Courtesy of Reuters Health
People with inflammatory bowel disease commonly believe that stress can trigger their symptoms, and a new study suggests they may be right. Canadian researchers found that among 552 bowel-disease patients they followed for a year, the risk of a symptom flare-up increased when patients were feeling particularly stressed. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, lend support to what many people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have believed to be true. IBD refers to a group of conditions marked by chronic inflammation in the intestines, leading to symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea. The major forms are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The precise cause of the conditions is unclear, but they are thought to involve an immune system overreaction that injures the body's own intestinal tissue.
While stress does not cause IBD, it is one of the environmental factors suspected of triggering symptom flare-ups in some people. The researchers found that patients' risk of a symptom flare-up increased by more than two-fold when they had reported high levels of perceived stress in the preceding three-month period. Of patients who reported a flare-up, 52 percent had had high perceived stress levels in the preceding three months, compared with 29 percent of those who remained symptom-free.
Bonnie - this is absolutely true. Along with offending foods and some medication, stress is a big contributor to IBD flare-ups.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Asthma higher in vitamin D deficient persons
Low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma, according to a study in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. Researchers reported that vitamin D enhances the activity of corticosteroids, the most effective controller medication for asthma. "Asthmatic children in our study who had low levels of vitamin D were more allergic, had poorer lung function and used more medications," said Dr. Searing. "Conversely, our findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help reverse steroid resistance in asthmatic children and reduce the effective dose of steroids needed for our patients."
Overall, 47 percent of subjects had vitamin D levels considered insufficient, below 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL). Seventeen percent of the patients had levels below 20 ng/mL, which is considered deficient. These levels were similar to vitamin D levels found in the general population. Patients low in vitamin D generally had higher levels of IgE, a marker of allergy, and responded positively to more allergens in a skin prick test. Allergies to the specific indoor allergens, dog and house dust mite, were higher in patients with low vitamin D levels.
Bonnie - music to my ears :) I implore you to get your D3 level tested!
Overall, 47 percent of subjects had vitamin D levels considered insufficient, below 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL). Seventeen percent of the patients had levels below 20 ng/mL, which is considered deficient. These levels were similar to vitamin D levels found in the general population. Patients low in vitamin D generally had higher levels of IgE, a marker of allergy, and responded positively to more allergens in a skin prick test. Allergies to the specific indoor allergens, dog and house dust mite, were higher in patients with low vitamin D levels.
Bonnie - music to my ears :) I implore you to get your D3 level tested!
Brief Meditative Exercise Helps Cognition
While past research using neuroimaging technology has shown that meditation techniques can promote significant changes in brain areas associated with concentration, it has always been assumed that extensive training was required to achieve this effect. Though many people would like to boost their cognitive abilities, the monk-like discipline required seems like a daunting time commitment and financial cost for this benefit. Surprisingly, the benefits may be achievable even without all the work.
New research now suggests that the mind may be easier to cognitively train than we previously believed. Psychologists studying the effects of a meditation technique known as "mindfulness " found that meditation-trained participants showed a significant improvement in their critical cognitive skills (and performed significantly higher in cognitive tests than a control group) after only four days of training for only 20 minutes each day.
"Simply stated, the profound improvements that we found after just 4 days of meditation training- are really surprising," researchers noted. "It goes to show that the mind is, in fact, easily changeable and highly influenced, especially by meditation." The study appears in the April 2 issue of Consciousness and Cognition.
Bonnie - twenty minutes is ideal, but even ten minutes daily (five minutes upon arising and five minutes before bed) has shown to be not cognitively helpful, but reduces stress and anxiety.
New research now suggests that the mind may be easier to cognitively train than we previously believed. Psychologists studying the effects of a meditation technique known as "mindfulness " found that meditation-trained participants showed a significant improvement in their critical cognitive skills (and performed significantly higher in cognitive tests than a control group) after only four days of training for only 20 minutes each day.
"Simply stated, the profound improvements that we found after just 4 days of meditation training- are really surprising," researchers noted. "It goes to show that the mind is, in fact, easily changeable and highly influenced, especially by meditation." The study appears in the April 2 issue of Consciousness and Cognition.
Bonnie - twenty minutes is ideal, but even ten minutes daily (five minutes upon arising and five minutes before bed) has shown to be not cognitively helpful, but reduces stress and anxiety.
Depression Medication: Patients Report 20 Times More Side Effects Than Recorded in Charts
A study from Rhode Island Hospital shows that patients report side effects from medication for the treatment of depression 20 times more than psychiatrists have recorded in the charts. The researchers recommend the use of a self-administered patient questionnaire in clinical practice to improve the recognition of side effects for patients in treatment. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Researchers asked 300 patients in ongoing treatment for depression to complete a self-administered version of the Toronto Side Effects Scale (TSES). The patients rated the frequency of the 31 side effects and the degree of trouble they experienced. Those patients' charts were then examined to extract side effects information recorded by the treating psychiatrist. The findings indicate that the mean number of side effects reported by the patients on the TSES was 20 times higher than the number recorded by the psychiatrist. When the self-reported side effects were limited to "frequently occurring" or "very bothersome" the rate was still found to be two to three times higher than recorded in their charts. According to researchers, "Despite the importance that side effects have on premature medication discontinuation, there is some evidence that clinicians may not do a thorough job of eliciting information regarding their presence. This study finds that clinicians do not record in their progress notes most side effects reported on a side effects questionnaire."
Bonnie - if this is an indication of how other health professionals log side effects, we are looking at an even greater systemic issue than what already exists.
Researchers asked 300 patients in ongoing treatment for depression to complete a self-administered version of the Toronto Side Effects Scale (TSES). The patients rated the frequency of the 31 side effects and the degree of trouble they experienced. Those patients' charts were then examined to extract side effects information recorded by the treating psychiatrist. The findings indicate that the mean number of side effects reported by the patients on the TSES was 20 times higher than the number recorded by the psychiatrist. When the self-reported side effects were limited to "frequently occurring" or "very bothersome" the rate was still found to be two to three times higher than recorded in their charts. According to researchers, "Despite the importance that side effects have on premature medication discontinuation, there is some evidence that clinicians may not do a thorough job of eliciting information regarding their presence. This study finds that clinicians do not record in their progress notes most side effects reported on a side effects questionnaire."
Bonnie - if this is an indication of how other health professionals log side effects, we are looking at an even greater systemic issue than what already exists.
B Vitamins Reduce Stroke, Heart Disease Deaths
Courtesy of WebMD
Foods rich in B vitamins such as folate and B-6 may reduce the risk of death from stroke and heart problems, Japanese researchers say. Their study looked at the effects of B vitamins on men and women separately, but findings suggest that foods containing the B vitamins might benefit people of both sexes.
Folate and B-6 may reduce the risk of heart failure in men. The same vitamins seem to reduce the risk of death from stroke and heart disease in women.
The researchers examined data from 23,119 men and 35,611 women between ages 40 and 79 who completed questionnaires about dietary habits as part of the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study. They found that at a median of 14 years follow-up, 986 people had died from stroke, 424 from heart disease, and 2,087 from all diseases related to the cardiovascular system.
Patients were divided into five groups based on their intake of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. Researchers compared people with the diets lowest and highest for each nutrient and found that higher consumption of folate and B6 was associated with significantly fewer deaths from heart failure in men. In women, they detected significantly fewer deaths from stroke, heart disease, and total cardiovascular deaths.
The researchers say B6 and folate may fight cardiovascular disease by lowering levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that is affected by diet, but also heredity. The researchers say the findings on the value of B vitamins were consistent with studies in North America and Europe. Homocysteine is believed to cause damage to the inner linings of arteries, promoting blood clots.
The study is published in the April issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Claim: Alcohol Worsens Allergies
By Anahad O'Connor
The Facts
Sniffling, sneezing and struggling through allergy season this year? You may want to lay off alcohol for a while. Studies have found that alcohol can cause or worsen the common symptoms of asthma and hay fever, like sneezing, itching, headaches and coughing. But the problem is not always the alcohol itself. Beer, wine and liquor contain histamine, produced by yeast and bacteria during the fermentation process. Histamine, of course, is the chemical that sets off allergy symptoms. Wine and beer also contain sulfites, another group of compounds known to provoke asthma and other allergy-like symptoms. In one study in Sweden in 2005, scientists looked at thousands of people and found that compared with the general population, those with diagnoses of asthma, bronchitis and hay fever were far more likely to experience sneezing, a runny nose and “lower-airway symptoms” after having a drink. Red wine and white wine were the most frequent triggers, and women, for unknown reasons, were about twice as likely to be affected as men. Another study of thousands of women published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy in 2008 found that having more than two glasses of wine a day almost doubles the risk of allergy symptoms, even among women who were free of seasonal and perennial allergies at the start of the study. It helps to be on the lookout for other foods that either contain or release histamine, like aged cheeses, pickled or fermented products and yeast-containing foods, like bread, cider and grapes.
The Bottom Line
Drinking alcohol can cause or worsen allergies, particularly in women.
Behavioral rewards 'work like drugs' for ADHD
The brains of children with attention-deficit disorders respond to on-the-spot rewards in the same way as they do to medication, say scientists. A Nottingham University team measured brain activity as children played a computer game, offering extra points for less impulsive behavior. Their findings, published in Biological Psychiatry, could mean lower doses of drugs such as Ritalin in severe cases. But they warn teachers and parents may often struggle to give instant rewards.
In severe cases, stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, which act on parts of the brain associated with attention and behavior, can be given. In addition, parents are often asked to try to influence the child's actions directly by rewarding positive behavior and making sure that there are negative consequences if a child behaves badly. Research has suggested that, unlike in non-ADHD children, these incentives and disincentives only work well if delivered on the spot, as opposed to later in the day or week.
The Nottingham team wanted to look at the effects of this "behavior therapy" in the brain of the child. They devised a computer game in which children had to "catch" aliens of a certain color, while avoiding aliens of a different color. The game was designed to test the children's ability to resist the impulse to grab the wrong sort of alien. To test whether incentives made a difference, in one variant of the game the reward for catching the right alien was increased fivefold, as was the penalty for catching the wrong one.
Professor Chris Hollis, who led the research, said that the combination of drugs and incentives produced the best results, and might mean children with ADHD could take lower doses of drugs while maintaining control of their behaviour. He said: "Although medication and behaviour therapy appear to be two very different approaches of treating ADHD, our study suggests that both types of intervention may have much in common in terms of their effect on the brain."
Steve - any non-invasive therapy that can reduce the amount of stimulant drugs for these children is a benefit.
Supplements Might Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
Women who take multivitamin tablets along with calcium supplements seem to have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer. The authors of the study, which is to be presented Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual conference, did not separate out which specific vitamins might be beneficial but suggested that the interactions of different vitamins together might account for the beneficial effect.
For this study, the authors compared vitamin and calcium intakes of 268 women with breast cancer and 457 women without breast cancer, all in Puerto Rico. They also measured the ability of the women's DNA to repair itself, a function that is critical to keeping cancer at bay. "We've known that DNA repair capacity is linked to several other types of cancer," said researchers. "DNA repair capacity is very, very linked to breast cancer risk." Here, women who were older, had low DNA repair capacity levels, a family history of breast cancer and who had not breast-fed all had a higher risk of breast cancer.
Taking a multivitamin tablet reduced the risk of tumors by about 30 percent, while calcium supplements reduced the risk by 40 percent. But when the DNA repair capacity was taken out of the equation, calcium was no longer protective, strongly suggesting that calcium's protective effect came only from its influence on DNA repair. Vitamins, on the other hand, seemed to have a beneficial effect even beyond contributions to DNA repair, the researchers said.
One drawback of the study is that the authors did not measure women's actual vitamin levels, instead relying on responses to questionnaires.
Bonnie - small study to be sure, but first I've seen to actually measure the patient's ability to repair DNA.
For this study, the authors compared vitamin and calcium intakes of 268 women with breast cancer and 457 women without breast cancer, all in Puerto Rico. They also measured the ability of the women's DNA to repair itself, a function that is critical to keeping cancer at bay. "We've known that DNA repair capacity is linked to several other types of cancer," said researchers. "DNA repair capacity is very, very linked to breast cancer risk." Here, women who were older, had low DNA repair capacity levels, a family history of breast cancer and who had not breast-fed all had a higher risk of breast cancer.
Taking a multivitamin tablet reduced the risk of tumors by about 30 percent, while calcium supplements reduced the risk by 40 percent. But when the DNA repair capacity was taken out of the equation, calcium was no longer protective, strongly suggesting that calcium's protective effect came only from its influence on DNA repair. Vitamins, on the other hand, seemed to have a beneficial effect even beyond contributions to DNA repair, the researchers said.
One drawback of the study is that the authors did not measure women's actual vitamin levels, instead relying on responses to questionnaires.
Bonnie - small study to be sure, but first I've seen to actually measure the patient's ability to repair DNA.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Children may groan, but Mom was right, scientists find
By Tom Spears
The more scientists study us, the more they confirm that your mother was right.You should eat your veggies, wash your hands and play with friends outdoors.Here's a look at some motherly wisdom as the modern lab takes it apart at the molecular level:
EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
"There are lots of compounds, lots of chemicals that lie within those fruits and vegetables, that we're discovering and that have effects in terms of our health and wellness," says Jeff Zidichouski, a neuroscientist with the National Research Council. "They have a lot of nutrients that we're just starting to understand (regarding) their biological activity," says the researcher at the NRC's Institute for Nutrisciences and Health in Charlottetown.Take resveratrol, an antioxidant in grapes and red wine, for instance. "They're just finding out now that it has an influence on genes that are important in the aging process."There's lycopene in cooked tomatoes, anthocyanins in blueberries. On and on, they're all being studied, because scientists have known for some years that these are good for you, but they don't always know why.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This is actually a big deal in hospitals, and among pandemic people. Just ask Dr. Allison McGeer of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, one of the senior people in charge of fighting Toronto's SARS epidemic a few years back.Handwashing prevents more than simple colds, she said at the time. It helps us prevent infection the simple way in a world where superbugs are evolving in response to all the antibiotics we slosh around: "Increasing handwashing reduces respiratory infections by an average of 40 per cent. If we did that, we'd have a huge impact on antibiotic use ... and not so much antibiotic resistance."
TAKE YOUR COD LIVER OIL
We go back to Zidichouski in Charlottetown. Once again, cod liver oil has been put through the modern lab. That's really the beginning of the omega-3 story in a way -- heavy consumption of that particular form of oil. There's a period of maybe the last couple of generations where it wasn't consumed all that much. "People didn't like the taste of it," he said. "And now you're starting to find that, OK, these compounds (in cod liver oil) are very beneficial to you.
GO PLAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Dr. Spock recommended two-plus hours of fresh air every day for kids. Your mother may simply have wanted you out from underfoot.Either way, it aligns with modern findings on cardiac fitness, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and other ailments related to inactivity.The friendship is also healthy. And kids care more about their environment if they have thrown sticks in the local stream than if they stayed inside and memorized "save-the-planet" slogans.
SHARE NICELY
At the University of Chicago's psychology department, Boaz Keysar tested the common wisdom that if you're nice to others, they'll be nice to you. Results are published in the December issue of Psychological Science.Common wisdom "suggests that if you do something nice to me, I reciprocate in kind, and if you do something nasty to me, I also reciprocate in kind," he said. This turned out to be only half right. He tried some simple games in which two people take turns taking money from each other. Some of them were students with play money; some were people in downtown Chicago, who got to keep the money. The game gave players a chance to share generously, or to grab more for themselves at the other player's expense.Sharing does indeed cause other people to share on a similar scale, he found. But that wasn't true of hurting other people. "So if you do something not very nice to me, I turn around and respond more strongly. Then you think I'm overreacting and respond even more strongly, and there's escalation."
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
The more scientists study us, the more they confirm that your mother was right.You should eat your veggies, wash your hands and play with friends outdoors.Here's a look at some motherly wisdom as the modern lab takes it apart at the molecular level:
EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
"There are lots of compounds, lots of chemicals that lie within those fruits and vegetables, that we're discovering and that have effects in terms of our health and wellness," says Jeff Zidichouski, a neuroscientist with the National Research Council. "They have a lot of nutrients that we're just starting to understand (regarding) their biological activity," says the researcher at the NRC's Institute for Nutrisciences and Health in Charlottetown.Take resveratrol, an antioxidant in grapes and red wine, for instance. "They're just finding out now that it has an influence on genes that are important in the aging process."There's lycopene in cooked tomatoes, anthocyanins in blueberries. On and on, they're all being studied, because scientists have known for some years that these are good for you, but they don't always know why.
WASH YOUR HANDS
This is actually a big deal in hospitals, and among pandemic people. Just ask Dr. Allison McGeer of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, one of the senior people in charge of fighting Toronto's SARS epidemic a few years back.Handwashing prevents more than simple colds, she said at the time. It helps us prevent infection the simple way in a world where superbugs are evolving in response to all the antibiotics we slosh around: "Increasing handwashing reduces respiratory infections by an average of 40 per cent. If we did that, we'd have a huge impact on antibiotic use ... and not so much antibiotic resistance."
TAKE YOUR COD LIVER OIL
We go back to Zidichouski in Charlottetown. Once again, cod liver oil has been put through the modern lab. That's really the beginning of the omega-3 story in a way -- heavy consumption of that particular form of oil. There's a period of maybe the last couple of generations where it wasn't consumed all that much. "People didn't like the taste of it," he said. "And now you're starting to find that, OK, these compounds (in cod liver oil) are very beneficial to you.
GO PLAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Dr. Spock recommended two-plus hours of fresh air every day for kids. Your mother may simply have wanted you out from underfoot.Either way, it aligns with modern findings on cardiac fitness, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and other ailments related to inactivity.The friendship is also healthy. And kids care more about their environment if they have thrown sticks in the local stream than if they stayed inside and memorized "save-the-planet" slogans.
SHARE NICELY
At the University of Chicago's psychology department, Boaz Keysar tested the common wisdom that if you're nice to others, they'll be nice to you. Results are published in the December issue of Psychological Science.Common wisdom "suggests that if you do something nice to me, I reciprocate in kind, and if you do something nasty to me, I also reciprocate in kind," he said. This turned out to be only half right. He tried some simple games in which two people take turns taking money from each other. Some of them were students with play money; some were people in downtown Chicago, who got to keep the money. The game gave players a chance to share generously, or to grab more for themselves at the other player's expense.Sharing does indeed cause other people to share on a similar scale, he found. But that wasn't true of hurting other people. "So if you do something not very nice to me, I turn around and respond more strongly. Then you think I'm overreacting and respond even more strongly, and there's escalation."
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Sugar, Calories, and Cancer.
Bonnie and Steve - one sentence that appears in a new Nutrition and Metabolism cancer study, written by two brilliant researchers at Boston College University, sums it up: "It remains to be determined if the members of our species are willing or motivated enough to adopt the lifestyle changes necessary to prevent cancer."
If you are one of these motivated members of our species, read the highlights of this incredible study, which boasts over 178 references, and should be embedded in the minds of every oncologist, physician, and health professionals the world over.
Cancer as a Metabolic Disease
by Professors Thomas Seyfried and Laura Shelton
Nutrition and Metabolism, April 9, 2010
Numerous studies show that dietary energy restriction is a general metabolic therapy that naturally lowers circulating glucose levels and significantly reduces growth and progression of numerous tumor types to include cancers of the mammary, brain, colon, pancreas, lung, and prostate. The bulk of evidence indicates that dietary energy restriction can retard the growth rate of many tumors regardless of the specific genetic defects expressed within the tumor. Bonnie Translation: reducing caloric intake has a tumor-reducing effect.
Reduced glucose availability will target aerobic glycolysis and the pentose phosphate shunt; pathways required for the survival and proliferation of many types of tumor cells. Dietary energy restriction specifically targets the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α signaling pathway, which underlies several cancer hallmarks to include cell proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Calorie restriction also causes a simultaneous down-regulation of multiple genes and metabolic pathways regulating glycolysis. This is important, as enhanced glycolysis is required for the rapid growth and survival of many tumor cells.
Bonnie Translation: limiting or eliminating high glycemic load carbohydrates and added sugar, in particular, will starve tumors and cancer cells.
Dietary energy or calorie restriction can be considered a broad-spectrum, non-toxic metabolic therapy that inhibits multiple signaling pathways required for progression of malignant tumors regardless of tissue origin.
Bonnie Translation: reading this makes me smile!
Besides lowering circulating glucose levels, dietary energy restriction elevates circulating levels of fatty acids and ketone bodies (β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate). Fats and especially ketone bodies can replace glucose as a primary metabolic fuel under calorie restriction. This is a conserved physiological adaptation that evolved to spare protein during periods of starvation. Many tumors, however, have abnormalities in the genes and enzymes needed to metabolize ketone bodies for energy. A transition from carbohydrate to ketones for energy is a simple way to target energy metabolism in glycolysis-dependent tumor cells while enhancing the metabolic efficiency of normal cells. The shift from the metabolism of glucose to the metabolism of ketone bodies for energy is due largely to the shift in circulating levels of insulin and glucagon, key hormones that mediate energy metabolism. Insulin, which stimulates glycolysis, is reduced under dietary restriction, while glucagon, which inhibits glycolysis and mobilizes fats, is increased. Glucose reduction not only reduces insulin, but also reduces circulating levels of IGF-1, which is necessary for driving tumor cell metabolism and growth.
Bonnie Translation: replacing added sugar and high glycemic load carbs with lean protein and healthy fats starve cancer cells.
Inferences that tumor cells have a growth advantage over normal cells are inconsistent with principles of evolutionary biology. Although viewed as a growth advantage, the dysregulated growth of tumor cells is actually an aberrant phenotype. How can tumor cells that express multiple mutations and mitochondrial abnormalities be more "fit" or "advantaged" than normal cells that possess a flexible genome, normal respiratory capacity, and adaptive versatility? The short answer is that they are not. Normal cells can grow much faster than tumor cells during normal wound repair. Metabolism of ketone bodies and fatty acids for energy requires inner mitochondrial membrane integrity and efficient respiration, which tumor cells largely lack. In contrast to the tumor cells, normal cells evolved to survive extreme shifts in the physiological environment and can readily adapt to fat metabolism when glucose becomes limiting.
Bonnie Translation: the italicized text, and the fact that lean protein and healthy fats keep normal cells healthy, is all that needs to be said here.
Consequently, a shift in energy metabolism from glucose to ketone bodies protects respiratory competent normal cells while targeting the genetically defective and respiratory challenged tumor cells, which depend more heavily on glycolysis than normal cells for survival.
Bonnie Translation: cancer cells require sugar, and lots of it, to stay alive.
Proof of concept for cancer metabolic therapy was illustrated for the management of malignant astrocytoma in mice, and malignant glioma in children. Prostate and gastric cancer also appears manageable using low carbohydrate ketogenic diets. Recent studies show that dietary energy restriction enhances phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate kinase (AMPK), which induces apoptosis in glycolytic-dependent astrocytoma cells, but protects normal brain cells from death. This further illustrates the differential response of normal cells and tumor cells to energy stress.
Bonnie Translation: lowering empty calories and infusing nutrient-rich calories kills tumor cells and nurtures normal cells.
A possible concern is how any therapy, which reduces food intake and body weight, can be recommended to individuals who might be losing body weight because of cancer cachexia. These therapies could be supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids, which can also reduce the cachexia phenotype. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil also have the benefit of maintaining low glucose while elevating ketone levels. Once the tumor becomes managed, individuals can increase caloric consumption to achieve weight gain.
Bonnie Translation: if you have cancer, it is not about the amount of calories you eat, it is about eating the right calories. I have been harping on this for years. Most oncologists say, "just get more calories, it doesn't matter how." They don't realize the damage this recommendation can do. This is also why my cancer patients are instructed to keep their protein and healthy fat intake high while getting almost all of their carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables.
There are no known drugs that can simultaneously target as many tumor-associated signaling pathways as can calorie restriction. Hence, energy restriction can be a cost-effective adjuvant therapy to traditional chemo- or radiation therapies, which are more toxic, costly, and generally less focused in their therapeutic action, than is dietary energy restriction.
Bonnie Translation: Big Pharma is not a big fan of this statement.
Although dietary energy restriction and anti-glycolytic cancer drugs will have therapeutic efficacy against many tumors that depend largely on glycolysis and glucose for growth, these therapeutic approaches could be less effective against those tumor cells that depend more heavily on glutamine than on glucose for energy. Glutamine is a major energy metabolite for many tumor cells and especially for cells of hematopoietic or myeloid lineage. Moreover, glutamine is necessary for the synthesis of those cytokines involved in cancer cachexia including tumor necrosis factor alpha, (TNF-α) and the interleukins 1 and 6 (IL-1 and -6). It therefore becomes important to also consider glutamine targeting for the metabolic management of metastatic cancer.
Bonnie Translation: this is why I have never recommended glutamine as a dietary supplement and I always recommend that my clients stay away from glutamine byproducts such as glutamic acid and monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Recent studies suggest that the green tea polyphenol (EGCG) could target glutamine metabolism by inhibiting glutamate dehydrogenase activity under low glucose conditions. This and other glutamine-targeting strategies could be even more effective when combined with energy restricting diets, which lower glucose levels while elevating ketone bodies. Hence, effective non-toxic targeting of both glucose and glutamine metabolism should be a simple therapeutic approach for the global management of most localized and metastatic cancers.
Bonnie Translation: then why do most oncologists tell their patients not to consume green tea while undergoing chemotherapy?
If impaired mitochondrial energy metabolism underlies the origin of most cancers as proposed here, then protecting mitochondria from damage becomes a logical and simple approach for preventing cancer. It is well documented that the incidence of cancer can be significantly reduced by avoiding exposure to those agents or conditions that provoke tissue inflammation such as smoking, alcohol, carcinogenic chemicals, ionizing radiation, obesity, viruses etc. Simply reducing exposure to cancer risk factors, which produce chronic inflammation and mitochondrial damage, will reduce the incidence of at least 80% of all cancers. In principle, there are few chronic diseases more easily preventable than cancer.
Bonnie Translation: I could not have said it better myself.
The origin of mitochondrial ROS comes largely from the spontaneous reaction of molecular oxygen (O2) with the semiquinone radical of coenzyme Q, QH, to generate the superoxide radical O2−[40,84,299] Coenzyme Q is a hydrophobic molecule that resides in the inner mitochondrial membrane and is essential for electron transfer. Ketone body metabolism increases the ratio of the oxidized form to the fully reduced form of coenzyme Q (CoQ/CoQH2). Oxidation of the coenzyme Q couple reduces the amount of the semiquinone radical, thus decreasing superoxide production.
Bonnie Translation: this is why Co-Enzyme Q10 has always been in our top five most important dietary supplements. Your body cannot produce CoQ10 on its own, it is only found in animal protein. Supplementing with the right CoQ10 is crucial. If not sealed in an enteric-coated softgel or encapsulated lipid, CoQ10 oxidizes and becomes worthless. With CoQ10, you get what you pay for!
Ketone body metabolism will also increase the reduced form of glutathione thus facilitating destruction of hydrogen peroxide. The reduction of free radicals through ketone body metabolism will therefore reduce tissue inflammation provoked by ROS while enhancing the energy efficiency of mitochondria. Ketone bodies are not only a more efficient metabolic fuel than glucose, but also possess anti-inflammatory potential.
Bonnie Translation: eating more lean protein in your diet enhances free radical quenching.
The simplest means of initiating the metabolism of ketone bodies is through dietary energy restriction with adequate nutrition. It is important to emphasize adequate nutrition, as calorie restriction associated with malnutrition can potentially increase cancer incidence.
Bonnie Translation: go see a licensed health professional to assess your individual dietary needs.
Consequently, consumption of foods containing the active groups of respiratory enzymes (iron salts, riboflavin, nicotinamide, and pantothenic acid) could be effective in maintaining health when combined with dietary energy restriction. The lowering of circulating glucose levels through calorie restriction facilitates the uptake and metabolism of ketone bodies for use as an alternative respiratory fuel.
Bonnie Translation: avoid sugar and eat nutrient-rich food.
The implementation of periodic dietary energy restriction, which targets multiple cancer provoking factors, can be a simple and cost effective life-style change that is capable of reducing the incidence of cancer. In light of this fact, it remains to be determined if members of our species are willing or motivated enough to adopt the life style changes necessary to prevent cancer.
Bonnie Translation: this is the million dollar question that each of you must answer for yourself.
Evidence is reviewed supporting a general hypothesis that cancer is primarily a disease of energy metabolism. All of the major hallmarks of the disease can be linked to impaired mitochondrial function. Two major conclusions emerge from the hypothesis; first that many cancers can regress if energy intake is restricted and, second, that many cancers can be prevented if energy intake is restricted. Consequently, energy restricted diets combined with drugs targeting glucose and glutamine can provide a rational strategy for the longer-term management and prevention of most cancers.
Bonnie Translation: the future is in your hands. We hope you're now motivated to make a lifestyle change!
If you are one of these motivated members of our species, read the highlights of this incredible study, which boasts over 178 references, and should be embedded in the minds of every oncologist, physician, and health professionals the world over.
Cancer as a Metabolic Disease
by Professors Thomas Seyfried and Laura Shelton
Nutrition and Metabolism, April 9, 2010
Numerous studies show that dietary energy restriction is a general metabolic therapy that naturally lowers circulating glucose levels and significantly reduces growth and progression of numerous tumor types to include cancers of the mammary, brain, colon, pancreas, lung, and prostate. The bulk of evidence indicates that dietary energy restriction can retard the growth rate of many tumors regardless of the specific genetic defects expressed within the tumor. Bonnie Translation: reducing caloric intake has a tumor-reducing effect.
Reduced glucose availability will target aerobic glycolysis and the pentose phosphate shunt; pathways required for the survival and proliferation of many types of tumor cells. Dietary energy restriction specifically targets the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α signaling pathway, which underlies several cancer hallmarks to include cell proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Calorie restriction also causes a simultaneous down-regulation of multiple genes and metabolic pathways regulating glycolysis. This is important, as enhanced glycolysis is required for the rapid growth and survival of many tumor cells.
Bonnie Translation: limiting or eliminating high glycemic load carbohydrates and added sugar, in particular, will starve tumors and cancer cells.
Dietary energy or calorie restriction can be considered a broad-spectrum, non-toxic metabolic therapy that inhibits multiple signaling pathways required for progression of malignant tumors regardless of tissue origin.
Bonnie Translation: reading this makes me smile!
Besides lowering circulating glucose levels, dietary energy restriction elevates circulating levels of fatty acids and ketone bodies (β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate). Fats and especially ketone bodies can replace glucose as a primary metabolic fuel under calorie restriction. This is a conserved physiological adaptation that evolved to spare protein during periods of starvation. Many tumors, however, have abnormalities in the genes and enzymes needed to metabolize ketone bodies for energy. A transition from carbohydrate to ketones for energy is a simple way to target energy metabolism in glycolysis-dependent tumor cells while enhancing the metabolic efficiency of normal cells. The shift from the metabolism of glucose to the metabolism of ketone bodies for energy is due largely to the shift in circulating levels of insulin and glucagon, key hormones that mediate energy metabolism. Insulin, which stimulates glycolysis, is reduced under dietary restriction, while glucagon, which inhibits glycolysis and mobilizes fats, is increased. Glucose reduction not only reduces insulin, but also reduces circulating levels of IGF-1, which is necessary for driving tumor cell metabolism and growth.
Bonnie Translation: replacing added sugar and high glycemic load carbs with lean protein and healthy fats starve cancer cells.
Inferences that tumor cells have a growth advantage over normal cells are inconsistent with principles of evolutionary biology. Although viewed as a growth advantage, the dysregulated growth of tumor cells is actually an aberrant phenotype. How can tumor cells that express multiple mutations and mitochondrial abnormalities be more "fit" or "advantaged" than normal cells that possess a flexible genome, normal respiratory capacity, and adaptive versatility? The short answer is that they are not. Normal cells can grow much faster than tumor cells during normal wound repair. Metabolism of ketone bodies and fatty acids for energy requires inner mitochondrial membrane integrity and efficient respiration, which tumor cells largely lack. In contrast to the tumor cells, normal cells evolved to survive extreme shifts in the physiological environment and can readily adapt to fat metabolism when glucose becomes limiting.
Bonnie Translation: the italicized text, and the fact that lean protein and healthy fats keep normal cells healthy, is all that needs to be said here.
Consequently, a shift in energy metabolism from glucose to ketone bodies protects respiratory competent normal cells while targeting the genetically defective and respiratory challenged tumor cells, which depend more heavily on glycolysis than normal cells for survival.
Bonnie Translation: cancer cells require sugar, and lots of it, to stay alive.
Proof of concept for cancer metabolic therapy was illustrated for the management of malignant astrocytoma in mice, and malignant glioma in children. Prostate and gastric cancer also appears manageable using low carbohydrate ketogenic diets. Recent studies show that dietary energy restriction enhances phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate kinase (AMPK), which induces apoptosis in glycolytic-dependent astrocytoma cells, but protects normal brain cells from death. This further illustrates the differential response of normal cells and tumor cells to energy stress.
Bonnie Translation: lowering empty calories and infusing nutrient-rich calories kills tumor cells and nurtures normal cells.
A possible concern is how any therapy, which reduces food intake and body weight, can be recommended to individuals who might be losing body weight because of cancer cachexia. These therapies could be supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids, which can also reduce the cachexia phenotype. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil also have the benefit of maintaining low glucose while elevating ketone levels. Once the tumor becomes managed, individuals can increase caloric consumption to achieve weight gain.
Bonnie Translation: if you have cancer, it is not about the amount of calories you eat, it is about eating the right calories. I have been harping on this for years. Most oncologists say, "just get more calories, it doesn't matter how." They don't realize the damage this recommendation can do. This is also why my cancer patients are instructed to keep their protein and healthy fat intake high while getting almost all of their carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables.
There are no known drugs that can simultaneously target as many tumor-associated signaling pathways as can calorie restriction. Hence, energy restriction can be a cost-effective adjuvant therapy to traditional chemo- or radiation therapies, which are more toxic, costly, and generally less focused in their therapeutic action, than is dietary energy restriction.
Bonnie Translation: Big Pharma is not a big fan of this statement.
Although dietary energy restriction and anti-glycolytic cancer drugs will have therapeutic efficacy against many tumors that depend largely on glycolysis and glucose for growth, these therapeutic approaches could be less effective against those tumor cells that depend more heavily on glutamine than on glucose for energy. Glutamine is a major energy metabolite for many tumor cells and especially for cells of hematopoietic or myeloid lineage. Moreover, glutamine is necessary for the synthesis of those cytokines involved in cancer cachexia including tumor necrosis factor alpha, (TNF-α) and the interleukins 1 and 6 (IL-1 and -6). It therefore becomes important to also consider glutamine targeting for the metabolic management of metastatic cancer.
Bonnie Translation: this is why I have never recommended glutamine as a dietary supplement and I always recommend that my clients stay away from glutamine byproducts such as glutamic acid and monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Recent studies suggest that the green tea polyphenol (EGCG) could target glutamine metabolism by inhibiting glutamate dehydrogenase activity under low glucose conditions. This and other glutamine-targeting strategies could be even more effective when combined with energy restricting diets, which lower glucose levels while elevating ketone bodies. Hence, effective non-toxic targeting of both glucose and glutamine metabolism should be a simple therapeutic approach for the global management of most localized and metastatic cancers.
Bonnie Translation: then why do most oncologists tell their patients not to consume green tea while undergoing chemotherapy?
If impaired mitochondrial energy metabolism underlies the origin of most cancers as proposed here, then protecting mitochondria from damage becomes a logical and simple approach for preventing cancer. It is well documented that the incidence of cancer can be significantly reduced by avoiding exposure to those agents or conditions that provoke tissue inflammation such as smoking, alcohol, carcinogenic chemicals, ionizing radiation, obesity, viruses etc. Simply reducing exposure to cancer risk factors, which produce chronic inflammation and mitochondrial damage, will reduce the incidence of at least 80% of all cancers. In principle, there are few chronic diseases more easily preventable than cancer.
Bonnie Translation: I could not have said it better myself.
The origin of mitochondrial ROS comes largely from the spontaneous reaction of molecular oxygen (O2) with the semiquinone radical of coenzyme Q, QH, to generate the superoxide radical O2−[40,84,299] Coenzyme Q is a hydrophobic molecule that resides in the inner mitochondrial membrane and is essential for electron transfer. Ketone body metabolism increases the ratio of the oxidized form to the fully reduced form of coenzyme Q (CoQ/CoQH2). Oxidation of the coenzyme Q couple reduces the amount of the semiquinone radical, thus decreasing superoxide production.
Bonnie Translation: this is why Co-Enzyme Q10 has always been in our top five most important dietary supplements. Your body cannot produce CoQ10 on its own, it is only found in animal protein. Supplementing with the right CoQ10 is crucial. If not sealed in an enteric-coated softgel or encapsulated lipid, CoQ10 oxidizes and becomes worthless. With CoQ10, you get what you pay for!
Ketone body metabolism will also increase the reduced form of glutathione thus facilitating destruction of hydrogen peroxide. The reduction of free radicals through ketone body metabolism will therefore reduce tissue inflammation provoked by ROS while enhancing the energy efficiency of mitochondria. Ketone bodies are not only a more efficient metabolic fuel than glucose, but also possess anti-inflammatory potential.
Bonnie Translation: eating more lean protein in your diet enhances free radical quenching.
The simplest means of initiating the metabolism of ketone bodies is through dietary energy restriction with adequate nutrition. It is important to emphasize adequate nutrition, as calorie restriction associated with malnutrition can potentially increase cancer incidence.
Bonnie Translation: go see a licensed health professional to assess your individual dietary needs.
Consequently, consumption of foods containing the active groups of respiratory enzymes (iron salts, riboflavin, nicotinamide, and pantothenic acid) could be effective in maintaining health when combined with dietary energy restriction. The lowering of circulating glucose levels through calorie restriction facilitates the uptake and metabolism of ketone bodies for use as an alternative respiratory fuel.
Bonnie Translation: avoid sugar and eat nutrient-rich food.
The implementation of periodic dietary energy restriction, which targets multiple cancer provoking factors, can be a simple and cost effective life-style change that is capable of reducing the incidence of cancer. In light of this fact, it remains to be determined if members of our species are willing or motivated enough to adopt the life style changes necessary to prevent cancer.
Bonnie Translation: this is the million dollar question that each of you must answer for yourself.
Evidence is reviewed supporting a general hypothesis that cancer is primarily a disease of energy metabolism. All of the major hallmarks of the disease can be linked to impaired mitochondrial function. Two major conclusions emerge from the hypothesis; first that many cancers can regress if energy intake is restricted and, second, that many cancers can be prevented if energy intake is restricted. Consequently, energy restricted diets combined with drugs targeting glucose and glutamine can provide a rational strategy for the longer-term management and prevention of most cancers.
Bonnie Translation: the future is in your hands. We hope you're now motivated to make a lifestyle change!
GMO contamination out of control
Drug and chemical giant Bayer AG has admitted that there is no way to stop the uncontrolled spread of its genetically modified crops. "Even the best practices can't guarantee perfection," said Mark Ferguson, the company's defense lawyer in a recent trial.
Two Missouri farmers sued Bayer for contaminating their crop with modified genes from an experimental strain of rice engineered to be resistant to the company's Liberty-brand herbicide. The contamination occurred in 2006, during an open field test of the new rice, which was not approved for human consumption. According to the plaintiffs' lawyer, Don Downing, genetic material from the unapproved rice contaminated more than 30 percent of all rice cropland in the United States. "Bayer was supposed to be careful," Downing said. "Bayer was not careful and that rice did escape into our commercial rice supplies."
The plaintiffs alleged that in addition to contaminating their fields, Bayer further harmed them financially by undermining their export market. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the widespread rice contamination, important export markets were closed to U.S. producers. A report from Greenpeace International estimates the financial damage of the contamination at between $741 million and $1.3 billion.
Bayer claimed that there was no possible way it could have prevented the contamination, insisting that it followed not only the law but also the best industry practices. The jury disagreed, finding Bayer guilty of carelessness in handling the genetically modified crops. The company was ordered to pay farmers Kenneth Bell and Johnny Hunter $2 million.
Bayer is still being sued by more than 1,000 other farmers from Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Steve - as we suspected, there is nobody watching GMO cross-contamination and only time will tell the damage it will render.
Two Missouri farmers sued Bayer for contaminating their crop with modified genes from an experimental strain of rice engineered to be resistant to the company's Liberty-brand herbicide. The contamination occurred in 2006, during an open field test of the new rice, which was not approved for human consumption. According to the plaintiffs' lawyer, Don Downing, genetic material from the unapproved rice contaminated more than 30 percent of all rice cropland in the United States. "Bayer was supposed to be careful," Downing said. "Bayer was not careful and that rice did escape into our commercial rice supplies."
The plaintiffs alleged that in addition to contaminating their fields, Bayer further harmed them financially by undermining their export market. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the widespread rice contamination, important export markets were closed to U.S. producers. A report from Greenpeace International estimates the financial damage of the contamination at between $741 million and $1.3 billion.
Bayer claimed that there was no possible way it could have prevented the contamination, insisting that it followed not only the law but also the best industry practices. The jury disagreed, finding Bayer guilty of carelessness in handling the genetically modified crops. The company was ordered to pay farmers Kenneth Bell and Johnny Hunter $2 million.
Bayer is still being sued by more than 1,000 other farmers from Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Steve - as we suspected, there is nobody watching GMO cross-contamination and only time will tell the damage it will render.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Changes in Fetal Epigenetics Found Throughout Pregnancy
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that epigenetic marks on human placentas change from the first trimester of pregnancy to the third, a discovery that may allow clinicians to prevent complications in pregnancy. The finding marks a dramatic departure from the prevailing opinion that epigenetic programming is permanently established 12 weeks after fertilization. Published in the April issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the study indicates that clinicians may be able to change the course of a pregnancy through early diagnosis and treatment.
According to the researchers, "We have developed an assay that can allow clinicians to diagnose problems early enough to potentially prevent conditions such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction."
Epigenetics generally refers to factors that modify how a gene behaves while not altering the DNA nucleotide sequence of the gene itself. The placenta contains a group of genes, known as "imprinted" genes, which regulate fetal growth. In healthy fetal development, one copy of these genes is normally active and the other copy is silent. Loss of imprinting (LOI) occurs when both sets of genes are reactivated, and is an indicator of potential complications such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
The surprising results showed that more loss of imprinting occurred in the first trimester than at full term. Dr. Lee and her team concluded that genomic imprinting appears to be an ever-changing process in the placenta, meaning that pregnancy risks can change throughout the course of gestation.
Bonnie - this is exciting research and shows that one needs to be vigilant about lifestyle choices from pre-fertility through birth to ensure the healthiest baby possible.
According to the researchers, "We have developed an assay that can allow clinicians to diagnose problems early enough to potentially prevent conditions such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction."
Epigenetics generally refers to factors that modify how a gene behaves while not altering the DNA nucleotide sequence of the gene itself. The placenta contains a group of genes, known as "imprinted" genes, which regulate fetal growth. In healthy fetal development, one copy of these genes is normally active and the other copy is silent. Loss of imprinting (LOI) occurs when both sets of genes are reactivated, and is an indicator of potential complications such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
The surprising results showed that more loss of imprinting occurred in the first trimester than at full term. Dr. Lee and her team concluded that genomic imprinting appears to be an ever-changing process in the placenta, meaning that pregnancy risks can change throughout the course of gestation.
Bonnie - this is exciting research and shows that one needs to be vigilant about lifestyle choices from pre-fertility through birth to ensure the healthiest baby possible.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Looking for another reason to reduce stress?
Chronic stress triggers a chain of molecular events that protects breakaway ovarian cancer cells from destruction, a team of researchers reports in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In preclinical research, the team found that heightened levels of the fight-or-flight stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine permit more malignant cells to safely leave the primary tumor, a necessary step in metastasis and cancer progression. They also found that ovarian cancer patients face earlier mortality when a crucial protein activated by the hormones is present at high levels in their tumors and that depressed patients have higher levels of the protein.
Using depression as an indicator of stress, the researchers found major depression was associated with increased levels of norepinephrine in the tumors. Researchers said future research will include investigating whether similar effects occur in other types of cancer, prospectively assessing the significance of FAK activation in chronic stress settings, and ultimately bringing strategies to clinical settings that can block the deleterious effects of chronic stress on tumor growth and progression.
Bonnie - block stomach acid production. Block cholesterol production. Block FAK activation. Can the allopathic research community come up with treatments that do something other than block? The more you block physiologic pathways, the more treatments (i.e. meds) you have to prescribe to take care of the side effects from blocking.
One thing is for certain: chronic stress can perpetuate cancer. Chronic stress must be managed in a host of ways including, diet, supplementation, mind/body techniques, lifestyle modification, and if necessary, assistance from a licensed mental health professional.
Using depression as an indicator of stress, the researchers found major depression was associated with increased levels of norepinephrine in the tumors. Researchers said future research will include investigating whether similar effects occur in other types of cancer, prospectively assessing the significance of FAK activation in chronic stress settings, and ultimately bringing strategies to clinical settings that can block the deleterious effects of chronic stress on tumor growth and progression.
Bonnie - block stomach acid production. Block cholesterol production. Block FAK activation. Can the allopathic research community come up with treatments that do something other than block? The more you block physiologic pathways, the more treatments (i.e. meds) you have to prescribe to take care of the side effects from blocking.
One thing is for certain: chronic stress can perpetuate cancer. Chronic stress must be managed in a host of ways including, diet, supplementation, mind/body techniques, lifestyle modification, and if necessary, assistance from a licensed mental health professional.
High glycemic carbs 'a heart risk'
Women who eat diets heavy in certain carbohydrates may be at greater risk of coronary heart disease, according to researchers. A study of over 47,000 Italian adults found that women alone whose diets contained a lot of bread, pizza and rice doubled their heart disease risk. These foods have a high glycemic index (GI), meaning they release energy and raise blood sugar quickly. The findings are published in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how much a food raises blood glucose levels compared with the same amount of glucose or white bread. The glycemic load is calculated based on the glycemic index of a given food and also on the total amount of carbohydrates it contains. After seven years, 463 participants had developed coronary heart disease. The researchers found that the women whose diet had the highest glycemic load had more than double the risk of heart disease compared with those women with the lowest glycemic load.
Bonnie - the key here is glycemic load, which is more important than glycemic index. It is about time we see these terms mentioned in the medical vernacular. My Blood Sugar Balance Action Plan has a complete list of glycemic index/load foods.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Diet may sharply cut Alzheimer's risk
A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables may have a powerful effect at staving off Alzheimer's disease. People who ate nutrients specifically selected for brain health had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared in a study that appears in Archives of Neurology.
Foods high in nutrients that have been shown to be associated with Alzheimer's disease risk were studied. Omega-3 fatty acids, certain omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate, benefit the brain. To study this, the team collected information on the diets of 2,148 healthy people over 65 for an average of 4 years. They were checked for Alzheimer's disease every 18 months. Of these, 253 developed Alzheimer's, which has no cure. Those least likely to develop the disease ate more olive oil-based salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables and ate less red meat, organ meat or high-fat dairy products.
Researchers said the diet likely works in two ways. Because it is rich in heart-healthy foods, it may be protecting the brain from strokes that could make it more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease. But it also may be that the nutrients -- such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and folate -- directly protect the brain. Current treatments helps with some symptoms, but cannot reverse the course of Alzheimer's, a mind-robbing form of dementia that affects more than 26 million people globally.
Bonnie - while not exactly a newsflash, studies like these are always reaffirming.
Foods high in nutrients that have been shown to be associated with Alzheimer's disease risk were studied. Omega-3 fatty acids, certain omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate, benefit the brain. To study this, the team collected information on the diets of 2,148 healthy people over 65 for an average of 4 years. They were checked for Alzheimer's disease every 18 months. Of these, 253 developed Alzheimer's, which has no cure. Those least likely to develop the disease ate more olive oil-based salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables and ate less red meat, organ meat or high-fat dairy products.
Researchers said the diet likely works in two ways. Because it is rich in heart-healthy foods, it may be protecting the brain from strokes that could make it more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease. But it also may be that the nutrients -- such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and folate -- directly protect the brain. Current treatments helps with some symptoms, but cannot reverse the course of Alzheimer's, a mind-robbing form of dementia that affects more than 26 million people globally.
Bonnie - while not exactly a newsflash, studies like these are always reaffirming.
6 in 10 spring allergy sufferers unsuccessful in treatment
Courtesy of Consumer Reports
Allergies are hard to treat—60 percent of the springtime allergy sufferers we surveyed had limited success managing their itchy eyes, sinus pain, sneezing, and other symptoms. But if you are miserable every time the trees bloom, don't give up. Our nationally representative online survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, polled 1,814 adults in April 2009 during the spring allergy season. Here's what allergy sufferers said might help:
Avoidance
It's not easy to steer clear of pollen and other allergens. Only one in five respondents said they were "highly satisfied" with the avoidance measures they tried, such as staying indoors with the windows shut and the air-conditioner on, having someone else mow the lawn, or doing outdoor activities on low-pollen days. But when these tactics worked, they were even more effective than taking over-the-counter medicine for allergies. Staying indoors and taking other avoidance measures may be most important between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., when allergen levels are typically highest. If you try this approach, set your air conditioner to recirculate the air so you reduce the amount of pollen and other outdoor allergens from flowing into your home. Check the pollen count in your area before going out. When you return home, take a shower to wash the pollen off your skin, and wash your clothes.
Prescription medicine
Only about one in four said they were highly satisfied with prescription allergy drugs. But most who were felt they had successfully managed their symptoms. Common medications included fexofenadine (Allegra and generic), a "second-generation" antihistamine that's less likely to cause drowsiness than older antihistamines; fluticasone (Flonase and generic) and mometasone (Nasonex), corticosteroid nasal sprays; and montelukast (Singulair), which blocks molecules that can cause inflammation and allergies. Overall, 8 percent of respondents received allergy shots, which can provide relief by gradually increasing the tolerance to specific allergens.
Over-the-counter medicine
More than two-thirds of our respondents relied on nonprescription drugs, including: diphenhydramine (Benadryl Allergy and generic), an older antihistamine that can cause drowsiness; loratadine (Claritin and generic) or cetirizine (Zyrtec and generic), second-generation antihistamines; and pseudoephedrine (Sudafed and generic), a nasal decongestant. Overall, nonprescription drugs were less likely to help manage symptoms than either avoidance or prescription medications, but they were better than doing nothing at all.
What you can do
Consider discussing your symptoms with a doctor. Most people who saw a doctor said the visit helped a lot, and 59 percent of those people said they had managed to rein in their symptoms. Part of that benefit may be that the people who saw a doctor were more likely to take prescription drugs. And those medications, notably the steroid nasal sprays, often do work well, research suggests. Seeing a doctor also helped respondents pinpoint the OTC drugs and allergy-avoidance strategies that worked best for them. That may be because choosing from all the options can be confusing, and some are clearly better than others.
Bonnie - I am ready to jump out of my seat. Every news piece I read never mentions food cross-reactors. This could minimize symptoms by half by just avoiding certain foods during the height of each allergy season! Refer to my Conquering Allergy and Intolerance Action Plan for details.
Allergies are hard to treat—60 percent of the springtime allergy sufferers we surveyed had limited success managing their itchy eyes, sinus pain, sneezing, and other symptoms. But if you are miserable every time the trees bloom, don't give up. Our nationally representative online survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, polled 1,814 adults in April 2009 during the spring allergy season. Here's what allergy sufferers said might help:
Avoidance
It's not easy to steer clear of pollen and other allergens. Only one in five respondents said they were "highly satisfied" with the avoidance measures they tried, such as staying indoors with the windows shut and the air-conditioner on, having someone else mow the lawn, or doing outdoor activities on low-pollen days. But when these tactics worked, they were even more effective than taking over-the-counter medicine for allergies. Staying indoors and taking other avoidance measures may be most important between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., when allergen levels are typically highest. If you try this approach, set your air conditioner to recirculate the air so you reduce the amount of pollen and other outdoor allergens from flowing into your home. Check the pollen count in your area before going out. When you return home, take a shower to wash the pollen off your skin, and wash your clothes.
Prescription medicine
Only about one in four said they were highly satisfied with prescription allergy drugs. But most who were felt they had successfully managed their symptoms. Common medications included fexofenadine (Allegra and generic), a "second-generation" antihistamine that's less likely to cause drowsiness than older antihistamines; fluticasone (Flonase and generic) and mometasone (Nasonex), corticosteroid nasal sprays; and montelukast (Singulair), which blocks molecules that can cause inflammation and allergies. Overall, 8 percent of respondents received allergy shots, which can provide relief by gradually increasing the tolerance to specific allergens.
Over-the-counter medicine
More than two-thirds of our respondents relied on nonprescription drugs, including: diphenhydramine (Benadryl Allergy and generic), an older antihistamine that can cause drowsiness; loratadine (Claritin and generic) or cetirizine (Zyrtec and generic), second-generation antihistamines; and pseudoephedrine (Sudafed and generic), a nasal decongestant. Overall, nonprescription drugs were less likely to help manage symptoms than either avoidance or prescription medications, but they were better than doing nothing at all.
What you can do
Consider discussing your symptoms with a doctor. Most people who saw a doctor said the visit helped a lot, and 59 percent of those people said they had managed to rein in their symptoms. Part of that benefit may be that the people who saw a doctor were more likely to take prescription drugs. And those medications, notably the steroid nasal sprays, often do work well, research suggests. Seeing a doctor also helped respondents pinpoint the OTC drugs and allergy-avoidance strategies that worked best for them. That may be because choosing from all the options can be confusing, and some are clearly better than others.
Bonnie - I am ready to jump out of my seat. Every news piece I read never mentions food cross-reactors. This could minimize symptoms by half by just avoiding certain foods during the height of each allergy season! Refer to my Conquering Allergy and Intolerance Action Plan for details.
Source of Recurrent Yeast Infections in Autoimmune Syndrome Pinpointed
Infectious diseases are not always caused by infection. In work reported in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers at Rockefeller University reveal that patients who suffer from a rare autoimmune disorder that makes them vulnerable to yeast infections produce antibodies that target and destroy immune-fighting proteins that would otherwise keep yeast in check.
In 33 patients with the ailment, known as autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, or APS-1, researchers found antibodies that attack a class of immune proteins called cytokines. Although several categories of cytokines exist, the antibodies found circulating in the patients' blood have long been known to protect humans from acute bacterial infections. "These cytokines, particularly the family comprising interleukin 17A, 17F and 22, have recently been implicated in defending against yeast overgrowth, but this is the first time it has been shown in humans," says researchers. "The next step is to find genetic mutations in these cytokines in patients with candidiasis, as only this will prove the causal relationship."
The findings pave the way for the treatment of fungal infections in APS-I patients with drugs that are already out in the market. The drugs clear the cytokine-attacking antibodies by depleting the B cells that make them.
Bonnie - while a small study, it is significant. Removing hindering nutritional deficiencies and adjusting to dietary habits that are unique to the individual is paramount with this disorder.
In 33 patients with the ailment, known as autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, or APS-1, researchers found antibodies that attack a class of immune proteins called cytokines. Although several categories of cytokines exist, the antibodies found circulating in the patients' blood have long been known to protect humans from acute bacterial infections. "These cytokines, particularly the family comprising interleukin 17A, 17F and 22, have recently been implicated in defending against yeast overgrowth, but this is the first time it has been shown in humans," says researchers. "The next step is to find genetic mutations in these cytokines in patients with candidiasis, as only this will prove the causal relationship."
The findings pave the way for the treatment of fungal infections in APS-I patients with drugs that are already out in the market. The drugs clear the cytokine-attacking antibodies by depleting the B cells that make them.
Bonnie - while a small study, it is significant. Removing hindering nutritional deficiencies and adjusting to dietary habits that are unique to the individual is paramount with this disorder.
Low vitamin B6 may increase Parkinson’s disease risk
Insufficient levels of vitamin B6 may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by about 50 per cent, says a new study from Japan. The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, does not prove that low vitamin B6 levels are the cause of Parkinson’s disease, but indicates that additional study should focus on whether increased levels of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of developing the disease.
This is not the first study to link vitamin B6 intake and the risk of the disease. In 2006 researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam reported that people who had daily vitamin B6 intakes of 230.9 micrograms or more had an associated risk of developing Parkinson's disease 54 per cent lower than people who had average daily intakes lower than 185.1 micrograms. The study involved 5,289 people over the age of 55 (Neurology, Vol. 67, pp. 315-318).
The link between B vitamin intake and Parkinson’s disease is related to homocysteine, an amino acid reported to potentially toxic to brain cells.
The researchers conducted a hospital-based case-control study involving 249 people with Parkinson’s disease and 368 people without any neurodegenerative condition. Intakes of the B vitamins was assessed using a validated, self-administered, semi-quantitative, diet questionnaire. Low intakes of B6 were linked to an increased risk of the disease, independent of other factors, concluded the researchers. Despite apparently agreeing with the Rotterdam study, an earlier study from the US reported no link between B vitamin intake and Parkinson's disease. There is a need to confirm these links in both additional observational studies and clinical trials.
Friday, April 09, 2010
The Wheat Bombshell
Bonnie - What substance may be pro-inflammatory, immunotoxic, neurotoxic, cytotoxic, cardiotoxic, may interfere with gene expression, may disrupt endocrine function, may adversely effect gastrointestinal function, and may share pathogenic similarities with certain viruses? The substance is called WGA (wheat germ agglutinin).
I have always known that for some clients, even though tests for wheat allergy (IgE), celiac disease, gluten intolerance (IgG), and wheat intolerance (IgG) were all negative, wheat was still an issue. While I could not enunciate a “scientific” term, I just knew that these clients felt much better without wheat in their diet.
The following piece wonderfully articulates why this occurs, and it reinforces why I have been even more vociferous about avoiding wheat, especially whole wheat (which contains more WGA than regular wheat), the darling of the USDA and its Food Pyramid. If wheat is consistently a problem for you and you are seeking ways to confidently eliminate it, as well as most grains for that matter, make an appointment.
The article is very long, so I have summarized some of the most important points:
"Opening Pandora’s Bread Box: The Critical Role of Wheat Lectin in Human Disease"
by Sayer Ji
Now that celiac disease has been allowed official entry into the pantheon of established medical conditions, and gluten intolerance is no longer entirely a fringe medical concept, the time has come to draw attention to the powerful little chemical in wheat known as 'wheat germ agglutinin' (WGA) which is largely responsible for many of wheat's pervasive, and difficult to diagnose, ill effects. Not only does WGA throw a monkey wrench into our assumptions about the primary causes of wheat intolerance, but due to the fact that WGA is found in highest concentrations in "whole wheat," including its supposedly superior sprouted form, it also pulls the rug out from under one of the health food industry's favorite poster children. Below the radar of conventional serological testing for antibodies against the various gluten proteins and genetic testing for disease susceptibility, the WGA “lectin problem” remains almost entirely obscured.
What is unique about the WGA glycoprotein is that it can do direct damage to the majority of tissues in the human body without requiring a specific set of genetic susceptibilities and/or immune-mediated articulations. This may explain why chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions are endemic to wheat-consuming populations even when overt allergies or intolerances to wheat gluten appear exceedingly rare. The future fate of wheat consumption, and by implication our health, may depend largely on whether or not the toxic qualities of WGA come to light in the general population.
Lectins are, by design, particularly resistant to degradation through a wide range of pH and temperatures. WGA lectin is an exceptionally tough adversary as it is formed by the same disulfide bonds that make vulcanized rubber and human hair so strong, flexible and durable. Like man-made pesticides, lectins are extremely small, resistant to break-down by living systems, and tend to accumulate and become incorporated into tissues where they interfere with normal biological processes. Indeed, WGA lectin is so powerful as an insecticide that biotech firms have used recombinant DNA technology to create genetically modified WGA-enhanced plants.
Lectins are glycoproteins, and through thousands of years of selectively breeding wheat for increasingly larger quantities of protein, the concentration of WGA lectin has increased proportionately. This, no doubt, has contributed to wheat’s global dominance as one of the world’s favored monocultures, offering additional “built-in” pest resistance. WGA is nature's ingenious solution for protecting the wheat plant from the entire gamut of its natural enemies. WGA's unique binding specificity to these exact two glycoproteins is not accidental. Nature has designed WGA perfectly to attach to, disrupt, and gain entry through these mucosal surfaces. Humans – not Nature – have spent thousands of years cultivating and selecting for larger and larger quantities of these proteins.
WGA, as well as gluten, contain exceptionally high levels of the excitotoxic l-aspartic and l-glutamic amino acids, which can be highly addictive, not unlike their synthetic shadow molecules aspartame and monosodium glutamate.
Each grain of wheat contains about 1 microgram of WGA. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, it takes only 500 micrograms (about half a grain of sand) of ricin (a lectin extracted from castor bean casings) to kill a human. A single, one ounce slice of wheat bread contains approximately 500 micrograms of WGA, which if it were refined to its pure form and injected directly into the blood, could, in theory, have platelet aggregating and erythrocyte agglutinizing effects strong enough to create an obstructive clot such as occurs in myocardial infarction and stroke. This, however, is not a likely route of exposure and in reality the immediate pathologies associated with lectins like ricin and WGA are largely restricted to the gastrointestinal tract where they cause mucosal injuries. WGA is exceptionally small, at 36 kilodaltons (approximately the mass of 36,000 hydrogen atoms) and it can pass through the cell membranes of the intestine with ease. The intestines will allow passage of molecules up to 1,000 kilodaltons in size.
The disruptive and damaging effects of whole wheat bread consumption are formidable in someone whose protective mucosal barrier has been compromised by something as simple as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) use, or a recent viral or bacterial infection. The common consumption of both wheat and NSAIDs may suggest the frequency of the WGA vicious cycle. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, increase intestinal permeability and may cause absorption of even larger than normal quantities of pro-inflammatory WGA. Conversely, the inflammation caused by the absorption of WGA lectin is the very reason there is a great need for the inflammation-reducing effects of NSAIDs.
One way to gauge just how pervasive the adverse effects of WGA are among wheat-consuming populations is the popularity of the dietary supplement glucosamine. When we consume glucosamine supplements, the WGA, instead of binding to our tissues, binds to the pulverized chitin in the glucosamine supplements, sparing us from the full impact of WGA.
WGA may be pro-inflammatory, immunotoxic, neurotoxic, cytotoxic, cardiotoxic, may interfere with gene expression, may disrupt endocrine function, may adversely effect gastrointestinal function, and may share pathogenic similarities with certain viruses.
It is my belief that a careful study of the wheat plant will reveal that, despite claims to the contrary, man does not have dominion over nature. All that he deems fit for his consumption may not be his inborn right. Though the wheat plant’s apparently defenseless disposition would seem to make it suitable for mass human consumption, it has been imbued with a multitude of invisible“thorns,” with WGA being its smallest and perhaps most potent defense against predation. While WGA may be an uninvited guest at our table, wheat is equally inhospitable to us. Perhaps the courteous thing to do, having realized our mistaken intrusion, is to lick our wounds and simply go our separate ways. Perhaps as the distance between man and his infatuation with wheat grows, he will grow closer to himself and will discover far more suitable forms of nourishment that Nature has not impregnated with such high levels of addictive and potentially debilitating proteins.
Research references can be found at the link provided above.
I have always known that for some clients, even though tests for wheat allergy (IgE), celiac disease, gluten intolerance (IgG), and wheat intolerance (IgG) were all negative, wheat was still an issue. While I could not enunciate a “scientific” term, I just knew that these clients felt much better without wheat in their diet.
The following piece wonderfully articulates why this occurs, and it reinforces why I have been even more vociferous about avoiding wheat, especially whole wheat (which contains more WGA than regular wheat), the darling of the USDA and its Food Pyramid. If wheat is consistently a problem for you and you are seeking ways to confidently eliminate it, as well as most grains for that matter, make an appointment.
The article is very long, so I have summarized some of the most important points:
"Opening Pandora’s Bread Box: The Critical Role of Wheat Lectin in Human Disease"
by Sayer Ji
Now that celiac disease has been allowed official entry into the pantheon of established medical conditions, and gluten intolerance is no longer entirely a fringe medical concept, the time has come to draw attention to the powerful little chemical in wheat known as 'wheat germ agglutinin' (WGA) which is largely responsible for many of wheat's pervasive, and difficult to diagnose, ill effects. Not only does WGA throw a monkey wrench into our assumptions about the primary causes of wheat intolerance, but due to the fact that WGA is found in highest concentrations in "whole wheat," including its supposedly superior sprouted form, it also pulls the rug out from under one of the health food industry's favorite poster children. Below the radar of conventional serological testing for antibodies against the various gluten proteins and genetic testing for disease susceptibility, the WGA “lectin problem” remains almost entirely obscured.
What is unique about the WGA glycoprotein is that it can do direct damage to the majority of tissues in the human body without requiring a specific set of genetic susceptibilities and/or immune-mediated articulations. This may explain why chronic inflammatory and degenerative conditions are endemic to wheat-consuming populations even when overt allergies or intolerances to wheat gluten appear exceedingly rare. The future fate of wheat consumption, and by implication our health, may depend largely on whether or not the toxic qualities of WGA come to light in the general population.
Lectins are, by design, particularly resistant to degradation through a wide range of pH and temperatures. WGA lectin is an exceptionally tough adversary as it is formed by the same disulfide bonds that make vulcanized rubber and human hair so strong, flexible and durable. Like man-made pesticides, lectins are extremely small, resistant to break-down by living systems, and tend to accumulate and become incorporated into tissues where they interfere with normal biological processes. Indeed, WGA lectin is so powerful as an insecticide that biotech firms have used recombinant DNA technology to create genetically modified WGA-enhanced plants.
Lectins are glycoproteins, and through thousands of years of selectively breeding wheat for increasingly larger quantities of protein, the concentration of WGA lectin has increased proportionately. This, no doubt, has contributed to wheat’s global dominance as one of the world’s favored monocultures, offering additional “built-in” pest resistance. WGA is nature's ingenious solution for protecting the wheat plant from the entire gamut of its natural enemies. WGA's unique binding specificity to these exact two glycoproteins is not accidental. Nature has designed WGA perfectly to attach to, disrupt, and gain entry through these mucosal surfaces. Humans – not Nature – have spent thousands of years cultivating and selecting for larger and larger quantities of these proteins.
WGA, as well as gluten, contain exceptionally high levels of the excitotoxic l-aspartic and l-glutamic amino acids, which can be highly addictive, not unlike their synthetic shadow molecules aspartame and monosodium glutamate.
Each grain of wheat contains about 1 microgram of WGA. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, it takes only 500 micrograms (about half a grain of sand) of ricin (a lectin extracted from castor bean casings) to kill a human. A single, one ounce slice of wheat bread contains approximately 500 micrograms of WGA, which if it were refined to its pure form and injected directly into the blood, could, in theory, have platelet aggregating and erythrocyte agglutinizing effects strong enough to create an obstructive clot such as occurs in myocardial infarction and stroke. This, however, is not a likely route of exposure and in reality the immediate pathologies associated with lectins like ricin and WGA are largely restricted to the gastrointestinal tract where they cause mucosal injuries. WGA is exceptionally small, at 36 kilodaltons (approximately the mass of 36,000 hydrogen atoms) and it can pass through the cell membranes of the intestine with ease. The intestines will allow passage of molecules up to 1,000 kilodaltons in size.
The disruptive and damaging effects of whole wheat bread consumption are formidable in someone whose protective mucosal barrier has been compromised by something as simple as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) use, or a recent viral or bacterial infection. The common consumption of both wheat and NSAIDs may suggest the frequency of the WGA vicious cycle. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, increase intestinal permeability and may cause absorption of even larger than normal quantities of pro-inflammatory WGA. Conversely, the inflammation caused by the absorption of WGA lectin is the very reason there is a great need for the inflammation-reducing effects of NSAIDs.
One way to gauge just how pervasive the adverse effects of WGA are among wheat-consuming populations is the popularity of the dietary supplement glucosamine. When we consume glucosamine supplements, the WGA, instead of binding to our tissues, binds to the pulverized chitin in the glucosamine supplements, sparing us from the full impact of WGA.
WGA may be pro-inflammatory, immunotoxic, neurotoxic, cytotoxic, cardiotoxic, may interfere with gene expression, may disrupt endocrine function, may adversely effect gastrointestinal function, and may share pathogenic similarities with certain viruses.
It is my belief that a careful study of the wheat plant will reveal that, despite claims to the contrary, man does not have dominion over nature. All that he deems fit for his consumption may not be his inborn right. Though the wheat plant’s apparently defenseless disposition would seem to make it suitable for mass human consumption, it has been imbued with a multitude of invisible“thorns,” with WGA being its smallest and perhaps most potent defense against predation. While WGA may be an uninvited guest at our table, wheat is equally inhospitable to us. Perhaps the courteous thing to do, having realized our mistaken intrusion, is to lick our wounds and simply go our separate ways. Perhaps as the distance between man and his infatuation with wheat grows, he will grow closer to himself and will discover far more suitable forms of nourishment that Nature has not impregnated with such high levels of addictive and potentially debilitating proteins.
Research references can be found at the link provided above.
Bored to Death?
Have you ever felt bored? Ever found yourself with nothing engaging to do? Experienced a lack of interest in everything and everyone around you? Although not a pleasant state in which to find oneself, is boredom bad for health? In a rare moment of idleness one day, researchers pondered whether the expression 'bored to death' has any basis. Are people who are bored more likely to die earlier than those who are not?
In a International Journal of Epidemiology study, boredom levels were reported in the later versions of the baseline questionnaire (1985–88) of the Whitehall II cohort study. Participants were civil servants, based in London, aged 35–55 years. They were asked in a self-completed questionnaire about boredom during the past 4 weeks (response options were 'not at all', 'a little', 'quite a lot', 'all the time'). At the risk of participants becoming bored of answering this question, it was repeated at Phase 2 some 3 years later, but not since. Information on mortality was ascertained through the NHS Central Registry.
Follow-up for total mortality was available up to the end of April 2009. Excluding those with prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline, gave a sample size of 7524 men and women. Researchers found that those who report quite a lot or a great deal of boredom are more likely to be younger, to be women, to rate their health worse, to be in low employment grades and to report lower physical activity levels. We also found that those with a great deal of boredom were more likely to die during follow-up than those not bored at all. In particular, they were more likely to die from a CVD fatal event.
We conclude that those who report being bored are more likely to die younger than those who are not bored. Whilst some aspects of life may not be so easily modified (e.g. disease status or position in society), proneness to boredom, particularly in younger populations, could be indicative of harmful behaviors such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and low psychological profiles. Finding renewed interest in social and physical activities may alleviate boredom and improve health, thus reducing the risk of being 'bored to death'.
In a International Journal of Epidemiology study, boredom levels were reported in the later versions of the baseline questionnaire (1985–88) of the Whitehall II cohort study. Participants were civil servants, based in London, aged 35–55 years. They were asked in a self-completed questionnaire about boredom during the past 4 weeks (response options were 'not at all', 'a little', 'quite a lot', 'all the time'). At the risk of participants becoming bored of answering this question, it was repeated at Phase 2 some 3 years later, but not since. Information on mortality was ascertained through the NHS Central Registry.
Follow-up for total mortality was available up to the end of April 2009. Excluding those with prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline, gave a sample size of 7524 men and women. Researchers found that those who report quite a lot or a great deal of boredom are more likely to be younger, to be women, to rate their health worse, to be in low employment grades and to report lower physical activity levels. We also found that those with a great deal of boredom were more likely to die during follow-up than those not bored at all. In particular, they were more likely to die from a CVD fatal event.
We conclude that those who report being bored are more likely to die younger than those who are not bored. Whilst some aspects of life may not be so easily modified (e.g. disease status or position in society), proneness to boredom, particularly in younger populations, could be indicative of harmful behaviors such as excessive drinking, smoking, taking drugs and low psychological profiles. Finding renewed interest in social and physical activities may alleviate boredom and improve health, thus reducing the risk of being 'bored to death'.
Pollen at its worst in years
Excerpts Courtesy of Tamara Lush, Associated Press
From Florida to Texas to Colorado, 2010 is shaping up to be a monster of an allergy season. Experts say it's the worst they've seen in years.
Take 5-year-old Sam Wilson of St. Petersburg. His mom gives him Claritin in the morning, Nasonex and Benadryl at night, and he receives four allergy shots every week. The sidewalks of his hometown are covered in what look like piles of dried, brown worms — but they are mounds of oak tree pollen. The boy's mother said that when the pollen is at its worst, his eyes water and itch, he can't breathe through his nose and his throat burns. "His reaction yesterday was pretty bad," said his mother, 34-year-old Joanna Wilson on Thursday. "He couldn't breathe, he was completely congested, and crying."
"We had a perfect storm this year," said Dr. William Storms, professor at University of Colorado and a clinician. "It's the worst I've seen in 10 years." Tree pollen season should subside within a few weeks, but experts say some will continue to suffer because grass and weed allergies rise in the summer.
Bonnie - people could greatly reduce their symptoms during the height of allergy season by avoiding cross-reactors as explained in my Conquering Allergy and Food Intolerance Action Plan.
From Florida to Texas to Colorado, 2010 is shaping up to be a monster of an allergy season. Experts say it's the worst they've seen in years.
Take 5-year-old Sam Wilson of St. Petersburg. His mom gives him Claritin in the morning, Nasonex and Benadryl at night, and he receives four allergy shots every week. The sidewalks of his hometown are covered in what look like piles of dried, brown worms — but they are mounds of oak tree pollen. The boy's mother said that when the pollen is at its worst, his eyes water and itch, he can't breathe through his nose and his throat burns. "His reaction yesterday was pretty bad," said his mother, 34-year-old Joanna Wilson on Thursday. "He couldn't breathe, he was completely congested, and crying."
"We had a perfect storm this year," said Dr. William Storms, professor at University of Colorado and a clinician. "It's the worst I've seen in 10 years." Tree pollen season should subside within a few weeks, but experts say some will continue to suffer because grass and weed allergies rise in the summer.
Bonnie - people could greatly reduce their symptoms during the height of allergy season by avoiding cross-reactors as explained in my Conquering Allergy and Food Intolerance Action Plan.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Vitamins don't prevent pre- eclampsia in pregnant women
A government-sponsored study of more than 10,000 women failed to find that large doses of
vitamins C and E cut the risk of complications from pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, scientists report today.
Pre-eclampsia, a condition characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine, occurs in up to 8% of pregnancies, says Catherine Spong, a co-author of the study in The New England Journal of Medicine. A leading cause of illness and death in pregnant women and infants, pre-eclampsia can be cured only by delivering the baby.
"It's like most pregnancy conditions: We don't have great preventative therapies," says Spong, chief of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Only baby aspirin seems to help protect against pre-eclampsia, she says, but only in high-risk women and only by a modest 10%
reduction in risk.
Roberts and Spong emphasized that their findings don't mean that women should stop taking prenatal vitamins.
"This has absolutely no relevance to the use of standard doses of vitamin C and E as part of
prenatal vitamins," Roberts says. "These (study) doses were enormously higher, where they act as a drug rather than a vitamin."
Bonnie - this study was a waste of money. No one ever said C or E prevents eclampsia. Vitamin E is good for excess clotting. The C is helpful for a strong immune system so pregnant women won't get as many colds and allergic symptoms. The study should have focused upon MAGNESIUM, which is an effective therapy for pre-eclampsia. How many prenatals have at least 250 mg. of magnesium?
That said, I cannot even take these results at face value for the following reasons:
vitamins C and E cut the risk of complications from pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, scientists report today.
Pre-eclampsia, a condition characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine, occurs in up to 8% of pregnancies, says Catherine Spong, a co-author of the study in The New England Journal of Medicine. A leading cause of illness and death in pregnant women and infants, pre-eclampsia can be cured only by delivering the baby.
"It's like most pregnancy conditions: We don't have great preventative therapies," says Spong, chief of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Only baby aspirin seems to help protect against pre-eclampsia, she says, but only in high-risk women and only by a modest 10%
reduction in risk.
Roberts and Spong emphasized that their findings don't mean that women should stop taking prenatal vitamins.
"This has absolutely no relevance to the use of standard doses of vitamin C and E as part of
prenatal vitamins," Roberts says. "These (study) doses were enormously higher, where they act as a drug rather than a vitamin."
Bonnie - this study was a waste of money. No one ever said C or E prevents eclampsia. Vitamin E is good for excess clotting. The C is helpful for a strong immune system so pregnant women won't get as many colds and allergic symptoms. The study should have focused upon MAGNESIUM, which is an effective therapy for pre-eclampsia. How many prenatals have at least 250 mg. of magnesium?
That said, I cannot even take these results at face value for the following reasons:
- Instead of using a mixed tocopherol vitamin E, which includes the entire vitamin E spectrum (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) they only used alpha tocopherol, which is not sufficient.
- 400IU of vitamin E is too low a dose to mimic the effect of baby aspirin. It must be 800Iu or more.
Exercise Pill?
Steve - if this therapy works, what are the chances that Big Pharma will offer this to every human on the planet? I can just see it now. "Hate to exercise? Don't worry, we have a pill that can trick your body into thinking it is really exercising when it is not!"
For osteoporosis patients unable to exercise, help may be on the way. That's because scientists have discovered precisely how mechanical stress, such as exercise, promotes new bone growth. This opens the door to entirely new therapies that can trick bones into thinking they are getting a workout. The research report describing this advance is published in The FASEB Journal. This information could lead to the development of new drugs that cause the same benefits to the skeleton as exercise, which would be beneficial to patients with osteoporosis.
For osteoporosis patients unable to exercise, help may be on the way. That's because scientists have discovered precisely how mechanical stress, such as exercise, promotes new bone growth. This opens the door to entirely new therapies that can trick bones into thinking they are getting a workout. The research report describing this advance is published in The FASEB Journal. This information could lead to the development of new drugs that cause the same benefits to the skeleton as exercise, which would be beneficial to patients with osteoporosis.
TM may help with depression
Medication isn't the only way people successfully battle depression -- exercise and acupuncture are two alternative methods. A new study suggests that Transcendental Meditation may also be an effective way to lessen depression symptoms. Two studies compared months of Transcendental Meditation practice with health education (which served as a control) on depression. The TM technique uses a mantra to help people achieve a relaxed state, and the practice is typically done for about 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. The methodology of both studies was the same: Participants were asked to do TM or follow a health education program twice a day for 20 minutes. Researchers measured depression symptoms at the beginning of the studies and three, nine and 12 months later.
Since there is a link between depression and a risk for cardiac events in people who have coronary heart disease, participants in both studies also had cardiovascular risk factors such as carotid artery wall thickness. In one study, participants included 59 African American men and women ages 55 and older, and in the other, participants included 53 native Hawaiian men and women ages 55 and older. In both studies, the meditation groups had a far greater reduction in depression symptoms than the control groups.
The studies will be presented April 9 at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Seattle.
Since there is a link between depression and a risk for cardiac events in people who have coronary heart disease, participants in both studies also had cardiovascular risk factors such as carotid artery wall thickness. In one study, participants included 59 African American men and women ages 55 and older, and in the other, participants included 53 native Hawaiian men and women ages 55 and older. In both studies, the meditation groups had a far greater reduction in depression symptoms than the control groups.
The studies will be presented April 9 at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Seattle.
Prescription Drug Deaths Increase Dramatically
Excerpts Courtesy of Scientific American
The number of deaths and hospitalizations caused by prescription drugs has risen precipitously in the past decade, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
For prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers—commonly prescribed for pain management—the number of hospitalizations for poisonings increased 65 percent between 1999 and 2006 (the first and last years, respectively, for which data were comparable and collected). The number of hospitalizations for all poisonings, including illegal drugs, other prescription medications and miscellaneous substances, increased during this time period as well, but that jump (33 percent) was about half the rate of those for the prescription pain drugs.
Many experts think that the sheer prevalence of many of these drugs recently has contributed to the drastic increase in poisonings. Although growing illegal markets and distribution of these drugs might be a driving factor in their increasingly large role in poisonings and deaths, perfectly legal prescriptions are probably playing a role as well.
"I think the whole issue of the availability of these drugs and whether they're being over-prescribed" should be investigated, says Susan Baker, a professor at Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy.
Many people do rely on pharmacological treatment for withdrawal, anxiety or chronic pain, but when communities have access to an overabundance of these medications, abuse appears to become more likely. If doctors prescribe too much medication or too many refills, excess drugs "are going to be sitting in people's medicine cabinets for someone else to take advantage of," Baker explains.
Although the new report details the stark increase in the reported poisoning data, the true number of deaths and hospitalizations in which prescription drugs have played a role might be even higher, the researchers pointed out. The new analysis assessed cases only in which prescription drug overdose was listed as the primary diagnosis. Some prescription drug–related hospitalizations might be classified under other primary categories.
"I don't have any sense that it's getting any better," Coben says. With drug companies reporting strong overall sales (including a 5.1 percent increase in U.S. sales in 2009 to $300.3 billion for 3.9 billion individual retail prescriptions), in fact, the problem might be getting worse.
The researchers noted that the details surrounding these hundreds of thousands of overdoses are unknown. The medical data used for the analysis did not include full toxicology reports that would reveal drug-drug interactions.
Steve - shocking numbers, but not surprising. This piece appeared in Scientific American, but could hardly be found anywhere else in mainstream media. Shocking, but not surprising either.
The number of deaths and hospitalizations caused by prescription drugs has risen precipitously in the past decade, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
For prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers—commonly prescribed for pain management—the number of hospitalizations for poisonings increased 65 percent between 1999 and 2006 (the first and last years, respectively, for which data were comparable and collected). The number of hospitalizations for all poisonings, including illegal drugs, other prescription medications and miscellaneous substances, increased during this time period as well, but that jump (33 percent) was about half the rate of those for the prescription pain drugs.
Many experts think that the sheer prevalence of many of these drugs recently has contributed to the drastic increase in poisonings. Although growing illegal markets and distribution of these drugs might be a driving factor in their increasingly large role in poisonings and deaths, perfectly legal prescriptions are probably playing a role as well.
"I think the whole issue of the availability of these drugs and whether they're being over-prescribed" should be investigated, says Susan Baker, a professor at Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy.
Many people do rely on pharmacological treatment for withdrawal, anxiety or chronic pain, but when communities have access to an overabundance of these medications, abuse appears to become more likely. If doctors prescribe too much medication or too many refills, excess drugs "are going to be sitting in people's medicine cabinets for someone else to take advantage of," Baker explains.
Although the new report details the stark increase in the reported poisoning data, the true number of deaths and hospitalizations in which prescription drugs have played a role might be even higher, the researchers pointed out. The new analysis assessed cases only in which prescription drug overdose was listed as the primary diagnosis. Some prescription drug–related hospitalizations might be classified under other primary categories.
"I don't have any sense that it's getting any better," Coben says. With drug companies reporting strong overall sales (including a 5.1 percent increase in U.S. sales in 2009 to $300.3 billion for 3.9 billion individual retail prescriptions), in fact, the problem might be getting worse.
The researchers noted that the details surrounding these hundreds of thousands of overdoses are unknown. The medical data used for the analysis did not include full toxicology reports that would reveal drug-drug interactions.
Steve - shocking numbers, but not surprising. This piece appeared in Scientific American, but could hardly be found anywhere else in mainstream media. Shocking, but not surprising either.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Cancer Protective Effect of Fruits and Vegetables May Be Modest at Best
An analysis of dietary data from more than 400,000 men and women found only a weak association between high fruit and vegetable intake and reduced overall cancer risk, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It is widely believed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer. In 1990, the World Health Association recommended eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day to prevent cancer and other diseases. But many studies since then have not been able to confirm a definitive association between fruit and vegetable intake and cancer risk.
To address the issue, Paolo Boffetta, M.D., M.P.H., of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and colleagues analyzed data from the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), which included 142,605 men and 335,873 women recruited for the study between 1992 and 2000. The participants were from 23 centers in ten Western European countries--Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Detailed information on their dietary habit and lifestyle variables was obtained. After a median follow-up of 8.7 years, over 30,000 participants were diagnosed with cancer. The authors found a small inverse association between high intake of fruits and vegetables and reduced overall cancer risk. Vegetable consumption also afforded a modest benefit but was restricted to women. Heavy drinkers who ate many fruits and vegetables had a somewhat reduced risk, but only for cancers caused by smoking and alcohol.
The authors caution against attributing any risk reduction to diet and they conclude that any cancer protective effect of these foods is likely to be modest, at best. "In this population, a higher intake of fruits and vegetables was also associated with other lifestyle variables, such as lower intake of alcohol, never-smoking, short duration of tobacco smoking, and higher level of physical activity, which may have contributed to a lower cancer risk," they write. In an accompanying editorial, Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, notes that "this study strongly confirms" the findings of other prospective studies that high intake of fruits and vegetables has little or no effect in reducing the incidence of cancer, although it has been shown to affect the risk of cardiovascular disease. He suggests that future research investigate the potential cancer-reducing benefits of specific fruits and vegetables and also study the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption at earlier periods of life.
Bonnie - this study is ridiculous and is riddled with confounding variables, such as: how much gluten was consumed? How much dairy was consumed? How much sugar was consumed? If people were consuming these on a consistent basis, eating fruits and veggies would not help significantly. Willet should know this.
To address the issue, Paolo Boffetta, M.D., M.P.H., of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and colleagues analyzed data from the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), which included 142,605 men and 335,873 women recruited for the study between 1992 and 2000. The participants were from 23 centers in ten Western European countries--Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Detailed information on their dietary habit and lifestyle variables was obtained. After a median follow-up of 8.7 years, over 30,000 participants were diagnosed with cancer. The authors found a small inverse association between high intake of fruits and vegetables and reduced overall cancer risk. Vegetable consumption also afforded a modest benefit but was restricted to women. Heavy drinkers who ate many fruits and vegetables had a somewhat reduced risk, but only for cancers caused by smoking and alcohol.
The authors caution against attributing any risk reduction to diet and they conclude that any cancer protective effect of these foods is likely to be modest, at best. "In this population, a higher intake of fruits and vegetables was also associated with other lifestyle variables, such as lower intake of alcohol, never-smoking, short duration of tobacco smoking, and higher level of physical activity, which may have contributed to a lower cancer risk," they write. In an accompanying editorial, Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, notes that "this study strongly confirms" the findings of other prospective studies that high intake of fruits and vegetables has little or no effect in reducing the incidence of cancer, although it has been shown to affect the risk of cardiovascular disease. He suggests that future research investigate the potential cancer-reducing benefits of specific fruits and vegetables and also study the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption at earlier periods of life.
Bonnie - this study is ridiculous and is riddled with confounding variables, such as: how much gluten was consumed? How much dairy was consumed? How much sugar was consumed? If people were consuming these on a consistent basis, eating fruits and veggies would not help significantly. Willet should know this.
Walking can lower women's stroke risk
Women can lower their stroke risk by lacing up their sneakers and walking, a new study suggests. Women who said they walked briskly had a 37% lower risk of stroke than those who didn't walk. Women who reported walking at least two hours a week at any pace had a 30% lower risk, according to a study published in the journal Stroke.
Check, Please: When the menu is a minefield
Bonnie - I could not help but think of some of my clients when reading this.
By Paula Whyman
Special to The Washington Post
Got PB&J?
Check.
Twizzlers?
Check.
It might sound like I'm heading out on a picnic with the kids, but no. I'm heading to Citronelle for dinner. A year ago, I had to give up all dairy products, along with some other foods, to keep from getting sick. Now, I approach dining out like I'm about to be dropped by helicopter into a desolate wilderness and forced to survive on my own wits. And Twizzlers. Instead of Man vs. Wild, it's Man (er, Woman) vs. Menu.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Is the Natural & Organic Industry Pushing Too Much Processed Food?
Carlotta Mast
Nutrition Business Journal
Processed food has become synonymous with the Western diet—and, although their products are generally healthier than the conventional potato chips and toaster pastries sold to Americans, natural & organic food companies are playing a part in enabling U.S. consumers to easily choose packaged options laden with fat, sugar and salt over healthier fresh foods.
According to an April 4 New York Times article, Americans consume 31% more packaged food than fresh food and much more processed food than people from nearly every other country in the world. The average American eats a total of 787 pounds of packaged foods, such as frozen meals, condiments, soups and baked goods, while consuming only 602 pounds of fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, nuts, beans, meat, poultry and fish. On average, Spain, France and Mexico also each consume more packaged than fresh food per capita. In comparison, the average Chinese citizen eats 1,034 pounds of fresh foods and 116 pounds of packaged foods.
Of course, eating a diet made up predominantly of what celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has termed “processed crap” often leads to obesity and a cascade of serious, long-term health maladies, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. “Processed foods contain large amounts of fat, salt and sugar, and Americans have become addicted to them,” T. Colin Campbell, a nutritionist at Cornell University, told the New York Times. “There is a lot of money tied up in the [packaged food] industry because it is profitable for companies to make these foods.” Americans also gravitate toward processed food because it is convenient and fits into a non-stop lifestyle that is spent in the car or in front of the computer or TV.
The natural & organic food industry—like the overall U.S. food industry—is all about packaged convenience. I was amazed at the number of products designed to help people consume more antioxidants and other nutrients associated with fruits and vegetables without having to actually eat a fresh fruit or vegetable.
Although most of the natural & organic products sold in the United States are much healthier than their conventional counterparts, the industry is still guilty of peddling food and beverage products that are contributing to—rather than helping to prevent—America’s health crisis. This was a point Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey lamented last summer when he acknowledged that his company now sells “a bunch of junk”—or in other words, food that, while natural or organic, is still loaded with fat, sugar and salt.
Whole Foods’ new campaign to “Retake Our Plates!”—which is devoted to encouraging food system reform and educating consumers on how to make healthier food choices—is certainly a step in the right direction. But this and other natural food retailers and really the entire natural & organic industry must do more to clean up the products they are selling to American consumers. And, at some point, rather than spending oodles of money to position highly processed food as being more nutritious, wouldn’t it be better to simply encourage people to enjoy the taste and goodness of fresh food?
As more consumers wise up to the fact that they are what they eat, those companies and retailers that can provide truly healthy alternatives that incorporate fresh over processed whenever possible will be in a good position to boost their bottom lines while helping the United States cope with its ballooning health crisis.
Steve - well said Carlotta.
Nutrition Business Journal
Processed food has become synonymous with the Western diet—and, although their products are generally healthier than the conventional potato chips and toaster pastries sold to Americans, natural & organic food companies are playing a part in enabling U.S. consumers to easily choose packaged options laden with fat, sugar and salt over healthier fresh foods.
According to an April 4 New York Times article, Americans consume 31% more packaged food than fresh food and much more processed food than people from nearly every other country in the world. The average American eats a total of 787 pounds of packaged foods, such as frozen meals, condiments, soups and baked goods, while consuming only 602 pounds of fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, nuts, beans, meat, poultry and fish. On average, Spain, France and Mexico also each consume more packaged than fresh food per capita. In comparison, the average Chinese citizen eats 1,034 pounds of fresh foods and 116 pounds of packaged foods.
Of course, eating a diet made up predominantly of what celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has termed “processed crap” often leads to obesity and a cascade of serious, long-term health maladies, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. “Processed foods contain large amounts of fat, salt and sugar, and Americans have become addicted to them,” T. Colin Campbell, a nutritionist at Cornell University, told the New York Times. “There is a lot of money tied up in the [packaged food] industry because it is profitable for companies to make these foods.” Americans also gravitate toward processed food because it is convenient and fits into a non-stop lifestyle that is spent in the car or in front of the computer or TV.
The natural & organic food industry—like the overall U.S. food industry—is all about packaged convenience. I was amazed at the number of products designed to help people consume more antioxidants and other nutrients associated with fruits and vegetables without having to actually eat a fresh fruit or vegetable.
Although most of the natural & organic products sold in the United States are much healthier than their conventional counterparts, the industry is still guilty of peddling food and beverage products that are contributing to—rather than helping to prevent—America’s health crisis. This was a point Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey lamented last summer when he acknowledged that his company now sells “a bunch of junk”—or in other words, food that, while natural or organic, is still loaded with fat, sugar and salt.
Whole Foods’ new campaign to “Retake Our Plates!”—which is devoted to encouraging food system reform and educating consumers on how to make healthier food choices—is certainly a step in the right direction. But this and other natural food retailers and really the entire natural & organic industry must do more to clean up the products they are selling to American consumers. And, at some point, rather than spending oodles of money to position highly processed food as being more nutritious, wouldn’t it be better to simply encourage people to enjoy the taste and goodness of fresh food?
As more consumers wise up to the fact that they are what they eat, those companies and retailers that can provide truly healthy alternatives that incorporate fresh over processed whenever possible will be in a good position to boost their bottom lines while helping the United States cope with its ballooning health crisis.
Steve - well said Carlotta.
Red yeast rice effective where statins fail: Study
Dietary supplements of red yeast rice may lower LDL cholesterol levels by 21 per cent, and offer a blood lipid lowering alternative for people intolerant to statins. Reductions in total cholesterol levels of 15 per cent were also reported, and 92 per cent of participants tolerated the dietary supplement, according to findings published in the American Journal of Cardiology. “The present report has provided real-world evidence of LDL cholesterol reduction with nonselected, over-the-counter red yeast rice therapy in an outpatient population intolerant to other lipid medications,” wrote the researchers from the University of Tennessee, Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, and the University of Connecticut. “Producing red yeast rice under controlled conditions could provide a widely available and safe dietary supplement for lowering cholesterol,” they added. Red yeast rice is the product of yeast grown on rice. It is a dietary staple in some Asian countries, and reportedly contains several compounds that inhibit cholesterol production. The new study supports similar findings for the ingredient, with American researchers reporting that the red yeast rice could indeed help reduce blood lipid levels in people intolerant to statins (Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 150, pp. 830-839).
Bonnie - red yeast rice is a natural form of statin, so it should never be taken without a doctor's approval. For more information, go to http://www.nutritionalconcepts.com/Newsletters/04152009.htm.
Exercise should be prescribed more often for mental health
Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers, according to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies. "Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health," says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be."
The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don't reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology. "Exercise can fill the gap for people who can't receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don't want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments," he says. "Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged."
The researchers presented their findings at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America. "After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy -- and you'll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise." Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.
The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don't reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology. "Exercise can fill the gap for people who can't receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don't want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments," he says. "Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged."
The researchers presented their findings at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America. "After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy -- and you'll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise." Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Pfizer Details Payments to Doctors
Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, said Wednesday that it paid about $20 million to 4,500 doctors and other medical professionals for consulting and speaking on its behalf in the last six months of 2009, its first public accounting of payments to the people who decide which drugs to recommend. Pfizer also paid $15.3 million to 250 academic medical centers and other research groups for clinical trials in the same period.
Multivitamins and breast cancer link?
The study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, points only to an association between multivitamin use and breast cancer. It does not prove that the supplements directly contribute to the disease. The findings come from a decade-long study of more than 35,000 Swedish women who were between the ages of 49 and 83 and cancer-free at the outset. Over an average of 10 years, 974 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers found that women who reported multivitamin use at the study's start were 19 percent more likely than non-users to develop breast cancer. Still, the large majority of multivitamin users did not develop breast cancer during the study period. Of 9,017 users, 293 were diagnosed with the disease, as were 681 women among the 26,000-plus who did not use multivitamins. And while the study points to a generally higher risk of breast cancer among multivitamin users as a whole, the risks to any individual woman would likely be small.
Alternatively, a recent study of more than 160,000 older U.S. women found that over eight years, those who took multivitamins were no less likely than non-users to die of heart disease or cancer, with all cancers lumped together in a group.
Bonnie - as observational studies go, this one appears to have been well-done overall. It was a large, prospective cohort of more than 35,000 women who were healthy at baseline and followed for almost 10 years. The finding of an increased risk of breast cancer is puzzling, and in direct conflict with other similarly designed studies such as the well-regarded Nurses Health Study out of Harvard, which showed just the opposite—that multivitamin use was associated with a significant decrease in breast cancer risk. And there are a few other studies that show ‘no effect.' So it is difficult to say what this study means on its own. To their credit, the authors are balanced in their discussion of the findings and are careful not to draw firm conclusions from this one study.
Based upon the wealth of data on multivitamins in research and in my own clinical setting, my opinion has not changed one iota. They are a crucial part of any healthy lifestyle.
Alternatively, a recent study of more than 160,000 older U.S. women found that over eight years, those who took multivitamins were no less likely than non-users to die of heart disease or cancer, with all cancers lumped together in a group.
Bonnie - as observational studies go, this one appears to have been well-done overall. It was a large, prospective cohort of more than 35,000 women who were healthy at baseline and followed for almost 10 years. The finding of an increased risk of breast cancer is puzzling, and in direct conflict with other similarly designed studies such as the well-regarded Nurses Health Study out of Harvard, which showed just the opposite—that multivitamin use was associated with a significant decrease in breast cancer risk. And there are a few other studies that show ‘no effect.' So it is difficult to say what this study means on its own. To their credit, the authors are balanced in their discussion of the findings and are careful not to draw firm conclusions from this one study.
Based upon the wealth of data on multivitamins in research and in my own clinical setting, my opinion has not changed one iota. They are a crucial part of any healthy lifestyle.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Obese teens see results with high protein diet
Researchers report in The Journal of Pediatrics that they randomly assigned 24 severely obese teenagers to eat a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet and 22 matched teens to eat a low-fat diet for 13 weeks. The study subjects were 14 years old on average and were at least 175 percent above ideal weight, but were free of type 2 diabetes or other serious medical problems. They were closely supervised throughout the study. On average, those on the high-protein, low-carb diet lost 29 pounds over 13 weeks, while those on the low-fat diet lost 16 pounds. Both groups kept the weight off nine months after the study. "We had expected the high-protein, low-carbohydrate group to quickly regain all the weight lost, but this did not occur," researchers said. "At the end of the day, this suggests that with ongoing support, these patients could perhaps have achieved even more weight loss."
The diet appeared to be safe, with no serious harmful effects on growth, bone mineral density, and various "metabolic" parameters, such as cholesterol levels. Both groups showed declines in levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and increases in levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol.
Bonnie - yet another indictment on grain-derived carbohydrates.
The diet appeared to be safe, with no serious harmful effects on growth, bone mineral density, and various "metabolic" parameters, such as cholesterol levels. Both groups showed declines in levels of harmful LDL cholesterol and increases in levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol.
Bonnie - yet another indictment on grain-derived carbohydrates.
Prescription drug sales rise in 2009
Spending on prescription drugs topped $300 billion in the U.S. last year, rising 5.1% despite the economic downturn, according to IMS Health. But the rate of growth was at the low end of historical levels, reinforcing the difficulties brand-name drug makers face relying on the U.S. market to increase revenue. The number of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. also edged higher last year, increasing 2.1% to 3.9 billion, IMS Health reported. IMS Health collects data from drug makers, pharmacies and other prescription drug dispensing outlets.
Steve - most of the economy is in the tank, but prescriptions and profits keep flowing.
Free folic acid at K-Mart pharmacies
In an effort to promote healthy pregnancies, Kmart is offering a free one-month supply of folic acid supplements to its pharmacy customers through May 1. The offer is limited to prescription-strength doses of folic acid, a B vitamin that helps prevent serious birth defects when taken before and during pregnancy. Customers who have a valid prescription can get a free bottle of supplements at any Kmart pharmacy.
Steve - a much better choice than the last year's free antibiotic campaigns!
Steve - a much better choice than the last year's free antibiotic campaigns!
Negative colonoscopy results buy you ten years or more
There is little empirical evidence available about the optimal interval for screening, making this a subject of debate. researchers deduced in a Gastroenterology study that the low risk of Colorectal Cancer and advanced adenomas after a negative colonoscopy supports suggestions that screening intervals be extended to more than 10 years.
Bonnie - gastroenterologists certainly will not like to see this study.
IBS can be familial
People with IBS were three times as likely as people without the condition to have a relative who also had the disorder, Mayo Clinic researchers reported in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. IBS may affect up to 30 percent of the general population. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and constipation.
Saito said she hopes the findings will kick-start a hunt for genes that might be involved in IBS; right now, she noted, none have been discovered. Environmental factors shared within families could also be a factor too, the researcher pointed out; for example, people who have been abused are at increased risk.
While the findings have no treatment implications for people struggling with IBS right now, the researcher added, it may be "reassuring" for them to know that their symptoms have some biological cause."I think a lot of people ask themselves, 'why me,' and a lot of times we don't have a good answer to that," she said. "We don't know exactly what it is yet, but we're working on it."
Bonnie - the 900 pound gorilla in the room? Diet and nutrients once again. Of course, not mentioned anywhere. The field of gastroenterology is beyond astonishing for continually dismissing diet. If you have IBS, you had better let your family know so that they can take the proper dietary precautions.
Saito said she hopes the findings will kick-start a hunt for genes that might be involved in IBS; right now, she noted, none have been discovered. Environmental factors shared within families could also be a factor too, the researcher pointed out; for example, people who have been abused are at increased risk.
While the findings have no treatment implications for people struggling with IBS right now, the researcher added, it may be "reassuring" for them to know that their symptoms have some biological cause."I think a lot of people ask themselves, 'why me,' and a lot of times we don't have a good answer to that," she said. "We don't know exactly what it is yet, but we're working on it."
Bonnie - the 900 pound gorilla in the room? Diet and nutrients once again. Of course, not mentioned anywhere. The field of gastroenterology is beyond astonishing for continually dismissing diet. If you have IBS, you had better let your family know so that they can take the proper dietary precautions.
FQ antibiotic discouraged for UTI
The aim of this Annals of of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of urinary isolates from community acquired acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTI) and to evaluate which antibiotics were empirically prescribed in the outpatient management of uUTI.
The most common isolated uropathogen was Escherichia coli (E. coli) (71.3%). The resistance rates of E. coli isolates for ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulonate, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, fluoroquinolones (FQ), co-trimoxazole (TMP-SMX) and gentamicin were 55.1%, 32.7%, 32.7%, 23.4%, 15.9%, 25.2%, 41.1%, 6.1% respectively. FQ were the most common prescribed antibiotics (77.9%), followed by TMP-SMX (10.7%), fosfomycin (9.2%), nitrofurantoin (2.1%). Treatment durations were statistically longer than the recommended 3-day course. Empirical use of FQ in uUTI should be discouraged because of increased antimicrobial resistance rates.
Bonnie - E.Coli showed some resistance to all of the antibiotics. Not surprising. That is why in many of my clients who have had UTIs, antibiotics did nothing.
The most common isolated uropathogen was Escherichia coli (E. coli) (71.3%). The resistance rates of E. coli isolates for ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulonate, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, fluoroquinolones (FQ), co-trimoxazole (TMP-SMX) and gentamicin were 55.1%, 32.7%, 32.7%, 23.4%, 15.9%, 25.2%, 41.1%, 6.1% respectively. FQ were the most common prescribed antibiotics (77.9%), followed by TMP-SMX (10.7%), fosfomycin (9.2%), nitrofurantoin (2.1%). Treatment durations were statistically longer than the recommended 3-day course. Empirical use of FQ in uUTI should be discouraged because of increased antimicrobial resistance rates.
Bonnie - E.Coli showed some resistance to all of the antibiotics. Not surprising. That is why in many of my clients who have had UTIs, antibiotics did nothing.
High CRP affects the brain
A new study in Neurology shows a link between elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), an indicator of low-grade inflammation, and decline in executive function. In addition, the researchers found a significant link between increased hs-CRP levels and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indicators of microstructural disintegration of white matter in the frontal lobe — the seat of executive function.
Executive function is described as brain processes which are responsible for planning, cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions and inhibiting inappropriate actions, and selecting relevant sensory information.
Executive function is described as brain processes which are responsible for planning, cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions and inhibiting inappropriate actions, and selecting relevant sensory information.
New chronic pain guidelines published
Courtesy of Medscape Medical News
For the first time in more than a decade, an American Society of Anesthesiologists taskforce has updated its chronic pain guidelines. The new recommendations are designed to help clinicians who treat pain. The objectives are to optimize pain control, enhance physical and psychological well-being, and minimize adverse outcomes. The new guidelines appear in the April issue of Anesthesiology. The recommendations apply to patients with chronic noncancer, neuropathic, somatic, or visceral pain.
Treatment should progress from a lesser to greater degree of invasiveness. The new guidelines advocate for multimodal interventions for patients with chronic pain. The taskforce suggests that a long-term approach that includes periodic follow-up evaluations should be developed and implemented as part of the overall treatment strategy. In addition, when available, multidisciplinary programs may be used. The new guidelines detail ablative techniques, acupuncture, blocks, botulinum toxin, electrical nerve stimulation, epidural steroids, intrathecal drug therapies, minimally invasive spinal procedures, pharmacologic management, physical therapy, psychological treatment, and trigger point injections.
Bonnie - glaring omissions? How about diet and nutrients. If this is only updated every 10-15 years, what an astonishing oversight.
For the first time in more than a decade, an American Society of Anesthesiologists taskforce has updated its chronic pain guidelines. The new recommendations are designed to help clinicians who treat pain. The objectives are to optimize pain control, enhance physical and psychological well-being, and minimize adverse outcomes. The new guidelines appear in the April issue of Anesthesiology. The recommendations apply to patients with chronic noncancer, neuropathic, somatic, or visceral pain.
Treatment should progress from a lesser to greater degree of invasiveness. The new guidelines advocate for multimodal interventions for patients with chronic pain. The taskforce suggests that a long-term approach that includes periodic follow-up evaluations should be developed and implemented as part of the overall treatment strategy. In addition, when available, multidisciplinary programs may be used. The new guidelines detail ablative techniques, acupuncture, blocks, botulinum toxin, electrical nerve stimulation, epidural steroids, intrathecal drug therapies, minimally invasive spinal procedures, pharmacologic management, physical therapy, psychological treatment, and trigger point injections.
Bonnie - glaring omissions? How about diet and nutrients. If this is only updated every 10-15 years, what an astonishing oversight.
Specific probiotic strain ineffective: study
Some probiotics have shown efficacy for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The aim of this study was to investigate the symptomatic effect of L. plantarum MF1298 in subjects with IBS in a randomized double blind placebo-controlled crossover trial. Thirteen of 16 participants preferred placebo to L. plantarum MF1298 treatment. This trial shows for the first time an unfavorable effect on symptoms in subjects with IBS after intake of a potential probiotic.
Bonnie - it just shows that probiotics are not "one size fits all." This is yet another reason why I do not advocate self-supplementing.
Bonnie - it just shows that probiotics are not "one size fits all." This is yet another reason why I do not advocate self-supplementing.
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