acting director of the division of non-prescription products and health fraud.
HCG weight-loss products, which promise dramatic results and claim to be homeopathic, are sold as drops, pellets and sprays in retail stores and on the Web, including GNC. The homeopathic HCG products contain HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, which is a hormone made by the placenta during pregnancy. The hormone itself is approved as a prescription treatment for infertility and other conditions, the FDA says.
Many of these products claim to "reset your metabolism," change "abnormal eating patterns" and shave 20 to 30 pounds in 30 to 40 days, the FDA says. "These products are marketed with incredible claims, and people think that if they're losing weight, HCG must be working," Miller says. "But the data simply does not support this — any loss is from severe calorie restriction, not from the HCG. "The products are supposed to be used in combination with a very low-calorie diet of 500 calories a day so they are potentially dangerous and could lead to gallstone formation, electrolyte imbalance and heart arrhythmia, she says. Miller says the FDA doesn't know how many consumers are using the products, "but we understand they are very popular." The products are mostly sold on the Internet, so it's difficult to track sales.
HCG began being used for weight loss in the 1950s when a British physician had a theory that it could help people on a near-starvation diet not feel hungry. Since then, there have been a number of clinical trials debunking that theory. Duffy MacKay, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group, says the HCG weight-loss products "are totally illegal," because they don't meet the criteria for either a dietary supplement ingredient or a homeopathic product. "I am not aware of any scientific evidence that supports its use when taken orally for weight loss," he says.
Homeopathy is an alternative medicine practice of using very small or diluted preparations of medicines or remedies to treat a condition. Donna Ryan, an obesity researcher with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, says she is "delighted" by the government's actions."There is not a shred of evidence that HCG has any more than a placebo effect in promoting weight loss. It's yet one more unproven treatment for obesity that is unscrupulously marketed to patients," she says. The companies have 15 days to notify the FDA of the steps they have taken to correct the violations cited. Failure to do so may result in legal action, including seizure and injunction, or criminal prosecution.
Below is a list of the companies that received the warning letters as well as the products they sell:
Manufacturer/Distributor Name | Product Name |
1. HCG Diet Direct LLC | HCG Diet Homeopathic Drops |
2. The hCG Drops LLC | Homeopathic HCG |
3. HCG Platinum LLC; RightWay Nutrition | HCG Platinum HCG Platinum X-30 HCG Platinum X-14 |
4. Nutri Fusion Systems LLC | HCG Fusion 30 HCG Fusion 43 |
5. www.resetthebody.com; www.theoriginalhcgdrops.com | Homeopathic Original HCG Homeopathic HCG |
6. Hcg-miracleweightloss.com | HCG Extra Weight Loss Homeopathic Drops |
7. Natural Medical Supply | Alcohol Free hCG Weight Loss Formula |
Home birth and the perils of free formula
The low incidence of adverse events suggests that women with low-risk pregnancies should be provided a choice of birth setting, according to the findings of a British Medical Journal study. Among the 64,538 women included in the study, the investigators found no significant differences in the odds of morbidity for births planned in any nonobstetric unit setting compared with those planned in obstetric units.
New mothers who are not offered free infant formula samples by hospitals after giving birth tend to breastfeed longer. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that hospitals refrain from the common practice of providing the sample formula packets to new mothers, largely because it has the potential to undermine breastfeeding efforts. A 2009 report from the Institute of Medicine on conflict-of-interest issues involved in the dissemination of industry-sponsored formula placed added pressure on hospitals to end the practice. Despite the recommendation, however, the majority of hospitals in the United States (91%) continue to distribute the formula sample packets, according to the authors of a study presented at the American Public health Association annual meeting. The researchers prospectively enrolled 527 breastfeeding women at Cooper Hospital in Camden, New Jersey — 284 before the policy to discontinue this practice was implemented (control group) and 243 after the policy was implemented (intervention group). Researchers called subjects weekly for 10 weeks after discharge to check on infant status and infant feeding practices. Those in the intervention group had significantly lower rates of stopping breastfeeding than those in the formula group).
New mothers who are not offered free infant formula samples by hospitals after giving birth tend to breastfeed longer. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that hospitals refrain from the common practice of providing the sample formula packets to new mothers, largely because it has the potential to undermine breastfeeding efforts. A 2009 report from the Institute of Medicine on conflict-of-interest issues involved in the dissemination of industry-sponsored formula placed added pressure on hospitals to end the practice. Despite the recommendation, however, the majority of hospitals in the United States (91%) continue to distribute the formula sample packets, according to the authors of a study presented at the American Public health Association annual meeting. The researchers prospectively enrolled 527 breastfeeding women at Cooper Hospital in Camden, New Jersey — 284 before the policy to discontinue this practice was implemented (control group) and 243 after the policy was implemented (intervention group). Researchers called subjects weekly for 10 weeks after discharge to check on infant status and infant feeding practices. Those in the intervention group had significantly lower rates of stopping breastfeeding than those in the formula group).
Protein does not accelerate bone loss
According to a new study in European Journal Clinical Nutrition, high-protein (HP) diets exert a hypercalciuric effect at constant levels of calcium intake, even though the effect may depend on the nature of the dietary protein. Lower urinary pH is also consistently observed for subjects consuming HP diets. The combination of these two effects was suspected to be associated with a dietary environment favorable for demineralization of the skeleton. However, increased calcium excretion due to HP diet does not seem to be linked to impaired calcium balance. In contrast, some data indicate that HP intakes induce an increase of intestinal calcium absorption. Moreover, no clinical data support the hypothesis of a detrimental effect of HP diet on bone health. In addition, HP intake promotes bone growth and retards bone loss and low-protein diet is associated with higher risk of hip fractures. The increase of acid and calcium excretion due to HP diet is also accused of constituting a favorable environment for kidney stones and renal diseases. However, in healthy subjects, no damaging effect of HP diets on kidney has been found in either observational or interventional studies and it seems that HP diets might be deleterious only in patients with preexisting metabolic renal dysfunction. Thus, HP diet does not seem to lead to calcium bone loss, and the role of protein seems to be complex and probably dependent on other dietary factors and the presence of other nutrients in the diet.
Bonnie - this is the most succinct of the numerous studies over the last few years dispelling the myth of protein increasing bone loss.
Bonnie - this is the most succinct of the numerous studies over the last few years dispelling the myth of protein increasing bone loss.
Studies show fish to be cardio, neuroprotective
People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). People who consumed baked or broiled fish at least one time per week had better preservation of gray matter volume on MRI in brain areas at risk for Alzheimer's disease. The results also demonstrated increased levels of cognition in people who ate baked or broiled fish.
Young women may reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. In the population-based study of 49,000 women, 15-49 years old, median age of just under 30 years in early pregnancy, who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly. Compared to women who ate fish high in omega-3 weekly, the risk was 90 percent higher for those who rarely or never ate fish.
Young women may reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. In the population-based study of 49,000 women, 15-49 years old, median age of just under 30 years in early pregnancy, who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly. Compared to women who ate fish high in omega-3 weekly, the risk was 90 percent higher for those who rarely or never ate fish.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Krill Versus Fish Oil: Our Take
We have received numerous inquiries recently regarding our feelings about krill oil.
Dr. Mehmet Oz recently said on his show that krill oil may be even better than fish oil for fighting diseases. During the segment, he said krill may be a "faster and stronger" omega-3 source than fish oil. Dr. Oz used an infographic to show krill oil has been shown to be more bioavailable than fish oil. He referenced a study that showed krill oil has more omega-3s than a similar dose of fish oil. He also noted that krill oil contains astaxanthin, which he said helps krill oil from becoming oxidized.
The problem with the Dr. Oz effect is that he has purported as many failures as successes (i.e. acai, hoodia, among others). This is not to say that krill oil is all hype. It is not. However, we would not put away your fish oil any time soon.
Allergy
Krill are little shrimp, so are not recommended for those with a shellfish allergy.
Price
Krill is much more expensive than fish oil.
Provides Much Less EPA/DHA
Krill oil does not provide more EPA DHA than fish oil. For example, a popular krill product claims 2 capsules provides 90 mg EPA and 50 mg DHA. 2 softgels of your average fish oil provides 600 mg EPA and 400 mg, which is a suggested daily maintenance dose.
Contains Omega-6
Krill naturally contains omega 6 fatty acids (20 mg in product we researched). These are considered inflammatory fatty acids that compete with omega 3's.
High Phospholipids Not for Everyone
Krill contains a lot of phospholipids (mostly phosphatidylcholine, which can be beneficial if you need it, but not everyone does).
Sustainability
There are huge questions about krill's sustainability if it becomes more popular. Krill provides food to many large mammals (including whales) and is not easily replaced. Calamari oil is much more sustainable and provides about the same amount of EPA/DHA.
Astaxanthin
The most beneficial aspect of krill oil is astaxanthin, which is an antioxidant that has gotten much attention recently (from none other than Dr. Oz).
In conclusion, we are not dissuading you from taking krill oil. However, for the aforementioned reasons, we still support supplementing with high quality fish oil.
Dr. Mehmet Oz recently said on his show that krill oil may be even better than fish oil for fighting diseases. During the segment, he said krill may be a "faster and stronger" omega-3 source than fish oil. Dr. Oz used an infographic to show krill oil has been shown to be more bioavailable than fish oil. He referenced a study that showed krill oil has more omega-3s than a similar dose of fish oil. He also noted that krill oil contains astaxanthin, which he said helps krill oil from becoming oxidized.
The problem with the Dr. Oz effect is that he has purported as many failures as successes (i.e. acai, hoodia, among others). This is not to say that krill oil is all hype. It is not. However, we would not put away your fish oil any time soon.
Allergy
Krill are little shrimp, so are not recommended for those with a shellfish allergy.
Price
Krill is much more expensive than fish oil.
Provides Much Less EPA/DHA
Krill oil does not provide more EPA DHA than fish oil. For example, a popular krill product claims 2 capsules provides 90 mg EPA and 50 mg DHA. 2 softgels of your average fish oil provides 600 mg EPA and 400 mg, which is a suggested daily maintenance dose.
Contains Omega-6
Krill naturally contains omega 6 fatty acids (20 mg in product we researched). These are considered inflammatory fatty acids that compete with omega 3's.
High Phospholipids Not for Everyone
Krill contains a lot of phospholipids (mostly phosphatidylcholine, which can be beneficial if you need it, but not everyone does).
Sustainability
There are huge questions about krill's sustainability if it becomes more popular. Krill provides food to many large mammals (including whales) and is not easily replaced. Calamari oil is much more sustainable and provides about the same amount of EPA/DHA.
Astaxanthin
The most beneficial aspect of krill oil is astaxanthin, which is an antioxidant that has gotten much attention recently (from none other than Dr. Oz).
In conclusion, we are not dissuading you from taking krill oil. However, for the aforementioned reasons, we still support supplementing with high quality fish oil.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Quorn finally on its way out?
Courtesy of Wall Street Journal
In November, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, asking that the agency remove Quorn from store shelves, saying it carries a risk of severe allergic reaction. Its action takes place after it says it received more U.S. consumer complaints about the fungus-derived food—65 so far this year out of 140 world-wide—than it has received in any previous year. Over the past decade, CSPI says it has received 500 U.S. complaints and 1,200 more from Europe and Australia.
"Any novel food ingredient that causes hives, anaphylactic reactions, or vomiting so violent that blood vessels burst cannot, indeed must not, be considered by the FDA to be 'generally recognized as safe,' "
The product, sold at grocery chains including Whole Foods and Kroger, has plenty of fans. Mary Melvin of Greenwich, Conn., says she served Quorn to her 13-year-old son one day for lunch and, to her surprise, "He loved it. Usually he doesn't like anything not made by me." She says her children continue to eat it regularly. Then there are those who will never eat it again. For Thanksgiving last year, Ginny Linehan dined on Quorn "Turk'y Style Roast." Within three hours, the 56-year-old Minnesotan broke out in a cold sweat, vomited and passed out in the bathroom, hitting her head. Matt Ernst, 48, a software salesman in Florida, says he ate Quorn "chicken cutlets" at his girlfriend's house in June, then went for a run home. A mile from his house, his throat and skin got itchy. He says he started having trouble breathing and his faced swelled up. "I thought about calling 911," he says. Benadryl lessened the symptoms over a few hours. Both Ms. Linehan and Mr. Ernst filed complaints with the CSPI. Mr. Ernst, who has allergies to pollen and pets, says "The packaging did not say, 'This is a vat-grown fungus that could cause severe allergic reactions,'" The label says, "This product contains egg and wheat ingredients and is made in a facility that also processes milk. Mycoprotein is high in protein and fiber. This may cause intolerance in some people."
Critics of the labeling point out that few people know what mycoprotein is. (It is protein derived from fungus.) The Quorn formula is based on a fungus found originally in a field in West London. It's stringy, grows underground and looks a lot "like the roots of a strawberry plant," Mr. Wilson says. To that, the company adds wheat protein, starch, egg whites and other ingredients. "Obviously, the current label isn't adequate because it doesn't mention mold or fungus" allergies.
In November, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, asking that the agency remove Quorn from store shelves, saying it carries a risk of severe allergic reaction. Its action takes place after it says it received more U.S. consumer complaints about the fungus-derived food—65 so far this year out of 140 world-wide—than it has received in any previous year. Over the past decade, CSPI says it has received 500 U.S. complaints and 1,200 more from Europe and Australia.
"Any novel food ingredient that causes hives, anaphylactic reactions, or vomiting so violent that blood vessels burst cannot, indeed must not, be considered by the FDA to be 'generally recognized as safe,' "
The product, sold at grocery chains including Whole Foods and Kroger, has plenty of fans. Mary Melvin of Greenwich, Conn., says she served Quorn to her 13-year-old son one day for lunch and, to her surprise, "He loved it. Usually he doesn't like anything not made by me." She says her children continue to eat it regularly. Then there are those who will never eat it again. For Thanksgiving last year, Ginny Linehan dined on Quorn "Turk'y Style Roast." Within three hours, the 56-year-old Minnesotan broke out in a cold sweat, vomited and passed out in the bathroom, hitting her head. Matt Ernst, 48, a software salesman in Florida, says he ate Quorn "chicken cutlets" at his girlfriend's house in June, then went for a run home. A mile from his house, his throat and skin got itchy. He says he started having trouble breathing and his faced swelled up. "I thought about calling 911," he says. Benadryl lessened the symptoms over a few hours. Both Ms. Linehan and Mr. Ernst filed complaints with the CSPI. Mr. Ernst, who has allergies to pollen and pets, says "The packaging did not say, 'This is a vat-grown fungus that could cause severe allergic reactions,'" The label says, "This product contains egg and wheat ingredients and is made in a facility that also processes milk. Mycoprotein is high in protein and fiber. This may cause intolerance in some people."
Critics of the labeling point out that few people know what mycoprotein is. (It is protein derived from fungus.) The Quorn formula is based on a fungus found originally in a field in West London. It's stringy, grows underground and looks a lot "like the roots of a strawberry plant," Mr. Wilson says. To that, the company adds wheat protein, starch, egg whites and other ingredients. "Obviously, the current label isn't adequate because it doesn't mention mold or fungus" allergies.
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