NASA Studies Find Omega-3 May Help Reduce Bone Loss

NASA-sponsored studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may play a role in mitigating bone breakdown that occurs during spaceflight and in osteoporosis. Ongoing research for decades has looked for ways to stop bone density loss in astronauts. The solution could have significant implications for space travelers and those susceptible to bone loss on Earth. The studies' results are published in the May issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

The paper reports on four types of studies using cell culture, ground-based bed rest, and data from both space shuttle and International Space Station crew members. NASA studies bone density loss because it is one of the main effects of exposure to the weightlessness of space.

During the study, higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids was associated with less bone loss. Based on these studies, the investigators evaluated bone loss in astronauts and compared their findings to reported fish intake during spaceflight. Researchers found that astronauts who ate more fish lost less bone mineral after four-to-six-month spaceflights. The data provides evidence that inflammatory processes may be involved in some of the adaptation to microgravity and suggest that reducing NFκB activation could serve as a countermeasure to bone loss.

Steve - some of the most vital information on bone loss have come from the study of astronauts. This is not the first to focus on omega-3.

Soy beans negatively affect sperm production

According to the Asian Journal of Andrology, scientists in China have found that genistein, a naturally-occurring ingredient of soy beans, interferes with a part of the production of vital enzymes involved in sperm production.

"Excessive exposure to agents that exhibit estrogenic activity may affect male reproductive tract developments and functions." the researchers said, "With regard to this concern, it has been estimated the genistein and daidzein can reach high concentrations in infants who consume large amounts of soy-based products," they added.

The concentrations of genistein used in the study are roughly equivalent to the levels that can build up in the human body following a diet rich in soy products.

Further research is needed to develop a consensus because while some studies have shown adverse effects, other studies have shown no adverse effects.

Bonnie - it is unknown if organic soybeans were used in this study. Conventional soy is loaded with estrogenic pesticides that could skew these results.

Genetic tests about to hit stores

Coming soon to a drugstore near you, alongside the aspirin and greeting cards, will be the promise of answers to some of life's most personal mysteries: Am I at risk for Alzheimer's disease? Or breast cancer? Or obesity?

Starting Friday, Walgreens will begin selling Insight personal genetic testing kits, becoming the first major retail chain in the U.S. to offer home tests that say they assess the risk of developing one of dozens of different health conditions. CVS plans to have it in stores by August. The product's introduction raises immediate concerns among scientists, bio-ethicists and genetic counselors. They worry that consumers will misuse or misunderstand the results of a test so open to interpretation it is potentially meaningless, or frightening, especially without a full medical assessment.

Bonnie - I am vehemently opposed to these tests as of now. There are so many variables involved that are not included in these test kits. The foremost geneticists, who figured they would have had all the answers by now, admit that their knowledge is in its infancy.

UPDATE - Walgreens has decided to hold off on selling the kits until further notice.

Pregnant women not getting enough vitamin D

Seven out of every ten pregnant women in the United States are not getting enough Vitamin D according to a study in the May issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. While prenatal vitamins do raise Vitamin D levels during pregnancy, the study shows that higher doses may be needed for many women.

"Prenatal vitamins do help raise vitamin D levels, but many women start taking them after becoming pregnant. Although research is ongoing, I think it's best for women to start a few months before becoming pregnant to maximize the likely health benefits," said the researchers.

The best strategy is measuring Vitamin D levels through a simple blood test and choosing supplementation doses according to those levels." researchers added, "This tailored approach is common in preventive care for people with high cholesterol, and safer and more effective than a one-size-fits-all solution." The study team analyzed nationally representative data from 928 pregnant and 5,173 non-pregnant women of childbearing age collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Steve - the researchers were spot-on in their recommendations. First, all women of childbearing age should be on a good multivitamin/mineral at the bare minimum. Second, women who are optimizing fertility for possible pregnancy should take a prenatal, and based upon individual need, add specific vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid and vitamin D. Third, a vitamin D3 blood test during an annual physical will deem the correct dosage to optimize levels.

Folic Acid Improves Vascular Function in Certain Runners

Oral folic acid may provide a safe and inexpensive treatment to improve vascular function in young female runners who are amenorrheic (not menstruating). The study is published in the May 2010 issue of Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

While the benefits for women leading an active lifestyle, including running, are profound and well-known, there are serious exercise-associated health risks. Young female athletes who do not eat enough to offset the energy they expend exercising can stop menstruating or develop irregular menses as a consequence. Their resulting estrogen profile is similar to that of postmenopausal women who have low estrogen levels placing the young women at higher risk for early onset heart disease.

There are nearly three million girls in high school sports and approximately 23 million women who run at least six times a week. The prevalence of athletic-associated amenorrhea among these runners is now estimated at 44 percent.

The researchers recruited 20 female college or recreational runners, ages 18 to 35, who were not on birth control pills and had been running at least 20 miles a week for the past 12 months. At the start of the study, women who were amenorrheic had reduced blood vessel dilation similar to postmenopausal women. Women who were menstruating were included in the control group. Both groups were given 10 mg. of folic acid per day for four weeks. Vascular function returned to normal in the amenorrheic women after folic acid supplementation. Despite supplementation, vascular function remained at normal levels in the control group.

Bonnie - a dose this large should only be used under the supervision of a physician.

Infections, Fractures Linked to Acid Reflux Drugs

The popular class of antacids that includes Aciphex, Dexilant, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix increases the risk of C. difficile infection and bone fracture, new studies find. The drugs all are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the most powerful class of antacid drugs. It's the third highest-selling class of drugs in the U.S. Each year, doctors write 113.4 million prescriptions for the drugs. Two, Prevacid and Prilosec, are available without prescription.

C. Diff
PPIs are supposed to be used only for serious conditions, but often they are taken for simple heartburn. Moreover, doctors tend to overprescribe PPIs for hospitalized patients, according to a series of articles in the May 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Perhaps the scariest PPI risk is serious infection with C. difficile bacteria, a hard-to-cure infection that causes severe diarrhea. Stomach acid does a great job of keeping C. diff down. PPIs, however, keep stomach acid below the levels that protect against this bad bug. Hospital patients treated for C. diff infections are 42% more likely to have their C. diff infection come back if they take PPIs. About 60% of U.S. hospital patients get antacids. This translates into tens of thousands of extra C. diff cases each year.

PPIs Increase Fractures
Data from more than 130,000 women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative who reported current PPI use were 47% more likely to have had a spine fracture, 26% more likely to have a forearm or wrist fracture, and 25% more likely to have any kind of fracture. The benefits of PPIs may not justify their risks for many people, suggests certain researchers. "PPIs have been over-prescribed," one researcher notes in an editorial accompanying the studies. "Between 53% and 69% of PPI prescriptions are for inappropriate indications." Moreover, the researcher suggests that for most patients, the PPI risks outweigh their benefits. He recommends that doctors offer other treatments for heartburn, including non-drug treatments such as stress reduction, weight loss, and smoking cessation. When PPIs are used, Katz advises doctors to use shorter courses and lower doses when possible.

Bonnie - I have been screaming from the mountaintops over the gross misuse of PPIs over the last 10-15 years, especially in colicky babies and and infants that spit up. There are proven nutritional methods that can address reflux without medication.

Vitamin A supps improve child lung function

Supplements of vitamin A during pregnancy may improve lung function in infants by about 3 per cent, according to a new study from New England Journal of Medicine. Children of mothers who received beta-carotene supplements did not experience any benefits, relative to placebo, however. “The greater bioefficacy of preformed vitamin A as compared with beta carotene may stem from differences in absorption and metabolism,” explained the researchers, led by William Checkley, MD, PhD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “The lower bioefficacy of the beta-carotene supplement as a source of vitamin A in the mothers and their offspring in our trial was also evident in the finding that serum retinol concentrations in mothers at mid-pregnancy and post partum and in their infants at 3 months of age were lower among those in the beta-carotene group than they were among those in the preformed–vitamin A group,” they added.

The magnitude of effect observed in this study is slightly greater than that associated with preventing exposure to parental smoking in school-age children.” “Improved lung function was likely specific to supplementation received in utero because this population of children was subsequently exposed beyond six months of age to semiannual vitamin A supplementation with high coverage as part of a national program during their preschool years,” said co-author Keith West from the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health. “This benefit was limited to children whose mothers received vitamin A and not to those whose mothers received beta-carotene. Early interventions with vitamin A in communities where undernutrition is highly prevalent may have long-lasting consequences in lung health.”

Bonnie - this is another reason why a prenatal with sufficient amounts of retinol vitamin A or Cod Liver Oil is crucial. Certain supplement manufacturers have decided to provide beta carotene as the only form of vitamin A, which I believe is a big mistake.

Over-the-counter sleep meds not effective: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had data 15 years ago showing over-the-counter sleep aid products such as Tylenol PM and Excedrin PM don't offer a significant benefit to patients, according to a letter obtained by Canadian Broadcasting Company News. The products use a combination of the painkiller acetaminophen and diphenhydramine citrate, which is a sleep aid. The letter was written by the director of the Office of Nonprescription Products at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA.

In the February 16, 2010, letter to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents the nonprescription drug industry, Dr. Charles Ganley rejects an industry sponsored study submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in 1995. "FDA has reviewed the submission and concluded the study results do not demonstrate a contribution of both ingredients to the efficacy of the combination for OTC relief of occasional sleeplessness when associated with minor aches and pains," Ganley says in the letter. According to the FDA, combination products such as the sleep aids must show a benefit over any single ingredient.

It's not clear why the FDA took 15 years to evaluate the industry's research. Dr. Ganley's letter appears to be the first response from the FDA since the data was submitted on March 17, 1995. The study was a multi-centre, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted in the early 1990s. An analysis of the data suggests the combination products are statistically better than a placebo but not by much. "We conclude that there is an insufficient basis to support the combination of acetaminophen and diphenhydramine as a nighttime sleep aid for the relief of occasional sleeplessness when associated with minor aches and pains," the letter goes on to tell drug makers.

The U.S. authority has not raised any concerns about the safety of the medications. It has, however, invited the drug companies to conduct further research. The FDA says it needs two studies showing efficacy of the combination products.

Triglycerides and heart disease

A type of blood fat different from cholesterol may play a key role in heart disease. Cambridge University researchers looked at the role of triglycerides, which is produced in the liver. The analysis of 350,000 people from 101 previous studies found those with higher levels of the blood fat were more likely to have heart disease. The analysis centerd on a specific gene which is known to influence the levels of triglycerides, the Lancet medical journal reported.

The latest study found those with the variation in the gene which boosted triglyceride levels had an 18% greater risk of heart disease than those that did not.

Bonnie - clients of ours should not be surprised by this finding. High triglycerides are directly correlated with excess carbohydrate consumption, usually in the form of refined grains and sugars. Once this is under control, the triglycerides usually return to within range.

Facial Aging More Than Skin Deep

Let's make on thing clear. We are no skin care experts when it comes to beauty products and the like. However, we came across two interesting tidbits that could inexpensively assist with making the face more vivacious.

Changes in Facial Bones Occur as People Age
Facelifts and other wrinkle-reducing procedures have long been sought by people wanting to ward off the signs of aging, but new research suggests that it takes more than tightening loose skin to restore a youthful look. A study by physicians at the University of Rochester Medical Center indicates that significant changes in facial bones -- particularly the jaw bone -- occur as people age and contribute to an aging appearance. Published in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the study suggests that the future approach to facial rejuvenation may be restoring structure underneath before performing skin-tightening procedures. Reviewing a collection of 120 facial CT scans, researchers found the angle of the jaw increases markedly with age, which results in a loss of definition of the lower border of the face. Jaw length decreases significantly in comparisons between the young and middle age groups, whereas the decline in jaw height from the middle to old group was noteworthy.

This loss of bony volume may contribute sagging facial skin, decreased chin projection, and loss of jaw-line definition. As jaw volume decreases, soft tissue of the lower face has less support, resulting in a softer, oval appearance to the lower face and sagging skin, which also affects the aging appearance of the neck. "Physicians have long been taught that facial aging is caused by soft tissue descent and loss of elasticity," researchers said. "Though we have always known that bones change over time, until now, the extent to which it causes an aged appearance was not appreciated."

Bonnie - while plastic surgeons may look at this study as an opportunity to seize upon new surgical procedures, I look at it from a preventative perspective.

1. This should confirm the importance of properly absorbed calcium at a dosage specific to the individual. It has never been about taking huge amounts of supplemental calcium. It is about how well calcium is absorbed and if it is properly balanced with magnesium intake.
   
2. The value of optimal vitamin D levels is crucial in reducing degeneration.
3. Inflammation, a major factor is bone loss, needs to be addressed in any person with an inflammatory condition.
   
4. A relatively unknown, yet major concern is necrosis of the jaw (degeneration), a major side effect of bisphosphonates (osteoporosis drugs). It is believed that limited blood flow to the jaw contributes to the necrosis.
   
5. Excess sugar consumption and constant exposure to environmental toxins appreciably accelerate facial aging.
   

Facial Yoga?
Our facial muscles need as much exercise as much as the rest of our body. As facial skin and muscles lose elasticity and start sagging over time, regularly exercising our facial muscles ensure that they will stay firm, support the skin on our face against gravity and have good circulation so that we can decrease wrinkles and droopiness in old age.

Thankfully, facial muscle exercises don't require any equipment or gym memberships, and can be done pretty much anywhere in just a few minutes. Many facial exercises work just like regular muscle exercises, where you are working against resistance and building strength over time for greater fitness and of course, to feel fabulous. These facial muscle exercises to start doing on a regular basis, all of them which can be repeated five to ten times in the mornings when you wake up and in the evenings before you go to bed.

1. Raise your eyebrows as high as you can and hold them for five seconds.
2. Open your mouth as wide as possible and stick your tongue out as far as you can and hold for a few seconds.
3. Using your three center fingers, press down on your cheeks and smile as hard as you can to raise your cheek muscles against your fingers.
4. Move your nose as much as you can from side to side.
5. Lift your eyebrows as high as you can, open your eyes as wide as possible and frown at the same time.
6. Pucker your lips out as far as possible into the shape of an "O." Then change your expression into a wide smile. Repeat several times.
7. Sit in a comfortable chair and look up at the ceiling. Pucker your lips and stick your tongue out as far as possible to exercise your neck muscles.
8. You can also simulate a chewing motion or chew gum. However, almost all gum is awful. See this month's Brand Buzz Video for our favorite gum
9. Regularly massage your face, too! Press your fingers into your facial muscles and give yourself a mini-massage in gentle, circular motions from top to bottom. This increases circulation and also helps your facial muscles relax if you have been looking really stressed.
   Courtesy if intent.com

Bonnie - what techniques do you use to keep your face looking fresh? We encourage you to comment below.

Blood Pressure and Lifestyle

Steve - you might think that the following commentary would have come from us. Surprisingly, it came from the journal U.S. Pharmacist. The advice could not be any more straightforward. It makes one wonder: are any of the health professionals qualified to administer this advice following through?

Current Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure classification and treatment of BP for adults.

BP Classification	SBP (mmHg)	DBP (mmHg)	Lifestyle Modification	Initial Drug Therapy If No Compelling Indicationsa	Initial Drug Therapy If Compelling Indicationsa
Normal	<120	and <80	Encourage	None	Drug(s) for compelling indications
Prehypertension	120–139	or 80–89	Yes	None	See above
Stage 1 hypertension	140–159	or 90–99	Yes	Thiazide diuretics for most	See above
Stage 2 hypertension	≥160	or ≥100	Yes	Combination of 2 drugs for most	See above

Various lifestyle risk factors have been identified that elevate blood pressure and lead to HTN. Many of these risk factors have been well documented, and according to recent trials or new research awaiting publication, others have recently been postulated to affect BP

A healthy lifestyle is essential to preventing HTN and managing it successfully. Lifestyle modifications should be incorporated into every treatment regimen for prehypertension and HTN. Implementation of a healthy lifestyle decreases BP, reduces cardiovascular disease risk, and increases the efficacy of antihypertensive medications.

Lifestyle Risk Factors for the Development of Hypertension

-Cigarette smoking
-Obesity
-Lack of physical activity
-Increased sodium intake
-Excessive alcohol consumption
-Fructose-rich diet
-Vitamin D deficiency
-Sleep deprivation
-Residing near significant traffic noise
-Military combat exposure

Hypertension can also develop because of medication regimen, underlying health conditions, genetic history, or a combination of these factors.

Medications that may cause HTN include caffeine, chronic steroid therapy, oral contraceptives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, amphetamines and other stimulant drugs, cocaine, decongestants, weight loss drugs, cyclosporine and other immunosuppressants, erythropoietin, and OTC supplements (e.g., ephedra, licorice, ma huang).

Lifestyle Modifications for the Treatment of Hypertension

-Smoking cessation
-Weight loss
-Regular physical activity
-DASH eating plan (salt restriction)
-Limiting alcohol consumption
-Reduce fructose intake
-Adequate vitamin D levels
-Dark chocolate consumption
-Pet Ownership

A person's way of life can have substantial effects on his or her health, including the risk of developing HTN. Numerous lifestyle risk factors have been implicated in the development of HTN; likewise, several lifestyle modifications effectively lower BP. Alterations in lifestyle are essential to prevention and treatment of HTN and can decrease the need for one or more prescription medications.

Lifestyle changes to lower BP can additionally correct obesity, lower cardiovascular risk, decrease insulin resistance, improve drug efficacy, and enhance antihypertensive effect. Greater BP reductions are achieved if two or more lifestyle adjustments are made concurrently. Assisting and motivating patients to make lifestyle changes to lower their BP to goal levels is recommended yet is often underutilized by health care clinicians. It is imperative that pharmacists be knowledgeable in risk factors and treatments for HTN and express interest in having patients reach their BP goals.

U.S. Pharmacist, April 2010

Celiac associated with psoriasis

According to a new study from British Journal of Dermatology, patients with psoriasis have a greater prevalence of Celiac Disease than matched controls. Recent studies showed a possibility of undiagnosed CD among patients with psoriasis. Therefore, physicians treating patients with psoriasis should be aware of this possible association.

Steve - this should not come as a surprise to anyone. Celiac creates inflammation and psoriasis is an inflammatory condition.

Study: no prevention of cardiovascular events with aspirin

According to Journal Watch, no benefit was observed in a group at high risk for vascular disease. A total of 3350 adults with ABI were randomized to receive aspirin (100 mg daily) or placebo. During a mean follow-up of >8 years, no between-group differences were observed for any adverse CV event, revascularization, or stroke (about 13.5 events occurred per 1000 person-years in each group), or for mortality. Risk for major hemorrhage was higher in the aspirin group than in the placebo group (2.0% vs. 1.2%) — a nearly significant difference.

Bonnie - this is about the fourth or fifth study in the last few months showing the lack of benefits of aspirin.

Probiotics may lower infections in hospitalized children

Probiotics may lower the risk for infections in hospitalized children, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial reported in the May issue of Pediatrics. "The incidence of nosocomial infections, predominantly gastrointestinal and respiratory, in children in developed countries is high, ranging from 5% to 44%," write the researchers. "There is no effective strategy for preventing these infections. The objective of our study was to investigate the role of Lactobacillus GG (LGG) in preventing nosocomial gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections at a pediatric hospital." In this study, 742 children aged 1 to 18 years were randomly assigned to receive LGG (n = 376) or placebo (n = 366) during their hospitalization. Compared with the placebo group, the LGG group had a significantly lower risk for nosocomial infections including gastrointestinal, respiratory, vomiting, and diarrheal episodes.

Insufficient evidence for Alzheimer's prevention?

Many preventive measures for cognitive decline and for preventing Alzheimer's disease -- mental stimulation, exercise, and a variety of dietary supplements -- have been studied over the years. However, an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health determined that the value of these strategies for delaying the onset and/or reducing the severity of decline or disease hasn't been demonstrated in rigorous studies.

The panel recommended that the research community and clinicians collaborate to develop, test, and uniformly adopt objective measures of baseline cognitive function and changes over time. Although many non-modifiable risk factors have been examined, age is the strongest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, a genetic variant of a cholesterol-ferrying protein (apolipoprotein E), has strong evidence of association with the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Although it is hoped that improved understanding of genetic risk factors may ultimately lead to effective therapies, currently these associations are primarily useful in the clinical research setting.

The panel determined that there is currently no evidence of even moderate scientific quality supporting the association of any modifiable factor -- dietary supplement intake, use of prescription or non-prescription drugs, diet, exercise, and social engagement -- with reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. The evidence surrounding risk reduction for cognitive decline is similarly limited. Low-grade evidence shows weak associations between many lifestyle choices and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.

The panel made a variety of recommendations to shape the future research agenda and fill identified gaps, while acknowledging that advancing our understanding of these complex conditions in order to develop conclusive, evidence-based prevention recommendations will require considerable time and resources.

Bonnie - you've got to be kidding me? This reeks of a pitch for more donations for Alzheimer's research because donors have soured on the lack of progress. All the money that has flowed into Alzheimer''s organizations has brought us where exactly? The drugs don't work, the lifestyle modification doesn't work. Will the Alzheimer's Association go the way of the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, who have raked in billions over the years, and have gotten us where exactly with those diseases?

The message of this panel is different from what many researchers are saying. Lifestyle makes ALL the difference. If I have Alzheimer's in my family history, am I going to just throw up my hands after hearing this panel's message and say why bother? Absolutely not. I'm not going to wait twenty years for them to figure it out. As we have seen with the AHA and ACS, we've waited many decades with no "cure." I am going to continue recommending that my clients optimize their diet, take dietary supplements, limit environmental toxic exposure, do physical and mental exercises, stress management, etc., etc., etc. With this protocol, I'll take my chances on beating Alzheimer's.

Increased carbon dioxide's effect on plants

Trees and other plants help keep the planet cool, but rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are turning down this global air conditioner. According to a new study by researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science, in some regions more than a quarter of the warming from increased carbon dioxide is due to its direct impact on vegetation. For scientists trying to predict global climate change in the coming century, the study underscores the importance of including plants in their climate models.

"Plants have a very complex and diverse influence on the climate system," says study co-author Ken Caldeira of Carnegie's Department of Global Ecology. "Plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, but they also have other effects, such as changing the amount of evaporation from the land surface. It's impossible to make good climate predictions without taking all of these factors into account."

Plants absorb carbon dioxide for photosynthesis through pores (called stomata). When carbon dioxide levels are high, the leaf pores shrink. This causes less water to be released, diminishing the tree's cooling power. "There is no longer any doubt that carbon dioxide decreases evaporative cooling by plants and that this decreased cooling adds to global warming," says researchers. "This effect would cause significant warming even if carbon dioxide were not a greenhouse gas."

The researchers also found that their model predicted that high carbon dioxide will increase the runoff from the land surface in most areas, because more water from precipitation bypasses the plant cooling system and flows directly to rivers and streams.

Steve - as this effect further stresses plants, they emit more pollen to compete for survival. This is why pollen counts get progressively worse every year.

Magnet therapy for depression: few side effects

A new treatment for depression, rTMS, helps some patients, a rigorous government-funded study finds. The treatment is called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. It's basically an electromagnet. When applied to the skull just behind the left forehead, the device induces a tiny electric current in a part of the brain linked to depression. Because the device carries little risk, the FDA in October 2008 cleared the device for treatment of major clinical depression in adults who got no relief from first-line antidepressant treatment.

190 people who had failed to get relief from at least one antidepressant medication were recruited. Many had tried several different treatments. They received either rTMS or the sham treatment for three weeks. The result: 14% of those treated with rTMS had remission of their depression, compared with only 5% of those getting the sham treatment. Those whose depression did not get better after three weeks entered a continuation trial in which the sham treatment was discontinued and everyone got rTMS. Thirty percent of the patients in this continuation study had remission of their depression with few side effects.The findings in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Steve - we recommend this as a therapy in our Improve Your Mood Action Plan.

Glaxo 'red wine' drug study suspended

A GlaxoSmithKline company spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the trial of SRT501 in patients with multiple myeloma had been suspended after a number of them developed a complication generally associated with the disease, which is a type of blood cancer. The mid-stage Phase II study, conducted in Britain and Denmark, was assessing the safety and tolerability of SRT501 with or without the established cancer drug Velcade from Takeda Pharmaceutical. SRT501 is a proprietary formulation of resveratrol, a substance found in grapes and in red wine. The clinical trial was started in March 2009 and was due to run until December 2010. It was suspended prematurely following "unexpected safety events," according to an update to the clinicaltrials.gov database.

Bonnie - this is another example of trying to "chemicalize" nature. Red wine and it's powerful phytochemical, resveratrol, has beneficial properties as nature intended. However, resveratrol is not for everyone. Now, when you start to remove specific chemicals and make them synthetic, the human body is not always going to recognize them as beneficial substances.

The human body has harmoniously evolved with plants and plant substances in their natural state. Once synthesized into something that our epigenetic code does not recognize, you have situations such as this Glaxo trial, especially when testing on sick individuals.

Olive oil protects from ulcerative colitis

Eating more olive oil could help prevent ulcerative colitis, according to a new study presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference. People with a diet rich in oleic acid, which is present in olive oil, are far less likely to develop ulcerative colitis. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, peanut oil and grapeseed oil, as well as in butter.

The researchers studied more than 25,000 people aged 40-65. They found that those with the highest intake of oleic acid had a 90 per cent lower risk of developing the disease. "We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect," said researchers.

Bonnie - another amazing endorsement for this Mediterranean diet staple.

Research Highlights - May

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

• The overall effect of adding the spice mixture (in this case, oregano) to hamburger meat before cooking was a reduction in malondialdehyde concentrations in the meat, plasma, and urine after ingestion. Therefore, cooking hamburgers with a polyphenol-rich spice mixture can significantly decrease the concentration of
  malondialdehyde, which suggests potential health benefits for atherogenesis and carcinogenesis.
  

• In comparison with the steamed diet, 1 mo of consuming the high-heat-treated diet induced significantly lower insulin sensitivity and plasma concentrations of long-chain n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids and vitamins C and E, respectively. However, concentrations of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides increased. A diet that is based on high-heat-treated foods increases markers associated with an enhanced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in healthy people. Replacing high-heat-treatment techniques by mild cooking techniques may help to positively modulate biomarkers associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.
  

• Vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren.
  

• Higher protein intake does not have an adverse effect on bone in premenopausal women. Cross-sectional analyses suggest that low vegetable protein intake is associated with lower BMD.
  
  

Journal Nutrition

• Coffee contains various compounds that have recently been reported to exert beneficial health effects. 37,742 participants (18,287 men and 19,455 women) aged 40–64 y without a history of cancer, myocardial infarction, or stroke at baseline in our analysis, based on the Miyagi Cohort Study initiated in 1990, were studied. The outcomes were mortality due to all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer. During the 10.3 y of follow-up, our results suggest that coffee may have favorable effects on morality due to all causes and to CVD, especially CHD, in women.
  
  

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

• Every 5 years for the past several decades, the USDHHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have issued and updated the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which form the basis of federal nutrition policy and have shown remarkable consistency across various editions among the major themes. This paper examines whether the U.S. food supply is sufficiently balanced to provide the recommended proportions of various foods and nutrients per the amount of energy, whether this balance has shifted over time, and which areas of the food supply may have changed more than others.
  
  The Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) was used to measure the dietary quality of the U.S. food supply, from 1970 to 2007. Sources of data were the USDA's food availability data, loss-adjusted food availability data, and nutrient availability data, and the U.S. Salt Institute's data on salt sold for human consumption.
  
  Total HEI-2005 scores improved by about 10 points between 1970 and 2007, but they never achieved even 60 points on a scale from 0 to 100. Although meats and total grains were supplied generally in recommended proportions, total vegetables, total fruit, whole fruit, and milk were supplied in suboptimal proportions that changed very little over time. Saturated fat, sodium, and calories from solid fat, alcoholic beverages, and added sugars were supplied in varying degrees of unhealthy abundance over the years. Supplies of dark-green/orange vegetables and legumes and whole grains were entirely insufficient relative to recommendations, with virtually no change over time.
  
  Deliberate efforts on the part of policymakers, the agriculture sector, and the food industry are necessary to provide a supply of foods consistent with nutrition recommendations and to make healthy choices available to all.
  

• In 1998, the IOM recommended all women capable of becoming pregnant consume 400 μg of folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects. This paper aims to describe how different sources of folic acid contribute to achieving the recommended usual daily intake. Overall, 24% of nonpregnant U.S. women of childbearing age consumed the recommended usual intake. Intake was highest among non-Hispanic white women (30%), followed by Mexican-American (17%) and non-Hispanic black women (9%). Among women who used supplements with folic acid, 72% consumed the recommended usual intake. Use of supplements was the strongest determinant of recommended intake, mediating associations of other characteristics. Among the 68% of women who did not use supplements, consumption of cereals with folic acid and having diabetes were the strongest determinants of recommended usual intake. Given that consumption of folic acid is an important public health goal to prevent NTDs, an evaluation of strategies, beyond recommendations that women consume supplements, is needed. Health education programs for promoting a healthful diet have shown limited success in clinical trials.
  

• This paper aims to examine whether an innovative educational course focused on societal-level issues related to food and food production would promote healthful eating among college students. The students who took the Food and Society course reported significantly improving their healthful eating, with greatest improvements in increased vegetable and decreased high-fat dairy intakes relative to the comparison group. The results suggest that it may be possible to change dietary behaviors in college students by focusing on social, ethical, cultural, and environmental issues related to food and food production.
  
  

The Lancet

• Lp-PLA2 activity and mass each show continuous associations with risk of coronary heart disease, similar in magnitude to that with non-HDL cholesterol or systolic blood pressure in this population. Associations of Lp-PLA2 mass and activity are not exclusive to vascular outcomes, and the vascular associations depend at least partly on lipids.

Food and Chemical Toxicology

• Curcumin mitigates the genotoxic effects of the two well known water contaminants (Arsenic and Fluoride) effectively and efficiently at the given concentration in vitro.
  
  

Nutrition and Metabolism

• This study investigated effects of 6-week consumption of whole grain wheat sourdough bread in comparison to white bread on fasting serum lipids in normoglycemic/normoinsulinemic and hyperglycemic/hyperinsulinemic adults. HGI participants had significantly higher body weight, waist circumference, body fat, and fasted glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, glucagon, triacylglycerols and TAG:HDL-cholesterol, compared to NGI participants. However, none of these in addition to none of the other serum lipids, differed between bread treatments, within either participant group.
  
  In summary, 6-week consumption of whole grain wheat sourdough bread did not significantly modulate serum lipids in NGI or HGI adults. However, it significantly increased LDL-cholesterol, TAG and TAG:HDL-cholesterol in participants with the APOE E3/E3 genotype.
  
  

Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology

• Corticosteroid use and worsening airflow limitation are associated with lower VitD serum levels in asthmatic patients. VitD enhances glucocorticoid action in PBMCs from asthmatic patients and enhances the immunosuppressive function of DEX in vitro.

• Infants with likely milk/egg allergy are at considerably high risk of having increased peanut-specific IgE levels (potential allergy).