Oral contraceptives decrease levels of CoQ10 and vitamin E

According to research done at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, of 55 premenopausal women (fifteen taking oral contraceptives and forty were not), those taking oral contraceptives had levels of CoQ10 and vitamin E that were 37 percent and 24 percent lower, respectively, than those not taking them. The researchers say that adequate supplementation can bring the levels to normal while on oral contraceptives.

Courtesy of Alternative Medicine, January 2007

A new Seasonal Affective Disorder therapy

According to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry, getting 90 minutes of nightly exposure to an ion-generating device, which releases charged particles into the air, was just as effective as light therapy in treating 77 SAD patients.

Breast feeding babies need extra vitamin D

Researchers studying 84 breast-feeding infants found that of the 35 who did not receive any supplements, 78% lacked sufficient levels of vitamin D in the winter. This number dropped to 4% in summer, when they get more sun exposure.

All infants who received supplemental vitamin D showed adequate lvels in both the summer and winter.

Courtesy of Natural Solutions, Winter 2007

Bonnie - this is why a little sunshine for infants (without sunscreen) is beneficial. An infant vitamin formula with vitamin D or 1/3-1/2 tsp. of Carlson Cod Liver Oil after age six months should also boost vitamin D blood levels naturally.

Survey shows docs not pleased with nutrition training

A survey conducted by the California Table Grape Commission showed that three out of four doctors believed the nutriiton training they received in medical school was less than adequate. Nealry all of the 400 Doctors surveyed (all member of the American Academy of Family Physicians) it was thier responsibility to provide dietary and nutritional counseling to patients. Yet, only two out of ten doctors felt very informed counseling patients. 96 percent indicated an interest in learning more about nutrition.

Legislative Note

An important statement flew under the radar in October 2006:

President Bush signed the Older Americans Act Amendment. In doing so, for the first time, Congress recognized the benefits of multivitamin use in a statute.

Section 318 of the Amendment states: "While diet is the preferred source of nutrition, evidence suggests that use of a single daily multivitamin-mineral supplement may be an effective way to address nutritional gaps that exist among the elderly population, especially among the poor; and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that multivitamin-mineral supplements may be useful when they fill a specific identified nutrient gap that cannot be or is not otherwise being met by the individual's intake of food.

Higher folate levels linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk

An increased intake of folate by diet and supplements may halve the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, suggests new research from the US.

Writing in the Archives of Neurology, lead author Jose Luchsinger from Columbia University Medical Center, New York, reports that after analyzing the diets of 965 individuals, and then following them for about six years, the highest intake of folate from both dietary and supplements was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Ninety-eight per cent of these dietary assessments were obtained in 1996 or earlier, before the introduction of mandatory folate fortification of grain - an overwhelming body of evidence linked folate deficiency in early pregnancy to increased risk of neural tube defects (NTD) in infants.

After an average of 6.1 years of follow-up, 192 cases of Alzheimer’s disease had been diagnosed. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, like age, sex, ethnicity, cardiovascular history and B6 and B12 intake, Luchsinger and co-workers report that increasing folate intake, from both dietary and supplemental sources, was associated with a significantly reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (50 per cent risk reduction).

Higher folate intake was modestly correlated with lower homocysteine levels, "indirectly suggesting that a lower homocysteine level is a potential mechanism for the association between higher folate intake and a lower Alzheimer's disease risk," said the authors.

The researchers stress that no definitive conclusion about the role of folate in the development of Alzheimer's disease can be made, since the findings are at odds with previously published studies.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Charles S. Robertson Memorial Gift for research on Alzheimer's disease, the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Foundation, and the New York City Council Speaker's Fund for Public Health Research.

Steve - piggybacking on today's AJCN entry, more positive data on how important folate is for cognitive function.

Report Warns Of Biases in Drink Studies

Can the source of a study's funding affect its conclusions?

Maybe, according to a paper looking at beverage studies in the online journal PLoS Medicine, published by the Public Library of Science.

The paper looked specifically at research about milk, soft drinks and juice. Not only are all three beverages popular, but "they're all highly controversial, highly profitable and heavily marketed to children," notes the study's lead author, David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

At the National Library of Medicine's Medline database, Ludwig and his colleagues culled through more than 500 papers on the beverages published between 1999 and 2003. Studies that were done only in animals or that did not look at health outcomes were eliminated. So was research that didn't cite funding sources. That left 111 studies to examine closely.

To reduce any potential bias, the team members did their analysis in separate steps. One researcher chose the studies that met the project's standards for inclusion. Two others reviewed each study's findings after the paper's title, authors and sponsors and had been removed from the text. These two researchers also classified the study's conclusions as favorable, neutral or unfavorable to the beverage under investigation. A fourth scientist, who was blinded to the other team members' conclusions, then estimated whether the findings would benefit, disadvantage or be neutral to the funder's financial interests.

The team found that studies funded by industry were four to eight times more likely to show bias in favor of sponsors' products than studies that did not receive industry funding.

"That suggests that financial conflict could provide fundamental bias in the scientific literature," notes Ludwig, whose research was sponsored by the Charles H. Hood Foundation and the Department of Medicine at Children's Hospital.

Since the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and other nutrition advice are based on the scientific literature, the team notes that its findings have "potentially significant implications for public health."

Courtesy of Washington Post

Steve - what a shock! We have said this all along, especially in the case of milk.

Milk cancels health benefit of drinking tea: study

Drinking tea can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke but only if milk is not added to the brew, German scientists said on Tuesday.

Research has shown that tea improves blood flow and the ability of the arteries to relax but researchers at the Charite Hospital at the University of Berlin in Mitte found milk eliminates the protective effect against cardiovascular disease.

"The beneficial effects of drinking black tea are completely prevented by the addition of milk, said Dr Verena Stangl, a cardiologist at the hospital.

"If you want to drink tea to have the beneficial health effects you have to drink it without milk. That is clearly shown by our experiments," she told Reuters.

Stangl and her team discovered that proteins called caseins in milk decrease the amount of compounds in tea known as catechins which increase its protection against heart disease.

They believe their findings, which are reported in the European Heart Journal, could explain why countries such as Britain, where tea is regularly consumed with milk, have not shown a decreased risk of heart disease and stroke from drinking tea.Courtesy Reuters

Courtesy of Reuters

Steve - this goes with what we have said all along about the recent research lauding the benefits of coffee and tea. Adding milk, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other condiments cancel out most of the benefits. In order to reap the benefits from coffee and tea, it must be consumed plain, or at least with something like stevia, which is an herbal sweetener with no glycemic properties.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Highlights

Snipits from our the December issue of our favorite journal.

Older Persons

• Diet and exercise therapy decreases multiple metabolic coronary heart disease risk factors simultaneously in obese adults 60 or older. Lifestyle intervention is the cornerstone of therapy because it improves waist circumference, blood pressure, serum lipids, glucose, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, and body composition.
• It is essential for clinicians to recognize vitamin B-12 deficiency at an early stage, before the neurologic health of a person is irreversibly affected.
  
• In another study, vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly is associated with lower cognitive function scores and particularly lower scores of language comprehension and expression.
• Elevated SAH, the precursor to homocysteine, is common the elderly and can be reduced with oral B12 supplementation.
• In the elderly population, elevated homocysteine is associated with deficits in constructional ability and processing speed and folate is associated with measures of episodic memory and language. Thus, proper folate levels are essential.
  

Dietary Supplements

• Garlic supplementation had no significant positive effect on three major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
• Early and late circulating concentrations of a-tocopherol (vitamin E) from prenatal vitamins are positively associated with normal fetal growth.
• Supplementing with as little as 400 mg. of omega 3's daily may reduce the risk of depression.
• A olive oil-rich diet supplemented with fish oil and plant sterols may reduce cardiovascular risk more than supplementing with fish oil alone.
• Policosanol was not effective in altering serum lipid profile over an eight week period in adults with mild hypercholesterolemia.
  

Food

• Consumption of even modest amounts of fructose may significantly increase the risk of development of cardiovascular disease and adipocisity (fat creation).
• Higher intakes of fruits and vegtables are associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome due to lower CRP (C-Reactive Protein) concentrations. Intake of fruits and vegetables are a primary preventive measure against cardiovascular disease.
  

Vitamins + Children = Increased School Performance

Vitamin Relief USA’s (VRUSA) annual survey confirms that the vitamin program for undernourished children throughout the U.S. is dramatically improving children’s lives. Parents and teachers of two thousand participating children attributed improvements in the children’s health, energy, appetite, sleep, grades, concentration, social
behavior and even self-confidence to the daily vitamin program.

Over half of the parents reported an increase of energy and appetite in their children. 36% of teachers and 36% of parents said students’ self esteem had improved. One out of every four parents said their children were less depressed, less angry and less aggressive. Almost one third of teachers reported an increase in the children’s concentration.

In addition, survey results confirm that long term use of VRUSA vitamins leads to an increased reduction of seasonal illness in children. For example, in 2002, 37% of teachers and staff reported less illness in participating children, compared to 52% this year. In day-to-day life, this improvement in the children equates to less time at the doctor’s office and more time in the classroom. It is no surprise that more than one-third of the teachers and staff reported the
students were performing better at school.

Vitamin Relief USA, a tax-exempt 501©3 non-profit organization committed to improving the health status of children, seniors and adults through vitamin supplementation provided daily vitamins to over 24,000 children in 31 states across the United States.

Infant outcome worse with planned c-section

Newborns who are delivered via planned cesarean section are more likely to be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit and to experience lung disorders compared with those delivered via planned vaginal delivery, according to findings published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The researchers examined the outcome of deliveries during a 6-month period, along with data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway on intended mode of delivery.

Of the 18,653 deliveries, 17,828 were planned vaginal deliveries and 825 were planned cesarean deliveries.

Rates of transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit were 5.2 percent for planned vaginal deliveries, significantly lower than the 9.8 percent for planned cesarean deliveries. Lung disorders were also significantly lower in the planned vaginal delivery group (0.8 percent) than in the cesarean delivery group (1.6 percent).

"For the child, the stress of vaginal delivery seems superior to elective cesarean delivery in many situations," the researchers conclude. "Therefore, we emphasize the importance of limiting planned cesarean deliveries to cases with proven benefit for the mother and/or child," they write. "When a planned cesarean delivery is chosen, the operation should be as close to term as possible."

Courtesy of Reuters

Bonnie - this was a very large and significant trial. Many planned cesarean's are performed out of "convenience" for either the doctor or patient. In these instances, one should seriously consider the pros and cons.

Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM: a probiotic alternative to traditional intestinal pain killers?

In a study that appeared in Nature Medicine, researchers from Inserm (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) demonstrate for the first time that the oral administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM™ mediates analgesic functions in the gut equivalent to morphine effects.

The results, suggest that the microbiology of the intestinal tract influences visceral pain perception and open new perspectives in the treatment of abdominal pain and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with this unique probiotic strain. “When we put intestinal epithelial cells in contact with various lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM™ induce a significant expression of µ opioid receptor (MOR) and receptors for cannabinoid (CB2) that exert an analgesic effect”, says Pr Desreumaux*, principal author of the study. ”One could envision NCFM to be prescribed for intestinal functional disorders or co-administrated with morphine to relieve serious gastrointestinal pathologies, therefore reducing the morphine doses and related side effects.”

Bonnie - why is this so significant?

1. It shows how important probiotics are to the gut from a preventative and therapueitc standpoint.
2. The strain used in this study is the found in our Metagenics Ultra Flora Plus DF Caps.

Nothing but the best for our clients!

Acid Reflux Drugs May Up Fractures

Proton-pump inhibitors -- the popular drugs that fight stomach acid -- increase the risk of hip fractures, a U.S. study shows. The drugs are Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec (called Losec in Europe), and Protonix. A new study shows that when taken long term the drugs may have a side effect: hip fracture. People over age 50 who take the drugs for more than one year have a 44% increased risk of breaking a hip, find University of Pennsylvania researchers Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, and colleagues.

Taking proton-pump inhibitors at higher doses -- and for longer periods -- dramatically increases the risk. Long-term, high-dose use of the drugs ups the risk of hip fracture by 245%.

The findings appear in the December issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Bonnie - this is why I never recommend taking PPI's long-term. Getting to the root of the cause of reflux is of the utmost importance because otherwise, PPI's just mask the issue and never correct it. Obviously, side effects such as the aforementioned and others that have been well-chronicled by this health professional warrant much thought.

Olive oil linked to lower blood pressure

Moderate intake of olive oil, a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, was successful in reducing the blood pressure of healthy men who don’t usually eat a Med-type diet, suggests a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

The researchers randomly assigned 110 healthy men from non-Mediterranean countries (Germany, Finland and Denmark) and 45 men from Mediterranean regions (Spain and Italy) to include one of three similar olive oils (25 millilitres per day) in their diets. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) of the non-Mediterranean men decreased significantly by three percent, compared to baseline measurements.

If it's in the house, parents will eat it

Studies suggest that obesity is a family problem. But it’s not just parents who set the menu — kids have an influence too. Parents who give in to their kids’ requests for fatty foods, such as pizza, usually end up indulging with them, according to a study appearing in the Jan. 4 online edition of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Compared with adults living without children in the home, adults living with kids younger than 17, on average, take in an additional 4.9 grams of fat daily. And 1.7 grams of that additional fat is saturated fat — the artery-clogging kind of fat that abounds in many meat and dairy products, processed foods and meals taken out from fast-food joints and eaten in restaurants.

The latest research is one of a raft of new studies that look at how family dynamics affect an individual's propensity to become overweight. In consumer studies, parents routinely cite their children as key drivers of snack food choice, home menu selection and restaurant visits. Perhaps, the authors suggest, the nation's epidemic of overweight and obesity should be approached by looking at how children form their food preferences and how those preferences influence their parents' decisions about what to buy and consume.

"Kids can be very persuasive" in coaxing their parents and guardians into buying the fatty, sugary and salty foods that are overwhelmingly marketed to them, the researchers says. "We've all been there. But as parents, we have to think twice about buying these foods for our kids," he adds. "That they can make kids fat and start them down the road toward obesity is reason enough. They can also be very tempting for us as adults."

Courtesy of LA Times

Bonnie - this is so true. This an extremely important part of keeping a healthy lifestyle at home. Caving in to your child's food request is even worse because you are not only contributing to their poor health, but to your own. My suggestion...stay strong and committed to keeping good food at home. The easiest thing to do is to not keep the junk at home so it is not available. If your child is eating at least two healthy meals per day from home, it is better than none!

Long-term data needed on anti-obesity drugs

The long-term safety and efficacy need to be documented for Xenical, Meridia and Acomplia before doctors can be certain that the benefits of these anti-obesity drugs outweigh the risks, according to a commentary appearing in The Lancet.

Xenical (known generically as orlistat) and Meridia (sibutramine) are currently approved for long-term use, while Acomplia (rimonabant) is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Each of the agents carry potentially important adverse effects, the authors note. Treatment with orlistat is associated with frequent gastrointestinal side effects, sibutramine may raise blood pressure and heart rate, and rimonabant may increase the risk of mood disorders.

These adverse effects are typically apparent during short-term use. The greater concern, according to the authors, is what will occur with long-term use.

Steve - hmm. They are NOW worried about the long-term side affects. Should this not have been looked before they were approved years ago? We said this when these drugs first came out.

Sushi in Chicago restaurants high in mercury

Tuna at the sushi bars in Chicago is so full of mercury that one serving is as much as a woman or child should be exposed to in a month. And one serving in seven has such high mercury content that a woman or child should never eat it.

The problem came to light when the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency tested tuna samples from 20 sushi bars in Chicago. They found that 14 – or 70 per cent – had unacceptably high levels of mercury.

Illinois is thought to be particularly bad for mercury levels because of the coal-burning power plants in the state, and the improper disposal of waste that contains mercury.

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, 2006; 281: 23-4

Steve - this was reported last year in several local papers. We put this in as an "in case you missed it."

Folate levels fall in young U.S. women

Blood levels of folate in young women are dropping, a disturbing development that could lead to increased birth defects and may be due to low-carb diets or the popularity of unfortified whole-grain breads.

Government health officials could only speculate on the reasons but called the backslide in this important B vitamin disturbing. It's not clear how the decline in folate levels has affected newborns, but preliminary data suggest the dramatic declines in neural tube defects seen in the late 1990s may have leveled off by 2004, said officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This is a cause of substantial concern," said Dr. Nancy Green, medical director for the March of Dimes, which campaigns for birth defects prevention. A CDC study released Thursday found an 8 percent to 16 percent decline in folate levels in U.S. women of childbearing age, according to large blood-drawing surveys done between 1999 and 2004.

It was the first time such a decline has been seen since the start of government health campaigns urging women to make sure they get enough folic acid.

The decline was most pronounced in white women, although black women continue to be the racial group with the least folate in their blood, health officials said. It's being published this week in a CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

It's not clear why blood folate levels dropped in this decade, but there are several possible explanations, experts said. Increasing obesity rates among young women may be a factor. Research has found obese people metabolize folate differently than thinner folk, and some doctors believe heavier women need more folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, Green said.

Vitamins and supplements are the best way to get the recommended daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid. But only a third of women of child-bearing age take a folic acid-containing supplement every day, he said.

Steve - a disturbing trend indeed. One of Bonnie's internships when she first started out was with the March of Dimes. She has always said that one of her greatest triumphs was helping create public awareness about the importance of folic acid in child-bearing women.

Another issue not considered in this study is that between 15-25% of the population has a genetic condition in which folic acid cannot be broken down into absorbable folate. This is why supplementing with all three forms of folate (folic acid, 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate, and L-5 methyltetrahydrofolate) to circumvent this issue is very important. At the very least, a multivitamin containing between 400-800 mcg of folic acid is essential.

FTC fines weight loss pill firms $25M

The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday it was fining the marketers of four weight-loss drugs a collective $25 million for false advertising claims. Despite that, the pills — Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, One-A-Day WeightSmart and TrimSpa — will remain on store shelves.

Some of the fines could be returned to consumers who purchased Xenadrine EFX and CortiSlim. The marketers of the other two drugs paid civil penalties.

Courtesy AP

Steve - bravo! This has been a long-time coming for these types of products. They give the dietary supplement industry a bad name. There is and never has been a miracle weight loss pill. Dietary supplements are what they say they are...supplements, which are crucial to complemtning your diet and lifestyle.

Fish Oil for mother may benefit child

According to research that appeared in the Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition, the children of women who took fish oil supplements during pregnancy had better hand-eye coordination than the children of women who took the placebo. The study was small, but adds to the growing body of research supporting fish oil for pregnancy.

Olive oil can cut cancer risk

A study of 182 European men found those who had 25 ml of olive oil per day had reduced levels of a substance which indicates cell damage.

The study is in the Federation American Societies for Experimental Biology. The Copenhagen University Hospital researchers looked at 182 healthy men aged between 20 and 60 from five European countries. At the end of study, scientists measured levels of the substance which indicates oxidative damage to cells, called 8oxodG, in the men's urine. The men were found to have around 13% less 8oxodG compared with their levels at the beginning of the study.

The researchers said that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were probably behind the effect.

Steve - while a very small study in an experimental journal, it was woth noting nonetheless.

Housework cuts breast cancer risk

Women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer, a study suggests.

The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sport.

Dusting, mopping and vacuuming was also better than having a physical job.

The latest study looking at both pre- and post-menopausal women in the Cancer Research UK-funded study spent an average of 16 to 17 hours a week cooking, cleaning and doing the washing.

Experts have long known that physical exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer, probably through hormonal and metabolic changes.

The research is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.

Women can stop bone-saving drug

Some women with osteoporosis can stop taking a bone-protecting drug after five years without increasing their risk of fractures, say scientists.

Doctors have been unsure how long women need to be on these drugs, some advising they be taken indefinitely.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The need to establish the optimum duration of bisphosphonates for postmenopausal women, who have weaker bones because of hormone changes, was raised by the government's treatment watchdog, the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) last year.

It said: "Given the emergence of evidence from one bisphosphonate that the benefits of the drug may continue for several years beyond treatment cessation, the Institute recommends that research should be carried out to define both the optimal duration of treatment with individual bisphosphonates, and the most beneficial age at which to start treatment."

The latest work found women who discontinued a bisphosphonate called alendronate after five years or more had the same rate of non-spine fractures as women who continued the drug.

The findings also suggests that women who wish to take the drug for 10 years can do so safely.

Steve - at least we finally received some information on this. As with most medications, there are no studies on long-term safety or efficacy. This is the ifrst study we have seen addressing this issue!

Happy New Year!

From all of us at Nutritional Concepts!

Blog goes on hiatus today.

This is our last blogging day until January 2, 2007.

We wish you the happiest, healthiest holiday and New Year!

Bonnie and Steve

Bonnie advocates infrared saunas for detoxification

Recently, I have discovered the beenfits of infrared sauna treatments for the detoxification of substances such as heavy metals and yeast. I have actually heard from clients that they see the yeast comeing out of their pores! This is a safe, relaxing way to aid detoxification. Look for a spa in your area that has one.

Bonnie

One can exercise too much

According to experts, one can overdo it when it comes to exercise. Overzealous exercisers can run their way into stress fractures, insomina, and comrpomised immune systems. Every individual has a different threshold, however, one hour daily seems to be the maximum. More than 12 hours of exercise a wekk does not allow the body to bounce back well.

Of special concern are middle-age men who get back into exercise after years of inactivity and are at risk for heart attacks.

Courtesy of AP

Bonnie - one thing not mentioned in this piece is the depletion of essential vitamins and minerals from overexercise. I can guarantee that individuals who exercise a lot do not replenish their nutrients properly, and this is crucial!

High protein a recipe for cancer

Steve -

This study appeared in our favorite journal, the American College of Nutrition. The study has its merits, but the media has misinformed the public with its headlines. The study is not so much about low protein and high protein as it is about real foods versus the Standard American Diet.

The study pitted vegans and endurance-running vegetarians against subjects consuming the Standard American Diet (SAD). Who do you think is going to have a lower rate of cancer? Additionally, the proteins that the SAD group consumed the most were red meats and dairy, which consumed in large amounts have been linked to cancer.

Dark chocolate helps chronic fatigue

According to British Government Researchers, eating a small amount of dark chocolate each day can help combat symptoms of chronic fatigue. The cocoa content was 85%, much more than most commercial dark chocolates. The study participants on the chocolate felt less fatigued than those on the placebo who felt greater tiredness.

The polyphenol content and enhancement of serotonin neurotransmitters are believed to provide the relief.

Bonnie - they took the words right out of my mouth! Any dark chocolate at 70% cocoa content or higher is good. However, I must emphasize, in moderation!

Holidays can make women eat more

According to the American Psychological Association, nearly half of all women in the U.S. suffer from increased stress during the holiday season and many turn to food to calm themselves.

Bonnie - this is a shocker! Maybe the following will help.

Emotional Survival Guide for the Holidays

This time of year can often trigger a bout of the blues or ignite a depression that has been smoldering under the surface for months. “Holiday blues are a pretty common problem despite the fact that as a society, we see the holidays as a joyous time.” (Rakesh Jain, MD) “Many people feel depressed which can be due to the increased stress that comes with the need to shop and the decreased time to exercise which gets put on the back burner during the holidays.” Here are some tips to help your emotional stability stay intact during this busy season:

1. See what it was in the past that led to trouble, whether it was too much drinking, not enough exercise, or forgetting to connect with friends and family. Depression leaves a fingerprint so try to find ways to avoid what happened in the past.

2. Unwrap your heart. Gift giving can cause stress and unhappiness on so many levels, such as if a person doesn’t have the money or time. The cost of the gift is not so important, the thought really is what counts.

3. A lot of people feel sad and lonely during the holidays if they have recently lost a loved one.Try to create a new tradition instead, do something different! When you expect something to happen and it doesn’t, you feel lousy.

4. Look at how to protect yourself from the energy vampires of the holiday season who deplete your holiday energy reserve. Try to be around positive people instead of the drama queens, blamers and criticizers.

5. Try to carve out three minutes a day to relieve stress and use your breath to calm down and focus on the positive. Get enough sleep which will help you to function properly throughout the day.

6. Volunteer! Deliver presents for Santa or help at a homeless shelter. Volunteerism makes your feel better about yourself and this is the time of year where the spirit of helping and compassion is right at your fingertips. This will also help you to realize how grateful you are for what you do have and focus on the positive things in your life.

7. If you are overcommitted, say no. Don’t feel guilty.

Expectant mothers may be at risk for vitamin A deficiency

Women expecting twins or their second child inside two years could benefit from beta carotene supplementation, according to a small study that appeared in the European Journal of Nutrition. Of the 29 women studied, 75% did not have the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.

Bonnie - even though this is a small study, I wanted to blog this because the results were shocking. In addition, OB-HYN's are scaring pregnant women away from vitamin A (especially in the non-toxic beta carotene form) and are doing them a disservice.

Black cohosh no help in menopause

The yearlong study of 351 women suffering from hot flashes and night sweats found that those given black cohosh got about the same amount of relief as those who took a placebo.

"It's safe and not effective, so therefore it doesn't have any utility whatsoever," said Barrie Cassileth, an alternative-medicine researcher at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who was not involved in the study.

Women taking the herbal treatments reduced hot flashes by only about half an episode per day when compared with those taking the placebo, the study found.

The study was conducted at Seattle-based Group Health, a health plan, and was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Black cohosh, an herb that is a member of the buttercup family, is commonly given to ease menopause symptoms.

Bonnie - so my clients and millions of women around the world that have used it successfully over the years are just experiencing the placebo effect? I don't think so. A 2005 study with a similar participant size appeared in Obstetrics & Gynecology and did find improvement in hot flashes.

Trib columnist examines soy

One of our favortie columnists, Julie Deardorff, wrote a very good piece on the positives and negatives of soy. As we have said all along, soy has its place in our food supply. Unfortunately, it is much too prevalent to date.

One major issue that Julie did not cover in her piece was the fact that many of the soy products made to replace junk foods (such as soy dogs, soy burgers, and soy bacon) often have hidden monosodium glutamate (MSG) and are very high in sodium.

Steve

Combining fruits and vegetables gives them more nutritional punch.

Many of the beneficial compounds in fruits and vegetables provide them with their beautiful colors, none more than the carotenoids, nature's most widespread pigments. They include lycopene (which provides the red color to tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon), beta carotene (the orange in carrots, pumpkin, papaya and cantaloupe) and yellow-green lutein (found in spinach, corn and avocado).

It is becoming increasingly clear that whole fruits and vegetables, with their full complement of phytochemicals, are more bioactive than any single substance they might contain. Adding new fruits and vegetables in new combinations and varieties may be more healthful still.

Phytochemicals seem to work cooperatively to exert their effects so that the benefits, when they are taken together, are often greater than the sum of the parts. For example, it has been shown that the antioxidant effects of a combination of red apples, blueberries, grapes and oranges are much larger than when any of the fruits are taken individually.

Even different varieties of the same fruit or vegetable can provide different compounds to the body. For example, a deep-purple blood orange shares phytochemicals in common with berries, while a navel orange doesn't, so the two offer somewhat different benefits. The pairing of different foods may affect how well these nutrients are absorbed. Colorful carotenoids, for example, are all fat-soluble, so small amounts of fat eaten at the same time (a teaspoon or less in each meal) helps the body efficiently use them.

Scientists have shown that the healthful fat in avocado helps the body absorb the carotenoids in romaine, carrots and tomato. Thus, guacamole and salsa eaten together may pack a better punch than either one eaten alone.

Finally, while this may not be welcome news to raw food enthusiasts, cooking carotenoid-rich spinach, carrots and tomatoes releases the carotenoids from the whole food, making them up to six times more bioavailable than when the foods are eaten fresh.

Courtesy LA Times

Bonnie - as we have always said...variety, variety, variety!

Breast Cancer Rate Falls in U.S., Study Shows

Rates of the most common form of breast cancer dropped a stunning 15 percent from August 2002 to December 2003, researchers reported yesterday. They proposed a reason for the drop that was just as stunning: It probably occurred, they said, because at that time, millions of women abandoned hormone treatment for the symptoms of menopause after a large national study concluded that the hormones slightly increased breast cancer risk.

Donald Berry, head of the division of quantitative science at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the senior investigator for the analysis, called the connection between the drop in rates and hormone use “astounding.” It was the first time ever that breast cancer rates had fallen significantly, something experts said was especially remarkable because the rates had slowly inched up, year by year, since 1945. But the decrease was most striking for women with so-called estrogen positive tumors, which account for 70 percent of all breast cancers. The hypothesis is that when women stopped taking menopausal hormones, tiny cancers already in their breasts were deprived of estrogen and stopped growing, never reaching a stage where they could been seen on mammograms. Other cancers may have regressed, making them undetectable. And, possibly, without hormones, cancers that would have gotten started may never have grown at all.

Until 2002, as many as a third of American women over age 50 were taking menopausal hormones. The use of estrogen to treat menopause took off in 1966, when an enthusiastic doctor, Robert Wilson, wrote a best-selling book, “Feminine Forever” and aggressively promoted it around the country. The heaviest users of hormone therapy were women in affluent places like Marin County where high breast cancer rates had long troubled women and researchers. Women in those areas also largely abandoned hormones after the July 2002 report and their breast cancer has declined accordingly.

Bonnie - rarely has there ever been such strong evidence linking medication to disease. While it took nearly 40 years and thousands of deaths for the allopathic community to discover the connection, it finally happened. This is the most extreme example of why it is imperative to treat the cause of a health issue instead of treating the symptoms. Additionally, one must greatly consider the ramifications of taking medication.

Study Questions Colonoscopy Effectiveness

A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that of 12 highly experienced board-certified gastroenterologists in private practice, some were 10 times better than others at finding adenomas, the polyps that can turn into cancer. One factor distinguishing the physicians who found many adenomas from those who found few was the amount of time spent examining the colon. They discovered that those who slowed down and took their time found more polyps.

“Patients assume that one colonoscopist is as good as another,” said Dr. Douglas K. Rex, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at Indiana University who did not take part in the study. “But these are dramatic differences.”

The Rockford study was preceded by other signs that colonoscopies are by no means foolproof. The first indication that colonoscopies were not as effective as widely believed came with two studies, one in 1991 and a larger one, in 1997, in which patients had two colonoscopies on the same day. Those studies showed that doctors were missing 15 to 27 percent of adenomas, including 6 percent of large adenomas. Then, in the last few years, two studies of so-called virtual colonoscopies, which use a CT scan to view the colon, found that the rate of overlooked adenomas in traditional colonoscopies was even higher. Patients in those studies had traditional and virtual colonoscopy on the same day. Traditional colonoscopies missed 12 to 17 percent of the large adenomas detected in the virtual colonoscopies.

The study by the group in Rockford suggests a way to improve colonoscopy: by slowing down. “If you rush things, you miss things,” Dr. Schoen said. That happens in part because reimbursement rates for colonoscopies have fallen in recent years, and some doctors are doing the exams faster than ever, Dr. Schoen and others say. The Rockford group concluded that doctors should take at least eight minutes to withdraw the endoscope.

Dr. Douglas J. Robertson, a gastroenterologist at Dartmouth University and at the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River, Vt., said it did not hurt to ask for a doctor’s detection rate. “If you are met with a total blank stare,” Dr. Robertson said, “that tells you the doctor is really not clued in to quality issues and is not listening at national meetings.”

Courtesy NY Times

Bonnie - it is astounding that the virtual colonoscopy is not used more. Make sure you do your due diligence before doing a traditional colonoscopy.

USDA attempts to pack organic standards board with corporate agribusiness reps

On December 5, 2006, the USDA announced its new appointments to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The NOSB essentially advises the USDA on how to interpret and implement federal organic laws that regulate industry. The NOSB has the ability to significantly weaken or strengthen the effectiveness of the national organic standards.

According to federal law, the NOSB is to be made up of a diverse group of experts in the organic field, including a public interest group representative, an environmentalist, a scientist, and a handler. Despite this clear mandate of diversity, the USDA's new appointments are all industry representatives. USDA’s new appointees are:

Scientist: Katrina Heinze (General Mills)
Consumer and Public Interest Group Representative: Tracy Miedema (Stahlbush Island Farms, a primarily non-organic operation)
Environmentalist: Tina Ellor (Phillips Mushroom Farms)
Handler: Steve DeMuri (Campbell Soup)

Historically, there has only been one other instance where the USDA has attempted to stack non-industry seats on the NOSB with industry representatives, and the results were an embarrassment for the USDA. One year ago, the agency attempted to put a General Mills’ company representative, Katrina Heinz in the NOSB Public Interest Group Representative seat, which was closely followed by a massive consumer backlash spearheaded by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and the Consumers Union. The protests caused Heinz to decline the appointment.

“Never before has the Bush administration’s USDA made such a blatant attempt to pack the National Organic Standards Board with people who represent corporate agribusiness and industrial farming practices,” says OCA National Director Ronnie Cummins. “Stahlbush Farms, which admits on its website to using pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides on its crops (except for its canned pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and frozen green beans) is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an organic consumer or public interest group.

Steve - another battle we must fight. Contact your congressmen/women and let them know that this is unacceptable. In appointing these people, it is not a strecth to say that the organic standards will be watered down. The USDA Organic Standards are under an incredible amount of pressure as it is. This is like letting the fox into the hen house!

Dominick's parent to expand organic line

Safeway Inc. said on Tuesday that it would expand its O Organics line into baby food and food for children and introduce a new brand for consumers on a diet or just looking for healthier fare.

Safeway, the No. 3 U.S. grocer, introduced the O Organics line in December 2005. Since then, the products, which are only sold in Safeway chains such as Dominick's, have reached more than $150 million in sales.

During a meeting with analysts and investors, Safeway said the O Organics line is helping to attract shoppers from chains such as Whole Foods Market Inc., the No. 1 natural and organic grocer.

The O line currently features produce, cereal, milk and coffee. Safeway said that it now plans to introduce affordable organic food for babies and a group of organic products targeted at children aged six years old to 12 years old.

It also plans to introduce a new line, called Eating Right, with nutritional icons on packages that should help consumers find products that fit their diet.

Steve - I hope Whole Foods is ready for war. All the "conventional" food stores are starting to flex their muscle.

Deep mercury cuts OKd at coal plants

Illinois lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to new state rules requiring deep cuts in mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants.

With little comment, a legislative panel endorsed a compromise negotiated between Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration and two of the state's major utilities, Ameren and Dynegy.

A third company, Midwest Generation, agreed to a similar deal Monday. Rules dealing with the company's six power plants, including five in the Chicago area, will be issued after Jan. 1.

The utilities will reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2015, which is faster and deeper than federal rules require. They also will sharply cut other forms of air pollution that create smog and soot.

Coal-fired power plants are the nation's largest source of mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults.

Mercury pollution is so pervasive that Illinois and 43 other states advise people to limit consumption of freshwater fish, mostly large predator species that can accumulate large amounts of the metal.

Courtesy of Chicago Sun-Times

Steve - this is a ruling that was decades overdue.

Folic acid won't cut heart, stroke risk, study says

Taking a folic acid supplement does not cut the risk of heart disease or stroke in people with a history of cardiovascular ailments.

Researchers led by Dr. Lydia Bazzano of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans analyzed the results of 12 trials conducted since 2002 involving nearly 17,000 people.

Comparing people who had taken folic acid supplements for at least six months with those who had not, the study found virtually identical percentages of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and all causes of death.

"We found that there was no benefit to using folic acid supplements in terms of cardiovascular disease risk or stroke risk," Bazzano said in an interview.

"We also found that there was no harm in terms of all-cause mortality. Using the supplements didn't seem to make you die any faster, which was good news," Bazzano added.

The findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Bazzano said folic acid remains extremely important for other reasons, namely for women planning to become pregnant or already pregnant to prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine.

"Take it if you're a woman trying to get pregnant, absolutely. But if you're an older person who's already had a heart attack or has any form of vascular disease, this is not what you should be doing," Bazzano said.

Courtesy Reuters

Bonnie - let's make some sense out of this study. Folic acid is extremely important for older persons for mental acuity and bone health, among other benefits. This review study was a waste of money because using folic acid as a treatment to reduce cardiac risk in those who already have heart ailments is a joke. You could give one of these patients folic acid in mega doses in perpituity and it still would not make a difference. The fact that the length of these trials were only six months long is also outrageous. Finally, it was another dreaded "meta analysis" where the researchers review a bunch of trials at once.

Once again, the researchers have used studies that look at sick participants. As I have said incessantly with regards to folic acid for cardiac health, it is a preventative nutrient. It is not a therapeutic nutrient.

To study the protective effects of folic acid for heart health, the research must be long-term (at least 10-20 years) to get a consensus.

Nutritionist Applauds Passing of The Dietary Supplement Adverse Events Bill

Northbrook, IL December 12, 2006 - Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist Bonnie Minsky was thrilled to see the United States Senate and House of Representatives pass the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, S. 3546. Introduced by Senator's Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), S.3546 establishes a requirement for marketers of dietary supplements and OTC drugs to inform the FDA if they receive reports of serious adverse events associated with their products.

"I have a keen interest in S.3546 because I have been prescribing dietary supplements for over twenty years with great safety and success. However, in the past decade, a few unsavory manufacturers have tarnished the industry's reputation," noted Minsky, president and Wellness Director of Northbrook-based Nutritional Concepts and spokesperson for the American College of Nutrition. "This bill will help weed those manufacturers out, and in turn, help to assure the public that the industry is being regulated properly," she added.

S. 3546 passed by unanimous consent. Manufacturers, packers or distributors of OTC drugs or dietary supplements in the United States must notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 15 business days of any reports of any serious adverse events associated with their products. Serious events include death, a life-threatening experience, inpatient hospitalization, disability or incapacity, birth defect, or medical/surgical intervention to prevent one of these outcomes.

"This is a good bill that helps the Food and Drug Administration immediately respond to serious problems," said a spokesperson from Senator Durbin's office.

More than 150 million Americans use dietary supplement products, and critics of existing legislation believe that consumers deserve to know that if they report a serious adverse event they believe may be associated with a supplement product, that the regulatory body that oversees the supplement industry will be made aware of that report.

Many in the dietary supplement industry applaud the legislation. Steve Mister, president and chief executive officer of Council for Responsible Nutrition states, "We believe that, ultimately, such a system will highlight the strong safety record of dietary supplements. CRN strongly encourages the House of Representatives to consider the Senate-passed bill and quickly enact this legislation."

Energy Drinks - the next chapter of the food and beverage war?

Steve - Energy Drinks are an issue that we have been blogging about for a while now. Now that the trans fat issue is starting to go away, this seems to be the next battle we will have to fight. The following is a sobering look into the energy drink market.

The Energy-Drink Buzz Is Unmistakable. The Health Impact Is Unknown.
By Michael Mason, New York Times

Meet Jamey Kirby. If you’re young enough, and hip enough, he’d like to sell you some Cocaine. Arriving soon at a convenience store near you, Cocaine is a recent and controversial entry in the burgeoning market for so-called energy drinks. Loaded with caffeine and sugar, and often laced with herbs, vitamins or amino acids, they have become the fuel of choice for some thrill-seeking youngsters and, more recently, for weary adults navigating an always-on world. But with their increasingly novel additives, energy drinks are taking consumers into uncharted nutritional territory, especially because they are often used as mixers with alcohol.

Even if they are not dangerous, experts say, energy drinks may be fostering an unhealthy dependence on caffeine even as they pad the waistlines of young adults. None of that much concerns Mr. Kirby, the California entrepreneur behind Cocaine. His business is buzz — in every sense of the word. Each 8.4-ounce can of Cocaine contains 280 milligrams of caffeine, more than twice the amount in a cup of coffee, and a throat-numbing blend of fiery spices. It’s perfect, Mr. Kirby said, for jaded 16- to 28-year-olds clamoring for extreme refreshment. And the provocative name? Just marketing. “It was always the plan to let negative publicity move us forward,” Mr. Kirby said. “There is an enormous amount of competition out there.” About that, there is no controversy.

Nearly 200 new energy drinks have hit store shelves since January, according to the market research firm ACNielsen. Led by such brands as Red Bull, Rockstar and Monster, energy drinks are a $3.7 billion industry whose revenues have increased by 51 percent in the past year alone. Red Bull is the third-largest source of beverage profits in convenience stores, according to one recent market survey. “It started out as something for clubbers and extreme-sports types,” said Jeffrey Klineman, the editor of Beverage Spectrum. “Now it’s gone mainstream.” So has the ingredient list.

Energy drinks increasingly are formulated with fruit juices, teas and dietary supplements like ginseng and glucosamine that appeal to older, health-minded consumers. Taurine, an amino acid essential to growth in infants, is a frequent additive, though scientists say large amounts provide no advantage to ordinary adults. Despite exotic formulations, the energy boost in these drinks is delivered via a whopping dose of common caffeine. This year, in a study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, a team of researchers analyzed the caffeine content of 10 popular energy drinks and found concentrations as high as 141 milligrams per 16-ounce can. While the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the amount of caffeine in soft drinks, agency guidelines for colas suggest no more than 68 milligrams per 12-ounce serving.

Only four of the drinks carried caffeine warnings on their containers, the researchers noted, and none suggested a limit. “The caffeine content really should be listed on the labels,” said the lead author, Bruce A. Goldberger, a toxicologist at the University of Florida. “Caffeine may be the mostly widely used drug in the world, but certain people need to avoid it.” Among them are those with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and certain anxiety disorders, as well as pregnant women.

Perhaps more troubling, Dr. Goldberger said, is that there is little scientific research on how high intakes of caffeine affect adolescents over the long term. Caffeine is difficult to abuse; unpleasant side effects appear even at modest doses, and toxicity occurs only at very high doses. Those who overconsume it are usually teenagers or young adults. “There’s an American subculture out there that loves the idea of being wired,” said James D. Lane, professor of medical psychology at Duke University. “But caffeine produces real psychological and physiological dependence.”

A recent survey by researchers at Northwestern University found that an overdose of caffeine supplements triggered more than 250 reports to the Illinois Poison Control Center over a three-year period. The average age of those affected was 21. At an emergency room in Berkeley, Calif., Dr. Guy Shochat last year treated an 18-year-old who had arrived in an ambulance with sudden heart arrhythmia. The teenager had been drinking eight 16-ounce cans of Rockstar every evening to stay awake for his night job. “He was totally clueless that there might be something wrong with drinking so much of this stuff,” said Dr. Shochat, an assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

The American College of Sports Medicine has warned high school athletes away from energy drinks because the caffeine in them may cause dehydration. High schools in Fairfax County, Va., this year removed energy drinks from its vending machines after student athletes complained of headaches and nausea after drinking them at practice. Energy drinks may be a worry at bars and clubs, too, where certain brands are used as mixers. In a recent Brazilian study, 26 men were evaluated as they downed an energy drink and alcohol, separately and in combination. Consumption of the beverages together did not diminish the men’s intoxication, as demonstrated on objective tests. But the combination did reduce the men’s ability to perceive their own inebriation, the researchers found, leading the subjects to believe they were more in control than they were. By masking the depressant effects of alcohol, the scientists concluded, energy drinks may have made it more likely that the users drank to excess. Ordinary use of caffeine may be addictive, experts say, but it is usually benign. Still, there is strong evidence that in a hectic world, this kind of “energy” isn’t part of the solution — it’s part of the problem.

The grogginess that plagues so many people in the morning and during the day can be a symptom of caffeine withdrawal, according to Dr. Lane. Far from being revitalizing, another shot merely sates the user’s addiction for a while. “Caffeine’s effect at high doses is like having a chronic anxiety condition,” Dr. Lane said. “It exaggerates the perception of stress and the body’s response to it, and I think it could be contributing to the stress we all experience in daily life.” But if Mr. Kirby’s reported sales of Cocaine are any measure, the country’s jittery romance with caffeine is intact. He said more than 200,000 additional cases of the drink have been ordered and are in production.

Some lean AM protein curbs hunger

Of all the macronutrients that we eat, "protein blunts your hunger the most and is the most satiating," notes Wayne Campbell, who leads a team investigating protein at Purdue University's Campbell Laboratory for Integrative Research in Nutrition, Fitness and Aging.

In October, Campbell and his colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society that women who added a little more lean protein to their breakfast experienced less hunger over the next four hours. Blood levels of the hunger hormone — ghrelin — also rose significantly less.

The Purdue findings are just the latest in a growing number of studies that point to some weight benefits of eating more protein.

Courtesy of LA Times

Steve - as we always say, eat a balanced breafast (including, of course, lean protein).

Our thoughts on the "Master Cleanser"

We have had several inquiries of late with regards to a detox entitled "The Master Cleanser." It was a diet created by a nutritionist in the 1940's and made popular in a 1970's book. This "diet" is a fast that requires subsisting for 10 or more days solely on an elixir of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and water. By following this, one is consuming about 650 calories per day, far less than what is needed to sustain a normal human being's energy output.

We do not support The Master Cleanser. It happens to be in vogue because several popular public figures have done it and lost weight. However, anyone will lose weight when you starve yourself!

Be very careful when choosing any kind of detox or fast.

Steve & Bonnie

Bonnie Applauds Dietary Supplement Adverse Events Bill

Northbrook, IL December 8, 2006 - Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist Bonnie Minsky was thrilled to see the United States Senate pass the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, S. 3546. Introduced by Senator's Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), S.3546 establishes a requirement for marketers of dietary supplements and OTC drugs to inform the FDA if they receive reports of serious adverse events associated with their products. The bill will need to be considered in the House of Representatives (the companion bill is H.R. 6168) in the last days of the current 109th Congress in order to be passed into law.

"I have a keen interest in S.3546 because I have been prescribing dietary supplements for over twenty years with great safety and success. However, in the past decade, a few unsavory manufacturers have tarnished the industry's reputation," noted Minsky, president and Wellness Director of Northbrook-based Nutritional Concepts and spokesperson for the American College of Nutrition. "This bill will help weed those manufacturers out, and in turn, help to assure the public that the industry is being regulated properly," she added.

S. 3546 passed by unanimous consent. Manufacturers, packers or distributors of OTC drugs or dietary supplements in the United States must notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 15 business days of any reports of any serious adverse events associated with their products. Serious events include death, a life-threatening experience, inpatient hospitalization, disability or incapacity, birth defect, or medical/surgical intervention to prevent one of these outcomes.

"This is a good bill that helps the Food and Drug Administration immediately respond to serious problems," said a spokesperson from Senator Durbin's office.

More than 150 million Americans use dietary supplement products, and critics of existing legislation believe that consumers deserve to know that if they report a serious adverse event they believe may be associated with a supplement product, that the regulatory body that oversees the supplement industry will be made aware of that report.

Many in the dietary supplement industry applaud the legislation. Steve Mister, president and chief executive officer of Council for Responsible Nutrition states, "We believe that, ultimately, such a system will highlight the strong safety record of dietary supplements. CRN strongly encourages the House of Representatives to consider the Senate-passed bill and quickly enact this legislation."

Omega-3, fibre, vitamin E linked to lower Lymphoma risk

The researchers behind the new study, led by Ellen Chang from the Northern California Cancer Center, looked at the dietary intakes of 591 people with non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and certain lymphoma subtypes, and 460 healthy controls recruited from seven Swedish counties.

“Overall, we found that eating fish and marine fats was associated with lower risk of overall non-Hodgkin lymphomas and certain lymphoma subtypes (which should be examined separately, since NHLs represent a group of several different lymphomas),” Dr. Chang told NutraIngredients.com.

“We also found that consuming certain antioxidant vitamins, commonly found in some fruits and vegetables, was associated with lower risk of overall NHL and some common subtypes.”

After adjusting the results to eliminate potential confounding factors like gender and BMI, Chang and her colleagues report that, while dietary intake of most macronutrients was not associated with NHL risk, average consumption of about 0.8 grams per day of omega-3 or marine fatty acids was associated with a 20 and 60 per cent reduced risk of NHL and its subtypes, compared to those who consumed about 0.2 grams per day.

This also extended to fish oil supplements, with people who supplemented their diet with fish oil at a significantly reduced risk of NHL and its subtypes than people who did not take the supplements (risk reduction of between 30 and 50 per cent).

Strong associations between dietary fibre intake and NHL risk reductions were also observed, said the researchers in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Indeed, Daily average intake of 14.4 grams per 1,000 kcal was linked to a 50 to 60 per cent risk reduction of NHL and all its subtypes.

Dietary consumption of the micronutrients beta-carotene or alpha-tocopherol was also associated with lower NHL risk, said the researchers, with the highest dietary beta-carotene intake (average 4.4 micrograms per day) associated with 40 per cent reduction in NHL risk, compared to the lowest intake (average 1.2 micrograms per day).

Similarly, the highest dietary alpha-tocopherol intake (average 9.8 milligrams per day) associated with 60 per cent reduction in NHL risk, compared to the lowest intake (average 5.0 milligrams per day).

Study: Doctors call in more antibiotics without exams

Prescribing antibiotics has become so common that many doctors literally are just phoning it in, a new analysis of insurance claims suggests.

Researchers found that 40% of people who filled an antibiotic prescription had not seen a doctor in at least a month, raising the possibility that their symptoms were the result of a viral infection, which doesn't respond to antibiotics, instead of a bacterial infection, which does. Though antibiotics generally are benign, overprescribing has helped produce drug-resistant "superbugs."

"The study is just a broad indicator of too great a willingness to prescribe," says author William Marder, senior vice president and general manager of Thomson Medstat, a health care information company based in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Steve - after a rigorous campaign by the media and government to reign in reckless antibiotic use, it is inexplicable that this is still happening. Either the message is not being heard or some doctors just find it much easier to prescribe an antibiotic than to do the due diligence it requires to discover if they are even needed. Is it not scary enough that many pathogens are now becoming resistant to many of the antibiotics that exist? Have we not learned that the resistant pathogens are becoming more virulent than ever?

Bonnie quoted - New York fat ban turns up heat on McDonald's

Crain's Chicago Business 12/6/2006

The pressure on McDonald’s Corp. to cook its French fries in a healthier oil intensified today with the passage of a New York City ban on artery-clogging trans fat at all city restaurants.

“Now that they’ve done it in New York, I bet you’re going to see trans fat banned in Chicago and other cities,” says Bonnie Minsky, a Northbrook-based dietician and spokeswoman for the American College of Nutrition. “They can’t say they’re working on recipes anymore, like they have for the last few years. The pressure now is extreme, and it needs to be.”

In recent months, major McDonald’s rivals have either switched to cooking oils containing lower levels of trans fat or announced a timeframe for doing so.

Wendy’s International Inc. in August began frying food in a blend of corn and soy oil containing little trans fat while KFC Corp. in October said it will switch to a trans fat-free cooking oil by the end of April.

Taco Bell Corp. last month said it will eliminate trans fat from many of its menu items by April, Burger King Holdings Inc. said it will test healthier oils soon and Culver’s, a Wisconsin-based burger chain, said it will switch to a trans fat-free canola oil by March 1.

In June, Alderman Edward Burke (14th ward) introduced a trans fat ordinance here. After a few iterations, the proposed ordinance now calls for restaurants with more than $20 million in annual sales to limit the level of trans fat in its food and to disclose the amount.

The proposed ordinance is currently in the city council’s license and consumer protection committee.

“The committee members have indicated a go-slow approach to consideration and possible adoption of the ordinance,” says a spokesman for Alderman Burke. “I think they want to study it further. In the meantime, we feel fast-food chains are being put under the spotlight not only because of New York’s adoption of a ban today but because of the continuing drumbeat of our hearings. The problem is that restaurant chains are unable to explain why they can’t drop trans fat from the menu.”

Since early 2003, McDonald’s has been saying that it’s been having trouble finding a healthier oil that retains the taste of its iconic fries, which are currently fried in trans fat-producing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

The ban did not impact shares of McDonald', which hit an intraday high of $43.43 - the first time the company's stock has been above $43 since January, 2000.

After an analysts meeting with McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner, J.P. Morgan's John Ivankoe affirmed McDonald's as its top large-cap pick, saying in a note to clients that McDonald's U.S. same-store sales are ``robust,'' helped by breakfast sales, a balance between value and premium product promotions and extended hours.

The ban that New York’s board of health passed today will go into effect in July 2007, but restaurants will have another year to come up with a trans fat substitute for baked goods. It’s the first city to pass such a ban.

In a statement, a McDonald’s spokesman said, “As we’ve stated before, we will comply with the New York Board of Health’s proposal.”

He also said McDonald’s is testing zero trans fat oil in some U.S. restaurants but that “we are not yet prepared to announce a national rollout for an alternative oil blend.”

Of McDonald’s more than 13,000 U.S. restaurants, approximately 300 are in New York City.

“It’s shocking that it took that long for a ban like this to pass. This should have been done 15 years ago,” Ms. Minsky says. “There’s no safe level of trans fat.”

Study Finds Medication Raises Suicide Risks in Young Adults

In a long-awaited analysis, FDA officials reported yesterday that antidepressant medications appeared to increase significantly the risk of suicide attempts and related behaviors in adults under 25. The analysis, the most comprehensive and rigorous to date, found that suicidal behavior of any kind was rare, and that people taking the medications were no more likely to kill themselves than those taking placebo pills. But adults under 25 taking the drugs were more than twice as likely as those on placebos to report a suicide attempt, or to prepare for one by, say, writing a suicide note.

Bonnie - let this be a stern warning for young adults over 18 or parents thinking about giving antidepressants to their children.

New York City passes trans fat ban

The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants — from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries.

The board, which passed the ban by a unanimous vote, did give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance. Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July, and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of its foods by July 2008.

Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said recently that officials seriously weighed complaints from the restaurant industry, which argued that it was unrealistic to give them six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.

The board also ordered restaurants to standardize how they display the number of calories in dishes on their menus in an effort to combat obesity.

The new law, to take effect July 1, applies to restaurants that already report the calorie counts and requires them to display the numbers on menus and menu boards. It is expected to affect about 10 percent of New York City restaurants, including many fast-food establishments.

Steve - we are dancing in the streets! Chicago, you're next! Bonnie just interviewed with Crain's Chicago Business on how this will affect Chicago. Look for it at www.chicagobusiness.com withjin the next few days.

USDA disputes claim that U.S. chicken unsafe

Eighty-three percent of chicken sold in U.S. grocery stores may contain bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses, a consumer group said on Monday, 34 percentage points higher than the rate it found three years ago.

Critics, however, said the study by Consumer Reports suffered from flaws that included an unreliably small number of samples. A U.S. Agriculture Department spokesman called the report "junk science."

Consumer Reports said tests on 525 chickens -- including samples from leading brands Perdue, Pilgrim's Pride Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc. -- showed most of the poultry had campylobacter or salmonella, two of the leading causes of food-borne diseases. A test conducted in 2003 showed 49 percent of the birds had at least one of the bacteria.

A spokesman with the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the study was riddled with flaws such as a small sample size and uncertainty over the report's methodology.

He said it also failed to mention what type of salmonella was found, noting that one common strain, Salmonella Kentucky, doesn't make people ill.

"There is virtually nothing or any conclusion that anyone could draw from 500 samples," said Cohen. "They're passing along junk science and calling it an investigation."

Steve - the real answer lies somewhere in between. I have no doubt that our meat and poultry supply are laden with pathogens. This is why the our government continually attempts to come up with newer and deadlier ways to destroy them, such as irradiation and the proposed viral adulteration. As I have discussed in past blog entries, the way to reduce the amount of pathogens is to alter the system, from feed to packing.

On a positive note, the government is looking at using natural substances, such as oregano and eseential oils to repel pathogens, which would be a much safer and more effective option.

What we can we do in the interim? Surely we cannot stop consuming meat and poultry. However, we need to take the proper precautionary measures to make sure that pathogens are killed off before consumption. This includes properly washing off your meat and poultry before cooking. Clean the surrounding area and receptacles in which you placed the raw meat and poultry. Make sure that you cook your meat and poultry at the proper temperature. If possible, purchase organic or free-range. Maintain healthy gut flora with probiotics and/or natural antimicrobial/bacterial/viral/pathogenic substances such as Grapefruit Seed Extract or Monolaurin.

Antioxidant-rich almonds may help in blood sugar control

Almonds may improve the control of blood sugar levels and eliminate ‘sugar spikes’ after eating.

The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, looked at the effects of five meals, eaten on five different occasions, on the blood glucose, insulin and antioxidant levels of 15 healthy volunteers (eight women).

Serum protein thiol concentrations were measured to gauge the level of oxidative protein damage – increased levels associated with less damage. Jenkins and his co-workers report that, following the almond meal, thiol concentrations increased, while decreases were observed following the control bread, rice, and potato meals.

Bonnie - while a small study, it reaffirms the idea that balance at meals is ideal.

Beta-carotene may protect certain people against Alzheimer’s

High levels of the carotenoid beta-carotene may protect cognitive decline in people with a certain genotype that is said to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, say researchers.

“Among high-functioning older persons, antioxidants and beta-carotene in particular may offer protection from cognitive decline in persons with greater genetic susceptibility,” wrote lead author Peifeng Hu in the Journal of Gerontology.

The new study, by researchers at UCLA School of Medicine, the University of Southern California, and the National Institute on Aging, used data from a seven-year cohort study of older people to investigate if serum beta-carotene levels had an effect on cognitive decline in people with differing ApoE 4 genotypes (homo- or heterozygous).

Out of the sample population of 455 people, the researchers report that nine people were ApoE4 homozygous, and 97 were ApoE4 heterozygous. Serum beta-carotene levels were measured at baseline, and cognitive function assessed using a 9-item Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ).

During the seven years of follow-up, cognitive decline (as measured by falling SPMSQ scores) was documented in 249 people. Hu and co-workers reported that the presence of at least one ApoE 4 allele was linked to a higher risk and larger decline in SPMSQ scores.

The researchers report that high serum beta-carotene levels was associated with a 89 per cent reduction in the risk of cognitive decline in people with at least one APOE 4 allele. For those with no ApoE4 alleles, high serum beta-carotene levels were associated with only a modest 11 per cent reduction in the risk of cognitive decline.

Pfizer's halted drug trial revealing

Courtesy NY Times

The news came to Pfizer’s chief scientist, Dr. John L. LaMattina, as he was showering at 7 a.m. Saturday: the company’s most promising experimental drug, intended to treat heart disease, actually caused an increase in deaths and heart problems. Eighty-two people had died so far in a clinical trial, versus 51 people in the same trial who had not taken it.

Within hours, Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, told more than 100 trial investigators to stop giving patients the drug, called torcetrapib. Shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, Pfizer announced that it had pulled the plug on the medicine entirely, turning the company’s nearly $1 billion investment in it into a total loss.

The abrupt decision to discontinue torcetrapib was a shocking disappointment for Pfizer and for people who suffer from heart disease. The drug, which has been in development since the early 1990s, raises so-called good cholesterol, and cardiologists had hoped it would reduce the buildup of plaques in blood vessels that can cause heart attacks. Just last Thursday, Pfizer’s chief executive, Jeffrey B. Kindler, said publicly that the drug could be among the most important new developments for heart disease in decades and that the company hoped to get Food and Drug Administration approval for it in 2007.

“I’m terribly disappointed,” said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and lead investigator of an earlier torcetrapib clinical trial. “This drug, if it worked, would probably have been the largest-selling pharmaceutical in history.”

Bonnie - stop the story right here! This comment says it all. What he should have said was that he was sorry that the drug's failure will not help millions raise their good cholesterol. Unfortunately, he had to lament the billions lost in sales.