Bone Drugs: a Patient's Story

Bonnie: This letter was forwarded to me by one of our client's friends. Joni's wish was for me to share it with you. This is certainly not the first, and will not be last, story you hear about the damaging effects of osteoporosis drugs.

Subject: a warning to women

Dear Friends, 

If you are currently taking or have taken Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast or any other medications for Osteoporosis called Bisphosphonates or if you have been diagnosed with Osteopenia or Osteoporosis and your doctor has mentioned putting you on one of these drugs in the future, PLEASE take the time to read  this.  I am on a mission to warn as many women as I possibly can of a terrible risk of taking these – small risk - until it happens to you drugs.

In 2005 I had a bone density test and was diagnosed with Oesteopenia.  My OB put me on Fosamax and I changed to Boniva in 2008 after I read a news report stating that Fosamax was linked to atypical femur stress fractures.  I took my last Boniva pill one month ago. About a year and a half ago I noticed that I had pain standing upright on my left leg while putting on pants. I figured I had strained a muscle and just started to get dressed sitting down. Soon after I began getting a pain going from my hip to my knee when I was walking. This pain got progressively worse to the point that I could hardly walk. I self diagnosed this pain  as hip bursitis and sought a Rheumatologist for confirmation and a cortisone shot into the bursa sac in my hip. I had had this condition two other times and both times the injection had stopped my pain almost immediately. The Rheumatologist agreed that it was hip bursitis and administered the shot. My leg should have improved within  24 hours but the pain got worse instead.  I went back for another shot the next week but I got no relief this time either. I could only walk with a gimpy limp which slightly offset the pain.

 By now it was October 2011 and my quest for finding the cause and remedy for my leg pain began to get desperate.  I got a good referral to a Sports Medicine doctor at S.C.O.I.  where  I took my first hip M.R.I. , which  actually showed  a femur fracture but the radiologist missed it.  It also showed a condition called AVN or Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head which means death of the head of the femur (thigh  bone).  When the Sports Medicine Dr. saw that I had AVN he told me I had to see a hip surgeon immediately. Now I was scared and sought out the best hip surgeons in Los Angeles.  A visit to 2 top surgeons showed that the AVN condition was not the reason for my pain. Both hip surgeons suggested that I see my back surgeon who had successfully operated on my back 4 years ago. It seems that with hip pain it's difficult to diagnose where it's coming from and both surgeons thought the pain was coming from my back.  

In Dec. of 2011 I saw my back surgeon who ordered an M.R.I. of my back. It showed some spinal stenosis in a part of my spine that hadn't been operated on, but he wasn't convinced that my pain was coming from my back. I was sent to the  head of Cedars pain center who injected me 3 different times with more cortisone for diagnostic purposes.....in my back, sacroiliac and yet another shot in my bursa. None of the injections helped to relieve my pain.  The pain doctor thought I might be helped by a Chiropractor so for six weeks I went to his referral until an adjustment broke a rib.

I started to use a cane to help me walk and I was amazed how much pain was relieved with it but I couldn't walk by myself. After 6 specialists the most help I got was from a cane!  I returned to my back doctor in desperation but before we ever spoke he saw how much better I walked with the cane. He informed me that nothing having to do with the spine was going to be better with the help of a cane and directed me back to the hip surgeon.

When I was making an appointment with the hip surgeon I  asked to have a new M.R.I.  of my hip. This time an atypical femur stress fracture was discovered in my left leg. My hip surgeon asked if I had ever used Osteoporosis medication and the answer was "yes and I still do." An appointment was set up for a Nuclear Bone Scan for a few days later. That evening I got a terrible pain in my good leg but thought it must be from its taking months of extra strain. I tried to ignore the pain but couldn't. Finally I took the Nuclear Bone Scan and it showed two lateral fractures of the femur, one in each leg in exactly the same place. It also confirmed that my AVN was not active.  My hip surgeon said I needed both legs operated on immediately to prevent both femurs from breaking completely.  He would have to put metal rods from my hip joints through my femur bones to my knees. 50 % of all femur fractures from these medications result in fractures of both femurs.

My operation took place on April 16th at Cedars Sinai and I was there for 8 days including some rehab. I was told that my left femur was days away from breaking completely. Now I need extensive physical therapy to help me heal and learn to walk without a a limp. I have to inject myself in my stomach every day for 2 years with a special hormone to help my bones heal as the Osteoporosis medication robs the femurs from normally rebuilding the femur bone. It's been four weeks after the operation and I'm getting stronger. Please take heed that all I did to deserve this nightmare was take a drug to prevent Osteoporosis for way too many years. The other day the F.D.A. finally came out with a public warning regarding the use of Bisphosphonates.  The most popular of these medications is Fosamax which has over 23,000 law suits against it. Each of the other medications also have thousands of law suits against them.

If you hear anyone mention leg pain, ask them if they are taking one of these Osteoporosis drugs.  If they are, they need to get to an orthopedist immediately. I hope that none of you have or will develop this condition, but I feel compelled to warn as many women as possible about this.  I'm very angry that the very drugs that were supposed to protect my bones have caused stress fractures in both my femurs, have ruined my life for more than a year and have left me with an uphill battle to rebuild it.

Please forward this to anyone you might think could profit from this information. Not enough doctors are warning their patients of the risks and alternatives of these drugs. We are our only true health advocates.

Yours truly, Joni

Are healthy foods really more expensive?

According to this USDA report, some are not. They claim that sugary and sodium-laden foods, as well as animal protein, cost more based on their formula. Grains, fruit, vegetables, and dairy cost less. Fruits and vegetables could cost a lot less if we allowed more subsidies for them, or, abolish subsidies for Big Grain, and let the growers duke it out on a level playing field. The cost for animal protein would also cost less because if grains were more expensive to feed livestock, producers would be more apt to allow animals to eat what they are supposed to (i.e. grass-fed beef).

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB96/EIB96.pdf

Z-Pak antibiotic raises heart attack risk

Use of a common antibiotic, azithromycin, appears to significantly increase the risk of sudden cardiac death when compared with no antibiotic treatment, according to analysis of from The New England Journal of Medicine.
 

Two other macrolide antibiotics, erythromycin and clarithromycin, are known to increase risk of heart-related events such as ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, but azithromycin had not been associated with cardiovascular risk.
 

During the study period, there were 347,795 prescriptions for azithromycin, 1,348,672 for amoxicillin, 264,626 for ciprofloxacin, and 193,906 for levofloxacin. In addition, the researchers identified 1,391,180 controls not given antibiotics. Patients who took azithromycin had an estimated 47 additional cardiovascular deaths per 1 million 5-day courses of therapy

Compared with no antibiotic treatment, azithromycin use also had an increased risk for death from any cause.

EWG's Top Sunscreens for 2012

http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

Big Pharma, Research Publishers Agree to Transparency?

According to the most recent issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, pharmaceutical industry and publishing representatives have collaborated to develop 10 recommendations for closing the credibility gap in reporting industry-sponsored clinical research.

GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Lancet were involved.
 

The recommendations are as follows:

1. Ensure clinical studies and publications address clinically important questions
2. Make public all results, including negative or unfavorable ones, in a timely fashion, while avoiding redundancy 
3. Improve understanding and disclosure of authors' potential conflicts of interest 
4. Educate authors on how to develop quality manuscripts and meet journal expectations 
5. Improve disclosure of authorship contributions and writing assistance and continue education on best publication practices to end ghostwriting and guest authorship 
6. Report adverse event data more transparently and in a more clinically meaningful manner 
7. Provide access to more complete protocol information 
8. Transparently report statistical methods used in analysis 
9. Ensure authors can access complete study data, know how to do so, and can attest to this 
10. Support the sharing of prior reviews from other journals

Bonnie and Steve: We'll believe it when we see it.

Artificial devices before bed a no-no

Courtesy of The Daily Herald

At night, the light throws the body's inner clock — the circadian rhythm — out of sync, which in turn can affect your sleep. The combination of poor sleep and exposure to artificial light may contribute to a number of health problems, according to the Harvard Health Letter.

Studies have linked working the night shift and getting exposed to light at night to several types of cancer (including breast and prostate cancer), diabetes, heart disease and obesity. It's not exactly clear why nighttime light exposure seems to be problematic. It could be because exposure to light at night curbs the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that influences circadian rhythms.

Here are some suggestions to consider.

• Use dim red lights for nightlights. Red light has the least power to shift circadian rhythm and suppress melatonin.

• Avoid looking at brightly lit screens such as computers beginning two to three hours before bed.

• If you work a night shift or use a lot of electronic devices at night, consider wearing blue wavelength-blocking glasses.

• Expose yourself to lots of bright light during the day, which will boost your ability to sleep at night, as well as your mood and alertness during daylight.

Gluten Intolerant? a Plea to Young Women.

  

Babies born to women with intolerant to gluten appear to be at increased risk for certain psychiatric disorders later in life, according to research in The American Journal of Psychiatry, add to a growing body of evidence that many "adult" diseases may take root before and shortly after birth.

This is the first study that points to maternal food intolerances as a possible culprit in the development of such disorders. The research not only underscores the importance of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and its lifelong effects on the offspring, but also suggests one potential cheap and easy way to reduce risk if we were to find further proof that gluten intolerance exacerbates or drives up schizophrenia risk.

The team's findings are based on an examination of 764 birth records and neonatal blood samples of babies born between 1975 and 1985. Some 211 of them subsequently developed non-affective psychoses, such as schizophrenia and delusional disorders.

Using stored neonatal blood samples, the investigators measured levels of IgG antibodies to milk and wheat. Because a mother's antibodies cross the placenta during pregnancy to confer immunity to the baby, a newborn's elevated IgG levels are proof of protein sensitivity in the mother.

Children born to mothers with abnormally high levels of antibodies to the wheat protein gluten had nearly twice the risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, compared with children who had normal levels of gluten antibodies. The link persisted even after researchers accounted for other factors known to increase schizophrenia risk, including maternal age, gestational age, mode of delivery and the mother's immigration status.

Researchers in the past also have observed that people diagnosed with schizophrenia have disproportionately high rates celiac disease. Other studies have found that some people with schizophrenia have gluten intolerance without other signs of celiac disease.

Bonnie: a plea to women thinking about getting pregnant or are newly pregnant. If you know that you have a gluten intolerance, please avoid it during this period. By not increasing your IgG blood levels, as well as keeping negative genes from expressing themselves, you are giving your child a much better outcome for disease prevention.

Brain cancer surgery without an incision?

Read the Mayo Clinic's explanation of this new technology.

How would you like your meat? Glued?

Bonnie: we reported on this last year and it is now getting some attention. Choose organic or grass-fed beef whenever possible.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation was initiated into transglutaminase (TG), the powdery enzyme dubbed "meat glue" that's used to bind separate pieces of meat together. TG is "generally recognized as safe" or GRAS, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but recently, Sen. Ted Lieu (D-CA) called for the investigation because of a potential public safety concern.

Lieu said better labeling of meat products is necessary because outer meat portions that are more susceptible to contamination may end up glued inside a larger meat piece, leading to food-borne illness if the meat is not properly cooked.

The current public outcry against "meat glue", like with "pink slime", is yet another indication that consumers are demanding transparency in the food system.

Best and Worst Asthma Cities

http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20120501/worst-cities-in-us-for-asthma

Considering IVF? Consider the risks.

Children conceived with the aid of fertility treatments are more likely to be born with serious physical defects, according a study from The New England Journal of Medicine. Conception using treatments like ovulation induction, in-vitro fertilization or the injection of sperm directly into an egg, resulted in serious defects in 8.3 percent of cases studied. The corresponding ratio in spontaneous conceptions was 5.8 percent -- a "very" significant difference, according to the lead researcher.

"Something that is not often talked about in the clinic, I suspect, is the risk of having an abnormal baby. And so this emphasizes this is something that must be talked about between patients and clinicians. They must discuss the risk for this when choosing the treatment," the lead researcher was quoted saying.

The research only focused on serious defects, "things that either require treatment or if there is no treatment they are going to be considered handicapping", like a heart condition or cerebral palsy.

Omega-3 linked to lower amyloid plaque levels

In a journal Neurology study of more than 1,200 cognitively normal individuals older than 65, higher omega-3 fatty acid intake was significantly predictive of lower plasma levels of the 40- and 42-residue forms of beta-amyloid protein (AB40 and AB42, respectively). The same researchers had previously published results indicating that a Mediterranean-type diet was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Because one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is beta-amyloid plaque deposits in the brain, they sought to determine if dietary factors were related to blood levels of AB40 and AB4.

What is 100 times more powerful than an antibiotic?

According to results from a study published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, a compound in garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, one of the most common causes of intestinal illness. The discovery opens the door to new treatments for raw and processed meats and food preparation surfaces. 

Campylobacter is simply the most common bacterial cause of food-borne illness in the world, causing symptoms including diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. The bacteria also are responsible for triggering nearly one-third of the cases of a rare paralyzing disorder known as Guillain-Barré syndrome. 

Scientists looked at the ability of the garlic-derived compound, diallyl sulfide, to kill the bacterium when it is protected by a slimy biofilm that makes it 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than the free floating bacterial cell. They found the compound can easily penetrate the protective biofilm and kill bacterial cells by combining with a sulfur-containing enzyme, subsequently changing the enzyme's function and effectively shutting down cell metabolism. 

The researchers found the diallyl sulfide was as effective as 100 times as much of the antibiotics erythromycin and ciprofloxacin and often would work in a fraction of the time. Diallyl sulfide would be useful in cleaning industrial food processing equipment and as a natural preservative in packaged foods.

Steve: while we wait decades for the USDA to eliminate antibiotic use in domesticated animals, maybe they should offer subsidies to garlic growers and processors to ramp up production of Diallyl sulfide. Oh, I forgot. Big Pharma would not allow that.

Midlife Diet Affects Brain

Few studies have investigated the long-term impact of overall dietary patterns on cognition. A new study in the May issue of Journal Nutrition evaluated the association between dietary patterns in midlife and cognitive performance 13 years later. Global cognitive function, verbal memory, and executive functioning were tested. A healthy and a traditional dietary pattern were identified. The healthy pattern was associated with better global cognitive function and verbal memory. In conclusion, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern in middle life may help preserve global cognitive function, especially verbal memory, when total energy intake is regulated.

Making the Case for Standing.

Excerpts inspired by a recent New York Times article by Gretchen Reynolds.

In the upcoming issue of Diabetes Care, scientists had adults sit completely still for seven hours or, on a separate day, rise every 20 minutes and walk leisurely on a treadmill for two minutes. On another day, they had the volunteers jog gently during their two-minute breaks.

When the volunteers remained stationary for the full seven hours, their blood sugar spiked and insulin levels were out of whack. But when they broke up the hours with movement, even that short two-minute stroll, their blood sugar levels remained stable. Interestingly, the jogging didn’t improve blood sugar regulation any more than standing and walking did. What was important, the scientists concluded, was simply breaking up the long, interminable hours of sitting.

Recent experiments at the University of Massachusetts showed that when volunteers stood all day - nothing else; no walking or jogging; just standing - they burned hundreds more calories than when they sat for the same period of time.

Steve: if you come to our office, you may notice that I am standing at my desk much of the time. I find myself much less achy when I stand. My digestion, circulation, and overall well-being seem more optimal when I stand. If you choose to stand most of your workday, make sure your setup is ergonomically correct. If you are unable, just make sure you make a concerted effort to get up and move!

Key to Prevent Childhood Disability

According to the May issue of Future of the Children, the US government would get a better bang for its health-care buck in managing the country's most prevalent childhood disabilities if it invested more in eliminating socio-environmental risk factors than in developing medicines.

That's the key conclusion of "Prevention of Disability in Children: Elevating the Role of Environment", a new paper co-authored by a Simon Fraser University researcher.

"Our conclusions may sound obvious or benign, but they may also be viewed as medical heresy," says the co-author. "Most of us are convinced that we will solve our health care problems by investing in genetic research, stem cell research and drugs. But, the best that can be achieved by clinical intervention is enhanced treatment or early detection. It will not prevent disease."

Citing an American economic analysis of environmental hazards, the authors note that the cost of disease from exposure to pollutants linked with asthma, cancer and neurobehavioral disorders in a single year is $76 billion. Another study estimated a total potential net savings from the elimination of lead hazards, of $118 billion to $269 billion.

Even so-called safe levels of toxins are now linked to chronic diseases. The authors cite the number of children diagnosed with an activity limitation stemming from a chronic health condition rose from 1.8 per cent in 1960 to 7.3 per cent in 2006, while the prevalence of diagnosed developmental disabilities rose from 12.8 per cent in 1997-99 to 15 per cent in 2006-08.

Toxins, such as airborne pollutants, lead, tobacco, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphate pesticides and bisphenol A, are combining to increase the incidence of prevalent childhood disabilities. Asthma, obesity, mental illness and neuro-behavioural problems, such as ADHD and autism, are among these disabilities.

The authors recommend using Vancouver, British Columbia as a model for creating healthy cities of the future. They have low levels of air pollution for a large city. They also have low smoking rates, few highways that fragment the city, which encourages exercise, low levels of lead and a closed water system with pristine land to collect water. The government leaders are also strongly committed to making Vancouver the greenest city in the world.

Bonnie and Steve: Wow. It is a pleasure to see others being so blunt in their assessment for improving our future generations. Even more, they have incredible data to back it up!

Pesticide found to harm child brain

Courtesy of AFP

When pregnant women are exposed to moderate levels of chlorpyrifos, or CPF, their children may experience lasting changes in brain structure linked to lower intelligence. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined New York City pregnant mothers who were tested for exposure to CPF, which is widely used for pest control in farms and public spaces. 

The women in the study, which included 369 subjects total, took part prior to 2001 when CPF was banned from household use in the United States, though the chemical continues to be used worldwide in agriculture. Researchers compared 20 children -- age five to 11 -- whose mothers tested highest for levels of CPF and found "significant abnormalities" in brain structure compared to 20 children whose mothers showed lower exposures. However, all the women in the study were exposed at routine levels below the US established thresholds for acute exposure, indicating that even low to moderate exposure could pose hefty risks to a child's brain development.

Gluten intolerance not just in humans

Chronic inflammatory small bowel disease has an increased prevalence in sport horses. The disorder is associated with intermittent colic, weight loss, poor performance and anemia. Chronic inflammatory small bowel disease seems to have a predominance in dressage horses, but its exact cause is unknown to date. Danish researchers have now identified gluten sensitivity as a potential cause of equine chronic inflammatory small bowel disease in sport horses. Gluten is a major compound of the endosperm of various cereals, in particular of wheat, barley and rye. 

Some horses fed a gluten-rich ration showed concurrent antibody responses as seen in celiac patients. To test the pathogenic role of gluten, sport horses with chronic inflammatory bowel disease and antibodies followed a gluten-free ration during 6 months. Both villous morphology and blood antibody titers improved in this horse. The development of a screening test aimed at identifying gluten-sensitivity in individual horses based on blood samples is currently in progress.

Key Aging Discovery

According to a new study in PLoS Genetics, genetic changes associated with aging may be the result of epigenetics - which suggests they could be reversed.

Molecules can attach to DNA, enhancing or preventing gene activation without changing the underlying genetic code. Such epigenetic changes are already suspected as factors in psychiatric disorders, diabetes and cancer.
 

Researchers looked at the DNA of 86 sets of twin sisters aged 32 to 80, and discovered that 490 genes linked with aging showed signs of epigenetic change through a process called methylation. The genes were more likely to be methylated in the older than the younger sets of  twins, suggesting that the epigenetic changes themselves might contribute to aging. 

Gene methylation occurs. It can be triggered through lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, and environmental stresses.

Steve: impaired methylation does not allow our bodies to detoxify properly, thus recycling toxins back into our cells and creating epigenetic damage. Ideal methylation occurs when we eat optimally, sleep adequately, exercise intelligently, manage stress, and to that which we can control, green the environment we live in.

Prevention is AWOL in cardiology training

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/24/us-prevention-lowpriority-idUSBRE83N0Y020120424

Junk Food = Depression

In a Public Health Nutrition study of almost 9000 adults, those who consistently consumed "fast food," such as hamburgers and pizza, were 40% more likely to develop depression than the participants who consumed little to none of these types of food. Even small quantities of fast food were linked to a significantly higher risk for depression. The depression risk rose steadily as more fast food was consumed. Participants who often ate commercial baked goods, such as croissants and doughnuts, were also at significant risk.

Allergy Update

Best and Worst Places for Allergies in the U.S. - Asthma and Allergy Foundation and America
 

Best:

1. Portland, OR

2. Albany, NY

3. Seattle, WA

4. San Diego, CA

5. Greenville, SC

6. Sacramento, CA

7. Salt Lake City, UT

8. Ogden, UT

9. Stockton, CA

10. Boston, MA

Worst:

1. Knoxville, TN

2. Louisville, KY

3. Charlotte, NC

4. Jackson, MS

5. Chattanooga, TN

6. Birmingham, AL

7. Dayton, OH

8. Richmond, VA

9. McAllen, TX

10. Madison, WI

Number of Children Suffering From Allergies - Centers for Disease Control 2010:
Skin - 9,400,000
Respiratory - 8,581,000
Hay Fever - 7,085,000
Food - 3,443,000

Comments From The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI): 
People with spring allergies often don't realize how many things can aggravate their allergy symptoms so they just muddle along and hope for an early end to the season. Three simple adjustments in habits and treatment can make springtime much more enjoyable.

1. Fruits and veggies -- Many people with seasonal allergies also suffer from pollen food allergy syndrome (also called oral allergy syndrome), a cross-reaction between the similar proteins in certain types of fruits, vegetables (and some nuts) and the allergy-causing pollen. One in five people with grass allergies and as many as 70 percent of people with birch tree allergies suffer from the condition, which can make your lips tingle and swell and your mouth itch. The trick is to determine which problematic produce is causing your symptoms and then avoid eating it. For example, if you're allergic to birch or alder trees, you might have a reaction to celery, cherries or apples. If you have grass allergies, tomatoes, potatoes or peaches may bother you.

2. Using the wrong air filter -- Using an air filter to keep your home pollen-free is a good idea, but be sure it's the right kind. Studies show inexpensive central furnace/air conditioning filters and ionic electrostatic room cleaners aren't helpful -- and in fact the latter releases ions, which can be an irritant. Whole-house filtration systems do work, but change the filters regularly or you could be doing more harm than good

3. Opening your windows -- Keep your house and car windows shut during allergy season.

Cancer-Fighting Cholesterol

Cholesterol-binding proteins called ORPs may control cancer cell growth, according to a report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The scientists came to their conclusion while trying to understand how cholesterol moves around inside cells in the fat's journey to cell surfaces where it reinforces their outer membrane. Given that uncontrolled cell growth is a key feature of cancer, this means gaining a better understanding of the true purpose of cholesterol-binding within cells could be important in cancer treatment. The scientists draw on two important facts to support their conclusion. First, cancer cells require ORPs to survive. Second, other scientists have previously shown that a new class of natural compounds that look like steroids or cholesterol can kill a broad spectrum of different cancer cells. They will now find out exactly which proteins respond to ORP activation and under what circumstances does cholesterol turn off ORP's activation of them.

Bonnie: Could America's obsession with lowering cholesterol come back to haunt us?

Meta-analysis studies do not work

Three recent examples provide all the ammunition one needs to discount meta-analysis studies:

1. A new PLOS Med study on the diabetes drug Metformin has the medical community up in arms. Researchers could not rule out anything from a 25% decrease to a 31% increase in the risk of death for any cause, or a 33% decrease to a 64% increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality from taking the drug. The finding is surprising because the drug has been considered to be the first-line treatment for diabetes since 1998.
   
   The meta-analysis was sharply criticized on methodological grounds. In all, researchers found 25 studies, of which 13 had enough data on the outcomes to form the basis of a meta-analysis. Opponents argued that they were often comparing apples to oranges, in that a 1998 UK study was over a 12-year period, while many of the other studies in the analysis lasted only six months or a year. Critics claim that you cannot answer this question on studies of less than eight, nine, 10 years' duration.
   
2. The reported benefits of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for treating the repetitive behaviors of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may be exaggerated by the selective publication of positive results.
   
   In a recent meta-analysis, the use of SSRIs was associated with a modest but significant improvement in repetitive behaviors. After accounting for publication bias, however, the improvement lost statistical significance, according to the May issue of Pediatrics.
   
   "Without timely, transparent, and complete disclosure of trial results, it remains difficult to determine the efficacy of available medications. It is especially ironic that problems in making research data available about the use of this class of drugs in children created a firestorm almost 10 years ago," the author of the editorial noted. "Unfortunately, this problem has not been resolved."
   
   Additional commentary in Pediatrics underscored that the problem of pediatric publication bias is not confined to studies of SSRIs. Researchers evaluated 160 randomly selected, NIH-funded studies and 758 randomly selected completed studies involving children. They found that only 53% of the former, and 29% of the latter, were published, which they cited as evidence of "substantial publication bias."
   
3. A recent Archive of Internal Medicine study discounting the efficacy of fish oil was another meta-analysis gone wrong. See our response here.

What's the worst part of the meta-analysis problem? The studies on Metformin and antidepressants received no media attention. This would have been a great opportunity to bring the issue to the public's attention. Alternatively, the fish oil study was headline news at every major media outlet. Very few mentioned that the study was littered with bias.

Gluten-free is no fad

Trend experts are beginning to predict the demise of the gluten-free diet. The problem is, gluten-free is not a fad. It has not even begun to scratch the surface of its reach.

Currently 1 in 133 Americans is estimated to have celiac disease. That means about 3 million people across all ages and races. 95 percent of these people are currently undiagnosed. That means 2,850,000 people still don’t know they need to go completely gluten free. The diagnosis rate may reach 50 to 60 percent by 2019, thanks to increased awareness. That still leaves a solid 30 percent or more who likely won’t be diagnosed by then.

Research indicates that about 18 million more people, or 6 percent of the U.S. population, have gluten intolerance or intolerance/sensitivity, making it the most undiagnosed disorder in the country. 

There is no cure for celiac disease or gluten intolerance/sensitivity. The only treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet. Two years ago, another “trend expert” predicted that the gluten-free market would collapse “like a house of cards.” But sales reached $2.6 billion by the end of 2010 (a 30 percent growth from 2006), jumped 23 percent to $3.4 billion in 2011, and are now expected to surpass $5 billion by 2015.

In addition, celiac disease is about two and a half times more common among elderly people than it is in the population as a whole. The largest portion of our population, the baby boomers, are going to be elderly in the near future.

According to Dr. Alessio Fasano, M.D., Director of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research, people with a genetic predisposition for celiac disease may develop it at any time, even if they have been eating gluten for years without any problems. He says this of the disease, “You cannot grow out of it, but you may grow into it.” A recent study in BMC Gastroenterology showed that in screened elderly subjects, a gluten-free diet improved gastrointestinal symptoms, vitamin levels, bone density, as well as reduced fracture risk.

Once diagnosis becomes easier, potentially millions will develop gluten issues on a consistent basis. Does this sounds like a fad to you?

Data came from The University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research (UMCCR), the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), and the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).

Medication Alert

16 Drugs on the FDA Watch List
 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/762205

Acne Medication
Use of isotretinoin (Roaccutane, formerly known as Accutane) to treat severe acne was linked to a two-fold risk of developing eye problems, such as pink eye, styes and dryness. Isotretinoin is known to have serious side effects, such as bone growth delays in teenagers and miscarriages and birth defects when taken by pregnant women.

The new Archives of Dermatology study found that of nearly 15,000 Israeli adolescents and young adults, 14% of those taking isotretinoin were treated for eye conditions within a year of starting the drug, compared to 7% of an acne-free comparison group.


Blood Pressure Medication
Aliskiren-containing medications are renin inhibitors used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). They go by the names:

Amturnide (aliskiren hemifumarate, amlodipine besylate, and hydrochlorothiazide)
Tekturna (aliskiren hemifumarate)
Tekturna HCT (aliskiren hemifumarate and hydrochlorothiazide)
Tekamlo (aliskiren hemifumarate and amlodipine besylate)
Valturna (aliskiren hemifumarate and valsartan).

FDA notified healthcare professionals of possible risks when using blood pressure medicines containing aliskiren with other drugs called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with diabetes or kidney (renal) impairment. These drug combinations should not be used (are contraindicated) in patients with diabetes. In addition, avoid use of aliskiren with ARBs or ACEIs in patients with moderate to severe renal impairment.


Bone Loss Medication 
Patients taking oral bisphosphonates for the first time may be at higher risk of developing scleritis and uveitis (eye diseases), according to an April 2 study in Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The incidence rate among 10,827 first-time bisphosphonate users was 29/10,000 person-years for uveitis and 63/10,000 person-years for scleritis. In contrast, the incidence rate among 923,320 nonusers was 20/10,000 person-years for uveitis and 36/10,000 for scleritis.

"This is the first study that quantifies the risk of uveitis and scleritis with these drugs. In the past, much attention has been given to other adverse events related to these drugs, mainly linking them to increasing the risk of atypical fractures, atrial fibrillation, and gastrointestinal cancer," the lead author said.

It is possible that the release of inflammatory mediators triggered by the use of bisphosphonates may be the mechanism behind the development of scleritis and uveitis among first-time users. Left untreated, uveitis can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, macular edema, and scleral perforation.

Hair Loss Medication 
Two Merck & Co. drugs, one to treat hair loss in men (Propecia), the other to treat an enlarged prostate gland (Proscar), will get revised labels warning of potential sexual side effects that can last even after patients stop taking the drugs. Both drugs share the same chemical compound, called finasteride. 

The new Propecia label will include a warning of "libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the FDA said in a recent news release.The Proscar label will include a warning about "decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the agency said. The labels of both drugs will also carry about a description of reports of male infertility and/or poor semen quality that clears up or improves after the drugs are stopped.

Statins 
Statins were responsible for rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) in 7.5% of patients diagnosed with the skeletal muscle condition, according to a review of International Classification of Disease, Ninth Edition (ICD-9) codes. Publishing their findings as a letter to the editor in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reseacrhers also confirmed a significantly higher risk of rhabdomyolysis in patients treated with high doses of simvastatin.

In a separate warning from the FDA, taking Statins With HIV or Hepatitis C Drugs raises muscle injury risk

Weight-Loss Medication
Orlistat is an inhibitor of gastric and pancreatic lipase with proven efficacy in the augmentation and maintenance of weight loss. Although its use has been limited by troublesome but benign gastrointestinal side effects, it has more recently been associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). In a Therapeutic Advances in Drug Research review, although the author's cannot yet draw an unequivocal causal link between orlistat and AKI, there is enough evidence to include orlistat exposure in the clinical assessment of patients with AKI.

MedWatch's Most Recent Safety Page
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm300978.htm?source=govdelivery

Memory worries? Do your chores.

According to a new study, even mundane, low-key tasks like gardening, cooking and washing dishes can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s if they’re performed often enough.The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, included 716 dementia-free men and women in their 70s and 80s. Compared to the most active people, those with the lowest levels of overall physical activity had more than double the risk of going on to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Greater physical activity was also associated with a slower rate of aging-related memory and cognitive decline. According to the lead researcher at Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago. “You don’t have to get a membership in the local YMCA. If you walk up some more steps, stand up and do the dishes more, you stand to benefit because it’s incremental and adds up over the course of a full day.”

Farmers must spend more on herbicides as effectiveness fades

Courtesy of USA Today

A much-used herbicide, which for years has helped farmers throughout the United States increase profits, is losing its effectiveness and forcing producers to spend more and use more chemicals to control the weeds that threaten yields. "I've gone from budgeting $45 an acre just two years ago to spending more than $100 an acre now to control weeds," said Mississippi farmer John McKee, who grows corn, cotton and soybeans on his 3,300-acre farm in the Delta.

The problem is Roundup, a herbicide introduced in the 1970s, and its partner, Roundup Ready crop seeds, genetically modified to withstand Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate. In 1996, Monsanto introduced Roundup Ready soybean, soon touted as a game changer. "It was an extremely valuable and useful tool for the past 15 years," said Bob Scott, extension weed scientist with the University of Arkansas.

The problem now is the weeds that Roundup once controlled are becoming resistant to glyphosate, Scott said. "It's a very, very serious issue here in the Delta," licensed crop consultant Joe Townsend said. "We're knee-deep in it."As overuse of antibiotics led to resistant bugs or superbugs, the almost exclusive use of glyphosate led to resistant populations of weeds, such as pigweed and ryegrass, once controlled by the herbicide. Glyphosate-resistant weeds have been identified in Australia, South America and China, according to the International Survey of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds.

To combat resistant weeds, farmers are turning to older methods of weed control — more chemicals and more tillage, which leads to increased rates of soil erosion. "I used so many chemicals last year, it made me silly," McKee said. "We're going backwards 15 years."Bill Freese, science policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety in Washington, D.C., says the use of more chemicals has real public health implications. "It increases the chances they will get into our food and water."

Weed resistance to herbicides is not new. The problem, Freese says, is it's happening at a much quicker rate. "Because of the use of a single chemical (glyphosate), it's speeding up evolution." Herbicide-resistant crops are "taking us in the wrong direction. It's just not sustainable."

Rick Cole, weed management technical lead at Monsanto, said the company recommends "multiple modes of action," essentially, using more than one chemical, crop rotation and tillage. "I think everybody has learned together. When someone says they're using more chemistry, what we're worried about (is), is it safe? Is it effective?"On the horizon for Monsanto, Cole said, is Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, genetically engineered to be resistant to glyphosate and dicamba. Dicamba has been on the market for decades, and Cole says crops let farmers use more than one chemical on weeds. Bayer CropScience also produces genetically modified seeds resistant to its herbicide, Liberty.

Bonnie: the comment from Monsanto's spokesperson was priceless. Monsanto cornered the market with Roundup and forced it down farmer's throats. Now they are recommending multiple modes of action? They're all of a sudden worried about safety and effectiveness? The hypocrisy of these comments defy reason.

Multivitamins improve brain function in adults, kids.

Taking a multivitamin supplement daily can improve cognitive performance in both children and
adults, according to a series of studies published in the British Journal of Nutrition, Psychopharmacology, and Human Psychopharmacology.

The researchers monitored groups of healthy children, men and women who took commercially-available vitamins and mineral supplements daily for 4 to 12 weeks, and tested their cognitive performance through tasks requiring attention, memory, accuracy and/or multitasking ability. The mood or stress levels of participants were also assessed.

Vitamin and mineral supplementation improved cognitive performance after only a few weeks of supplementation. Men taking high dose B-complex vitamins showed improved performance on cognitive tasks, were less mentally tired and showed improved vigor. Women taking multivitamin/mineral supplements were demonstrated to have increased accuracy and speed on multitasking batteries. Children, aged 8-14, showed increased accuracy in attention-based tasks.

B-vitamin promising for preemies

The Cochrane Library 4/2/12: "Inositol is an essential nutrient for cells, with high concentrations in breast milk (particularly in the breast milk of mothers whose babies have been born early). A drop in inositol levels in babies with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) can be a sign that their illness will be a severe one. Our review found that the initial evidence regarding inositol supplementation in preterm babies with RDS is promising. Supplementation lowered rates of death, bleeding in the brain, and with an important reduction in eye problems as well. Inositol did not have serious adverse effects."

Treat quality of life or treat disease?

Is health care starting to turn their attention to treating quality of life as opposed to treating disease? With chronic illness using up 75% of the $2.6 trillion we now spend annually on health care, let's hope so.

According to the CDC's ongoing, annual, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System study, which measures the number of "healthy" days 430,000 people have in a given month, the trend is not good. Newly released data show the number of physically unhealthy days has barely budged for over a decade, rising slightly to 3.6 days in 2009 from 3.3 days in 2000. The number of people who reported 14 or more mentally unhealthy days rose to 10.6% of the population from 9.6% over the same period.

Treating chronic illness must be more than just making sure cholesterol or glucose numbers are in range. Treating chronic illness must be about assessing and addressing quality of life. We spend trillions on extending lives by sometimes 20 or 30 years. But if many of those years are miserable, without anyone asking why, or providing the how-to, are we not doing the patients and the public a disservice?

We welcome your comment below.

Expert who talked the talk and walked the walk.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/12/local/la-me-lester-breslow-20120412

Common chemical linked to diabetes risk

Phthalates, which are found in common plastics, cosmetics, and even some pharmaceuticals and medical devices, have been associated with the development of diabetes among seniors in Sweden, according to a study published in the April 12 issue of Diabetes Care.The investigators found that the 3 phthalate metabolites they studied were associated with a 25% to 30% increase in the risk for diabetes.

When researchers analyzed the serum levels of phthalate metabolites for the participants, they found that 4 of 10 metabolites were detectable in at least 96% of the people with diabetes, and that the 4 phthalate metabolites are commonly used in personal care fragrances. The metabolites are mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, monoethyl phthalate (MEP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), and monomethyl phthalate (MMP). After adjusting for sex, body mass index, smoking and exercise, cholesterol and triglycerides, and education, the researchers found that 3 metabolites were associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes.

The metabolites are related to either poor insulin secretion or insulin resistance, which are independent risk factors for developing diabetes. Phthalate metabolites are known to affect glucose stability in humans, and could be disrupting the biological pathways that contribute to glucose metabolism.

7 acupuncture points for allergy sufferers

This may be a helpful do-it-yourself tip.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-calabro/acupuncture_b_1407077.html

CoQ10 as complementary cancer therapy

We found this on UC San Diego's Moores Cancer Center website.
http://cancer.ucsd.edu/treatments/cam/therapies/Pages/coenzyme-Q-10.aspx

White rice and type 2 diabetes risk

A recent BMJ article found that higher consumption of white rice is associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian (Chinese and Japanese) populations. Using the incidence rate of diabetes in a middle aged US population (15.2 cases/1000 aged 45-64) each serving per day increase was associated with a 11% increase in risk of diabetes for the overall population. Here are some realities about how to interpret this study:

1. White rice is the refined form of rice, so it has higher glycemic load/index properties than brown rice. Always choose brown rice over white if possible.
2. Jasmine and Basmati, while still refined, are less glycemic than other forms of white rice.
   
3. If you consume white rice with lean protein and healthy fat, it will not have the same glycemic effect than if eaten without them.
4. A few servings of white rice daily with a balanced meal is not real the problem. The problem is the other refined, as well as excess, carbohydrates that are consumed in addition to the white rice on a daily basis.
   

Epsom salts convince a skeptic

From Wall Street Journal

Nothing says "olde tyme cure" like Epsom salt, named for Epsom, England, a spa town where people sought the healing properties of its natural mineral springs. The crystals are made up of magnesium and sulfate, which together offer an effective, affordable therapy; a one-pound box costs $1.99 at Walgreens drugstores. To understand how Epsom salt works, the WSJ turned to an expert, Rosemary Waring, a faculty member in the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham, in England.

Q. Can I put it on my popcorn and get the same benefits?
A. No, you shouldn't sprinkle Epsom salt on your food. It doesn't taste that good and also can give you diarrhea if you eat too much.

Q. What are some therapeutic uses?
A. Bath soak. The Epsom Salt Council, a trade group of manufacturers, recommends a warm bath with 2 cups of Epsom salt for at least 12 minutes. Dr. Waring says the magnesium ions act as a pain reliever. An Epsom salt bath can also help fade bruises.Splinter removal. Epsom salt increases osmotic pressure on the skin, which draws foreign bodies toward the surface, Dr. Waring says. Dissolve about 1 cup of Epsom salt in a tub of water and soak the affected area.Bee stings. Osmotic pressure works here, too, to draw the stinger to the surface of the skin. Lift out using tweezers, then apply a compress of an Epsom salt-water solution to reduce swelling.Sunburn. A cool bath with 2 cups of Epsom salt reduces pain and has mild anti-inflammatory properties.Skin exfoliation. Blend Epsom salt with enough baby oil to create a paste. Gently rub it on your face for deep pore cleansing, or use it on heels, elbows and other rough areas. Rinse and pat dry.

Q. I thought only my great-grandparents believed in Epsom salt. Does it really work?
A. It is best known for treating minor inflammation and muscle aches. Soaking in an Epsom salt bath releases magnesium ions that are absorbed by the skin. These ions interfere with receptors in the brain that register pain, Dr. Waring says. Sulfate is useful, too. People with low sulfate levels, such as those with rheumatoid arthritis, are deficient in a chemical that is important for joint and tissue function. Putting extra sulfate into the system should lessen discomfort people often notice when they have sprains, strains, the flu and other aches.

Tribune piece questions food intolerance

Bonnie and Steve: Julie Deardorff's piece on food intolerance that appeared in the Chicago Tribune should not come as a surprise. The headline was "Doubts Cast on Food Intolerance Test." The piece followed what much of us already know. Allergists and gastrointestinal professionals do not believe in it. Other health professionals like chiropractors, integrative doctors, and nutritionists believe in it wholeheartedly. While Julie covered both sides of the issue, there is a lot more she could have included in the piece, including information about the test we run, the Biotrition Cytotoxic Food Intolerance test, which is different from most IgG tests (and we have used for over 15 years). What we have found is that all IgG tests are definitely not equal as far as efficacy.

One thing we do not condone is charging thousands of dollars for food intolerance testing, as was alluded to in the piece. Testing should not more than $400.

The bottom line is that food intolerance testing is here to stay, but you have to do your homework first. The fact that it made the cover of the Tribune means that people are paying attention and allopathic medicine is sick of their patients asking them about it!

If Miley went gluten-free, shouldn't you?

Steve: Miley Cyrus has gone gluten-free. She defended her choice by tweeting: “For everyone calling me anorexic I have a gluten and lactose allergy. It’s not about weight it’s about health. Gluten is crapppp anyway!”

Why am I blogging about this? Because when a celebrity makes a dietary decision, people usually listen.

It is obvious Cyrus received professional advice and was told she has a lactose and gluten intolerance (not allergy). The key is to remember that going gluten-free should not be taken lightly. It should always be performed in conjunction with a qualified, licensed health professional. That said, there is no reason why gluten needs to be in anyone's diet. It is simply unnecessary from an evolutionary perspective.

Going gluten-free is not easy and your hopes to stick with it can be dashed very quickly. For more information, please watch Caorlyn Martinelli's wonderful You Tube discussion: Overcome the Gluten-Free Funk.

Ionized water salespersons may want to skip this post

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577314182468322256.html?grcc=88888Z0ZhpgeZ1Z0Z0Z0Z0&mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_lifestyle#articleTabs%3Darticle

Bonnie and Steve: Unfortunately, ionized water fans, we concur with most of this reporting.

Fish oil no help for heart? Here we go again.

An Archives of Internal Medicine "review" claims that fish oil and fish oil supplements showed no heart benefit in patients who already had a history of heart disease. Here's the problem with this conclusion.

1. It goes against decades of data, including a "review" performed last year that showed the benefits of EPA and DHA for secondary heart prevention.
   
   
2. A small reduction in cardiovascular death was shown, but disappeared after exclusion of a trial that had "major methodologic problems". Why would the researchers include a study in their meta analysis that had major methodologic problems?
   
   
3. The authors themselves concede that their analysis is limited, especially in that they only analyzed trials with small populations and short durations.
   
   
4. The authors performed a meta analysis, selecting 14 studies from 1007. Why so selective? Their reasoning was not convincing. This is yet another example of why one cannot make conclusions from meta analyses. There is precedence for authors who take liberties with meta analyses, especially if bias enters into the equation. Any researcher can prove a point from a substance as heavily researched as fish oil when selecting 14 studies from 1007!
   

To the media's credit, this time at least, the validity of the review is questioned. Here is a smattering of what was said today:

• Time Magazine: "Findings don’t necessarily mean that omega-3s — the study looked at the fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) — are useless when it comes to preventive health. Indeed, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that both heart patients and those who don’t yet have heart disease eat fatty fish at least two times a week, and if they can’t consume that much fish, then to boost their omega-3 intake with supplements. According to the AHA, studies show that omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the risk of abnormal heartbeats, keep triglyceride levels down and inhibit the build up of atherosclerotic plaques in the heart’s blood vessels.
  
  It’s also possible that Myung and his colleagues failed to see a strong positive effect from omega-3 supplements among people with pre-existing heart disease because these patients may need a higher level of omega-3s to see benefit. The researchers looked at a range of doses of EPA and DHA, but perhaps a scarred, damaged heart that has survived a heart attack or angina is affected differently by omega-3 fatty acids than an intact and healthy heart.As Harvard researchers Drs. Frank Hu and JoAnn Manson also point out in a commentary accompanying the new study, it’s possible too that drugs like statins may mask the benefit from fish oils because the medications are so much more powerful. That may also explain why older trials have tended to show a fish oil benefit, while newer ones have not."
  
  
• MedPage Today: "The findings are at odds with analyses performed before 2010, which showed a significant benefit for secondary prevention, the authors added."

No reductions of pus content in milk

You should know by now that pasteurized, homogenized, conventional milk contains a certain degree of pus. Unfortunately, a National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments(NCIMS) committee had a chance to reduce the amount last year but voted against it. The proposed new measures that would have reduced the maximum allowable pus cell count in conventional milk from 750,000 cells per millimeter to 400,000. The decision, which benefits large-scale milk production operations, will result in the continued processing and sale of pus-filled milk, which is the result of infections and diseases that commonly afflict conventional milking cows.

Mammogram, MRI, or Ultrasound?

Women's annual breast exams could be improved by adding ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to the usual mammogram, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association's April 4th issue. The study followed 2,662 women at high risk for breast cancer, particularly because of dense breasts or a family history of the disease. They agreed to undergo three independent screenings in one year, arranged in random order. The three tests found a total of 111 cancers, for about 2.6 percent of the total group.

Mammography turned up 59 cancers, or 53 percent of the total cancers found. Ultrasound found 29 percent of cancers on its own, independent of other tests. MRI scans found a total of eight percent of cancers that the other two methods had failed to detect. Eleven cancers, or 10 percent, were not found by any of the three screening technologies.

Annual ultrasound screening may detect small, node-negative breast cancers that are not seen on mammography. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed additional breast cancers missed by both mammography and ultrasound screening.

Nearly half of the cancers would not have been detected with mammography alone.

Bonnie: this study adds to the increasing body of evidence that this practice has caused a problem for women -- diagnosis of breast cancer that wouldn't cause symptoms or death. Concerns about false positives in mammograms and over-testing has led some researchers to believe less frequent exams may be the answer.

Diabetes, obesity and cancer risk

Both studies appeared in the March issue Cancer, Causes, and Control

One study examined how the incidence of cancer is related to diabetes, obesity or abnormal blood lipids 0-10 years prior to the diagnosis of cancer in 19,756 cases of cancer in 147,324 subjects. Diabetes was significantly more common prior to diagnosis in patients with liver, pancreatic, colon and urinary tract/bladder cancer and in patients with breast cancer diagnosed with diabetes 0–4 years prior to the cancer diagnosis. Obesity was significantly more common in patients with endometrial, colon and kidney cancer and with breast cancer above the age of 60 years in those where obesity was diagnosed close to the diagnosis of cancer. High blood lipids were significantly more common in patients with ovarian cancer and less common in patients with breast cancer.

The objective of the second study was to assess the association between metabolic risk factors and colorectal neoplasm in 1,771 diagnosed adenoma patients and 4,667 polyp-free subjects. High waist circumference, blood pressure, and serum triglyceride levels were associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenoma. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was associated with an increased risk of adenoma. The association between MS and colorectal adenoma was observed regardless of advanced/low-risk adenoma, and multiplicity. Central obesity, triglyceride level, and MS are risk factors for colorectal adenoma.

Fruits, veggies, and their effect on cancer

Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer among Korean women. However, there are few data on dietary factors related to thyroid cancer risk. The objective of a British Journal of Nutrition study was to evaluate the association between raw vegetables and fruits intake and confirmed malignant thyroid cancer cases and 115 benign cases.

High raw vegetable intake was associated with a reduced thyroid cancer risk both in malignant and benign cases. Among fruits, persimmon intake had an association with reduced thyroid cancer risk in both malignant and benign cases and tangerine intake had an associated reduction in malignant cases. The frequency of consumption of raw vegetables and persimmon also had a consistent inverse association in both malignant and benign cases. These results suggest that high consumption of raw vegetables, persimmons and tangerines may decrease thyroid cancer risk and help prevent early-stage thyroid cancer.

In another study, Chinese women who ate cabbage, broccoli and leafy greens saw improved survival rates after breast cancer than women who did not eat them, said a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting. The findings came from data on 4,886 Chinese breast cancer survivors age 20-75 who were diagnosed with stage one to stage four breast cancer from 2002 to 2006. Women who ate more cruciferous vegetables over the 36 months following their diagnosis saw their risk of dying from any cause decrease by 27 percent to 62 percent compared to women who reporting eating little or none of these veggies. The risk of dying of breast cancer decreased by 22 to 62 percent for the cruciferous veggie eaters, and their chance of experiencing a recurrence of breast cancer dropped by 21 to 35 percent.

Bonnie: these studies should not be surprising to any of us, especially when it comes to cruciferous veggies. The data on their cancer preventive benefits is vast.

Qeurcetin possesses anti-tumor activity: study

A study in the May issue of Food and Chemical Toxicology compared the anticancer effects of quercetin and its water-soluble sulfated derivative, quercetin-5′,8-disulfonate (QS), in human colon cancer LoVo cells and breast cancer MCF-7 cells. It was found that both quercetin and QS can inhibit the growth of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, quercetin and QS could mediate the cell-cycle arrest principally in the S phase after 24 hours of treatment with the two tumor cells. It was also found that 69.6% of LoVo cells and 90.6% of MCF-7 cells entered the early phase of apoptosis (cell death) when treated with a certain dosage of QS for 48 hours.

Taken together, the novel sulfated derivative of quercetin and quercetin alone possess strong antitumor activity via a ROS-dependent apoptosis pathway, and has the excellent potential to be developed into an antitumor precursor compound.

Exciting stuff!

Can Your Eyes Predict Cardiac Risk?

According to a study in the May issue of American Journal of Clinical of Nutrition, carbohydrate nutrition is associated with changes in the retinal vascular structure and branching pattern in children. The researchers assessed the associations between intakes of high-glycemic index and high–glycemic load diets, carbohydrate, and the main carbohydrate-containing food groups and retinal microvascular changes in preadolescents.

When the highest to lowest carbohydrate consumption were compared, girls had significantly narrower retinal arterioles. In girls only, a higher-GI diet was associated with narrower retinal arterioles. Carbohydrate intake and a high-GL diet were associated with greater retinal fractal dimension in girls. Greater consumption of carbohydrates and soft drinks was associated with retinal arteriolar narrowing and venular widening in girls and boys. Because these microvascular signs have been shown to be markers of future cardiovascular disease risk, the presence of this risk factor in children could support the need for healthy dietary patterns that include lower consumption of high-GI foods and soft drinks.

Doc calls BMI "Baloney Mass Index"; offers alternative

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20120402/obesity-rate-us-higher-than-thought

Bonnie: For the record, we have been calling for leptin testing for several years now.